In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to recreate the Black Panther movie poster text effect.

To recreate this text effect we will use stacks of Layer Styles to create the texture, chrome, and other effects found in this movie poster text effect.

Wakanda For Ever!

Starter PSD:
156 - Black Panther Text Effect (114 downloads)

Wolf’s Bane II Font:
► https://www.dafont.com/wolfs-bane-ii.font

Credits Font:
► https://creativemarket.com/fabiankorn/2327560-BEYNO-Font

The post BLACK PANTHER Text Effect in Photoshop [How To Use Layer Styles Like a PRO] appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, I’m going to give you an in-depth explanation of how the Blending Modes (Blend Modes) in Photoshop work.

You may have worked with Blending Modes in the past, and it was probably more of an experimental process for you. The purpose of this tutorial is to show you how exactly how each Blend Mode works, so you don’t have to experiment as much.

By the time you finish watching this Photoshop tutorial, you should have a strong understanding of how Blending Modes work and which to use to get your desired effect.

This tutorial is a free sample of my course Mastering Color in Photoshop.

Index:

• When Were Blend Modes Added to Photoshop
• Blending Modes or Blend Modes?
• Opacity vs. Fill With Blending Modes
  • “Transparency Shapes Layer” Check Box
• Color + Blend = Result
• Blend Mode Math
• Normal Blending Modes
  • Normal
  • Dissolve
• Darken Blending Modes
  • Darken
  • Multiply
  • Color Burn
  • Linear Burn
  • Darker Color
• Lighten Blending Modes
  • Lighten
  • Screen
  • Color Dodge
  • Linear Dodge (Add)
  • Lighter Color
• Contrast Blending Modes
  • Overlay
  • Soft Light
  • Hard Light
  • Vivid Light
  • Linear Light
  • Pin Light
  • Hard Mix
• Inversion Blending Modes
  • Difference
  • Exclusion
  • Subtract
  • Divide
• Component Blending Modes
  • Hue
  • Saturation
  • Color
  • Luminosity
• Pass Through Blending Mode
• Blending Modes with 32-Bit Images
• Commuted Blending Modes
• Blending Mode Keyboard Shortcuts

When Were Blend Modes Added to Photoshop?

Blending Modes have been around since 1994 when Layers first were added in Photoshop 3.0.
19 original Blending Modes are: Normal, Dissolve, Darken, Multiply, Color, Burn, Darker Color, Lighten Screen, Color Dodge, Lighter Color, Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light, Difference, Exclusion, Hue, Saturation, Color, and Luminosity.

In 2002, five Blending Modes were added to Photoshop 7 along with the Fill slider. Linear Dodge (Add), Linear Burn, Vivid Light, Linear Light, and Pin Light.

Hard Mix was added in 2003 to Photoshop CS. Subtract and Divide were added to Photoshop CS5 in 2010.

Currently, there are 27 Blending Modes in Photoshop. 30 Blending Modes if you include the two extra Blending Modes for the painting tools (Behind and Clear) and the extra Blending Mode for groups (Pass Through).

Blending Modes or Blend Modes?

Officially they are known as Blending Modes, but you can use the names interchangeably. I sometimes refer to them as “Blend Modes,” so no worries as to which name you use. As longs as you know how they work!

Opacity vs. Fill With Blending Modes

19 out of the 27 Blending Modes behave the same way when Fill is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted. However, eight Blending Modes give you a different result when Fill is changed compared to Opacity.

It is crucial to understand the difference because this additional method of blending pixels extends the capabilities of Blending Modes. More importantly, the blend tends to be more aesthetically pleasing when using Fill rather than Opacity with these eight Blending Modes.

In the example below, you can see how a graphic with different luminance values and a photo of Venice were blended using the Hard Mix Blending Mode. The image in the center is set at Opacity at 50%, while the image on the right is set to Fill at 50%.

The Blending Modes that are part of this group of 8 are Color Burn, Linear Burn, Color Dodge, Linear Dodge (Add), Vivid Light, Linear Light, Hard Mix, and Difference.

“Transparency Shapes Layer” Check Box

The 8 Blending Modes in this group, also give you an extra level of blending by un-checking the “Transparency Shapes Layer” checkbox in the Layer Style panel.

In the example below, you can see how Linear Light blends differently when “Transparency Shapes Layer” is un-checked. Notice how the edges of the circles blend differently on the example on the right.

Base + Blend = Result

You should remember these three terms to understand how Blending Modes work.

The “Base” color is the original color in the image.

The “Blend” color is the color applied with the painting or editing tool to the Base layer.

The “Result” color is the color resulting from the blend.

How the Base and the Blend colors mix depends on the algorithm or Blending Mode that you select.

Blend Mode Math

For those of you who are interested in how the math behind Blend Modes work, I’ve created a simplified explanation.

Photoshop uses “Standardized” values to calculate the blend. The luminance values in Blending Mode math range from 0 (black) to 1 (white). However, Photoshop uses 0 (black) to 255 (white) to represent luminance values in RGB. Photoshop has to convert the values, so black is still 0, but white becomes 1. 50% gray which is 128 becomes 0.5.

To convert an RGB luminance value to a standardized value, dive it by 255. For example, divide 192 (light gray) by 255, and you get 0.75 (192÷255=0.75).

Math Sample:

A = Blend Layer Standardized Value
B = Base Layer Standardized Value

Multiply:
AxB = Result

Color Dodge:
B÷(1-A) = Result

Adobe provides descriptions on each Blending Mode, but they do not provide the mathematical equations behind them. If you would like to find out more about Blending Mode math, check out the Wikipedia page on Blend Modes.

Each Blend Mode Explained

In the examples below, we will explain each of the 6 Blend Mode categories (Normal, Darken, Lighten, Contrast, Inversion, and Component) as well as all the Blend Mode in within each category.
The graphics in each section will show the outcome of each Blend Mode at 100% opacity unless otherwise noted.

Each example contains two Blend layers, a grayscale luminosity layer, and a color layer. The photo of Venice, Italy will be the Base layer.

Normal Blending Modes

The Blending Modes in this category do not have algorithms that blend pixels. Instead, the Opacity slider controls the blend between layers.

Normal

“Normal” is the default Blending Mode for Photoshop layers. Opaque pixels will cover the pixels directly below them without applying any math or algorithm applied to them. You can, of course, reduce the opacity of the layer to reveal the pixels below.

Dissolve

The Dissolve Blending Mode does not blend any pixels either. Dissolve only reveals the pixels below when the Opacity of the layer is reduced. The pixels below are revealed through a dither pattern (noise) whose intensity is based on the Opacity.

Darken Blending Modes

As the name implies, the Blending Modes in the Darken category will turn the “Result” colors darker. Anything that is white in the blend layer will become invisible, and anything that is darker than white is going to have some darkening effect on the pixels below it.

Darken

The Darken Blending Mode looks at the luminance values in each of the RGB channels and selects either the base color or blend color depending on which is darker.

Simply put, this Blending Mode does not blend pixels, it only compares the base and blend colors, and it keeps the darkest of the two. If the blend layer and the base layer color are the same, then there is no change.

Multiply

Multiply is one of the most popular Blending Modes in Photoshop. I’m sure that you have used it many times before.

This Blending Mode multiplies the luminosity of the base color by the blend color. The resulting color is always a darker color. White produces no change, while the black pixels remain.

Multiply can produce many different levels of darkening depending on the luminosity values of the blend layer, which make it a great Blending Mode for darkening images or creating shadows.

Color Burn

Color Burn is the first of the eight unique Blending Modes in Photoshop that react differently when Opacity is adjusted compared to Fill.

The Color Burn Blending Mode gives you a darker result than Multiply by increasing the contrast between the base and the blend colors resulting in more highly saturated mid-tones and reduced highlights. The result is very similar to the effect you would get when you use the Burn Tool to darken an image.

Linear Burn

Linear Brun decreases the brightness of the base color based on the value of the blend color. The result is darker than Multiply but less saturated than Color Burn. Linear Burn also produces the most contrast in darker colors than any of the other Blending Modes in the Darker group.

Linear Burn blends differently when Fill Opacity is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted.

*Introduced in Photoshop 7.

Darker Color

The Darker Color Blending Mode is very similar to Darken. This Blending Mode does not blend pixels. It only compares the base and blend colors, and it keeps the darkest of the two.

The difference is that Darker Color looks at the composite of all the RGB channels, whereas Darken looks at each RGB channel individually to come up with a final blend.

Lighten Blending Modes

The Blending Modes in this category and re opposites, or complementary colors from the Darken category.

TheLighten Blending Modes will turn the “Result” colors brighter. Anything that is black in the blend layer will become invisible, and anything that is brighter than black is going to have some darkening effect on the pixels below it.

Lighten

The Lighten Blending Mode takes a look at the base color and blend color, and it keeps whichever one of the two is the lightest. If the blend colors and the base colors are the same, then no change is applied. As with the Darken Blending Mode, Lighten looks at the three RGB channels separately when blending the pixels.

Check out my tutorial on creating a Glass Window Reflection Effect in Photoshop to see a great example of how you can use Lighten Blending Mode.

Screen

Screen is another of Photoshop’s most popular Blending Modes. The resulting color is always a brighter color. Black produces no change, while the brighter pixels remain.

Screen can produce many different levels of brightening depending on the luminosity values of the blend layer, making Screen, a great Blending Mode for brightening images or creating highlights.

Color Dodge

Color Dodge is the third of the eight special Blending Modes, which blends differently when Fill is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted.

The Color Dodge Blending Mode gives you a brighter effect than Screen by decreasing the contrast between the base and the blend colors, resulting in saturated mid-tones and blown highlights.

The effect is very similar to the result you would get when using the Dodge Tool to brighten up an image.

Linear Dodge (Add)

Linear Dodge (Add) produces similar but stronger results than Screen or Color Dodge. This Blending Mode looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the brightness. Blending with black produces no change.

Linear Dodge (Add) blends differently when Fill Opacity is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted.

*Introduced in Photoshop 7.

Lighter Color

Lighter Color is very similar to Lighten. This Blending Mode does not blend pixels. It only compares the base and blend colors, and it keeps the brightest of the two. The difference is that Lighter Color looks at the composite of all the RGB channels, whereas Lighten looks at each RGB channel to come up with a final blend.

Contrast Blending Modes

The Blending Modes in this category are a mixture between the Darken and the Lighten Blending Modes. They create contrast by both lightening and darkening the result colors by using complementary Blending Modes to create the blend.

Photoshop checks to see if the colors are darker than 50% gray or lighter than 50% gray. If the colors are darker than 50% gray, a darkening Blending Mode is applied. If the colors are brighter than 50% gray, a brightening Blending Mode is applied.

With the exception of Hard Mix, all the Blending Modes in this category turn 50% gray transparent.

Overlay

Overlay is another of Photoshop’s most widely used Blending Modes. It is a combination of Multiply and Screen with the base layer always shining through. Overlay uses the Screen Blending Mode at half strength on colors lighter than 50% gray. And the Multiply Blending Mode at half strength on colors darker than 50% gray. 50% gray itself becomes transparent. Also, note that “half-strength” does not mean, Opacity at 50%.

Another way of thinking about Overlay is by thinking of shifting mid-tones. Dark blend colors shift the mid-tones to darker colors, light-tones shift the mid-tones to brighter colors.

One difference between the Overlay Blending Mode and the other Contrast Blending Modes is that it makes its calculations based on the brightness of the colors in the base layer. All of the other Contrast Blending Modes make their calculations based on the brightness of the blend layer.

Overlay, alongside Hard Light, is part of the first set of Commuted Blending Modes in Photoshop. A set of commuted Blending Modes will give you the same result when you apply one Blending Mode to the blend layer, as when you apply the corresponded Commuted Blend Mode to the base layer, and then reversing the order of the layers.

In other words, if you apply the Overlay Blending Mode to the blend layer, you will get the same result, as when you apply the Hard-Light Blending Mode to the Base layer, then reverse the order of the layers.

Soft Light

Soft Light is very much like Overlay. It applies either a darkening or lightening effect depending on the luminance values, but in a much more subtle way. You can think of Soft Light as a softer version of Overlay without the harsh contrast.

Hard Light

Hard Light combines the Multiply and Screen Blending Modes using the brightness values of Blend layer to make its calculations. Overlay uses the base layer.

The results with Hard Light tend to be intense. In many cases, you will have to reduce the Opacity to get better results.

Hard Light sounds like it would have something in common with Soft Light, but it does not. It is much more closely related to Overlay and are both part of the first set of Commuted Blending Modes.

Vivid Light

You can think of Vivid Light as an extreme version of Overlay and Soft Light. Anything darker than 50% gray is darkened, and anything lighter than 50% gray is Lighten.

Vivid Light is one of those Blending Modes where you may want to adjust the opacity since 100% opacity is generally too strong.

Vivid Light is the fifth Blending Mode of eight that give you different results when you reduce the fill compared to opacity.

*Introduced in Photoshop 7.

Linear Light

Linear Light uses a combination of the Linear Dodge Blending on lighter pixels and a Linear Burn on darker pixels.

Typically, the resulting colors are extreme, and you may want to use the Opacity or Fill sliders to adjust it.

Linear Lights blends differently when Fill Opacity is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted.

*Introduced in Photoshop 7.

Pin Light

Pin Light is an extreme Blending Mode that performs a Darken and Lighten Blending Mode simultaneously. It can result in patches or blotches, and it completely removes all mid-tones.

*Introduced in Photoshop 7.

Hard Mix

Hard Mix is the seventh Blending Mode in the contrast group and the seventh of the special 8 Blending Modes. It applies the blend by adding the value of each RGB channel into the blend layer to the corresponding RGB channel in the base layer.

The resulting image loses a lot of detail, and the colors can only be black, white, or any of the six primary colors. Red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, or yellow.

Vivid Light is an extreme Blending Mode, but you can use Opacity and Fill to reduce the effect. Fill will probably be your better option for reducing the effect of this Blending Mode since it generally gives you better results than Opacity.

*Introduced in Photoshop CS.

Inversion Blending Modes

The Inversion Blending Modes look for variations between the base and blend layers to create the blend.

Difference

The Difference Blending Modes uses the difference of the base and blend pixels as the resulting blend.

White inverts the colors of the base layer. It is the same result as inverting the colors of the base layer by pressing Command I (PC: Ctrl I).

Black Produces no change, while dark grays apply a slight darkening effect.

This blending mode can be extremely useful for aligning layers with similar content.

Difference is the eighth and final Blending Mode that react differently when Fill is reduced compared to Opacity.

Exclusion

Exclusion is very similar to Difference. Blending with white inverts the base color values, while blending with black produces no change. However, Blending with 50% gray produces 50% gray.

Subtract

The Subtract Blending Mode subtracts pixel values from the base layer. This Blending Mode drastically darkens pixels by subtracting brightness.

Black has no effect. Only as the blend values get brighter, does the result get darker.

Notice how the light areas of the gradient are almost pure black, while the dark areas of the gradient produced a very small change.

*Introduced in Photoshop CS5.

Divide

Divide produces the opposite effect as Subtract.

White has no effect. Only as the blend values get darker, does the result get brighter.

Dark areas of the blend layer produce bright colors, while the light areas of the blend layer produced a very small change.

*Introduced in Photoshop CS5.

Component Blending Modes

The Component Blending Modes use different combinations of the primary color components (hue, saturation, and brightness) to create the blend.

Hue

The Hue Blending Mode preserves the luminosity and saturation of the base pixels while adopting the hue of the blend pixels.

Hue can be used to change hues in a layer while maintaining the tones and saturation of the original.

Saturation

The Saturation Blending Mode preserves the luminosity and hue of the base layer while adopting the saturation of the blend layer.

A black-and-white blend layer also turns the image into grayscale because none of the pixels in the luminosity layer have saturation.

Color

The Color Blending Mode preserves the luminosity of the base layer while adopting the hue and saturation of the blend layer. Making the Color Blending Mode ideal for coloring monochromatic images.

Also, Color, along with the Luminosity Blending Mode, is the second pair of Commuted Blending Modes.

If you apply the Color Blending Mode to the blend layer, you will get the same result, as when you apply the Luminosity Blending Mode to the Base layer, then reverse the order of the layers.

Luminosity

Luminosity preserves the hue and saturation of the base layer while adopting the luminosity of the blend layer.

Pass Through Blending Mode

When you select a group, you will notice that the default Blending Mode is not Normal. Instead, it is “Pass Through.” The Pass Through Blending Mode tells Photoshop to treat all the layers within a group to behave as if they were just part of a regular layer stack and not part of the group. The group is only used as an organizational tool and all the layers all blend as you would expect.

However, if you changed the Pass Through Blending Mode to any other blending mode, Photoshop will first blend the layers in the group, then it will blend the resulting composite with the layers below it using the Blending Mode that you selected.

This is the same result as merging together all the layers in a group and then applying a Blending Mode.

For this reason, you can use it to create some great effects especially when compositing. You can set a Group’s Blending Mode to Normal, and all the adjustment layers inside of the group will only affect the contents of that group.

Blending Modes with 32-Bit Images

Only 15 blending modes are available when you are working with 32-bit images. They are: Normal, Dissolve, Darken, Multiply, Lighten, Linear Dodge (Add), Difference, Hue, Saturation, Color, Luminosity, Lighter Color, and Darker Color.

Commuted Blending Modes

There are two sets of Commuted Blending Modes, Overlay and Hard Light, and Color and Luminosity.

A set of Commuted Blending Modes will give you the same result when you apply one Blending Mode to the blend layer, as when you apply the corresponded Commuted Blend Mode to the base layer, and then reversing the order of the layers.

For example, if you apply the Overlay Blend Mode to the blend layer, you will get the same result, as when you apply the Hard-Light Blend Mode to the base layer, then reverse the order of the layers.

Blending Mode Keyboard Shortcuts

You can change the Blending Mode of a layer by clicking on the drop-down and selecting one from the list. Alternatively, you can use the Photoshop keyboard shortcuts for Blend Modes. Press, Shift + to go down to the next Blending Mode. Or, Shift – to move up the list.

If you have a painting tool active, this shortcut will change the Blending Mode of the tool instead of the layer. To prevent this from happening, get in the habit of pressing the V key to select the Move tool, then press Shift + or Shift – to scroll through the Blending Modes.

If the focus, the blue highlight, is around the Blending Mode drop-down menu, these shortcuts will not work. Simply hit Enter, or Return on the Mac to remove the focus from the dropdown, then apply any shortcut that you would like.

Except for Subtract and Divide, the two Blending Modes added in Photoshop CS5 in 2010, each of the Blend Modes has a keyboard shortcut that you can use to apply it to a layer.

However, I don’t recommend learning all of them. Only learn the ones you use most often. Most of the time I only use Screen, Multiply, Overlay, Soft Light, Color, and Luminously. Those are the only blend mode keyboard shortcuts I have memorized.

To select a Blending mode press Alt Shift on Windows, or Option Shift on the Mac, then press the corresponding letter to get you the Blending Mode that you would like to use.

The post Blending Modes Explained – The Complete Guide to Photoshop Blend Modes appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this video, you will learn how to remove anything from a photo in Photoshop.

You will learn three techniques that will allow you to remove distracting objects from your photos. The first two techniques in this tutorial will allow you to remove small things from your photos. While the third technique will be more advanced and it will allow you to remove distracting and complicated objects from a photo using Photoshop.

► Content-Aware Playlist

INDEX – How To Remove Anything From a Photo In Photoshop

00:32 – Remove Photobomber Using Content-Aware Fill
02:28 – Remove People from Background With the Patch Tool
06:15 – Remove a Car From a Background (Advanced)

The post How To Remove ANYTHING From a Photo in Photoshop appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

The best way to create a blurry background in your photos is to do it all in camera. But sometimes you may not have the right lens, or you are you are working with older photos you already shot.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to blur backgrounds in Photoshop using two fantastic techniques.

How To Blur Backgrounds in Photoshop With The Tilt-Shift Blur Filter

This first technique is geared for beginners and will be an easy-to-follow method that uses the Tilt-Shift Blur filter to fake the shallow depth of field focus on a flat photograph.

This filter works by dragging a few simple UI controls, and you can create a blurry background in Photoshop in no time!

How To Blur Backgrounds in Photoshop With The Lens Blur Filter

The second method is an advanced technique takes a few more steps to complete, but it creates a much more realistic shallow depth of field effect.

This technique will use the Lens Blur Filter alongside a Depth Map to create a shallow depth field effect much like a real camera lens would. You will be able to selectively chose what objects in the image will stay in focus and which will be blurred.

You can use a simple selection to determine which areas are blurred, but I recommend using a Depth Map since it allows you to create more complex selections quickly if your image requires it.

The black areas in the Depth Map are treated as though they’re in focus, and the white regions are treated as if they’re out of focus. The different shades of gray are of course different levels of focus.

Depth Maps are stored as Alpha Channels, and in this tutorial, you will learn how to create them.

Links Mentioned in This Photoshop Tutorial

► Advanced Hair Masking in Photoshop

► Select and Mask Tutorial

► Adobe Dimension FREE Course

You Can find The Blurry Backgrounds Photoshop tutorial from 2016 here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to3EXCPfY4w
Tutorial assets for the older tutorial can be found here:
067 - Lens Blur Filter - Blurry Backgrounds (1741 downloads)

The post How To Blur Backgrounds In Photoshop – Shallow Depth of Field Effect appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to change the color of anything in Photoshop.

You will learn four techniques that will allow you to select and change any color in Photoshop.

You will learn about the Hue and Saturation Adjustment Layer, Color Range, Blend If, and More!

The post How To Change The Color of ANYTHING In Photoshop | Select and Change ANY Color appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you’re going to learn how to remove people from photos in Photoshop!

This is a follow up to last weeks tutorial, How to Remove Anything from a Photo in Photoshop. In that tutorial, we used manual tools like the Spot Healing Brush Tool, Patch Tool, and Clone Stamp Tool, to remove the distracting element. However, in this video, we will see how you can let the camera do all the hard work.

For this Photoshop tutorial, we’re going to use Image Stacks to remove people walking through your photos. This is a fantastic technique that requires a bit of planning and the use of multiple photos, but the results are astonishing!

The Image Stack Mode method is perfect for removing people from crowded places or unwanted objects that are moving through a scene.

We will use the Mean Stack Mode which will take a statistical average of the content found in all the photos that we will use for this tutorial. This means that it will keep identical areas and remove everything that changes between the different photos.

It is very likely that cars and people will move and change locations and will be removed when the Stack Mode is applied, leaving only the background.

When you’re out taking photos make sure that your camera is on a tripod so that the images line up during the blend. If you do not have a tripod, make sure that stand very still and hold your camera as steady as possible.

Wait about 25 seconds or so between each photo that you take so that you give people enough time to move. In most cases, you will only need between 10 to 20 photos, but take more just in case.

In this tutorial, we’re going to use fourteen photos that I shot with my cell phone without using a tripod. I wanted to use photos that were not shot under the perfect conditions so that you could see the power of this technique.

The post How To Remove People From Photos in Photoshop – Image Stack Tutorial appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to type text in a circle in Photoshop.

These examples will teach you how you can type text in a circular path. It may seem simple, but there a few techniques that you must know to work efficiently.

The post How To Type In a Circle In Photoshop – Text In a Circular Path Tutorial appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to make colors pop in Photoshop.

This video will teach you five easy methods to make your colors more vibrant in Photoshop.

You will learn how to make local adjustments, use the Camera Raw filter, and apply complementary colors to your photos to make the colors pop and make a more impactful image.

INDEX – How To Make Colors POP In Photoshop

00:48 – Hue/Saturation and Vibrance
02:46 – Camera Raw Filter
04:20 – Solid Color Fill Layer
06:15 – Complementary Colors
08:48 – Selective Saturation

The post How To Make Colors POP In Photoshop appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to blend images together and create realistic composites in Photoshop.

You will learn three techniques to easily match luminosity, saturation, and color.

INDEX

02:36 – Step One: How To Match Luminosity
07:56 – Step Two: How To Match Saturations
11:19 – Step Three: How To Match Color
17:40 – Bonus: Camera Raw

LINKS

Advanced Hair Masking Tutorial
►► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV1DAf5cYXE&index=5&list=PL3bfN-31F9RdzVhwXPj0yEceDozZGGVxP

Perspective Tutorial
►► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoHfZFl65fo&list=PL3bfN-31F9RfB_7DNMOtdiPwvL-WAA-7F

The post How To Blend Images Together and Create Realistic Composites In Photoshop appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to white balance a photo with just one click!

The technique shown in this tutorial is perhaps the best and quickest way to color correct a photo in any Situation. We will use the Auto Color Correction Algorithms inside of the Curves (and Levels) Adjustment Layer to automate color correction in Photoshop.

It is truly an easy fix for white balance in Photoshop. This essential technique will let Photoshop do all the hard work, and it will figure out automatically what colors to sample from to create an accurate color correction.

INDEX

00:30 – Remove a Color Cast with Auto Color Correction Options
02:30 – How the Find Dark and Light Colors Algorithm Works
04:25 – What to do when the Auto Color Corrections don’t work
05:00 – How to use the Gray Eyedropper to Find The Neutral Grays
06:51 – How the Eyedroppers work in the Curves Adjustment Layer

LINKS

Cinematic Color Grading in Photoshop
►► https://youtube.com/watch?v=KrD53AJmfEM

The post Easy ONE-CLICK Color Correction in Photoshop | Quickest Way To White Balance a Photo appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to create the glitchy VHS VCR tape Camcorder effect.

Glitch effects are becoming very popular and there are many different techniques you can use to replicate that old-school video quality in your photograph.

In this tutorial, we will focus on using Smart Objects, Adjustment Layers and Filters to get that old glitch effect.

All the steps on this tutorial are non-destructive, which means you can always come back and make changes later! You can even use the final PSD as a template file to easily apply the effect to any other photo!

Link:
VCR Font
How To Color Tone Photos in Photoshop

Template Download

The post Photoshop Tutorial: VCR VHS Camcorder Glitch Effect [FREE PSD TEMPLATE INCLUDED] appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to whiten eyes in Photoshop.

In this video, you will learn how to select, mask, and apply selective targeting to whiten eyes.

Links Mentioned in This Photoshop Tutorial

• How To Use “Blend If” In Photoshop Like a PRO: The Definitive 7-Minute Guide
• How To Use The SPOT HEALING BRUSH TOOL With CONTENT-AWARE in Photoshop – ADVANCED Method

The post How To Whiten Eyes In Photoshop appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this video, you will learn how to remove wrinkles in Photoshop. We will focus on working with the Spot Healing Brush Tool to remove imperfections in the face.

You will learn how you can use the different “Modes” which probably have not even notice before so that you can retouch any face and remove wrinkles, blemishes, and other unwanted distractions.

I’m also going to show you a technique that you can use to make the hard-to-see blemishes in the skin more noticeable so that you can remove them.

Just like every other PTC tutorial, this video will be filled with tips and tricks!

One-Click Color Correction in Photoshop

How To Whiten Eyes in Photoshop

The post How To Remove Wrinkles in Photoshop [MUST-KNOW Blemish Removal Technique] appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to create a mask that targets the detail and edges of a photo. Much like the Masking slider in the sharpening tool in Camera Raw and Lightroom.

INDEX – Photoshop Masking Technique

• Question From Online Viewer About Masking
• How the Sharpen Masking Slider Works
• First Technique – Find Edges Filter
• New Technique – Glowing Edges Filter

Links Mentioned

• 90-Second Sky Replacement Technique
• ADVANCED Hair Masking In Photoshop

The post POWERFUL Photoshop Masking Technique [Detail Mask] appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to Split Images For Instagram’s Multi-Post Seamless Panoramas.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to:

• Create an Instagram template
• Place and edit photos
• Save slices as separate files
• How to make seamless panoramas in Instagram
• How the template works

Follow and Leave a Comment!

Seamless Panorama! #photoshop #photoshoptutorial #panorama #photoediting #seamlesspanorama

A post shared by Jesús Ramirez (@jrfromptc) on May 29, 2018 at 5:06pm PDT

FREE Template

The post Photoshop: How To Split Images For Instagram’s Multi-Post Seamless Panoramas [Free PSD] appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to change colors in Lightroom.

You might remember a recent tutorial where I showed you how to change the color of anything in Photoshop, this is going to be a similar tutorial, but we’re going to do it all in Lightroom and not Photoshop.

Photoshop has great masking options and a ton of tools to change the color of an object. But if you have an object that is easy to select you may want to stay in Lightroom and do all your work there.

Keep in mind that there are two versions of Lightroom. Lightroom Classic CC and Lightroom CC.

In this tutorial, we’re going to work with Lightroom Classic CC. This is the version of Lightroom that has been around for a decade and the preferred version of professional Photographers.

Lightroom CC is the new cloud-based editor which does not have the cataloging and organizational features that Lightroom Classic does. But the editing features between the two apps are virtually the same.

If you want to learn more about the new Lightroom CC, then check out my free video course for beginners.

If you would like to download the photo used in this tutorial, you can download a free watermarked preview from Adobe Stock.

Change Colors in Lightroom With The HSL Panel

Before we go into the Adjustment Brush technique featured in this tutorial, it is important to be familiar with and understand the method that most people use to change colors in Lightroom and why it doesn’t always work.

Make sure that you are in Lightroom Classic CC, and go into the Edit Module.

From the Edit Module, you can click on the HSL/Color panel. Then you can select the Hue tab, where you will see a list of colors that you can adjust with the corresponding sliders.

In this example, the model is wearing a red jacket. If you wanted to change the jacket to another color, you could click-and-drag the Red slider to the left or to the right to shift the hue.

But notice that you can only shift the hue just a bit. You can make the jacket orange, or you can make it magenta, but you cannot change it to a specific color.

If you want to make the jacket blue, then you will need to use a different technique.

A better way of changing the color of an object in Lightroom to a specific color is to use the Adjustment Brush.

Change Colors in Lightroom With The Adjustment Brush

The best way to change colors in Lightroom to any color that you like is to use the Adjustment Brush along the Color option.

To do so, start by selecting the Adjustment Brush by pressing K on the keyboard or clicking on it from the tools bar.

Then make sure that no adjustments have been made to any of the sliders in the adjustment panel. You can hold Alt (Mac: Option) to change the “Effect” label to a “Reset” button. Once you click on the Reset button, all the sliders and settings will return to default.

To make things easier to select, make sure that you also check the Auto Mask checkbox, which will confine brush strokes to areas of similar color.

Notice that when you start painting over the image, you will see a red overlay. This overlay represents the areas that you have painted on and the areas that will be adjusted by the Adjustment Brush’s settings.

If your photo contains red areas, such as the red jacket in the photo in this example, you will not be able to see the overlay. But you can press Shift O on the keyboard to toggle between the different colors available for the overlay. Red, green, white, and black.

If you don’t see the overlay, you can press O on the keyboard to enable it (or disable it).

When painting over the object, remember that the bracket keys on the keyboard ( [ or ] ) allow you to change the brush size quickly. Adding the Shift key will let you adjust the feather, which is the sharpness of the edge of the brush.

Paint over the object whose color you would like to change. You don’t have to be very precise; you can always come back and fine-tune your selection later on.

Changing The Color of The Jacket

Once you have painted over the jacket, disable the overlay by pressing O on the keyboard, and reduce the Saturation to negative 100.

Without any saturation, you may notice that some areas still contain the original color. If you do, then simply continue painting over your object until it is completely gray.

Remember that if you make a mistake, you can always hold Alt (Mac: Option) to subtract from the mask.

The next step is to add the color.

Go to the section here that reads Color, click on the swatch, and select any color that you like.

You can then use the luminosity sliders (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, and Blacks) to control how the color looks.

Keep in mind that sliders that control colors, such as Temperature and Tint, will not change the color of the adjustment. The Adjustment Brush desaturated the image, so these sliders will not affect color.

Lightroom Presets

One of the advantages of this coloring method is that it remains even when you apply a Lightroom Preset.

So, after replacing the color of an object, you can then apply your favorite preset!

Links Mentioned In The Video Tutorial

• Lightroom CC FREE Course:
• How To Change The Color of Anything in Photoshop

The post How To Change The Color of ANYTHING in Lightroom – COOL Adjustment Brush Trick! appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to easily place text behind an object in Photoshop!

This is a popular text effect often used in magazines and movie posters.

In Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to easily recreate the text behind a person effect using non-destructive techniques. The example below shows you the image that we’re going to work with, and how the text will look like behind the model.

This is a straightforward tutorial that will teach you about selections, Layer Masks, and Text Layers. You will also learn useful techniques that will help you with any project.

Here’s the image that I’ll be using. You can download a free watermarked version from Adobe Stock. But you can follow along with any photo

Tutorial Index:

• Step 01 – Type and Style Your Text
• Step 02 – Resize Your Text
• Step 03 – Move Your Text into Position
• Step 04 – Select the Main Subject of Your Image
• Step 05 – Fix Problem Areas with Your Selection
• Step 06 – Refine Your Selection with the Select and Mask Workspace
• Step 07 – Create a Group to Hold the Text Layers
• Step 08 –Apply the Selection as a Mask to The Group
• Step 09 – Refine the Layer Mask
• Step 10 – Paint in Details
• Step 11 – Match the Depth of Field

Step 01 – Type and Style Your Text

The first step is to type a word over your photo.

Start by selecting the Horizontal Type Tool from the Toolbar. You could also press the T key on the keyboard to select it.

The font is not essential to the tutorial, but I am using Gotham Light in this example. Feel free to use any font that you like.

Style Your Text

Before you type over your image, apply any character styles that you like. For example, if you want your text to be all caps open the Character Panel by going to Window > Character.

Then click on the All Caps icon.

You could also change the Leading, Tracking, Kerning, and other attributes from this panel.

Type Over Your Image

Type anything that you like over your photo. I will type the word “Behind” over to the left of the photo.

Remember to commit your changes by pressing Ctrl Enter (Mac: Command Return) or by clicking on the checkmark in the Options Bar.

Step 02 – Resize Your Text

If your text is too small (or too big), you can scale it just like you would any other layer.

Press Ctrl T (Mac: Command T) to enter the Transform mode. Then hold Shift and click-and-drag on any bounding box corner handle to scale the text.

Holding Shift as you transform allows you to scale the text without distorting the proportions.

Press Ctrl Enter (Mac: Command Return) to commit your transformation.

Step 03 – Move Your Text Into Position

You can use the Move Tool to place the Text Layer anywhere that you like.

Center The Text on Canvas

If you would like to center your text to the canvas, you can use this neat little trick.

Press Ctrl A, (Mac: Command A), to make a selection around the entire canvas.

Then select the Move Tool by pressing V on the keyboard. In the Option s Bar, you can click on the Align icons to align the Text Layer.

Click on the Align Vertical Centers and on the Align Horizontal Centers to center the text layer to the center of the canvas.

Press Ctrl D (Mac: Command D) to deselect.

Disable The Text Layer

Once you have positioned the text exactly where you want it,  you can disable the Text Layer by clicking on the eye icon.

Step 04 – Make a Selection Around the Main Subject of Your Image

To create the illusion that there is text behind the model, you will need to create a Layer Mask that will selectively hide parts of the text.

Start by making a selection around the main subject of your image.

One of the easiest ways to make a selection in Photoshop is by using the Quick Selection Tool.

You can click-and-drag across your main subject to make a selection.

Select Subject (Photoshop CC 2018 and Newer)

If you are on Photoshop CC 2018 or newer, then there’s a tool that can help you get started quicker.

With the Quick Selection Tool active you will notice that with the Options Bar has a button labeled Select Subject.

When you click on Select Subject Photoshop will use Adobe Sensei, Adobe’s Artificial intelligence, to make a selection out of the main subject of the photo.

In this case, Adobe Sensei does an excellent job. There’s only a couple of areas that you need to fix to get a good selection.

Select Subject will never make a perfect selection; you will always need to fine-tune it. But it gives you a jump-start in the selection process, and it saves you a little bit of time.

Since this tool is using artificial intelligence, I think that in newer releases of Photoshop this tool will get much better.

Step 05 – Fix Problem Areas with Your Selection

Whether you used the Quick Selection Tool or Select Subject, you will need to refine your selection and fix problem areas.

Remember that with the Quick Selection Tool you can hold Alt (Mac: Option) to subtract from the selection.

Don’t spend too much time fine-tuning your selection; you don’t need a perfect selection at this point. Later on, you can focus on fine-tuning areas that require it.

Step 06 – Refine Your Selection with the Select and Mask Workspace

Once you’re done making your selection, you will need to refine it.

You can refine your selection by clicking on the Select and Mask button in the Options Bar.

If you are using Photoshop CS6 or older, then this option will read Refine Edge. The interface will be a bit different, but all the tools and settings that we use in this tutorial are also available in the Refine Edge dialog.

Note: If you are on Photoshop CC and you want to bring back the old Refine Edge/Refine Mask dialog you can follow this tutorial.

View Mode

Start by changing the View Mode to “On White” to make the edge refinement adjustments easier to see.

Also, set the Onion Skinning opacity to 100%.

Edge Detection

In the Edge Detection options enable the Smart Radius, to create a variable edge width around the edge of your selection.

This option works great for images that include both hair and straight edges. For example, hair requires a larger refinement area than the shoulders where the edge is straight. The Smart Radius helps create that variable width in the refinement area.

Then increase the Radius which determines the size of selection border in which the edge refinement occurs.

Global Refinements

The following adjustments may vary depending on your photo. But in most cases, you will need to make Global Refinements to improve your selection.

Consider using the Smooth slider, so, that your edges are not jaggy. Also, adding Contrast and Contracting the selection inward can help in removing edge halos.

Refine Edge Tool

If you have hair on your image, then select the Refine Edge Tool, and paint directly over the flyaway hairs in your photo.

Photoshop will do its best to extract the flyaway hairs from your background, but unfortunately, you will not get good results unless you are working with a solid color background.

Again, don’t spend too much time making the perfect selection. You don’t want to spend too much time refining areas that are not going to be needed.

When you’re done refining your selection, press OK.

The Marching Ants should still be active.

Step 07 – Create a Group To Hold The Text Layers

Create a group by clicking on the New Group icon in the Layers Panel.

Rename the group “Text.” You can change the name of any layer or group by double-clicking on the name.

Click-and-drag your Text Layer into the new group.

Step 08 –Apply the Selection As a Mask To The Group

Layer Masks make the text behind an object effect possible. A Layer Maks allows you to selectively show or hide pixels of a layer or a group.

In this tutorial, we’re going to apply the Layer Mask to the group and not the Text Layer. Having the mask on the group allows you to have multiple layers controlled by one Layer Mask.

So any layer that you throw into the text group will appear as if it were behind your selected object.

In this tutorial, we are only going to work with one text layer, but using Layer Masks in groups is an important technique to learn.

With the selection active, and the group selected, hold Alt (Mac: Option) and click on the Layer Mask icon to create an inverted Layer Mask.

Step 09 – Refine The Layer Mask

Now that you can see how the text layer affects the portrait, you can spend some time fine-tuning the mask in areas that require it.

Click on the Group Layer Mask and select the Brush Tool. You can paint with black or white to hide or reveal pixels.

Remember that you can toggle between Foreground and Background colors by pressing the X key on the keyboard.

Step 10 – Paint in Details

In some areas, the text will hide detail that it is too difficult to mask, like the flyaway hairs around the model’s head.

Instead of spending time trying to mask those hair strands, you can paint in the detail from scratch. Much like we did in the Advance Hair Masking Tutorial.

Start by creating a new layer and rename it “Hair.” Then drag the Hair layer inside of the Text group.

Select the Brush Tool by Pressing B on the Keyboard. Then in the Options Bar click on the Brush Settings icon.

In the Brush Settings Panel, bring the Spacing down to 1% and the Size to 1 pixel.

You can temporarily enable the Eyedropper Tool to select colors by holding Alt (Mac: Option). Then click anywhere in the canvas to choose a color. Chose a color that is similar to the flyaway hair.

Then paint hair strands using that color. Do the same with several other colors found in the hair. Use the brightest and darkest colors to make the flyaway hair seem more realistic.

Step 11 – Match The Depth of Field

Notice that the flyaway hairs that you painted in are sharp, while the hairs in the photo are blurry.

The depth of field of the photo is causing the blurriness, and you need to match this blurriness to make your flyaway hairs more realistic.

You can blur your Hair layer by going to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

With the Radius input box active, you can press the up and down keys on the keyboard to fine-tune the blur by 0.1 pixels.

The detail on these flyaway hairs is so small that in the final image they will not be noticeable.

In your image, you may need to work on more details. But always look at your 100% view to make sure that the details you are working on are noticeable.

This is what my final image looks like:

Your Turn!

And there you have it! That’s how to easily place text behind an object with Photoshop! Check out our Photoshop Text Effects section for more tutorials like this!

If you create something using this tutorial you can share your results on Instagram with the hashtag #ptcvids!

The post How To Place Text Behind an Object in Photoshop appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you’re going to learn how to make black and white photos in Photoshop.

Converting a color image into a good Black and white photo can be trickier than you think. You cannot expect fantastic results by simply removing the color from a photograph. Desaturating the colors without adjusting them can make your image feel flat and dull.

You need control over how each color is represented in grayscale to create better tonality and contrast.

This tutorial will teach you two methods that give you excellent control over how the final black and white image looks. You’ll be able to quickly convert a color image into a beautiful black and white photo.

Best of all, these methods are non-destructive, so you can always come back and make changes later if you need to.

We’re going to work with this image of Venice. But you can use any photo that you like!

I’ll be using Photoshop CC here, but this tutorial is also compatible with Photoshop CS6.

Topics Discussed in This Tutorial:

• Make a Black and White Photo Using The Black/White Adjustment Layer
• Convert a Color Image to Black and White Using The Camera Raw Filter

Make a Black and White Photo Using The Black/White Adjustment Layer

The first method of creating black and white photos is to use the Black and White Adjustment Layer.

First introduced in Photoshop CS3, the Black/White Adjustment Layer desaturates a photo and allows you to control how the grays of each color is represented.

This adjustment layer is one of the best tools to convert color photos into black and white.

Step 01 – Make a Black and White Adjustment Layer

Start by creating a Black and White Adjustment Layer.

From the Layers Panel, click on the New Adjustment Layer icon and select Black White.

Step 02 – Adjust the Color Slider in The Properties Panel

The Black and White adjustment layer will desaturate your image.

In the Properties Panel, you’ll notice six sliders: Reds, Yellows, Greens, Cyans, Blues, and Magentas.

These sliders control the brightness of the grayscale version of the corresponding colors.

For example, moving the Red slider to the left, darkens the pixels that initially had a shade of red.

You can use the slider to create better contrast and tonality in your image.

For example, if you want a darker more dramatic sky, you can click-and-drag the Blue slider to the right.

Step 03 – Use On-image Adjustment Tool

Instead of using the sliders to adjust the tonality of your photo, you can click-and-drag over the image to adjust a particular area.

To adjust a specific color in your photo, you can select the On-image Adjustment Tool found on the top left of the properties panel.

Then click-and-drag directly over your image to modify the color slider for the predominant color at that location. Dragging to the left makes the selected section darker while dragging to the right makes it brighter.

Convert a Color Image to Black and White Using The Camera Raw Filter

Although the Black/White Adjustment Layer gives you excellent results, there is a better way to convert a color image to black and white.

The Camera Raw Filter also allows you to convert a photo into black and white with one click, and it gives you more control.

You can apply the Camera Raw Filter to any pixel layer, but it is best to work non-destructively.

Step 01 – Convert Image Into a Smart Object

First, right-click on the Layer and select “Convert To Smart Object.”

A Smart Object is a container that contains one or more layers. It allows you to apply distortions, filters, and adjustments without destroying pixels. In other words, you can always come back and fine-tune your adjustments or even remove them entirely if you like.

Step 02 – Apply The Camera Raw Filter

With the Smart Object selected in the Layers Panel, go into Filter > Camera Raw Filter.

The Camera Raw Filter allows you to easily enhance saturation, clarity, contrast, and more in your images. It also allows you to control to convert your photos to grayscale and it gives you excellent control of how the colors are displayed in black and white.

Step 03 – Convert Your Color Photo Into Black and White

In Photoshop CC, to convert a photo to black and white in Camera Raw, first, click on the Black & White button under Treatment.

Then, click on the Black & White Mix tab to access eight sliders that resemble the Black and White Adjustment Layer.

In Photoshop CS6, the steps are a bit different. To convert a photo to black and white in Camera Raw, go to the HSL/Grayscale tab. Then check the Convert to “Grayscale” checkbox.

Step 04 – Use the HSL Slider To Control The Grays of Your Image

After you desaturate your image, you will see eight sliders that resemble the Black and White Adjustment Layer. These sliders control the brightness of the grayscale version of the corresponding colors.

The image below shows the default settings for all the slider and the default black and white photo.

You can adjust the brightness of the sky by sliding the Blues slider left or right. For example, to make the sky darker you can drag the Blues slider to the left.

The most significant difference between Camera Raw and the Black and White Adjustment Layer is the control sliders. Camera Raw gives you three additional sliders; The Oranges, Purples, and Aquas sliders. However, Camera Raw does not have the Cyans slider.

These extra sliders give you more control over the final look of the black and white photo.

Step 05 – Adjust Clipping in Your Photo

Another great feature that Camera Raw gives you is the ability to see when clipping occurs (loss of all detail).

If you ever move a slider far enough to the left or right, you will see that some areas become either blue or red.

These warnings are Photoshop’s way of telling you that those pixels have lost all detail and they are now either pure black or pure white.

The red areas indicate that the corresponding areas are entirely white and have lost all detail. The blue regions indicate the pixels below are entirely black and have lost all detail.

You can then use the color sliders or the tonality sliders to fine-tune your image to bring back detail in those areas.

In some cases, you may want to keep the clipped areas. To disable the clipping warning, you can click on the corresponding triangle icons in the histogram.

The triangle to the left corresponds to the dark pixels (blue). The triangle to the right corresponds to the light pixels (red).

You can also press the U key on the keyboard to disable the black clip warning (blue) and the O key to disable the white clipping warning (red).

Step 05 – Use The Other Tools In Camera Raw

Camera Raw has other fantastic tools that will help you improve your photos. For example, you can adjust exposure, sharpen your photos, reduce noise, or even add a vignette.

Your Turn!

And there you have it! That’s how to easily convert a color image to black and white in Photoshop!

Give it a try! And if you create something using this tutorial you can share your results on Instagram with the hashtag #ptcvids!

Check out our Photoshop Techniques section for more tutorials like this!

The post How To Make BLACK and WHITE Photos In Photoshop – Two Easy Conversion Techniques appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn to make realistic shadows in Photoshop.

Getting shadows right is vital in compositing!

When you get shadows right, your whole composite looks more cohesive, and your subject fits better within the scene.

The tricky part about making a realistic shadow in Photoshop is getting the right shape and perspective of the shadows so that it matches your scene.

Most of the techniques that I’ve seen for creating shadows in Photoshop involve layer transformation.

In other words, you’re distorting pixels to get the right shape and the proper perspective. Distorting layers could be a difficult task, especially with complex objects and awkward angles.

The goal of this tutorial is to teach you how to create realistic shadows while keeping the right shape and the proper perspective.

This tutorial will use advanced techniques using Photoshop 3D. But don’t let that scare you. I’m going to divide up this tutorial into small digestible chunks so that you can follow along, even if you are new to Photoshop or 3D.

I’ll be using Photoshop CC 2018 for this tutorial, but every step is fully compatible with Photoshop CS6 Extended.

Steps to Make Realistic Shadows in Photoshop:

1. Duplicate The Main Subject of Your Composite
2. Convert the Duplicate Layer into a 3D Extrusion
3. Match the 3D Scenes Perspective To The Background’s Perspective
4. Adjust The Extrusion Depth
5. Match The 3D Model to The Pixel Layer
6. Adjust the Infinite Light
7. Adjust the Shadow’s Softness
8. Render The Shadow
9. Rasterize Your 3D Layer
10. Reposition the Shadow to Match Your Scene
11. Mask The Shadow
12. Paint The Shadow Back In

Make Realistic Shadows with Photoshop’s 3D Features

To follow along, you can open any composite in Photoshop. The images themselves are not essential to the tutorial.

I will use a composite of a horse on a street.

Step 01 – Duplicate The Main Subject of Your Composite

Start by duplicating your subject. In my example, I am using a horse, so I will duplicate that layer.

You can duplicate a layer by pressing Ctrl J (Mac: Command J).

Step 02 – Convert the Duplicate Layer into a 3D Extrusion

Then we will use 3D features to make realistic shadows in Photoshop.

Start by converting this duplicate layer into a 3D Object by going into 3D > New 3D Extrusion from Selected Layer.

Note: If your 3D menu is grayed out, it is probably because your computer does not meet the minimum system requirement for Photoshop 3D.

In Photoshop, 3D objects are created by extruding a 2D shape into the Z axis. Much like pushing Play-doh through a dough cutter.

In this case, we extruded the shape of the horse.

The Ground Plane and Its Importance for Making Realistic Shadows in Photoshop

The Ground Plane is the grid that you see below the 3D object, and it catches the shadows of the scene.

To make realistic shadows in Photoshop it is important to match the 3D model’s ground plane, to the ground in the photo.

If you want to learn more about 3D, then check out all my Photoshop 3D Tutorials!

Step 03 – Match the 3D Scenes Perspective To The Background’s Perspective

When you composite images together, you have to make sure that their perspective matches if you want realistic results.

The best way of matching perspectives is to match the horizon lines of both the background and your foreground element.

As you saw in my Perspective Compositing Tutorial, you can find the horizon line of a photo by following all the parallel converging lines to see where they meet. The meeting point is known as the vanishing point which lays on the horizon line.

If you match the 3D scene’s horizon line with the photo’s horizon line, then you should have a composite that matches in perspective.

The horizon line in the 3D scene is shown as a gray line going across the canvas.

On the bottom left, you will see three icons that control the camera.

When you click-and-drag on the far-left icon, the Orbit 3D Camera icon, you can orbit around the 3D layer.

Rotate your 3D scene until it matches your background’s horizon line.

You don’t have to get it 100%. As long as they are near each other this technique should work.

Step 04 – Adjust The Extrusion Depth

The default extrusion depth of your 3D model may be too thick. Reduce it if you need to.

From the Properties Panel, adjust the Extrusion Depth slider accordingly.

Step 05 – Match The 3D Model to The Pixel Layer

Once the perspective matches the scene, reposition the 3D model so that it matches the pixel layer.

Click on the 3D object, and use the Move handles to move the 3D model.

The only areas that are important are where the shadow touches your main subject in the ground plane.

Step 06 – Adjust the Infinite Light

This is where the magic happens!

In Photoshop 3D, you can control where the light is coming from, and the shadows on the ground plane will react to any changes made to the light.

From the 3D Panel, click on Infinite Light.

Use the overlay to adjust the direction of the light source. As you click-and-drag on the overlay you will see the shadow move.

Try to match the shadows already found on your photo to get more realistic results.

In my example, I AM NOT MATCHING THE LIGHTING OF THE SCENE ON PURPOSE. Because I want to make the shadow noticeable for the tutorial and to give you a better representation of how this technique works.

Step 07 – Adjust the Shadow’s Softness

If you want to adjust the softens (sharpness) of your shadow adjust the Softness slider in the Properties Panel.

Step 08 – Render The Shadow

When you work with 3D, you need to render your scene to calculate the shape, perspective and look of the shadow.

The noisy low-quality shadow that you see on screen is merely a representation of the outcome, and not the final image itself.

To render your shadow, and see the final image, use the Marquee Tool to select your shadow.

Then click on the Render button in the Properties Panel.

Rendering a 3D scene may take some time. The duration depends on the complexity of the scene and the speed of your computer.

Note: You can stop or cancel the render by pressing the Esc key on the keyboard.

Step 09 – Rasterize Your 3D Layer

Once your shadow finishes rendering, you can rasterize it (convert it into a normal pixel layer).

Right-click on the layer and select Rasterize 3D.

Step 10 – Reposition the Shadow to Match Your Scene

From the Layers Panel, move the shadow layer below the horse layer and rename the layer “Shadow.”

If you need to reposition the shadow so that it fits the composite better, Press V on the keyboard to select the Move Tool. Then click-and-drag the shadow and place it accordingly.

Step 11 – Mask The Shadow

Once your shadow is in position, hold Alt (Mac: Option) and click on the Layer Mask icon to create a mask that is completely black instead of white.

A black Layer Mask hides every pixel in this layer.

Step 12 – Paint The Shadow Back In

The select the Brush Tool, and paint with white on the Layer Mask to reveal the shadow.

Could complete the New 3D Extrusion Warning

If you get this notice:

“Could complete the New 3D Extrusion from Selected Layer command because the path is too complex.”

It might because you have a mask that has too many semi-transparent pixels (not completely visible or completely hidden).

Photoshop CS6 is a little less forgiving than Photoshop CC. I tried the same shape on both versions and CC can convert more complex shapes.

No matter what version of Photoshop you are working in, if you get this warning, you should create a mask with straight sharp edges that represent the main shape of your object. Don’t worry about small details like flyaway hairs.

You could also try making a Vector Mask instead, and use the Pen Tool to create a simple shape.

Your Turn!

And there you have it! That’s how you can make realistic shadows in Photoshop!

Give it a try! If you create something using this tutorial you can share your results on Instagram with the hashtag #ptcvids!

Check out our Photoshop Techniques section for more tutorials like this!

The post How To Make Realistic Shadows in Photoshop [Trick You Probably Don’t Know] appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will how to Match Colors in Photoshop using the Curves Adjustment Layer.

One of the most common problems when compositing images together in Photoshop is matching the color tones of your images.

In this 90-Second Photoshop Tip, we will use the Auto Options in the Curves Adjustment Layer to quickly match colors.

I’ll be using Photoshop CC 2018 but every step is fully compatible with Photoshop CS6.

To follow along, you can open any of your composites in Photoshop. Or download the watermarked images from Adobe Stock (Background and Foreground).

Steps to Match Colors in Photoshop:

1. Create a Curves Adjustment Layer
2. Clip The Curves Layer To The Foreground
3. Open The Auto Options
4. Select Find Dark & Light Colors
5. Apply Dark & Dark Colors from The Background Image
6. Fine-Tune The Curve

The file that I am working with has two layers: a foreground, and background.

I’ve already extracted the background from the model layer, and as you can see, the background and foreground do not match.

Follow the steps below to make sure that the colors of both layers match.

Step 01 – Create a Curves Adjustment Layer

Start by creating a Curves Adjustment Layer. Click on the New Adjustment Layer icon and select Curves.

Step 02 – Clip The Curves Layer To The Foreground

We will use a Clipping Mask to make sure that the Curves Adjustment layer only affects the model layer.

Press Ctrl Alt G (Mac: Command Option G) to make a Clipping Mask.

If you did this right, you will notice a down-pointing arrow next to the Curves Adjustment Layer.

Step 03 – Open The Auto Options

Before you do anything else, click on the Curve’s Layer thumbnail. The Focus, the white outline, need to be on the Layer Thumbnail and not the mask.

In the Properties Panel, you will see the Curves properties.

Hold Alt (Mac: Option), and click on the Auto Button to open the Auto Color Correction Options.

Step 04 – Select Find Dark & Light Colors

In the Auto Color Correction Options, select Find Dark & Light Colors, and uncheck “Snap Neutral Midtones.”

Step 05 – Apply Dark & Dark Colors from The Background Image

This is where the magic happens.

You need to match the shadows and highlights of the background to the shadows and highlights of the foreground.

First double-click on the Shadows color swatch, then click on the darkest point of your background to select that color. Pure black will not work.

Double-click on the Highlights swatch and this time select the brightest point in of the background. Pure white will not work.

After you select the shadows and highlights, the foreground element should more closely resemble your background.

When you press OK, you will get a notice asking if you would like to make the colors you chose the default colors. Click on “No.”

Step 06 – Fine-Tune The Curve

For most composites, you will need to fine-tune the Curves Adjustment Layer to make a better color match.

In this case, creating contrast in the RGB curve makes the image look more realistic. But your composite may require different adjustments.

Your Turn!

And there you have it! That’s how you can easily match colors in Photoshop!

Give it a try! If you create something using this tutorial you can share your results on Instagram with the hashtag #ptcvids!

Check out our Photoshop compositing tutorials for more tutorials like this!

The post How To Match Colors in Photoshop – Fast and Easy Method appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.