A_P_TPC_Vol11_2015_

20 PROFESSIONAL TIPS FOR PHOTOBASHING

18. MASTER
    ADJUSTMENT LAYERS
    19. COMPLETE YOUR PIECE

Thanks to their non-destructive application, many of our

artists cite the adjustment layers in Photoshop as

essential for photobash work, used to blend

photography and digital painting into one final image. “It’s

tricky to narrow it down to just one tool in Photoshop

that I would consider my key tool for photobashing, but I

feel that the adjustment layer options comes pretty

close,” says Travis Wright. “A good artist can use almost

any photo in a photobash by using the adjustment layers

to change the lighting on certain elements, add shadows

or match the colours to the surrounding environment.

This is where having a decent grasp of basic art

fundamentals comes into play a lot with photobashing.

You still need to consider your light sources and overall

colour mood that you want to capture with the image.

Adjustment layers are an invaluable tool for bringing a

piece together from what may originally seem like a

bunch of unrelated photos.”

Martin Nebelong (www.martinity.com) talks us

through the final stages of his photobash work:

“When I’m nearing the end of a photobash, I often

review the piece on my mobile using Pixl Preview. It

mirrors what you’re seeing in Photoshop. Seeing

your painting in small size, and on a different screen,

can often give you a clue about whether or not the

values of your painting are working. The most

successful photobashes can be read, even at

thumbnail size.

“I also often make a new layer and merge all

layers into it (Cmd/Ctrl+Alt/Opt+Shift+E). Then, I run

the image through the Filter>Camera Raw Filter,

which lets you tweak all different sorts of parameters

that will help your finished painting look more

consistent... If I need to draw extra attention to a

certain part of the image, I use the Blur Gallery to give

a depth-of-field effect. Sometimes I apply a very slight

amount of noise to the image, which can also help

bring the elements together.”

© Travis Wright 2015 © Martin Nebelong

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20. RELIGHT SCENE ELEMENTS
    FAST WITH QUICK MASK

© Tony Andreas Rudolph

Have an idea:[decide] what kind of concept or ď‚&IRSTďYOUďNEEDďTOď

IMAGEďYOUďWANTďTOďCREATEď-AKEďAď$ďsketch or black-and-white sketch to

FIGUREďOUTďPERSPECTIVEďLIGHTďdirection and the elements you want

to have in your final image”

Look for photos: “Look for images

THATďMATCHďYOURďSKETCHESďORďIDEASď$ON…TďBEďTOOďPICKYď2ANDOMNESSď

can sometimes be helpful to add ideas to your image”

Transform images: “Transform the

images by clicking Cmd/Ctrl+T and hold the Cmd button for the Free

4RANSFORMďTOOLď$ON…TďSTRETCHďTHEďimage too heavily [so you] don’t

destroy your source image”

Blend images together:

“Integrate the images with colour-grading techniques by

using the Color Match tool or #URVESď-AKEďSUREďTHATďYOUďDON…Tď

lose the material’s effects in your colour-grading process”

Apply masks:with masks when you “Work

start adding your images to your

CONCEPTď$ON…TďUSEďTHEďEraser tool to delete

THEďSTUFFďYOUďDON…TďLIKEďThis helps [if you want

to] reuse your photos”

Overpaint the photos: “Start

painting your photobashed ELEMENTSďTOďCUSTOMISEďTHEMď

fixing parts and integrating THEMďINTOďYOURďCONCEPTď*USTď

sticking images together doesn’t make a cool result”