12
DARKEN AREAS
To balance the image of the zipper with
the original picture, we need to slightly obscure
the bottom. To do that, press Q to make a Quick
Mask, and, using a blurred brush, paint the parts
that we want to make darker. When you are
satisfied, press Q to turn it into a selection, then
press Cmd/Ctrl+I to invert the selection, and
Cmd/Ctrl+L to adjust the Levels.11
ADD THE SHADOWS
Add the zipper shadow, (using the zipper_
shadow.jpg image on FileSilo) under the zipper. Set
to the Multiply blend mode, it will remove the white,
so that only shadows remain. Now we have the base
of the zipper ready for work in detail. It is always
necessary to scale, rotate and adjust to match the
shadows. We recommend that you separate the two
shadows in the file, to work on them separately.13
GENERAL ADJUSTMENTS
The colour and contrast on the zipper are
fine, but when added to the scene, halftones are
very dark in the higher area. To adjust, go to the
zipper layer, press Cmd/Ctrl+L, and adjust the
sliders to clarify and adjust the contrast. There are
other ways to adjust it depending on the way you
work. Another option would be to use Curves
(Cmd/Ctrl+M), adjusting the middle of the Curve
so the contrast changes.10
ADD THE ZIPPER IMAGE
Add the zipper image to the composition
(zipper.png on FileSilo) and rotate or scale to
locate it in the right place. Once located, press
Enter to confirm and convert to a Smart Object
automatically. You can rasterize the layer, because
it remains unchanged, or leave as a Smart Object.09
ORGANISE AND GROUP LAYERS
Keeping order is very important during the work process, and more so in Photoshop. At this point
we need to arrange the composition. It works best to group layers, and give them names and colours to
identify them easily later on. Since Photoshop CS6, a search engine for layers has been provided. Therefore, it
is very important that they have a name and the colour to identify them quickly. You never know when you will
want to make adjustments or need to modify some of the work you have done or if another person will need
to use your file. By having the whole process completely organised and in order, you’ll save a lot of time.ADD THE ZIPPER
USE THE RENDERED IMAGES, OR ADD THE .OBJ DIRECTLY IN PHOTOSHOP001 COLOUR As you can see, the colours are very CODING
useful to quickly identify the material inthe composition(^002) Creating groups is a good way to keep GROUP EVERYTHING
layers (preventing you from dropping them into a single layer)
(^003) It is important to organise the software ORGANISE YOUR SCREEN
labels too. Avoid having too many tools open, and check the entire piece regularly.
001
003
You never know when
you will want to make
adjustments or need to
modify some of the work
you have done
002