“May God bless you”

That’s what the koala is saying while having a drink courtesy of the  firefighter with a big heart.
What really touches me is the koala holding his hand. Argh. Too cute.

If you have some to spare, they need it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cookieeeeeeee! Om nom nom nom nommmmm

Clever nom creations by Nick D

Agency: Armstrong & Asociados, Santiago
Creative Director: Marcelo Quintana
Art Director: Nicolás Fracchia
Copywriter: Philip Honeyman
Illustrator: Ricardo Hitschfield
Photographer: Colin Anderson

Vichy Sunblock literally blocks the sun!

Agency: JUNG von MATT, Berlin

In this tutorial, I will teach you how to lose your head – the safe way! As usual, I will start off with the basics, and then suggest how you could carry on from there. Let’s get started.

Setting up for this photo manipulation is quite similar to the previous (and now rather famous!) cloning tutorial, in which you need a camera (obviously), a tripod (or just a steady place to put your camera) and 2 photographs of the same scene, one with your model (or yourself) in it, and one without.

For this tutorial, I will be using these 2 photographs below. I had accidentally shifted the camera a teeny bit when I was taking these shots, but the difference is almost negligible, so these images can still be used. But for those of you trying this out for the first time, and have never done the cloning tutorial before, remember not to move your tripod and camera in between shots, ya?

Just to reiterate from the cloning tutorial, this is so you will get a consistent look (distance of scene from camera, angle, et cetera) for both your photographs, as this is crucial for the photo manipulation to work.

The 2 photographs :

The second photograph, which I’ve mentioned before that I like to call the blank template, is only necessary for the parts you’d like to be invisible, but enough with words, let’s get to the steps.

Step 1:

1. Bring both the photographs into Photoshop. If possible, work with the highest resolution photographs that you can get your hands on. This will allow you to work on the more minute details, to make your finished product more realistic.

   Move the image with the blank scene to the top, above the image with the model. In my example, my blank scene is named Blank and the one with the model is named Model. You may name your layers whatever you choose (or not name them at all), but I will be using these names in this tutorial to make things easier to understand.

2. Add a layer mask to the Blank layer.
    

3. Fill the layer mask that you have just added to the Blank layer with the colour black.
    

4. Click on the Brush tool (shortcut button : B), and make sure that the foreground colour is white.
    

5. While the layer mask of the Blank layer is still selected, and using a brush size of your liking, start brushing away on the head. What this does is cover the bottom layer, which is my Model layer, with the top layer, which is my Blank layer, making it look as though the head of the model is transparent.

   In the image above, I showed a feathered brush of size 20. In reality, I alternate between different sizes and I use a small solid brush to get the edges of the head which touches the shirt. For intricate selection, I use paths as well.

   To know more, jump over to my previous tutorial on how to do precise selections.

Step 2:

At this point, you should have an interesting headless image, like so :

Some people are happy to stop here, but we are not, are we? Oh no, of course we’re not. Let’s recreate the back of that shirt.

1. First we have to create a base colour for the back of the shirt. I used Photoshop’s Eyedropper tool (shortcut button : I) and chose a colour from the shirt. While we know that the shirt is black in colour, the Eyedropper tool would tell us exactly which specific shade of black a part of the shirt is. This is more important for clothes of other colours rather than black. Black is relatively easy to fake.

   Then, use a solid brush (as opposed to a feathered brush) to create the shape of the shirt. Use your judgement here, and decide what looks right to you. You can use an actual shirt as a reference.

   Optional :
    
   One sure way to get the shape and colour and such of the inner back of the shirt right… Is to actually take a photograph of the back of that shirt, and paste it in at this stage. I would recommend doing this if you’re creating a photo manipulation for prints larger than A4.

2. Next, we have to match the noise of that base colour to the noise of the photograph, otherwise, it will look very obviously fake since it would be of a solid colour, and would stand out from the rest of the image. What we’re looking for here is to make it look as realistic as possible.

   To add noise, select the layer with your base colour and click on Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Experiment with the noise amount to match the noise in your photograph. For the photograph I used here, the image wasn’t all that noisy, so I added about 2% noise.

   I had also decided to lighten the base a bit here since the black I originally chose blended way too well into the shadows. 

3. At this step, I began to add shadows to make the back of the shirt seem slightly less 2 dimensional. I played with the shadows a lot before I settled on this, subtle but yet you can tell there are shadows.

   To add shadows, you can use either use the Gradient tool (shortcut button : G) with a gradient that goes from black to transparent, or you can use a small feathered brush and brush in the shadows yourself. Play with the opacity of the layer until you are satisfied with the look of the shadows. 

4. And the finishing touch is adding of the shirt label and the seams of the collar.

   The shirt label is just a rectangular box which is filled with white, and with its opacity lowered. The seams were made by using the brush tool, and painting a line around the collar.

And that’s it! Pretty easy, no? The tricky part is to make it as realistic as possible. If you’re going to set up a photoshoot especially to try this tutorial, keep in mind to keep as much shadow away from the collar area. The final image below still looks a bit off (to me, at least) since there are heavy shadows around the neck area, when there isn’t supposed to be a head there to cast the shadow. Heh.

And here’s one more example.

Other cool things that can be done using this technique, along with properly posed photographs, include getting beheaded (place your head somewhere else in the photograph!) and becoming 100% invisible (clone out your arms, hands, and feet too!)! And if you’re like The Decapitator, you’d maybe want to leave the neck alone, and add some blood, flesh and bone! Heh.

Go on, then. Show us what you can do!

		This entry was published by mr malique’s co-author, Zul. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect mr malique’s opinions.
		Zul is a hobbyist-photographer, an engineer by education, but a web designer by profession. He can be found roaming the streets begging people to accept HTML into their hearts. Other times, he can be found not making much sense at zuldevil.com

Hello and welcome to Ping.sg Forum. Please observe the rules or be prepared for the kitteh monsta!

Spotted a few days back, it was raining and caught this lorry somewhere near the office. Cool aye?

That said, let’s get on with today’s tutorial!

This time around, I will show you how to do a precise selection in Photoshop, and then some of the cool things that you can achieve, once you’ve mastered it. Precise selection? That isn’t very descriptive, is it? Doesn’t sound cool, but here are 2 teaser images to encourage you to read on.

To do a precise selection in Photoshop is not all that difficult. It might be tedious, but it’s not difficult at all. There are several ways to achieve this, and in this tutorial, I will guide you through two methods. I will be using the photograph below for examples. Feel free to use your own, or, if you like, use the same image.

1. First Method : Mask & Brush

   The basics of precise selection, for both methods, lie with using Layer Masks. The first method, you may already be familiar with, if you had gone through my previous tutorials. This is the more tedious method of the two that I’m going to show you, but it’s necessary for me to include this for the tutorial. Here are the steps :

   1. Step 1 :

      Step 1 is the same for both methods. Open up your image in Photoshop, in a new document, and Add layer mask to the image layer.

   2. Step 2 :

      Make sure your foreground colour is black, and that the layer mask is selected, then use the Brush tool (shortcut button B), a solid – non-feathered – brush, to paint the section you want selected. If you have no Background layer, painting the section with black will show you a square grid, Photoshop’s default “transparent” background. If you do, your background layer will be shown instead. Zoom in so that the item you want selected fills up a big percentage of your screen, to make it easier for you. Zoom in to 600% even, if you prefer it so. I know I do.

      

      Control + / Command + to zoom in, Control - / Command -to zoom out.

   3. Step 3 :

      Alternate with different sized brushes. Use smaller sized brushes to paint over the smaller parts of the image. This is the part where it gets tedious. If the item that you want to select has many small parts, or if it is complex, then you might have a more difficult time painting all of it in properly.

      

      This is what it should remotely look like when you’re done painting all the details in. If you managed to brush in everything perfectly, I applaud you! It’s not that easy! Normally I would paint in the reflection as well, but since using this method is not the focus of this tutorial, I didn’t.

   4. Step 4 :

      Now, press the Control (Command for Mac users) button, and click on the Layer mask thumbnail. This will grab your selection. By default, the parts painted in white is the selection. You want the one in black to be selected, so go to Select > Inverse. This grabs the item you painted in, and you can now disable your Layer Mask.

      

      Note : You can also use the Quick Mask method, by pressing Q to enter Quick Mask mode, in place of Step 1. Then brush in the item you want, and then press Q again to exit the Quick Mask mode which will automatically select your brushed area.

      End of First Method of precise selection using a Brush tool.

2. Second Method : Mask & Pen

   This second method is what I would recommend you to learn and master. This enables you to quickly do superbly precise selections that would otherwise take a very long time to do using the First Method.

   1. Step 1 :

      Step 1 is the same for both methods. Open up your image in Photoshop, in a new document, and Add layer mask to the image layer.

   2. Step 2 :

      This method requires you to play around and familiarise yourself with the Pen tool (shortcut button, P). Let me show you my recommended settings first :

      

      I suggest reading a bit on the Pen tool from the Help section, or just playing with the tool for a while. If you want to skip doing that, you can still follow this tutorial.

   3. Step 3 :

      If you’re familiar with using the Pen tool to follow an image’s outline, you can just continue on to the next step.

      Otherwise, use the Pen tool and click on the edge of the item you want to select to create what is called an Anchor Point. Trace out the item’s outline using the Pen tool using as many Anchor Points as you want/need. Every single click creates a new Anchor Point.

      

      As with the previous method, feel free to zoom in as much as you need. It will make the tracing out easier.

      Note : Should you click on a wrong place, press the Delete button to clear the last Anchor Point you created. Be careful, though. Pressing the Delete button a second time will delete the rest of the path (the lines and Anchor Points that are created are called Paths) that is left, which you might want. If you want to delete off the next Anchor Point, click on it first before pressing the Delete button.

   4. Step 4 :

      When you’re almost done tracing out the item using the Pen tool, click on the first Anchor Point that you created to close the path. When you hover over the first Anchor Point, you will see the Pen cursor change to have a circle beside it. When you close the path, all the Anchor Points you’ve created will become one solid path line.

      

      To save the path that you have worked so hard to create, go to the Paths tab (Windows > Paths, if you don’t see it), and double-click on the Work Path layer. Enter a name for it, if you like, and click Ok to save it. Now that path is accessible via Paths tab everytime you open the document you’re working on. Each newly-created path needs to be saved like this.

   5. Step 5 :

      Once you’re done with tracing out the whole item’s outline, with the Pen tool still in use, right-click and click on Make Selection. Give one or two pixels Feather Radius if you want a blurry edge. For this tutorial, I’m using 0 as I want a smooth nice edge instead.

      

      Click Ok and you will get your selection. Click on the Layer Mask and click on Edit > Fill > Use > Black (shortcut : Alt Backspace if black is your Foreground colour, Control Backspace if black is your Background colour) to mask the selection.

      Note : An easier tool to try that is somewhat similar to the Pen tool is the Magnetic Lasso tool (right-click the Lasso tool button). It gives less control compared to the Pen tool, but it is quite good for beginners. If you feel like the Pen tool is a bit too frustrating for you, try the Magnetic Lasso tool instead, and forge on!

      End of Second Method of precise selection using a Pen tool.

So, now that you know both methods, the best way to get a really precise selection is to use a mixture of both. I would start with the Pen tool (method 2) first, and then clean up any stray edges with the Brush tool (method 1). Alright, let’s see what you can do with this new trick!

Example 1

This is what came out of this tutorial example, of course. To do this :

1. Step 1 :

   Follow the Second Method, and edit any stray edges with the First Method above.

2. Step 2 :

   A major difference though : Make sure your Path has been saved (see Step 4 of the Second Method : Mask & Pen above), fill the whole Layer Mask with black instead of white (that is, there will be no selection yet at this point). Click on your saved Path, and Make Selection (see Step 5 of the Second Method : Mask & Pen above). Fill the selection with white instead of black.

3. Step 3 :

   Right-click on the layer (eg. Layer 1), and click on Duplicate Layer. Drag this layer so that it’s below Layer 1. Right-click on the Layer Mask of the duplicated layer and delete it. Desaturate the image by going to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate.

4. Step 4 :

   You’re done! I added some gradients to the image above to make a faux-vignette.

Example 2

If you’ve visited my blog before, you’ve seen this image! It was done using the steps in this tutorial!

Example 3

You can also completely remove an aspect of an image, and replace it with something else entirely.

Example 4

And of course, this will help you create slightly more advanced clones!

To “cut out” the object you have selected, right-click on your selection and click on “Layer via Copy” or “Layer via Cut” (I recommend using “Layer via Copy”). This will create a new layer out of just that selected bit. From there, you can duplicate that layer (right-click on that new layer and click on “Duplicate Layer…”) to other documents.

Alternatively, you can just add a Layer Mask to the layer with the selection. I prefer doing this as it is less destructive, and you can still clean up your selection in the future, using the First Method in this tutorial.

Alright, that’s the end of this tutorial! And what a long tutorial this is! I hope this makes up for its absence for the past months! I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Till the next tutorial!

		This entry was published by mr malique’s co-author, Zul. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect mr malique’s opinions.
		Zul is a hobbyist-photographer, an engineer by education, but a web designer by profession. He can be found roaming the streets begging people to accept HTML into their hearts. Other times, he can be found not making much sense at zuldevil.com

Thank you God, thank you!

Big Mac is a signature McDonald’s burger consisting of 2 patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun! Now double that! Muahahahha..

Spotted in Bangkok, of course.

Watch the rap.
I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce, don’t be frontin son, no seeds on the bun, we be up in the drive thru, order for two i’ve got a craving for a number nine like my shoe, we need some chicken up in here, in this shizzle, 4 rizzle my nizzle extra saltf on the frizzles, doctor pepper my brother another for your mother, double supa supa size and don’t forget the fries.

Did you know?
By dialing 1711 (in Singapore), you can find out the time. It will cost you 10 cents. If your mouth is filled with diamonds and you can’t ask a total stranger for time, this might be for you!

Dear diary,

Today i did the usual paperwork and the whole office mumbo jumbo thingy.
It is so hard to pretend to be somebody who i’m not. Everyone keeps giving me that “wtf”, weird, strange look.

Time to look for a new job.

Love,
SuperKaz

This shot of my colleague cracked me up! Khazmin, or fondly known as SuperKaz, busy at work..feeding Cpt. Robot so that SuperKaz can finish up writing stories for NewMan Magazine.

Awww… doggy is tired.