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Posted on 22/07/08 10:22:31 AM |
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chris berry
Overhead Overlord Posts: 724 Reply  |
Visible grid
Hi everyone I need to create a perspective shot (looking down on a front door) and have decided the best way to do this is align everything on a grid. Does anyone know is there is a way of distorting the grid (in guides) and creating a perspective grid? Hope this makes sense - and I promise to respond to solutions!!! Chris |
Posted on 22/07/08 11:11:00 AM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply  |
Re: Visible grid
Hi Chris My suggestion would be to set up the grid to your preference and draw marquees as desired, adding to the selection. Create a new layer and stroke the selection with your chosen colour. I would suggest that the number of pixels selected in the stroke dialogue box depends on the resolution of your image. Change the opacity of the layer to suit, after all it's only a guide. You can select the whole layer, CTRL A and then transform. You can then turn the guide on or off as desired. Response by 2pm please! Nick |
Posted on 22/07/08 11:20:08 AM |
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chris berry
Overhead Overlord Posts: 724 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
Ha ha! Right, I think I'm being a bit dense about this. Can you take me through it step by step? The grid is up, to my chosen spec. I've created a new layer and called it grid... what next? C |
Posted on 22/07/08 11:55:55 AM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4057 Reply  |
Re: Visible grid
Hi Chris, I'm not sure it's possible to change the grid in this manner so the best idea is probably to make your own. Using the pen tool on a new layer just create some horizontal and vertical lines as paths. Then stroke those paths. You will now have a custom grid which you can distort as you wish using the normal distortion tools. You can also use 'snap to' to position guides over the grid as an aid to drawing your own accurately spaced grid. Hope this helps. Gordon |
Posted on 22/07/08 12:01:57 PM |
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chris berry
Overhead Overlord Posts: 724 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
Hi Gordon Trying to avoid having to draw one - so I'll use your method as a last resort!! Cheers Chris |
Posted on 22/07/08 12:09:55 PM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
Chris You can either stroke a selection, or draw paths as Gordon has suggested. Upon reflection, the paths approach is probably easier. As we've both mentioned, you will need to produce lines on a new layer, so you can transform to suit. Nick |
Posted on 22/07/08 12:16:30 PM |
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chris berry
Overhead Overlord Posts: 724 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
Looks like I'm drawing then! Thanks chaps. Chris |
Posted on 22/07/08 1:28:50 PM |
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dave.cox
Marquee Master Posts: 518 Reply  |
Re: Visible grid
If I wanted to draw a grid, I would do it like this. Select the line tool, and draw a line across your page. Hold the shift key down to force it to be straight. Right click the path, and select stroke or fill the path. A line of a couple pixels works well. Copy the layer, and go to free transform, (Ctrl T). Move the line down on the page to the distance that you want the second grid line from the first, and press enter. Press Ctrl/Alt/Shift T to draw additional lines, until you get as many as you need. You should now have a page of horizontal lines, evenly spaced out on your page. Select all of the layers for the lines, and merge them together. Press Ctrl J to duplicate the lines layer. Press Ctrl T to enter the transform mode again. Rotate the lines by 90 degrees. Grab the handle at the top center or bottom center, and stretch the lines to be long enough to fit you page. and press enter. Merge the 2 line layers together. You now have a grid that you can use, or distort, on a single layer. And it only took a few seconds to create. Regards, Dave. |
Posted on 22/07/08 1:31:17 PM |
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chris berry
Overhead Overlord Posts: 724 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
Thanks dave Will keep this for future ref. Chris |
Posted on 22/07/08 3:18:14 PM |
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Meltonian
Highlight Hermit Posts: 90 Reply  |
Re: Visible grid
Surely it's easier to create your own grid using a pattern. Just create a new square document to whatever size you require, then place a vertical and horizontal line in the middle to make a cross. Go to Edit > Define Pattern and save it. Then you open or create your 'door' document and go to Edit > Fill. Choose the pattern you just made and click OK. Now you should have a grid on its own layer that you can distort. |
Posted on 22/07/08 3:22:27 PM |
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chris berry
Overhead Overlord Posts: 724 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
Thanks Meltonian I'll try that one too. I just felt sure there would be a way to call up a grid and make it printable. Chris |
Posted on 22/07/08 9:38:39 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7068 Reply  |
Re: Visible grid
Here's a good way to set up a perspective grid: use Vanishing Point on an empty document to draw the grid shape you want. There's an arrow in a circle at the top left of the window, and from here you can choose to render the grid into the document. |
Posted on 22/07/08 10:58:26 PM |
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dave.cox
Marquee Master Posts: 518 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
Good Idea Steve, but it doesn't seem to distort very well. It tends to disappear. That's what is great about this forum though. Sharing all of the great ideas.  |
Posted on 23/07/08 10:10:59 AM |
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chris berry
Overhead Overlord Posts: 724 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
Thanks Steve - knew there would be a way! Chris |
Posted on 23/07/08 12:34:27 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4057 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
Bit confused Steve. I thought I would check out your suggestion but I cannot find any arrow in a circle at top left of the vanishing point window. Or is it me being just a bit dense? You can tell me. I can take it. CS2 on a MAC. Gordon |
Posted on 23/07/08 2:38:04 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4057 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
And another thing........why does vanishing point not seem to be available if you open up a greyscale document? It's greyed out in the menu. I discovered this purely by accident when trying out your suggestion and photoshop offered me a grayscale document which I just accepted to try this out. When I converted to RGB vanishing point then became available. Or is it because it's Wednesday, today? |
Posted on 23/07/08 6:48:02 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4057 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
OK I found it - it's a CS3 thing! Still don't understand the greyscale thing though. |
Posted on 23/07/08 7:56:56 PM |
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David Asch
Tech Support Posts: 1913 Reply  |
Re: Visible grid
In CS2, hold Alt/Option when you click OK to render the grid. Another tip on the back of the VP idea: if you double-click the new grid tool icon it will fill the document with a 2D grid using the defined square size. _________________ A happy-go-lucky chap, always dressed in black |
Posted on 23/07/08 9:19:31 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4057 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
Aaaaaahh! The good old Alt key trick. Thanks David. |
Posted on 24/07/08 11:22:00 AM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4057 Reply |
Re: Visible grid
I’ve managed to answer my own question about greyscale and Vanishing Point. After a bit of research I find that, like many of Photoshop’s filters, Vanishing Point is designed to work only in RGB mode. It doesn’t work in the CMYK, Lab, Indexed Colour or Greyscale modes. Adobe made it that way so, if you are working in (say) CMYK, you need to convert to RGB and back again after playing with Vanishing Point. |