06 photo art blends manual
By Linda Sattgast
Photo Art Blends | Lesson 6 Lesson 6: Using Photo Art Blends Our custom Photo Art Blends are the main feature of this class, and can transform your photos to look as if they are traditional Polaroid photo transfers…without the mess and chemicals! To achieve this effect, follow the lessons below, plus see how to remove the texture over skin tones of portraits. You’ll be amazed at how simple they are to use and how addictive they can be! • Open Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop. • Select File > Open. Browse your system for the class kit and select a Photo Art Blend in your desired size (we created them in 8x10, 12x12, and 20x24). • Select File > Open and select a photo from your system to place on the Photo Art Blend (using those that have been edited using Lessons 3, 4, 5, or 6 work very well). • Click and drag the photo onto the Photo Art Blend using the move tool. Size and position photo as needed, making sure the whole colored portion of the blend is covered. • Set the blend mode of the photo to either “Lighten” or “Screen.” Each will give you a slightly different look. The point is to eliminate the photo from the white background, but keep it on the colored part of the blend. Some of the blend will show through the photo; this is part of the effect. • Select Layer > Duplicate Layer, click OK when the dialog box appears, and set the copy to “Soft Light,” “Color Burn,” “Overlay,” or “Vivid Light.” These modes will bring back the contrast and color of the photo. Again, each will give a different effect, but none should show up on the white portion of the blend. • Experiment changing the opacity of the two layers of the photo; you can even duplicate the photo a third time and add another blend mode to give the photo an extra boost. • Save in .psd format to retain layers and allow for future editing. • Save as high quality .jpg to upload to preferred print vendor for printing. See Printing Tips for print vendor suggestions and other printing advice.
Photo Art Blends © 2013 CottageArts.net, LLC, all rights reserved.
Here’s another sample of a Photo Art Blend, along with the Layers Panel. See our CottageArts shop for more of these creative digital art tools.
Another way to use the blends is to place them on top of photos, instead of below. Try various blend modes to see what you like best, as it’s pretty much trial and error for each image. Duplicating the blend and setting each to differing blend modes is fun to do, too! See Lesson 11 for combining them with textures and frames.
If the blend is placed on the layer above a portrait, you can add a Layer Mask to paint away some of the texture from the face and other skin tones (see Lesson 4 for Layer Mask how-to).
And remember, you can always rotate any of the Photo Art Blends to be landscape or portrait to best suit your photo.
Now, pick some favorite images, blend them into the class Photo Art Blends, and share them in the Class Gallery! Wouldn’t a photo book full of them be beautiful?
Page 2
Photo Art Blends © 2013 CottageArts.net, LLC, all rights reserved.
Photo Art Blends | Lesson 6 Lesson 6: Using Photo Art Blends Our custom Photo Art Blends are the main feature of this class, and can transform your photos to look as if they are traditional Polaroid photo transfers…without the mess and chemicals! To achieve this effect, follow the lessons below, plus see how to remove the texture over skin tones of portraits. You’ll be amazed at how simple they are to use and how addictive they can be! • Open Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop. • Select File > Open. Browse your system for the class kit and select a Photo Art Blend in your desired size (we created them in 8x10, 12x12, and 20x24). • Select File > Open and select a photo from your system to place on the Photo Art Blend (using those that have been edited using Lessons 3, 4, 5, or 6 work very well). • Click and drag the photo onto the Photo Art Blend using the move tool. Size and position photo as needed, making sure the whole colored portion of the blend is covered. • Set the blend mode of the photo to either “Lighten” or “Screen.” Each will give you a slightly different look. The point is to eliminate the photo from the white background, but keep it on the colored part of the blend. Some of the blend will show through the photo; this is part of the effect. • Select Layer > Duplicate Layer, click OK when the dialog box appears, and set the copy to “Soft Light,” “Color Burn,” “Overlay,” or “Vivid Light.” These modes will bring back the contrast and color of the photo. Again, each will give a different effect, but none should show up on the white portion of the blend. • Experiment changing the opacity of the two layers of the photo; you can even duplicate the photo a third time and add another blend mode to give the photo an extra boost. • Save in .psd format to retain layers and allow for future editing. • Save as high quality .jpg to upload to preferred print vendor for printing. See Printing Tips for print vendor suggestions and other printing advice.
Photo Art Blends © 2013 CottageArts.net, LLC, all rights reserved.
Here’s another sample of a Photo Art Blend, along with the Layers Panel. See our CottageArts shop for more of these creative digital art tools.
Another way to use the blends is to place them on top of photos, instead of below. Try various blend modes to see what you like best, as it’s pretty much trial and error for each image. Duplicating the blend and setting each to differing blend modes is fun to do, too! See Lesson 11 for combining them with textures and frames.
If the blend is placed on the layer above a portrait, you can add a Layer Mask to paint away some of the texture from the face and other skin tones (see Lesson 4 for Layer Mask how-to).
And remember, you can always rotate any of the Photo Art Blends to be landscape or portrait to best suit your photo.
Now, pick some favorite images, blend them into the class Photo Art Blends, and share them in the Class Gallery! Wouldn’t a photo book full of them be beautiful?
Page 2
Photo Art Blends © 2013 CottageArts.net, LLC, all rights reserved.
