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Photoshop Tutorial
At the ‘Demonstration Station’ at the PMC
Conference in 2006, I showed a way of making an image into a line
drawing using Adobe Photoshop. There are many ways to do this in Photoshop,
using filters etc. This particular technique is different because
it gives me the control I want over the detail in various parts of
the image.
This technique was given to me by Janee, 4 days
before the conference, and she graciously gave me permission to make
a tutorial for the conference. In this tutorial I am giving a brief
guide on how to achieve the results you want. Basic knowledge of Photoshop
would be required.
I suggest you go to: www.myJanee.com
to learn these basic techniques.
When I first started learning Photoshop, Janee’s free, and user
friendly tutorials, helped me enormously.
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Open the image you'd like
to turn into a drawing, look for good detail.
Optimize it by using Levels, Sharpening, Contrast etc.
Lock the layer, so the original image can't be ruined accidentally.
Make a copy of this image by dragging it to the
new layer icon in the layers palette, this will be your working
layer.
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Create a 'Threshold Adjustment Layer' in the layers
palette:
Click on the 'Fill/Adjustment layer' Icon
at the bottom of the layer palette and select 'Threshold' from
the pop-up palette.
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In the pop-up window, move the slider to get a good balance of
black & white, so that you have just enough detail showing
in the black as well as in the white parts.
(make sure
you have 'preview' ticked, to see adjustments as you are doing
them)
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| Now take the Dodge and Burn tools,
using a low Exposure setting and a large soft brush, these controls
are in the Photoshop Options bar. |
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Apply the tools
to the image layer beneath the Threshold layer, darkening areas
where you want more black detail, and lightening areas where
you want less black. You're looking through the Threshold adjustment
layer as you
work on the photo layer beneath it.
* The 'Dodge' tool will lighten areas.
* The 'Burn' tool will darken areas.
Try it, as you play you'll get a feel of what each tool
does.
Remember the keyboard shortcut for anything
you want to undo is Ctl+Z |
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Finished Drawing |
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This is Maceo!
He is my God daughter’s first born and I decided to make
a key ring for Stacey and her Mum. Baby
photos are the hardest thing make into a drawing! Keep the lines
as thin as you can. When they get too heavy the result is very
harsh.
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When making a plate for a face you have to flip
it to mirror image,otherwise it will not 'read right' in the
final product.
You do the same when you use text.
This is a brooch I wear when I'm teaching.
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…and a few more examples. to show you some of the things
you can do. |
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A texture plate I made for a series of jewellery I'm working
on, involving Rivers & Mangroves.
Click on the image to see the steps involved in optimising
it. |
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