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Posted on 07/03/08 1:49:30 PM |
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jenn62
** Posts: 73 Reply |
Beards and Stubble chapter 8
I don't know if I'm missing something here but when I follow the steps to add a beard, I get stuck on step 3 - adding noise, in that when I add the noise, the whole image is affected not just the beard. So to get around it, I have to select the beard area with the lasoo tool first and then add the noise. But in the book and in the VIDEO it shows the noise being added to just the beard with no show of it being selected. So I don't know if I am missing something I don't know for this one. I am a new user. Thanks for any help! Great book, I just love it! PS I am using Photoshop CS2 if that makes a difference. |
Posted on 07/03/08 2:24:17 PM |
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cy98
** Posts: 115 Reply  |
Re: Beards and Stubble chapter 8
If you have the beard on a separate layer you can affect just that layer. |
Posted on 07/03/08 2:32:50 PM |
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jenn62
** Posts: 73 Reply |
Re: Beards and Stubble chapter 8
That's it! Thank you so much. I am such a newbie. My mistake was I was creating a "layer from the background" instead of just "New Layer" |
Posted on 07/03/08 2:58:39 PM |
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cy98
** Posts: 115 Reply |
Re: Beards and Stubble chapter 8
That's what this forum is all about. The people here are very helpful and full of suggestions. You will soon be answering questions from other "newbies". |
Posted on 08/03/08 00:10:12 AM |
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dave.cox
Marquee Master Posts: 518 Reply  |
Re: Beards and Stubble chapter 8
Hi Jenn, Remember that technique of creating a layer from the background. One of these days, you are going to want a transparent image, and your going to ask 'How do I get rid of that pesky background layer?' Well, This is it. Once you create a layer from the background layer, the background layer is no longer locked, and you can treat it like any other layer. Dave. |
Posted on 08/03/08 2:11:03 PM |
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jenn62
** Posts: 73 Reply |
Re: Beards and Stubble chapter 8
Thanks I'll remember that though I still find the whole concept of layers still a little mystifying. I don't really know yet when to use a background layer and when to use a new layer. For example, if I want to remove a cluttered background from a picture and just make it black, would it be a new layer I create or a new layer from the background? I imagine I would just use a lasso tool to select around the background edges (or magic wand tool if it works right on the specific picture) and then colour the selection all black. Is that not the basic way to do something like that? |
Posted on 08/03/08 2:56:24 PM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply  |
Re: Beards and Stubble chapter 8
Hi Jenn I hope this will help you. Layers are like sheets of clear perspex stacked on top of eachother. They support transparency, whereas the background layer does not, until you convert it to a layer. This is done by double clicking on the background and then a dialogue box will invite you to do this. Open any file and create a number of blank layers above the background. Draw anything you like on each layer, using the brush, selection tools, marquees etc. With the latter, fill with different colours or a pattern, i.e. whatever you fancy. Make sure whatever is on the layers overlaps with what you've drawn on the others. Grab a layer and move it up or down the stack. You will then see that whatever you've put on that layer will now appear above or below what it was above or below before. Hope that makes sense! If you double click on the thumbnail, the blending options box will appear. click on styles and experiment. You will also see drop shadows, emboss etc, which can provide some excellent effects. Apologies if this is teaching granny etc, but this is the foundation on which everything else is built. This forum is fantastic and there are some wonderful talented people ready and willing to help. Have fun!! Nick |
Posted on 08/03/08 3:23:05 PM |
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dave.cox
Marquee Master Posts: 518 Reply |
Re: Beards and Stubble chapter 8
Hi Jenn. What Nick has said is a good start. Layers are just like stacking transparencies, and taking the total combined image. What is nice about this concept, is you can modify the layers individually, move them around, and even delete them without disturbing the other layers. In addition, you can add a mask to a layer. When you add a mask to a layer, any pixel that is black on the mask will make the corresponding pixel on the layer to become transparent, letting the lower layers show through. You can also add a blank layer, and draw, paint or heal on the new layer without changing the layers below. This is the key to making non-destructive modifications to an image. If you don't like your modifications, or want to start over, simply delete, or turn off the layer. To answer your specific questions: 1) Photoshop creates a background layer any time you create a project in RGB mode. This layer is a special layer, that is always at the bottom of the layer stack, and can not be deleted. It also can not be made transparent. When you create a new layer from the background layer, you are converting the background layer to a normal layer. So you aren't really creating a new layer at all. 2) If I wanted to remove the background and convert it to black or white, the approach that I usually take is to select what I want to keep. Once you make a selection, with the marquee tool selected right click on the photo, and select 'Layer via Copy'. This will make a copy of your selection to the new layer. Under this layer, create a new layer, and fill the entire layer with the background color that you want. Whether you keep the background layer for something like this, is up to you. I usually keep it as my original of the work, in case I need to go back to it. 3) Yes, you can use the lasso tool to make your selection, or any of the other selection tools. As you get more comfortable with Photoshop, I strongly recommend that you take on the pen tool. I know it is a little intimidating at first, but it is well worth learning. It is one of the most powerful tools for making good, and quick selections in Photoshop. I probably use it more than any other tool except the brush. Keep going through the Steve's book. It's without a doubt the best resource that you will find, next to this web site. And keep posting your questions. After all, if you have a question, Someone else is wondering the same thing. Dave  |
Posted on 08/03/08 3:46:17 PM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply |
Re: Beards and Stubble chapter 8
Dave I'm not sure about point 1. If you open an RGB file and douple click on the background, the new layer dialogue box opens. The default is to convert the background into layer 0. If you then pick up the eraser and delete pixels, transparency shows through. Am I missing something? Nick |
Posted on 08/03/08 5:50:07 PM |
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jenn62
** Posts: 73 Reply |
Re: Beards and Stubble chapter 8
Thanks Dave and Nick. This forum is so helpful! You both seem to know so much. And I love the book and esp that it has a dvd where you can work on the projects on your computer. I'm going to save your layer information for reference! esp step 2 for removing a background. |
Posted on 09/03/08 10:48:31 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7068 Reply  |
Re: Beards and Stubble chapter 8
Nick, Dave - great explanations, both of you. Thanks for taking the trouble. That's what makes this forum such a pleasure to run. Jenn62, make full use of us! Steve |