Photoshop Creative No. 155

We will be mixing it up this issue, as our lead feature is all about blend modes. One of Photoshop’s secret weapons, blend modes can transform images, whether you’re looking for subtle or striking blends. Delve into our multi-layered (sorry) blend modes feature (p14) and find new ways to use them, across all types of artwork. We also have our usual plethora of tutorials; these include showing how to use filters to create stunning landscape vistas (p28), how to mix up text and photos for a striking movie poster (p38), as well as how to utilise the full potential of the Pen Tool in one of our advanced tutorial (p58). In addition, you’ll find our fun Elements tutorials, in-depth interviews, readers’ challenge and galleries in their usual places. We hope…

Text Highlighter Make your text pop out with help from Text Highlighter Pro Make waves Get a great pack of displacement waves to enrich your artworks Tutorial files The assets and start photos you need to follow our tutorials On the FileSilo this issue… • Text Highlighter Pro, worth $7 • 10 Grunge paint overlays worth $5 • 50 Abstract art textures worth $20 • Displacement waves worth $5 • 350 Paint splatter textures • Plus 500 pen/pencil brushes • A total of 1,003 resources worth $37 FileSilo The home of great downloads – exclusive to your favourite magazines from Future Publishing Secure and safe online access, from anywhere Free access for every reader, print and digital Download only the files you want, when you want All your gifts, from…

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. Jenny Yu jennyyu.squarespace.com/ Starting with a very quick sketch, I selected shapes with the Lasso Tool and filled in some rough blocks of colour and lighting. Then I painted the details, using Colour Dodge to highlight the lighting. NicoSantos www.artstation.com/artist/ nicolassantos I created the 3D render, then used Photoshop to create the UV textures for the character and other elements of the scene. I use Photoshop for post-production, for better control and blending in the background to give more depth. Novans Morello www.behance.net/ Novanshocker This work…

Manon Moreau www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/manon.M Image of the issue I decided to create a strong contrast between a night environment and artificial light. I used a chart of complementary (blue and yellow) colours to accentuate the contrast between the light and the night. Everything has been done using brushes. Julie Powell www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/Julie%20 Powell This image was taken in a studio on a black background. I used the Quick Selection Tool to create a layer mask and then Refine Mask to get the fine details. I used several adjustment layers for mood. Mehdi Mostefaï www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/ mmmprod The most difficult thing was to add, blend and lighten the numerous objects in the scene. There are more than 20. I then worked hard on the cinematic grading, as I’m always doing. Mario Unger www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/mariounger There…

We challenged you with these In Issue 153, 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 Corine Spring Camera In The Grass The focus for this came from the supplied image of the camera. The grass image is used at the bottom of the picture, with blend modes and masks used to tie the image together as a whole. 2 Neil Kelly Dog Lost At Sea I used Curves, Colour Balance, fill layers, Levels and Brightness/Contrast in Photoshop. I also used the Warp Tool to put the marble on the case. 3 Lucy Wright Grass Camera The…

LIGHTEN MODES The Screen and Lighten modes add pixels to your work while ignoring the darker pixels. They’re great for objects like clouds. COLOUR MODES The Colour modes – the ones beneath the water – are good for applying different shades across images. DARKEN MODES Use Darken and Multiply to add the pixels of one layer to the pixels of the layers below; in this case, the divers. CONTRAST MODES The Contrast modes – Overlay, Soft Light etc – are good for blending light and shade in ambitious compositions. Blend modes are perhaps the most underrated feature Photoshop offers. They save you time, transform your work in subtle or dramatic ways, and they provide shortcuts to help you blend your work perfectly. They’re central to everything we do in Photoshop:…