Goal #15: Photoshop tips: Turning a picture into text

Edited from this picture.


I found this tip on the photoshop911 website. It's pretty easy to follow!

Step 1: First: Select the image you plan to use. Here, we've moved it to a new layer with white as our background in order to demonstrate the effect later. You do not necessarily need to do this.

Step 2: Set the type: Now, set the word using the type input method of your current version of Photoshop or Elements. Here we used a heavy, condensed type style to provide as much area for the image as possible. In earlier versions, this type will be rastarized as a picture object. In later versions it will be live type, and you can leave it like that if you wish.

Step 3: Select the type to make a "cookie cutter": In later versions, you can Command / Click (Ctrl/Click) the layer to SELECT the type. This displays the "racing ants" around each letter indicating that it is selected.

Step 4: Float the Image into the Selection:
a. Click the Photo layer to select it - while the selection is active
b. Float or "pick up" the image by using the Float command/J (Ctrl/J)
c. The selection will fill with a COPY of the art within the selection and generate a new layer (below)
(Note: older versions will need to use Edit > Copy, then create a new layer, and Edit > Paste)

Taken from Photoshop911

Photoshop tips - Lomography

After scouting around for people's opinions, it seems like photo #5 is the way to go! So here are the steps in creating the lomo effect as per photo #5.


Step 1: Always start by creating a new layer, just in case you need to un-do your steps.

Step 2: Use the lasso tool and create an oval selection. Your oval does not have to be perfect. Set the feather to 200 px (some tutorials recommend a lower px but i like the dynamic effect)



Step 3: Inverse the selection (Select> Inverse or Shift+Ctrl+I)

Step 4: Click on Image > Adjustments > Levels. Move the middle button to the right. I moved it pretty far right, again to create a more dynamic effect. Make sure you tick the preview button to preview the new effect.

Step 5: Lomo photographs have pretty strong and contrasting colours. I realised that the best way to create this effect is to play around with the red and green colours. Click on window > channels. And then click on red (make sure only red is highlighted). Then click on Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast. Change the contrast to approximately + 50.

Step 6: Subsequently, do the same thing for green. Click on 'green' in the 'Channels' box. Then click on Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast. Change the contrast to approximately + 50.

Step 7: Click on RGB in the channels box to reveal the new effects.

Step 8: Finally, the effect will be more apparent if the image is sharpen. But before this image can be sharpened, the image must firstly be flattened. To sharpen this image, click on Image > Mode > Lab colour. (If the image has not been flattened, photoshop will ask you whether you want to merge the layers. Click 'merge')In the 'Channels' box, click on lightness. Then, click on filter > sharpen > unsharp mask. Then click on Image > Mode > RGB colour to reveal the new effects.

Step 9 (Additional step): I don't really like following this additional step as I prefer my pictures to be more saturated but this step will create a more genuine lomo effect. Create a new layer. Fill the new layer with black. Then, in the layers box, change the mode to 'hue'. Reduce the opacity to about 40%.


Edited photograph without step 9


Edited photograph with step 9

Photoshop tips - Lomography

I've been playing around with photoshop today (as I usually do). This time I've been trying to learn this new technique that Cheryl introduced to me a couple of months ago. This technique is called lomography. This technique simulates the photographs captured by the Russian Lomo LC-A camera.

This is a Russian made camera that was a knock off of another camera. It is poorly made and by Japanese camera standards, a bad picture taker too. As the legend goes, somewhere in the 1990’s a cult following developed and hasn’t stop since.

(Taken from http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-make-digital-photos-look-like-lomo-photography/)

Anyway, there are various ways to create this lomo look. So, Ive been twiddling around with photoshop for a couple of hours trying to find the best technique. Here are my five attempts on the same photograph. Let me know which photo you like best okay? =)

Attempt #1


Attempt #2


Attempt #3


Attempt #4


Attempt #5

Photoship tips - Removing dark circles

Hate taking pictures after a huge night out with evidence on your face to show? Fear not, here's where photoshop comes in handy =)



Here's my original photo. This was taken by Cheryl at QX's birthday dinner. Think I was trying to be a fish or something. Who knows. I had slight dark circles under my eyes that night.


p/s: I drew in a yellow arrow and a red circle as well because initially, I plan to put up tips on smoothening the complexion but the results were not too obvious in the post-edit photo. So I'll leave it for another day.

Removing dark circles
To remove the dark circles, I used the stamp tool (The stamp tool is circled in green)

The Clone Stamp tool takes a sample of an image, which you can then apply over another image or part of the same image

Step 1: Select the stamp tool

Step 2: Choose a brush tip. I choose the soft round brush. You can increase your brush size by pressing the "[" key and reduce your brush size by pressing the "]" key.

Step 3: Reduce the opacity to about 10%. This will make the editing look more natural.

Step 3: Deselect "aligned" in the options bar to continue to use the sampled pixels from the initial sampling point each time you stop and resume painting.


Step 4: Set the sampling point by positioning the pointer in any open image and then Alt and left-click simultaneously (Windows). I normally set the sampling point slightly underneath the dark circles.


Step 4: Finally, start colouring over your dark circles by left-clicking on the areas you want to correct.


Edited image. Hm...the correction is not too obvious here but if you look closely, youll notice a slight difference =)


p/s: Cheryl, who is a fantastic photographer was generous enough to give me photoshop lessons =) If you guys need a freelance photographer in KL, let me know =)

Photoshop tips - Removing shine

Cheryl has been giving me some Photoshop lessons this winter break. Prior to last week, I never really knew how to edit portraits and only tampered with the image brightness, contrast levels, colour balance etc. Now I know how to remove pimples, remove shine from the face, smoothen the complexion etc~! I decided to be generous and share these tips with you guys =) Its pretty useful especially if you want to print the photos or use the picture as your facebook/msn/friendster(if it still exists) profile.

Tip #1: Removing shine from face.

This tool is really useful if your face appears a little oily in photos


Pre-edit photo. I used this photo as my facebook profile pic. You can see a little shine on my forehead, left cheek and nose.



Firstly, click on the eyedropper tool to pick the desired colour (I've put a yellow circle around the eyedropper tool) Then click on a part of your skin that is near the shiny area which you plan to edit.

Next, click on the brush tool (I've put a red circle around the brush tool). Choose a soft round brush which is relatively huge. The larger the brush, the more natural the edited photo will appear. Make sure the opacity of the brush is about 30%. If its too opaque, it might look artificial.

Finally, start colouring in the shiny area. Usually its the T-zone area.


Ta-da~! Post-edit photo.

Photoshop is really easy to use once you get the hang of it. It works wonders =)