November Photoshop Magazine 2016

T H E A D O B E P H O T O S H O P H O W -T 0 M A G A Z I N E N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6
DYNAMIC Learn how to use the

Mixer Brush to convert your
Create custom brushes to
add texture and other effects
BEGINNERS
RANGE photographs into works of art to photographs and paintings WORKSHOP
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF
Painting
in the 21st Century
Photoshop, graphics tablets, and pen computers
have given modern-day artists the power to push
their creativity beyond the limits of their imaginations
Visit our website at kelbyone.com

Kevin Newsome
COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU
Denver, CO | Las Vegas, NV | Arlington, TX
11/14/16 11/16/16 12/14/16
For more information visit kelbyonelive.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS November 2016
FEATURE
62 Elton & Leon

Jason Seilers illustrations and paintings have
appeared in many major publications, including
Rolling Stone, Billboard, The New Yorker, The
New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal,
just to name a few. He even painted Pope
Francis for the cover of TIME magazines
Person of the Year issue in 2013. So we were
Image: Jason Seiler; Layout: Jessica Maldonado
ecstatic when Jason agreed to write an article

for us showing his Photoshop workflow for his
Elton John and Leon Russell image that he
painted for Rolling Stone. So turn the page,
kick back, and prepare to learn from a master.
Jason Seiler
Departments Reviews
From the Editor
006 084 Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000
Contributing Writers
009 085 Corel Painter 2017
Hydra 4
About Photoshop User Magazine

010 086 Aurora HDR 2017 for Mac
Crucial MX300 525-GB SSD
KelbyOne Community
012 087 Triflector MKII Frame + Silver/White Panels
iOgrapher Ultimate Live Stream Kit for iPhone
Exposed: Industry News

018 088
Photoshop Book Reviews
Photoshop User Quiz

089
From the Help Desk
092
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
Whenever you see this symbol at the end of an article, it means All lighting diagrams courtesy of Sylights
there are either downloadable practice files or additional content
for KelbyOne members at http://kelbyone.com/magazine. Click this symbol above to access the Table of Contents.
KELBYONE.COM
How-To
020 DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Corey Barker
3D Title Effect for Bada$$ Effects Book
028 DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

Backyard Jungle
0 38 BEGINNERS WORKSHOP
Adobe Stock
How to Create a Custom Brush
050 PHOTOSHOP PROVING GROUND

Clone Stamp Painting
Adobe Stock/David MacFarlane

0 54 PHOTOSHOP TIPS
Boost Your Productivity and Creativity
056 DESIGN MAKEOVER

Tool Time
060 INDESIGN TIPS
Adobe Stock/gromovataya
Advance and Enhance Your InDesign Skills
078 PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS

Paintings Brushstroke on Photography
Realistic
DYNAMIC
RANGE 42 Photo to Painting
Do you have a particular photo that you think would
make an awesome painting, but you dont want to cheat
and simply run it through a filter or a Photoshop plug-
in? But you dont want to paint it from scratch either.
The compromise? Use the Mixer Brush with the Bristle
Brush tips to manually turn your photo into a painting.
Not only will it be more realistic than a filter or plug-in
but it will also be much more rewarding.
Kirk Nelson
Adobe Stock/gera85
A FEW WORDS FROM SCOTT KELBY
From the Editor

lightroom magazine
spreads its wings
As we kick off the month of November, theres lots of videos, and we think youll immediately see the difference.
fun stuff going on here at KelbyOne. Lets start with the And second, when youre watching a course, weve made
big news: were giving our Lightroom Magazine section jumping to any lesson in that course much easier and
its own wings, as it now becomes its own separate stand- much more intuitive because the lessons are now listed
alone magazine (so it wont be just a section here in right below the player (instead of having to click that
Photoshop Userit will now be its own thing, and tiny little arrow to bring up a pop-up menu of lessons).
were very excited about the opportunities that brings). It makes things so much easier that youre going to dig it.
Spinning off Lightroom Magazine into its own separate Theres so much more to come, and were already work-
magazine allows us to expand our Lightroom coverage ing on the next batch of improvements and tweaks, but
going forward, and to include photography articles and those are two things that I think will make your experi-
features that relate to the people reading it. That way, ence that much better.
Photoshop User stays focused on Photoshop (and the Theres lots of cool stuff here in the mag as well. Our
Creative Cloud applications that surround it), and Light- cover story this issue is from Jason Seiler and its called
room Magazine can focus on Lightroom (of course) and Elton & Leon. Jason talks about his process for creat-
photography topics. Dont worryas a KelbyOne member, ing his digital painting of Elton John and Leon Russell for
youll receive both magazines as part of your membership. Rolling Stone magazine. Very slick! In our Beginners
Look for Photoshop User at the beginning of each month Workshop column, Lesa Snider shows how to create a
(except for the months of June and July because thats custom brush for painting effects, and in our Dynamic
our May/June and July/August issues), and Lightroom Range column, Kirk Nelson teaches us how to use the
Magazine in the middle of the month. Mixer Brush to manually convert a photograph into a
Also (and this is huge!), were putting an archive painting. Scott Valentine gives us some unique ways to
from the past two years of Lightroom Magazine on the use the Clone Stamp tool and panel to create painterly
KelbyOne member site so you can easily access any issues and special effects using a photograph in our Photoshop
youve missed. Hey, speaking of back issues, weve done Proving Ground column, and in Photography Secrets,
the same for Photoshop User as wellwe have back issues Sean Arbabi discusses how classical paintings have influ-
available online going back to January of 2014, and this enced the art of photography. Plus, of course, theres
access is included as part of your membership. Remember, news, reviews, and a whole lot more.
our goal each year is to make your KelbyOne member- Finally, registration is now open for the Photoshop
ship more valuable than it was the year before. Thats our World 2017 Conference coming up in Orlando, Florida,
mantra; its what drives us forward each year. And what on April 2022. Register by March 17, 2017, to get Early-
we have planned for 2017 will make your membership Bird pricing (and of course, as a KelbyOne member, you
more valuable than ever. automatically save $200 on a full-price conference pass).
Over on the KelbyOne site, weve made two pretty sig-
p h ot o s h o p u s e r n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 6
Thats it for now (whew!). Lots of great stuff happening.

nificant improvements to our member experience. First, Im glad youre here to be a part of it all, and were grate-
weve worked hard to increase the speed and responsive- ful for your support by being a KelbyOne member and
ness of the site, with optimized faster-loading pages and Photoshop User (and now Lightroom Magazine) reader.
All my best,
Scott Kelby
KelbyOne President & CEO
006 Editor & Publisher, Photoshop User
KelbyOne Members
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The official publication of KelbyOne
NOVEMBER 2016 Volume 19 Number 9
EDITORIAL:
Scott Kelby, Editor-in-Chief
Chris Main, Managing Editor
Kim Doty, Associate Editor
Contributing Writers
Sean Arbabi Corey Barker Peter Bauer Larry Becker
Dave Clayton Michael Corsentino Kirk Nelson Jason Seiler
Colin Smith Lesa Snider Scott Valentine Erik Vlietinck
Jake Widman
GRAPHICS:
Jessica Maldonado, Art Director
Margie Rosenstein, Senior Graphic Designer
Angela Naymick, Graphic Designer
MARKETING:
Adam Blinzler Kleber Stephenson Melissa White
WEB:
Adam Frick Brandon Nourse Yojance Rabelo Aaron Westgate
PUBLISHING:
Scott Kelby, Publisher
Kalebra Kelby, Executive V.P.
Jean A. Kendra, Business Manager
ADVERTISING:
Jeanne Jilleba, Advertising Coordinator 800-201-7323 ext. 152
HOW TO CONTACT KELBYONE:

U.S. Mail: 118 Douglas Road East Oldsmar, FL 34677-2922
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Letters to the Editor: letters@photoshopuser.com
Letters to the Lightroom Editor: lightroom@photoshopuser.com
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COLOPHON:
Photoshop User was produced using Adobe Photoshop CC 2015.5 and
Adobe InDesign CC 2015. Roboto was used for headlines and subheads.
Frutiger LT Std for text.
This seal indicates that all content provided herein is produced by KelbyOne, LLC
and follows the most stringent standards for educational resources. KelbyOne is
the premier source for instructional books, DVDs, online classes, and live seminars for
creative professionals.
All contents COPYRIGHT 2016 KelbyOne, LLC. All rights reserved. Any use of the
contents of this publication without the written permission of the publisher is strictly
prohibited. Photoshop User is an independent journal, not affiliated in any way with
| fuel for creativity Adobe Systems, Inc. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom,
and Photoshop are registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. in
the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks mentioned belong to
their respective owners. Some of the views expressed by contributors may not be the
representative views of the publisher. ISSN 2470-7031 (online)
JASON SEILER
PHOTOSHOPS MOST WANTED
Contributing
Writers
SEAN ARBABI
has been a widely published commercial photographer
for the past 25 years. He authored The Complete Guide to
Nature Photography (Crown Publishing) and produced a
video series on the Nik Collection (Peachpit). For more JASON SEILER
information, visit seanarbabi.com. is a Chicago-based artist whose work has been featured in
Rolling Stone, Billboard, TIME, The New Yorker, The New York
Times, MAD Magazine, and many others. Jason also worked as
COREY BARKER a character designer on Tim Burtons Alice In Wonderland, and
is an award-winning designer and illustrator. A featured
he painted six stamps for the USPS Forever Series.
instructor at the Photoshop World Conference and an
Adobe MAX Master Instructor, he has produced numerous
training titles for KelbyOne. Look for his latest book COLIN SMITH
Photoshop Tricks for Designers. is an award-winning digital artist, photographer, and
lecturer who has authored 19 books and has created a
series of training videos. Colin is also the founder of
PETER BAUER the online resource PhotoshopCAFE.com and president
is an Adobe Certified Expert that does
of Software-Cinema.com.
computer graphics consulting for a select group of
corporate clients. His latest book is Photoshop CC
for Dummies. He was inducted into the Photoshop LESA SNIDER
Hall of Fame in 2010. is the author of Adobe Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC for
Photographers: Classroom in a Book (2016), Photoshop CC:
The Missing Manual, Photos for Mac and iOS: The Missing
LARRY BECKER Manual, TheSkinnyBooks.com, more than 40 video courses,
is an author, trainer, speaker, and tech aficionado. He is
and the Creaticity column for Macworld.
the founder and lead trainer at LarryBecker.tv, where they
teach small businesses and entrepreneurs how to create
their own professional-looking videos in-house without SCOTT VALENTINE
hiring a video production team. is a member of Adobes prerelease team, an Adobe Commu-
nity Professional, and Photoshop author. His books include
The Hidden Power of Adjustment Layers and The Hidden
DAVE CLAYTON Power of Blend Modes (both by Adobe Press). Keep up with
is a KelbyOne instructor, designer, and creative specialist
him at scoxel.com.
with more than 30 years experience. He specializes in cre-
ating branding projects and logos and has been published
by Peachpit and KelbyOne. Hes also an Adobe Influencer ERIK VLIETINCK
and ACA in InDesign. founded IT Enquirer in 1999. A J.D. by education, Erik has been
a freelance technology editor for more than 22 years. He has
written for Macworld, Computer Arts, Windows NT Magazine, IT
MICHAEL CORSENTINO Week, New Media Age, and many others. He also contributes to
is an award-winning wedding and portrait photographer,
UK-based Red Shark News and Red Shark Sound.
Photoshop and Lightroom expert, author, columnist for
Shutter Magazine and Resource Magazine, and speaker
and international workshop leader. Learn more at JAKE WIDMAN
www.michaelcorsentino.com. is a writer and editor who lives in San Francisco. Hes been
covering the intersection of computers and graphic design
for about 25 years nowsince back when it was called
k e l b yo n e . c o m
KIRK NELSON desktop publishing and Photoshop was just a piece of

is a professional graphics artist in the Washington, D.C.,
scanning software.
area. He has a B.A. from George Mason University and is
an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop. Kirks career has
touched on a broad range of subjects from logo design to
animation. He can be reached here.
009
ABOUT PHOTOSHOP USER
Photoshop User
Magazine
Photoshop User magazine is the official publication of
KelbyOne. As a KelbyOne member, you automatically
receive Photoshop User ten times a year. Each issue
features in-depth Photoshop, Lightroom, and photo
graphy tutorials written by the most talented designers,
photographers, and leading authors in the industry.
Images: Jason Seiler
About KelbyOne
KELBYONE MEMBER DISCOUNTS
is the worlds leading resource for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Save anywhere from 23 times your membership cost by using
and photography training, news, and education. Founded in 1998 as our many industry-related discounts.
the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), KelbyOne
has evolved from NAPP and KelbyTraining to create a singular hub for
creative people to learn, grow, and inspire. From photographers to graphic
designers, beginners to professionals, KelbyOne is open to everyone. ONLINE SUPPORT
Fast, friendly Photoshop, Lightroom, and photo gear help; equipment
Theres no faster, easier, and more affordable way to get really good at advice; and more from certified experts at the KelbyOne Help Desk.
Photoshop and photography. You can join for only $19.99 per month or
$199 U.S. for a full year of training. To learn more, visit www.kelbyone.com.
MEMBER COMMUNITY
KelbyOne members range from beginners to pros and love to lend each
Member Benefits other a hand. Together, we have built the friendliest, most knowledgeable
Photoshop and photography community on the Web.
PHOTOSHOP USER MAGAZINE

Ten issues of the best Photoshop and Lightroom tutorial-based NEWS & REVIEWS
magazine in the industry.
Unbiased coverage on the latest equipment, plug-ins, and programs

in the marketplace.
MEMBERS-ONLY WEBSITE
Our extensive website features time- and money-saving content.
MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER
ONLINE CLASSES & EDUCATION The KelbyOne Newsletter is your monthly connection to everything
Thousands of Photoshop, Lightroom, and photography tutorials, KelbyOne. Its produced exclusively for members to keep you informed
full online classes, and quick-tip videos. of everything new in the industry and at KelbyOne headquarters.
010 FIND KELBYONE MEMBERSHIP DETAILS AT kelbyone.com or call 800-201-7323 MondayFriday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST.
This is a life choice. You choose to live creatively. You decide that any minute could be the moment that
you capture and turn into something greater. Then you keep your camera at the ready and your designs in your head.
Because if you only get one shot at something, youre going to take it for all its worth. Fuel your creativity.
Easy online training from the best in Photoshop, Lightroom, and Photography.
www.kelbyone.com
KelbyOne Community
Inspiration, information, and member musings to fuel your creative think tank
By Chris Main and Dave Clayton
Your KelbyOne Dashboard Received a Photoshop World Conference 2017

Facelift for a Faster Login Experience Special Pricing Just for You
You may have noticed that your KelbyOne member Registration for Photoshop World 2017 in Orlando is now
dashboard has a new sleeker look and is faster to log open. As a KelbyOne member you already get $100 off but
into. Some of the changes include larger thumbnail if you register during our Early-Bird pricing, you can take
previews of the classes so you can easily see the video another $100 off for a total savings of $200! In addition to
youre accessing, a progress bar so you can see which the conference tracks, workshops, and learning labs, there
videos youve completed and which ones you need to are several special events, including Portfolio Reviews,
continue, and the option to view your dashboard in list Dinner with a Stranger, an after-hours party, live natural
mode or grid mode. shoots, and Midnight Madness.
Another notable change is My Favorites is now called

My Bookmarks. When watching a course, you can easily
bookmark it by clicking the icon at the top-right corner of
Kevin Newsome
the page and then accessing it directly on your dashboard.
Dont worry; were not stopping here! Well have more
changes to come, as were always working hard to make
your KelbyOne experience better. Also, attendees have the opportunity to submit their
work to the Guru Awards competition. There are seven
categories to choose from: Artistic, Photography, Photo
Restoration, Commercial, Photo Montage, Photo Retouch-
ing, and Illustration. The winners from each category, as
well as a Best of Show winner, will receive special prizes
from our sponsors. Were also bringing back the Film
p h ot o s h o p u s e r n o v e m b e r 2 0 16
Festival this year! Attendees can submit a short video of

their own creation for a chance to win prizes. Both contests
are free to enter and give everyone a chance to showcase
their hard work.
So join us from April 2022, 2017 (preconference events
available on April 19), at the Orange County Convention
Center in Orlando, Florida, for Photoshop World 2017 for
three days of fun, networking, and hands-on learning!
012
KelbyOne ARTIST SPOTLIGHT >> KelbyOne ARTIST SPOTLIGHT >>
Scott Wiggins > MEMBER SINCE 2006 Chris Nicholson > MEMBER SINCE 2016
KelbyOne ARTIST SPOTLIGHT >> Lee Mandrell

MEMBER SINCE 2016
Whos Who in the KelbyOne Community >> Regina Wyllie
MEMBER SINCE 2016
KelbyOne Community
Whos Who photograph big fashion shoots. I recently met Glyn Dewis,
in the KelbyOne Community and it was amazing to watch how he can change an image
Glyn Dewis was recently presenting in Scottland when he using Photoshop, so Ive started following him and want
met Regina Wyllie. He was blown away by her knowledge to learn more about what he does. I also like Rick Sammon
and talent, especially since shes only 10 years old. She has and love his videos on KelbyOne about setting up a home
even shot a wedding on her own. After Glyn told her about studio (Ive already started using some of his techniques to
KelbyOne, Regina immediately joined, so we thought it practice taking portraits of my wee sister).
would be amazing to interview her here in the magazine.
What would be your dream shoot?
So how did your love of photography begin? I would absolutely love to photograph the singer Christina
When I was three years old, I asked my dad, who is a pro- Perri, as I love her music and think she has an amazing style.
fessional photographer, if I could tag along while he shot a I think it would be really cool to do a photoshoot with her
mountain bike race. I picked up his wee compact camera and in the rain. I might shoot her in black and white, but defi-
started snapping away. After that I just kept picking up the nitely in the rain. I love taking landscape photographs too,
cameras that were around our house and asking my dad to and want to explore more of the world using my camera to
teach me how to use them properly. Since then Ive been on record it, as I think it would be really nice to be able to come
fashion and portrait shoots, trash the dress shoots, and even back home with great photos of my journeys.
photographed the Mountain Bike World Cup with my dad.
What are some things youd like to learn to improve
What keeps you wanting to learn and shoot more? your photography?
I love watching the reaction of peoples faces when they see I really want to learn more about Photoshop and how you
a nice photograph of themselves. I also enjoy taking land- can create something completely different from the original
scape photographs and seeing how people react to those. shot. Seeing how easy it was for Glyn to make his amazing
Its nice being able to take my wee camera and use it to images was a big surprise for me as my dad doesnt really
create something that makes people smile. use Photoshop very much. Having a membership for
KelbyOne means that I can go online to learn the things
What do you love shooting the most? that I want to learn, which my dad cant teach me.
Ive shot a couple of weddings now and some parts can be
a wee bit difficult, such as trying to capture The Kiss at Whats in your kit bag at the moment, and whats on
the end of the ceremony and shooting the first dance. I love your want list?
taking the candid shots during the day when people arent I currently have a Fujifilm X-T1, with an X-E1 as backup, and
expecting me to shoot them. have the XF35mmF1.4, XF18mmF2, and XF18135mm
lenses. I would love the new X-T2 (the X-Pro2 is nice, but I
Do you remember the first photo you took that made love the flippy screen on my X-T1) and the 56mmF1.2 lens
you say, This is what I want to do? for portraits, the 1024mm lens for my landscapes, and the
One of my favorite shots was at the first wedding, when the 50140mmF2.8 for when I need a longer lens.
couples daughter gave her wee brother a big hug during
the ceremony. I love the fact that it captures a lot of emotion Youre the youngest person weve ever interviewed.
between them. Probably the first shots I took that made me What advice can you give to other kids your age?
want to shoot more were sunsets at a beach near where we If you really want to try photography, you should give it a
live. We get some amazing sunsets on the West Coast of gotheres not much to stop you. Most smartphones have
Scotland and my dad takes us to the beach anytime he can, decent cameras on them and you can start learning by using
k e l byo n e . c o m
and we always take our cameras. one of those. If you can progress onto a compact camera or
bridge camera, even better. Learn how to use your camera
Do you follow other photographers or have any on Manual modeyoull make lots of mistakes but this will
favorite books or websites that have helped? help you learn how to get your camera to do what you
I really like watching the photographers on programs like want it to do. Dont give up. If this is something that you
Americas Next Top Model, as it lets me see how they really want to do, dont let anything stop you. 015
CLICK TO RATE
NEW ONLINE TRAINING COURSE
AT KELBYONE, WE HAVE A NEW ONLINE CLASS EV
Gain a solid foundation for creating better images once the sun goes down. In this class, Gabe Biderman discusses
all of the tools youll need, the importance of scouting locations, how to play with time and movement, and how
to shoot everything from cityscapes to fireworks and start trails to moonlit landscapes.
Join Scott Kelby for a class devoted to teaching you how to remove all of those distracting elements from
your photographs. Whether it is unwanted bright spots, power lines stretching across a sky, walls covered in
016
graffiti, or too many tourists in your landscape (to name a few), Scott has a technique to save the day.
ES EVERY WEEK
VERY WEEKHERE IS YOUR MONTHLY ROUNDUP
Join Larry Becker as he walks you through the important things youll want to know about your new D500. Larry focuses
on the things you need to know to get the most out of your camera. Learn the basics of navigating the buttons and dials,
where to find key settings, and a wealth of tips & insights to help you feel like a master user by the end of the class.
In this inspiring class, Karen Hutton teaches you how to find your artistic voice in order to create unique photos
that represent you. Karen shares exercises like observing light in all of its many facets and noticing color
patterns in your work so you can take these observations and create amazing images. 017
Exp sed: Industry News
The latest news about photography gear, software, and services
By Chris Main
Manfrotto Premieres New olloclip Reveals New Lens Sets

Tripod Kits at PhotoPlus Expo for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
Manfrotto recently announced Befree Livethe olloclip recently announced
smallest and most versatile video tripod and kits in the newly designed mobile
Manfrotto rangewhich they showcased at Photo- photography lens sets for
Plus Expo in New York City. This new lightweight, iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: the
high-quality video tripod is intuitive and easy to use Core, Active, and Macro
with the Befree Live Fluid head that features a stable Pro lens sets. The updated
fluid drag system to ensure smooth pan and tilt along designs feature new pre-
with precise leveling. The video head is compatible mium multi-element optics,
with the existing Befree family of products. and the new Connect inter-
Befree Live is designed changeable lens system.
for the needs of emerg- The new Connect inter-
ing CSC and DSLR content changeable lens system
creators, including vloggers attaches and aligns instantly
and mobile journalists. The to both the front and rear
new Manfrotto Befree Live cameras of the iPhone with
foldable video tripod has all no extra parts required. The
the quality characteristics hinged lens base of the Connect system swivels inde-
that made the Befree line pendently and is designed to be screen-protector
such a success. The tripod friendly (up to .5mm), adapting to keep the lens flush
reliably supports a payload with the camera for improved optical performance.
of 8.8 lbs., extends to a The Core Lens Set ($99.99) features a Fisheye
height of 59.4", and folds (near 180 spherical effect), a Super-Wide (more than
down to 16.5". It weighs 120 field of view), and a Macro 15x lens that offer
only 3.9 lbs. and also fea- a diverse range of options for capturing and sharing
tures a sliding plate for use unique perspectives.
with a wide array of camcorders, CSCs, and DSLRs. It The Active Lens Set ($119.99) offers Telephoto
has larger feet and a special hook for extra stability. and Ultra-Wide lenses for a 2x optical zoom and a
The following models will be available this fall: 155 field of view, respectively, making it easy to
Befree Live Fluid Head with Befree Aluminum Tripod shoot farther and wider with your iPhone.
kit ($239.99); Befree Live Fluid Video Head ($99.99); The Macro Pro Lens Set ($79.99) transforms the
and the 290 Light Aluminum with Befree Live Fluid iPhone 7 and 7 Plus into a digital microscope or
Video Head kit ($169.99). loupe with three versatile lens options: Macro 7x,
Macro 14x, and Macro 21x. Advanced six-element
optics allow users to get extra close to capture
beautiful macro shots with edge-to-edge clarity,
greater depth of field, and less pincushion distor-
tion. The InstaFocus hoods naturally collect and
diffuse light and facilitate instant focusing. The
018 new lenses should be available in early November.
e x p o s e d: i n d u st ry n e w s
Bowens Introduces the electromagnetic diaphragm for consistent auto-

Generation X Flash Range exposure control. Additionally, a Silent Wave Motor
The new Generation X flash range by Bowens was (SWM) enables ultra-fast and quiet AF operation,
debuted at PhotoPlus Expo in New York City. Gen- and assignable function buttons on the lens barrel
eration X comprises two new flash systems: the XMT, offer customization for engaging pre-set autofocus
which is an all-in-one battery unit for location light- or other focusing options.
ing, and the XMS, which are engineered to be the A new optical formula consisting of six ED
go-to system for photographers who need a function- elements, one Fluorite element, a high refractive
rich and reliable flash in the studio. element, and Nano Crystal Coat helps make for a
The all-new Bowens XMT 500 Pro Traveler Mono- lighter and more versatile lens, while reducing chro-
light boasts TTL and high-speed sync functionality (up matic aberration and helping to all but eliminate
to 1/8000) compatible with Canon, Nikon, and Sony distortion, ghosting, and flare. The magnesium alloy
cameras; nine stops of flash power adjustment; flash lens barrel features superior weather-sealing.
durations as short as 1/10,309: faster recycle times The PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED is a tilt-shift lens
than ever before (as rapid as 0.01 seconds); easy swap that helps capture optically-challenging subjects such
lithium-ion battery, which provides up to 500 full as cityscapes and architecture, interiors, or unique
power flashes per charge; and rear curtain sync, sync landscapes. It offers 97 of coveragethe widest
delay, and strobe mode for creative lighting setups. focal length of any PC lens in the NIKKOR family. For
the first time with a NIKKOR PC lens, the direction of
tilt operation can be made parallel or perpendicular
to shift, offering users the ability to control perspec-
tive, focus, and depth-of-field, without having to
lock and unlock to make adjustments.
The PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED was crafted with
The Bowens XMS Pro Studio Monolights, available three ED and two aspherical elements that help
in 500, 750, and 1000Ws models (all fully controllable combat distortion and glare, while virtually elimi-
via the XMSR 2.4-Ghz radio control and trigger) fea- nating chromatic aberration and coma, even at the
ture multi-voltage operation, plus outstanding speci- widest aperture settings. The lens also features core
fications with faster recycling times and flash dura- NIKKOR technologies such as Nano Crystal Coat to
tions. The XMSR model includes Bowens Sync Offset combat ghosting and flare, and an electromagnetic
functionality, enabling photographers to embrace any diaphragm for fast auto-exposure control.
brand of camera to shoot at high sync speeds of up
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sor that helps users to eliminate blur and camera shake.
During burst shooting, the lens takes advantage of an CLICK TO RATE 019
HOW TO
Down 3d title effect for bada$$ effects book
&Dirty
BY COREY BARKER
In this issues Down & Dirty Tricks youll learn how I used 3D in
Tricks
Photoshop to create the subtitle art for my Photoshop Tricks for
Designers: How to Create Bada$$ Effects in Photoshop book. You
can achieve some really impressive effects in a fraction of the
time that it would take to create them in other 3D applications
all without ever leaving Photoshop.

DOWN AND DIRTY TRICKS
Step One: Start by opening the start_file.psd file from the

exercise download, or create a new document (File>New)
thats 2000x1000 pixels. When the new document opens,
press Command-I (PC: Ctrl-I) to invert the background from
white to black.
[KelbyOne members may download the file used in this
tutorial at http://kelbyone.com/magazine. All files are for
personal use only.]
Step Two: Once you either open the download file or create Step Two
a new document, click on the Foreground color swatch near
the bottom of the Toolbar to open the Color Picker, and set
the color to a yellow-orange (R: 247, G: 148, and B: 29),
or choose any color you want to use. Click OK to close the
Color Picker.
Step Three: The text is already set in the download file, so if

youre using that file, double-click the type thumbnail in the Lay-
ers panel to activate the Type tool and to select the text. Press
Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill the text with the yellow- Step Three
gold color.
If youre using your own file and setting your own text,
select the Type tool (T) and click on the canvas to set a text layer.
Using a bold font, type the title or name you want to apply.
Here we used a font from Typekit called Antique Olive Nord D.
If youre typing multiple words, press Return (PC: Enter) after
each word to stack the text and then format each word so the
lines are equal in length. In this case, we highlighted the top
word, increased the size a couple points, and tracked it out a
little until it was roughly the same width as the bottom line. To
track out the text, select the entire word with the Type tool, hold
the Option (PC: Alt) key, and press the Right Arrow key on your
keyboard several times. This will add space between each letter.
If you need to decrease the space between the letters, press the
Left Arrow instead.
You may need to adjust the leading as well, which is the
space between each line of text. Again, do this by selecting all
the text or just the bottom line, hold the Option (PC: Alt) key,
and use the Up or Down Arrows, whichever is necessary to
make a little space between the words.
Step Four: Press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) to activate Free Trans-

form. Right-click on the object and choose Skew from the con-
textual menu. Go to the left side of the transform bounding box,

and hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key as you click-and-drag
the middle control handle downward. Holding the Option (PC:
Alt) key will skew the text based on the center of the bounding
box. Once done, press Enter to commit the transformation. Step Four
021
HOW TO
Step Five: Now that weve

completed the initial setup for
the text, its time to convert it
to 3D. Go under the 3D menu
and choose New 3D Extru-
sion from Selected Layer. If
Step Five Photoshop asks if youd like
to switch to the 3D Work-
space, click Yes. The text will
be extruded and converted to
a 3D layer. If you didnt switch
to the 3D workspace, open
the 3D and Properties panels,
which are located under the
Window menu. You need to
have both panels open when
editing 3D.
Step Six: In the 3D panel,

select the 3D object BADA$$
EFFECTS in the main list. Go
to the Properties panel and set
the Extrusion Depth to 75 px.
Step Seven: In the Properties

panel, click on the Cap tab,
Step Six which is the third icon from
the left at the top of the panel.
Heres where you set the Bevel
and Inflate. Start by setting
the Bevel Width to 10%, then
click on the Contour thumb-
nail to open the Contour Edi-
tor. Youll see a 45 line that
represents a profile view of the
default bevel. Clicking directly
on the path will add a new

control point that you can drag
around to alter the shape of
the bevel. Here we added two
points and positioned them
as you see here. When you
click OK, youll see the shape
updated. Under Inflate, set the
Angle to 50 and the Strength
to 3%.
022 Step Seven
Step Eight: Go back to the 3D

panel and select the BADA$$
EFFECTS Extrusion Material in
the list. In the Properties panel,
click on the swatch next to
Diffuse at the top. When the
Color Picker opens, choose
black or a really dark-gray
color (I chose R: 73, G: 73,
and B: 73). Click OK.
Step Eight
Step Nine: In the Proper-

ties panel, set the Shine to
75% and the Reflection to
50%. Just below the Diffuse
setting, click on the swatch
next to Specular and choose
a slightly lighter gray color in
the Color Picker to allow a
brighter specular highlight on
the black extrusion.
With the Move tool (V)
selected, choose the Orbit the
3D Camera tool; its the first
icon in the 3D Mode section
on the right of the Options
Bar. Select Current View in
the 3D panel, and click-and-
drag in the canvas to rotate
your view of the text. As you
can see here, the reflection of
the default IBL (Image Based
Light) is now visible on the
extrusion surface. Well be
changing this into a custom

IBL in a little bit. Click Default
Camera at the bottom of the
list in the 3D panel to return
to the default front view.
Step Nine 023
HOW TO
Step 10: In the 3D panel,

click on the BADA$$ EFFECTS
Front Inflation Material, hold
down the Shift key, and click
on the BADA$$ EFFECTS
Front Bevel Material so theyre
both selected. In the Proper-
ties panel, set both the Shine
and Reflection to 75%. Also
set the Roughness to 10%.
This will slightly blur the reflec-
tion when rendered. Youll
see the default Image Based
Light reflected on this surface,
which is good, but again, well
be changing this in a bit.
Step 10
Step 11: In the 3D panel, click

on Environment, then in the
Properties panel, look for the
IBL setting at the top. In the
thumbnail preview for the IBL,
youll see the default is a gray
background with some white
dots. Click on the icon to the
right of the thumbnail preview
and choose New Texture from
the IBL menu. Just make the
new document 1000 x1000
pixels at 100 ppi, click on the
color swatch to the right of the
Background Contents drop-

down menu, select black in
the Color Picker, and click
OK twice.
024 Step 11
Step 12: Go back to the IBL menu and choose

Edit Texture. Select the Gradient tool in the Tool-
bar. (Note: If you switched to the 3D workspace,
you wont see the Gradient tool in the Toolbar.
Click-and-hold on the three dots right above the
color swatches in the Toolbar and youll see a long
list of tools. The Gradient tool will be in that list.) In
the Options Bar, choose the Radial Gradient type,
and select the Foreground to Transparent preset
in the Gradient Picker. Finally, set the Foreground
color to white by pressing D then X.
Zoom out of the document so you can see
Step 12
the area outside the visible canvas. Start a gradi-
ent in the upper-left corner just outside the canvas
area, and drag in toward the center of the canvas.
Then add a smaller gradient in the bottom-right
corner. Thats it. Close the document and save
the changes.
While still in the Environment settings, go to
the Ground Plane Shadows settings and change
the default Opacity of 60% to 0%.
Step 13: With Environment still selected in the 3D

panel, switch to the Move tool. Youll see a small
black sphere appear in the middle of the canvas.
This is a model of the IBL that surrounds the text.
If you use the Orbit the 3D Camera tool to move it
around, youll see the specular reflections change
on the surface. Well finalize the position of this Step 13
reflection in a minute.
Step 14: At this point the surface effects are

done, but feel free to play with different color
and surface effects to get a better idea of how
they work. The last steps are to set up the cam-
era and final position of the text, add the final
lighting, and render.
First, go to the 3D panel and select Current
View, which is the current active camera that
were using to view the 3D object now. In the
Properties panel, youll see the 3D Camera set-
tings. Here we want to create a dramatic wide-
angle effect, so go to the FOV (Field of View) and

set it to a 25 mm lens. Youll see the object move
back in space because of the virtual lens change.
Just select the Slide the 3D Camera tool in the
Options Bar, then click-and-drag down in the can-
vas to bring the camera closer to the text. Step 14 025
HOW TO
Step 15: Select the Orbit the 3D Camera tool in the Options
Bar and rotate the view to get a more upward viewing
angle so you can see the extruded sides. Youll notice the
IBL changes when you move the camera; well fix that in
a moment.
Step 15
Step 16: Go to the Lights section of the 3D panel (fourth

tab at the top) and select the Infinite Light. This was created
when we first created the 3D object. Its a directional light, but
its evenly distributed over the entire object. Go to the Type
drop-down menu in the Properties panel and change it to a
Point light. This is a small wireframe ball that emits light in all
directions. Once you switch the light, click the Move to View
icon directly below the Infinite Light settings in the Properties
panel. This will place the light front and center.

Use the 3D tools in the Options Bar to position the point
light above the object as you see here. Lights can be tricky
at first, so youll want to practice a little if youve never
Step 16 used them before. You cant rotate a point light but you
can move it horizontally and vertically using the Drag the
3D Object tool, and forward and back using the Slide the
3D Object tool. As you get the light closer to the text, it will
become more focused.
026
Step 17
Step 17: Select Environment in the 3D panel and then use

the Orbit the 3D Camera tool to move the IBL around until
you see a reflection you like. Now you can start the render
to see how its going to look. Go under the 3D menu and
choose Render 3D Layer, or press Shift-Option-Command-R
(PC: Shift-Option-Ctrl-R). Youll be able to tell early in the ren-
der how things will look. If you see any changes you want
to make (which I know you will), press Escape to cancel the
render and make your adjustments.
You can even change the text by selecting the BADA$$
EFFECTS text object in the 3D panel, and then clicking the
Edit Source button in the Properties panel. The original doc-
ument will open. Just use the Type tool to highlight the text
and input new text. When done, close the document and
save the changes. The 3D text will be updated with all the
effects still in place. You may need to adjust the lighting
and camera view a little. When youre done, just start the
render again.
CLICK TO RATE
027
HOW TO
Down backyard jungle
&Dirty
BY KIRK NELSON
Summer is over now, but one of the most time-honored traditions of the
American homeowner is procrastinating the weekly lawn care. The grass
Tricks
has a way of subtly dissuading this type of behavior because the following
week the task becomes twice as difficult. Put it off for yet another week and
you could find yourself faced with quite the backyard jungle! This project
seeks to capture that feeling of being overwhelmed by simple grass. It uses a
handful of stock images from Adobe Stock and several different compositing
techniques to bring the full scene together.
Step One: Start by creating a new document:

Go to File>New and give the document a Width
of 2000 px and a Height of 1062 px at 150 ppi.
Also be sure to obtain the stock images that
support this project. Those can be downloaded
separately from Adobe Stock or they can be
added through the Libraries panel, which can
be opened with Window>Libraries. To add
the images as watermarked previews to your
Libraries panel so you can follow along with this
exercise, click on the link for each image below.
When the Adobe Stock webpage opens, make
sure youre logged in to your Adobe account.
Then, to the right of each image on Adobe
Stock, youll see the option to Save Preview
to My Library (you can click on My Library to
select a different library if you want). Click on
the cloud-with-an-arrow icon, and the preview
image will automatically be downloaded to
your Libraries panel in Photoshop.
B
ack yard house exterior
with spacious wooden deck
Grass on white background
Grass
Mowing job
The green grass Step One
Step Two: Add the stock image of the back-
Adobe Stock/Iriana Shiyan

yard either by going to File>Place Embedded or
dragging the image in from your Libraries panel.
When you drag it in from the Libraries panel, the
image should already be in Free Transform mode,
but if its not, press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T)
to enter Free Transform. Right-click inside the
bounding box, and choose Flip Horizontal.
Hold the Shift key and drag a corner point
to resize the backyard image so its taller
than the height of the document and drag
it into position on the right side. Then, add
some additional perspective to the image by

Step Two
Right-clicking in the bounding box again and
choosing Perspective. Pull one of the top cor-
ners inward to give the appearance that the
camera is lower than it actually is. Press Enter
to commit the transformation. 029
HOW TO
Step Three: The far left side is currently blank,

so it needs to be filled in. Content-Aware Fill
is the best way to do that, but that feature
doesnt work on a smart object. To get around
this, create a rasterized copy of the backyard
layer by pressing Command-A (PC: Ctrl-A) to
Select All, then Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to copy
the layer (Layer 1). Then, use the Polygonal
Lasso tool (nested under the Lasso tool [L] in
the Toolbar) to select the blank left side and go
to Edit>Fill. Set the Contents drop-down menu
to Content-Aware and click OK to have Photo-
shop automatically fill in the empty area. Can-
cel the selection with Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D). Adobe Stock/Alekss
Step Three
Step Four: Add the stock image of Green

grass on white background either through
File>Place Embedded, or drag-and-drop it
from the Libraries panel. Duplicate the layer
with Layer>Duplicate Layer. Set the blend
mode of the first grass layer to Multiply in the
Layers panel to render the white area invis-
ible. On the duplicate layer, go to Layer>Layer
Style>Blending Options. In the Blend If section,
use the This Layer control and split the white
handle on the right by holding down the Option
(PC: Alt) key while dragging the handle. Set the
left part of the handle to 114 and the right part
to 248. This provides a softer transparency for
the white background of the layer. Click OK.
Step Four
Step Five: Add a Curves adjustment layer

(Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Curves) above
the topmost grass layer. Clip it to that layer
with Layer>Create Clipping Mask or by press-
ing Option-Command-G (PC: Alt-Ctrl-G). In the
Properties panel, click to add two points to the
curve, one at the top-right grid intersection,
and another at the bottom left. Move both of
these points downward slightly to darken the
030 top grass layer. Step Five
Step Six: Select both grass layers and the

curves layer by holding down the Shift key
while clicking on each of them in the Layers
panel. Go to Layer>Group Layers or press
Command-G (PC: Ctrl-G) to put the selected
layers into a single layer group. Double-click
directly on the name of the group and rename
it Midground Grass. Create a merged copy
of that group by holding down the Option
(PC: Alt) key and going to Layer>Merge Group.
Use the same Blending Options technique to
render the white area invisible. Position this layer
beneath the layers group in the Layers panel,
scale it down with Edit>Transform>Scale, and
fill a portion of the yard behind the initial grass
layers on the left side of the image.
Step Six
Step Seven: Create four more copies of the

merged grass layer (see Layers panel in Step
Eight). Notice that the blending options carry
over to the copies too. The idea here is to keep
Adobe Stock/antpkr
scaling and positioning the duplicate layers to
completely fill in the visible yard with tall, thick
grass. Remember that the further away the grass
is from the viewer, the smaller it should appear.
Step Eight
Step Eight: Bring in the stock image simply called Grass and create a group of fore-
ground grass. Use the same technique as the previous midground grass of using two
layers (see Steps Four and Five), with the bottom one set to Multiply, and the top one
with Blending Options and a clipped Curves layer. Then group them together into a
single group named Foreground Grass. Use this group to fill the lower foreground
area of the image. 031
HOW TO
Step Nine: Duplicate the Foreground Grass layer group twice and transform the copies
to fill in the foreground space with lush green blades of grass. Use Edit>Transform>
Flip Horizontal on one of the groups so the duplication isnt visibly obvious. Select all
three groups and group them together with Layer>Group Layers or Command-G (PC:
Ctrl-G). So now its a group of groups! Rename this top-level group to Foreground
Grass Groups, and add a mask to it with Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All.
Step 10: Switch to the Brush tool (B), and open the Brush Presets panel with Window>
Brush Presets. Select the Dune Grass brush preset. Open the Brush panel with F5 or
Window>Brush. Go to the Shape Dynamics properties and enable the Flip X Jitter
option. Disable the Color Dynamics properties on the left. Set the Foreground color to
black by tapping the D key for the default white and black followed by the X key to
swap the Foreground and Background colors. Use the Dune Grass brush on the layer
group mask to blend the foreground grass into the background grass. Step Nine
Step 10
Step 11: Layer in the Mowing Job stock image and flip
Adobe Stock/Alexey Stiop
the layer with Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. Transform

the image until the man seems slightly shorter than the
tips of the tall grass. Use the Quick Selection tool (W)
to select the man, his mower, and the area of grass
between his feet and the mower. If the tool selects an
area you dont want, hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key
to use the tool in Subtract from Selection mode. When
youre happy with the selection, use it as a layer mask by
clicking the Add Layer Mask icon (circle in a square) at the
032 foot of the Layers panel. Step 11
Step 12: Make another copy of the Midground Grass layer group, and move this copy Step 12
above the Mowing Job layer in the layer stack. Using the Move tool (V), drag the
copy of this grass to the bottom of the image. Hold down the Command (PC: Ctrl) key
and click on the Mowing Job mask thumbnail in the Layers panel to load it as a selec-
tion. Go to Select>Inverse or press Shift-Command-I (PC: Shift-Ctrl-I). Use this inversed
selection to create a mask on the copied Midground Grass layer group. Use the Dune
Grass brush again to blend this grass group over the legs of the man and into the rest
of the grass too. Set the brush to white when painting over his legs and mower to
reveal the grass, and switch to black to blend in the other areas of grass.
Adobe Stock/Alex_Mac
Step 13: Layer in the stock image called The green grass. Convert the layer to a
smart object (even if it came in that way already) with Layer>Smart Objects>Convert
to Smart Object. Double-click this smart objects thumbnail in the Layers panel to
open it in a new window. Go to Select>Color Range and use the first Eyedropper tool
in the Color Range dialog to select the white background. Set the Fuzziness to 22,
and enable the Invert option. At the bottom of the dialog, set the Selection Preview
drop-down menu to Black Matte to see if you have a white halo around the grass.
If you do, adjust the Fuzziness until the halo is gone. Click OK to create the selection
and then use the selection as a layer mask by clicking the Add Layer Mask icon at the
Step 13
foot of the Layers panel. Close and save the smart object to see the update reflected
in the main project. 033
HOW TO
Step 14
Step 14: Use Free Transform to scale the green grass layer up to fill the majority of
the frame on the left; this creates the illusion that the grass really is massive and the
man and mower are tiny. Go to Filter>Blur Gallery>Iris Blur. Set the center of the
blur on the mans shoulder. Drag the boundary of the blur ring to size it so it fully
encompasses him, and set the Blur to 15 px in the Blur Tools panel. This will add a
nice focal blur to the front grass and further enhance the illusion of giant, overgrown
grass blades. Click OK in the Options Bar to apply the blur.
Step 15
Step 15: Go to Image>Adjustments>

Curves to run a smart filter adjust-

ment on the front green grass layer.
Add a center point to the curve and
pull it downward to darken the over-
all tone of the grass blades. Click OK.
Then go to Image>Adjustments>
Hue/Saturation and decrease the
Saturation to 18 and the Lightness
to 18. Click OK. Now the front grass
blades should more closely match
034 the color of the rest of the grass.
Step 16: Make two copies of the green grass layer. Drag the top copy below the
original green grass layer in the Layers panel, and use Free Transform to scale it slightly
smaller and flip it horizontally. Using the Move tool (V), drag the other copy to
the far right to obstruct the right edge of the frame. Make a copy of this layer,
scale it down quite a bit smaller, and place it just to the right of the figure. Drag
this copy below all the other green grass layers in the Layers panel. Remove the
Blur Gallery smart filter setting from this smaller copy by dragging that line item
to the Delete Layer icon (trash can) at the bottom of the Layers panel. Then add
a 0.5 Pixel Gaussian Blur through Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. If needed, use a layer
mask and the Brush tool set to black with a soft round tip to blend in the bottom
edge of this layer. Finally, group together all the front green grass layers into a
single layer group named Front Grass.
Step 17: Add two layers above the Mowing Job layer, one named Shadows
and the other named Highlights (see Layers panel in Step 18). Clip both layers
to the Mowing Job layer with Layer>Create Clipping Mask or Option-Command-G
(PC: Alt-Ctrl-G). On the Shadows layer, set the blend mode from Normal to Multiply
near the top left of the Layers panel. Use a soft-round brush at 30% Opacity in the
Options Bar. Hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key and click in the image to sample a
darker color from the shadow areas. Gently paint on more shadows along the right
edge of the figure and mower (use the Bracket keys on your keyboard to quickly
change the size of your brush). Set the Highlights layer to Screen and sample a brighter
color to paint an edge highlight along the edge opposite the shadows.
Step 18: Go to Layer>New>Layer, and in the New Layer dialog, name the layer
Dodge/Burn. Enable the Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask option, set
the Mode to Overlay, and enable the Fill with Overlay-Neutral Color (50% Gray)
Step 16
option before clicking OK. Use the Burn tool (nested under the Dodge tool [O]
in the Toolbar) with the Range set to Midtones and Exposure set to 11% in the
Options Bar to gently darken even more of the shadow areas on the figure and
mower. Hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key to temporarily switch to the Dodge
tool to paint in additional highlight areas.
Step 18 035
HOW TO
Step 19: Add a new layer named Flare just above the Midground Grass layer group
and below the Foreground Grass Groups. Grab the Gradient tool (G), and in the
Options Bar use the Gradient Picker to select the Foreground to Transparent gradient
and click the Radial Gradient icon. Then click on the Foreground color swatch, set
it to a bright yellow (#fcf5cc) in the Color Picker, and click OK. Create a gradient
emanating from just off the top of the frame down below the left of the house. Set
the layer blend mode to Screen and reduce the Opacity to 68%. This will give the
impression of bright sunlight bathing the scene.
Step 20: Add another Dodge/Burn layer to the very top of the layer stack as we did
in Step 18, but dont clip this one to the layer below. Be sure this layer is filled with
50% gray and the blend mode is set to Overlay. Spend some time with the Dodge
and Burn tools crafting highlights and shadows for the full scene. Use this technique
to create depth to the grass blades and intensify the shadow areas of the house. Set
the Range in the Options Bar to Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights as needed for
each area of the image.
Step 19
Step 20
Step 21: Add a Vibrance

adjustment layer (Layer>
New Adjustment Layer>
Vibrance) and set the
Vibrance to +48 and the

Saturation to +3 to make
the overall colors more
brilliant. Add a Curves
adjustment layer (Layer>
New Adjustment Layer>
Curves) and use two points
on the curve to create a
slight S-shape to enhance
the natural contrast of
036 the image.
Step 21
Step 22: Hold down the Option (PC: Alt)

key and go to Layer>Merge Visible. This will
create a merged layer at the top of the layer
stack. This technique gives the same benefits
of flattening the layers without actually losing
them. Name this new layer Merged, then
turn it into a smart object with Layer>Smart
Objects>Convert to Smart Object.
Step 23: To finish off this piece, go to

Filter>Camera Raw Filter. In the Basic tab
increase the Clarity to +36 and the Vibrance
Step 22
to +20 to give the piece an almost fantasy
style colorization. Go to the Effects (fx) tab
and in the Post Crop Vignetting section set the
Amount to 28 to darken the edges. Click OK.
The question to ask yourself now is whether

it was easier to composite hundreds of
grass blades than it is to mow the yard?
Fortunately, Photoshops blend modes and
advanced blending options make it fairly
painless to convincingly add those images
without having to spend a lot of time craft-
ing difficult selections. Ultimately, we ended
up with a fun scene that communicates
the feeling of drowning in long overdue
Step 23 yard work!
CLICK TO RATE
037
Final
HOW TO
Beginners' Workshop LESA SNIDER

how to create a custom brush
For some serious creative fun, try making your own brushes. You can make them out of anythinga stroke
drawn with another brush, an image youve scanned to use as a texture, etc. In this column, youll create a
brush thats handy for adding texture to digital paintings and for adding grunge effects to a photo.
Step One: Choose File>New and in the resulting

dialog, enter 500 pixels for both Width and Height
and 300 ppi for Resolution. Set the Color Mode to
RGB, the Background Contents drop-down menu
to White, and click OK.
Step One
Step Two: Design the brush tip by using existing

brushes to create dabs of paint in the shapes you
want. To turn the dabs into a brush you can use to
apply color, you have to create them using black
and gray paint at 100% brush Opacity. When you
paint with the brush later, the 100% black areas
will create opaque color and the gray areas will be
semitransparent. To do this, press B to grab the
Brush tool and then press D to set the color chips
at the bottom of the Toolbar to their default values
Step Two
of black and white. Press X until black hops on top.
In the Options Bar, click the Brush Preset Picker (cir-

cled) and choose a soft-edged brush. Set both the
Size and Hardness sliders to 50 in the Brush Preset
Picker, and set both the Opacity and Flow to 100%
in the Options Bar.
038
BEGINNERS' WORKSHOP
Step Three: Click or click-and-drag atop your doc-

ument to create some 100% black dots spaced
rather widely apart. Vary brush size as you go by
tapping the Left and Right Bracket keys ( [, ] ) on
your keyboard.
Step Three Step Four
Step Four: Click the black color chip at the bottom

of your Toolbar to open the Color Picker, choose a
medium gray in the large square at the left (circled),
then click OK to close the Color Picker. Make a few
more random-size gray dots in your document.
Repeat Steps Three and Four until your image
looks something like the one shown here. You can
even place dabs atop each otherthe more irregu-
lar and messy the dabs, the more interesting your
brush will be, so feel free to experiment!
Step Four
Step Five: Press M (or Shift-M) to grab the Rect-

angular Marquee tool and then draw a selection Step Five
around the dabs. Some people call brushes that

you create yourself sampled brushes because you
sample part of a pattern, object, or image to create
them; in other words, you have to create a selec-
tion of the pattern, object, or image on which you
want to base the brush. 039
HOW TO
Step Six: Choose Edit>Define Brush

Preset. In the resulting dialog, name
your brush grunge texture and click
OK. Press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D)
to get rid of the selection. Step Six
Step Seven: Press B to grab the Brush

tool and your new brush should be
active (if it isnt, click the Brush Preset
Picker in the Options Bar and click the
last brush in the list). Click the icon to
the right of the Preset Picker (circled)
to open the Brush panel and then click
Brush Tip Shape at the upper left (also
circled). Set the size to 100 px, the
Angle to 70, and the Spacing to 1%.
If you have a digital drawing tablet,
click the Transfer option and then
set the Opacity Jitter and Flow Jitter
options Control drop-down menus
to Pen Pressure.
Step Seven
Step Eight: Turn on the checkbox

next to Shape Dynamics on the left
side of the Brush panel and then click
the text Shape Dynamics (circled)
to open those settings. Enter a Size
Jitter of 25% to make the brush size
automatically change as you drag
with it. If you have a digital draw-
ing tablet, set the Size Jitter Control

drop-down menu to Pen Pressure
and Minimum Diameter to 30%
instead so you can change jitter by
applying more or less pressure with
your pen. Turn on the checkbox next
to Smoothing (also circled) to make
your brushstrokes less jagged.
040 Step Eight

BEGINNERS' WORKSHOP
Step Nine: Save your brush again by

clicking the Create New Brush icon
(it looks like a piece of paper with a
folded corner) at the Brush panels
bottom right (its circled in the previ- Step Nine
ous step). In the resulting dialog, enter
the brush name you used earlier fol-
lowed by angle-jitter and turn on
Adobe Stock/David MacFarlane

Capture Brush Size in Preset. Click OK.
Step 10: Now that youve created

a new brush, give it a spin on the
leaf photo included in this column.
By varying brush size and colors
sampled from the photo using the
Eyedropper tool (I), you can create a
neat graffiti-grunge effect. Be sure
to create a new layer for each paint
color and change the layer blend
mode of all the paint layers to Color
using the drop-down menu near
the top of the Layers panel (circled).
[KelbyOne members may download
the file used in this tutorial at www
.kelbyone.com/magazine. All files
are for personal use only.]
Step 10
Until next time, may the creative
force be with you all!
CLICK TO RATE
041
HOW TO
Dynamic Range KIRK NELSON

realistic photo to painting
Photo painting is a method of achieving a quick-and-effective painted effect thats more convincing than
any filter. As a disclaimer, this approach isnt intended to undermine or devalue the traditional painters
who have spent years developing their painting skills. This is just to show an option thats accessible to
mere humans and produces good results.
There are three main elements to making this technique
Adobe Stock/gera85
work like it does: Photoshops Mixer Brush tool, the Bristle
Brush tips, and a pressure-sensitive graphics tablet. Its pos-
sible to do this with a mouse or trackpad, in the same way
its possible to tie your shoe with one hand. Possible, but
not recommended.
Step One: Begin with a photo that looks like it would

make for a good painting. Still-life settings are a favorite
subject matter for most painters, so consider using an im-
age containing fruit, baskets, jars, cloths, etc. on a tabletop.
By selecting a subject matter thats usually associated with
painting, the final effect will be even more convincing. Once
you have a photo selected, open it in Photoshop.
[KelbyOne members may download the files used in this
tutorial at http://kelbyone.com/magazine. All files are for
personal use only.]
Step Two: Generally speaking, paintings have more color sat-

uration and vibrancy than photographs. Start by converting
the background to a smart object by going to Layer>Smart
Objects>Convert to Smart Object. Then, go to Filter>Camera
Raw Filter. In the Basic tab, increase the Clarity to +25,
Vibrance to +18, and Saturation to +15. Switch to the
Effects (fx) tab and, in the Post Crop Vignetting section, adjust
the Amount to +23. This gives the image bolder colors and a
subtle brightness reminiscent of classic painting techniques.
Click OK.
042
DYNAMIC RANGE
Step Three: By its very nature, photography

captures more detail than most paintings, so to
create a convincing painted effect, those details
need to be removed from the photograph. Go
to Filter>Blur>Smart Blur. Set the Radius to 12.5,
the Threshold to 34.6, and the Quality to High,
and click OK. These settings will vary for other
images and image sizes, but the goal is to blur
out fine details without losing subject contours.
Step Four: Add a new layer with Layer>New>

Layer, or press Shift-Command-N (PC: Shift-
Ctrl-N). Call this layer Background Painting,
and click OK in the New Layer dialog. Double-
click the name of the photo layer in the Layers
panel, and rename it Base Photo. Now grab
the Mixer Brush tool (B). If you dont see it, thats
because its hiding behind the regular Brush tool.
Just click-and-hold on the Brush tool until the
tool menu flies out and you can select the Mixer
Brush tool. In the Options Bar, engage the Clean
the Brush After Each Stroke icon (brush with a
line through it), set the Wet option to 50%, Load
to 1%, Mix to 50%, Flow to 100%, and engage
the Sample All Layers option.
Step Five: Open the Brush Presets panel by go-

ing to Window>Brush Presets. Select the Round
Fan Stiff Thin Bristles brush preset. This is a bristle
brush that will provide more realistic brush-
strokes. Open the Brush panel (Window>Brush),
engage the Shape Dynamics option, and set the
Angle Jitter Control to Pen Tilt. Then engage
the Transfer settings and set the Flow, Wetness,
and Mix Jitter controls all to Pen Pressure. Once
these settings are made, consider saving them
as a tool preset. To do that, look for the pull-
down menu for the Tool Preset Picker on the

far left of the Options Bar. Open that and use
the gear icon to add a New Tool Preset named
Background Brush.
043
HOW TO
Step Six: Heres where the magic of

this technique really comes through.
Reduce the Opacity of the Base
Photo layer to 50% so its still visible
but just barely. The Mixer Brush tool
will sample the pixel colors as if they
were still at full opacity (just as long
as the Sample All Layers option is
checked). Click on the Background
Painting layer in the Layers panel to
make it active. Use the Mixer Brush to
paint in the background wall and the
tablecloth. Dont worry about paint-
ing over contour lines of the subjects,
those will be brought back later.
Step Seven: Hide the Background Painting layer by toggling off the Eye icon next
to its layer thumbnail. Add another new layer called Main Painting. Look in the
Brush Presets for the Round Curve Low Bristle Percent brush tip. In the Brush panel,
highlight the Brush Tip Shape option at the top left and look for the Bristle Qualities
settings area. Set the Bristles to 36%, Length to 132%, Thickness to 20%, and
Stiffness to 38%. Engage the same Shape Dynamics and Transfer settings as with
the previous brush. In the Options Bar, set Wet to 57%, Load to 1%, and Mix to
044 64%. Create a tool preset for this brush called Basic Brush.
DYNAMIC RANGE
Step Eight: Use this Basic Brush to trace along

the outside contours of each element in the
scene. Once the outlines are established, work
on filling in the shapes. Follow along the natural
grain and lines of each element. Let the
subject dictate the type of paint stroke.
Use long strokes for the wood grain
of the bowl, but short straight strokes
for the grain heads, and round circular
strokes for the grapes. (See next step
for tips on painting smaller details.)
Step Nine: When working with areas that

require finer details, such as the print on the
vase, its important to make decisions over
what should be painted, and what should be
obscured. The brush tip can be scaled down
by tapping the keyboard Left Bracket key ( [ )
to trace along some of the smaller details. But
keep in mind that this stage is just to capture
the main colors and lines; there will be a detail
pass to capture the smaller bits.
Step 10: One of the greatest benefits of this

technique is the flexibility it provides. If at any
point you feel your brush strokes are incorrect,

then they can be easily erased with the Eraser
tool (E). Consider using the Mixer Brush to first
push a large portion of paint into an area,
then use smaller strokes to pull it back into a
more controlled position. 045
HOW TO
Step 11: Hide the Main Painting layer and add

a new layer for Details. Open the Brush Pre-
sets panel again and select the Round Point Stiff
brush preset. In the Brush panel, set the Shape
Dynamics and Transfer settings again to Pen
Pressure to take advantage of the capabilities
of the pressure-sensitive tablet. In the Brush
Tip Shape section, set the brush Size to 4 px.
In the Options Bar, change the brush setting
from Custom to Wet, Light Mix; and set the
Flow to 71%. Add this to the tool presets as
Detail Brush.
Step 12: Now well spend some time working

on the finer details of the image. Bring the Base
Photo Opacity up to 80% and hide the smart
filter effects by using the Eye icon next to the
Smart Filters mask beneath the Base Photo layer.
Make sure the Details layer is the active layer
and begin to trace out some of the finer details
of the original photo. Focus on things like the
long wood grain in the bowl and spoon, the
texture on the crust of the bread, the fibers
of the wicker basket, and especially the bright
highlights on the grapes.
046
DYNAMIC RANGE
Step 13: Toggle all the painted lay-
Adobe Stock/eleonora_77
ers to be visible again, restore the
Base Photo to full 100% Opacity,
and reveal the smart filter effects
that were hidden in the previous
step. Select a canvas texture to use
(youll find the one we used here in
the download files) and layer it into
the project using File>Place Embed-
ded. Photoshop brings the texture in
as a smart object with a bounding
box around it so you can resize and
position it. Scale it to cover the entire
canvas area and hit Enter to commit
the transformation. Make sure this
texture layer is at the top of the layer
stack in the Layers panel and set its
blend mode to Soft Light.
Step 14: Go to Image>Adjustments>

Curves, or press Command-M (PC:
Ctrl-M), and adjust the top and
bottom curve points to be closer to
the histogram. This intensifies the
contrast of the canvas texture. Add
a center point to the curve and drag
it down slightly to subtly darken the
texture too. Click OK, then go to
Image>Adjustments>Hue/Satura-
tion and reduce the Saturation val-
ue to a full 100. This will remove
the brownish tint that the canvas
texture brought in. Click OK.
047
HOW TO
Step 15: For the final effect, create a merged layer

at the top of the layer stack by holding down the
Option (PC: Alt) key and going to Layer>Merge
Visible. Set the layer blend mode to Soft Light to
add even more contrast and color vibrancy.
Photo painting is a fun and rewarding way to

transform any photo into a convincing painting.
The great thing about this technique is that its done
by hand, so its more personal and rewarding than
using a simple filter, but its not difficult, and doesnt
require the skill of painting from scratch.
CLICK TO RATE
048
#KelbyOneBooks
Ever feel like youve hit a wall in Photoshop ?

This books your tool to break through!
NEW from Scott Kelby, the

worlds #1 best-selling author
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and Editor and Publisher of
Photoshop User magazine.
HOW TO
Photoshop Proving Ground SCOTT VALENTINE

clone stamp painting
Two years ago in this column, I showed you a novel way to use the Clone Stamp tool between two docu-
ments. Since then, Ive learned a few new tricks to make things even easier and the process more organic.
Now, while this isnt true painting, it offers incredible flexibility, especially for non-painters like myself.
As you approach this technique, dont think of it so much as turning a photo into a painting as using
a photo as a foundation to create something new using painting methods.
The basic idea here is to use at least two open documents,

Adobe Stock/gromovataya
sampling from one and painting into another. The secret sauce
is setting up your source document, where well take advantage

of layer styles, blend modes, and adjustment layers. Dont let that
intimidate youits all stuff youve probably already seen, just
put together in a unique way. Okay, lets start by opening our
source image. Im using a portrait from Adobe Stock. If youd
like to follow along with this image, click on the Adobe Stock link
above, log into your Adobe Cloud account, then click on the Save
Preview icon (cloud with arrow) on the Adobe Stock webpage.
A watermarked version of the image will automatically appear in
your Libraries panel (Window>Libraries). Double-click the image
050 in the Libraries panel to open it in Photoshop.
PHOTOSHOP PROVING GROUND
Step One: Create a new blank layer, go to Edit>Fill, select Step Two: Now lets have some fun with filters. Click on
50% Gray from the Contents drop-down menu, and click the Background layer in the Layers panel to make it active
OK to fill the layer with 50% gray. Double-click the name and duplicate it (Command-J [PC: Ctrl-J]). Start with a simple
of this layer in the Layers panel, rename it Sample Target, Gaussian Blur (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur), but crank it up.
and lower the Fill to 0% in the Layers panel. Yes, really! Well This image is about 3,300 pixels on its longest side, and I used
sample from this layer one time, because everything below it a Radius value of 38 Pixels to obscure all the detail and end
will be visible and the gray wont contribute at all. This allows up with blobs of color (if youre using the lower-res comp file
us to add any additional layers or effects below this Sample from Adobe Stock, try a Radius of around 12 Pixels). Click OK,
Target layer without having to change our Sample Source. So and then turn this layer off by clicking on its Eye icon in the
everything you do to manipulate your photo must be done Layers panel.
underneath this special layer.
Step Three: Duplicate the Background layer again, and The source and painting documents must be the same dimen-
choose a different filter. My favorites for this technique are sions, color space, and resolution for the Clone Stamp to
Topaz Simplify and Topaz Impression. Both give amaz- work in a predictable way. The New dialog will automatically
ing results for building up complex painting effects. You match whatever is in the Clipboard, so because you copied
can download free trials of both plug-ins to try them out. In the Background layer of the source document, all you have
this case, I used Simplify 4 with a custom preset to reduce to do is click OK.
details. If you dont want to use Topaz, you can use any fil-
ter in the Filter Gallery (Filter>Filter Gallery) that gives you a
painted or graphic effect, such as Paint Daubs in the Artistic
folder. For now, well stick with these two filtered layers, and
I recommend naming themin this case, Blur and Simplify
would be excellent choices!
Step Four: Click on the Background layer of the source

document to make it active, press Command-A (PC: Ctrl-A)
to select all, then Command-C (PC: Ctrl-C) to copy it. Press
Command-N (PC: Ctrl-N) to start a new document with the
same canvas dimensions and resolution. This is important! 051
HOW TO
Step Five: Paste (Command-V [PC: Ctrl-V]) into the new doc- Step 10: In the Brush Presets panel (Window>Brush Presets),
ument and lower the Opacity to about 15%just enough choose any brush you like, including the Mixer Brushes,
to make out the outline. Name the new layer Reference. while your Clone Stamp tool is active. In the source docu-
Save this new document and call it Painting or something ment, make the Blur
equally clever. I like to keep these two files together and layer visible and hide
name them something like BridalPortrait_Source.psd and the others (always leave
BridalPortrait_Painting.psd so theyre easy to associate when the Sample Target layer
browsing in Bridge. visible even though the
Fill is set to 0%). Back in
Step Six: The last real piece the Painting document,
of the puzzle is setting up the lay down a stroke or
Clone Stamp tool. Press S, or two in the blank layer
select the Clone Stamp from you created earlier. Use
your Toolbar, then open the the Reference layer as a
Brush panel (Window>Brush) guide to choose where
and choose a simple brush, you want to paint.
like a small, soft-round one.
Next, open the Clone Source Step 11: From here on, the actual painting is entirely up
panel (Window>Clone Source) to youchoose brushes, layer effects, and combinations,
and make sure its set to the whatever you like to express your vision. I tend to build up
defaults as shown here. my paintings on various layers, typically adding to the top
of the stack as I add detail or want to mix effects. Here are
Step Seven: Also check the Options Bar at the top and things you can try out as you explore this technique:
make certain you have Aligned checked and the Sample
Use a reduced Flow setting in the Options Bar and paint
drop-down menu set to All Layers.
in short strokes; this builds up the sample result a little
at a time and gives a feel of overlapping strokes.
Use custom brushes: I love hunting through Adobe

Stock looking for illustration ornaments, brushstrokes,
Step Eight: Click on the Sample Target layer in your source
and flourishes to use for creating custom brushes.
document so that its highlighted. Hold Option (PC: Alt) and
click anywhere in the source document to pick up one sam- If you use fancy shapes for brushes, increase the Spac-
ple. It doesnt matter where because well reset the Clone ing value in the Brush panel and stamp the outline
Source in the next step. or shape.
Step Nine: Move to the Painting document, create a blank

layer above the Reference layer, and make a single stroke
or dab anywhere. Now press Command-Z (PC: Ctrl-Z) to
remove the stroke, and check out the Offset fields in the
Clone Source panel. A quirk of Photoshop is that you have
to lay down at least one stroke before you can adjust the
Offset values. Enter 0 for both Offset fields and now your
two documents are synced up! Wherever you paint in the
Painting document will be perfectly aligned with the source
document.
The value of this approach is that you can save and close
your documents, then reopen them later and pick up where
you left off by repeating the sample process, including set-
ting the Offset values to 0, and youll be aligned in a flash.
And remember that during a session, you dont ever have to
choose a new sample location. Sweet!
052
PHOTOSHOP PROVING GROUND
Change blend modes! You can change blend modes of lay-

ers in the source document, the Painting document, or even
the brushes themselves in the Options Bar. This is an extremely
powerful way to control expression in your strokes. Multiply
and Screen are absolutely must-tries.
Use layers, lots and lots of layers. I generally end up with

1020 layers for most paintings, and some go as high as 50.
These are just painted layers by the way, not adjustments,
fills, or anything else. Every time I like the look of a given layer
and want to preserve it, I add a new one above. Sometimes
I use the layers to simulate layers in a real painting, such as
blocking in color (the Blur layer), adding a few strokes for
some rough detail (the Simplify layer), and a few small details
here and there from the Background layer.
Try layer effects for some strokes. A couple of the examples

to the right use a drop shadows so the shapes are distinct,
and theres lots of depth. Outer Glow is another great one for
implying strokes in plain areas.

Try random filters in your source document layers: Brush
Strokes, Graphic Pen, Find Edges, etc. Turn them on and off
as you like to change what youre painting.
You can build composites with this technique, too. Simply

mask your main subject, and add other elements that you
want. Give each set of elements the same kind of treatment
for Blur, Simplify, or whatever, so long as theyre consistent.
This is a really fun way to simulate old paintings using new
portraits, or to create fantasy elements, matte paintings, or
anything else you can imagine.
Take advantage of Rotation in the Brush panel (found in the

Control drop-down menu under Angle Jitter in the Shape
Dynamics section) if you have a stylus that supports it, such
as the Wacom Art Pen and an Intuos tablet. Otherwise,
if you want a little chaos, try just dragging the Angle Jitter
slider to the middle and click awayit will randomly rotate
your brush marker while stamping.
This one technique can yield literally infinite looks. All of the
example images are variations on strokes, brush techniques, and
blending. The keys are to change layer visibility in the source doc-
ument, work a little at a time on various layers, and keep things
pretty loose. If you dont like something, erase it, and try again. And
remember that youre not constrained to sampling! Try using a reg-
ular brush for outlines or highlights, do some smudging, and maybe CLICK TO RATE
a little Free Transform (Command-T [PC: Ctrl-T]) now and then.

be using a tool in a completely new way! Please try
Things may get a little overwhelming when you first try this, so take this out and share your results and tips online (#PSPG,
it slow. Build up and just make a few strokes or stamps at a time. #KelbyOne). You can also check out my Behance gal-
Youll get the hang of it soon enough. And the best part is youll lery for even more examples.
053
HOW TO
Photoshop Tips COLIN SMITH

boost your productivity and creativity
Hi, everyone! Welcome to the latest set of tips to help you become more efficient in Photoshop. A good
tip can sometimes be a frustrating thing. You become frustrated because you might have done something
the difficult way for years, only now to discover an easier way. Heres to frustration!
TOO BIG TO FILTER REUSE YOUR WORK

Sometimes when youre working on a large file and One of the best things to come to Photoshop in a long time
you try to apply a filter, the filter is grayed out. What do is the Libraries panel. This is a great place to keep reusable
you do? Flatten the image? You dont have to be that elements such as logos, templates, color swatches, and
drastic. Right-click on the layer in the Layers panel and much more. I find the Libraries panel is a huge timesaver.
choose Convert to Smart Object. Double-click the smart I like to create a library for each different kind of asset.
object thumbnail to open it in its own window. Now you If you have to re-create things such as YouTube thumbnails
can apply the filter, save, and close the extra window, and or Pinterest cards, save the final one to a library. Now you
the layer will be updated in the main document with the can reuse it and never start from scratch. If you want to save
filter applied. it as an exact size, make sure there are no overlapping smart
objects in the document. Smart objects wont be cropped,
STACKING MULTIPLE GRADIENTS so the image dimensions will change to include the smart
Gradients are really useful for blending layers smoothly object boundaries.
in a layer mask. Generally, we use the Foreground to Back-
ground or Black, White presets from the Gradient Picker CANT EDIT LIBRARY ITEMS?
in the Options Bar to get the best results. The difficulty Speaking of library elements, heres a little tip for editing
comes when youre happy with the blend, but would like them. When you drag a library element into your document,
to add another gradient on a corner or somewhere else. its a linked smart object. This means that things like paths
The problem is the new gradient overwrites the previous cant be directly edited. If you double-click the smart object
one. How do you add another gradient without replacing thumbnail in the Layers panel to open that element in a sep-
the existing blend? The solution is to use the Foreground to arate file so you can modify their shape, when you close and
Transparent preset from the Gradient Picker. Now you can save it, all instances where youve used that smart object will
stack gradients on top of each other. be changed. Heres the workaround: hold down the Option
054
P H O T O S H O P T I PS
(PC: Alt) key as you drag out the library element. Now its an PERFECTLY HORIZONTAL
individual object that can be edited without affecting other Heres a quick and useful little tip. If youre using the
projects where that same element is being used. Blur Gallery, the Gradient Filter in ACR, or a similar tool,
the challenge is getting a perfectly vertical adjustment
RESET WORKSPACES line. As you pull down on the tool, it may look fairly even,
The arrangement of the panels on your screen can be auto- but any slight movement and it starts wobbling all over
mated by using workspaces. I love workspaces because they the place. Get precise angles by holding down the Shift
save me time by only having the panels open that I need for key. The Shift key is the constrain tool in Photoshop.
any given task. You can change between workspaces by This will enable you to get perfect angles and proportions
using the workspace selector at the far right of the Options every time.
Bar in Photoshop. The challenge is that these workspaces can
get cluttered. Whenever you drag panels out or rearrange
them, Photoshop remembers that state for the current work-
space that youre using. So when you select a workspace, its
opened exactly how you left it, and that could mean messy!
To clean things up, click on the workspace selector, choose
Reset [name of workspace] from the drop-down menu, and
youll instantly have a nice neat setup.
BEFORE/AFTER IN ACR
If youve been using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) for a long
time, you might be used to clicking the preview button on
the lower right to see a before-and-after comparison. But
ACR has changed in the last couple of years, and now each
time you click on that button, it rotates through a number of
before-and-after split views that are nice and useful. What
if you only want to see the before image without going into
one of the split views so you can see how heavy-handed DONT LET LOOK BAD
your adjustments are? The solution is to tap the P key on This is a very different type of tip. If youre making speech
your keyboard and it will toggle back and forth between the bubbles and adding text for a comic-book style, beware of
before and after image. the letter I. Youll notice that a capital I can have a crossbar,
or not. Generally, speech bubbles should be in all caps. But
PUT LAYERS TOGETHER only use I with a crossbar when youre using it for first-
Imagine youre working on a lot of layers at the same time, person singular. Never use a crossbar in the letter I in the
but those layers are scattered all over the place in the Layers context of a word.
panel, with all kinds of layers in between. This makes it really
time-consuming to select your working layers. The obvious TRIM THE FRINGE
solution is to reposition all these layers so theyre stacked Quite often when masking in Photoshop, you might find
together in the Layers panel. You could drag them one at a fine halo of darker or lighter pixels around your mask.
a time in the Layers panel until theyre all together, or you This might become really obvious when you try to place
could try this: First, select all the layers that you want stacked this masked layer against a high-contrast background.
together by holding the Command (PC: Ctrl) key and clicking There has been a lot said and written about cleaning
on each of them in the Layers panel. Another way to select up edges, but heres one surefire method. Command-click
multiple layers is to switch to the Move tool (V), hold down (PC: Ctrl-click) on the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers
the Command (PC: Ctrl) key, and marquee around the layers panel to select the pixels. Choose Select>Modify Contract,
directly in the document. Click-and-drag one of the selected enter 1 or 2 pixels, and click OK. Choose Select>Inverse
layers in the Layers panel slightly up or down, and when you to invert the selection. Choose Select>Modify>Feather,
let go of the mouse button, all the other selected layers now enter 1 pixel, and click OK. Press X until your Foreground
domino in the Layers panel and snap next to the layer that color is white. Press the Delete (PC: Backspace) key, and
you were dragging. the fringe will disappear.
055
ALL IMAGES BY COLIN SMITH

CLICK TO RATE
COLUMN
DesignMakeover JAKE WIDMAN CLIENT

Tether Tools
www.tethertools.com
tool time
before Tether Tools was founded by Josh Simons to address prob-
lems with which he saw photographers struggling. I was
working with some photographers in the local market,
and I saw a lot of needs that werent being met when
it came to tethering, he recalls. People were bringing
large homemade tables out on location, and I thought
there had to be a better way. So Simons developed the
Tether Table, which attached to standard tripods and light
stands to provide a stable laptop platform.
From there, Simons saw the need for cables and exten-
sions, and the company kind of grew from there, Simons
says. Originally, the company designed and developed all
of its own products. Eventually, Tether Tools also started
offering arms and clamps made by other companies. A
lot of the infrastructure stuff is not original products, he
says, but the end productsthe cables, monitor mounts,
and so onare all original designs.
Until this year, Tether Tools used a logo that was cre-
ated early on, within the first two or three months. It
incorporated the image of a digital SLR camera attached
to a cable, which helped establish the company in the
field. The company also had a website that Simons built
himself. It was makeshift at best, he says. Over time I
got better at it.
The site has gone through a few incarnations, but the
company stuck with the same logo until Brian Trummel
came on as Art Director in January 2016. Says Josh Kenzer,
Director of Online Marketing, Before Brian started, we
didnt have an in-house designerwe did everything out-
sourced. Wed never really thought about doing a rebrand
using an outsourced designer. But with Trummel on

board, the company decided it was time to update the
logo and the website.
Before
makeover submissions
Were looking for product packaging or labels, print advertisements, websites, and magazine covers that are currently in the marketplace for
future design makeovers. So if you or someone you know has a design that youd like us to consider making over, or if youre a designer and
youd like to be considered for a future Design Makeover, send us an email at letters@photoshopuser.com. (Note: This is purely a design
exercise and the designers do not work directly with the client, create functioning websites, etc.)
Well also be covering real-world makeovers in this column, so let us know if you recently had a branding makeover or if you did a branding
makeover for a client that youd like us to consider.
056
DESIGN MAKEOVER
CLIENT
Tether Tools
www.tethertools.com
the problem By 2015, Tether Tools knew that the brand could use a
refresh. Wed been talking about it for a year before we
actually started the process, says Simons. The website
was not as user-friendly as it could be, and the logo was
starting to be limiting. For one, the thin font meant it
didnt hold up very well for marketingin banner ads on
websites, on trade show booths, and so on. For another,
the company had moved beyond its original tethered pho-
tography niche. Over time, we found that our solutions
have been accepted by the film community, the medical
industry, the arts community, and even sports analytics,
says Simons. So we felt that the camera image was
limiting.
The hiring of Trummel enabled the company to consider
moving forward. That was when we really started the
process, says Simons, when we could do it in-house and
really spend the time creating exactly what we wanted.
I started here in January, says Trummel, and I saw
the opportunity to create a new look and feel for the
companyto try to take it to the next level visually. He
saw the opportunity to build an identity that would be
stronger and work well in different formats, as well as
translate to different business arenas.
Specifically, says Simons, the company wanted the new
logo to convey versatility and strength. All our products
are kind of like Tinkertoys in a way, he says. They
all interchange with one another. And a bolder font
and logo would convey the strength of the products
and the stability of the company. Finally, the new logo
should have an element that could stand alone as
an icon and be recognizable on the products and in
different environments.
Early logo concepts
about the client

Tether Tools got started with the introduction of the Tether Table Premier. The table filled a need for photographers by providing a secure, stable platform to
secure their laptop computer when shooting tethered. That was followed by the Tether Table Aero System, which is constructed completely of T6 Aerospace
aluminum and designed to be a lightweight, versatile piece of photography equipment.
Today, Tether Tools designs and manufactures innovative workstations, mounting options for lighting and accessories, and power solutions for photographers
and filmmakers shooting tethered both in studio and on-location. With tablet, laptop, monitor, phone, camera, and lighting mounts that integrate directly with
your existing photography gear, Tether Tools continues to help photographers (and other imaging professionals) set their gear where they want it when they
need it. Tether Tools produces the majority of its products in the U.S.A.
057
DESIGN MAKEOVER
DESIGNER
Brian Trummel
www.tethertools.com
the process Trummel started by putting together a concept board to

show everyone at the company. The board included logo
concepts (see previous page), as well as mockups for print
ads, the website, packaging, and trade show displays. I
went through everything to give the team an idea where
we could take the brand, says Trummel.
The company is known for its high-visibility cables, so
Trummel knew from the start that orange and black were
going to be his heavy hitters for color schemes. He also
wanted to find a strong font that would look good from
a distance.
Basing the icon on the T was an easy choice. Tether
Tools obviously has two Ts in the name, so I wanted to
make that the main centerpiece rather than a visual of a
camera, he says. He explored various treatments of the
letter that made it look like a tool or a bracket, which called
to mind the companys signature product. Ultimately,
though, I had a desire to move forward with the solid T
and the outer connecting brackets. I used the two brack-
ets to show how the products could lock together. The
brackets also call to mind the process of focusing a digital
camera. After trying a few different typefaces, he settled
on Eduardo Mansos Geogrotesque, softening the edges
of the letter to offset its harshness a little bit.
For the website (see next page), Trummel used Adobe
Photoshop to develop most of the main navigation pages
and then turned them over to Kenzer to build. I code all my
stuff by hand, says Kenzer. Brian put everything in nice
layers, and the layers were in folders, so I could just go in and

pull out the graphical elements as I needed them. Kenzer
also used Adobe Typekit to help with the font rendering,
rather than specifying all the type in pixel-based units.
Narrowing down the logo concepts
058
DESIGN MAKEOVER
DESIGNER
Brian Trummel
www.tethertools.com
the result The final logo consists of an icon that can be paired with
the company name in a range of versatile logo lockups
horizontal or stackedwhile also having the strength to
stand alone. The redesigned website launched in August,
which is also when the new logo made its debut. It
all launched at the same time, though we had the logo
planned months before, says Simons.
Its too early to get anything but anecdotal feedback
on the results yetitll take a while to see if the more
navigable website actually results in increased numbers of
visits or conversions. Nevertheless, the anecdotal response
has been good: Weve done one trade show recently
in Germany and designed a full trade show booth, says
Trummel. That involved a lot of our dealers and distribu-
tors at the show. We got really positive feedback from
them, and got some comments on social media.
People are surprised we did it in-house, says Kenzer.
Distributors impressed with the result have called the
company to find out what agency they worked with.
They think it took a lot more people than it did.
As with any redesign, not everyone has taken to it right
away. A few of the companys long-time dealersespe-
cially ones in the photography fieldhave said they were
sad at the loss of the old logo with the camera. But, says
Kenzer, To stay modern and stay relevant, you have to
make changes.
After CLICK TO RATE
about the designer

Prior to joining Tether Tools, Brian Trummel spent four-and-a-half years as the art director for the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau in Arizona, where he
was responsible for directing, concepting, developing, and producing print and online marketing materials. Prior to that, he was a founding partner at The Black
Rhinos creative design studio in Phoenix, where he provided services for logo design, branding, collateral, and Web design.
Trummel says, Ive been built with a passion to create and see things come to life. This manifested itself into art school, sign shop labor, a junior designer,
designing record covers and posters for friends bands, becoming an art director for an indie record label, designing for a large lifestyle brand, hustling free-
lance for years, creating my own product lines, and eventually leading me to work as in-house Art Director for Tether Tools. Im constantly humbled and blown
away by what others create and designthats what inspires me to push myself every day. 059
HOW TO
InDesign Tips DAVE CLAYTON

advance and enhance your indesign skills
FIND ANYTHING, CHANGE ANYTHING

The Find/Change feature (Command-F [PC: Ctrl-F]) in
InDesign is immensely powerful. Most people only use a
fraction of its capabilities. There are four types of searches:
Text, GREP, Glyph, and Object. The Text options in the Find/
Change dialog are the only thing most people will ever look
at, but theres more to be had underneath those other tabs. outside, respectively, it gives the appearance of different-sized
The Text options are the most straightforward: find a squares. Its helpful to use these settings when youre trying
certain word or phrase and replace it with another. But by to get some precisely measured shapes. I pretty much use the
using the options at the bottom of the screen, Find Format inside alignment option all the time to keep my shapes the size
and Change Format, you can also search by how words are at which I created them, but thats just a personal preference.
formatted and replace them with a different format.
The GREP Find/Change options are much more complex. CUSTOM STROKES IN INDESIGN
We wont touch on that now, as GREP is a very powerful Want to build a custom stroke in InDesign? Its easy. Just
and specific function in InDesign. go to the flyout menu at the top right of the Stroke panel
The Glyph Find/Change options let you isolate a specific (Window>Stroke) and choose Stroke Styles. A dialog will
character. This is helpful for locating and altering, say, some open with several options and a list of custom strokes. Click
bullet points. the New button to open the New Stroke Style editor. You
Now the Object tab is a case of leave the best for last. can make dashed, dotted, or lined patterns; change the
You can find and change the formatting on shapes, lines, length and pattern of the stroke; and preview your designs
text boxes, and more; for example, find all boxes with a at different weights.
1-pt stroke and replace them with a 3-pt stroke, or find all
shapes with a Drop Shadow and remove them. There are
some really powerful options and most people have no idea
theyre there! If youre working with large, multipage docu-
ments, the Find/Change options will save you a ton of time if
your clients require some wholesale style changes.
ALIGNING STROKES
InDesign lets you determine where the stroke is located on a
box or shape. That may sound odd but if you also use Photo-
shop and Illustrator, youll know that you can decide where
the stroke sits on an object. In the middle of the Stroke panel The custom strokes are saved on a document level, but
(Window>Stroke) are the Align Stroke options. By default, you can save them and load them into other documents.
the stroke is centered on the path; for example, a 2-point To save a stroke, click on it in the Stroke Styles dialog, click
stroke will have 1 point outside the box and 1 point inside the Save button, navigate to where you want to save it, and
the box. click OK. To Load a saved stroke, click the Load button in
With thicker strokes, the placement of the stroke can really the Stroke Styles dialog, navigate to where you saved it, and
matter. At the top of the next column are three boxes that are click Open. If you want a custom stroke to be added to all
the exact same size; the only difference is the alignment of new documents by default, simply create the stroke with no
the strokes. Because the strokes are set centered, inside, and document open.
060
I N D E S I G N T I PS
CALLING STAR COMMAND the stars in the American flag for a design. This grid tip
Stars and polygons are easy to build in InDesign. Most works on rectangles and circles too. (Tip: Once you have the
people, myself included, set the angles and number of sides number of shapes that you want, you can use the Spacebar
by clicking once in the document with the Polygon tool trick above to change the number of sides or inset for all
(nested under the Rectangle tool [M] in the Toolbar). This the shapes at the same time. Again, remember to keep your
brings up a dialog allowing you to choose the Number of mouse button held down.)
Sides and the Star Inset percentage, plus the Width and
Height if you know what you require. STYLE TRICK
But what if you want to change the number of sides or Did you know that you can quickly style text with the Eye-
the star inset while youre drawing the shapes? This is really dropper tool? First, create a paragraph style (or even a
simple and a great little shortcut. Start to draw the shape, character or object style) and style a paragraph with it.
press-and-hold the Spacebar, and then use the Arrow keys Next, make sure the Eyedropper tool is visible in the Tool-
on your keyboard to adjust the shape without opening the bar by pressing the letter I. Switch to the Type tool, select
dialog. The Right and Left Arrows change the angle of the some of the text to which you applied the paragraph style,
star inset; the Up and Down Arrows change the number and then click on the Eyedropper tool in the Toolbar to
of sides. (Tip: Once you press one of the Arrow keys, you select it (make sure you click on the Eyedropper tool
can release the Spacebar. The Arrow keys will continue to if you press the letter I to try and switch to it, youll change
change the number of sides or inset. Just remember to keep your highlighted text to i). With the Eyedropper active, click
your mouse button held down.) anywhere in the highlighted text to fill the Eyedropper.
Click-and-drag to highlight any other text with the filled Eye-
dropper to apply that style. The Eyedropper will remain filled,
so you can repeat this as many times as necessary.
CUSTOMIZING AN UNDERLINE
I dont usually underline text in InDesign, mostly because
I dont like the default thickness or positioning of the line. But
you can actually completely customize your underline styles
quite easily. To change the appearance of an underline, select
some text and click on the flyout menu (four lines) on the far
right of the Control panel (thats the bar that goes all the way
across at the top just below the menu bar). Choose Underline
Options from the menu to open a dialog where you can easily
change the appearance of the underline, including the thick-
ness, positioning, color, stroke style, and more. Make sure
Underline On is clicked on to activate all the options. In this
instance, I chose Japanese Dots in the Type drop-down menu
and set the color to pink to highlight the change.
Theres another super-awesome tip, though, that weve

covered previously but well remind you of it here, as its
great when creating multiples of the same shape. Start to
draw your star or polygon again. This time, however, dont
hold the Spacebar as you did before. Simply press the Right
or Left Arrow keys, and InDesign creates a horizontal line
of identical shapes. If you use the Up and Down Arrows, it
forms identical vertical lines. Or use both sets of Arrows and
you can create a grid of shapes. This is perfect for creating
061
CLICK TO RATE
Throughout my career,
Ive had the honor of working
for many amazing clients
on projects from character
design for a movie to fun
caricatures for editorial mag-
azine spots and covers, as
well as painting portraits to
honor someone in an article
or review. One of my favorite
publications to work for is
Rolling Stone because they
let their artists, for the most
part, create something thats
fresh and their own. When
youre asked to paint a por-
trait for the Music Review
section, its because they
like your style. There might
be some direction or ideas
of what theyre looking for,
but all they need is for the
likeness to be spot on and
that its a cool piece of art.
I love this freedom, and
because of the work Rolling
Stone has allowed me to

do, doors have opened and
other clients have given me
the same opportunity, and
as a freelance illustrator, this
is gold!
BY JA S O N SE I L E R
062
My first painting for Rolling Stone a challenge trying to figure out how
was of Lil Wayne. I was so pumped and this would work best compositionally. The
excited to be working for them, and when first thing was deciding on the references
they told me it was one of their favorite from which I was going to work. For Leon,
paintings in years, I was beyond myself I found two images from the references that
and relieved. My excitement was short- Rolling Stone had supplied that I liked and
lived when a day later the art director called used both of them to come up with the one
and said he was sorry to inform me that Lil image. I wanted the image to be serious
Waynes publicist had called and said that as far as being drawn and painted well,
they no longer wanted their record reviewed but I also wanted to capture and create
and that the artwork, even though they fun characters.
loved it, wasnt going to be used.
I was bummed, as you can imagine. A START WITH THE SKETCH
day or so later, the art director called back When sketching in Photoshop, I prefer
and asked if I wanted to paint another por- using a round brush, with Shape Dynam-
trait for them. He told me that it was for ics clicked on so my Brush tool has a point
Elton John and Leon Russells new album, similar to a pen. (Youll find these settings
but this time there were specific instructions. in the Brush panel [Window>Brush].) I also
In short, he told me that Jan, the owner of click on Transfer in order to control the pen
Rolling Stone, is a close friend with Elton, pressure. When painting, I usually have my
and if he doesnt like what I do, Ill probably Opacity in the Options Bar set anywhere
not work for Rolling Stone again. No pres- from 85% to 90% and my Flow from 95%
sure, right? to 100%I depend more on my control
On top of that, I only had two days to than Photoshop settings.
complete it from start to finish. They gave
me very specific references that they wanted
me to work from and told me that it was
very important that Elton looked good, and
that the image looked cool. When I think
of Elton John, I think of the Elton John that
I see on TV or from concert footage, but
thats not the Elton John that was in the
references from which they wanted me to
work. The hair was more tamed and the
glasses more normal, meaning I could actu-
ally see his eyes, which we dont usually see.
I was very nervous starting this piece,

but as soon as I started sketching, that all
went away. It was up to me to figure out
how to arrange both Leon and Elton in this
one image. They did say that they wanted
their faces quite large, so it was a bit of 063
I should add that when working digi-
tally, I prefer to use a Wacom Cintiq. For
the past seven or eight years, Ive been
using the 21" Cintiq, which feels very natu-
ral to me. Its attached to an Ergotron arm
so I can move the screen in a way that feels
most comfortable. (I also have a 27" Cintiq,
which is amazing, but I havent been able to
use it very much yet as my current computer
Close-up of stained canvas board is too old. Once I get my new computer, Ill
be ready to rock!)
I decided to sketch Leon and Eltons
faces separately, each on their own layer
above the background, so I could arrange
them on the page to see what would look
best. Before sending it to the art director for
approval, I decided to add a little color and
some texture to give the image a more
finished look so they could see the direction
I was thinking of taking it as far as the mood
or feel. Im first and foremost a traditional
painter, preferring to work with mediums
such as oil and watercolor, and because of
this, I tend to approach my digital paintings
in a very similar way. I want people to look
at my work and not quite know from which
medium it was created; I just want them to
look at it and enjoy it as a piece of art.
To get that look with my sketch, I
scanned a canvas board stained with raw
umber into Photoshop. I placed the scan
on a layer above my sketch in the Layers
panel and set the layer blend mode to
Soft Light with an Opacity of 27%.
The tone was a bit too light, so I cre-
ated another layer above my sketch but
below the canvas layer, filled it with a
flesh-like color (#e3b686), and set the layer
blend mode to Multiply at 100% Opacity.

This, added with the canvas layer, gave the
sketch the look I was going for.
PICKING A PALETTE
Sometimes when starting a painting for a
magazine, I have a specific idea in mind of
how I want the final artwork to look, but
I didnt for this one. I only had two days
to finish it, so knew I had to work fast.
064
Once the sketch was approved, I decided on
a palette of colors to work with. I chose
to use the Zorn palette, which is what
I typically use when working traditionally.
The Zorn palette was created by Swed-
ish painter Anders Zorn (18601920). He
was known for his limited palette, which
was white, yellow ochre, vermillion, and
ivory black. This palette provides colors that
have a wide enough range to handle most
portrait paintings.
I usually switch out vermillion with either
cadmium red or alizarin crimson, and will
sometimes modify the palette by adding a
little French ultramarine blue. Ive created
my own palette and color chart, which Ive
shared with you here. This shows the range
of color that can be achieved working with
this palette. If I need more saturation or
want to change the value, Ill click on the
color swatches at the bottom of the Toolbar
in Photoshop to open the Color Picker and
make my adjustments.
065
NOW ITS TIME TO PAINT
I started with Elton John by squinting my eyes and focusing on values.
For me, painting is all about the values. If you have a strong grasp of
values, your ability to paint will become less stressful and more focused.
Im using the Spatter 24 pixels brush (part of the default set of Photo-
shop brushes), which Ive slightly modified in the Brush panel (see
images below). Notice in the Texture section of the Brush panel that
Ive set the Pattern Picker at the top to a custom canvas pattern that
I created some years ago. Once I modify a brush, I save it as a preset
(click on the flyout menu at the top right of the Brush panel and select
New Brush Preset). Now that custom tip will always be available in the
Brush Presets panel (Window>Brush Presets).
Custom brush inspired by the Spatter 24 pixels brush.

I like this brush because it has a lot of character and
feels more traditional after building up layers.
This is another custom brush that I use from time to

time, similar to the Spatter 24 pixels brush. I like using
this brush because of the canvas texture and imperfect
shape. I prefer a brush to be somewhat difficult to use
because it helps give my art a more organic feel.
066
Step One Step Two
Step One: I began by blocking in some basic tones and color

on top of my sketch lines. Painting isnt like filling in a coloring
book; my sketch lines are only a guideline, and Im not afraid
to paint over them.
Step Two: Its important not to zoom in too close at the

beginning. Try to develop the painting as a whole, using
larger brushes and blocking in larger shapes of value, color,
and temperature. A lot of new painters want to jump into
the details too soon, but its much better to block everything
in first and finish off with the details at the end. I do this all
on one layer.
100%
067
Step Three: After blocking in Eltons face and hair, I decided to draw a
hand for Leon to help balance the piece compositionally, but also because
I thought it would add more to Leons character.
Step Four: Next, I began to block in Eltons eyes, nose, and mouth.
I suggest working on all the features at once rather than just finishing one
area before another. Once the features are all blocked in and Im happy
with the values and colors, then Ill zoom in a bit closer and begin to add
detail and finish the features.
Step Five: After spending a little more time on Eltons eyes, I started to
block in Leons face, beard, and hat. I continued to go back and forth
between Elton and Leon, now blocking both of them in at the same time
in order to make them feel connected and together. Up to this point, Ive
used only the Spatter 24 pixels brush, as well as my modified version of the
brush, which is a scratchier version of the same brush. The brush settings
stay the same throughout the painting; the only thing that changes is the
size of the brush.
Step Three
068 Step Four Step Five

Step Six Step Seven
Step Six: The art directors werent sure about the hand idea, so there
was a moment where it had to go. Luckily, I drew the hand on a sepa-
rate layer. At this stage, I treat the hair no differently than I do the rest of
the face; I look for large shapes and values, using a larger brush, and for
the most part keeping things simple.
Step Seven: The hand was eventually approved but I kept it on a sepa-
rate layer just in case. At this stage, I felt pretty good about the block-in,
so I began to tighten up Eltons face. Youll notice from Step 6 to Step 7
that not only have I worked on tightening up the rendering but Ive also
added scratches and little designs on his face. This is a style choice, and
my intention was to create character and style with my brushwork to
give it a more traditional painted feeling.
Step Eight: In this step you may notice a slight green tint over the
entire piece. I felt that the tone of the whole image needed to be slightly
cooled, so I created a layer on top of my painting that was sort of a
brown-green (#b0a86e) and set its layer blend mode to Color at 22%
Opacity. I continued to paint with that layer off, but turned it back on
every once in a while to see how it looked. In the end, that layer was
placed on top to cool everything down. In this step, I started to refine
Leons glasses and nose, as well as adding a few suggestions of his
mustache and beard hair.
Step Eight 069
Step 10 Step 11
Step Nine: When painting hair, I first block in everything with they better be really good. It wont matter how amazing
a larger brush, focusing on the large shapes and form, then you paint someones face if the hands are terrible or
I switch to a soft round brush and begin to draw smaller indi- weakthe quality of the entire piece will suffer. So I spent
vidual hairs on a separate layer. Ill work on that layer for quite a good amount of time painting Leons hand to get it
a while, developing the hairs in a way that feels natural. Once just right.
I have it to a place that I like, I take the Blur tool in the Tool- For the hand reference, I had a friend of mine pose, and
bar and carefully soften the hair. Ill also take the Eraser tool once I had the lighting right, I took pictures and went to
and softly erase little hairs that meet the skin or fade away; work. Even though the references of Leon, Elton, and the
this pushes the hair back into the painting and makes it look hand were all from different times and places, I was able to
realistic. I dont have a go-to setting that I always use for the paint them in a way that they feel together and for the most
Blur and Eraser tools; I adjust them differently for each piece part natural because of the limited color palette that Im
that I work on. Ill continue this a few times, and in the end Ill using to paint everything.
have four to five layers of hair. I use this same technique when
painting eyebrows. Step 11: Once Leon was mostly finished, it was time to finish
Elton. I added a bit of an edge as well as more scratches to
Step 10: I chose to finish Leon and his hair first because Eltons shoulder to make him pop out a bit more, but in an
hes behind Elton; this way when its time to paint and detail abstract way, again giving it a more traditional look and feel.
Eltons hair, Leon will be finished and in a layer below Elton. I finished his forehead, eyebrows, and ears and then began
070 Im a firm believer that if youre going to paint hands, to detail his hair.
After adding noise (100% view) This is what my layer of noise looked like
before I changed the Opacity and the
layer blend mode to Soft Light.
Step 12: Once Eltons hair was

done, the painting was essentially
finished, except for one last detail.
To me, the painting felt too smooth,
too digital. To solve that, I created
a layer of noise, which adds a nice
grainy look to the piece. To do that,
I created a layer of neutral gray, and
then I selected Filter>Noise>Add
Noise and then Filter>Noise>Dust
& Scratches. I did this as many
times as I felt it needed, and then
I switched the layer mode to Soft
Light and set the Opacity to what
felt right to me.
After this step, the painting felt
finished and I was quite happy with
it. I emailed it to Rolling Stone, and
in two days it was on newsstands
everywherea strange but awe-
some feeling!
It was a pleasure sharing some of

my process with everyone here.
Happy painting and take care!
CLICK TO RATE 071
ALL IMAGES BY JASON SEILER

JASON SEILER I MAG E GA L L E RY
Pope Francis for Time magazines Person of the Year cover Don Henley for the Music Review section for Rolling Stone
Sasquatch for Jack Links beef jerky company Steven Tyler for an Adobe TV commercial
072
Mark Ruffalo for the cover of
The New York Observer
Seasick Steve was painted as a This painting from the cover of The Wall Street Journal was for
self-promotional piece an article about 30-year-olds still living at home with their parents
Donald Trump for the cover of a book called Trumpicana This diner painting was done as a self-promotional
piece. I love Norman Rockwell and wanted to do
something that had that same feeling.
073
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Beautiful! It looks like a painting. When referred to a camera-captured scene, photographers often
take this phrase as a great compliment. It means they created something beautiful, dreamlike, and
otherworldly. Yet most rarely make the correlation between painting and photography. If you want to
achieve true greatness in any art, you cant do so without understanding what past accomplishments
have been made, how or why the medium was influenced, and how it twisted and turned to its
present state. You have to know its background, and photographys history is rooted in paintings.
s e a n a r bab i
on photography
Splashes of color, a balanced composition, and the warm hues of afternoon light
made this image a solid candidate to be converted using Topazs Impression 2
software, adding brushstrokes and less detail reminiscent of a painting.
Sean Arbabi
PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS
This issues Photography Secrets
Sean Arbabi
delves into the comparison between
these two mediums and the impact
painting has had on photography
how the artistic qualities and techni-
cal aspects of the study of light, color,
subject, and form transferred from
the brush and the canvas to the lens
and the camera.
The Birth of the Medium

Described as mirrors with a mem-
ory, the original definition of pho-
tography (as I also briefly mentioned
last issue) comes from the French
word photographie, the com-
bined Greek words of phos (light) This pastoral scene overlooking the California coast with
swirling clouds above already has the feel of a painting, but
and graphis (stylus or paintbrush), Topazs Impression 2 software gave it an authentic painted look.
literally defined as a light paint-
brush, and also known as draw-
ing with light. The first temporary
images were studied more than
a thousand years ago by Ibn al-
Haytham, a Muslim Persian scientist
born in southern Iraq in 965. Ibn
al-Haytham advanced the theories
of the camera obscura, a room-sized
box where an inverted scene was
cast onto a dark wall through a small
opening or aperture. Later, artists
would trace these projected scenes
onto paper utilizing this method
for their art and connecting the
two mediums.
Although it was the first-known
method of photography, the record- rudimentary pinhole cameras (the mobile version of camera obscura), the medium
ings couldnt be fixed or archived advanced artistically and the world was visually changed.
until chemical processes and tech-
nologies were later invented in the Photographys Turn to Artistry
19th century. The final sketches Replacing paintings as a faster and cheaper method, documentation became a big
were also dependent on a station- part of photography early on, whether capturing the American landscape as the
ary location offering little creativity country spread west, or creating portraits of the everyday Joe and Jane through long
or mobility. Once men like Thomas exposures and deadpan expressions. Photographers, however, wanted to be known
Wedgwood, Nicphore Nipce, as serious artists, and only having other art forms to reference, painting became the
Hrcules Florence, William Fox Tal- most popular and closest medium onto which they could latch.
bot, and Louis Daguerre were able Many began contemplating the quality and direction of light, compositional ele-
to retain an image permanently ments, and content, as well as the type and placement of subject matter reproduced
on paper in the early 1800s using in paintings, adopting methods used by master painters. As these new image-makers
079
PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS
studied the re-created light, whether aware of 1600s. Johannes Vermeers 1665 portrait, entitled A Lady Writing a
it or not, they were also analyzing exposure Letter, exhibited soft light and a luminous focus on the subject.
and contrast. As they reviewed subject matter, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijns 1630 painting, An Old Man in
they were dissecting poses and gestures. As Military Costume, displayed the catchlights in his eyes and the structure
they reviewed compositions of landscapes, of his face due to the side lighting and contrast between highlight
they began to understand the impact that and shadow.
sense of scale had on a grand scene. In other Paintings such as these gave birth to the window-light portraits so
paintings, they studied such things as the soft, beloved by photographers. From people to grand landscapes, still lifes
even light on a face; the gathering of a plate to quaint towns, religious icons to nudes or scenes of fantasy, photog-
of pears; the wispy clouds rolling over a small raphers followed along in the brushstrokes of paintings.
town; a vista view of an expansive beach; the
juxtaposition of an animal or farmer posi- Paintings Continued Influence
tioned in a large grand scene. Photography advancements with mobility (creating smaller cameras such
You can see these directional studies as the Kodak Brownie in 1900), color processes (mass-produced at the
of light from examples of painters in the turn of the 20th century), and film speeds (leading to faster exposures)
A Lady Writing a Letter by Johannes Vermeer Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point Trail, by Albert Bierstadt
allowed opportunities for master photographers to re-create scenes sim-

ilar to the famous painters. Much of the changes photography made
through the 19th and 20th centuries were directly connected with
painters of the past, as well as painters from that era. Philosophies fol-
lowed suit and quotes such as Paul Czannes All art is selected detail
not only fit his Post-Impressionist style of paintings, but they also held
true for compositional techniques used when framing scenes within the
limits of a cameras rectangle or square format, or the reasoning behind
choosing the right lens for the envisioned final scene.
The grand romantic mountain landscapes of Albert Bierstadts
luminism painting style of the 1850s to 1870s connected with
photographers, emphasizing the importance of beautiful light, framing
arrangements, foreground/background relationships, reflective water,
and dramatic weather adding to their final creation.
In recent times, late 20th century painters such as Robert Bateman
and Stephen Lyman would blur the lines with naturalistic works of
080 An Old Man in Military Costume by Rembrandt
PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS
art often mistaken for photographs, once again having an impact on

outdoor photographers. This scene, captured at sunrise along the eastern
shores of Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park, was created by posi-
tioning the model a certain way and in just the right place. Only later did
Sean Arbabi
the realization set in that the pose and vibrant colors resembled Maxfield
Parrishs works from the early 20th century.
Painting Through the Lens

Producing an in-camera image with similar qualities of a painting isnt
easy, nor does it occur often. The right balance of light, subject matter,
and color palette have to be considered to give a photo that painterly feel,
whether staged or captured naturally. Considerations of a style must be
made, say to decide if your scene fits the realism of contemporary British
painter Nathan Walsh, or the impulsive and expressive abstract work of
Vincent van Gogh.
Formats can be part of the process as well, from horizontal to vertical

to square or panoramic. Color is another deliberation, if the scene dictates
the subtle hues of pastels or watercolors or the thick vibrant tones of oil
paint. The distribution of specific elements can also play a part, as well
as unique atmospheric conditions that create soft skies or billowy clouds.
081
PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS
A painterly feel may also come through the fashion of a period, such as
Sean Arbabi
this image of a young male docent panning for gold. The light reflecting on
his face; the all-American, old-fashioned look; and his concentration on his
sandy pan are reminiscent of Norman Rockwells Boy Reading Adventure
Story, a style made famous by The Saturday Evening Post.
Of course, some of what painters can do, photographers cant; for
example, using different lenses for different perspectives within the same
scene such as a wide-angle feel used to include a foreground combined
with a telephoto look to bring the background closer. Painters can take
these artistic licenses, but techniques like this rarely convert well into the
two-dimensional medium of photography and can only be reproduced
through digital postprocessing methods.
Then theres intuition. Sometimes you notice a scene and it just feels like
a painting. Much of the knowledge you have of light, composition, contrast,
and subject matter has become second nature, and you instinctually know
your camera can capture the feeling of paint applied to canvas. Whether
keenly aware of the technique borrowed, or in your subconscious when
framing the moment, this is when your technical and creative skills combine
and youve mastered your art.
Sean Arbabi
082
PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS
Creating a Digital Painting
Sean Arbabi
If youre still working on your black
belt in photography, however, and
you wish to create a Picasso or Rem-
brandt, what can you do to con-
nect your imagery with a historical
painting style or technique? Todays
advancements in digital photo
graphy and software programs
provide the current generation of
image-makers with unique post
processing techniques.
Applications such as Topaz
Impression 2, a standalone appli-
cation and plug-in for Photoshop,
offers a myriad of customizable
effects to help transform your images
into full-fledged paintings, complete
with specific styles, color mixes, and
brushstrokes. Menu selections such
as Stroke (brush control), Color (pal-
ette selection), Lighting (brightness,
contrast, and vignette strength),
Texture (surface material and texture
strength of your canvas), Mask (hid-
ing or revealing the original scene),
and Blend Mode (finishing touches),
produce an endless variety of looks.
The various presets give you ready-
made painted versions from your
original sceneincluding sets for
Georgia OKeeffe, Monet, Czanne,
and Renoiror to use as a base to
build your own customized paint-
ing style.
The Mediums Postscript

Today, it seems like a mix of mediums influence each other, from painting to illustra-
tion to photography. As technology advances, each artistic avenue impacts the other
in ways that morph from year to year and trend to trend. Nevertheless, the original
concepts that drive a scene to grab a viewer emotionally still remain. Acquire the
knowledge of those artistic elements, making them instinctual, and your images will
paint themselves.
CLICK TO RATE 083

Product Reviews
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000
17" Professional Photographic Inkjet Printer
Review by Larry Becker
Let me say up front that the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO- my images. Not only was the detail as precise as on my moni-
1000 absolutely blew me away and exceeded my expecta- tor, the color accuracy in these areas was especially accurate,
tions. My review experience with this impressive inkjet printer with no trace of false color or bronzing.
was interesting because I didnt start with it from scratch. Printing borderless at 17x22" to Premium Luster paper
When we first received the new printer, it was unpacked, set resulted in perfect ink coverage to the very edges. The auto-
up, and used by some of the pro shooters in the office, so my matic paper feed was accurate and, (probably) due to the
review doesnt cover the unboxing/setup experience. vacuum-enhanced paper handling, there was no trace of ink
The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 is a professional application errors anywhere in the borderless image area.
piece of gear. For prints up to 17" wide, and borderless prints One more challenge many inkjet printers have is precise
up to 17x22" (printed in just 4 minutes), the imagePROGRAF color accuracy with flesh tones and vivid colorsespecially
PRO-1000 handles a variety of media, up to 27.6 mil fine art. reds. I printed a larger-than-life headshot of my son at his
The print head, 50% larger than previously available, uses an graduation, and the skin and eye color, as well as the sharpest
11-color LUCIA PRO pigment-based ink set and Chroma Opti- detailed areas of the image, exceeded my expectations.
mizer. And the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 can connect with With most printers, when we look at a print compared to
your devices via USB 2, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi. the image on a big, beautiful color monitor, were used to
When I started using the printer, I had to replace two car- the mild disappointment of less dramatic colors and shadow
tridges, as well as the maintenance cartridge, which was full. detail we get from ink on paper. If that describes your experi-
(My fellow shooters had done a lot of printing!) You may be ence, Ill bet that youll be just as excited as I am by the Canon
surprised by the large size of the individual imagePROGRAF imagePROGRAF PRO-1000s output.
PRO-1000 ink cartridges, but replacing them was easy. While For precise calibration, the large-format printer has a host
I followed the manuals directions, there are also helpful illus- of user-controllable settings and software. These optional
trations on the printers 3" color LCD screen. controls are available to anyone who wants that in their
Once the cartridges were replaced, I let the printer reset workflow, but the good news is that my high-end, service-
before printing, which took quite a while, perhaps because bureau quality output wasnt the result of arduous calibra-
it had been several weeks since the printer was last used. tion exercises and tricky color-management profile applica-
The good news is that the self-cleaning and diagnostics tion. Nope; I just plugged my computer into the USB port,
are extremely effective and precise. selected the Pro-1000, paper size, and quality, and I let the
The very first print that came out of the imagePROGRAF printer manage colors via my Photoshop print dialog. Thats
PRO-1000 was perfectand I dont use that term lightly. it! Honestly, this is the first time Ive ever obtained a perfectly
Every single detail of the golden sunset HDR print was exactly color-accurate, rich, precise image from a printer from my
as it should be. No adjustments. No calibration to my monitor. very first print, with no test prints or recalibration.
No user tweaks needed. It was spectacular! The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 professional photo-
That first image had especially smooth, broad areas of graphic inkjet printer is priced in the professional range, and
color gradation in the sky, but the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 with each replacement cartridge coming in just under $60, its
delivered color-accurate output with no banding. Occasion- not for the typical consumer who needs color flyers for their
ally, with other printers, Ive found it necessary to add small neighborhood barbecue. Its designed for demanding profes-
levels of noise to minimize banding, but that wasnt necessary sionals and stands up to the pickiest pixel-peepers. If youre a
here. I printed other large-format images with other colors pro who delivers quality large output to your customers, the
of gradation in the sky (in the blue family) and those came Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 is a smart investment.
through as precisely accurate as the smoky golden sky.
An area of difficulty for many color inkjet printers is shadow Company: Canon U.S.A. Inc. Price: $1,229.99
detail, where you might see those areas crushed and discol- Rating:
ored in the image. The imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 had zero Hot: Accurate color; variety of connectivity; prints large formats quickly
problems delivering accurate details in the shadow areas of Not: Costly; expensive ink/many cartridges
084
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Corel Painter 2017

Texture Painting Directly on
Rendered 3D Models and More
Review by Erik Vlietinck
Painter 2017 concentrates on five new painting tools and Glazing brushes, as these add paint in very thin layers, inter-
four interface improvements. The biggest news is a tex- acting with your pens pressure in potentially complex ways.
ture tool that offers a complete set of controls so you can The other improvements in Painter 2017 are less exciting,
accurately place, position, resize, skew, and rotate the tex- for example: Dab Stencils let you change the brushstroke
ture. This allows you to make it fit a plane of a flattened opacity before you paint, basing it on the active paper, flow
3D object. map, or texture; the Dropper tool has become more flexible
Also new is the Interactive Gradient tool, with which and powerful; and then there are the interface tweaks.
you create color nodes along a gradient path. To put this Painters interface has become more organized and man-
in perspective, other apps such as Photoshop have had this ageable over the years. Painter 2017s Palette Drawers make
for some time now; however, the Gradient Express Painting organizing palettes and panels for your personal workflow
feature on the other hand, is unique. With an ordinary gra- much easier and efficient. Having the Brush Selector as a
dient, you get a smooth result that has no variation what- panel doesnt hurt either. The most effective improvement
soever. By using the Gradient Express feature, you make interface-wise has been the Property toolbar. It now allows
Painter add variation to the gradient that can take on dif- you to tweak the controls of your paint tools.
ferent painted looks. I managed to create something that Company: Corel Corporation Price: $429
resembles watercolor on paper, but you can tune the effect
Rating:
any way you like.
Hot: Texture tool; Gradient Express tool; Glazing brushes
Glazing brushes allow you to create a translucent effect.
Not: Interface feeling dated
For example, painting a delicate piece of garment is easy with
Hydra 4
HDR App Brings Metal Support,
Zonal Tone Mapping, and More
Hydra 4 is an HDR Mac-only app (version 10.11 and higher)

that has been optimized for Metal for maximum performance,
with a new translucent user interface. The new version has
an excellent automatic image-alignment system, and Hydra 4
works with a highly accurate 128-bit internal format.
When you launch Hydra 4, you start out with a large view The Hydra 4 app lets you take up to four snapshots so you
of the HDR image, with the individual photos in a sidebar. can compare your results against previous adjustments. In
Each individual image has controls, including exposure and addition, a curtain control allows you to compare your lat-
sharpening. Below the image thumbnails there are options to est adjustment with the RAW composited image or with one
manually set alignment and ghosting. of the composing photos. Theres also a slider that lets you
Manual alignment displays your image group as transparent adjust viewing exposure for the RAW composite image.
drawings. You draw multiple selections and drag the edges You can import single or multiple JPEG, RAW, HDR, or EXR
until they all match. I found it very difficult to align my five test images, and Hydra 4 renders out to JPEG, TIFF, HDR, and EXR
images, but Hydra 4s automatic mode worked perfectly. in color spaces that include sRGB, ProPhoto, AdobeRGB, and
Hydra 4 has an improved tone-mapping algorithm. The more. The app supports displays such as the 30-bit DCI-P3
colors of the default HDR image stay very close to those of display of the latest 27" iMac.
the original shotsthats good, because it allows you to start Company: Creaceed S.P.R.L. Price: $59.99
from a neutral image. For a creative look, theres a Hue slider
Rating:
and a Scope drop-down menu. From this menu, youll access
Hot: Render speed; image/tone-mapping controls; comparison tools
individual tone-mapping adjustments for bright, dark, red,
Not: Manual alignment is quite hard to get right
green, and blue tones, to create just what you want. 085
REVIEWS
Aurora HDR 2017 for Mac

HDR Photo Editor with Batch Processor,
Polarizing Filter, Masks, and More
Aurora HDR 2017 focuses on new features, such as a Polar-

izing Filter, batch processing mode, and new masking tools. Its
tone-mapping algorithm has also been improved. Macphun
Software is set to beat its resounding commercial success with
the Aurora HDR 2017 version, because the developers have lis-
tened carefully to users comments and remarks. The company
has included improvements its users have been asking for.
Batch processing is a two-step undertaking wrapped in
two user-friendly, form-based windows. Its preset-based, too. Layers are now categorized in types with the new Tex-
but offers the necessary flexibility to please even the most ture type giving you the flexibility to blend in grain or even a
demanding photographer. painted structure.
The first version of Aurora had pretty good tone mapping, I had trouble finding the new Feather & Density brush
but youll notice the new algorithm offers a bit more detail parameters in the brush context menu, as theyre hidden in
and contrast and better noise reduction. And when launch- the mask controls area of the toolbar. Other minor features
ing Aurora HDR 2017, the colors of the default HDR result are have also been improved, including the gradient mask tool; the
closer to the originals than those of the first version. addition of Darken, Color Burn, and Lighten blend modes for
The new Polarizing Filter makes it easy to obtain deep blue layers; and the addition of advanced Tone Mapping controls,
skies with contrasting clouds. It works well, although if you offering a better recovery of washed highlights.
overdo it, you may create auras around small details such as Company: Macphun Software Price: $99
tree branches, etc.
Rating:
A new zone-based mask feature shows up when hovering
Hot: Presets by Trey Ratcliff, Serge Ramelli, and Captain Kimo
over the histogram. Clicking on one of the zone icons allows
Not: Polarizing Filter may create ugly auras
you to create a luminosity mask. A radial mask has been added
Crucial MX300 525-GB SSD

Low Cost, Decent Performance, and Reliability And theres more: The MX300 has a metal enclosure, so
Review by Erik Vlietinck its robust. It comes with a serial number for Acronis True
Not all lower-cost SSDs are slow and unreliable. I managed to Image HD, which is unfortunately a PC-only backup appli-
get hold of the newest Crucial MX300 525-GB SSD and ran cation. Other benefits include the use of Extreme Energy
it through a full week of speed and endurance tests. I used Efficiency technology, which reduces the amount of active
both my iMac and Ninja Assassin video monitor/recorder to power to 0.075 W, and the use of 3D TLC NAND technology,
see how well the MX300 would behave. resulting in an endurance rating of up to 220 TB total bytes
Crucial MX300 SSDs come in four sizes: 275 GB, 525 GB, written by leveraging larger NAND cells.
750 GB, and 1 TB, and I tested the 525-GB model. The adver- Finally, the Crucial MX300 offers AES 256-bit hardware-
tised performance figures are read speeds of 530 MB/sec and based encryption for Wave and eDrive support, RAIN tech-
write speeds of 510 MB/sec. My disk was mounted through a nology for increased reliability by storing data in multiple
Thunderbolt dock on a mid-2011 iMac. It managed to read at locations on the drive, Exclusive Data Defense to prevent
373 MB/sec and write at 335MB/sec, the same as my iMacs files from becoming corrupted, and, most important for
startup SSD. video recording, Adaptive Thermal Protection to keep the
Those figures were very promising for the next test. I system cool.
recorded 30 minutes of 4K footage on my Ninja Assassin.
The MX300 mounted instantly and kept its cool. Last but Company: Micron Technology Price: $119.99
not least, I recorded for more than 3 hours non-stop, while
Rating:
switching between 30-minute and 5-minute takes, and
Hot: Price; speed; robustness; thermal characteristics
playing back footage on the Ninja at double speed. The
Not:
086 SSD performed without a single glitch.
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Lastolite Triflector MKII

Frame + Silver/White Panels
Go-To Tool for Head, Beauty, or Fashion Shots
Review by Michael Corsentino
When it comes to innovative light-shaping tools, Lastolite down the left and right panels and use the center reflector
by Manfrotto is always at the top of my list. If youre work- panel by itself. If youd like to add varying degrees of light to
ing with light, either natural or strobe, its a good bet youre either the left, right, or both sides of the face, its as simple
working with reflectorsor should be. Theyre some of the as positioning the left and/or right reflector panels to achieve
most affordable, most useful tools in a photographers toolkit. the desired effect.
I use reflectors a lot in my work in the studio and on Add to this the included reversible white/silver and optional
location because theyre simple to use, less to worry about gold fabric choices, and a storage bag, and the possibilities are
(compared to adding another light to the mix), lightweight, endless. Lastolites Triflector MKII takes things to an entirely
portable, and they attract a lot less attention on location different level, providing creative light-shaping options simply
than lights with modifiers. There are a ton of great options not possible with the standard, single-surface, flat and circular
out therelarge, small, collapsible, rigid, and every reflec- reflectors, and it produces a pleasing catchlight to boot. Its
tor in betweenbut basically they all do the same thing: my go-to tool for headshots, beauty, fashion, and anything
reflect light from a flat surface back toward your subject 3/4 or tighter thats lit with a clamshell, over-and-under light-
unless youre talking about the Lastolite Triflector MKII. ing setup. Ive even used this versatile reflector on location
This specialty reflector is comprised of three adjustable with gorgeous results.
panels: center, left, and right. Each panel is infinitely adjust-
able via an articulating frame that also includes a handy light- Company: Lastolite by Manfrotto Price: $179.99
stand mount. Three reflector panels means that you can add
Rating:
light exactly where you want it around the entirety of your
Hot: Quality; adjustable; three panels; reversible white/silver fabric
subjects face. If you want to fill in only the shadows below
Not: Gold fabric not included
the subjects face for a traditional clamshell look, simply fold
iOgrapher Ultimate Live Stream

Kit for iPhone
Take Your Social Media Video and The iOgrapher Ultimate Live Stream Kit for iPhone is ideal
Live Streaming to the Next Level because, in addition to being a well-designed solution, it
Review by Michael Corsentino gives you everything you need to take your social media
Between Instagram, Periscope, Snapchat, and Facebook video and live streaming to the next level. Included in the
theres a lot of video being produced, both streamed kit are: the iOgrapher frame; a Rode Video Micro shotgun
and recorded, much of it with a decidedly low-rent, DIY- mic and an iRig Lav Mic for professional-quality audio; two
production value. Whether its poor video quality, shaky lensesa wide-angle and a 2x telephoto; a Manfrotto
footage, lackluster lighting, or the biggest sin of all in LUMIMUSE 3 LED Light; a Rode SC7 TRS to TRRS audio
videosubpar audiotheres room for improvement cable; a Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod; a high-quality pair of
across the board. Not that theres anything wrong with Sennheiser HD280 headphones; and a protective case in
that, but wouldnt it be great if there was a reasonably which to carry it all. (I couldnt figure out how to fit every-
priced way to step up the look and sound of your iPhone thing into the case.)
and iPad content? If youre using social media to communicate your message
Enter the iOgrapher, a clever, lightweight yet rugged, dual- to the masses, and desire a higher production value without
handled frame for your iPhone or iPad. Its snap-in design breaking the bank, the iOgrapher Ultimate Live Stream Kit for
securely holds your iPhone in place while vertical and hori- iPhone will definitely get you there.
zontal mounting points allow options for orientation on a Company: iOgrapher Price: $545.80
tripod. Cold-shoe attachment points for audio and lighting
Rating:
gear round out this all-in-one frame. Its worth noting that the
Hot: Take iPhone videos with one well-thought-out package
dual-handle design provides added handheld image stability
Not: When removing iPhone 6+, you may change phones volume
without a bulky rig. 087
BOO K RE V I E WS P E T E R B A U E R
Practical Photoshop CC 2015 Photoshop: The Complete Beginners Guide to Learning

Level 1 Second Edition: New for the Basics of Photoshop14 Photo Editing Techniques
Photoshop CC 2015.5 and Tips To Help You Create World Class Photos!
By Donald Laird and Barbara Heiman By Russell Taylor
This updated version covers Photoshop 2015.5s new features, Its short, but inexpensive, and it covers some interesting
as well as most of the previous features of the program. It aspects of Photoshop. (At Amazon, dont forget about that
starts at the beginning by describing the program and includ- Give as a Gift buttonthis might be a cheap but appreci-
ing tips for installation and then looks at the major features ated gift for a Photoshop novice, perhaps introducing unfamiliar
of the program in depth. There are lots of tutorials to help techniques.) My first impression of the book wasnt good.
the reader get a hands-on feel for what they just read. (These Chapter 1 is entitled The Shadow Tool. If your Photoshop
tutorials are the meat and potatoesor kale and kelpof the novice goes to Photoshops Online Help and types in shadow
book.) The practice files are available to download from www tool, three of the first four entries are for Photoshop Elements
.practical-photoshop.com. Be aware that many of the tutorial rather than Photoshop CC. All four, however, are about adjust-
images are high resolution and quite large downloads. Most ing shadows and highlights. And, as it turns out, the chapter
sections also offer an additional project in the On Your Own is about using the Shadows/Highlights (misspelled) adjustment
section, some of which provide general guidelines about what in Photoshop. Other chapters look at creating a vintage look,
to try and some of which include practice files. In the (rather nondestructive workflow (intact not in tact), smart filters,
expensive) Kindle edition, use the Index to jump to a subject cropping, adding a fill layer for an amber tint, vignetting, spot
rather than the table of contents. healing, fixing red eye, adding grain, creating retro effects
and halftone dots, and using Liquify.
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Pages: 334 Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC Pages: 32
Price: $59.99 (paperback); $35.00 (Kindle) Price: $2.99 (Kindle only)
Rating: Rating:
088
photoshop user November 2016
POP QUIZ!
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D E PA R T M E N T
From the Help Desk PETER BAUER

answers to photoshop & gear-related questions
Im creating these amazing (in my opinion) digital paintings using techniques Ive been learning in
Photoshop User. I want to put my signature (not printed copyright info, but my actual signature) on each
of them. The thing is, I want it to be exactly the same every time and I cant seem to do that, even using
my tablet. Any suggestions?Nick
To: Nick
From: KelbyOne Help Desk
Create a new document (File>New) at the size and resolu- Go to Edit>Presets>Preset Manager. Select your new
tion with which youll most often use the signature. (If you brush preset, then click the Save Set button. I suggest that
print at 300 ppi and you want the signature 2" long, the you save it outside the Photoshop folder so that you dont
new document should be 600-pixels wide by however tall lose the brush the next time you need to re-install. Click
you want to make it, remembering that you can crop after- Done to close the Preset Manager.
ward.) Set the Background Contents of the new document To use the brush preset, select the Brush tool, choose
to Transparent in the New dialog. the signature brush at the bottom of the Brush Presets
Select the Brush tool (B). Open the Brush panel panel (Window>Brush Presets), set your Foreground color
(Window>Brush) and click on Brush Tip Shape in the left to your desired color, adjust the size of the brush, position
column. Select a brush diameter thats appropriate for the cursor, and click once.
the look you want (I use 20 pixels). Adjust the Hardness An alternative technique would be to use the file of
(I use 90%). If desired, for a touch of elegance, change the your signature on the transparent background that you
Angle and Roundness (I use 45 and 33%). Press D to set saved earlier just before you made the brush preset.
black as the Foreground color (you can change the color When you want to add the signature to an image, open
to one appropriate for each specific image at the time the image file and use Photoshops File>Place command
you apply the signature). Sign your name (preferably (I recommend using the Embedded option) to add the
using a tablet and stylus). signature file as a smart object. Drag the signature into
Crop away any unused canvas. The easiest and most position, Shift-drag a corner of the bounding box to scale
precise way to do this is to Command-click (PC: Ctrl-click) as desired (the Shift key prevents distortion), then press
on the layer thumbnail in the Layers panel to make a selec- the Enter key. Changing the color of the signature, if nec-
tion of your signaturethis is one reason why you should essary, is a bit more time-consuming using this method
choose Transparent when creating the new document compared to simply selecting the color of a brush preset
and then use the Image>Crop command. in the Brush tools Options Bar.
Save the file, go to Select>All and then Edit>Define To change the color of a smart object signature,
Brush Preset. Remember that the maximum size for a youll need to double-click the layer in the Layers panel
brush preset has increased from 2,500 pixels to 5,000 to open it in a separate window. There are a variety of
pixels in either dimension. But you wont need a signature ways to change the color, but the simplest is to add a
that large unless youre creating ginormous images, such Color Overlay style (Layer>Layer Style>Color Overlay)
as some of Bert Monroys work. And in addition to seeing another reason to choose Place Embedded is so that you
the size of some of his work (his masterwork Times Square change the color for only that one image, not all images
measures 5x25'feet!), its certainly worthwhile to visit to which the smart object is linked. Save and close the
bertmonroy.com just for inspiration. smart object window.
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About Photoshop User Magazine

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020 DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

028 DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

050 PHOTOSHOP PROVING GROUND

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078 PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS

From the Editor

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NOVEMBER 2016 Volume 19 Number 9

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KIRK NELSON desktop publishing and Photoshop was just a piece of

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PHOTOSHOP USER MAGAZINE

Unbiased coverage on the latest equipment, plug-ins, and programs

Your KelbyOne Dashboard Received a Photoshop World Conference 2017

Another notable change is My Favorites is now called

Festival this year! Attendees can submit a short video of

KelbyOne ARTIST SPOTLIGHT >> Lee Mandrell

Manfrotto Premieres New olloclip Reveals New Lens Sets

Bowens Introduces the electromagnetic diaphragm for consistent auto-

Nikon Adds Two New Professional

Down 3d title effect for bada$$ effects book

Designers: How to Create Bada$$ Effects in Photoshop book. You

can achieve some really impressive effects in a fraction of the

time that it would take to create them in other 3D applications

all without ever leaving Photoshop.

Step One: Start by opening the start_file.psd file from the

Step Three: The text is already set in the download file, so if

Step Four: Press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) to activate Free Trans-

textual menu. Go to the left side of the transform bounding box,

Step Five: Now that weve

Step Six: In the 3D panel,

Step Seven: In the Properties

on the path will add a new

Step Eight: Go back to the 3D

Step Nine: In the Proper-

changing this into a custom

Step 10: In the 3D panel,

Step 11: In the 3D panel, click

Background Contents drop-

Step 12: Go back to the IBL menu and choose

Step 13: With Environment still selected in the 3D

Step 14: At this point the surface effects are

angle effect, so go to the FOV (Field of View) and

Step 16: Go to the Lights section of the 3D panel (fourth

panel. This will place the light front and center.

Step 17: Select Environment in the 3D panel and then use

Down backyard jungle

Step One: Start by creating a new document:

Grass on white background

The green grass Step One

Change blend modes! You can change blend modes of lay-

Use layers, lots and lots of layers. I generally end up with

Try layer effects for some strokes. A couple of the examples

You can build composites with this technique, too. Simply

Take advantage of Rotation in the Brush panel (found in the