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Photoshop F.A.Q (Last Updated: 2024 Dec 30 8:16 pm)

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Subject: "Is this a Photoshop effect?" (or "how do you do this?")


ragnar ( ) posted Tue, 01 October 2002 at 1:27 AM · edited Sat, 04 January 2025 at 7:31 PM

Hi all, I have been working with Poser for a while and, while browsing the pics on the Renderosity art gallery, I found this: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=190322 The author is Wyrmmaster (needed to give my apreciation). How do you make the "leathery" effect that disappears slowly to the top of the picture? Is this Photoshop? It looks like an Alpha Channel applied to a gradient.. (?) Thanks for any help.


Jaqui ( ) posted Tue, 01 October 2002 at 8:09 AM

well first you print the image onto card stock then you measure off to where you want the transition to begin and shave the back of the cardstock at an angle, increasing transaprency as you getcloser to the edge, then you place a section of leather against this and scan the whole thing back into your computer at 6500000000000000000000 dpi. or, for real, use a selection of your image where you want the effect, turn it into another layer itself and apply the effect / transition the transparency of the layer setings to haveit more or less noticable


ragnar ( ) posted Tue, 01 October 2002 at 8:21 AM

Uhmm.. I'll go get some card stock, then.. lol Ok, so I have a layer for the background, I'll select a part of it, copy it, create a new layer and paste the selection into it, apply the effect.. But I'll get a square (my selection) with an effect and then the rest of the background showing without effect. If I give a different opacity to the "effect" layer, this will involve the entire level. On the picture I set as reference (Wyrmmaster) the effect disappears smoothly. Thanks for your help :)


retrocity ( ) posted Tue, 01 October 2002 at 8:28 AM

Ragnar, you can use a "layer mask" which will give you the most control over what shows and how much shows. It's "non" destructive in it does not modify any pixels in your image and can be "undone".

:)
retrocity

P.S. i'll try to show you what i mean... if i can do it before dreamer101 wakes up!


retrocity ( ) posted Tue, 01 October 2002 at 9:10 AM

file_25606.jpg

Okay here goes...

Step1:
Open the background image

Step2: Add the other image to an additional layer

Step3:
Create a "Layer Mask" by clicking on the icon at the bottom of the Layer Palette

Step4: Select the "gradient" tool and make sure your "foreground" is black and your "background" is white

Step5: With the "mask" selected (if in doubt, click on the icon on the layer itself) drag in the direction you want the fade to occur (Remember, BLACK = transparent)

Play around with your gradient. Change the angle, change the blend mode for the layer...

Experiment with the layer mask, if you don't like it, click on the chain to unlock it from the layer and toss it in the trash!

Have Fun!

:)
retrocity


Jaqui ( ) posted Tue, 01 October 2002 at 11:16 AM

hmmm, now gotta check that in photo-paint. not sure if it will work exactly like that.


dreamer101 ( ) posted Tue, 01 October 2002 at 9:20 PM

Photo-Paint does have: Effects - Texture - Elephant Skin


J0hnny_Kn0xville ( ) posted Wed, 02 October 2002 at 1:38 AM

Wow This question about the fading stuf into stuff effect gets asked all the time! even like three years ago... so i made a tutorial for it. THREE YEARS AGO! i don't even know if it still exists! it should be listed somewhere here.. Ill have a look and see.


J0hnny_Kn0xville ( ) posted Wed, 02 October 2002 at 2:02 AM

Ahh can't find it and it was a good site aswell! anyway remembering back it was coined "The Mobius Effect" because some user in renderosity used it first his name was mobius and the rest is history... This isnt a site made by me but i found it and laughed cause it was called the mobius effect The Mobius Effect


_dodger ( ) posted Wed, 02 October 2002 at 10:00 AM

Actually, the pic in question seems to have its bump-ness reducing as it fades up. For that effect, I'd load in an inverted leather seamless bumpmap to an alpha channel, then apply a gradient to it of black fading to transparentstraight down so the top becomes gradually darker (or jump into quick mask mode in the channel, apply a gradient to make a gadiated selection, then adjust levels so the contrast reduces and the image gets darker near the top).

Use this as the lighting effects texture channel. Then it might be possible to simply use a copy of this channel as the layer mask on the effect itself -- if not, use a plain gradient like mentioned above.


ragnar ( ) posted Wed, 02 October 2002 at 10:55 AM

Well, what can I say? Thank you all very very much :))))) Got it now! ..now how can I remember that??? ;))


Jaqui ( ) posted Wed, 02 October 2002 at 2:45 PM

dreamer, I know, photo-paint has a lot of effects available free. online also. ragnar save this thread? ~g~


trick-art ( ) posted Fri, 04 October 2002 at 1:00 PM

file_25607.jpg

Actually you're all right. It is in fact a layer mask AND a "Bump Map." It's just that Photoshop doesn't really have "Bump Maps."

What it does have is layer effects. You access them by double-clicking a layer in the layer palette...careful, in version 7, if you double-click the layer name, it just lets you rename the layer.

Anyway, once the (huge) layer blending options dialog comes up and almost totally obscures your image, there's an effect called "Bevel and Emboss" that features a couple of "sub-effects," one being "texture." The texture effect will apply a pattern of your choice as a 'bump map' of sorts. The effects dialog is a bit on the complex side, which it sort of needs to be, but if you have any questions after you've played with it a bit, feel free to email me.

Anyone stumping me with a Photoshop question gets a free pizza.

Oh, the good news is that in Photoshop, the default patterns include the one that it appears the artist used in that image, Satin...reversed. The bad news is that effect is not an easy one to achieve...it appears that he used a layer mask comprised of both an alpha of the dresses, a gradient, and a blur here and there. My 5-minute attempt to re-create (sort of), required the use of about five layers and six layer effects.


_dodger ( ) posted Fri, 04 October 2002 at 1:45 PM

Trick!? blink blink Photoshop has bump maps. They are just called using an alpha channel as a texture on Lighting Effects. Or a displacement map. BTW I'm pretty sure he used an inverted bumpy leather -- it's in the goodies somewhere. Okay, what's the simplest way to autogenerate photorealistic clouds? Mushroom and anchovy please. I'll provide the answer later.


trick-art ( ) posted Fri, 04 October 2002 at 1:58 PM

OK, first off, Flaming Pear's LunarCell filter creates very photorealistic clouds in a single step. You never said using Photoshop's stock features. Secondly, I think we should make a new thread if people are going to be seriously challenging me on this. These existing threads are really here for the purposes of answering the originally posted questions. And yes, I'm serious about the pizza.


trick-art ( ) posted Fri, 04 October 2002 at 2:06 PM

And bump maps are features specific to 3D programs. Excluding a few third party filters, Photoshop refers to them as displacement maps, texture channels and the like...Adobe's big on terminology. On a similar note, the third party filters in question are made by companies attempting to create filters with a 3D feel to them.


_dodger ( ) posted Fri, 04 October 2002 at 2:19 PM

I'm saying stock now. draws back in kung-fu stance Hwwwwah... Yeah, go ahead and start a new thread though, dropping your challenge, and message me about it.


trick-art ( ) posted Fri, 04 October 2002 at 2:43 PM

OK, last post off-topic...I'll start a new thread a bit later on for challenges like this. Now as, I've said before, there are usually 5 or six ways to do things in Photoshop, so asking for the 'easiest' technique is a bit of a loaded question. However, since we were on the topic of layer effects, I'll go ahead and share my technique using them, and hopefully someone will learn something...:-) Apply Bevel&Emboss effect to new, empty, layer. Set foreground color to taste (you may want purple clouds, who knows?). Using a Painting tool (Paint Brush, Pattern Stamp, Airbrush if you not at version 7 yet (7 introduced Airbrush as a setting for painting tools rather than as a stand-alone tool, meaning the Clone Stamp can be used as an airbrush if that's your fancy), change the brush shape to something with some texture. Natural brushes work nice, but keep it relatively round. Patter the brush in the layer, which will display with the Bevel&Emboss effect applied. Result - photo realistic clouds. Now, this is an easy technique for me...especially since I have brush and layer styles already set up to do it, however, ease of application in Photoshop is somewhat relative to the user, and some people may prefer the Alpha Channel/Render Clouds/Render Lighting Effects technique I think you're probably thinking of...I, personally, like to maintain as much control as possible, which is why I usually go manual. Still, one might pose the question 'what's the best way to hold a pencil?' and get the same probable number of replies...Photoshop is an artist's tool, not a mechanical device with specific parameters, so there will always be alternative solutions to any given task.


_dodger ( ) posted Fri, 04 October 2002 at 6:40 PM

Got one easier. Start the other thread so I can lay it down with all the restrictions. I'm itching to give away the secret but I gotta earn my pizza first. I'm outta work and gotta eat L


_dodger ( ) posted Fri, 04 October 2002 at 6:41 PM

Wait, I'll start it...


ragnar ( ) posted Mon, 07 October 2002 at 5:59 AM

file_25608.jpg

Well, this is more or less what I wanted to do, which is a signature for a Mechwarrior Team. I never thought I was starting a major issue here.. lol Thanks to you all and take care!


retrocity ( ) posted Mon, 07 October 2002 at 7:33 AM

@ragnar, don't worry, life's full of issues!!

Good job on the image though! looks like you got your answer (no matter WHICH method you used ";)")

see ya' around
:)
retrocity


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