Photoshop Creative No. 148

Filters tend to have a bad reputation among digital artists, as admittedly Photoshop boasts far more complex features. However, you might be surprised to learn that many of the most impressive-looking pieces of digital art have used filters in one way or another. This issue’s opening feature looks at the ways filters can be used for creative effects, whether it’s to make final enhancements or totally transform an image. Turn to p18 and discover their full potential. If you’d rather learn how to get even more from layers and masks, there is plenty in the way of step-by-step tutorials inside. Create fantasy effects, add drama to compositions, retouch portrait shots and much more. There is also an advanced guide on using Photoshop with third-party programs, as more and more of…

Textures From leaf textures to grunge and watercolour textures Patterns Use the rose patterns as backgrounds and a whole lot more Tutorial files The assets and start photos you need to follow our tutorials On the FileSilo this issue… • 500 brushes by Future Publishing • 83 actions by ArtPlanet and SparkleStock worth $15 • 75 textures by Hugh Adams, Vecster and Vetre Antanaviciute worth $41 • 70 patterns by Ekaart worth $13 • 17 templates by SparkleStock worth $15 • 14 mockups by Go Media worth $74 • 7 backgrounds by NKate worth $9 • 5 plug-ins by Airnauts, Dominik Levitsky, GrutBrushes, Made by Vadim and Pixnub worth $5 • A font by Emanuele Papale • Plus all the files to follow the tutorials! FileSil Log in to www.filesilo.co.uk/photoshopcreative…

There’s nothing more inspiring than surfing the internet and seeing what other artists are creating, and we encourage you to do so. Here are some of our favourite pictures that caught our attention recently, from some of the world’s most exciting artists and designers. Kostis Keritis www.behance.net/ kostiskeritis This is just one piece of a larger collection called ‘Artifice Phase Two: Luminescent’. A group of artists all contributed a piece to this project, and this one in particular was created in Photoshop, using brushes, adjustments and colour control prominently. Manuel Peter www.manuel-peter.com The image was created with the open source software Blender. After rendering I brought it into Photoshop to add some dust layers and noise. Furthermore, I worked with colour curves to tweak the contrast and overall colour balance.…

Anthony Mwangi www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/Antodezigns Image of the issue I used a drawing of a woman as a base for this work. I used fish references to draw a few fish, duplicated several layers, and used Puppet Warp to copy them across. I used the Oil Paint filter for a wet feel. Emad Helail www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/emad%20helail This image was composited with leaf stock photos, and colour correction was used to blend the image together. The finishing touches were made to the image with the help of filters. David Zuker www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/davidzuker I created this image with Photoshop and Google’s Nik software; 95% is made with collage and photomanipulation techniques, with 5% of the work being digital airbrushing. Anders Wik www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/WikMedia With a copy of the original image, I used tools like Clone Stamp and…

We challenged you with these In Issue 146, we challenged you to get creative with these four images. You were allowed to use any or all of the pictures, and whatever other resources you chose. Here’s what you created. Challenge entries The best entries and overall challenge winner 1 Trevor Budd The Power of a Lion’s Stare To create this abstract image, I mainly used blend modes, colour manipulation, multiple layers, scale and warp tools. Just the four images supplied for the challenge were used to make this artwork. 2 Corine Spring Pink Lion This image was created with all four of the pictures. Adjustment layers were used for both blending the lion and the image as a whole. 3 Joshua Mason The Lion Painting This purple lion painting was…

ABOUT THE STUDIO DriveCreativeStudio www.drivecreativestudio.co.uk @DriveStudio Drive Creative Studio is an award-winning design studio based in Exeter, amidst rolling hills and countryside air. Drive’s multi-disciplinary experience in creative design means its team has the perfect blend of services, considering all media options to best build and connect with audiences. In the summer of 2013, a special creative collaboration ignited between three driven individuals. Working out of their kitchens initially, this small home-run operation quickly turned into something much bigger. Now called Drive Creative Studio (or Drive for short), they wasted no time finding a dedicated premise to call home. Surrounded by peaceful Devonshire countryside in southern England, with its very own office dog called Jasper, Drive has already cemented itself as an award-winning studio, most notably for the recent website-design…