This Page is especially for those of you who have stayed the course and checked out all the other pages.

Here I will be revealing how I have made some of my images via photoshop techniques and share them with you. 

            Adding sparkles and glow.

Get your picture then add a new layer.

Using white as your colour, go to Brush tool and choose brush size, approx 15-20

Put spacing way over to the right to create dots instead of lines.

Tick Dynamics and put size of jitter about ½ way.

Go to scattering and choose about 800 and put count to just a few.

Now paint on your new layer without letting go of the mouse.

Go to fx button and choose outer glow (or drop down menu & layer styles).

You can change the colour etc here too.

Create a new layer and using your gradient tool hold and drag from the centre of where you want your light source to be.

Change this layer to soft light. You can move this around & scale.

 

ADDING LENS FLARE

 

Get Photo,

Add Lens Flare from PS Filter drop down menu & choose which one.

Go back in history to undo this filter.

Click New Layer & Fill with Black.

Go to PS Filters and choose last filter applied (which should be the Flare Filter previously chosen).

Change the Layer Blending Mode to Screen.

You can now move this around, scale lower opacity or duplicate to enhance the effect.

 

                              CREATING A SIMPLE VIGNETTE

 

                         

 

Get Get Photo, Add Adjustment layer (the half circle black half white at bottom of Layers Palette)

Move line at edge or in centre to adjust to depth required.

Click on the Layer mask and note anything black is invisible, anything white is visible. It only affects the mask and not the original image.

Go to the Eliptical Marquee tool and holding down left click on mouse draw the shape required on the image. By holding down the space bar you can move the shape too whilst not taking your finger off the mouse.

Fill the selection with Black (Hence making the centre clear).

Deselect.

Click on Layer Mask.

Go to Gaussian Blur to soften the Vignette.

You can duplicate the layer to increase the effect.

 

                    ADDING A WATERMARK IN AN ACTION

 

Type your logo in dark grey on white and use Bevel & Emboss to create a 3D style.

Go to Channels and click on Red Channel.

Load Channel Selection ‘O’ at bottom of Channel menu or Control & Click Thumbnail.

Go to Layers and create a New Layer.

Inverse selection. (Shift, Control & I)

Fill with white. Deselect.

Delete your base layer.

Save as .PNG (Interlaced)

 

Get your photo to which you want to add a watermark.

Go to File & Place…. Watermark from where you saved it, Click Enter. Move to where you want OR Create this action.

 

Get a photo.

Go to Actions and choose New Action

Name the action Watermark and click Record.

Create a New Layer

Fill with Black, in the Layers Palette put Fill to 0%

Go to Transform (Control & T) & Scale. Click Link on top bar.

Add 97 for width & height and click the Tick on top bar

Click on Layer 1

Go to File & Place…. Watermark from where you saved it, Click Enter.

Hold Shift key & Click Watermark Layer & Layer 1 so they are both coloured blue.

Go to Move tool, Click Move to bottom & Click Move to Right on top menu bar.

Lower Opacity if required.

Stop Action.

Click on Watermark in Actions and Play to add Watermark to any Photograph.

                    ADDING TEXTURES

 

Photograph various textures, i.e  Fur, Rock, Wood, Concrete, Rust etc., and keep in a folder of Textures for you to easily find.

 

Get the Photo for which you want to add a texture.

Open one of the textures you wish to use.

Drag the Texture layer on top of your base image.

Scale to fit using your move tool.

Go to Layer Blends and click Screen or Soft Light for eg.

If you want to strengthen the effect remember you can duplicate this layer.

If you want to change the colour of the texture go to Hue & Saturation and move the top slider accordingly.