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Posted on 09/06/04 04:12:52 AM |
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Becky Marsh
* Posts: 2 Reply |
Group Therapy
Steve....thank you for a wonderful book. Am working slowly from cover to cover. Question about the wallpaper layer you created for the man's jacket on pages 32-33. How did you do this? AND how would I create a layer using a personal photograph rather than one of the preset patterns? Hope this is easy for you (or anyone) and just displays my noviceness with Photoshop! |
Posted on 09/06/04 08:54:06 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6994 Reply  |
Re: Group Therapy
Becky, Very simple - a two step process. First, you need to select the outline of the clothing to which you want to apply the pattern or texture. This is best done using the Pen tool (p14) - but, if you're new to Photoshop, you may prefer to work with QuickMask instead (p  . When you've made your path or mask into a selection, make a new layer from the selection by pressing Control (win)/Command (mac) J.
Now the clothing will be isolated from the figure, and will be placed on its own independent layer. Next, you need to get your pattern into the document, which is easily achieved by simply dragging it from another document. Scale it using Free Transform, or duplicate and tile it, to make it cover all the clothing. Make sure it's above the new clothing layer, and press Control/Command G to group it with that layer. And that's it. Hope this helps. Glad you're enjoying the book! Steve |
Posted on 09/06/04 11:14:40 PM |
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Becky
Guest Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
Thanks Steve for responding. That worked perfectly & appeared simple. I had been trying to use "import" or "place" (which appears to seek/allow only certain extensions) in an attempt to get another photo onboard. Didn't know you can open a photo & then drag. One more question: On page 21 I can follow your tutorial for isolating the J/Q cards but then get lost when you say "make a new layer for the selection and then paint". If there's some place later on in the book which addresses this, just point me please. Again, thanks for your help.....Becky |
Posted on 10/06/04 09:10:22 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6994 Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
The Import menu is for acquiring images from scanners, or pulling them out of applications or files they're embedded in. The Place menu is for interpreting EPS files and placing them within a document. On page 21, what I'm talking about is creating a new layer to hold the shadow, rather than painting them directly onto the cards themselves. So in steps 1 to 3, we've selected the J and Q and deselected 5; we can now make a new layer (Layers menu) and we'll only be able to paint within that selected area. In step 5, we deselect the J as well - still while working on the new shadow layer - which allows us to paint the shadow only on the queen. Does that make sense? Making new layers and using painting tools aren't topics I've covered in the book, because I assumed that most readers would already know this stuff. I hadn't written it as a book for beginners, but I'm glad you're persevering! Do, please, keep on pointing out stuff like this so I can add more explanatory pages in future editions. Steve |
Posted on 10/06/04 4:47:31 PM |
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Becky
Guest Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
Hi Steve Thanks again for this beginner's book you're creating!!! Am attaching a screen shot of what I get in following along on pages 20-21. I created a new layer per your instructions from the layer menu (layer-new-layer) to get the screen shot. Expanded my layers palette so you could see what layers are turned on/off. Now, back to the paint part: paint with the brush I assume? And if so, what settings do you suggest? Thanks....Becky  |
Posted on 10/06/04 4:55:58 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6994 Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
Ok, we're getting there. Firstly, don't hide the Five layer. You can keep that on view the whole time. Second, what's that Layer 1 doing there? You should be working on the Shadow layer, right at the top of the stack. Get rid of Layer 1! I'd really need to see it with the Shadow layer switched on, but from what I can see in the thumbnail you're doing it pretty well. You need to use a soft-edged brush, perhaps 40 pixels big. If you don't have a graphics tablet, set the opacity of the brush to around 50% so you don't get solid lines. Then let me see it again with the shadow layer on! But bear in mind it's now 5pm in London, so you may not hear back from me until tomorrow morning... |
Posted on 10/06/04 5:51:35 PM |
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Becky
Guest Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
Steve Now I am really confused. I thought your shadow layer was what we were striving to achieve which is why I had it turned off.....so as not to interfer with my building of a shadow. And the layer 1 is what I got when isolating the J & Q and creating a new layer! I thought we were to create a new 4th layer. Didn't you create that shadow layer (as a 4th) and then use your painting technique? Thanks....becky |
Posted on 11/06/04 08:53:27 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6994 Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
Becky, Yes, you're absolutely right, do forgive my crass stupidity. I'd forgotten I'd left that shadow layer in before I saved the document on the CD, I'd meant to delete it. Ignore what I said before. So your new layer is the right thing to do, it's just not in the right place: drag it to the top of the layers palette, above the 5, and make sure the 5 isn't hidden. What we're doing, you see, is making a shadow that appears to be behind the 5 layer but actually isn't. That's the whole point of this example! |
Posted on 11/06/04 2:53:58 PM |
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Becky
Guest Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
Thanks Steve.....I got it! New Problem....didn't know if I should open up a new thread or not. On pages 38-39, I can create the layer mask which looks like your right hand inset but only could see it after I bumbled around in all the palettes and made changes in the channels one (turned off all colors and activiated the layer 1 mask.) So I have the black/white mask but when I drag with the smudge tool nothing happens. Is there such a thing as a default setting for all palettes that I've disturbed? I know how to reset the tool defaults and pallete positions.....but am wondering if my Photoshop has been "altered" by all my use!!! Becky |
Posted on 11/06/04 3:15:15 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6994 Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
Hmm. Curious. You shouldn't have to mess around with the Channels palette in order to make a mask work. You have applied the mask to the correct layer, right? The people? And you do realize - again, I may not have made it clear - that the inset pics of the mask on the page are just to show what the mask looks like in isolation, you shouldn't normally see the mask in this way. It's the effect on the image that you're interested in. You covered the intermediate 26 pages quickly! |
Posted on 11/06/04 3:54:03 PM |
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Becky
Guest Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
Am attaching a screen shot to show where I am stuck. I got the mask to work this time without fiddling with the channels (don't know what that was all about!) Can not get the smudge tool to work on the mask (hopefully you can see all my settings to see if I am set up correctly.) For the record, I can get the smudge tool to work without a mask - dragging to bring the grass up over the jeans.....but just wanted to try and follow your tutorial exactly. thanks....becky  |
Posted on 11/06/04 4:15:45 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6994 Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
When you say the smudge tool worked 'dragging to bring the grass over the jeans', isn't that operating on the mask? It sounds exactly like what's supposed to happen! And certainly, everything in your screen grab looks exactly as it should. |
Posted on 11/06/04 4:42:11 PM |
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Becky
Guest Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
No, cannot get the smudge tool to work on the layer mask. If i don't create a mask, I can operate directly on your layer and smudge the grass. Attaching another quickie shot to show you what I'm saying. (notice no layer mask on the right) Since I can get the smudge tool to work, albeit not on the mask, I'm moving ahead to find some other new challenge!!! Thanks Steve  |
Posted on 11/06/04 5:19:33 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6994 Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
Tell you one thing that occurs to me - you select the people in the layer by control-clicking on the layer icon, and then create the mask from that selection. Have you then deselected? (Control-D, or Select menu.) Because if not, the selection, even if hidden, will prevent you smudging or painting outside it. Might work! |
Posted on 12/06/04 00:59:25 AM |
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Becky
Guest Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
You nailed it! Crtl D was/is required in order to smudge. But, in fooling around (I was creating the layer mask B4 isolating the couple and then inverting to the bkgd) I discovered I could select the couple, then the inverse, then go to Layer....add layer mask.....hide selection. This method creates the black filled in screen shot in your book and I could begin smudging right away, without having to deselect. (Ctrl D) So that opened up a whole new can of worms. (Stop rolling your eyes!!!) Could you explain what those 4 options mean exactly off the "Add layer Mask" menu? Thought I understood conceptionally that masks were a tool to isolate portions of a layer to work on those portions independently. But now I am wondering what situations you would use the 4 different options in, since the way I stumbled upon seems more straightforward than the routine you use in the book. Again, I was just experimenting....I don't truly understand why it did what it did! becky |
Posted on 13/06/04 8:58:35 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6994 Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
Thought CtrlD might work. There's usually a simple solution. The four Layer Mask options are as they sound. Layer masks are not really there to isolate portions of a layer, but to hide - 'mask' - areas you dont want to be visible. With a mask, you can hide part of a layer without erasing it, which is really useful if you might want to reveal it again. So 'Hide All' means that the entire layer will be masked/hidden, which means filled with black on the mask. You'd use this option if you only want to show a small part of a layer: this way, you can just paint back in the bit you want visible. 'Reveal All' is the opposite: with this option the mask is there, but there's nothing on it yet so nothing's hidden. This is the most usual method to choose. 'Reveal Selection' and 'Hide Selection' do just the same, but using the currently selected area. So, for instance, in the example you give you could have missed out the Inverse Selection step, and gone straight for Reveal Selection (which would then have hidden the inverse). Whew! You know, when you spell it out like that it reads like so much gobbledegook, doesn't it. I promise you, my eyes barely rolled at all! |
Posted on 14/06/04 00:52:30 AM |
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Becky
Guest Reply |
Re: Group Therapy
Steve.....it wasn't even monday in London when you posted this! Thanks....you explained it very clearly and I've printed and am keeping it in my book for future reference. Don't have any new challenge for you at the moment! Am forging slowly ahead. AND, am getting nothing else done because I can't pull myself away from this book. |