Want to learn how to create your own word shadowing technique? Here it is in four easy steps: 1. Open a new document. (The size I used is 500×100) Now type some text, doesn’t really matter what. (I used Arial Black 36pt) 2. Now hit CTRL A(=select all), CTRL C(=copy) and then CTRL V(=paste). You have now copied the layer. Move the new layer exactly above the original text layer. Hit CTRL T(=transform) and click the right mouse button, select “flip vertical”. Now move the layer down by dragging it or using the arrow keys. 3. Hit CTRL T again and now select “Perspective”. Move the lower right box to the right. 4. Now simply go to the layers window and lower the opacity of the “reflection layer” to whatever you want. (I used 25%)
A fun way to add texture to your photo is by adding lines overlapping the picture. This will create a cool effect often seen in photo albums and slide shows. You can one of the most interesting sites out there. Grids can be used in headers, pictures anything you want really. The first thing you would do is: 1. Open Photoshop. Open an image to apply line effect. 2. Desaturate the image by Image > Adjustments > Desaturate 3. Create New file with 1 pixel width, 2 pixel height and transparent background. 4. Keep Black as a foreground color. Fill the top 1 X 1 pixel of transparent background using Pencil Tool. 5. Select All using CTRL A 6. Create a pattern by Edit > Define Pattern. Name the pattern. 7. Close the Pattern file and go back to image file. 8. Edit > Fill (Choose “Pattern” from “Use” drop down menu and again in “Custom Pattern” you will find newly created pattern) 9. Select newly created pattern and fill the image.
Having fun with graphics is one of the best things to do if you enjoy playing with numbers and fading things in and out of focus. It is easy enough to do, creating a lightning bolt should be like this: start by creating a new image and then right away create a new layer. Also set the background color as black, (the image size I used here is 350X500). Now make a selection one pixel wide and make it cover the whole length. Fill this selection in with white. Next you have to go to Filter > Distort > Wave. The settings are as follows, [Generators - 5], [Wavelenth - 225/299], [Amplitude - 5/35], and [Scale - 100/100]. Now you have a wavey line, Apply an outer glow and transform and duplicate it a bit (Or experiment, I am just giving you an idea of how this is done.) I made the light balls with the gradient tool set to “radial.” You can now start to add detail, smaller particles and some dodges. This effect is easy, but it really depends on how much time you want to spend doing it. It really starts to look good on 3D explosions in abstracts. I went ahead doing a little more detail using the same techniques and styles.
Lots of people enjoy decorating their pages with fun little interfaces like chords and screens, they use things like gradients and shading that make it look difficult to do. In truth it is quite easy. To create a chord all you have to do is create a new document, make a 2 pixels line, black color. Then Filter > Disort > Shear. Play around with these settings until you see something you like. When you are done with that duplicate the layer and move it 1-2 pixels to the right to get this effect on the left. Now just give it a Drop Shadow Color = black: Layer effect = Multiply 66%: 120 Angle: Distance = 13: Spread = 0: Size = 10 And you done, it’s that easy! You can do some pretty crazy things with chords, use them as string, extension chord in your graphics. Long gone are the days of hunting for good graphics online.
Adding effects to photos can be enjoyable. You can do fun things like changing the sky or making a photograph look old. Making a picture look old starts like this, choose a picture: then we change the size, creating a “zoom” in the face. Then we will apply here Filter > Noise > Dust & Scratches using: Radius: 4 pixels and Threshold: 0. This will help to dissimulate the image’s pixilation. Next create a copy of this layer, we proceed to apply a blur: Filter > Blur > Gaussian blur … Using 15 pixels. Ok, now click and add a mask to the layer. Using the radial gradient tool make a gradient in the mask like the image in the left. Now click in the icon in the layers palette, select Hue/Saturation and use this values: Hue: 38 Saturation: 22 Lightness: 0 be sure you check the “Colorize” option. Open a texture image from zombie-stock, copy (Ctrl C) and paste it (Ctrl V) into a new layer and set this one to multiply. After that click again and choose Brightness/Contrast, using: Brightness: -16 and Contrast: 15. Next you will want to use a duplicate from the first layer, change the colors using Curves and Selective Color (From the Image > Adjustment menu) and set the layer to Soft light. Add a pair of little blurry white circles in the eyes, in a new layer in Overlay mode. Now, save the image scratchtexture.jpg (in the left), open it, select all and hit Edit > Define Pattern. Fill a new layer with it, and set this one to Soft light. Add a border and that’s finished! An old and beautiful picture.
Airbrushing can be really fun sometimes, you can create spectacular photos using shading, airbrushing and mixing these techniques. Here is an airbrush technique right here: Set the brush as above and brush across the canvas until you have a similar look to the one below. Apply the filter > Distort > Ripple Effect with the standard settings repeat a further four times. Apply the Filter > Blur > Radial Blur Zoom 50% click Edit > Fade Radial Blur > 75%. Set the eraser as above and brush lightly across the canvas until you have a similar look to the one below. Apply a Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set the radius so you get the required detail of airbrushing Apply Edit > Transform > Distort to create the required shape depending on the blur applied it should come out something like below.
Now for some really fun stuff, ever wondered how to create those really awesome images that people use on their sites all time, well here is a step by step way to do it. Layer 1 Create a normal gradient fill. Layer 2 Duplicate the gradient layer and apply filter > Render > Difference Clouds 5 times. Set the layer to soft light. Layer 3 Duplicate the gradient [layer 1] and set to multiply. Layer 4 Now on to the render, Apply Filter > Distort > Radial Blur Zoom 100%. Apply Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast: Brightness -100, Contrast -100. Layer 5 Another render copy. Apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur: Radius 10. Apply Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast: Brightness -100, Contrast -100. Move the layer slightly to offset the shadow. Layer 5 Another Render copy. This time simply as standard, Normal. Layer 6 Duplicate layer 5 and set to screen.Layer 7, 8, 9 Create 3 areas of exploding pixie dust. For light background areas set the layer to overlay. For dark backgrounds keep on normal. Layer 10, 11, 12 Create 3 areas of simple airbrushing. Duplicate each to improve contrast. Layer 13, 14, 15 Create 3 areas of more detailed airbrushing. Layer 16, 17 Duplicate the Render Twice, slightly offsetting each. This adds much larger scale to the structures. Use the eraser to rub out the middle unwanted area. Layer 18 Duplicate the original gradient layer and carefully erase the central part, so that the image comes through from underneath but fades towards the edges. Layer 19 Create a hue/saturation layer colorize with saturation set at 0. Set the opacity to 80%. Layer 20 Create a color balance layer. Highlights: Yellow -66 Midtones: Blue 20, Red 35 Shadows: Blue 15 Layer 21 Create a levels layer: Red input levels: 0, 1.3, 255 Layer 22 Create a Brightness/Contrast layer: Brightness 15, Contrast 25
