August 2014

How to make a Sin City Portrait in Photoshop (Part 2)

pixelmove.com

Cutting The Subject out from Green Screen

Shooting on a green screen is a great idea if you know you are going to cut your subject out of the background. In this episode we show you how to select the green color range and define a layer mask with the selection. This technique will allow you to cut your subject out from the background quickly and accurately.

After getting the subject cut out from the background we show you how to remove the green fringing from areas like the hair and edges of the subject.

Adding Style

After placing the subject in the image it is time to add some style. In the case of Sin City, we are looking a high contrast and low saturation. This means making the highlights lighter and the darks darker. We show you how to use curves adjustment layers and clipping masks to isolate the highlights and push them to make them brighter. You will also learn how to add sharpening to the subject, helping him stand out from the background.

Adding Fog Effects

A big part of making composite images come together has to do with layering effects over objects. In this image for instance we place fog over the subject, helping the subject look as though they are a part of the image, not just placed on top of it.

To add the fog to the image we duplicate the background clouds layer and change the blending mode to Screen. Then we apply levels to make the darks darker, making them disappear, leaving only the lights behind.

Creating the Title

To finish the image we need to add a title, just like the original movie poster. We show you how to choose the right font for your project and how to transform it into the correct position and perspective. We add layer effects to separate the text from the background.

Creating a Custom Brush for Snow

If you have ever wanted to create snow or rain in an image, it is as easy as creating a custom brush in Photoshop. In this episode we show you how to create random shapes on a new document and turn them into a Brush Preset. From there you will learn how to alter the settings of the brush to add random patterns, making it look more like snow.

Episodes on cutting out subject: http://phlearn.com/?s=How+to+cut+out+subject

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For more advanced Photoshop Tutorials be sure to check out our Phlearn PRO Tutorials. We offer the best Photoshop tutorials available online starting at just $14.99.
http://phlearn.com/pro-tutorials

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How to make a Sin City Portrait in Photoshop (Part 1)

pixelmove.com

Creating a Background in Photoshop

Creating a background for a composite image in Photoshop can be very fun, as you can choose every element that appears in your photo. In order to create a Sin City inspired image we need all of the pieces of the puzzle to appear in the same style, so choosing a sky, buildings, and snow for this image is necessary.

The first thing you will need to do is gather background images, for this we recommend Fotolia. Once you have all of your photos together for creating a background it is time to composite them together.

Start with objects that appear farthest from the camera and work your way forwards, in most cases the sky will be the bottom layer, as it is farthest from the camera.

In this episode we show you how to combine multiple versions of the sky together to create a bit more mood. We also show you how to cut the original sky out of the city image and place the buildings over our chosen sky.

The Magic of Clipping Masks

Clipping masks are an essential part of compositing images together. In this episode we introduce you to clipping masks and the best ways to use them in Photoshop.

We add buildings over the background sky but need to make the buildings darker. If you add a curves adjustment layer over everything it will make the buildings and the sky darker. By clipping the curves adjustment layer to the building layer, it will only effect the buildings. The best part about clipping masks is that you can clip many layers back to the original layer.

Creating a Custom Brush for Snow

If you have ever wanted to create snow or rain in an image, it is as easy as creating a custom brush in Photoshop. In this episode we show you how to create random shapes on a new document and turn them into a Brush Preset. From there you will learn how to alter the settings of the brush to add random patterns, making it look more like snow.

———————————————————————————————
Thanks for watching our free Phlearn Tutorials! If you enjoyed this video be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive free weekly videos.

Subscribe: http://goo.gl/LBIEQU

For more advanced Photoshop Tutorials be sure to check out our Phlearn PRO Tutorials. We offer the best Photoshop tutorials available online starting at just $14.99.
http://phlearn.com/pro-tutorials

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Website: http://phlearn.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Phlearn
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/116791098…

Sin City Inspired Photoshoot (Behind the Scenes)

pixelmove.com

The City: Photography Tutorial

In this Photography tutorial we focus on three key elements necessary to produce this image. You will learn about lighting, styling and props and shooting for a composite.

Lighting

In terms of creating the “Sin City Style” lighting is the most important element. The look developed for the film was adapted from the original comic series and involves high contrast black and white images with harsh lighting. For the film they achieved this look through the use of “rim lighting”. Rim lighting basically means placing lights behind your subject pointed towards the subject. This lighting creates a glow or “rim” of light around the subject, separating them from the background.

In this video we explain how we set up our rim lighting to achieve the “Sin City Style”.

Styling and Props

The styling for this image is relatively simple but remains important in the production of the final image. Because the move was produced mostly in black and white, the wardrobe had to mimic those colors. We see a lot of contrast in the clothing worn by the subjects – large black jackets with white our black shirts worn underneath.

We also shoot with a prop gun to make the final image a bit more true to the original. These details may seem like a no-brainer but they are important in producing a final image that looks like the original.

Shooting for a Composite

You will learn what to do on set when shooting for a composite to make sure your process in Photoshop is quick and seamless. Much of the image was composited together in Photoshop without requiring a photo shoot. These details include the sky, the city, the snow and the text. The only thing we photographed for the image was the subject.

When shooting for a composite it is important to keep your background as clean and consistent as possible. For this shoot that meant shooting on a green screen and lighting the background so that it was evenly colored from one side to another.

Another great tip when shooting for a composite is to keep your lighting close to your subject as needed. When shooting an image on a regular background it is important to keep lighting and grip out of the shot, as they will interfere with the concept. That is not the case when shooting for a composite. Everything will be cut out of its background, so you can have all of these elements in frame if needed.

———————————————————————————————–

Thanks for watching our free Phlearn Tutorials! If you enjoyed this video be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive free weekly videos.

Subscribe: http://goo.gl/LBIEQU

For more advanced Photoshop Tutorials be sure to check out our Phlearn PRO Tutorials. We offer the best Photoshop tutorials available online starting at just $14.99.
http://phlearn.com/pro-tutorials

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Website: http://phlearn.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Phlearn
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/116791098…