. Note: As with the other filters, the dialog box is pretty intuitive. Click inside the window to adjust the amount of distortion for this one, and use the – and + buttons for zooming. Noise Noise adds or removes noise, or static, in a picture. Noise consists of random pixels, and adding noise is useful when you need to apply random pixels for a special effect. I can’t think of any reason why you’d want to add noise to an image, unless you’ve got a picture of a TV set and want to make it look like it’s broken, but I’m sure there’s a reason out there somewhere! On the flip side, reducing noise is generally helpful, and the Despeckle and Dust & Scratches options can be used to reduce noise in an image quite successfully. Be careful if you plan to screen print the image though; the options in the Dust & Scratches dialog box can signifi - cantly blur the image and might not be useful. 366 Part IV / More Tools Figure 20-3: Using the Twirl distort filter Pixelate Pixelated images are generally bad news, but if you’re looking for an effect that will cause it, look no further. The Color Halftone filter takes each channel of color, divides the image into rectangles, and then replaces them with circles, similar to halftone screens. Crystallize uses polygonal shapes, Facet uses block shapes, and Mosaic uses square blocks. The other filters in this category do similar distortions. Render Render filters can be used to create cloud patterns, refraction patterns, and light reflections in an image. The patterns that can be created can be used as special effect backgrounds. To create a background using a cloud pattern, for instance, start with a new canvas and choose Filter>Render>Clouds. A cloud pattern will fill the area using the foreground and background colors in the toolbox. You can then apply other filters, such as Filter>Blur>Radial Blur or Filter> Distort>Ocean Ripple for more effect. Lighting effects let you create effects on RGB images using various lighting styles. Using the Lighting Effects dialog box, as shown in Figure 20-4, you can create light from any direction, choose a spotlight, use directional or omni light, configure intensity and focus, and more. Chapter 20 / Special Effects 367 Figure 20-4: The Lighting Effects dialog box . Note: Remember, you can apply filters to selections too, not just entire layers. Sharpen You’ve already been introduced to the Unsharp Mask command, and there are other sharpen tools as well. Sharpening an image results in cleaner edges, a less blurry image, and clarity improvement. Most images can be sharpened quite a bit prior to screen printing them and these filters should be used generously. ] Tip: Sharpen filters can be used to repair blurry photographs! They can also be used after selecting a part of an image that’s blurry to sharpen only the object that was in motion as you snapped the picture. Sketch These filters add texture to an image and can be used like the artistic and brush strokes filters. Examples of sketch filters include Chalk & Charcoal, Conté Crayon, Graphic Pen, Photocopy, Plaster, Torn Edges, and Water Paper. Stylize These filters produce a painted or impressionistic effect by increasing the contrast in the image. Figure 20-5 shows before and after pictures of the OrangesII.jpg file. The filter applied is Filter>Stylize>Glowing Edges. I use this filter quite a bit for creating images for printing on black shirts—concert shirts, motorcycle shirts, etc. 368 Part IV / More Tools If you’d like to experiment with this filter, open the OrangesII.jpg file from the Chapter 20 folder on the companion CD, and apply the filter. While you’re at it, try the Extrude, Solarize, and Wind filters. Texture Texture filters add texture to an image to make it look like you could reach out and touch it and actually feel the texture that you’ve applied. Texture options include Craquelure, which gives the image a cracked look, Grain, Mosaic Tiles, Patchwork, Stained Glass, and Texturizer. Stained Glass is a nice one to try if you need to create a logo for a church, while Mosaic Tiles might work for a handyman. Video The Video filter options let you deinterlace and apply NTSC colors. Video filters are used for creating artwork for video or TV. Chapter 20 / Special Effects 369 Figure 20-5: Using the stylize filters Other and Digimarc Use Other to create your own filters to modify masks, make color adjust - ments, and offset a selection in an image. The filters you create can also be saved for later use. Digimarc filters embed copyright information into an image using a watermark. These topics are beyond the scope of this chapter and book. Extract Extract lets you remove an object or objects from an image and works when other options don’t (like the Background Eraser tool or the Magic Eraser tool). With the Extract option, you can trace around an image to select it for removal using a large highlighter-type pen, fill that area with color, and extract it from the image. Sometimes it’s difficult to use the eraser tools, especially when the image you’re working with is a photo- graph and edges and colors are poorly defined or extremely similar in color. The Extract tool works when you want to “Photoshop out” a per- son in an image and place him or her in another photo, like what’s shown later in Figure 20-7. In what situations would the Background Eraser or Magic Eraser tools not work? To use the Extract tool: 1. Open an image that contains an object to extract. If necessary, from the Layers palette, select the layer that you want to work with. 2. Choose Layer>Duplicate Layer to create a copy of the layer. You will see the duplicate layer in the Layers palette. 3. To work only in a selected area, use the marquee tools to select an area. This is optional. 4. Choose Filter>Extract. You’ll see a dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 20-6. 5. Configure the options for Brush Size, Highlight, and Fill as you would with any other dialog box. Highlight color is the color that you’ll see when you trace around an image; Fill is the color that will be used to define the extracted object. Brush Size defines the tip of the tracing brush. 6. If the edge that you want to trace around contrasts highly with its background, check Smart Highlighting. 370 Part IV / More Tools 7. Use the Zoom tool in the Extract dialog box to zoom in on the object, andpresstheAltkeytozoombackout.UsetheHandtooltoview other parts of the image while zoomed in. 8. Select the Highlighter tool. Use the mouse to trace completely around the image and create a closed shape. Figure 20-7 shows how I’ve traced around a person. Tips for Tracing n When tracing around an object, position the brush so that you get a little of the background and a little of the object itself. n If possible, draw completely around the object and enclose it by connecting the beginning and ending points. n Use a larger brush for tracing around hair or other wispy edges. Use a smaller brush for more defined areas. n Use the Eraser tool in the dialog box to erase a highlight drawn incorrectly. Use Alt+Backspace on a PC to erase the entire highlight, or use Option+Delete on a Mac. Chapter 20 / Special Effects 371 Figure 20-6: Using the Extract command 9. Once the object has been traced around completely, select the Fill toolfromtheleftsideoftheExtractdialogboxandfilltheareaby clicking once inside it. ] Tip: To remove a fill, click again in the filled area with t he Fill to ol. 10. Click Preview. If the preview doesn’t yield the results you want and you want to start over, change the Preview option in the Extract dia - log box from Extracted to Original.ThenpressAlt+Backspace on a PC to erase the entire highlight, or use Option+Delete on a Mac. 11. If the extraction is off to a good start, you can edit it. Simply repeat the steps above. 12. Locate the Clean Up tool and the Edge Touch Up tools in the Extract dialog box. Use these tools to touch up the extraction. 372 Part IV / More Tools Figure 20-7: Tracing and filling 13. To see how the object would look against a different background, select a choice in the Preview area of the Extract dialog box. Under Display, choose None, Black Matte, Gray Matte, White Matte, Other, or Mask. 14. Click OK in the Extract dialog box when you are finished. 15. From the Layers palette, remove the eye icon from the original image layer so that only the duplicate layer is showing. You’ll see your extraction. (If you did not create a duplicate layer, this step isn’t necessary.) 16. Use Edit>Fade Extract to add the final touches to the image. While using the Extract tool is a bit more complex than using the lasso or eraser tools, it’s also much more functional. Practice makes perfect, so practice away! Liquify Liquify is a fun tool for making a mess of things. Beyond that, its useful- ness lies in the ability to create awesome borders and special effects. Use this filter to turn any piece of artwork into a gooey, liquid-looking mess of colors, or use the colors as an edge for a rectangular design. To experiment with the Liquify filter, open the file Trunk.jpg from the Chapter 20 folder on the companion CD (it’s very colorful and perfect for this project), choose Filter>Liquify, and follow along here: 1. In the Liquify dialog box, as shown in Figure 20-8, choose the Tw irl Clockwise tool. You can select it from the left side of the Liquify dialog box or by pressing R on the keyboard. 2. Choose a brush size in the Liquify dialog box that is approximately the size of one of the squares on the trunk. Position the mouse over a rectangular part of the trunk where red meets gold. Click and hold to apply the twirl effect. Use the curser, now a circle, to create the effect. Chapter 20 / Special Effects 373 3. Select the Twirl Counterclockwise tool and repeat step 2. 4. Select the Pucker tool and repeat again. You’ll have to drag this tool to get the desired effect. 5. Work your way through the rest of the tools. 6. Click Reconstruct to revert the image to its original, or click OK to accept the changes. See Figure 20-9. 374 Part IV / More Tools Figure 20-8: The Liquify dialog box As with other tools and dialog boxes, the Liquify dialog box offers the Hand tool and Zoom tool for panning the image and zooming in and out. There are other options though, and you’ll want to experiment with them. You can also choose show only the active layer in the dialog box by deselecting Show Backdrop. However, only the active layer is actually distorted. Experiment with this tool to create borders and edges for photos that you need to blend into shirts and other items. With practice, you can make the object look like it’s moving as well. After applying a filter, try Edit>Fade to see the effects that can be created after the transition. Use your imagination! The Fade Command The Fade command appears in the Edit menu after a filter has been applied and allows you to change the blending options for that filter. The Fade command also appears after using a painting tool or an eraser or after making a color adjustment. The Fade dialog box has two options: one to change the opacity and another to change the blending mode. Chapter 20 / Special Effects 375 Figure 20-9: Using the Liquify tool [...]... palette n The Freeform Pen tool lets you draw freehand Place a check in the Magnetic box to have the tool snap to the high-contrast areas of the image n When using the Freeform Pen tool with Magnetic checked, you can set options for width, contrast, frequency, and pen pressure Freeform Pen and Magnetic Option Make sure you experiment briefly with the Freeform Pen and the Magnetic option before leaving this... is just the trick for applying a light gradient for color or effect 384 Part IV / More Tools Tips for Good Special Effects Finally, when creating special effects, keep the following things in mind: n Don’t overdo it Many special effects can be used with minimal settings n The artistic Dry Brush filter reduces the colors in the image and softens the edges at the same time This makes screening the image... distributes foreground pixels throughout the layer or selected area and often gives a textured look to the image n Darken: This mode changes pixels that are lighter than the foreground color Pixels that are the same color or darker aren’t changed n Multiply: Like the Darken mode, the Multiply mode darkens the image This is good for creating shadows, as it combines the existing pixels with the foreground... blends of multiple colors and can be radial, linear, angle, reflected, or diamond shaped Gradients can be used as backgrounds for all kinds of artwork, including artwork for T-shirts, bags, or even business cards Tip: If you look around your neighborhood at the signs created for businesses, you’ll see many gradients In particular, look at tanning salon signs, beauty parlors, and billboards 382 Part... and softens the edges at the same time This makes screening the image easier and allows for mistakes with alignment of the screens n Using filters can be memory intensive When experimenting, consider applying the filter to only a part of the image if the computer seems to respond too slowly n Use the Purge command before applying filters to free up memory space n To quickly apply a particular filter again,... Stylize>Wind to make an object look like it’s moving n When working with gradients, check Dither for smoother transitions n Special effects can be applied to create edges and borders for rectangular images that will be printed on T-shirts and other material n Use filters and gradients to create backgrounds for an image n Learn about masks Using masks to create selection areas helps you gain control over... apply gradients Each of these Photoshop elements can be used to create special effects, cover up flaws in an image, or create artistic-looking images Chapter 21 Pens, Paths, and Masks Paths are shapes that you create, and they can be open or closed Paths are created using the pen tools There are two pen tools available: the Pen tool and the Freeform Pen tool The Freeform Pen tool can be converted... changes The changes can also be discarded Layer masks are created using the painting and selection tools 385 386 Part IV / More Tools Using the Pen Tools The pen tools (Pen and Freeform Pen) can be used in two ways: for drawing or for selecting The pen tools are used to draw straight or curved lines called paths The pen tools can also be used to create elaborate selections by tracing around an object’s interior... that you create by drawing with one of the pen tools Paths can be open or closed; closed means they meet at the beginning and the end to form a closed and complete shape, such as a circle, while open means they do not meet but form distinct shapes, such as an S In order for a path to be printed, it must be filled or stroked If the path is not, it is simply a vector object that does not contain any bitmap... opacity and mode n Pen icon: Selects the Pen tool n Freeform Pen icon: Selects the Freeform Pen tool The remaining options bar icons change depending on what has been selected above Choices can include adding to or subtracting from a selection, blending mode, color, opacity, style, and more Drawing a Path Paths are one of the more complicated areas of Photoshop, so this tutorial in drawing paths is pretty . a logo for a church, while Mosaic Tiles might work for a handyman. Video The Video filter options let you deinterlace and apply NTSC colors. Video filters are used for creating artwork for video. Figure 20-5 shows before and after pictures of the OrangesII.jpg file. The filter applied is Filter>Stylize>Glowing Edges. I use this filter quite a bit for creating images for printing on. used as back - grounds for all kinds of artwork, including artwork for T-shirts, bags, or even business cards. ] Tip: If you look around your neighborhood at the signs created for businesses, you’ll