30MINS OF

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TUITION
PLUS: BRUSHES, PHOTOS & MORE
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ISSUE
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47
Electric effects | Real-media brushes | Illustrate in Photoshop | Start your own studio | Interview: Graphic Havoc agency

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
CRE
ILLUSTRATE COV ATE
IN PHOTOSHOP
Use the Shape and Marquee tools to create an
WIT
ER
HO
STE UR IN-
P D
THI S

illustration with depth TUT-BY-STEEPTH

ORI
AL P
HOW TO...
• Start your own studio
• Become a web designer
DIGITAL PAINTING

REAL-MEDIA
• Fake sunlight in photographs
• Build a sketchbook like the pros

BRUSHES
Alter brush dynamics to create a
custom finish on digital drawings

ELECTRIC
6-PAGE MASTERCLASS

EFFECTS Master Tron-inspired lighting, leather and illumination using:

www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk

W.AD
VANCEDP
H • Intricate Pen tool work • Vanishing Point grids
WW OT
OS • Gradient maps • Outer Glow effects
HO
P.C
O.U
K

ISSUE 63 £5.99
LARGE-FORMAT DESIGN
ISSN 1748-7277
63
Learn the secrets of creating artwork
for use on a bigger scale 9 771748 727009

001_AVP_63_Cover.indd 1 9/10/09 10:57:50

 Cover

Cover image
When we saw the latest trailer for the new Tron film,
it started us on a nostalgic path of our favourite films
from the Eighties. It also inspired senior staff writer
Adam to create this Tron-inspired artwork, turning a
simple stock image into a wonderfully retro poster Imageer:
design that just had to go on our cover! ADAM SMITH
Learn how it was done in our in-depth tutorial
starting on page 36 using the files on the free disc to
get you started. “A retro poster design that just
/ www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/user/adam
had to go on our cover”

3
Advanced Photoshop

003_AVP_63_CoverImage.indd 3 9/10/09 12:45:35

 Editorial
Imagine Publishing Ltd
Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill
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Welcome to Magazine team

e. w W , in ce e
or sit w ok, oks gra n th

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M irst aga ind ting

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Back in October, I went out to visit

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Designer Stacey Grove

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Photoshop World for the first time in

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Las Vegas. It was a really interesting Sub Editor Sam Robson

ff
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experience and was such a great Contributors
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or hi l o at ie st

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ec lis a fe tr lu

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at y , w tro
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issue, which look at very different styles. First, you can

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Advertising Sales Executive Dominic Johnston

RO
so tr s h es or

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create our film-inspired cover image using a range of

al lec thi ers eni

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Pu rial hie im AP

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Cover disc
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modes for an electric finish. Next up, you can

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Interactive Media Manager Lee Groombridge

th rce am s nu

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MIK
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u d e
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g

M
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win £500 cash and £500 iStockphoto.com credits. Turn ☎ 01202 586200
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Looking forward to seeing all your great work! Finance Director Steven Boyd
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The next issue of Advanced ISSN 1748-7277

Photoshop goes on sale 30 November 2009

4
Advanced Photoshop TORS
004_AVP_63_EdIntro.indd 4 14/10/09 11:35:16
 THE ADVANCED PHOTOSHOP PODCAST
www.imaginepodcasts.com
You can now listen to Advanced Photoshop on the move with our new
podcasts, available from the above website. Each month, we’ll be bringing
you entertaining chat with Photoshop professionals to inspire you to expand
your own artwork. We’ll be bringing you a new podcast every month, so
make sure to bookmark the Imagine Podcasts homepage.

ISSUE #63

inside... 36
Learn to create retro
film-inspired imagery
COMMUNITY
The latest news, website images and readers’
thoughts from our mailbox and forum
08
News 08
Mailbox 12
On the web 14
Web challenge winners 16

INSIGHT 18
The best digital artists around
Kilian Eng 18
Alex Varanese 42
THE COVER Jonathan Ball 66
Our cover image this issue was inspired by Tron, and
you can find out how it was created in our six-page

60
Masterclass starting on page 36

HELP
Tips, techniques and problems solved
Helpdesk 60

INDUSTRY SECTION 68
be
Essential advice for becoming a pro digital artist

s cr i Interview: Richard Wood 68

ub
S now4!(UK/ )
Feature: Start your own studio
Uni focus: Graphic Design
70
76
Career guide: Web designer 80
e6
e pag e 20
(US 82 90
Se or pag The latest hardware and Our pick of the best reader
THIS MONTH’S CD 98
)
ROW
software reviewed in detail submissions this month
Superb stock art, project files and more!
CD guide 98

6
Advanced Photoshop

006-007_AVP_63_Contents.indd 6 14/10/09 11:39:09

 22
In-depth interview with
the Graphic Havoc agency © Graphic Havoc agency

FEATURES/REGULAR TECHNIQUES
Insightful interviews and in-depth articles Essential guides to professional Photoshop skills

INTERVIEW: GRAPHIC HAVOC AGENCY 22 ELECTRIC EFFECTS 36

A look behind the scenes at this talented studio Create our cover image with this in-depth guide

WORKS IN PROGRESS 28 CREATIVE ILLUSTRATION 44

We delve into the sketchbooks of professional artists Proving that Photoshop doesn’t have to be serious

SUBSCRIPTIONS 64 LARGE-FORMAT PRINTING 50

Find out about our latest subscription prices and offers here Billboard images explained, as well as key Photoshop skills

RESOURCES 82 REAL-MEDIA BRUSHES 56

The latest hardware, software and books reviewed Learn to master the brush tools to create concept paintings

READERS’ GALLERY 90 GET ON OUR COVER! 79

The very best submissions from our readers this month How to enter and what you can win

7
Advanced Photoshop

006-007_AVP_63_Contents.indd 7 14/10/09 11:39:31

 Community Photoshop World 2009
S H O P
D O TO
PH
R L
WO
The latest creative news from around the world

ON THE WEB: The latest news about the twice-yearly Photoshop event,
including a countdown, is always on the official website

Photoshop World has been and gone in style, with a massive

amount of talks about the joys of the program and how to get
more from it, as well as a successful exhibition with the biggest KEYNOTE: Johnny Loiacono and Russell Brown (above) revealed the
software and hardware names in the Photoshop universe. future of Photoshop, and Dave Cross (top) receives his Hall of Fame award
This year’s theme was the NAPP Bowl, pitching the teams RAW
and JPEG against each other, staffed by black-and-white T- developments, from Pixel Blender to improvements in Bridge,
shirted referees and promoted via sports-themed posters. better Photomerge functions and panels (of which two new
The keynote speech on the morning of Thursday 1 October ones, watermarking and emailing, are now on the NAPP site).
carried on this theme, with the hosts – including man of the What came next was the biggest news of the whole keynote
moment Scott Kelby – opening with an energetic ‘sports speech. While not an official announcement or even confirmed
commentary panel’ under the guise of the Adobe Halftime as a definite for the next version of Photoshop, Russell Brown
Report. The lively introduction certainly engaged the hundreds showed off stunning new painting capabilities. This involved
of visitors watching before moving on to more serious topics. improvements to the paint, working more like true paints that
Big news from the NAPP included the launch of NAPP Help, have wetness, a dry-out factor and blending – properties
which has been in beta stage until now. This is a collection of expected of real paint. This is accompanied by new brushes with
2,000 video tips on Photoshop, each limited to 60 seconds or tailored bristles, again to match their real-life counterparts. A
less, going over every and any tool in the Adobe program. Other handy brush preview also enables the brushes to be changed in
new features on the NAPP website include tailored Wacom driver the angle they are applied for more natural results, which is an
preferences, tailored to specific tasks including retouching, exciting development that will alter the way that digital artists
Lightroom and Bridge versions. Also, Dave Cross has created 20 view Photoshop as a painting tool. The other big ‘hint’ came in a
videos designed to help those coming to Photoshop and the demonstration of a new Warp tool, the Puppet tool. Already
NAPP for the first time. seen in Flash, this enables users to lock points in an image and
Johnny Loiacono from Adobe and Russell Brown reviewed the warp around that point. It certainly whet our appetites to see
past year of Photoshop, reminding us of the biggest CS5, whenever that may be.
An excited audience was reminded that next February is the
20th anniversary of Photoshop, and the NAPP are looking for
• Pg 08......................News input from users in order to help them put together a massive
• Pg 12 .................Mailbox www.photoshopworld.com
celebration – so watch out on Photoshop daily (www.
• Pg 14 .................Website photoshopdaily.co.uk) for the latest news.

8
Advanced Photoshop

008-010_AVP_63_News.indd 8 14/10/09 14:12:48

 Photoshop Elements 8 released
FUN EFFECTS: Introduce the family to News
bites
Photoshop with the fun features in the
latest elements package

P
OSHO
SOFTWARE SUPPORT:
Mac and PC users can
PHOT LD
FOTOLIA WOR
both benefit from the
eighth incarnation at the
same time
UNIVERSITY
There is a difference in Fotolia University
the software for each was launched by
operating system. The Fotolia at Photoshop World, which is
Windows version comes a hands-on travelling institution that
with a new Organizer, kicked off with a talk by professional
which is designed to be photographer Jack Hollingsworth at
the Las Vegas conference. The
a complete hub for your
University will help both budding and
photo and video
veteran stock photographers alike to
Adobe has unveiled the eighth incarnation of its consumer- collection. It has added additional Auto-Analyzer and improve their portfolios.
level image-editing package, Photoshop Elements 8. But Smart Tag parameters, so that your images and clips are
wait, there’s more! Because, for the first time in the easy to find. Mac users will find better integration with
program’s history, it is being sold to both PC and Mac users Bridge, or they can use iPhoto. Both are the same price, LAST CHANCE!
at the same time. however, at £66.93 (excluding VAT).
There are also changes within the main program,
including a new Photomerge feature, this time for
Exposure. Take one photo with the flash on and one with it
www.adobe.com
off, and the feature merges the two into a perfectly lit shot.
For the full list of new features, see the website. It’s drawing closer to the closing date
of our amazing iStockphoto.com
Create a Cover competition. If you
haven’t entered your image yet, then

Wacom goes multitouch

check out all the competition details
on page 79, or see www.
advancedphotoshop.co.uk/
which enables
t line of graphics DrawTweet (www.drawtweet.com), competitions_istockphoto.php. You
Wacom has gone modern with its lates Wacom users to share their draw ings via Twitter. have the chance to see your image on
boo rang e with multitouch ses on the Wacom
tablet, overhauling the Bam Find out more abou t the new relea the cover of Advanced Photoshop
in line with the curre nt trend for touch and win cash prizes!
capabilities. This is website; we will have a review next issue , too.
ne. The tablet can be
devices, started with the Apple iPho
tional pen.
operated with your hand or the tradi TIDY YOUR CORDS!
the Bam boo (£74.99), which
It comes in four versions: Quirky, the online community-
t optio ns and com es in a sleek black SIZE OPTIONS: The
offers the dual inpu developed product site, has unveiled
Bamboo Fun comes in
“The tablet can be two options to suit its latest offering – the Cordies. The
your needs product aims to tidy up your desk

operated with your hand

space by working as a sleek cable-
management system. Each Cordie

or the traditional pen”

has three loop spaces and cables can
be stacked on top of each other for
Small and £59.99 for multiple cables to be tidied together.
design; the Bamboo Fun (£49.99 for
on a budg et who still want the touch A Cordie costs $9.95 from www.
Medium) for users quirky.com/products.
which just offers
features; the Bamboo Touch (£59.99),
99), which just uses
touch input; and the Bamboo Pen (£49.
the pen for input.
through the
The Bamboo experience is enhanced
Dock and Bamboo Minis, whic h are small user-
Bamboo
icatio n is
generated applications. One such appl

www.wacom.com
latest generation of
BAMBOO IN USE: You can use the
your fingers
Bamboo tablets with a pen or with

9
Advanced Photoshop

008-010_AVP_63_News.indd 9 14/10/09 14:13:10

 Community
iClone 4
In the news: 3D MOVIE MACHINE: props, cameras, particle effects and actors and HDR

Q&A
Professional results in a lighting effects.
consumer-level package Textures can be added to 3D models, which can then be
that works well alongside
opened directly into Photoshop for editing before being
P Photoshop
TO SHO reapplied to the model, giving more control than
PHO
OR LD Photoshop’s own 3D functions. The two programs work

W Reallusion has brought

out iClone 4, a 3D
together as part of an integrated workflow.
The program accepts many royalty-free models to work
Dave animation and video- with, so that you don’t have to be a 3D modeller to use the

Cross compositing consumer

package, which brings
program. Models are available from the Google 3D
Warehouse as well as Reallusion’s own content store,
The latest Photoshop complex capabilities in a which can be found at www.reallusion.com/contentstore.
Hall of Fame inductee user-friendly package. If, however, you do prefer to create your own models, then
talks to Advanced Photoshop Aimed at those who these communities are open for submissions. Any image
want to work in 3D or file can be used as a texture or imported to work on, which
Q: WHAT DOES IT FEEL video channels but don’t have the knowledge, time or makes creating motion graphics extremely simple, a skill
budget to master higher-end packages, iClone 4 is also that is likely to become more essential for digital artists
LIKE TO BE AWARDED A suitable for creating stunning motion graphics. over the next year.
PLACE IN THE PHOTOSHOP There are plenty of new features in this incarnation. For iClone 4 is priced at £69.99/$79.95 for the Standard
HALL OF FAME? example, real-time video textures can be added to a scene, version and £139.99/$199.95 for the Pro version.
A: It’s amazing and something that I as well as 3D and video compositing. The interface remains
never expected. I’ve always been the simple to use, with drag-and-drop functions helping to
guy that just loves teaching create scenes in minutes.
Photoshop and gets the reward out of www.reallusion.com/iclone
Special effects can be created with a real-time facial
the feedback that people are learning animation feature for puppeteering, motion paths for
something. To get the recognition is
absolutely fantastic and nothing I
ever expected.

Q: WHAT DO YOU ENJOY

Photoshop Hall of Fame
MOST ABOUT TEACHING?
A: Teaching to me is like performing –
I love that aspect of teaching, but in a SEETHA NARAYANAN:
fun way. By far the biggest thing for Adobe’s lead Photoshop
me is when people come up and say engineer Seetharaman
‘Wow you just saved me so much Narayanan at
Photoshop World
time’ or ‘I took your class last year and
I’m so much better for it’. I’ve had Photoshop World class-
people come up to me almost crying taker Dave Cross (see the
because they want to express how
interview, left, and on
much I helped them and you can’t
Photoshop Daily). Cross has
beat that – that’s awesome. That’s why
the Hall of Fame thing was the icing been teaching at the NAPP
on the cake – I just do it because I love since 2001, has created

OP
doing it. For me it’s always been about more than 250 video tutorials, featu
red on
the student feedback. I used to teach
T OS H over 60 episodes of PhotoshopUser

LD
TV and
DAVE CROSS: Photoshop instr
P H O
R
classes of six to eight people and now uctor written countless books.

O
Dave Cross receiving his award

W
I teach classes of six to eight hundred, The second inductee is Seetharaman
but I still know there’s people The keynote speech at Photoshop (aka Seetha) Narayanan, lead Adob
e
nodding and getting what I’m saying. World did the honour of unveiling Photoshop engineer. He has been work
ing with
the latest inductees to the Adobe since 1991 and was responsib
le for
Q: HAVE YOU GOT ANY Photoshop Hall of Fame, chosen
from a short
bringing Photoshop to the Windows
platform for
PROJECTS COMING UP OVER list announced at March 2009’s the first time.
Photoshop World, in itself A full list of all the current members
THE NEXT YEAR? chosen from many more nominee
s. of the Photoshop
A: It has been a while since I had a According to its website, “The miss Hall of Fame can be found on the web
ion of the site listed below. It
book out and the timing has been Photoshop Hall of Fame is to hon also has all the 2010 nominees so far
our and recognise those submitted, but
all messed up, so that’s definitely individuals whose contributions nominations are still being accepted
to the business, to the NAPP via email.
one thing that I want to do. On a
education, development and art
day-to-day basis, though, we do so of Adobe Photoshop
have enduring value.”
much at NAPP.
This year, two members were anno www.photoshophalloffame.co
unced. The first is m
See the full version of this interview prolific Photoshop instructor, NAP
P speaker, author and
on www.photoshopdaily.co.uk

10
Advanced Photoshop

008-010_AVP_63_News.indd 10 14/10/09 14:13:49

 Community

Mailbox
Do you have a question about the magazine? Email your
thoughts to [email protected] or
visit www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/forum
of artists use female models in their compositions
and it would be foolish of us to ignore this
completely, but look out for more tutorials
incorporating modern styles around different
subject matter.
artwork at www.foxfires.com, while Aimee’s work
will bless our pages once more in the not-too-
distant future hopefully! SUBJECT: Elusive issue
FROM: Carlos Camunas
Hey AP, I buy your magazine every month and I
SUBJECT: Unequal equation have since issue 32 up until your current issue,
FROM: Darren Moffitt but I am missing issue 37. How can I get
Maybe I’m a little crazy or old-fashioned but it? Thanks!
have you noticed that approximately 90 per
cent of submitted artwork are of women? And Editor replies: Hi Carlos, first of all many thanks for
to guarantee a comment or rating on the your loyal following. You must have quite a
website, the artwork of women leads the way. I collection of tutorials to refer back to when you
love your magazine, but check out every mag are in need of inspiration!
cover. I wonder what an artist would do if the To answer your question, normally you just
‘women equation’ was left out for maybe some need to type www.imagineshop.co.uk into your
sort of contest. It’s something to think about. It web browser and navigate your way to back issues
seems that most artists, male or female, of Advanced Photoshop. However, the popularity
gravitate toward the feminine in all their of this service has meant that issue 37 is out of
inspirations, and that without a woman in the stock. But never fear, as where there’s a will there’s
COMPLIMENTS TO THE ARTIST: Aimee
Stewart’s work has struck a chord with reader Lowell picture the artwork barely gets a wink. I have a way! Volume 2 of the Advanced Photoshop
Franga – who have your favourite tutorials been by? even started doing feminine artwork to get eMag has 16 issues of AP on the interactive disc –
noticed. Your website is still very exciting and including the elusive issue 37.
SUBJECT: Chasing Aimee inspirational, though.
FROM: Lowell Franga
I would highly recommend Aimee Stewart Editor replies: This debate has been covered in the
write more articles for your magazine. I find last few issues of Advanced Photoshop now, and
them to be highly inspirational and we hope that readers have started to see a slight
informative. In my opinion, her work is shift in the magazine. As Darren rightly says, a lot
fantastic and I would like to see much more
with information on how she made them. I
believe I am not alone and there are plenty of
other readers who feel the same. Quite frankly,
I have been disappointed there have not been
more articles in Advanced Photoshop written
by Ms Stewart. Please do us all a favour and get
her to write more! She is a fantastic digital
artist. I hope to see more of her work in AP
soon. Thank you for your consideration.

Editor replies: Aimee will be pleased to hear that,

and she deserves all the praise that comes her
way! If we could be selfish and keep Aimee all to
ourselves then we would! But that would mean
the world wouldn’t get to see the rest of her work, NOT JUST A ONE-TRACKED MIND: We’ve
responded to the debate raging around the use of MISSING ISSUE: Check out the eShop for back
and we wouldn’t want to be held responsible for female stock images by ensuring we include a bit of issues or pick up one of the Advanced Photoshop
that crime. However, you can find more of her variety in the magazine eMags for a comprehensive collection on one disc

Write to us : Advanced Photoshop Mailbox, Imagine Publishing, Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK, BH2 6EZ. Email us: advancedphotoshop@ im

12
Advanced Photoshop

012-013_AVP_63_Letters.indd 12 9/10/09 12:47:24

 shop:
Advanced Photo on Vol 1
llecti
The Premium Co ages of advice
6p
Digital edition: 25
for only £9.99!

LONELY ARTS AD: We’re here to help with have been contributing a bit more to the
inspiration, and if that means a nudge in the right Advanced Photoshop pages – designer Stacey’s
direction sometimes, so be it!
cover image and typography Workshop in issue
61 and senior staff writer Adam’s tutorial on
SUBJECT: Art direction cinematic lighting in issue 62, for example – and
FROM: Andy Burdin I’ve been thoroughly impressed! I was
I’m a big fan of Advanced Photoshop, and have wondering if we can expect to see anything the
a quick question for you. I’m looking for the rest of the team in upcoming issues?
name of the artist who was featured in issue 55
of AP. There were a couple of pieces I remember Editor replies: Many thanks for writing in Kathryn,
he had: one featured a black male in jeans and a and full credit to our team for producing some
hat sat beneath a mountain, and another piece wonderful work for the magazine recently. We’ll
had an Asian male in a black leather jacket and stop flogging them quite as frequently as reward
skull cap standing on a small green field, with a for their efforts!

shop
tree branch and suitcase near him. I remember The team will continue to contribute quality
this piece being for some clothing company, but tutorials to the magazine over the coming months
Advanced Photoe 2
eMag Volum
I can’t remember the name, either! – although no matter how hard he persists, our
The pieces were insane! I lent that issue to a sub editor’s pleas to create a scene consisting
n one disc
16 whole issues o
friend and haven’t managed to get it back yet. purely of stick men is likely to fall on deaf ears for a
Any help would be great, and apologies if this is
very vague!
while yet!
for only £19.99
!
Editor replies: Hi Andy, I’ve had a look in issue 55
and I think that you’re referring to one of our
Insight artists – the images match your
descriptions. The artist is Emeric Trahand (aka
Takeshi) and his website is www.stillontherun.
com. Hope that helps!
Visit the
SUBJECT: Team work
Advanced Photoshop
FROM: Kathryn Percival
online shop at
Hi AP, love the mag. I’m a long-time reader, first- TEAM PLAYERS:
We’re very proud of
www.imagineshop.co.uk
time writer, but felt compelled enough to write
for back issues,
the members of the
in to offer some praise – and it’s directed AP magazine team,
towards the team behind the scenes! I’ve and will continue to

noticed in recent issues that the magazine staff

bring their efforts to
you in future issues books and
imagine-publishing.co.uk. Twitter us: http://twitter.com/advancedpshop/. Forum: www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/forum merchandise

012-013_AVP_63_Letters.indd 13 9/10/09 12:48:19

 Community

On the web
www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk
Our website and readers’ forum is perfect for showing off Photoshop creations. We present the best images on
the site this month. Log on and upload to get your images here next issue!

YOUNG MAN
WALKING
ARTIST: Francisco
Oliveira Bastos
WEB: www.
advancedphotoshop.
co.uk/user/fobdesign

“I’m 30 years old and

from Portugal. I love
drawing and digital
art, and this work was
a combination of
different techniques.
This illustration is
about a young man
that sees his life
passing by without him
noticing it, and every
cloud illustrates one
important step of his
life. He gets old as fast
as he paints, and the
only thing he has at that moment are memories. I hope people live every
single day as happy as they can, because life is really short and we
have to enjoy it as much as we can.”

NAE
ARTIST: Naethen Lie
WEB: www.
advancedphotoshop.
co.uk/user/nae DESIGN
ARTIST: Wojciech Magierski
“My name is WEB: www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/user/m4gik
Naethen Lie and I
live in the centre of Wojciech Magierski, aka m4gik, is an art director from Krakow,
Jakarta, a Poland, and he says: “I love to design graphics and have a lot of
metropolitan city fun doing it. This piece, Design, was created using custom brush
and the capital of techniques, adding some colours and textures. I think that
Indonesia. I use brushes in Photoshop are very strong tools. There are many,
Photoshop a lot to
many ways to create a great effect, but custom brushes are very
create all my artwork, as well as CINEMA 4D for the three-dimensional
elements. Sometimes I use Illustrator for the shapes. I took a photo of powerful. On the internet there are lots of websites with this stuff
myself and cropped all the background, and then I started to create the on, but when you create your own project it is good to make it
elements in Photoshop. I also made the three-dimensional elements in original. My advice is to make your own set of unique brushes!
CINEMA 4D and exported them to Photoshop. I then gave it some texture Photoshop is a great piece of software, so I am always searching
and made the shapes more realistic. All of my images can be seen at for new styles and techniques.” His website is coming soon at
http://naethen.deviantart.com/.” www.magierski.pl.

14
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 Join for free!
www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk
The Advanced Photoshop website is a

A
thriving online community of Photoshop

ATE users of an advanced level.

CRE EE • Upload your work and share it

FARLLERYY
with others
• Rate images and leave comments
• Get honest feedback from
G ODA your peers

T Get online and create your own gallery

for free today!

MIKI DEMI
WEB: www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/user/Mimika

“The Advanced Photoshop site is a great place

where everyone can enjoy the culture of art.
Artists from all around the world have a great
opportunity to show their artwork, share their
ideas, as well as receive advice and feedback
from other artists.
I definitely love that artistic place that is full
of inspiration!”

JOSÉ PAULO
WEB: www.
advancedphotoshop.co.uk/
user/zepaulo

“When I joined your website, I didn’t know how interesting and important it

Over
0
could be in my life. It has changed my life completely. I succeed from showing

0 0
my work, and for me it’s a pleasure to have my work recognised all over the

7,
world.

1mages aalded!
dy
The Advanced Photoshop website is fantastic for all kind of artists and

rea Photoshop lovers. I can see a lot of inspiring work from hundreds of artists all
over the world. We are able to rate and comment on any work, giving our
opinions and suggestions. Your forum is helpful to clarify some doubts and
i
uplo
helps to improve our skills. Your website gallery is a fast way to show the world
my portfolio, especially to people who like this kind of artwork.”

Compare great artwork from the gallery: www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/photoshopfaceoff

015_AVP_60_WebHouseAd.indd 1 8/10/09 16:46:10

 Community

Web challenge
The winners T
HI
Challenge reference: AP 062
MO S
On our website, www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/competitions.php, we run a web
P NTRI H’
challenge where you are asked to create an image in Photoshop using at least one
of three images provided. These challenges are updated monthly and they are
ZE S
becoming increasingly popular, so get your entries in for a chance to win.
Check out the website for details of our latest challenge and how to enter. The
winner will collect a special prize for that month (prizes change frequently) and will
also have their design printed in the magazine, along with the runners-up.
Our prize this month is a copy of Digital Painting in
Challenge start images Photoshop by Sue Bloom, courtesy of Focal Press (www.
focalpress.com). In this inspiring book, acclaimed artist,
author and lecturer Susan Bloom takes your Photoshop
results from competent retouching of images to visually
stunning reinterpretations of them, turning everyday
pictures into breathtaking works of art.

WIZARD
ARTIST: Raido Lepp

“My idea of the final image changed many times

when I was creating this work. I started with a flying
woman but ended up with a woman standing on
land and forcing the water away. But as soon as I
saw the icy mountains I knew what I was going for. I
used five photographs to create this image.”

NATURE’S DIARY
ARTIST: Amar Kakad
WEB: www.amarkakad.info

“In this design, I portray the elements that encompass nature,

ie the sky, trees, waterfalls, abstract terrains, etc. These
elements have been designed and composed in a surreal
manner to create a dramatic effect. The idea revolves around
the beauty of nature and how wonderfully we blend into its
richness, creating a sense of balance and harmony. The
artwork was created by fusing photographs from different
sources and other graphical elements manipulated in
Photoshop and CINEMA 4D for the 3D elements.”

16
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 B E R
E
KEEPER OF THE FOREST W I NN
ARTIST: Alena Lazareva
WEB: http://alenalazareva.daportfolio.com/
W
“The concept for this image was of the kind deer, keeper of the forest. From him, light
emits warmly, and birds and butterflies fly around. In the creation of this image, I used
Photoshop and a Wacom Intuos3 graphics tablet. With the tablet I drew the horns on
the deer like branches on a tree. Then I added the butterflies and birds. For the leaves
I used brushes in Photoshop. I drew light into the picture and the sun to give the forest
keeper a warm glow. Also I drew a background on a tablet; it is bright blue sky and a
lot of green grass.”

17
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 insight
Kilian Eng
Website: www.behance.net/kilianeng
Clients: Family Force 5, Tesla Boy, Coal Stairs (bands)
Kilian Eng presents clean and atmospheric illustrative images, yet he urges that he
has more than one style when approaching his work, as he explains: “I would say
that for the moment I have two distinct approaches when working digitally. The
first one is cleaner and I often want a surreal and slightly dark humorous feel in
these drawings. The other has a more retro-futuristic approach, focusing on
perspective and geometry. Much of this work takes place in science fiction
environments. The two things these styles have in common are that there is a lot
of colour applied and much focus towards room and space.”
Born in, and still working from, Stockholm, Eng had his first digital experience
back in 1995 with the creative program ClarisWorks. “For a long time I just used
the mouse to draw, even when I learnt about Photoshop. But I found out about
the possibilities of the Wacom drawing tablet and bought one immediately. It’s
been my best buy ever.”
Although still educating himself in the ways of design, it’s plain to see that his
technical nuance is impressive. This has seen him work with emerging talents in
the music industry. Clients include Tesla Boy, Miami Horror and Family Force 5,
and he adds: ”At the moment I’m producing visual concepts for UK band
Psychemagik’s album and single covers. There’s also a couple of other vinyl covers
in progress for the artist JUXX from Denmark, Cybertramp from USA and Coal
Stairs from France.” Eng has also initiated an animated music video for his own
band Tropical Silence, so keep an eye out for this.

DW playing synth: “A lot of work

with the Line tool here. On the overall
image, some noise and gradients at
low percentages were then applied.
The gradient colours applied are dark
red and bright yellow”

18
Advanced Photoshop

018-019_AVP_63_Insight1.indd 18 8/10/09 16:48:03

 no: “I have
Studio Casi lighting with
m uc h of th e
done
shadows are
the brush. The
th small
made mainly wi rn tool. I also
nt s of th e Bu
amou
gradient filters
used noise and
ss th e wh ole image”
acro

ODYSSEY: “The
image is
mainly drawn wi
th the
Pencil tool. I used
gradient
and satin effects
on the
text. I applied bru
sh effects
around the edge
s to
glow effects. Light create
effects
are used on every
layer”

19
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018-019_AVP_63_Insight1.indd 19 8/10/09 16:48:47

 Interview

GRAPHIC
HAVOC
AGENCY
Co-founder Randall J Lane and the GHAVA team share their
creative success story

R
andall J Lane, co-founder of Graphic and P. Scott Makela, along with strong friendships
Havoc or GHAVA for short, tells us how forged with Andy Howell and Jose Gomez who
it all started: “Myself and Derek Lerner were deeply involved in the skateboard and
met when a mutual friend who knew we were streetwear industry, led to the trio’s decision to
both into graffiti introduced us. Derek had just start the Graphic Havoc agency. That was 15 years
come to Atlanta to go to the Atlanta College of ago and it is still going strong today.
Art, where I had dropped out of a year before, The official birth of the agency was complete
funnily enough. The mutual interest in graffiti led when the team decided to focus on graphic
to a fast-tracked friendship and the sharing of design, steering away from the streetwear design
other common interests.” These included art, sector. While the initial growth was, as expected,
skateboarding and Atlanta’s club culture, which all
combined at the time to motivate the pair to start
a streetwear clothing company named THEFT. “We do try to have
The diverse culture of Atlanta in the early
Nineties, along with the pair’s enthusiasm for
a consistent
design, made them many long-standing friends in approach to quality
the creative industry, and it wasn’t long before
their creative team began to expand. Lane and a goal to do
explains: “David Merten is someone who came
into the fold very early on and joined in on the
the best that we
late nights, art making, coffee drinking, art, design can do for each
and film-debating sessions that often went into
the early hours of the morning in the apartment and every client”
Derek and I shared at that time.”
very slow, the company began making a name for

W
itself in and around Atlanta. Over the next few
e live in a world motivated by a In the beginning years, the agency’s client list grew to include local
desire for visualisation. This means Absorbing the great work produced by the clothing store Wish, Capricorn Records and Coca-
that the commercial world of art and designers at that time, such as Neville Brody, Cola, as well as a few local film and video
design has become extremely dog eat dog. The David Carson, Tomato, The Designers Republic production companies.
pressure is always on. So how did a small Ironically, though, it was small Atlanta-based
independent studio from Atlanta become one of clothing boutique Wish that gave GHAVA its first
CHOCOLATE INDUSTRIES WEBSITE: Art
New York’s thriving visual agencies? We ask the direction, design and info architecture for Chocolate commercial taste after deciding to go against the
creative boys at Graphic Havoc, who are more Industries’ website. Hecox did the handwritten menu text, clothing design route. Effectively, GHAVA took a
Nago at Nonconceptual did the artist family illustration
than happy to share their encouraging success and GHAVA did the individual artist illustrations
step back to take two steps forward, as Lane
story. © GHAVA explains: “Up to that point we had mostly been

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 Inter
Graphic Havoc agency
view

SWAT WEBSITE: GHAVA was asked by Crispin Porter

Bogusky to create a website for the Florida-based wing of
Truth, a national non-smoking campaign aimed at US
youth. The website was a part of a successful campaign in
keeping the number of young smokers down from
previous years
© GHAVA

doing promotional flyers for clubs and parties in TRIPLE 5

the area. Wish first approached us to design a line different things at different times. In the early SOUL, FALL 04: eventually Sadek Bazaraa. Things grew from that
of T-shirts to be sold in the store. After the success years, people recognised us as a company they GHAVA took up the point and we made a decision to move to
creative and art
of the T-shirts, we were asked to rebrand the could go to if they were trying to communicate direction for this Brooklyn, New York back in 2000. As the years
company.” GHAVA designed a series of logos to be with urban youth. GHAVA had a strong project for Triple 5 passed, we finally broke out of that initial
Soul. It worked with
used for different applications, as well as shopping connection with this commercial sector and photography
pigeonhole,” reveals Lane. “Others started
bags, stickers and even some store interior work. client, mainly because we were them.” supplied by recognising that our work was not just for the
Since then, the agency has stacked up an Patrick Hoelck urban youth arena and that we could
(www.
extremely impressive client list, including Cartoon patrickhoelck. communicate ideas for our clients, presenting
Network, Diesel, VH1, Volkswagen, Warner Music Pastures new com) them to almost any target audience. But if I’m
Group and many, many more across varied However, relocation was a necessity for the © GHAVA honest, I think we are recognised mostly for the
industries. Over the years GHAVA has meant many agency to evolve and expand. “As the client list work we have produced with Triple 5 Soul, the
things to many people, as Lane says: “Over all grew and more work came to the business, other Darfur book produced for Proof: Media for Social
these years we have been known for a few talented friends were recruited – Peter Rentz and Justice and the Nokia short film pieces.”

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 Interview

It’s fair to say that New York City is a TRIPLE 5 Lerner, Merten, Bazaraa and Rentz all bring their
metropolis of creative competitors compared to SOUL, FALL 06: own skills to the table, adding to the organic
This advertising
Atlanta, and the creative crew at GHAVA combat and marketing nature of the agency’s projects, as Lane explains:
rivalry with their expansive approach to style and campaign “As individuals, everyone here at GHAVA has
application. “We’re a one-stop shop,” explains Lane. embodies a sense interests in all manner of creative media, from
of freedom and
“If there is something we can’t accomplish for our weightlessness. traditional to digital. Exploring different outlets
client, we will be clever enough to bring in a Although this idea keeps us all engaged, excited and inspired. It is, of
exists as a
freelancer to help. This scalability positions us well course, challenging, as there are different
continuation of the
to meet the client’s needs and goals every time. previous season’s problems and issues that arise with each outlet,
After 15 years of business, we have developed ethereal but sometimes overcoming the challenges is one
momentum, this
good relationships with a talented pool of campaign was of the fun parts.”
freelancers, ready to jump in and provide much more Creative trials come with the territory and Lane
expertise when and where needed. There has product-oriented admits that, at times, it can be frustrating when
© GHAVA
been a natural migration of ideas and approaches many potential clients find it hard to wrap their
to work over the years at GHAVA.” head around a company that’s involved in so
The agency’s team all contributes heavily to many visual outlets, thinking how could they be
promote and exploit this creative diversity. Lane, good at any one discipline. However, Lane

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 Graphic Havoc agency
NEIGHBORS (LEFT AND BELOW): A multiscreen animation shown in Nokia flagship stores worldwide.
‘Neighbors’ focuses on key features of Ovi, which is a gateway to Nokia’s internet services and web communities
© GHAVA

want to produce better work, the latter makes us

want to make work that is just as commanding.”

Best foot forward

Photoshop, along with the complete Adobe
Creative Suite, plays an integral role in GHAVA’s
design production. “It’s almost impossible to work
on any project for any media without using
Photoshop in some capacity,” admits Lane. “We
may not be doing major Photoshop work for
dissuades this opinion, as he explains: “We feel Any setbacks are met positively by the GHAVA every single client and project, but you’ll always
that the team’s interest in a broad spectrum of team, and constructive thinking becomes a needs to resize something or retouch
media brings excitement, fresh thinking and fresh powerful tool in their continued success, as Lane photographic elements. In terms of software we
approaches to any of the projects we are explains: “We all live in a world that is overrun with use a lot, including Illustrator, After Effects and
commissioned to produce.” All of which are highly visual stimuli. It is impossible to ignore it and Acrobat. Apple’s Final Cut plays a large role in the
accomplished, as he goes on to say: “Here at impossible to not look at it all from the video work we do,” explains Lane. “CINEMA 4D is
Graphic Havoc, we really try our hardest to not perspective of a designer, to use that critical eye. used for 3D work, and there are also countless
have a personal style or office style. We do try to There is a lot of terrible work that bombards us on little applications that make design life much
have a consistent approach to quality, though, a daily basis, and then there are those gems that easier.” Outside of computer work, the team
and a goal to do the best that we can do for each make you stop and really look and admire. In both sketch, doodle, paint, create collages and
and every client.” cases, they’re an inspiration. The former makes us generally get their hands dirty.

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 Interview

FIELD OF GREY, ADS FOR SF’ZERO:

“For its first publication, Field of Grey matched
creatives to design advertisements for each other.
We were matched with a group called SF’ZERO,
whose brief was simple – design an ad for their
collaborative production game”
© GHAVA

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 Graphic Havoc agency
NOKIA IN WONDERLAND: Nokia In
Wonderland is a piece made to offset the fact that
all of the Nokia stores are in urban environments.
We wanted to create a respite from the noise,
crowds, and pollution so predominate in most
large cities around the world
© GHAVA

“Over all these THOMAS AND BOHANNON: This project

years we have required GHAVA to produce a range of branding
and identity materials, including logo design,

been known for

collateral, style guide and website design
© GHAVA

a few different
things at
different times”
External pursuits are permitted to allow
the team grow and absorb even more creative
influences, which in turn feeds the creative fuel at
GHAVA. The agency is proud of its highly
collaborative approach, as Lane reveals: “Not only
do we as a company collaborate closely with our
clients to reach the goals of projects, but our
company is built on collaboration. The five
individuals that make up GHAVA are constantly
collaborating on professional and personal work.
In some other agencies, a client would be lucky to
have access to one creative director or partner, let
alone five.”
Putting all their heads together allows them to
keep pushing the commercial power of GHAVA
forward, like delivering two new Nokia video
pieces very soon, as Lane adds: “Hopefully, they designing its second issue for this magazine, things everywhere and all the time is very
will begin playing in the Nokia flagship stores which has been around for over a decade.” important. As a creative individual and as a team,
before the end of the year. Also, we have just sent Graphic Havoc is going from strength to you need to put in a lot of hard work and
to press a book commemorating Harry Benson’s strength even in the current climate, and it’s the dedication. Experiment and, crucially, believe in
60th anniversary in photography. We worked agency and its team’s positive and tenacious yourself. Practise, make mistakes and most
closely with Harry and powerHouse Books on this attitudes that are seeing it succeed. It takes many importantly learn from these, and never stop
project and it will be published around November. things to become a successful part of the GHAVA thinking creatively.”
Another client we have enjoyed working for is team, as Lane reveals the team’s core principles:
Tricycle magazine, a Buddhist review. GHAVA is “Visual research, looking at and understanding www.ghava.com 5

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 Works in progress
Feature

Ever wondered what makes an artist tick?

Where do artists research and discover
inspiration? What tools are specific to their
www.cambridge2000.com

workflow, and whic h techniques are

essential to create unifying effects? We
ce
I n f lu e n have the answers, as we explore the
individual met hods of four top industry
artists, working across a range of styles

t
C o nc e p
Final image
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028-035_AVP_63_SketchFeature.ind28 28 14/10/09 15:43:54

 Works in progress
1: Decisive line work
“Themed online resources like
Photobucket.com help me get a
sense of what I can sketch in pencil.
I then scan and use Levels and
brushes to clean line edges, using
Color Range to get a crisp copy.”

2: Tonality between lines

“I went with red, orange and yellow
tones, which are iconic to Chinese
culture. I filled a new layer with red
underneath, using hard-edged
brushes to apply colours to the
nails, hair, tongue and eye areas.” 1
3: Mixed-media elements
“CG Textures (www.cgtextures.com)

2
helps to add splatter effects. I
experimented with red Hue/Saturation
Colorize options and blending modes.
I settled on Hard Light, duplicated the
layer, switched to Multiply at 20%
Opacity and placed it on top.”

4: Adjustment layer trials

“I settled on a Hue and Saturation of 0, using
a black brush to erase from the torso. On
top I stacked a duplicate adjustment Hue/
Saturation Colorize layer, edited values and
applied an Overlay blending mode.”

3 4 5
5: Tangible textures
“I made the colour to a dark red with a
Hard Light blending mode. Paper
textures were applied with Multiply at
80%, using layer masks to see the visibility
Grzegorz Domaradzki
Project info

of both effects. I duplicated the layer,

inverting and setting to Screen at 50%.”
Personal portfolio site:
www.iamgabz.com 6: Cut out and contemporise
Clients: Sony “The image looked too traditional, so to give it
Ericsson, Ubisoft, a contemporary graphical edge I applied
Schwartau, Wavin slanting lines by making a flattened copy of
the image, then applied Pen tool selections to
isolate image areas. Creating a new layer from
6
“I have always been a huge fan of Japanese and Chinese
art, and especially enjoyed the Yakuza tattoo style, this, I nudged it to the top left a bit, also
representing tigers, dragons and carp or koi. When I was adding a three-pixel white Inside Stroke.”
asked by Advanced Photoshop to talk about my work, I
spontaneously decided to prepare a homage to these 7: Integrating shapes
artworks,” says Domaradzki. “I fancied throwing in some
He started quickly sketching, as always when an idea digital objects, so I used the
pops into his head, and later made a precise pen drawing of Elliptical Marquee tool to
the main motif, a Chinese dragon. “The drawing itself took
me about two and half hours to finish,” he explains. “You
create black circles. I added
can find the scanned file on the disc and you can either Color Range black ink
follow the tutorial steps to create something close to what I textures to some of these
did, or let your imagination run wild and create something then merged the two. I
totally different with the drawing. It’s up to you.” placed my shapes under the
His main goal was to create an eye-catching – and at the stroke-applied layer, and
same time dirtied – image, with the mysterious red dragon integrated edges by making
emerging from ink and paint splashes on the paper. “I a selection of the outside of
began the digital remastering by colouring the drawing in the dragon and erasing from
Photoshop, using plenty of textures, some filters and adding
self-made type,” he tells us. “In this particular piece I added
the shape layer.”
black circles and some white slanting lines, arranged on the
canvas through trial and error. It’s really exciting to see that
in the end they add a contemporary graphic design edge to
the image as a whole.”
7

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028-035_AVP_63_SketchFeature.ind29 29 14/10/09 15:45:53

 TI P: Multip
ly b lending brush
Use these spar
ingly to knoc
k back whole
es
Feature
into shadow areas
or just a coup
wit h a so ft-e le of values do
dged low-opa wnwards
city brus h

1: The initial sketch

“When I began sketching, I knew that I wanted
to make something huge, lumbering, even
freakish. Something alien in nature, but still
retaining enough humanity to repulse the
viewer. This is what I invented after extensive
t
C o nc e p
pencil sketches, and I named it
Zyrul the Abomination.
Inspiration was taken from
cult classic cinema
monsters, such as those
in Predator, Species
1 and Alien.”

2: Lay down the form

“Using my sketch as a general study, I produce
form loosely. Sloppy lines are acceptable to
determine many anatomical appearances. I
use a big brush with an awkwardly oval shape
instead of the plain, boring round brush shape
to achieve these spontaneous lines and
shapes. They open my mind to forms I
wouldn’t normally think of.”

2 3: Simple, essential gradient

“Establishing image lighting is
probably the most important
process in the entire image. I
added a layer on top of the image
and set it to Multiply, applying
this soft round brush to create my
4 own hand-painted gradient. No
matter what I add or subtract, I
stick to this exposure value
throughout, as it keeps me from
creating overstated contrasts.”

4: Flesh out
“I carefully paint each component
3 at a time, rather than just laying in
a bunch of unknown items,
fabrics, cloths and gadgets. Trying Marco Nelor
Project info

to actually design the costume or

outfit with the same oval shape Personal portfolio site:
brush as before is one way to www.thurd-eye.com
ensure that you keep progressing Clients: Electronic Arts,
on a single, streamlined workflow.” White Wolf, Microsoft Game
Studios, Ensemble Studios,
Wizards of the Coast
5: Scrutinise mistakes
“To get a spontaneous mark quality, I
often rotate the image on its side “I recently finished this piece for the latest Dominance War
competition,” says Marco Nelor. “The most fun part of the
and flip it rather than changing contest for me was getting to design the monstrous fiend.”
brushes. I also work my way from the Many hours went into designing the model sheet and
centre out, using my initial sketch as trying to get a design that was cool and inspiring to look at.
a blueprint. If I felt a mistake is made, “After many cups of coffee, this piece emerged,” he reveals.
I will paint it onto a separate layer “One of the most complicated things about conception is
and switch it on and off to see which getting everything to read in a way that is modern and cool,
version I like best.” while still functional.”
Nelor achieved this creative balance through a series of
intensive sketch concept sessions and through his
experimental brushwork, as he explains: “Everything needs

5 to be there, laid out, and if you are one of those people who
doesn’t have a solid handle on 3D concepting, painting an
image that is very clear is even more important. Getting
TI P: Layer mask deep down in there and getting your hands dirty, designing

Adding a layer of
s every button and flask, is something that is both refreshing
and soothing – just as long as you have good music to
texture and being
comple tely mask it ab le to inspire you!”
then paint it back
offers maximum con in subtly
trol over physical eff
ects

30
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028-035_AVP_63_SketchFeature.ind30 30 14/10/09 12:44:28

 Works in progress

Final image

i l lerque Paint realistic rock textures

K ni
ec h
Step 1: Ref ine small highlights
t “After layin g solid value and using
chiselled, cold, dark stone photo a
reference, I realised little highligh
areas, with shimmer on the hardest ted
edges. I added very tight edges of
light, making the piece seem cold
and more dangerous.” er

Step 2: Add subtle detail

“I lightly added textural information
using a speckled brush on a layer
over the previous one. The opacity
of
the brush is low, as a little goes a long
way and you don’t want to alter the
tonal balance too much.”

Step 3: Photo reference

“I overlaid a ground texture, using
Cmd/Ctrl+ T to transform it, shrinkin
it and pulling the edges to match g
the
size and shape of the plane. This give
the item interesting history before s
paint over it completely.” I
ontal flips
TI P: Horidiz t>Keyboard Shortcuts, yousecae if your
n se t a
E you to
By going to This allows
iz on ta l F lip hot key. a n t comparison
Hor
a vy si de d through inst
image is he
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028-035_AVP_63_SketchFeature.ind31 31 14/10/09 12:46:30

 ks
TI P: Alpha mas
s assis ts by speedin
g up the working
mask
Applying alpha
Feature process on dif fer en t sec tions of the com
position

William Elliot

Project info
Personal portfolio site:
http://irwit.cgsociety.org/
gallery/
Clients: Ford, Lincoln, Land
Rover, Volvo, Mazda

The project began as an entry for an online competition

with a secret agent theme. “Although I hadn’t entered
competitions before, this theme alone captured my
imagination,” explained motivated young artist Elliot. “I
played with a number of ideas but I’m a big James Bond
fan, so an Aston Martin chase was a must. The main focus
of the image would be the car jumping out of the screen.”
Devised for his portfolio, it meant the final resolution
needed to be at 6,000 x 4,000 pixels over 1GB. “This led to
some technical issues, really slowing my workflow.” This
forced him to work on each element separately, before
collapsing into a single master file, “This really helped
speed-wise and allowed constant revision of original
elements when changes were needed.”
As the piece evolved, it went from a colourful image
initially to a much more muted colour palette. This helped
the image mature, a lot like the new Bond films where gritty
realism is used heavily. “I find the online forums can be
invaluable when looking for honest critiquing after
producing imagery,” he adds.

TI P: Lens Flare
These he lp to produ
brus hes
ce realistic lens fla
quickly, using dif re effects
ferent layer modes
lig hting strengths to determine

t
C o nc e p

F i n a l i m a ge
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028-035_AVP_63_SketchFeature.ind32 32 14/10/09 12:48:06

 Works in progress
1: References

www.sxc.hu
“Research into photographic stock of car chases
and city locations was needed. I made a
preferred collection and, after reviewing my
references, decided a night shot would really
bring the car to life, along with the reflections
of wet floors. I like how the lights flared in some
of these images and I decided a helicopter
would be the perfect pursuer.”

n g m odes Screen blendingions

d i
I P: BlenA Dodg
e a nd
ions, r
e frac t
T Dodg
e( d d),
suc h a
sr e f le c t
r c ts
Linea d e ffe
e lp ad
mo d e
a nd a
s h
t m os p
herics 1
TIP: Noise – Median
This filter is normally applied in my images, as it
helps me create motion-b lurred reflection effects to
create a sense of realism 2: Layout ideas
“Building basic assets in 3D allows you to
experiment with dynamic compositions. I
prefer creating this way instead of sketching in
2D, as you can quickly produce and modify very
different ideas from just a few simple assets.
2
This allows me to move the camera into
different positions instantly and experiment
with varying lenses.”

i l lerque
K ni
t ec h
Realistic flares
Step 1: Base layer
“Create a black Dodge
blending mode layer
above your image layer.
Now create another new
layer, Opt /Alt- clicking the
3 4
gap bet ween this and the
black layer. This means
effects only affect your 3: Conceptualisation
black Dodge layer.” “After trying out my layouts I
settled on one, working it up in
Photoshop. This includes
adding basic tone, colours,
Step 2: Add the glow light direction and adding any
“On your new blank layer, assets that were not viable in
use a white soft-edged 3D. I used Dodge and Burn to
brush and add your add basic lighting. Objects
such as the helicopter and
highlight. Use Fade, Cmd/ hotel were placed using the
Ctrl+Shif t+D, to tone Free Transform tool. This image
down the highlight if it is became my guide for creating
too strong.” the final piece.”

4: Create from individual assets

“I built my assets in 3D and rendered them
out in separate layers. This included the
Step 3: Regulate buildings and streets to the alpha masks
effects for the helicopter light. Having my assets
“Experiment with brushes separate in Photoshop layers with relevant
alphas speeds up my application process.”
and layer styles with this
effect. When toning
down highlights, don’t 5: Water spray effects
use opacity on your “I decided to add some water spray, as the
car needed something to connect it to
layers. Use Levels to give the road after all. This effect was
you that great burned- produced and applied using a mixture of
out highlight effect.” 3D and photo references, all added to the
image using Color, Linear Dodge and
Screen blending modes.” 5

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 TI P: Color Burn
To deepen neutral
blen ding mode
Feature colour layer set to
image exposure, ap
Color Burn blending
ply a solid lig ht bro
mode at 50 % Opac
wn
ity

1: Expand the setting

“After we receive concepts from the
agency art director, we get to work
t
1 C o nc e p
compositing the image. We resolve
base image lens distortion by using
the Distort tool, dragging the top
handles out horizontally until we
vertically aligned all columns.
Perspective lines on a new layer,
applied by the Line tool, provide a
guide when correcting the
perspective of the floor tiles.”

2: Add dimensions
“Cutting and pasting existing
image elements, as well as
applying and distorting additional
photos of the Lyric Opera House,
let us match our perspective
guides. The balcony was
stretched with Free Transform,
while the ceiling was patched and
chandeliers were moved to the

2 centre, taking a lot of deliberation

with applied layer masks.”

3: Overall colour treatment

“At Filtre we do prefer to simplify the
colour palette in produced images. That
3 often means desaturating certain colours,
while leaving others at full strength. In this
case, I chose to keep a warm, neutral
palette by desaturating only the blues
and cyans through experimentation with
Hue/Saturation adjustment layer colour
mode settings.”

4: Sell it with the details

“Transforming our setting into an
archaeological museum wasn’t easy. We
scoured the web for public domain
dinosaur images to piece together the
TI P: Curves adjust
balcony mural. A base for the T-rex was
m
ent layers
4 crafted from a photograph of a piece of
sandstone shot outside of the studio.
Curve layers add dra
filled layer masks
ma. Apply a white
Airbrus h tool to bla
ck-
Reflections were then added to the floor to areas where you
want effects appli
by flipping Gaussian Blur copies, then ed
using the Liquify tool to selectively distort
portions of the reflections.”

5: Assemble the pose

5 “We addressed the original
static model by taking 30
angled shots, deliberating
then selecting six to
assemble our dinosaur in
the desired pose. With a
base shot of the legs and
tail taken facing left, we
added shots of the ribcage
orientated towards the
camera. The skull was
applied from a right-facing
high-angle shot, creating
6 focus in the composition
from a fluid movement.”

g mode
6: Make it real
“Although more diverse, the model image still looked
like a model. We combated this by adding a variety of TI P: Overlay blendk,inwood, dirt, etc) can be
s (roc
stock sources including some from our own library. We Various texture image y
es to create tangibilit
shoot samples with a Canon 5D Mk II, such as concrete, overlaid at low opaciti
sandstone and dirt. We dramatised lighting by
applying curve layers, deepening shadows and
brightening highlights on top.”
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 Works in progress
l l e r ue
Kihniq Filtre Studio

Project info
c tail
te ntegrating de
I cene placeme
nt
Personal portfolio site:
www.filtrestudio.com

Step 1: S ct into the

Clients: JWT Detroit, Ford
Motor Company, Sony,
“Paste the obje it to overlap a Taylor Swift
g
scene, movin two. At this
light source ornnosaurus rex This image was produced by the creative team at Filtre
point the Tyra ood, but could Studio as part of a Sony VAIO print advertising campaign.

look s prett y g to tie it in

“We work with advertising agencies, design firms and
photographers to artistically enhance images, or in some
use some help ackground.” cases create them from scratch,” explains Filtre owner
bet ter to the b
Robert Frolich.
“Our original intent was to have photographer Andrew
Martin (www.andrewmartin.com) shoot the Sue T-rex
e glare
Step 2: Creatla fossil at the Chicago Field Museum. Since permission could
yer set to the not be obtained in time for our tight deadline, we opted
“Create a new ing mode. instead to shoot the interior of the Lyric Opera of Chicago
Overlay blend rush set to 0 for its museum-like qualities,” he adds.
With a white b rush
The space itself was quite grand, however, photo stock
required heavy editing in postproduction, using additional
Hardness, Airb ly onto the shots to capture the desired effects.
ac tivated, app up light For the T-rex, Filtre was able to obtain a 72cm museum-

layer and build

quality scale model. “This was quite detailed, however, it
did not articulate,” reveals Frolich. “The pose was not quite
source glare.” what we needed. Martin patiently photographed 30
different angles, rotating the model every 10-20 degrees.”
loom The model was flatly lit in the studio allowing Filtre to
Step 3: Light labyer and enhance shadows and highlights with Curves adjustment
“Create a new e Airbrush
layers. It was necessary to pay strict attention to the
direction of the lighting coming from the chandeliers above,
again, using th white brush, and from the more diffused lighting of the column sconces.
tool with a softonces until The finished composite was given a moody, shadowy look

apply to the sc er the edge

to enhance the drama of the image.

they bloom ovr, achieving

of the dinosau tegrating it.”
the ef fect of in

TI P: Unsharp Mas k
filter at Amount 50
An overall Unsharp
Mask
, Radius
trast
F i n a l i m a ge
ove ral l image a visual pop in con
2 gives the

35
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028-035_AVP_63_SketchFeature.ind35 35 14/10/09 12:57:07

 MASTERCLASS

e a t e
Cr covthiser
thFeinsdticoiumtahgoeewaftreodmfrooismur
fantaer was crnish in th
cov art to fi rclass
st Maste

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036-041_AVP_63_ElectricMC.indd 36 14/10/09 14:05:58

 Electric effects
Invent illuminated images with simple yet effective Photoshop
toolsets and techniques

R
etro styles are littering the current graphics image. The Brush tool and layer blending modes are ON THE DISC
industry; from movies and album sleeves to fully explored, and we will show you how to amplify
On this issue’s CD you’ll discover a host of
advertising, typefaces and fashion, this these with Photoshop’s Layer Style options. Advanced resources. Ripley Pierce (http://
renaissance is firmly influencing artistic approaches. editing and compositing techniques are applied deathrockstock.deviantart.com/)
provides the main model image. There’s
Creatives are always wanting more, so who are we to through the Pen tool, Clone Stamp tool and layer
also a Web 2.0 badges PDF, which gives
deny you? This electrifying image is inspired by Walt masks, and we’ll explore the powerful potential of you the basics for creating helmet gloss
Disney’s 1982 stunning cinematic experience Tron. options sometimes overlooked, such as Flare filters effects, as well as flares and gradients.
Advanced Photoshop has brought to life our own and Gradient tools. Adam Smith
OUR EXPERT
take on its iconic electro settings and styles in this in- This jam-packed tutorial will not only help you
Eighties nut and AP’s senior staff writer, Adam Smith immersed
depth tutorial. realise great retro and lighting effects that you can use himself in electro resources to achieve this homage to Tron, with
We’ll show you how to produce these retro effects time and time again in personal or professional all the tutorial’s electric effects. A daily dose of Daft Punk also
and recapture the essence of this fantastical sci-fi film projects, but will also present extreme entertainment. helped the creative process along.

with nothing more than a few simple Photoshop So sit back and enjoy all the creative power you’ve
functions, some lavish techniques and a single stock been blessed with!

“Recapture the
1 Work with model stock
Open ‘Leather_20_by_Deathrockstock.jpg’,
selecting the Pen tool set to Shape Layers. With a white
2 Work paths
Activate the Paths palette. Ctrl/right-click your
Work Path and choose Make Selection (set to New
essence of this
fantastical sci-fi film
colour set, draw around your model. Ctrl/right-click the Selection). Press Cmd/Ctrl+X to erase visual values. Hide
shape layer, selecting Rasterize Layer. Cmd/Ctrl-click this the Background layer. You should now have a clean with nothing more
shape layer’s thumbnail, activate the model layer and
press Cmd/Ctrl+J, duplicating a new clean cutout layer.
cutout of your model. We now need to create a leather
suit for our model
than a few simple
Delete the Shape layer. Apply the Pen Path tool in- Photoshop functions,
between the crooks of your model copy layer’s arms.
lavish techniques
and a stock image”

Working with fonts

When we decided to use this fantastically retro
image on our cover, we knew that we had to
make it work by tying in clever font usage to give
the whole thing an authentic feel.
If you want to replicate this and turn the
tutorial artwork into a poster, for example, then
the font that we used is from www.dafont.com.
This is a great site for finding some amazing free
fonts for use in your artwork. Search for ‘Tron’ and
you will see the one that we selected, which is
completely free.
When you are looking for fonts, check the

3
usage restrictions first. Some are free, but others
Transform tools are for noncommercial use only. With dafont.com,
Start by making a selection using the Rectangular there is also a text file inside the download that
Marquee tool across the midriff of the model’s costume. explains how you can use the font.
Hit Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate this fabric section, placing it
above the model’s exposed shoulders. Use the
Edit>Transform>Warp tool to position and align your
costume. Cmd/Ctrl-click the model cutouts thumbnail,
press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+I to inverse your selection and
erase outside fabric edges by hitting Cmd/Ctrl+X.

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036-041_AVP_63_ElectricMC.indd 37 14/10/09 14:06:32

 MASTERCLASS
4 Costume textures
Apply a layer mask to this fabric layer and, using a
soft-edged 30% Opacity black brush, blend your
5 Clone costume elements
Set this at 80% Opacity and zoom into your image.
Holding Opt/Alt, select the surrounding clear parts of
6 Pen Shape tool
Use the Pen Path tool to draw a clean selection,
mimicking separation between the model’s legs. Select
costume layers. You may need to edit with the Warp tool fabric then apply the Clone Stamp tool to the costume’s your model layer and erase using the Path palette, as in
as you go for best effects. Once you have the basics and boots’ buckles, covering them all until you have a Step 2. Switching back to the black Pen Shape tool, draw
aligned, merge your model and fabric layers only, then completely clear costume. Continue this Clone Stamp and rasterise a helmet for your model (see the example).
select the Clone Stamp tool. treatment by Cmd/Ctrl-clicking the merged model With only your helmet and model merged layer visible,
thumbnail and apply to the exposed areas of leg. Also press Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+Shift+E, merging into a
clone away the wristwatch. complete new model layer.

“If you’re looking to

bring out strong,
7 Realise and sharpen
The helmet does look flat, so make a Marquee tool
selection over the thigh fabric area, pressing Cmd/Ctrl+J,
8 Integrate helmet textures
Apply a layer mask to your helmet fabric layer and
integrate edges using a black 10% Opacity soft-edged

almost fluorescent creating a new layer. Place this over the helmet and use
Transform tools to resize and shape. Apply Filter>
brush. Merge this and the complete model layer into a
new, whole final model layer. Open a new document
effects, then apply Sharpen>Sharpen More twice, set a Luminosity blending
mode and then select Image>Adjustments>Levels. Set
that’s 23 x 30 centimetres at 300dpi with a black
background. Create a new layer titled ‘Mesh’ and select
Color Dodge Input values at 62, 1.00 and 235. Filter>Vanishing Point.

blending brushes,
preferably with white”

Blending brushes
Blending modes, when used correctly, can really
liven up the lighting and colour within your
composition. However, brush blending modes,
selectable from the Options bar when activating
the Brush tool, allow you to apply far more

9
localised and controlled effects. For example, if
you are looking to really bring out strong, almost Vanishing Point
fluorescent effects, then you should apply Color filter
Dodge blending brushes, preferably with white. Select the Create Plane tool
This is great for creating bleeding light, manual and add an anchor point in
flares, space-related lighting and strobe effects. the centre of your
Screen brushes are perfect for creating soft hue background. Draw a mesh,
lighting, best suited to atmospheric lighting starting at the vanishing
effects. These include creating colourised light
point and moving outwards,
reflection, ambient hazes or to soften harsh
as in the example. If your grid
exposures, and cool or heat colour-cast image
areas. Always pay constant attention to your is red you can use the Edit
brush’s Opacity and Fill settings, as these will Plane tool until you correct
have a large bearing on the strength and impact your perspective and it turns
of any effect you apply. blue. Set your Grid Size to
around 300.

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 10 Background sections
In the ‘Settings and commands for Vanishing
Point’ drop-down options (top left), activate Render Grids
11 Gradient
Overlay FX
Next, with this duplicate segment
to Photoshop. Click OK and, with your Mesh layer layer active, take a look in the FX
activated, press Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate it. With your layer options and select Gradient
duplicate layer active, select the Magic Wand tool and Overlay. Now, in the Options dialog
click on the black background area. Activate the box, activate the Reverse option
Background layer and press Cmd/Ctrl+J, creating a new and then set a black to dull blue
segment layer. gradient. Create a new layer above
this segment layer. Now select the
Rectangle Marquee tool and draw a
selection over half of this
background segment, from the
right to the centre vanishing point.
At this point, it is all starting to
come together and beginning to
look like an environment straight
out of Tron.

13 Background lighting
“Take a break from
12
Apply a Screen blending mode to this layer
Gradient tool
Select the Gradient tool from the toolbar and
before duplicating twice more. Create a new layer
named ‘Lines’, select the Pen Path tool and apply
your composition. You
apply a Black, White style from bottom left to top right. directional lines that run along your grid lines and up the will feel the benefit of
Set an Overlay blending mode at 25% Opacity. Activate
the Mesh copy layer, duplicating this by pressing Cmd/
wall at diagonal angles. This creates a sense of
movement and decoration. returning with fresh
Ctrl+J. Select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and apply a 50-
pixel radius.
eyes, as you will be
able to see anything
that looks slightly
askew in the image.
Additionally, a cup of
coffee will provide
the perfect boost for
the final stages of
this tutorial!”

14 Pen Path stroke

Choose a pale orange hard-edged five-pixel
brush at 100% Opacity. Activate the Paths palette and
15 Create a
vanishing point
Copy and paste your final model
Ctrl/right-click your Work Path and select Stroke Path layer into your backdrop image.
from the drop-down options, making sure it is set to Create a set of adjacent lines that
Brush and Simulate Pressure is unticked. Delete the Work run straight down the middle of
Path. On the same Lines layer, draw a parallel line and your backdrop, creating a vanishing
repeat the previous stroke process. point. Do this with two parallel lines
on a new lines layer, applying a
seven-pixel brushstroke. Use Edit>
Transform Scale and Perspective
options to edit the correct
perspective. At this stage, take a
break from your composition. You
will feel the benefit of returning
with fresh eyes, as you will be able
to see anything that looks slightly
askew in the image. Additionally, a
cup of coffee will provide the
perfect boost for the final stages of
this tutorial!

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 MASTERCLASS
16 Variation adjustments
Now add as many extra lines as you like,
running along the walls and floor of your backdrop.
17 Outer Glow settings
Apply a pink ‘#fe16c5’ tone, with a Screen
blending mode at 98% Opacity. Set the Size to 40px.
18 Blending brushes
Reveal your line layers again and, with a
white Overlay blending mode soft-edged brush set at
Merge all line layers into one and duplicate. Select You’ll now have cool glow effects. However, remember 30% Opacity and Flow, apply along line edges to your
Image>Adjustment>Variations, adding Coarse More that light reflects, so start by selecting the Magic Wand newly merged background layer. Apply a 10% Dodge
Red, altering line tones accordingly. Next, apply a Color tool and apply this to the gaps between your lines. Hide tool set to highlights on top before revealing your model
Dodge blending mode and select Outer Glow from the your line and model layers, pressing Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+ layer. Activate your model layer and duplicate this,
Layer FX options. Shift+E, merging your background into a single layer. placing the new layer beneath the original.

19 Model exposures
Select Color Overlay from the FX options,
applying a ‘#4b7dee’ blue. From the same option set,
20 Feathers and layer masks
Activate your original model layer, apply a
layer mask and Cmd/Ctrl-click the model thumbnail.
apply a Normal blending mode Outer Flow at 75% Just before step 20… Choose Select>Modify>Feather, set at a Radius of 20.
Opacity, 40px Size with the same blue. Add a 15px Press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+I and apply a 70% black soft-
At this point we noticed that our model was
Gaussian Blur. Activate and duplicate your original model edged brush to the right-hand side of your model,
seemingly heavy to one side, and we decided
once more, dropping the new layer between this and bleeding light. Deactivate this selection and apply a layer
that this was due to the thick shadow falling on
your blue blur layer. Set a white Color Overlay and an one side of her figure. To remedy this, we used mask to your whiteout model duplicate.
eight-pixel Gaussian Blur. the Marquee selection tools to isolate the fabric
lining on the right, and copied, pasted and
flipped this horizontally to the left. Layer Opacity
was lowered to 70%, before a layer mask and
30% Opacity black brush treatment was applied
to integrate edges. Then we merged this only
with the model layer and proceeded.

“Remember that light

reflects, so start by
selecting the Magic
Wand tool and apply 21 Lens flare
effects
Erase from the right-hand side
this to the gaps and helmet of this layer. Apply a
layer mask to the blue duplicate
between your lines. model layer, erasing gradually up

Hide your line and from the feet. Copy and paste in
your Flare Layer.psds,
model layers, transforming these behind all

merging your
model layers. Apply a Color
Dodge blending mode. You can

background into a apply layer masks to these and

duplicate model layers to
single layer” integrate effects.

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 22 Gradient Map skin recolour
Select Gradient Map from the Layers palette
adjustment layer options, and load BLUESKIN.grd from
23 Costume focal point
Select the Ellipse tool, drawing a circle in the
chest area. This will be our main light source. Place this
the disc. Set a Hard Light blending mode and Cmd/Ctrl- layer beneath your Gradient Map, and select Gradient Final effects
click your model layer thumbnail. Invert the selection by Overlay from the FX options. Apply a Linear Chrome
pressing Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+I. Apply a 100% black brush to Gradient at 60% Opacity, set to Luminosity, at -130 We look at the final fashion touches you
the Gradient Map layer mask. Use this same brush to degrees. Convert to a Smart Object and then Rasterise. can make to your image
reveal original eye colour and a 10% brush to lighten Select a soft-edged light blue 50% Overlay brush.
shadows on the left side of the face and arm. Step 1: Block patterns
All that’s left for us to do is to decorate our model
costume with recognisable fluorescent patterns,
which are iconic in the Tron movies. To draw the
basic shapes you can either use Brush tools,
applied with a pen tablet, or rasterised Pen Path
layers. Apply these in a rich blue tone.

24 Glow effects
Apply this to the centre of your chrome
shape and a large brush size over the shape’s perimeter.
“Now you
can intuitively isolate
Step 2: Outer Glow settings
Apply Outer Glow layer styles to your shape
pattern layers. Set the blending mode to Linear
Dodge (Add) at 100%, with Size at 16px. Use a
Apply an ice blue Screen blending mode Outer Glow
with 90% Opacity, 46px Size and 50% Range. Create a costume lighting ‘#0e65ae’ blue tone. Apply a 10% white Color
smaller rasterised light blue circle and place it in the
centre of your chest piece. Apply a light yellow 75%
pattern areas. You Dodge and 50% Normal soft-edged brush to
create pulsating light effects. Merge all pattern

Outer Glow with 39% Spread, 46px Size and 50% Range. can also elaborate layers into one.

and heighten image

effects by using
the brush effects
you have learnt
throughout
this tutorial”
Step 3: Lighting additions
Now you can intuitively isolate costume lighting
pattern areas and apply varying brightness
percentages of 105mm Prime Flare filters. You
can also elaborate and heighten image effects by
using the brush effects you have learnt
throughout this tutorial.

25 Manual lighting effects

To make realistic light fall on the model,
begin by creating a new Color Dodge layer and then
apply a 10% soft-edged brush to the outskirts of the
torso, shoulders and facial features. Use corresponding
external lighting colours, too. Apply a cool orange Screen
blending brush on a 50% Overlay layer to your model’s
hands and right arm. Finally, touch up your highlights
using 50% soft-edged brushes set to the Screen
blending layer.

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 insight

in
y other piece
t Th re e: ”More than an capture the Ownership: ”My
Ac as to
y goal here w each
the series, m t’ digitally, as if I’d found d Urban Cartography
of ‘fo un d ar te r an d st ac ke series is all about
fe el ps
th es e el em ents in a dum deconstructing
of
er”
them togeth metropolitan
Atargatis:
environments and
cobbling them back “Atargatis depicts
an
together haphazardly. angry sea goddess
Here, I was going for an ter ror isin g fishing
Escher-like surrealism” boats. It was created
using Poser, CINEM
A
4D and Photoshop.
For this image, I
wanted a dynamic
perspective and a
sense of realism”

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 The Only Road Home is Under
Construction: ”As the final cityscape piece in the
Urban Cartography series, I wanted to evoke an open-
ended sense of direction. As such, the arrangement of
the text mirrors that of the road, drawing the focus to
the negative space in the distance”

Alex Varanese
Website: www.alexvaranese.com
Clients: Roxio, Norton, Nokia
Alex Varanese describes his method of working as schizophrenic, brought on by his
eclectic background. He’s worked as a videogame developer, a firmware programmer,
a copywriter, an animator and a type designer to date. “Fortunately, it’s that chaotic
spirit that most interests me, so I try to use it to my advantage,” says Varanese.
His first commission came about through a friend, when he produced a logo and
realised that his interest lay in design. “There weren’t any creative restrictions and it
had a sense of cultural relevance to it. It helped me realise that a career in design
could be about more than making flyers for the local hair salon.”
Varanese uses a mixture of software packages to get his unique style and each
piece is subjected to the same workflow procedure, as he explains: “My ideas usually
start in 3ds Max, where the overall design is established. But it’s Photoshop, of course,
where everything truly comes together. That’s where a collection of disparate
elements becomes an actual piece of work, and I finally start seeing the idea as I
visualised it to begin with. I tend to render my images in multiple passes and use
Photoshop to not only composite them back together but add the effects and
processing necessary to bring it all to life: texture, colour correction, depth and
lighting effects, etc. It’s easy to mistake Photoshop for little more than a way to add
polish at the end of the process, but it really is just as integral as the 3D app itself in
producing the final piece.”

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 Step-by-step
Workshop

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 CREATIVE ILLUSTRATION
Use Photoshop’s tools to make your yeti the king of the mountain!

P
hotoshop’s powerful Pen, Shape, abominable snowman. The yeti’s mysterious ON THE DISC
Marquee tools and brushes, along and solitary existence has always held a sense
The CD contains a layered
with a little creativity and vision, are of wonder among believers. With this tutorial, Photoshop file so you can see
all you will need to create this chilly winter you’ll get the chance to bring your own vision how the image was built up,
scene. In this tutorial, you will learn how to of a yeti to life. with the original sketch on
its own layer for you to
easily create shapes with the Pen tool and give Before you begin this tutorial, you will
practice with.
depth to those shapes using basic brushes. want to create a sketch of an abominable
Photoshop’s intuitive and robust tools make it snowman. Scan the image into Photoshop if OUR EXPERT Jeff Miracola
the preferred program for this yeti illustration. you didn’t use a pen and tablet device to do Jeff has been illustrating since 1993 in the fantasy
The inspiration for this tutorial comes from your sketch directly in the computer. This gaming industry. His art graces games, magazines and
one of the more fascinating creatures of lore concept sketch will serve as the blueprint for books, including his first children’s book, Welcome to
Monster Isle. Visit www.jeffmiracola.com.
and legend, the yeti, also known as the your mystical creation.

1 Sketch
Place your sketch into Photoshop and
name the layer ‘Sketch’. Set the layer’s blending
2 Mountain
Use the Pen tool (P) to draw out the shape
of the mountain. Cmd/Ctrl-click on the
“The yeti’s
mysterious and
mode to Multiply, and keep the sketch layer at
the top position in your Layers palette for easy
mountain shape layer to select it, create a new
layer (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N), then use the Paint
solitary existence
reference. Draw a rectangle over the entire Bucket tool (G) to fill the selection with a blue has always held a
canvas using the Rectangle tool (U), then double-
click the layer in the Layers palette and add a
colour. Contract the selection by 12 pixels
(Select>Modify>Contract), Feather by 12 pixels sense of wonder
Gradient Fill of light to dark blue. (Select>Modify>Feather) and hit Delete.
among believers.
With this tutorial,
you’ll get the
chance to bring
your own vision of
a yeti to life”

4 Snowy hill shapes

Show your Sketch layer if you need it as a guide. Use the Pen tool
to draw the shapes of the hills. To help distinguish them from each other,
change the colour of each hill slightly. Rasterise each hill layer and apply a
Gaussian Blur (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur). The hill in the background
should be more blurred than those in the foreground.

3 Mountain detail
Use the Elliptical Marquee tool (M) to draw
an elliptical selection area. Switch to the Brush
tool (B), select a soft round brush and shade
inside the selection using the same colour as in
the previous step. Cmd/Ctrl-click the mountain
shape layer, inverse the selection (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift
+I) and delete the excess shading. Place all
mountain layers in one layer group. Hide the
layer group.

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 Step-by-step
Workshop
5 Snowy hill shading
Next, Cmd/Ctrl-click one of the hill shape
layers to select it. Create a new layer, switch to
6 Snowdrift shape
Use the Pen tool to draw the snowdrift
shape. Cmd/Ctrl-click the shape layer, create a
7 Snowdrift details
Create a new layer. Use the Elliptical
Marquee tool to create a selection area, switch to
the Brush tool and use a large, soft round brush new layer and use the Paint Bucket tool to fill the your Brush tool and – using a soft, round brush –
to shade inside the selection with a slightly selection with a blue colour. Contract your shade inside the selection to create detail lines
darker colour than the hill. Repeat this step for all selection by 12 pixels, Feather the selection and for your snowdrifts. Place all snowdrift elements
of the hills. hit Delete. into one layer group, Duplicate (Layer>Duplicate
Group) and place on other hills to your liking.

Step and repeat 8 Duplicate mountains and place in scene

Make the mountain layer group visible and turn it into a Smart
Object (Layer>Smart Objects>Convert to Smart Object). Drag the
9 Northern lights shapes and
Motion Blur
Hide the mountain and snowy hill layer groups.
mountain Smart Object below the snowy hill layers. Duplicate the Use the Pen tool to draw out the shapes that will
Photoshop has a little-known step and
repeat technique that can come in very mountain Smart Object multiple times to create a mountain range. become the wisps of light in the sky. Create
handy when creating patterns and evenly Make some of the mountains smaller, taller and even flip them (Edit> shapes of varying sizes. Rasterise each shape and
spaced objects, such as the lines in the eye Transform>Flip Horizontal) for variation. apply Motion Blur (Filter>Blur>Motion Blur). You
of the yeti. To try this out, use the Ellipse may have to change the direction of the Motion
tool (U) to create a circle. Now press Cmd+ Blur for each shape, depending on its curvature.
Opt+T (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+T (PC) to bring up
the transformation handles of the shape.
Click and drag the circle shape to duplicate
it. Hit Return to Apply Transformation. Now
press Cmd+Opt+Shift+T (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+
Shift+T (PC) to duplicate and transform (or
step and repeat) what we just did.

10 Colour northern lights

and place in scene
Now you will need to create a
Gradient Fill layer (Layer>New Fill
Layer>Gradient) above the light wisp
layers. Choose various colours to your
“Use the Pen tool to draw liking and then set the Gradient Fill
layer’s blending mode to Overlay.
out the shapes that will Place your sky layers into one layer

become the wisps of light group and move it below your

mountain and snowy hill layers. Make
in the sky. Create shapes of your mountain and snowy hill layer
groups visible to view your
varying sizes” background scene.

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 11 Yeti basic shapes
Use the Pen tool to draw out all of
the major shapes that make up the yeti. To
12 Shade the yeti and giving
him fur
Now hide all yeti shapes except for the yeti
13 Yeti arm shadow
Cmd/Ctrl-click the yeti’s left arm
shape to create a selection. Create a new layer
distinguish one element from another, body. Cmd/Ctrl-click to select, switch to the below the yeti’s left arm shape, then use the
temporarily change its colour to something very Brush tool, create a new layer and shade the Paint Bucket tool to fill the selection with a grey
different than the other elements around it. edges of the yeti. Switch to Elliptical Marquee colour. Set the layer’s blending mode to
Don’t worry, we aren’t creating a rainbow yeti! tool and drag out a selection. Create a new Multiply and lower the Opacity to 40%. To
Create only one shape for the yeti’s ear, as you’ll layer, switch to the Brush tool and shade inside remove excess arm shadow beyond body, Cmd/
duplicate the ear later. Place all of your yeti selection to create fur on the yeti. Repeat for all Ctrl-click the yeti body layer, inverse the
shapes into one layer group. yeti shapes. selection and hit Delete.

14 Create an eye with the Ellipse tool

Draw out a dark blue circle for the shape of the eye.
Draw a small black circle for the pupil. Below this, draw
“To distinguish one element
from another, temporarily
a third circle (light blue) on a new layer. To align them, change its colour to
Shift-click all circle layers and go to Layer>Align>
Vertical Centers and Horizontal Centers. Rasterise something different than
and Gaussian Blur the light blue circle.
the other elements around
it. Don’t worry, we aren’t
creating a rainbow yeti!”

16 More eye details

Drag the eye lines layer below the
pupil and light blue glow layers, then apply
Gaussian Blur. Create a new layer above the
pupil layer. Use the Ellipse tool to draw a white
circle highlight, and again apply Gaussian Blur.

15
Place all the eye layers into one layer group and
Create lines create a Smart Object. Duplicate the Smart
in the eye Object for your second eye.
Next, use the Pen tool to
draw an elliptical shape.
Then duplicate the layer and
go to Edit>Transform Path>
Rotate to show
transformation handles on
the shape. Next, click the
centre point of the shape
and drag it to the bottom
centre of shape. Rotate the
shape 15 degrees, then hit
Return to apply the
transformation. Press Cmd/
Ctrl+Opt/Alt+Shift+T to
duplicate the shape and
angle multiple times.

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 Step-by-step
Workshop
17 Create other facial features
Use the Pen, Marquee, Shape and
Brush tools to create the other facial features of
18 Lend character to your yeti
With all of your facial features created, you can now adjust
their size, position and angle to achieve more expression or
19 Almost done, but not yeti…
Use the techniques in this tutorial to
create additional elements for your scene. We
the yeti. To save time, create Smart Objects for personality out of your character. Create rosy red cheeks and a nose for created extras such as a snowman, a scarf for
those elements that can be repeated, such as your yeti by drawing out a circular shape with the Ellipse tool, applying the yeti, stars in the sky and footprints in the
ears, eyes, cheeks, eyebrows, etc. Gaussian Blur and then setting the layer’s blending mode to Overlay snow. Final touches should include colour
and adjusting the Opacity value. adjustments and additional shading, such as
darkening the edges of the artwork or making
the background darker so the yeti pops more.

Motion Blur
Wisps of light use the Motion Blur
filter to give them directional blurs

Smart Objects Step and repeat

Create Smart Objects of Use Photoshop’s hidden
elements that can be repeated step and repeat command
throughout your composition, to duplicate an object over
such as mountains and over

Lighting
Use lighting to place characters
in their environment, such as the
Shadows yeti’s pink glow
Shadows can give form to 2D
objects, making them appear
three-dimensional

Depth
Use the Gaussian Blur filter to
blur objects in the background,
providing depth

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 Step-by-step
Workshop

LARGE-FORMAT
PRINTING
Create a striking design and prepare it for
large-scale printing

I
n this Workshop tutorial, we are going to RGB (sRGB IEC61966-2.1)
learn how to take a series of photographs CMYK (Coaled FORGRA27 (ISO 12647-
to create a panoramic image by bringing 2:2004)
them all into Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Gray (Dot Gain 15%)
applying the Photomerge tool. Spot (Dot Gain 15%)
By merging together several photographs, The image for this tutorial was inspired by an
we will attempt to turn different sections of elevated rail track. The curvature of the rail
each object into a single, stunning panoramic struck us as an ideal focal point for an urban
photograph. This will encompass the first part landscape and the creation of this image was
of the tutorial. born. We took a number of photographs of
In the second part of the tutorial, we will buildings in different locations. In the end we
learn about layering, masking and colour ended up with about 20 images that we could
correction when creating our illustration. When work with. One good tip is to always keep an
designing images for large-format printing, organised library of photographs that you have
you should always remember to have the taken, as you never know when they could
resolution at 300dpi or 360dpi. If you set your come in handy. For example, the photographs
resolution lower, ie at 72dpi, when you take of the cars that we used in this illustration were
your image to the printer and enlarge it to an taken earlier this year at the Shell Eco
A3 or A2 size, you’ll find the quality of the Marathon. Another good tip is to always take
enlarged print to be very poor. Only use 72dpi your camera out with you, as you never know
when creating graphics meant for specific what you will see. A final piece of advice is to
designs or websites. always take photos of texture items, such as
Additionally, remember that you should tree bark, paper types in various forms
always make sure you have your colour setting (crumpled, smooth, etc) and dried leaves.
at Europe General Purpose 2 (European) or Create a texture folder to keep your
North America General Purpose 2 (American). photographs in – you never know when you
You can find this information under Edit> will find that one of these photos will suddenly
Color Settings. be the perfect background.

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 Step-by-step
Workshop
Large-format printing
at home
1 A panoramic view
To begin, start by copying the folder of
images from the Advanced Photoshop cover
ON THE DISC
On the disc you will find a
collection of photographs used
in the creation of this tutorial.
disc onto your computer’s desktop. For the first
These are for use in the context
order of business, you are going to create a
If you want to print on a large scale at of this tutorial only. You can also
home, then here are three of the best panoramic image from just a few of these try it out with photographs of
your own city.
printers available photographs. So in Adobe Photoshop CS3 or
CS4, navigate through the settings to File> OUR EXPERT Stewart Michael Bruce
Automate>Photomerge. Stewart studied at Norwich University College of the Arts
with a BA (Hons) in Illustration. He started to get jobs in
his hometown and had an exhibition of his art in galleries
in London, England. In 2005, he moved to Los Angeles,
where he now lives. Visit his website at www.
stewartbruce.clara.net.

Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II

www.canon.com
£729/$850
2 Off the rails
In the Photomerge dialog box select Auto
Layout, then under Source Files set Use to Files
Prints up to A3+ and 14-inch wide prints, and hit Browse to find the images you are going
offering great quality from its ten Lucia to use. For this Workshop, select ‘Rail_1_RGB.tif’
pigment inks and 16-bit per channel through to ‘Rail_7_RGB.tif’. Make sure that the
printing. It also offers Ambient Light
Blend Images Together option is checked, then
Correction for high-quality results.
click OK. Photoshop will work its magic and the
resulting image will look much like this
screenshot below.

HP Photosmart Pro B9180

www.hp.com
£567/$700
A professional printer for up to A3+ sizes on
a variety of media types and offers gallery-
quality prints. Uses instant-dry HP Vivera
pigment inks and prints should resist fading
for over 200 years on selected HP papers.

3 Add a layer and crop

Note that Photoshop can only do so much
and, depending on the quality of the photos,
4 Add trains to the track
From the CD, open up ‘Train_1_RGB.tif’ and
go to Select>All then Edit>Copy. Go back to your
there may be small gaps in the merged image. main Rail Train image and hit Edit>Paste. To create
To fix this, create a new layer by going to Layer> the illusion of the train being on the track, we
New>Layer. Using the Eyedropper tool, we’ll take need to position it in the right place within the
a sample of the areas around the gaps/jagged image. Once in place, go to Edit>Transform>Scale.
edges then use the Brush tool to paint in the Resize the train so that it fits proportionately. You
gaps and over jagged edges on the new layer. may need to rotate the image a bit. In the Layers
Epson Stylus Photo R2880 Once you’re satisfied with the results, select the palette, click on the ‘Add a mask’ option at the
www.epson.com Crop tool and choose about the area shown in bottom and, with the Brush tool, mask out the
£656/$800 the screenshot. Go to File>Save As and save the background around the train. Repeat the process
Also offers A3+ prints for long-lasting image as ‘Rail Train’. with ‘Train_2_RGB.tif’, then flatten the image.
images thanks to the Epson UltraChrome K3
Vivid Magenta ink. Prints have a wider
colour spectrum for more vivid results,
whether in colour or black and white.

“Photoshop can only do so

much and, depending on
the quality of the photos,
there may be small gaps in
the merged image”
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 5 More Photomerge fun
To create the next piece of our image,
repeat Steps 1 through to 4 using ‘Staples Center_
6 Start the cityscape
As the focus of this tutorial is large-format printing, we need a
larger canvas to work on. Open up a new document and title it ‘Urban
7 Take away the sky
Place Staples Center Panoramic over Rail
Train, as shown in the screenshot below. Start
1_RGB.tif’, ‘Staples Center_2_RGB.tif’ and ‘Staples Cityscape’. Set Width to 470mm, Height to 302mm, Resolution to 300dpi erasing the background in the two photos. Click
Center_3_RGB.tif’. Crop the assembled image as and RGB to 8 bits (or whatever suits your needs). Open up ‘Rail Train.psd’ on the eye icon in the Layers palette next to the
shown in the screenshot. Flatten the image and separately. To copy this file into the main canvas, go to Select>All, Edit> Staples Center Panoramic image layer. This will
then save as ‘Staples Center Panoramic’. Copy, click on the new canvas and then paste Rail Train onto the new switch off the layer so we can start masking out
canvas. If you’re working in CS4, you can highlight the image and simply the background. In the Layers palette, add a mask,
drag the file onto the Urban Landscape tab at the top of the screen. select a hard-edged brush and then set to black,
Repeat this process with Staples Center Panoramic and scale to fit canvas. painting as is needed. Use white in order to
recover elements.

“Create a texture
folder – you never
know when you
8 Photocopying
At last, a good use for Photoshop filters – 9 Skyscrapers in the sky
Open up ‘Building_One_RGB.tif’ from the will find that one of
photocopying! To get the type of texture that we
want for this image, we can either take the
disc. Drag-and-drop the image onto the working
canvas. Place the layer at the bottom the layer these photos will
images that we are creating and literally
photocopy them on a photocopier and then scan
stack and set to Normal. Scale and stretch this
image as seen in the screenshot. Add a mask as
suddenly be the
the copied images back in as layers, or we can use you did in the previous steps. Duplicate this layer perfect
the Filter Gallery in CS4. Click and highlight Rail
Train, the first layer that you are going to work on.
and, in the Filter Gallery, choose Photocopy and
set Detail and Darkness to 10. background”
In the Layers palette, click on Duplicate. Make sure

10
you are working on the duplicated layer, then
click on the Filter drop-down menu. Under the Urban skyscrapers
menu box in the Filter Gallery palette, select Repeat the steps for ‘Building_One.tif’ on the images ‘Building_
Photocopy. There, you will see two settings: Detail Two.tif’, ‘Building_Three.tif’ and ‘Building_Four.tif.’ Scale the buildings using
and Darkness. Set these to 12 and 8 respectively. the screenshot as guide. Click on each layer to duplicate and again mask
Now repeat these steps for Staples Center out the background around the buildings. Set the original layers to
Panoramic. Name your duplicate layers with a Normal and the duplicated layers to Overlay. In the Filter Gallery, under
photocopy to identify them. Set both of the Photocopy set the sliders for Detail and Darkness at 10 and 5 for Building
photocopy layers to Overlay and both of the Two, at 10 and 6 for Building Three and at 9 and 7 for Building Four.
original layers to Normal.

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 Step-by-step
Workshop
11 Cloning cars
Now you are going to work on the
image ‘Shell Car 3_RGB.tif’. As you are going to flip
12 Eco-warriors
Open up ‘Shell car 1_RGB.tif’. Drag-and-drop the image onto
the main canvas. Go to Edit>Transform>Scale and scale it down to size,
the image horizontally, the text on the car will be
as seen in the screenshot. Add a mask layer and take out the background
a mirror image so you need to remove the text
around the car. Duplicate this layer and rename it as with other
from the car. Using the Clone tool, take a sample
duplicated layers. Go into the Filter Gallery, select Photocopy and set
of the area that needs to be matched and paint
Detail and Darkness to 10 and 10. Set this layer to Overlay and the
out the number one and the text on the side of
original layer to Normal. Repeat this process with ‘shell car 2_RGB.tif’.
the car. Next, to flip the image go to Image>
Rotation>Flip Canvas Horizontally. Afterwards,
save this image.

14 Paper texture “When cutting

close to an area on
13
Add a new group to the Layers
More cars palette for the background. Next, open up the
Next, open up your newly cloned version of ‘Shell Car 3_RGB.
tif’. Drag-and-drop the image onto the main canvas. As with the other cars,
file ‘ellie pooh paper orang_RGB.tif’. Drag-and-
drop the paper onto the canvas, and it will
your photographs,
go to Edit>Transform>Scale and scale it down to size. Add a mask layer become part of the background group. Go to holding down the
and take out the background. Duplicate this layer and rename it. Go into
the Filter Gallery, select Photocopy and set Detail and Darkness to 10 and
Edit>Transform>Scale and scale to fit it to your
canvas. In the new group you just created, add
Shift key while
10. Set this layer to Overlay and the original layer to Normal. As ever, make
the most of the opportunity here to take a break for five minutes so you
the ellie pooh paper layer. This is to help you
organise your files. Now make a mask and erase
clicking the mouse
can come back to the image with a fresh perspective. all of the background above and in-between the will erase a larger
buildings (where the sky would be), so the
texture is just left in the foreground.
piece and in a
straight line”

15 Greyscale
To add interest, you’re going to create
a comic-book look to the illustration. In the Layers
palette, add a new layer and name it ‘White
Background’. Select the Paint Bucket tool, choose
white as the background colour and fill the layer
with white. In the Layers palette, set the blending
mode to Hue. This will allow your illustration to
mimic a pencil sketch. To bring back some of the
colour to the illustration, add a mask to the White
Background layer and, with the Brush tool set at
Hard Edge, erase the bottom third of the area,
from the Staples Center, down.

Quick tip
When cutting close to an area on your
photographs, holding down the Shift key
while clicking the mouse will erase a
larger piece and in a straight line.

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 16 Pick a colour
Next, you’re going to add a grey
background. Create a new group layer and name
“When designing
images for large-
it ‘Sky Background’. The layer should be placed at
the bottom of the building layers in the Layers
format printing,
palette. With the Gradient tool, set the foreground have the resolution
at 300dpi or 360dpi.
colour to blue ‘#02c4fc’ or RGB 2, 196, 252. Click
OK. With the Gradient tool, draw down from the
top centre of the illustration to the top of the
buildings, approximately half of the way down.
Only use 72dpi
Set this layer to Normal. Duplicate the blue sky when creating
layer and drag the duplicated layer above White
Background in the Layers palette, setting it to graphics meant for
Linear Burn. As you can see, we now have a blue
sky that is graduating to grey.
specific designs”

17 It’s a Goodyear
Open up your folder and import the
file ‘GoodYear_RGB.tif’. There is a lot of unwanted
sky in the background around the blimp. Crop out
the blimp, eliminating as much of the sky around
it as possible. Drag-and-drop it into your
illustration. With the Quick Selection tool, outline
the blimp and go to Edit>Cut. Duplicate this layer
and rename it ‘Goodyear Photocopy’. Go into the
Filter Gallery, select Photocopy and set Detail and
Darkness to 10 and 10. Set this layer to Overlay
and the original layer to Normal. Duplicate the
original layer again and set this new layer on top
of Goodyear Photocopy. Set to Color Dodge.

18 More work on the cars

In order to add a more drawn-in effect
to Cars 1 and 3, duplicate Car Layer 1 and place
19 Up the levels
The buildings are now too light. To
correct this, you need to darken them up but
the duplicated layer on top of the Photocopy without touching the rest of the illustration.

20
layer in the Layers palette. Set to Overlay. Repeat Highlight the Building layers only, making sure
this process with Car 3, except we will set it to that the Staples Center and Rail Track layers are Work the Color Balance
Linear Burn. not selected. In the Layers palette, click on Merge Now is the time to apply colour correction that you need to
Down. Select the Adjustments tab and at the finish your image. This is a personal preference, so adjust the colours to
bottom of the panel are two overlapping circles suit your liking. Use the same Merge Down process that you previously
(the Clip function). Click on those. Set the three used on the background buildings to do this. Once you’re happy, your
levels to 0, 0.57 and 255, respectively. image is ready for printing. Because of the large image size, save a layered
copy of this file for the future then flatten it all before printing.

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050-055_AVP_63_LargeFormatWS.ind55 55 14/10/09 14:42:34

 Step-by-step
Workshop

t i o nal
ira opre
Insporkalsarh sha
Wofession andtisPthsotoysohuop
Pr ecrets to help ls
s il
their chniquees your sk
te prov
im

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 REAL-MEDIA BRUSHES
Mike Corriero talks you through the generation of a creature
through multiple concepts and some handy custom brush tips

I
’m going to be primarily discussing mind is frustrated and you find yourself hitting
aspects of creature ideation in this tutorial, a mental block. Since creatures don’t exist, ON THE DISC
while tackling custom brushes and the there are fewer rules to abide by, therefore
incorporation of photo textures in Photoshop freeing up the frustrations that may come The files on the disc include a
line work file, custom brush,
CS3 to help manage your workflow. The along with proper anatomy or boring designs. pattern and photo texture files.
ideation of creature concepts will take you Creature ideation allows you to just go wild There are also high-resolution
through a simplistic approach of anatomy and have fun, whether they are realistic in files for some of the preliminary
thumbnail stages.
while producing a design with impact and nature or whimsical and stylised. Photoshop
originality. Creating custom brushes in makes it very easy to create custom brushes
Photoshop is simple, fun and effective. It will and textures that play an integral part in
OUR EXPERT Mike Corriero
help in both the sketch portion of this design producing something that looks hand painted
Mike is a freelance concept artist and illustrator for the
phase as well as the final production of the and not overly digital. The workspace has
videogame and film industries, living in NJ, USA.
creature illustration. exactly what you need to get the job done Currently, Corriero produces assets for various companies,
Creatures have long been an interest of without confusing you or overpopulating your including everything from creatures, environments,
mine; they are a way to relax even when your space with unnecessary options. structures, illustrations, icons and wall tile designs. His
work has been featured in a number of promotional
outlets, including the Ballistic Publishing series (for

1 2
instance EXPOSÉ 4, 5 and 6), Official Corel Painter Magazine
Thumbnail designing Revising elements and Design 360˚ (China). Some of his clients include
Radical Entertainment and Liquid Development, to which
Thumbnails are such an important part in I’m going to take some of the more he has contributed work for projects delivered to Flagship
conceptual design. If you’re working on designing interesting ideas and follow up on refining some Studios and Ensemble Studios through the art direction
something, you’re going to need to go through of the details. It’s still in the rough stage, but what and outsourcing of LD. His work can be viewed at
www.mikecorriero.com.
multiple phases and variations. Once you become this allows us to do is to take what we think we
comfortable with sketching at a small scale and see in the rough thumbnail and push it in a few

3
focusing on proportions and major shapes, you’ll different directions. The majority of the dominant
quickly find out how much the thumbnail stage shapes are there, as well as the pose and outline, Minor adjustments with major differences
benefits the amount of ideas you can generate in but the characteristics and other features are By taking one digital thumbnail and putting it on a low opacity, you
a short amount of time. what will really define the creature. can produce a number of variations of one creature simply by positioning
the eye in a different spot or exaggerating the size of the lower jaw, even
stretching that rough thumbnail and then repositioning the limbs and
lengthening the body. Little adjustments like that will produce a major
difference in the final outcome.

“Creature ideation
allows you to just
go wild and have
fun, whether they
are realistic in
nature or
whimsical and
stylised”
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 Step-by-step
Workshop
4 Proportions
The proportions of the design balance out the distribution of
weight as well as the flow of the anatomy. You’ll notice here that one
5 Conceptual references
I’ve compiled all of the thumbnails that
have been revised or interest me the most, and I
6 Polish the sketch
After playing around with the scale and
position of the creature in flight, I began to
thumbnail is flipped, which is another important step you should do early utilised them to produce a quick rough sketch as overlay a more detailed sketch on top of the
on before getting into too much detail. Mirroring an image helps you see a layout for the composition to the final painting. rough layout. The rough sketch was set to a low
any skewed flaws more easily. It also helps you see any flaws in Having these thumbnails that were designed opacity so that I could keep the scale, the pose
perspective. The major changes being made deal with the scale of the beforehand will make it much easier to and the position of things on target, but this way I
wings on the creatures of flight. reproduce the creature in a different pose. In this could focus on detailing the actual design and
case, I went with a dragon-based design but stay true to my previous concepts and references.
with a few twists.

7 Clean lines
The line drawing is now complete. I used a
custom brush but a clean one that is different
8 Photo texture base
You can find a lot of great high-res textures
at http://mayang.com/textures/. The texture I
Custom brushes
than the brush used to rough out the thumbnails used here is actually a piece of cloth but I just Custom brushes will help make your
earlier. In preparation for the final painting and repeatedly painted out a lot of the darker spots painting unique, while they’ll also help
some of the short cuts I would be taking, the using the Clone Stamp. Positioning the texture produce a more traditional look and help
clean line work set on its own layer will come in over my line work and then selecting the speed up the workflow. First, create a
silhouette shape. This can be done with
handy later on. One of the changes that I made negative space and inverting it lets me quickly
the Selection tool or by simply painting
during this redrawing stage was shrinking the provide a base photo texture for my dragon
with a default brush. Next, break up the
hind legs and lower body to force the perspective. creature. This will serve as a scaled surface. values of the silhouette by providing a
photo texture on an overlay layer. Once
you’ve done that, you can further break up
the clean edges and then save the brush
as a preset. Simply go to Edit>Define
Brush Preset and name your brush. Now
the brush will show up in your brush list.
To apply settings to your custom brush,
just fool around with the Spacing, Brush
Shape, Opacity, Flow and Angle Jitter, as
well as the Scatter and Size Dynamics.
Once you’re happy with the outcome, just
right-click the canvas and click the little
page icon to create a new brush preset
and then rename your brush. Now your
custom brush is saved with all the brush
settings you have applied to it.
“Custom brushes
will help make 9 Base colours
With the texture on its own
layer, I filled the inverted selection
your painting of the line work with the basic

unique, while colour scheme. The background

was created using another photo,
they’ll help produce which was of abstract food with a
quick Motion Blur applied, a blue-
a more traditional tinted Photo Filter and a custom

look and speed up brush. The brush was created by

Mathias Verhasselt and supplied as
the workflow” a free download.

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 10 Multilayered texture
After breaking up the creature with
some simple highlights, shadows and basic
11 Separate the creature from
the background
After flattening the effects layers, I built up the
12 Highlights and shadows
Still in keeping with the line work on
Multiply and painting beneath the sketch, I built
colours, I duplicated that photo texture silhouette values and colour of the creature to break up the up the shadows and the highlights of the
a few times. I set up my hot key as Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/ structure and focal points. The image was flipped creature. I also adjusted the levels and saturation
Alt+J for reproducing a selection and creating to check for flaws and the background hit up of the background and continued to apply more
new layers quickly. To get the most out of the with a contrasting colour to that of the blue in pinks and brighter colours to help in contrast with
texture, position three duplications above the the sky and creature’s colours. The background, the creature.
base colours. The top one is set to Multiply, the line work and base colours are all on separate
next to Overlay and the next to Hard Light. layers, while the line work is set to Multiply.

14 Refining and defining

This is just the tedious polishing and

13
defining what basically already exists. The colours
Colour, saturation and values are close to what we want so that will
and value serve as a guide to rendering out the finer details.
adjustments Brighter colours and a stronger contrast in values
It’s time to flatten the image. Starting of light and dark colours will help define key
from this point on, the base texture elements in the design.
and colours of the image are
complete. A quick Hue, Saturation and
Lightness adjustment is made on a
duplicated layer of the creature. On an
additional duplicated layer, a Photo
Filter colour adjustment is added to
help tie in the tones of the creature to
that of the background sky. Each of
the layers are erased out in various
areas so that some of the true colour
we started with still shines through.

15 Depth, light and patterns

I selected the lower back of the
creature, duplicated the area and then ran a
“Taking brighter colours
from the background and
Photo Filter effect over the area to fade subtly into
the same colour of the pink sky. In addition, I
hitting up the edges of the
lowered the contrast of values and saturation on creature will help make
that area to push the depth of field. Taking
brighter colours from the background and hitting
him pop through the use
up the edges of the creature will help make him
pop through the use of rim lighting.
of rim lighting”

16 Motion, elements and final touches

I added in some more features, like the spikes of the chest and
patterns on the arms, and brightened the saturation of a few extra spots.
Other elements, such as the moon/planet and falling feathers, help
balance the negative space in the background between the creature.
Providing some Motion Blur effects helps in both the action taking place
as well as bringing focus to the head of the creature. One of the last
things done to help provide movement was the addition of strokes to
the clouds using the Smudge tool. A quick check and it’s finished.

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 Q&A

Helpdesk
Our expert Kirk Nelson
Kirk has been a graphic artist for over 11 years
in the Washington DC Metro area. He writes
tutorials for our sister publication Photoshop
Creative, and opens letters, checks emails and
hangs around the AP forum online, all for the
good of our Helpdesk. If you’re having
quibbles with Photoshop, Kirk’s your man with
the plan!

In this issue, Photoshop guru Kirk Nelson tackles some nagging problems our
readers have sent in as well as dispensing advice and wit to all those who will listen

personal preference is one of the most simple – I use a

paintbrush and simply paint in the new colour! Okay, I
guess it’s a bit more complicated than that. Begin with a
new layer over the image of the model. Set this layer to
Soft Light. Make a selection around the irises if needed,
then use a paintbrush loaded with the new colour to
carefully paint over the previous colour. The key is to be
careful to paint only over the iris, not the lid or the pupil.
Also, choosing an appropriate colour to paint with makes
a world of difference to how believable the change is.
Many times I’ll use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer
Two halves make a whole:
Halftone patterns produced by the Sketch clipped to the new eye colour layer to make subtle
filter and the Bitmap image mode changes to the hue for the sake of realism.

Halftone shading techniques colour. You will need to use a method of colouring the

Q Hey there Helpdesk guy! First of all, thanks for black dots if you wish. A Hue/Saturation adjustment layer Disappearing layer styles
all your hard work on answering the mail for
the Helpdesk. I know I’ve certainly learnt a
thing or two from your answers. I was wondering if you
knew an easy way to do the shading technique that uses
works well for this.

The eyes have it

Q Help me, please! I have a nice text effect
worked into my design using an intricate
Bevel and Emboss layer style. But whenever I
try to flatten the image or merge the layer, the bevelling
a dot pattern where the dots gradually increase in size
and decrease in distance apart? I see it a lot in old comic
books and wondered if it’s something that’s easy to Q Okay, I know this sounds like a ridiculous
newbie request, but it’s something I’ve really
struggled with doing in a convincing fashion.
disappears! Have you run into this? What’s going on?
Renee Wordsworth

A
accomplish in Photoshop. How do you change someone’s eye colour and have it Renee, sometimes quirky behaviour like that
Samantha Ray actually look real? can be difficult to diagnose the true problem. I
Scott Penderson have seen it happen before, and in the case I

A
Samantha, the effect you are describing is saw the problem seemed to be more with the font than

A
known as halftone, maybe because when a Hey Scott, for a minute there I was afraid you
anything else. In your case, there’s a couple of things I
tone is sliced in two this is what it looks like on were going to ask how to cut something out of
would try. First, try creating a blank layer above the text
the inside. But then again, I don’t know too much about the background (that has to be the most and merging it with the text layer. This is a nifty trick to
music… frequent newbie request). rasterise the text and layer styles in one step. If that
What I do know is that there’s at least two There’s as many different methods for
doesn’t work, try rasterising the text manually first
tip
Quick
methods of getting this effect in Photoshop. The changing eye colour as there are (Layer>Rasterize>Type) and see if the layer style will stick
first is with a regular filter, which can be found ur colours of eyes to change! My to the rasterised text. If that fails, try right-clicking on the
for yo
by following Filter>Sketch>Halftone Pattern. on ’t search . Simply
D tte
es pale it
Be sure to set the Pattern Type to Dot and Brush 9 to toggle
increase the Contrast to get crisp edges to the hit F you r
d off
dots. This filter uses the gradations of the image on an top
desk
and the foreground and background colours to
create the pattern.
The other method is a bit more involved and creates
the pattern with a bit more accuracy. Start by converting
the image to greyscale with Image>Mode>Grayscale.
Then convert it to Bitmap with Image>Mode>Bitmap and
set the Method to Halftone Screen. Set the Shape to Before After
Round and adjust the Frequency as needed. Change the
image back to greyscale and then to RGB (or CMYK) Soft light for a soft lens: Changing eye colour in Photoshop is easier than finding a lost contact lens

Send your emails to us at [email protected] or post a message on our forum board at www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/forum.

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060-063_AVP_63_Helpdesk.indd 60 14/10/09 14:51:49

 Custom camouflage

Q Hello Helpdesk, I’m trying to create my

own military camouflage pattern for some
of my designs. I don’t want to use scans of
other camo, I’d really like to be able to construct my
very own using the exact colours that work with my
design. What’s the best way to go about doing this?
Henry Woodsman

A
Henry, as you know there’s a lot of study
that goes into making an effective
camouflage pattern. More study than can
be answered in a side column to a Helpdesk! But I
think I can show you a technique that makes a fair
approximation of a camouflage pattern for the sake of
some artwork.

1 Partly cloudy
Begin with a base colour on the background.
Add a layer filled with a secondary colour and attach
a layer mask. With the mask active, hold down Opt/
Alt and go to Filter>Render>Clouds. Then go to
Image>Adjustment>Levels and move the sliders
closer together to create more contrast.

A TON OF PHOTOSHOP FUN: Visit PhotoshopDaily.co.

uk to get your fix of free Photoshop resources
Tool tip
The Cloud filter is frequently overlooked because it
doesn’t really look much like its namesake. But
once you begin to explore different ways to use it,
you will wonder how you survived without it! The
Cloud filter is one of the few features in Photoshop
that might be described as random. The filter
2 Stamp filter
Next up, while you’re still on the mask, go to
Filter>Sketch>Stamp. Now set the Light/Dark
FONT FAILURE: Keep your layer styles from disappearing never generates the exact same pattern twice. So if
when you flatten you don’t like the pattern the first time, just run it Balance as desired for a good mix of colour. Set the
again. And if you hold down the Opt/Alt key when Smoothness to a nice high setting for a loose edge
style icon and choosing the Create Layers option from the
executing the Cloud filter, it will generate clouds to the shapes.
pop-up menu. This will create individual layers to
with additional contrast. Also, if the canvas size is a
duplicate the style. Then flatten your image and see if the
power of two (256 x 256, 512 x 512, 1,024 x 1,024)
effect sticks. If that fails, as a last resort (only to be used in
then the cloud texture will be seamless along the
an emergency) take a screenshot of the design and use edges. For a great method of breaking up a
that as the flattened file. straight edge in a realistic fashion, try pairing the
Cloud filter with the Displacement filter.

Free Photoshop resources?

Q
Hey there Helpdesk guy. First of all, thanks for
the magazine. I always find it inspiring and

3
worthwhile. It’s clear just how much work
goes into every issue, and I know this reader appreciates Repeat as needed
it! I can see where my work has improved by using the Add additional layers of colour and repeat the
techniques learnt from the pages of your mag. And as I mask treatment until you get a good spread of
grow, I find myself needing more and more resources in colours and shapes. Experiment with the levels
SPEEDING UP WORKFLOW: They sort of look like
my library. Fonts, stock images, brushes, etc. The more I clouds. What’s that good for? Plenty! settings to achieve variations in the size and
have, the more I can easily pull into my design work. But I frequency of the blobs.
don’t have a ton of cash to spend on purchasing such back cover. Do you see that disc in the little plastic holder?
things. Do you have any recommendations for getting Yeah, that one. That baby is filled with free resources for
some resources free of charge? you to use on personal projects. What’s that? Not enough
Mark Remington for you? You want more? Well then, check out our site
www.photoshopdaily.co.uk, as every day it’s updated

A
Do I have a suggestion for great free with tips, techniques, stock image packs, brushes and
Photoshop resources? Do I ever! See this more. On top of that, it’s completely free! What’s not to
magazine you are holding? Flip to the inside love about that?

Remember to specify whether you’re using a PC or Mac and the version of Photoshop you have.

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 Q&A
What’s with the greyscale files?

Q
Technique tip Dear Advanced Photoshop Helpdesk, thanks
for the outstanding publication you put
together every month. It’s awe-inspiring!
Every now and then we come across somebody I have a question about a recent odd behaviour I’ve
struggling with getting a good selection using the noticed in Photoshop. Many times when I begin a new
Magic Wand tool. Our biggest advice is this: don’t!
file using Cmd/Ctrl+N, Photoshop defaults to creating a
Put down the Magic Wand and back away. Even in
greyscale file instead of my preference of RGB colour. And
instances where it would seem to be useful, it’s
really not. For example, say you want to change many times I don’t even realise it because I just quickly hit
the colour of a solid silhouette. That would seem Enter at the New File dialog box. Then once I figure out I
like a good job for the Magic Wand, right? The can’t use colour, I have to do the Image>Mode routine. CLIPBOARD CUTTINGS: Avoid headaches by keeping
problem is in the edges. Even with a solid It’s not a big deal, but it is aggravating. The real kicker is an eye on these settings
silhouette, the edge will likely have a slight blur to that it doesn’t happen all the time, only every once in a
it where it blends with the background. The Magic while. And I can’t force it to happen by anything I try; it you intend to work with. Something such as a mask or a
Wand selection tool can’t cope with this. A better seems to appear randomly. Any idea what’s going on? selection of a specific channel. These are all greyscale
option would be to not make a selection at all. John Wheatley elements, so when there’s greyscale information in the
Instead, use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer,
clipboard, that’s what the New File dialog sets itself to. This

A
select the Color channel from the drop-down box
John, this is a sneaky little quirk that Photoshop is why it doesn’t happen all the time, just occasionally.
and use the Eyedropper icon to target the exact
hue to change. Then use the sliders to make the does in an attempt to be helpful. As with most When you notice this happening, it’s a pretty simple thing
adjustment. Try it and watch how even the edges of these types of attempts, it usually works out to watch out for and set the mode to RGB, but it’s even
are recoloured without any problems. pretty well but gets very confusing when it doesn’t work. more simple to copy something from an RGB file to avoid
The New File dialog box will default to the Clipboard the confusion in future file creation.
setting under the Preset drop-down menu. This is usually
fine, as frequently we copy something from a file and wish
to create a new file from that. Where this breaks down is if Newspaper scan
you copy something with a different colour mode than

“Not to be confused
Q Hey there Helpdesk guru. I’m hoping you can
offer some advice to the uneducated. That
seems to be what you do, isn’t it? I’ve scanned
in a photograph from a local newspaper that I’d like to
use. The problem I’m having is that no matter how I scan
with ocean-dwelling it I keep getting the printed dot pattern. Is there a way of

eels of a similar name, removing this in Photoshop?

Cara Willis
moiré patterns are a
fact of life with
A
Cara, that dot pattern is frequently referred to
as a moiré pattern. Not to be confused with the

THE COLOUR OF MAGIC: Change a solid colour

anything printed by a ocean-dwelling eels of a similar name, moiré
patterns are a fact of life with anything printed by a large
without making a single selection
large ink press” ink press. Technically, they are caused by two fine dot

Hand of God effect

1 Luminosity load
2 Radial Blur

Q I’ve seen those images where soft shafts of Switch to the Channels panel and Cmd/Ctrl-click Now press Cmd/Ctrl+J to copy the selected area
sunlight are shining down through trees or the top composite channel to load the image luminosity. to a new layer. Then go to Filter>Blur>Radial Blur and set
clouds or something. Like the fingers of Then hold down Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+Shift and click the the Blur Method to Zoom, Amount to 100%, and then
God are reaching down from heaven. I’ve seen the channel again to intersect the selection with itself. drag the Blur centre to match the spot where the sun is
effect in real life, but never have my camera on me at Finally, use the Elliptical Marquee set to intersect to in the photograph.
those opportune moments. I was wondering if there select only the area where the light rays will start.
was a way to easily fake that effect in Photoshop.
Steven Kolawski

A
Well, isn’t that just the way of life? Those
photogenic moments seem to flee
whenever there’s a shutter button at the
ready! And then when you are without a camera, life
gladly presents itself to you in all its glory. I guess you
could say the world is simply camera shy, but that
doesn’t make it any less annoying! But no worries,
Steve, we’ve got you covered.

Send your emails to us at [email protected] or post a message on our forum board at www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/forum.

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 ip
QCS4u’s niecwkon-stcreeynou CS4
spotlight
ow
ents all
adjustm any colour
click on t hue b
y Before After
just tha
and ad g le ft
draggin
or right Video Layers
One of the new features found within Photoshop
CS4 Extended is the ability to work with Video
Layers. If you open up the main Layers menu,
you will see a whole new submenu called Video
Layers. From there you can either open a video
file as a new layer or create a blank video layer to
work with. You will see a new type of thumbnail
appear in the Layers panel. This will have a small
film strip icon at the lower right to designate it
SCANNING SOLUTIONS: Remove unsightly dot I’ve been a photographer for quite a long time now – I as a Video Layer. Other than that, you won’t see
patterns after scanning
even used to use that legendary stuff called ‘film’. But much different until you open the Animation
anyway, I used to have a whole case of coloured lenses or panel (Window>Animation). This panel shows
patterns interfering with one another. This is usually filters that I’d slip over my lens to make the shot warmer the timeline for the video, allowing you to make
unnoticeable to the human eye. But scanners, being cold, or cooler. Now that I’m being forced into this here digital edits. By expanding the Video Layer in the
heartless machines, tend to be less forgiving. age, I’m trying to figure out how to use Photoshop to Animation panel, you will see a place to create
Begin by scanning in the photo at a resolution far in accomplish things I wasn’t able to do with my camera. keyframes to animate the video position,
excess of what you will use it for. In the example above, I Used to be if a shot’s temperature was off, there wasn’t opacity and scale.
knew the photo would be printed at 300dpi, so I scanned too much that could be done after the film was Because Video Layers are treated much the
it in at 600dpi. Then go to Filter>Noise>Median and use a developed. But I figured Photoshop should have same as regular layers, they still have all of the
low Radius (3 works pretty well for newspaper scans). something to address that, right? Well, I looked all layer type advantages. Like the ability to set the
Follow this with Filter>Blur>Surface Blur. Set the Radius to through that crazy Filter menu and I can’t find anything blending mode, opacity, use a layer mask and
somewhere around 30 pixels and the Threshold that looks even close to doing the same thing that those add layer styles. Note that if you are hoping to
somewhere close to 15 levels. These settings will vary coloured lenses did. transform the Video Layer, you will need to
depending on the photograph you are working on. Next, Henry Oliver convert it to a Smart Object first.
go to Image>Image Size and check the Resample option. Another amazing feature of working with

A
Enter your new resolution setting (I used 300 here) and Oh Henry! Film? Really? Isn’t that stuff an urban video in Photoshop is the ability to use the
keep the method set to Bicubic. Depending on the image, legend? Let me guess, you used to use those Clone Stamp tool across frames. After defining a
you may wish to follow this with a touch of sharpening mystical ‘darkrooms’, too. Right? I’m completely source point, open the Clone Source panel and
(Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask). kidding, Henry. I have a ton of respect for you guys who check the Lock Frame option, then go to any
used to know what it was like to burn and dodge an frame in the animation and clone from your
Photo filters exposure by hand. source frame.

Q Hey hey, Helpdesk hombre. I’ve only recently

picked up your magazine, but I’ve been
impressed with the quality of work I’ve seen in
it. Keep it up!
And you are right about the Photo Filters in Photoshop;
they are there, but not where you’d expect them to be.
You’d think with a name that uses the word ‘filter’ right
there in it, it would be found in the Filters menu. It’s not.
VIDEO
LAYERS:
Photoshop CS4
now allows for
Video Layers
It’s actually found in the Image menu. Image>

3
Adjustments>Photo Filters, to be accurate. Take a look,
Here comes the sun! Henry, and I think you’ll be pleased. There’s a wide
Next, press Cmd/Ctrl+T to get the arrangement of warming and cooling filters, plus a
transformation handles and scale up the light ray layer handful of odd coloured ones for whatever reason. You
until it spans a good portion of the image. If the effect can even specify a custom colour and adjust the density.
KEYFRAME:
is too light, make several duplicates of the layer and The Animation
merge them together. Finish by setting the blending panel allows for
simple
mode to Screen. keyframing of
Video Layer
properties

INTERPRET
VIDEO: The
Interpret Video
dialog box
allows you to
specify an alpha
channel for the
PHOTO FILTERS: Select a custom colour and adjust the video so it
density – you couldn’t do that with old-school lenses! doesn’t even
have to be a
rectangle

Remember to specify whether you’re using a PC or Mac and the version of Photoshop you have.

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 insight
PSP 3000: ”This was
part of a TV and print
campaign for the
release of the Sony
PlayStation PSP 3000.
This poster was
designed with younger
gamers in mind”

tor and hand

revenge: “Vec
the cloud’s e clo uds take their
ati on . Th
drawn illustr everything
t earth, destroying
revenge on plane nging a new ice age” Prints
an d bri
in their path e
this image onlin
are available of

Jonathan Ball
Website: www.pokedstudio.com
Clients: FHM, PlayStation, BBC Sport
Jonathan Ball is an artist with an undoubted passion for digital design. However,
with PlayStation and the BBC already on his client list, you may be surprised to
discover that Ball has really just begun his creative career, as he explains: “I always
liked drawing, but it wasn’t until I studied graphic design at the age of 29 that I
realised it was illustration that was my main passion in life. So I have only been
working as one for around four years.”
Within this time, Ball has nurtured a playful yet provocative graphic style. “I love
a good contrast between dark and light elements, colour and darkness,” he says.
“The same goes for the themes used. Things can be cute and cuddly but also have
a darker side.”
Photoshop has become a valuable creative asset in his design production. “One
of my favourite techniques is making various vectors elements and then bringing
them into Photoshop to layer into an image. I use Photoshop’s tools to create
interesting effects and layer styles. I often add various scanned textures to
roughen the vector look.”
Ball has been such a big commercial success due to the enthusiasm he shows
with every project. No brief seems too big and he is always ambitious to succeed,
as he reveals: “Currently, I’m creating hundreds of creatures for a massive online
monster-fighting game. I’ve been working on that on and off for almost a year. I
would love to expand into more motion and animation design, and also expand
the studio, as there’s often an overload of work. This will enable Pokedstudio to
take on larger projects in the future.”

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 The calling:
“The mains
elements are 3D
renders. All the
other parts are
added around lik
e
a collage in
Photoshop. Quite
a
few texture are
mixed in, too”

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066-067_AVP_63_Insight3.indd 67 8/10/09 16:56:32

 I N D U S T RY ● E D U C AT I O N ● R E C R U I T M E N T ● C A R E E R S

INDUSTRY
THE BAND MAN: “Portrait of a
Wellington stage actor. An elderly
trumpet player enjoying a cigarette
after a day’s work, telling his story”
© Richard Wood

An interview with…

RICHARD WOOD
Photographer and Photoshopper Richard Wood shows us the best of both worlds

R
ichard Wood has a reputation in New personal trainer/fitness company out of Hawkes
Zealand as a ‘people photographer’, Bay. I used some very illustrational Photoshop
which is something that definitely techniques and technical lighting on the model
comes across when you look at his fantastic in the studio. However, the requirements for the
shots across these pages. As well as an innate shot location took me on a trip to New Zealand’s
ability to capture personality in his Tongariro National Park in the middle of the
photography, he’s also highly skilled in North Island to shoot the mountains and tussock
Photoshop to give images a dynamic finish of the Desert Road. A truly amazing part of New
and perfect lighting. Here, he tells us about his Zealand. Arriving before sunrise, I got out of the
About the methods and favourite commissions. car to start setting up, but after a couple of
interviewee Advanced Photoshop: Welcome Richard.
minutes I had to hastily retreat back into the
Current job role
Photographer First up, can you tell us a bit about yourself and
Awards Multiple Kodak Gold the kind of work that you do?
Awards, multiple NZIPP Award
winner, NZIPP 09 Gold Award Richard Wood: In 2003 I completed a four-
winner, finalist NZIPP 09 year Bachelor of Design degree, keeping a
People Photographer of the
Year strong emphasis on photography within my
Website www.richardwood. chosen papers. I then moved on to work within
co.nz various advertising/design agencies throughout
Biography New Zealander
Richard Wood started his own New Zealand. This provided me with invaluable
studio in 2008 specialising in industry knowledge and the ability to work
Inside guide to everything photography. His unique look
alongside briefs with both graphic design and
that you need to know to is achieved both in-camera
and in Photoshop, and most of photographic elements. In 2008, I decided to go
make it as a professional his work is portraiture. Wood it alone. I started my own studio and moved into
digital artist, including has completed a four-year
Bachelor of Design degree at photography on a full-time basis. Most of my
university and college Massey University, Wellington, work is driven heavily by portraits, including my
courses, industry advice majoring in Visual
Communication Design commercial work.
and interviews with pros
» Pg 70 ...........................................Start a studio Advanced Photoshop: What has been your
» Pg 76 .......................................................Uni focus favourite commission to date?
» Pg 80...........................................Career focus ALONE: “A self promotional piece. An
Richard Wood: As with all favourite jobs, they
imprisoned young girl cries out for help and
tend to be simple and low budget but high in rescue with her eyes”
satisfaction. It was a commission to shoot for a © Richard Wood

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 INTERVIEW
“Any image where a
photographer can take
the viewer to somewhere
not so accessible is an
interesting one”

PORTRAIT OF MOTHERHOOD: “A unique family

portrait. A young African child clings to his
mother in the darkness of the African desert,
displaying the strength of an African woman”
© Richard Wood

vehicle as my hands and equipment just weren’t

functioning in those low temperatures. Once the sun
shone over the horizon, I could start again.

Advanced Photoshop: What would your dream

commission be?
Richard Wood: I’d like to get into some on-set and
promotional photography for feature films. Working in NZ
means there are great opportunities to be in touch with
crew and talent working on such fantastic location-based
projects as The Lord of the Rings, The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe and The Last Samurai.

Advanced Photoshop: Do you have any current

projects you’re working on?
Richard Wood: My latest personal project is a study of a
local NZ gang – with portraits of its members. These
individuals are often intimidating and frightful for many.
I’m taking this opportunity to take the viewer into a
behind-the-scenes world where I can capture at arm’s
length the various moments they live every day. It also
allows me to really enhance the qualities and emotions Richard Wood: First, lighting is a huge one. You’ve got SINCERE WELCOME: “Self-promotional piece.
otherwise not often depicted. It’s going to be a great to get that one right. From there, the majority of my time An elderly gentleman welcoming the congregation
to a wedding”
experience. Any image where a photographer can take is spent with Dodge and Burn. I’ll often almost completely © RICHARD WOOD
the viewer to somewhere not so accessible is an flatten the luminosity of an image and then paint in again
interesting one. the highlights and shadows to craft the image. I also use a patience within Photoshop and crafting out the separate
lot of sharpening techniques. My work is always worked elements. It’s like painting really. My final Photoshop files
Advanced Photoshop: What techniques do you use to on locally rather than globally changing all elements of will often end up at around 80-100 masks and layers. Then
create your images? Where does Photoshop come into the image. I think this is the secret. Many are looking for I’ll spend quite a bit of time working with gradient masks
the equation? that quick fix or filter, when it’s a matter of having some and selective colour to get the hues just right.

69
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068-069_AVP_63_IndustryIntro.ind69 69 9/10/09 11:10:48

 INDUSTRY Starting your own studio
I N D US T RY ● E D U C AT I O N ● R E C R U I T M E N T ● C A R E E R S
Interior view of Cypher13’s studio workspace

tip G
MARKETINusiness
! No b
Get online without a
com p le te
is ter
se n ce – regis
web pre name a nd
a domain -
or u se a template
create te
style websi

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070-074_AVP_63_StudioFeat.indd 70 14/10/09 15:10:43

 F E AT U R E

SOLO
tip
A de
c isionOR NOT?
wh you
friend ether to g ’ll soon a
– o it dd
perso this will c alone or ress is
nality ome w
Com , nee down ith a

tip
relatio m unic d s and to yo
nship ation is k dreams ur
then ,s ey .
opt fo o if you d to any
trusti ra o p
ng ap n honest air up
proac and
FULL TEAMrapidly as
the o h
utset from
nd to grow s,
If you inte llow creative mind
e k fe er
well as se t to hire staff for oth
don’t forge business, such as
e
areas of th unting and even
, ac co
press swer
som e on e just to an ond
and resp
the phone ails
to em

Your in-depth guide to…

STARTING
YOUR OWN
STUDIO If you’ve ever wondered what the best way was
to start a studio, now is the time to find out…

T
he best creatives, designers and illustrators are suited
to a working life without limitations and restrictions.
Working in a creatively charged Zen-like space removes
distractions and increases productivity. Starting up your own
studio is a fantastic way to achieve creative freedom; no rules, no
pressure, just a chance to conjure your own creations. Running a
studio allows artists to work under a professional identity, and if
you set up with a friend or group of designers then you can offer a
number of different services under one roof and under one
collective name. In this age of mass communication, as long as you
have a laptop then you can be in and take your studio anywhere at
any time. With a bit of research, hard work and advice from the
experts, you could be ordering those business cards before you’ve
finished this feature.

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070-074_AVP_63_StudioFeat.indd 71 14/10/09 15:10:57

 INDUSTRY Starting your own studio
I N D US T RY ● E D U C AT I O N ● R E C R U I T M E N T ● C A R E E R S

case study: TODD BERGER

Todd Berger formed boutique studio Cypher13 (on previous page),
now a three-man tactical design and boutique brand strategy team tip UES
TELL US ABOUT CYPHER13. TRUST ISS man
I first founded the firm that was to eventually become Cypher13 back in 1999. The plan was to hu
enter the world of design through back-door, web and interactive routes. We rapidly morphed into “Managing ficult. Align
ip s is d if
a boutique brand strategy and design team. In 2002, Alex Henry (now a partner) showed up fresh relationsh you trust. Craft a
o p le
out of film school requesting an internship. The company slowly morphed into a studio, taking on with p e st will fall
more and more creative, nontraditional projects. In 2004, Lucian Foehr (now a partner), still in high are d v ision. The re sts
sh ,” sugge
school and hungry to push the limits of design, magically appeared once again looking to intern. into place
he r13 founder
Alex and I crammed Lucian into our tiny workspace and collectively we continued to shape the Cyp er
vision of what was to become Cypher13. With a fresh new concept of how the boutique design Todd erg B
team of the future might operate, we began to design our new studio.

WHAT WERE YOUR BIGGEST CONCERNS AND CHALLENGES

IN REALISING THIS DREAM?
Partnerships are challenging. But, like any relationship, they’re based on trust, commitment and a
shared world view. Alex, Lucian and I found those three characteristics in one another and
collectively we have vested heavily in them. It is not always easy. Emotions get heated, but we
know one another well enough to understand when and why someone gets upset.
Communication is vital.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR YOU IN TERMS OF YOUR PLANS FOR

Going Bananas – from left to right: Lucian

INCREASING/DECREASING YOUR OPERATION?
We’ve recently revisited and outlined the founding force behind our studio, collaborative creative
communication, and outlined the eight pillars – clients/customers/consumers, culture, art, design,
objects, technology, type and us, Cypher13 – upon which it rests.

Foehr, Todd Berger, Alex Henry

WOULD YOU RECOMMEND COLLECTIVE
OR GO SOLO?
It all depends on you. The feeling of being part of a team is an exceptional one, but ask yourself
what is important to you. Do you need to share with others and want to have people there to lean
on, or would you rather go at it alone? Do you aim to influence or do you just want to do good
work? It is questions like these that should be asked before deciding whether to start a collective
or go it alone.

WWW.CYPHER13.COM

Inside Ana Montiel’s studio environment

Solo studios and partnerships debts run up by your business are too much of a burden to bear,
For most, starting their own studio means figuratively rather than then a partnership could be a better option.
physically, and the confines of your abode can double as your The best partnerships work because each of the creative minds
creative work space. For most artists starting out this is a viable bring something different to the table, while a common thread, aim
option, certainly if capital is an issue and you plan on running a or ethos unites all parties equally. A partnership means everything
solo operation. Setting up a studio identity, even though it’s just is split, so the setup, the risks, running, project development, idea
one person, offers you scope for expansion of your brand and can generation and the multitude of minor and major duties are less
appear more professional than operating as an individual daunting. On the other hand, disagreements are likely to occur and
freelancer. Furthermore, this route offers ultimate independence to how these are handled will decide the longevity of the operation,
do things your way. and as everything is split so is the profit. This is often an option
There is also the ease of setting up and running as a sole trader, chosen by groups of friends operating in similar design circles or
and the fact that all the profits go straight to you. “The most students who read at the same university, such was the case with
obvious and rewarding benefit of going it alone is the freedom,” Marc Antosch, co-founder of Tilt Design Studio, Hamburg: “We know
voices Thomas Burden of …and there will be unicorns (www. each other from studying at the same university, Muthesius
therewillbeunicorns.com). “Albeit a strange kind of freedom, as Academy of Fine Arts in Kiel in Northern Germany. We did a lot of

tip
the pressure is immense and you end up working 24/7, forever university projects together and began collaborating on our first
feeling guilty for taking even an evening off. However, I have jobs and we found we liked the idea of working with friends. Since
always worked better under pressure and having no one else to this time, the idea of founding our own studio began growing.”
fall back on or bounce ideas off really makes you focus. You While he enthuses how the setup multiplies the creative output,
C T T IM IN G
PERF E have to get good at criticising your own work too, but I find Antosch is also savvy enough to know there are drawbacks.
stim a te the time it all of this forces you to constantly improve at a higher rate “Working in a team doesn’t make sense without being able to make
ere
“Don’t und anise your projects than working in a team, and it’s this sense of compromises. You definitely need to be a team player or a least try
to o rg say s
takes ork,”
creative w cost a
sid es th e n improvement that generates a confidence in your to become one. But sometimes it can be really hard to give up on
be h . “This ca
A nto sc u work that, in turn, replaces panic with creative your own opinion. Just remember that sometimes there can be a lot
Marc me than yo
lot more ti k when you freedom.” If the lack of support, unlimited liability of pressure you have to deal with. It helps if you can put some of it
in
probably th t this” and the fact that you are responsible for any on other people’s shoulders.”
are new a

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 F E AT U R E

An illustration from 2007 © Ana Montiel

Recor
d cov
er des
tip

ign fo
r Cine
WHO TO

plexx
LOOK F
When s
tar OR?
ting a c
can be

© Ana
a ollec
look for. job knowing tive, it
“T w

Monti
who co r y to find so ho to
mplem meone

el
Ana Mo ents yo
u,”
someon ntiel. “Rather says
e doing than
same th exac
ing as y tly the
ou”

Communal collectives
case study: ANA MONTIEL
The third option is to join or form a studio collective. Ana Montiel has left Alan The Gallant, a collective she
This is where a number of designers work under one
co-founded to pursue a solo studio project
name as the studio, but still might take on personal
work outside of that where there isn’t a conflict of TELL US ABOUT YOUR STUDIO HISTORY?
I met my business partner Alex in 2004 working in an advertising agency in
interest. This structure was founder of Cypher13 (www. Barcelona. Together we formed a studio; it was a great setup, as there was no boss
cypher13.com) Todd Berger’s idea of work heaven. “I’ve and an opportunity to do things our way. But in 2007 the activities weren’t fun any
always had a problem with rules,” he laughs. “I was more for me, something was missing. We went back to the basics and reduced our
always being told how I should be doing things. At some staff just to Alex and me. I started to draw again and a new name was needed. In
2008 we became Alan The Gallant; that same year we launched a wallpaper brand
point I just stopped adhering to the rules and started
called Pattern Tales. Alex and I are very happy with our wallpaper brand so we are
doing things the way I believed they should be done. focusing the power we both have together into our beloved Pattern Tales only. But
While this approach has led to a great many successes, now I’m setting up shop on my own, because I reached the point in which I became
it’s also resulted in some less than desirable outcomes. tired of using pseudonyms. I felt it was time to use my own name and start doing all
One day it became apparent that a creative studio the things that I love to do, trying to do it without limitations and following my
intuition. Thus www.anamontiel.com was formed. Let’s see how it all unfolds!
environment almost perfectly suited this rule-breaking, risk-
taking mentality. It was the realisation, however, that one WHAT BENEFITS HAVE YOU FOUND USING THIS
must first learn and understand why certain rules exist in NEW MODEL?
order to bend, tweak or break them to generate potentially At the moment I find it very comfortable working on my own and collaborating with
other people on Pattern Tales and other specific projects when I need to. Owning a
improved results. The studio concept just made sense. Risks
studio or being a freelance gives you freedom of choice and that’s priceless. If you
would be rewarded and replicated and subpar performances are okay with a less than stable routine, it is the best path.
could be mitigated.”
But like Antosch, he can admit the studio structure is not WHAT ARE THE DRAWBACKS?
perfect: “Decisions are made collectively. Occasionally, it’s You are 100 per cent responsible for it all, in a good and in a bad way. When you start
out there will be a lot of meetings, decision making and organisation, which means
difficult to come to an agreement. But when we do reach an you can’t draw/design/create during this time.
agreement on a difficult issue, we’re certain we’ve explored all the
angles. From the struggle we tend to emerge stronger.” WWW.ANAMONTIEL.COM

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 INDUSTRY Starting your own studio
I N D US T RY ● E D U C AT I O N ● R E C R U I T M E N T ● C A R E E R S

case study:
Inside the offices of 45royale

THOMAS BURDEN
Thomas Burden has gone solo forming his own studio …and there
will be unicorns
HOW DID YOUR STUDIO TAKE SHAPE?
…and there will be unicorns is the collective name for the various creative outpourings of myself,
Thomas Henry Burden. Although I am technically a freelancer, I still profess to be a studio in the sense
that my creative talents and ambitions cover so much more than simply digital illustration for print
and web.

WHAT WERE YOUR BIGGEST CONCERNS AND CHALLENGES IN

REALISING THIS?
The biggest concern was always financial, or at least a steady flow of money. My second biggest
concern was whether I would go crazy with no one to talk to all day, but I have iChat to keep me sane.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS?

…and there will be unicorns will be celebrating its three-month birthday in November. If it were a
baby, it would be no use to anyone, least of all someone wishing to commission a top-rate designer/
illustrator. However, apart from being a poor metaphor, being a McFaul Studio alumnus I have the
experience (and name… and a considerable portfolio) of an industry heavyweight behind me/looming
over me! The oft-heard ‘it’s who you know’ is true of this industry, not in a smug, networking sense, but
more down to an issue of trust and reliability.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP OF YOUR OPERATION?

One major point I learnt from my time at McFaul is never employ anybody. I have no aspirations to be a
boss. If I need specialist help on any project, I have a long list of talented people that I know who can
help me out as equals, but the more people you employ the further you get from the creative side of
the business.

WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO ADVANCED PHOTOSHOP READERS?

If you feel in anyway at all that going freelance or setting up a studio is what you really want to do,
then do it. Having industry experience was invaluable, though, and there was no way I could have
started straight out of art college. There is so much work out there, but getting it has as much to do
with marketing yourself correctly as it does with having an amazing portfolio.

WWW.THEREWILLBEUNICORNS.COM

com). “We decided we wanted to get out and create a fun and
creative space that would inspire us while making an impact on
our local business community. For us, having a creative
environment is key. We love that we are free to experiment with
our space and change it as frequently as we like. To us, our studio is
a living entity that’s constantly evolving.”
Tilt Design Studio’s interior shot When choosing the venue of your new studio, use a check list to
ensure it has everything. There will be questions such as whether
Once you’ve decided on what style of studio you want, there is enough light – what type is best? Is it properly ventilated?
other factors will need to be considered. For example, choosing a Is it near a bus stop/underground station/does it have ample
company name or brand is harder than it sounds. Being objective parking for you and your visitors? What are the local amenities and
helps and getting other people’s thoughts is invaluable. Choosing how far are they? How is the studio heated? Are there sufficient
something abstract equals imagination, which is vital in this power points and phone lines? Is it is a safe building and area?
industry but could be confused and contemporary-swayed brands Consider how much you will spend in rent, heating, electricity and
can be a struggle to sustain. A more traditional title avoids insurance. But don’t let that put you off; just think, once you are in

tip
confusion and inspires longevity, but may transcend as uncreative. you can treat the studio like a blank canvas for you to make your
Whatever you decide, be sure to consider the overseas market mark with plants, artwork, even table football!
and check that the name doesn’t mean anything rude and that Keeping track of your taxes and financial records is crucial. Drill it
it can be easily read and pronounced. into part of your daily routine to stay on top of it or hire someone
T I M E d ‘work’
YOUR‘your’ timemae thing. t home may not be viable once your business gets going,
n If you opt for a partnership or a collective, working from to do it for you. “Accounting and legal are two areas that often go
overlooked,” says Todd Berger. “Get a good book-keeper and begin
r a
ed fo nto the sa know th
epar i o a and so finding a sufficient premises is the next step. “We to build a relationship with a lawyer or legal team. Opportunities
Be pr e to blur ts need t time to s were productive and enjoyed the freedom that came will inevitably arise in which you’ll need good, sound legal advice
tim al clien work o n ll a
o te n ti li ve r a rd as we folio, with the home work environment, but after doing this and being able to get it quick is invaluable.” Finally, check out
“P an de stand port
you c tent high stunning st that for almost three years we started to get a little stir- websites designed to help out new businesses such as Business
o nsis s u al ly a t tr u crazy,” recalls Matt Downey, partner of 45royale, a Link (www.businesslink.gov.uk), which have become an
i
c gav ing th ins
havin d it’s gain e,” expla small team of web designers and developers invaluable resource for a new starter, offering advice on everything
an tim den
takes a s Bur working in Canton, Georgia (www.45royale. from finding capital to marketing your operation.
Thom

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070-074_AVP_63_StudioFeat.indd 74 14/10/09 15:12:27

 PhotoshopDaily
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297x230 Photoshop Daily house ad1 1 11/6/09 15:15:39

 INDUSTRY Uni focus
I N D US T RY ● E D U C AT I O N ● R E C R U I T M E N T ● C A R E E R S

The best digital art courses and student artwork from around the world

Norwegian School
of Creative Studies
Graphic Design degree
T
eriment with
piece started out as an exp
his international course, supplied by the Norwegian CAPTURE: “Initially, this and P wer e don e in sepa rate PSD
rs C
design school NKF, takes shape over an intensive two-year type in Photoshop. The lette ed into a fina l file. From there, I
g plac
files, before eventually bein con cep t and crea ted the
ch the
period and will help students form ways in which to create tweaked the letters to mat
Course a visual language in their design, communicating commercially surrounding elements”
details viable projects.
© Stefan Eriksen Ihler

Norges Kreative Fagskole Course topics are extremely focused on the industry, with
(Norwegian School of students producing book and packaging design, looking at
Creative Studies)
Tel: (00 47) 815 68 090 branding, understanding creative strategy and sociology all within
Web: www. the first year of study. This encompasses techniques such as
norgeskreativefagskole.no sketching concepts and producing web design, as well as getting to
Course Graphic Design
grips with Apple Mac hardware.
Duration Two years
This course understands that this is a competitive industry and
communicating ideas is essential. Teaching techniques for both hand
and on the Mac, while focusing on the ideas and process, this course
prompts students to understand how to be a versatile team player
that can work with individual design tasks, as well as larger and
longer-term projects.
Year two of this course excels learning and understanding, learnt
through the expectant project work, both in teams and individually.
Projects include editorial design, teaching how to conceptualise,
organise, plan and design both a newspaper and a magazine with
the help of graphical language. There are also typographical studies,
where students are encouraged to experiment creatively to convey a
message, to work consciously within the parameters set and even to
draw inspiration from different typographical styles.
Expression and enthusiasm seem key attributes for a student on
this course. Its program is demanding, and it places emphasis on a
Artist info

student’s own efforts. Evolving digital technical skills is just as key as

creative types, and students can expect to be taught how to operate
several design platforms including Adobe’s Illustrator, Photoshop
and InDesign.
The overall course is set up to give students the professional skills
to obtain employment in commercial areas such as design or
Stefan Eriksen Ihler advertising agencies, as well as part of marketing teams or even as a
freelance artists.
Personal portfolio site:
http://poyzon.deviantart.
com/
www.behance.net/poyzon
Year on course:
Second year

Ihler endorses the NKF

Graphic Design course, as he
reveals: “I’ve gained a more
complete understanding
about the subject of graphic
design as a whole.” Especially
enthusiastic about his
evolved typographic skills, he
feels confident about
approaching a professional
career: “I have a more varied
portfolio with better skills
than before.”

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 UNI FOCUS
LAND OF FRUIT: “I wanted to make
a colourful piece
with a surreal and playful mood. The
process involved a
lot of Photoshop layers, masking and
adjusting levels”
“My design skills are © Stefan Eriksen Ihler

more versatile now

then they were two
years ago. I would
recommend the
course especially to
those who are
interested in working
with typography”
Stefan Eriksen Ihler

EYECANDY: “This was

created using a simple
3D render as a base, with
the
postproduction work com rest of the
pleted in Photoshop,
mostly brushing and wor
k with the Pen tool”
© Stefan Eriksen Ihler

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 INDUSTRY Uni focus
I N D US T RY ● E D U C AT I O N ● R E C R U I T M E N T ● C A R E E R S

The best digital art courses and student artwork from around the world

Course guide
© Stefan Eriksen Ihler

Graphic Design

We supply you with some of the best courses

for product design

BA (Hons) BA (Hons) BA (Hons) Graphic Design

Graphic Design Graphic Design Graphic Design and Multimedia
UCA EPSOM NORWICH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS WESTWOOD COLLEGE
Tel 01372 728811 OF THE ARTS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN Tel 1-800-281-2978
Web www.ucreative.ac.uk Tel 01603 610561 Tel 020 7514 7022 Web www.westwood.edu
Web www.nuca.ac.uk Web www.csm.arts.ac.uk About the course
About the course
If you choose to undergo the four About the course About the course This is a graphics course with a twist.
years of this impressive course, then Students learn theoretical and The curriculum embraced in this course The Westwood College Graphic Design
your first will be a specialist intellectual competencies across this is extensive in comparison to the most and Multimedia syllabus looks to
foundation year set up to help you course’s practical workshop-based adventurous types. Typography, educate students on how to create
develop technical and conceptual projects. Standard industry-led topics, advertising, photography, moving effective designs that visually
graphic design skills. From this, you such as corporate identity, branding, image, drawing, printmaking, communicate a message in a variety of
progress directly to year one of your publicity, packaging and editorial illustration and interactive design all multimedia environments. This course
degree course. Here, students can design, are all included. feature. This is a course for those is an amalgamation of both technical
expect to get involved with many What makes this course unique is it wishing to explore graphic design and and general education courses, set up
design industry areas related to the prompts students to transgress creative design for communication media. to enhance your creative as well as
visual communication arena. boundaries. The first year sees students The CSM describes this course as critical thinking, logic, communications
This graphics course presents introduced to graphic design while “probably unique amongst UK and problem-solving skills.
products on topics such as visual and working alongside students from other undergraduate graphic design The course projects concern many
typographic principles, forms of disciplines. This exposure provides you courses”. This is due to its extremely industry design areas, such as digital
communication technology, transition with a “unique insight into a range of analytical and diagnostic nature, which illustration, image editing, web page
areas (where new digital skills and design specialism”. puts emphasis on solving visual design, multimedia audio and video
traditional processes combine), web Year two lets students experience communication problems through the among others. You will explore the
design, illustration, advertising, briefs hands-on in an industry development of original and often means to create effective layouts and
packaging and design innovation. All environment, working with demanding surprising design solutions. This is a illustrations using industry-standard
course tutors are also professional real-world clients or taking on an course that looks beyond prescribed software, create and animate virtual
graphic designers. assignment in a commercial studio. The solutions and thinks outside the box. objects in a 3D environment, apply
final year of study helps students focus Duration Three years (full time) graphic design business practices
Duration Three or four years
on becoming viable industry-ready toward a variety of business situations
(full time) Entry requirements
artists by introducing aspects of and much more.
Entry requirements business and professional studies. Foundation Studies in Art & Design and
two A-levels and five GCSEs (including Duration Three years
Four GCSE passes at grade C or above
plus diploma in Foundation Studies in Duration Three years three passes in academic subjects) at Entry requirements
Art & Design Entry requirements grade C Open enrolment with entry-level
Two passes at A-level (or equivalent), classes in maths and English
attendance at a portfolio interview

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 INDUSTRY Career focus
I N D US T RY ● E D U C AT I O N ● R E C R U I T M E N T ● C A R E E R S

Get the job you want with tailored advice from industry insiders

So you want to be a…
Web designer
If you like the idea of producing pieces of interactive internet then check out
our career guide – it features handy tips from a range of web design experts
Introducing
W
eb design is a highly competitive yet highly famous sites like Craigslist or eBay, maybe something for

the experts creative industry. It’s an opportunity to have users

interacting directly with your work. You have their
a friend. Don’t dive too deep or you’ll make promises you
can’t keep and get yourself in trouble right off the bat.
Coen Grift
Coen is an eccentric who has been full attention, but not for long. With this in mind, it’s Keep it simple until you have a few under your belt.
in web design for “53,547 years”. important that your sites make an impression while still
His offbeat style and humour is
reflected in his truly unique work. offering a big dose of functionality and accessibility. Read How do I get myself some work experience?
www.bio-bak.nl on for some great advice on securing a career in the I would like to get a taste of the industry – what do you
Rob Alan industry from several experienced web designers. recommend?
Creative director Rob has worked
in web design for eight years. His Coen Grift: Get an internship to teach you about the ins
clients range from local musicians What abilities should I possess? and outs about the profession. If that doesn’t work, you
to multinational corporations.
What essential skills does a web designer need to have? can always search online forums for work.
www.robalan.com and www.
spinweb.net Nik Gill: You have to have a good eye for detail and keep Rob Alan: Some agencies have internships or part-time
Nik Gill in touch with modern styles. The key to user interface positions available. Seek them out and become a code
Nik has been in the industry for design is using all your skills to produce a design that monkey for a while. To become the problem solver, there
ten years. Most of his work is for
other design and web agencies on will appeal to both your client and its customers. is no better situation than opening up a document you
the front-end design of their sites. Coen Grift: No web designer can call himself a web didn’t create to fix a browser quirk or code issue!
www.remixcreative.net
designer without using words. Of course, you’d have to
Nate Kadlac
Nate is an interactive designer know how to use Drop Shadows, while you’ve got to love Freelance or in-house?
who has worked in web design for those phat Bevels! But seriously, you need to know your Is it best to work freelance or for a company?
nine years. He works freelance and
his previous clients include Sony, software inside and out. Nate Kadlac: If you’re just starting out, I wouldn’t
HP, Microsoft and Reuters. recommend going freelance. The more people who know
www.kadlac.com What about a portfolio? you will help in the long run. The easiest way to meet
Anthony Goodwin
How do I build up a body of work to show prospective people is to actually work for an agency or corporation.
Ant is a digital art director and has
worked in web design for five clients/employers?
years. His clients include Clarks,
Durex, UPS, Joe Browns and
Nate Kadlac: Start working on your own site or projects, Is the money any good?
Wickes. and push yourself as best you can. Designing sites for What’s the starting salary for a web designer?
www.designembraced.com small businesses is a good way to go, as it’s a quick way Nik Gill: Salary pretty much depends on the size of
to earn some extra cash and add to your portfolio. If the company and the location. London salaries are always
you’re working for an agency, make sure you have much more than the rest of the UK. Smaller companies
permission to showcase client work on your personal site. will pay a lot less for a graduate than a larger company. A
Rob Alan: Do a couple of sites for free to get your hands starting salary of £14,000-16,000 for a junior designer
dirty. They could be your own personal sites, redesigns of would be about average in the Midlands. If you are
Any
Photoshop REMIX CREATIVE
‘don’ts’ to (RIGHT): Gill’s site has
received a lot of positive
remember for exposure on web
my designs? design galleries and
showcases beautiful
designs. It will also be
featured in a web
design inspiration book
© Nik Gill 2009

“Don’t go mad on
ALTERNATIVES (FAR
those filters! These can RIGHT): Designed
be destructive in the while Rob Alan was
wrong hands” BIO-BAK: The sights and sounds working as creative
featured on Grift’s website really do take director at SpinWeb.
Anthony Goodwin interactivity and originality to the Created for Alternatives,
Digital art director extreme. He has produced a fun and a family violence
totally crazy site, which showcases his prevention advocate
McCann Erickson talents a treat and women’s shelter
Metro © Coen Grift © Alternatives, Inc. 2009

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 CA R EER FOCUS

Industry insight
Anthony Goodwin
Digital art director
Freelance: Digital
Embraced. Full-time:
McCann Erickson Metro
“I’ve always been creatively minded since an early age.
I would sit at home until late at night doodling and
sketching from still life and photographs.
After college I decided to move on to university to
complete my degree in Multimedia Graphics. I got
involved with designing and building Flash apps for the
desktop and for the web, and it was here where I found
out that I wanted to become a web designer. The
chance not only to design, but to allow people to
interact with my work seemed more appealing to me
than heading down a route purely designing for print.
KADLAC.COM: Nate Kadlac’s personal website was designed After university, I started my first job as a web
to showcase web, video and personal projects. The site was designer, working for Lightmaker.com in Manchester
designed from the ground up using ExpressionEngine for four years and soon worked my way up to senior
© 2009 Nate Kadlac. All rights reserved
designer with clients such as MTV, Pepsi and Kenwood.
JOEBROWNS.CO.UK: Joe Browns asked McCann Erickson
I then moved to Code Computer Love as a lead
to come up with an email/creative campaign idea to designer, working with some great clients including
generate more sales and traffic to its current site. Anthony Huggies, HMV and Matalan.
Goodwin came up with the idea of featuring the clothing
range by season within an interactive and fun environment, I’m currently working at McCann Erickson Metro as
so the merchandise would be more visually appealing digital art director, where I am responsible for idea
© Joe Browns Ltd and McCann Erickson generation, art direction and designs for our projects. In
my spare time I like to do extra freelance work,
freelance, you’re pretty much at the mercy of your which allows me to work with different agencies and
pricing structure. their clients. My first commission came through an old
work colleague and very good friend, and submitting
Any other tips? my site to CSS galleries has kept the work flowing in.”
What’s your best career advice for a web designer?
Rob Alan: Strive to be the best at your craft, and never
be afraid of a challenge or to take something on that How do I get myself known
doesn’t fit your job description. Find inspiration
outside the web and play around with the limits, but
in the industry?
always come back to usability and whether the site Nate Kadlac “Take advantage of social media avenues, get connected and
does what it needs to for the client or other purposes. Interactive designer start writing. All of this will go a long way in helping you land a job

{
Coen Grift: Apply your own style, and don’t go with Kadlac Design or future freelance projects. Exposure is the name of the game”
the trends.
Anthony Goodwin: With the web evolving at such a
rapid rate, the need to explore new techniques and Want to know more?
new technologies is a good way to stay on top of your Boost your knowledge with these courses
game. Have a look around and see what others are and resources
doing and how others are pushing the boundaries. Be Inspirational websites
inspired by others to push your own creativity to http://abduzeedo.com/; http://flash.tutsplus.com/
produce user-friendly and engaging web Essential training
experiences, but more importantly embrace what you BSc (Hons) Web Design
do – after all, this will shine through your work. Cost: Approximately £3,225 per year
WHAT OTHER
Nate Kadlac: Meet as many people as you can in your SOFTWARE Location: University of the West of England, Bristol
field, either by attending conferences or getting PACKAGES WILL Website: http://tinyurl.com/bristol-web/
I BE USING? Web Design (HND)
involved in local organisations. Understand that talent In addition to Photoshop,
you’ll be working with
Cost: Approximately £3,145 per year
alone won’t always get you a job, rather the Location: Teeside University
Adobe Flash and Illustrator.
connections you have developed over the years. Many of the experts we spoke Website: www.tees.ac.uk
Nik Gill: Never stop trying to better yourself. Keep an to recommended Panic’s
Coda as a good choice of Must-have resources
eye on what everyone else is doing and ensure you coding software. Other Stylin’ with CSS
don’t get left behind. Complacency is the biggest pieces of equipment that a lot Author: Charles Wyke-Smith Publisher: New Riders
of web designers can’t live Price: £28.99/$39.99 Website: www.peachpit.com
danger to a web designer; you should always keep without include a graphics
learning new styles and keep yourself current and tablet and a 24-inch display. The CSS Anthology
Check out www.wacom.com Author: Rachel Andrew Publisher: SitePoint
standing out. It’s a great career and for many, including for ones on offer there. Price: £31.49/$39.95 Website: www.sitepoint.com
myself, it can turn into a lifestyle choice!

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resources

WSX114 workstation
Workstation Specialists’ latest CS4-enhanced system is billed as the
ultimate in digital productivity, but does it deliver?
Manufacturer: Workstation Specialists WORKSTATION SPECIALIST
Web: www.workstationspecialist.com WSX114: It’s not the prettiest system
we’ve played with, but it’s certainly one
Price: £2,595 (approximately $4,100) of the quickest
Spec: Intel Core i7 950 (at 4GHz)
12GB DDR3 1600 memory
NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800 768MB
graphics card
Windows Vista (64-bit)
CS4 pre-installed and
configured for GPU
acceleration

W ith 23 years of experience in the field

of custom-built graphic workstations
for the CAD, visual effects and animation
markets, Workstation Specialists clearly has a
very good idea of what’s important when it
comes to building a suitable system for your
work. Since the WSX114 is part of its flagship
‘ultimate’ range, you can also be sure that it
incorporates leading-edge technical wizardry to
ensure your workflow and image fidelity isn’t
hamstrung by hardware.
Built on a backbone of Intel’s blazingly fast
Core i7 950 processor technology, the system has
been overclocked to run at an incredible 4GHz –
just about squeezing every last drop of speed
possible from the chip maker’s top-drawer CPU. important when it comes to workstations, we optimised for running tasks across multiple cores,
To put that into context, the fastest we’ve seen a tested its mettle in this regard using a well- it made short work of our basic filtering
system run using similar processors is 4.2GHz – known form of processor torture testing – benchmarks. From our tests, it was immediately
an astonishing speed. However, overclocking is Prime95. The software itself is used to calculate obvious that we could run batch processes in the
something of a double-edged sword in that it Mersenne prime numbers that are literally background while concentrating on another
can lead to instability, so Workstation Specialists millions of digits long, but since it puts the facet of our workflow without a noticeable drop
has wisely taken a small step back from the processor and memory under considerably in performance. Despite this, the WSX114 is
absolute limit to ensure solid, reliable more strain than even the most demanding surprisingly quiet under a heavy load, a
performance. Since reliability is of utmost multithreaded application like Photoshop ever considerable feat considering the
could, it’s the perfect candidate to ensure that a aforementioned overclocking and is an
system is 100 per cent stable. Suffice to say, it important (if somewhat overlooked) aspect of a
“It incorporates passed with flying colours, making it an ideal usable workstation.

leading-edge tool for earning the £100,000 prize for finding

the first prime number with 100 million digits.
Despite an already impressive show of
technical prowess, we’ve barely scratched the
technical wizardry With much more than just a fast processor and surface of what makes the WSX114 such an

to ensure your 12GB of solid DDR3 RAM under the hood,

however, this would be a heinous waste of a
intriguing prospect. Some of you may be aware
that CS4 features the ability to use the latent
workflow and perfectly good Photoshop workstation.
In terms of speed, its four native cores
power in many of today’s graphics cards to
increase image fidelity and processing
image fidelity (doubled to eight if you take Hyper Threading performance of a system. This is thanks to
isn’t hamstrung into account) provide enough power to ensure
there’s literally nothing else on the open market
NVIDIA’s CUDA (compute unified device
architecture), a parallel computing architecture
by hardware” that can beat it. Since Photoshop CS4 is so well designed to move compatible processor-

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 resources
ROTATION: Smooth rotation of images using the
new Rotate View tool
GPU acceleration
with CUDA
Some of the key features of
GRAPHICS CARD: Make the most of CS4's GPU NVIDIA’s CUDA…
accelerated features with a compatible card

STEP 1: 100 million graphics cards

and counting
It could be that you already actually have a
CUDA-ready graphics card. All of NVIDIA’s
graphics cards from the GeForce 8xxx
series upwards (since around 2007) are
compatible and will work with the latest
drivers. Simply go to Edit>Preferences>
Performance in CS4’s top bar to enable it.

STEP 2: Rotation acceleration

Working with large images can make the
tilting of frames very difficult and time-
consuming. Thanks to the Quadro FX 1800
in the WSX114, though, you can do it on
the fly with no lag and no jagged edges.

STEP 3: Smooth image display

CUDA also removes the need to
interpolate at nonstandard zoom levels.
Instead of the cheap and dirty short cut of
simply up- or downscaling an image from
the nearest zoom level Photoshop likes, it
will give your image as intended at the
zoom level you want.

STEP 4: Zoom acceleration

Another key feature made possible with
ZOOM ACCELERATION: Whizz in and out of images TEXT SMOOTHING: Pixel-perfect reproduction of the WSX114 is real-time zooming. Moving
for a faster way of working text and images at any zoom ratio around a zoomed image is made
incredibly easy with instant redraws and a
handy zoom grid. There is literally no time
intensive tasks away from the humble CPU onto
the surprisingly versatile and capable graphics “Despite the lack wasted and you can even pan around the
image as you would flick through album
processor. In recent times, graphics processing
units (GPUs) have leapfrogged CPUs as the
of suite-wide art on an iPhone.
architecturally dominant force in computing. compatibility, the
With many million more transistors dedicated to
computational tasks, NVIDIA’s CUDA can provide
incredible speed We’re sure we’ve barely seen the start of
CUDA’s capabilities, and despite the current lack
an incredible speed boost with a compatible offers us a level of suite-wide compatibility, the incredible speed
graphics card and software. The Quadro FX 1800
with 768MB of its own dedicated memory
of future proofing and silky smooth operation of the WSX114 offers
us a level of future proofing we’re confident
featured in the WSX114 is a prime example of a we’re confident matches the large asking price. While
card with this cutting-edge technology,
although it also works with off-the-shelf cards
matches the large predominantly aimed at users of the latest
version of Adobe’s world beating app, the
designed for home computers and PC gaming asking price” WSX114’s cutting edge processor, ample RAM
starting at just £50. While CS4 boasts many and super-fast SSD hard drive ensure it’s the most
CUDA-compatible facets off the shelf, the capable system around, CS4 or otherwise. 5
technology is still young and very few plug-ins Zooming in and around particularly large
are currently compatible. Thankfully, for a canvasses can be a drag with a basic PC, but SUMMARY: With a plethora of cutting-
relatively standard workflow the biggest boosts with CUDA enabled it is possible to mill around edge technologies and excellent build
are immediately evident. The manipulation and the most demanding image without a hint of quality, the WSX114 is certainly reassuringly
filtering of very large images is probably the stutter or lag. With CUDA you also have image expensive. That said, similar performance is
most obvious example. Halving the time it takes fidelity enhancements, entirely ridding your attainable at half the price if you have got
to blur a 500MB file – especially considering the screen of jagged edges thanks to image

8/10
the know-how.
awesome speed of today’s test system – is a feat smoothing, completely removing the need for
of extraordinary proportions. interpolation at nonstandard zoom settings.

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resources

Dell Precision M6400

Dell's latest laptop is powerful enough to use as a desktop
replacement as well as for on-the-go image creation
Manufacturer: Dell
Web: www.dell.com
Price: From £1,445 (excl. VAT and
shipping)/$2,109 (excl. local
taxes and shipping) for basic
setup. Model reviewed here
is full-spec version BRILLIANT BUILT-INS: This machine ignores
Spec: Intel Core 2 Extreme Q9300 at the rules, breaking new ground in performance.
2.53GHz Certified application performance is assured
with Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme Quad-Core
NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700 (1GB) processors combined with NVIDIA Quadro FX
Intel Wireless 5300 AGN 2700M or FX 3700M graphics processors
17-inch WUXGA LCD screen
Bluetooth, webcam and
fingerprint reader

D ell says that the Precision M6400 is not

just designed to meet your needs – it’s
designed to exceed your expectations. You
certainly won’t expect it to be quite so heavy at a
weight of 3.8kg before opting for the huge range
of upgrades available, though, making it a laptop
that won’t spend very long on your lap. In terms
of appearance, the M6400 comfortably falls
within expectations.
Sleek and silver with a straightforward layout,
its design follows function rather than form, and
you will certainly benefit from it. If you’re feeling
flash you can opt for the sexy orange-skinned
Covet version, but attention-grabbing looks are
not what the Dell is about. In fact, one perceived
advantage of the M6400’s conventional
appearance is perhaps that it contradicts its price. mind, the M6400 aims to finally allow 3D artists, independent bench tests the M6400 has
The machine we tested, with full specs, racked up video editors, architects and scientists to outclassed countless competitors. It’s worth
to more than an eye-popping five grand. Take a abandon their desktops and head for the park, noting – especially when considering the price –
breather, as purchase validation is coming. safe in the knowledge that their laptop can that this Dell laptop is ISV certified. This means it
Heavy, conventional looking and the price of a render in the sunshine without imploding. This has been rigorously tested to ensure that it can
small car may not sound ideal, but there is good Dell laptop is engineered to provide the user reliably operate CAD and design software like 3ds
reason why this machine can cost this much. The with the vast amounts of processing power, Max, Maya and CATIA.
M6400 offers state-of-the-art technology. massive scalable memory options, high-tech The straightforward but carefully considered
Designed absolutely with the professional in security and proven reliability needed for layout of the Dell is a joy to use. The keys are soft
managing complex tasks. but satisfyingly positive and backlit, a feature

“This laptop is In terms of elbow grease, the M6400 features

Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme Quad-Core processors
strangely absent on a lot of laptops. The
touchpad, again backlit, is accurate, sensitive and
engineered to combined with significant memory scalability, boasts a clever jog/shuttle feature to allow easy

provide the user up to 1TB with optional RAID and dual internal
hard drive bays. There’s also up to 16GB dual
video editing. By engaging this feature the
touchpad mouse function is disabled, but the
with vast amounts channel memory and a next-generation NVIDIA
Quadro FX 2700M or FX 3700M graphics
M6400 offers a track point stick in the centre of
the keyboard as an alternative. The 17-inch, 1,920
of processing processor, with up to 1GB dedicated graphics x 1,200px screen resolution is very crisp and
power, massive memory on board.
For those of us that aren’t too technically
gentle on the eye, while Photoshop users will
surely revel in its ability to render 100 per cent of
scalable memory minded, that equates to oodles of oomph. This the Adobe sRGB colour space. However, it has to

options and makes running Photoshop CS4’s interactive

options, rendering times and a host of other
be said that the screen was prone to some
reflection in harsh office lighting. Other features
proven reliability” compatible plug-ins and software a dream. In include an eight-in-one memory card reader,

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 resources
Dell M6400 jog/
shuttle trackpad
Explore more of this
machine’s accessibility
The Dell M6400 isn’t resplendent with on-
board gizmos and gadgetry – this machine
finds it more important to focus on
processing power. However, it does have a
neat addition to the touchpad beneath the
keyboard, which warrants going into in a
bit more detail.
Designed for timeline-based
applications like Adobe Flash, Adobe
Premiere and Autodesk 3ds Max, the jog/
shuttle feature on the Dell M6400 aims to
make editing that little bit easier and
quicker for the frequent user. It takes a bit
of getting used to, but persistence shows
INNOVATIONS: The clever choice of chipset lets users
benefit from memory scalability, which is previously “Dell says that that it can prove useful, especially for all-
round digital artists who work with stills,
the M6400 works
unheard of in any Dell Precision mobile workstation
video and animation. You are able to use
the 4.9 x 8cm jog/shuttle touchpad in
slot-load DVD writer, two USB sockets and a full-
size six-pin FireWire port.
at the speed of order to move frame by frame through a

In terms of security, the Dell M6400 offers an thought, and at project, and the mouse is therefore freed
up to control the timeline’s CTI (current
integrated smart card reader and optional
fingerprint and no-contact smart card readers.
times it really does time indicator), which is invaluable for

Or if you’re really in trouble, with the feel like you can’t speeding up your workflow.
In order to switch it on, you simply have
combination of its super-tough magnesium alloy
casing and considerable heft, this laptop could
keep up with it” to tap the small icon in the bottom left-
hand corner of the touchpad and away
double as quite an effective weapon. Seriously,
you go. One caveat is that the mouse
though, in addition to being well engineered on feel like you can’t keep up with it. Independent
action is disabled when jog/shuttle is
the inside, the M6400 does feel very solidly built. tests show that, like the marketing rhetoric says,
enabled, but remember that the Dell
It’s always hard to tell how things will last when it exceeds expectations when running
M6400 also has a tracking stick in the
they’re just out of the box, but Dell assures us complicated memory-munching tasks.
middle of the keyboard, which will replace
that these laptops have been tested to For many of us the M6400 could be a little too
on-screen navigation. All in all, a handy
destruction to ensure the final product will last, a pricey, and we can console ourselves with the
little touchpad!
claim that's backed up with a three-year knowledge that we won’t have to make regular
hardware warranty. trips to the chiropractor. But this is a remarkable
We found that we were unable to provide a laptop, it’s a joy to use and is capable of running
test that really pushed this laptop. It breezes over pretty much anything. There isn’t a mobile
everyday tasks. Dell says that the M6400 works at workstation that rivals it for sheer power, which
the speed of thought, and at times it really does for some will definitely validate the cost. 5

CONNECTIVITY (LEFT): Such a

portable device comes with much
connectivity, including Wireless LAN,
Bluetooth 2.1 and Ultra-Wideband
(UWB – US Only)

SMALL YET SUFFICIENT: The M6400 jog/shuttle

track pad comes in a modest size of 4.9 x 8cm, but
packs much functionality

SUMMARY: There isn’t a laptop available

that will beat the Dell Precision M6400 for
sheer power when all the upgrades are
installed. Money may become an
COVERS ALL CREATIVE BASES (ABOVE): This
machine is said to be Dell’s flagship mobile overriding factor, but can high-end users
workstation solution. It’s primarily used by animators

9/10
put a price on performance?
but accommodates other intensive creative software
users, dealing with special effects

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resources

NEC MultiSync P221W

NEC adds the 22-inch P221W to its line-up of affordable widescreen displays
Manufacturer: NEC
Web: www.necdisplay.com
Price: £315 (excluding VAT)/$499
Spec: 1,680 x 1,050 optimum resolution
1,000:1 contrast ratio
Programmable 10-bit LUT
Non Touch Auto Adjustment

N EC has launched the P221W with the

intention to satisfy creative
professionals as well as the demands of
industry CAD/CAM designers. High
expectations indeed for a low-budget monitor.
The company fills the gap that lies between its
own high-performance MultiSync 90 series and
its more commercially based displays, the
MultiSync EA series. Placed between these two,
the P221W offers a more affordable option to
cope with both demands.
The P221W’s specifications on paper give it a
good first impression. Its 22-inch LCD display
comes equipped with a high contrast ratio of
1,000:1. That’s good value for money, considering
it has a price of £315 (excluding VAT) or $499. It
also has an optimum resolution of 1,680 x 1,050,
but all these impressive numbers don’t
necessarily mean better results, and in the
process of keeping its price to a minimum, NEC
has had to compromise slightly on quality.
When profiling the monitor after powering it STRONG COLOURS: The P221W
up, we found it lacked the tonal depth we’ve has strong colours, although its
clarity is lacking
come to expect from widescreen LCD displays of
similar specifications. It has a brightness of
300cd/m2, and with NEC’s AmbiBright
technology the screen automatically adjusts
brightness to suit the lighting conditions around
it. This is done using an ambient sensor; however, and it is worth remembering what you’re paying more noticeable when working with text, where
when the monitor is set to 100% brightness for here. While we might be disappointed with the definition of each letter isn’t precise. Cycling
using the menu, the screen reached its peak and tonal depth, in comparison to its price peers this through the menu options, you can adjust the
couldn’t become brighter in dimmer lighting is still a cut above the rest. Fine control, which aims to straighten everything
conditions. We pushed its brightness to the top, The P221W produces lots of saturation in its up. Thinking this would resolve the problem, we
as the display is naturally dim from the offset. colour and this is one of the strongest points to were proven wrong. Adjusting this control threw
However, we’re being fussy because we've been the monitor’s make-up. This does well to different areas of the screen out of focus. It was
spoilt with NEC's amazing higher-end options, counteract the monitor’s lack of overall a matter of focusing the middle portions as best
brightness. We boosted the contrast value as we could.

“The P221W produces through the menu to also give the display more
vibrancy and strength in the highlights and
The P221W is supplied with a 10-bit look-up
table (LUT) for calibrating each colour channel of
lots of saturation in its shadows. As a consequence, this left the
midtones looking somewhat flat and left behind,
the RGB spectrum, and boasts high colour
accuracy as well. Perhaps colour accuracy is the
colour and this is one of so it's a personal preference on how you set up monitor’s rewarding trait, as compared to the
the strongest points to the the monitor's contrast values. .
To add to the monitor’s naturally dim display,
quality of the other specifications, this seems to
be its saving grace.
monitor’s make-up. This a bigger downfall of the P221W is its clarity. This The P221W is manoeuvrable in three ways: it
counteracts the monitor’s seems to be the overriding issue and one of the
most important aspects to a designer’s monitor.
can be spun 90 degrees to a portrait position, it
can slide up and down and it can be tilted, all
lack of overall brightness” The display’s not blurry, just not pin-sharp. It’s depending on your desk space. This means that

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 resources
you can move it to your most natural way of
working, which is a real bonus. The monitor’s “The technology Guide to calibration
on-screen menu is controlled with the array of
buttons lined up around the bottom-right
on board is a The ins and outs of calibrating
corner. NEC states in its release that the professional grade, your monitor
technology on board is a professional grade, and
therefore it is ideal for graphic designers and
and therefore it is With any monitor that you invest in,

photographers running Photoshop. ideal for graphic whether it’s a budget model like the NEC
here or a model that costs thousands, it is
The P221W is affordable to those looking for a
first-time buy, stepping out of the typical
designers and important to calibrate the screen. This is

monitor setup that comes as standard with your photographers not the time-consuming process that it
once was, and it ensures that you're
PC on purchase. We felt there’s a slight
unevenness to this monitor’s make-up. It’s a
with Photoshop” working on accurate colours throughout
your workflow.
mixed bag, and what it lacks in tonal depth it Colour calibration is the difference
makes up for in colour saturation. Photographers Foot Print meter, which tells you what the between a visually poor monitor and a
and designers who primarily work with black- current and accumulated savings in carbon colour-accurate one. You can profile your
and-white imagery wouldn’t benefit from the dioxide add up to – it's a nice touch. display in a number of ways, and it’s best
P221W, however, for graphic designers who Next to similarly priced 19-inch to cover most grounds to ensure great
need more space and brighter colours, it's a real monitors, the P221W is a decent option. For colours on-screen and also in print. A
step up. amateur digital artists keeping to a tight colourimeter is a must-have tool, and
NEC has been environmentally conscious with budget and working with colour, this brands include ColorMunki, X-Rite Eye-
the P221W, making an Eco Mode function to monitor would be ideal. If you’re a working One, Colorvision Spyder 2 and Pantone to
reduce the carbon footprint. Eco Mode works by digital artist who needs a versatile display, we name a few. Setting these up takes no time
reducing the brightness of the screen or by recommend looking to NEC's higher-end at all, and requires the placement of the
running in Power Save mode when it’s not in products, as you might find that you colourimeter on the centre of the screen to
use. The monitor actually has a built-in Carbon outgrow this monitor. 5 analyse the monitor’s RGB output. Make
sure you reset the monitor to its factory
settings beforehand. Professional colour
calibration software takes external
condition readings too, such as the
Pantone Huey Pro, and the ColorMunki
comes equipped with software to create
your own swatches to use in Photoshop.
Also consider getting a calibrator for
your printer, so that what you see on-
screen is what you get when you print
for the most accurate results, as it can
sometimes vary wildly.

CALIBRATE YOUR MONITOR FOR THE BEST

RESULTS: Using a colourimeter ensures perfect
colours, and professional calibrators read external
conditions, too

SUMMARY: This monitor has its flaws in

terms of colour depth and clarity, but it
holds colours well, offers versatility with its
rotate functions and is well priced to offer
first-time upgraders a nice monitor for
ROTATE, TILT AND LIFT: The display can turned to

7/10
graphic design work.
a portrait mode, tilted to look up or down and rise for
different heights depending on your preferences

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resources

Totally Dynamic HDR

A guide to shooting and editing high dynamic range images
Artist: The Little Photoshop
Web: www.thelittlephotoshop.co.uk
Price: £29.99/$49.99
About: 5.5 hours of video tutorials
Both Photoshop and Photomatix
Pro are covered
Grad Pack 5.0 actions included

H igh dynamic range has become a buzz

phrase in photography, to the point
where most new DSLRs are offering the
service on board. For photographers without
this added benefit, Totally Dynamic HDR will be
a superb addition to their photography toolkit
on paper.
Totally Dynamic HDR from The Little Photoshop
looks to not only provide the user with the right
photographic knowledge to take the initial
images, but also move them through to the
editing stage. As most programs presume the
images taken are already up to scratch and ready
to be edited, this is a welcome addition to the
DVD’s feature list.
The DVD’s intention is to inform the viewer of
A WALK IN THE PARK: The editing
both how to shoot and then edit the images. For tutorials are well presented and look fantastic
the latter part there really isn’t any way to find
fault in the product. The author clearly knows and labelled, the scenes don’t play in one long
how to create HDR images, and presents each stream. This means that a scene requires either
step superbly with a narrated video of manually moving on or a return to the main
Photoshop. The DVD presentation and quality is menu then moved on.
good enough to gain a decent amount of The photographic side is far less informative,
information and perform the task of creating a offering little in the way of direction. A static shot
HDR image rapidly. Each element is well is narrated and doesn’t change, even when the
explained, although a little postproduction could technique would benefit hugely from it. For a LACKING INFORMATION: The shooting tutorials
are extremely brief and poorly presented
do wonders at times, such as zooming up on subject that needs both an amount of
sections when they’re being talked about. The knowledge about how to use a camera and the
value for money is fairly impressive on this front way to set up a shot, simply having a still of a already familiar with how to take the images in
as there are over 40 different scenes, which again finalised setup does little to teach the viewer, the correct manner. The included extras are a
raises a problem. Page after page of scenes are especially those approaching from more of an Photoshop Grad Pack, which can give landscapes
present, and although they’re well spaced out editing point of view rather than a a much-needed punch of colour, and links to a
photographer’s perspective. Although the couple of demo plug-ins with discounts
commentary shows plenty of knowledge of the available, too.
subject, it doesn’t offer up enough information For £30/£50 there’s plenty to learn, but
to make the skill any easier. A video tutorial skimping on the shooting process will frustrate
showing each process, or at the very least some some users. For photographers who are already
larger stills of the controls/products to which the aware of the process behind high dynamic range
DVD refers, would have been a vast imagery but simply want to improve at it, Totally
improvement in our opinion. Dynamic HDR would be just about perfect. 5
This oversight is annoying to say the least, as
the rest of the disc makes the entire process SUMMARY: Part superb editing tutorial,
much, much easier, even for an absolute part lacking photographic tutorial. The new
beginner. But in a similar sense to panoramic user will need more guidance with how
shooting, the fundamentals of the images need and what to shoot before delving into the
to be good enough before getting started. A Photoshop side of things.
PHOTOSHOP FREEBIE: The free Grad Pack of
actions can add colour to landscapes
very mixed bag to say the least, but the editing
sections are at least good enough for those 6/10
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 resources
Jan Kallwejt Amy Guip
Some superb works from an inventive artist t io nal A photographer, artist and
illustrator with some
spira ites est
In s of the bpire inspirational images
web
Artist: Jan Kallwejt
e s
Web: www.kallwejt.com f re to in
th
ick owebsites g at the
Artist: Amy Guip
About: Portfolio site of the freelance Our p folio okin ent Web: www.amyguip.com
designer and illustrator p u when ylos to pres
o r t
yo est wa work About: Tailored website to show off the
b your
F
works of this artist
or most digital artists, the tendency to
overedit or overcomplicate works with
too many fiddly extras or unnecessary
elements is far too tempting, leading to
T here are few digital artists that manage
to blend illustrations and Photoshop
effects into an image that's both visually
complex and confusing artwork. For Warsaw- interesting and clean enough to see the fruits
and Barcelona-based Jan Kallwejt, the motto is of their labours. Amy Guip creates hybrid
certainly less is more. images that are clear in distinction between the
Of the works displayed on the website, there LIMITED COLOUR PALETTE: Although the site is real and created, without trying to blend them
are subjects as diverse as a tube map and shirt basic, the images are decent enough to carry the down into a semirealistic end product.
message through
designs, all of which are striking while remaining The slick and simple site, which takes a little
sparse. The likes of his Start A Lie series of posters Although the website design is basic, the end too long to switch between images on a slower
are superbly cutting without the need to be product is impressive enough not to need too connection, doesn’t need any prior knowledge of
overly forceful with the message behind the much input. Overall, a very decent and overdesigned sites or ridiculous Flash interfaces
imagery. Even though the artist uses bold inspirational website 5 to navigate around. Instead the animation is kept
colours, clean lines and a restricted palette on to the bare minimum and each click is reacted to
most of the works of art, the imagery is so direct SUMMARY: Jan Kallwejt's website is proof in some fashion or another. The portfolio
as to not need any fussy gradients or overly that in many cases less is more, and that a obviously forms the backbone of the site, but
complex shading. Even the image of North restrictive colour palette brings out his Guip also has her other interests segregated into
Korea leader Kim Jong-Il is instantly recognisable particular brand of creativity. sections for the photography and collage
in spite of being set in a limited palette of only
four colours. 9/10 commissions she has been involved in.
The images range quite drastically, showing a
real flair for reinvention. From the earlier collages

Nazario Graziano
through to more celebrity-based imagery and
colourful symbolism there’s few stills without a
carefully considered design. The shots of the
three stars of the Harry Potter films, for example,
have been placed within a circus-style setting.
Artist, magazine founder and all-round genius There are plenty of clever details, while the
lighting and tone is fantastically creative. 5
Artist: Nazario Graziano
Web: http://nazariograziano.com/
About: Showcase of art direction,
graphic design and illustration
work from the freelancer

A patch of inspiration to provide some

truly stunning works is usually enough
for most artists, but for Nazario Graziano it
seems that inspiration is a steady stream
rather than occasional trickle.
As the founder of RevolverLover and the
online magazine ANTI, Graziano is often at the
DISTINCTIVE ARTWORK: The melding of the real
cusp of the artistic and creative wave, and his
and the fantastic make Graziano's work stand out
website proves that. Much of his work is a superb
IMAGE VARIETY: An image based around Barack
combination of illustration and photography, shown as an original and in situ on the page. Obama for American Society for American Engineering,
providing him with work in the likes of Runner’s With such a varied portfolio, there is plenty to which is deliberately rough and feels cobbled together
World and Entertainment Weekly. His ability to discover here. 5
blend both the realistic and fabricated really SUMMARY: Amy Guip is clearly not only
makes the work pop from both the page and SUMMARY: An excellent digital artist such very talented, but meticulous in the detail
screen, even when his more abstract tendencies as Nazario Graziano doesn’t need a flashy she chooses to include in her images. A real
take over. site, and his work is duly impressive. inspiration to artists of numerous disciplines.
The website is gloriously simple and easy to
navigate, and each of his published works is 8/10 9/10
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 I N! ’s
W ar ion
e
t
A sycrip
su b t o Benjamin Cox
WEB: http://www.bencoxdesign.com
GALLERY We showcase the very best of your artwork “I’ve been working within the industry since 2005, but fell into artworking
halfway through 2006. Since then I have worked on many different projects,
ranging from magazines to exhibitions. I have learnt so much from artworking
but I have always found it to be a frustrating experience, as for most of the time
you are finishing other people’s work. Recently, I began to work on personal
projects in my spare time in an effort to change the course of my career
and become a full-time graphic designer. One of my favourite things about
designing is the organic way that a piece of work can grow from an initial
idea. The final result may be completely different to what you imagined. I feel I
still have much to learn, and in the future I hope to work for an agency with lots
of creative freedom where ideas and experience are shared. Hopefully, having
my work shown in Advanced Photoshop will be the first step towards this.”

idea for this

LOVER: “I had the
STAR CROSSED und my head for ages, so used it as
aro e”
picture swimming friends like this on
series. My female
part of my ‘Nebula’
Readers’

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Advanced Photoshop

090-094_AVP_62_ReadersGallery.in90 90 9/10/09 12:56:52

 “One of my favourite
things about designing is
the organic way that a
piece of work can grow
from an initial idea”
Benjamin Cox

COSMIC GIRL: “This is

the first piece in my ‘Nebula’
series. My original idea was a
purely abstract image, but a
couple of hours into the
project it started to look like a
Seventies rock album cover,
so I decided to go down that
route instead”

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 Readers’ gallery

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serenity and ca
two feelings”
duality of these

“I’m always
trying to
improve
myself,
develop new
things and
adapt new
inspirations”
Thomas Kim

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Hand: “A whisper, you touch, you look, but … who

sees who?”

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 Readers’ gallery

What you can win…

Each month, one of
the featured artists is
selected as Best in Show.
This artist will win a
fantastic prize**. This
month, the lucky winner
will receive a year’s
subscription to Advanced
Photoshop magazine.
That’s 13 issues of this
Rob D Fisher title delivered to your
WEB: www.robdfisher.com door over 12 months.

, NEW “I am a 23-year-old digital photo illustrator based in

GROUND ZERO in the Swindon, UK, and graduated from Thames Valley
YORK, 2006:
“With
I came
e University in 2007 with a first-class BA (Hons) in
construction sit
s chair. It
across a builder’ s and Professional Photographic Imaging. Quickly realising
nd word
spoke a thousa that taking photographs was just the beginning of
emptiness
symbolised the H
RT *
a place once my creative process, I soon got to grips with digital

8
and absence of ny souls” manipulation. I present an unusual or alternative view of
O
7
filled with so ma
the world, photographing peculiar objects and natural W
weathered textures for use in future art projects. I’m
THE MOVEMENT: “I am
inspired by a fascination with textural,
symbolic visuals. I’m targetinghippy
my era
work
anatomical
exploring the Americanand
forsubject
as the
offering my services to up-and-coming/established
bookforjackets,
a
series of pieces that display
£
my understanding
bands for album covers and currently seekingof that • One year’s
particular movement”
representation from agencies to help further my career.” worth - 13 issues
- of Advanced
Photoshop
• Delivered directly
to your door
• Get it before it
hits the shops
• Worth £78*
Terms and conditions
By submitting images to Advanced
Photoshop’s Readers’ Gallery, you hereby
grant Imagine Publishing and, if relevant,
clients to whom the relevant work has
been provided, an irrevocable, perpetual,
royalty-free licence to use such intellectual
property in relation to work similar or
THE WHEEL equivalent to the work. This includes the
O
image narratin F CREATIVITY: “An right to showcase work on multimedia
g my constant
creative ideas ro
and fulfilling th tation of formats. By submitting work, you also
em through confirm that your images do not infringe
execution of an
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