1. Adobe Photoshop CS4 – Illustrated Unit G: Creating Special Effects

2. Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated
Objectives
Use the Color blending mode
Use the Multiply blending mode
Add noise with the Overlay blending mode
Sharpen with the High Pass filter
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

3. Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated
Objectives
Apply the Lens Flare filter with Screen mode
Apply the Motion Blur filter
Apply non-destructive filters
Distort images
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

4. Creating Special Effects
When learning and practicing in Photoshop it is usually done one thing at a time-however when working in Photoshop it is on a full-scale project with many things
Learning to look at the “big” picture is a great shift from just looking at one thing to an entire project
Artistic sense and decisions on what to do to create an effect goes hand in hand with the tools provided in Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

5. Using the Color Blending Mode
Blending modes are mathematical algorithms that define how pixels affect pixels beneath them to create a special effect
Blending modes can be applied throughout many Photoshop features but they are most prominent on the Layers panel and for options with specific tools such as the Brush tool
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

6. Using the Color Blending Mode
The base color is the color of the original pixel
The blend color is the color being applied
The result color is the color produced by blending the base and blend colors
The Color blending mode is useful for colorizing monochromatic images
it applies the hue of the blend pixel to the base pixel and automatically affects the saturation of the base pixel so that the base pixel beneath it takes on the color of the blend pixel
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

7. Using the Color Blending Mode
Color blending mode does not in any way affect the brightness value of base pixels-only the hue and saturation
The Colorize option in the Hue/Saturation Adjustments panel is necessary to colorize a black-and-white image; the sliders in the Hue/Saturation have no affect on a pixel with the saturation value of “0”
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

8. Using the Color Blending Mode
Solid color blended over the image
Painting in a layer set to Color mode
Colorized image
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

9. Using the Multiply Blending Mode
Multiply mode is probably the most common blending mode
it makes the blend pixels transparent and the base art is seen through that color
Multiply mode is always used when creating shadows and drop shadows
shadows in nature are always transparent
Two important things to remember
when black is multiplied it is always black
when white is multiplied it becomes invisible
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

10. Using the Multiply Blending Mode
Blending modes on the Layers panel are grouped in six sections-the grouping is intentional and specific
The blending modes are grouped on similarities
Color Burn and Linear Burn are two effective blending modes that are similar to the Multiple blending mode but produce effects that are subtly different
Color Burn increases the contrast
Linear Burn creates a multiply effect by decreasing brightness
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

11. Using the Multiply Blending Mode
Understanding the Multiply blending mode
Multiplying a solid color
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

12. Adding Noise with the Overlay Blending Mode
Noise is used to describe a blanket of high-contrast pixels that produce a grainy effect over an image
Sometime noise is a problem and if seen it has been termed “grain” in low-quality images online or images downloaded to a cell phone
On the other hand, adding noise to an image is a technique often used to “finish” a design
a layer of noise over an image can add a heightened sense of sharpness and focus
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

13. Adding Noise with the Overlay Blending Mode
Noise is especially effective with multiple images used in a montage
the challenge in a montage is to make it appear to be one piece of artwork and not a composition-a layer of noise adds a consistent layer across the artwork making it appear as one image
There is more than one method to add noise;
Photoshop creates noise from existing pixels
or noise can be added to an image using the overlay technique (which is not editable)
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

14. Adding Noise with the Overlay Blending Mode
No Change
Understanding the Overlay blending mode
Shadow
Highlights
Viewing results of the Noise filter
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

15. Sharpening with the High Pass Filter
Sharpness, in Photoshop, corresponds to edges
Edges are any areas in an image where highly contrasting pixels meet
High Pass is a filter that is very effective at finding and isolating edges
uses a mathematical algorithm to identify where in the image pixels of high contrast abut
fills the layer with solid gray except in the edge areas to isolate the edges
Edges are mostly involved in blurring and sharpening an image
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

16. Sharpening with the High Pass Filter
When an edge is blurred, Photoshop reduces the contrast where edge pixels meet
To sharpen an edge, Photoshop locates the edges and increases the contrast; providing a heightened focus to the image
The Overlay/High Pass technique overlays an image on top of itself, but only at the edges
the filter fills the layer with 50% gray which is transparent when overlayed, and the only areas that aren’t filled with gray are the edge areas
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

17. Sharpening with the High Pass Filter
Applying the High Pass filter
Viewing the sharpened image
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

18. Applying the Lens Flare Filter with Screen Mode
A lens flare is a bright spot often captured in the glass of a camera lens
Photoshop offers a Lens Flare filter which is useful for adding glints or bight spots to artwork
The Lens Flare filter needs to be applied to already existing pixels as it can not be created in an empty layer
if wanting the lens flare itself as part of artwork, fill a layer with black, apply the Lens Flare filter, then use the Screen blending mode to make the black areas transparent, leaving just the flare
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

19. Applying the Lens Flare Filter with Screen Mode
Positioning the screened
lens flare
Scaling down the size of the flare
The final effect
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

20. Applying the Motion Blur Filter
The Motion Blur filter dialog box allows a distance and an angle for blurring pixels to be specified
The result is a blur that can be used to create the appearance of motion for both artwork and text
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

21. Applying the Motion Blur Filter
Viewing one motion blur applied
Viewing two motion blurs applied
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

22. Applying Non-Destructive Filters
Non-Destructive adjustments are not applied directly to the artwork; the adjustment exists on a separate layer that can be shown, hidden, edited, or deleted
the original artwork is not altered
Photoshop offers the ability to crate non-destructive filter layers, allowing the creation of filters on a layer than can be shown, hidden, edited, or deleted
these so-called “smart filters” come with a layer mask and can be altered with an opacity adjustment or with a blending mode
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

23. Applying Non-Destructive Filters
Non-Destructive filters are great as they are created with a mask, called a filter mask that functions just like a layer mask
if multiple filters are applied, there is still just one mask available and that mask will hide or show all of the applied filters
Smart filters can be removed from layered artwork at any time by hiding the filter or to permanently delete, drag it to the Delete layer button on the Layers panel
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

24. Applying Non-Destructive Filters
The Grain filter as a layer on the Layers panel
Viewing the filter applied with 80% opacity
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

25. Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated
Distorting Images
Images are distorted for artistic as well as practical effects such as creating a sense of three-dimensional artwork
The Distort command is Photoshop is another type of transformation, just like scaling or rotating
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

26. Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated
Distorting Images
In addition to the Distort transformation, transforming can also be accomplished using the Skew, Perspective, (and Warp) commands
Skew transforms art as though it was positioned on an angle
Perspective transforms art with a forced perspective toward an unspecified vanishing point
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

27. Distorting Images Distorting the artwork by moving the handles
Viewing the final distorted artwork
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

28. Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated
Summary
Learning to look at the “big” picture in Photoshop is a great shift from looking at one thing to an entire project
Artistic sense and decisions on what to do to create an effect goes hand in hand with the tools provided in Photoshop
Blending modes can be applied throughout many Photoshop features but they are most prominent on the Layers panel and for options with specific tools such as the Brush tool
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

29. Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated
Summary
Noise is especially effective when applied with multiple images
Color Burn and Linear Burn are two effective blending modes
Non-Destructive filters are created with a filter mask that functions just like a layer mask
Images are distorted for artistic as well as practical effects such as creating a sense of three-dimensional artwork
Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated