Photoshop User June 2017

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 june 2017
Dynamic Craft a composite that creates the

illusion that part of a photo is coming
Learn how to use displacement
maps in unique ways to create Proving
Range right out of your smartphones screen dispersion and particle effects Ground
PHOTOSHOP
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Adding finishing effects
to your images will have
your clients screaming
for more
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF
Markus Gollner | KelbyOne Member

Watch How Zach Got the Shot
The Rapid Box Duo

Portable Speedlight Modifier
Watch Whats Trending on the
KelbyOne Channel!
Photoshop Buried Treasure, #2: B&W Conversions Using Calculations
Buried Treasure in Camera Raw: Photo Tip Friday: Dave Clayton

One Key Super Zoom Photoshop Templates
Lightroom Mobile & The Two Finger Tap
Lightroom Tips | Photoshop Tutorials | Photography Tips

Photo Tip Friday Quick Tips | Online Class Trailers | Full Episodes of The Grid
[ P H O T O S H O P U S E R J u n e 2 0 17 V O L 2 0 N O 5 ]
CONTENTS
Adobe Stock; BLT Communications; Layout: Jessica Maldonado

[070] FINISHING EFFECTS IN PHOTOSHOP By Corey Barker
Over the years as a designer, Corey Barker has added a plethora of quick-and-easy effects
FEATURE
to his Photoshop toolbox for finishing his composites. From custom brushes to layer styles to
HDR Toning, these special effects will help unify the elements in your composites and add that
wow factor that will impress your clients and viewers. More importantly, these techniques are a
springboard for you to experiment and come up with your own amazing finishing touches.
Adobe Stock/RUSLAN SOLNTSEV
Adobe Stock/Zsolnai Gergely
[020] [032]
HOW TO
DEPARTMENTS
[007]
A NOTE FROM SCOTT
[020] DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
A Few Finishing Tricks to Get that Movie Poster Look
[009]
CONTRIBUTORS [032] DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Craft Your Own Set of Energy Wings
[010]
BENEFIT SPOTLIGHT [044] BEGINNERS WORKSHOP
Removing Distracting Objects
[012] [050] DYNAMIC RANGE

KELBYONE COMMUNITY Bringing Smartphone Screens to Life
[058] RETOUCHING MAGIC

[016] Blend Mode Magic
HEARD ON THE TWEET
[084] DESIGNING WITH PHOTOSHOP
Working with Type in Photoshop
[018]
NEW ONLINE TRAINING
[112]
FROM THE HELP DESK
COLUMNS
[064] PHOTOSHOP PROVING GROUND
Using the Displacement Map for Particle Effects
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT [092] PHOTOSHOP TIPS

Whenever you see this symbol at the Boost Your Productivity and Creativity
end of an article, it means there are either
downloadable practice files or additional
content for KelbyOne members at
[094] DESIGN MAKEOVER
http://kelbyone.com/magazine. Home Design
Whenever you see this button at
Discuss this Issue
the end of an article, click it to go to the [098] PRODUCT REVIEWS

Online Community to ask questions or Get the Scoop on the Latest Gear
make comments about this issue.
Click this symbol in the nav bar at the top [110] BOOK REVIEWS
of the online reader to access the Contents. Reviews of Photoshop and Photography Books
David Williams
Kristina Sherk
[050] [058]
KelbyOne Members
Receive Exclusive Discounts
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FROM THE EDITOR
> A Note from Scott
CALLING ALL BETA TESTERS

I have lots of cool things to share this issue,
so lets get to it! Last issue, I talked about
our new KelbyOne Mags app for reading
this magazine and our sister publication,
Lightroom Magazine, and its been an over-
whelming hit with our members. I wanted to
share a quote from one member who went
on Twitter and wrote: I downloaded the
app last week. What an improvement. I had
pretty much given up reading the magazines
because it was so inconvenient, but I have
already read the latest issue and [am] going
back to earlier issues. Great job! Actually, it is
Kalebra Kelby
the best reading app I have used!
I wish I could take the credit, but it was
Chris Main and Erik Kuna who worked to
make this app a reality, and then take it further than any details as we get closer. Congratulations, Melanie! We
of us imagined it could go. But we actually have more app cant wait to share your wonderful work with the world.
news: The all-new, from-the-ground-up version of our One more thing, and then Ill let you get to the mag. If
other app. (Yes, we have two appsone for reading the youre not visiting the KelbyOne Insider blog (the link is in
mags, and one that lets you take KelbyOne courses offline your dashboard), youre missing out on lots of cool stuff.
so you can watch them when you dont have Internet One thing thats really resonating with our members is our
access, or really slow access, like when youre on a flight.) Member Challengesyou have to check it out on the site
Well, weve been testing the new app internally (and yes, (go to page 12 to learn even more). While youre on the
its for iPhone and Android), and its stable enough to site, check out the latest member discount from Macphun.
start having beta testers look at it. They just added a 15% discount on their Luminar plug-in
To find beta testers, were looking to the awesome (thats what Ive been using since my Nik Collection started
members involved in the KelbyOne Community section to die, which has been happening to a lot of folks lately).
of the website. These folks (the most helpful folks in the Sadly, Google announced that they wouldnt be updating
world) are totally engaged with their membership and us, the software any longer for people who cant get it to work.
and I know theyll put this baby through its paces in a In short, its dead, but I have a new class on how to use
big way before the full release to the membership. So if Luminar coming out at the end of June, so you can make
youre an active member of the Community, keep an eye an easy-and-painless jump from the old to the new.
out for your beta release invite for the new KelbyOne app. Whew, thats a lot of stuff, and Ill have a whole lot
In other news, were very, very excited to once again more next issue. In the meantime, thanks to everyone who
announce the winner of our contest where one talented tells their friends about KelbyOne, who gives us a shoutout
KelbyOne member (and a guest) will be flown to Flor- on social, or is active in the Community. You guys rock!
ida for her own solo gallery showing at The Gallery at Now you can check out the magits a pretty good one. ;-)
KelbyOne. We had members enter from all over the
world, and Im thrilled to announce that our winner is All my best,
KelbyOne member Melanie Kern-Favilla. Her stunning
images of flowers absolutely captivated the judges, and
> K ELBY ON E . CO M
we cant wait to see her images hanging on the walls of

the gallery. Her gallery show opening is at 7 p.m. on Fri-
day, July 21, and well be broadcasting a live, one-hour Scott Kelby
interview with Melanie at 8 p.m. that evening from our KelbyOne President & CEO
events theater. Keep an eye on your email inbox for more Editor & Publisher, Photoshop User [7 ]
J U N E 2 0 17 V O L 2 0 N O 5
AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF
EDITORIAL:
Scott Kelby, Editor-in-Chief
Chris Main, Managing Editor
Kim Doty, Associate Editor
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
Corey Barker Peter Bauer Bruce Bicknell Dave Clayton
Michael Corsentino Kirk Nelson Kristina Sherk Colin Smith
Lesa Snider Scott Valentine Erik Vlietinck Jake Widman
David Williams
GRAPHICS:
Jessica Maldonado, Art Director
Margie Rosenstein, Senior Graphic Designer
Angela Naymick, Senior Web/Graphic Designer
MARKETING:
Adam Blinzler Jacque Johnson Rachel Scott Kleber Stephenson
Melissa White
WEB:
Adam Frick Curt Husting 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 Each issue we feature
Voice: 813-433-5000 Fax: 813-433-5015 cover art by a KelbyOne member!
Customer Service: info@kelbymediagroup.com
Letters to the Editor: letters@photoshopuser.com This issues cover image is by Austria-based artist and photographer Markus Gollner of
Help Desk: http://kelbyone.com/my-account/helpdesk Markus Gollner Photography. Markus is an autodidactic photographer with a passion
for surreal art and fast-paced action. Whenever his job as an airliner allows, he covers rock
concerts or ardently dedicates his time to create new surreal and dreamlike images. His art
COLOPHON: is emotional and teasing. Markuss long-term goal is an exhibition and to get recognized
Photoshop User was produced using Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 for his artwork. To learn more about Markus and to see more of his work, turn to page 14.
and Adobe InDesign CC 2017. Korolev was used for headlines and
subheads. Frutiger LT Std for text.
All contents COPYRIGHT 2017 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 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)
COREYBARKER
is an award-winning designer and illustrator. A featured 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
Photoshop Tricks for Designers.
CONTRIBUTORS
PETERBAUER COLINSMITH
is an Adobe Certified Expert that does computer graphics con- is an award-winning digital artist, photographer, and lecturer
sulting for a select group of corporate clients. His latest book is who has authored 19 books and has created a series of training
Photoshop CC for Dummies. He was inducted into the Photoshop videos. Colin is also the founder of the online resource
Hall of Fame in 2010. PhotoshopCAFE.com and president of Software-Cinema.com.
BRUCEBICKNELL LESASNIDER
is the founder of Digital Blue Productions. He has been an is the author of Adobe Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC for
instructor on Adobes in-box training, and is an instructor at Photographers: Classroom in a Book (2016), Photoshop CC: The Miss-
Sessions.edu. His clients include Time Inc., NFSTC, DTCC, and ing Manual, TheSkinnyBooks.com, more than 40 video courses,
magazines that include People and National Geographic.. and the Creaticity column for Macworld.
DAVECLAYTON SCOTTVALENTINE
is a KelbyOne instructor, designer, and creative specialist with is a member of Adobes prerelease team, an Adobe Community
more than 30 years experience. He specializes in creating brand- Professional, and Photoshop author. His books include The
ing projects and logos and has been published by Peachpit and Hidden Power of Adjustment Layers and The Hidden Power of Blend
KelbyOne. Hes also an Adobe Influencer and ACA in InDesign. Modes (both by Adobe Press). Keep up with him at scoxel.com.
MICHAELCORSENTINO ERIKVLIETNICK
is an award-winning wedding and portrait photographer, founded IT Enquirer in 1999. A J.D. by education, Erik has been
Photoshop and Lightroom expert, author, columnist for Shutter a freelance technology editor for more than 22 years. He has
Magazine and Resource Magazine, and speaker and international written for Macworld, Computer Arts, and many others. He also
workshop leader. Learn more at www.michaelcorsentino.com. contributes to UK-based Red Shark News and Red Shark Sound.
KIRKNELSON JAKEWIDMAN
is a professional graphics artist in the Washington, D.C., area. He is a writer and editor who lives in San Francisco. Hes been
has a B.A. from George Mason University and is an Adobe Certified covering the intersection of computers and graphic design for
Expert in Photoshop. Kirks career has touched on a broad range of about 25 years nowsince back when it was called desktop
subjects from logo design to animation. He can be reached here. publishing and Photoshop was just a piece of scanning software.
KRISTINASHERK DAVIDWILLIAMS
is a high-end retoucher based in D.C. and has worked for clients is a well-seasoned, UK-based travel photographer with interna-
such as Time Inc. and Hasselblad. She loves translating Photoshop tionally published work and a passion for sharing his knowledge
for people and has written for Shutter Magazine, as well as authored of Adobe software. Dave lives by the mantra, Lend me your
KelbyOne courses and PhotoshopCAFEs Fashion Retouching DVD. eyes and Ill show you what I see.
[09]
> Benefit Spotlight
KELBYONE MAGS: THE NEW MOBILE APP FOR

PHOTOSHOP USER & LIGHTROOM MAGAZINE
We recently released KelbyOne Mags for both iOS and suggestions about the magazines, online courses, or any-
Android devices. This new app is perfect for reading Photo- thing to do with photography, Photoshop, or Lightroom?
shop User and Lightroom Magazine on the go. And the library Visit the Community and start interacting with other mem-
is stocked with back issues. Photoshop User goes all the way bers, instructors, and writers. There are tons of people there
back to January 2014, and the entire collection of Lightroom ready to help. Plus, you can access the new KelbyOne
Magazine is available in the app. Thats more than 60 issues. Insider. This blog is for members only and will keep you up
If youre on a Wi-Fi or cellular network, just tap the cover to date on everything going on at KelbyOne.
> PHOTOSHOP USER > J U N E 2017
of the issue you want to read and start reading. If you know And finally, you can access our Facebook and Twitter
youre going to be somewhere without an Internet connec- feeds directly in the app to give you even more ways to
tion, download a few issues directly in the app, and then interact with KelbyOne. You can find out more about the
you can read them offline! (We highly recommend that you app right here on the Insider. We also have a dedicated
download issues over Wi-Fi, unless you have unlimited data.) topic for the app on the Community. So go ahead and
But thats not all. The app also gives you instant access download KelbyOne Mags today and visit the Community
to the KelbyOne Community. Have questions, comments, or to let us know what you think.
[10]
#KelbyOneBooks
RACHELSCOTT & DAVECLAYTON
> KelbyOne Community
Inspiration, information, and member musings to fuel your creativity
Ready for a Member Challenge? In Member Challenge 3, we asked members to sub-
Weve always known our members are talented, but mit their best wildlife images, and once again, we were
when the Gallery at KelbyOne slammed that message impressed by the number of amazing images that poured
home with countless incredible bodies of work, we in. It really does make it tough to pick a winner. This time
decided we had to do something more to show off around, Doreen Lawrence took the top spot. Check out
your work. So what did we come up with? Weekly Mem- the Community to see all the great submissions, and the
ber Challenges! Insider to see the announcement of the winning image.
Whats a Member Challenge? Its a mini-contest
thats announced via both the Insider and the Com-
munity. In those posts, we pick a topic or theme with
which to challenge our members. Member Challenge 1
consisted of landscapes. We asked our membersthats
you guysto submit their very best landscape photo-
graphs (only one entry per person). And boy did you
deliver! Our first winner was Scott Chandler with this
beautiful shot of the Moeraki Boulders at sunrise in New
Zealand. Heres the link to the Insider post announcing
the winning image.
All Member Challenge winners not only get to be

featured on the Insider with a post dedicated to their
winning image for all other KelbyOne members to see,
but they also get an exclusive T-shirtonly available to
Member Challenge winners. Member Challenges will
take place every Friday with winners being announced
the following Thursday. Keep an eye on the Insider for
your next chance to win!
The winner of Member Challenge 2, which was pho-
tos with a summer theme, was Svetlana VanKempen. Special Guest Rob Foldy
Heres the link to the Insider post announcing her win- We had another visitor at KelbyOne headquarters, and this
ning image. time he was someone a bit more local, Rob Foldy. Based out
of Miami, Rob is a professional sports and portrait photogra-
pher. Hes shot for Getty Images, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated.
Wondering why Rob paid us a visit? Two reasons!
Reason #1: Rob was a special guest on episode 285 of
The Grid. Scott and Rob discussed what it takes to get paid
as a photographer. So if you want to start making some
cash with your work, you need to watch that episode.
Reason #2: Rob was filming two new sports photography
classes for KelbyOnefeel free to jump out of your seat
and do the wave!
To see some of Robs work, visit his website, Rob Foldy
Photography. You can also get to know Rob on Twitter,
[1 2 ] Facebook, and Instagram.
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT >> BRIAN RODGERS JR.
MEMBER SINCE 2008
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT >> CHRIS LORD

MEMBER SINCE 2004
WHOS WHO IN THE KELBYONE COMMUNITY >> MARKUS GOLLNER
MEMBER SINCE 2014
K E L BYO N E C O M M U N I TY
Whos Who in the KelbyOne Community

Markus Gollner is an Austria-based artist with a passion for surreal art and fast-paced action. His art
is emotional and teasing, and his long-term goal is an exhibition and to get recognized for his artwork.
Please tell us a bit more about yourself and what Who or what inspires you?
made you start in photography? A great source of inspiration are painters and artists from ear-
From my youth I was always creative, and at the same time inter- lier centuries, such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Lawrence
ested in technical stuff. I did mostly painting, as at that time, Alma-Tadema, and Picasso, as well as modern artists, such as
I had no computer or Photoshop. At the age of 15, I got my first Gottfried Helnwein and other hyper-realistic painters. I learned
camera and I liked it instantly. Its a combination of technique and a lot from fellow photographers, especially Bernhard Moestl
vision, and I got a result quicker than in a slow painting process. and Stefan Gesell. Additionally, literature and movies about
Dont ask me why, but at that time photography wasnt on science fiction, fantasy, and comics!
my radar as an occupation. After my bachelors degree, I started
aviation training, and today Im captain of an Airbus 320 flying You seem to enjoy the compositing side of your
in Europe. I did take photos nevertheless, and photography in a work. Do you shoot your own backgrounds?
professional way became interesting in my mid-thirties. At one A good part of my work is collecting backgrounds, textures,
point I was bored with the normal stuff and was keen in going and the like. Whenever I come across some useful stuff, I take
a new and different way, covering subjects that arent every- images of it.
day. My entry into that field was to cover the Special Operations
Unit COBRA, the Austrian Police Special Forces, publishing What kit do you use and what is on your wishlist?
a photo book about them. That led to the Jagdkommando, My first camera was a Canon AE-1 and Ive been using Canon
the Austrian Army Special Forces. Next came Kommando for the last decade, currently owning a D5 Mark III and a 1D X.
Spezialkrfte of the German Army. Recently, I bought a Fuji X-T20 and havent touched my
Canon gear since that day. The Fuji is like my old Canon,
but with the modern technology of today. Now Im seriously
You have a quote on your website that reads
considering a transition to Fuji with the Fuji GFX on top of
Make Visible What, Without You, Might Perhaps
my wishlist.
Never Have Been Seen. What made you start
experimenting with fantasy style images?
My first fantasy style image was Vampires. At that time I was Whats your history with KelbyOne, and what advice
covering actionSpecial Forces, sports, and music. I loved that would you give to anyone who isnt a member?
and still do, but I was looking for something new and different. About 12 years ago I got a Canon D20 and the logical con-
Nowadays, were flooded with zillions of images every day, which sequence was to start using Photoshop. With no knowledge
we rarely look at consciously or remember later on. I wanted to at all, it was a difficult trial-and-error process. Then I came
create images that stand out, catch you off guard, make you stop across Scott Kelbys The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital
and engage. Photographers and that was a game-changer for me. Other
books followed, as well, such as Light It, Shoot It, Retouch
It; Photoshop Classic Effects; Photoshop Killer Tips; and
Where does the idea start for a new project, Photoshop Down & Dirty Tricks. I wish every teacher had the
and do you aim for one image or a series? ability to teach his students like Scott does. He shows you in
Every shoot has a theme, mostly surreal, dark art. Around that
a simple, but effective way how to achieve something. If my
theme the models come up with ideas, outfits, and stylings, and
teachers had been like him, I suppose Id be a little rocket-
I add my input and stuff I have available. I always make a series
science-Nobel-Prize genius. So it was just a matter of time
of imagesdifferent poses and angles, with and without
to sign up with KelbyOne and suck up the different courses
accessories, etc.to cover all corners. Then I have the essential
like a nerd.
flexibility in the postprocessing part.
My advice for others is: Go for it! Look in your heart,
where your deepest love for a subject or a field of work is,

Do you work out of your own studio? where your passion lies, and what brings you the most joy.
I have a studio at home in Ebreichsdorf, near Vienna, Austria. Then go pedal-to-the-metal. Pick your courses, learn, try, fail,
But I work out of town, as well, when its more efficient for get up, and never stop having fun and being curious. If you
me to get there, instead of having a lot of people come to me. love it, the rest will follow. n [15]
> Heard on the Tweet
A Quick Glance at Some Highlights from our Twitter Feed
[16]
HEARD ON THE TWEET
Follow KelbyOne and Scott Kelby on Twitter!
[17]
Here Are Your Late
Every week, we publish at least one new training c
Designing Graphics for

Social Media in Photoshop
Learn how to use Photoshop to help get your message out on social media! Join Dave Clayton to get
a designers perspective on using your images to build your brand awareness on Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, and Instagram. With Daves Photoshop templates and techniques youll be well on
your way to creating a cohesive message tailored to each platform.
Deconstructing Design
in Photoshop
Take inspiration from good design and make it your own. Join Dave Clayton as he demonstrates in
Photoshop how you can start with an existing design and build on top of it to make something completely
unique, as a tool to help you learn and improve your craft. Learn how to find inspiration, extract from PDFs,
[18] add vector images, work with templates, as well as tips and techniques for adding all the final touches.
est Online Courses
course. Check out these brand-new courses below:
Just One More Flash

Learn how to add one more flash to your portrait lighting with Scott Kelby! Building on the foundation you gained
in Just One Flash, Scott teaches you the why, when, and how of adding a second flash to your Speedlight
setup. Whether you want to create separation between your subject and the background, add a fill light, or
change the look of the background itself, youll be amazed at all the great things you can do with a second flash.
Sports Photography: Make

Your Pee Wees Look Like Pros
Photograph your kids sports like a pro! Join Rob Foldy, professional sports photographer, as he teaches
you the basic photographic principles that will make your subjects proud. Rob shows you how to configure
your camera for the best results. Youll also learn the importance of storytelling and how being prepared
before you go to the game will help you take your photographs to the next level. [19]
COREYBARKER
A FEW FINISHING
TRICKS TO GET THAT
MOVIE POSTER LOOK
This time around I thought wed revisit a favorite topic of mine,
and thats movie posters. I wanted to show you a few handy
finishing tricks you can add to your own design to get that cool,
gritty, movie poster finish. Well do this by way of a mini project
creating a poster for Sherlock Holmes.
[2 0 ]
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
To obtain the stock images used in this exer-

cise so you can follow along, download the
watermarked previews from Adobe Stock,
or add them directly to your Libraries panel
(Window>Libraries) by clicking 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, youll see the option to Save Preview to
My Library (you can click on My Library to select
a different library or download option). Click on
the cloud-with-an-arrow icon, and the preview
image will automatically be downloaded to your
Libraries panel in Photoshop.
a young man in the image of Sherlock
Smoke on black background
Tower Bridge in London England
Adobe Stock/Ruslan Solntsev

Step One: Begin by going into Photoshop and
creating a new document (File>New) in which
to build the final design. Make it 945 x1400
pixels at 100 ppi to work with the Adobe Stock
images. For high-res images, youll want to
make it 1350x2000. Whatever size you choose,
just be sure to keep the proportions to a movie
poster format. Set the Background Contents
drop-down menu to Black, and click the Create
button in the New Document dialog.
Step Two: Start by opening the Sherlock

image. If you downloaded it to your Librar-
ies panel, simply double-click it in the panel to
open it. Youll see the subject is shot on a dark

backdrop and selecting it would be rather tricky.
In this case, however, we dont need to make
a selection because were going to utilize the
dark background. [2 1 ]
HOW TO
Step Three: Switch to the Move

tool (V) and drag the Sherlock
image over to the main document
that we created in Step One. Hold
down the Shift key before you
release the mouse button so that
the image lands centered in the
canvas. Press Command-T (PC:
Ctrl-T) to activate Free Transform to
scale and reposition the image to
fit better in the composition. Hold
down Shift-Option (PC: Shift-Alt)
as you drag out a corner handle to
scale the image larger (Shift main-
tains proportions and Option [PC:
Alt] transforms it from the center
outward). Then, just click-and-drag
inside the bounding box to reposi-
tion it. Press Enter to commit the
transformation when done.
Step Four: In the Layers panel,

lower the Opacity of the Sherlock
layer to 75%.
Step Five: Click the Create a New

layer icon at the bottom of the Lay-
ers panel to create a new blank
layer above the Sherlock layer. Then
set the layer blend mode near the

top left of the Layers panel to Over-
lay and drop the Opacity to 75%.
[2 2 ]
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Step Six: Select the Brush tool (B)

in the Toolbar, and then click on
the panel icon in the Options Bar
to open the Brush panel. Choose
a simple round, soft-edged brush,
and make sure that there are no
other brush features turned on in
the panel. If youre using a pres-
sure-sensitive tablet, click on Trans-
fer and set the Control drop-down
menu under Opacity Jitter to Pen
Pressure. If youre not using a tab-
let, just set the brush Opacity to
around 50% in the Options Bar. Set
the size to around 250 pixels.
Step Seven: Press D to set black

as the Foreground color. Then start
painting in the darker shadow areas
of the subject to crush the shadows
even more.
[2 3 ]
HOW TO
Step Eight: Now create another
Adobe Stock/Deyan Georgiev

blank layer and set its blend mode
to Overlay and its Opacity to 50%.
Press X to swap the Foreground
and Background colors, making
the Foreground white. Using the
same brush as before, paint over
the brighter highlights of the sub-
ject. This will enhance the detail and
even add a soft glow to the subject.
Step Nine: Now that we have the

subject in place, lets begin adding
the special effects. Well start with
a smoke element for the pipe in his
hand. Open the Adobe Stock smoke
image. Youll see its a simple smoke
element on a black background.
To quickly extract the smoke from
the background, open the Chan-

nels panel (Window>Channels)
and hold down the Command (PC:
Ctrl) key as you click on the RGB
channel thumbnail. This will create
a luminance-based selection, and
since its simple white smoke on a
black background, it will select all
[24] the smoke.
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Step 10: Now go back to the

Layers panel and create a new
blank layer. Then, press Option-
Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill
the selected area with white, which
is your current Foreground color.
There. Youve perfectly extracted
smoke. Just use the Move tool to
drag it to the main design.
Step 11: Use Free Transform (Com-

mand-T) to scale the smoke down,
and then drag it into position over
the pipe in the subjects hand. Press
Enter when done. Finally, drop the
layer Opacity to 50%.
[2 5 ]
HOW TO
Step 12: Now were going to use

a texture image as an overlay that
will add some texture and contrast
to the image. If youre a KelbyOne
member, you can download this
image from the magazine page
(see link below). Using the Move
tool and holding the Shift key, drag
this texture to the main design and
make sure the layer is at the top of
the layer stack. Then, change the
layer blend mode to Multiply and
drop the layer Opacity to 75%.
[KelbyOne members may down-
load the texture file used in this
tutorial at http://kelbyone.com
/magazine. All files are for personal
use only.]
Step 13: Now lets add a cool type

overlay. Select the Type tool (T)
from the Toolbar, and then starting
at the top-left corner of the can-
vas, drag a text box over most of
the canvas area. Go to the Options
Bar and set the font to Trajan Pro
or something similar. Feel free to
play with other fonts, as well. Also,

set the Size to around 30 pt (I used
50 pt for my high-res version). Click
on the color swatch in the Options
Bar to open the Color Picker, set it
to white, and click OK. In the Para-
graph panel (Window>Paragraph),
select the Justify All option (last icon
[2 6 ] at the top right).
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Step 14: Go under the Type menu

and select Paste Lorem Ipsum to fill
the text box with filler text. (If you
have text of your own, you can go
ahead and paste the text in the text
box.) Place your cursor in the text
and press Command-A (PC: Ctrl-A)
to select all. Hold the Option (PC:
Alt) key and tap the Up and Down
Arrow keys to adjust the leading
(space between lines) until you have
something that looks like this. Place
the cursor at the end of the text
block and run Paste Lorem Ipsum
again to fill the rest of the image
with the text.
Step 15: Go to the Layers panel

and set the Type layers blend mode
to Difference and drop its Opacity
to 10%. Hold down the Option (PC:
Alt) key and click on the Add Layer
Mask icon (circle in a square) at bot-
tom of Layers panel. This will add
a mask filled with black, which will
hide the type layer from view.
[2 7 ]
HOW TO
Step 16: Select the Gradient tool

(G) in the Toolbar. In the Options
Bar, click the gradient preview to
open the Gradient Editor, choose
the Foreground to Transparent
preset, and click OK. Back in the
Options Bar, set the gradient type
to Radial and the tool Opacity to
50%. Press D to set white as the
Foreground color. Also, in the Lay-
ers panel, drag the Type layer below
the texture layer.
Step 17: Drag out one of the

bottom corners of the document
window so you can see the can-
vas around the image. Starting just
outside the document bounds,
drag a gradient in toward the sub-
ject. Continue to add gradients
around the image to reveal the
text texture. Remember, this is non-
destructive editing, so you can press
Command-Z (PC: Ctrl-Z) to undo
a gradient, or even refill the entire
layer mask with black if you need
to start over.
[2 8 ]
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Step 18: Now lets add a back-

Adobe Stock/clayllama
ground image with a cool shot of

the Tower Bridge. Open this Adobe
Stock image from the Libraries
panel and drag it to the main
design. In the Layers panel, drag
the Tower Bridge layer below the
Type layer. Press Command-T (PC:
Ctrl-T) to activate Free Transform,
then scale and position the image
in relation to the subject, keeping
in mind which areas you want to
keep visible and which areas you
want to hide. Dont commit the
transformation yet.
Step 19: Heres another cool trick

when it comes to compositions.
Once the image is in place, Right-
click on the object and choose Flip
Horizontal from the pop-up menu.
This angle works better for this
design. Often backgrounds like this
are abstract enough so that you
cant really tell theyre flipped, espe-
cially with the other effects well be
adding. Now you can press Enter to
commit the transformation.
Next, press Command-U to

open the Hue/Saturation dialog.
Check on Colorize and use these
settings to put a blue cast over the
layer. Click OK. [2 9 ]
HOW TO
Step 20: Now drop the layer Opacity to

75% and add a layer mask. Were going
to use the same radial gradient as before
but this time were going to press X to set
the Foreground color to black and set the
Opacity in the Options Bar back to 100%.
Add gradients in the middle of the layer
to hide the bridge and reveal Sherlock. In
some areas it may seem like its ghosting
the image a little; that actually looks good
for this project. This happens because the
bridge layer is above the subject layer in the
Layers panel. We added gradients in the top
corners, as well.
Step 21: Now for another favorite effect of

mine, which involves using HDR Toning. This
adjustment, however, cant be applied to a
layered image, so go to the Image menu,
choose Duplicate, and click OK. Once the
duplicate is created, go under the Layer
menu and choose Flatten Image.
Step 22: Go under the Image menu, to

Adjustments, and choose HDR Toning. You
can use these settings here to start but feel
free to play around to see the range of
effects you can get. Youll want to be sure to
drop the Saturation at the bottom to 100.
[3 0 ] Click OK when done.
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Step 23: Using the Move tool and

holding the Shift key, drag this
image back to the original docu-
ment and place the layer at the
top of layer stack (its important
to hold the Shift key so this layer
is aligned with the original layers).
Then, set the blend mode to Over-
lay and drop the layer Opacity to
50%. You can see it adds more
contrast to the scene.
Step 24: You can also use this HDR-

toned layer to change the tempera-
ture of the image. Press Command-U
(PC: Ctrl-U) to open the Hue/Satura-
tion dialog again. Check on Colorize
and use these settings here to add a
subtle warm cast to the layer. Click
OK when done.
Step 25: All thats left is to add

some text, and you can see how
I added the text shown in the final
image by clicking here to watch
a video tutorial. Remember to experi-
ment with these effects and see how
they can be useful by themselves,
or combined, to create your own
custom movie poster look. [For
more on creating finishing effects
for your composites, check out
Corey's feature article in this issue
starting on page 70.Ed.] n
[31]
KIRKNELSON
CRAFT YOUR OWN SET

OF ENERGY WINGS
The camera shutter is devised to capture a single moment in
timea snap that freezes movement and records a split second.
Yet when used over an extended period of time, the whole idea
changes dramatically. One of the most fun experiments you can
do with a long shutter exposure is to create light streaks. This
is somewhat similar to the effect our eyes see when somebody
waves a sparkler through the air. By using this technique to
create light streak resources, we can then use Photoshop to
draw out more complicated elements with those resources.
[3 2 ]
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
In this project, well give a ballet dancer a set

of glowing wings that seem to be comprised of
pure light energy. We fully encourage you to cre-
ate your own light streak resources, but if you
dont have the time or available resources, feel
free to use ours!
Step One: Crafting your own light-stream

effects is fun and easy to do. Glow sticks are
ideal for the task. Theyre readily accessible at
most party stores and inexpensive too. Having
a variety of colors is a fun addition, but certainly
not required. Its important to use a dark room
with a solid background. A tripod is essential to
keep the camera steady during the long shutter
exposure.
[KelbyOne members may download the
light-stream files used in this tutorial at http:
//kelbyone.com/magazine. All files are for per-
sonal use only.]
Step Two: To create the light streaks, the gen-

eral principle is to adjust the shutter to stay open
while you wave the glow sticks in front of the
camera. The exact settings will depend on your
setup, but these images were taken in manual
mode with an aperture of f/4.8, ISO 500, and

shutter speed 2 seconds. If the background is
clearly visible, reduce the aperture or ISO. If the
streaks are too dim, try a longer shutter speed
and move the glow sticks more slowly. [3 3 ]
ALL IMAGES BY KIRK NELSON UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
HOW TO
Step Three: To obtain the stock image used
Adobe Stock/Zsolnai Gergely

in this exercise so you can follow along, down-
load the watermarked preview from Adobe
Stock, or add it directly to your Libraries panel
(Window>Libraries) by clicking on the link for
the image below. When the Adobe Stock web-
page opens, make sure youre logged in to your
Adobe account, then to the right of the image,
youll see the option to Save Preview to My
Library (you can click on My Library to select a
different library or download option). Click on
the cloud-with-an-arrow icon, and the preview
image will automatically be downloaded to your
Libraries panel in Photoshop.
Ballet dancer-action
Step Four: Open the image in Photoshop either

through the File>Open menu command, or by
double-clicking on the image in the Libraries
panel. Then, grab the Crop tool (C), and drag
the top-center point up to extend the canvas
upward. Lengthen the canvas until the lower
third is approximately even with the neckline of
the dancers dress. Press the Enter key to commit
the crop operation. Press Shift-G until you have
the Paint Bucket tool in the Toolbar, then press D
to set your Foreground color to black. Click once
in the extended canvas area to fill it with black.
Step Five: Go to File>Place Embedded and

select the LightStreak1.jpg image. This brings
the image in as a smart object. Change the
blend mode near the top left of the Layers panel
to Linear Dodge to render the black areas com-
pletely invisible. Use the transformation handles
to move, scale, and rotate the light streak to
roughly form the upper outline of a wing from
[3 4 ] the dancers back.
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Step Six: To further shape the light into a shape

that more closely resembles a wing, go to Edit>
Transform>Warp. Pull on the warp grid points
to bend the top area of the wing to form a
smooth curve. Pull down on the bottom corner
points to expand the light curve downward to
fill in more area for the wing. Press Enter to
commit the transformation.
Step Seven: Place the LightStreak5.jpg image

into the composition and change the blend
mode to Linear Dodge. Use Edit>Transform>Flip
Horizontal and then rotate it to form the bottom
curve of the wing. Use Edit>Transform>Warp to
further refine the curve to fit the proper shape.
Press Enter.
Step Eight: Place the LightStreak2.jpg image

into the composition in the same fashion. This
one will be used for defining the outside curve of

the wing as it slopes inward from the top edge.
We rotated it to the left to around 115. Be
sure to use the Linear Dodge blend mode and
warp the light shape as needed. [3 5 ]
HOW TO
Step Nine: Use the LightStreak3.jpg image to

fill in the central portion of the wing. For this
streak, choose Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical, and
then rotate, resize, and warp it. Pay attention
to how the light flows from one texture into
another. The goal is to get a seamless illustration
of the wing so it isnt apparent where one light
streak begins and another ends.
Step 10: Use the LightStreak4.jpg image to add

definition to the outside edge of the wing shape.
Again, use the Linear Dodge blend mode and
the warp transformation to craft the shape. Then
add a layer mask with Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal
All. With the mask active, use the Brush tool (B)
with a Soft Round tip and black paint (press the
letter D then X) to remove any stray marks from
this texture along the inner edge of the wing.
[3 6 ]
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Step 11: With the top light streak layer still

active, select all of the other light streak layers
by holding down the Shift key and clicking on
the thumbnail of the bottom light streak layer
in the Layers panel. Then go to Layer>Smart
Objects>Convert to Smart Object. Double-click
the name of the resulting smart object and
rename it Light Wing 1. Even though the indi-
vidual layers had a specific blend mode set to
them, the combined smart object reverted to the
default Normal mode. Change it to Linear Dodge
to render the black areas completely invisible.
Step 12: Add a layer mask to the Light Wing

1 smart object and use the Brush tool again to
paint out any light streaks that appear out of
place. Make sure none of them cross over the
centerline of the model, as it will conflict with
the second wing that were going to create in
the next step.
Step 13: Duplicate the wing layer by pressing

Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J), and rename the dupli-
cate Light Wing 2. Go to Edit>Transform>
Flip Horizontal to flip the wing, and then use
the Move tool (V) to drag it to the other side
of the dancer. > K ELBY ON E . CO M
[3 7 ]
HOW TO
Step 14: The two wings should be almost

symmetrical, but not perfectly so. There should
be some slight variation for realism. First, delete
the mask from the second wing by Right-click-
ing on the mask thumbnail and selecting Delete
Layer Mask. Then use the warp transformation on
the second wing to cre-
ate a slight deformation
difference. This alteration
should be subtle, so use
very small movements on
the warp mesh.
Step 15: We removed the layer mask in the

previous step, not because it wasnt needed,
but because we needed to warp the wing first,
and the warp transformation doesnt like linked
masks. Additionally, this wing should have its own
unique mask. So add a new layer mask and use
the brush again to remove stray light elements.
[3 8 ]
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Step 16: Use the Shift-click method to select

both wing layers and group them together with
Layer>Group Layers, or press Command-G (PC:
Ctrl-G). Rename this group Wings and hide
the group by clicking on its Eye icon next to it in
the Layers panel.
Step 17: Go to Select>Color Range and the

Select option should be Sampled Colors. Click on
the black background area in the image to sam-
ple it and the preview in the Color Range dia-
log will show it as completely white. Adjust the
Fuzziness until all of the background is selected,
somewhere around the level of 28 should be
fine. This will select some of the dancer as well.
Click OK to create the selection.
[3 9 ]
HOW TO
Step 18: Reveal the Wings group again by click-

ing where its Eye icon used to be, and use the
Add Layer Mask icon (circle in a square) at the
foot of the Layers panel to use the selection
as a mask on the group. This will conceal the
portion of the wings that were in front of the
dancer. If there are areas
where the selection isnt
correct, touch up those
areas by using the Brush
tool set to black. Tip:
Option-click (PC: Alt-
click) the mask thumb-
nail to view just the mask
in the image so you can
see if any areas on the
dancer need to be filled
with black. Option-click
(PC: Alt-click) again to
return to the regular
image view.
Step 19: Hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key

and go to Layer>Merge Group to create a
merged layer of the Wings group, and rename
this layer Wings Glow. This merged layer also
inherited a layer mask. Right-click on the mask
thumbnail and select Apply Layer Mask. Then
drag this layer beneath
the Wings group in the
Layers panel.
[40]
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Step 20: Lets soften the glow layer with a

blur using Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, and in
the dialog set a Radius setting of 5 pixels
(I used 10 pixels for the high-res version of
the image), and click OK. Now, go to Image>
Adjustments>Hue/Saturation and check the Col-
orize option. Set the Hue to 50 and Saturation to
67, and click OK to give the layer a bright-yellow
color. Then set the layer blend mode to Screen
and reduce the Opacity to 50%.
Step 21: Click on the background image layer

in the Layers panel to make it the active layer
and go to Filter>Convert for Smart Filters. Next,
go to Filter>Render>Lighting Effects, set the
drop-down menu at the top of the Properties
panel to Point, and drag the center of the light
to the center of the frame. Hover your cursor
over the outer edge of the light until it turns
yellow, and then click-and-drag to resize the
light (as shown here). Click on the Color Swatch
in the Properties panel, set the color to a pale
green (RGB values of 203, 252, 99, respec-

tively), and click OK to close the Color Picker.
Set the light Intensity to 20, Exposure to 10,
Metallic to 67, and Ambience to 54. Apply the
effect with the OK button in the Options Bar. [4 1 ]
HOW TO
Step 22: Add a new layer called Sparkles at

the top of the layer stack. Grab the Brush tool
and open the Brush panel by pressing F5. Start
with the Soft Round tip. Reduce the Size to 5 px
(30 px if using the full-resolution image), increase
the Hardness to 64%, and then set the Spacing
to 350%. Engage the Shape Dynamics and set
the Size Jitter to 70%. Engage the Scattering,
check the Both Axes option, and set the Scatter
amount to 800%. Hold
down the Option (PC:
Alt) key to temporarily
switch the Brush tool
to the Eyedropper, and
click to sample a bright-
green color from the
wings. Use the Brush to
softly paint in sparkles
along the wings. If the
specks seem too bright,
reduce the layer Opacity
as needed.
[4 2 ]
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Step 23: Add another new layer

called Bokeh and set its blend
mode to Screen. In the Brush panel,
increase the brush Hardness to 65%
and the Size to 300 px (1,000 px if
using the full-size image). Reduce the
Spacing to 33%, and in the Shape
Dynamics, reduce the Size Jitter to
11%. Press D then X to set the paint
color to white, set the brush Opac-
ity to 20% in the Options Bar, and
paint in some large bokeh blooms.
Reduce the layer Opacity to 19% to
make the blooms very subtle. And
youre done! n
[43]
LESASNIDER
> BEGINNERS WORKSHOP
REMOVING DISTRACTING OBJECTS
Photoshop excels at removing distracting objects in your photos. If you do the removing on new,
empty layers, you wont harm the photo or bloat your document with a slew of duplicate layers.
In this column, youll use the Patch tool, Clone Stamp, Content-Aware Fill and the Spot Healing Brush to
zap power lines and more.
Step One: Choose File>Open and navigate to the Santorini photo shown here. If youre
starting in Lightroom, select the photo and then choose Photo>Edit In>Adobe Photoshop
CC. Press Shift-Command-N (PC: Shift-Ctrl-N) to create a new layer. In the resulting dialog,
enter power lines as the name and click OK.
[KelbyOne members may download the files used in this tutorial at http://kelbyone
.com/magazine. All files are for personal use only.]
Step Two: Zoom into the photo by pressing Command-+ (PC: Ctrl-+). Press-and-hold the
Spacebar and drag to reposition the photo so you can see the power lines at the upper
right. Activate the Rectangular Marquee tool (M) and drag to draw a rectangular selection
around the top of the power pole and the five power lines.
[4 4 ]
BEGINNERS WORKSHOP
Step Three: Press Shift-J until the Patch tool is active

in the Toolbar. In the Options Bar, set the Patch drop-
down menu to Content-Aware and turn on Sample
All Layers. Click within the selection and drag it
upward to a clear area of sky. Release your mouse
button and Photoshop performs the patchdont
deselect yet! In the Options Bar, experiment with
the Structure and Color sliders. To preserve more
of the texture of the area from which you copied
pixels, increase the Structure slider; to preserve less,
decrease it. To perform more color blending between
the two areas, increase the Color slider; to perform
less, decrease it. As you experiment with these fields,
keep an eye inside your selection and youll see the
pixels change (values of 7 and 3 were used here).
When youre finished, choose Select>Deselect.
Step Four: Switch to the Rectangular Marquee tool

and draw a selection around the remaining power
lines. Switch to the Patch tool, and drag the selec-
tion upward to a clean area of sky. Experiment with
the Structure and Color fields in the Options Bar,
and then choose Select>Deselect. Repeat this step to
remove the tallest plant next to the building.
Tip: You can also use the Quick Selection tool (W)
for selecting, and then switch to the Patch tool. To
make the Quick Selection tool work on an empty layer,
turn on its Sample All Layers setting in the Options Bar.
[45]
HOW TO
Step Five: Create a new layer and name it

power line clean up. Zoom farther into
the image and activate the Clone Stamp
tool (S). Since this tool doesnt perform
any blending, you wont create blurry
areas near the buildings hard edges. In
the Options Bar, click on the brush pre-
view on the left to open the Brush Preset
Picker and set the brush Size to around
20 pixels and brush Hardness to around
75%. Then, choose All Layers from the
Sample drop-down menu in the Options
Bar. Set a sample point by Option-clicking
(PC: Alt-clicking) the area of the sky from
which you want to copy pixels. Release
the modifier key and brush down the side
of the building to remove the remaining
plants. Reset the sample point as needed
as you go.
Before
Tip: If the sky within the area you fixed

looks blotchy in color, use the Spot Heal-

ing Brush as described later in this column.
Note: The Healing Brush tool works the
same way in that you need to set a sample
point first; however, it does automatically
blend pixels.
The photo looks a lot better without
the distracting power lines and plants,
[46] as illustrated in this before and after. After
BEGINNERS WORKSHOP
USING CONTENT-AWARE FILL

If you have plenty of similar background
pixels surrounding the object you want
to remove, start with the Fill commands
Content-Aware option. Like the Patch
tool, this method is quick and automati-
cally blends pixels; however, you dont
pick from where Photoshop copies pixels;
it uses the pixels just outside the selection.
Step One: Open the photo of the pyra-

mids. Duplicate the image layer by pressing
Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J). (The Fill command
doesnt work on an empty layer, so the
only way to use it without harming your
original photo is to use it on a duplicate
image layer.) In the Layers panel, double-
click the duplicate layers name and enter
shadow. Zoom into the photo and repo-
sition it so you can really see the shadow at
the lower right. Press Shift-M until the Ellip-
tical Marquee tool is active in the Toolbar,
and draw a selection around the shadow
that extends off the documents edge.
Make the selection a little larger than the
item youre removing. You can press-and-
hold the Spacebar while youre drawing
the selection to reposition it.
Tip: The Fill command only works on
single layers. If you have multiple layers,
activate the topmost layer and press Shift-
Option-Command-E (PC: Shift-Alt-Ctrl-E)
to create a new layer that contains the
content of all visible layers. Then use the
Fill command on that layer!
[47]
HOW TO
Step Two: Choose Edit>Fill and, in the resulting dialog,

choose Content-Aware from the Contents drop-down
menu, turn on Color Adaptation, and click OK. You get dif-
ferent results each time you use this command, so you may
want to undo it by pressing Command-Z (PC: Ctrl-Z) and
then run it again. Choose Select>Deselect when you have a
result that you like.
Tip: If you still dont like the result, try using a differ-
ent selection tool, creating a tighter or looser selection, or
both. For example, if you first used the Elliptical Marquee,
you may want to try the Lasso tool (L) in order to make the
selection shapelier.
Step Three: To remove the car, reposition the photo

onscreen so you can see it, add a new empty layer, and then
press Shift-J until the Spot Healing Brush tool is active in the
Toolbar. In the Options Bar, turn on Content-Aware and
Sample All Layers. Set the brush size to around 30 pixels and
then brush across the car to remove it. Alternatively, you can
increase the brush size until the entire car fits within the
cursor and then click once.
[4 8 ]
BEGINNERS WORKSHOP
Before
After
As you can see, a combination of Content-

Aware Fill and the Spot Healing Brush greatly
improved the photo. Until next time, may the

creative force be with you all! n
Discuss this Issue

ALL IMAGES BY LESA SNIDER [49]
DAVIDWILLIAMS
> Dynamic Range
BRINGING SMARTPHONE SCREENS TO LIFE

In this project, well take a London city scene that features a tall object (in this case, its the Elizabeth
Tower, or St. Stephens Tower, or Big Ben, or Jubilee Tower, depending on who you ask) and composite
it with an image of a smartphone. Well manipulate the two images in Adobe Photoshop to create an
effect where it appears that part of the building comes to life and emerges from the smartphone.
Together, well blend the desired elements of both images to create the composite.
With this tutorial, Ive provided you with the

files youll need to follow along, but heres
what you need to know to use your own
images: Youll need one photo focused on
the phone set at a depth of field that causes
the background to be knocked out of focus.
In this case, I shot at f/2.8, but you can use a
narrower depth just as effectively to achieve
the necessary effect.
The second shot needs to be the exact
same scene with the same exposure settings,
but without the phone, and focused on the
main feature of the shot. Use your tripod to
ensure your composition remains consistent.
The composition and alignment of
the phone is important because you must
ensure that only the desired elementthe
Elizabeth Towercan rise from the phone
when we get to postprocessing. The rest
of the building to the right of it must
remain below the limits of view masked by
the phone. If you dont do this, youll be
left with an awkward situation whereby
the roofline of the building to the right
(which, if youre interested, is Westminster
Hall) would have to be chopped off at the
limitations of the screen edge, and so you
wouldnt have a clean image. To ensure
that you dont land in this situation, its

important that you position the phone
in such a way that you fully consider the
final result.
[KelbyOne members may download the
files used in this tutorial at http://kelbyone
.com/magazine. All files are for personal
use only.]
[5 0 ]
D Y NAM IC R A N G E
Step One: We need to load both images into

Adobe Photoshop to work on them simultane-
ously. Well be switching back and forth between
them and using different elements from each.
Step Two: Within the image of the focused

tower, using the Quick Selection tool (W), select
the tower. As you draw inside the tower with the
tool active, Photoshop will automatically find the
edges to make an approximate selection. When
using this tool, the algorithm Adobe Photoshop
uses to find the edges is pretty spot on, but it can
miss certain thinner details at the edges. Also,
notice that it may limit itself at pronounced lines
within the limits of the tower, so be sure to check
that all the inner areas are selected. You can add
areas to the selection by clicking on them or by
painting over them, and you can remove areas
from the selection by doing the same while hold-
ing the Option (PC: Alt) key. You can also change
the size of the brush with the keyboard shortcuts
of the Left Bracket key ([) to decrease, and the
Right Bracket key (]) to increase the size. Dont
worry about selecting the element at the very top
of the tower for now; well take care of that later.
Step Three: After weve selected the majority of

the tower, we can refine the selection to capture
some of the thinner details. With the selection
still active, click on Select and Mask up at the top
in the Options Bar to open the tools that allow
us to refine our selection. I find that the Over-
lay View mode, which is enabled by pressing V,
works best to see my selection easily. This makes
the selected area appear normal and the area
outside the selection has a red overlay by default.
To catch the finer details in this image, expand
the Edge Detection section in the Properties
panel and adjust the Radius of the selection to
68 px. This will select the finer details surround-

ing the bulk of the tower, aside from the very tip
(again, well deal with that later). Click OK at the
bottom of the Properties panel.
[51]
HOW TO
Step Four: Its good practice to save your selec-

tion (so you dont lose it): Go to Select>Save
Selection and youll be presented with a dialog
where you can name your selection. In this case,
well name it tower. Note that when you save
a selection, you can save it under any of the cur-
rently open documentsthis may be useful to
remember for later.
Step Five: With the tower dealt with, we can

move on to the phone image. Well make a selec-
tion within the phone to mark out the screen
using the Polygonal Lasso tool (press Shift-L
until its active in the Toolbar). Well estimate a
screen area in this image from which the tower
will rise. With the tool selected, click one corner
of the screen as a starting point, and then click
the next three corners to demarcate the limits of
your screen. With each click, a straight line will
be drawn until you reach the starting corner. As
you get close to the starting point, the cursor will
change to include a small circle, and when you
click, the line will automatically join up with the
first point to create the selection.
Step Six: We need to save this selection, as

well, using the same method as we used for the
tower in Step 4. Name this selection screen.
[5 2 ]
Step Seven: Now we need to load the screen

selection in the tower image. Switch back to the
image with the focused tower and navigate to
Select>Load Selection. From the Document drop-
down menu under Source, select the filename of
the screen.jpg image. This will allow us to open a
saved selection associated with that open file. The
Channel drop-down menu should automatically
switch to the screen selection since thats the only
selection saved in that file. Click OK, and we now
have the selection that we just made in the phone
image loaded into the tower image.
Step Eight: With our screen selection loaded,

copy the selected area with Command-C (PC:
Ctrl-C).
Step Nine: Now we need to switch back to the

other image again. Make sure the screen selec-

tion is still active, and press Command-V (PC:
Ctrl-V) to paste the copied tower content into
our phones screen.
[5 3 ]
HOW TO
Step 10: The next element to move across to

the phone image is the tower. Go back to the
image with the tower in focus and load the
tower selection, as we did with the screen selec-
tion, by navigating to Select>Load Selection, but
this time choosing the tower.jpg document and
the tower Channel. Click OK to close the dialog,
and then press Command-C (PC: Ctrl-C) to copy
the selected tower.
Step 11: We can now switch back to the image

with the phone and paste the tower into the
image. If you shot both images on a tripod as
I did here, you can go to Edit>Paste Special>
Paste in Place and the tower will be pasted in
exactly the same position from which you copied
it, which will line it up perfectly with the copied
portion of the building in the phone. If the
alignment is off, you can easily align the pasted
layer by lowering its Opacity in the Layers panel,
zooming in, and using the Move tool (V) to line
it up correctly. Return its Opacity back to 100%
when youre done.
Step 12: Looking at the pasted tower, weve

fallen outside the edges of our phone screen, so

our next task is to erase the edges of the tower
that fall outside the screen. To do this, we need
to load the screen selection again the same
way we did in Step 7, but in the next step well
be working outside the screen, so we need to
invert the selection with Shift-Command-I (PC:
Shift-Ctrl-I).
[5 4 ]
Step 13: Using the Eraser tool (E) set to a hard

brush, we can now simply paint over the bits that
have fallen outside our screen, safe in the knowl-
edge that the selection will protect whats inside
the screen from the Eraser tool. Start with the
portions that fall below the edge of the screen.
Step 14: With the bottom edge dealt with, we

can now remove any unwanted copied areas
from the top edge of the screen, being care-
ful not to touch the tower itself. Adjust the
size of the Eraser tool using the Bracket keys
as necessary.
[5 5 ]
HOW TO
Step 15: The last touch to our tower is the very

top piece that we left earlier. As the tower
itself sits against a relatively simple blue-sky
background, we can do this quite easily. Go into
the image of the focused tower, and using the
Rectangular Marquee tool (M) draw a small mar-
quee around the edge of the tip, making sure
to select some of the sky around it. Once this is
done, click on Select and Mask and adjust the
Feather to 20 px, which will give a gradual but
useful fade between the focused and unfo-
cused skies. Click OK and copy the selection
with Command-C (PC: Ctrl-C).
[5 6 ]
Step 16: Switch back to the final image one

last time and paste in the selected tip using
Edit>Paste Special>Paste in Place. If it doesnt
line up perfectly, align it to its correct position
at the tip of the tower using the same technique
we used in Step 11.
And now were all done! Just be sure to save a

PSD of your layered file so you can go back and
make changes anytime you need. n
ALL IMAGES BY DAVID WILLIAMS [5 7 ]

KRISTINASHERK
> Retouching Magic
BLEND MODE MAGIC

Layer blend modes are a great way to experiment with your images to get tons of different effects in
a nondestructive way. The featured image below, which is on my websites home screen, periodically
prompts conversations about the process I used to create the rainbow effect on the lips. Since its been
a while since I created that image, I decided to jump back into the file and rediscover the steps I took
to create this look.
The first thing to do with

any beauty image, especially
macro images, is clean up the
image. My beauty retouching
workflow typically involves
skin smoothing, frequency

separation, and correcting
the skin tone. For this specific
image, it also including touch-
ing up the golden lip color.
[5 8 ]
RETOUCHING MAGIC
Next, I added depth to the finger area, which I thought OK (the thumbnail in the Layers panel will be gray, but you
needed a little more dimension. For my dodging and burn- wont see gray in the document because its set to Soft Light).
ing, I held the Option (PC: Alt) key while clicking the Create On the dodge and burn layer, I used the Brush tool (B) set to
a New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to open black with a low opacity to paint over the fingers, gradually
the New Layer dialog. In the dialog, I named this layer dodge adding shadows and highlights. (In the image below left, I
and burn, set the Mode to Soft Light, turned on the option changed the blend mode on the dodge and burn layer from
to Fill with Soft-Light-Neutral Color (50% Gray), and clicked Soft Light to Normal so you can see the brush strokes.)
THE BLEND MODES

Before we get to the rainbow lips effect and how I got from
the gold to rainbow, Id like to give a brief explanation of
each of the different blend modes. Changing a blend mode
on a layer changes how it interacts with the layer below it.
Adobe Photoshop has 27 different blend modes and these
can be a little confusing, but Adobe has categorized them
into six groups to help clarify them a bit. These categories
and blend modes are:
NORMAL MODES
ormal: Doesnt change the way the active layer

N
Normal Modes effects the underlying layer
issolve: Transparent and partially transparent

D
pixels in an irregular pixelated pattern
Darken Modes
DARKEN MODES
arken: Darker pixels of active layer are

D
Lighten Modes kept in image; lighter pixels turn invisible
ultiply: Multiplies luminance levels of active

M
layer and underlying layer. (Think about what
a photograph would look like if it were printed
with ink on a regular piece of paper; the dark
Contrast Modes
colors would be very wet and dark. This is
the effect this blend mode gives to layers.)
olor Burn: Similar to Multiply but darker and

C
Inversion Modes more saturated
Cancellation Modes inear Burn: Less saturated than Color Burn

L
but still darker than Multiply
arker Color: Close to the Darken mode but

D
Component Modes its applied to the RGB composite channel instead
of individually to the RGB channels
[5 9 ]
HOW TO
LIGHTEN MODES CANCELLATION MODES
ighten: Lighter pixels of active layer are kept in

L ubtract: Subtracts color from active layer from
S
image; darker pixels turn invisible underlying layer; similar colors cancel each other
and become black
creen: Lightens luminance levels of active layer
S
and underlying layer ivide: Divides color from active layer from
D
underlying layer; black stays black
olor Dodge: Similar to Screen mode but brighter,
C
more saturated, and more contrast
COMPONENT MODES
inear Dodge (Add): Adds luminance levels;
L Hue: Adds color and hue from active layer to
less saturated and intense, but brighter than Color underlying layer; luminance and saturation from
Dodge underlying layer
ighter Color: Close to the Lighten mode but
L aturation: Adds saturation from active layer
S
applies to RGB composite channel instead of RGB to underlying layer; hue and luminosity from
channels individually underlying layer
CONTRAST MODES olor: Adds color from active layer to underlying

C
layer; luminance from underlying layer, hue and
verlay: Combines Screen and Multiply. Screen
O saturation from active layer
brightens light pixels and Multiply darkens dark pixels
uminosity: The inverse of Color, adds luminance
L
Soft Light: Similar to Overlay mode but with a from active layer, and hue and saturation from
softer look underlying layer
Hard Light: Combines Linear Dodge on light pixels
and Linear Burn on dark pixels; similar to Overlay but [For even more on blend modes, visit Adobe Help and
with a harder look the PhotoBlogStop.]
ivid Light: Combines Color Dodge on light pixels

V
and Color Burn on dark pixels; more contrast and
TASTE THE RAINBOW
more saturated
Now that we have a basic idea of what each of the modes
inear Light: Close to Vivid Light but combines Lin-
L do, were on to the fun stuff!
ear Dodge and Linear Burn with a more intense effect
Step One: In order to create the rainbow colors on the lips,
in Light: Combines Lighten and Darken blend
P
I needed to start with a clean lips layer, so I pressed Shift-
modes. Lighten works on light pixels and Darken on
Option-Command-E (PC: Shift-Alt-Ctrl-E) to create a merged
the dark pixels and removes all midtones
layer at the top of the layer stack. I started by desaturating the
ard Mix: Converts each channel to black
H normal color from the lips using a Hue/Saturation adjustment
and white, then keeps the darkest shade of red,
green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow. The result
is often very intense highlights, shadows, and
saturated colors
INVERSION MODES
ifference: Subtracts color from either

D
underlying layer from active layer or vice
versa, depending on which is brighter
xclusion: Effect is similar to Difference

E
[6 0 ] but less contrast
RETOUCHING MAGIC
layer (Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Hue Saturation). In the 60% and changed

Properties panel, I pulled the Saturation all the way down the blend mode to
to 100. Then, I created an empty new layer and painted Vivid Light. I also
some funky colors, slightly overlapping each other. You can copied the layer
see that colorful layer, at the bottom of the previous page. mask to the Hue/
Saturation layer to
Step Two: The next step was to apply the rainbow colors remove the black-
only to the lips, so I added a black layer mask (hold down and-white effect from the rest of the image. To copy a layer
Option [PC: Alt] when you click the Add Layer Mask icon mask to another layer, hold the Option (PC: Alt) key, and
[circle in a square] at the bottom of the Layers panel). Once click-and-drag it to the layer to which you want to copy it.
my black mask was created, I painted the lip area of the Since the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer already has a
black mask with white to let the color show through. To get mask by default, Photoshop will ask if you want to replace
the desired effect from this layer, I decreased the Opacity to the mask. Click Yes.
Step Three: The steps to complete the transformation of this

image was to add a few Curves adjustment layers (Layer>New
Adjustment Layer>Curves) to accentuate the highlights and
shadows on the lips, giving them a more three-dimensional
appearance. (Be sure to copy the lips layer mask from one of
the other layers to the Curves adjustment layers.)
Step Four: Then, as with most images that I retouch,

I added a High Pass layer with the blend mode switched
to Soft Light to sharpen the layer. I also desaturated (Shift-
Command-U [PC: Shift-Ctrl-U]) the High Pass layer so as
not to change the colors in the image. To create a High

Pass layer, create another merged copy of the image at
the top of the layer stack using the Shift-Option-Com
mand-E (PC: Shift-Alt-Ctrl-E) shortcut, then go to Filter>
Other>High Pass. [61]
HOW TO
EXPERIMENTING
WITH BLEND MODES
Next, Im going to play around
with a few adjustments to the
lips using other blend modes to
demonstrate some of the differ-
ent looks you can achieve. First,
I created another merged layer at
the top of the layer stack, added
another new Hue/Saturation
layer, set the Hue to 134 in the
Properties panel, and copied the
lip layer mask as described above
from the rainbow color layer to
this new Hue/Saturation layer.
Now that I have the Hue/Sat- Normal
uration layer set up and masked,
I can play around and see what
happens as I switch between
blend modes. Here are the ones
I used: Normal, Darken, Linear
Dodge (Add), Soft Light, Exclu-
sion, Divide, and Hue. (Note: For
some of them, I played around
with the Blend If sliders in the
Layer Style dialog. The sliders
give you even more control over
how the two layers blend with
each other. To access the Blend
If sliders, double-click to the right
of the Hue/Saturation layers
name in the Layers panel. To split
a slider into two parts, Option- Soft Light
click [PC: Alt-click] it. Splitting
sliders will give you smoother
transitions.) Each of the example
images looks significantly differ-
ent, even though they all have
the same Hue/Saturation layer.
Thats the magic of exploring the
different blend modes.
I hope this inspires you to play

around with layer blend modes.
As you can see, they create very
versatile looks. Now get out
there and have some fun with
your images! n
[6 2 ]
Hue
RETOUCHING MAGIC
Linear Dodge (Add)
Exclusion
Divide
Darken [6 3 ]
ALL IMAvvvGES ARE BY KRISTINA SHERK
SCOTTVALENTINE
> Photoshop Proving Ground
USING THE DISPLACEMENT MAP

FOR PARTICLE EFFECTS
Since this issue focuses on special effects, I thought it would be fun to pull out one of Photoshops
more enigmatic tools and breathe some life into it. The most popular use of displacement maps (lets
call them D-maps for short) is to distort and warp one image so it better fits the surface of some object
in another image, such as logos or text on T-shirts, or textures on faces. Its a really easy way to
blend things in a natural way. Lets take things further and build a popular dispersion effect using a
slightly hidden power of D-maps: channels.
The core concept of a D-map is that it uses gray values

to determine from where to copy pixels in your base
image: 50% gray means nothing moves around, while
100% (white) pulls image pixels from one direction, and
0% (black) pulls from the opposite direction. Typical
D-maps are grayscale images, where white on the map
copies from the lower right, and black copies from the
upper left.
Original D-Map Result
3x3 Map showing before/map/after
When you apply a D-map (Filter>Distort>Displace),

you get the following options: To control the Hori-
zontal and Vertical Scales by percentage; a choice of

stretching or tiling the D-map to fit your canvas; and
whether pixels at the edge of your image should be
repeated or taken from the other side (Wrap Around).
To make things more predictable for this article, we
wont be using these options because our map will
be the same size as the original image. The percent-
age values are really handy, but they dont affect the
[6 4 ]
PHOTOSHOP PROVING GROUND
size of the map; they affect where the map reaches out to
your image for pixels.
250% 100% 200% 300%
128 px 256 px 512 px
200% 100% 200% 300%
The grid example is built so that each square is 128 px,

and its done on purpose because D-maps evaluate gray
128 px 256 px 512 px
value as distance away from zero. White and black mean
Go 128 px away, grab a copy of the pixel there, and bring it
100% 100% 200% 300%
back here. Being in the middle, 50% gray doesnt go any
distance away; it samples from and copies to right where
it is. When you apply a percentage value in the Displace dia-
log, youre changing the distance of the sample, but not the
placement. Applying 200% in both vertical and horizontal
directions means a white pixel on the map reaches out 256
128 px 256 px 512 px
pixels down and to the right; 50% pulls from only 64 pixels
away. You can also use negative values, and different values
50% 100% 200% 300%
in each of the horizontal and vertical fields. This example
uses the same map applied at different horizontal values.
Its important to point out that the values used by the
D-map are fixed pixel values, not scaled, which means that
with larger documents you need to adjust the percent values
to get more displacement. (Note: D-maps only work with 128 px 256 px 512 px
8-bit RGB or Grayscale images. In the following example, my
base image is 8-bit, but if it were 16-bit, Id have to convert
0% 100% 200% 300%
my D-map to 8-bit before applying it.)
D-MAPS AND CHANNELS

Now theres one more thing to know before we can really
do some cool stuff. D-maps use channel information, not

just gray values. The Red channel works horizontally, and the 128 px 256 px 512 px
Green channel works vertically. On the Red channel, white
pulls from right to left, and on the Green channel, white pulls Examples of 50, 100, 200, 250, and 300 percent displacement
[6 5 ]
COLUMN
Expanded Original Squeezed

Scott Valentine
Linear grad D-map and result
from bottom to top. The third channel is not used, which is why its
Adobe Stock/Alexander Y
blue. (Ha ha! Well, I thought it was funny.) Anyway, use the Blue
channel to make notes or sketch boundaries when you get to really
detailed D-maps, but for now well ignore it.
Theres an interesting gotcha using channels, though. Remember
that channels get blended together, so if you paint with pure RGB red
on a regular layer, the Red channel gets pure white, but the Green and
Blue channels get black, and that will affect our D-map! The way around
this is to work directly on each channel independently. If I open a docu-
ment with a single layer filled with 50% gray (see images above), I can
go directly to the Red channel and apply a black to white linear gradient
from right to left, and on the Green channel from bottom to top. The
result will look expanded. Reversing that causes everything to squish.
CREATING THE DISPERSION EFFECT

We now have everything we need to start making a dispersion effect.
Im using this dancer from Adobe Stock because it has a relatively uni-
form background and will make things much easier to see. To obtain
the stock image used in this exercise so you can follow along, add
it directly to your Libraries panel (Window>Libraries) by clicking on
the link for the image on the next page. When the Adobe Stock
webpage opens, make sure youre logged in to your Adobe account,
then to the right of the image, youll see the option to Save Preview to
My Library (you can click on My Library to select a different library or
[6 6 ] Original
download option). Click on the cloud-with-an-arrow icon, [KelbyOne members may download the brushes used
and the preview image will automatically be downloaded in this tutorial at http://kelbyone.com/magazine. Simply
to your Libraries panel in Photoshop. Double-click the double-click the .abr file to load the brushes into Photoshop.
image in the Libraries panel to open it. Youll find them at the bottom of the Brush Presets panel
(Window>Brush Presets).]
the dancer
Step Two: Right-click on the brushed layer in the Layers

Step One: In order to work more accurately, I like to paint
panel, and choose Duplicate>Layer. In the dialog that opens,
my basic D-map into a blank layer above my image by click-
select New in the Document drop-down menu, and click OK.
ing on the Create a New Layer icon at the bottom of the Lay-
ers panel. Select the Brush tool (B) and make sure your Fore- In the new document, click the Create a New Layer icon,
ground/Background swatches at the bottom of the Toolbar and drag this new layer below the brushed layer in the
are set to the default Black/White by pressing the D key on Layers panel. Fill this layer using Edit>Fill. In the Fill dialog,
your keyboard. In the Brush panel (Window>Brush) use the set Contents to 50% Gray, and click OK.
Spatter brushes at 100% Opacity around the subject, reduc-
ing Opacity (to about 30%) and Size (using the Left Bracket Step Three: Still in the new document, click on the
key on your keyboard) as you get closer to the subject. I used brushed layer to make it active, then open the Channels
black here to make it more visible, but well change that in panel (Window>Channels). Select the Blue channel, and
the map itself. fill it with 50% gray.
Brushed layer D-map showing brushed layer over 50% gray [6 7 ]

COLUMN
Step Four: Click on the Red channel and press G to load the Gradient
tool. Click on the gradient preview thumbnail in the Options Bar and
choose the Foreground to Background preset (the first one), and then
choose the Linear Gradient icon in the Options Bar. Press D to set Black/
White as your Foreground/Background colors. Drag from the right edge
of the canvas to the left, which will fill the brushed marks with the gradi-
ent, but wont affect the transparency.
Step Five: Repeat the gradient on the Green channel, but drag from the
lower right to the upper left.
Step Six: Click the RGB composite channel, and check out the colors.
Step Seven: Save this file, which is your map, next to your base image in
the Finder (PC: Windows Explorer). I like to use the same name as the base,
but with _DMap at the end, so Photo.psd becomes Photo_DMap.psd.
D-map Red channel

[6 8 ] D-map Green channel D-map composite (RGB)

Final image Final variation
Step Eight: Back in the original image of the dancer, turn Step 10: Repeating the same displacement (Control-
off the visibility of the brushed layer by clicking on its Eye Command-F, [PC: Ctrl-Alt-F]) two more times yields the
icon in the Layers panel, and then duplicate the Background Final Variation image above.
layer (Command-J [PC: Ctrl-J]). With the Background copy
active, choose Filter>Distort>Displace. Ensure the Scale per- Some things to note: The process is destructive, so work on
cent values are 100%, and then click OK. Navigate to the duplicate layers. If you create multiple duplicates of your
DMap you just saved, and click Open. Background, then apply the D-map to each, at different
percent displacements, you can selectively blend them
Step Nine: Turn on the brushed layer on and off to com- with masks. Also, because of the nature of D-maps, youre
pare the map with the results. Not every brush mark you likely to get pixelated edges.
made will be filled with pixels from the subject, so you may Finally, remember that the gray values of your map
have to Undo the filter (Command-Z [PC: Ctrl-Z]) and try represent specific pixel distances. The pixel dimensions of
again with larger percent values. Alternatively, you can your document will affect the apparent movement of your
simply repeat the filter, but I recommend starting with the D-map, so experiment with the percent values.
largest percent displacement and working down to smaller As always, be sure to share what you come up with,
values. Voil! Particle displacement! especially on the new KelbyOne Community forums! n
[6 9 ]
By Corey Barker
Tips & Tricks for Creating Special Effects for Your Images
I have to admit that I grappled with how I was going to approach

this feature on finishing effects. I was going to discuss the theory
behind finishing effects, and cite examples, but then I realized
that approach would just leave you wanting to know how to
create those effects. I decided that, since this is a magazine on
Photoshop techniques, Id give you just that: a collection of some
of my go-to finishing effects that I use every day. Youll be amazed
how adding a few simple little touches can be the cherry on top
of your composites.
Once you go through the steps in this article, youll have the tools
to experiment with new effects that you can add to your library
and use right away. Before we go into the techniques, Id like to
discuss briefly the world of finishing effects.
[70]
Look at it this way. When a house is built, it Fortunately, most of us arent designing
starts with an architect who creates the origi- feature film posters (though some of us would
nal concept, followed by someone who builds like to), nor do we have to endure a drawn-out
that design, and finally someone comes in at the review process; however, we can take advantage
end to paint and landscape to make the final of some of the techniques that finishers use to add
house presentable. In entertainment design, pizzazz to our own work. It just might be the thing
such as a movie poster, the concept is presented that makes the difference in getting that next job.
by the art director, a designer creates the initial (Trust me, because this has happened to me.)
concept, and then the finisher adds the final So, in this article, well explore some finishing
effects. Theres even an entire industry built effects I developed over the years that owe their
around designers who only do finishing effects. existence to other effects I learned from other
You know those posters you see in theaters? designers. Once you understand how an effect
Thats the result of a long process of concept works, you can play around with other ways to
and approval at numerous levels until it reaches use it, which leads to discovering a whole new
the finisher, and even then it goes through the world of effects. I encourage you to experiment
wringer a few more times before you have the with the following tips to come up with your own
final movie poster. effects. So enough chitchat; lets get into it!
Real-World
Examples
If youre curious
to see some incredible
finishing work, visit
BLT Communications,
one of the premiere
agencies for feature
film design. Check out
their site and youll see
a lot of work done for
some of the biggest
feature films ever. I visit

this site often to see whats
new, and to get inspired.
[7 1 ]
Brushes & Layer Styles Are Always
There When You Need Them!
Before we get into the techniques, lets talk
about a couple of key features you should get
familiar with if you want to get the most out
of custom finishing effects: brushes and layer
styles. You may be saying to yourself that you
already know how to use brushes and layer
styles, but do you really? Have you exhausted all
thats possible with these two facets of Photo-
shop? Ive been using both features since they
first arrived in Photoshop, and Im still discover-
ing amazing things to this day.
The trick is to look beyond what theyre
called and concentrate on what they do. This
always reminds me of one my favorite quotes
from the movie Apollo 13 in which Ed Harriss
character says, I dont care what anything was
designed to do; I care about what it can do.
So look beyond what something was designed
to do and play with all the settings to see what
it can do. Youll be amazed at what you can
achieve with just layer styles when you com-
bine, mix, blend, and vary the settings. Yes,
many of these features were designed by engi-
neers for a very specific function, but you have
to look at these features as an artist. They go
way beyond what they were engineered for. Its
up to you to discover those possibilities. I hope
these tricks give you a good start.
[72]
Create a Custom Particle Brush
Lets do a couple of exercises to help you think
differently when it comes to using brushes and
layer styles. These are finishing effects I use
often, and once you follow through these steps,
not only will you have a better understanding
of custom brushes, but youll also have a cool
particle brush you can use right away.
Step One: Start by creating a new 1000x1000

pixel document at 100 ppi.
Step Two: Press D to set the Foreground/

Background colors to their default black/white,
and then go to the Filter menu, to Noise, and
choose Add Noise. Set the amount to 400%,
Distribution to Gaussian, and check on Mono-
chromatic. Click OK.
Step Three
Step Three: Go under the Filter menu to Blur
and choose Gaussian Blur. Set the Radius to
3 Pixels and click OK.
Step Four: Now open Levels by pressing

Command-L (PC: Ctrl-L). Push the highlight and
shadow sliders below the histogram toward the
center to where they almost touch. The closer
they get, the more contrast youll see in the
noise in the image. Here you can see that push-

ing the sliders to the right of center spaces out
the particles even more. Click OK when you get
the amount you like.
[73]
Step Five: Press Command-I (PC: Ctrl-I) to
invert the image, making the particles black
and gray and the background white.
Step Six: Select the Gradient tool (G), and in

the Options Bar, click on the gradient preview
strip to open the Gradient Editor. Choose the
Foreground to Transparent preset and click OK.
Select the Linear Gradient icon in the Options
Bar. Press D then X to set the Foreground color
to white. Proceed to draw a gradient from each
side of the image toward the center of the can-
vas to fade the edges of the particle effect.
Step Five
Step Six
Step Eight
Step Seven Step Seven: Press Shift-Delete (PC: Shift-

Backspace) to open the Fill dialog. Set the Con-
tents to Black and Mode to Overlay. Click OK.
This will darken the lighter particles that remain.
Step Eight: Go under the Edit menu and

choose Define Brush Preset. Name the new
brush when prompted, and click OK.
Step Nine: With your brush defined, lets

change its behavior. Select the Brush tool (B) in

the Toolbar and your new brush should already
be selected. If not, just click on the Brush Preset
Step Nine
Picker in the Options Bar and locate the brush
at the bottom of the list of brushes. Open the
Brush panel (Window>Brush) and click on
Brush Tip Shape. Go to the bottom of the panel
and increase the Spacing to around 25%.
[74]
Step 10: Click on Shape Dynamics to acti-
vate it and set both the Size Jitter and Angle
Jitter to 100%. Also check on both Flip X
Jitter and Flip Y Jitter near the bottom for
more randomization.
Step 11: Finally, activate Transfer and set the

Opacity Jitter to 100%.
Now just paint on your image to add ran-
dom particles. Use the Bracket keys on your
keyboard to change the brush Size for larger or
smaller particles. Also play with different colors.
Set the brush to white for snow or black for
dust and dirt effects. Step 10 Step 11
Adobe Stock/alonesdj
[7 5 ]
But why stop there? You know those cool-
looking, slightly blurred spark elements you see
in movie posters? This brush, combined with
layer styles, can achieve this easily. First, turn
off the Shape Dynamics and Transfer options
in the Brush panel, and make the brush a fairly
large Size, about the width of the document.
Add a new layer and click once to add one
instance of the brush. Activate the Warp fea-
ture under the Edit>Transform menu and use
the grid to manually stretch the particles,
resulting in a sense of movement. Press Enter
Corey Barker
to commit the Warp.

Finally, go to Layer>Layer Style>Inner Glow
and play with the settings to turn the particles
yellow, then click on the Outer Glow option in
the list of Styles on the left of the Layer Style
dialog, and play with the settings to create
a darker orange glow around each particle.
Position the particles in the image. Done!
This demonstrates how the discovery of one
effect can lead to another. Youre essentially
being inspired by your own work. Weird but
cool! Lets move on.
[76]
Custom Lens Flares
Adobe Stock/rybindmitriy
One of my favorite brushes is the flare brush.
A flare is a great finishing effect when the
occasion calls for it. Remember theres no need
to add a flare just because you can, but its nice
to have some lens flares at the ready when you
need them. So heres how to create your own:
Step One
Step One: Find an image of a lens flare on a
stock site or even do a Google image search for
anamorphic flares. Doing the latter is more of a
gamble, as theres no guarantee that the image
will be a usable size. You want an image thats
at least 1000 pixels at its widest dimension.
Normally, flares will be on a black background.
Step Two: Open the image in Photoshop and Step Two

remove the color by pressing Shift-Command-
U (PC: Shift-Ctrl-U).
Step Three: Open Levels by pressing Com-

mand-L (PC: Ctrl-L) and click on the left
eyedropper in the group of three eyedrop-
pers. This eyedropper sets the black point in
your image. Click on the background some-
where close to the flare itself and click OK. Step Three
This will convert some of the areas around
the flare to black. Now press Command-I
(PC: Ctrl-I) to invert the image, making the
flare black on a white background.
When defining a brush, Photoshop reads
black as opaque, gray areas as semi-transparent,
Step Four
and white areas as completely transparent. This
means the background needs to be pure white.
You can use Levels once again to push the high-
lights up a little to convert areas that you dont
want included in the brush to pure white.
Step Four: Now just go under the Edit menu

and choose Define Brush Preset. Name the brush
and click OK. Voil! You have a flare brush.
Add a new blank layer to your image, press
D then X to set the Foreground color to white,
and click once with the Brush tool to add a

flare anywhere you want. Dont forget to add
an Outer Glow layer style to match the flare to
the color in the scene.
[7 7 ]
A Simple 3D Trick
While there are myriad cool things you can do
with 3D in Photoshop, heres a cool little trick
you can do with the flare brush we just created.
Again, this demonstrates how one effect can
build on another.
Step One: Start by creating a new 1500x1500

pixel document at 100 ppi. In the New Docu-
ment dialog, set the Background Contents to
Black and click OK.
Step Two: Create a new blank layer, switch to

the Brush tool (B), and select the flare brush we
just created. Use the Bracket keys on your key-
board to size the brush to about two-thirds the
width of the document. Press D then X to set
the Foreground color to white, and then dab a
few instances at the bottom area of the canvas.
Step Three: Go under the Filter menu to

Distort and choose Polar Coordinates. Make
sure Rectangular to Polar is selected and click
OK. Youll see the flare turn into a circular flare.
[78]
Step Four: Go to the 3D menu to New Mesh
from Layer and choose Postcard. You wont see
any change other than the fact that the circular
flare is now in 3D space.
Switch to the Move tool (V), and in the
Options Bar, choose the Orbit the 3D Camera
tool in the 3D Mode section.
Step Five: Open the 3D panel located under

the Window menu and make sure Current
View is selected. Then, just click on the canvas
and drag to change the angle of the flare.
Step Six: You can also add a layer style to

a 3D layer in the same way as a regular layer.
For this effect, go to Layer>Layer Style>Outer
Glow, and experiment with the settings. click
OK to close the dialog.
[79]
Heres an example where I used
Adobe Stock/Scree Graphics: d1sk; Woman: Studio Kwadrat
this very effect on a movie-poster

design as a special light effect.
I even added a Drop Shadow
layer style. In the Layer Style dia-
log, I set the Drop Shadow to a
light color, the Opacity to less
than 10%, and the Blend Mode
to Dissolve, yes Dissolve. This cre-
ated the effect of small particles
around the glowing flares.
Be sure to experiment with
different types of flares and
glow colors. These can be eas-
ily catered to your images. You
can also get extremely dramatic
angles by modifying the Camera
settings in the Properties panel
(Window>Properties).
[8 0 ]
PixelSquid/3d_molier
HDR Toning: A Different Use
Now I want to tell you about what has become my secret sauce for
finishing a composite. It involves using the HDR Toning feature but in a
way for which it wasnt necessarily designed. But then again, how many
great things in history owe their discovery to venturing outside the box.
So if you have a composite image comprised of multiple layers of images,
graphics, and effects, this effect will help unify the overall look, while
adding some overall contrast.
Step One: HDR Toning wont work on a layered document, so youll

need to flatten the image; however, you dont want to flatten your work-
ing image. So instead, go under the Image menu, choose Duplicate, and
click OK to create a copy of the composite. Now you can go under the
Layer menu and choose Flatten Image.
Step Two: Once the image is flattened, go under the Image menu to
Adjustments and choose HDR Toning.
Step Three: Go to the bottom of the HDR Toning dialog and set the
Saturation to 100% to remove all the color, as it will tend to muddy
the image with oversaturation. Since this will be an overlay, it doesnt
need color.
Step Four: Go up to the Tone & Detail section and increase the Detail
amount. This tends to brighten the image a little too much in some
areas, so dial down the Exposure slider a little to compensate for this.
Depending on the image, you can also increase the Gamma a little to
soften the highlights.
[81]
Step Five: Next, go to the Edge Glow section
and check on Smooth Edges. Then, nudge the
Radius and Strength sliders a little to the right,
depending on how strong an effect you want.
Click OK when done.
Step Six: Using the Move tool (V), hold the

Shift key and drag-and-drop this image back
into the original layered file. The Shift key will
center the HDR image, aligning it with the
original image. Drag the HDR toned layer to
the top of the layer stack. Set the layer blend
mode in the Layers panel to Soft Light and
drop the layer Opacity to 50%.
You can, of course, try other blend modes,
depending on the image. Remember that every
image will react differently to this effect, so
think of this example as a springboard to get
you started. Experiment with various settings to
get a better idea of how they work, and this will
open even more creative possibilities.
[8 2 ]
A Final Word Regarding Textures
Adobe Stock/Militiaman: Mark J. Grenier; U.S. Flag: Daniel Thornberg; Declaration of Independence: lawcain; Parchment: Scisetti Alfio; Map: Sergey Kamshylin
Another secret weapon for finishing effects is
textures. Youll benefit tremendously by build-
ing your own library of textures either by taking
pictures of them yourself or purchasing stock
images. As you start using textures, youll discover
that there are some youll use over and over. Since
textures are abstract, you can use them in variety
of ways.
You can use them as a simple texture overlay to
add some grit to a photo, or you can define them as
patterns and then apply them as a layer style, which
you can then combine with other layer styles to cre-
ate a whole new look. You can turn a texture into
a custom brush and paint an effect on a layer, then
add a layer style to that layer, and apply the original
texture as part of the layer style. Oh yeah, you know
what Im talking about!
The point is that textures can play a key role
in finishing an image. Just look at composites and
even movie posters; some have very obvious tex-
ture effects, while others tend to be subtler. Like the
HDR Toning effect, textures have a tendency to help
unify all of the elements in the composite. In fact,
you can think of the HDR Toning effect as a custom
texture created from the image. How about if you
ran the HDR Toning effect on an image of texture?
Ive actually done this, and it does a great job
Adobe Stock/snaptitude
of pulling gritty detail from a texture you didnt
even know was there. Many would never think of
applying an HDR effect to a texture, but its that
kind of thinking that prevents people from discov-
ering what lies on the other side. All you have to
do is try it! (Check out my Down & Dirty Tricks
tutorial to see some of these techniques in a step-
by-step poster project on page 20.)
I hope youve been inspired to look beyond the

obvious and endeavor to expand your special effects
skill set, and that when it comes to special effects in
Photoshop, you wont be so much concerned with
what a feature or tool was designed to do, but what
you can do with it. n
[8 3 ]
DAVECLAYTON
> Designing in Photoshop
WORKING WITH TYPE IN PHOTOSHOP

Using Photoshop for creating graphic design projects is really simple. If you dont have InDesign but
you want to create content with lots of text, then heres a few type tips you can use in Photoshop
to give you more control over your type options. Photoshop has many great type effect options but
these few tricks may help your workflow and keep you creating!
1. CONVERT POINT TEXT
Adobe Stock/sborisov
TO PARAGRAPH TEXT
AND VICE VERSA
There are two ways to add text in
Photoshop: point or paragraph
text. If you simply click on the can-
vas with the Type tool (T) and start
typing, then youll create point
type; but if you click-and-drag out
a frame for your text, youll create
paragraph text. Point text will stay
on the same line until you press
the Return key; paragraph text
will wrap to the next line when it
hits the edge of the frame. Both
of these are useful, and the good
news is that you can always change
them later. You can convert a point
text into paragraph text and vice
versa at any time using the Convert
to Paragraph/Point Text option in
the Type menu. This option will be
grayed out if you have your cursor
inserted in the text, so commit the
type first before making the switch.
The same applies to converting
horizontal and vertical text, which
can be created with either the Hori-
zontal or Vertical Type tools found
in the Toolbar. To convert them,
look for the Toggle Text Orientation

icon on the left side of the Options
Bar. Its the T with an arrow point-
ing down on the left and an arrow
pointing to the right below it. You
can also go to Type>Orientation.
With horizontal or vertical type, its
okay to have the cursor inserted in
[8 4 ] the text before you convert it.
DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP
2. C
ONVERT TEXT TO SHAPE FOR CUSTOM TEXT (LIKE ILLUSTRATOR)
Converting a text layer into a vector shape layer means to Shape. This is usually done to create a type effect, such
that youll no longer be able to edit the text; but youll as a logo mark. Using the Direct Selection tool, drag points
be able to use the Direct Selection tool (A) and the Path to manipulate the text shapes, elongating or shortening
Selection tool to make custom modifications to the parts of the letters. You can marquee over two corner
characters. Keep in mind this conversion cant be reversed. points to select them and use the Up or Down Arrow keys
You can either Right-click your text layer in the Layers to elongate or shorten that part of the letter.
panel and choose Convert to Shape, or go to Type>Convert
3. A PPLY NONDESTRUCTIVE FILTERS TO LIVE TEXT

Turning a text layer into a smart object will keep the text ask if youd like to Rasterize the text or Convert to Smart
editable inside the smart object, and it will allow you to Object. If you want to change the text without having to
apply filters nondestructively to the text. Any filters will be reapply the effects, just double-click the thumbnail of the
added as smart filters, making it easy to revert or change text smart object in the Layers panel. This will open a tem-
the text. To convert the text to a smart object, just Right- porary file with your text. Change the text, close and save
click on the layers name in the Layers panel and select the temporary document, and when you return to the PSD
Convert to Smart Object. But even if you forget to convert file, youll see the changes apply to the text but the effects
the text before you select a filter, Photoshop will politely are still the same. [8 5 ]
HOW TO
4. QUICKLY DISTORT OR
CHANGE THE SIZE OF
LIVE TEXT
Whether youve set point text or
paragraph text, you can distort the
text and still have live, editable text.
With your type cursor inserted in
the text, press-and-hold the Com-
mand (PC: Ctrl) key, and youll see
a Free Transform-like bounding box
appear around the text. If you hover
the cursor below any point of the
bounding box until it changes to
a white arrow, you can click-and-
drag to skew the text box to how
you want it. All the text inside will
remain editable.
Sometimes the obvious tips are
still unknown! You can also click-
and-drag any point to resize the text
(hold the Shift key to maintain pro-
portions). You can check this in the
Character panel or Options Bar to
see that the point size has changed.
Plus, you can click-and-drag any-
where outside the bounding box
to rotate the text. (Note: With para-
graph text, you dont have to hold
the Command [PC: Ctrl] key to
rotate the text.)
[8 6 ]
5. C
HARACTER AND PARAGRAPH STYLES
Character and paragraph styles can save you a lot of time depending on which panel youre in. You can now apply
when you need to use the same styling of text in the same the character styles to any selected part of your text, but
Photoshop document. You can find both panels under applying paragraph styles will affect the whole paragraph.
the Window menu. Once youve formatted your text the You can experiment with mixing the two types of styles
way you want, click on the flyout menu of either panel together. You can also double-click the name of the styles
and select New Paragraph Style or New Character Style, in the panels to edit them.
6. CHANGE COLOR OF TEXT

To change the color of your text to a color from your image, If you then wanted to change a single word or a selec-
just click on the Foreground color swatch near the bottom tion of words within that text to a different color to highlight
of the Toolbar, click a color in the image to sample it, and something, you can set the Background color the same way
click OK to make it the Foreground color. Then, select the by clicking its swatch in the Toolbar. Highlight the specific
text you want to change with the Type tool, or double-click piece of text you want to change and then use Command-
the T in the Layers panel to select all text, and then use the Delete (PC: Ctrl-Backspace) to make it the Background color.
shortcut of Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to change the
text to the Foreground color. [8 7 ]
HOW TO
7. EDIT MULTIPLE TYPE LAYERS

AT THE SAME TIME
You can change the font family, font size, or
color of multiple type layers at once by simply
selecting all the text layers that you want to
change in the Layers panel (Shift-click to select
contiguous layers; Command-click [PC: Ctrl-
click] to select non-contiguous layers). Then,
simply make the adjustments in the Options
Bar or Character panel.
8. TRANSFORM TEXT INSTANTLY

(BOLD, ITALICS, UNDERLINING,
ALL CAPS TRANSFORMING, ETC.)
If you want to change the style of the text
quickly, you can either choose the font fam-
ily options in the Options Bar, or in the Char-
acter panel you have a line of icons which
allow you to bold, italicize, make all caps,
underline, strikethrough, and some other
options. Be aware, however, that the bold
and italic options in this section are referred
to as faux because Photoshop is faking
these attributes.
9. T
YPE ON A PATH:
LOGO STYLE EFFECTS
Start by creating a path. In this instance, use
the Ellipse tool (press Shift-U until you see it
in the Toolbar), set it to Path in the Options
Bar, and hold the Shift key as you drag out
the path to create a perfect circle. Now select
the Type tool (T). Hover the cursor over the
outside of the circle, and youll see a wavy
line appear, which means you can start
typing on the outside of the shape. You can
change the font, size, color, etc. You can also

drag the type around the shape with the Path
Selection tool (A). This is great for making
logos in Photoshop.
Plus, you can use the Path Selection tool to
drag the type to the inside of the circle. You
may need to change the tracking (spacing)
between the letters in the Character panel to
[8 8 ] unsquish the text.
10. CHECK SPELLING

With the Type tool active, Right-click on the
type and choose Check Spelling. The Check
Spelling dialog will find misspelled words and
give you the option to change them, along
with suggestions for the correct spelling.
You can change single instances of a word,
all instances of a word, or just completely
ignore changing it altogether. If only more
people would do this. Better yet, get your
work proofread!
11. FIND AND REPLACE

Go to the Edit menu and choose Find and
Replace Text. Type in the word you want to
change and then type the word with which
you want to replace it. Click Change All and
it will change all instances of that word.
12. CHANGE FONT PREVIEW SIZE

You can change the size of the font previews
in the font drop-down menus in both the
Options Bar and Character panel. Make sure
that you dont have the cursor inserted in
any text, and go to Type>Font Preview Size
and select the size for your preview (Medium
is the default). The larger you set the pre-
view, the more memory youll use.
[8 9 ]
HOW TO
13. PLACE AN IMAGE INSIDE TEXT

Its really easy to place an image inside live text. Just type your the cursor between the two layers until a small square with
text and then place a suitable image directly above the text a downward arrow appears, and click. This not only clips the
layer. Position the image over the text to make sure it covers it. image inside the text but it also allows you to change the text
In the Layers panel, hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key, hover and move the image around inside the text.
14. USEFUL
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS TO EDIT TEXT
What better way to end this article than with a bunch of useful shortcuts to edit text quickly in Photoshop?
J ump between words: Command-Left or Right lignment: Shift-Command-L (PC: Shift-Ctrl-L) for
A
Arrow (PC: Ctrl-Left or Right Arrow) Left, R for Right, C for Center, and J for Justify
J ump between paragraphs: Command-Up or ll Caps: Select text and press Command-Shift-K
A
Down Arrow (PC: Ctrl-Up or Down Arrow) (PC: Ctrl-Shift-K)
Select characters: Shift-Left or Right Arrow erning/Tracking: Insert cursor between two
K
letters and press Option-Left or Right Arrow (PC:
elect words: Command-Shift-Left or Right Arrow
S
Alt-Left or Right Arrow) to change kerning; select an
(PC: Ctrl-Shift-Left or Right Arrow)
entire word or words to change the tracking.
Select lines: Shift-Up or Down Arrow eading: Select at least one line of text and
L
elect paragraphs: Command-Shift-Up or Down
S press Option-Up or Down Arrow (PC: Alt-Up or
Arrow (PC: Ctrl-Shift-Up or Down Arrow) Down Arrow)
elect by clicking: Two fast clicks will select a

S aseline Shift: Select at least one letter and press
B
word, three fast clicks will select a line, and four fast Option-Shift-Up or Down Arrow (PC: Alt-Shift-Up or
clicks will select a paragraph Down Arrow)
elect or Deselect all: Command-A (PC: Ctrl-A)

S tart typing on new layer in Photoshop:
S
or ESC, respectively Make sure your type cursor isnt inserted anywhere
in a current type layer and Shift-click in the document
tyles: Command-Shift-I (PC: Ctrl-Shift-I) for Italic,
S window with the Type tool (T)
-B for Bold, -U for Underlined
pecify size of text frame in Photoshop:
S
ize: Command-Shift-. (PC: Ctrl-Shift-.) to make
S Option-click (PC: Alt-click) in the document window
it larger; use the Comma key instead of the Period with the Type tool. n
to make it smaller; include Option (PC: Alt) for
[9 0 ] larger changes
#KelbyOneBooks
Youve Updated Photoshop ,
Now Update Your Photo Editing Skills!
The photographers workflow in Photoshop has evolved greatly over time, and in the latest
edition of The Adobe Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers (2017 Release) by Scott Kelby,
youll wind up doing a lot of your processing and editing in Photoshops Adobe Camera Raw
(whether you shoot in RAW, JPEG or TIFFit works for all three). Thats because, for years
now, Adobe has been adding most of Photoshops new features for photography directly into
Camera Raw itself. Since todays photography workflow in Photoshop is based around Camera
Raw, nearly half of this book is about mastering Camera Raw like a pro. If youre ready to learn
all the tricks of the tradethe same ones that todays leading pros use to correct, edit,
retouch, and sharpen their workthen this is the book that will get you up to speed!
fuel for creativity

COLINSMITH
> Photoshop Tips
BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY & CREATIVITY
Its my favorite time, time for more tips. I mean its always time for tips, right? Because they save
you time. Okay, enough of the bad jokes. Whats not bad, though, is this nice collection of Photoshop
tips. Enjoy!
CLIPPING IN LEVELS NONDESTRUCTIVE HEALING

When youre adjusting the brightness of a photo, theres The Spot Healing Brush tool (J) and the Healing Brush tool
a point where the image clips. Clipping means that have revolutionized retouching because theyre so easy to
brights become 100% white with no visible detail, and the use. Heres a little tip: Dont heal directly on your photo or
darks become 100% black with no detail. As a rule, you image layer. Instead, create a new blank layer on top of the
should avoid clipping your images. When youre making a layer stack and name it healing. By doing all your healing
Curves adjustment, if you hold down the Option (PC: Alt) work on that layer, its easy to undo or edit corrections later.
key while moving either the white or black triangle below The trick to healing on a blank layer is to make sure you turn
the curve, your image will show only the areas that are on the Sample All Layers option in the Options Bar, or youll
clipping. This clipping preview helps you to avoid over be healing nothing.
correcting or clipping details in your photographs.
WHATS THE STUFF AT THE TOP MEAN?
ESCAPE COMMITMENT ON YOUR TYPE Have you ever looked at the top of your Photoshop docu
When youre applying type, you need to apply or commit ment, saw something like Untitled-1 @100% (RGB/8)*,
the type. Enter commits the text. (You may have inadver and wondered what it all means? Well, the first part is the
tently found that hitting the Return key starts a new line.) filename and the @ symbol followed by a percentage is the
You can also apply your text by clicking the checkmark in
the Options Bar, or choosing a different tool in the Toolbar.
You can also use the ESC key to apply your text. The first
time you use the ESC key with text, Photoshop brings up
a dialog asking if youd like to use the ESC key to commit
text or cancel the text entry. Choose Commit Text. If youre
creating a design with a lot of text, this is a good option to
use. You can always change it later in Preferences by going
to Photoshop CC (PC: Edit)>Preferences>Type and turning
off the Use Esc Key to Commit Text option.
RELEASE THE BACKGROUND

There are certain things that require you to convert the back
ground into a regular, editable, floating layer, such as add magnification level youre currently viewing. This is impor
ing masks, smart objects, etc. There have been many ways tant because you always want to be at 100% when retouch
of doing this in the past, such as Option-double-clicking (PC: ing or sharpening. The term (RGB/8) means that youre in
Alt-double-clicking) the Background layers thumbnail. Now, RGB color mode and working in 8 bits per channel. And
theres an even faster way (its actually been there for a cou the last part, the *, is really important. This means that
ple of years now). Simply click the padlock to the far right there are some changes to the document that are unsaved.
of the Background layer in the Layers panel and, voil, you Bonus, if youre working on a layer or mask, it will also dis
now have a floating layer. What about changing it back to play which layer or mask is currently active; for example, if
a background? (Huh?) Just choose Layer>New>Layer from youre working on a mask on Layer 1, youll see (Layer 1,
Background. There you goround trip! Layer Mask RGB/8).
[9 2 ]
PHOTOSHOP TIPS
CURVES IN COLOR (RGB OPTIONS)

You may have discovered that Curves are the best way to all of this for you, including the math, and you dont have to
target specific tones in your image. Theyre very powerful drag out a single guide. Sound promising? Go to View>New
and let you make very precise adjustments. What some Guide Layout. Choose a preset, or enter the number of
people dont realize is that Curves can also be used for very Columns and Rows you want, as well as Gutters (spacing
specific color adjustments too. Where it says RGB (or CMYK between rows or columns) and margins. When you do this,
in CMYK mode), you can choose the specific color channel: dont forget to save it as a preset, so that you can reuse
Red, Green, or Blue (or Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, or Black). these settings in the future. Just select Save Preset from the
Once youve chosen one of those options, you can use Preset drop-down menu at the top of the dialog.
curves in the same way as usual, but now youll be adjusting
the specific colors in the tonal range of your choosing. RESHAPING A PATH
There are lots of ways to make paths in Photoshop, but the
CHANNELS IN COLOR most flexible way is by using the Pen tool (P). Sometimes
Why are your channels (Window>Channels) always dis you may want to resize your path, or reshape it slightly. It
played in black and white? Arent they supposed to be in would be very painful to watch someone drag each point
color? Well, yes, they are color; however, Photoshop displays individually, or even select and drag multiple points. It
them as grayscale to make it easier to see the pixels and would be even more painful to do this yourself, knowing
the effects of your masking and other work. White means theres a better way. Heres how: Choose your path with
more density on that channel, while black is the absence of the Path Selection tool (A). Tap Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) for
that color (unless youre in CMYK, then its the opposite). Free Transform. Now you can use Free Transform to scale
If you like, you can display your channels in color. Go to or rotate your path. Right-click, and all your transforming
Photoshop CC (PC: Edit)>Preferences>Interface. Near the friends are there too, including Skew, Distort, and even
bottom of the dialog, under Options, youll see a box that Warp. Whaaa? Free Transform works on paths? I didnt
says Show Channels in Color. Guess what? (You already know that, you say. Yeah, you can also transform selec
guessed, didnt you?) Check that box and you can view the tions (Select>Transform Selection)try it. n
channels in color in the Channels panel. You dont even
have to restart Photoshop to see these changes.
THE OLD NEW DOCUMENT WINDOW

When youre creating a new document (File>New) in Photo
shop, youve probably noticed the new giant New Document
dialog that pops up, which is packed with useful presets and
templates. You may love this new dialog, or you may not. If
you dont like it, the good news is that you can make Photo
shop work like it used to. All you need do is go to Photoshop
CC (PC: Edit)>Preferences>General, and check the box that
says Use Legacy New Document Interface.
MAKING GUIDES
Guides are a pain. I mean, theyre really useful, but theyre a
pain to set up. Say you want three columns: First, you have
to divide the page into thirds, but what if you want to add a
little margin around the edges? Wait, youll need a calcula
tor for this. Stop the madness! You can make Photoshop do
ALL IMAGES BY COLIN SMITH [9 3 ]
JAKEWIDMAN
> Design Makeover
CLIENT
Evas Phoenix
www.evas.ca
home design
[before] Evas Phoenix is one of three facilities operated by Evas
Initiatives for Homeless Youth in Toronto, Canada. The
organization is named for Eva Maud Smith, an immi-
grant from Jamaica who worked as an educator and
youth worker. In those roles, she saw the challenges that
homelessness presented for many students, and how shel-
ters intended for adults didnt offer the special services that
homeless youth need.
As a result of Smiths efforts, the youth shelter Evas
Place opened in 1994. Over the next 10 years, it was joined
by Evas Satellite, another emergency shelter, and then Evas
Phoenix, which provides longer-term transitional housing,
as well as educational support and employment and inde-
pendent living skills for ages 16 to 24. Up to 50 youth can
live here at one time, says Alanna Scott, Evas director
of development and campaigns. The facility comprises
10 townhouses that accommodate five residents each.
Residents get a private bedroom and their own key,
continues Scott. They can live here for up to a year.
A couple of years ago, Evas Phoenix got the opportunity
to relocate to an unused municipal building; but before it
could do so, the organization had to come up with $12.1
million to renovate the structure into the living spaces
needed. That meant appealing to corporate and financial
donors, who would expect some kind of recognition for
their generosity. Evas old facility had a list of donors on the
wall, but the organization wanted something more appeal-
ing for the new place.
At about the same time, the organization undertook a
logo redesign. We had a primary-color logo that looked
like it came out of the 80s, says Scott. We had a com-
pany come in and redesign the brand pro bono. The new
donor recognition signage, whatever it turned out to be,
would also reflect the logo redesign.
Evas Phoenix opened its new location in September
2016, with a new set of plaques to recognize donors.

Original donor wall
makeover submissions
Were looking for real-world makeovers for future installments of the Design Makeover, 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. We cover everything from product packaging or labels, print advertisements, websites, logos, and
magazine covers that are currently in the marketplace. So if youd like to be considered, send us an email at letters@photoshopuser.com.
[9 4 ]
DESIGN MAKEOVER
CLIENT
Evas Phoenix
www.evas.ca
[ the project ] For the donor-recognition signage in its new space, Evas
Phoenix wanted to find someone to interpret our brand
look-and-feel into something that would work in our
facility, says Scott. Each of the 10 townhouses would
be named for a donor, and a sign on the door would
acknowledge the donation. In addition, there would
be five Pillars of Supportcolumns running down
the central aisle of the building, each sponsored by a
donora Donor Wall, a Cumulative Wall, and a Brick
Wall, all bearing the names and logos of the donors who
funded the move. But we didnt want the interior to
feel like a branded environment, says Scott. There was
understandable concern that the youth they were serving
wouldnt feel comfortable or at home in a space filled
with corporate logos.
In the summer of 2015, Evas put out a Request for
Proposal for the donor-recognition signage. The directors
of the fundraising campaign chose the proposal of Jamey
Cactus Vella, owner of Anxiety Attack Designs. My job
as the designer was to give fair and high-quality recognition
to the many donors, while keeping Evas Phoenix a place
that still felt like home to the residents, says Vella.
Evas gave donors the opportunity to include a famous
quote that related to why they supported youth experienc-
ing homelessness. They provided the quotes and the donor
information, along with Evas brand guidelines, to Vella.
Aside from that, they didnt give me any design direction,
he says. He proceeded to research the donor recognition
areas of hospitals and corporate spaces, but he didnt like
what he saw. A lot of those were very sterilejust text,
he says. Were working here with a shelter for young
Early versions of plaques on architects renderings people, so youd want it to be a little more fun.
about the client

Eva Maud Smith (19231993) immigrated to Canada in 1956 from Jamaica and started working in domestic jobs. But it wasnt long before she became a Toronto community
leader, youth worker, and educator. Through her work, the first youth-focused shelter in North York, Toronto, opened in 1994.
Over the next 10 years, Evas expanded with Evas Satellite and Evas Phoenix, which provides housing for 50 youth aged 16 to 24 for up to a full year in townhouse-style
units. Furthermore, working with business, labor, and community partners, Evas Phoenix provides homeless and at-risk youth with educational support and employment and
independent living skills that give them a base from which to move forward with their lives. While at Evas Phoenix, youth develop the skills to live independently through
goal-setting exercises, workshops, and hands-on programs that are delivered in a supportive environment. [9 5 ]
COLUMN
DESIGNER
Anxiety Attack Designs
anxietyattackdesigns.com
[ the process ] Vellas concept took off from Evas Initiatives recently
redesigned logo, which incorporated a house shape. I
looked at it and said, This is the main point of your brand-
ing. We can run with this, recalls Vella. He started work-
ing in Photoshop using the architects renderings of what
the final space would look like. Id design the plaques
and then put them at the proper angles, with the drop
shadows, to re-create how it would look. (See images
on previous page.)
By the time they got to the second meeting, Evas Capi-
tal Campaign Chairperson and Executive Director wanted
to see physical samples. Vella had some printed onto Plexi-
glas and some onto card stock at various sizes. The original
idea was to have the Plexiglas cut in the shape of the house,
but there was concern that the results had too many sharp
points. We even got a couple of mockups made so I could
bring them into the donor presentation meetings, Vella
says. Everyone was really impressed with them, but were
housing 50 young people here, and we didnt want any-
Early mockup of plaques
thing that could potentially cause harm. So we just went
with the square with the image behind it. The image is
printed on paper (at Evas Phoenixs own print shop) and
sandwiched between two squares of Plexiglas.
That turned out to have an added advantage: on the
cutout version, the only other visual was the donors logo.
Placing the donors logo inside the house shape meant
Evas logo dominates the plaques, increasing their visual
consistency and reducing the branded-environment effect.
That approach brought its own challenges, however. As
new donors signed on, sometimes their logos had a dif-
ferent dimension or shape than most of the others. That
meant Vella would have to rework some completed designs
to maintain their consistency.
In addition to the donors logo, theres also a quota-
tion chosen by the company about why the donation was
made, says Scott. The quotation is set in Asap Bold from

Omnibus Type, a font specified in Evas branding guidelines.
Final designs printed at Evas Phoenixs print shop
[9 6 ]
DESIGN MAKEOVER
DESIGNER
Anxiety Attack Designs
anxietyattackdesigns.com
[ the result ] Anxiety Attack took Evas brand and the donor brand and
put them together, says Scott. If you walk down the
main area, you see these wall plaques everywhere, but
all you really see is the Evas logoa plaque with a blue
background and a white logo. Then, as you get closer,
you see that inside is someone elses logo.
According to Scott, many people arent aware of how
big a problem youth homelessness is, but theyre interested
in who the donors are. I lead donor tours with our board
of directors, and I find that people stop to see who is sup-
porting the capital campaign, says Scott. It helps when
people see all these prominent companies supporting us.
The donors appreciate the recognition too, says Vella.
When we do tours of the building, they usually walk right
up to their plaque, and they usually have a big smile on their
face. At the official launch last September, with the mayor
and a city councilor present, everyone was taking photos
in front of their plaques, Vella says.
He also thinks he accomplished his goal of incorporat-
ing the donors logos without making Evas Phoenix feel
too corporate for the people who live and work there. The
staff all seem generally pleased with it, he says. I think
because there was so much concern about what it could
look like with so many logos in a small space, when it was
all done, everyone was pleased.
All in all, I think I did my job well because no one com-
plained, he concludes.
Final design
about the designer

Jamey Cactus Vella is a Toronto-based freelance graphic designer. He launched Anxiety Attack Designs in 2010.
I can remember designing my very first event poster back in high school, cut-and-paste style. Armed with scissors and magazines, I utilized the Xerox machine at my
school and meticulously created what I thought was a masterpiece. I also remember a few years later when a friend showed me Adobe Photoshop for the first time. That was
a game-changer! Those were both life-altering events for me.
Vella is also a husband and father as well as an accomplished musician. (Check out his music here.) When Im not working on a design project, youll find me spend-
ing time with my beautiful wife and daughter or performing on a stage somewhere.
He calls Aaron Draplin one of his biggest influences. The guy has created an empire of sorts, and hes changed the way freelance designers work and promote themselves. n [9 7 ]
> Reviews
GET THE SCOOP ON THE LATEST GEAR
Sekonic
Exciting news for light meter geeks everywhere: The Sekonic
L-858D-U Speedmaster Light Meter is finally shipping, and its
L-858D-U
a game-changer!
The new Sekonic L-858D-U Speedmaster Light Meter sports
the full digital feature set and touchscreen interface common to
Speedmaster Sekonics recent mid-tier model makeovers. Its large 2.7" color
dot-matrix touchscreen makes adjusting settings quick and easy,
but thats where the similarities begin and end.
Multifunction Light Measurement Control This light meter is not just a revamped digital version of
for Photographers and Filmmakers Sekonics venerable Sekonic L-758 DR, but rather the first meter
Review by Michael Corsentino
able to measure flash durationa crucial metric when trying to
accurately and predictably freeze motionand the first that can
Company: Sekonic measure strobes in High Sync and Hyper Sync modes. You can
even program the number of pre flashes to exclude from the

Pricing: $599
main exposure measurement. This is a major boon for mixed-light
Rating:
portrait photography and for those wishing to freeze action with
Hot: Measures flash duration and strobes in shutter speed rather than flash durationboth huge advances
HSS mode; three optional trigger modules
in light-meter technology. The Sekonic L-858D-U races past
Not: Radio modules not interchangeable with the 1/1,000 sec. shutter speed top end of most light meters,
previous model; no sync cable
delivering a future-proof 1/16,000 sec. top shutter speed!
[9 8 ]
REVIEWS
Brandon Rechten
The L-858D-U also has three stops of increased sensitivity for
incident light and two stops for reflected light, allowing you to
measure light down to 0.1 lux. Available ISO settings have been
expanded to include the native ISOs of todays most popular
This light meter is the cameras. In addition to the tried-and-true Aperture and Shutter
first meter able to measure Priority modes, a new ISO Priority mode has been added.
Wireless triggering options abound with no less than three
flash durationa crucial metric optional radio modules available: one for Pocket Wizard (U.S.
when trying to accurately and and Canada); Pocket Wizard (International); and Elinchrom and
Phottix (select countries) combined into one moduleperfect for
predictably freeze motionand anyone with both Elinchrom and Phottix gear. The Pocket Wizard
the first that can measure modules allow users to trigger any Pocket Wizard wirelessly and
control the power on any Control TL-compatible unit. The com-
strobes in High Sync and bined Elinchrom-Phottix module also offers full Skyport triggering,
Hyper Sync modes. Skyport power control capabilities, and complete Phottix Strato
capability. Also included with the Sekonic L-858D-U Speedmaster
Light Meter are: a nylon padded pouch with belt loop, lanyard, AA
batteries instead of CR123A, antiglare screen protector, weather-
sealed ports, and a three-year warranty; however, theres no
included sync cable for camera calibration.
[9 9 ]
REVIEWS
Intuos Pro
Wacoms new Intuos Pro graphics tablet is the thinnest (0.3") and
best ever. For my tests, Wacom kindly sent me a large (L) Paper
Edition model (16.8x11.2"). [Its also available in a medium (M)
Paper Edition
model thats 13.2x8.5" and uses A-5 (half-letter size) paper sheets
instead of A4 (letter size).] The Wacom Intuos Pro can be hooked
up via USB cable or wirelessly with Bluetooth 4.2 built-in.
The newest version of the largest Intuos Pro still has the familiar
Wacom Combines Professional eight programmable buttons and Touch Ring that can have up to
Pen Tablet with Paper four different assignments, but its surface is now a sheet that feels
Review by Erik Vlietinck like sketching paper. The box contains swatches of replacement
sheets that have a smoother or coarser surface. Multi-touch is still
supported, but it can now be activated and disabled using a but-
Company: Wacom Co. Ltd. ton on the tablets side, which is more efficient than having to go
to any kind of onscreen menu.
Price: $549.95 (Medium $399.95)
I tested the Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition with a slew of
Rating: 5 Mac apps, including Corel Painter 2017, OmniGraffle Pro 7,
DxO Optics Pro 11, Perfectly Clear Complete v3, Alien Skin Expo-
Hot: Surface tactile feel; pen pressure sure X2, and even Final Cut Pro X. With most of these apps,
levels; paper sketching; broad range
of applications I tested the tablet by drawing and paintingfrom masks to
brush strokeswith the Wacom Pro Pen 2. This new pen supports
Not: 8192 pressure levels, which is four times as many as the previous
pen. It was obvious when testing it with Painter 2017 that theres
a far more subtle feedback when varying the pressure. You have
much better control over the flow of the paint or effect with the
new pen. The sensation of working with a graphite, lead, or pastel
on paper, as youre used to, is further reinforced by how thin the
new tablet is. Its also half the height of a Rhodia dot Pad. Whereas
[100 ]
REVIEWS
previous versions fell short in creating the illusion of drawing on

paper, the new version delivers.
The Intuos Pro is Bluetooth 4.2 compatible, which means that
the tablet captures you can hook it up to any modern PC, Mac, or iPad. You can
connect the tablet with its USB-C to USB-A type cable, as well.
and temporarily saves The cable is less flexible than it used to be, but oddly enough its
your strokes to its internal better at lying flat on your desk. The tablet is also ambidextrous.
By the way, the design of the complete Intuos Pro, including
memory, which will store box, pen stand, pen, tablet, etc. is gorgeous! Theres no other
word for it.
up to 200 multilayered or Part of the new tablets appeal is that you can sketch if you have
1,000 single-layered drawings the Paper edition. This works with a Paper Clip that attaches
to the top of the tablet to hold sketching paper. You can use
until you connect it again. whatever paper you like, but a few Wacom sheets are included
in the box to get you started.
Files are then downloaded The Wacom Finetip Pen is delivered for sketching. As you draw,
to your Inkspace, where they the tablet captures and temporarily saves your strokes to its inter-
nal memory, which will store up to 200 multilayered or 1,000
can then be exported as single-layered drawings until you connect it again. Files are then
downloaded to your Inkspace, where they can then be exported
editable SVG or PSD files as editable SVG or PSD files that can be opened in Adobe Illustrator
that can be opened in Adobe or Photoshop. With Inkspace running, you can synchronize, store,
and export sketches, but you can also have your sketch refresh the
Illustrator or Photoshop. onscreen version in real-time when your tablet is connected via
Bluetooth. Id like to see this Inkspace feature evolve into a plug-
in for Photoshop and other hosts. That would make the Wacom
Intuos Pro Paper Edition sketching party complete!
[101]
REVIEWS
HP Z2 Mini G3
How does the saying go? Mini is mighty? Well, if thats not a saying
now, it should be with the new HP Z2 Mini G3 Performance Work-
station. Ive reviewed computers of all sizes and forms from both
Performance sides of the fence (Mac and Windows), but I have to say this one
has totally blown me away. Not only does it have the cool factor,
Workstation
as it looks like it should be on the desk of a superhero, but it also
has the horsepower and flexibility to rival just about any desktop
(and not just mini form factors)! The ability to hook up six monitors
out of the box is quite a feat for any size box, but its even more
A Mighty Computer in a Small Package
impressive considering the small size of the Z2 Mini.
Review by Bruce Bicknell
Lets start with the horsepower and functionality. My test
model is maxed out with an Intel i7-6700, 32 GB (2x16 GB)
of RAM, and a discrete NVIDIA Quadro M620 GPU with 2 GB
Company: HP
of dedicated video RAM. Storage is provided by a 256-GB HP Z
Price: $1,946.70 (as tested); starting at $694 Turbo PCIe SSD and a 1-TB SATA drive that gives more than
enough space for files, and the SSD launches all of the systems
Rating: 5
quickly and efficiently. The configuration really allows this

Hot: Design; up to 32 GB RAM; up to six moni- machine to perform, and its amazing that they got all of this
tors; size; price; customizable; very quiet
into a small package (8.5" on a side, and less than 2.5" high).
Not: This is where it gets even cooler: the number of features HP
packed into such a small box. If youre like me, Im always look-
ing for more ports to connect my devices, as well as the ability
to hook up multiple monitors without jumping through tons
[102 ]
REVIEWS
of hoops. Well, this one may surprise you, as youll find four
DisplayPort 1.2 connectors, two USB Type-C 3.1 ports, four USB
3.0 ports, and an RJ-45 Ethernet port. (Note: Theres also an
Entry-level version of the Z2 Mini that has fewer ports.) I was
excited about the capability of hooking up to six monitors out
of the box. I only have four external monitors, but I had them
all up and running in no time, and the video card handled them
Not only does it have the with ease and no lag between them.
The designers and engineers at HP have created an aesthetically
cool factor, as it looks like it pleasing case that oozes coolness, as well as being functionally
should be on the desk of sound with its performance and cooling capabilities. This machine
stays cool and is ultra-quiet sitting on the desktop. Its VESA-
a superhero, but it also has mountable (for Z Displays and third-party stands, arms, and
wall mounts) so it can be mounted out of the way if desired;
the horsepower and flexibility to
but personally, I love the look of it on my desk, as its design is
rival just about any desktop. inspirational (and did I mention that it just looks cool).
This machine performed well above my expectations in both
Lightroom and Photoshop. I think HP has a serious contender in
this market and a much-welcomed alternative to anyone who
needs a smaller, more powerful computer. Id recommend the

HP Z2 Mini G3 Workstation to any creative pro whos looking
for a great computer at a reasonable price. (Note: Pricing can vary
based on component costs and promotional discounts.)
[103 ]
REVIEWS
Theodore Kefalopoulos
Alien Skin
Exposure X2
Is Alien Skin Exposure X2 an alternative for apps such as Adobe
Another Kind of Photo Editor/Organizer
Lightroom? It depends on your needs. With Exposure X2s latest
Review by Erik Vlietinck
Advanced Layers update, the app offers nondestructive RAW
editing and better organization, enhancement, and export-
ing capabilities.
Company: Alien Skin Software
In this update, Exposure X2s nondestructive layering not only
Price: $149 (Upgrade: $99) works with brushed adjustments and effects, but applies to pre-
sets, as well. This means you can apply a preset to a layer, then
Rating:
quickly remove (or add) effects, or make them weaker or stronger
Hot: Unique approach for editing/organizing; on another layerand possibly only in some parts of the image.
multi-image editing; multi-location

quick export
The new advanced layering lets you finish a retouching
job much faster; for example, I could first apply a preset that
Not:
I tuned down by lowering the intensity and adding several
one-effect-per-layer adjustments. More importantly, I applied
those layered effects on multiple images simultaneously,
all without incurring even the most minor speed drop on my
[104 ]
REVIEWS
mid-2011 iMac. While most comparable apps let you export

several images at once, Exposure X2 lets you actually process
them by just selecting them and start adjusting.
Exposure X2 has lots of presets, and with this update it gains
a new set of bright and vintage presets. The latter provide rich
Another feature that I found platinum tones with border overlays that simulate a brushed look
brilliant is the healing brush, to strengthen the illusion. Another feature that I found brilliant is
the healing brush, which allows you to adjust healing areas after
which allows you to adjust the fact, by dragging them around.
healing areas after the fact, On the management side of things, Exposure X2 lets you set
metadata, such as ratings and flags. It also allows you to select
by dragging them around. matching images and show EXIF data by hovering over images.
The apps export support has been given a unique twist in that
it offers the ability to simultaneously export multiple images

to multiple preset locations and formats. You can download a
free trial at the Alien Skin website.
[105 ]
REVIEWS
OWC
Drive Dock
The appeal of a bare drive dock is that you can hot swap and
Use Bare SATA Disks with
a Thunderbolt 2 Mac read two disks simultaneously. The OWC Drive Dock has speed
Review by Erik Vlietinck and expansion functionality to spare with its two Thunderbolt 2
ports and single USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface. Its an all-aluminum large
Company: OWC Digital square box with independent power switches and LED activity
monitors per drive bay, in addition to an overall on/off switch at
Price: $269.75
the back of the unit.
Rating:
The top is made from a robust matte black plastic sheet that
Hot: Speed; ruggedness; design; holds the inward-swinging, dust-protection covers. The whole
per-bay on/off switch

thing is built like a tank. The Drive Dock also has a built-in auto-
Not: You cant mount Atomos disk caddies switching power supply and, like other drive docks, accommodates
both 2.5" and 3.5" drives.
Ive been testing the OWC Drive Dock as a backup and offload
device, and I also tested the dock using two identical WD drives
[106 ]
REVIEWS
set in a RAID 0 configuration. It worked like a charm, although

you must ensure both drives are switched on simultaneously to
avoid RAID errors. Finally, I tested the OWC Drive Dock to start
up the Mac. Note: Remember to switch on the active bay just
seconds before turning on the Mac or youll get the dreaded
OWCs Drive Dock has
blinking System not found icon.
a nice ergonomic design, The one and only thing I could possibly have wished for is the
and its sturdiness combined SATA connector sitting just a bit further from the edge so that
I could use it to mount Atomos disk caddies when offloading
with its performance makes for video. (It would be awesome if you could!) Alas, the bare drives
a very attractive product. must lean against something in order to reduce the risk of
breaking the SATA connector when removing the drive.
OWCs Drive Dock has a nice ergonomic design, and its

sturdiness combined with its performance makes for a very
attractive product.
[107 ]
REVIEWS
ON1 Photo
ON1 Photo 2017 is a completely new, sophisticated, beautifully
implemented piece of software, delivering a ton of new features
2017
and a fast, state-of-the-art RAW-processing engine and image-
processing pipeline, ON1 Photo RAW. The interface is still
thoroughly familiar, however, for anyone transitioning from a
prior version, and intuitive enough for new users.
Photo Organizer, Editor, RAW Processor,
and Effects App Lets talk about RAW and why you need it in your life. In
Review by Michael Corsentino addition to the much wider latitude RAW files allowcompared
to JPEGwhen making exposure adjustments, the other huge
Company: ON1, Inc.
benefit of a RAW workflow is nondestructive image editing. The
Pricing: $119.99 (Upgrade: $99.99) value of this cant be overstated. With hard-drive storage and
Rating:
large-capacity memory cards now relatively inexpensive, RAW
is no longer a question mark, but the only way Id tell you that
Hot: Sophisticated RAW editor; powerful

image-management/filtering tools; you should be working if you arent already.
new develop module
ON1 Photo 2017 is packed with significant improvements
Not: and useful changes designed to make your life with RAW
workflow easier and faster. New to ON1 Photo 2017 are:
nondestructive RAW image-editing (as mentioned above);
new local adjustments (rejoice!); faster ON1 Effects; a brand-
[108 ]
REVIEWS
new develop modulewhere youll do the bulk of your

editing; global presets that can now be applied to images
directly from within the Browse module; a powerful new local
adjustments brush; a new Film Strip View (yes!); and mid-
stack rendering, which allows you to see the effects youve
applied in real time without turning off those above them.
ON1 Photo 2017 is packed ON1 Photo 2017 also includes the ability to reduce or enhance
with significant improvements haze and foga feature I know landscape photographers are
going to love.
and useful changes designed The Browse module has gotten a major facelift, too, with
to make your life with RAW the addition of even more sophisticated filtering and search
features. The powerful new indexed-folder feature makes
workflow easier and faster.
managing images quick and easy, and this feature is truly
a showstopper because it allows users to drill down and
browse the entire hierarchy of folders on a directory in just
seconds. This means not only being able to view every image
in a directory super quickly, but you can also search across

multiple folders using myriad user-specified filtering criteria.
Now thats powerful!
[109 ]
R E V I EWS
Photoshop for Artists:

A Complete Guide for
Fine Artists, Photographers,
and Printmakers
Heres a book being reviewed by request. It was originally pub-
By Sylvie Covey
lished several years ago (though an update may be coming), but
Review by Peter Bauer
it works with every version of Photoshop since its publication. Im
grateful to the reader for this recommendationit will become
Publisher:
Watson-Guptill Publications
part of my permanent library. The book is divided into four parts:
Understanding the Vocabulary and Logic of Photoshop; Tutori-
Pages: 304
als for Drawing and Painting Digitally; Tutorials for Creating and
Price: $35.00; $21.99 (Kindle) Developing Fine-Art Digital Photography; and Tutorials Combin-
Rating: ing Photoshop and Printmaking. Each of the 28 tutorials is clearly

written and illustrated and the author avoids the use of short-
cuts so that the very newest beginner cant get confused. What
strikes me most about this book is the section on drawing and
painting in Photoshop. Some tutorials start with a photo, others
with a blank canvas. Youll likely also find that the tutorials on
digital transfers give food for thought. n
[1 10 ]
R E V I EWS
How to Photograph Everything:

Simple Techniques for Shooting
Spectacular Images
The Everything in the title includes 43 different subjects, rang-
From The Editors of Popular Photography
ing from food and animals to fireworks and amusement parks.
Review by Peter Bauer
Im sure you can come up with a couple of subjects that arent
included (UFOs and alien beings, for example), but if you shoot
Publisher:
Weldon Owen
it, its likely covered. If you want to shoot it, heres where to
learn. Each section starts with Getting Started, Tech Tips, What
Pages: 327
to Shoot, and a very valuable and thought-provoking section
Price: $40; $7.55 (Kindle) called Gear Up. (The section on shooting birds suggests that a
Rating: 5 camera with an APS-C sensor may be preferable to a full-frame

sensor for the increased magnification of the lens you choose.)
The examples that follow have informative captions, many of
which provide suggestions for a particular shot, as well as the
name of the photographer who captured that image. If you love
a shot, see the photographers website for more inspiration. n
[1 11 ]
PETERBAUER
> From the Help Desk
ANSWERS TO PHOTOSHOP AND GEAR-RELATED QUESTIONS
Im trying to create a panorama, and nothing seems to work: Not Photoshops File>A utomate>Photo
merge; nor loading the files into layers and using Edit>Auto-Align Layers. I shot the images
using a tripod and overlapped each by about 25%, and the overlap areas include such identifiable
items as windows and the corners of houses. Is there any way to manually create a panorama
in Photoshop? Rusty
Yes, sometimes the automated processes dont read the Zoom out so that you can see more of the canvas. Use
images well enough to create panoramas. (Ive seen Photo the File>Place Embedded command to add the second
merge take four well-overlapped horizontal images and image to the canvas, and then press the Enter key to accept
try to stack them vertically, and Auto-Align often mis- the images size.
orders the images.) Creating a panorama in Photoshop Now for the fun part: In the Layers panel, change the
from a series of overlapping images is certainly possible upper layers blend mode from Normal to Difference (down
and precise, but it takes a number of steps. Heres how near the bottom of the menu). Using the Move tool (V),
I do it: Shift-drag the top layer until the area of overlap turns
Open the first image (left, right, top, or bottom completely black (or almost completely black, depending
depending on what youre creating). In this case, Ill use on your lens). This ensures that the area of overlap is prop-
the example of creating a horizontal panorama, starting erly aligned. You may need to rotate the upper or lower
with the leftmost image. layer a bit to get proper alignment.
With the first image open, head to the Layers panel and Back in the Layers panel, return the upper layers blend
click the Lock icon to unlock the layer. (This isnt techni- mode to Normal. With the Hand tool (H) or the scroll bar at
cally necessary, but I prefer to work over a transparent back- the bottom of the image window, scroll to the right until you
ground rather than whiteor whatever the background see the right part of the second image and empty canvas.
color is during the next step.) (Youll want all of the right sides area of overlap visible.)
Go to the Image menu and select Canvas Size. In the Place the next image in the sequence of your panorama
three-by-three proxy box, click on one of the three boxes (and press Enter). Again, switch the top layers blend mode
on the left, so that when you extend the canvas, it extends to Difference and align the area of overlap, then return the
to the right rather than to both sides. blend mode to Normal.
Switch the unit of measure to Percent. Make sure that Using the same techniques, add each of the other
the Relative box is unchecked. In the Width box, increase photos for your panorama. At this point, I strongly suggest
the width according to the number of images in your saving the image as a layered PSD or TIFF. Of course, its
panorama. (If youre using five photos, for example, good practice to save after adding each image.
enter 500 in the Width box.) This is more canvas than we Crop the panorama to remove the empty area to the far
need because of the image overlap, but the image gets right. If you had to rotate any of the images and you ended
cropped later. Leave the Height field set to 100%. Click up with transparency in areas, use the Crop tool with the
the OK button to expand the image to the right. Content-Aware option selected in the Options Bar. n
[1 12 ]
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Designing Graphics for

Just One More Flash

Sports Photography: Make

To obtain the stock images used in this exer-

a young man in the image of Sherlock

Smoke on black background

Tower Bridge in London England

Adobe Stock/Ruslan Solntsev

Step Two: Start by opening the Sherlock

open it. Youll see the subject is shot on a dark

Step Three: Switch to the Move

Step Four: In the Layers panel,

Step Five: Click the Create a New

set the layer blend mode near the

Step Six: Select the Brush tool (B)

Step Seven: Press D to set black

Step Eight: Now create another

Adobe Stock/Deyan Georgiev

Step Nine: Now that we have the

the background, open the Chan-

Step 10: Now go back to the

Step 11: Use Free Transform (Com-

Step 12: Now were going to use

Step 13: Now lets add a cool type

play with other fonts, as well. Also,

Step 14: Go under the Type menu

Step 15: Go to the Layers panel

Step 16: Select the Gradient tool

Step 17: Drag out one of the

Step 18: Now lets add a back-

ground image with a cool shot of

Step 19: Heres another cool trick

Next, press Command-U to

Step 20: Now drop the layer Opacity to

Step 21: Now for another favorite effect of

menu and choose Flatten Image.

Step 22: Go under the Image menu, to

a young man in the image of Sherlock

Smoke on black background

Tower Bridge in London England