11
MAKE A COLOUR OVERLAY LAYER
Create a new layer, name it ‘Colour Overlay’,
and change the blend mode to Color. Open the colour
window and choose hex# 9daa88. Select a 500px soft
brush and paint the greens accordingly. Select
another darker green and paint over the shadows.
Choose hex# 7b92b5 for the background, and #bef5ff
for the waterfalls and atmospheric haze near the
horizon line. Again, select from various brushes and
alter their settings so you get a precise overlay.12
ADJUST HUE AND SATURATION
Create a new Hue/Saturation adjustment
layer and set Hue at -15, Saturation at +41, and
Lightness at +5. Right-click the layer name and
create a clipping mask. Get in the habit of always
using adjustment layers to edit colour or brightness,
as they can always be tweaked or masked later on.
Now, create a Color Balance adjustment layer and
edit the Shadow, Midtone, and Highlight levels to
your liking. For this particular piece, Midtones were
set at (+8, -7, +2), Highlights at (-11, -12, -1), and
Shadows at (0, 0, +13).09
ADD SOME LITTLE ROCKS
Use the Lasso tool and scatter several various jagged-edged small rock shapes around the canvas,
emphasising cliff edges and the foot of mountains. Choose a Soft Round brush and fill in with grey (#222). Tap
V for the Move tool, hold down the Alt/Opt key, and drag a duplicate layer. The layer right under the current
one in the layer window will be used as our shadow layer. Go to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur, angle the layer
proportionate to your light source, and lower the distance to about 30 pixels.10
FINALISE GREYSCALE
Before heading into colouring, ensure that
values, contrast, and details are sufficient. Use the
Rock small brush at 100% Opacity, 60-80px. In the
brush window (F5), keep Shape Dynamics and
Transfer set to about 10% minimum pen pressure. In
brush mode, hold the Alt/Opt key to sample your
greys and vigorously detail the landscape, adding
grass textures and rock highlights in the distant
mountains. The Kekai brush can be used for small
bushes or flowers. Alternate your brushes frequently
and don’t stick with just one painting technique.Digital painting
108 The Professional Photoshop Book
104-109 Colour Control.indd 108 06/10/2015 15:37