Advanced Photoshop (Issue 17)

FREE CD!
Project files, desktop designs,

stock art
ISSUE 17
771748 727009
42
ISSUE 17
ISSN 1748-7277
Delve inside the mind

behind Flatliner
17
5.99
JASON
COOK
ES
S
-REIMAG
S
H
E
HIGOCKIS ISSU
ST TH D
ONREE C
F
HOW TO
Visit us online www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk
Get organised with Lightroom

Make artwork from scratch
Master Smart Objects
Perfect layer effects
001_APM17_cover.indd 1
Videogame art
Create artwork with Photoshop

to make the PlayStation jealous
GRADUATE
SHOWCASE
ISSUE 17
5.99
The hottest young talent to hit the Photoshop scene
APPLYING 3D TEXTURES
Magictorch explains how to

tackle eye-popping urban texture
pages of professional
tips & essential stepby-step tutorials
ISS
UE
17
Jason Cook | Graduate showcase | Start your own design studio | Create videogame masterpieces
6-PAGE INTERVIEW
23/3/06 09:53:11
Cover
Cover image
This issues cover image comes from the
mind of multiple personality creative,
Jason Cook. A highly respected
photographer and Photoshopper, this
image, created for his Flatliner-V2
persona, demonstrates his aptitude
for composition and his ability to
keep up with trends.
/ For our full interview, turn to page 26.
Imageer:
JASON COOK
IF I CARRIED ON
DOING THE SAME
STYLE ALL THE
TIME, I THINK ID GO
COMPLETELY MAD
5
Advanced Photoshop
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nds
mme
Reco
7 32
GIVE IT A GO
Get some inspiration from this robot themed

tutorial. Send your attempts in and next issue you
could win a state-of-the-art EPSON scanner
ISSUE #17
inside...
7 10
26 LETTERS
Your comments shared with fellow readers
Inside the mind of

Flatliner, Jacey and co
INSIGHT
7 14
News and showcases from around the globe

Check out events and exhibitions in the UK
Glorious model-making from Rachel Chapman
Take a look at MDI Digitals portfolio
Landscapes from the mind of Stephane Belin
HELPDESK
14
20
22
24
7 78
Your technical traumas shared with fellow readers

and answered by our expert
THE COVER
RESOURCES
Jason Cook captures the current

trend of integrating photographs
with harsh lines and hand-drawn
elements. Find out what inspires
him, and his four personas, by
turning to page 26.
7 85
Vital assets to improve your Photoshop work

Lightroom Beta 2: The Preview
Books
Plug-ins
Portfolio sites
THIS MONTHS CD
.
E ..
IBe 76
R
C g f
BSto pa s ofce
U
S rn ave pri
Tu d s ver
an e co
th
86
90
92
94
7 96
Superb stock art, all the project files to go with

this months issue and more!
14 16
The latest events

and exhibitions
Awards for students as

well as professionals
Advanced Photoshop
006-007_APM17_contents.indd 6
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56
TECHNIQUES
Faster, better, more How can you work smarter?
Master the art of the

videogame designer
FEATURES
ADD TEXTURE TO 3D OBJECTS 7
32
44
56
62
64
70
Create texture to be proud of
INTERVIEW: JASON COOK
7 26
LAYER EFFECTS
STARTING A DESIGN STUDIO
7 38
CREATING CONSOLE ART
THE GRADUATES
7 50
INSIDER INFO
REDUCE NOISE
PEER PRESSURE
7 72
PERFECT YOUR BRUSHWORK
ROUND UP: CAMERAS
7 80
INSIDER INFO
SMART OBJECTS
Discover the secrets behind his success
Unleash your solo potential
Discover the hot young talent snapping at your heels
Eye-catching images from your fellow readers
How the right camera can improve your digital art
Master the art of ice using layer effects
Be the mastermind behind stunning videogame art
Get the best from your images using the CS2 filter
Learn how to paint artwork from scratch in Photoshop
Discover the power of Smart Objects
PREVIEW: LIGHTROOM BETA 2 7 86

Adobes new offering under the microscope
Advanced Photoshop
006-007_APM17_contents.indd 7
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Letters
Mailbox
Send your emails about the magazine
to the editor at advancedpshop@
imagine-publishing.co.uk
SUBJECT: Hello?
FROM: Annabel Williams
Is there anybody there? Ive been buying Advanced
Photoshop since the first issue, and I was so happy to
finally find a publication featuring the app that was
actually worth reading! But where have you gone?
Issue 3 came and went with no sign of issue 4, and
many a lunchtime I came away empty-handed from
WHSmith. Is Advanced Photoshop throwing in the
towel after just (sob) three killer issues? Either way,
thanks for publishing such a fantastic magazine.
SUBJECT: Not just for Christmas?

FROM: Barry Keating
After picking up one issue of your fantastic mag I
decided that I was hooked enough to take the 9
plunge and subscribe. But since then my post mat
has been barren. Whats the deal, AP, are you coming
or going?
Editor replies:
Thanks to all of you who got in touch wondering
where wed got to, its reassuring to know we were
missed. Hopefully you all found your way to issue 16
(previously numbered 4) of the magazine. Youll all be

reassured to hear that not only are we here to stay but
weve been spending our extra time wisely,
reformatting the magazine. From now on you can
expect to see us every month, as we have switched to
a new four-weekly frequency. The next issue will reach
you on 25 May, ensuring that we will well and truly
make up for lost time.
SUBJECT: Advancing on the web

FROM: Ali Dent
Before magazines like yours hit the stands last year,
the Internet was the only place where hardened
Photoshoppers could commune and swap tips and
experiences. So, one thing Ive really enjoyed about the
last couple of issues of Advanced Photoshop is the
way youve featured renowned sites like
PhotoshopCAFE and Pixelsurgeon, which really
enhances the community feel of the
magazine. Why is it, though, that Advanced
Photoshop doesnt have a website? Not only would it
be great for the AP readers, but I think it would be a
great way of extending the scope and interactivity
of the magazine.
BEFORE MAGS
LIKE YOURS HIT
THE SHELVES, THE
INTERNET WAS
THE ONLY PLACE
TO SWAP TIPS
Editor replies:
Weve been spending the last few months
concentrating on polishing Advanced Photoshop
into the gleaming jewel you see before you. But that
doesnt mean the web has not been in our thoughts.
Photoshop has a huge online community that were
extremely keen to contribute to, so you can be sure
that well extend this into a thriving Advanced
Photoshop site in the not-too-distant future. So
watch this space!
SUBJECT: Professional advice

FROM: Russell James
MORE TO LOVE: From now on, well be

educating Photoshopaholics every single month
CUTTING EDGE: The Pixelsurgeon site brings

you the hippest creators and edgiest content
Finally, a magazine featuring pro-level content for

Photoshop users! Im a new reader of your magazine
and I find the tutorials and features right on target a
superb step on from the Photoshop content of digital
photography magazines. However, I do think there is
something missing. As well as interviews and tutorials
featuring Photoshop pros I think you could offer a
wider scope of articles focusing on other issues
affecting the Photoshop professional. Career and
portfolio advice, promotional tips, even tutorials
focusing on other Creative Suite apps would be ideal.
10
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010-011_APM17_letters.indd 10
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STUDIO LINE:
So, you think youre

good enough to
Photoshop fulltime? Get kitted out
to join the chaotic
world of the
professional
creative with our
guide to the gear
you need on page 38
Straight to
the point
Raising our game
Im sure I cant be alone in wanting a bit more from
my now-favourite creative magazine.
Editor replies:
Hi, and thanks for getting in touch! Hopefully our
new-look magazine has quenched your thirst
for more in-depth tutorials, and if you turn to page 38
youll see that we read your mind and decided to get
you all the advice you need on starting your own
design studio.
SUBJECT: Faulty disc?

FROM: Terry Stone
I bought your magazine today for the first time and I
have found it excellent. Unfortunately my pleasure
was dampened by the fact there were no images on
the disc for the fantastic Let It Snow tutorial from p58.
I think its also a pity that you dont put video tutorials
on the disc. Maybe next time!
Regards
Editor replies:
Youre not the only person to have suffered the same
fate. However, for those of you who emailed or called
us, and for those of who havent done so yet, we have
the solution. If youd like to get your hands on the
image that will enable you to recreate that snow
scene, go to www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/
snowscene.jpg and you will be able to download the
PIXEL PILGRIMS: Watch out for next years NEC

imaging event at www.focus-on-imaging.co.uk
full sized image from there. Good luck with the

tutorial, and dont forget to email all those finished
images in. Theres no greater pleasure for the digital
artist than seeing your work in print.
SUBJECT: Oldie but boldie

FROM: Peter OSullivan
For anyone like me, who at the grand old age of 46
has only just discovered the delights of Photoshop,
the program can be a little daunting. However, with
the help of a course that I found on www.systematix.
co.uk I am now a confident Photoshopper, and
although some of your tutorials are still a little too
advanced for me, with the next level of training I
hope to soon be snapping at the heels of
www.vault49.com and the like.
SUBJECT: Focus on imaging

FROM: Helen French
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed Adobes
Focus On Imaging event at the NEC last month. It was
inspiring to see so many people with such a passion
for creativity. I shall definitely be attending more of
these events in the future.
SUBJECT: Go go gadget
FROM: Stephanie Bridge
After reading your Photoshop pros bang on and on
about graphic tablets, I splurged on a teeny A5
Intuos3 (I know Im getting serious about Photoshop
when I pass up the latest Jimmy Choo sale in favour
of a gadget). Well, Im glad I did. Ive always been more
comfortable working with real tools, so the stylus
suits me perfectly, and I find that my works far more
accurate now. And its loads of fun, too.
Editor replies:
Were glad youre enjoying your new toy, Stephanie,
and even if it means youll be poorly clothed for
a few months we think its worth it! Just to give it a
proper test-drive, head to pages 44 and 56 of this
issue, where youll find a couple of tutorials that will
make for perfect pen practise.
Enjoy!
SUBJECT: Advanced?
FROM: Tommy Neilson
Ive just seen issue 16 of the magazine and
wanted to say I completely agree with your
raising the standard and level of tutorials in the
magazine; many previously printed were not
advanced at all!
SUBJECT: Wheres the insight?
FROM: Mike Harris
I think its ironic that a magazine section called
Insight is so difficult to read. While I find your
tutorials user-friendly and bang on the mark,
the first 20 or so pages of your magazine are a
hard-to-follow mish-mash of Photoshop babble
with no real order. Is it news, portfolios, new
trends or what? As far as I can see its just a load
of pretty pictures with captions and the odd
hardware story thrown in for good measure.
SUBJECT: Room for a review
FROM: Matt Sykes
Photoshop may be the worlds most awesome
piece of software (in my humble opinion
anyway) but it wouldnt get very far without the
hardware and peripherals needed to run it. With
this in mind I think Advanced Photoshop
should include hardware and plug-in reviews
and news as well as Photoshop techniques.
Editor replies:
Message received and understood! Taking our
command from you, the readers, this months
Advanced Photoshop has continued in issue
16s footsteps and had a bit of a shake-up. As
well as including a four-page review of Adobes
latest offering, Lightroom, weve also cast our
eye over Insight. Tailored to be a veritable
treasure chest of news and new trends, we like
to keep the top end of the magazine completely
fluid to move with the pace of the Photoshop
community. But if your wish is for more clarity
and order, then that is our command. We hope
youll find this issue of Advanced Photoshop
just that little bit more insightful.
11
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010-011_APM17_letters.indd 11
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Keeping an eye on the latest trends in contemporary photography, art,

and design, Insight sets out to snapshot innovation in the making
Designer Of The Year: you decide

Celebrating the greatest achievements
from the world of design, the London
Design Museum is hosting the Designer
Of The Year exhibition until 28 June.
Awarded annually, the UKs most
prestigious design prize celebrates the
designer or team who have made the
biggest contribution of design the
proceeding year.
Up for the vote in 2006 is furniture
designer Tom Dixon, The Guardian design
team for the redesign of the newspaper,
Jamie Hewlett for designing the virtual
band Gorillaz and humanitarian designer
Cameron Sinclair for his work with

Architecture for Humanity.
The Designer Of The Year shortlist is a
true indication of the breadth, depth and
creativity of design in the UK today,
enthuses Christopher Bailey, creative
director of Burberry.
Even those not nominated for the
awards can take part as the public can
vote for the winner of the 25,000 design
award. Judge their work for yourself at this
Design Museum exhibition or online on
the Designer Of The Year website at www.
designmuseum.org/designeroftheyear.
www.designmuseum.org/
designeroftheyear
insight
A THE GUARDIAN, 12 SEPTEMBER 2005
DESIGN: THE GUARDIAN

PRODUCTION: GUARDIAN NEWSPAPERS LTD
One of the most ambitious design projects of
2005, The Guardians redesign has already led
to increased sales in the declining newspaper
market. Having decided to shrink its traditional
broadsheet format, The Guardian redesigned
every aspect of the newspaper. The design
team, led by creative director Mark Porter,
devised rigorous grids to ensure coherence,
and developed new ways of using colour to
enhance photography, illustration
and infographics
B COPPER SHADE, 2005
DESIGN: TOM DIXON

PRODUCTION: TOM DIXON OLD
One of the UKs most influential product
designers, Tom Dixon was shortlisted after an
exceptionally prolific year in 2005 and for his
championship of emerging designers. During
2005, Dixon developed new furniture and
lighting designs for Tom Dixon Ltd and Artek,
the Finnish furniture maker
C A SCHOOL FOR 170 TAMIL AND MUSLIM
CHILDREN CONSTRUCTED BY ARCHITECTURE

FOR HUMANITY IN SRI LANKA, 2005
In the year since the tsunami devastated the
South East Asian coastline, Architecture for
Humanity has constructed schools, medical
clinics and community centres. It is now
developing sustainable design solutions to the
crises caused by Hurricane Katrina and the
Kashmir earthquake
D GORILLAZ, 2005
CONCEPT & DESIGN: JAMIE HEWLETT

Gorillaz has become the worlds most
successful virtual band. Born in 1968, Hewlett
designed anti-heroine Tank Girl before creating
Gorillaz with musician Damon Albarn. In 2005,
they took the visualisation of the band to a new
level by working with the animation company
Passion Pictures to stage a groundbreaking
digital performance at the
MTV Europe Awards
C
Architecture for Humanity
14
Advanced Photoshop
014-015_APM17_insight.indd 14
27/3/06 10:44:54
05.06
PRZEMEK SOBOCKI: Inspired by the ending
of Krzysztof Kieslowskis film The Double Life
Of Veronique, when the main character
touches a tree to confirm that she exists, this
is one of the pieces that won Sobocki his title
MODEL MUSES: Inspired by the likes of Erin
OConnor, Jade Parfitt and Linda Evangelista,
Downtons work has become iconic within
the fashion and the art industry
Drawing inspiration
As an artist, it is all too easy to get used to
people overlooking your work. Theres no
question about it. The life of an illustrator can
be an unacknowledged and frustrating one.
For creatives, exhibitions and
competitions can be a lifeline and the V&A
Illustration Awards are no different. The
premier awards for book and editorial
illustration in the UK, the awards, sponsored
by the Enid Linder Foundation, have
produced winners including Quentin Blake,
Michael Foreman, Ian Pollock, Ralph
Steadman, Posy Simmonds and Sara Fanelli.
Winning illustrations are chosen from
editorial publications, childrens books,
adult illustrated books and book covers, so if
youve had your work published in this way,
keep reading.
Renamed the V&A Illustration Awards in
2002, this event continues to be among the
most substantial financial prizes for book
and magazine illustration in the UK. But
theyre not just recognising old hands. The
2005 Awards included a new category for
Student Illustrator Of The Year, offered to
students at UK colleges studying illustration
at degree level equivalent or above.
Although the closing date for the 2006
awards student category has been and
gone, 1 August is D-Day for the rest of you.
Check out www.vam.ac.uk for details of
how to enter.
JULIANNA KASZA,
STUDENT ILLUSTRATOR OF 2005
Inspired by medieval woodcut illustration, when artists
were not so knowledgeable about rules of delineation
but could create a narrative, Kaszas illustration was
based on a tale called The Little Piglet And The Wolves
Couture voyeur
PRZEMEK
SOBOCKI,
FIRST PRIZ
ILLUSTRA
TIO
E EDITOR
IAL
images wer N: Featured in 125 M
e his first pu
ag
blished as an azine, Sobockis win
roots in fash
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ion and de
illustrator,
sign
and reveal
his
Art students pondering how to follow

in the footsteps of the illustrious
David Downton, one of the worlds
leading fashion illustrators, should
get down to the London College of
Fashion between 28 April and 17 May.
The stunning retrospective of
the Paris couture shows include
drawings that have never been
exhibited in public before and
portraits of the fashion industrys
most beautiful women, including
Jade Parfitt, Erin OConnor and
Linda Evangelista.
A familiar face both behind the
scenes and in the front rows of the
worlds most esteemed couture
shows, David gained unprecedented
access to the glamorous world of
fashion, capturing both the
star-studded front row as well as the
excitement and energy of the models
and designers backstage.
Having originally trained in
graphics, Davids natural ability with
the human form, spontaneous
approach and economy of line rapidly
led to a hugely successful career
working with, among others, Vogue,
Tatler, Elle, Harpers & Queen, Este
Lauder and Christian Dior.
As this is his first show for
numerous years, and is an
opportunity to buy prints for your
own collection, this is one exhibition
you cant afford to miss.
15
Advanced Photoshop
24/3/06 17:55:10
insight
The Greatest
Show On Earth
In keeping with the collaborative spirit with which design studio
Vault49 was conceived, The Greatest Show On Earth showcases
Vault49s partnership with some of the hottest photographic,
illustrative, and typographic talent around. Featuring illustration
contributions from Daryl Waller, typographic image-making
from Si Scott, and photography by Rinze van Brug and Michael
Creagh in New York, and Stephan Langmanis in London, the
show is set to be a truly great event.
Vault49s unfettered images, both bizarre and gorgeous, have
appeared on or between the covers of Flaunt, Dazed & Confused,
Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. Since establishing Vault49
in early 2002, the collaboratives pioneering work has gained
rapid international recognition through countless features in the
best of the global design press, and has sold hundreds of limited
edition artworks worldwide to private collectors and other
design and advertising companies.
Maintaining that it is no longer possible to refer to graphic
design as being so disconnected from the art world, Vault49 has
carved a unique space for itself.
Check out the exhibition, on in April at the Coningsby Gallery,
London, and be well and truly inspired.
www.coningsbygallery.com
HOOCHIE COOCHIE:
DESIGN: Vault49 with Daryl Waller
PHOTOGRAPHY: Stephan Langmanis
MODEL: Ksenia @ Models 1
STYLIST: Riccie Stoene
HAIR & MAKE-UP: Marlene Andersson
Graphic design is growing and evolving

to encompass many different
approaches, techniques and genres,
including much of the territory that was
the exclusive reserve of the artist, such as
self-commissioned and self-published
work like The Greatest Show On Earth
KNIFE THROWER :
BEAR TAMER:
DESIGN: Vault49 with Daryl Waller
PHOTOGRAPHY: Rinze van Brug and
Michael Creagh
STYLIST: Keith Washington
MAKE UP: Martha Amelia Friedlander
HAIR: Livio Angileri at Ford Artists
DESIGN: Vault49 with Daryl Walle

PHOTOGRAPHY: Rinze van Brug and
Michael Creag
STYLIST: Keith Washington
MAKE-UP: Martha Amelia Friedlander
HAIR: Livio Angileri at Ford Artists
New York-based Vault49 returns to the UK for

its third London exhibition. Vault49 continues
to create images which confront our visual
tastes, and challenges us to re-imagine the
world in which we live
The Greatest Show On Earth is

inspired by a world of questionable
morality and alternative pastimes,
influenced by the lives and
performances of early 20thcentury travelling entertainers.
Worlds collide to give birth to a
collection of unforgettable images
16
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 10:11:16
05.06
Making
some NOISE
NOISE, the international youth arts

festival, has hit UK shores. Based in
the Tate, Liverpool, NOISE is the only
online media arts festival of its kind.
Showcasing new and original talent
from under-25s nationwide, the
festival will cover film, music, fashion,
illustration, graphic design, writing,
architecture and photography. Denise
Proctor, chief executive of the festival,
explains the ethos projects ethos.
We have chosen our curators
because they have consistently
demonstrated originality, passion and
innovation in their chosen art form.
They are regarded as industry
figureheads not only because of their
successes within their chosen field but
because they serve as an inspiration
for the next generation of young
creatives. NOISE targets every young
person regardless of background or
postcode. It gives them fantastic
opportunities to showcase their
talent. The best submissions to
www.noisefestival.com by 31 May
will appear on television, radio, online
and in print throughout October.
YOUNG GUNS: If youre under 25 and
eager to get your creative skills seen,
submit your tastiest offerings to the
NOISE festival. Create anything, just
make it loud!
ADOBE FULLY
LOADED TOUR
10-11 April
London
20 April
Newcastle
25 April
Dublin
04 May
Bristol
11 May
Birmingham
DISCOVERING
ISAMBARD
KINGDOM BRUNEL
8 April
London Design Museum
Getting bigger
STOCK EXCHANGE: Our photographers
will have a wider audience, and more people
around the world will have access to what we
consider to be the worlds greatest collection
of value-priced imagery, says Thompson
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Birmingham
BAPLA PICTURE
BUYERS FAIR
10-11 May
London
ADOBE LIVE 2006

24-25 May
London
17
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 10:47:09
insight
A REFUGE FROM THE STORM:

Rachel created this piece for the Society of
Childrens Books Writers and Illustrators
contest. The assignment was about a
child becoming caught up in a storm and
seeking refuge in a cage. This is my
interpretation of what he finds in the cave
a forest creatures barbecue! I wanted to
emphasize the lighting for this image so I
photographed the clay figures inside a
cardboard box, using a small candle as
the light source and giving the clay that
warm campfire feeling. This technique
worked so well I barely had to change the
colours on the figures. Texture was added
in a transparent layer. Ive learned how
important lighting is to set a mood and
pull a composition together.
Rachel Chapman
Rachel Chapman always knew she
wanted to be an illustrator of some
kind, but never envisaged becoming a
digital artist. I went to the Maryland
Institute College of Art in Baltimore,
USA, where I studied illustration and
literature. Her background in
traditional art works to her favour
with her quirky and original digital
creations. I really learned the power
of Photoshop Ive been using this
style ever since, she enthuses.
The images are so accurate and
convincing that its hard to see any
obvious Photoshop work, but far from
it. After an initial sketch to work out
the composition, I begin working on
sculpting the characters with
modelling clay. I try to make as many
elements as I can in clay, such as
characters, props and backgrounds. In

my studio I take high-quality digital
photos of figures, which are initially
just a neutral brownish colour, and
import these into Photoshop. I then
select parts that I want to colour and
make an adjustment layer mask to
alter the hue/saturation. To give the
figures textures, like fur, Ill use a
photograph of the fur I want, clone it
and then paint a low-opacity layer on
top of the figure. This technique is
successful not only because of
Rachels expertise in modelling, but
also because of the subtlety with
which she carries out her tweaks. You
can see the clay form underneath, but
the slight fur textures gives the
character more realism.
www.artbyrach.com
BAND AID SOLUTIONS: Rachel used her

clay technique to create the globe in this
image, while the background was originally
painted texture on canvas. I wanted to
create a piece about governments
responses to our planets environmental
problems. It represents how some can only
come up with short-term solutions that will
only mask the problem, not solve it.
20
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 14:49:06
TIED DOWN
BY LANDLINES: This was
created for the December
2005 issue of The Wall Street
Journal. Everything is made
from clay, except for the
executives suit. For that I did a
sketch of the position I
wanted him in, scanned it,
added a transparent layer of a
fabric texture over the sketch
and cut out the suit shape. I
added the shadows using the
Burn and Dodge tools.
SLUMPY IN THE CITY:

This is part of an
unpublished picture book I
made. The story is about a
dog named Slumpy, who
runs away to explore the
world outside his tiny house.
Everything in this
composition is clay, except
for the wall. Its actually a
wall against the alley behind
my house in Baltimore. I love
to insert pieces of my life:
things only me and my
friends know about.
05.06
s
LAMB: Thi started
AND THE
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ph
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all
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of
I try to use
s
rt
pa
r
d othe
textures an
21
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 14:50:57
insight
CICADA: Dance act Cicada commissioned

MdiDigital with quite a flexible brief: The
girl was a stock art shot. Cicada was keen to
have a bright and sparkly element to the
shot and wasnt sure how it was going to
work but was pleased with the result.
MONEY CITY: A clever piece of coding in Photoshop posed a tricky

problem for MdiDigital: Its impossible to scan notes into Photoshop
we think it may be something to do with the line details so this shot
wasnt as simple as it should have been. We got around it by importing
parts of the notes into individual layers; these were then applied to the
skyline. The sky background was photographed from my front door!
E N D:
E WEEK
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22
Advanced Photoshop
022-023_APM17_insight copy.indd 22
27/3/06 10:17:13
05.06
REFLECTION:
This image was for
a pitch for Ministry
Of Sound, but
unfortunately it
was never
commissioned.
The swirly patterns
and pattern marks
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23
Advanced Photoshop
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27/3/06 10:17:46
insight
LOST TIME, LOST PLACE: I created this

piece to strengthen my photo-real portfolio
when I was looking for a job as a concept
artist. Ive always been a fan of old
adventure movies from the Fifties, and I
wanted to convey that feeling in this image.
MISSION: I had this vivid image of rockets taking off

in the desert in my minds eye. Throughout its creation,
I learned a lot of things. This particular image received
an Excellence Award in the well-known
EXPOS 2 art book from Ballistic Publishing.
Stephane Belin
Working at EAs Montreal studios, Stephane Belin
specialises in stunning vistas that are steeped in mood
and emotive lighting. I never had any kind of formal
art training, Stephane explains. I started to draw little
pixelly things for games back in the mid-Eighties and it
grew on me. From there I learned how to produce
graphics on computers.
Privileged with a dual-core Pentium 4 with 2GB
RAM, a GeForce 7800 graphics card and a Wacom
Intuos2 A4 tablet, the artists equipment has evolved
since his fledgling days in the Eighties but his creative
process remains ironclad. First I lay out a quick
perspective grid. Then I block out shapes. I then think
in terms of composition, value, shape and colour. Then
I gradually refine the piece to get the desired result.
Experience with Photoshop has swelled Stephanes
increasing portfolio, but he remains modest about his
talent. Im not particularly gifted or smart, he
confesses, but Im very dedicated. It takes years of
work and theres no real shortcut for that.
Speaking as an artist who has actually made it in the
real world of digital art, Stephane has advice for those
starting out. Getting the right palette and composition
is the key to success. Its never a good idea to start
working on details unless youre completely satisfied
with the basics.
www.stephanebelin.com
/
24
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 10:20:31
JUNGLE CONCEPT: I completed this

in one day. Photoshop is an amazing tool
when it comes to quick colour paintings.
I dont usually go much deeper into
detail, preferring to let the viewers
imagination fill in the blanks.
05.06
INDIAN CONCEPT: This is one of my

latest works. I tend to work more quickly and
rough now, focusing exclusively on
composition and colour. My job as a concept
artist gives me the opportunity to face
numerous and widely varied situations.
FAR EAST: This image is in the same vein

as the other photo-real images Ive done
for my portfolio. I really enjoyed doing a
backlit image as it gave me a different
challenge to face. I love the way the
sunlight bathes the field in its rays.
25
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 10:20:48
Inter
view
FOUR
FACES
OF MAN
In the world of Photoshop, many
artists can find it hard to keep
their work fresh. Jason Cook,
with his four personas, has
certainly overcome that problem
ason Cook is the kind of designer who

makes all others sit up and take notice.
Few designers embrace the concept of
change in their work more than him. With a
Czechoslovakian mother and English father,
this Bradford-born creatives colourful
background radiates through his work.
Ive done a little of everything, he explains. If
I carried on doing the same style all the time, I
think Id go completely mad.
Originally from a photography background,
Cooks progression into the digital arts was a
natural one. After studying visual
communications at the University of
Wolverhampton, where he specialised in
photography design, Cook took some time out. I
bought myself a Mac an old Centris 610 with
about eight megabytes of RAM and taught
myself how to use Photoshop and 3D.
A self-confessed digital illustrator and
pixel-pusher, his grounding in photography has
served him well and hes now one of the most
sought-after talents in Photoshop. I dont think it
matters what discipline you take up; as long as
you understand form, colour and shape, then
BRAIN TREE (TOP): Created

as a cover for Eureka magazine,
Brain Tree is part of Cooks Jaroslav
portfolio. These personal creative
projects are inspired by his
background in photography
HELLO, DOLLY (ABOVE):
This pre-production illustration was

created under the Jaroslav banner.
Less limiting, as it is unrestricted by
trends and passing vogues, this is
Cooks favourite persona
MTV MIX (RIGHT): Created for

the MTV Style opening sequence,
this image combines Cooks two
loves: photography and digital
imaging. His own brand of
irreverent humour shines through
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Jason Cook
27
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Inter
view
bulb bonanza:
This black and white

image is filled with
intricate details just
count all the light bulbs
28
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Jason Cook
you can apply it to any medium or discipline.

The basic beginnings of his development into a
fully fledged Photoshopper are apparent in his
illustrations, which are rooted in photography.
However, his camera wasnt his only muse. While
growing up, Cook found himself surrounded by
inspiration in the form of Francis Ford Coppolas
Rumble Fish and, perhaps less likely, in the film
Tron. A groundbreaker for its day, the 1982 movie
and its computer graphics whetted his appetite
for the creative.
Dawn of Adobe
From these early inspirations Cook went on to
dabble in illustration on his own. Id never had any
training, but while I was doing my course, mainly
at foundation level, Id use photographs and cut
them up and comp them together so youd get a
kind of flat illustration. So more or less I was doing
a manual way of using Photoshop.
Once the commissions started rolling in,
however, Cook had to make the leap to the real
Adobe app. When I first got a copy of Photoshop
I think it was 2 or 2.5 it had one Undo and that
was it, he recalls. But it did teach you to work
quite fast and to be quite disciplined as well.
And from there, the Cook empire has
continued to grow. No more crude, homemade
versions of Photoshop in sight nowadays he
works solely on Macs, favouring his dual G5: I
once went over to the dark side and got an SGI
Windows PC, but I think Ill stick with Macs.
Learning from his mistakes, not only does Cook
stick like glue to his G5, he also has a backup. Ive

always got two machines; when I upgrade I keep
the old one for mail and rendering, things like
that. Ive had so many external Hard Drives you
wouldnt believe. Ive lost so many illustrations
over the years from discs dying.
Whos who
Having found inspiration in the realms of
Hollywood films and photography, Cooks style
has made him popular with an eclectic mix of
clients. But its not just his clientele thats varied.
His portfolio boasts many different styles of
illustration, and much of this is due to his
renowned four personalities: The personas are
partly to stop me getting bored, and also to keep
the money coming in.
With Cooks four faces come four very different
styles. Jacey is whom I am known best for,
explains Cook. This style focuses on 2D and 3D
digital generated art, a style that is commercial
and very accessible.
Favouring Photoshop and Cinema 4D with his
work under the Jacey banner, Cooks most
famous face has declined in popularity since the
millennium. I wasnt trained as an illustrator, so
CATWALK CHIC:
Working for clients

such as the Bee Gees,
VH1 and MTV, Cook
has made a name for
himself within the
music industry with
fashion-conscious
face Flatliner-V2
when I went freelance and joined my agency,

Dbut Art, I fell into a niche Photoshop and 3D
work. Thats where the money was.
Cook, however, was to be no one-trick pony.
Todays popular trend of merging harsh lines,
vectors and hand-drawn elements with
photography is something Cook is well used to
doing from his photographic past, and this is
reflected in more than one of his personas.
Flatliner-V2 pushes todays highly graphic but
loose style, Cook explains. Combining
hand-drawn, photographic and 3D graphic
elements, the Flatliner-V2 arm has proved very
popular with music and lifestyle sectors.
While V2 focuses on a looser, more decorative
style, Flatliner takes the form of more traditional
illustration methods with a contemporary edge.
Its a sharp, clean vector style, popular within the
lifestyle and IT industry.
And although Cook still has not found his own
style yet Ive not got to the point where I feel
any of the art I can use my name with at the
moment there is one persona that does share a
little something more with him. Jaroslav, Cooks
personal approach to creating art, is an ongoing
portfolio not restricted by fashions or styles
THE PERSONAS ARE PARTLY TO

STOP ME GETTING BORED, AND ALSO
TO KEEP THE MONEY ROLLING IN
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Inter
view
THE LONDON ICE:
Created for the BBCs Focus

magazine, this Day After
Tomorrow-esque image was
designed as part of Cooks firstcreated Jacey portfolio
ABSTRACT
ART: Although
Jacey has fallen in

popularity, his work
is still on the pulse
in illustration. It calls on my experiences with

social documentary photography, design and
traditional illustration.
His personal favourite style, Jaroslav is probably
the closest portfolio to his photographic roots.
But its the one that gets the least commissions.
Thats just the way isnt it, the one you enjoy the
most never seems to happen, he muses.
Colour chameleon
Life is never boring where Jason Cook is
concerned. With trends in illustration changing
more quickly than those on the New York
catwalks, Cook has learnt to be somewhat of a
chameleon. This approach has kept his work
looking fresh and, vitally, commercially appealing.
The bulk of Cooks work five years ago, when the
A CLIENT WILL USE YOU FOR A

WHILE, THEN GET BORED OR MOVE
ON. YOU CANT GET PRECIOUS
dot-com era began, was for Jacey. This

combination of Photoshop and 3D work, though
once the height of fashion, has now given way to
more fashion-led and lifestyle images. At the
moment Im working on quite a few pitches and
most of my work is around Flatliner-V2 and
Flatliner, he divulges.
The Flatliner work tends to be for IT and
technical corporate clients. Im doing an astrology
book at the moment, thats Flatliner-V2. I also did
the Bee Gees album cover at Christmas.
This ability to move with the times and trends
has meant Cook has been at the top of his game
for a number of years now. Ive been an art
director for a web design company, Ive delved
into the areas of music design, animation, social
documentary photography, he recalls. Ive done
a little of everything, and the four personas just
help to keep me interested.
Future tactics
Cooks style has made him popular in a broad
spectrum of the creative industry. This, as well as
his ability to adapt, has proved an invaluable
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Jason Cook
SPLIT PERSONALITY
With each of Cooks personas having their own creative

identity, he uses different apps for each of them.
Although all of his portfolios are predominantly
Photoshop-based, he also strays into Freehand or
Illustrator depending on clients needs. This vector
illustration was created for Now Magazine by Cooks
Flatliner face, proving that hes far more than just a
photomontage and manipulation man.
FACE OFF (RIGHT): Able to have fun in his personal

portfolio, this image showcases Jason Cooks areas of
expertise perfectly
asset. I tend to do cycles of illustration; each

probably lasts about two years. Its a case of
keeping on top of what the trends are if you want
to keep a nice steady income coming in, and to
keep yourself interested.
But its not just his portfolios which go through
cycles. As all freelancers are aware, working for
yourself can be a tough business. You tend to go
through cycles, he explains. A client will use you
for a while, then they got bored with you or want
to move onto a different style you cant get
precious about clients and assume youll have
them for the next 15 years. They might use you
for a month, they might use you for three years.
However long Jason Cooks work is popular for
you can be sure we havent seen the last of him,
even if his next persona emerges somewhere
outside of Photoshop, Music is my big passion.
Sometimes I wish Id got into that, but you cant
have everything. 5
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MASTERCLASS
32
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Starting with a simple 3D render, were going

to show you how to apply realistic textures
that add grit and character to an image
BY MIKE CHIPPERFIELD
Add texture
to 3D objects
ON THE DISC
Have a look at the tutorial resources folder
on the cover disc. Youll find Steve, our
cheeky bot model (otherwise known as
robot_01.jpg) there. You can adorn him
with your own textural creations.
OUR EXPERT
Mike Chipperfield is a digital illustrator and founder
member of design collective Magictorch (www.magictorch.
com). He lives and works in Cornwall.
Getting started
Open up robot_01.jpg. This image contains the
basic render of the robot and the background on
separate layers, along with a render of the outlines of
the robot called Cel Render. These outlines will be a
helpful time-saver later on when were masking out the
various textures.
layer masks
Layer Masks are a really powerful part of the
Photoshop armoury. If you dont use them
already then theyre really worth getting the
knack of. They seem confusing at first but are
quite simple when you know how they work.
Basically, where a mask is white it is
transparent and allows you to see that area of
the layer. Where a mask is black it is opaque and
hides that area of a layer. All the shades of grey
offer varying degrees of transparency. The great
thing about them is that you can mask off
chunks of a layer without actually losing any of
that layers data; you can edit the mask to reveal
the layer at any time.
or this texture tutorial were starting with the render of our robot hey, lets call him Steve. Hes quite
simple in design but were going to make him look much more interesting, as if hes used, obsolete,
rusty and unwanted, by adding textures.
We need to wrap flat textures onto a 3D shape. Think of it as though youre wrapping a particularly awkward
present with separate pieces of paper for each side of the box. The trick is to make the textures look like theyve been
mapped onto their respective surfaces. They need to roughly follow the edges of the surfaces and also the
perspective that is implied within the image. This is fairly easy with flat surfaces, as you can use the Distort part of the
Transform tool to match up the texture edges with the edge of any given surface. But its slightly more difficult with
curved or uneven surfaces, so for that well use the Warp tool (which in itself is an extension of the Transform tool).
Well also examine one of the recent additions to Photoshop, Smart Objects.
Transforming with texture
Harness the power:
The onset of rust

Either create your own effect or get snapping up a
rusty texture. Select All, then Copy and Paste the texture
into our robot image, making sure its the top layer.
Change the Blending Mode to Overlay and straight
away you can see how well the textures are going to
react with the tones of the robot. Were going to place
this texture on the side of Steves head, as its a good flat
plane to start with.
Flat headed
Hit Control+T (use Command if youre on a Mac)
to start up the Transform tool. Right-click and choose
Distort. Drag the handles from each corner to go just
outside the corners of the side of Steves head. Because
its a flat surface and the texture is roughly the right
proportion, youll find that it all matches pretty well, with
the texture appearing to be in the correct perspective.
33
Advanced Photoshop
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MASTERCLASS
4
10
11
All the trimmings

We need to trim the texture so it matches
perfectly the portion of the robot were trying to texture.
You can do this with the Polygonal Lasso tool, but for
the purposes of this tutorial we need a faster option.
This is where the Cel Render layer will come in handy.
Select the Cel Render layer (it doesnt need to be visible,
but it can be if you prefer).
Wrapping the present

Try to gauge the area of the surface you want to
texture as if it existed in 3D space. Imagine its a present
and you have cut out a rectangular piece of paper to
cover each side basically, consider each surface you
texture and what size and proportion that texture needs
to be. For instance, if a surface on the robot is
foreshortened then youll need enough width on your
texture so that it looks foreshortened too once its been
transformed to fit the surface.
Hiding behind a mask

Using the Magic Wand (the default settings are
fine), click in the middle of the area we want to select.
Now reselect the texture layer and click the Add Layer
Mask button at the bottom of the Layers palette. You
might need to do some more subtle work at the corners
later on where the textures overlap, but the bulk of the
texture is now correctly masked.
Texture the headphones

Were going to texture the large cylindrical part of
the headphones. Create a subtle spray paint effect image
and make a fairly tall and thin selection with the
rectangular Marquee tool a shape that roughly
corresponds to the area were trying to cover. Copy and
Paste that into our layered image. As before, set the
Blending Mode to Overlay.
Another fine mesh

Now youll see a nine-square grid with nodes
at each corner and two handles coming from each
corner this is the Warp Mesh. What we want to do is
manipulate that mesh until it roughly matches the
cylindrical shape. You could use it now but well start
with one of the presets. Select Arch from the Warp
drop-down, then click the Orientation button so that
the arch bulges to the side.
GAUGE THE
AREA YOU WANT
TO TEXTURE
AS IF IT EXISTED
IN 3D SPACE
Its just an illusion

Continue using the above steps to apply textures
to all the flat surfaces on the robot, such as the face, the
chest, the neck and the intake on top of the head. For
the face, just match up your chosen texture with all four
corners of the hood. This will only make the texture
match the forehead and chin, but we can get away with
it with the nose and cheeks as the shading will provide
the required illusion.
Transforming with Warp

Using the Transform tool, roughly rotate and scale
the texture so its corners are just outside the four most
extreme points of the cylindrical shape. Still within the
Transform tool, select Warp using the button on the
contextual menu at the top of the screen or by rightclicking and choosing Warp from the list.
No commitments
Youll see that theres only one handle with
the Arch mesh. Drag it until the texture roughly follows
the curve of the cylinder. If you feel you need to rotate
the texture some more you can nip back into the regular
Transform tool (Control+T). As long as you havent
committed any of the changes then the whole
transformation remains editable.
34
Advanced Photoshop
28/3/06 12:06:48
12
13
15
16
Mecha mesh
So, still within the same transformation, enter
the Warp tool again. This time select Custom from the
drop-down list. You can click and drag any part of the
mesh to affect a change and tweak the handles for a bit
more control. With this you should be able to tweak the
curve weve already made until everything matches
near-perfectly.
Background information
Create your own industrial background layer.
Select All, and copy and paste it into the layered image.
Place it just above the background layer and set the
Blending Mode to Overlay. Use the Transform tool to try
to suggest a little perspective, using the horizontal lines
of Steves chest plate and shoulders as a guide.
17
Name tag
Heres how you make
the name tag to place on Steves
chest. Start by making a new
document with dimensions of
1000 by 500 pixels and a
transparent background. Select
the Text tool and choose a font
(we used USAAF Stencil, which is
available from www.dafont.
com). Type Steve (or whatever
else you want to call him) in large
black text.
Fun with the Warp

Now we can commit the transformation. Add
a mask as before. Repeat the above steps,
experimenting with the Warp Mesh and the various
presets for the other curved surfaces on the robot. The
Warp tool is satisfying to use but sometimes its difficult
to be precise. Dont worry if the results arent exact as
the overall effect will be there.
14
A light touch
Using all the techniques explained in the
previous two sections, add the various details to Steve.
The drips and the stencils should have their Blending
Modes set to Soft Light; this will let texture come
through but wont affect the colour saturation too
much. The holes should be set to Normal so that the
texture beneath doesnt poke through.
Depth of field
Knock the background textures layer opacity
down to about 70% so it doesnt overpower the
foreground. We can add depth to the image by applying
a little Gaussian blur to the background texture try a
value of 3 to keep things subtle. This gives us a hint of
depth of field and brings Steve forward in the image.
Fun with
textures
Making textures to use in Photoshop can be
great fun and really creative. Just take your
digital camera and go for a wander. Youll be
amazed at the usable textures you can find.
Examples include: the roasting tray from your
oven for some crusty burnt bits, while drains and
service hatches are often metal and can have a
rich patina or coating of rust. Tarmac, concrete
and old brick walls are great for backgrounds.
35
Advanced Photoshop
28/3/06 12:07:27
MASTERCLASS
18
19
Let us spray
Now for the spray
paint. Make a new layer. Select
the Brush tool, set the Diameter
to about 100 pixels, the Hardness
to zero, the Mode to Dissolve and
the Opacity to 20%. Now add
some spray in blotches around
various points of the letters.
Were trying to achieve a rushed
stencil effect, as if little squirts of
paint had bled through it here
and there.
Dripping the paint

Now for the drips. Add a New layer and, still
with the Brush tool, set the Diameter to 8 pixels, the
Hardness to 100%, the Mode to Normal and the Opacity
to 100%. Choose an area of spray paint for your drip.
Click and hold, then hold Shift and then drag to create a
straight line down. Repeat this with varying diameters.
20
21
23
24
Heighten the illusion

Make a new Layer Group and insert all the
layers. Add a layer mask to the text layer. Select the
Brush tool, set the Diameter to about 100 pixels, the
Hardness to 0, the Mode to Dissolve and the Opacity to
20%. Make sure your foreground colour is black. Make a
few random spray marks across the image as if the spray
didnt get through in all areas.
Adjusting Smart Objects

Change the name from Steve to Bruce.
Save and close the Smart Objects layered window (it
has a .psb suffix, if youre interested). The name should
automatically update in the main image, retaining all the
earlier transformations. Whats more, all your
transformations remain editable with Smart Objects
you can transform repeatedly without losing quality.
Making a Smart Object

Duplicate the Layer Group into the main
image document (if youve already added the supplied
name stencil then switch off the visibility of that layer).
Right-click on the Layer Group and choose the Group
into new Smart Object option. Transform this layer as
before to get it lined up on the breastplate. Set the
Blending Mode to Soft Light.
22
Whats so smart about that?

Okay, so whats so special about Smart
Objects? Heres one reason: right-click on the Smart
Object layer and choose Edit Contents. Click OK through
the following dialog box. Now youll have a separate
layered document that you can edit to change the
contents of the Smart Object. If you edit and save this
document it will change the Smart Object. Read on.
Using texture
Obviously a lot of this texture work can be
done in 3D but often its quicker and easier to control if
you add textures in Photoshop. These techniques can
be used in a multitude of ways, on photos as well as 3D
renders. Our robot was fun but you could also add
details to a car, tattoos on skin, change the signage on a
shop front, add graffiti to a wall and so on.
DONT WORRY IF THE RESULTS

ARENT EXACT AS THE OVERALL
EFFECT WILL BE THERE
36
Advanced Photoshop
28/3/06 12:12:55
Feature
38
Advanced Photoshop
038-043_AP17Ilovedust.indd 38
29/3/06 14:14:27
GOING SOLO
Going
Solo
Unleash your solo potential and set up a successful design

studio with a little helping hand from iLovedust
BY MARC GRAHAM
hen iLovedust started out just

over three years ago, it saw
Ben Beach and myself, Marc
Graham, giving up our mediocre day jobs
and going out into the big bad world on
our own. Hindsight is a wonderful thing
and looking back over that time there are
plenty of fond memories but a lot of
utter devastation, too.
Although iLovedust is by no means a
household name yet, we are still working
and making enough money to keep our
heads above water and to employ a third
designer, the very talented Sian Jiang.
I imagine we have made more mistakes
than most starting up, so take heed of our
warnings we know what were talking
about. You name it, we did it: late tax returns,
messed-up print jobs we even flooded our
first building due to lack of sleep!
But today we are working with some great
people and wonderful companies: Coca
Cola, American Airlines, Johnnie Walker and
Warner Bros to name but four. And thats
testament to how much work we put into
running our own business and making sure
we produce the very best work we can. After
all, we live and die on the work we produce.
39
Advanced Photoshop
29/3/06 14:16:11
Feature
The ride of their life
iLovedust is a small and perfectly formed graphic

design studio based in Southsea, just a
length of cobbled pavement from the
beach. Their clients range from big to
little and are dotted around the globe.
For each they aim to provide creative
solutions to all sorts of briefs, offering
The iLovedust story
a friendly approach and loads of personality. The

iLovedust line-up began as a duo in 2003 and has
swelled out a little over time. Working closely as a
team, iLovedust applies a passion for design to
every project they tackle, taking pride in the
details and the relationships that they build with
their valuable clients.
IN THE BEGINNING
So youre thinking of setting up on your own. What
could possibly be easier than starting up a small
graphic design studio? After all, you dont need
much: a couple of computers, some backup for files
and artwork, the obligatory toys on the table, a
watercooler and, hey, why not throw a ping pong
table in for good measure?
Its really that simple, isnt it? Well maybe it is and
maybe it isnt; I can only really talk from the
particular experiences that we have encountered
when starting out. There were highs, lows, late
nights and early mornings, copious amounts of
coffee, wanting to strangle the clients (and, er,
wanting to strangle your colleagues) and, of course,
trying to make a living.
We started out with a simple plan: lets work for
ourselves, lets do things our way and lets do things
the way they should be done. In retrospect it was
probably not a great way to go into this business:
eyes wide shut.
Like most graphic designers, illustrators and
image-makers we truly do love what we do, and
unlike so many other professions we really do live it.
Its very hard to switch off, regardless of office hours.
This life-consuming dedication to our art is the
catalyst for change. If were thinking about work 24
hours a day, why not let that work be for ourselves
rather than for some faceless boss?
These three illustrations are part of a sequence

created as part of a commission for US-based Ride
magazine. The complete portfolio consists of five
designs which accompanied reviews of cars.
iLovedust managed to place their own quirky style
on to the design with a cheeky cameo from design
buddies TADO. Can you spot the little characters?
With more and more young creatives considering

this move, and with the leaps and bounds in
technology over the past few years, its possible to
quite literally carry your studio around with you.
Setting up in your mums garage or a remote office
space has never been more of a possibility, and
working in this way is becoming more the norm.
But even with these factors considered, what
happens next? Okay, so office space might not be
an immediate problem, and youre brimming with
creative ideas, but after many weeks of trying to
think of a name for yourself (then several more
trying to come up with some branding that you can
actually agree on), what do you do next?
Starting out
Before you take the giant leap from working for
someone else and enjoying the benefits that this
lifestyle can bring, you need to sit down and write a
business plan. The thinking behind a business plan
is to show your bank manager or potential backer
that youre going to make as much money as you
say you will, and that there is minimal risk involved
for your lenders.
Try to be realistic about what you can truly pay
yourselves to get by and also how much work you
think you can bring in. Writing a business plan is as
much an exercise for yourself as a tool for the lender
things have a habit of looking and feeling far more
realistic (or is that pessimistic!) when printed out in
black and white.
40
Advanced Photoshop
29/3/06 14:17:16
Going Solo
THE ESSENTIALS
PANTONE REFERENCE BOOK
These are priceless when
it comes to specifying
exact match colours to
your client and printer.
Check out the range of
Pantone Guides and
Swatchbooks at www.
colourconfidence.com.
PETTY CASH BOX
I IMAGINE WEVE MADE MORE

MISTAKES THAN MOST STARTING UP,
SO TAKE HEED OF OUR WARNINGS, WE
KNOW WHAT WERE TALKING ABOUT
Customers are going to be the key to your success, so
try to be honest with yourself as to how many you
have or can get in your first six months. Its important
to look at this realistically and have a firm idea of just
how much money you can generate. If in doubt, round
your figures down if nothing else it makes for a nice
surprise when your bank manager wants to take you
out for lunch because youre exceeding your targets.
Just make sure he pays!
Cash incentive
Money, money, money. Must be funny in the rich
mans world. Something to learn quick and sure,
money is never funny. When starting out it really is the
one thing thats going to make the difference
between creating a successful studio or a great idea
that ended up costing you thousands of pounds.
Talent at this point should not be in question, but
money is the killer. Being realistic is the key. Start by
writing down all your companys outgoings: rent,
telephone, Internet, electricity, postage, stationery
the list is endless. Its also worth bearing in mind that a
lot of companies might want paying upfront because
youre a new customer. A print job can take a few
thousand pounds out of your potential startup capital,
as can new computers, rent advances on home and
office space and software. All these costs eat into your
money and you havent even
paid yourself yet.
When we started iLovedust
we were very naive about just
how long jobs take to get in, complete and get paid
for. In general we have found it can take two weeks to
get the green light, a further three or four weeks to
get the sign-off and a further six to get paid. So in
reality its likely that youre looking at three months
before getting paid for a job that you may be counting
on for wages and rent.
In this world nothing is certain but death and
taxes, said the wise old Mr Benjamin Franklin, and
didnt we just find that out! When you do finally get
around to paying yourself, try to remember that those
lovely people at the Tax Office want some of your
money. Try to keep a track of just what you owe the
taxman. Income tax bills come when you least expect
them. Seek advice from your accountant as to which
way is best for you to draw money from your business;
there are quite a few options and they can make a
dramatic effect on how you manage your cash flow.
Sort yourself out

Organisation: its the key word to remember if you
want to work effectively. Keeping yourself organised
can save so much time when the pressure is on. One of
the first things we learned when starting out was that
nothing ever goes according to plan, and with all the
will in the world there are always things entirely out of
your control that can push project on hours, days,
Spending a few quid here

and there soon adds up!
Always save receipts and
keep a tally on a petty
cash forms youll be
amazed what you can
claim back on coffee,
postage and the like.
FAX MACHINE
Some may say you dont
really need to use fax
machines these days but
we have found it
invaluable in times of
need, beware of cheap
fax machines with
expensive ink!
A SUPPLY OF INK CARTRIDGES

You just know that when
you need to rush off a
proof and have a bike
waiting that your inks
going to run out. A good
office supplier should
offer a sizeable discount
if you buy in bulk.
MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS
Lots of design magazines
offer good subscription
discounts and can really
help you keep your finger
on the pulse of whats
going on in the industry
when you havent seen
the light of day for weeks.
TELEPHONE BANKING
Being able to access your
bank account by phone
or Internet can be a very
useful tool when keeping
tabs on your cash flow
and checking dates of
deposits and so on. So
make sure youre online.
41
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29/3/06 14:17:48
Feature
ITS NOT
UNHEARD OF TO
BE CALLED TO A
CONFERENCE
CALL AT 9PM
JUST AS YOURE
GETTING IN
THE BATH
STRAIGHT FROM
THE TOP
The industry pros let us in on their dirty
secrets: what is the one thing you would
have done differently when starting out?
Asked for more money
Jon Burgerman, www.jonburgerman.com
I shouldnt have spent five years working for
someone else before setting Insect up. A year
would have been fine
Paul, www.insect.co.uk
Not spent so much money on what I
thought/was told I needed (massive A3
scanner, expensive software I never actually
used, top-of-the-line G3), but could easily have
done without if my research had been a little
more extensive
Richard May, www.richard-may.com
Hired a PA!
Jeremy, www.jeremyville.com
We have made many mistakes, but everything
that we can remember seems to have had a
silver lining. Its hard to say we would do
anything differently
Jonathon Kenyon, Vault49
I would have tried to get an agent sooner,
so I wouldnt have had to go through such a
long period of desperately trying to get
people to look at my work and in most cases
being ignored
Steve Wilson, www.wilson2000.com
Everything!
Arturo Sandoval, www.friendswithyou.com
Make sure you get someone who knows what
theyre doing to look at your tax returns for
you. It might cost you a penny or two but its
bound to save you even more. Keep receipts
for everything too. Hoard things!
Mike & Katie, www.tado.co.uk
I wish I made sure I had a decent amount of
money behind me before I started, even if that
meant working a job for a year
Rob Hare, www.robhare.co.uk
Id have stuck to my guns. Id have got an
accountant in sooner. Id have partied like it
was 1999
John McFaul, www.mcfaul.net
weeks or even months over deadline. The

key to keeping some kind of grip on these projects
(and your sanity) is to allow realistic timescales
for projects. Emailing work can save a lot of time,
but it still doesnt guarantee an instant response.
A lot of the larger companies have certain
procedures that may mean feedback on your work
may take days to come back. This needs to be built
into your timescales.
Our company deals with a lot of clients in America
and so the time difference can work in your favour
on some days, and against you on others. Its not
unheard of to be called to an important conference
call at 9pm with six creative directors just as you are
getting in the bath or trying to watch the football in
your local.
Remember, theres no point being overoptimistic and promising something you cant
deliver. You simply wont get work from that client
again. Prioritising jobs in order of timescales and
deadlines can sometimes make for scary reading,
but crossing each one off a list as you complete it is
incredibly satisfying.
Paper works
No matter how much you want to be behind your
beloved G5 creating your next masterpiece, at some
point youre going to have to do the dreaded
paperwork that comes with running your own
business. Accounts, tax returns, wages, travel
expenses and paying your bills are all things that
Setting up your own

1 WRITE A
BUSINESS PROPOSAL
Draft up a business plan to show to your
bank manager or potential buyer.
Be realistic about what you can bring in.
Youre only be fooling yourself if you set
out for a goal thats way beyond your
capabilities. You may find it easier if you
build up a list of expenditures
which you can keep by your side.
2 CUSTOMERS
Think about who your potential

customers are going to be and how
much income you can receive within
your first six months. Be realistic about
this round your figures down if youre
not too confident you can bring in the
big bucks straight off.
42
Advanced Photoshop
29/3/06 14:18:36
Going Solo
can eat into your time, regardless of whether you

enjoy that side of the business or not.
Try setting aside a few hours a week dedicated to
paperwork. Although it might seem like the last
thing you want to do, paperwork really can get on
top of you and before you know it youre drowning
in a swamp of misplaced bills, half-read mail and the
odd red letter. Do it little at a time and youll find the
task much more manageable.
Getting a good accountant can save you precious
time and can also save money. Explaining to your
accountant how you work and your honest
understanding of the business side of things is
priceless. We know from painful experience
ourselves that not getting your books in order can
lead to late nights and arguments about just who
did open that letter and then file it safely in a copy
of Advanced Photoshop!
The bigger picture

One thing about working for yourself or in a small
group is that it can be very hard to be truly objective
about your work. You may love something you have
been working on for hours, but others in your group
may not see it in quite the same light. Different
opinions are just a matter of fact in design.
To avoid people throwing hot cups of coffee and
iPods at each other, try to have two or three rough
versions of an idea and seek feedback
from several sources. If youre still not
sure what version to present to your
business
client, show them all. It can saves hours of

work if input at an early stage leads to a
clearer understanding of the clients wants
and needs. It can also help the project
become more organic and grow, and your
client will be glad to be involved in the
design process.
Being a designer, illustrator or digital
artist seems to be so much more than a
job; you cant seem to ever really escape
it. Walking down the street looking at
different posters and shop windows,
going on holiday and checking out magazines,
clothes and toys you would never find back home
its enough to drive some people insane.
What defines us at iLovedust is that we love what
we do and take inspiration from everything we see
and the many interesting people we meet within
the industry. Make no mistake, the hours are long
and some days can be hugely frustrating, but the
pride you have in your work when you see it on a
cover of a magazine, on the wall of Grand Central
Station, or stacked high in the lobby of Selfridges,
more than makes up for that. It can be just a case of
rolling up your sleeves, putting your best foot
forward and seeing what happens.
Our advice to anyone following in these welltrodden footsteps is simple: enjoy the experience. It
really can be the making of you. 5
ON THE WEB: To find out

more information about iLovedust and to browse
through their portfolio visit their nifty website by
logging onto www.ilovedust.com
OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES:
BUSINESS LINK www.businesslink.gov.uk
TAXAID www.taxaid.org.uk
BYTESTART www.bytestart.co.uk
The checklist
3 OUTGOINGS
Write down all of

your company
outgoings such as
rent, telephone,
Internet, electricity,
postage and
stationary.
Dont forget to include oddities like coffee or
milk for your staff it all adds up!
4 GET AN ACCOUNTANT
There will be trouble without one. Even

though this may seem like an extravagant
expense theyre a necessity. Lets face it
artists were never created to work with
numbers. Seek out a professional you know
you can trust and has a good reputation. Ask
around before taking the plunge.
5 GO ONLINE
Dont forget to think about the basics.

Getting a fast broadband connection will
allow you to keep in touch with important
clients over the pond. Remember you will
be downloading large files sizes, so dont
opt for a sluggish package.
6 POLISH UP YOUR
TEAMWORK
A larger business will struggle if you
intend to do everything by yourself. Think
about employing individuals that you
know you can get along with. Your
workflow will run smoother if you all have
the same train of thought. Try contacting
universities to seek out willing
work experience fillers or
enthusiastic part-timers.
WE STARTED
OUT WITH A
SIMPLE PLAN:
LETS WORK FOR
OURSELVES,
LETS DO THINGS
OUR WAY
43
Advanced Photoshop
29/3/06 14:20:31
MASTERCLASS
Layer effects
Tim Shelbourne wraps up warm for winter and ventures out into the cold.
With Photoshop CS2 in hand, he stumbles upon a fantasy ice maiden
BY TIM SHELBOURNE
44
Advanced Photoshop
044-049_APM17_ice.indd 44
27/3/06 11:50:23
ON THE DISC
Youll find all the files you need to complete
this tutorial on www.istockphoto.com, we
renamed them ice1, ice2 and ice3 for ease.
OUR EXPERT
Tim Shelbourne
With 20 years experience as an artist and illustrator, Tim Shelbourne is

one of Photoshops leading lights. He believes that too much
instructional material intimidates new users, and he is keen to help
novices painlessly harness the softwares true potential. For further
details, check out his first book, the Photoshop Photo Effects Cookbook
(Ilex, 17.95, ISBN: 1-904705-61-8) or visit www.timshelbourne.com.
ne of Photoshops greatest strengths is its ability to create fantasy images that break all the accepted
rules of reality. With Photoshop CS2 at your fingertips, anything is possible. My brief this month was
for an effect Id never thought of or attempted before, namely, to take a run-of-the-mill digital shot of a
figure and turn it into ice. Theres nothing like a challenge to get the old Photoshop juices flowing.
Enter the ice maiden! Now, ice has properties not found in any other material. Its opaque but its translucent; it
reflects yet at the same time it absorbs and scatters light. More than this, the finished image needs to convey the feeling
and atmosphere of a moment frozen in time, and a tangible blast of icy air. This walkthrough shows you every single
step of the creation of this image, which not only involves some careful manipulation of photographic images but also
a good deal of painting. Although the very mention of painting in Photoshop can make even an experts blood run
colder, its easier than you might think. The process itself demands the use of a pressure-sensitive graphics tablet. The
advantage of a tablet and stylus is that the brushes in Photoshop CS2 can be configured to use the pressure capabilities
of the tablet to control things such as opacity and brush size. This makes your Photoshop tools respond in a way
comparable with the way brushes and pencils operate in the real world. Add to this the fact that it is much more
instinctive to draw with a pen-shaped object than a mouse and youll soon see how indispensable graphics tablets are.
Dip into the deep freeze
Getting started
To begin with we need to promote the original
background layer to a floating layer, so simply doubleclick it in the Layers palette and click OK to the New Layer
dialog. Add a layer mask to this new Layer 0 by going to
Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. Choose the Brush tool and
select a hard round brush from the Brush Picker. Hit D to
revert to the default foreground/background colours.
Layer
masks
THE MENTION
OF PAINTING
IN PHOTOSHOP
CAN MAKE AN
EXPERTS
BLOOD RUN
COLDER
Painting the mask

We need to isolate the figure from its background.
First, make sure that youre working on the layer mask for
Layer 0 (check for this by clicking on the thumbnail for
the layer mask in the Layers palette and checking for a
bold outline around it). Now, slowly begin to paint
around the outline of the figure using black for your
foreground colour. Take care to keep exactly to the outer
edges of the figure.
Mask corrections
If you make a mistake and accidentally paint over
the figure itself, simply hit X on the keyboard to swap
your foreground/background colours and paint back
into the image with white to correct the mask. You need
to paint over all of the unwanted surrounding
background, leaving just the figure visible on the layer, so
take as much time as you need here.
Duplicating the layer

We also need to isolate the background elements
on a separate layer, so once the mask is completed,
duplicate this layer (complete with the mask) via
Layer>Duplicate Layer or by hitting Ctrl+J on the
keyboard. On this new duplicate layer, again click on the
mask thumbnail and go to Image>Adjustments>Invert
to reverse the mask. Now drag this layer down to the
bottom of the layer stack, below the isolated figure layer.
We use quite a lot of layer masks to create this

image. Layer masks are a great way of hiding
certain parts of a layer, rather than permanently
erasing it with the Eraser tool. Layer masks are
remarkably easy to work with. Once youve
added a mask, you can paint on the mask with
black to conceal part of the associated image
layer, or paint on the mask with white to reveal
it. Painting with grey (black at low opacity)
partially reveals the layer. Before you paint
onto a mask, make sure you click directly on the
mask thumbnail in the Layers palette and check
for a bold outline around it.
45
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 11:15:38
MASTERCLASS
5
10
11
Applying
layer masks
Now to apply the layer
masks. For each layer in
turn, right-click the
Layer Mask thumbnail
where the layers are
listed and choose
Apply Layer Mask from
the sub-menu that
pops up.
Brush
dynamics
The Brush Dynamics dialog controls how
Photoshops brushes respond to a pressuresensitive graphic tablet and stylus. The
modifiable properties are divided into separate
categories. The main two categories we
concentrate on in this project are Size Dynamics
and Other Dynamics. To activate the dynamics
in a particular category, you need to check the
box. You can modify the specific dynamics by
clicking on its pane and selecting the
appropriate control options from within the
dialog. All the brushes we use in this project
need Opacity Jitter setting to Pen Pressure.
Add an adjustment layer

Click on the main figure layer and go to Layer
>New Adjustment Layer>Hue/Saturation. This will add
the cool blue hue to the image. Just click OK for the
moment to apply the layer without any adjustments.
Hold down Ctrl and click the thumbnail for the figure
layer to generate a transparency selection from it. Click
on the layer mask thumbnail on the Hue/Saturation
adjustment layer and go to Select>Inverse. Now go to
Edit>Fill, choosing black for contents to fill this area of
the layer mask.
Choose a brush
Make sure youre working on the bottom layer in
the stack (which is the one containing the background
elements) and choose the Brush tool. Select the Spatter
59 pixels brush from the Brush Picker. Now hold down
the Alt key on the keyboard to access the Eyedropper
and click on one of the mid-blues in the sky area of the
image. Display the Brush Options dialog by selecting
Window>Brushes and click in the Other Dynamics
category. Here, set Opacity Jitter to Pen Pressure. Click
the Shape Dynamics category and set Size Jitter to Off,
making sure that the Shape Dynamics checkmark box
is clear.
Tweak the saturation

Next, tweak the shade of blue that weve
bestowed upon our unfortunate frozen female. Doubleclick the thumbnail for the adjustment layer to activate
the Hue/Saturation dialog. Check the Colourise box and
set the Hue slider to 212. Set Saturation to 41. Click OK to
apply the Hue/Saturation changes. Now hit Ctrl+D to
deselect (alternatively, go to Select>Deselect).
Extend the canvas

We need some extra space at the bottom of the
image, so go to Image>Canvas Size. Check the Relative
box and click in the top centre square of the Anchor
map. Next to the Height box choose Inches for
measurement
units and enter
4 for Height.
For Canvas
Extension Colour,
choose White.
A little painting
Now you need to begin painting over the
unwanted dark shapes in the lower third of the image.
You may find if youre using a brush with opacity
controlled by pressure applied to the stylus you can
easily blend your brushwork in with the existing image.
This is achieved by careful control of the pressure applied
to the stylus. Every now and then as you paint, hold
down the Alt key and sample another blue from the
existing image to colour with. This may seem like a
laborious task, but once you get into the swing of things
youll be surprised at how quickly you pick up the
technique as the picture rapidly builds in front of you.
Add the first ice

Click on the lowest layer in the stack. Open
ice1.jpg (istockphoto.com 119142) and go to Select>All,
Edit>Copy. Close this and return to the main
composition. Go to Edit>Paste to. Use the Move Tool (V)
to drag the ice down to the bottom, so that it sits below
the figure. Still on the ice layer, go to
Image>Adjustments>Levels. Change the Input Level
values to 0, 1.40, 235 from left to right.
46
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 11:17:09
12
Transform and distort

Go to Edit>Transform>Distort and use the
handles around the Bounding Box to stretch the ice layer
to fit the image. Using the central handles around the
bounding box, and by dragging on the corners you can
skew the ice layer a little. Hit Enter to commit the
transformation. Use the eraser with a hard brush to erase
any unwanted black areas above the ice.
13
Into the blue

Click the Layer Mask thumbnail for the Hue/
Saturation layer and return to the Brush tool. Using a
hard round brush, paint white over the ice, creating a
cool finish that ties in with the rest of the image.
i.
15
Lighting up
Select Layer>Merge Down to merge the two
lower layers. To modify the lighting on this layer, go to
Filter>Render>Lighting Effects. For the Light Type,
choose Spotlight. Drag the bottom-right handle on the
light pool in the Preview Pane anti-clockwise with the
mouse so that the light shines down from the top left
corner. Click in the light colour swatch and choose a vivid
ice blue from the colour picker.
Getting
colder
Return to the lowest
layer in the stack and
open ice2.jpg
(istockphoto.com
173693). Copy and
paste into the main
composition. Move
the ice into position
over the left-hand
side of the image with the Move Tool (V). Go to
Edit>Transform>Distort and drag the bottom right-hand
handle on the Bounding Box a little to the right to distort
the layer. Hit Enter to commit. Change the Layer
Blending Mode for this layer to Overlay and reduce the
layer Opacity to 55%. Use the Eraser tool at 25% Opacity
to erase the line in the centre of the image where the ice
layer meets the background we have been using.
16
Seeing the light

Drag the side handles around the Light Pool
outwards so that the pool covers the entire width of the
image. Refer to the screenshot for the exact position and
size for the pool. Set the Ambience slider to 25. Leave all
other settings at the default values. Click OK to apply the
Lighting Effects filter. When the filter has been applied,
go to Edit>Fade Lighting Effects. Set the Fade Opacity to
40% and the Fade Mode to Multiply.
THE LIGHTING EFFECTS FILTER

IS A VERY VALUABLE TOOL
THATS OFTEN OVERLOOKED
17
Levels adjustment
Return to the main figure
layer in the Layers palette. Go to
Image>Adjustments>Levels. Grab
the centre (Gamma) slider and drag
it to the left until the Input Level box
reads 1.20. Click OK to apply the
Levels adjustment. Right-click the
thumbnail for the Layer Mask
attached to the figure layer and
select Apply Layer Mask.
14
Lighting
effects
The Lighting Effects filter (Filter>Render>Lighting
Effects), enables you to simulate the effect of
various types of lights shining on your Photoshop
scene. You simply choose the format of the source
light itself from the Light Type box (here weve
decided to use a Spotlight).
Next, you need to rotate and expand the light
pool from within the Preview pane. This light pool
has handles around its edge, which you can grab
with the mouse to rotate and expand the pool of
light. Then to choose a colour for the
light, simply click on the upper colour swatch in
the dialog. The Lighting Effects Filter is a very
valuable Photoshop tool thats usually
overlooked, so try experimenting with it.
47
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 11:18:21
MASTERCLASS
Transparency
selections
When you have a single image component on
an otherwise transparent layer, as we have here
on the figure layer, you can generate a selection
from its transparency, which makes painting
over or around the object much easier than
trying to stay within the object itself manually
as you paint. To do this, hold down the Ctrl key
on the keyboard and click the image thumbnail
for the layer. Alternatively, it is possible for you
to right-click on the image thumbnail for the
layer and then choose Select Layer
Transparency from the submenu.
18
19
20
21
23
24
Plastic wrap ice

Now duplicate the figure layer (Ctrl+J).
Double-click the name for this layer and rename it Ice
Effect. On this new duplicate layer go to Filter>Artistic>
Plastic Wrap. Set Highlight Strength to 16, Detail 14,
Smoothness 15. Click OK to apply the filter.
Set up a brush
Click on the top layer in the stack (the Hue/
Saturation Adjustment Layer). Add a new layer (using
Ctrl+Shift+N) and set this new layers Blending Mode to
Colour. Now choose the Brush tool. Hold down the Alt
key to access the Eyedropper, and sample one of the
bright turquoise blues in the top left of the background.
From the Brush Picker, choose a large, soft brush. Hit F5
to display the Brush Dynamics. Set Opacity Jitter to Pen
Pressure and make sure that the checkbox against Shape
Dynamics is unticked.
Duplicate and invert

Duplicate this layer (Ctrl+J). On the duplicate
layer, go to Image>Adjustments>Invert. Now set the
Layer Blending Mode for this inverted layer to Hue and
set the layer Opacity to 65%.
Add subtle colour

Control-click the thumbnail for one of the
figure layers to generate a selection from it. Now, using
the brush at a fairly small size, begin to paint some lowopacity blue over parts of the figure. Just small touches
of subtle colour here and there over curves of the figure
will help to create the impression of the blue light from
the background glinting off the surface of the icy
figure. Take your time here, carefully positioning your
strokes of colour.
22
More ice colour

Now go to Select>Inverse and paint
some of the same colour over the ice below the
figure, positioning your strokes according to how the
blue background would reflect on the ice on the
ground. Use the brush at low Opacity and paint over
certain areas again to increase the intensity. When
youre done painting, hit Ctrl+D to deselect.
Add a shadow
Return to the layer containing the ice on the
ground and add a new layer (Ctrl+Shift+N). Set the
Blending Mode for this layer to Overlay. Still using the
same brush, choose black for your foreground colour.
Now paint a rough shadow onto the ice under the
figures leg. Then paint some small areas of black at low
Opacity here and there over the darker areas of ice.
Choose a brush and trace

Return to the top layer in the palette and add
a new layer. Zoom into the top half of the figure. From
the Brush Picker, choose Chalk 23 Pixels, and set Opacity
Jitter in Other Dynamics to Pen Pressure. With a pale ice
blue, begin to roughly trace around the upper outline of
the figure. This will give our ice maiden some subtle light
touches around the edges.
48
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 11:18:56
25
26
27
28
29
MISS OUT
PART OF
THE OUTLINE
TO MIMIC
THE EFFECT
OF LIGHT
CATCHING ON
THE EDGES
30
31
32
Lost and found edges

As you trace the upper edge of the figure,
miss out parts of the outline, creating lost and found
lines to mimic the effect of light catching on the edges.
Try to square off any curved edges, thinking ice all the
time as you work! Once you have added all of the edge
highlights you need, drop in some here and there over
the ice on the ground using the same method.
Tidying up loose ends

Choose the Chalk brush again, and using it at
a very small size, add some shape to the ends of the hair.
First, sample a nearby mid-blue with the Eyedropper tool
and paint in the end shape at various opacities. After this,
sample a much lighter blue and brush in a few lighter
areas. Finally, add highlights with white.
Transform and distort

Set the Blending Mode for this layer to
Overlay and the layer Opacity to 65%. Now go to Edit>
Transform>Distort. Grab the bottom left-hand corner
handle on the Bounding Box and drag it down and across
the image. Hit Enter to commit the transformation.
Bright highlights
Now change your foreground colour to
white, then go back and add a few touches with the
brush along your previously painted highlights. This will
add some really convincing super-bright highlights to
the image. Also add a few of these touches here and
there within the actual figure, again being conscious of
where the light would glint and reflect.
Add more ice

Click on the bottom
layer in the stack and open
ice3.jpg (istockphoto.com
119142). On this image, go to
Select>All, followed by Edit>
Copy. Close this image and
return to the main composition.
Go to Edit>Paste to paste the
copied ice. Size this ice layer to
fit in the right hand half of the
image via Edit>Transform>
Scale. Simply drag on the
handles around the Bounding
Box to increase the size of the
layer. You can move the ice into
position by dragging inside the
Bounding Box. Hit Enter to
commit the transformation.
Go Gaussian
To adjust the tones in the ice, go to Image>
Adjustments>Levels. Type in the following Input Levels
values from left to right: 0, 0.84, 249. Click OK to apply the
changes. Now blur this layer a little via Filter>Blur>
Gaussian Blur. Use a Blur Radius of 3 pixels.
Add some sparkles

Click in the Brush Picker and hit the small
right-pointing arrow in the top left of the Picker palette.
Choose assorted Brushes, and click OK to load the Brush
Set. Scroll down the brush thumbnails and double click
on the Star Large brush. Now, with single clicks, add a
few of these starbursts over the brightest highlight
around the edge of the figure. Vary the size of these
starbursts by enlarging or reducing the size of the brush
via the square bracket keys on the keyboard.
Erase and blend

Finally, choose the Eraser tool. Set the Opacity
for the tool to 25% in the Options Bar and choose a large
soft brush for the Eraser from the Brush Picker. Now
carefully erase the hard line at the edge of the ice layer to
blend in softly into the background. 5
49
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 11:20:10
Feature
CHINTU SHAH, PAGE 53: This image appeared in the

Association of Illustrators Images 29 annual. It was one of three
editorial illustrations exploring the recent blackout problems that
have been encountered in New York. Again, like I do in much of
my work, I have imagined electricity as a human and, with a
parallel to the blackout, the solitary figure is feeling down with a
guy in the flat screaming at him for more electricity!
CHINTU SHAH, PAGE 53: This was produced

towards the end of my time at uni . My brief was
the theme Lets Face It. The image was an
award-winner and appeared in the Association
of Illustrators Images 29 annual.
CHRIS LAAKVAND, PAGE 52: Chris exhibited

this piece last year while at university in his
degree show in Truman Brewery, London. Since
university he has wanted to be part of the world
of creative design, and loves his Wacom tablet.
50
Advanced Photoshop
050-055_APM17_graduates.indd 50
29/3/06 11:00:16
(RIGHT) Illustration by Chintu Shah
graduate showcase
(TOP) ROB FLOWERS, PAGE 52:
Rob finds the Eraser, Lasso and Magic Wand Tool a
must for creating his unusual collage-like images.
This is an atmospheric illustration from his book,
Spring Heeled Jack.
(MIDDLE) EDMUND FRANCIS BROWN,
PAGE 55: I wanted to glamorize Barcelona for
something other than Cervezas and skaters.
I overlaid traces of wallpaper, a photo I took of the
Sagrada Familia Cathedral, the Osborne bull and
Marilyn Monroe lips.
(BOTTOM) AD SMITH, PAGE 54: Ad wanted to
portray the theme of wrath in his image by creating a
figure that is lashing out. He used textures such as
brick, nails and wood splint to help the image along.
Hot New
Talent
Here are some artists with a real flair for

Photoshop. We showcase the work of five of
our favourite recent graduates and designers
t can be difficult to get your first break

into the design industry. Its one of the
most competitive environments you can
be in. Unless you already have an extensive
portfolio full of previous commissions with
which to impress future clients, you can find
that the same artists are used again and
again. It can be difficult to get a look in. Us
Advanced Photoshop lot really are suckers for
punishment, arent we?
If youre a last year student or a recent
graduate the most valuable thing you can do is
get your work out there, either on a portfolio
site or your own web page thats search enginefriendly. Its surprising how very few university
design courses have instigated the means for
showcasing student work. So, even if you have
the support of a course you will need to make
your own independent jump into the foray.
Setting up on your own is a daunting business.
Whether youre looking to join a company or
considering braving the world of freelance
creatives, its essential to make sure your

portfolio is up to scratch, and its always
valuable to know what level of competition
youre up against. Making that leap into the
working world of commercial design and
illustration is tough, but getting your work seen
is half the battle won.
This month were printing the work of some
promising young designers, giving them a
chance to share their designs and creative
influences. These five designers not only differ
in their approach to their artwork but have also
already developed their own individual styles.
You saw them here first
GET YOUR WORK SEEN

Dont underestimate the power of the web.
Showcase your work on these portfolio sites:
The Association of Illustrators www.theaoi.com
Portfolios.com www.portfolios.com
D&AD Talentpool http://talentpool.dandad.co.uk
Artshole.co.uk www.artshole.co.uk
Artwanted.com www.artwanted.com
ITS SURPRISING HOW FEW

COURSES HAVE THE MEANS FOR
SHOWCASING STUDENT WORK
51
Advanced Photoshop
29/3/06 11:08:58
Feature
Rob Flowers
STUDIED: Animation and illustration,
Bucks College
BATMAN: This Batman image was drawn directly

into Photoshop using a Wacom graphics tablet and
then worked upon with different brushes.
Chris
Laakvand
STUDIED: Communication design,

University of Portsmouth
ABOUT CHRIS: For as long as Chris can remember,

he has always been fascinated with drawing.
During his GCSEs he thought his work stood out
from the crowd and enrolled in an Art and Design
course at a local college, then later a
Communications Design course at university. As
time passed at university my eyes opened to the
creative community, in which I have wanted to be
involved ever since.
INFLUENCED BY: STUNTKID, the boy fitz
hammond, Nigel Evan Dennis of Electric Heat,
Chuck Anderson of No Pattern.
HE WOULDNT BE WITHOUT: The Brush
I use Illustrator for the majority of vector drawing
and tend to tidy things up with the Brush Tool. I
was given a Wacom tablet last year and theres
much more freedom in Photoshop with this. I
strongly recommend it to anyone.
WHAT HES DOING NOW: Ive just completed a
website commission for a large corporate
company based in London.
WHATS IN HIS CRYSTAL BALL?: I hope to be in a
position where illustration is a major part of my
working life, although in the south the industry is
a little thin on the ground. I hope to work on briefs
that are rewarding, both creatively and financially.
It would be great to be my own boss.
HE WOULD LOVE TO: Get involved in fashion
illustration, as well as magazine commissions for
cover work.
ABOUT ROB: Rob grew up in Barking, East London.

I was always interested in art; I was never any good
at maths.
INFLUENCED BY: There are so many people that
inspire me: Gustave Dor, Saul Steinberg, Max Ersnt,
Richard Scarry, Jim Houser, Chris Ware, Francis Bacon,
Florence Upton. I love old lithographs and prints and
badly made knitted toys.
HE WOULDNT BE WITHOUT: Undo and History
To be able to undo and change a mistake at the touch
of a button is a godsend.
HOW DOES HE NORMALLY APPROACH A PROJECT?
I see Photoshop as a tool, much in the same way that I
see a pencil or a paintbrush. Ill always plan out in my
mind how I want my final project to look. This, of
course, is subject to change as you get deeper and
deeper into a project.
WHAT HES DOING NOW: Im in a group exhibition at

the moment in Portland, Oregon, for printed
illustration. I also sell my own books through a shop
called Beyond The Valley.
WHATS IN HIS CRYSTAL BALL? Im just about to start
looking into getting a couple of my illustrated books
published, which I also write, so Id like to be in a
position where I can have my own studio and just
continue to make art that I love.
HE WOULD LOVE TO: I am more interested in
pursuing my own projects and ideas, but I would love
to do more book jackets and record sleeves. Im open
to any avenue. Im just about to start some singlesleeve artwork and an animated video to go with it.
/ email: flyingcroissant@hotmail.com
/ web: www.chrislaakvand.co.uk
/ email: info@chrislaakvand.co.uk
/ contact: 07833 698424
Robs book Spring

JACK: This is from
e story of Jack,
SPRING HEELED
tru
a
as
s
ibe
he descr
Heeled Jack, which in the mid-19th century.
on
who terrorised Lond
52
Advanced Photoshop
29/3/06 11:12:08
(RIGHT) Illustration by Rob Flowers
graduate showcase
MY WORK FUSES DRAWN

IMAGERY WITH FOUND OBJECTS,
PHOTOGRAPHY AND COLLAGE
MEXICO (BELOW):
I always intended to do
some work based on
experiences in Mexico
since visiting last year. This
takes a humorous twist on
the Day Of The Dead
festival, which Mexicans
celebrate every year.
Chintu Shah
STUDIED: Illustration, Loughborough
University School of Art and Design
ABOUT CHINTU: Chintu Shah is a British Asian who grew

up in Leicester. He has enjoyed drawing, painting and
being creative since a very young age. As a youngster, I
was always encouraged to pursue my art by both of my
parents and teachers at school. I think its quite rare for
someone coming from an Asian background to be
encouraged to pursue a career in illustration or the
creative industries, so I am very lucky to have had full
support from my family.
INFLUENCED BY: Pop art, Richard Hamilton, Peter Blake,
Romare Bearden, vintage Indian graphics.
HE WOULDNT BE WITHOUT: Dodge and Burn
I am always coming up with new, exciting colours and
textures that can then be collaged the Dodge and Burn
tools are invaluable for doing this.
WHAT HES DOING NOW: I have produced a few
magazine covers for local temples and community
centres. I also recently submitted an illustration to be
used in an e-mag entitled The Thing Is, which was put
together by fellow young creatives.
HOW HE APPROACHES HIS WORK: My work
consistently fuses drawn imagery with found objects,
photography and collage. In my own working process I
view the technology as simply a tool to achieve what I
want. I will normally approach any project in the
sketchbook first, where I will come up with the ideas and
concepts. I try not to plan the look of the overall image in

the early stages, as its inevitably going to change once I
get into Photoshop and experiment. Once in Photoshop, I
will access the various folders I keep full of different
textures, backgrounds, patterns and facial features.
If Im trying to create a particular character, I will
concentrate on this separately. Once all the individual
elements are worked out, I will bring them together to
finally create the final composition. So there are many,
many layers involved.
WHATS IN HIS CRYSTAL BALL? I hope to see myself
established in the design and illustration industry. I have
been approached by a former teacher who wrote a
childrens story and has asked me to illustrate it. This
should be interesting, as I have never attempted to
illustrate a whole storybook before! I am also going to be
collaborating with a family friend who teaches Gujarati
language in schools to create some clip-art-style images
of the various Indian and other exotic fruits and
vegetables. This will hopefully be turned into a CD.
HE WOULD LOVE TO: Learn more about animation and
push his imagery into this direction.
/ web: www.chintushah.com
/ email: chintu@chintushah.com
/ contact: 07833 698424
JANE: This was one of a series of images that I

produced on the theme of fireworks. The idea behind
the series was to simply play on the names of the various
fireworks that you can get. I also turned the firework into
an actual character and had the character thinking of
what she could get up to once lit!
53
Advanced Photoshop
29/3/06 11:02:46
Feature
Ad Smith
STUDIED: Illustration
ABOUT AD: Ad grew up in Bournemouth and has been

a permanent fixture ever since. I think that this
insulation, plus the divorce of my parents at a young
age, has inspired the lust for the phantasm behind
many of my designs. I was never looked upon
favourably by my teachers at school as I applied a bit
too much of my own artistic licence to my projects. But
once I had started at university this ceased to be a
problem and I became an encouraging graduate.
INFLUENCED BY: Ben Temple Smith and Dave
McKean, who lured me into the beautiful use of
surrealism through photomontage.
HE WOULDNT BE WITHOUT: Variations
Probably a slightly boring choice, but its such an easy
way of creating tones for all effects.
WHAT HES DOING NOW: Ive recently completed
work for the National Student Drama Festival
(sponsored by The Times). I also illustrate editorial
designs for Dark Moon Book Publishing and my first
cover, Liber Coronzom: An Enochian Grimoire, will
hopefully be published in the next month or so.
WHATS IN HIS CRYSTAL BALL? I would see myself as
a freelancer working on narrative-based projects such
as novel covers, graphic novels and editorial work.
HE WOULD LOVE TO: Work on cover and book
designs for adults or children and magazine
illustrations. Freelance fine art would also be nice.
HE WOULDNT: Work on an average cut-and-paste
job such as putting together flyers and posters with
little artistic licence. However, its not very wise to say
no to anything.
/ web: www.adamwilliamsmith.co.uk
/ email: rook1983@lycos.co.uk
is a
l of a pierced heart
PAIN: The symbo
e
Th
.
on
oti
em
nt
a blu
blunt statement for
collage, spray
r
pe
pa
of
nd
ble
a
image is
cation and
paints, acrylic appli
s.
appropriated X-ray
(LEFT) PAGE 3: These are creations for a

childrens book called Run Tyler Run, a story that
deals with the contemporary issue of bullying
and abuse. It will hopefully be considered for
entry into this years Macmillan Book Fair.
(FAR LEFT) WORMS EYE (PRIDE):
This image is a mixture of photography,
acrylic painting and textiles, brought together
through extensive use of the Blur, Opacity and
Variations techniques.
54
Advanced Photoshop
29/3/06 11:13:35
(RIGHT) Illustration by Edmund Francis Brown
graduate showcase
FLYER: Commissioned as a postcard flyer for the Newham
Mayors show. I unblemished the models skin in the
original photograph and then set about creating assets,
setting up several layers all masking each other.
Edmund Francis Brown

STUDIED: BTEC Media Production,
Bedford College
ABOUT EDMUND: He was born in Welwyn Garden City

(during a thunderstorm, according to his mum). My
mother is an artist and was studying for a Fine Art
degree while I was growing up. I used to pull sickies off
school and shed take me to her university. I used to
love hanging around the art studios for hours. He
went to study a BTEC in Media Production at Bedford
College and begged his tutors to be allowed on the
editing computers. I taught myself Photoshop and
Premier in a couple of months. I also tried my hand at
web design, so a lot of my Photoshop skills were
developed either for special effects in Premier or for
web page graphics.
WORST EXPERIENCE: In the summer of 2005, I moved
to London and shared a room with my girlfriend and
tried looking for work. After two months of waiting
tables and getting up at the crack of dawn to work in
posh events wearing a Primark shirt-and-trousers
uniform, I was getting tired of posting CVs. In
desperation one day, I scrawled Will Work For Food
on my CV and posted it at Vice Magazine they werent
interested. Strange, that.
INFLUENCED BY: Nigel Dennis, 123klan, Psyop, the
Brooklyn school of graffiti.
HE WOULDNT BE WITHOUT: The Layer Comp palette
Its a great addition that makes my fickle
design decisions easy to save without making a
huge stack of incremented big Photoshop files that is
hard to organise.
WHATS NOT A HIT IN HIS WORLD? Adobe Bridge
Its slow and heavy.
WHAT HES DOING NOW: I saw a post on Shooting
People [http://shootingpeople.org] for a junior to join

an animation studio, and I saw that they, like me, were
based in Hackney, around the corner from my new flat.
On the ride home from another unsuccessful day of
application forms and rejection, I stopped in at
Shroomstudio. They invited me in for a chat and,
several cups of tea and another knock on the door
later, I had a job.
So now I work in a role that involves hours of
Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects. I consider
myself very lucky indeed. I have missed the deadline to
return to university and complete my degree, but
something tells me itll be okay.
WHATS IN HIS CRYSTAL BALL? Edmund would like to
see his career in digital arts take a varied route. Im
quixotic with my interests, flicking between writing,
design and video work, so its hard to set goals.
HE WOULD LOVE TO: Have the opportunity to do
some flyer design, or an album cover. The sheer
creative genius of the Sixties and Seventies record
label is something I feel is sadly lacking from
contemporary music graphic design. 5
SNAKEY7FLAT: This was my first Photoshop fashion

shoot trace. The background is from one of my photos of
the amazing street graffiti in Barcelona (sadly, no longer
there). I applied the Cutout filter to the graffiti. Its overlaid
with a texture of a photo of some rust on a metal door.
KOOKS2PUNK: Edmund created this image from a

photograph of his girlfriend, Kooks. Upon turning off the
stroke layer I saw that the only features visible on her face
were her eyelashes, lips and one ear. I thought this was
cool, so I added two gradient layers.
/ web: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/iline
/ email: edmundbrown@tiscali.co.uk
I HAVE MISSED THE DEADLINE TO

RETURN TO UNIVERSITY, BUT
SOMETHING TELLS ME ITLL BE OKAY
55
Advanced Photoshop
29/3/06 11:14:25
Step-by-step
Workshop
CREATE CONSOLE ART

Throw yourself into this funky fighting videogame-inspired tutorial.
Youll be merging diverse techniques to create a cool composite
BY SAM GILBEY
ON THE DISC
Youll find all the accompanying
files and images youll need to
complete this tutorial on this issues
free CD.
OUR EXPERT
Sam Gilbey
Sams illustrations have appeared in numerous publications,

both on and offline, all over the globe. His observational,
colourful and distinct style often draws upon and celebrates
popular culture. He is also a senior editor for popular arts and
design news portal, Pixelsurgeon. More of his work can be
found at www.sam-gilbey.com
f youve been reading previous issues of

Advanced Photoshop, youll certainly be
more than familiar with the idea that
Photoshop can let you do just about anything
you put your exceedingly creative mind to.
Still, its easy to fall into the habit of doing one
particular thing that you favour, be it hand-drawn
illustration, photography manipulation or more
vector-style work. Not that theres anything
wrong with that, of course, but it can also be fun
to combine several different stylistic approaches
in the same piece, and thats what we thought
wed try here. And what better way to test your
skills than with an old-school videogame

beat-em-up crossed with a snowball fight? It
enables us to work on some photography in the
background, some hand-drawn illustration for
our characters, and some shiny paths and vector
shapes for our interface. For the hand-drawn
elements youll probably find a drawing tablet
will help, although its not actually essential.
Once youve had a go with our idea, theres a
plethora of videogame-style composites you
could try for yourself. Think intense colour,
dramatic action and plenty of effects, and youre
on the right track. Player one, ready?
56
Advanced Photoshop
056-061_APM17_snow.indd 56
27/3/06 11:50:58
iqu
es
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THINK COLOUR, DRAMATIC ACTION 6

AND PLENTY OF EFFECTS AND
YOURE ON THE RIGHT TRACK
1
Getting started
Create a new document in Photoshop
thats 25cm wide and 18.52cm tall, set at 300dpi.
To set our wintry scene weve used a photograph
by Sascha Burkard from Fotolia, which you can
find at www.fotolia.co.uk/id/164938 relatively
cheaply. If you have something very similar in
your own photo collection, use that if you prefer.
Copy and paste it onto your canvas. Scale the
photo down to the canvas width, but place it so
that the horizon is roughly in the middle.
Replacing colours
We want the colour of the building to be a
bit richer, so go to Image>Adjustments>Replace
Color. Pick the main yellow that features, set the
Fuzziness to 180, the Hue down to -66 and the
Saturation up to +62. Now, select some of the
deeper shadows, making those a deep red rather
than a pale greeny brown. Finally, take the greens
from the roof and increase the hue to around 100
for a purple tint.
A third floor
Go back to the temple photo and select
the lower floor with the Polygonal Lasso. Paste it
onto the main image and scale it down so it looks
like it could be a larger floor below. The roof
wont quite line up, but use the Clone Stamp to
fill in the gaps, sampling the most appropriate
elements of the existing texture. Now use a round
eraser, or create a selection, to give the roof a
curved edge.
Lining up the horizons

Next, weve used a Egidijus Mika photo
(from www.fotolia.co.uk/id/77682). This is
smaller than the canvas width, but its okay to
scale it up because were going to pixelate the
background later. Reduce the opacity of the layer
so you can line up the textured snow from the
new image over the blank space. Flip the photo
horizontally so that the light comes from the left.
Delete the top half with the Marquee tool, then
use a round eraser brush so the snow fits neatly
over the first photo.
Getting it pixel-perfect
To give our backdrop a more videogamey
feel, we want to pixelate it. Duplicate the layers
that make up the scene, and hide the lower
versions. Select the temple layer, and from the
Filter menu go to Pixelate>Mosaic. Set the Cell
Size to 5 square and press OK. On the tree and
mountain layer, set the Cell Size to 7. On the
foreground snow, set it to 8.
5
3
Building up the background

Next is Naomi Hasegawas temple photo,
from www.fotolia.co.uk/id/142137. Duplicate the
background layer, then Select All and fill the layer
with any colour. Use any cut-out technique you
favour to remove the background around the
temple, leaving the top two floors. Where the tree
overlaps the balcony at the bottom, just guess the
shape that the wood would take by referring to
the other side. Paste the temple onto the image
so the roof complements the mountain peak. Set
the opacity to around 40%.
Seeing the trees through the wood

Merge the new floor layer down so the
temple is on one layer. Go to Layer>Layer Mask
>Reveal All. Fade the opacity of the layer down so
you can see the trees that should be overlapping
the building. Click the chain icon between the
image and the mask to unlink them, then select
the mask. Paint black over the trees, varying the
brush size as needed, to hide the temple. If you
make a mistake, paint with white to reveal again.
Videogame as art?
Well, the people at WEARGAME think so, because along with
Creative Pride theyre creating GamePaused, described as a
creative celebration of the videogame. As you can see from the
list of artists playing on the website at www.weargame.com, it
has proved to be popular with creatives of a certain age whove
grown up twitching their thumbs. Keep an eye out for the book
and the exhibition, which will happen in the near future
57
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 11:52:10
Step-by-step
Workshop
WHEN YOU
BUILD A
COMPLEX
PIECE,
YOURE
BOUND TO
WANT TO
ADJUST THE
COLOURS
Snow business
Use the Clone Stamp in order to copy
some of the foreground snow texture around the
base of the trees so it all matches up, and then
pixelate the layer again. A winter scene just
wouldnt be right without snow, so create a new
layer and select a round brush with a diameter of
around 60. Open the Brushes tab (which youll
find to the right of the Options bar) and turn on
Shape Dynamics. Put the Size Jitter up to 100%
and add some snow to the scene. Now apply a
Motion blur of around 40 pixels, and then use a
Mosaic filter.
12
8
Hyper-real colour
Beat-em-up backdrops are usually a little
more intense than ours at the moment. You can
use any of the options from the Image>
Adjustments menu, but its also worth using an
adjustment layer, which allows you to keep the
original colours intact. Go to Layer>New
Adjustment Layer, and select the type of
adjustment that you want to make. Remember,
you can apply more than one adjustment layer at
any one time. We have made the sky more purple,
the trees more green and the foreground snow a
little more cyan.
10
Introducing the characters

Open the file from the cover disc
called fighters_sketch.jpg. Copy and paste it
onto the scene, and set the layer blending mode
to Multiply from the drop-down menu at the top
of the Layers palette. Now create a layer
underneath the sketch, and, using a round brush
with 100% opacity, apply flat colours to the
different areas of the man and the woman to
flesh them out a bit and start building up the
scene. Finally, turn the Size jitter off.
Highlights and shadows

Making the brush smaller (down to
around 30), choose colours from each area then
add lighter tones to the left and darker tones to
the right of the characters. Follow the contours of
the clothing or skin so the illustration starts to
have depth. Dont make the highlights or shadows
too strong as we dont want it to clash with the
overall image.
13
Colour separation
When youre building a piece as complex as this one, youre
bound to find that as you go you want to adjust your colours
here and there. This is fine, but every change you make takes
you a step away from your source material, and you may even
find yourself wishing you could go back to an earlier version.
Well, there is an answer, and its adjustment layers. Try to use
one whenever you can, because it means you can go back to
your original colours should you ever want or need to. Its
certainly easier (and takes up less room on your Hard Drive)
than saving several different versions of your work.
11
Light needs shadows

To lead the eye across the image, and
to integrate the characters into the backdrop, we
need a shadow. This will also give our character
some grounding and make the overall effect
more convincing. On a new layer, select one of
the dark tones from the foreground snow. Use a
round brush to paint shadows extending from
the characters feet. Use a very large eraser with a
soft edge (around 400) to erase the right-hand
side of the shadows, so that they fade. Now apply
a Mosaic filter to the layer.
Blending it together
Next, choose a brush with a soft edge,
set the size to 70 and switch the opacity down to
30%. Select tones from each area, and then paint
gradually over the tones they overlap. Pick
different tones as you go judging the effect by
eye, and soon the colours will blend, rounding the
characters off and making them look far more
three-dimensional. Our characters are now really
starting to take shape.
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14
Stronger outlines
On a new layer above the sketch, we
want to strengthen the characters definition.
Select the Hard Round 9 Pixels brush, with a 100%
opacity, and proceed to work over the main
character outlines using a very dark grey (but not
black). Theres a lot going on in the image, but we
still want the characters to be striking.
17
Glow for it
Select Layer>Layer Style>Cover Overlay.
Set the blend mode to Color, and use a blue-green
tone. Now use the Burn tool, with a soft-edged
brush around 300 and an Exposure of 5%, in order
to darken the right-hand side of the snowball.
Next, apply an orange Outer Glow layer style on
Screen blend mode with a Spread of 0 and a Size
of 114 pixels. Create a new layer underneath it, and
use the Polygonal Lasso tool to draw a marquee
expanding from the girls hands into the snowball.
Finally, use the Gradient tool to fill it with a gradient
fading from orange to nothing.
Grouping layers
One of the most useful additions to recent
versions of Photoshop is being able to
group layers together. This is especially
true when youve got as many layers
building up as we have here, and were
using different styles for the various
components. Not only that, but you can
manipulate several layers at once if you
need to. Its great for repositioning things
as you go, and allows a flexible approach
to your compositions. Duplicating a group
and then merging it also lets you play with
your creations without worrying how
many levels of Undo are left.
15
Additional highlights
It always helps to add a highlight that
isnt just based on the colours youre shading.
Choose a pale blue, and with a 20-pixel brush at
an opacity of 30, paint some highlights on the
right-hand side of the man and the left side of the
woman. Build up the strokes to intensify the
highlights a little more.
18
The mighty whoosh

Duplicate the snowball layer. Select the lower version and adjust the colour of the overlay to a warm pink. Go to
Filter>Blur>Radial Blur and apply a Zoom blur, centred as near to the middle of the snowball as possible. Move the snowball to
the right of the one above, and set the layer blending mode to Linear Light. Duplicate the top snowball layer, and apply a Radial
blur to it. Apply a bright blue Outer Glow layer style, and fade the layer opacity to 75%. Apply an additional Motion blur at a
Distance of 60 and Angle of -17.
16
Photo fix
Now youre going to need a photo by
Zastavkin, which you will find at the following
website: www.fotolia.co.uk/id/107897. Once
youve got it, go to Image>Adjustments>
Brightness/Contrast. Set the Brightness to +32
and the Contrast to +7. Theres a peak of snow
towards the bottom right of the image. Use the
Polygonal Lasso tool to create a marquee in the
shape of a roundish but quite angular snowball.
Copy and paste the snowball onto the main
canvas, and then position and scale it so that its
hitting the man on the raised arm.
59
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 11:29:36
Step-by-step
Workshop
19
Its all a blur

On another new layer underneath
the snowballs, create a further beam of energy
flowing from the girls hands to the snowball.
Make this one fade from a light bright blue to a
soft lilac. Set the layer blending mode to Hard
Light and apply a bright blue Outer Glow to the
layer. Also add a Motion blur that follows the
direction of the beam.
TRY TO
COLLECT
A RANGE OF
COOL PHOTO
TEXTURES TO
USE IN YOUR
CREATIONS
Texture library
You might not consider yourself the greatest photographer in
the world, but the more you get into the habit of taking your
digital camera with you wherever you go the more time youll
save yourself when trying to create artwork back at home.
Okay, so perhaps youve not got a beautiful mountain range
near you to photograph, but if it ever snows, get yourself
outside and snap away. Not just because youll have loads of
great snow photos, but also because you might be able to use
the snow textures to supplement another piece, and one that
doesnt necessarily have a snowflake in sight. Try to collect a
range of cool photo textures to use in your creations.
20
Sparks and particles

On a new layer, select a soft-edged
brush with a diameter of 40. From the Brushes
tab, turn on Shape Dynamics and set the Size
Jitter to 100%. Turn on Scattering and set it to
1000%. Paint some particles around the man
where the snowball impacts. Add an Outer Glow
to the layer and apply a Radial Zoom blur, centred
at the tip of the snowball.
24
Shape and shading

Use the Direct Selection tool (the
white arrow) to move the points of the outer
shape, and the Convert Point tool (one of the
options in the toolset item below) to add some
curves. Use the Delete Anchor Point tool on the
right side so you can make a sweeping curve.
Apply a vertical gradient overlay with a darker
band in the middle for a cool chrome effect.
Duplicate the layer, then use the Direct
Selection tool to scale down the outer points.
Change the gradient overlay to fade down
from dark to light.
21
Face facts
Select the
Rounded Rectangle tool,
and create a rounded
rectangle (adjust the
corner Radius along the
Options bar) in the top left-hand corner. On the
Paths palette, click the arrow at the top right, and
from the options choose Make Selection, keeping
the Feather Radius at 0 pixels. Open the file from
the cover disc called faces.jpg. Copy the mans
face with the Rectangular Marquee and paste it
into the selection. Go to Edit>Transform and scale
it down to fit. Apply an outer Stroke layer style
and an Inner Glow, with the Choke set to 47%
25
22
26
Face paint
Apply a
gradient overlay to the
original rounded
rectangle layer, and set
the blending mode of
the face to Multiply.
Create a new layer between the two and colour
in the face, just using a few simple tones.
23
Interface design
Now to set the videogame scene a
little more. Select the Rounded Rectangle tool,
and set the Radius to 15px. Draw the outline of
the main energy bar, then change the settings of
the tool to Subtract From Shape Area, which is
the third icon along the Options bar to the right
of the Radius setting. Set Radius down to 12px,
and cut a slightly smaller shape out of the
middle. This is the rough outline for our
troublesome twosomes energy bars, which
well work up next.
Grouping layers
Now make a smaller bar beneath in
the same way, and add a rectangle with a
gradient overlay underneath each to represent
the energy levels. From the Layers palette, select
all the layers that make up the interface, click the
top right arrow on the palette, and then select
the New Group From Layers option. Call the
group Energy Bar, and then duplicate it. Finally,
use the Transform tools to flip it horizontally and
then move it to the far right.
Ramp up the detail

Paste in the girls face, reverse the
gradient direction on the energy bars and
increase the width of the main bar. Use more of
the layer styles (strokes, inner glows and so on) to
make everything feel more solid. Add a central set
of ellipses to show the time left in the game.
Weve used a font called Eras Medium ITC, but you
dont have to. Rasterize the Time text and go to
Edit>Transform>Warp, bending the text around
the interface as appropriate. Change the group
blending mode to Overlay and fade it to 96%.
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27
Icy shards
Select a light blue foreground colour,
and using the Pen tool, create a large shard
expanding diagonally downwards. Set the layer
blending mode to Color Burn. Now create a new
shard towards the right of the first, overlapping
some of it. Set the blending mode to Overlay, so
it looks like a lighter side of the shape. Create a
couple more polygons as desired, experimenting
with the blending modes. To add some interest,
apply Outer Glow layer styles to the shapes in
various colours.
28
Copy and repeat

Select the layers that make up the
shard, and create a New Group From Layers.
Duplicate this group and scale the copy down,
rotating it anti-clockwise and moving it around
the snowball as appropriate. Now rasterize the
layers in the group, then use a large eraser to
soften the edge where it connects with the
snowball. Repeat the process, building up a wall
of icicles around the right side. Scale each one
slightly differently. This gives our snowball a nice
stylistic wintry look.
30
Character blurs
Create a new layer group from the
layers that make up the characters, and duplicate
it. Right-click to the right of the Layer Group icon
on the Layers palette (Apple-click on Macs), and
Merge Group. Use the Magic Wand to select and
delete the white outside the characters. Broadly
select the mans shoulders, scarf and head with the
Elliptical Marquee. Apply a Motion blur at an Angle
of -27 and a
Distance of 70
pixels. Use a large
soft eraser to
preserve some of
the detail from
below. Repeat for
the areas you want
to blur.
KEEP ADDING
DETAIL AND
MAKING
TWEAKS
UNTIL YOURE
HAPPY WITH
THE FINISHED
PRODUCT
31
Final touches
We added an extra layer of pencil-type lines on the characters, defining where the highlights meet the main clothing
colours. We duplicated the energy bars on the left and blurred them slightly to indicate that the man has been hit. Theres also
another layer of snow added, and some more icicles on the snowball. Essentially, keep adding detail and making tweaks until
youre happy with the finished product. 5
29
Real icicle texture

Use the Polygonal Lasso to make a
selection around the icicles. Locate Zastavkins
icicle photo here: www.fotolia.co.uk/id/107891.
Paste the photo into the selection, and rotate the
image clockwise so the icicles cut diagonally
down from right to left through the shards. Set
the layer blending mode to Luminosity, and fade
it down to 19% Opacity. Use a large eraser to
soften where the shards connect with the
snowball, and then apply a Motion blur along the
same angle as the icicles.
61
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 11:30:18
Insider
Info
INSIDER
INFO
Face the noise
One of the many new filters in Photoshop CS2

is Reduce Noise, which isolates and minimises
noise while preserving the maximum detail
Additional resources
The following articles provide in-depth comparisons of several noise
reduction applications:
Michael Almond: Noise Reduction Tool Comparison
www.michaelalmond.com/Articles/noise.htm
Ben Long: Quiet Those Noisy Images
www.creativepro.com/story/feature/22546.html
ost digital cameras use an image sensor comprised of a matrix of

light sensors called photosites, each corresponding to one pixel in
your digital image.
Occasionally, either in low light or at high ISO speeds, the electrical signal in these
photosites spills over into neighbouring photosites, resulting in something that all
imageers recognise: noise. This noise comes in two distinct flavours: luminance
noise (which appears as speckled light and dark pixels) and chrominance noise
(which appears as coloured blotches typically yellow or magenta).
OUR EXPERT
Trevor Morris
Trevor Morris is an official Photoshop beta tester

and amateur digital photographer with more than a
dozen years design experience. He works as a senior
graphic designer for a Canadian web design
company and also maintains the Photoshop-centric
website GFX (http://user.fundy.net/morris/).
ADVANCED NOISE REDUCTION:

Reduce Noises Advanced mode allows
you to target individual channels for
optimal noise reduction
Regardless of where noise comes from

or how it was produced, its generally
unwanted. The goal is to reduce the
noise without compromising the detail
in the image, which is exactly what the
Reduce Noise filter (Filter>Noise>Reduce
Noise) is designed to do. In Basic mode
there are four sliders, and, as with most
of Photoshops dialogs, its best to adjust
them in the order they appear.
Strength: This controls the amount of
luminance noise reduction applied to all
channels. Values range from 0 (no
reduction) to 10 (maximum reduction).
Preserve Details: Used to fine-tune
the image and restore some of the detail
affected by the Strength slider. Values
range from 0% (no preservation) to
100% (full preservation). Note that
Strength has no noticeable effect when
Preserve Details is set to 100%.
Reduce Color Noise: This reduces
the amount of chrominance noise thats
present in the image. The values range
from 0% (no reduction) to 100%
(maximum reduction).
Sharpen Details: This controls the
amount of sharpening applied to the
filtered image. Values range from 0% (no
sharpening) to 100% (maximum
sharpening). Use this slider with caution,
because too much sharpening will
simply introduce more artefacts. For
best results, use Filter>Sharpen>Smart
Sharpen instead. The Reduce Noise filter
THE SMOOTHING USED

TO REDUCE ARTEFACTS
SOFTENS IMAGE DETAIL
REDUCE NOISE BEFORE AND AFTER: Photoshops new Reduce Noise filter
reduces image noise while attempting to preserve the detail of the original photo
also has an option called Remove JPEG

Artefact. As the name implies, this
option is designed to reduce the blocky
artefacts and halos that typically appear
in highly compressed (low-quality) JPEG
images. Use this option judiciously, as
the smoothing used to reduce artefacts
typically softens image detail and there
arent any options to control it.
Advanced mode allows you to
perform noise reduction on a
per-channel basis, so will allow you more
control over the image. For example, if
the Blue channel contains the majority
of the image noise, you might apply
more aggressive reduction to that
channel. Be aware, however, that the
values on the Per Channel tab are
cumulative, so you may need to use
more conservative values on the Overall
tab. Reduce Noise is a great addition to

Photoshop, however its luminance noise
reduction isnt nearly as impressive as its
chrominance noise reduction, and the
JPEG artefact reduction provides mixed
results. Still, for a free plug-in, it does a
very respectable job of reducing noise
without significant loss of detail.
Whats the alternative?

If youre looking for an alternative and
youre willing to spend a little cold hard
cash there are plenty of alternatives
available, including ABSofts Neat Image
(www.neatimage.com) and
PictureCodes Noise Ninja (www.
picturecode.com). Both offer support for
Mac and PC, and are available as
standalone applications and/or
Photoshop-compatible plug-ins. 5
Save your settings

Another nice feature of the Reduce Noise filter is the ability to save your
settings as a preset. To delete a saved preset, simply select it from the Settings
drop-down and click Delete Settings (the Trash icon).
62
Advanced Photoshop
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27/3/06 10:34:25
Step-by-step
Workshop
ON THE DISC
Youll find the simple drawing you
need to get your painting on its way
(girl_sketch.tif) on your included
Advanced Photoshop CD.
OUR EXPERT
Tim Shelbourne
With 20 years experience as an artist and illustrator, Tim

Shelbourne is one of Photoshops leading lights. He believes
that too much instructional material intimidates new users
and is keen to help novices painlessly harness the softwares
true potential. For further details, check out his first book,
the Photoshop Photo Effects Cookbook (Ilex, 17.95, ISBN:
1-904705-61-8) or visit www.timshelbourne.com.
ust put the thought of digital

photography out of your mind for a
moment, and think of pixels. Essentially,
if you think in pixels, you think in Photoshop.
So much Photoshop material out there today
concentrates solely on images supplied by a
digital camera that its easy to forget that
Photoshop was made to manufacture pixels,
not simply move them around on screen.
If youve never started from a pure blank canvas
in Photoshop, youre missing so much of its true
creative potential. So, starting with a blank canvas,
were going to create a stunning piece of original
art from scratch!
But youre thinking, dont I have to be able to
draw and paint to do that? Well, in Photoshop the
answer is no. Once youve started making marks
on separate layers, youll be amazed at just how
much you can mould and manipulate these marks
to produce truly worthy art. To get you started
were supplying you with the initial sketch, but you
could just as easily trace over a photograph loaded
into your workspace. If you make your tracing on a
separate layer you can then ditch the original
photograph when the sketch is complete. With
painting Photoshop CS2 begins to demonstrate its
stunning capabilities, supplying you with a wealth
of super-realistic brushes, which, when used in
conjunction with a pressure-sensitive graphics
tablet, can offer every bit as much adaptability and
responsiveness as their real-world counterparts.
A pressure-sensitive graphics tablet is essential
for this kind of project, as it will enable you to take
full advantage of the power of Photoshop brushes.
WORKING WITH BRUSHES
Free yourself from the shackles of the photographic image and create truly unique
images from scratch. Tim Shelbourne stares at a blank canvas and gets painting
BY TIM SHELBOURNE
64
Advanced Photoshop
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VARY THE
OPACITY OF
THE STROKES,
ESPECIALLY
WHERE
THEY MEET
THE SHADOW
Trace elements
You can always begin by drawing your own
sketch or by opening a photographic image in
Photoshop and using a small brush to trace
around it on to a separate layer. Once your sketch
is complete, fill the original Background Layer with
a background colour for your canvas.
4
2
Start with the sketch

If youre working from the supplied sketch,
open up girl_sketch.tif from the cover CD. The
sketch itself is already supplied on a separate layer.
First, you need to ensure that the sketch layer is
set to Multiply Blending Mode. Click on the
Background Layer and choose a colour for your
paintings canvas from the Foreground colour
swatch. Go to Edit>Fill, choosing Foreground
Colour for Contents.
Size matters
Hit F5 to display the Brush Options. In
Shape Dynamics, set the Minimum Size slider to
50%. Set the Size Jitter Control to Pen Pressure.
Now click Other Dynamics and set Opacity
Control to Pen Pressure. Using the brush at a
medium size (you can change this using the
square bracket keys on the keyboard), begin to
block in the shadow areas of the head with
rough scribble.
Delineate the details

Zoom into the eyes and nose area of the
image and reduce the brush to a very small size,
as this is where you need to be very careful with
the details. Now increase the Opacity of the brush
to 75% and, following the overlaid sketch, use a
few sharp strokes to delineate the eyes and the
nostrils. It might take a couple of attempts to get
this looking just right.
Light fantastic
In this image the light is falling from the top
right of the picture, so bear this in mind as youre
blocking in the shadow areas (see the Out of the
shadows boxout below). Make your brush strokes
rather straight and angular, but think about the
basic contours of the head as you paint. Build up
the tones and depth by working over some areas
again with the brush.
Dip into Brushes

Hit Ctrl+Shift+N to add a new layer then
name the layer Shading and click OK. Now
choose a deep blue for the Foreground colour
swatch, as it will sit nicely against our vibrant red
background. Dont feel compelled to stick with
skin tones experiment! Well take a look at
setting up the brush options next. Choose the
Brush tool. Click in the Brush Picker, hit the small
right-pointing arrow and load the Thick Heavy
Brushes set. Now choose Flat Bristle from the
brush thumbnails. Set the brush Opacity to 25%
in the Options Bar.
Out of the shadows

Essentially, its light that makes an object three-dimensional,
whether it is a simple cube or something as complicated as a
human head. This point illustrates perfectly why having a good
idea which direction light falls on to a figure is key to producing
convincing results. Take time to study various images to become
adept at judging light direction and modelling. In this image, the
light falls from the upper right of the picture.
65
Advanced Photoshop
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Step-by-step
Workshop
Tonal work
Click again on the red-filled layer and add a
new layer (Ctrl+Shift+N). Name this layer Mid
Tones. Choose a mid-tone orange/yellow for the
Foreground swatch. Now, using the brush at a
fairly large size, begin to fill in the majority of the
empty areas in the head with this colour using
rough angular strokes. You dont need to worry
about being neat here.
See-through strokes
Again, vary the opacity of the strokes,
especially where they meet the shadow areas.
Because this layer is beneath both the shading
and sketch layer, all of the structural elements will
remain visible. Bear in mind which direction the
light is coming from in the image. Dont paint
over the lips just yet.
Feeling the
pressure
The majority of
Photoshop brushes,
particularly the
ones were using
here, can be set to
respond directly to
the pressure input
from a pressuresensitive graphics
tablet. These
dynamics features
are controlled via
the Brush Option
palette (displayed
by hitting F5 on the
keyboard). Each set
of Brush Dynamics
is located in its own
entry within the
palette. Active
dynamics are
denoted by a check
mark next to them.
The main categories
we use in the
walkthrough are
Shape and Other
Dynamics. In each
example, we set the
menu Control
option for these to
Pen Pressure.
ROUGHLY PAINT WITH THE

SAME BRUSH AT A LARGER
SIZE BEHIND THE HEAD TO
CREATE TEXTURE
10
Think pink
Using the brush at 30% Opacity, add
some bright, vibrant accents where the
mid-tones meet the shadow areas. Also, use a few
marks to add some structure to the lower part of
the nose, and a few accents over the eyelids and
in the eye sockets. These areas will add depth and
interest to the portrait.
13
Warp effect
Go to Edit>Transform>Warp. Drag the
top two corners of the warp map down, and the
bottom two down and inwards to replicate the
shape shown in the screenshot. Now go to
Edit>Transform>Rotate. Rotate the shape a little
way anti-clockwise. Hit the commit checkmark in
the Options Bar to commit the transformation.
11
Shaping up nicely
At this stage, we want to add some
interest to the background. A few simple graphic
elements will add the required punch. Click on
the red-filled layer and add a new layer. Name the
layer Shapes. Now choose the Rectangular
Marquee tool, and drag a selection around the
head and shoulders.
14
Livening up
Now click on the Shading layer and add
another new layer (Ctrl+Shift+N). Name this layer
Mid Accents and set the Blending mode for this
layer to Vivid Light. Now choose a vivid hot pink
for the Foreground colour. Click in the Brush
Picker and change to the Rough Flat Bristle brush.
Set the Brush Options as in step four.
Duplicate and merge

Set the Opacity of this layer to 55%.
Now duplicate this layer (Ctrl+J), and return to
Edit>Transform>Rotate. Rotate this duplicated
layer a little way clockwise. Merge the two shape
layers together via Layer>Merge Down.
12
Create a gradient
Choose the Gradient tool and click in
the Gradient Picker. Select the Blue, Red, Yellow
Gradient from the swatches. Choose Linear
Gradient from the Options Bar, and then click and
drag the gradient vertically over the selection. Hit
Ctrl+D to deselect.
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15
Wet work
Add a layer mask to this merged layer
via Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. Choose the
Brush tool and click in the Brush Picker. Hit the
right-pointing arrow and load the Wet Media
Brushes. Scroll down the thumbnails here and
choose Rough Dry Brush. Set the Brush Opacity
to 50% in the Options Bar.
18
Line up
Now for some defining line work. Add
a new layer and drag it to the very top of the layer
stack. Name this layer Line Work. Now choose the
Brush tool. Click in the Brush Picker and load the
Thick Heavy Brushes set. Choose Smoother Round
Bristle from the brush thumbnails. Reduce the
Brush size to around 10-15 pixels.
Path to success
Creating Paths with the Pen is a fantastic
way to create flowing lines. In this project
we use the Pen to add a framework of key
lines to the image. The key here is to draw
a collection of short paths around the
outline of the figure. Its the usual Pen
technique of clicking and dragging to
create smooth curves. Bear in mind that if
you need the path to take a dramatic
change in direction, such as here at the tip
of a point, hold down the Alt key on the
keyboard to chop off half of the curved
point before drawing the next section of
the path. Stroke each section of path
separately before drawing the next.
16
Add texture
Ensure that your Foreground colour is
Black and paint roughly over the face with this
brush onto the layer mask to add a little texture to
the background.
19
Pile on the pressure

Set the Brush Opacity to 100% in the Options Bar. Hit F5 to display the Brush Options and click the Shape Dynamics
category. Set the Minimum Diameter slider to 40% and set the Size Jitter control to Pen Pressure, giving your tablet a bit of the
action. Ensure that your Foreground Colour swatch is Black. Well use this brush in step 21 to stroke paths.
17
Head for the blend

Choose the red-filled layer and add a
new layer (Ctrl+Shift+N). Set the Blending mode
for this layer to Hard Mix. Choose a bright orange
for the Foreground colour. Roughly paint with the
same brush at a larger size behind the girls head
and shoulders to create more textural interest.
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Step-by-step
Workshop
20
Create a path
Choose the Pen tool from the toolbar.
In the Options Bar choose the Paths icon (the
middle of the three icons on the left). Also, select
the Add To Path icon. Make sure that youre
working on the Line Work layer and hit the tab for
the Paths palette. Now, with the Pen tool, begin
to carefully draw a path around a small section of
the portraits outline.
21
Brushwork
Once the short section of path is
complete, right-click the current work path in the
Paths palette and choose Stroke Path from the
sub-menu. In the Stroke Path dialog, check
Simulate Pressure and choose Brush for Tool. The
path will now be stroked with the brush we set
up earlier. Before moving on, click away from the
Work Path in the Paths palette.
22
Adding lines
Continue to add more sinuous lines
by drawing paths around the edge of the head,
stroking each one separately as you go. You can
use as many or as few of these as you like, but try
to place them well to give the whole piece a
framework. For more help on drawing and
stroking Paths, refer to the Path to success
boxout on page 67.
ADD SINUOUS
LINES BY
DRAWING
PATHS
PLACE THEM
WELL TO GIVE
THE PIECE A
FRAMEWORK
Better safe than sorry
24
Now for the highlights

Add a final new layer to the image,
naming it Highlights and Details. Load the Wet
Media Brushes set from the Brush Picker. From the
brush thumbnails, choose Oil Medium Brush Wet
Edges. Hit F5 to display Brush Options and in
Other Dynamics set the Opacity Jitter Control to
Pen Pressure. In Shape Dynamics set Minimum
Diameter to 75%.
25
Get moody
At this point, the great advantage of
painting in Photoshop rather than real-world
painting is that we can modify each part of the
painting independently of the others. You can
now use the Image>Adjustments>
Hue/Saturation on each layer. By adjusting the
Hue slider, you can completely transform the
mood and appearance of the whole image.
23
Now for the highlights

Add a final new layer to the image,
naming it Highlights and Details. Load the Wet
Media Brushes set from the Brush Picker. From the
brush thumbnails, choose Oil Medium Brush Wet
Edges. Hit F5 to display Brush Options and in
Other Dynamics set the Opacity Jitter Control to
Pen Pressure. In Shape Dynamics set Minimum
Diameter to 75%.
Once youve finished an image, your final move should be to

flatten the layers in the PSD image so you can save the
finished piece as either a JPEG or TIFF file. But theres a word
of caution necessary here: before you flatten the image, its a
good idea to save a version of the image with the layers intact
in case you want to return to the original image at some later
date to make alterations. You can easily save a layered version
by going to Image>Duplicate, followed by File>Save As. Make
sure to save the layered file as a PSD file, and give it a distinct
title. Now close this duplicate image and return to your
original file for flattening.
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Insider
Info
Smart Objects
video tutorials
Work smarter
with Smart Objects
One of Photoshop CS2s most exciting additions was Smart Objects.

These super layers could revolutionise your non-destructive workflow
o, just what is a Smart Object? Essentially, a Smart Object allows you to

embed raster or vector data inside your Photoshop documents, while
preserving all the original characteristics and editability of that data.
This includes raster images, Illustrator artwork, Camera Raw files, and even
other Photoshop documents. Best of all, Smart Objects allow you to apply
non-destructive transformations and deformations to the embedded artwork. It
will give you many more creative options, allowing you to preserve the quality
and clarity of the data you import whatever you do to it!
OUR EXPERT
Trevor Morris
Trevor Morris is an official Photoshop beta tester

and amateur digital photographer with more than a
dozen years design experience. He works as a senior
graphic designer for a Canadian web design
company and also maintains the Photoshop-centric
website GFX (http://user.fundy.net/morris/).
PASTE DIALOG: When pasting any

vector data into Photoshop, the Paste
dialog box shown below provides four
options: paste as Smart Object, Pixels,
Path, or Shape Layer
There are several different ways to create

Smart Objects:
To embed an external file as a Smart
Object, choose File>Place. This
command is only available when a
document already exists in Photoshop.
From Adobe Bridge, select a file
and move along to File>Place>In
Photoshop. Note that this only works
with a single file at a time and, as
mentioned above, a document must
already exist in Photoshop.
If the clipboard contains vector data
(such as copied Illustrator artwork),
simply paste the data inside Photoshop
and choose Smart Object from the Paste
dialog (see Paste Dialog on the left).
From within Photoshop, select the
layer(s) to convert, Ctrl+right-click on the
layer(s) in the Layers palette, and choose
Group into New Smart Object (or choose
Layer>Smart Objects>Group into New
Smart Object from the main menus).
Flexible objects
SMART OBJECT ICON: Smart Objects
may be distinguished from other layers
by the Smart Object icon that appears
in the lower right corner of the
thumbnail in the Layers palette
Now to demonstrate the flexibility

offered by Smart Objects. First, select
one of the aforementioned methods to
create a Smart Object. For example, I
opened Chinese Opera.ai (located in
the default Illustrator Sample Art folder)
into Illustrator and then copied the
artwork. In Photoshop, I created a new
For more information about working

with Smart Objects, check out the
excellent video tutorial series over at
Xeler8r.com, http://xeler8r.com/
lessons/pscs2/s_objects. Youll be
working smarter, faster!
Copy and paste from

Illustrator into Photoshop
For greatest flexibility, make sure that both PDF and AICB (No Transparency
Support) are enabled in the Illustrators File Handling & Clipboard preferences
(Illustrator>Preferences>File Handling & Clipboard on the Mac, or
Edit>Preferences>File Handling & Clipboard on the PC).
document (using the default Clipboard
preset size, resolution, etc) and pasted
the artwork by choosing Smart Object
from the Paste dialog (again, refer to the
Paste Dialog image here). When pasting
(or placing) as a Smart Object,
Photoshop automatically fits the artwork
to the canvas. However, you may move,
rotate, size, or skew (and even warp for
raster art only) the artwork prior to
accepting the results.
Press the Return/Enter key (or click the
Commit transform icon on the Options
bar) to create the Smart Object. Note the
Smart Object icon that appears near the
lower right corner of the thumbnail in
the Layers palette (see Smart Object
Icon). Press Cmd/Ctrl+T to initiate Free
Transform and notice that, unlike
traditional layers, all transformation/
deformation values are remembered in
the Options bar. Smart Objects may also
be repeatedly transformed/deformed
with no degradation, because theyre
always re-rendered based on the
original data (see Smart vs Layers).
To edit the contents of the Smart
Object, simply double-click on its layer
thumbnail (or choose Layer>Smart
Objects>Edit Contents). This will open
the data for editing in the appropriate
application, as follows:
Raster artwork, including embedded
raster files, native Photoshop layers and/

or groups, as well as other nested Smart
Objects, are opened in a separate
document window inside of Photoshop.
Embedded Camera Raw files are
opened with the Camera Raw plug-in.
Vector data, including files such as
PDF and Illustrator artwork, are opened
with Illustrator.
Upon save, any changes made to the
Smart Object will be updated in the
main document (for all instances).
To export the contents of a Smart
Object, Ctrl+right-click and choose
Export Contents from the Layers palette
context menu (or Layer>Smart
Objects>Export Contents). The Smart
Object is saved in PSB format for raster
data, or AI format for vector data.
Alternatively, you can also double-click
to edit the Smart Objects contents and
then choose File>Save As from the host
application. Theres also a Replace
Contents command (Layer>Smart
Objects>Replace Contents), which, as
the name implies, lets you replace the
contents of a Smart Object (and all
instances) with another document.
In an instance
For those of you who are familiar with
Macromedia Flash (now Adobe Flash),
Smart Objects are akin to instances in
SMART OBJECTS ARE ARGUABLY

THE COOLEST THING TO HAPPEN TO
PHOTOSHOP SINCE LAYERS
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INSIDER
INFO
Twice
as effective
Smart Objects can also be used to
apply two or more of the same kind
of layer effect to a single layer: for
example, two drop-shadows, three
strokes, etc. To do this, apply a layer
style, as you normally would, then
group the layer into a Smart Object.
Now apply the second style to the
Smart Object. Repeat this procedure
as often as you like, but understand
that this trick has its limitations, and
may not always produce quite the
desired results.
SMART VS LAYERS: In this example, the same Illustrator artwork was pasted into Photoshop two times: once as a Smart
Object (left), and once as a raster object (right). Each was scaled to 10% of its original size, then increased to 150%. Note the
degradation of the raster object, while the Smart Object looks flawless
that they let you create cloned copies of

an object, and when you update one of
the cloned objects theyre all updated
simultaneously.
This is especially useful for web and
interface design, where you might have
multiple buttons based on a template.
Consider, for example, a tabbed
interface where a tab may be comprised
of one or more layers, with associated
styles, blending modes, opacities and so
on. Using the new multi-layer selection
capabilities in CS2, you could select the
layers and combine them into a single
Smart Object you can even nest other
Smart Objects. This tab could then be
duplicated any number of times,
allowing you to update all instances
simultaneously based on the changes
made to any one of the tabs.
To create a duplicate of a Smart
Object that isnt linked to the original,
choose New Smart Object Via Copy from
the Layers palette context menu (or
choose Layer>Smart Objects>New
Smart Object Via Copy). Any changes
made to the copy will not affect the
original Smart Object, and vice versa.
Although Smart Objects are arguably

the coolest thing to happen to
Photoshop since the addition of layers
(added back in version 3), theyre not
without compromise.
Smart obstacles
The first obstacle youre likely to
encounter with Smart Objects is that,
like Shape Layers and Type layers, they
must be rasterized before you can apply
filters to them.
You can either acknowledge the
warning dialog in which case
Photoshop will rasterize the Smart
Object for you or choose Layer>Smart
Objects>Convert To Layer (or
Layer>Rasterize>Smart Object). Either
way, the Smart Object is converted to a
regular layer and the Smart Object
thumbnail disappears. (Be sure to
duplicate your Smart Objects prior to
rasterizing them!)
Another thing to be aware of is that
styles and blending modes applied to
layers inside Smart Objects dont always
interact properly with layers in the
parent document. Similarly, styles
applied to Smart Objects are applied

with no regard for the objects contained
within the Smart Object. Finally, note
that theres no Ungroup Smart Object
command; in order to release the
contents of a Smart Object back, you
must first open the Smart Object and
then drag and drop the contents back in
the main document.
Were sure that these issues will be
addressed in future versions of
Photoshop, but for now we think that
theyre minor in comparison to the
benefits offered by employing Smart
Objects into your workflow. 5
OBSTACLES: On the left is a regular

Shape Layer, and on the right it is
grouped into a Smart Object. Modes
applied to layers inside Smart Objects
dont always interact properly
PSD vs PSB
When you double-click to open or edit a raster-based Smart Object, you may
have noticed that its opened as a PSB document. PSB is a Large Document
Format that supports twice as many channels, and 100-times larger document
sizes than the traditional PSD format. All Photoshop features are preserved in
PSB files, but theyre only supported by Photoshop CS and higher.
To save a new document as a PSB, you must turn on Enable Large Document
(Photoshop>Preferences>File Handling on the Mac, or Edit>Preferences>File
Handling on the PC). However, existing PSBs (such as Smart Objects) may be
opened and saved without enabling the Large Document option.
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Furry Rubiks
NAME: J Michael Kriz
Theres no resting on your laurels where the

competitive Photoshop crew is concerned!
Here weve collected together some of the
top creative offerings from fellow imageers
Because Mike took the picture of the source image himself,

he was able to mess up the Rubiks Cube in such a way that
all the colours were distributed to his liking.
Each colour block is well-defined, so with my Magic Wand
tool I selected one of the colour blocks and copied and
pasted the selection on a new layer, explains Mike.
I wanted to make sure there was some definition to the
hair at the base, so I added some Noise at about 25-30% (with
the Monochromatic box checked to keep the colour in the
same tone).
He then used the Eyedropper tool to select two colours in
the right tonal range, using a lighter colour for the foreground
and a darker colour for the background.
With my Smudge tool set very soft with about 15-20%
pressure, I dragged the colours out until they looked like
little hairs at the base. Then I selected a brush that I thought
would make good longer hair. Luckily, there is one called
Dune Brush that ended up working perfectly, as it
incorporates both the foreground and background colours,
giving depth to the hairs. I painted in the hair until I was
satisfied and erased any parts that looked awkward.
The process was repeated for each colour block, as well as
for the shadow. I used a new layer for each block so I could
arrange them at the end, making sure the blocks at the
foreground overlapped those in the background.
ictures may tell a thousand words, but

sometimes you need a thousand words just to
get to the bottom of a picture. Here we look at
strange and interesting images created by readers and
artists and discover how they were executed and the
problems encountered along the way.
Many of the images featured this issue have been
specially selected from the Worth1000 website
(www.worth1000.com), a Photoshop contest site, and
demonstrate a diverse range of techniques that youll find
useful in your own work. Like what you see? Then read
the accompanying rubric, which details how the image
was created.
If youd like to see your own work on these pages, please
send us your JPEGs to advancedpshop@imaginepublishing.co.uk and well get back to you if we want to
print them.
Youll stand a better chance of seeing your work in print if you

adhere to the following criteria: make sure that your images
are high-quality TIFFs or JPEGs (RGB or CMYK), 300dpi
minimum, and can be printed at 15cm x 15cm minimum.
Dont forget to include a small text file detailing how you
created your work, too.
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Nicotine Fairy
NAME: Ivo van der Ent
SOURCE: Original photo from www.istockphoto.com
After gaining permission from the great photographer Graham Jeffery to let me
use this source for my creation I was able to set about starting my image, artist
Ivo van der Ent explains.
I began by using the Liquifying tool in various ways to stretch and shape the
smoke into the body of a man. This is the most elaborate and time-consuming
part of the process. Its like drawing, not with ink but with the white and grey parts
from the original image. I didnt add colour, Ivo explains. I just used what was
already there, just moving it around.
The final stage involved making the man-shaped smoke become more than
just a mere silhouette, as Ivo explains: I used a real image of a head and blended
it in with high transparency.
Needle
NAME: Randy McSorley
SOURCE: Original photo from www.istockphoto.com
Sometimes, hair grows where you least expect it,
enthuses Randy McSorley, the artist behind this hairy
piece, which is simple yet effective.
I used a macro photo of a needle, and, with the
help of Photoshop CS2 and a Wacom Intuos2 tablet,
made hair sprout from metal.
He began by creating a new layer and naming it
hair. Then I choose the Smudge tool at 84% strength,
Normal blend and Sample All Layers checked. With
the stylus and a very small brush, about 2 pixels, I
chose the dark edges of the needle, and lightly
flicked the dark areas outward in a more or less
random fashion to simulate hair.
What must have seemed like a million strokes later,
the dark areas were hirsute, but the shiny metal areas
were still not. So, I created a new layer and named it
additional hair. This time, I used a soft-edged regular
brush and varied the colour from dark brown to black.
Many strokes later and we are introduced to
McSorleys very hairy needle.
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Discover the thinking behind the art
Grape Fly
NAME: Gavin Haywood
SOURCE: Original image from www.sxc.hu
After collating his source imagery a bunch of
grapes and a fly Gavin set about masking the fly
and pasting it on the grape. He used the same
image of a fly for each occurrence.
I then set the opacity level of the layer to
around 20%, he explains. Next, I selected the
layer, flattened the image, and then contracted
the selection by five pixels.
And the transparent look of the fly? I darkened
the layer with the paint bucket set at 20% and this
was repeated twice. Finally, Gavin made the
umbilical cord using the Path tool: Gaussian Blur
was used last to even out the entire look.
Baseball Chair
NAME: Tom Schulzki
The first thing I had to did was find good picture of a baseball
glove, but what to do with it? It took one hour of looking staring
into this picture until my idea was born: combine this glove with a
leather chair! To combine the two sources wasnt very difficult, Tom
explains. The lighting, perspective and the leather surface matched
in such a way that one can think they really belong together.
The first thing Tom had to do was to change the properties of the
chair in order to match the glove. It was only the upper section, the
leather section, I needed to change. The wooden part on the bottom
was the second major part. I used the rubber tool and carefully
erased the areas where my two sources met each other. This part
was nearly 90 per cent of the work, the other ten per cent was spent
shadowing and blending.
However, that footless chair was not the end result, The feet of the
original chair were only 40 per cent visible because parts were
hidden by another chair standing in front of it. Because of this I used
the parts that were not hidden and created whole feet with coping,
resizing, recolouring, shadowing and cloning until nice wooden feet
were produced.
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Money To Burn
NAME: Deschain
I started off by arranging bits and pieces
of the currency in the general spots I
thought they would end up. I then erased
the un-needed, overlapping sections,
explains Deschain.
Next, he made everything but the
cigarette layer invisible, then duplicated it
and gave it a Gaussian Blur of 2.5. This was
then saved as a displacement map.
Next I deleted the blurred copy of the
cigarette layer and made all of the layers
visible again. After this I went on to select
the money layers one at a time, and ran
Filter>Distort>Displace for each, selecting
my displacement map when prompted.
Once this was done, Deschain lowered
the opacity of the money layers and ran
Edit>Transform>Warp, which rolled the
edges of the newly displaced currencies to
match the shape of the cigarette. Then I
masked out any part of the money that
wasnt covering a part of the cigarette or
the ashes.
Finally, the opacity of the money was
raised back to 100% and the Layer Style
changed to Soft Light. I then flattened the
image, ran a Levels adjustment to what
looked good and applied an Unsharp Mask
at about 80.
Giants
NAME: Fritz Bonjernoor
This was really a very
simple image to make,
Fritz, aka Furitisu, says.
There are really just the
two images here. I started
with the whales, which were
cut out with a layer mask.
Then I connected a colour
layer to the whales with
Alt-click. Next, Fritz turned
his attention to the space
image. I colour-picked
some surrounding hues
from the space image and
airbrushed over portions of
the whales to let them blend
into the background more.
On top I created a new layer
to airbrush some lights from
the stars over their tails and
fins. For a final touch I made
a duplicate of the document
and experimented with
some noise, a bit of
Gaussian blur and then
some Unsharp masking,
because the two source
images were of different
resolution and quality.
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Helpdesk
Facing a creative conundrum in Photoshop?
Check out our latest batch of problem-busting tips
BY ANDY STEWART
BALANCING ACT
Frequently, I find myself having to adjust the
colour balance of my digital photos to make
the tones appear a little more realistic. I dont
know whether I keep setting the wrong
White Balance values on my camera, but
most of my shots turn out looking either too
warm or too cold. Is there an easy way to fix
this? Any help would be appreciated!
Josh Pinker, Cardiff
Unfortunately, even with todays sophisticated digicams its
all too easy to muck up a photo with incorrect White Balance
settings. If your shots are demonstrating an unnatural colour
cast, chances are that they were captured at the wrong colour
temperature. The easiest way to stop this is to manually set
your cameras white balance setting, or by shooting in RAW
mode, if at all possible, so you can tweak your white balance
settings using Photoshops RAW plug-in facility.
However, when it comes to fixing existing shots that are
too warm or too cold, Photoshop can help. One of the
quickest and methods is to use a Photo Filter Adjustment
Layer. Open up the image, select Layer>New Adjustment
Layer>Photo Filter and pick one of the warming or cooling
options from the Filter list.
AUTO ARCHIVING
Im in the process of transferring all my old
6x4 photos to digital by scanning them in and
saving them in Photoshop. So far, Ive been
scanning each photo in separately, but is
there is a way I could scan multiple photos at
a time and quickly crop them into individual
files? Ive bought a high-res scanner that can
scan A4-size sheets, so theres room enough
for at least a few photos per scan.
Darren Hoyle, Leeds
BALANCING ACT: If your photography skills arent up to
scratch, Photo Filter can rescue your shot
Scanning in multiple photos at a time is indeed the fastest way

of digitising a large image collection. In the past, the quickest
way to separate the photos once they were scanned in was to
use the Crop tool to manually cut them out. Now, though, the
process is much easier with Photoshops Crop and Straighten
Photos tool. All you need to do is scan in some photos in a
single pass, load the file and hit File>Automate>Crop and
Straighten Photos. Photoshop will analyse the image then
chop out and straighten each photo automatically.
LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONAL: Drag your glossies

kicking and screaming into the 21st century with a little help
from Photoshops Automate engine
LAYERS LICKED
When Im building up illustrations, I often find
that I need to apply the same filter or effect
to a number of different layers. Doing this
individually always takes some time, so is
there a way that I can select multiple layers at
once for editing?
Keith Matherson, Leicester
There is indeed. With Photoshop CS2s Layers palette, there
are a couple of ways that you can select multiple layers. You
can select consecutive layers by holding down Shift and
clicking on each item in turn. Alternatively, you can select
non-consecutive layers by holding down the Ctrl key while
clicking in the layer stack.
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SPIN ME ROUND
Like most photographers, when Im out on a
shoot I tend to capture a mixture of portrait
and landscape-orientated shots. This means
that one of the first things I need to do when
I get home and get the images onto my
computer is flip them around so that they are
at the correct orientation. I know how to do
this on an individual basis in Photoshop, but
is there a quick way that I can select
multiple shots in a folder and flip them
around all at once?
Billy Backman, Liverpool
The quickest way to achieve multiple image rotations is to use
the tools available in Adobe Bridge. Once the photos have
been copied over from the camera onto your computer, load
Photoshop and click on the Go To Bridge button on the
Options bar. Navigate to the folder containing the photos and
Ctrl-click on each picture you want to rotate.
Once theyve been selected, all you need to do is hit one of
the Rotate 90 buttons at the top of the interface to spin the
photographs around. Now, the next time you open up the
images in Photoshop they will automatically flip to the
correct orientation.
TIF TERRORS
I read in your magazine a while ago that if
you want to ensure that your digital artwork
retains all of its detail when you save, its best
to save the file in the TIF format. So, I thought
Id give it a try during one of my photo
editing sessions and saved the image I was
working on in this format. But the next time I
opened up the TIF image file, there was
obvious corruption and some of the detail
had been lost. Why is this happening?
Ken Scott, Taunton
It sounds like youve been saving your picture with
compression. When you ask Photoshop to save an image in
the TIF format, it pops up a dialog box in which you can
specify if you want to use compression, which helps keep the
file size down. To ensure that all image detail is preserved,
make sure you select NONE in the Image Compression field at
the top of the window.
LAYER ACHE: If you unlock the background layer youll find that you have much more freedom, especially if youre working
with a multitude of layers. To choose a new layer as a locked background, head to Layer>New>Background From Layer
LOAD AND LOCK

Ive recently started messing around with
drawing pixel art in Photoshop, and Ive
started to develop a method of building up
images by designing objects on separate
layers. This gives me much more control
when I come to move things around,
because I dont have to mess around with
cutting things out, making the whole process
far more streamlined.
However, this method means that I keep
having to alter the layer Im using as a
background, and once Ive unlocked the
default Background Layer, I cant find a way of
re-locking it. Can you help?
Eleanor Connell, Dorchester
In many instances, Photoshops knack of locking the
background layer is a nuisance. Indeed, one of the first things
that many pixel-manglers do once an image has loaded is
double-click this layer to unlock it.
However, there is a way of selecting a new layer as a locked
background. Just click on the layer that you want to use as
the background in the Layers palette, then hit
Layer>New>Background From Layer.
CANVAS CONUNDRUM
When I come to expand a canvas in
Photoshop, I often find it difficult to work out
exactly how many pixels I need to add on top
of the dimensions that are already entered in
the Width and Height fields. Any tips on how
to make this a bit easier on the brain?
Gem Stokely, Brighton
The easiest way to increase the size of a canvas is to use the
Relative command in the Canvas Size dialog. Once you tick
this option, youre then free to just enter the amount of pixels
you want to increase the canvas by, instead of having to try
and add on the value to the existing dimensions. You can also
use the Anchor arrows to tell Photoshop to which edge of the
canvas you want to add the new pixels.
HELPDESK
CALL FOR QUESTIONS
Want help with your Photoshop problems?
Then let our team of experts sort you out.
Send your emails to us at:
advancedpshop@imagine-publishing.co.uk
OPEN UP A DIALOG: Choosing not to compress your

images will leave you the maximum quality to work with
Remember to specify whether you are

using a PC or Mac and the version number
of your edition of Photoshop.
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cam
eras
PHOTO
SHOPPING
Do you want to be a creative all-rounder? Then take a quick glance
at this round up of the best digital cameras on the market
or a Photoshop artist, far too

much time is taken up hunting
high and low for original pieces
of art to include in illustrations,
or to use as the basis for a bigger project. If
images are found on a stock art site, not only
do you have to worry about extra costs but
you also run the risk of spotting your original
image in someone elses handiwork. An
instant dent to your Photoshop kudos.
It can be invaluable to be able to take your
own source images and build up a digital library
on your Hard Drive, from which you can pick
suitable shots as you need them. If youre using
your own digital images you may think that you
dont have to be concerned with image quality,
especially if youre going to manipulate them at a
later stage. However, its far better to start off with
an image thats of prime quality. You wont be
doing your projects any favours using a low-res
camera that has been in your possession since
the dawn of the digital age. A new model will not
only give you the chance to capture large, higher
resolution images, but will also give you the
opportunity to experiment with features and
settings to give you the most creative end result.
Okay, so surely weve talked you into kitting
yourself out with a digital camera by now? But
YOULL NEED TO
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR
CAMERA HAS PUNCH
the prospect of buying a new model is a bit like

walking into a newsagents and being greeted by
a wall full of sweets. Theres so much to choose
from, and when youve taken the final leap are
you going to worry that youve bought the
wrong model? The most important thing to ask
yourself is what you will be using the camera for.
Because your images will be used for commercial
purposes or large-scale projects, you will need to
make sure that your camera model has punch.
Not only will this give you the opportunity to
work with large images without any restrictions
on your final products size, but it will also ensure
that you dont end up working with images that
are of poor quality or spoilt by noise.
This in no way means that you have to spend
thousands on buying the biggest and bulkiest
pieces of kit. It could be more important that
youre able to pop your camera into your pocket,
so its on hand and you also have the ease of
automatic functions so you can quickly point and
shoot without fiddling with manual functions.
Compact
All compact cameras will have an automatic
setting, so you dont have to worry about the
technicalities of choosing the correct settings.
They might also give you the option of valuable
shooting modes to help you take night shots,
portraits or landscapes, among a few. The quality
of compact cameras nowadays is pretty
astounding, and you can achieve images of a
high resolution. This can be a very good option if
youre not familiar with the workings of a camera
and would prefer to make the most out of user-
friendly controls and menu options. Its also a

perfect option if you only want to take rough
snaps as a basis for your artwork.
Prosumer
The word prosumer covers quite a small area of
the market. Literally meaning professional/
consumer, this category includes models that
have more scope for manual settings than a
compact, but without the option for alternating
lenses. The response of a prosumer camera is
slightly slower than a SLR. You can pick up a great
piece of kit at a reasonable price, but it does seem
as though this brand is deteriorating as cheaper
SLR cameras come onto the market. If youre keen
to spend this much money on a camera you may
find yourself better off purchasing a SLR.
SLR
SLR (single lens reflex) cameras are an essential
piece of kit for those who are keen to produce
highly professional images and have control over
their photographic capture. The benefits of using
a digital SLR are complete reign over shooting
with fully manual settings, large file sizes with
good resolution and the option for swapping and
changing camera lenses. SLRs can reach
staggering asking prices. However, the good
news is that more and more budget SLRs are
entering the camera market and so its now an
affordable option. A good-quality SLR will be an
invaluable accessory for any serious imageer and
although it can mean forking out anything up to
5,000, youll find that these models keep their
value for quite a considerable amount of time.
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Hardware
ROUND UP
Digital cameras: the cream of the crop
jargon
The digital camera industry is full

of terms with which you may not
be familiar. Its a good idea to
swot up on the technical issues
before you make any decisions on
buying a model.
Konica Minolta Dynax 5D

SRP: 490 (with kit lens)
Megapixels (effective): 6.3
Max resolution: 3008 x 2000
Zoom: Depends on lens
Weight: 590g
Dimensions: 130.5 x 92.5 x 66.5mm
Website:
www.konicaminolta.co.uk
Contact: 0870 242 1222
Megapixels
Resolution will be a prime

concern, as you will want your
original photographs to be of
optimum quality. On a camera,
resolution is measured in
megapixels. A higher megapixel
value will give you larger images,
sharper colours and finer details.
For good-quality Photoshop work
you will need to treat yourself to a
model thats capable of seven
megapixels or more. If you tend to
use your images only as a basis for
tracing, or will be applying drastic
filter effects, you can get away
with a lower resolution.
Kodak EasyShare V570

SRP: 299
Megapixels (effective): 5
Zoom: 5x optical, 4x digital
Weight: 125g
Dimensions:
101 x 49.8 x 20.4mm
Website:
www.kodak.com
Contact: 0870 243 0270
Digital zoom
Take a look at the specifications of

any camera and you may find that
the zoom is given in two different
quotes optical and/or digital
zoom. A Photoshop professional
who intends to use their own
digital images in their work
should avoid capturing a shot
with a digital zoom like the
plague. Unlike optical zoom,
which captures a closer image by
using the lens, digital zoom
artificially magnifies area of your
image by expanding and
cropping the photo in your LCD
screen. This causes the resolution
of your photograph to diminish,
giving you an image that looks
pixellated with very little detail.
The Konica Minolta has entered the SLR market with the 5D. Its competitively priced,
and its easy to kit yourself up with a stack of accessories and lenses available. Dont be
put off by the price. There are plenty of features to keep control
freaks happy. Image quality is generally good with
the 5D, but the metering tends to be
overcautious, often creating muted and
underexposed shots. This might be a bit of a
chore if you want to quickly dive into your
image creation. This is a great option if you
want to become accustomed to the SLR
market and will only occasionally use your
camera for odd jobs. Perfect too, if youre only
working with a small budget.
It may be your priority to be able to carry a camera around with you at all times without
being bogged down by heavy kit. The stylish Kodak V570 is a great compact camera
with a stack of features. Its the worlds first dual-lens camera, squeezing an ultra
wide-angle 23mm lens and a 39-117mm optical zoom lens into a sleek and
sturdy black compact body. The camera captures images with a
resolution of 5MP, which is adequate for most basic imaging tasks. A
real treat for those who are keen to create original artwork is a
feature that allows you to capture a 180-degree vista the images
are then stitched together on-camera with very reasonable results. You
may find that you need to heal some areas, but overall the end results are
pretty accurate. Fashion-conscious office workers will be pleased with the
bundled photo frame dock, which allows you to safely place your camera on
your desk and scroll through images with a slideshow.
Nikon D50
SRP: 380 (body

only) 499 (kit)
Megapixels (ef
fective): 6.1
Max resolutio
n: 2256x1496
Zoom: Depend
s on lens
Weight: 540g
Dimensions:
1133x102x76mm
Website: www.n
ikon.co.uk
Contact: 0845
450 0155
Its pretty asto

unding that yo
u can get a
digital SLR for
this price. The
Nikon D50 is th
perfect camer
e
a to introduce
high-end
photography te
chniques to th
ose moving
from compact
digicams for th
e first time. It
takes some fant
astic images w
ith good
resolution and
plenty of deta
il. Its a good st
model for thos
arting
e who arent th
at accustomed
and scene mod
to photograph
es. Theres only
y, with plenty
a resolution of
of automatic
may not be th
6.1 ef fective m
e right option
egapixels, how
if
you need to w
ever, so this
Its of a good st
ork with large
urdy build and
file sizes.
is a reliable mod
But if you are ex
el with plenty
perienced with
of scope for ac
high-end cam
uses quite quick
cessories.
eras you may fin
ly.
d that you outg
row its
Under 500
Cut the
ROUND UP
Whatever your budget theres a camera for you. Save your browsing time with
our pick of the best models around, from bargain SLRs to pedigree pro shooters
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cam
eras
Samsung Pro 815
The Samsung Pro 815 looks like a traditional DSLR but has a fixed lens of 28-420mm
(35mm equivalent), which is handy if you want to shoot subjects from a distance
without having to worry about swapping lenses. Its hard not to be impressed by
the Samsungs astounding lens size, and its of a good, solid construction. There is a
very impressive 3.5-inch LCD screen on the back, plus a 1.44-inch LCD on the top
and an electronic viewfinder. The zoom is controlled by a manual ring, rather than a
zoom lever, which, although a little tricky to get to
grips with, is very precise, and perfect for those
who are accustomed to using a film SLR.
There are a few let-downs here, namely the
limited shutter speed options and the
tendency to produce noisy shots in
challenging conditions. The reasonable 550
street price makes it a good option for those
who are considering an upgrade from a
compact camera.
Olympus E-500
SRP: 588
Weight: 435g
Dimensions: 129.5 x 94.5 x 66mm
Website:
www.olympus.co.uk
Contact: 0207 253 2772
The Olympus E-500 sits at the beginners end of the digital SLR market and offers
good resolutions and manual features for a reasonable price. There are the
common scene modes and a good automatic mode for imageers who want quick
results without the technical know-how, while fully manual options are easily
accessed and changed from within the intuitive menu
system. The camera is capable of capturing
RAW images, which can later be
manipulated for perfect end results
using the RAW features in
Photoshop. Image quality is
remarkable, with very little barrel
distortion and excellent colour
reproduction and saturation. Noise
is only evident in shots taken at
high ISO settings, but this is no
more than is average for the class.
Sony Cyber-shot R1
SRP: 650
tive): 10.3
Megapixels (effec
8 x 2592
Max resolution: 388
l,
ica
opt
5x
:
Zoom
10x precision digital
Weight: 995g
168 x 97mm
Dimensions: 139 x
Website:
www.sony.co.uk
1999
Contact: 0870 511
on a non-SLR
ge of ISO settings
has the widest ran
R1
ny
So
g
of lighting
kin
ay
rea
The groundb
re images in an arr
portunity to captu
op
ol over your
the
u
ntr
yo
co
r
ing
ate
camera, giv
files, giving you gre
B
RG
e
ob
n an SLR
Ad
ts
or
pp
er model rather tha
situations. It also su
Sony R1 is a prosum
the
h
ality is
ug
qu
ho
e
Alt
ag
Im
nt.
al control.
colour manageme
portunity for manu
n and
tio
tor
dis
l
theres plenty of op
rre
ba
, with no noticeable
LR
DS
y
an
as
od
as go
on the highest
els of noise, even
very acceptable lev
ISO setting.
framing a breeze,
kes shooting and
ma
D
LC
le
ng
e-a
fre
The
ut having to crane
frame a shot witho
to
r
sie
ea
it
g
kin
ma
composition.
around for a good
very
tures of the R1 is the
One of the best fea
tion. With
olu
res
ective megapixel
impressive 10.3 eff
ly large
ive
ess
pr
im
re
u can captu
this little beauty yo
at
xibility a very
u extra creative fle
images, giving yo
int.
reasonable price po
Camera
Jargon
ROUND UP
Under 1,000
SRP: 550
Zoom: 15x
Weight: 870.5g
Dimensions: 135.5 x 87 x 78.6mm
Website:
www.samsungcamera.co.uk
Contact: 0870 242 0303
THE 5DS
RESULTS ARE
INCREDIBLE
FOR A CAMERA
THATS ON THE
MARKET FOR
LESS THAN
2,000
There are so many different technical

terms banded around the digital SLR
market. Here are the main definitions
you need to know:
MEGAPIXELS: The measurement of
resolution. Each megapixel consists
of one million pixels. You measure the
horizontal resolution by the vertical.
SLR: Single Lens Reflex- this means
that the cameras viewfinder uses the
same mirror as the cameras lens.
Great for accurate, speedy
photography as what you see is what
you get.
FOCAL LENGTH: The distance
measured in millimetres between the
lens and the focal plane if your
camera. As the focal length increases,
the field of view decreases.
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Hardware
SRP: 1,199
Weight: 830g
Dimensions: 147 x 113 x 74mm
Website:
www.nikon.co.uk
Contact: 0845 450 0155
Canon EOS 5D
Nikons new pro-level DSLR gives users the
chance to capture great resolution images at a
very reasonable price. Image quality is the
name of the game with this model, and Nikon
has developed a very reliable piece of kit with
a newly developed sensor that incorporates a
four-channel data output system and a new
filter, meaning that images should be free of
moir and colour fringing. Theres a
phenomenal lack of noise in shots
taken with this camera perfect if
youre keen to take low light images
and will reduce the need for
meddling with the Gaussian
Blur or Reduce Noise
filters. We think that this
is the perfect option for
those who are
willing to
splash a little
cash, and it
will be
guaranteed
to stand the
test of time.
FujiFilm F30
SRP: TBA
Zoom: 3x optical
LCD: 2.5-inch
Website:
www.fujifilm.co.uk
Contact: 0870 084 1310
SRP: 1,900
Weight: 810g
Dimensions: 152 x 113 x 75mm
Website:
www.canon.co.uk
Contact: 0870 514 3723
The EOS 5D is a superb piece of kit. Packing

12.8 megapixels, a soft touch shutter release,
fast write times and minimal shutter lag, this is
a great camera for photographers on the go
who need quick results. The images captured
are superb, with high colour saturation and
amazingly accurate reproduction of fine detail
an essential attribute for studio work. Noise
is barely evident the Canon 5D is above
average for the class in this respect.
The EOS 5Ds first-class results are
pretty incredible for a camera
thats on the market for
less than 2,000,
and it would be
both a
valuable asset
for any studio
and a reliable
camera for any
artist who
wants to
take their
photography
seriously.
Canon EOS 30D

Based on the highly successful FujiFilm F10,
the F30 is the worlds first camera to offer
sensitivity levels of up to ISO 3200. This gives
you the chance to capture images in low-light
conditions. Youll be a master of the night with
a new intelligent flash system that uses the
cameras sensitivity to combine natural
foreground illumination with balanced
exposure in the background. Most
importantly, you can rely on the F30 for
shooting power, with a battery thats capable
of a generous 500 images.
SRP: TBA
LCD: 2.5-inch
Website:
www.canon.co.uk
Contact: 0870 514 3723
The recently announced Canon EOS 30D (not

to be confused with the six-year-old Canon
D30!) will be sure to make some waves in the
photographic world, and will be the perfect
addition for any studio setup. The camera is
still in its very early stages, but we can tell you
that it will have a lower asking price than its
predecessor, the EOS 20D, along with a larger
monitor size of 2.5 inches, a 100,000-shot
shutter cycle, touch-soft
shutter release button
and advanced
PictureStyles
for total
image
control.
Set some
money
aside now.
Hot new models
Nikon D200
1,000 and over
ROUNDUP
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resources
Let us do the searching
We bring you the best resources around to

enhance your Photoshop experience
DEAD FAMOUS:
How imaging wizardry
brought back the Dodo
PAGE 91
Recom
mends
books
90
Be inspired, awed and impressed with

our pick of the most creative titles
plug-ins
92
Extend your imaging kit and make

Photoshop work a little harder
portfolios
94
Show the world your creative prowess

with our collection of the best sites
his issue we delve deeper into the varied and valuable world of Photoshop
resources than ever before. There may be the chance to develop and enhance
your Photoshop skills with our insight into some of the most useful publications on
the shelves at the moment.
If some of these take your fancy, you may want to make use of our exclusive discount
offer. Weve teamed up with Ilex Press Ltd to give Advanced Photoshop readers astounding
savings on every Ilex book featured. For more information, head to www.ilex-press.com/
apm. Plug-ins can give you so many possibilities for creative image production and here
we show you the Internets indispensable downloads, from handy freeware versions to
the more cash-consuming. Getting your work out into the public arena is the most
important task for any serious digital artist, but finding the right place to do this can be
a challenge. Weve done some legwork for you and found the very best portfolio sites
submit your designs to these and you stand a better chance of getting a commission.
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resources
Adobe Lightroom
Make room on your desktop for the latest update

designed to kill off Aperture, Lightroom
With Lightroom Adobe has upped the stakes, bringing us a slick image-handler
that belies its beta status. So can it leave competing programs in the shade?
System requirements
Macintosh OS X 10.4.3
1GHz PowerPC G4 processor
768MB RAM
1024x768 resolution screen
Further info: www.adobe.co.uk
he recent release of Apple Aperture gave

users a more complete control over the
workflow of digital images and overshadowed
the now-familiar Adobe Bridge. It gave us the
potential to manage our digital files and
create a more fluid and professional workflow.
Adobe isnt one to be left in the backdrop for
long, so its with bated breath that weve been
waiting for the response. The good news is
that its pretty much here.
The unveiling of Adobe Lightroom took place
early in 2005. One year on and its a program thats
still not available as a full product. However, the
recently developed Adobe Lightroom Beta 2 is
available for download now and gives users the
chance to sample the delights of this software
program, which offers a multitude of digital
delicacies for the serious artist. The beta version
were looking at is only available for Macintosh

users at the moment, but it will later support both
the Windows and Macintosh platforms.
Adobe Lightroom Beta will drastically develop
over the coming months and its very much a
work in progress. For those of you who are too
impatient to wait for the final result and would like
to become familiar with the workings of
Lightroom as soon as possible, the next few pages
are for you.
Adobe is encouraging photographers and
digital artists to try out the beta version of
Lightroom and relay back comments. Modules
and features are likely to change depending on
customers preference and priorities, so you cant
really have your say unless youve had a try. Lets
have a look at some of the main features so far
and see what Lightroom has to offer.
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resources
RELOCATION, RELOCATION: You have

complete control over your file management
with Lightroom, as it offers plenty of scope for
renaming and relocating images
BROWSING THE LIBRARY: Quickly browse

through your entire library, special collections
or recently uploaded shots with the Photo
Library palette
KEY WORDING: Make sure your keyword

entries are thorough and precise. You will need
to rely on these to find your images using the
search facility
Adobe Lightroom has the power to do so much

more than Adobe Bridge, which by comparison
does really seem now like a glorified file browser.
There are plenty of opportunities to import, select,
develop and showcase your digital images.
The program is designed to assist an artist only
when its needed and so much of Lightrooms
success relies upon the ability to dive in, adjust
shots or catalogue them for presentation and
then hide the program so you can get on with
your design work unhindered.
It does this very well at the moment, and
although you can expect a few hiccups with a
beta version, its an impressive achievement to be
able to scroll through large files sizes without
being hindered by a sluggish load-up time.
found at the top of the left palette, helps you to

locate files and sort them into different collections.
Show Entire Library will present all of the files you
have imported into Lightroom or have created
links for, Show Quick Collection brings up a small
batch of selected thumbnails and should be
thought of as a temporary catalogue, while Show
Previous Import only displays the images that
were recently added to Lightroom.
Once images have been imported, it will pay to
work through your files and assign keywords and
ratings. You can then use the Browse functions to

find files. Its initially quite time-consuming, but
will help once you have imported a number of
collections. If keywords have been entered into
the Quick Develop palette you will see that they
then appear in the Browse Keywords palette. If
images have already been tagged in Adobe
Bridge then these will automatically be transferred
over into Lightroom. This also applies to ratings,
which can be used to trim down your searches
using the Minimum Rating slider. Imagine youve
Starting up
The first thing to do with Adobe Lightroom Beta is
import your files, rename them and tag them with
important shooting information. There are no
fussy menu controls with which to dabble, as all it
takes is a quick press of File>New>New
Collection/New Shoot (Opt+N or Shift+Opt+N).
You have complete control over file handling
with this method. Not only do you get to name
your collection using a bulk rename option but
you can also decide on whether your files are
permanently moved to the library location,
copied or just linked with reference files.
Lightroom is split up into four different areas, so
its very easy to concentrate on one task at the
click of a button. Hovering your mouse over the
upper area of the main workspace allows you to
alternate between interfaces.
BETA 2 GIVES USERS THE

CHANCE TO SAMPLE THE
DELIGHTS OF THIS PROGRAM
EASY MANIPULATION: The setup of Adobe Lightroom is fluid; you can quickly alter the view of
your images to show either one image, a collection of thumbnails or a few shots for comparison
Into the Library

The Library is a good base from which to get to
grips with your catalogue content and
arrangement, and its here that you can assign
keywords or rate your files, making the selection
process a lot easier later on. The Photo Library,
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resources
Adobe Lightroom
precision editing: You can perfect your

image using the precise slider controls to alter
Grayscale Mixing, Split Toning, HSL Color
Tuning, Detail, Lens Corrections and Camera
Calibration that should save you working on
unnecessary problems in Photoshop
Panel beaters: If you want to get rid of the

clutter of the panels around the image, press
the Tab key while in Loupe or Compare view. F5
can then be used to hide the options at the top
of the window, while F6 will show just the image
uploaded 50 collections into Lightroom.

Finding the required shot might be an arduous
task if you have to trudge through stack of images,
but once keywords have been applied you can
immediately display appropriate shots by entering
words into the Search panel.
One of the most impressive things about
Adobe Lightroom is the ease with which you can
adjust the layout of the program to suit your
image control. Theres no need to browse through
numerous thumbnails if you are only interested in
a few selected files. Grid view can be used like a
standard file browser and gives you a basic
overview of all the files within a collection. You
can select specific images with a simple click of
the mouse and then select Loupe to see a larger
version, or scroll through different thumbnail
options using the left or right arrow keys.
The real nifty feature comes into play when you
select numerous thumbnails with a Shift-click (for
batch groups) or Command-click (for several
different thumbnails) and press the Compare
option. The speed at which these images appear
within the main area of the interface is pretty
impressive and its a great tool if you quickly want
to show off a number of different options to a
client or colleague. The Library isnt just a glorified

File Browser; you can also use it to look at your
image in detail. Double-click on any image within
the Loupe view and your image will be magnified
within the main window and also within a smaller
image-map window.
You can use this to quickly spot any obvious
imperfections and take a look to make sure your
shot is of prime quality. Underneath the image
map, an image histogram will give you the chance
to spot any obvious exposure problems and
present shooting information.
Image manipulation
Once you start exploring the other options within
Lightroom outside of the Library it becomes more
apparent just how useful the program can be for
quick fixes. The Develop area is perfect for odd
jobs, so you dont need to spend an exhaustive
amount of time tweaking in Photoshop.
With the thumbnail selected in the browser
selection you can work on individual images at a
time. Basic alterations can do wonders for your
shot and will help you to improve essential colour
features such as white balance, range and tone. If
you want to spend a bit more time improving
88
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resources
Shortcuts
Display Loupe view: e

Toggle through images in Loupe:
Display Grid view: g
Display Compare mode: c
Toggle between view modes: Return/Spacebar

Lights dim: l
Lights out: l+l
FLOWER SHOW: You dont need to get bogged down in Flash coding to make an impressive
slideshow. Lightroom makes light work of essential presentations
INTEGRAL TRANSFER: Theres no need to

install a separate FTP client with Lightroom.
You can upload immediately to your own or
your clients FTP server internally using the
Export function
your shots, scroll down a little and you can make

more thorough tweaks to highlights, midtones
and shadows with the Tone Curve palette. Of
course, you wont want to cut out your Photoshop
work altogether, but its a handy option if you
have to make a quick presentation with very little
time to spare.
Making slideshows
The slideshow option is perfect if you want to
present your images professionally. You can access
all of the images that have been imported to
Lightroom using the Slideshow function. You can
add images to your slideshow by Commandclicking your selection. Another advantage is that
dont have to spend a huge amount of time
making a presentation, and quick alterations can
be made using the Template Browser.
Once youve picked your selection you can
make personal alterations to the appearance of a
slide using the Image Settings, Slide Layout Tools,
Overlay, Backdrop and Playback settings, and even
add a musical soundtrack if you really want to go
the whole hog. Of course, youre not going to
want to go to all this trouble just for your own
sake. There are some impressive export functions
within the Slideshow environment allowing you

to alter the format to HTML, PDF or Flash formats.
If you want to cut down on file size, you can adjust
the quality of the show, adjust sizes and tweak
names and showcase rate.
Thats bound to save you huge amounts of
time if you want to put together a portfolio or a
slideshow for your website.
Print perfect
For any artist, the ability to be able to print images
accurately is a must. Adobe Lightroom has a great
Print facility that not only allows you to preview
your images as they will appear on the page but
also gives you the opportunity to lay out contact
sheets. You can quickly select a predesigned
template from the Template Browser and add
shots to the sheet by pressing Command-click.
The emphasis is on accuracy with the Print option
and its possible to make very minor adjustments

to your layout using the slider controls. You can
specify Print Job settings here too and alter colour
profiles, print resolutions or Draft Modes. Adobe
Lightroom manages high-res images very well
and it doesnt struggle with large shots, easily
converting them to draft versions.
Its very important to remember that Adobe
Lightroom is still a program thats in progress, and
so the features will no doubt be enhanced and
develop before the final program is available. But
for now, this is a fantastic insight into the
possibilities for managing your images with a
highly flexible, intuitive and invaluable file
management program.
The latest public beta version of Adobe
Lightroom is now available to download. Visit
http://labs.macromedia.com/technologies/
lightroom to install your copy now. 5
ADOBE LIGHTROOM IS STILL A

PROGRAM THATS IN PROGRESS, SO
THE FEATURES WILL DEVELOP
89
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27/3/06 10:58:43
resources
books
Seek inspiration for creative work and tweak your

technique to perfection with these top titles
Further reading
Photoshop
Cosmetic Surgery
Surreal Digital Photography:

The Photographers Digital
Trickery Handbook
Authors: Barry Jackson

Publisher: Ilex
Price: 19.99
ISBN: 1904705820
Web: www.ilex.com
Author: Barry Huggins, Ian Probert

Publisher: Ilex
Price: 17.95
ISBN: 1904705413
Web: www.ilex.com
he ability to retouch portraits and transform bodies is a

very useful skill for a digital artist to have. It gives you
the chance to get in on big commercial opportunities.
If you have no idea where to start, the Doctor Barry Jackson
takes you through a selection of handy transformation
techniques without a scalpel in sight. As you work through the
book, the tutorials included can be split into two different
groups: those that will prove to be invaluable for professional
work (including tips on perfecting a soft-focus effect, creating
glowing and blemish-free skin tones and eyelash extensions),
and the slightly more bizarre.
Turning each page takes you onto a completely different
topic, so in an instant you can go from carrying on a breast lift to
creating a quite frankly disturbing cat woman.
If you get a bit queasy when watching film footage of a real
cosmetic operation then be warned some of the results in this
Recom
mends
book may have a similar effect. But dont get us wrong, there are
some great tutorials to be found. Worth the 19.99 asking price
for shock value alone. 5
Rating:
5/5
Rating:
2/5
Creating Photomontages
With Photoshop: A
Designers Notebook
Author: William Rodarmor
Publisher: William Rodarmor
Price: 14.95
ISBN: 596008589
Web: www.oreilly.com
3D Game Textures: Create

Professional Game Art Using Photoshop
Seek inspiration for photomontages with

this showcase of work dedicated to
Photoshop from French digital artists.
There are plenty of exciting, contemporary
designs from which to take inspiration, and this
is far more than just a coffee-table book; it takes
the reader from the creation process through
the entire working process, from the initial
concepts through to the practical techniques
involved. Rather than being a heavy technicalbased publication, this book is perfect for those
who want to inspire their creative side. 5
Authors: Luke Ahearn

Publisher: Focal Press
Price: 29.99
ISBN: 0240807685
Web: www.focalpress.com
reating art for the games industry is big business. Take

a look at any videogame on the market at the moment
and youll see that each scene is full of intricate details that
can be pieced together in Photoshop. 3D Game Textures
is a fairly weighty book that teaches you how to craft
these creative textures, with tips and techniques from
award-winning expert Luke Ahearn.
Discover how to design bullet holes, flames, windows and
walls all the effects that are an essential for todays videogame
with easy-to-follow tutorials. There are a variety of different
game themes explored throughout this book, covering
anything from urban street scenes to the fantasy genre.
Each tutorial takes you right from the beginning processes
through to the intricate final details and professional touches. As
well as the design angle of creating artwork for games, this book
also tackles the business side of creating artwork for commercial
purposes, making it a wonderful insight into the world of the
professional games artist. After reading this youll have a far
better understanding of what it takes to become successful in
The editing, colouring and layering

capabilities of Adobe Photoshop CS2 make it
an ideal software program for practising
with experimental artwork. With such a
versatile package theres no need to put
limits on your creations, making it perfect
for surreal imagery.
This book is packed with tutorials ranging
from photo-editing tricks to digital montages,
but be prepared to be taken aback by some of
the more obscure end results. Theyre not really
pieces of art that youd want to aspire to
creating, but the techniques involved are
explained in a clear and precise manner. This can
be a fun way of getting to grips with some
design concepts that wouldnt normally spring
to mind, but the level may be too basic for those
who are accustomed to Photoshop. 5
Rating:
4/5
Complete Photoshop CS2

For Digital Photographers
Author: Colin Smith
Publisher: Charles River Media
Price: 25.99
ISBN: 1584504625
Web: www.charlesriver.com
the games world, and it will give you the opportunity to begin
building a stunning portfolio. 5
Rating:
5/5
This tome is dedicated to photographers

who rely on Photoshop to edit and enhance
their images. Its a technical workbook for
those who want to learn all the tricks of the
trade for their digital darkroom.
All of the basics are covered, including a rundown of the uses and benefits of cataloguing
images using Adobe Bridge and processing
RAW files through to enhancing images through
practical tutorials and project workshops. 5
Rating:
5/5
90
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27/3/06 11:04:29
The Dodo And

Mauritius Island:
Imaginary
Encounters
Camera Raw With

Adobe Photoshop CS2
Recom
mends
Author: Harry Kallio

Publisher: Dewi Lewis Publishing
Price: 25
ISBN: 1904587135
Web: www.dewilewispublishing.com
Authors: Bruce Fraser

Publisher: Peachpit Press
Price: 28.99
ISBN: 0321334094
Web: www.peachpit.com
This fantastic coffee table-style book

features a whole host of skilled illustrations.
Harry Kallio has created a stunning series of
reconstructions of the past. Using his
photographic and imaging skills, Kallio
constructs the illusion that Dodos are alive
and in their original environment.
For those who are keen to read up on the
history of the Dodo, theres plenty of historical
information, eyewitness accounts, pictorial
sources and evidence from museums and
libraries around the world. A beautiful and
carefully crafted book. 5
Rating:
5/5
Implementing A
Digital Asset Management
Systems Department
resources
Further reading
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.
f youre a serious digital artist then chances are at some

stage or another it will be essential to take your own
photographs. During these early processes its important to
start off with the highest quality imagery possible.
Those who are accustomed to using a digital camera to
create artwork may be familiar with the concept of working in
the RAW format. The Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in
gives you the opportunity to control image quality using
settings such as white balance, curves, colour space, contrast
and saturation.
This book takes you through the process of enhancing
images in a clear manner, showing you the techniques behind
tweaking your RAW files using contrast, saturations, noise and
tint techniques. Its not however, the meatiest of books, making
the asking price a bit steep in our opinion. Those who are
already accustomed to other RAW management software will
find the transition to Camera Raw very simple, so a dedicated
book is unlikely to be a necessity. If youre new to the RAW
format, however, this could be worth a look. 5
Rating:
4/5
Author: Jens Jacobsen, Tilman Schlenker,

Lisa Edwards
Price: 34.99
ISBN: 0240806654
Written by the team that created a Digital

Asset Management System for the team on
Monsters Inc and the computer game Medal
Of Honor, this book couldnt show off any
more hints and tips from those in the know.
Its certainly a challenging read, but one thats
worth spending some brain power on if youre
keen to create a successful computer-based
production company.
Getting into such a competitive market
means doing some research, and for aspiring
imageers this is a great first step. The book
includes information on improving workflows,
digital content security, speed-to-market and
profit margins for projects of all sizes. 5
Rating:
4/5
Aphrodisia:
Art Of The Female Form
Author: Craig Elliot
Publisher: Aristata Publishing
Price: 16.17
ISBN: 0975491229
Web: www.aristatapublishing.com
This is a provocative look at a selection of art

celebrating the aesthetics and variety of the
female form. This book features a showcase
of work that includes a great deal of digitally
created art.
On page after page, Aphrodisia depicts
women of all sizes, races and ages, and in all
manner of backdrop settings. There are plenty of
different digital techniques used to create
arresting images, ranging from the mystical and
menacing to the sexual and innocent.
Rating:
Color Management For Photographers

I
Authors: Andrew Rodney
Price: 29.99
ISBN: 0240806492
f youve spent days, weeks or even months creating a

Photoshop masterpiece then its a shame to let all your
hard work fall victim to the wrath of poor colour
management. Getting tones and colours just right
can be a minefield, even for the most accomplished
Photoshop artworker.
One wrong move and your images quality, which looked
oh-so-perfect on your monitor, can look flat, uninspiring or just
plain horrific on return from the printers. Trying to master the
techniques of colour management is a daunting prospect, so a
good-quality book is always useful.
Color Management For Photographers includes all the
information you will need to make sure your colour profiles are
accurate. Its not going to do anything to make the process any
less painful for those who want an easy ride, but will be perfect
for professional imageers who want precise, technical
information. This book shows you how to create desired results,
with easy step-by-steps guaranteed to help you produce
successful print material. Andrew Rodney also takes some time
to explain the principles behind managing the colour of
documents ready for prepress or print. 5
Rating:
5/5
5/5
91
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27/3/06 11:04:50
resources
plug-ins
Increase the creative potential of Photoshop

with these invaluable plug-in features
Aurora 2.1
Genuine Fractals 4.1
ds
men
m
o
Rec
Developer: Digital Element

Price: $179.99 (103.61)
Web: www.digi-element.com/aurora/downloads.htm
Developer: onOne Software

Price: 199
Web: www.ononesoftware.com
f youre working to
commission, then
everyones bugbear can be
resolution and file size,
especially if youre working
to print. Genuine Fractals
enables you to create
enlargements from your
images, without resorting to archiving hefty image files for
easy archiving and file transfers.
Genuine Fractals aims to increase the quality of an image
using a patented re-scaling and interpolation method. Larger
images can be produced using this software with reinforced
edge detail and preserved quality. Genuine Fractals can also be
purchased as part of onOne Softwares complete Photoshop
Plug-In Suite, which includes Mask Pro 3, PhotoFrame 2.5 and
Intellihance Pro 4.1 for 270.19.
A 30-day trial can be downloaded before purchase on the
onOne Software website. Its a steep asking price, but you may
find the plug-in indispensable if large, commercial file sizes are
your prime concern. 5
Rating:
ecreating natural
aesthetics in your
Photoshop work can be
particularly tricky. Not
only because its
time-consuming, but also
because one false move can
spoil an otherwise great
image. Aurora 2.1 tackles this problem head on, offering an
easy plug-in that will allow you to create even the most
complex of natural phenomena such as reflective water,
stormy clouds or night-time skies.
In fact, its worth looking at if you rely on any sort of natural or
cityscape work, as Aurora 2.1 can add help you add atmosphere
and drama to the most mundane-looking situations. For your
hard-earned cash, youll be rewarded with a decent black-andwhite filter that improves on Photoshops native Greyscale tool, a
desaturation gradient, a particularly effective Sepia filter and
much more besides. Definitely one for photographers, this set is
well worth investigating when youve got a few minutes to
spare, and there are plenty of examples on the site. 5
4/5
Rating:
5/5
TypeCaster
Deep Paint 3D
F
ar too much time can

be taken up recreating
paint effects with the Brush
Tool. Finding the right
balance between shadows
and tones can be tricky.
Deep Paint 3D aims to make
lighter work out of
capturing the realism of traditional and contemporary
painting techniques.
The plug-in comes with a dynamic range of preset natural
media and artists brushes that respond in an authentic manner,
but it is possible to modify and customise these brushes for your
personal needs. Deep Paint 3D makes it easier to clone and brush
photographs or other images into your current artwork. Deep
Paint 3D can also be used as a standalone program as well as a
plug-in. The real fun comes if a Wacom tablet is used, as the
pressure sensitivity will ensure that the pen strokes are delicate
and precise. For those with earlier versions of Deep Paint3D, an
upgrade can be downloaded for around 28. 5
Rating:
5/5
Ripples Magic
Developer: Red Field Plug-ins
Price: $19.90 (11.46
Web: www.redfieldplugins.com
The Ripples Magic filter

allows you to create
complex 3D surfaces from
Recom
mends
your artwork including
cosmic curves and
melted metal.
The results can look eye-catching as long as
the procedures are kept subtle. Its a perfect
option if you want to create highly original
objects such as flowers. Check out some gallery
samples by logging onto www.redfieldplugins.
com/SamplesTutorials.htm. 5
Rating:
ypography is an
essential part of any
commercial design, but
often the font selection
with Photoshop can be
restrictive and may require
you to spend out on extra
resources. Even when you
have access to a great number of fonts it can be difficult to
add in 3D elements.
TypeCaster gives you the resources to turn ordinary type into
print-quality 3D titles, not only giving you the power to alter
depth and shading but to also add texture and contours. The
program issues 30 built-in preset custom looks but you can also
create your own font by adjusting colour, texture, shape, bevel
and light source shading.
Animatable type transitions can also be applied to Adobe
Premiere and After Effects suites. Our only suggestion is that you
use the program with subtle application to avoid results that
look too gaudy. 5
Rating:
3/5
5/5
LensDoc 1.3
Developer: Andromeda Software
Price:$98.99 (57)
Web: www.andromeda.com
The LensDoc 1.3 third-party Photoshop

plug-in is the perfect addition for any artists
who capture their own digital images.
Taking shots with a wide-angle lens can
sometimes result in image distortion such as
barrelling and pincushion. This will solve those
issues without you having to result to using
imprecise pinch and bloat techniques. The
LensDoc plug-in does this without spoiling
image quality for a professional finish. Its also
possible to create and use your own correction
curves for custom fixing. 5
Rating:
Developer: Xaos Tools

Price: $99 (57)
Web: http://store.yahoo.com/xaostools/typmac.html
Developer: Right Hemisphere

Price: $249.99 (143.77)
Web: www.righthemisphere.com
Plug yourself in
4/5
Light!
Developer: Digital Film Tools
Price: Free
Web: www.digitalfilmtools.com
Light! is a freeware plug-in that allows you

to add lights to a scene, just as if you were
adding a light at the time of shooting using
a gobo (a plate that produces a patterned
light effect in traditional photography).
The plug-in can also be used to simulate
glass and camera filters such as Mist and Fog.
You can try out a Light!3.0 demo for Windows,
OS X and OS 9 by following the link above. 5
Rating:
2/5
DreamSuite Gel
Developer: Auto FX Software
Price: $99 (57)
Web: www.autofx.com
Recom
mends
DreamSuite Gel is a fun
special effects suite that
allows you to add vibrant,
translucent depth effects to your artwork.
The results achieved with DreamSuite Gel are
varied and of high quality and can be used to
reflect your individual style. It will allow you to
recreate complex see-through styles.
Check out an artist gallery to see how the
effect is applied by visiting www.autofx.com/
dreamsuite/gel/gel_gallery.html. 5
Rating:
4/5
92
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 11:05:19
resources
portfolio sites
Get your work out there with

these top showcase URLs
AOI
Get seen online
Web: www.theaoi.com
he Association of Illustrators is a non-profit organisation

dedicated to protecting illustrators rights and
encouraging professional standards. Members are entitled
to a free annual consultation with the associations portfolio
expert and advice is given on portfolio presentation,
content and suitable illustration markets and agents.
Membership to the AOI is 144 for full members (students
66). The price of a portfolio submission varies between 5871.70 and allows you to upload, replace and edit up to 20
images, giving you a personalised domain name option. You
can write your own captions with as much information as you
like. Although its initially expensive, the AOI is normally the first
port of call for most professionals looking to commission. 5
Rating:
WorldArtPortfolio
Web: www.worldartportfolio.com
WorldArtPortfolio is an independent
portfolio site dedicated to the work of
designers, digital artists, mixed-media
workers and photographers.
It also allows you access museum and gallery
sites as well as discussion forums. The
submission for artists portfolios is completed on
rotation according to specialist field, so its
worth logging on to check the current situation.
Its not the most intuitive of portfolio sites
but it does have great resources for looking up
current employment vacancies and internships,
as well as exhibitions that you might want to
wing yourself along to. 5
5/5
Rating:
2/5
ArtWanted.com
D&AD Talentpool
Web: www.artwanted.com
Web: http://talentpool.dandad.co.uk
riginally launched as the D&AD Bloodbank, the

Talentpool is a searchable portfolio site for emerging
creative practitioners in advertising, new media and
communications. Individuals must be an award-winner in
their own specialist field.
Every month, five selected members are included with a
spotlight section, showcasing their work and including
background information and an interview. To submit your
images for inclusion on the D&AD Talentpool website, contact
the team by emailing talentpool@dandad.co.uk or telephoning
0207 8401111. Check out one of the portfolio artists, Chintu
Shah, in our Young Designers feature on page 50. 5
Rating:
4/5
Rating:
5/5
Artshole.co.uk
Portfolios.com
Web: www.portfolios.com
Joining this site is absolutely free and you

can start building your online portfolio
straight away. You can also sign up for a
Premium account for only $5 (2.85) a
month. You can use the site to advertise an
existing URL and bring more attention to
your work, rather than just relying on a
search engine.
Theres an accurate and fast-working search
facility if youre looking for other artists
portfolios, allowing you to search by speciality
as well as artist name. Theres even a chance
your images can end up on someone elses wall
if you put your images up for sale.
Art contests and discussions, tutorials and
tips are also available if you click on the Forum
option at the top of the web screen. ArtWanted.
com is currently accepting artwork submissions
for its 2007 calendar log on to the site for
more details. A sleek-looking site thats easy to
navigate, with plenty of scope. 5
Web: www.artshole.co.uk
Recom
mends
stablished in 1995, Portfolios.com is a fully

searchable site, allowing clients to find the
right talent for the job through a simple and easily browsed
portfolio selection.
There are three portfolio types that you can purchase, starting
with the Vinyl portfolio (ten images with no agent fees and a
personalized URL) at $9.95/6 a month (or $99.50/57 a year).
The Leather portfolio offers all the Vinyl features but with 20
images for $21.99/13) a month (or $199.50/115 a year). The
Titanium option includes all of these features but with 77 layout
options, the ability to upload five different file types and even
some marketing tools. 5
Rating:
5/5
Artshole.co.uk is an online source for

creative talent, not only giving you a chance
to promote your work, but also check out
jobs and directories, exhibitions and arts
competitions. Artshole.co.uk is completely
free but does rely on donation.
Simply send in ten images and an artists
statement and Artshole.co.uk will do the rest.
Galleries can include a direct email link, a link to
a URL and a mixture of images, Flash animations
and video.
Dont be put off by the home page, which in
our opinion is a little messy and off-putting. If
you get past this initial problematic step and
find the essential links that will help you
navigate there are lots of options to enhance
and develop your creative side and boost your
design potential. If youre looking to get out and
about and look the part in a gallery, there are
plenty of listings available on the site too.
Rating:
4/5
94
Advanced Photoshop
27/3/06 11:05:35

Advanced Photoshop (Issue 17)

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Project files, desktop designs,

Delve inside the mind

Get organised with Lightroom

Create artwork with Photoshop

The hottest young talent to hit the Photoshop scene

Magictorch explains how to

Get some inspiration from this robot themed

Inside the mind of

News and showcases from around the globe

Your technical traumas shared with fellow readers

Jason Cook captures the current

Vital assets to improve your Photoshop work

Superb stock art, all the project files to go with

The latest events

Awards for students as

Master the art of the

ADD TEXTURE TO 3D OBJECTS 7

Create texture to be proud of

INTERVIEW: JASON COOK

STARTING A DESIGN STUDIO

CREATING CONSOLE ART

PERFECT YOUR BRUSHWORK

ROUND UP: CAMERAS

Discover the secrets behind his success

Unleash your solo potential

Discover the hot young talent snapping at your heels

Eye-catching images from your fellow readers

How the right camera can improve your digital art

Master the art of ice using layer effects

Be the mastermind behind stunning videogame art

Learn how to paint artwork from scratch in Photoshop

Discover the power of Smart Objects

PREVIEW: LIGHTROOM BETA 2 7 86

SUBJECT: Not just for Christmas?

(previously numbered 4) of the magazine. Youll all be

SUBJECT: Advancing on the web

SUBJECT: Professional advice

MORE TO LOVE: From now on, well be

CUTTING EDGE: The Pixelsurgeon site brings

Finally, a magazine featuring pro-level content for

So, you think youre

SUBJECT: Faulty disc?

PIXEL PILGRIMS: Watch out for next years NEC

full sized image from there. Good luck with the

SUBJECT: Oldie but boldie

SUBJECT: Focus on imaging

Keeping an eye on the latest trends in contemporary photography, art,

Designer Of The Year: you decide

Cameron Sinclair for his work with

A THE GUARDIAN, 12 SEPTEMBER 2005

DESIGN: THE GUARDIAN

B COPPER SHADE, 2005

DESIGN: TOM DIXON

C A SCHOOL FOR 170 TAMIL AND MUSLIM

CHILDREN CONSTRUCTED BY ARCHITECTURE

CONCEPT & DESIGN: JAMIE HEWLETT

Art students pondering how to follow

Graphic design is growing and evolving

DESIGN: Vault49 with Daryl Walle

New York-based Vault49 returns to the UK for

The Greatest Show On Earth is

NOISE, the international youth arts

London Design Museum