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Photoshop CS3
Creative
retouching
It doesn’t matter how
powerful Photoshop is –
great results still depend
on the skills of the user. 01 Every image needs some level of retouching, and this
Per Gustafson shares his one is no exception. Create a new layer and do some painting
with a brush of 20-40% opacity. Then add a small amount of
expert advice for making blur, and play a little with the opacity of the layer. The Smudge
tool is useful for retouching, but works much better on
photographs of people.
mediocre photos magical
In this tutorial I will show you how to create a striking
and highly atmospheric image from a rather ordinary photograph.
I’ll use the standard filters and tools in Photoshop, with no add-ons
or plug-ins. As long as you’re happy to play around and explore the
boundaries in Photoshop, you can make a photo look however you
want it to look.
If you follow the steps in this tutorial and work from the
starting file on this issue’s disc, you’ll begin to look at photographs
in a new light. Some people believe that retouching to this degree is
essentially cheating. But the techniques I’ll demonstrate here will
enable you to get the best results possible from any image. And in
Photoshop there are no rules to break – just different ways to 02 Usually at this point I
accomplish your goals. duplicate the original layer so I can try 03 The image dictates which
out some layer effects on the whole layer effects are best for retouching,
image. You can also resize the image though Levels and Brightness/Contrast
before going any further, though I tend are often useful. Experimentation is key.
to work on an image at the highest One tip is to make adjustments on
possible resolution and export a smaller different layers to achieve violent
version at the end (for uploading to contrasts. I want the sky to really glow,
Flickr, for example). so use five layers here.
06 The bottom section is now in a separate layer. Make it a bit darker using
Brightness/Contrast, then apply Gaussian Blur to ensure that the top half of the image
stands out in comparison.
07 Use the Eraser tool to smear out the edges and make 08 Experiment with brushes, the Eraser and transformations until the bottom
this section blend in better with the rest of the picture. Change section of the image is seamlessly merged with the top half containing the Eiffel Tower
the opacity of the layer to 70% so that some of the sharp image and the sky. Remember that not all of the picture has to be perfectly sharp – it’s okay to
below shows through. blow things up until it’s a little blurred.
10 Now for the sky. Create a layer with 100% opacity and the
layer effect Color. With a big brush paint the blue colour in the outer
09 As this photo was taken on a grey day in Paris, you should add the Sun areas, then green, yellow and finally red in the centre. For a really
as a light source. Create a circle on a new layer and fill it with white. Then use bright light end with white, like in the centre of a fire or an explosion.
Gaussian Blur and choose the Overlay layer effect, and place the Sun at the
horizon as if it’s setting.
11 To make the transition between the colours 12 To make the colours less extreme you can adjust the
smoother, add Radial Blur with a high Zoom. Do more painting Contrast. I prefer to create another layer with opacity of
and repeat Radial Blur if necessary. A good tip is to duplicate 20-30%, use a layer effect such as Overlay, add a colour and
the layer, add more Radial Blur then Merge the two layers. then play with Hue (Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation).
13 To add more life to the photograph create a line of light in the sky. Draw it
vertically with the Pen tool, add Motion Blur then bend it slightly with Filter>Distort>
Shear. Right-click the layer twice to choose the Perspective tool, then move and twist
the line until you’re satisfied.
17 Add some more diffuse lights to suggest that light 18 Add Motion Blur to this layer, and use the Free
is coming from above and shining through the clouds. Select Transform tool to position the layer correctly. A layer effect such
areas with the Polygonal Lasso tool and use a brush at 40% as Overlay or Color Dodge can add to the effect, and the layer
opacity to avoid a constant fill. can be duplicated as required.