Category Archives: Tutorials – Photoshop

How to make a Triangle Banner in Photoshop (and Free Halloween Invite Download!!)

By admin | Published October 14, 2011

My sister needed an invite for her church Trunk or Treat so I searched for some free digital paper and brushes and went to work. I was hoping to find a free triangle banner brush or digital element for free but no such luck. So, I figured it out myself.

Download the invite here!!
It is completely adjustable. All the layers are in tact!!

6×7.5 Version that is seen here (easy Costco print with envelopes).
5×7 Version.

Remember that you will need to download the fonts I used in order to change the wording. It is super easy, free and then you have them forever!!

Digital Elements
(only HAVE to download the fonts. The others are just for reference)

Free Fonts (Jack Lantern, Halloween Spiders, Lunacy More)
Free Halloween Digital Paper Pack
Free Haunted House brush
(These are to be used for personal use only)

I like to work with shapes on a grid. So to get the grid lines, press Ctrl ‘. Then, Choose the polygon tool. (in case that tool isn’t in all Photoshops, you can also get there by choosing the Pen tool and then clicking on the shape in the above menu). Then, set the number of sides to 3. Set your color to contrast the background. Click and drag to make your triangle

I wanted the triangle to be longer so I used the Transform tool (Ctrl T) and then dragged the bottom box to elongate. I also straightened it so I could work easier at this point.

Now that I had the shape I wanted, I duplicated my triangle (layer) by pressing Ctrl J. You have to use the move tool (very top tool) to bring the duplicate out from behind the other one so you can see it. From there, I selected each layer and used the Transform tool (Ctrl T), to move it to the shape I needed.

I was now ready to make a duplicate of the triangles so I didn’t have to do so much work. Create a new layer by clicking on that post-it looking icon at the bottom of the layer palette. Click on the layer above it and press Ctrl E. This will merge it to the new layer. Press Ctrl E until all of the triangle layers are merged into the new layer. (see above)

Press Ctrl J to duplicate the half banner. Use the Transform tool (Ctrl T) to Move it where you need it and to resize so that it fits how you want it. NOTE: If you are resizing and want to keep the dimensions in tact, hold down the Shift key while you drag the corner transform box.

I needed another triangle for the center of the banner so I just made a separate one and then merged it with the others.

Open your digital paper. Drag it to your document. Press Ctrl T (transform) To size it to your invite (I suggest holding down Shift while you resize so you don’t warp the pattern).

Okay, hold down the ALT key while you hover your mouse over the line between the paper layer and your banner layer. 2 little circles will appear. While you see those click the mouse. A little arrow will appear. This will link the layers and put the paper only in the triangles.

I wanted a line around so I double clicked on banner layer in the layer palette and the layer style box pops up. Click on Stroke. Double click stroke and it will take you where you can change the size of the outline and the color.

Woohoo!! Imagine what cool things you can do with this!! Just add text letters right over the top. You could layer them and uses several papers for a cool look. You could even save just this part and put it somewhere you can find it so you can add it to anything you create in the future!

Also posted in Free Templates, Tutorials - Photoshop | 1 Comment

Lightening Darks without Blowing Whites

By admin | Published May 27, 2010

I am always loving new techniques. I can’t really take credit for anything since I figure this stuff out literally from searching the web, books and forums. I think I learned this a while back at ilovephotography.com. It is a great learning forum.Here is basic sooc (my cute nephew). When I brought it into ACR (raw file) I increased the recovery slider a little to recover some blown areas of his shirt.

Here was my first attempt at a basic clean edit. You can notice that his face is still very dark. If I lighten the whole photo, it will blow out his shirt more and the sun areas of his face. I had a reflector but it was causing him to squint so much that it really wasn’t helping.

First, in the layers palette next to the “layers” tab, there is a “channel” tab. Click on the Channel tab. Now at the very bottom of the layers palette(only in the channel tab) is a little dotted circle. Click on it.

This will automatically select the light parts of the photo. But, we don’t want the light parts. We want to select only the darker parts so we can lighten them so we need to inverse.Click and hold CTRL, ALT, I to inverse. You can also go to the select menu and choose inverse.Now you have selected only the dark areas of the photo!

This is the cool part:) Click back on the Layers tab. Click on the half black, half white circle at the bottom of the layers palette and choose “curves”

The Curves adjustment box comes up. Notice in the layer maskin the layer palette. It has already masked out the light areas of the photo so these will not be lightened.Take the very center of the curves line and raise it slightly. You will notice immediately that the dark areas and midtones are lightened. I usually go overboard and then lower the opacity of the layer to my liking.

Lets take it a step further. The sun areas on face don’t usually bug me a ton. But on this photo, I wanted to address it. I select my clone tool from the tools bar on the right. Then, I selected an area of clear skin on his forehead (ALT+click). I lowered the opacity of the layer super low and then brushed over the bright areas. I don’t want to take it away. I love keeping things pretty natural. I just want to tone it down so it doesn’t detract.
sooc

edit

Also posted in Tutorials - Photoshop | 2 Comments

Eye pop with Layer Mask Tutorial

By admin | Published October 14, 2009

As I go through these workflow tutorials, I get some questions about layers. I am certainly not the expert on this. I have learned basically through trial and error. Jodi at MCP actions describes the significance of layer order and how to determine how you should layer in your workflow. Check it out HERE!

Basically some layers are opaque and some are translucent. An action will work differently when layered on top of an adjustment layer as opposed to a duplicate layer…..

Anyway,

Here is how I eye pop. It is super simple. I am not a huge eye over-processor. I like them to pop just a little.

The reason I use a layer mask, is so I can incorporate it in to my workflow action and use it for every photo. Otherwise, I would have to do this seperately on every photo.

PSE-ers!!! – please do yourself a favor and download the free layer mask action from coffeeshopphotography!! It will change your life! It will also allow you to follow along.

So, here we are in the editing process. If you look in my layers pallette, you will see that at this point we have done a defog, high pass sharpen, soft light layer, screen layer.Now,Duplicate backgroud (select background layer and press CTRL J – we dont just do it on the top layer because duplicating the high pass sharpen layer will double the sharpening).Go to FILTER>SHARPEN>UNSHARP MASKThe settings I typically use are 150, 3, 1.You will notice that the whole photo sharpens dramatically, don’t worry.
Photobucket

Now go to IMAGE>ADJUSTMENTS>LEVELS. Make sure you do it through the Edit menu. This way, it only effects this layer.Play will the middle grey slider (tiny grey triangle) and the black slider. Do something like 214-240 on the grey slider and 4-15 on the black slider.This will dramatically alter the whole photo but we will hide that soon. Just pay attention to the eyes.
Photobucket

Now go to LAYER>LAYER MASK>HIDE ALLThis will create a black layer mask that will hide all of the work we just did!! (remember: Black layer mask hides and reveals only through the brush tool with foreground set to white. White layer mask shows and only hides by using the brush tool with black as foreground color.) Photobucket

Now, make sure your foreground color is set to white. Choose the brush tool and brush over the eyes. Adjust the opacity as needed. I usually do about 40%.

Had to share this fun photo!

Backlighting can be scary!! It can also be amazingly beautiful!

Also posted in Tutorials - Photoshop, Workflow | 4 Comments

Photobooth Photostrip tutorial and FREE TEMPLATE!

By admin | Published October 12, 2009

Thanks for all of the inquiries on this photostrip! I thought I would add a tutorial on how to use the Template. In the download, you will get 1 1.5×7 photostrip (best for web) AND a 5×7 template with 3 photostrips (easy printing at any store)

Open up your photostrip template. For this tutorial, I will use the single strip template. Open the photos you want to place in the template. Select the first photo. Press CTRL A to select the entire photo. Now press CTRL C to copy the photo.

Now choose the Magic wand tool on the left (you may have to right click to wand tool in order to find the “magic wand tool”.

Select your template. Click on the layer named “photostrip”. Take your magic wand tool and select the top box. Only the top box should be selected.To insert the photo you already copied, go to EDIT>PASTE INTO.Notice that although the pic is large, it only shows up in that top box.Press CTRL T (transform)Put your cursor on a corner box and while holding the SHIFT key (this will keep the correct dimensions), and resize the photo to make it fit.Press ENTER to set the size.

IMPORTANT!! Keep following the steps above for each photo. Be sure that before you add each additional photo, you MUST select the “photostrip” layer.

Here is the final look of all of the layers before I flatten. Once I was done, I decided I wanted a vintagy b/w feel. So I ran a vintage b/w action to the entire strip.

This is what the 5×7 set of 3 strips will look like. To do what I did here, I inserted the photos into the first column, merged the photos into the same layer, pressed CTRL J to duplicate the column of photos and just dragged them over to the next column. It took seconds.Now, they can print these at any store and just cut them down to size.
Photostrip Template Download Just added:4×6 Photostrip download (2 strips)

Also posted in Free Templates, Tutorials - Photoshop | 24 Comments

Noiseware and Portraiture Settings

By admin | Published October 4, 2009

ETA: Man, this photo looks overexposed on my laptop. I really need to calibrate it. My main computer is calibrated and looks so much different. I will do a small write up on calibration and the difference it can make to your prints soon….Noiseware takes away excess noise from a photo. It can also have a skin softening effect (not to be compared to portraiture, but pretty good). There are lots of free noiseware programs out there. They are definately not as good as the plug in versions but if you want to try noiseware, it is a good place to start. http://www.noiseware.com/ is the noisware program I have.I wish that I could tell you that I have secret formulas for the perfect noiseware and portraiture application……but…..I don’t:) It is probably the simplest thing EVER!!

Here is a screenshot of noiseware. I have Noiseware Professional, but seriously, I’m not sure there is a huge difference from the standard. I do have to say that if you plan to use noisware as often as I do, then make sure you get the plug-in version. Puts it right in the filter menu.The only thing I changed from default is “Luminance” under the Noise Reduction area. I think the default is 70 (WAY TOO HIGH) and I changed it to 40. This still may be too high for some people but that is typically what I use....Portraiture is another program (also from http://www.noiseware.com/), that recognizes skin tone and softens just skin tone. It can drastically remove the appearance of acne or bumpy skin without having to brush it on. It is something that I waited a long time to get, but rewarded myself with it after I started booking sessions. It saves a TON of time and gives a great creamy look to skin. I would only recommend if you have a lot of workflow (it is pretty pricey). Otherwise, my tutorial on skin smoothing coming up, will do the trick.Now, Portraiture settings….uh…..yep….no big secret here either…

DEFAULT!! Okay but here is the important thing. Make sure you duplicate the background layer before you run default settings on portraiture. Once it shoots me back to my photo, I decrease the opacity of my portraiture layer to about 50%. If you keep the portraiture layer too high, your photo will lose depth and skin will turn plasticy.Before…..

After….Noiseware, Workflow Action, Portraiture…DONE!(Actually, I created an action that includes all of these steps so I press a button and wait for all of my layers to come up….easy peasy:)

Oh, FYI….PLEASE erase any of the vignette layer on the Workflow action that covers skin. Here, I had to erase it from his hair. It looked weird.

Also posted in Tutorials - Photoshop, Workflow | 4 Comments

Next Step…..Lighten/Contrast Layer (screen layer)

By admin | Published October 4, 2009

Okay, we are ready for the next layer. Realize that I am keeping all previous layers in tact in these tutorials but each layer can be used on its own. Select Background. Press Ctrl J to duplicate the background layer. Move (drag) that duplicate layer above the Defog layer (basically, the defog layer is going to stay above the background layer). Now, change the blending mode in the layers pallette from “normal” to “screen”. Adjust the opacity as needed for the photo. In the action, I have adjusted it to 27%.

The great thing about a screen layer is that it instantly adds light and exposure without dulling the photo. There has been times that I’ve had to use this layer at 100% but if you start with a well exposed photo, you just need a tiny bit.

Also posted in Tutorials - Photoshop, Workflow | Comments Off

Next step….Soft light CONTRAST layer & Updated Action Link!!

By admin | Published September 29, 2009

Sorry about the action. I have fixed it as much as I can. I ran it and works well but may not work for everyone.
STACEY BISHOP WORKFLOW UPDATE

PSE

I have taken out the layer masks (eye pop and Skin soften) so that it will work for you. To get the effects of these layers, keep following the tutorials….

STACEY BISHOP WORKFLOW UPDATE PSE

Need help installing in PSE? Here is a tutorial: INSTALLING PSE ACTIONS

Okay, Contrast Layer…..

If you can see from my layer pallette, I have already done the defog and the high pass sharpen. Now, I need to duplicate the background layer. Press CTRL J.

Move that layer to above the defog layer and change the blending mode in the layers pallette from “Normal” to “Soft Light”.

This will bring instant contrast!! now decrease the opacity of the layer to your liking. I set it to about 40-60%. In the action I set it to 40%.

Also posted in Tutorials - Photoshop, Workflow | 5 Comments

I’m an open book…..or maybe it’s more like a pamphlet:)

By admin | Published September 4, 2009

You ask me, you get it. I wanna share everything I’m learning. I will let you come and sit next to me during the process if you want (unless you’re a stalker:)I had some questions and requests for tutorials from the wedding so I thought I would tackle the first few. Feel free to ask at any time, how I acheived a certain lighting, processing in photoshop etc…I was asked how I acheive such crisp photos. Well, shutterspeed is vital, exposure if vital, custom white balance is vital and finally, contrast boosting and COLOR CORRECTING in photoshop.This is the converted from raw version of this photo. I think I only tweaked the recovery slider in ACR (adobe camera raw) because her dress was slightly blown in a couple spots.

Here is the final version. Of course you can notice the contrast boosting, the vignette immediately. Do you notice the color of the dress? Yep had to color correct it to get rid of the blue tint that was caused by shadowing. See how much more pleasing the true white is?

Okay, so you notice that something is just not quite right with the coloring (training your eye to see this is the first step.) It isn’t an overall white balance issue. Just an extra tint of blue. Go to that awesome half black/half white circle in the layer pallette, choose Hue/saturation. Change the drop down menu from Master to blue. Just to make sure it IS blue that we are seeing, push the saturation slider to 100%. Yep there it is!

Now, that we know it is there, decrease the saturation until the blue tint goes away. You may have to toggle between the other colors in the drop down menu to find the color cast if you don’t see any change when you push that slider.

There are TONS of ways to color correct but I find that as long as my all around white balance is pretty good, I just need to use this trick to fix anything I see.Here is another example. This one taking the RED just out of the cake.

The lighting was about ZERO and the lights faced all around the cake gave it an all around red glow. Although at the reception, it looked very nice, it doesn’t do justice to the intricate cake.Here is the sooc converted from raw.

Grab the quick selection tool (not the magic selection tool) on the right and make sure that it is set to + at the top (this means you are adding to the selection)Now, I selected the cake. But it also selected those flowers in the middle. So, I changed the too to – at the top to take away from the selection and carefully deselected the flowers.

From here you know the drill. Click on the adjustment circle (black and white) in the layers pallette and choose hue/saturation. Notice that the mask box is only showing the shape of the cake. This shows us what we are working on.Chose REDS from the drop down menu and then lower the saturation. Here, I also increased the brightness because once I lowered the saturation, it looked grey. You may have to play with it to get it just right.

NEXT….:)LIGHTING!!Just look at these two photos. Both taken on the same day within minutes of each other. What is the major difference……..The sky!! You have to keep in mind your light source when you are taking photos. To get this yummy blue sky, the sun has to be at your back (behind you). At this location, that meant, I was going to have to deal with some full sun issues…..SCARY!! I hate full sun but for moments like these, you have to work with what you have. I was lucky enough that there were some passing clouds that would dillute the sun a little here and there.

Here, the sun is in front of me (basically, I am shooting in to the sun). This usually blows out the sky completely. I overexposed this photo when I took it so that I could retain some of the sky detail.

My friend Aimee asked me to post the sooc of this next photo. On this one, I had my second shooter hold a light diffuser (it comes as part of the 5 in 1 reflector set). The sun still showed through but it was diffused. In cases where there are just 1 or 2 subjects, this works great. It never would have worked with a group.

NEXT…..Are you tired yet:)Sometimes when you look at your edit, there is just something missing. I loved this photo but something was missing. I kept lightening it to see if that was it…..etcHere is my original edit.

Then it came to me….I wanted it to almost glow and for your focus to hit right in the middle. I recently bought the FLORABELLA textures and was looking at them one day and I got an idea.

I added the “tea stained” texture and the “Nostalgic” texture and this is what it did!Now, you don’t need to go buy those textures (although I LOVE THEM!!) this is what you need to do. Take any texture just to experiment. If it has too much texture go to filter>blur>gaussian blur and blur the texture to get rid of the harsh texture. Set the layer to Overlay and lower the opacity to about 20-30%Do you see how it took this pic from being blah to yum? (I also took out the blue in the veil).Just a cool new way to look at the textures you have sitting around on your hardrive. I think it is the combination of the soft color of the texture and then setting it to Overlay.So there are some of my tricks for this time around. If you have other questions or are totally confused, let me know and I will go through it!

Also posted in Tutorials - Photography, Tutorials - Photoshop | 6 Comments

Lab Color Pop!

By admin | Published June 12, 2009

Aww….I love this photo of little Sadie. but, I have been yearning for so more “Punch” to my photos. Not all of the time (I really love a clean natural edit), but sometimes, I wanna push the envelope on color and go crazy. In comes LAB COLOR POP!!

FOR ELEMENTS USERS: I have no idea if this works but here is a link to a possible curves plug-in that may allow you to do this with us!!

Have your photo open and in the Image menu, choose Duplicate. This will create a duplicate copy of your photo. This way, if you totally hate it, you can just delete the copy and still have your original edit in tact.

Now, go to the Image menu again. This time choose, Mode>Lab Color. This will change your RGB mode (standard) to Lab Mode (don’t worry we will change it back:)

Okay, Click on the half black/half white circle in the Layers pallette and choose Curves. It will look like the box above. Change the channel from lightness to a.

Drag the top right corner over to the first line (I have also seen versions of PS that have more boxes which means you may need to move it two lines. Either way, it should look like this.)

Drag the bottom left corner over the same way.

The color will look crazy but don’t worry, we aren’t done.

Go back up to the Channel area and change it to b. Move the upper right corner over and the bottom left corner over. Press OK.

WOW! that is a LOT of color. Let’s tone it down a little.

Reduce the opacity of the curves layer as needed. I reduced mine here to 45%. Notice that in PS, the curves layer already has a mask layer attached to it that is white.

Choose the Brush tool and make sure your foreground color is black. Reduce the opacity of the brush to about 30-40%.

Brush over the skin and any areas that are too saturated.

Flatten your image (Ctrl+Shift+E).

Now, we have to change the color mode back to RGB otherwise it will not save correctly. Go to the Image Menu and choose Mode>RGB Color.

Congratulations! You just saved yourself the trouble of finding the perfect color pop action and paying a bunch of money for it!! Make an action and use it on any photo you want!!

Original Edit (I still like this one)

Image with Lab Color Pop (for when I’m feelin’ WILD:)

Here are some other cool examples:

Also posted in Tutorials - Photoshop | 1 Comment