296
1
This may be an accurate representation of the Presidential
Seal, but as it stands it’s hardly a beautiful object in its
own right. Let’s take this flat artwork and make it a little more
attractive by embossing it.
4
Now that the seal detail is in our Alpha channel, we can
load it as a selection using CO4 LA4; the
brighter areas will be more fully selected than the dark areas.
Returning to the wooden disk, we can now make a new layer
from that selection using Cj Lj. This layer will appear
with the bevel from the disk applied: as it stands, it’s far too
blobby.
W
E CAN USE THE TEXTURE OF A
wooden surface as the base for any
artwork, turning a two-dimensional design into
one that looks as if it’s been carved in wood.
In the example above, I’ve used the complex
outlines of this coat of arms to create a solid-
looking object. The original design for this crest
was in black and white, so the embossing has
to do all the work.
The Seal of the President of the United
States, by contrast, has no interest in its outline
– it’s simply a round disk. Unlike the crest, it
does have the advantage of color to create
more interest, and we can make use of this.
Making a better impression
10
Metal, wood and stone
SHORTCUTS
MAC WIN BOTH
297
HOT TIP
When copying a
layer into a new
Alpha channel,
it’s important to
make sure the
copied version
appears in exactly
the same position
as the original.
The easiest way is
to hold C L
and click on the
layer’s name to
select its outlines;
then copy, and
with the outlines
still selected,
paste onto a
new channel.
This method
will ensure the
positioning is
precise.
2
To begin, we’ll take the same piece of wood as we used in
the previous example. After stretching it so it covers the
seal, hold C L and click on the seal’s name in the Layers
panel to load up its selection; then inverse the selection using
CSi LSi and delete the outside. The bevel
is applied using Layer Effects, with a 15-pixel bevel to give the
disk a sense of three-dimensionality.
5
Double-click the layer effect in the Layers panel to open
the dialog, and change the numbers. Here I’ve increased
the depth from the default 100% to 200% to make it stronger;
but I’ve also reduced the bevel size to just three pixels, so that
the detail remains crisp. Some of the detail has failed to appear
after the selection process, such as the wings of the eagle; but
the next step will fix that.
3
Now we’re going to turn the original seal into a selection.
Copy it, then make a new Alpha channel by clicking on
the New icon at the bottom of the Channels panel; then paste
the copy in place, where it will appear in grayscale. This can
now be used as a workable selection.
6
Finally, move the original seal layer to the top. We need
to change its layer mode so that the wood and beveling
show through. Once again, we have a choice of layer modes
open to us: although Overlay worked on the example on the
previous page, it’s too strong here. Instead, I’ve opted for Soft
Light, which brings back much of the original color while
retaining the subdued sense of stained wood.
How to Cheat in Photoshop CC
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