In this tutorial you will know how easy it is to put textures to an object or even to your own picture for it to have a dramatic effect...
Also I will be using some of the tools in Photoshop that are commonly ignored because most of the artist thought that these tools are not that useful. However, in this tutorial, I will make use of them to come up with an amazing photo manipulation.
This will be the final result of my photo manipulation...
1. First thing you need to do is to select photos that you want for this photo manipulation. In this tutorial, I have selected files that you might want to use.
I have included my own picture which will be the object that I will put the texture on. Also I have chosen the image of the flag of my own country as the texture. And also I have downloaded some images of lens flares because later they will add to the exquisiteness of the whole photo.
2. Second thing you need to do is to open those images in Photoshop.
3. After that, you have to make a new composition in Photoshop. in this tutorial I have set the document to 10 in. for the width and 6 in. for the height. the best resolution for photo manipulation will be 300. Also set the color mode to RGB with transparent background.
4. Once you are done, you can now drag the images on the new composition or document. You have to make sure that the flag will be the second layer and the main object(my photo) will be on top of the flag.
After that, delete the background of the main object using magnetic lasso tool.
5.Using the magnetic lasso tool, you will observe that it will follow the shape of the object like what you can see now in this picture....
6.Now, once you are done tracing the shape of the object(my photo) you can now delete its background by first inverting the selection. Doing this you have to go to Select menu and click "inverse" or simply press and hold Ctrl+Shift+I. Then press delete on the keyboard.
7. This will be the result after deleting the background of the main object. You will see that now it seems like the flag is already the background of our main object but this is not yet done. We still need to go through several steps.
8. Press Ctrl+D to deselect or go to Select menu and click Deselect.
9. Since the background of our main object is already deleted, we now continue with our photo manipulation. We still can observe some unnecessary details around our main object and we don't want it to spoil our photo manipulation, so we need to erase them by using the Eraser tool.
Just like what see below, I have pulled up the eraser tool. I will erase the details around the the main object or first layer.
10. Also, make sure to use eraser with the softness of 80% so that the edges of the first layer will not be too sharp and it will have smooth edges that will make it to blend the second layer.
11. After deleting the unnecessary details around the first layer
this will be the result. If you try to compare the images above and
below you will observe a slight difference between them. The image above
has sharp edges compared to the image below.
12.Then
re-size our first layer. Remember to hold Shift on keyboard as you drag
the "Transformation controls". This is to make sure that the image will
not be distorted. Drag the "transformation controls" until the bottom
part of the first layer will not be visible. See example below.
13. Now, hide the second layer by clicking on the "eye" of the second layer.
This is because we are going to desaturate the first layer so that it will have black and white color.
14. Go to Image>Adjustments>Desaturate so that the image will be "black and white".
Doing this, you can simply press and hold Ctrl+Shift+U on keyboard.
15. When you are done desaturating the image color this will be the result. See example below.
16. The reason why we are doing this is that we will be creating a
displacement Map for this photo manipulation. We need to desaturate the
color from the first layer because it will be our map later as we put
the texture onto the object which is our first layer. We have to do this
step so that the texture will follow the contours of the first layer.
Also, making the image black and white is not enough, we have to adjust it brightness.
We can do this by going to Image>Adjustments>Levels.See example below.
17.
Now, opening the Levels tab from Adjustment toolbar, you can go ahead
and adjust the levels of the color of the image. This will give high
contrast to the lightness and darkness of the object's color.
18.
When you already achieved the contrast that you want, you may now save
it as photoshop document. Go to File>Save As or simply press and
hold Ctrl+Shift+S.
After
clicking File>Save As, choose where you will save the Photoshop
Document. In this tutorial , I have chosen to save on Desktop because it
is easier for me to access files when saved on desktop. Also, i have
named the file "Map" because like what I have said earlier it will be
our displacement Map as we put textures to our main object.
20.
Once you are done saving the first project which will be our
Displacement Map, go back to what you have been working on earlier. Now
you need to make the second layer visible.
20. Then you need to duplicate the second layer by pressing and holding Ctrl+J. See example below.
21.
Now, drag the layer 2 copy above the main layer(layer 3). see example
below. you will see that our main object is now in between the layer2
and layer2 copy.
22.
And now, this will be the time that we will be using the Photoshop
Document that we saved earlier. With the Layer2 copy selected, go to
Filter>Distort>Displace.
23.
Now with the Dispalce Tab, decide scale of the displacement. In this
tutorial I put 25 for horizontal displacement and 25 for vertical
displacement. Also I have selected Stretch to fit. See example below.
24.
Then a Dialog box will appear. It will let you choose your displacement
map. But for this Tutorial we have to choose the one that we have saved
earlier so that the flag texture will follow the contour of our main
object. So for this, I have chosen the one that I have done earlier; the
one that I have saved as "Map".
25.
After selecting the "map" click Ok. Then the layer 2 copy will be
distorted. The shape of the distortion will be the same with the shape
of the main object . See example below.
26.Select magic wand tool.
27.
After selecting magic wand tool, click on the thumbnail icon of our
main object or layer3 to create selection path with the same shape of
our main object.
28. With the selection path active, click on the layer2 copy so that the top most layer will be selected.
29. Then click
"add layer mask" below the layer tab.
30.After creating layer mask, you may hide layer 2 to view what happened.
So as you can see the flag texture has now the shape of our main object.
31. Now, enable the visibility of layer2 again. Then select layer2 copy and set its blending mode to Overlay.
32. This will be the result after setting the blending mode to Overlay. See how the texture follows the contour of the main object especially the details on the face.
33. Now we have to erase some details on the edges, around the object so that the main object will blend to the background.
this will be the result after deleting unnecessary details.
34. Select layer2. Go to Filter>Blur>GaussianBlur.
35. Set the radios to 10. see sample below.
36. Select layer 3 or the main object. Go to Image>Adjustments>Curves.
37. Adjust its color by re alining the points on the segment. In this sample, I have adjusted its RGB color, its Reds and Blues. See two samples below...
note:
when adjusting the curves of the main object, make sure that the adjustments will be just right. Don't put too much red or blue. Make sure that the color of the main object will blend the flag behind ....
38. If you are done adjusting the curves, this will be the result.
39. Above the main object, below the layer2 copy, create a new layer.
40. Then go to the color pallete and choose the color Gray. After that choose paint bucket and fill the new layer with color Gray. It will be layer 4.
41. Afterwards, choose eraser tool. Delete the center of the layer 4. Make sure to use soft edge brush.
42. Continue erasing some details until the only visible part is the side of the layer. This will serve as vignette for our photo manipulation.
43. Now, make another new composition. In this composition we will be creating the 3d Text. You can decide whatever size you want.
44. choose the Text tool.
45. Type the text you want. In this tutorial I used my name.
46. After typing, resize the text.
47. Now save this as a photoshop document. This will serve as a displacement map. We will use same technique the we used earlier when we put the texture to the main object. Now we will do it to the text so that it will have a texture like the main object.
48. Then, after saving the dispalcement map for the text, open the image of the flag because it will be the texture that we will put on the text.
49. Drag the flag onto the text layer.
50. Resize and reposition the flag to cover the whole text.
51. Go to Filter>Distort>Displace.
52. And set the vertical and horizontal scale to 9 then click Ok.
53. Then choose the displacement map for the text.
54. You will observe that the flag's distortion follows the shape of the text.
55. Click the magic wand. And click on the text to create a selection path.
56. Then click the thumbnail icon of the flag so that the selection path will be on the flag.
57. Press and hold Ctrl+Shift+I to invert the selection path then hit delete on key board.
58. This will be the result after hitting delete on keyboard.
59. Now open the layer style tab by double clicking on the layer.
60. put check on the inner shadow. Set blending mode to multiply. Its opacity to 75%. Angle to 129. And you can decide for the distance, choke as well as the size. Just don't overdo it...
61. Check the bevel and emboss. Choose inner bevel. Make it smooth. Depth to 194. Size 82 and softness to 6. Angle 122. Also choose white as the highlight mode set it to screen and gray as the shadow mode and set it to multiply.Also you may decide its gloss contour.
62. Now put a stroke to the letter. Set the stroke to gradient. Choose black and white as the gradient and set its angle to 90 degrees and scale to 100 %.
63. Once you have set black and white as the gradient, now all you need to do is to repeat the two colors on gradient map so that the stroke will have a glossy, metallic effect.
64.In this step, I reposition to angle of the gradient map to -79 degrees. Also you will observe that the stroke was set outside the letter and the blending mode was normal.
65.After doing the 3d text, this is now the time that we will drag the 3d letter to our previous composition.
66. Now that the 3d letter is already in our composition we can now resize it as well as reposition it anywhere on the composition.
67. In this tutorial, I placed the 3d letter on the upper left part of the composition. but you can place it anywhere you like. Also make sure that it is above the other layers. And duplicate the letter by pressing and holding Ctrl+J.
68. After duplicating the letters, choose the copy of the letter then go to Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical.
69. Once you are done flipping it vertically, reposition the copy just like what is shown below. It will serve as the reflection of the 3d letter.
70. Then go to Edit>Transform>Perspective. After that drag the lower transformation controls of the object so that the 3d letter will be distorted. see sample below.... Also set its opacity to 24%
71. We are almost done.
For the final touches add some lens flares to the composition.
72. Reposition the lens flare anywhere you like.
73. Once you have decided where you wanna put the lens flare you hit Enter on keyboard to complete the transformation or simply click the Move tool then click apply transformation. You may add other type of lens flare, actually in this tutorial I have used several types of lens flares so that there will be variations of light effects. Also you may adjust its color by going to the Adjustment tabs.
This is now the finish product of this tutorial....
Hope you like it... And hope that you learned something....
