Adobe Photoshop CS2

Creating realistic Water Refections with Photoshop

The displace filter is a great tool for creating realistic water distortion. Any file as a displacement map.The following tutorial shows how to create a simple displacement map and how to create a water surface with it, it produces good calm water effects.

Part one: creating a displacement map

We start with making an image in which the brightness represents the height of the surface. Bright is high, dark is low. The dimensions of this image control the size and shape of the waves. Start with a larger image to create smaller waves.

Create a new file in RGB mode of 1000 pixels wide by 2000 pixels high.
Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise… Enter these settings:
Amount: 400%
Distribution: Gaussian
Monochromatic
Click OK
Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur… Choose a radius of 2,0 pixels and click OK.

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Replacing a Bland Sky using Photoshop

Sometimes we see a great image in the foreground but the sky is less inspiring. Sometimes we see a fantastic sky without foreground interest. Here we will learn how to match up sky and foreground from two different images in Photoshop CS2.

It is a good idea to take pictures of a variety of skies, not just sunsets, for later use

Below is an image with potential find something similar in your stock and follow the instructions to transform your image. The detail around the skyline will need preserving.

Photoshop replace sky tutorial

1. Open your image and open the sky image you wish to use for the sky detail.
2. With both images open you can click on the background layer in you sky image and drag it onto your foreground image, or you can chose Edit > Copy in your sky image and Edit > Paste onto your foreground image. Your layers palette should look like this:



Select the sky layer and set the Layer Blend to Multiply. Layer Blending Modes can be changed by locating the horizontal dropdown menu at the top of your layers palette. It is set to normal by default. We want to change it to multiply.


3. The best way to get rid of the sky from the foreground area is to use a layer mask. With a layer mask it is easy to tweak your cut out to perfection as the underlying detail in your image will still be there if you need it.

I like to think of a mask as a cardboard cutout. It appears as a black and white icon to the right of the layer that is being masked. The black bits are like a cutout (you can see through this to the layer underneath) the white bits are like the cardboard you can’t see through this it the image underneath is being obscured by the image on top).

4. With your sky layer selected click on the Layer mask icon at the bottom of the layers palette. 

   

5. Select a brush from the tool palette and set your brush size at the top left of the Photoshop workspace.
6. Make sure the colour picker at the bottom of the tool palette is set to black and white (if not click on the little black and white icon in the bottom left corner see below:    

   

7. With the foreground colour set to black, paint out the areas of the sky that overlap your foreground. Should you wish to restore an area, swap the foreground colour to white and paint the area on your mask to reveal the image on this layer.

It is important that you paint on the mask only, and not the image. When painting on the mask, the mask icon will appear next to the eye icon and there will be a blue line around your mask.



When your image is selected a brush icon will appear next to the eye icon and a blue line will appear around the image



PAINT ONLY ON THE MASK NOT ON THE IMAGE

8. Paint over the edges of the sky. Varying the brush opacity may help and will not leave an obvious line. Reduce the opacity over the fine details will help to preserve them.

   

9. When you are happy with your mask you can play with the opacity.

Adding Drama to the sky using Photoshop Gradients

Adding a gradient can add drama to a sky similar to burning in the sky in a darkroom.

1. Create a new layer by clicking on the New Layer icon at the base of the Layers Palette
2. Select the ‘Gradient’ tool from the tool bar
3. Choose the ‘Linear gradient’ option
4. Set Foreground colour to black
5. Set the Gradient option to Foreground to Transparent
6. Set the Gradient Opacity to around 30%
7. Tick the ‘Reverse’ box and drag the gradient line towards the area you wish to make darker
8. If necessary, the opacity of the gradient layer may be reduced to suit
    

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Photoshop CS Palettes

Options / Brushes (across the top of the screen)

• Select a new brush size/type for the tool in current use
• Make a new brush using options
• Used in conjunction with tools, provides modifiers for tool operation

Navigator

• Magnify or de-magnify using big and small hill icons (uses fast, pre-calculated magnifications)
• Move viewing area by dragging navigator rectangle
• Precisely adjust magnification using slider, or type in using zoom value field

Info

• Width and height of selections
• RGB and CMYK values
• Measurements when measuring tool selected
• X and Y positions of cursor

Colours

• Use sliders to modify foreground or background colours (select the appropriate square in the palette)
• Pick a colour from the blended picker below the sliders (cursor becomes an eyedropper)

Swatches

• Get a new colour for foreground (click swatch) or background (ALT-click swatch)
• Store a new, sampled, foreground colour in an empty area (cursor becomes paint bucket)
• Delete a colour using CNTRL-click
   

History

• Move backward and forward through the changes made in the document
• Create a snapshot/s of a current satisfactory state as a place to come back to

Actions

• Record a series of modifications that can be played back on many different images (effects, scan corrections etc)
• Assign a particular command or set of commands to a function key as a personalised shortcut

Layers

Consider layers as sheets of acetate layered one upon another

• Each layer can have its own opacity setting
• Each layer can show only the selected part of its image by using layer masking
• The way in which layers combine with each other can be altered
• Layers may be locked to each other so that they can be moved in perfect registration

Channels

• Channels are the areas in which photoshop stores image information
• The information relates, in the first place, to the RGB  or CMYK channels that comprise the image
• Other images may be stored in the channels, most often these are the masks used

Paths

• The pen tool produces paths which are stored in the paths palette
• Paths may be created from selections and vice versa
• Path options provides ways in which the path may be incorporated into an image

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Using Photoshop Lighting Effects

Using the render filter you can produce great lighting effects with photoshop. This can be particularly useful for portraits. In this photoshop tutorial you will learn how to use different lighting effects

1. Open a portrait image



2. Create a duplicate layer, the easiest way is to select the layer in the layers pallette and drag down to the layer icon at the bottom of the layer pallete
3. From the Filter menu at to top pf the workspace choose Filter > Render > Lighting Effects.

   

4. We will use the spotlight so select spotlight in the drop down menu, paly with the sliders to change the effect, play with the points of the circle on the image icon to change directiona nd size of light beam. You can change the colour of the light by double clicking the white squares to the right of the window.

   

The final image

You can use the other lighting styles to achieve different lighting effects.

Experiment by turning off your first lighting effect layer by clicking on the eye icon

Make new duplicate backgound layers and play with the different syles of lighting using the drop down menu, changing the sliders, colours (clicking on the colour squares and selecting new colours)
 

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What is an Alpha Channel?

Photoshop alpha channels are masks through which you can apply effects. The alpha channel is an 8-bit channel, which means it has 256 levels of gray from 0 (black) to 255 (white). Like masks the white area is active and the black area is masked and 50% gray allows for 50% exposure.

When you use photoshop’s selection tools, you can apply a filter, adjustment, or modification to effect the selected part of the image. An alpha channel is merely a selection to expose a part of the image for modification.

What is useful about alpha channels is that they can be saved, modified or combined. If you Save a selection (Select > Save Selection), it is sent to an alpha channel so that you can reload the selection when you need it.

Like masks you can paint onto the alpha channel with any of the tools using white black or grey. Filters work in the alpha channels allowing you to modify the mask (not the image).

When you save a selection, (Select > Save Selection) it will be saved as an alpha channel that you can relaod it when you need it using Load Selection (Select > Load Selection).

Using Greyscale Masks

Firstly photoshop masks cannot be added to the background layer. So to start playing with masks you will need to duplicate the background. You can then add a layer mask to the duplicated background layer.

Simple photoshop masking excercise

In this excercise we will make add 50% transparency frame to an image by using a mask.

1. Open an image
2. Duplicate the background
3. Select all of the background and fill it with solid white, we will be revealing some of this white layer through the image.



4. The simplest way to add a layer mask is to choose the Add Layer Mask Icon from the bottom of the Layers window (highlighted with red above).

If you have no active selection, this choice will produce a mask with a white fill (nothing masked). If you have a portion of your image selected the selection will be set as white (revealed), with the rest of the layer mask filled with black (masked).

5. Using the rectangular marquee tool draw a rectangle approximately 1cm from the edge of your image and choose SELECT>INVERSE



6. Make sure you have the mask (white rectangle to right of image) selected and fill the selected area of mask with 50% grey. Choose EDIT>FILL>50% Grey
7. You should now be able to see 50% of the image through the mask around the edge.

 

Resources

1. Photoshop Forums
2. Photoshop Tutorials & Web Resource
3. Photoshop Tutorials

Adobe Photoshop CS Marquee tools

The four photoshop marquee tools are grouped together in the toolbar. To pick the one you want, click on the icon showing in the toolbar, and select the one you want from the pop-up menu.

• Holding shift when you drw a rectangle or ellipse will constrain the selection to a perfect squre or circle.
• Holding down Alt as you drag a new selection, will allow you to draw outward from that point.
• Pressing the Shift key while a selection is already active will allow you to add more areas to the existing selection.
• Pressing Alt while a selection outline already exists will allow you to subtract areas from the existing selection.

To move a selection outline after you have completed it, make sure you have the New Selection option selected on the options bar. Then place the pointer inside the selection outline, and drag. You can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge the selection outline into place. To move the contents of a selection, use the move tool.

The keyboard shortcut for these tools is the letter M. Holding down the Shift key while pressing M will toggle between the rectangular and elliptical marquee tools.

Adobe Photoshop CS Tools

These photoshop tools are found in the Toolbox, which appears on the left side of the screen when you first start Photoshop. When you see a little arrow in the bottom corner it means that you can reveal other tools by clicking on the arrow.

Apart from the photoshop tools listed below you can select your foreground and background colours here. Double clicking on foreground or background squares will bring up the colour picker. clicking on the small black and white squares will bring the colour well back to black and white. Some useful keyboard shortcuts to remember and get used to are the X key to swap the foreground and background colors, and D to set the colors to their default settings.

You can also create masks (although I find this easier in the layers pallete), change workspace view or go to image ready.

Button	Tool Name	Action
	Rectangular Marquee	Rectangular Marquee - Makes a rectangular selection and provides access to the Elliptical, Single Row, and Single Column Marquee Tools
	Move	Move - Moves selections, layers, and guides (rulers)
	Lasso	Lasso - Draws free-hand segments of a selection’s border and provides access to the Polygonal Lasso Tool and Magnetic Lasso Tool
	Magic Wand	Magic Wand - Selects consistently colored areas without requiring you to trace the outline
	Crop	Crop - Removes unwanted portions from an image.
	Slice	Slice - Creates slices so you can separate your document into areas, which makes it more functional. It also provides access to the Slice Select Tool
	Spot Healing Brush	Spot Healing Brush - Corrects imperfections in an image by making them disappear into the surrounding image. It also provides access to the Healing Brush Tool, Patch Tool, and the Red Eye Tool
	Brush	Brush - Paints brush strokes onto an image and provides access to the Pencil Tool and Color Replacement Tool
	Clone Stamp	Clone Stamp - Paints a clone of an image or area of an image you have already selected. It also provides access to the Pattern Stamp Tool
	History Brush	History Brush - Paints a copy of one image state or snapshot of an image into your current image’s window. It also provides access to the Art History Brush Tool
	Eraser	Eraser - Erases pixels wherever the mouse is clicked. It also provides access to the Background Eraser and Magic Eraser Tools
	Gradient	Gradient - Creates a gradual blend fill between colors and also provides access to the Paint Bucket Tool. For more information, see Working with the Gradient Tool
	Blur	Blur - Softens the edges of an image. It also provides access to the Sharpen and Smudge Tools
	Dodge	Dodge - Allows you to darken or lighten areas of an image. It also provides access to the Burn and Sponge Tools
	Path Selection	Path Selection - Makes shape or segment selections that show anchor points, direction lines, and direction points. It also provides access to the Direct Selection Tool
	Horizontal Type	Horizontal Type - Allows you to insert text onto an image. It also provides access to the Vertical Type, Horizontal Type Mask, and Vertical Type Mask Tools
	Pen	Pen - Allows you to create, edit, or smooth lines and shapes. It also provides access to the Freeform Pen, Add Anchor Point, Delete Anchor Point, and Convert Point Tools
	Draw Rectangle	Rectangle - Allows you to draw different shapes. It also provides access to the Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon, Line, and Custom Shape Tools.
	Notes	Notes - Allows you to add notes to any image. It also provides access to the Audio Annotation Tool
	Eyedropper	Eyedropper - Allows you to get colors from an image to designate as a new background or foreground color. It also provides access to the Color Sampler and Measure Tools
	Hand	Hand - Moves an image within its window
	Zoom	Zoom - Magnifies or reduces the view size of an image

Adobe Photoshop CS Workspace

Once you have closed the adobe photoshop welcome menu you will reveal the workspace.

When you first open Adobe Photoshop the work area below appears, it contains:

• The Menu bar at the top of the desktop
• The Tool options bar immediately below the Menu bar
• The Toolbox floats on the lef
• Any open document appears in its own window
• Any open palettes float on the right.

You will not use all of the palettes often, when you know which ones you need the most often you can close the rest and save your workspace the way you like it. From the Menu choose:

• Window> Workspace> Save Workspace.

To return to the Photoshop default layout. From the Menu choose:

• Window>Workspace>Reset Palette Locations.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Here is a list of some the most useful adobe photoshop keyboard shortcut

Most computer users will already know cut, paste and select all, but if you are a beginner learn these first you will use them in almost any aplication

Ctrl C - copy
Ctrl V - paste
Ctrl A - select all, this is useful for selecting all files in a folder or selecting the whole image area in a document

Zoom In/Zoom Out/Fit to Window

Ctrl + - zoom in
Ctrl - - zoom out
Ctrl 0 - fit to window

Undo, Multiple Times

Ctrl Alt Z - Most programs allow you to press Ctrl + Z multiple times for multiple Undo’s, but with PS you need to hold down the Alt key otherwise you’ll keep undoing then re-doing!

Hand/Move Tool

Spacebar

To select the hand (move) tool just hit the spacebar

Switch Document Windows

Ctrl + Tab

To switch quickly between windows, useful when having multipal documents open

New Layer

Ctrl + Shift + N - with dialog
Ctrl + Shift + Alt + N - without dialog

Duplicate Layer

Ctrl + J - without dialog
Ctrl + Alt + J - with dialog

You can duplicate an entire layer, or, if you have a selection, the selection will be duplicated to it’s own layer

Re-run Filter/ Fade Filter

Ctrl + F - run filter again
Ctrl + Alt + F - run filter again, with dialog
Ctrl + Shift + F - fade filter

If something goes wrong, you can quickly undo, then go back and try again without having to go through the hassle of moving your cursor. Or, if your filter effect is too intense, you can fade it down

Making Your Own Shortcuts

Photoshop allows you to custom create your own Keyboard shortcuts to suit your needs, press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + K or go to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.

Adobe Photoshop CS

When you open Adobe Photoshop for the first time the welcome screen will appear. You could take this opportunity to click on the links and see what is new in Adobe Photoshop CS or watch some of the videos to help familiarise yourself.

If you don’t want to keep looking at this window and closing it every time you open Adobe Photoshop CS then click in the bottom left check box.

Adobe Photoshop CS is the industry standard programme for editing images. It allows you to edit, adjust and combine images as well as offering type and vector (shape drawing) tools. CS offers an improved Tool Options bar that spans the top of the screen , and the File Browser, which makes it easy to find the files you’re looking for. It also offers improved noise reduction tools and a powerful shadow/highlight feature that can work wonders on bured out highlights and blocked shadows. It has an auto straighten and crop feature, great for wonky horizons.

Photoshop masking

Fistly masks cannot be added to the background layer. So to start playing with masks you will need to duplicate the background. You can then add a layer mask to the duplicated background layer.

Simple masking exersise

In this exersise we will make add 50% transparency frame to an image by using a mask.

1. Open an image
2. Duplicate the background
3. Select all of the background and fill it with solid white, we will be revealing this white layer through the image.



4. The simplist way to add a layer mask is to choose the Add Layer Mask Icon from the bottom of the Layers window (highlighted with red above).

If you have no active selection (as in this case), this will produce a mask with a white fill (nothing masked).  If you have a portion of your image selected the selection will be set as white (revealed), with the rest of the layer mask filled with black (masked).

1. Click on the mask using the rectangular marquee tool select a rectangle inside the edge to create a border

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Menu

• Adobe Photoshop CS
• Adobe Photoshop CS Workspace
• Adobe Photoshop CS Tools
• Replacing a Bland Sky using Photoshop
• Adobe Photoshop CS Marquee tools
• Using Greyscale Masks
• What is an Alpha Channel?
• Using Photoshop Lighting Effects
• Creating realistic Water Refections with Photoshop
• Photoshop CS Palettes
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Resources

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• Using the Eyedropper in Photoshop

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