Innholdsfortegnelse for No.139 i Advanced Photoshop

COVER IMAGE AHMAD N TURKI http://tinyurl.com/pjtpfs4 For quicker, easier 3D post-production in Photoshop you can’t beat render passes, and Ahmad N Turki demonstrates how he used them to create our beautiful cover image in our feature on p26. Post-production is one of the most interesting industries that a Photoshop artist can go into. Despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that it can entail a daily grind of colour grading, masking and High Pass filters, it’s one of the best industries for honing your skills. Scratch most creative Photoshop artists and beneath their fabulous personal work you’ll find the solid foundation of the post-production workflow they use in their day jobs. Happily you can achieve the same level of finish, and learn the skills you need to compete in the…

Wacom is not only producing technology that increases the workflow of artists, but it is continuously encouraging artists to create more. The company maintains a variety of blogs on the Wacom InfoChannel. By visiting the Wacom InfoChannel you can learn more about campaigns such as Create More, read interviews featuring talented artists, discover various contests, find tutorials on how to create innovative art, and learn about trending themes. Wacom’s vision to bring people and technology closer to together through the means of inspiration has proven to be on target. Sharing exciting updates and information through its campaigns and the Wacom InfoChannel, the company has proven to be dedicated to helping artists evolve. Wacom hopes to encourage artists to share their work by challenging artists to express their creativity connecting their…

It takes a highly skilled artist to breathe life into characters and Charlie Bowater has accomplished a mastery in doing so. Being skilled in conception, composition, rendering, lighting, and more make Charlie a pro in the art world. Born in the UK, she is a now a senior concept artist at Atomhawk Design. She has played a vital role on projects such as Pottermore, Project Spark and Dead Island: Riptide. Charlie, along with Atomhawk bring forth inspirational concepts such as: characters, environments, props, vehicles and more. YOU ARE A BRILLIANT ARTIST. WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER YOUR TALENT IN ILLUSTRATION AND WHAT DID YOU STUDY TO HONE YOUR SKILLS? Thank you so much! I’ve always been interested in art, ever since I could hold a pencil as a child. I don’t…

ABOUT THE STUDIO POKEDSTUDIO www.pokedstudio.com @pokestuff pokedstudio is an illustration, design and animation studio based in Cardiff, UK. It was founded by illustrator Jonathan Ball, who has built a reputation for wacky and non-conformist character designs, intricate worlds and edgy video graphics. “[Our style] is primarily what people come to us for. They have seen pokedstudio’s work somewhere and want something similar for their project. I’m happy to oblige” Vibrant colours and quirky characters are all in a day’s work for pokedstudio, whose illustrations stand out a mile from their peers and who aren’t afraid to have fun with their designs. The international illustration, design and animation studio, based in Cardiff, was founded by illustrator Jonathan Ball who already had a solid reputation for his character designs and the intricate…

OUR EXPERT RICARDO THOMAZ www.behance.net/rthomazz Ricardo Thomaz is a retouching artist from Brazil. He specialises in portrait work and advertising images and works as a finaliser, finishing images to a high degree using his specialised post-production techniques in Photoshop. Tools like the Spot Healing brush, Clone Stamp tool and Patch tool are fundamental for retouching and removing noise and dirt. Use these tools when cleaning up the image, before applying other adjustments. Even if you’re working with a JPEG rather than a RAW file, the Camera Raw Filter is a very welcome addition to Photoshop’s post-production workflow. You can make adjustments using this filter, creating multiple layers of separate settings; the result will be completely editable. Refine Edge is a fantastic solution for cutting out hair. There are several ways…

Render passes, or render elements, are the raw elements generated by the rendering engine that are composited together for you into the final output render. Some of these elements are Lighting, Shadows, Reflections, Specular and Global Illumination just to mention a few. We can extract and customise these elements and put everything together ourselves in most post-production software that supports the compositing of layers. Going about it this way will give us much greater control over the look of the final result, as render passes can be used to select and mask colours and elements across multiple layers, allowing us to make granular adjustments.…

01. LEARN THE DIFFERENCE: VECTOR VS RASTER It’s important to note the difference between raster and vector artwork. Raster images are made of pixels, which are tiny squares that sit together to form an image. These are resolution-dependent and if you enlarge a raster image, you will start to pixelate the image. Vectors are geometric shapes that are created by mathematical lines and curves, and they are not resolution-dependent, meaning that you can enlarge them as much as you like without losing quality or form. Photoshop is raster-based, but it can handle vectors. Especially in the most recent versions, it has its own vector tools to create shapes and type, which can easily be filled with colours or patterns directly from the toolbar and using the Live Shape Properties in…

WHY DO YOU FIND USING THE COMPANION SO MUCH EASIER THAN OTHER TABLETS, REBEKKA? The Companion makes the drawing process much easier because I can directly look at where my hand is when I’m drawing. It’s also great for sketching on the go. WHY WOULD YOU FAVOUR THE COMPANION OVER BIGGER CINTIQ MODELS? The portability is a major plus. Artists shouldn’t be put off by its small size; it still offers the same functionality as the bigger, stationery models. You can’t curl up on the sofa and draw with a 27QHD! HOW USER-FRIENDLY ARE THE HOTKEYS ON SIDE OF THE TABLET? They’re not as sensitive as the ExpressKey Remote; it’s good to know I can use these convenient hotkeys, and rebind them as and when I need to, without accidentally…

By day he’s an art director, but Brazilian artist Rodrigo Marinelli doesn’t take any downtime from improving his artwork, challenging himself to make at least one highly polished personal piece every month. We caught up with him to find out more. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE? I always try to create images that challenge me and generate curiosity. I like to merge fantasy with reality, always paying attention to the details. I have a vibrant style, that’s why I take care in the choice of colours and pictures to make the perfect composition. I always liked a glossy style. In my compositions I like to use many pictures, and I always like to explore the lights and shadows as much as I can. I think these details are what…

To access FileSilo, please visit www.filesilo.co.uk/advancedphotoshop 01 Follow the instructions on-screen to create an account with our secure FileSilo system, then log in and unlock the issue by answering a simple question about the magazine. You can access plenty of content for free with the issue. 02 If you’re a print subscriber, you can easily unlock all the content by entering your unique Web ID. Your Web ID is the eight-digit alphanumeric code printed above your address details on the mailing labels of your subscription copies. It can also be found on your renewal letters. 03 You can access FileSilo on any desktop, tablet or smartphone device using any popular browser (such as Safari, Firefox or Google Chrome). However, we recommend that you use a desktop to download content, as…

ADAM VARGA www.vargaa.com Adding a figure to a landscape can enhance the story and draw the viewer’s attention towards a focal point. Remember, scale is not as important as harmony when it comes to depicting a figure. In this particular piece, the mood is eerie and somewhat ominous already, so placing a masked man wielding a weapon adds to the creepy factor. • Discover more pro painting techniques from Adam Varga as he walks us through one of his images on p54 MICHAEL HERB www.michaelherbphoto.com Matching tones of multiple elements can be one of the most difficult aspects of composites. Getting everything to blend doesn’t have to be a headache! Import every element of a composite as a RAW Smart Object and use the powerful Camera RAW dialog to balance…

• LET LOOSE I’m a detail driven individual a lot of the time when it comes to art and sometimes it’s to my detriment. I find it really liberating to paint something now and then, which is really loose and suggestive. It’s refreshing to just forget about those details and paint what you feel. • TAKE BREAKS Remember to take breaks! Not just quick breaks whilst you’re working, but a longer one once you think you’ve finished a painting. Come back to a painting the next day and you’ll be looking through entirely new eyes, it probably won’t be as finished as you thought it was. • CLIPPING MASKS I’ve only started using clipping masks over the past year or so, but they are such a time saver. If you’re…

RICARDO THOMAZ WWW.BEHANCE.NET/RTHOMAZZ Ricardo Thomaz is a retouching artist from Brazil. He specializes in portrait work and advertising images, and works as a finaliser, finishing images to a high degree using his specialised post-production techniques in Photoshop. AHMAD TURKI AHMADTURKI182.WIX.COM/AHMADTURKI A self-taught 3D artist with six years’ experience in the industry, Ahmad Turki has won five excellence awards from 3D Total and has been featured in 3D Worldmagazine,3D Artistmagazine, 3D Creativemagazine andINCG Showcasemagazine. FAHRAN YOUNAS WWW.ARQUI9.COM Fahran Younas is lead artist at Arqui9, a high-end studio specialising in architectural visualisation KHALED ALKAYED WWW.KHALED-ALKAYED.COM Khaled Alkayed is a Jordanian artist working as a 3D artist at Team Y&R, where he’s developed his 3D skills in the advertising industry.…

Even with a full studio setup portraits will still often need post-production. Retouching techniques can be used to even out skin tone and correct minor imperfections, smooth down hair and enhance eyes. Camera Raw makes a great starting point as it gives you full tonal control over the image. The Brush and Mixer brush tools as well as the Spot Healing brush, Clone Stamp and Patch tool are all used to clean up imperfections, and each has its own advantages Dodging and burning is a classic technique first used in traditional darkrooms, and it still forms a key part of the portrait post-production process in Photoshop today. Finally, Color Lookup filters and adjustment layers allow for precise colour control. The image used here is available to purchase from www.shutterstock.com (135988079),…

OUR EXPERT FAHRAN YOUNAS www.arqui9.com Fahran Younas is lead artist at Arqui9, a high-end studio specialising in architectural visualisation. These tips and tricks can be used to add that bit of flair and spark to your new or existing renders. A lot of people today aim for achieving the perfect render straight out of their 3D software and working up every last element in 3D. As we all know this can sometimes be quite time consuming as well as rigid. Adding details in afterwards in programs such as Photoshop can not only be quicker, but also more dynamic. As most artists, especially those new to this field always tend to strive for the best render possible, we thought it would be good to share how flexible and free it can…

OUR EXPERT NEIL DUERDEN www.neilduerden.co.uk @neilduerden A self confessed Mac monkey, exceeding briefs for blue chip clients globally. SOURCE FILES There is a glint overlay supplied for this tutorial on www.filesilo.co.uk/ advancedphotoshop. It can also be used for many other applications from car highlights through to cheesy packaging highlights if that’s the look you are after. WORK IN PROGRESS FROM BASIC TEXT TO EDIBLE LETTERING Progress 1: PREPARE THE BASE Progress 2: ADD THE DETAILS Progress 3: FINAL TOUCHES We have a tastetastic 3D tutorial for you, a way to create complex 3D typography effects without the use of separate rendering programs. It’s a simple way to get the rendered effects expected from other software without needing to learn a whole set of other programs. Usually Neil Duerden would render these…

www.wacom.com SPECIFICATIONS: • OS: Windows 8 (can be connected to either Mac or PC) From £1,200 $2,000 Portability: THE CINTIQ COMPANION 2 IS A FULLY FUNCTIONING TABLET COMPUTER AS WELL AS A HIGH-END GRAPHICS TABLET, SO YOU CAN WORK IN PROFESSIONAL RESOLUTIONS AND APPS WHILE ON THE MOVE Hotkeys: THE HOTKEYS ON THE SIDE OF THE SCREEN ARE FUNCTIONAL AND CUSTOMISABLE Touchscreen: CONTROL THE TOUCHSCREEN WITH YOUR FINGERTIPS LIKE YOU WOULD WITH ANY OTHER TABLET DEVICE OR USE THE PRO PEN FOR ACCURATE DRAWING CAPABILITIES WHEN WORKING ON YOUR ARTWORK Adjustable support: A SUPPORT THAT OFFERS THREE LEVELS OF ELEVATION FOR ULTIMATE COMFORT AND ADAPTABLE DRAWING Tablets have evolved, technology’s rapidly caught up with real media over the last couple of decades, and digital artists are getting closer and closer…

Few things are as unforgiving as ink; it stains with a vengeance and is often more trouble than it’s worth. However, like many dark, seemingly destructive objects, it has its beautiful and useful side. In this tutorial, you will learn how to use black ink to create multiple types of brushes to be used in your Photoshop arsenal. From the magic of swirling ink in water, to the simplicity of an ink splash, to the mystery of the ink blot test, these brushes are sure to be fun to both make and use. The darkness of the black ink makes it ideal for brushes, and because it’s readily available at craft stores, it can be used over and over for multiple purposes. Ink has always had power in the physical…

ABOUT THE ARTIST ZIGOR SAMANIEGO zigorsamaniego.net After a background in computer graphics, 3D, and virtual reality, Zigor Samaniego is currently an artist at games company Ludei. He also regularly works for advertising agencies around the world such as Ogilvy and Demension NAME OF PROJECT RUN RUN RUN! Zigor Samaniego started out studying IT at university, but quickly realised that he much preferred designing graphics on computers. Making the decision to quit university after discovering his passion, Samaniego completed a short course on computer graphics and worked as a video post-production assistant for free before being hired by a virtual reality company where he spent four years creating 3D designs for public real estate and construction companies. “It wasn’t the most fun job in the world,” he reveals, “but I learned…

09:00 GET STARTED Have a large coffee and pick up the projects I need to work on today. Typically there will be more than one, so I will be spending a few hours on each. If someone else is in, I will go over the day’s work, or Skype them if they are working remotely. 10:00 COMMERCIAL PROJECTS More coffee. Working on today’s main projects. Often creating some animations or an illustration. I mostly work on the commercial projects in the morning. 14:00 SOME ADMIN I often do any accounting work, sending and chasing invoices, and working out tax and wages, etc, just after lunch. I find I’m at my least creative after [I] have just eaten so it’s best to do more menial tasks then. 15:00 PERSONAL PROJECTS If…

1. SPOT HEALING BRUSH Remove blemishes while matching the colour, lighting, shading and transparency of the surrounding pixels – perfect for detailed areas of the face and hair. 2. PATCH TOOL Repair an area with pixels sampled from another area of the image, or a pattern. In Photoshop CC it has Content-Aware functionality for added accuracy. 3. DODGE AND BURN Enhance shadows and highlights. Use on a 50% Gray layer set to Overlay for a more subtle result, as Dodge and Burn can introduce odd colour artefacts sometimes. 4. RENDER PASSES Created when rendering in 3D, these different ways that the render engine represents your image can be used to make masks and selections, or duplicated to use as adjustments. 5. ADJUSTMENT LAYERS Enhance and change colour, tone and the…

OUR EXPERT AHMAD TURKI ahmadturki182.wix.com/ ahmadturki @AhmadNTurk A self-taught 3D artist with six years’ experience in the industry, Ahmad Turki has won five excellence awards from 3D Total and has been featured in3DWorldmagazine,3DArtist magazine,3DCreativemagazine and INCGShowcasemagazine. Here you will learn how to do some quick compositing with your render passes using Photoshop. Photoshop is a great program for post-production, it gives you free control over your image, it’s got lots of tools that can be used to enhance your work, and it ties your designs together with colour adjustments, letting you control the vibrancy of your elements, and adjust your levels paving the way to balanced lighting. Gradients can boost colour and merge all the elements together, In this tutorial you will learn how to arrange Colour, Ambient Occlusion, and…

Blending modes are an integral part of Photoshop and they are essential to us here at Arqui9. They enable us to experiment and overlay textures, layers and just about anything almost instantly. From screening over highlights to multiplying grunge textures, blend modes are integral to any visual artist using Photoshop. Here we’ve used them to apply reflections and rim lighting to add realism to the image. With blend modes your workflow will increase in speed and open up a door to pushing your creative limits.…

Jon-Lock (jon-lock.deviantart.com), who graduated from Cal State University, says that Jar of Greens was “inspired by childhood, nature, the axolotls, and a wonderful watercolor artist who goes by the name Koyamori.” The process was one of building up the image gradually. Jon-Lock explains: “I kept on using the Hard Round brush to make the painting more clear and refined, especially for the leaves. I wanted to make each and every plant look uniform and yet, unique at the same time. So, I explored the different shades of greens to make things more interesting. I zoomed in to make the details and then I constantly zoomed out to see how the overall painting looks. After everything is refined and finished, I adjusted some of the colours to either make certain colours…

For US-based comics and cover artist Shannon Maer, “dedicating yourself to your passions is always an arduous journey. It is both rewarding and a difficult path to follow. The time and energy I invest in my art can feel overwhelming at times, but as for the experience of it, each image is a world that I get to live in during its creation.” For this personal art piece, Mermaid’s Wish, Maer was “exploring a more natural and organic feel in my work… And what better way to explore that than by attempting to capture the ethereal essence of a mermaid? For this very reason, you will see that throughout the process, I made several changes in pursuit of this goal.” Photoshop is a fundamental part of this iterative process, although…

PRO PEN £72/$80 The Cintiq Companion 2 already comes with a Pro Pen, one of Wacom’s best drawing styluses, and the perfect option for the Companion. The pen is a comfortable weight and includes right-click buttons on the side; there are extra nibs included, and it comes in its own box too, so you won’t lose it. SMUDGEGUARD GLOVE £14/$15 Use the Wacom Smudgeguard glove while you’re resting your drawing hand on the tablet, and you won’t confuse the tablet with your hand and your stylus being on the same screen. This is a glove that suits any kind of device, though it’s probably not the most fashionable Wacom product on the market. BAMBOO STYLUS SOLO £17/$19 If you want to use the Companion as a laptop as much as…

01 DRAG YOUR IMAGES Perfect Effects has a classy-looking opening screen that provides a user-friendly way to drop your images straight onto the program. Here, you’ll be able to either edit your original artwork, or a copy, and you can change colour settings and file formats too. 02 APPLY EFFECTS Perfect Effects offers a whole host of effects from simple monochrome ones to more advanced and exciting HDR filters, and even just colourful tints to add to your photos. Layer them up as you like, and experiment with whichever ones you feel complement your picture. 03 MASK YOUR IMAGES Just as in Photoshop, much of the perfecting is in the masking with Perfect Effects. The masking options are between the left-hand presets and the preview window; they include the ability…