Look Something: Oktober 2008

Intro

I may not be a Justin Timberlake fan (although the I Think That She Knows interlude is pretty awesome), but I can appreciate the stunning graphics in his music video for LoveStoned. This tutorial will be teaching you how to replicate some of the amazing lighting effects using in the video using nothing but good old Photoshop.

You can view the original music video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIYXHLlxD8U

Final Image

This is the final image that we will be creating:

Step 1

Create a new document (1024 X 768 px) and fill it with black.

Step 2

Paste in an image of a volume equalizer. I found this image from here (http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1016857). I selected the black background of the image using the magic wand tool and deleted it (despite it matching our main background). Then I click in the area surrounding the equalizer image and invert my selection so that only the rectangular shapes making up the equalizer image are selected. Then I fill this selection with light blue (80D2FC). To save my using the paint bucket tool and filling each rectangle shape, I create a linear gradient ranging from 80D2FC to 80D2FC at 100% and then just drag from the top to the bottom of my selected equalizer to fill all the rectangles. Finally I duplicate this layer, and go to edit>transform>flip vertical, then move the flipped image so that it mirrors the original.

Step 3

I merge my original/flipped equalizer images and then rotate the new layer by 90 degrees. Then I copy and paste this image multiple times, fitting each together until I have a very long equalizer image. I merge all layers, and resize the final image so that I have something like the image below:

Step 4

Now I duplicate my equalizer image, and go to edit>transform>scale. I use the transform options bar to move my duplicate image 200px to the right of my original - this way I can be very precise instead of needing to use the grid of judging it by eye.

Step 5

Now I use the same technique to move my duplicate image 200px to the right. I then go back to my original equalizer image and move this 200px to the left, and then repeat this step again to move another duplicate a further 200px left. Then I merge all of my equalizer layers.

Step 6

Then I go to edit>transform>perspective and drag one of the top corners of my image towards the center until I’m happy with the result. Then go squash my image vertically, as the bars were looking a little too fat and I wanted them thinner. Finally I moved my image up so that the bottom of the bars weren’t touching the bottom of my document.

Step 7

I go to layer>add layer mask>reveal all, and then drag a black to transparent linear gradient upwards, to fade out the bottom of my equalizers.

Step 8

Now I grab a large, soft, white brush and make some markings on a new layer above my equalizer layer. Then I set the layer’s blend mode to overlay. The result is a nice subtle lighting effect over my equalizers.

Step 9

Now select your equalizer layer and apply the outer glow settings shown below. Then reduce your equalizer layer’s opacity to around 50%.

Step 10

Now duplicate your equalizer layer, and move the duplicate below the original. Apply a 50px gaussian blur, and then set the layer blend mode to ‘hard light’ and reduce it’s opacity to around 30%.

Step 11

Now select your layer mask on the original equalizer layer and fade out the top of your equalizer.

Step 12

Now create a new top layer called ‘clouds’. Select all and fill it with black. Then go to filter>render>clouds. Set the layer blend mode to ‘color dodge’.

Step 13

Duplicate your clouds layer and you should get a much more intense effect. Then select your equalizer layer and select around your equalizer shapes using the magic wand tool. Then invert your selection so that the equalizers are selected. Return to your second cloud layer and hit delete, then reduce the opacity of this duplicate cloud layer to 10%. You should have an eerie looking mist around the ends of your equalizers. It’s looking pretty good so far, but the clouds have created an effect similar to the outer glow. The problem with this is that where the equalizers fade out near the bottom of the images the clouds are too obvious, and create a strange outline. We want this outline near the tops of our equalizers, so simply select a large, soft eraser brush and brush away around the bottom of the equalizers on both of your cloud layers.

Step 14

Create a new layer. Now grab your paintbrush, and set it to a large size, 0% hardness and 100% opacity and paint in some large spots of light (color: 77D1FF). Then reduce this layer’s opacity to 30%.

Step 15

Now duplicate your original cloud layer and move it above your large paintbrush layer. The layer blending mode should still be color dodge. Then reduce your paintbrush layer’s opacity to 20% and your cloud layer’s opacity to 45%. To get rid of the circular outlines from your low opacity brush markings, go to filter>blur>motion blur and apply a motion blur of around 200.

Step 16

Now paste an image of a man standing up into the center of your image. I found my image here: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/912668. Cut out the man using the magic wand tool or lasso tool. Then change the layer’s blending mode to ’soft light’ and use a large, soft eraser brush to erase away his feet, letting him subtly merge into the equalizers.

Step 17

Now duplicate your man photo layer and change the layer blending mode back to normal. Then select around the light parts of the photo, in this case his face and shirt. Then with this area selected invert your selection and hit delete, deleting the rest of the image surrounding his face/shirt. Then finally select his tie and delete this. The parts that you have deleted will allow the dark ’soft light’ layer to show through.

Step 18

Now with your light areas of the man photo layer selected go to image>adjustments>desaturate. Then apply the color balance settings shown below:

Step 19

Now go back to your original equalizer layer and select the middle bar using the lasso tool. Copy it onto a new top layer above your man photo layer and resize it so that it is about 30% of the height of your man. Then duplicate this layer multiple times, going to edit>transform>flip vertical, and positioning the images until they completely cover your man.

Step 20

Now merge all of your duplicated small equalizer layers together, and go to image>adjustments>brigthness/contrast and make your brightness -100 and contrast +100 to make your equalizer images black. We want a rough selection that follows some of the shape of these small equalizer images, but currently the image is too blurry to select around it well. To fix this I go to filter>sharpen more and then use the magic wand tool with 50 tolerance to select roughly around some of the shapes. Then I invert my selection and hide my small equalizer layer. The trick now is to delete this selected area from your man photo layer and light face/shirt layer. However, too much of each layer would be deleted if you simply hit delete - for instance you want to retain most of the face. Therefore use the eraser brush, set to around 20% opacity to erase some areas of this selection more than others. I erased the face very little, but erased the man’s shirt quite a lot. Then I selected the original man photo layer and erased some of the edges of his suit, leaving other parts untouched.

Step 21

Now create a new top layer and use your path tool to draw a winding path across your man. Making sure that your current brush is 1px in size, 100% hardness and B6FEFE color with your path tool selected right click on your path and click ’stroke path’. Then I go to edit>transform>scale and reduce the height of my path a little to squash it down. Finally I duplicate this layer and move the new layer a few pixels beneath the original. I reduce the width of the duplicate path line layer so that the lines are slightly different and distinct.

Step 22

I merge my two line layers together and then apply the outer glow settings shown below. Then I grab a large, soft eraser brush and fade out the right edge of both lines. I reduce the layer’s opacity to 80%.

Step 23

I use the edit>transform>scale tool to squash my lines vertically a little more, and the move my line layer beneath my man photo layer. Then I delete the parts of the lines that are showing through my man’s legs, making it appear that they are now traveling behind him. Now I create a new layer above my pen lines layer and using my paintbrush paint some white brush strokes over certain parts of my lines. I reduce the opacity of my brush to fade out the edges of these white brush marks subtly. Then I set this layer’s blend mode to ‘overlay’, giving the lines a nice lighting effect.

And We’re Done

Click the finished image below to see the full-sized version.

Step 2: Change The Blend Mode Of The Duplicate Layer To "Overlay"

Next, we need to change the blend mode of the duplicate layer from "Normal" to "Overlay". The reason is that the High Pass filter is going to turn all non-edge areas of the image into neutral gray, and the Overlay blend mode leaves all neutral gray areas alone, which means no sharpening will be applied to any of those areas. So to do that, go up to the Blend Mode options in the top left corner of the Layer Styles dialog box, click on the down-pointing arrow to the right of the word "Normal", and select Overlay from the list:

Changing the blend mode of the duplicate layer to 'Overlay'.

Photoshop Tutorials: Change the blend mode of the duplicate layer from "Normal" to "Overlay".

Your image will now appear to have way too much contrast, as we can see here with mine:

The image now appears to have too much contrast after changing the blend mode to Overlay.

Photoshop Tutorials: Changing the blend mode to "Overlay" causes the image to appear with too much contrast.

Don't worry, it's only temporary. We're changing the blend mode now so that we can see a preview of our sharpening being applied with the High Pass filter, which we'll do next.

Step 3: Apply The "High Pass" Filter To The Duplicate Layer

Now that we have the blend mode set to Overlay, which is going to allow us to see a preview of what we're doing, we can apply the High Pass filter. To do that, go up to the Filter menu at the top of the screen, choose Other down near the bottom, and then choose High Pass. This brings up the High Pass filter dialog box:

Photoshop's 'High Pass' filter dialog box.

Photoshop Tutorials: Go to Filter > Other > High Pass to bring up the "High Pass" dialog box.

Photoshop's High Pass filter is very simple to use. It has a slider bar at the bottom to increase or decrease the intensity of the filter (the "Radius" value), as well as an input box if you'd prefer to type a value directly into it, and that's all there is to it except for the large preview area and the "Preview" checkbox in the top right corner. Definitely much simpler than "Unsharp Mask" or "Smart Sharpen".

To sharpen your image with the High Pass filter, keep an eye on your image in the document window and adjust the Radius value by dragging the slider bar left or right. As you drag towards the right, you'll be adding more sharpening, and as you drag to the left, you'll be reducing the amount of sharpening. You're going to want to start off with a very low radius value, somewhere between 2-5 pixels, and even that may be too much depending on the pixel dimensions of your image. I'm using a small version of the image for this tutorial, and I can already see that 2 pixels is too high. If you go too high, you'll begin to see a halo effect around the edges of your image, and you want to avoid that, so back off on the radius value by dragging the slider bar to the left once the halos begin to appear.

For my image, and again I'm using a small version of the photo for this tutorial, I'm going to set my Radius value to 1.2 pixels, which gives me a nice amount of sharpening around the edges in the image without sharpening any non-edge areas:

Dragging the slider bar to adjust the amount of sharpening in the image.

Photoshop Tutorials: Drag the slider bar to adjust the amount of sharpening being applied to the image. Lower radius values work best.

Here's my image after sharpening it with a radius value of 1.2 pixels:

The image after applying the High Pass filter with a Radius value of 1.2 pixels.

Photoshop Tutorials: The image after sharpening it with the High Pass filter set to a Radius value of 1.2 pixels.

If you're working on a larger image, which you probably area if the image came out of your digital camera, you'll most likely end up using a higher radius value, but again, don't go too far. Lower pixel values work best.

There's a couple of things we can do now to fine-tune the sharpening, which we'll look at next.

Step 4: Change The Blend Mode To "Soft Light" Or "Hard Light" If Needed To Adjust Sharpening

Now that we've applied our sharpening to the image, one of the ways we can fine-tune it is by changing the blend mode of our duplicate Background layer. Right now, we're using the "Overlay" blend mode, which is sort of the "average" amount of sharpening. If you want to increase the sharpening amount, go back up to the Blend Mode options in the top left corner of the Layers palette, click on the down-pointing arrow to the right of the word "Overlay" and change the blend mode to Hard Light:

Changing the blend mode of the duplicate Background layer to 'Hard Light'.

Photoshop Tutorials: Change the blend mode of the duplicate layer to "Hard Light" for more intense sharpening.

If you want to reduce the amount of sharpening, change the blend mode from "Overlay" to Soft Light, again by clicking on the down-pointing arrow in the top left of the Layers palette and selecting "Soft Light" from the list:

Changing the blend mode to 'Soft Light' to reduce the sharpening.

Photoshop Tutorials: Change the blend mode to "Soft Light" to reduce the amount of sharpening.

For comparison, here's the same image using all three blend modes to adjust the sharpening. The image on the left is using Soft Light, the one in the middle is set to Overlay, and the one on the right is set to Hard Light:

A comparison of the three blend mode choices to use with the High Pass filter.

Photoshop Tutorials: A comparison of the three blend mode choices to use when sharpening with the High Pass filter. Soft Light is on the left, Overlay is in the center, and Hard Light is on the right.

The difference may not be easy to see on your monitor with these low resolution images, but if you're working on larger images, the difference between the three blend modes will be more apparent.

Step 5: Reduce The Sharpening Amount By Lowering The Layer Opacity

Another simple way to fine-tune the sharpening is by adjusting the duplicate layer's opacity value. Lowering the opacity value will reduce the amount of sharpening. You'll find the Opacity option in the top right corner of the Layers palette, directly beside the blend mode options. I'm going to set my blend mode to Hard Light and then lower the opacity of the layer to 80%:

Lowering the Opacity value to 80%.

Photoshop Tutorials: Lower the opacity value of the layer to reduce the sharpening amount.

Here, after lowering the opacity, is my final result:

The final result.

Photoshop Tutorials: The final result.