Building a 3D Shape I: Pyramid Box

Design and Print, Photoshop CS2: Module 4 of 20

Tools Used:
• Magic Wand
• Lassos
• Marquees
• Free Transform
• Selection tool with
Transform Controls

Skills Covered:
• Use Magic Wand, Move Tool,
and Transform Controls to
Select and Place Pyramid Wall
Front into Pyramid Box
• Use Lassos to Select and
Place Second and Third Walls
• Using Marquees to Select and
Place Name Area.
• About the Layer Palette

Objectives:
Learn the basics of selecting image sections and repositioning objects.

What you will do:

Decorate a 3D Pyramid Box. Place images on each side to create a 3D model.

Relevance to teaching:
This project can be used to display a model, convey geometric principles, and
tell stories.

Note:
Magic Wand
Use Magic Wand, Move Tool, and Transform Controls to Select
and Place Pyramid Wall Front into Pyramid Box
The Magic Wand
tool lets you se-
lect a consistent- 1. Open files.
ly colored area
(for example, • File>Pyramid-Wall-Front.jpg
a red flower) File>Pyramid-Box.jpg.
without having
to trace its out- • Place them side-by-side so that you can
line. You specify see both images.
the color range,
or tolerance, for
the Magic Wand 2. Select pyramid front wall.
tool’s selection.

• Choose the Magic Wand.

• Click white background of Pyramid-Wall-

Front.jpg.

• Go to Select>Inverse to select the pyramid

instead of the white background.

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Building a 3D Shape I: Pyramid Box
Design and Print, Photoshop CS2: Module 4 of 20

3. Move pyramid front wall into Pyramid Box.jpg.

• Choose the Move tool.

• In the options panel make sure that Show

Transform Controls is checked.

• Click inside of the selection. Hold mouse button

down as you drag the pyramid front wall into
Pyramid-Box.jpg.

• Lift finger off mouse to drop the wall into the

new image.

Note: 4. Reposition and rotate the front wall.

The Bounding
Box provides • Choose Move tool. Placing cursor over pyramid
handles around front wall, drag the wall into position.
a selection that
allow it to be • To rotate, move cursor alongside one of the
resized, rotated, corner rectangles of the bounding box.
and skewed.
• The cursor will turn into a rounded
Corner handles
(small rectan- double-arrow.
gles) allow both
width and height • When you see the rounded double-arrow,
resizing. click and drag in any direction to rotate the
object.
Place cursor off
to the side of • Once rotated and placed into position, use
the bounding arrow keys on keyboard to nudge the front
box handles to wall in any direction for fine-tune adjustments.
rotate.
• Open the Layers palette. Window>Layers

• Notice that Photoshop has automatically placed

the pyramid front wall into its own layer
(Layer 1).

• Rename Layer 1. Move your cursor over the

words Layer 1. Click and type in the new name
“Front”.

• Save your work.

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Building a 3D Shape I: Pyramid Box
Design and Print, Photoshop CS2: Module 4 of 20

Use Lassos to Select and Place Second and Third Walls

1. Open Files

Note: • File>Pyramid-Wall-Side.jpg
The Lasso tool File>Pyramid-Box.jpg.
is useful for
drawing freeform • Place them side-by-side so that you
segments of a can see both images.
selection border.
2. Select and move pyramid wall (side 2, Lasso tool).
The Polygonal
Lasso tool is • Click Pyramid-Wall-Side.jpg to activate it.
useful for draw-
ing straight-
edged segments • Choose the Lasso tool.
of a selection
border. • Click and drag to draw a selection around the
outside of the pyramid wall.
When you use
the Magnetic • Choose the Move tool. In the options panel
Lasso tool , the make sure that Show Transform Controls is
border snaps checked.
to the edges of
defined areas in • Click inside of the selection. Hold mouse but-
the image. The ton down as you drag the pyramid side wall into
Magnetic Lasso Pyramid-Box.jpg.
tool is not avail-
able for 32-bits- • Lift finger off mouse to drop the wall into the
per-channel new image.
images.
• Notice part of the white background was also
selected and dropped into the new image. Select
the white background with the magic wand.

• Go to Edit>Cut to remove the white.

• Move and rotate side wall into position with

move tool.

• In the Layers palette, rename this layer

as “Side 2”.

3. Select and move side 3 (Polygon Lasso).

• Click Pyramid-Wall-Side.jpg to activate it.

• Hold mouse button down over lasso to reveal

hidden lasso tools.

• Choose the polygon lasso tool.

• Move cursor over one of the corners of

the pyramid.
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Building a 3D Shape I: Pyramid Box
Design and Print, Photoshop CS2: Module 4 of 20

• Click and lift finger off mouse button to anchor

selection. Move cursor (finger off mouse button)
to the next corner. Click to anchor selection. (This
is called Point and Click selection method.)

• Move cursor to third corner. Click to anchor

selection.

• Use the backspace key on the keyboard to back-

track and redo unwanted selection clicks.

• To close the selection, double-click or click once

when you see a small circle appear near the cur-
sor. The small circle indicates that the selection is
ready to be closed.

• Move and rotate side wall into position with move

tool.

• In the Layers palette, rename this layer “Side 3”.

4. Select and move pyramid wall

(side 4, Magnetic Lasso tool).

• Click Pyramid-Wall-Side.jpg to activate it.

• Hold mouse button down over lasso to reveal hid-

den lasso tools.

• Choose the Magnetic Lasso tool.

• Move cursor over one of the corners of the pyra-

mid. Click and lift finger off mouse button to
anchor selection. Move cursor (finger off mouse
button) to the next corner. Click to anchor selec-
tion.

• Move cursor to third corner. Click to anchor selec-

tion.

• Use the backspace key on the keyboard to back-

track and redo unwanted selection clicks.

• To close the selection, double-click or click once

when you see a small circle appear near the cur-
sor. The small circle indicates that the selection is
ready to be closed.

• Move (drag and drop) selection into Pyramid-Box.

jpg and rotate into position.

• In the Layers palette, rename this layer “Side 4”.

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Building a 3D Shape I: Pyramid Box
Design and Print, Photoshop CS2: Module 4 of 20

Using Marquees to Select and Place Name Area

1. Open files.

• File>Pyramid-Wall-Bottom.jpg
File>Pyramid-Box.jpg.

• Place them side-by-side so that you can see both

images.

2. Select Rectangle Area

• Click Pyramid-Wall-Bottom.jpg to activate it.

• Choose the Rectangular Marquee tool.

• Place cursor ontop left corner of the rectangle

shape in Pyramid-Wall-Bottom.jpg.

• Click and drag toward lower right corner to cre-

ate a marquee selection box.

3. Move Rectangle

• Choose Move tool. Click, drag, and drop selected

area into Pyramid-Box.jpg. Use move tool to re-
position it as necessary.

4. Practice with the Elliptical Marquee

• To practice using the Elliptical Marquee tool,

choose it and click and drag over the circle to
make an elliptical selection.

• Go to Select>Inverse and Edit>Cut to cut area

around the ellipse.

• In the Layers palette, rename this

layer “Bottom”.

• Save your work.

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Building a 3D Shape I: Pyramid Box
Design and Print, Photoshop CS2: Module 4 of 20

About the Layer Palette

Set the master opacity

for the layer
Set blending mode
for the layer
Set the interior opacity
Lock: for the layer
1. Lock transparent pixels
2. Lock image pixels
3. Lock position
4. Lock all

Click, drag, and drop

layer in new position to
rearrange stacking order.

Click the eye

to make layer
contents visible or
invisible.

Link layers Delete layer

Add a layer Add layer Create a new Create a new

style mask group layer

Create new fill or

adjustment layer

Extended Activity: Give the Sphinx a nose.

Open Sphinx.jpg and Noses.jpg. Select some noses and try them on the Sphynx.