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TECHNIQUE TECHNIQUE
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS5
A “Warped” Sense of Reality
By Jorge Diaz
In this age of new digital technology,
there are endless possibilities for image
manipulation. The newest arsenal available
for tech-heads comes (without surprise)
from Adobe, with the release of CS5. They
have really amped up the capabilities of the
program and expanded on an already beefy
suite. All of the cool new features we will
explore in this tutorial will be found in the
latest version of Photoshop, so if you are
on the fence about whether to buy it or not,
maybe these features will help you decide.
For this tutorial, we need a game plan so we don’t just
start hitting buttons for the sake of doing something.
What we are going to do here is remove the man from
the image and replace him with the background. We will
then manipulate the female model and place her into
the image. Finally, we’ll take the snake and reposition it
to make it appear as if it was wrapped around the
model’s neck. All of this using two of Photoshop CS5’s
features: Content Aware Fill and Puppet Warp.
01_ We’ll start by cutting out the model from the
original image. To accurately cut her out, we’ll
use the Quick Selection Tool and refine the edge
of the selection. Once the desired selection has
been made, copy the selection and paste it into
the destination document (the image with the
man in it). Quick tip - for a more realistic looking
feather, use the refine edge option. By selecting
this, it will minimize the harshness of the
selection and produce much better results.
02_ Now that we have our model in her new
environment, we’ll work on bringing this image
up to snuff. We will do this by removing the man
on the right using Content Aware Fill. To begin,
turn off the model layer and select the man using
the Quick Selection Tool. Once the selection is
made, we’ll modify the selection by choosing
Select>Modify>Expand. It is important to expand
the selection as the content aware fill needs a
little bit of space to function properly. Adjust
your settings and click OK. To fill the area using
Content Aware Fill, access the Edit menu, select
“Fill” and wait for the pop-up box to appear. Once
the box is up, select content aware in the contents
section drop down.
NOTE: Each image will be different so the number
for expansion will depend on size and resolution
of the image.
03_ Now that the man is removed, we can
focus on the model. We want to make her look
as realistic as possible, so we need to reposition
her a bit. Let’s start with a basic transformation to
scale her down so she fits proportionately in the
background image. And now the fun begins. The
main objective here is to straighten her front leg
a bit so that it appears natural on the concrete.
To do this, we will use another new feature in
Photoshop CS5 called Puppet Warp. To access this
function, go to Edit and select Puppet Warp.
04_ Once you select Puppet Warp you will see
that a grid will appear over your model. This will
apply the object on whichever layer you have
selected, so it is important to pay attention to
your layers. There are many ways to control the
functions of this tool and make it work more
efficiently. Before diving right in, let’s adjust some
settings. First, we’ll visit the Density drop-down.
Here, Photoshop gives us options to adjust the
grid. By default, it will be set to normal but you
have the option to have fewer points or create
more points. The more points you have the greater
the accuracy becomes with this transformation.
For this Image, we’ll choose “More points.”
07_ Now let’s take that leg and position it to
appear more natural. You can do this by selecting
the pin you want to move. You will notice that only
the pin selected is highlighted and is displayed by a
black circle in the center of the pin. You can select
multiple pins by holding down the shift key and
selecting the pins you desire. While selected, the
pins will move together rather than independently.
10_ Once the girl has been positioned, I decided
to add a snake around the model’s neck and body
to enhance the image and give it a different feel.
To do so, the same steps and technique
explained above were used. To give the image a
more realistic look, a few lighting and contrast
adjustments were added, along with some visually
interesting graffiti, which also makes the image
more dramatic.
05_ Now that our mesh is adjusted to reflect
more points, we need to create some new points.
The points created work like anchors and will be
used to keep the image from altering in those
spots. The image we are using has significantly
more points than we need and will prove to be
effective as we modify the front leg without
warping the rest of the body.
08_ Now that we have moved the leg, it seems
a bit “warped” in the middle of her shin. To add
a point, all you have to do is click on the spot
that you wish to alter. You also have the option
to change the pin depth. Changing the pin depth
allows you to choose if the leg is in front or behind
the other leg, creating a sense of depth.
06_ Now that we have the points, let’s hide the
mesh so we can work on the image without any
distraction. To do this, Photoshop has provided
a check box in the tool preferences that says
show mesh. If it is checked it shows the mesh if
unchecked you get the points but no mesh.
09_ Now we’ll position the model the way we
want her and apply the transformation by hitting
the return key. Once the Puppet Warp is applied,
the model is scaled within the image to fit in
proportion to what’s going on in the background.
CONCLUSION_ In retrospect, this tutorial
covers a few of the new functions Photoshop
CS5 has to offer and how they function. These
instructions should give you a better understanding
of the Puppet Warp and Content Aware features
and hopefully get those creative juices flowing so
you can utilize these features in your workflow.
By no means is this an accurate reflection of all
the new features in the program, but a taste of
what Photoshop has to offer. So, if you were on the
fence whether to buy this version or not, hopefully
this tutorial gave you more insight into CS5.
78 artistikmagazine.com | WINTER 2011
79