texturecafe.com

Photoshop Tutorial No 3: Using the Quick Mask Tool to Overlay the Background with a Texture

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:14:34 +0000

You will learn how to use the Photoshop quick mask tool to select the background of an image and then overlay the background with another image or texture.

What you need if you want to follow this tutorial:

You can download the texture I used here: http://www.texturecafe.com/volume-3-grunge-grunge/

Note: The video is at best quality if you watch it in HD! Just click on the HD button inside the video and watch it on Vimeo.

New: You can also download a PDF version of this tutorial here.

Summary:

1. Open the main image on that you want to replace the background.

2. Click on menu: Select | Color Range, then click with they eyedropper and eyedropper + tool on the background until you get a rough selection of the background.

3. Fine tune the selection with the Fuzziness slider. Its does not need to be perfect at this time. This will just save some time later with the quick mask.

4. Click OK and you will see the selection around the background.

5. From this point we manually work on the selection.

6. Click on the quick mask tool (Square with a circle inside). It’s the lowest icon on the tools palette.

7. Now the selection turns into a transparent red color overlay.

Paint with black over the area you want to mask out and with white vice versa.
If you choose black color for the brush you will actually add to the mask and with white you will delete from the mask.

8. Choose a zoom level of 300-400 percent. Its more work but the mask will be very precise.

9. Choose a brush with an a hardness of around 90% and 100% opacity. If the brush is too soft the edges will get too fuzzy and if the brush is too hard edges might get too hard. It all depends a bit on the image.

10. Paint the edges first. In this example I choose to paint over the model and revert the selection later but either way is ok.

11. If you paint over the edge don’t panic just select white color for the brush and delete what is too much.

12. After the edges are perfect paint the inside.

13. Once you think the mask is finished click on the quick mask icon. Now you see the selection again. If you spot any tiny areas which are not selected click on the quick mask icon again and paint over that area again. Sometimes it is easier to spot little imperfection like that.

14. Done with the mask? Then click on the quick mask tool again and save the mask with Menu | Select | Save Selection

15. Open the image with the texture, select all (CTRL + A) and then copy it (CTRL + C)

16. Return to the main image and press CTRL + V to paste the texture on top of the background layer.

17. If the image size of the texture does not fit to the main image hit CTRL + T and the pull the handles to resize it.

18. Make sure you have the texture layer selected and then load the selection we created before. Menu | Selection | Load Selection.

19. Now, in this case the background is selected but we want to reveal the model of the background layer. So we need to invert the selection. Menu | Selection | Inverse.

20. I also choose to feather the selection slightly by 5 pixels so the edges are not too hard. Again that step depends on the main image. It might not be necessary at all.

21. Now press CTRL + X and the model in the underlaying (background layer) is revealed.

22. The edges look good but I want to change the layer blending mode to Overlay and the lower the opacity to around 50%. that way the overall effect looks more believable in my opinion.

Done!

This is the final result:

Photoshop Tutorial No 3, Quick Mask Tool

Volume 5: Cut-Out-Colors

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:37:05 +0000

For something different this time. Volume 5 is a series of cut out textures that come in 5 different variations and colors. The name cut-out-colors comes from the photoshop filter I used to create the final result.

volume-5-1

volume-5-2

volume-5-3

volume-5-4

volume-5-5

Photoshop Tutorial 2: Grunge Up A Concrete Wall

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:33:56 +0000

This tutorial might give you an idea or two for your own photoshop projects. I will show how to grunge up a concrete wall with a layer that looks like a 3D perforated board. What you need is an image of a concrete wall and some grunge photoshop brushes.

What you need if you want to follow this tutorial:

1. You can download this image with a concrete wall: http://www.texturecafe.com/volume-4-concrete-textures/

2. A set of grunge photoshop brushes: http://www.brusheezy.com/

Summary:

1. Open a document with a concrete wall.

2. Create a new photoshop document with size 25 x 25 pixels and transparent background.

3. Create a new layer and name it black.

4. Fill the layer with black.

5. Create another layer on top of the black layer and name it circle.

6. Use the marquee tool press SHIFT and then draw a circle. Pressing SHIFT will ensure that its a perfect circle and not an oval.

7. Right click on the circle layer and choose Blending Options.

Knockout = Deep
Blend-If = Gray
Move the top right slider (white) to the left.

8. Press OK. The circle will now be transparent.

9. Select all and then goto menu | edit | define Pattern.

Name the Pattern and Press OK to save it.

10. You may now close the document with the circle.

11. Open to the concrete wall image

12. Create a new layer

13. Goto menu Edit | Fill and choose pattern in the dialog box.

14. Now the layer is filled with the pattern.

15. Right click on the layer with the pattern and choose Blending Options.

Blending Mode = Overlay
Bevel and Emboss:
Outer Bevel
Depth = 100%
Direction = Up
Size = 5
Drop Shadow:
Mode = Multiply
Distance = 5
Size = 5

16. Create a layer mask “Reveal All”.

17. Now choose a grunge brush and brush with black in the layer mask where you want to reveal the background (concrete wall) layer. Experiment with different brushes and sizes.

18. Now create a saturation layer and experiment again. I tried to give it a bit of a rusty look with the following settings:

Hue = -2
Saturation = +60

Done!

Volume 4: Concrete Textures

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:55:57 +0000

Concrete textures are always a “good to have” since they can make a very good background for your photoshop project. I guess some of these will also qualify as grunge textures.

Check also this new tutorial on how to transform a concrete wall texture into something more “grungy”: http://www.texturecafe.com/photoshop-tutorial-2-grunge-up-a-concrete-wall/

volume-4-1

volume-4-2

volume-4-3

volume-4-4

volume-4-5

volume-4-6

volume-4-7

volume-4-8

Photoshop Tutorial 1: Text Engraved/Burned in Wood

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:24:16 +0000

Learn how to create this effect which looks like text and border are engraved or burned into wood. Follow the steps below or follow the video tutorial on Vimeo.

Summary:

1. Open a document with a wood structure.

2. Create a new text layer. Use a larges size bold font with color = black

3. Center the text layer in the canvas

Select all
Choose the move tool
Click on the align buttons under the menu to align horizontal center and vertical center
Deselect

4. Change the layer style

Fill opacity = 75
Blending mode = overlay
Select bevel and emboss
Style = Emboss
Depth = 110%
Direction = Down
Size = 5
Soften = 5
Shading = Rounded steps
Angle = degree

5. Create a new empty layer (Layer 1)

6. Mark an outline around the text with the elliptical marquee tool

7. Menu:: Edit | Stroke = 20px in the same color as the text.

8. Deselect.

9. Select the text layer and right click on it. Copy the layer style.

10. Select the outline layer and right click on it. Paste the layer style.

11. Center the outline layer (Layer 1) in the canvas

Select all
Choose the move tool
Click on the align buttons under the menu to align horizontal center and vertical center
Deselect

Done!