98
1
This rocket and its jet flame are on two separate layers. The flame is actually a
photograph of a firework, rotated to the same angle as the rocket. Fireworks
make really great explosions. But how do we get rid of that black background?
3
When we change the sky for a much brighter one, however, the flame loses all
its power. Sure, we can still see it, but the Screen effect has now become insipid.
Change the mode back to Normal and we’ll find another solution.
5
So far, so good. But when we zoom in on that flame, we can see that it’s a hard
cut-off. Everything darker than 25 is hidden, everything brighter is visible: and
this produces an ugly, ragged stepping effect.
T
HE BLENDING OPTIONS FEATURE,
tucked away within the Layer Style
palette, is one of the most overlooked features
in Photoshop. But it’s an enormously powerful
tool that allows you to hide or show picture
elements automatically, without touching a
brush or layer mask.
In the image above, for the Guardian, I used
Blending Options to make the bottle surface
show through the distorted G2 logo, and the
label ‘printed’ on the bottle.
Blending Options 1: fire power
3
Hiding and showing
99
SHORTCUTS
MAC WIN BOTH
2
Changing the mode of the firework layer from Normal to Screen, using the pop-
up menu at the top of the Layers panel, is one solution. And, when seen against
this dark sky background, it’s reasonably effective.
4
Double-click the layer to open the Layer Styles dialog, and look at the Blending
Options. At the bottom are the Blend If controls. Under This Layer, drag the left
(black) triangle to the right. Now, everything darker than a value of 25 is hidden.
6
Hold O A and drag the right half of the black triangle, and it will split in
two. Now, everything darker than 25 is hidden, and everything brighter than
127 is visible; the visibility fades smoothly between the two.
S
HO
R
T
CU
TS
HOT TIP
Don’t just use my
values: they vary
for each job. Trust
your eyes!
v
f
How to Cheat in Photoshop CC
..................Content has been hidden....................

You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.
Reset