> PHOTOSHOP USER>^ OCTOBER 2020[ 50 ]
- COLOR GRADING LAYERS FOR BETTER COMPOSITING
Here’s a little compositing trick I often use to increase contrast and
add some color grading to subjects to help them blend better with
their new background. Make a duplicate of the subject layer (Com-
mand-J [PC: Ctrl-J]), then remove the color by pressing Shift-
Command-U (PC: Shift-Ctrl-U). Now change the layer blend mode
to Multiply near the top left of the Layers panel. If it seems too dark,
just lower the layer Opacity. Finally, go to Layer>New Adjustment
Layer>Hue/Saturation. In the New Layer dialog that appears, turn on
Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask so the adjustment layer
will only affect the duplicate layer. Click OK. Set it to Colorize in the
Properties panel (Window>Properties) and adjust the Hue until the
subject matches the temperature of the overall image. - CREATE EDGE LIGHTING IN SECONDS
Another compositing technique to improve a subject’s blend into a
scene is to add edge lighting. Here’s a quick trick using layer styles:
First, the subject needs to be extracted from its original background
and placed on its own layer, so go under the Select menu and choose
Subject. Then go to Select>Select and Mask to refine the selection,
as needed, and click OK. Press Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to copy
the selected subject to a new layer. Use the Move tool (V) to drag
the extracted subject into your composite image, and then go to
Layer>Layer Style>Inner Shadow to open the Layer Style dialog. The
Blend Mode and color will depend on your image, but I always start
with Overlay. Click on the color swatch to open the Color Picker, and
select a color that matches the light source in the composite. Next,
adjust the Opacity, Distance, and Size depending on how much edge
lighting you want. Click OK. Remember, this is a layer style so you
can adjust it at any time. - EXPORTING 3D OBJECTS FOR USE
IN ADOBE DIMENSION
Even though I use Adobe Dimension a lot more these days for heavy
3D stuff, I still rely on Photoshop to create custom 3D objects as
needed. To get an object from Photoshop to Dimension, you need to
select the 3D layer in the Layers panel, go under the 3D menu, and
select Export 3D Layer. For the 3D File Format, choose Wavefront|OBJ
and click OK. Then name the file, navigate to where you want to save it,
and click Save. Now you can just import the .obj file into Dimension.- USE CC LIBRARIES TO IMPROVE YOUR WORKFLOW
As I mentioned in the previous tip, I’m always bouncing back and forth
between Photoshop and Dimension: I create textures and masks in
Photoshop that need to be imported into Dimension. To make it easier
to access images in other Adobe applications, create a new library
in the Libraries panel (Window>Libraries) to act as a conduit between
the apps. Just click on the drop-down menu near the top of the Librar-
ies panel and select Create New Library. Give your library a name,
and click Create. (In this case, I created a library called 3D Portal.) In
Photoshop, simply drag the images into the library in the Libraries
panel, jump to another Adobe CC app, and the images will be waiting
for you in that same Libraries folder. This saves lots of time, plus the
files remain there until you manually remove them. - HOW TO MAKE GRADIENT SELECTIONS
You may have noticed that there’s no gradient selection tool in Photo-
shop, but there is a quick way to create a gradient selection. Select the
Gradient tool (G); click on the Gradient preview thumbnail in the Options
Bar; select the Black, White preset; and click OK to close the Gradient
Editor. Press Q to activate Quick Mask mode, then draw a gradient on
the canvas. Instead of a black-to-white gradient, you’ll see a red overlay
that indicates the area that’s selected. Simply press Q once more
to exit Quick Mask, and now you have a gradient selection. It may
look like a regular selection, but the edge is feathered based on
the gradient you created. (Bonus tip: You can change whether the
red overlay indicates selected
areas or non-selected areas
by double-clicking the Quick
Mask icon near the bottom
of the Toolbar to access the
Quick Mask Options.)