Start out with a fairly large size document. In this tutorial
we’re just going to fool around with a few different things and see
what we end up with. I want to show you some ‘edge’ techniques.
With the moVe tool, drag in a number of images from opened
documents that you might possibly use. You can always hide the
layers that you don’t want to see or won’t be using. Edit:
Transform: Scale them if necessary. I use Ctrl/Cmd “T” and hold the
Shift key down. Make sure that you let go of the Shift key last
(release click first) otherwise it will distort your perfect scale.
Here you see a number of potential layers that we
can work with which might end up being some kind of design (how
‘bout dat).
Let’s choose a brush from the drop down brush menu
in the options bar. Note that you must first be on the “B”rush tool
to see it’s options (almost all tools have their own settings in the
options bar when selected...at least in Photoshop 7 & CS. Previous
versions become a blur because they seem light years away. Hey look,
this parentheses just keeps going and going..) Where was I? Ok,
choose a bristly brush because we want to create a torn edge effect.
Bring up the brush hardness so you can get distinct edges.
Create a layer mask on the layer by pressing the new layer mask icon
on the bottom of the layers palette (2nd from the left). Make sure
black is your foreground color and just start masking with the brush
and you’ll notice how the edges look like the brush. Try putting on
the airbrush function (in the options bar).
Airbrush will allow you to keep holding down the
mouse to give the effect of an airbrush that keeps soaking or
spraying. The lighter you click, the less effect and if you hold the
brush in one place it’ll start to soak up like those airbrush
artists you see in your mall a decade ago. Oh yes, Photoshop has it
all. You can save your tool presets by clicking on the brush as
shown and click the new icon to create a new tool preset. Do this
after you have found the brush and the settings that you like are
adjusted. Now you can just go to your preset menu and choose the
brush.
You can also adjust the opacity and flow, turn
airbrush on or off and even have a separate blending mode set just
for each brush! Experiment around with that sometime because you’ll
get different brush effects because the blending mode is playing
with the light properties of the brush and the layers beneath it.
There are tons of great things to do with brushes.
You can create your own custom presets even import vector shapes
into the brush editing menu (look for a tutorial on that coming up). Here I’m using the brush on a layer mask to create a ripped photo
effect. Get my video training on Basic Photoshop
here
or when you order the
Discover Photoshop: Total Package.
You could also use the eraser tool but with the
layer mask you are just hiding pixels so you can always come back to
your original. It’s like a temporary and flexible eraser but much
more powerful.
Here’s a larger brush using the same technique to
hide the pixels. You can create quick and easy frames for your
photos by doing this. Try out different brushes.
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