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Post by Lillias on Sept 22, 2018 20:05:16 GMT
Using an Inverted Layer Mask.
I am making a card front for this challenge but feel free to interpret this tutorial in your own way.
Items you will require:
One photo, Floral Brushes Powder Explosion Brushes.
See links below for the brush sets I have used in this project but of course feel free to use whatever brushes you prefer.
Let’s get started.
1. For a card front open a document 6x4.
2. Open the photo you wish to use and bring it into your document. In my case I covered the whole doc; with the photo.
3. Add a layer mask to your photo layer and invert it by using the key combo Ctrl/Cmd+I
4. Your photo will seem to have disappeared but of course it’s just hidden by the layer mask.
5. Add a new blank layer and using the marquee tool draw out a rectangle about a half inch in from the edge of the page. SEE EXAMPLE 1.
6. With the rectangle still selected go to Edit>Stroke Outline Selection and choose a stroke of 5 pixels, colour Black.
7. The rectangle you have just created becomes the bounding box or frame for your design.
8. Set your foreground colour to white and select the black layer mask.
9. Choose a flower brush, size it and change its orientation to suit what you want to do. Stamp your brush into the corners of the rectangular box. SEE EXAMPLE 2. (If you don’t see anything happening on your page remember you have to change your foreground colour to white before brushing.)
10. Now choose your powder explosion brushes and stamp in the centre of your page to allow your photo to show through. Try and choose brushes which have soft edges to give a nice end result. Don’t fill the whole page but leave some white space for appearance. SEE EXAMPLE 3.
11. You could just add some text here and finish…OR…
12. You could add a texture layer at the top of the layer stack and run through the blend modes till you find something you like. I added Sydney’s Utopia texture and used the Colour Blend Mode. Thank you Sydney. SEE EXAMPLE 4.
Credit - Image from Unsplash
My finished card front.
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Post by Sydney on Sept 23, 2018 0:05:50 GMT
Love your image, BillieJean. Looks like a great challenge - I will definitely be having a go at this challenge in the next day or two.
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moss
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 129 
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by moss on Sept 23, 2018 6:06:37 GMT
This is a lovely challenge Lillias and your photo was perfect Here is one that I have played with  |
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moss
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 129
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by moss on Sept 23, 2018 6:10:45 GMT
And here is a second one Thank you for the challenge  |
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Post by Bailey on Sept 23, 2018 6:30:54 GMT
This looks like fun so I will definitely have a go  [offtopic] Just a quick clarifying tip regarding step 1: If you feel you might want to make a print at the end, make sure your ppi is set to at least 300ppi when you create the new 6 x 4 so that it will be at least 1800px x 1200px which is suitable for printing. If your 6 x 4 is say only 420px a 280px (70ppi), you might be disappointed with the print. HTH [/offtopic]
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Post by Lillias on Sept 23, 2018 12:36:49 GMT
Hi moss thanks for getting us out of the starting blocks with this challenge. I love both your entries particularly the second one… being a dog lover I have been through this kind of scenario many times over the years. Just so cute…
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Post by hmca on Sept 23, 2018 13:33:15 GMT
This looks like a fun challenge, Lillias. I will try it later in the week after we get home. Moss...two nice entries.......and I agree the one with the dog is very sweet!
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Post by ritage on Sept 24, 2018 22:41:22 GMT
Very nice workflow, Lillias. Thank you. Working on the mask nearly gives me the illusion that I can actually paint Girl from Pixabay with changed coloring.
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Post by Bailey on Sept 25, 2018 3:16:20 GMT
hmmmmm.....unfortunately I'm not having much luck yet 
I am trying to create a postcard effect but I seem to be using the brushes incorrectly somehow because when I stamp a brush on the layer mask (brush and mask set to 100% opacity, brush is white, mask is black) I am seeing a brush stamp of less than 100% opacity on the image.
I will keep tinkering with this though
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Post by Lillias on Sept 25, 2018 9:33:42 GMT
Very nice workflow, Lillias. Thank you. Working on the mask nearly gives me the illusion that I can actually paint Glad you like it Rita. That’s the feeling I got too when I first came across this technique. |
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Post by Lillias on Sept 25, 2018 9:45:21 GMT
I am trying to create a postcard effect but I seem to be using the brushes incorrectly somehow because when I stamp a brush on the layer mask (brush and mask set to 100% opacity, brush is white, mask is black) I am seeing a brush stamp of less than 100% opacity on the image.
I will keep tinkering with this though I’m sorry you are having this problem Bailey. I’m wondering what brushes you are using – have you tried different ones for comparison purposes! The darker the brushes the better the effect when you stamp them but I’m sure you already know that.
Off the top of my head the only suggestion I can make is to be very careful and stamp twice in the exact same spot to get the result you want. I’m sure you will figure something out and I look forward to seeing your postcard.
Oh and for some creations brushes used at mixed opacities can create some nice effects too. |
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Post by ritage on Sept 25, 2018 21:27:47 GMT
One more to practice what I learned. This just may become addictive.
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Post by Lillias on Sept 25, 2018 21:40:42 GMT
This is nice Rita I like the way you have done it. I'm glad you are enjoying the tut and feel free to submit as many pages as you like...lol...I love to see them all.
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Post by blackmutt on Sept 26, 2018 2:06:38 GMT
I can't wait to try this!
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Post by whippet on Sept 26, 2018 12:55:31 GMT
Shame I never saw your reply to Bailey, before I tried.
How is this for a first effort, teacher?
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