Photoshop Masters

My Entry Into Photoshop Masters – Paul Goodman 1: Tell me something about the image? Nature’s Machine is an extremely complex photomontage. It has between 50 and 100 layers, each layer is either part of a photo or scratch built using photoshop brushes, layer blending options and layer styles. It was done as a technical exercise for my degree. W had to show good technical skills in photoshop as well as create something appealing. 2: How did you create it? ( you don’t have to give away any secrets ), I used numerous photoshop brushes, blending modes, layer styles, colour adjustments and photos (some stock some my own). 3: What version of PhotoShop did you use? I used Photoshop CS3 4: Any tips or tricks you would like to Share? Well I don’t really know, each person has a unique working method, no one doing my course truly understands how i work or how i file my work for that matter, lol. I suppose its a case of try everything at least once and if there is something you don’t know, ask somebody or look it up on the internet. I’ll also agree with Julie Langford, get Photoshop Creative and Advanced Photoshop, those are two of the places I get my inspiration and tips from. I also use most of the other creative magazines because something that may appear to be useless maybe useful in a later project. 5: How did you go about learning PhotoShop? Well, I started out as a fine artist, not really enjoying computing that much, but I learnt the basics from my friends on a multi media course and from then I’ve been hooked. Since then I haven’t let anything beat me, if i hit a stumbling block i won’t leave it til i’ve done it, but sometimes this can be draw back as you get tired and stop approaching the problem from different angles. / I learned mainly by just trying things out, but also used all of the resources mentioned in 4 above. Interview by Julie Langford

1: Tell me something about your image Struggling Silence? ‘Struggling Silence’ is a very personal piece to me, and the only thing I feel comfortable saying is that it was made during a time in my life when I felt very isolated and afraid of being judged. Sometimes it’s a struggle to speak out. 2: How did you create it? ( You don’t have to give away any secrets. ) Very little of it was done in post. Only the color, texture, some leveling, and the lightened irises. The color was added to the texture layer (which was a scanned-in watercolor wash) and then added to the original image using a blend mode, but I don’t remember which one. Oh, I also got rid of a bra strap and smoothed over the mouth and added the stitches (duh). 3: What version of PhotoShop did you use? Photoshop 7 4: Any tips or tricks you would like to Share? The dodge tool has been my best friend when editing eyes in portraits. Makes them really stand out. 5: How did you go about learning PhotoShop? Like most, I am predominantly self-taught in Photoshop, and have learned almost everything I know from simply playing around. I did take a couple classes when I got into college, though, which I would recommend to anyone who dabbles and wants to learn more!

Many thanks Randy for inviting me to this fantastic group and …. Hi everyone !! 1: Tell me something about your image Aftermath? I took the image at a local Nature reserve, .... earlier on in the year the place was bursting with Sunflowers … look here but I paid a later visit and they had all died … hence the title .. 2: How did you create it? ( you don’t have to give away any secrets ), Basically, I converted it to B/W using channel mixer, added a couple of solid color layers with masks and changed the blending modes to my liking. 3: What version of PhotoShop did you use? CS2 4: Any tips or tricks you would like to Share? There are loads of T&T that I could put here, but I’m sure that everyone in this group, knows them already ….. 5: How did you go about learning PhotoShop? I subscribed to Photoshop Creative and Advanced Photoshop mags and I bought about half a dozen books and watched tutorial DVDs …... but mostly ….. by trial and error. / / Thanks again Randy and I hope this was entertaining everyone !! :))

First of all…..many apologies for taking an age to do this…...... 1: Tell me something about the image? I was out walking with friends and family in a local country park. There was this really old and amazingly textured oak door that I thought would make a really interesting study. I took several shots of varying elements of it and had particular results in mind for each part. This image was the result of a what if? and can I? type thinking process. I was pretty pleased with the result. The eye comes from a self portrait. 2: How did you create it? ( you don’t have to give away any secrets ), Colour fill layer (yellowish as I remember)....reduced the opacity way down. / dodged and burned to bring out the grain,rust and other textures. / Tinkered with saturation / Selected an area around the chain and eyehole…selected inverse…..pretty heavy feather. / tinkered with levels and did a gaussian blur / selected inverse to select chain hole and chain…..used curves to boost contrast. / Cut an eye out of a self-portrait and pasted it as a new layer, resized it and set the blend mode to colour burn. Re-positioned it in the chain hole est voila! Flattened the image…job done! 3: What version of PhotoShop did you use? Photoshop 7 4: Any tips or tricks you would like to Share? Play and have fun….google for tutorials…..read the tips and tricks in the camera mags in the newsagent…then put them back on the shelf and keep the money in your pocket. LOL 5: How did you go about learning PhotoShop? Playing….google…reading mags!

1: Tell me something about the image? / ’’music at funeral..must be the dying one’s music of life.. because there is always a melody attends us for a lifetime.. some runs circles, some goes faster, some are lyrical and some sad.. but the worst one stops suddenly.. which you cant understand if it ended or not.. thats the suicide.. mine was a little different than this.. cause love was a suicide from the beginning.. for that reason play a sad song at my funeral.. which is rainy.. which has rose smell.. which has no color, no taste inside.. and which ends suddenly.. this is the last time I commit suicide..’‘ / these words inspired me to make this artwork.. and I dont have anything to add :) just tried to translate a little part.. if i made a mistake please accept my apologize because of my bad english.. 2: How did you create it? ( you don’t have to give away any secrets ) / I have to tell that Im grateful to people who has stock accounts and share with us.. there is many layers, many photographs and just some handmade effects.. I used a few photograph for background and model.. drew the rose petals, fog, rain and handwritings.. and I used some premade brushes for hairs and textures.. 3: What version of PhotoShop did you use? / Photoshop CS2 and im still using it.. 4: Any tips or tricks you would like to Share? / I think I dont use so many tricks but the only thing that I can say to bring all layers in same color or same light effect is the most important part of make a finished artwork. 5: How did you go about learning PhotoShop? / just on my own and I have to be honest that I am very new at this.. Im still learning so many things.. Im trying to find some tutorials or tips about photoshop everytime and making samples.. is very good way to learn about photoshop..

My Entry In the PhotoShop Masters Group – RachelJayne (RachJayn) 1: Tell me something about the image? / / The girl in the photo is my niece. Surprisingly, my husband brought home these butterfly wings from the store one day thinking, quite correctly, that I might like to use them in my photography. Or maybe he was thinking more that the little girls would like to be photographed in butterfly wings… anyhow… we quickly put them to use in my little home studio. My intent was to create something that my nieces would like, could relate to, and think I was the coolest aunt ever. 2: How did you create it? ( you don’t have to give away any secrets ) / We shot the photos in the studio and chose a few that we both (my niece and I) agreed upon. (That was the most fun part.) Then I used many many layers. Each layer I adjusted differently and used a variety of effects. Then it was a matter of finding the right combination. It was difficult to decide finally on a favorite but when all that was over I added a motion blur just ever so slightly to the left so that there is an impression of movement, as though she is looking somewhere she has just been. That was the intention at any rate. 3: What version of PhotoShop did you use? / I used Photoshop CS3 extended (trial version) 4: Any tips or tricks you would like to Share? / Layers are great, other than that… experiment. There is always something more to learn about your programs. 5: How did you go about learning PhotoShop? / Trial and error… experimentation…. and alot of housechores left undone. Interview by Randy Monteith