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Adobe Photoshop

Creating a beautiful and dramatic piece of work in Photoshop need only take a few simple actions, says senior designer Chris Malbon

Monochrome made easy

In this project we show you how to add dramatic lighting and texture effects to your work using monochrome. By defining your shadow and highlighted areas, and pushing your grayscale tones, you can create real atmosphere in your projects. Over the following steps we reveal some simple techniques that will produce an impressive array of effects, and add detail to your image. We demonstrate how to create depth in your work using opacity and blurs, and how, with a little imagination and time, you can transform your work by duplicating layers and transforming elements with the Warm, Twirl and Scale tools. This project will get a little layer heavy, but we will be flattening it at the end! Lets get started...

Chris Malbon Senior designer at McFaul Studios, Malbon has 10 years experience and is now based in Bristol, overseeing projects for the likes of Nike Jordan, Lucas Films, Carhartt and Nokia. www.mcfaul studio.com

On your disc Youll find the resources you need to work along with this project on your cover disc, in the Resources section

Skills Master working in monochrome Create dramatic lightening and atmosphere Add depth using different opacity levels and blur

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01

Before embarking on your monochrome project, first decide what you want to use as your main image, then do your research for secondary images. Jen is our main image (jen.jpg on your cover disc) shes from the Philippines, so look on the web for appropriate reference material to accompany her. Go as abstract as you like; we chose the national flower of the Philippines Sampaguitas and found plenty of tropical fish to use. Sketch your images, scan them into Photoshop, and cut out the parts you want to use (alternatively, you could use the sketches supplied on your cover disc.)

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Create a Grayscale landscape document, and give it a black background. Draw around your model with the Path tool, and paste her into your new document (Path>Copy>Paste). Using the Eraser brush remove the hard edges, then turn on the Screen mode in your Layers palette.

Defringe your image

When youve finished cutting out your image, use the Defringe tool (Layer> Matting>Defringe). This will get rid of any white lines round your cut-out.

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With the layer selected, go to Image>Adjustments>Brightness and Contrast. Using the sliders on the panel, lower the Brightness and bump up the Contrast levels. Bring up the white dont make it too harsh though and darken the blacks.

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Duplicate the layer. In the Layers palette select Soft Light, then go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, and blur the duplicate layer enough to create a soft glow around her face, softening her features with the aura. Open up the Brightness and Contrast panel again, and further enhance the white in the image.

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Its now time to create a lock of hair. First create a new Grayscale document. Next, select the Ellipse tool from the Tool bar and draw a long oval shape. Using a soft paint brush fill the oval in at 70% white. Duplicate the layer four or five times, and stack the ovals on top of each other. Select them all, go to your Layer properties, and select Merge Layers.

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Drag the lock of hair over to the document containing Jen. Blend it with the Warp tool (Edit>Transform>Warp), using the face as a guide. Duplicate the lock several times, and repeat the Warp action. Blend each one slightly differently, changing the shape and opacity of each one. Use this procedure to really build the hair up, creating back, mid, and foregrounds.

Screen effect
The Screen effect in your Layers palette is effective, but it does not work well in CMYK. Make sure you design in RGB then, when youre happy, flatten and convert your image to CMYK.

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Once youre happy with the hair, select all the locks, go to Layer Properties, and click Merge Layers. Remember, when you merge layers Photoshop defaults to turning them back to Normal, so make sure Screen is selected in Layer Properties.

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Lets add some flowers. Grab your drawing and increase its brightness. Now duplicate the layer, ensuring Screen is selected in the Layers Properties. On the duplicate, add just enough Gaussian Blur to give it a slight aura. If it becomes too bright, take down the opacity and bring back some black for definition.

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Place the flower in the hair, and duplicate the layer a number of times. Scale each flower layer up and down to make them different sizes, warp them all slightly, and change the opacity of each one. Try to really build the image up here, creating depth with your layers.

Select one of the larger flowers near the bottom of the image and duplicate the layer. Add a uniform, circular swooshing effect to it by using the Twirl tool (Filter>Distort>Twirl) to produce an arc shape. This will take some practice; make sure you check your preview box so you can see the effect in real-time. Experimenting is fun, however, and you can achieve some beautiful shapes in doing so.

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Open the ChromeBubbles.psd file on your cover disc this was created in a 3D package. Duplicate the balls and layer them over each other in a random pattern. Warp each one, and experiment with the opacity to build up the depth and shape of your image.

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Open the Twirl tool again, and subtly twirl some of the water forms youve created. Try using different opacities in your layers, building them up remember to keep everything set in Screen mode.

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Add some more flowers into the image at this stage; remember the key is to add subtle back tones and graphics. Apply a Gaussian Blur to some parts of the water image, and change the opacity of the layer in the Layers palette to give it a misty feel. To create further diversity among your flowers, you could cut out the petals of your original template, rearrange them, and import the new versions to your image.

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Go back to the ChromeBubbles.jpg file and select the long splash shape. Go to Image>Adjustments>Invert, and then add some Gaussian Blur not too much; just enough to keep its shape without losing detail. Now bump up the contrast until the black becomes more solid, and you end up with a blob of ink with soft edges.

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Drag the blob of ink over, and create a layer underneath it. With a soft paint brush spray some grey spots onto it, then go to Layer>Merge Layers, and drag it to the back of your Layers palette. Now place them around the edge of your image look at the top right-hand side of Jens head for an example.

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Creating distance
Objects naturally fade and blur the further into the distance they go. To recreate this in your work, reduce the opacity of a layer, and then add a light Gaussian Blur to give an out-of-focus look. Use your Scale tool on smaller objects in the background.

Its now time to add the fish. I thought it would be nice to add one to the bottom of the liquid, but you can add as many as you like. You could also add some bubbles around Jens head to give the impression of her submerging into the water. Change the opacity of some of the bubbles layers to imply a sense of depth.

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Once your fish are in place, accentuate their shadows and patterns with the Burn and Dodge tools to create depth. Highlight fatter areas of the fish with the Dodge tool, and flatter areas with the Burn tools. You could also reduce the opacity of some in Layer Properties to add a sense of distance.

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Create some whimsical trails in your image to add interest. Draw a straight, soft brush stroke, and use the Twirl tool (Distort>Twirl) to bend the line round. Position the trail just off the fins and tail of the bottom fish, duplicate it, and give it a slight Gaussian Blur.

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Converting to monochrome
Its easy to convert colour images into monochrome. Just go to Image>Adjustments> Channel Mixer, and check the Monochrome box.

Almost there! Now its just a matter of tweaking your image and adding little touches where necessary. Step back and look where it needs filling out more mist might be needed, or more warped water. You have all these elements: use them, but change the opacity and shape slightly each time.

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When youre happy, select Flatten Image in your Layers Palette. Use the Burn and Dodge tools in your Tools bar to highlight and reduce the shadows, and, lastly, add some small glows of white and grey to your image with a small soft brush.

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