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Project files, desktop designs, stock art…

ISSUE 33 Rendered lighting effects | Merge to HDR | Oil paint effects | Photoshop and Flash | Draw fur and wrinkles

HOW TO…

Accurately fix unsightly colour casts Create your own showcase gallery Pair up Photoshop with Flash Use Measurement & Data Paint fur and wrinkles

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CH REFARACT PHOEREN ER OS OCE THT E CD N

OIL PAINT EFFECTS Transform your images with texture and brush work

DYNAMIC IMAGES

001_AVP29_Cover AM.indd 1

SUPER-SIZED ‘SHOP

How Photoshop can be used to produce large-scale projects

pages of professional tips & essential stepby-step tutorials

771748 727009

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www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk

Use directional renders to create convincing texture

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www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk

RENDERED LIGHTING EFFECTS

ISS UE 33

8-PAGE MASTERCLASS

ISSUE 33 ISSN 1748-7277

£5.99

Achieve outstanding results in your photography with Merge to HDR

27/6/07 17:13:10

Cover

Cover image This stunning image was created by professional artist Arno. For as long as he can remember, Arno’s formula has been “the better you look, the better you see”. He thinks that beauty lies in layers. To illustrate the fact, his work incorporates the power of digital. Arno is an artist based in London who spends his time creating illustrations, producing special effects and searching for the “elusive perfect cup of tea”.

/ Proudly represented by www.debutart.com

Imageer: ARNO

ARNO SPENDS HIS TIME ILLUSTRATING & PRODUCING SPECIAL EFFECTS

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Letters

Mailbox

Do you have a question or opinion about the magazine? Email your thoughts to [email protected] or visit www.advancedphotoshop/forum

GOING DUTCH: Apologies over our incorrect comment that Philips is a UK company. It was, in fact, established in the Netherlands, as one eagle-eyed reader points out

SUBJECT: Mistaken identity FROM: Alwin Derijck I really enjoy your magazine. As a scientist, Photoshop entered my life professionally as a tool to adjust microscopy images and editing figures for publication. However, exploring Photoshop for more creative means is much more fun and your magazine is an eye opener. Just returned from holidays, I was reading the article on digital photo frames with interest. To my surprise I found the following statement on Philips: “Aside from the fact that it’s a UK company,” which got me emailing you guys within 30 seconds. I don’t want to sound too patriotic, but it’s a fact that Philips was by no means founded in the UK. Philips was founded by the Dutch entrepreneur Gerard Philips in

1891 in Eindhoven, manufacturing light bulbs. Nowadays, the company is known for the wide variety of products and the headquarters has recently been transferred to Amsterdam. It always was, and still is, a Dutch company. For more facts on Philips, see http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Philips. Editor replies: Thanks for your correction, Alwin, and we apologise to all readers, both Dutch and nonDutch for this error and any confusion it may have caused.

SUBJECT: Peer Pressure FROM: Steven Rubinstein I saw your magazine on the racks, took it home

“WE HAVE COMPLETED OUR CARICATURE ART AT OUR OFFICES... A LOT OF FUN”

and noticed the Peer Pressure section. I’m not sure of the legalities of submitting published work, or if you even accept it. I definitely don’t want to get into trouble with my client, nor have any negative effects coming my way from sending you entries. I trust nothing is published without permission. Editor replies: Thanks for your email, Steven. We always get in touch with contributors to Peer Pressure if we wish to print them, not only to get highresolution images but to get more information for the magazine. As a point of reference, it’s always worth making sure that you don’t infringe any copyright regulations when distributing any image.

SUBJECT: Company caricatures FROM: Holli Alvarado Following my letter in Advanced Photoshop 30 we have finally completed our caricature art at our offices. This was a lot of fun and it was interesting to see the end results and the varied work methods. Some of us used straight sketching to painting, and some of us used the ‘photochopping’ method, then painted over the top. Thanks for the fun inspiration! I’ve attached the cover of our company quarterly newsletter, in which we used the art as a way

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LARGER THAN LIFE: A bunch of creatives from Focus 360 have found a great way to use the skills learnt from a tutorial in this very magazine – gracing the cover of their company’s newsletter

On the

forum SUBJECT: American distribution FROM: Timmay

to get others in the company to submit art for the cover. Editor replies: These are superb images! We hope you had a

good chuckle at these and it took up plenty of your valuable work time. It’s great to see our readers getting so enthusiastic about our tutorials. If there are any more out there, we’d love to see them.

Readers’ Challenge THE RESULTS Due to popular demand, you can now take part in a monthly online readers’ challenge. Take a trip to our forum website by visiting www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/forum and scrolling down to the Peer Pressure section. Keep an eye out for the most recently announced challenge. Readers are welcome to post one Photoshop creation up in response to the theme and all visitors to the forum are welcome to post their vote for the winning design. We’re pleased to print the first winner of this challenge, David Cousens for his artwork based on the theme ‘Moonlight’. Here’s a little bit about the piece from David: “I focused on the moonlight itself, instead of showing the moon directly, although it’s referenced in both the girl’s well-located tattoo and the cup reads ‘Luna’ (Latin for Moon). The moonlight offers a great area of contrast, so I chose to use it as a literal framing device making the glare cover the entire window. I started with a prismacolour blue pencil and paper, went over it with a mechanical pencil, then scanned it into Photoshop to remove the blue lines and coloured using a custom hard round brush. I copy-merged, then distorted the image, setting it to Overlay. Then used Photoframe 3 for the film cell border as a finishing touch.” Be sure to take a look at the forum for our current Readers’ Challenge.

The delay here is crazy. I need someone to drop ship from UK. I can’t take it any more; the same goes for Web Designer magazine too. I don’t mind paying $15 per issue as I love reading it, but the whole 1-2 month delay to the States on top of that puts a drag on things. Is there a store over here that gets them quicker? I’ll pay $20; I just want it when they hit the shelves! FROM: Halvarado Not sure if you have a subscription, but we get ours at my company about two weeks after it’s announced on the forums. Still not as fast as the UK, but MUCH faster than waiting for Borders or Barnes and Noble to get it in. I believe it’s a little discounted to have the subscription too. I’m in California and I’m able to read the magazine cover to cover, sometimes twice, before the stores ever get it. Well worth having if you don’t already. FROM: joenicklo Amen to that. Barnes & Noble is hecka slow. Editor replies: Very true. We are aware of the time it takes for the magazine to go on sale over there. Unfortunately, due to the lengthy distance there is a rather lagging time delay in getting the UK mags out on the shelves. It does go both ways though; we have a big delay in getting US magazines and other products on our shelves in the UK too and they generally only appear in specialist stores! We think it very much depends on the store that’s hosting the magazine as to which exact date the mag is out on display to buy. A good way to shorten the waiting times is to get a subscription. Not only will you have your magazine sent out to you on the same day as all UK subscribers, there is also a reduction in price. A world subscription for a year’s supply (13 issues) will set you back £80. Take a visit to www.imagineshop.co.uk to place your order.

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Keeping an eye on the latest trends in contemporary photography, art and design, Insight sets out to snapshot innovation in the making

insight

Setting THE standard Until 19 August the Royal Academy of Arts upholds its annual institution by hosting its 239th Summer Exhibition, and this year is no exception from the high standards set in previous events. Ever since 1768, the summer exhibition has offered a unique showcase and tolerance for art of all styles and media, encompassing paintings, sculpture, print and architecture. This essential part of London’s art calendar drew over 150,000 visitors last season. This figure is sure to improve this summer, especially when you consider that a fantastic proportion of the artwork on show (in the region of 1200 pieces) will be up for sale, offering an unrivalled opportunity for the public to purchase original work by both high-profile and emerging artists. With such an impressive volume of work, including contributions last year from the likes of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, the exhibition supplies an extremely engaging environment with art shown to best possible advantage. Features of this year’s show include a gallery devoted to the theme of ‘Light’ and a gallery of work by invited artists, curated by former Turner Prize Winner, Tony Cragg RA. Another tradition upheld in the event is the celebratory exhibition of Royal Academicians who have passed on over the years. This year’s featured artists are Kyffin Williams RA and Sandra Blow RA. The exhibition will be open to the public between the hours of 10am and 6pm daily, with late-night viewings Friday till 10pm. Tickets go on sale at £7, full price. To book yours, telephone 0870 848 8484 or visit the Royal Academy website.

SUMMER EXHIBITION 2006: Sir Anthony Caro OM CBE RA, South Passag Photo FXP and John Ridd e. y © Royal Academy of Arts 2006

Safe Light, uise Wilson, HT: Jane & Lo um in Perspex, 160 x G LI BE E LET THER on alumin , C-type Print d Lisson Galle Corridor, 2003 o: Courtesy the artist an ot Ph , 270 x 3cm

www.royalacademy.org.uk

STEPHAN BALKENHOL: Untitled (Group of Four Male Figures), 2005 Painted wood 177 x 170 x 120cm (69 1/2 x 67 x 47 1/4in) Photo © Stephan Balkenhol

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08.07 TRAINING TIMES: Solutions inc is running Adobe Photoshop CS3 New Features & Techniques courses in Brighton from 15 – 17 August and in Bournemouth from 22 – 24 August

HOT or NOT

HOT

LEGO® ICE CUBE TRAY

Price: $7.99 (US only) Website: www.shop.lego.com Lego of those pennies and splash out on these ‘cool’ trays. They’re cubetastic and a great novelty item.

LIMITED EDITION CONCERT POSTERS

A date for discount For all those looking to brush up on their Adobe technical skills, then we’ve got some great news for you. Solutions inc training centres across the south are offering a whopping 55 per cent discount on Adobe training courses throughout July and August. Satisfaction is guaranteed with Solutions inc, who has been offering a range of training courses for the avid Apple Mac user for the past six years. The company has had much experience training numerous leading companies and educational establishments in skills required to deliver ‘best of breed’ IT solutions. It also offers training for professional creative applications from leading software publishers, sharing a wealth of experience in these related fields.

The new Adobe training courses start from £99 and cover the use of many applications such as Creative Suite 3, Photoshop CS3 and their components. They have been developed directly from customer feedback, so you can make the most of the new products. All courses also guarantee tutelage by Adobe Certified Trainers, to ensure you’ll be learning from the best. For further information on dates and locations on the up-and-coming courses, visit the web address below.

www.solutions-inc.co.uk

THE PRICE OF EDUCATION: Discount course prices vary: Brighton sets a price of £199 for one person, £149 for two or more people; Bournemouth sets a price of £149 for one person, £99 for two or more people

Prices: $14.99 (£7.52) - $37.99 (£19.07) Website: www.insound.com Weird, wonderful and fresh, these artsy music posters are sure to liven up your bedroom walls.

JOBY GORILLAPOD

Prices: $24.95 (£12.52) – $54.95 (£27.58) Website: www.joby.com/products/ gorillapod It may sound worrying and look a bit outrageous but this little tripod’s cool, flexible design will firmly secure your camera anywhere and everywhere. How practical.

NOT

2012 OLYMPICS LOGO

Gallery and Location: http://main. london2012.com/en £400,000 worth of embarrassment

RETRO CELL PHONE HANDSET

Price: $14.99 (£7.52) Website: www.stupid.com/stat/PLEZ. html Hahahaha…but seriously why? Only Stupid.com can answer that one – probably with this stupid gadget!

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insight A nice touch

COMPETENT COMPUTING: Microsoft Surface™ puts people in control of their experiences with technology, making everyday tasks entertaining, enjoyable and efficient

ng at BASIS: Surface computi of a Microsoft is an outgrowth een the collaborative effort betw Microsoft Microsoft Hardware and the Research teams, struck by nology opportunity to create tech sical and that would bridge the phy virtual world

Forthcoming release Microsoft Surface™ is a revolutionary invention that puts you, the user, in absolute control of your technological experiences. This innovative computing product is the first in a new category of surface computing products that breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology, allowing hands-on, direct control of content such as photos, music and maps. Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, dynamic working plane that provides effortless interaction with all forms of digital content through the use of natural gestures and touch. With a 30-inch display screen in its tablelike format, it can be used either individually or collaboratively, without the need for the usual set up of a mouse and keyboard. Surface computing, which Microsoft has been working on for a number of years, features four key attributes. First, direct interaction allows users to actually ‘grab’ digital information with their hands, interacting with content through touch and gesture alone. Multi-touch recognises many points of contact simultaneously – not just from one finger like a standard touch-screen, but over ten items at once. Multi-user concerns itself with the horizontal form factor, making it easy for several users to gather round a Surface computer and providing a concerted computing experience. Finally, object recognition allows users to place physical objects on the surface to trigger different types of digital responses, including the transfer of digital content. The table, manufactured by software giants Microsoft, uses exciting technology to accomplish its dynamic aims. Within its confines are a series of infrared cameras that can actually see what’s placed on the surface. Nigel Keam, Architect at Microsoft Surface™ computing, spoke enthusiastically about this feature. “What we’re able to do is also have interaction with

objects on the Surface. So when we place an object on the Surface, the cameras can recognise what that object is and allow us to interact directly with that object.” He went on to add, “We see this as a whole new category, a complete new ecosystem for computers.” This ability to recognise external objects is set to revolutionise the retail industry, for items with tags similar to bar codes. If a customer sets a simple wine glass on the surface of a table, for instance, a restaurant could provide them with details concerning their beverage and/or pictures and information of the food pairings tailored to that evening’s menu, creating a totally immersive experience for the user. A lot of wireless functionality is also incorporated into the Surface computingplatform, allowing it to evolve into related devices. Imagine taking a photo using your digital camera, and placing it onto the Surface computer. You could then set your cellphone on the Surface, letting all your wireless syncing continue behind the scenes while you simply drag-and-drop your photo instantly onto that device, all without the need for plug-ins or a computer. The $5,000 to $10,000 machines will start showing up in stores as early as the end of this year, although Microsoft initially plans to sell the device to their commercial partners such as T-Mobile and Starwood Hotels – but where’s all this leading? “We envision a time when surface computing technologies will be pervasive, from tabletops and counters to the hallway mirror,” says Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer. “Surface is the first step in realising that vision.”

www.microsoft.com

FINGER FUN: Fro m digital finger paint ing to a virtual conc ierge, Surface brings na tural interaction to the digital world in a new and exciting way

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08.07

McFaul madness kicks into action In a little corner of London City not far from Waterloo station in a smart bistro, what may well be one of the city’s most innovative art projects of this calendar year was realised. On Thursday 14th June, the Advanced Photoshop magazine gang took a trip to meet with McFaul and the lucky winners of our McFaul Competition, held back in issue 30, to discuss their up-and-coming instillation show, that is to be held in the Covent Garden Building. After a spot of lunch and a few beverages the creative juices were well and truly flowing, and John McFaul explained his ideas for the project with a passion you’d expect from the McFaul team. We can’t reveal all the details just yet (and we wouldn’t want to spoil the excitement of the final show), but we can assure all those eagerly waiting that this project will reward you with a lavish, sexy and graphical visual instillation In the words of McFaul, this show will sound out to the creative masses “that we’ve (McFaul) arrived.” And if the standards of the exhibition match that of the enthusiasm brought to the table by both our winning team, Amy Read and Dermot McCusker and Folashade Olagundoye, then boy – are you all in for an optical treat! This enthusiasm has spread far, attracting backing from some of the industry’s biggest hitters – a prime example being CIA, one of Britain’s

Shore sounds good

Since 11 May, the Int ernational Center of Photography, New York has been exhibiting the wo rks of one of the major advocates of colour photograph y, Stephen Shore, who first emerged in the Seventies. Fa me d for his lyrical compositions, Ste phen Shore docume nted everyday settings and objec ts, from televisions to desert roads. However, within his work he exhibited an overwhelming ability to transform commonplace surro undings into compelling works of art. Shore’s use of the large-format came ra and innovative colour printing ha s made him one of the most influenti photographers to al emerge in the last half of the 20th century. At this ex hibition you can sam ple over 160 images from Shore ’s outstanding colle ctions, including rarely-seen black and white concep tual photography from the late Sixtie s. The rest of the ex hibition will draw largely from Shore ’s career-making se ries Uncommon Places (1973-78), in addition to earlier works from his American Surfaces series (1972). k, emite National Par E: Merced River, Yos STEPHEN SHOR Shore, Courtesy en ph Ste © 9 197 13, California, August on Aperture Foundati

biggest illustration agencies, whilst some extra fizz will be given to the project by Cobra Beer. Of course, the input from some of the finest creative minds will surely evolve the show. For more information on the project, keep an eye out for updates in our news pages over the next few issues.

www.mcfaul.net

DIARY DATES HOW WE ARE: PHOTOGRAPHING BRITAIN Until 2 September

Tate Britain, London, UK

KYLIE: THE EXHIBITION l show to discuss the McFau The first get-together ht: Amy Read, rig to TEAM MCFAUL: left m Fro s. petition winner and meet the com McCusker Smith and Dermot John McFaul, Adam

Until 2 September

Manchester Art Gallery, UK

WATERFORD SPRAOI STREET FESTIVAL 2 - 4 August

Waterford, Republic of Ireland There’s plenty to rou se and influence asp iring and connoisseur photo graphers. A prodigy of photography since the age of 14 , with work being bought for the Museum of Mode rn Art collection, Ne w York, Shore’s work has been cre dited with inspiring numerous contemporary ph otographers throu gh out recent history, so this exhib ition is certainly no t one to let pass by. With the ICP’s mission to interpret the power and evolution of photo graphy, dedicated to understanding an d appreciation, the re’ s nowhere better to endorse such provocative wo rks . Biographical Land scapes: The Photogra phy of Stephen Shore, 1969 -79 runs until 9 Septe mber, giving you plenty of time to catch these stunn ing works. Visit the below we b address for more details. www.icp.org

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA: PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHEN CHANGFEN Until 12 August

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, US

MAGIC IN ANCIENT EGYPT: IMAGE, WORD, AND REALITY Until 12 August

Brooklyn Museum, New York, US

PICASSO AND AMERICAN ART Until 2 Sep

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, US

STEPHEN SHORE: Second Street, Ashland, Wisconsin, July 9, 1973 © Stephen Shore, Courtesy Aperture Foundation

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insight

A NOISE SEVERE: “A personal favourite, about listening to powerful noises that surround your head when you’re about to die”

Mario Sanchez Nevado Like many kids, Mario first became interested in art after drawing his favourite characters from TV and comics. He decided to study Fine Art at university at the age of 18. “I only worked in traditional mediums until I was assigned to do a photo manipulation,” says Mario. “I started four years before this, working freelance as a web designer, so I knew the basics of Photoshop already.” Mario liked how these first manipulations turned out, so he started to work on them in his own time, developing his skills and ideas, and slowly started to touch on other fields in digital illustration. “Now I only work in digital, and since I discovered its possibilities, I’ve almost forgotten traditional medias because of their costs, and the space and time you need to develop a piece.” Asked to describe his style, Mario tells us he tries not to get stuck doing the same things. “Mostly I dabble in the dark and surreal genres with tiny fantasy touches,” says Mario. “I think my images are about feelings, sensations and mystery. I use a lot of classic iconography and colour psychology in my work. I often mix diverse digital mediums, such as vectors, 3D, fractals and painting, with my photo manipulations.” Nowadays, Mario doesn’t have much free time to work on personal projects. “Right now I’m working on the biggest project ever, the Myth Series, a serial of 14 illustrations about iconography related to the most important classic deities. I’m also working on some CD packaging and an animation project using some of my most popular illustrations.” www.aegis-strife.net www.aegis-strife.net

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lying is FLYING: “F h to be free is about the w t being , bu of someone because unable to, that person to s tie your ” ng ro st are so

REALITY CLASH: “This is one of my alltime favourite images. When I did this one I was obsessed with strange perspectives and compositions, and this image was the ace of that period”

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CITY OF LIGHT: “This is one of my images that talks about hope and light in opposition to darkness”

08.07 EVERYTHING: “Th is one is actually on e of my most popular images on the web. It was one of my tryouts on the mixed media world ”

LAST TRAVEL OF THE BUTTERFLIES: “This is a personal piece about death. The butterflies were a constant symbol on my earlier work and this is the last time I used them, hence the title”

ch to biggest approa E: “This was my d is the image an , ns HIDDEN PLAC itio os chaotic comp surrealism and sleep time” the most of my that has stolen

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insight FOLDVARI: “Portra it of illustrator David Wear It With Pride Foldvari for the Two International artists Faced book and exhibition project. and designers were paired off to create portraits of each oth er in their inimitable styles”

TWANG ALBUM COVER: “The album title, Love It When I Feel Like This, was decided after creating the central fox character, but luckily it seemed to fit”

TWANG EITHER WAY: “Second single for The Twang, which continues the stylistic look of a central striking image with an urban edge to it, but tailored for a modern take on the love song”

Andy Potts Andy Potts, a 33-year-old illustrator and animator, is well known for his spunky, energetic style. His brash and colourful approach displays an energetic fusion of both traditional and digital techniques, all put together with a method that screams spontaneity or even controlled chaos. This distinctive approach to design has seen Andy involved with many top commissions throughout the years, the most recent working on a print ad for IBM’s ‘What Makes You Special?’ campaign. Andy’s longevity within such a competitive, international arena is credited to his own special style. His identity is extremely important and he advises others to “work on developing your own style and go with your instincts when it comes to creating your work. Avoid trying to imitate, as good art directors will always go to the original artist. By all means be inspired by other artists, but take that inspiration and remix it.” Andy draws his own inspiration from an exciting range of sources; from sci-fi and punk, to comics and retro kitsch: “ I keep my eyes open to random visual inspirations and find imagery wherever I am: a good shot in a film, a bit of graffiti…” Even postcards and old transient material make the list. His other major inspiration comes from working closely with peers: “I share a smallish studio with two other illustrator/animator friends, Ben Cook and Taplin, so there’s a good working atmosphere with shared resources. I used to work at home by myself and found it too lonely.” Photoshop plays an integral part in Andy’s application, using it for over ten years as a tool for digitally collaging material together to create work that ultimately doesn’t feel digitally created: “It’s important to me to create a sense of spontaneity in my work, so I like to scan in and use as many handdrawn, painted elements, or unusual photographic textures, as possible.” Andy isn’t one for the use of filter effects, with drop shadows and lens flare his pet hates, preferring a more organic approach to his design: “I like using rough cut and paste techniques to create interesting, sometimes accidental, compositional effects that I will take advantage of. I also use layer effects to create rich areas of colour and texture and love the freedom Photoshop gives you with colour experimentation in general.” As a result, Andy easily wastes hours experimenting with the Hue and Saturation palette. www.andy-potts.com

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08.07 OW D: ESS CR BUSIN ration was st lu ’s This il d for IBM l designe kes You Specia a M n, ig a p What m rint ca global p g innovation n promoti chnology te through

NYC: “Photosh op ex at this kind of mo cels ntage work based on photographic ma terial. I love to mix up my photography wi th painting and dr aw create something ing to unique for the image”

REBEL MACHINES: “[This is a] Flyer created with illustrator Tim Marrs for a joint exhibition in Hastings called Rebel Machines during April 2007. Photoshop is enormously helpful when collaborating, because of the flexibility of editing each other’s work”

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insight editorial BIZZ: “This is an the Bizz, illustration for sic most popular mu They azil. magazine in Br ing wanted someth ed a lot I us psychedelic, so of patterns”

me COME TO THIS: “So . tising promotional adver This time I wanted d something soft an s with relaxing for the eye a magic mood”

ORGANIC VECTORS: “Another personal illustration for which I wanted to blend psychedelic imagery with fantasy effects”

O’ VENEZIA VENAGA VENUSIA: “This music makes me remember late night tales, mixing a bit of mystery and magic, so I tried to translate this mood to this image”

GD AD: “This is a piece of promotional advertising I made for a magazine from my city. My only goa l here was to make something eye-catching “

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08.07

HISTÓRIAS INCRÍVEIS: “The briefing for this ad was to translate the concept ‘Amazing Histories’ mixing fantasy with a retro look”

Murilo Maciel

image was an editorial HISTÓRIAS: This detailed azine Murilo Maciel for the mag by ted crea e illustration piec ória Hist Aventuras na

PERFECT COLORS : “A personal piece inspired by the mu of the same name sic by Mellow. It´s a go od example of my work, mixing photo , texture, painting and vector”

In 2002, Murilo decided to move to London. “I think this was the most important thing I have ever done in my life. Not just because I got much stronger and self confident, but because I just got crazy with the British design culture,” says Murilo. “I remember I was in the tube when I saw an Orange ad made by Vault49. That was just wonderful! Brazilian design and illustration was very square and immature at the time, so as soon as I got in touch with this part of British culture, I got crazy. I just wanted to get deeper and deeper.” In the first two years after moving, Murilo decided to step away from the computer, but in his last year bought a PC and chose to start illustrating. Along with a friend, he decided to sell photos and illustrations in Portobello Market. “This was a brilliant time,” says Murilo. “We got to know a lot of people with the same interests. We were just covering the costs, but the fact of being there, meeting people and exposing your stuff to a lot of people is priceless.” Through Portobello, Murilo got to do his first exhibition where he met a guy who needed a flyer for a party. “This was my first commission as an illustrator. One week later I got my second commission, which was for a Brazilian/British magazine called Jungle Drums.” Asked to explain how he creates his “psychedelic and organic” images, Murilo tells us that he doesn’t necessarily draw a rough. “I always think about colour schemes and the mood I want to transmit. After that, I start to think about elements and make a few doodles as well. My process is very intuitive, so I get a lot of ideas while I’m building the image.” Murilo has been working as a freelancer for six months and has just started to find ways to show his work abroad. “Last month I got an agent in London, so I think that will help me to get my work exposed abroad as well. In Brazil my work is well known and I’m doing some illustrations for one of Latin America’s largest and most influential communications conglomerates, and also some ad campaigns.” Future projects include a personal venture that he’s running with a friend selling t-shirts and prints. www.grafikdust.com/ www.advocate-art.com

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insight STELLA: “This illustration is full of many elements; it describes a whole day of a little girl”

double FLOWEA: A r out the shee illustration ab wers” flo e th of ty beau

POINT: “I knew a homeless drunk who explained to me how many people used to point at him with their eyes”

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Domenico Tedone Domenico became interested in digital illustration when he was around ten years old. “I started with the Corel Suite and then I moved onto Photoshop and Illustrator. I remember I liked to go out, spend some time outside and then come back at home to create something, mixing in my thoughts.” After studying Digital Design at the European Institute of Design in Rome and Maya character animation at Upgrade in Milan, Domenico’s first commission was from a lawyer who set a challenge to do an illustration, “mixing my style with elements like a scale and the Goddess of Justice, Themis”. When embarking on a new project, Domenico tends to start in Illustrator, putting several elements together whilst trying to mix them in a convincing way, sometimes starting with hand-drawn elements. “When I’m happy with the results, I bring everything into Photoshop, keeping the layers, and I add the final retouches, taking care of the colour balance.” Citing his favourite digital artists as Fishouse, Oculart, Robert Lindström and Inksurge, Domenico’s influences are pretty mixed, and this diversity clearly comes across in his work: “My style is pretty conceptual, I like emphasising simplicity and aesthetic pleasure over complexity of meaning.” Other than digital art, Domenico has a love for the simple things in life: “The sun, the scent of tomato sauce, eating cherries from a tree. I like to share my vision with people.” www.dotedesign.com

08.07 BLOSSOM: “This is a 3D rendering with my illustration texturing, done to experiment a possible piece of interior design”

/

ourite actor al praise to my fav NIRO: “My person awn” -dr nd ha s wa s thi Robert De Niro,

MONA: “A mix of photography and illustration focusing on the softness and the smoothness of the body”

LONG NAILS: “In to emphasise th this illustration I wanted e inclination of women to get many parts of their bodies longer (like hair, nails and eyelashes)”

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Inter view

JONATHAN BARKAT

Eerie landscapes, dramatic light and a sense of foreboding are the signature styles of Jonathan Barkat – but is this darkness a reflection on the artist himself? Rosie Tanner finds out…

B

arren landscapes, tempestuous seas and people searching for their souls – welcome to the artistic world of Jonathan Barkat. You’d be forgiven for thinking Jonathan was a solemn man, carrying the weight of society on his shoulders and expressing his woes through his art. You couldn’t be more wrong. “Hey, how’s it going?” he chirps, as we hook up in a transatlantic telephone call. Jonathan is far from the depressed martyr you envisage him to be. Despite the dark, bleak aura that hangs over his work, he himself is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He’s your regular American family man, who happens to dabble rather a lot in dark subjects.

The past Jonathan graduated from the University of Arts, Philadelphia in 1994 after completing a course in Illustration. “As part of my introductory lessons during my junior year at college, it so happened I incorporated a lot of photography into my projects,” says Jonathan. “Back then I was mostly into black-and-white processing, to which I’d add oil paints over the top.” Eventually this process progressed, so much so that Jonathan used to take several negatives and process them to create one composite image, applying oil paint to the top. “Looking back it seems like such a long process compared to what I do now and it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come since digital cameras have hit the mainstream.” It wasn’t until 1996 that Jonathan finally came round to buying a computer of his own: “Obviously I’d played around with computers at college, although this was always using it as an intermediary tool,” Jonathan explains. “We’d use

BOXERS (TOP): Client: Builder magazine. “Part of a series of images of boxers for an article in Builder magazine about facing your competition”

HATTIE BIG SKY (ABOVE): “This is the cover

image for the young adult novel Hattie Big Sky published by HarperCollins Publishers”

CANCER (OPPOSITE):

“This is an image for Real Health magazine for an article raising the awareness of colon cancer”

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Jonathan Barkat

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Inter view

THE DOGS (ABOVE): “These are my dogs, Ruby and Tamayo. I shot them in the studio after shooting the location” NEST (LEFT): Client: Worth magazine: “This image for Worth magazine was used alongside an article about protecting your nest egg into old age” them for scanning in low-res prints to sketch with, rather than relying on them to generate art.” It was from this point that Jonathan’s journey of Photoshop exploration began, providing him with the best digital toolbox to set about his work properly. Jonathan’s relationship with Photoshop was pretty intense, having never used it in any depth before. “It was an extremely sharp learning curve to say the least,” says Jonathan. “I landed my first paid commission where I had to use Photoshop before I’d even learnt the basics of the program – so effectively I was learning on the job.” Despite taking five times longer than necessary, Jonathan’s first assignment using Photoshop was a success and after a few more jobs, he was beginning to get a handle on Photoshop and how

it could work for him. “Every project I was given brought me a new understanding of Photoshop and what it could do. My confidence grew with each assignment I completed.” Jonathan’s talents grew and grew with the more work he received and in 1998 he won a prestigious silver medal in the Society of Illustrators awards. “That has to be one of the highlights of my career,” Jonathan recalls. “It was for a CD cover I’d designed for Capital Records and it gave me such a boost in confidence.”

The present As Jonathan’s Photoshop skills progressed, so too did his style and his work now tends to leans more towards photography than photo-illustration. “It

EVERY PROJECT I WAS GIVEN BROUGHT ME A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF PHOTOSHOP 28

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Jonathan Barkat

THE COMPETITION (BELOW): “Another in the series of images for Builder magazine for the feature on facing your competition”

seemed to suit my style and the way I see things” says Jonathan. These days, Jonathan’s work incorporates a whole host of styles and techniques that have enabled him to bag those all-important big clients and commissions. Whether they want art that’s conceptual and figurative, digital or mixed media, stylised or technical, he has got the skills and the concepts to come up with the goods. Jonathan prides himself in being able to deliver on a number of subjects. From children’s books to billboards – he has got it covered. “These days the majority of my work comes through three main channels: book publishing, editorial and advertising, which is a great mix to keep things exciting,” says Jonathan. “I actually did work for the Discovery Channel recently – I designed a promotional image that wrapped around their tour vehicle, which was pretty cool.” Of all the disciplines, Jonathan is particularly keen on advertising assignments: “They’re great because the budgets are a lot bigger, which means you’ve got huge teams of people working as crew. You’ve got someone doing makeup and there’s a stylist – it’s a very rewarding genre.”

DRAMATIC (ABOVE): “A

Inspiration So what inspires Jonathan to come up with ideas across such a broad spectrum? “I draw my inspiration from looking around me. I love landscapes and the way light can play around with the atmosphere and feel of the place,” says Jonathan. “I love going out after a rainstorm and analysing the light – the contrast between sunshine behind me and a really thick black sky in front can be amazing.” After sufficient sky gazing, Jonathan usually goes back to his studio to see how he can recreate the light conditions photographically. It’s no surprise that with such a fascination with stormy skies and eerie light, that Jonathan has a tendency to portray his scenes that are awash with dark undertones. “People often tell me they think my work’s dark – even when I don’t necessarily think it is. I guess that’s my style. I often get clients saying, ‘we like your style but can you lighten it up a bit’”, says Jonathan. “Obviously you do as they say and experiment, yet I always try to maintain my own personal style nevertheless.”

portrait captured for Billboard magazine of DJ Drama”

It’s experimentations like these that have helped Jonathan explore new realms of his creativity he never knew he had. “Hearing suggestions or being given a challenging brief is so good for me. It’s great twisting your work in new directions and being pleased with the results.” For Jonathan, the greatest thing about Photoshop is the power it enables him to exercise over crucial elements of his images, “Without Photoshop, there’s no doubt my work wouldn’t be what it is. I rely on it so much for creating those heavy atmospheres. My work largely consists of composites of images, so Photoshop plays a huge role in this aspect.” Despite his deviation away from his original career path, Jonathan still credits his illustration training for the way things turned out. “I still look at things very much with an illustrator’s eye,” he says, “I take a scene or a subject and mentally envisage how to break it down, take it apart, then build it all back up again.” Photographically, Jonathan applies the same practice of breaking things down. “For me, my images rely so heavily on striking lighting that makes an impact. I break down every scene and

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Inter view

build it back up with lights and this is what I find so exciting. Going off on a tangent can often produce the most interesting results.”

Work practices There’s no denying that an artist’s life can be a very solitary existence, with long hours often spent wrapped up in designs, concepts and dreams. However, this never seemed to have bothered Jonathan very much. “For me, starting out on my own was not a daunting prospect. It was just so exciting to go out into the world and get paid for something I enjoyed,” he says, “There were no nerves because I had nothing to lose – no house, car or family to worry about, therefore a lot less pressure.” Jonathan spent much of the early days involved in self-promotion. “I did countless portfolio drop-offs to magazines and publishing houses. Back then, organised ‘Drop-off days’ were pretty common – you’d hand in your portfolio and return the next day and hope that they’d taken a look.”

PERSONAL (ABOVE): “One

in a series of three. I pass this bridge often and one day it looked different”

As well as distributing his portfolio, Jonathan spent much of his time producing handmade booklets, which he’d drop off to various influential companies and contacts in the hope of landing some contracts. For many, this would be extremely nerve-wracking, and the pressure of this crucial time at such an early point in a career could be make or break, but Jonathan revelled in the opportunity: “It was such an exciting time, you tried everything to get noticed; these days I have a rep who takes care of things like that.” For Jonathan the thrill remains, but the pressure has been raised slightly. “Back then I was living alone in New York in an apartment and I could get up at 2am and do some work if I wanted to. These days, family life means I work just as hard but have to compartmentalise my work and give it structure.” Jonathan’s main problem with his chosen career path is trying to shut off from his current projects and forget about briefs he is working on at the moment: “My downfall is that I think about it too much. I get so wrapped up in various projects that everything I see or hear reminds me of it.”

Looking ahead So what does Jonathan see himself doing in ten years time? “It’s so hard to say where I want to be in the future. Things always take such unexpected twists and turns that I couldn’t even imagine what I’d be doing in ten years from now,” Jonathan says. For now, he’s wrapped up in countless book projects covering all sorts of genres, from teenage fiction to fantasy horror. “All I know is I’d love to make time for my own personal projects in the future. It’s so hard to manage to do your own stuff, but it’s so important. Without it, it’s very easy to lose your sense of creative vision, which is a great shame.” Any words of advice for those wanting to follow in a similar career path? “Let your personal work be your portfolio – that’s what you want to be known and commissioned for,” Jonathan says. “Most of all stick at it. It’s all about marketing, being consistent and showing the world what sets you apart from everybody else out there”, says Jonathan. “Knowing yourself and knowing who your future clients could be, will stand you in excellent form for the future.” 5

I GET SO WRAPPED UP IN PROJECTS THAT EVERYTHING I SEE OR HEAR REMINDS ME OF IT 30

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Jonathan Barkat

SURVIVAL (LEFT): “This was one of a series of images for The Oprah magazine. The article was on dealing with survival”

FAITH (ABOVE): “This image was used as an opening spread image for an article about finding faith in The Oprah magazine” ANTS: “For me my images rely

so heavily on striking lighting that makes an impact”

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MASTERCLASS

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Metal effects and textures Do you feel like your creative ideas are getting rusty? Are you blowing a gasket striving for invention? Oil your creative cogs with this tutorial and manufacture your own ON THE DISC mechanical creation

H

umanity has always been fascinated by artificial, mechanical and virtual life. From clockwork toys to the ‘tin men’ that inhabit the big screen, people have always dreamt about creating artificial intelligence. What about the heart though? Well, by using a bit of intelligent application, thoughtful construction, time and TLC, you too can bring your metal manifestations to life and perhaps give them that certain something.

Follow this systematic tutorial and nurture the birth of your own invention. Take advantage of Photoshop’s editing capabilities by working with textures, applying Blending Modes and adding a dash of colour with specific Brush Tools and colour options. You’ll learn how to create the ideal metallic effects and gradually breathe life into your robotic design, one with its very own creative heartbeat. Read on to see how this fish is transformed into an menacing mechanism.

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You will find all the texture files you need to create this metallic aquatic beast on the CD attached in the back of this issue of Advanced Photoshop. Remember you can always try this technique on a different fish figure. Just take a visit to www.istockphoto.com.

OUR EXPERT

Adam Smith

Advanced Photoshop’s Staff Writer, Adam Smith has previously worked on commissions for The NSDF, a well as having work published in The Times and several online publications.

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Set sail Let’s begin by selecting File>New and opening a document at 300dpi, 25 x 20cm, setting your Color Mode to RGB and clicking OK. Then select File>Open, choosing the ‘iStock_000003226628Medium.tif’ file. Once your image is open, select the Pen Tool from the toolbar and carefully draw around your fish. Then Ctrl-click on your new layer and select Rasterize.

Fish heads Simply press Apple/Ctrl+V to paste in your fish cut-out. From here on in this will be your basic guideline for constructing your very own metallic deep-sea creation. First, we must proceed to the Pen Tool once more, and we shall start from the top, constructing our fish’s head. Begin to trace around the crown of your little scaly friend.

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Perfect outline Now you should have a perfect solid outline tracing the contours of your fish. Proceed by selecting the Magic Wand Tool and clicking on your newly made shape. Choose Select>Similar to make sure all edges are accounted for and then activate your original layer beneath. Then press Apple/Ctrl+C to Copy and revert to your blank document.

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Layer select Select a dark grey tone from your toolbar to do so and, once complete, again Apple/Ctrl-click on your newly drawn layer and choose to Rasterize it. Now we can start to add the Metal effect, laying the foundation for further treatment. Apple/Ctrl-click your newly drawn layer thumbnail and watch those marching ants appear around the head.

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Channels Next, from your Layers palette, choose Channels and select ‘Save selection as channel’ from the icon at the foot of the Layers palette. Name this accordingly, and then select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Gaussian Blur your selected channel by 30 pixels. Then revisit it several more times, blurring it in divisions of two, eg 15 pixels, 7 pixels and 3 pixels.

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MASTERCLASS 6

Invisible treatment You will now notice that your selection has begun to feather. The next step is to add some exposure. Select Apple/ Ctrl+Shift+L to apply Auto Levels. Then press D, followed by Apple/Ctrl+Shift+I, which will invert your selection, and choose the Delete option. Press Ctrl/Apple+D to deselect your active channel and go back to your Layers palette, reactivating your Fish Head layer.

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Setting properties Proceed by selecting Filter>Render>Lighting Effects. Once in the Lighting Effects dialog box, set your Light Type to Directional, your Gloss Properties to 100 and your Material Properties to -100. Also, make sure your Texture Channel is set to the created channel layer. Set your Exposure properties to 39, Ambience to -21 and Height value to 12.

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Light headed Also set your Texture Channel to your Fish Head channel layer. Now, with all values set, apply a white Directional Light Type, aiming it from the left to the right of your shape. Then Alt-click the white node on your directional line to duplicate and place this shining up, from the bottom left of your shape, creating a sense of having three dimensions. Once satisfied, click OK.

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Looking smooth As you can now see, our Fish Head layer has a certain desired metallic quality. Now you know how to reproduce such effects, let’s get started on creating the other parts of our aquatic friend. We’ll first produce a backbone, creating a structure that will help support and evolve the fish’s form.

Colour

coated After you have constructed your metallic inventions, why not add some colour, simulating a similar effect to applying coated colour to metal? Start by finalising your creations and then opening a new layer. Now select a brush style, preferably a grunge or spray type, and apply it to your metal form. Experiment with size and opacity, and once satisfied, apply a Color Burn or Multiply Blending Mode to this layer, depending on the severity of the effect you wish to produce. This can be a great when applying colour effects to structures such as boats or cars, or even adding grizzly blood effects to a knight’s mighty sword and armour.

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Get a backbone Once drawn, using the Pen Tool, Rasterize your Fish Spine layer and activate it using Apple/Ctrl-click as before, and select your channels. Create a new channel again, naming it accordingly. Gaussian Blur your channel again, but this time set the values at 20, 10, 5 and 2 pixels. Then proceed as before adding Auto Levels, etc.

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Scales Now it’s time to create our fish’s necessary scales. To begin with, take your Pen Tool from the toolbar, set to the corresponding grey tone used previously, and draw your scaly shape. Again Rasterize and treat your shape to channel treatment, this time with a less severe Gaussian Blur effect with values of ten, five, two and one pixels. Then proceed as normal, applying Lighting Effects.

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Assemblage Now with your new gleaming scale, it’s time to duplicate. Activate your Scale layer, Alt-click your scale image and drag. This will instantly duplicate your shape and create a separate layer, setting your scales into rows. Now take some time and use the Transforming Tools, selecting Edit>Transform, to rotate and skew your scales into position.

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Alterations Again, select Filter>Render>Lighting Effects and set the same properties as before, remembering to set your Texture Channel accordingly. However, this time set your Height value between 27 and 32 and place the left-hand light source beneath, from left to upper right, and your right-hand light source from above, top right to bottom left.

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A healthy shine In the Lighting Effects dialog screen, set all Properties values as before, but again edit your Height value, this time between 23 and 25 pixels. Your two light directions change again to create that maximum shiny effect, appropriate for scales. Set the right direction light from the bottom up and on the left from the top down, slightly angled to the left.

“YOUR LIGHT DIRECTIONS CHANGE AGAIN TO CREATE THAT MAXIMUM SHINY EFFECT, APPROPRIATE FOR SCALES” 35 Advanced Photoshop

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Small things With a little patience, you should end up with an image similar to the example. If you feel that your scales need further editing, then apply some more refined transformation with the Warp Tool, found in the Transform Options. Once satisfied, begin to merge or scale rows individually by Shift-clicking corresponding layers, then press Apple/Ctrl+E.

Producing a pivot It’s time to start to hinge together the rest of our fish, literally. Start by opening the ‘Hinge&Bolt.tif’ file and select the Rubber Tool from the toolbar. Set this to a hard edge brush with a 60-pixel Size. Then, holding down Shift, click and drag across your Hinge layer creating a perfect horizontal rubbing. Do this several times, as evenly as possible.

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Fitting the hinges You should now have a hinge structure, so apply the necessary channels treatment, blurring it by 30, 15, 7 and 3 pixels, and then render the appropriate Lighting effects. Also do this to your Bolt layer, then merge your layers and Copy>Paste into your composition. Proceed by placing your hinge at the foot of the tail, rescaling and shaping using the Transform tools at your disposal.

Hinting depth With your fish fully formed, it’s time to add substance in the form of exposure and features. Begin with your scale layers, activating row one and selecting ‘Add a layer style’ from the foot of the Layers palette. Choose Drop Shadow with the Angle set to six degrees, Distance to 15 pixels, Size to 25 pixels and the Blending Mode to Multiply, coloured black. Set Opacity to 75%.

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Fin-tastic Finalise your fish’s form by adding fins, a tail and a lower head. Be as liberal in form and shape as you like, but remember to adhere to the working processes that have previously been mentioned. When constructing the tail, select Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. Then rescale and apply Skew Transform, creating the illusion that the tail is propelling our fish.

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A little more A seemingly simple process, yet extremely effective in creating dimension within the image. Now, apply a Drop Shadow, with the exact same Blending Mode and Angle values as before, to your Fish Head layer. However, unlike before, set your Distance value to 77 pixels and Size value to 68 pixels, with your Opacity as 58%.

Gradient overlay Select your Tail Fin layer and select the FX button from the foot of the Layers palette, choosing Gradient Overlay. Instantly set your Blending Mode to Color Burn. Set your Opacity to 25% and your Angle to 11%. Set your Scale value to 70%. Now apply the same effect to your Top Fin layer, this time with the same applied Blending Mode, but set your Angle to 20% and your Scale value to 100%.

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Delineation Select your Fin layer and, for the last time, add a Drop Shadow. This time set your Angle to 17% and your Opacity to 65%. Set your Distance to 45 pixels and your size value to 27 pixels. Keep your Blending Mode to a similar Multiply effect. Now you will see that your fish not only seems metallic, but also has definition that adds a sense of realism.

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Solidity Obviously, we need to apply a Gradient Overlay to our Scale layers for cohesion. Therefore, making sure you are satisfied with your applied Drop Shadows, merge all the corresponding layers into a single layer, naming it ‘Scale’. Now apply a Gradient Overlay, same Blending Mode as before, with these values: Angle = 75%, Scale = 105% and Opacity = 45%.

Metal effect

uncovered

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Scratch the surface Now it’s time to relax and experiment with applying metallic textures. This step is certain to evolve your image and amplify the realism of our composition. Let’s begin by selecting File>Open and accessing ‘SL700160.tif’. Select your Rectangle Marquee Tool and use it to Copy>Paste a selection into your composition, naming it ‘Metallic Texture’ and placing it above your Fish Head layer.

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Trimming the edges With this new layer active, set your Blending Mode to Overlay. Select your Fish Head layer and choose the Magic Wand Tool from the toolbar. Click the outside of your fish head shape, selecting the surrounding space. Reselect your metallic layer and choose Select>Inverse. Next, apply a Vector Mask from the foot of the Layers palette to hide the encroaching visual value.

The channel-created metal effect used within this tutorial can be an intensive application, yet once you’ve got the hang of it, it may become an essential process in creating such effects, remembering it can be used with textures or individually. However, there are other ways to produce a metal effect. Here are a couple more simple methods: Sheet Metal: Start by creating a new document of a good size and resolution set with a grey background, making sure it’s set to RGB mode. Next, select Filter>Noise>Add Noise, and in the dialog box enter the following values: Amount = 25, Gaussian and Monochromatic. Then select Filter>Blur>Motion Blur, leaving your Angle value at 0%. Experiment with your Distance value by all means, but we find that a value of 200% gives a good effect. Bevels can be added to this to create a nice metal slap effect. Alternatively, you can always render a Spot Light lighting effect. Scratched Metal: Start by opening a new document (700 X 700, 300dpi) and activating a new layer, applying a Foreground to Background Gradient with metallic-like tones. Now, similar to the previous metallic effect, apply Add Noise, except this time set your Distribution to Uniform. Then select Image>Adjustments>Auto Levels or Levels, depending on the control you wish to have over your effects. Select a brush with a 1px width, activate a new layer and apply the brush. Duplicate this layer, inverse it and set it slightly away from its original. Reactivate the original Scratches layer and apply a Soft Light Blending Mode.

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Fish eye As they say, eyes are the windows to the soul, so let’s create one for our little friend. Start by selecting File>Open and accessing the file ‘IMG_3451. tif’. We will use this as the socket for our eyeball. Use the Marquee Tool to select the required area and Copy>Paste it into your canvas. Name this new layer ‘Socket’ and place it as the top layer in your palette. Resize and position accordingly with your fish’s head.

Gilding Your fish head should now obtain a gritty metal surface. Apply the same texture to all other pieces of anatomy owned by your fishy creation. The Warp Transform Tool can come in handy at this stage, allowing you to mould and precisely apply direction within your texture according to your treated shape. Access this by selecting Edit>Transform>Warp and investigate the controls to suit.

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Getting rusty Now, with this method in mind, start to experiment with various other textures, supplied by you or us, and play with Blending Modes for desired effects. We’ve chosen to apply a rusty flaking texture to show the wear and tear of the watery depths, applied with a Multiply Blending Mode. As you can see, our fish has achieved that sense of realism, but that extra spark of life is still missing.

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Vacant look Once satisfied, apply a Darken Blending Mode to your layer, and then apply a Vector Mask from the foot of the Layers palette. Activate your Layers Mask thumbnail and select the Brush Tool, set to a black tone. Pick a number 42 brush with a 245-pixel width and begin to brush away the noticeable edges of your Socket layer, integrating it nicely. It should look something like the example below.

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Blinkers Now to create the eye itself. Let’s begin by opening a new file set to 5 x 5cm, 300dpi, RGB – call it ‘White Circle’. Set your tone to an aqua colour, select the Ellipse Tool from the toolbar, Shift-click and drag to create a perfect circle, rasterizing it. Next, apply a white circle to the top and a darker shade of aqua circle at the bottom, using the Transform Tools to reshape.

“YOUR FISH HEAD SHOULD NOW OBTAIN A GRITTY METAL SURFACE. APPLY THE SAME TEXTURE TO ALL OTHER PIECES OF ANATOMY”

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Edifice Now select the Elliptical Marquee Tool and draw an oval at the foot of the White Circle layer. Next, choose Select>Modify>Feather, setting your pixel value to 20. Click OK, press Delete once and set its Opacity value to 80 pixels. Activate your Dark Aqua layer and apply a 15-pixel Gaussian Blur. Merge the three layers and Copy>Paste them into your image, placing your eye in the socket.

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Glazed over We now have an eye. It looks a bit plastic, though, so let’s rectify that to fit in with our metallic theme. Start by applying a Vivid Light Blending Mode to the Eye layer. This gives it an oilier, sharper look. For fun, let’s make it glow, so start by selecting ‘Add a new layer style’ and choose Outer Glow. Apply a Colour Dodge Blend, with a 75% Opacity. Set the Spread to 2% and Size to 125 pixels. Set the Range at 32%.

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It’s alive! There you have it: a tin fish with a life of its own. You can go back and readjust any settings at this point, perhaps touching up exposure using the Dodge/ Burn Tools, and add any extras you see fit using the techniques shown, such as adding more fins, sharp teeth or lighting appendages.

textures Creating textures can be a fun, explorative process. From around-the-house items to everyday things on the street, there are many samples to be found, so the best plan of action is to grab that digital camera, get searching and become snap-happy. Look closely and you can find just what you’re looking for. For example, drains, service hatches and old gates have a delightful rusty exterior. Lampposts and mailboxes are great for offering flaking, fading facades. Even around the house, you can find baking trays, cutlery and utensils that offer an array of metallic examples.

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Habitat To create the sea, set your Foreground Color to an aqua tone and the Background Color to black. Now apply a Gradient Overlay from the Layers palette options, set to a Normal Blending Mode and an Angle of 99%. Click on your Gradient bar to edit, choosing Foreground to Background Gradient, and set the location of your black tone to 53%.

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Light waves Apply a Multiply Blending Mode to this layer, set at 87% Opacity. Next, open another new layer, naming it ‘Rays’, and place it as your top layer. Access your Gradient Editor dialog box, choosing Foreground to Transparent, in an aqua tone. Turn your Gradient Type to Noise, with Roughness at 100%. With the Color Model set to RGB, drop all the red value, and most of the blue. Slightly drop the green value, activate Restrict Colors and add the transparency options.

Tactful

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Clouds Create a new layer, placing it to the top of the stack, and name it ‘Clouds’. Now select the Gradient Tool from the toolbar and, in the Gradient Editor dialog box, select Foreground to Transparent, in an aqua tone. Now, with a Linear Gradient active, drag from top-right to bottom-left, using your black tone as a stopping point. Now Apple/Ctrl-click this layer and select Filter>Render>Clouds.

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Slight upgrades Select an Angle Gradient, then proceed to drag this as previously mentioned. Apply a Screen Blending Mode at 20% Opacity. Next, select the ‘Create new fill or adjustment layer’ icon from the foot of the Layers palette, choosing Photo Filter. Choose an Underwater or Deep Emerald filter, setting Density to 55%, and there you have it – your very own aqua tin fish! Finish by touching up the exposure with the Gradient Tool and Burn/Dodge Tool. 5

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Feature

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THE BIGGER THE BETTER

From posters to limited-edition prints, size matters when creating eyepopping artwork. But what does it take to ensure your pumped-up pixels don’t resemble Lego bricks? Nick Spence gets super sized

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n an increasingly competitive creative world, it can sometimes be difficult to stand out from the crowd. Software applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash have transformed the way we work, adding a professional sheen to many a promising novice portfolio. In many ways technology has advanced us all, narrowing the gap between pro and enthusiast, and giving everyone the tools to create appealing illustration, design and animation. It doesn’t take much to place an image in Photoshop, add a swatch of colour, add some type and create a half decent poster. Hopefully, talent and dedication will win out, but sometimes getting seen and being remembered among so many requires a helping hand. Thinking big and producing large-scale work will certainly get you seen, even from afar. Walk around any gallery or degree show and the largest canvas or

image will often be the first to catch the eye. Even in today’s multimedia world, advertisers still use billboards because they have impact and get the message across clearly. In recent years, emerging print technology has made the seemingly impossible both achievable and affordable. Artwork can be reproduced faithfully on everything from canvas to textiles. Digital camera megapixels have increased as prices have fallen, giving everyone the ability to mine their own quality source material. Find a sympathetic printer familiar with the fine arts, and you’ll be producing work fit for any wall. Big posters and prints, particularly those that are limited and signed, are in demand to add decoration and focus to the home or office. For many illustrators and designers, producing prints is a welcome source of additional income that – if printed to order – can be cost effective. The thrill of seeing an

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Feature

DAMEN STATION: Bert Monroy creates large-scale photo-realist paintings including Damen, a panorama of the Damen Station on the Blue Line of the Chicago Transit Authority. The digital painting measures 40 inches by 120 inches and was created using Illustrator and Photoshop

impressively sized print away from the confines of your computer monitor can also be infinitely inspiring, giving the viewer something that feels reassuringly tangible.

Using Photoshop

Illustration by Bert Monroy

For some, Photoshop might not be the first choice for creating such large-scale artwork. Photoshop images are built from tiny pixels, which unlike vector-based work created by Illustrator and Freehand, alter when you change the dimensions. Vector-based images are resolution independent and don’t suffer pixelation. Both Photoshop and Illustrator have their great strengths and combining the two can produce impressive results. Someone who has been doing that to great effect is Bert Monroy (www.bertmonroy.com). Long-time Photoshop fans should recognise Bert as one of the digital pioneers responsible for the software’s growth and popularity. Bert co-authored The Official Adobe Photoshop Handbook, which was the first book on Photoshop and the only one for almost two years. More recently, he’s a regular featured speaker at many worldwide conferences, is part of the Photoshop Dream Team of Photoshop World, and in 2004 was inducted into the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) Photoshop Hall of Fame. Despite a busy schedule, Bert finds time to produce stunning large-scale, digital, photo-realist, fine art. Each painting can take the best part of a

TECHNOLOGY HAS ADVANCED US ALL, NARROWING THE GAP BETWEEN PRO AND ENTHUSIAST 42

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THE BIGGER THE BETTER Illustration by Bert Monroy Illustration by Bert Monroy

year to produce. The evocative cityscape Damen, a panorama of the Damen Station on the Blue Line of the Chicago Transit Authority, measures 40 inches by 120 inches. When flattened, the file weighs in at 1.7GB and taking a cumulative total of all the files, the overall image contains over 15,000 layers. When working with such large files and numerous layers, Bert has to ensure things don’t slow to a snail’s pace, eating up valuable creative time and disk space. “For one thing, I never work on a single file. All my images are comprised of various elements. Each element is created in its own file. That file contains all the layers, alpha channels and paths that make up the element,” explains Bert. A digital painting such as Damen will combine vectors and pixels, basic shapes and buildings in the Chicago skyline created in Illustrator, the rest in Photoshop. Over 500 alpha channels were used for various effects, while over 250,000 paths make up the multitude of shapes throughout the scene. “Once the image is done, all the layers are combined into a single layer. This layer is then imported into the main file where all the elements are composited to form the final image. This reduces the amount of RAM and disk space necessary to work with.” Resolution plays an important part in any image created with a pixel-based program. If you enlarge an image, you lower its resolution, so start with a high-res image you can reduce later. Many large images such as billboards and posters are designed to be viewed from a distance, where dpi may not affect the clarity or impact. Other images, especially those for exhibition and display, will appear blocky, fuzzy and suffer ugly components and jagged edges if resolution is low.

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Feature Illustration by Jack Davis

Illustration by Jack Davis

SUCH ARRESTING LARGE-SCALE WORK CAN BE HEADACHE-INDUCING FOR ANYONE WORKING AT A COMPUTER

with plans for a fourth monitor. “I’m in the process of building a new studio. Once it’s done, I’ll be adding a second Cintiq, which will put me at four monitors. Of course, sitting in front of so many monitors might be the reason I glow in the dark.”

Working on such meticulous paintings, Bert prefers a higher resolution to guarantee clarity. “Actually, 300dpi is not high enough for me. Many of the minute details that I like to put into my paintings can’t be created at 300dpi. My paintings are 480dpi. The actual elements are created at 600dpi and sometimes as high as 800dpi. These higher resolutions allow me to get as detailed as I want to.” Photoshop offers the ability to save files at any resolution, so a copy can be saved at a lower resolution for, say, the web. “Once the file is created, I reduce the resolution to that which is required for printing. The details, though maybe not as clear, will be visible,” suggests Bert. For those working with low-res source material, especially images acquired on the internet, which should be by default saved at 72dpi, both Photoshop and third-party plug-ins can improve detail and sharpness. “Photoshop offers many tools for that purpose. How properly and skillfully you use these tools will determine your outcome,” adds Bert. Better, then, if you can start with a high-res image file that’ll require little or no additional work fixing. “To ensure that pixels are not

Another Photoshop pioneer is Jack Davis who also enjoys working big, with an array of pro-level cameras such as Nikon D1X, Canon PowerShot SD800 and Panasonic Lumix LX2. Jack is coauthor of the award-winning and best-selling series The Photoshop Wow! Book. This groundbreaking book was the second publication ever written for Adobe Photoshop users, and has over a million copies in print worldwide in 12 different languages. The Photoshop educator, author, designer, photographer and Photoshop Hall of Fame inductee has most recently been working on some large-scale sweeping panoramas. For Jack, there are three things to consider when preparing your artwork for large-scale output. “First, is the print for fine art or commercial use? The more someone pays, the sharper they want it. Related to that, how will the image be viewed: up close in a gallery, in a magazine, a poster or billboard from a distance? Third, what’s the output technology? Inkjet on uncoated stock can hide a multitude of sins.” Alongside getting to grips with resolution,

so visible in my large prints, I work at a very high resolution. It’s best to start with a high-res image. Upsizing can make the image softer and lose clarity. The old saying ‘garbage in, garbage out’ applies in this situation.” Such arresting large-scale work can also be headache-inducing for anyone working at a computer monitor. If you’re working on big files, it’s essential you invest in a big monitor and take regular breaks to rest those eyes. Prices have fallen significantly recently and a 22-inch monitor, such as the well-reviewed Samsung SyncMaster 225BW, can be had for around £250 if you shop around. Adding a Wacom tablet and pen should add a level of responsiveness and subtlety that’ll allow you to better zoom in and fine-tune detail. Twin monitors will, of course, free up space and reduce screen clutter. “The more screen real estate the better,” suggests Bert. “I work directly on the 21-inch Wacom Cintiq. I use a 21-inch Sony Artisan for palettes and colour viewing. I use an Apple 30-inch HD monitor for viewing my resource material, and the image I’m working on at actual size.” Bert doesn’t stop there,

Sharp advice

Illustration by Jack Davis

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THE BIGGER THE BETTER

Illustration by Jack Davis

sharpening is an area that can cause confusion among Photoshop users, but can restore lost detail subtlety in the right hands. “Unsharp Mask is great for portraits because it’s simple. The Threshold slider allows for subtleties like skin pores to not be part of the sharpening,” explains Jack. “Smart Sharpen is great for product and landscape shots where you want everything sharp. And the Highpass filter trick (see Jack’s How to Wow: Photoshop for Photography book for a step-by-step guide) is great for sharpening a file after it has been resed up. Sharpening in a RAW converter, or even Photoshop, will give you much greater control than in-camera sharpening, including to just selectively sharpen certain areas.”

Pushing the limits Photoshop and third-party plug-ins offer ways of maintaining and restoring detail, but are dependable on your printer, says Jack: “Up-resing to 300 if your original is lower than that using the Bicubic Smoother in Photoshop, or a plug-in like OnOne’s Genuine Fractals, does help. But remember, the number of dots in a given area on a inkjet printer changes with the tone/density of that area. The random stochastic screening, which is at the heart of all desktop and large-format printers these days, is much more forgiving in rendering pixels that the half tone dots of commercial process printing, and they have a much wider colour gamut with their use of multiple inks. That’s a big help.” Jack’s evocative recent panoramas are produced using tools found the latest version of Photoshop. “How I am creating high-res files now is by using CS3’s Photomerge. All photographs are stitched multiple shots to create huge files for limited-edition gallery prints. With technology like Photomerge, there really is no limit to the size file that can be created. Even with a pocket camera.”

Case study PRINT FOR PROFIT – SELLING YOUR LARGE-SCALE ARTWORK Illustrator and designer Joe Rogers knows the value of working big and the impact it can have on a potential audience. Via online shop Colourbox, and in stores home and abroad, Joe sells work from small badges to large limited-edition prints. “Large-scale work can really have a great impact on the viewer; it has the ability to grab attention and draw people in,” says Joe, who regularly exhibits his work. “When I exhibit with our collective, there can be around 20 artists work in close proximity to each other; in these circumstances it’s important that your work stands out from the crowd.” Exhibiting and selling large-scale work that looks both enticing and professional requires most to put aside their average home printer. “Getting your work printed professionally is a must when reproducing your work to a large scale,” suggests Joe. “It’s very important that you research beforehand which printers will suit your needs best. Printers can use different processes, for example most print using CMYK, but others print using RGB. Printers that understand and deal with artistic clients are always best, because they’ll be understanding and experienced in dealing with your needs.” Whatever the software program, Joe generally saves artwork for print as high-quality PDF files, which the majority of professional printers understand and can reproduce without pixelation. The results can be both creatively and financially rewarding. “Creating your work as large-scale posters or limited-edition prints is a great way to sell your work,” enthuses Joe. “It can be a good way to supplement your income by selling prints of your work. When selling your work in galleries or shops, larger work grabs the attention of the customer and can create an ‘ooohh’ factor. Reproducing work for resale at a large scale or large volumes can become expensive, however, especially if you’re screen printing or Giclée printing your work.” Visit Joe at http://colourboxshop.bigcartel.com, www.myspace.com/rudiger_the_illustrator and www.myspace.com/wsa_collective.

Illustration by Joe Rogers

Illustration by Joe Rogers

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Feature

Illustration by Satoshi Matsuyama

Also pushing Photoshop to its limits is artist, saxophonist and award-winning Photoshop Guru Satoshi Matsuyama ((www.love-peace-happiness. com). Satoshi masterly creates vast landscapes that com are equally serene and surreal. Although his website contains many examples of his work, his cosmic prints are designed to be shown on walls and galleries where his love of nature, the spiritual, colour and attention to detail can be best viewed. “It’s imperative that these works be displayed on the walls of real galleries around the world, for all to see. To truly understand the messages from our Creator, these works must be viewed with the naked eye,” enthuses Satoshi. Starting modestly with an Apple laptop computer, the Japanese-born artist soon embraced the digital, including Photoshop: “We can make the impossible dream possible by this great digital technology.” Such large-scale meticulous works require passion and patience. “I compose my images, putting them together from 300 photographs taken by myself with a Hasselblad H3D camera – the world’s first high-end, digital autofocus camera based on a 39-million-pixel sensor,” explains Satoshi. Many are taken in exotic locations such as Hawaii, where thousands of pictures can be shot in any one visit. Back in the studio, Satoshi combines an Apple Mac G5, Wacom Intuos 2 (18 inch x 12 inch) and Photoshop to dramatic effect. Files can average between 30 and 60GB of data, so Satoshi uses a system of

back-up disks using SoftRAID software, which takes his existing hard disks and groups them together to give him more speed, capacity and all-important instantaneous backups. Working on such large Photoshop files might deter the fainthearted, but so far Satoshi has yet to lose data or suffer a computer crash. “My Mac and Photoshop have never crashed. But I’m spending my time to save and read the data every 30 to 60 minutes.” His work is built up from many, many layers so stability is vital. Recent hardware and software tweaks and advances have shortened the wait and increased the potential for even larger work. “There’s a limit for printing data under 500MB with Photoshop CS2. But with CS3, there’s no limit for printable data.” To print his work, Satoshi uses a HP Designjet Z2100 44-inch large-scale museumquality printer. Hewlett-Packard claims a life span of 200 years for prints and faithful colour accuracy, which is ideal for Satoshi who outputs his work on special art canvas. Images are printed up to 80 inches long from native Photoshop files at 350ppi resolution. Like his paintings, Satoshi is larger than life; visit his MySpace page and you can watch him play a mean soprano saxophone. Seeing is believing and his work attracts crowds wherever they are shown. For those who can’t get to one of his many exhibitions and solo shows held each year, Satoshi offers a selection of free screen savers, wallpapers and images for your MySpace pages via the ‘Goodies’ section of his website. 5

Illustration by Satoshi Matsuyama

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THE BIGGER THE BETTER ON DISPLAY: Satoshi Matsuyama’s largeformat artwork can be over 80 inches long. For Satoshi, it is imperative that these works be displayed on the walls of real galleries around the world, for all to see

Illustration by Satoshi Matsuyama

Case study

Illustration by Alexis West

Illustration by Alexis West

THINK BIG – START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON As the Swinging Seesaw, Alexis West creates striking character designs, sculptures, Flash animations and illustrations. For Alexis, it’s vital that his work looks the best it possibly can whatever the medium, but especially for print. “I’ve always been very particular when it comes to outputting for print and feel it’s really important to create work that’ll look even better in print than it does on-screen,” stresses Alexis. Although this will create much larger files that can take an age to save, the results can be exceptional. “It’s always recommended that you work at the very minimum at 25 per cent size for large output, but I’ve always preferred to work at 100 per cent, particularly if the work is pixel-based, or a mixture of pixels and vector. This way the quality is unprecedented in finer details. There’s nothing more unfortunate on the eye than great-looking work that has been up-resed for output.” Alexis also feels you should make use of all digital tools available to you, combining different applications and utilising their individual strengths. “Another important factor when outputting for print I learned early on is to utilise the benefits of several design programmes for each element in a project. All too often I have seen people create entire pieces of work purely in Photoshop, including shapes and type. This is almost always visible on print, as fonts look soft and flat shape elements run the risk of artefacts due to their inherent pixel structure. Utilising the power of individual programs for certain elements will ensure crisp, sharp knockout prints,” adds Alexis. Choice of media can also create a huge impact on the way a piece of work stands up in print and it’s a good idea to experiment, suggests Alexis. “For example, fine-art media, and canvases that are usually highly textured, are a fantastic way of presenting work, but if your work is highly detailed, then it may not be the best choice for you, as such a textured surface can often soften the detail.” Visit Alexis at www.theswingingseesaw.com and www.myspace.com/rubberpot.

Illustration by Alexis Wes

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INSIDER INFO

Insider

Info

Measurement and Data

Photoshop Extended can help with your quantitative projects thanks to the new Measurement and Data features

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s well as being an absolute must-have application for the design and illustration industry, it’s a lesser-known fact that Photoshop has long roots in the medical and scientific fields. Researchers have, for quite a while now, used Photoshop to obtain facts and figures for means such as cell research. In Photoshop CS3 Extended you can now also obtain accurate quantitative data using the Ruler Tool and Count Tool, and record all information in the Measurement Log.

Ruler Tool The Ruler Tool is perfect for collecting data for architectural or landscape planning (providing, of course, that the document you’re working from is accurate in scale). Before starting to measure up areas of your image, you need to open up the Measurement Log window by selecting Window>Measurement Log, then selecting the Ruler Tool, which can be found under the Eyedropper Tool in the Tools Palette. Of course, simply laying down some At first glance you may not be measurements won’t give you an able to find the Ruler and Count accurate record of measurements in Tools. Assuming that you have the image, as the scale is set to Default. Photoshop Extended CS3 rather than Photoshop CS3, you can find You can set up your own Measurement the aforementioned tools Scale, which will be automatically used underneath the Eyedropper Tool in the Measurement Log by clicking on in the flyout menu. the menu option Analysis>Set Alternatively, you can access Measurement Scale>Custom. To set the them directly by choosing them in Measurement Scale, you need to be the Analysis menu. able to set a scale for the Pixel Length’s relation to your Logical Length. Your Logical Unit can be anything you like as long as it will be of use in the Measurement Log. If you’re working in distance you’re free to use any type of measurement such as metres and inches, but if you had the inclination one pixel length could be equivalent to ten squirrels! Next, you can select all the measurements you wish to take in your image by selecting the Ruler Tool,

Find the tools

IN THE LOG: All measurements taken with the Ruler or Count Tool can be recorded in the Measurement Log, which is found under the Window menu

COUNT: Take your greasy finger off the monitor. There’s no need to lose count with the new Count Tool and after every Ruler application clicking the Record Measurement button in the Measurement Log. All of the results will be clearly collected in the table, which can then be exported to any spreadsheet or database software in plain text format.

Count Tool Have you ever tried counting anything on-screen? It’s bad enough on paper, but having to ascertain quantitative data without any automatic assistance by dabbing your monitor means that your count inevitably ends up in tears – one false count or a lapse of concentration and you will need to start all over again. The Count Tool, which is found under the same sub-

PERSONAL SCALE: You are free to set up a Custom Measurement Scale in the Analysis menu options and you can use any label for your Logical Units

Exporting You can export any of the quantitative data found in the Measurement Log by clicking on the Export Selected Measurements option in the Measurement Log. Using the pop-up window you can select where to save your data information on your computer. menu in the Tools Palette as the Ruler Tool, is a simple but useful feature that automatically counts and displays the numerics on-screen according to the number of clicks you have given your mouse. This is a perfect feature for those who are involved in medical research, but it could be just as useful if you want to tally up how many brushes you have made in a collection! With each click of the Count Tool, a mark is made on the image with a consecutive number so it’s easy to spot if you’ve missed any off. If you have added a count by mistake you can easily undo a numeric by pressing Cmd+Z. As with the Ruler Tool you can send the results to the Measurement Log to export to a spreadsheet by clicking on the Record Measurements button.

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MASTERCLASS

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Character design Always doodling sketches of people you’ve seen throughout the day? Here’s how you can bring them to life in Photoshop

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his character is called Ms Air. She has this title because she’s an arrogant old widow who inherited the life savings from her deceased husband. I know a lot of people who have taken credit for the money their life partner earned. Ms Air started off life as a pencil sketch, which was then scanned into Photoshop. If you have a character creation that you want to try out these techniques on,

then feel free to scan in your own. Alternatively, you can find the original sketches for this design on this month’s CD. Inspiration for your characters can come from anywhere, from that little old lady on the bus that smells like dog food to the mournful man who serves you in the newsagents. Keep a notebook with you wherever you go so you can jot down design concepts when you find that perfect source of inspiration.

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Beginning steps Open up the ‘Ms Air’ sketch on this month’s CD; you can use this as a base for your shading throughout this tutorial. It’s a good idea to adjust the levels if you’ve scanned in a sketch to make the outlines bold. Alternatively, if you want to add more detail to the sketch, draw with a small hard brush around the edges onto a new layer.

ON THE DISC On this month’s cover disc you will find three different files that will help you to follow Michael’s tutorial. Fret not if you’re not au fait with a pencil. Michael has supplied his original sketches, which you can use as a base for your own design.

OUR EXPERT

Michael Van Den Bosch

Michael is a 32-year old freelance character designer who lives and works in the Netherlands. He dropped out of high school in 1995 and has been self employed ever since.

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Back lit Begin to create a layer background. We want the light to come from the upper-right-hand corner. You can define this with a lighter brown tone. It’s important to always have this light in mind when you begin to develop your illustration. Lighting is the key to any good image.

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Background We’ve started out with a brown tint for the background and, with the use of a custom-made brush, have given the background a stippled effect. This will be much easier if you’re using a graphics tablet, as you’ll be able to control the Scattering and Opacity of the brush with your Pen Pressure setting.

“THIS WILL BE MUCH EASIER IF YOU’RE USING A GRAPHICS TABLET, AS YOU’LL BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE SCATTERING AND OPACITY OF THE BRUSH”

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MASTERCLASS 4

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Blue lighting All because of Ms Air’s personality, this image should have a cold look overall. To achieve this, create a new layer and draw a swirl with a soft blue brush. With this swirl in a new layer, go to Filter>Blur> Radial Blur. Set the panel to zoom an Amount of 100.

The blue blur Drag the swirl up to the upper-right-hand corner, rotate and transform it to lay over Ms Air. After you’ve scaled it up, apply a Gaussian Blur until the light is soft. Once this is done, set the Opacity of the layer to 44%.

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Colour fill With the layer including the sketch outline set to 50%, begin to fill in some colours. Ms Air probably wouldn’t be a very colourful character, so keep the tones for the fill quite drab. The sketch outlines will help you to decide on your colours. The most important choice is the face colour tone; instead of choosing a pink, select a brown of around R = 97, G = 69, B = 58.

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Facial features Add a bit of a light blue colour for the eyeshadow area and just below the nose. Add a few blue strips to signify where the light rays will be coming from. This will make it easier to draw light reflections on the face and clothing later on.

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Face light Here we need to start with a bit of light bouncing of the face of the Madame and include a bit of shadow onto the face. A bit of red should be added to the ears (with most people the ears are more red than the face). You can also make them look a little bit more shonethrough by just adding a tiny bit of paler red.

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Playing hairdressers At the moment the hair-do looks a little flat. Start to make the first shadows and highlights in the hair. To keep this convincing, follow the curve of the hair. Alter the size of the soft brush so the colour tones don’t look too repetitive.

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Finer details Zoom into the lower half of Ms Air and begin to add some finer details. She’s a sour old bag and could do with some lines to give some aged definition to her mouth and neck. With a thin brush draw some lines onto her mouth and neck. You can also draw a delicate detail onto the neck by creating some lace with two very dark turquoise brush tones.

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Convincing lighting In the real world, the clothing would be affected by the blue tones in the sky. With the same square brushes you used to add the pattern to the neck, add some sparing turquoise tones. Think about how the light would fall. When you’re happy with your application, lower the Opacity levels to 40%.

All the fashion With a big hatched square brush, begin to decorate the jacket some more. You can use the same brush to make the lighting areas on the coat using mostly horizontal and vertical lines. Make sure that some cross over each other to give it a tweed look. When this is done, set the layer’s Opacity back to 44% and add another layer over it.

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The buttons At the moment the buttons are looking a little flat. Give them a 3D appearance by drawing in some detail with a soft airbrush. Take some time over this to make the buttons convincing and detailed. If you concentrate on one button you can make a copy and transform it to fit the others to save you time.

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Facial details Now the details have been added to the clothing, begin to add more lighting effects to the face and neck, paying particular attention to the eyes. Take a look at a photo of a pensioner to see how eye bags usually fall. Lines that follow the curvature of the cheek will be most effective. You can hide the layer of the lace neck to make the shading easier.

Michael’s

technique

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Custom brushing With a custom brush similar to the one shown, draw some details on the face in a couple of different colours (make sure it’s with the same tint). By setting the layer’s Opacity back to about 14% it will add more life to it instead of a smooth-looking skin.

Michael uses a lot of layers for brushing in shaded and light areas. This is so that when he makes a mistake it’s easy to go back, or just start over and delete the layer. Usually Michael draws a shade layer. When it’s done, he sets it’s Opacity back to 40 or 50% and draws another shadow layer on top of that, also setting this layer’s Opacity to 40%. Sometimes Michael has six or seven shadow layers, with different opacities.

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Red nose Add more redness to the nose to emphasise the snootiness. Choose the same red as you applied to the ears and reduce the Opacity until it just appears as a faint glow. Make sure it doesn’t go over the edge of the nose outline.

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MASTERCLASS 17

Eye detail Now it’s time to start adding more detail to the eye. Begin by drawing a faint pink outline with a little pink edge to define the lid. Next, use the pupil outline as a guide for the colour. Use various shades of blue starting with a dark blue edge and getting lighter as you get towards the middle.

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The feminine touch Ms Air needs some long eyelashes to make her more feminine. Old women seem to lose these things, but it will help to give some definition. On a separate layer begin to add some lashes, activate your Pen Pressure’s sensitivity so that you get some convincing clumps of mascara. Using a softer brush, add in some shading to the eyebrows

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Hair highlights Now the eyes have been worked up, the hair looks a little bit flat. With a natural brush, add some more shadows and highlights to the hair. A good vampire streak that follows from the curl at the top of her hair will emphasise a miserable look.

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More face light Yet more light needs to be added to the face, especially around the upper lip area. It’s always best to work on highlights and shadows gradually. The patience will reward you with a more convincing result.

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Snooty Freddy On a new layer set up a dark base colour for Freddy. This should be a richer brown than the tones used on the coat. You can create Freddy’s folded arms using a darker brown. This may take several attempts. Freddy is the collar-pet of Ms Air and her one and only life companion. These two were made for each other.

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Freddy’s fur Start to build up Freddy’s fur. With every new layer addition, apply the brush strokes with a slightly lighter tint than the one before. Make sure that the area around Freddy’s mouth and nose is lighter than the rest of the fur. Applying smaller brush strokes is the perfect way to build up a nice looking fur coat for the animal. You can experiment with different natural brushes to get a convincing furry look.

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Freckly Freddy Zoom in and start working on adding some details to Freddy’s face, such as the nose, freckles and rough spots in Freddy’s upper lip area. Don’t go over the top and keep the Opacity low. With a darker tone, add some shading to the eyelid area and draw the outlines around the brow and eyelashes.

Whiskers Freddy won’t look complete without some final details. In a separate layer, add whiskers (some black and some white). Draw in a flesh colour on the inside part of the ear and define the ear more with a subtle outline.

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More blue light The blue light should affect Freddy in the same way as the coat and Ms Air’s face. In a new layer, start adding some blue light to the arch of Freddy’s back, on the side of his face, his toes and the bridge of his noise. Work on the strength of this on an additional layer and play with the Opacity until it looks convincing.

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Freddy’s shadow Because you’ve been working with a lot of layers you can easily go under the layer of Freddy and set a nice shadow falling on the coat of Ms Air with a dark grey brush. Make sure you bring back its Opacity so it falls more naturally.

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Working the background Duplicate the Background layer and select Image>Adjustments>Auto Color. Once again, decrease the Opacity to 60%. Once you’re happy with your design, flatten the layers and select Image> Adjustments>Auto Levels and tweak until you are satisfied with the results.

“FREDDY HAS THE SAME ATTITUDE AS SHE DOES, SO LET’S GIVE HIM THE SAME TURNED-UP NOSE” 55

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MASTERCLASS

Oil brush effect W

hen you begin to explore the possibilities of painted style photomanipulation, you will have a refreshing realisation: not everything has to be flawlessly extracted, or perfectly airbrushed. The charm of creating a painterly piece is the inclusion of details that mimic a free-flowing paintbrush. The key is to find your own balance between precise photo-manipulation and liberal experimentation. Relax, be patient and enjoy letting a few things slide that would normally hinder a photo-realistic piece. This tutorial is a guideline with generous room given for following your own ideas.

You can achieve an oil-paint look in your designs, one layered step at a time, with a fusion of ‘photo-manipu-painting’

The fun here is the fact there are so many variables that lead you to unexpected places. Experimenting with this style has been a labour of love. We wanted to find our own unique way of bringing a traditional painted look to photo-manipulation. We haven’t concentrated on painting from scratch as often, clients may have existing photographs they want enhanced. So the challenge here was to create a big impact, without the huge investment of time it takes to hand-paint an entire piece. While the bulk of this tutorial can be done with a mouse, there are areas that will be easier if you have a graphics tablet.

ON THE DISC Aimee has kindly provided all the source JPEG files you will need to follow this tutorial through from start to finish on this month’s CD. Many thanks to Marcus J Ranum (www.ranum.com) and Amber Gangi (www.ambergangi.com) for aiding with the main base image.

OUR EXPERT

Aimee Stewart

Aimee Stewart (www.foxfires.com) is a freelance artist and writer who is known for her eclectic style of artwork. Inspiration and motivation comes from her love of travel and storytelling, though a steady supply of coffee and chocolate doesn’t hurt.

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Our focal point Since the model is the main focus of this piece, extract her out first. You can use whatever method you like to cut her out of the picture, but here we used the Pen Tool for its accuracy and ease for fixing mistakes in progress.

3

Backdrops Place ‘longgrass.jpg’ behind the model as a foundation. Erase and blend the edges. The grass will provide a good reference for when more is added with freehand strokes later. The benefit is you can paint new blades that follow the line of the model and the piece more, rather than simply cutting and pasting an existing picture into place.

Set the stage With the model extracted, it’s easier to determine the size of canvas that we want, as well as having a reference for how big the surrounding grass island will need to be. Leave room for trailing flowers, tall grass and whatever else you can imagine!

4

Strong foundations Now it’s time to map out the size of the island. Open ‘greenery.jpg’ and place its layer behind the model. Even though most of this particular layer will be covered up, it still provides an essential element later in the process. For now, simply erase the edges until it frames the model.

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An element of nature For a natural edge to the island, we used a photo of an eroding hillside. Paste two copies of ‘bankside.jpg’ onto the page, scale as needed and flip one of them horizontally. Merge these two layers, then erase the dark tree line while keeping the wild flowers.

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Fresh flowers We chose daisies for the main flower, though you can use any flower you wish. With this painted style, don’t worry about precise extraction. Simply delete the majority of green out of ‘daisies1.jpg’ using the Magic Wand (Tolerance = 90). Click on the green grass, delete and repeat if necessary. Don’t worry if there are bits of colour left, as this helps the painted style.

“WITH THIS PAINTED STYLE, DON’T WORRY ABOUT PRECISE EXTRACTION, BITS OF COLOUR WILL HELP” 57

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MASTERCLASS 7

Cut the daisies Since the daisies are much too big in the original picture, go to Edit>Transform>Scale and resize your picture on the fly. Copy, paste and reverse the picture a few times around the island to give a natural, random look to the flowers.

8

Copy flowers Using the layer from step 7, copy a few of the daisies and paste them as if they’re growing up in front of the model. We also placed one as if she were holding it in her hand. Notice the tiny bits of remaining colour floating around them? We’ve left that in because – we’re sure you can guess – this will help the painted look. We will add stems later on.

9

Climbing roses Add in ‘climbingroses.jpg’ now. It’s not essential to cut these roses out perfectly. You only want the suggestion of shape and colour dotted around the island. So, yet again, use the Magic Wand Tool, only this time click on the red of the roses. Paste these randomly around the island, behind the model layer.

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Diffusing Go through every layer except the model and follow this process: Filter>Stylize>Diffuse> Anisotropic, then fade by 50%. As with any filter, a little goes a long way. By applying this filter, you’ll see jagged edges smoothed out in a painterly style.

The sky Layer in the ‘sky.jpg’ and shuffle it to the back. Copy, paste and flip another copy vertically and layer this in front of the island’s bottom. Erase the excess to create a thin frame around the edge. Click on the ‘longgrass.jpg’ layer, and change the Blending Mode to Multiply. You may need to adjust Curves slightly as well, so the tones match.

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Distortion Focus can now shift to the model for a while. We copied a section of her hair and pasted it on its own layer. Using Transform>Distort, line it up to follow the sweep of hair from her head. Erase the edges, and merge these two layers together.

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Smudge Tool Using the Smudge Tool set on a soft brush (Size = 8, Strength = 75) go around the edges of the model and smooth any details you notice, ie, outside edges, lines where arms fold, legs meet, lip lines, nose curve, fingers, toes, etc. This is where a digital tablet is nice, because you can use a natural, painterly stroke.

Perfecting that

‘smudged look’ When used properly and sparingly, smudging can be a great assistant in achieving the look you want in your digital art. But many people fall into a common trap of over-smudging. One of the tell-tale signs of this is where the Smudge Tool has been dragged from shadowed areas into light and vice versa, destroying the natural flow of highlights, or defining lines have been smudged out, leaving a blurry and messy image. Keep in mind that it’s a useful detailing tool, but not one to use on an entire piece.

14

The veil Since the veil she has draped across her body would naturally be very sheer, you want to do a low opacity erase on the edges that are laying on the ground, as well as the edge that’s up above her torso. Erase until you see a hint of the flowers beneath, but leave the crumpled section alone, as it would not be as sheer as the rest.

15

Add shadows For shadows, open a new layer under the model. Set the Blending Mode to Multiply on a low opacity. Select black on low opacity as well and, with a soft edged brush, shadow behind the knees, neck, feet and around the veil. Then click onto the model layer and, with the same Multiply Blend Mode, lightly shade in shadows over the top of these sections sparingly to blend.

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Do it freehand In order to really emphasise the details of the portrait, freehand paint over it. There does not need to be a huge amount of time spent doing this, since this style of painting isn’t painstakingly detailed to the point of seeing every eyelash. You just want to add a little definition. By painting with a soft black, emphasise her eyes, lashes and fill in the brows if needed. Outline the iris of the eye as well.

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Perfect eyes To highlight the eyes even more, select a vibrant green. Set the Blending Mode to Color Burn, and the Opacity to 6%. Follow the curve of her iris. Now select an orange hue, dabbing colour at the bottom edge of each eye. Switch to Color Dodge on a low opacity and trace over each iris with a very pale green until desired lightness is reached.

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Anisotropic You’ll find that if you paint the details in first, the next step will enable you to blend things better afterward. Copy the model layer only and paste it over the original layer. It can now be ran through the same Diffuse>Anisotropic filter as the other layers.

Soft eyes Now erase key areas that you don’t want the full diffusion on. We erased over the eyes, but left the diffusion on the edges so the lashes would blend in softer. We also lightly erased over her fingertips, the soles of her feet, hairline and areas on the veil, though this is completely up to your personal preference. Merge this layer to the model layer when you’re done.

“ERASE UNTIL YOU SEE A HINT OF THE FLOWERS BENEATH, BUT LEAVE THE CRUMPLED SECTION ALONE” 59

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MASTERCLASS 20

Smudge and smooth At this point, you need to smudge and smooth the model’s skin. The filter that you’ve applied makes this step easier than if you started with a raw photo. With the soft brush, set the Smudge at 30% for this. Make sure you follow the natural contours and lighting. Repeat this process with a smaller brush on her face.

Colour

correction Wait to adjust the final colours of your layers until you have added your texture files. Depending on what texture and layer mode you have chosen, the underlying colours can go through a dramatic shift in tone and intensity. It is beneficial to set aside time to experiment with your layers at this point, changing Hue, Saturation, Color Balance, Curves and so on.

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Strands of hair To hand-paint strands of hair, sample the lightest colour on her hair and use a tiny brush, perhaps set at only 2 or 3, with a medium opacity. Brush strands around the face and along the cropped edge. You can also use the Smudge Tool here as well, with a tiny brush, to pull the edges out in a sweeping motion to mimic strands of hair.

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Color Dodge On ‘model.jpg’ use Color Dodge on a low opacity, in a soft white, to trace over the highlighted areas of her hair for more glow and contrast. With a bigger brush, sweep over areas of her body that you would like to see a glow added to as well. On the face, touch a bit of glow across the forehead, cheeks and bridge of nose. With a small brush, sweep across her bottom lip to add an extra hint of shine.

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Nesting If you’re using a graphics tablet and can paint details like the bird’s nest we added, this is the time to do it. Otherwise, you can utilise stock, apply the Anisotropic Diffusion, then either smudge and pull little details out to blend with the picture, or paint the edges to blend.

23

Flower detail Now we’re going to paint the stems. Open a new layer, place it beneath the daisy layer. Pay extra attention to the one in her hand, but otherwise, you don’t have to draw perfect stems. Dash and stroke stems with varying shades of muted green wherever you see the need. Curl some of the stems.

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The green, green grass Open a new layer. With various shades of green sampled from around her, use a small brush and an Opacity of around 30% to draw soft, randomly curved blades of grass. Apply around her shoulders, legs, feet and even around the edges of the veil and her hair. It’s up to you to decide how much or how little to add. Don’t be afraid to be random!

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Fix the hue Going back to the ‘greenery. jpg’ layer, we changed the hue to match the natural tones of the long straw grass in the back by using Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation. Then, using a small smudge brush on 90% strength, we pulled new strands of grass up from behind the other layers to blend in with the already existing grasses. You can also freehand paint at this point too.

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Duplicate the layers For this picture, we will need to layer and overlap the ‘texture.jpg’ four times, using the Eraser Tool to blend the edges in as we go. Merge together and clone random areas if you notice any repetitive patterns. Once you’re done, Copy and Paste a second version of the completed texture layer over the top. Hide it from view for the time being.

Reveal the layer Now reveal the second texture layer. Click Image>Adjustments>Gradient Map, select the Black and White gradient. Set the Blending Mode to Screen. Duplicate the texture blurring process from step 28.

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Soft Light On the first texture layer, adjust the Blending Mode to Soft Light and the Opacity to 50%. With the Polygonal Tool set to feather of 40, select areas where you want to fade the texture. Go to Filter>Blue>Gaussian Blur with a strength of 80-100%. This eliminates texture, but keeps tonal values. Lightly erase until you reach desired brightness.

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Final details At this point, add in any last details that you want. Simply follow the same steps as the other layers. Blend them in by positioning new layers behind the texture, as well as adjusting Hue/ Saturation and Curves. Go ahead and check the colours of all your layers. For us, the flowers were too vivid, so we desaturated them by 20%. We’ve included ‘foilage.jpg’ and ‘yellowrose.jpg’ as extra stock for you to experiment with.

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Saturation Once everything is in place, select the entire image and Copy Merge. Paste the merged layer on top. This is when you can play with colours, saturation, curves, sharpness and any other tweaks you can think of. Experimenting is vital to learning what works best for you when mimicking a painted style.

Build your

library

There are many different ways to compile a library of textures that will help you mimic painted canvas in your work. Scanning varieties of paper can give you the natural grain you’re looking for, or you can use paper and canvas that has already been painted so that you can utilise the existing paint strokes. If you’re comfortable with a camera, photograph interesting textures that you see. Painted walls are a good source of texture and stucco can yield wonderful, thick painted results when added to your art. Other art programs can also be a source of painting your own digital textures. Don’t forget to experiment with changing the hue of the texture after you’ve applied it to your work in progress. Gradient mapping is a great way to get many different looks from just one texture file.

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Step-by-step

Workshop

DYNAMIC IMAGING TECHNIQUES The dynamic range in the visible world far exceeds the range of images that are printed or displayed on a monitor. But by using Photoshop’s Merge to HDR feature, you can produce some amazing results ON THE DISC You will find all of the Camera Raw files needed to complete this tutorial on this month’s CD. These files were kindly captured by John Wood. Visit his photographic website at www. johnwoodphotographer.co.uk.

OUR EXPERT

Mark Mayers

Mark Mayers is a freelance illustrator and designer based in Cornwall. Recently he was awarded Designer of the Year by MetalFX Technology. To see more of his work, visit www. markmayers.co.uk

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verything has its limits, including digital photography, which despite technical advances can only capture a fraction of the tonal range your eyes can see. Photoshop introduced photographers to its Merge to High Dynamic Range (HDR) feature with the release of CS2. To capture a scene’s full dynamic range, you need to shoot a series of photos with different exposures then combine them as one composite image. Because all the luminance values in a realworld scene are represented proportionately and stored in an HDR image, adjusting the exposure of an HDR image is like adjusting the exposure when photographing a scene in the

real world. Currently, HDR images are used mostly in the film industry. This Workshop has been split into two parts: the first focuses on getting the most from HDR, where you’ll learn the techniques of merging several exposures to create a stunning landscape. In the second part you’ll learn about contrast blending, a physical darkroom technique brought to the digital age. Master these techniques in your own photography and capture their full potential. We would like to thank John Wood for his expert help in this masterclass and supplying all the Raw files used. See more of his work at www.johnwoodphotographer.co.uk

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iqu es Te ch n

1

Avoid vibration If your camera has a mirror lockup facility, use it. The mirror can cause vibration during exposure, so when you use this function you frame the shot through the viewfinder with the camera on the tripod, press the shutter button and the mirror flips up. You will no longer be able to see through the viewfinder; you then press the shutter button again to make the exposure.

“IF YOUR CAMERA HAS A MIRROR LOCKUP FACILITY, USE IT” 2

Changing shutter speeds The act of pressing the shutter can also cause movement; the easiest way to avoid this is to use the self-timer function that most camera’s have. It’s also important that you change the shutter speed, not the aperture, the reason being that since you will be combining several images to make one, you don’t want your Depth Of Field to change between shots.

3

A good range When shooting, exposure should be set to manual mode. Don’t use your camera’s auto-bracket function because this won’t capture enough dynamic range. We shot at f22, 100 iso, manual focus to avoid the lens ‘hunting’ in the low light, and used 1/25 of a second shutter speed on ‘_MG_2860.CR2’, 1/15 for ‘_MG_2861.CR2’, 1/10 for ‘_MG_2862.CR2’, 1/6 for ‘_MG_2863.CR2’, 1/4 for _MG_2864.CR2’ and 4 seconds for ‘_MG_2865.CR2’. Preview the images in Camera Raw to make sure you’ve got a good range of exposures.

4

Make a start Use your own photography or copy the five RAW files ( ‘_MG_2860.CR2’ to ‘_MG_2865. CR2’) supplied on the CD. Go to File>Automate> Merge to HDR, then click Browse to navigate to the files. Ignore the Automatically Align option; this is a last resort if you think your tripod moved between exposures. You can also browse the files through Bridge by going to Tools>Photoshop>Merge To HDR.

Setting up

“THE RAW FORMAT WILL CAPTURE A MORE DYNAMIC RANGE OF DATA”

Set your camera so it shoots your photographs in RAW mode. The reason for this is that RAW format will capture a more dynamic range of data. When shooting images for HDR, remember you need to capture a series of identically positioned exposures, so a sturdy tripod is essential. Photoshop has an Automatically Align option feature, which attempts to re-align the images when you think the camera may have moved between shots, however best results are achieved when this is not relied upon.

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5

32-bit preview Have patience: depending on how much RAM you have the process may take a few minutes. Next you’ll be presented with a 32-bit preview with all the input thumbnails on the left-hand sidebar. These can be unchecked if required so they no longer contribute to the merged image. Adjust the slider slightly under the histogram for Set Whitepoint Preview until you’re happy.

6

Convert to 16-bit You may be wondering what’s the use of a 32-bit image without a 32-bit monitor, which doesn’t yet exist! You can choose to save it at this point, and Photoshop will let you choose from a number of formats compatible with HDR images. But to get it looking good on your monitor select 16 Bit/Channel under Bit Depth and click OK. (You can also select 8 Bit/Channel for smaller file sizes).

7

Dynamic range The HDR Conversion dialog offers four methods to compress the dynamic range of your 32-bit image down to 16-bits. At the bottom of the window is an option to show the Toning Curve and Histogram. The histogram is useful in all four conversion methods, but the Toning Curve only works in one. Select Local Adaption under Method and look at the histogram; the image looks pretty awful.

8

Local contrast Local Adaptation is a complex and powerful feature that creates local contrast throughout the image while taking contrast from portions of the image that need it less. It works in a similar way to the Unsharp Mask filter. The first thing you need to do is bring the lefthand shadow side of the histogram to the beginning of the shadow information.

9 Preview adjustments If the merged image is being saved as a 32-bit image, moving the Set Whitepoint slider in Step 7 adjusts the image preview only. All the HDR image data remains intact in the 32-bits-per-channel HDR image file. The preview adjustment is stored in the 32-bits-per-channel HDR image file and applied whenever the file is opened. If you choose to save the merged image as an 8- or 16-bits-per-channel image, moving the slider applies exposure edits to the image file. Any discarded image data will not be recoverable after the merged 8- or 16-bits-per-channel image is created.

Total control Adjust the histogram in a similar fashion as you would using curves. This allows total control over the wide dynamic range of the source HDR image. Add additional points on the curve to get a preview image you’re happy with. Experiment with the Radius and Threshold settings to fine-tune how Local Adaptation will create local contrast. When you’re happy hit OK.

“YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHAT’S THE USE OF A 32-BIT IMAGE WITHOUT A 32-BIT MONITOR”

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A

“ANY MINUTE FLECKS ON THE LENS HAVE BECOME MULTIPLIED AND ARE MORE VISIBLE”

Exposure and Gamma The other three options under Method (which we didn’t use in this Workshop) offer different ways to compress the dynamic range of the HDR image into a standard 16-bit colour space. Exposure and Gamma lets you select the portion of the dynamic range you want to retain for the overall brightness of the resulting conversion.

D

Final tweaks Any minute particles or flecks on the lens have become multiplied and are much more visible. Create a new layer and use the Healing Brush Tool, making sure Sample All Layers is selected, to fix any blemishes – zoom in to get a better view when doing this. We also removed some aeroplane vapour trails. Flatten the image and you’re done.

B

Highlight Compression The Highlight Compression option will attempt to compresses the highlight values in the HDR image so they fall within the luminance values range of the 16-bit colour space. It has no variable control and works completely without user intervention.

C

Equalise Histogram The Equalise Histogram option works by compressing all of the dynamic range inward to fit within a standard 16-bit colour space, while also trying to retain as much contrast as possible. As we mentioned, we did not use these options, but used the most versatile and flexible choice of Local Adaptation in Step 8.

CONTRAST MASKING

Contrast masking is a time-honoured, traditional darkroom technique. It’s a great workaround to the problem of an image lacking in contrast, or as an alternative to HDR.

1

Shadow and highlights The aim here is to recover the overexposed highlights and lack of detail in the shadow areas. Open the ‘Woodland.tif’ file supplied on the CD and use the Info palette to check that the shadow and highlight areas do have information in them; there’s no way to bring back information that simply is not there in the first place.

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Step-by-step

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2

Duplicate the layer Duplicate the Background layer by dragging its icon onto the Create New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette. This new layer will become the contrast mask that you’ll use to get back those hidden details.

3

Make a negative Now hit Shift+Apple+U to desaturate your new layer, converting it to a greyscale version of the Background layer. Next hit Apple+I, inverting it and making a negative. In the old wet darkroom days contrast masking was a difficult, tedious process that took time to master. Luckily, today we can achieve the same results in a matter of minutes.

5

Blur it The contrast mask is fighting with the detail in the original layer. To fix this, go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and enter a value of 40 pixels. When trying this on your own images, experiment with the amount of Gaussian Blur you use. Remember every image is different both in tonal range and pixel dimensions.

4

Dodge and burn Now set the layer Blending Mode to Overlay, the colour background image will now show through. With your new layer in Overlay Mode, anything darker than medium tone will darken or burn the layers underneath while anything above 50% gray will lighten or dodge it. It will look awful at this point, but don’t worry!

Stay static Although a great feature, Merge to HDR is incapable of producing an acceptable result if a subject has moved between the separate exposures. Movements in nature, such as a tree branch in the wind, will result in a blurred ghosting effect – the HDR image below demonstrates this to full effect. That’s why the second part of this Workshop looks at contrast masking as an alternative method for images containing movement.

6

Further tweaks Now experiment with the layer’s Opacity value to taste; we used a setting of 60%. As always with Photoshop, there are endless modifications you can make. We added a curves Adjustment Layer just to lighten it a touch. Remember you can alter the Opacity of the Adjustment layer as well to finetune the image; we used a setting of 40%.

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THE NEW ADVANCED PHOTOSHOP WEBSITE Showcasing your work to fellow Advanced Photoshop readers is now even easier with our new web gallery

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here’s now a very easy way to get your images seen by the Advanced Photoshop community. As well as being able to submit your images for our Peer Pressure gallery, you can now create your own online gallery for the whole world to see. Just like creating your own Flickr account, you can add images to your gallery whenever you like. Although all galleries can be viewed by any member of the website, every week a selection of images are chosen for Pic of the Week and Editor’s Choice Gallery Showcase. These winning images are then included on the website home page for all to see. Although the gallery is very simple to use, there are a few tips and tricks that can help you to get the most out of the feature. Let’s take a look at how to use our gallery…

1

The main site To add a gallery to our site, first you will need to sign up. You can create a new user profile by selecting the Sign-up option under the Galleries header, and then filling out all the required information. Here, you can also pick an avatar and write your own biography.

Upload images Once you’ve created a profile, the next stage is to add some images to your gallery. With the home page displayed, click on the ‘Click here to view your profile’ option next to your user name at the top of the page. From this section, you can view all sorts of important information, such as the number of views, comments and ratings your pictures have received. Under the Gallery section, click on the ‘Add new image’ option.

3

Edit your image The next step is to upload your image. You can locate the file on your computer by clicking on the Choose File icon, then select a title, description and Image Category. For the image to upload, you must remember to tick the small print box and check through the image requirements at the bottom of the page. Once you’re done, click on the Submit Image button.

4

Your image on display Don’t be worried if you’ve gone through all these steps and you can’t find your image in the Latest Images section. In order to avoid inappropriate content and spam from flooding the web page, all images have to be approved by an Administrator.

www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk

2

The Advanced Photoshop official website will only be as good as you make it. We’re hoping this can be a buzzing community where you can quickly post and critique images. Log on and register to play your part!

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Our pick of the best reader submissions sent to us this month

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eer Pressure has once again been inundated with a volume of great artworks. The chosen entries this month offer an array of insights into the creative mind, sharing and revealing individual approaches and skills. Read on, enjoy and if you feel that you have what it takes to showcase your work and join the ranks of your Peer Pressure fellows, then don’t hesitate to send us your entries. We always include your email and web address, so anyone interested in your designs can get hold of you. All you have to do is send us high-quality TIFFs or JPEGs (RGB or CMYK) at 300dpi minimum, which can be printed at a minimum size of 15cm x 15cm. Send us low-res versions to [email protected] – we’ll get back to you for higher resolution work if needed. Alternatively, log on to our forum at www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/forum. Unfortunately we cannot provide individual image criticisms.

Building Blocks NAME: Nick Lay EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.nicklay.info Nick is a graphic artist from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. He has four years worth of experience at Digital Webworks, but recently switched to being a part-time freelancer. After reading the Poser tutorial in Advanced Photoshop 30, Nick tried the demo and was instantly hooked. He has recently purchased the software to add to his tool kit and has found it a great resource for figurative illustration. “David Ho’s art inspired this piece,” Nick

tells us. “His work that incorporates 3D illustration and Photoshop into one piece has always fascinated me.” Nick’s technique involved modelling a 3D character and using the geometry to determine gridlines. “I rendered the 3D character and the gridlines separately and combined them in Photoshop. I used Cinema 4D for the blocks, then clipped them out and added it to the Photoshop file,” explains Nick. “After that if it gets a little tricky, you have to use the gridlines as a reference and start erasing the 3D character. Then take your paintbrush (this takes a bit of practise) and paint the appearance of the broken 3D onto the character. Find a suitable texture (I used a mixture of multiple textures to achieve the effect here) and paint to these textures to achieve depth.” POSER: “After I tried the demo I was hooked”

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iqu es Te ch n Comic print NAME: Oliver Fluck EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.fluck.de Oliver occasionally experiments with image-processing tools and created this comic out of two main components. “The street picture is a High Dynamic Range image created out of several exposures. In a good HDR image, all areas are well-exposed, even if the contrasts in the original scene were far beyond what a camera can capture with a single exposure.” Oliver noticed that a perfect balance of exposure showing a lot of detail throughout a whole picture can sometimes make the viewer believe they’re looking at a painting. “Once you have a good HDR, you can easily create a comic-style image by applying the Poster Edges filter.” The head in the foreground was processed in a different way. Oliver explains: “To stress wrinkles, pores and facial hair I ‘draganised’ the head, before I applied Poster Edges. At the end, I eliminated shiny details using the Burn Tool.”

THE WING COLLECTOR: “This was my first piece from my duel with AutumnsGoddess at Neosynthesis”

STAGE BEAUTY: Melissa created this piece using a base stock image from AttempteStock

METAMORPHOSIS IV: “When I display my images I hope they take the viewer away from reality for a minute, in the same way creating them has done for me”

Away from reality NAME: Melissa Nucera EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: http://thisyearsgirl.org Darya Melissa started out in photo-manipulation as a hobby around three years ago. In her spare time she likes to turn to this as a more personal and expressive way of creating, experimenting with different styles and concepts and developing her skills with Photoshop. “I start all of my work with a single stock photo that interests me. I don’t usually have a specific idea in mind of how a piece will end up,” says Melissa. “I continue building and adding to it with stock photos, textures and digital painting. It takes me several weeks to finish an image. I experiment with many different techniques and I let the piece evolve until I am satisfied enough to call it finished. I love to get lost in the process of creating and see where it takes me.”

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Discover the thinking behind the art

Zombie NAME: Kim Jones EMAIL: [email protected] Kim is a 36-year-old freelance designer from Atlanta, GA, who has been working as a graphic designer for a little over ten years, specialising in book design: “A couple of years ago I started doing art shows based on my Photoshop work. That’s where this Zombie piece originated, for a multi-artist horror art show.” Zombie started as a scanned rough sketch based on a mummified head. “I layered the sketch with a silo of a skull image for a better shape and then used several layers of painting using rough brushes, erasers and masks,” says Kim. “I colour burned and multiplied the layers.” MUMMIFICATION: “I blended (colour burned and multiplied) the layers, then grouped it and duped it for the multiple heads”

MOONS: “I take macro photos of objects and then look at the photo to try and see if there’s something logical there”

Something logical NAME: Darya Balova EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.ori-art.com Dar ya Balova originally started out as programmer after university, but soon discovered that design was a far more interesting option. “I bought a digital camera and always use macro photos as a background. It’s ver y important to notice something beautiful in ordinar y things and macro helps ver y much,” explains Dar ya. “You can see a lot of small and interesting details that aren’t seen with the naked eye. Nature is the best designer in the world.” Darya takes photos of everything from dry f lowers, torn papers and old cans: “I have a great collection of different useless things, from old radio details to rusted keys, but most of all I like natural objects and I collect them in boxes. Those who live with me don’t understand.” With the macro photos as a base, Darya takes a look at the photos and tries to find something logical there: “After I’ve found an idea, I use Photoshop CS2 and draw in some parts from other photos or hand draw objects using my Wacom tablet. My favourite feature in Photoshop is the layer Blending Modes. I think it helps to make fantastic things using ordinary pictures. Or you can just improve some colours and the results will be great.” Dar ya has set up a design studio called ORI: “Each project or person inside our studio is named with the letter from the Greek alphabet (zeta ori, alpha ori, gamma ori and so on). In science, all stars are called the same way (the letter from the Greek alphabet, then letters from its constellation). By the way, we’re all fond of space ver y much!”

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iqu es Te ch n From your mind to your heart NAME: Ilias Sounas EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.sounasdesign.com Ilias is a freelance illustrator and 2D animator from Athens, Greece. “I’ve been drawing since I was a kid at school, but I never thought of becoming a professional illustrator. My passion for drawing in pencil and later creating in Photoshop made me give up my university studies in History and Ancient Greek Philosophy,” Ilias tells us. From the first time he used Photoshop 7, Ilias realised its limitless capabilities and it soon became his favourite program. “My images are usually a result of a combination of applications and scanned textures. In this image, most of the shape elements are inspired by nature and were created in Illustrator with different brush settings for interesting stroke weights,” explains Ilias. “I like using striking colours and strong lights using decades of layers with different Blending Modes and a lot of textures in Masking Mode for a more interesting look.”

INSPIRATION: “Most of the shape elements are inspired by nature and were created in Illustrator with different brush settings for interesting stroke weights”

VINO: “It’s very importa nt to notice something beautifu l in ordinary things and mac ro helps very much”

SKORECHNIK: “I use my old Sony R1 camera to take my macro shots. It’s very old now but it gives me exactly what I want”

ST JUDES GATE: “This is part of a project I’m working on for my imaginary city”

By submitting images to Advanced Photoshop’s Peer Pressure, you hereby grant Imagine Publishing and, if relevant, clients to whom the relevant work has been provided, an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free licence to use such intellectual property in relation to work similar or equivalent to the work. This includes the right to showcase work on multimedia formats. By submitting work you also confirm that your images do not infringe any copyright regulations should they be published.

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Discover the thinking behind the art WATERFALL TOWN: “I started out by putting down the composition pretty fast, and from the start I had a pretty good idea of what I should do. I created an Overlay layer to create some colour changes. I created a normal layer and just attacked it with my brush, slowly adding details and areas to guide the eye”

BE IN ST SH OW

I love to create NAME: Bjorn Hurri EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.bjornhurri.com Bjorn Hurri is a 27-year-old freelance concept artist for videogames. He has just recently graduated from a Swedish university where he achieved a BA degree in Hypermedia studies. “I love creating characters, creatures and worlds for games,” says Bjorn. “There is a very interesting twist to art created for games. There are some definitive rules you have to follow so that the character or creature will function properly.” QUEEN: “I think I had just watched Star Wars and was inspired by Queen Amidala and her beautiful clothes. That made me want to try to design something similar, but still keep it ‘me’. I just painted straight into Photoshop. Nothing fancy, just straight onto the canvas”

LE QUEEN: “This was one of the weekly challenges over at one of the forums I frequently visit. Adobe Photoshop 7 and a Wacom Intuos A4 table were used to create this image”

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Helpdesk This month’s Helpdesk dusts off our favourite app and helps resolve some forgotten Photoshop functions BY ADAM SMITH aren’t very satisfactory. Could you suggest any techniques that can improve my application? Ted Bates, Stoke on Trent

HAPPY ACCIDENTS: For a more similar, yet spontaneous, effect perhaps merge your photographic or traditional applications with digital effects layers using varied blending modes. It works for artists such as Andy Potts (page 20)

NO GREY AREAS: Even after application, this process can be refined. Try applying a mask layer and use the editing options to define areas of Grayscale and specific colour where appropriate

MONOCHROME TO COLOUR Hey Advanced Photoshop team. First, great magazine; I’ve learnt so many cool tips and have really improved on my technical skills through your awesome tutorials – so a big thank you. My question is this: how can you get an image to blend from black and white into colour? I’ve attempted to use the Sponge Tool in the Layers bar, but as you guys can gather, it’s unpredictable and takes ages. Can you help? Randy Townsend, Houston, USA Thanks Randy, we like to keep up standards at the magazine and we’re glad that our readers are getting the most out it. Regarding your problem, there’s a way to perform such an effect on your photography and, yes, it’s less painstaking than using the Sponge Tool. Start by choosing Select>All and copy your image. Follow this by selecting Image>Mode, turning your image to Grayscale.

Once complete, revisit Mode and transform the image back to RGB. Now select paste and your copied layer will appear in full colour. From here, apply a Vector Mask to your coloured layer and select the Gradient Tool. Set a Foreground to Transparent gradient and drag it across your Layer Mask thumbnail; you’ll see your image blend from black and white to colour.

FADE AWAY I’m happily retired and like to use Photoshop as a recreational activity. I’m also a very keen photographer and love taking snaps with my Caplio GX of my family and landscape scenery. I really enjoy treating these images to numerous Photoshop Filter Effects. I do, however, feel that some filters can be over-bearing and have tried using multiple layers, using the Opacity and Fill tools to try merge the effects with the original snaps, but the results

There are several techniques that we could suggest Ted, but they would a lot more complicated than necessary for the results you’re looking for. What we suggest is the use of Photoshop’s Fade function. Simply take your image and apply your desired Filter Effect. After it’s in place, select Edit>Fade and you’ll be presented with the Fade dialog box. Here you can decrease/increase the opacity of the applied effect. Also you can apply Blending Modes that add an extra visual dimension to your work. Experiment with these and you may find some new exciting results. Do be aware, though, that after clicking OK your effects are all compressed into a single image.

COLOUR CASTING PROBLEMS I hate nothing more than taking a photo of someone only to find that the skin tone is off, or its hue is influenced by outside factors. For instance, if I’m taking a photo against a blue background this makes the skin tone a little bit too blue. I’m not a total Photoshop wiz, so any tips on how to remedy this quickly? John Simmons There’s a simply way of doing this that’ll give you a quick fix to your solution. First, take the picture in question and select the Hue/Saturation option from the ‘Create new fill

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iqu es Te ch n or adjustment layer’ options bar. The icon to access this can be found at the foot of the Layers palette. Determine which tone is affecting your image most and then, in the Hue/Saturation dialog box, select Edit and choose the appropriate colour. Then simply decrease the Saturation bar to soften your skin tone. This will probably decrease your background tonal value too, so click on the Layer Mask thumbnail, grab your Brush Tool and set your Foreground Color to black. Start to paint away at your background, revealing its original state.

AMONG OTHERS: Photoshop also offers an array of other great colour editing functions. Blending Modes and Photo Filters can be used to produce advanced colour adjustment also. Experiment to realise their full potential

BLACK AND WHITE APPLICATION I’m using Photoshop CS and have a problem that I’m sure you clever people at Advanced Photoshop can help solve. I’m looking to find a way to create black-and-white photographic images a little more technically than simply applying

Desaturate. Also, it’s a real pain applying this and treating the image with Levels, only to find you don’t like the application and have to Step Backward or restart what you’ve done later on. I can’t afford CS3 with its advanced black-andwhite application tools, so please help. Janice Times It’s true that previous versions of Photoshop have neglected a more apparently sensitive way to create competent monochrome imagery. However, that’s not to say that it can’t be achieved in versions such as CS or before. There are, in fact, several ways to do so, Janice. First, you can apply desaturation, from the Hue/Saturation option, and Levels from the ‘Create new fill or adjustment layer’ menu, available from the bottom of the Layers palette. These effects will be added as editable, separate layers to your original image. Alternatively, you can now use the new Black & White feature found in the Image>Adjustments menu. Before this feature was included in Photoshop CS3 you used to be able to achieve a similar effect using the Channel Mixer. This gets rid of the need for all of this and you can easily tweak your monochromatic tones using the different colour value slider controls. If you quickly want to produce a sepia style of monochrome you can do this in the same dialog by clicking on the ‘Tint’ box and then tweaking the Hue and Saturation slider controls. For a convincing sepia tone we suggest that you set your values to Hue 42, Saturation 20%.

CMYK FILTERS? I’d been trying to work out why, when opening certain files, the Filter Effects were disabled. Luckily enough I picked up Advanced Photoshop 32 and Helpdesk informed me why. However, I have to admit the answer got me thinking about how annoying it is not being able to use filters in CMYK and also when creating an image in RGB, only for the colours to change upon CMYK conversion and not look how you expected. Surely there’s a way to resolve these problems. Kieran, Denton Well, with a little persistence and a few head scratches, we think we have found you an answer Kieran. As many of you digital artists are aware, some filters, such as Artistic, Texture and Brush Stroke, which can be handy when involved in a creative process, are greyed out when working in a CMYK image. Even after our investigation we found that it’s still impossible to work in this Color Mode and use the filter effects. However, there is a way to cheat this. Simply set your image to RGB Mode and then select View>Proof Setup (Ctrl+Y) and choose Working CMYK. This allows you access to all Filter Effects and you won’t lose your tones when converted as you’re working with previewed CMYK tones. Also, this option offers a smaller file size to work on using a quarter less memory. Not that important, but a time advantage for those working with large file types.

IT’S A KEEPER: This option is a real bonus for artists that produce a multitude of design for print purposes. Once you start using it, you’ll never know how you did without it

HELPDESK CALL FOR QUESTIONS TIME TO UPGRADE: Both of these options work to good effect, but if you have the pennies it really is worth investing in CS3 for its superior black-and-white application, among other cool advanced functions

“CHOOSING WORKING CMYK MEANS YOU WON’T LOSE YOUR TONES WHEN CONVERTED FROM RGB”

Want help with Photoshop? Send your emails to us at: [email protected] or post a message on our forum board at www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/forum. Remember to specify whether you’re using a PC or Mac and the version number of your edition of Photoshop.

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Feature

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Photoshop and Flash

When Photoshop and Flash unite, sparks fly

Perfect partners

Motion-graphic artists have never had it better since flagship products Photoshop and Flash joined forces. But how has this fusion improved creative prospects? Adam Smith finds out

A

dam and Eve, Romeo and Juliet, Bonny and Clyde, Laurel and Hardy. Now here’s the question: what do all these couples have in common? Well, they just work so darn well together. Now, with a little lateral thinking, it’s a dead cert you’ll soon be chalking up Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Flash to that list. Back in December 2005, two leading software manufacturers, Adobe and Macromedia, merged. At the time it was a surprising acquisition, however, the benefits of the merge were soon recognised and with the release of the CS3 suite, users have been offered an explicit synergy between different apps. Not surprisingly these days, Photoshop and Flash are being coupled to create some of the industry’s most adventurous and compelling design productions, such as web-based application, interactive element and primarily animation. Photoshop allows users to craft and create the necessary sophisticated still imagery and artwork by

offering an extensive amount of creative control through its ever-evolving imaging science, filters and editing options. These can then be complemented by Flash’s ability to import your creations, bringing your still images together in numerous ways, incorporating them into interactive content. A new feature in the CS3 suite allows you to import native PSD files. Flash can now preserve many attributes applied within Photoshop and import them into Flash layers, individual keyframes or a flattened image. These elements can then be used to create an animation sequence in Flash, exporting it as a QuickTime video. These files can then even be imported into Photoshop for further editing. Creatives using the two software packages to develop their artistic visions have never had it so good in terms of user ability and professional recognition. This contributing factor is an integral part of the software’s overall popularity with contemporary interactive artists, a fact undoubtedly

endorsed by one of the motion-graphic industry’s leading lights, award-winning artist David Newton.

Animated improvements After graduating, David soon rented out a slice of the web, establishing his very own design boutique Paper Raincoat in 1999 (www.paperraincoat.com). Ever since, he has produced interactive and motion material such as websites and animations, as well as more traditional illustrative projects, for a variety of large and small clients in New York, Los Angeles and Boston. Firmly familiarised with the digital medium David is no stranger to using Flash and Photoshop in unison. “You’d be hard pressed to create websites without them,” advises David. “Both programs offer a significant amount of functionality in a straightforward interface. Having worked with these programs for years and become comfortable with the interface, they just get things done and leave me with

CREATIVES USING THE TWO PACKAGES TO DEVELOP THEIR ARTISTIC VISIONS HAVE NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD 79

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WIND: Established in 1999, Dav id Newton’s design boutique Paper Raincoat ( w. (ww paperraincoat.com) has created illustrations, CD covers, T-shirts, websites and anim ations for a variety of clients large and sma ll worldwide

H-LOUNGE AVATARS: David Newton says: “These days, nearly everything you see has gone through Photoshop. There’s just no reason not to use it. For all the up-and-coming talented artists looking to get started in digital art, Photoshop is a perfect starting point”

eye-catching animation to really spice up what seems a static website. But the merger between the software packages offers far more than just on a superficial level. It has also improved functionality, foremost on a basic level. David explains that even these smallest of developments have had an affirmative affect on his working process: “The unification of the interface has sped up my workflow considerably. Keyboard shortcuts that have been used in Photoshop for years, such as holding space to pan around or Alt to pick a colour, are now right where I expect them in Flash.” He goes on to add: “Adobe has a good sense of the design community. I’ve found most features that get added were directly requested by the community.” Adobe has intuitively reformed Flash’s interface, making it comparable to other Adobe programs in the CS3 range. These reforms, including the same range of tabbed palettes and also the borrowing of a few of Adobe Illustrator’s drawing tools to help out when creating graphics for animation, have been a

happy clients.” David’s latest major project is a great example of the potential of this method producing an online music lounge, www.h-lounge.com, for MIT start-up Harmony Line Inc. “I used Photoshop to create the initial layouts, draw rockstar-style avatars for users and create all images used in the site itself. We later used Flash to create a robust music player that could dynamically load music from a database, display, play and rate music uploaded by the user.” This use of Photoshop as an assemblage tool is common practice. David puts this down to one imperative principle – Photoshop’s ability to easily mimic a variety of styles instead of pushing a preset style, “It has all the capabilities to create collage, typographic designs, brush-heavy illustrations or clean vector/comic-styled art.” After completing the creative groundwork in Photoshop, many turn to Flash in the need of developing an interactive applet that goes well H-LOUNGE WEB PAGE DESIGN: “Flash excels at web beyond the abilities of simple script. Or, even animation and small applets. I turn to Flash when a client more impressively, when a client has a need for needs a small interactive applet that goes beyond the abilities of simple scripts, or when they need some eyecatching animation to spice up a static site,” says David

TARGET: Here the Targeted Adjustment Tool is put to work picking out the middle grey in the image in order to balance out the rest of the photograph’s tones

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Photoshop and Flash

FLASH HAS BECOME AN EXCEEDINGLY EFFECTIVE WAY OF GETTING YOUR WORK NOTICED real hit with motion artists. Another big name that endorses this new found compatibility is James Farr, proud creator of Xombie, the highly successful webanimated series.

Expansive ideas Working with Flash since version 2 in the late Nineties, when it was still deemed a novelty, James has come to appreciate the changes and evolution of potential provided by using both packages: “Photoshop and Flash, especially in concert, allow almost anyone to get their ideas in motion and distributed for the world to see,” explains James. “We don’t all have studio funding right out of the gate and Flash, in particular, has become an exceedingly effective way of getting your work noticed and your concepts validated by a worldwide audience.” And in such a competitive worldwide market, the utility and velocity of this compatibility is a real godsend to producers such as James: “Most of my animations feature pretty complex designs or backgrounds, stuff that tends to bog down any processor attempting to render it. On those occasions, I use Photoshop to convert the more complex vector designs into compressed Bitmap files, which relieve a lot of processor and frame-rate issues.” In light of such evidence it becomes apparent that Flash, so often regarded as more of a programming tool than a piece of creative software compatible for consumer designers, has opened up its potential. In doing so, it has become far more accessible to clientele experienced in the usage of creative software such as Photoshop and not just application-development tools. This creative liberation, credited to the expansion of the software’s capacity, has unsurprisingly amplified recognition within the artistic community as artists and art enthusiasts consistently strive to

ADDITIONS: In addition to Xombie, James Farr’s other projects include eV, an epic sci-fi Manga for Tokyo Pop Publishing (due Summer 08), and Casey’s Orbit, now in development at Studio B Productions push boundaries and augment recognition of this working platform. A good example is the Torino Flash Festival (www.flashfestival.it), an annual Italian event already beyond it’s sixth edition. Flourishing from its humble beginnings in 2001 where only Italian moviemakers submissions were acknowledged, now entrants hail from far and wide across the globe. Their objective is to set free web restricted animation, publicly screening content and thus promoting the artistic dimension of the language of Flash. Another is the Flashforward Conference and Film Festival (www. flashforwardconference.com). It’s one of the longest running and largest Adobe Flash user conferences in the world. The event offers inspiration and education from industry experts all over the world specialising in all things Flash, from Photoshop integration to animation, video and audio, plus much more. Lynda Weinman who cofounded the conference in 1999 and founded

to toys, comics, DIRGE : “Xombie has made the leap due in part to Flash games and soon a motion picture – e tools,” says James and Photoshop being such accessibl

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NIM’S JOURNEY : Feature-film project, Nim’s Journey (www.nimsjourney.co m) is still in the pre-production, with Ola Schubert consistently evaluating the story, planning the characters and creating environments.

Profile: James Farr/Xombie James Farr has been a Flash animator as far back as the late Nineties, familiarising with Flash version 2:”My first impression was that I could make cartoons with it that anyone could easily download and watch. I’ve been experimenting with that idea ever since.” And this experimentation in question has certainly paid off, as James created the highly regarded and successful animation Xombie. “Probably the project I’m most proud of thus far,” explains James. “A property that began life as an animated Flash series, which was freely available on the web. The ability to cheaply produce and distribute the episodes myself enabled me to quickly grow my audience from a few thousand to over 13 million.” Xombie tells a tale of the trials and tribulations of Dirge, a zombie with a conscious fighting to resist his newfound urges, struggling to protect human kind from the undead and the nebulous forces behind the zombie plague. This successful series has created a booming franchise, producing spin-off graphic novels, T-shirts and other apparel, and now a follow-on comic series, Xombie: Reanimated. But James is always ready to acknowledge the role that the advancements and use of digital software has played in his creative production: “Photoshop and Flash, especially in concert, allow almost anyone to get their ideas in motion, and distributed for the world to see. We don’t all have studio funding right out of the gate and Flash, in particular, has become an exceedingly effective way of getting your work noticed and your concepts validated by a worldwide audience.”

H35787 : Ola Schubert’s other project is the short movie H35787, about a robot that’s escaping her planet’s war. “This trailer is done in Flash and Photoshop. No 3D elements at all have been used; it’s all 2D animation within Flash,” he says Lynda.com in 1995 (an online training resource for Flash and Photoshop artists) offered her own view on the pragmatic nature of these precedent-leading softwares: “With Adobe’s purchase of Macromedia in 2005, one of the hopes among customers of both companies was that there would be better integration between their two flagship products. With the release of Photoshop CS3, that hope has been realised.” She went on to add, “For the first time, Flash directly imports PSD files while preserving layers, their names, layer nesting, blending modes, layer effects and live text layers. You can even export layered Photoshop files in the

FLV (Flash Video) format, meaning each layer can be set to include a frame of animation or artwork that will ultimately animate on a web page.” So with many functions now at a digital artist’s disposal, it was surely only a matter of time until these creative individuals started to think ‘big’ about their projects and none more so than Swedish Flash animator Ola Schubert. Having won both film festival and popular internet awards, on such sites as Newgrounds, Ola has expanded his horizons, producing a Flash feature film Nim’s Journey, which has been in production since 2004. “Things have developed quite a lot and rapidly. Computers and specific software have given us the possibility to create motion graphics without using a huge budget and lots of manpower,” says Ola. So how does incorporating Photoshop aid him in such a timeextensive project? “First of all the use of pixel images does help the processor a great deal. With pixel graphics you can create a more diverse image with more colours and shades than with vector graphics and, in this way, add more depth to the image. I have also developed a technique using Bitmap textures within an animation to make it look more 3D. The reason for doing this is to keep the weight of the file down even if you make complex-looking animations.” Regarding layer importation, Ola added, “it’s speeding up the process as I don’t have to export every layer by itself. Let’s say I’m creating a HANA : There’s over 100 million mobile users in Japan. Mao explains: “My idea is, why shouldn’t a monitor be a canvas if there’s such a chance made available for artists?”

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Photoshop and Flash Case study: Flashforward Film Festival The Flashforward Film Festival is the longest running and largest Adobe Flash user conference. Cofounded by Lynda Weinman in 1999, this event has gone from strength to strength, now entering its eighth year. Flashforward 2007 Boston offers a three-day event including education, best practices and inspirational case studies served up by the world’s leading Flash designers and developers. These professionals specialise in everything Flash-related, from the obvious Photoshop integration to animation, video, interactive design, database integration, games, data visualisation, mashups, audio, plus integration with Flex, AIR (formerly Apollo) and JavaScript/AJAX. Each year, the Flashforward Film Festival honours the best Flash work on the world wide web. The festival culminates in a live awards ceremony, held during the Flashforward 2007 Boston conference. Finalists’ work is showcased at the ceremony, resulting in 15 professionally judged winners and the People’s Choice award, determined by a public online vote. Winners receive the prestigious Big Rubber Arrow representing the best in state-of-the-art Flash design and development for the web, from around the world and within the Flash community. Also present is a Flash-related Expo Hall offering great opportunities for the entire Flash community to network and share knowledge. There’s plenty of time to decide if you wish to participate, as the show runs from the 19-21 September at the Boston Marriot Copley Place. For more information, visit www.flashforwardconference.com. background image containing seven layers describing seven different depths, foregrounds and backgrounds, within the same Photoshop document. Now I only need to export one document, not seven documents, as was the case before.”

New horizons So with the combination of both Photoshop and Flash CS3, an implicit practical and attractive workflow is capable and it’s this factor that’s influencing new trends with users way-out east, perhaps soon to affect western shores. This newfound tolerance and credence in the mobile phone industry can be credited to devices like Adobe Flash Lite and Adobe Device Central CS3, which have seen explosive adoption from developers in Japan and throughout Asia. The mature Flash authoring environments and enhanced rendering engine of such devices drives this growth. Flash Lite is essentially Flash technology specifically developed for the mobile platform and electronic consumer devices. With its delivery of rich content, browsing and rich user interface, coupled with Device Central availability, users are now able to develop, design and test in an engaging environment. Consequently the mobile phone has developed into a new media for designers, illustrators and animators using all related packages. Artists can now occupy this tiny space, personalising animated wallpapers, screensavers and even redesign the menu. What with over 100 million mobile users in Japan and everyone looking at a monitor at least 30 times a day, Mao Sakaguchi founded the project Gengei, an

adventurous art mission setting out to provide: “more output for the artists in Japan, hoping that Japanese people get closer to art in their lifestyles.” Without the mentioned technological advancements of the CS3 packages in question, Mao explains “this art site can not be realised. Without Adobe Flash our project would have never happened. In Japan the new merged company Adobe kept having many conferences for the digitalminded public, teaching and introducing the Flash player and so on. It gave higher attention to the digital market and more Flash professionals came out producing Flash sites and increasing market size.” And when asked how this project can expand Mao explains: “Photoshop is truly necessary for the artists who only have actual paints, or even for photographers. I hope Photoshop files can be saved in a much smaller size, then our capability of showing Flash art will increase more.” This innovative niche that has found it’s way into such a productive consumer market seems to underline the true essence of what Adobe’s software compatibility is all about. That it can bring an extra creative essence to artwork produced, evolving creative development for all artistic genres. The function of mobile Flash content manages to avoid itself being used as merely a platform to drive marketing and sell content, but it has also served to educate modern-day digital creatives throughout

SHIBUYA + TSB: ZEBRA : Mao hopes that Japan’s youth will find Gengei’s cool designs inspirational: “It may change her life right away or ten years later, but I believe it will change the art culture in Japan” Asia. It has allowed them to realise their professional potential and “change the art culture in Japan.” In a rapidly moving market it can be challenging to serve consumer needs. Be it web design or animation, game design or interactive content catering for the enthusiastic masses – speed and efficiency are crucial in both planning and production stages. It has become apparent that the alliance of Adobe Flash and Adobe Photoshop provides users with a required and superior degree of creative control, defining a new and contemporary creative era among digital artists. 5

BAKU : Baku design is just one of many creators using related softwares to promote awareness of their potential and endorse the cell phones engaging environment

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Part three We continue our exploration into the hidden gems of Photoshop and explore tips from letters I to M

I

mage Processor

The Image Processor allows you to convert and process many of your files at once. It works in a similar way to the Batch command, although you can process your files without creating an Action. The Image Processor is very simple and self-explanatory, although it’s tucked well away in the File>Scripts menu. Alternatively, if you’re working in Adobe Bridge you can access the Image Processor by selecting Tools>Photoshop>Image Processor. With this function, you can convert your file types as JPEGs, PSD or TIFFs (or all three if you had the inclination). With the clear settings, you can easily specify pixel dimensions and embed a colour profile. If you have already created an Action, you can apply this to your images by clicking the Run Action option

J

avaScript

A JavaScript action can be applied to any image opened in Photoshop. There are a few helpful JavaScript actions found in the File>Scripts menu. It’s easy to spot a JavaScript action, as it is followed by the extensions .js or .jsx. Depending how good you are with your coding, it’s possible to create your own scripts to add in this dialog box.

and locating the right action in the drop-down menu. To protect your images, Copyright Info can easily be embedded into your images with the easy text entry section here too.

I

mporting image sequences

In Photoshop Extended it’s possible to import a folder of sequenced image files and create a video layer. There are a few things to remember when doing this; the files should have the same pixel dimensions, and the frames must be correctly titled. It may help for you to give your files easily identifiable names, such as a number order. Once you’ve prepared your files, you can import your files using the menu option Layer>Video Layers>New Video Layer From File and locate the folder with your image sequence files. Then, follow the on-screen options and select Open.

J

itter

J

PEG artefacts

Jitter is a term used in Brush Dynamics that specifies the random quality of a brush setting. Jitter can be applied to a variety of different brush settings including Angle, Scatter and Opacity. Jitter is very easy to control with slider control on the Brush Dynamics box. A setting of 0% will mean that the jitter doesn’t change over the course of a stroke, while 100% will set maximum randomness. Adjusting the Jitter of your brush is the best way of ensuring your images look natural.

If you’ve ever tried working on a low-quality JPEG image, one of the telltale signs is the appearance of JPEG artefacts. These pesky little blighters give your image a blocky quality and sometimes spoil the image with a halo. Although it’s impossible to salvage a really poor quality JPEG, you can improve the some blocky images by selecting Filter>Noise>Reduce Noise.

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A TO Z PHOTOSHOP TIPS

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eystone distortion

Keystone distortion happens in some images that are taken from an angle rather than a straight-on view. A camera lens can do weird things to your image and can give your image perspective distortion. You can save a lot of time tweaking images with the Transform Tool by using the Crop Tool. Make a selection around your image and select the Perspective option, then extend the cropping marquee to match the edges of the object your want to correct. When you double-click to execute the crop, the image will have its perspective corrected.

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ab Color mode

Lab Color mode is based on the colours that a human eye normally sees. Lab is based on how a colour looks, rather than the settings needed to achieve an appropriate colour scheme on a printer or monitor. Lab is a good basis for colour reference if you’re transferring from one colour space to another.

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ayer comps

If your work requires you to present different versions of a page comp or layout, you can save valuable time by using layer comps to create multiple versions of a layout in one single Photoshop file. A layer

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comp is simply a snapshot of an arrangement in the Layers palette. When creating a layer comp, you have three different options: to record layer visibility, the layer position in the document and the layer appearance (whether a Layer Style or Blending Mode has been applied to a layer).

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ZW compression

LZW compression, also known as Lemple-ZifWelch compression, is supported by several file types, including TIFF, PDF and GIF. This option is most suited to images with large areas of single colour. To apply LZW compression, select the option in the Save dialog box.

atch Color

Match Color can be used to match the colours between multiple images, layers or selections. It can also be used to improve the colours in an image by allowing you to alter the luminance and colour range, or by getting rid of a colour cast. Match Color is particularly useful if you want to try and keep the colours in different photos consistent (if you’ve captured a load of portrait images this can be vital if you want all the skintones to match).

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easurement Log

The Measurement Log (found in the Window menu) is a new feature in CS3 that records measurement data in your image. Photoshop automatically stores the measurements for you in the Measurement Log every time you measure an object. Once all the data has been collected, you can reorder and reorganise columns and rows, and export data to a logged text file. For more information about the new Measurement Log, read our Insider Info article on page 48.

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resources

Resource reviews

Even the pros need a little helping hand now and again, so take a look at this little lot

Software Cinema’s: Photoshop CS2 Fundamental Techniques A Photoshop training DVD that teaches fundamental things without being patronising? Surely not… Manufacturer: Software Cinema Web: www.software-cinema.com Price: $159.00 (around £80) Requirements: Windows 2000 or XP/ Mac OS X Minimum 1024 x 768 screen resolution

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isual training can be a tricky thing to pull off. While nobody doubts the benefits of seeing something done in real-time, far too often tutorial videos can give too much detail (yes, we know that if you click the left mouse button it will select something!) Fortunately, Adobe Photoshop CS2: Fundamental Techniques from Software Cinema avoids doing this and successfully manages to walk that fine line of telling you everything you need to know, without overdoing it. The training is presented by Julianne Kost, who frequently lectures courses in Photoshop, which shows in this DVD, as it wisely chooses to focus our attention on the screen, without any unnecessary cuts to the narrator. Each topic is covered in depth, in a very clear manner and session videos are easy to find in the interactive interface. The sessions are viewed in a customised player that’s divided into 30 chapters, so you have the option to view them at your convenience, which is great because at a running time of 12 hours, watching everything in one go would be painful! The topics cover everything from colour management basics, masking and artistic filters, to bit-depth, modes, channels and printing. An obvious bonus of having the sessions divided into

so many chapters is that you can choose specifically what you want to learn about and omit any unnecessary topics that don’t interest you. Project files are provided on the DVD for you to work with as you follow the techniques. This DVD is beneficial for both Photoshop neophytes and professional pixel pushers that still have the odd question, because let’s face it, none of us know every last corner of Photoshop yet. 5 Summary: The Photoshop CS2 Fundamental Techniques DVD teaches skills in an efficient and relevant way, without explaining the glaringly obvious. Beneficial to beginners and professionals alike. Rating:

4/5

STAY WITH IT: Don’t let the obvious use of drop shadows on the cover scare you off, this DVD is a mine of useful information! SESSION MENU: The session menu interface lets you skip to whichever area you’d like to learn about at any time

onOne Software PhotoFrame Pro 3

onOne deliver yet another top quality offering for our favourite Adobe application… Manufacturer: onOne Software Web: www.ononesoftware.com Price: $159.95 (approx £80) Requirements: Windows XP SP2 or Vista/ Mac OS X 10.4.4 or later Photoshop CS2, CS3, Elements 4+ 512MB of RAM 2.4GB of disk space DVD-R Drive

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rtists have known for centuries that a good painting can look even better with the right frame. Why should digital art be any different? The latest offering from onOne Software is a plug-in that benefits both photographers and illustrators alike. PhotoFrame Pro 3 allows you to add a realistic-looking frame to your photos, or create unique edge effects for your images. The range of frames and effects is simply enormous. They’re taken from seven volumes, ranging from realistic wooden frames, to film-cell borders to edge effects like painterly canvas edges, or a very stylish effect that fades portions of your image in the style of a Mondrian painting! PhotoFrame Pro 3 features a new frame browser, which includes a new real-time frame

preview feature that allows you to preview how, not just one, but multiple frames applied simultaneously will look on your actual photo. There’s even a random frame generator that’ll pick five frames from the massive style library to add to your image for unexpected effects because all of the frames interact with each other. The plug-in is very easy to use as the controls will seem intuitive to anyone familiar with Photoshop. The styles can be selected from drop-down menus that can be altered and deleted much like the layers palette in Photoshop. You can even customise the frames by blurring, selecting colours or textures, adding noise, or altering the opacity and orientation of the effect. Better still, the frame is placed on its own layer so it won’t harm your image and you can further alter the layer styles as you would do with any other layer. This is a great value plug-in that will make life easier for digital designers without effects looking tacked-on. 5 Summary: Another excellent and intuitive plug-in from onOne Software that will save any designer a great deal of time, adding a great finish to their work. Recommended. Rating:

BONUS: PhotoFrame 3 Pro offers a bonus, when you buy version 3, you can upgrade to version 3.1 online for free! Bargain!

5/5

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An Introduction to Poser by Arena Reed Learn about Poser while trying to ignore a fake background! Manufacturer: Desktop Images Web: www.desktopimages.com Price: $39.99 (approx £20) Spec: n/a

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emember that fine line we talked about with visual training? It gets a tad wobblier here. This instructional DVD tries a bit too hard to look polished, it has animated intro’s for each section and constantly focuses on it’s narrator/lecturer Arena Reed, who presents the DVD in front of a very distracting background. It never quite reaches its goals and would be better served by keeping the camera on the screen. The DVD itself isn’t bad though and serves well as an introduction to Poser 6. It’s not a comprehensive guide, but it doesn’t set out to be. Poser has quite a unique interface that could seem daunting if you were only familiar with Photoshop, so the DVD offers a much-needed guided tour of Poser’s interface, and informs you about many time-saving tips and techniques. Reed takes you through

navigating library menus to load models, clothing, hair and props. She continues, elaborating on a plethora of subjects from modifying facial characteristics and skin tone, to positioning and adjusting lighting and cameras to help set the scene. The information here is useful, but we couldn’t help feeling it could have been a little more structured in it’s approach. For animators, keyframe animation, walk animation, facial expressions and strand hair attributes are also covered. At a manageable 80 minutes long, you could easily watch the entire DVD in one sitting. There are some added Bonus features where you get to see some animated videos of what Poser can do, including one of the characters spoofing the Matrix and the Hulk! The DVD comes complete with Poser demo software, plus free bonus figures from Content Paradise to get you started. 5 Summary: A good entry-level DVD that’s a little rough around the edges, but works as an introduction to Poser with some good extras to get you started. Rating:

3/5

ColorVision Spyder2PRO

Don’t worry, we promise not to make any arachnid-related jokes… Manufacturer: ColorVision Web: www.colorvision.com Price: 229 euro (approx. £155) Specs: Windows 2000 and XP or higher/Mac OSX 10.3 or higher f you’ve ever got a piece of work printed and wondered why the piece of paper you’re holding in your hand looks like a garish mockery of the masterpiece on your screen, chances are your monitor isn’t calibrated properly. In days gone by, this meant you’d have to manually configure all of your settings, including gamma levels, brightness and contrast, which could often be a long tedious process. Fortunately, the good people at ColorVision can help solve your problems in a much easier way. Spyder2PRO is a professional colour calibration system for CRT, LCD, laptop and front projector displays. It rests flat against your screen with the aid of a counterweight and measures the monitor’s colour output and ambient light in the room. You can either choose to let the Spyder automatically configure

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your settings, or if you’re a bit more hands on, you can make changes yourself, with guidance from the Spyder. Personally, we prefer to let the Spyder do the hard work for us, its results are very reliable and we’d rather be making images! You can always view the settings before and after the calibration to see exactly what changes the Spyder has made. Software features include selectable gamma options, selectable colour temperatures, pre-calibration option, front projector calibration, ambient precise-light function and the ability to create custom targets before and after viewing. It comes complete with ColorVision, PrintFIX PLUS software. The Spyder2PRO also supports multiple monitor calibration. As included is the fairly easy to use Wizard software, although a tad more explanation wouldn’t have hurt. It’s easy to miss one box to uncheck and then run into problems. It would have been nice to have the option to tell it to calibrate immediately, but the process is fairly simple. All in all, however, this is a very solid piece of equipment. Summary: A Professional quality monitor calibrator that you can configure to your heart’s content or simply leave it to do the job for you. Either way, you’ll get stunning results. The packaged software is a little confusing. Rating:

Second chances: One of the nicest things about the Spyder is the ability to see the changes it has made to your screen with the before/after option

4/5

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resources

Samsung NV10

Samsung fleshes out the 10MP digital compact race with another model from its popular NV series Manufacturer: Samsung Web: www.samsung.com Price: £279 Spec: Resolution: 10.1MP Image size: 3648 x 2736 Max image size Focal length: 35-105mm equiv lens Zoom: 3x optical zoom, 5x Digital zoom ISO: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000 ISO Dimensions: 96.5 x 60 x 18.5mm Weight: 148.7g

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he NV10 has become one of Samsung’s hottest-selling cameras from its NV range. The series of cameras was developed following a two-year consumer research study to gain insight into the lifestyle of its consumers, the results of which accumulated to spur a design that offered optimum usability in a stylish mainframe. One of the first things digital camera enthusiasts will note with the NV10 is the ability to control functionality and navigate the menu options via Smart Touch buttons. This distinctive UI enables the user to activate adjustments and compose shots in an intuitive style, which will favour those with a penchant for devices such as Wacom tablets, etc. Turning over the model in our grasp, we’re pleased to note the inclusion of the industry standard 2.5 inch LCD wide-view screen, which although has some issues in direct sunlight,

delivers clear and visible results in the majority of circumstances. Included in the 10.1MP camera’s feature set is the brand’s individual make of Advanced Shake Reduction technology. As with its contemporaries this provides the user with stability for shots prone to image blur, for example indoor, night time or action shots. The image quality outputted from the device could be better for the price ballpark the unit falls into. Although the consistency is fair and the colour interpretation acceptable, the rendition of image detail was slightly under par. Furthermore, on several occasions we found the unit liable to over expose images. Unfortunately the ISO equivalent only staggers up to 1000, not the popular 1600 measurement many of its competitors deliver. On the whole, the unit is an ideal solution for point-andshoot photographers, but for the more heavyweight enthusiast there are many competitors possibly more worthy of the cash. However, originally priced at £279 during its launch, the NV10 can now be sought at a reduced price tag among the bevy of online retailers. 5 Summary: The NV10 is attractive in terms of its intuitive navigation assisted by the innovative Smart Touch buttons in a bid to win over the gadget-heads. However, there is a minor case of style-over-substance, as the camera navigation can be a little awkward during a shoot. Rating:

3/5

FRONT: The Samsung model is characteristic of the popular NV range in looks and technology. The pop-up flash, blue ring around the lens and its dark and small compact appearance offer the signature appeal

BACK: The company has engineered the use of Smart Touch buttons as shown here surrounding the LCD, to aid user navigation and selection

SpaceNavigator We’ve had the keyboard, then came the mouse and then the tablet. Photoshop users now prepare themselves for the SpaceNavigator… Manufacturer: 3D Connexion Web: www.3dconnexion.com Price: Starting at $59 Specs: 6 degrees of freedom optical sensor speed adjustable to preference 2 programmable function keys 479g 2-year warranty Circular design Supports Google Earth 4.1 for the Mac Supports by Microsoft Live Search maps Supports CS3, NASA World Wind 1.4, AC3D 6.2

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n principle, the SpaceNavigator is a mouse that enables digital artists to move the cursor in a threedimensional way. The device works by exploiting pressure-sensitive technology so that when the artist pushes, pulls, twists or tilts the cap, the result on screen will be that the user has the power to simultaneously pan, zoom, and rotate 3D imagery. The more pressure we applied in tests, the faster this process occurred. Likewise, when we applied less pressure, the rate of effect shown on the monitor slowed down. The beauty of the SpaceNavigator over a mouse is therefore the sovereignty to perform intricate adjustments to 3D views and designs without having to stop to switch between directional tools. In addition, to aid users of Photoshop in their 3D pursuits, the SpaceNavigator is claimed to be an ideal peripheral for

over 100 contemporary 3D apps, including Google Earth vs4 and Google SketchUp. In actual fact, the support for Google Earth is built into this handheld device so users can circumnavigate the globe in a chopper-like effect. This is ultimately a cute, but perhaps not essential facet and may be grounds for unwanted distraction, although the added technology may sway some shoppers. In theory, this product sounds like a relatively nice buy, particularly for those in the 3D creative montage business. However, the flexibility over movement is at times trying and cannot always be identified by the computer. Additionally, the shape of the mouse means that for the majority of the time your hand is locked into a claw-like grip, perhaps not a practical or comfortable solution. The benefits of convenience are obviously paramount with this product, and although its innovativeness can’t be knocked, its functionality may need some tweaking. It’s going to take more for the majority of Photoshop users to ditch their perfectly adequate Wacom for the somewhat more awkward SpaceNavigator. 5

TOO AWKWARD: The device is designed to be in control with pressure and twists, but the awkward circular model could cause discomfort over long periods of use

Summary: An interesting product, and with a few tweaks this could be a very tempting alternative for the digital designer. However, in its current form it lacks a feature set that could tempt a creative away from the traditional mouse or tablet. Rating:

2/5

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resources

SOHO

Protection and style may seem like two mutually exclusive entities, but this sophisticated yet safe offering from iSkin begs to differ Manufacturer: iSkin Web: www.iskin.com Price: $59.99 and $64.99 Spec: Available in 13” and 15” Made from premium synthetic leather and environmental safe dye Feature a multi layer design Available in black with the choice of; blue, grey, orange, red or pink zipper. Accommodates: MacBooks, MacBook Pro, PCs of 13 or 15”, iBooks and PowerBooks.

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hen you’ve just shelled out a wedge of cash on a new notebook computer, the last thing you want to do is spend more money. However, to keep the laptop in pristine condition it’s worth investing in a protective case for life’s inevitable knocks, bumps, scratches and spills. iSkin has recently come to the forefront of the gadget accessory market as a provider of iPod and MP3 protective covers. However, recently the company has also announced a stylish collection of laptop sleeves, including its premium model; the SOHO. Designed to fit the 13-inch MacBook, 15-inch MacBook Pro, PowerBooks, the iBook range and similar-sized PCs, the SOHO is constructed from a durable outer shell, with reinforced padded centre and plush inner lining.

First impressions of the SOHO seem to reverberate throughout our inspection, that this is a top-quality offering. Encapsulating all the design principles a laptop owner could demand, the SOHO matches each prerequisite with honour. The hard outer shell is solid, watertight and emits a stylish sophistication that will resonate with professionals. In contrast, the inner substance is soft and supple, embedding the machine in a womb of padded and lined security. Currently iSkin is touting its natty wears in five black-sleeved designs, each with a different colour-accented zipper. As is common with such products, each colour scheme is christened with an audacious label – Azure (black and blue), Graphite (black with grey), Magnum (black with red), Sahara (black with orange) and Amazon (black with pink). Cornering the elite end of the laptop-case market, the product can only be saluted as it touts a RRP of $59.99 (approx £30) for the 13-inch variant and $64.99 (approx £32.50) for its slightly wider counterpart. In comparison to its price-point peers, the SOHO is sure to do well. 5

a splash of colour: Although the cases are predominantly black in colour, there’s a choice of five coloured zippers to add a subtle flare; these include: blue, grey, red, orange and pink

Summary: An interesting and coveted design backed by a durable and protective material portfolio. The SOHO not only looks the business, but assures safety and security. Rating:

5/5

Photoshop Pro Photography Handbook

Photography enthusiasts prepare to rejoice as a Photoshop-driven follow-up to the popular dSLR Handbook is unveiled Manufacturer: Ilex Web: www.ilex-press.com Price: £24.99 Spec: Publication Date: June 2007 244 pages Paperback ISBN 10: 1-905814-062

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fter The Digital SLR Handbook faired so astonishingly well with photography enthusiasts, publishing giant ILEX has decided to release a follow-up title intended to corner the Photoshop segment within the creative community – the Photoshop Pro Photography Handbook. Essentially a literary ‘one-stop shop’ for professional and prosumer photographers who want to master the art of digital manipulation, the book covers a healthy diet of traditional features, as well as the incorporated new abilities introduced in Adobe Photoshop CS3. Aimed squarely at professional photographers who are thirsty for knowledge in all areas of the popular design app, this guidebook is nothing short of an indispensable bible for the serious enthusiast snapper who needs to correct, enhance and manipulate photos digitally. However, for the baying herd of Photoshop users, few will find many new skills or techniques written within the leaves of this tome that they haven’t inevitably attempted or even mastered previously. For those not driven with experience of Photoshop, readers will find that the book contains comprehensive explanations of

the tools and techniques of basic image enhancement. Additionally, for more developed Photoshop users who possess some familiarity with digital imaging, strong emphasis is also placed on the recently embedded Photoshop features that are of key importance, including the new Adobe Bridge file management system. As two serious photographers, Chris Weston and Adam Juniper, have penned the book, the bias towards the photography-driven demographic can be understood. The pair gun this title towards the keen photography market and more specifically at members excited by the app as a secondary creative hobby. For these users, Photoshop Pro Photography Handbook will be a beneficial read, even more so for those aspiring to develop themselves to the level of an advanced Photoshop user. However, existing adept users may feel they can eek little new knowledge from this practical handbook. 5 Summary: A comprehensive guide for newbies hoping to get to grips with Photoshop, but may be a little too simple for more advanced users. Rating:

2/5

follow in the footsteps: The paperback was drafted after the dSLR Handbook received rave reviews; ILEX hope its follow-up will maintain this success

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Fantasy Clip Art

Instruction and inspiration are the name of the game with the release of ILEX’s Fantasy Clip Art, a follow-up to Magna Clip Art Manufacturer: Ilex Web: www.ilex-press.com Price: £14.99 Spec: Publication Date: June 2007 128 pages PLC with CD in clamshell ISBN 10: 1-905814-02-X

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rovoking creatives with 128-pages of imaginative and alluring designs, Fantasy Clip Art holds over 400 illustrations and a superbly delightful CD-ROM of the mythical, magical and down-right bizarre. Claiming to cater for every taste and requirement, author Kevin Crossley presents a plethora of pencil drawings, characters and viewpoints cast in a variety of styles, to ensure that all the artwork can be easily integrated into any painting technique a digital artist wishes to perform. Just a mere scan through the colourful pages will assure you that Crossley is an authority on the subject within. Having spent a decade working as a video-game concept artist before turning freelance in 2003, the author’s published work has appeared in numerous fantasy gaming titles, as well as several instructional art books. Rather than offering your garden variety of guidebook tutorials, the unique tome encourages the reader

to develop their own stunning, personalised artwork and in relatively no time is able to develop a customised brand of fantasy genre. Backed with extensive examples, the author explains how artists can incorporate the clip art into their own projects, fusing fantasy paintings with reality if they so wish. The text is delivered in well-thought out accessible prose and maintains interest through visual representation throughout its 128 pages. With this strain of characterisation becoming ever more popular and reinforced through modern art and contemporary cinema, Fantasy Clip Art is sure to attract newcomers to the genre. As such, the volume serves as a rich and indispensable resource for the ever-growing multitude of fantasy and comic book artists who crave that helping hand when creating a digital masterpiece. 5 Summary: Not only an interesting read flavoured with inspiring and creatively rich visual representations, but the book and CD are an essential must-read for those yearning to follow the brand of art. Rating:

fantasy world: With over 400 illustrations, the book is a rich source of inspiration for Photoshop users keen on exploring the mythical and magical character genre

4/5

Draw Manga Step-by-Step on Your Computer You’ll be turning Japanese in no time with this attractive yet comprehensive guide to drawing digital Manga Manufacturer: Ilex Web: www.ilex-press.com Price: £9.99 Spec: Publication Date: May 2007 96 pages Paperback ISBN 10: 1-905814-01-1

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anga art has for a long time excited members of the Photoshop community, in part due to the creatively vibrant appetite for building cartoon-style oriental figures in a classically recognisable style. To cash in on the popularity of the genre, publisher ILEX is debuting a superbly concise and easy-to-follow Manga instruction book, entitled Draw Manga Step-by-Step on Your Computer. Faulted instantly for a long-winded and uncharismatic title, the opposite is true of the book itself. Each of the short workshops are relatively accessible, encapsulating all the principles behind the art form. With techniques and must-do points addressed throughout, it gently walks you through the entire completion of one Magna scene. This title has to be one of the most detailed books on creating digital Manga we’ve seen and, as such, is a visually stimulating and learning delight. Authors Ghy and Steve Sampson guide their readers through a practical instruction course to create an individual, yet professional-looking piece of Manga artwork. The

tutorial-led book teaches the reader everything from scanning in a basic sketch, cleaning it up and colouring it in Photoshop, to adding detailed special effects. In a matter of hours we were able to carve some stunning artwork that really looked the part. Furthermore, we were pleased to witness special techniques for creating the subtle colour gradations of hair, skin, eyes and clothes. Shortcuts and tips are leaked to make this process simpler and faster. New users shouldn’t feel uneasy here either as the book explains, in clear and precise micro-steps, how to draw and colour a full Manga scene, including characters and background. There’s also the opportunity to nurture your own inspirations. Overall the book is a good read, fleshed out with alluring and vivacious illustrations combining to deliver practical, sound advice and dramatic inspiration. 5 Summary: A well-thought out, comprehensive guidebook with enigmatic characterisations, providing true and tangible food for thought that will inspire all creative Photoshop users. Rating:

4/5

teaching toons: The book is sure to win Photoshop creatives over with its lust for colourful and exciting illustrations, and the text is comprehensive but accessible

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