Tutorial 3 • Doohickeys and Whatchamacallits: Retouching Objects and Making Things

Overview

This lab will explore some of the tools and techniques we can use to make our own backgrounds in Photoshop, as well as retouch objects and everyday things.

Objectives

• To demonstrate how to effectively use Photoshop to create custom backgrounds
• To learn how to effectively mask and merge transparent objects such as glass
• To explore ways we can enhance the look of product shots

Creating Custom Backgrounds

Sometimes we need some cool backgrounds to go with our art. Two popular types of backgrounds are metallic and wood grain. While it is easy to find many examples of each online, often they are not the right size or resolution. Also, when using these backgrounds in projects that will make money, we must be concerned about copyright. All of this can be avoided though if we use our Photoshop knowhow to make our own!

Metallic Looking Background

1. Open Photoshop and create a new file that is 11″ wide, 8.5″ high, 300 ppi, Color Mode RGB and Background. contents set to Transparent. Save the file as a Photoshop file named GCM738_Tutorial_03_Metal_Bkg.psd. Name the layer Gradient.
2. Click on the gradient tool. Create a new custom gradient with 5 colour points. Use R 164, G 164, and B 164 for the dark colour, and R 210, G 210, and B 210 for the light colour. Start with the dark colour, and alternate between the dark and light colours.
3. Hold down the shift key and draw the gradient all the way across the horizontal dimension.
4. Create a new layer above the Gradient Layer and call it Noise.
5. Fill the Noise Layer with the colour R 210, G 210, and B 210.
6. Go to Filter Noise Add Noise. Set Amount to 400%, Distribution should be Uniform, and check Monochromatic.
7. Duplicate the Noise Layer and call it Blur. Turn off the visibility of the Noise Layer.
8. Go to Filter Blur Motion Blur. Set Angle to 0 and distance to 100 pixels.
9. Add a Layer Mask (Reveal All) to the Blur Layer.
10. Change the Foreground color to black (#000000). Pick a large soft brush, lower the brush opacity to 65-70% and draw over the mask in left and right corners.
11. Set the Layer Blending Mode to Overlay and Opacity to 60%.
12. Create a new layer above the Blur Layer and call it Noise 2. Fill it with the colour R 210, G 210, and B 210.
13. Go to Filter Noise Add noise, and set the amount to 10%, choose Gaussian Distribution and Monochromatic Effect
14. Change the layer blending mode to Linear Burn and opacity to 10%.
15. Create a new Curves Adjustment Layer and name it Intensity. Move the Shadow and Highlight sliders until Input is approximately 235
16. Zoom in to see the file at 100%.
17. Save the file.

Wood Looking Background

1. Open Photoshop and create a new file that is 11″ wide, 8.5″ high, 300 ppi, Color Mode RGB and Background contents set to Transparent. Save the file as a Photoshop file named GCM738_Tutorial_03_Wood_Bkg.psd. Name the layer Render Filter.
2. Set the foreground and background to dark and light wood tones respectively. For the foreground you can choose R 125 G 65 B 0, and the Background can be R 225 G 165 B 90.
3. Choose Filter Render Fibers. You can play around with the settings, but generally a Variance of 20 and a Strength of 8 will work well.
4. Now let’s add some knots for realism. Duplicate the Render Filter Layer and call the new layer Knots. Using the oval marquee, make two oval selections. Choose Select Modify Feather, and set the Feather amount to 60 pixels.
5. Go to Filter Distort Twirl. Make the angle 950.
6. Now let’s sharpen the image a little as a finishing touch. Duplicate the Knots Layer and call the new layer Sharpening.
7. Go to Filter Sharpen Unsharp Mask. Set the amount to 95, the Radius to 2.5, and Threshold to zero. Click ok.
8. Save the file.

Cloudy Sky Background

Note: Many people use the Filter Render Clouds feature to create clouds, but I find this method limiting and “flat” looking. Instead, we are going to create more dynamic clouds using a custom brush.

1. Open Photoshop and create a new file that is 11″ wide, 8.5″ high, 300 ppi, Color Mode RGB and Background contents set to Transparent. Save the file as a Photoshop file named GCM738_Tutorial_03_Cloud_Bkg.psd. Name the layer Blue Sky.
2. Fill this layer with a nice sky blue colour, such as R 100 G 175 B 250.
3. Create a new layer above the Blue Sky layer and call it Clouds.
4. Now select the Brush Tool, and choose a brush with no hardness, and a diameter of approximately 900 pixels.
5. Now we need to customize our brush by opening the Brush Engine.
6. Under Brush Tip Shape, make sure the diameter is 900 pixels, Hardness is 0, and Spacing is 30%.
7. Under Shape Dynamics, set the Size Jitter to 100%, Control should be Fade with a value of 20, and the minimum diameter should be set to 20%.
8. Under Scattering, make sure Both Axes is checked, and set the Scatter amount to 120%. Control should be Off, Count is 10, Count Jitter is 100% and Control is Off.
9. Under Texture, choose the Clouds Texture (Tip: you may have to “load” this pattern by clicking on the Settings Sprocket, choosing Texture Fill, and Append), Scale 500%, Texture each Tip should be checked, Brightness and Contrast should be set to 0, Mode is Color Burn, Depth is 100%, Depth Jitter is 0%, and Control is Off.
10. Under Transfer, set Opacity Jitter to 100%, Control to Fade at 25, Flow Jitter to 0%, and Control to Pen Pressure with Minimum set to 0.
11. Save the Brush with the name Clouds with Capture Brush Size in Preset selected.
12. Select the new brush and draw some clouds on the Cloud Layer. Tip: Vary the size of the brush to make unique clouds.
13. To add some depth to the clouds, add a new Layer Style, and give the clouds an Inner Shadow, with Opacity at about 25%, Distance set to 0, Choke set to 0, and size set to 5 pixels.
14. Save the file.

Masking Transparent Objects

Merging transparent objects, like windows or a glass, can be a challenge. We want the background to show through, but at the same time we need to retain the detail of the object. What follows is just one of many ways we can accomplish this.

Let’s begin:

1. Open the file named GCM738_Tutorial_03_Vineyard.tif.
2. Save the Image to the Working Photoshop Files folder with the name GCM738_Tutorial_03_Vineyard_Initials_v1.psd, where “initials” are your initials (e.g. GCM738_Tutorial_03_Vineyard_JL_v1.psd).
3. Double-click on the background layer and name it Background Image.
4. Open the file named GCM738_Tutorial_03_WineGlass.psd.
5. Select all, and copy the image. Paste it into the image of the vineyard. Name the new layer Wine Glass Original. Position the glass so that it partially covers the grapes on the left.
6. With the Wine Glass Original layer selected, use the Magic Wand Tool to select the background, then choose Select Inverse to inverse the selection. Save the Selection as Wine Glass. Deselect the selection (Command D).
7. Duplicate the Wine Glass Original layer, and name it Wine Glass Shadows. Hide the Wine Glass Original layer.
8. Change the blending mode of the Wine Glass Shadows layer to Linear Burn, and reduce the layer opacity to 50%.
9. Duplicate the Wine Glass Shadows layer and name the new layer Wine Glass Highlights. Change the Opacity back to 100%, and the Blend Mode to Normal. Hide the visibility of all layers except for the Wine Glass Highlights layer.
10. With the Wine Glass Highlights layer selected, go to Select Color Range. Make sure Select is set to Sampled Colors, and Localized Color Clusters is selected, then use the eye dropper to select the lightest part of the glass. Adjust the Fuzziness and Range to approximately 30 for each. Click OK.
11. With the selection still active, click the Add Mask Icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette to create a Layer Mask. Turn on the visibility for all layers except the Wine Glass Original layer.
12. Double-click on the layer mask to bring up the properties. Bring the value of Shift Edge down to approximately -30 and click OK
13. Duplicate the Background Image layer and name the new layer Background Blur.
14. With the Background Blur layer selected, load the Wine Glass selection, the go to Layer Layer Mask Reveal Selection.
15. With the image (not the mask) selected, choose Filter Blur Gaussian Blur and give the selection a Blur radius of 2 pixels.
16. Now let’s add some wine to the glass. Make a new layer above the Background Blur layer and name it Wine.
17. With the Wine layer selected, load the Wine Glass selection. Using the Lasso Marquee, hold down the Option key and deselect the glass stem. Now switch to the Rectangular Marquee, hold down the Option key and deselect about two thirds of the top of the wine glass. This is creating the shape fill for our wine
18. Fill the selection with the colour R 70 G 0 B110 with Blend Mode set to Normal, and Opacity set to 100%. Click OK.
19. Change the layer Blend Mode to Multiply.
20. Save the file.

Making Products Look More Appealing

Companies want their products to look their best so that people will want to buy them. There are several tricks and tips we can use to improve how a product looks.

Let’s begin:

1. Open the file named GCM738_Tutorial_03_Prada_Cup.psd.
2. Save the Image to the Working Photoshop Files folder with the name GCM738_Tutorial_03_Prada_Cup_Initials_v1.psd, where “initials” are your initials (e.g. GCM738_Tutorial_03_Prada_Cup_JL_v1.psd).
3. Create a new layer above the Metal Cup layer and name it Cloning.
4. Zoom into 300% and choose the Spot Healing Brush. Make sure Mode is set to Normal, Type is set to Content-Aware, and Sample All Layers is checked. Use the Spot Healing Brush to clean up any blemishes on cup.
5. With the Metal Cup layer selected, use the Quick Selection Tool to select just the metal part of the cup, then create a new layer and call it Cup Gold. Use the selection to create a new layer mask by choosing Layer Layer Mask Reveal selection. Move the Cup Gold layer to the top of the layer order and fill the Cup Gold layer (not the layer mask) with a gold colour that is R 214 G 176 B 82. Change the layer blend mode to multiply.
6. Select the Metal Cup layer, the Cloning layer and the Cup Gold layer and make a new group. Name the group Cup.
7. Add a new Brightness/Contrast Adjustment layer above the group Cup and name it Cup Brightness. Adjust the Brightness to 35 and the Contrast to -5.
8. Open the file named GCM738_Tutorial_03_Prada_Logo.psd. Select all, copy, and then paste into the GCM738_Tutorial_03_Prada_Cup_Initials_v1.psd file. Rename the layer Prada Logo Original. Right-click on the layer and convert it to a Smart Object.
9. Duplicate the Prada Logo Original layer and name the new layer Prada Logo Altered. Turn off the layer visibility for the Prada Logo Original layer.
10. Type Command T to get the Free Transform Tools active. In the Options bar, scale the logo down to 15% in both directions. Move the logo down to the bottom of the cup, centered horizontally.
11. Without exiting the Transform functions, go to Edit Transform Warp. In the Options Bar, change Warp to Arch (not Arc!), and change bend to -18. Press Enter.
12. Select both the Prada Logo Original layer and the Prada Logo Altered layer and create a new group called Logo.
13. Go to Image Canvas Size. Click on the middle left square, then increase the width of the canvas to 20 inches. Select all the layers in the Layers Palette and move the cup over to the left of the canvas.
14. Create a new layer below the Metal Cup layer and call it Black Background. Tip: with the Metal Cup layer selected, hold down the Command key and click on the New Layer button to automatically create the layer below the Metal Cup layer. Fill this layer with 100% black.
15. Open the file GCM738_Tutorial_03_Prada_Text.psd. Right-click on the layer in the file and choose Duplicate Layer. For the Destination, Select the working Photoshop file that we’ve been working on. Click OK. Go back to the working Photoshop file. Make sure the text layer is on top of all other layers.
16. With the Prada Cup Text layer selected, create a new Layer Style Gradient Overlay. Create a new gradient with the following attributes: Stop 1, Location 0%, Colour Black; Stop 2, Location 25%, Colour 50% Grey; Stop 3, Location 50%, Colour White; Stop 4, Location 75%, Colour 50% Grey; Stop 5, Location 100%, Colour Black. Click OK.
17. Under the Gradient Overlay Settings, make the Blend Mode Multiply, Opacity 50%, Style Linear, Align with Layer checked, Angle 45˚, Scale 60%. Click OK.
18. The last step is to clean up the white showing around the cup. Select the Metal Cup layer, and use the Magic Wand to select the background, then inverse the selection (Shift Command I). Choose Select Modify Contract. Contract the selection by 1 pixel. Next choose Select Modify Feather. Feather the selection by 0.5 pixels.
19. Click on the Cup group, and choose Layer Layer Mask Reveal Selection. The edges on the cup are much smoother.
20. Save the file.

Conclusion

This lab tutorial demonstrated several key tools and techniques we can use to create our own unique backgrounds from scratch, and explore ways we can work with everyday objects to add detail and enhance designs.