Photoshop Tutorial

Basic Retouch and Colorization

This tutorial will show you how to do a basic retouch, change the colorcast of an image and colorize some of its elements.

Step 1. We will use this Naomi Watts image:

Duplicate the layer then go to Filter -> Noise -> Median...and enter a value of around 3 pixels. Then go to Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur... and enter 5 pixels.

Step 2. Add a layer mask (by pressing the third button on the lower part of the Layers Palette) to the layer you have just blurred and fill it with black. Then pick a soft, medium sized brush and start painting with white on the layer mask. Make sure you avoid any lines on the face; use it only on the skin, to get a smooth, professional effect. Vary the brush size and opa

Create an Abstract Landscape Blend

The purpose of this tutorial is to show you how to create an abstract, bright blend by using pictures of landscapes.

We will start by using these two images:

Step 1. Open the first image and paste the second one on top of it, using the blending mode: Lighten, 100%.

Step 2. Emphasize the colours of the image by applying successively three Selective Color layers, as follows:

The first layer:
Reds: -92 0 0 0
Cyans: -44 +100 0 -36
Blues: +100 -43 0 +25
Neutrals: -51 0 +100 +52

The second layer:
Reds: -100 0 +100 0
Cyans: 0 0 -100 0
Blues: -57 0 -100 0
Neutrals: +25 0 -40 0

The third layer:
Reds: -100 0 +100 0
Neutrals: +20 0 -20 0

To further emphasize the image, we will use a Curves adjustment:

Step 3. Now we will add the text. A handwriting font will always look great on this type of blend. I chose the font Carpenter, 130 pts, Color: white, without applying to it any further effects and wrote 'Summer bliss'. Then I duplicated the layer, moved it slightly upwards and changed its color to 5857fd (the color code is inserted here).

Another alternative for styling the text would have been (without duplicating the text layer) to go to Blending Options -> Stroke and add a 1 pt pink or orange outer border to it.

Step 4. Add a thick outer border to the final image by going to Image -> Canvas Size… and inserting the value 20 pixels for both Width and Height, and choosing the color white. Then go to the same menu again and choose 2 pixels for both Width and Height, and choose the color gray (notice that it will appear as orange because of the Selective Color layers).

The final result:

Source : i-love-photoshop.blogspot.com

Create a Vivid Celebrity Blend

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a bright, vivid blend of a celebrity of your choice. As for any Photoshop creation you do, make sure you choose good quality images that are part of the same photoshoot.

I have chosen these three images:

Step 1. Create a new document, sized 800x600 and place the first image in the center.

Step 2. Paste the other two pictures over the base image and resize them, then use the Eraser Tool to erase the unwanted overlapping parts. (Or you could add a layer mask and paint with black all the parts you want to disappear. The advantage of layer masks is that you can easily repair any errors or go back and modify them later).

After either erasing or masking out the unneeded parts, you should have something like this:

Step 3. From this step on, all we need to work on is the chromatic effect of the final image. Therefore, we will use various Selective Color and Curves adjustment layers to enhance the colours of our image.

First we will add a Selective Color adjustment layer with the following settings:

Reds: -100 0 0 0
Yellows: 0 0 -90 -100
Neutrals: 100 0 -50 0

Next, we're going to add a Curves adjustment layer, with the following RBG settings:

Step 4. Create a new layer on top of the others and fill it with a dark beige (color code b78a58). Then set this layer's blending mode to Linear Burn and its opacity to 55%.

Add a Selective Color layer with the following settings
and then duplicate it.

Reds: -47 0 +17 0
Neutrals: +13 0 -20 0

And finally, add another Curves layer:

Step 5. The final step is to add some text like the name of the artist and your own, perhaps some song lyrics too. I'm going to add a Kylie logo, using this font (only works one-letter uppercase: A, B, C...). I used the letter 'I', then duplicated the layer and set the copy slightly to the right, behind the other layer. Then I set the first layer to a bright cyan (color code 21a2e4) and the second layer to a deep pink (color code fb2d5d).

Step 6. Add an outer border by going to Image -> Canvas size..., choosing the color white and inserting the value 40 pixels for both Width and Height. Then go to the same menu again and insert 2 pixels for both Width and Height, and choose the color gray.

The final result:

Source : i-love-photoshop.blogspot.com

Create a NewsPaper Page

This tutorial will show you how to create an image that will look like a scanned newspaper page.

Step 1. Create a new document, size 630x900 and fill it with it a light, warm gray (color code #e4e4e4).

Step 2. To make the final result make more realistic, it’s necessary to mimic the way you can see the writing on the back page on a real newspaper.

To achieve this effect, open an image of a newspaper page you can find on the Internet (I chose this one), go to Image-> Rotate Canvas -> Flip Canvas Horizontal and then copy/paste it over the new document you just created. Set its opacity to 5%, so that the writing is only a bit visible.

Step 3. Newspaper articles often contain pictures, so I opened this one and resized it to 35%, and I placed it on the left like this:

Step 4. To convert the image to black and white, the best method is to go to Image -> Adjustments -> Channel Mixer… tick Monochrome and leave all the other settings as def

Create Digital Make-Up

This tutorial will show you how to apply digital makeup and additionally, how to change the eye color, smooth the skin texture of a model and enhance the image.

Though the process of applying makeup in Photoshop is fairly simple, the most important thing about digital makeup is that, by all means, it must look natural. It’s always better to "underdo" it than to overdo it, so keep that in mind while following this tutorial. Less is more, therefore try to be subtle.

The initial image (credits to sxc.hu):

The final result:

Step 1. First of all, we’re going to smooth the skin texture of the model. This will give the whole image a professional feel and improve its overall aspect.

Duplicate the background layer and go to Filter

How to create a dragon on a burning castle

In this tutorial we will create a fantasy picture with a dragon on a ruined burning castle.
The files I used are the following:

Castle image
Iguana image
Crocodile from Google Images. You just need the teeth, so any hi-res picture of a croc head would do nicely.
Bat image
Fire pack
Fire pack 2

This is a preview of our final image.
dragon burn castle final How to create a dragon on a burning castle

STEP 1

Create a 1680 x 1050 px new document. I use this size because its my desktop resolution so it fits as a wallpaper without stretching the picture.
It’s meant for wide screen, but feel free to use your own settings, just make sure it is a high resolution.(1)
How to create a dragon on a burning castle

How to create a dragon on a burning castle

STEP 2

Open the “castle” picture, press “CTRL+A” to select it, copy it (CTRL+C) and paste it (CTRL+V) in our drawing. Resize it to fit the page.

Text-Face Graffiti On The Wall

Graffiti is all that going on in my mind these days. I guess the lack of opportunity to do it in the physical world is making me all the more addicted to do its digital counterpart nowadays. This time around i wanted to paint a face made up of all alphabets on the wall. And it so happens that the picture of the wall that i hunted down had a lamp post right in the middle. At first i thought of removing it by cloning. But later i was struck with this brilliant idea to let it be there and my graffiti to be behind this lamp post so that it added to the overall reality of the final composition. So here is how i went about fulfilling my graffiti designing thirst.

Final Image Preview

Step 1

Create a new composition of the desired size with white as the background color. Make sure that the size of the composition is the same as that you want for your final output.