509 Chapter 11 ✦ Full-Court Filtering Both filters can affect elliptical regions only. If a selection outline is not elliptical, Photoshop applies the filter to the largest ellipse that fits inside the selection. As a result, the filter may leave behind a noticeable elliptical boundary between the affected and unaffected portions of the selection. To avoid this effect, select the region you want to edit with the elliptical marquee tool and then feather the selec- tion before filtering it. This softens the effect of the filter and provides a more grad- ual transition (even more so than Pinch already affords). One of the more remarkable properties of the Pinch filter is that it lets you turn any image into a conical gradation. Figure 11-15 illustrates how the process works. First, blur the image to eliminate any harsh edges between color transitions. Then apply the Pinch filter at full strength (100 percent). Reapply the filter several more times. Each time you press Ctrl+F, the center portion of the image recedes farther and far- ther into the distance, as shown in Figure 11-15. After 10 repetitions, the face in the example all but disappeared. Figure 11-15: After applying the Gaussian Blur filter, I pinched the image 10 times and applied the Radial Blur filter to create a conical gradation. Next, apply the Radial Blur filter set to Spin 10 pixels or so to mix the color bound- aries a bit. The result is a type of gradation that you can’t create using Photoshop’s gradient tool. Pinch x 5 Original Gaussian blur, 5.0 Pinch x 3 Pinch x 10, Radial Blur Pinch, 100% Tip 510 Part III ✦ Selections, Masks, and Filters Twirling spirals The Twirl filter rotates the center of a selection while leaving the sides fixed in place. The result is a spiral of colors that looks for all the world as if you poured the image into a blender set to a very slow speed. When you choose Filter ➪ Distort ➪ Twirl, Photoshop displays the Twirl dialog box, shown in Figure 11-16. Enter a positive value from 1 to 999 degrees to spiral the image in a clockwise direction. Enter a negative value to spiral the image in a coun- terclockwise direction. As you are probably already aware, 360 degrees make a full circle, so the maximum 999-degree value equates to a spiral that circles around almost three times, as shown in the bottom-right example in Figure 11-17. Figure 11-16: The Twirl dialog box enables you to create spiraling images. The Twirl filter produces smoother effects when you use lower Angle values. Therefore, you’re better off applying a 100-degree spiral 10 times rather than applying a 999-degree spiral once, as you can see in Figure 11-17. Tip 511 Chapter 11 ✦ Full-Court Filtering Figure 11-17: The effects of applying the Twirl filter. Repeatedly applying the Twirl filter at a moderate value (bottom middle) produces a smoother effect than applying the filter once at a high value (bottom right). In addition to creating ice-cream swirls like those shown in Figure 11-17, you can use the Twirl filter to create organic images virtually from scratch, as witnessed by Figures 11-18 and 11-19. To create the images shown in Figure 11-18, I used the Spherize filter to flex the conical gradation vertically by entering 100 percent in the Amount option box and selecting Vertical Only from the Mode pop-up menu. After repeating this filter sev- eral times, I eventually achieved a stalactite-stalagmite effect, as shown in the cen- ter example of the figure. I then repeatedly applied the Twirl filter to curl the flexed gradations like two symmetrical hairs. The result merges the simplicity of pure math with the beauty of bitmapped imagery. Figure 11-19 illustrates a droplet technique designed by Mark Collen. I took the liberty of breaking down the technique into the following steps. Twirl, 100 x 10 Original Twirl, 100 Twirl, 100 x 5 Twirl, 999 Twirl, 100 x 3 512 Part III ✦ Selections, Masks, and Filters Figure 11-18: You can create surprisingly naturalistic effects using distortion filters exclusively. Figure 11-19: Although they appear as if they might be the result of the ZigZag filter, these images were created entirely by using the gradient tool, the Twirl filter, and a couple of transformations. Spherize x 7 Original Spherize, 100%, Vertical Spherize x 3 Spherize x 5 Twirl, 100 Twirl x 3 Twirl x 5 Twirl x 10 513 Chapter 11 ✦ Full-Court Filtering STEPS: Creating a Thick-Liquid Droplet 1. Press D to restore the default foreground and background colors. 2. Shift-drag with the rectangular marquee tool to select a square portion of an image. 3. Create a linear gradation by dragging inside the selection outline with the gradient tool. Before you drag, select the linear gradient style on the Options bar and select the foreground to background gradient from the Gradients drop-down palette, also on the Options bar. Drag a short distance near the center of the selection from upper left to lower right, creating the gradation shown in the top-left box in Figure 11-19. 4. Choose the Twirl filter and apply it at –360 degrees so that the spiral moves counterclockwise. To create the top-right image in the figure, I applied the Twirl filter three times. Each repetition of the filter adds another ring of ripples. 5. Press Ctrl+J to copy the selection to a layer. 6. Choose Edit ➪ Transform ➪ Flip Horizontal. 7. Lower the Opacity value to 50 percent. You can do this from the keyboard by selecting the rectangular marquee tool and pressing 5. The result appears in the lower-left example in Figure 11-19. 8. Choose Edit ➪ Transform ➪ Rotate 90° CW. This rotates the layer a quarter turn, thus creating the last image in the figure. You can achieve other interest- ing effects by choosing Lighten, Darken, and others from the brush modes pop-up menu. Now, if a few twirls and transformations can produce an effect this entertaining in black and white, just imagine what you can do in color. On second thought, don’t imagine; check out Color Plate 11-6 instead. The first row in this eight-part color plate is nothing more than a color version of Figure 11-19, intended merely to set the scene. As you can see, I’ve created a gradation using two complementary colors, blue and yellow. In the fifth example (lower left), I apply the Difference blend mode to the layer (Shift+Alt+E with a non-painting tool selected) and return the Opacity setting to 100 percent. Next, I clone that layer and rotate it another 90 degrees clock- wise to produce the sixth example. The Difference blend mode remains in effect for this cloned layer as well. Not satisfied, I clone that layer, rotate it another 90 degrees, and flip it horizontally. The result, also subject to Difference, is the seventh example. Then for the coup de grâce, I randomly apply the Twirl, Spherize, and ZigZag filters to the layers to mutate the concentric rings into something a little more interesting. If that went a little fast for you, not to worry. More important than the specific effects is this general category of distortion drawings. A filter such as Pinch or Twirl permits you to create wild imagery without ever drawing a brushstroke or scanning a photograph. If you can do this much with a simple two-color gradation, just think of what you can do if you throw in a few more colors. Pixels are little more than fodder for these very powerful functions. 514 Part III ✦ Selections, Masks, and Filters Creating concentric pond ripples I don’t know about you, but when I think of zigzags, I think of cartoon lightning bolts, wriggling snakes, scribbles — anything that alternately changes directions along an axis, like the letter Z. The ZigZag filter does arrange colors into zigzag pat- terns, but it does so in a radial fashion, meaning that the zigzags emanate from the center of the image like spokes in a wheel. The result is a series of concentric rip- ples. If you want parallel zigzags, check out the Ripple and Wave filters, described in the next section. (The ZigZag filter creates ripples and the Ripple filter creates zigzags. Go figure.) When you choose Filter ➪ Distort ➪ ZigZag, Photoshop displays the ZigZag dialog box, shown in Figure 11-20. The dialog box offers the following options: ✦ Amount: Enter an amount between negative and positive 100 in whole-number increments to specify the depth of the ripples. If you enter a negative value, the ripples descend below the surface. If you enter a positive value, the ripples protrude upward. Examples of three representative Amount values appear in Figure 11-21. Figure 11-20: The ZigZag dialog box lets you add concentric ripples to an image, as if the image were reflected in a pond into which you dropped a pebble. 515 Chapter 11 ✦ Full-Court Filtering Figure 11-21: The effects of the ZigZag filter subject to three Amount values and the Pond Ripples, Out From Center, and Around Center settings. In all cases, the Ridges value was 5. ✦ Ridges: This option box controls the number of ripples in the selected area and accepts any value from 1 to 20. Figure 11-22 demonstrates the effect of three Ridges values. ✦ Pond Ripples: This option is really a cross between the two that follow. It moves pixels outward and rotates them around the center of the selection to create circular patterns. As demonstrated in the top rows of Figures 11-21 and 11-22, this option truly results in a pond ripple effect. 50 Amount = 10 Amount = 10 Amount = 10 50 100 100 50 100 Pond Ripples Out From Center Around Center 516 Part III ✦ Selections, Masks, and Filters Figure 11-22: The effects of the ZigZag filter using three Ridges values and each of the three Style pop-up menu settings. In all cases, the Amount value was 20. ✦ Out From Center: When you select this option, Photoshop moves pixels outward in rhythmic bursts according to the value in the Ridges option box. Because the gradation image I created in Figure 11-15 was already arranged in a radial pattern, I brought in Moses to demonstrate the effect of the Out From Center option, as shown in the second rows of Figures 11-21 and 11-22. ✦ Around Center: Select this option to rotate pixels in alternating directions around the circle without moving them outward. This is the only option that produces what I would term a zigzag effect. The last rows of Figures 11-21 and 11-22 show the effects of the Around Center option. 10 Ridges = 5 Ridges = 5 Ridges = 5 10 20 20 10 20 Pond Ripples Out From Center Around Center 517 Chapter 11 ✦ Full-Court Filtering Creating parallel ripples and waves Photoshop provides four means to distort an image in parallel waves, as if the image were lying on the bottom of a shimmering or undulating pool. Of the four, the ripple filters — which include Ripple, Ocean Ripple, and Glass — are only moder- ately sophisticated, but they’re also relatively easy to apply. The fourth filter, Wave, affords you greater control, but its options are among the most complex Photoshop has to offer. The Ripple filter To use the Ripple filter, choose Filter ➪ Distort ➪ Ripple. Photoshop displays the Ripple dialog box shown in Figure 11-23. You have the following options: ✦ Amount: Enter an amount between negative and positive 999 in whole-number increments to specify the width of the ripples from side to side. Negative and positive values change the direction of the ripples, but visually speaking, they produce identical effects. The ripples are measured as a ratio of the Size value and the dimensions of the selection — all of which translates to, “Experiment and see what happens.” You can count on getting ragged effects from any value over 300, as illustrated in Figure 11-24. Figure 11-23: The Ripple filter makes an image appear as if it were refracted through flowing water. ✦ Size: Select one of the three options in the Size drop-down menu to change the length of the ripples. The Small option results in the shortest ripples and therefore the most ripples. As shown in the upper-right corner of Figure 11-24, combining the Small option with a high Amount value results in a textured- glass effect. The Large option results in the longest and fewest ripples. 518 Part III ✦ Selections, Masks, and Filters Figure 11-24: The effects of combining three different Ripple filter Amount values with three different Size settings. You can create a blistered effect by overlaying a negative ripple onto a posi- tive ripple. Try this: First, copy the selection. Then apply the Ripple filter with a positive Amount value — say, 300. Next, paste the copied selection and apply the Ripple filter at the exact opposite Amount value, in this case, –300. Press 5 to change the Opacity value to 50 percent. The result is a series of dia- metrically opposed ripples that cross each other to create teardrop blisters. Tip 300 Small, 100 300 999 Medium, 100 999 Large, 100 300 999 [...]... doesn’t he look natural in his new environment? Distorting with the Liquify command 6 Photoshop 6 introduces the Liquify command, which offers boundless opportunities for image distortion With Liquify, you can drag in your image to warp, shift, twirl, expand, contract, and even copy pixels Unlike filters, which apply a uniform distortion across a selection, Liquify enables you to distort pixels by pushing... Selections, Masks, and Filters 12 Press Ctrl+F to reapply the Polar Coordinates filter using the same settings as before Okay, so it happened before 20 96 How could I have known? The pixels inside the selection now billow into a fountain 13 Add Moses to taste The finished image appears in Figure 11-39 Photoshop Figure 11-39: Marquee the central portion of the image with a heavily feathered selection outline,... radio button Photoshop in effect turns the image inside out, sending all the hairy edges to the bottom of the screen Finally, an image worth waiting for 10 Choose Image ➪ Rotate Canvas ➪ Flip Vertical This turns the image upside down As I believe Hemingway said, the hair also rises, as shown in Figure 11-38 This step prepares the image for the next major polar conversion, due in the year 20 96 Figure 11-38:... select the Stylus Pressure check box to make Photoshop adjust the tool pressure based on the amount of pressure you put on the pen stylus ✦ To speed up the performance of the Liquify filter, Photoshop distorts the image in the dialog box using screen-resolution data When you click OK or press Enter, the program applies the warp to the full resolution image Unfortunately, this design means that you can’t... original orientation 5 Choose Filter ➪ Blur ➪ Motion Blur Enter 90 degrees in the Angle option and use 20 pixels for the Distance option This blurs the image vertically to soften the blast lines, as in Figure 11-35 6 Choose Filter ➪ Distort ➪ Wave Then enter the values shown in Figure 11- 36 in the Wave dialog box Most of these values are approximate; experiment with other settings if you like The only... option box, which ensures that the filter waves the image in a horizontal direction only 7 Choose Filter ➪ Distort ➪ Ocean Ripple I entered 15 for the Ripple Size and 5 for the Ripple Magnitude to get the effect shown in Figure 11-37 8 Expand the canvas size To perform the next step, the Polar Coordinates filter needs lots of empty room in which to maneuver If you filled up your canvas like I did, choose... underneath the cursor move in a direction perpendicular to your drag For example, if you drag down, pixels flow to the right Drag straight up, and pixels move to the left Reflection ( M ): The M, it appears, stands for mirror; dragging with this tool creates a reflection, albeit one you might see in a funhouse mirror As you drag, Photoshop copies pixels from the area perpendicular to the direction... second example in Figure 11-32 shows the result As you can see, the Rectangular to Polar option is just the tool for wrapping text around a circle Chapter 11 ✦ Full-Court Filtering If you select the Polar to Rectangular option, the Polar Coordinates filter produces the opposite effect Imagine for a moment that the conical gradation shown in the upper-left corner of Figure 11-33 is a fan spread out into... a very big book and no one would buy it, but you never know what a freelancer like me will do next Keep an eye out for Wave Filter Bible at your local bookstore In the meantime, choose Filter ➪ Distort ➪ Wave (that’s the easy part) to display the Wave dialog box shown in Figure 11-27 Photoshop presents you with the following options, which make applying a distortion every bit as easy as operating an... image by dragging them with a brush The miniature toolbox on the left side of the window contains seven tools for distorting the image You drag or click with the tools as explained in the upcoming list (You can select the tools from the keyboard by pressing the keys indicated in parentheses) But before you begin, take in the following Liquify facts: ✦ All tools respond to the Brush Size setting on the . for all the world as if you poured the image into a blender set to a very slow speed. When you choose Filter ➪ Distort ➪ Twirl, Photoshop displays the Twirl dialog box, shown in Figure 11- 16. . filter, Wave, affords you greater control, but its options are among the most complex Photoshop has to offer. The Ripple filter To use the Ripple filter, choose Filter ➪ Distort ➪ Ripple. Photoshop. 360 degrees make a full circle, so the maximum 999-degree value equates to a spiral that circles around almost three times, as shown in the bottom-right example in Figure 11-17. Figure 11- 16: