4
LOTS OF DOTS
Once this is done, we will convert these layers into one
smart object. Whilst holding the shift key, select the
appropriate layers, right-click and select ‘convert to smart
object’, as before. We are doing this so that we can add filters
to it, head over to the filter tab in the top bar, and select ‘filter
gallery’ from the drop-down menu [Image B].
>> Use the ‘halftone pattern’ filter in the sketch menu of the
filter gallery. Play around with the size slider until you are happy
with the size of the dots. Then slide the contrast all the way to 0
and make sure the pattern type is ‘dots’.
>> Now, hit OK and then go back into the filter menu, sharpen,
then smart sharpen. This will open up a pop-out window. In this,
turn the amount up to between 200 and 500 percent, move the
radius up to an amount you are comfortable with (we chose
2.3px), and turn the noise down to zero. There are more shadow
and highlight settings you can tweak until the image is right for
you. At this stage, it should look like a vintage dotted pop art
image, but in black and white. Once you are happy with it, hit OK.5
LEVELS UPON LEVELS
The next tweak we need to do to our artwork is altering the
levels. With your main layer selected, click the adjustment
layer icon (the half and half-circle icon at the bottom of the right
tool panel) and click ‘levels’. This should open up the level’s
adjustment panel.
>> Here, there should be a graph with three figures underneath,
the figure on the far right alters the input white level and this is
the one we will be adjusting to brighten the image. Change this
from anywhere between 100 and 200 depending on your image to
brighten it a little and create more contrast.
>> After this, we will be clicking on the subject layer once again
and changing the blend mode to linear burn. We will then be
adding a blank layer below the subject layer by holding ‘CTRL’
and clicking on the new layer icon, near the adjustment layer icon
we mentioned earlier. We can change this layer name to ‘color’.
>> For a clo se representation of the original image, try to
choose similar colors from that shot. Our background was
originally blue, so we picked a similar bold blueberry color for
more of that ‘pop art’ effect. Go to the color palette, click on the
foreground color, and once you have found the one you like, hit
OK [Image C]. Then press the ‘ALT + Delete’ keys together to add
the color to the image.C6
GET OUT THE PAINTBRUSH
Now make sure the level’s adjustment layer is
affecting the subject, not the background. To do
this, select the levels layer, and click the clip layer icon
above the layer panel (it’s a box with an arrow coming
from the left side of it). Hitting this will clip it to the one
layer below it. Or, use the ‘CTRL + ALT + G’ shortcut.
>> Finally, start painting your image. Choose colors
that contrast well to use throughout the image. Using
the brush tool with a hardness of around 25 percent,
choose a color to represent the skin and paint over your
image on the color layer, then paint the hair and clothes.
Refer back to the original image to highlight the main
details of the subject. Don’t worry about neatness, pop
art is supposed to be a bit rough around the edges. It’s
experimental, fun, and an integral part of modern art.
>> Hopefully, you should have a similar piece of art to
our example shown above [Image D]. It’s a great method
to create some powerful and quirky images to add to all
sorts of elements in your work. Keep going back through
this tutorial and practice with different kinds of imagery
to get the best results.DEfficiency in Photoshop, or any other productivity program
for that matter, is crucial. We know how easy it is to lose
hours on end when you are trying to perfect your designs,
so any method that can reduce this is a bonus. Speeding
up your work is not only great for time management, but
it can also help you commercially if you are taking your
design work to the next level.
One way of doing this is through the use of keyboard
shortcuts. While they take some time to get used to,
with practice, they soon become second nature. Adobe’s
website ( http://www.adobe.com) lists all the default shortcuts
available. These shortcuts can vary between different
applications, but you can also alter them to suit your
needs. The site is regularly updated to keep you in touch
with the latest software updates. Using these and getting
to grips with them should hopefully give you a helping
hand with the speed at which you can create your artwork.SHORTCUTS
FEB 2022 MAXIMU MPC 61