The Photoshop Workbook Professional Retouching and Compositing Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

by Dewis, Glyn

• ISBN13: 9780134008462
• ISBN10: 0134008464
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Workbook
• Copyright: 2014-12-22
• Publisher: PEACHPIT PRESS

Summary

The Photoshop Workbook: Professional Retouching and Compositing Tips, Tricks, and Techniques reveals the creative skills that photographer and retoucher Glyn Dewis uses for his global clients. In this guide you will learn not only his step-by-step Photoshop techniques, but how and when to apply them so that you, too, can take your images to a whole new level. Glyn starts by covering the individual Photoshop skills that are the essential building blocks of his process:

    •    Mastering selections and cutouts with the Pen tool and other important tools
    •    Dodging and burning, adding textures, transforming a location, and using the “power of gray” for composites
    •    Applying lighting effects such as spotlights, beams, realistic shadows, reflections, and street lighting to images
    •    Creating special effects, including snow and debris, and turning day into night using a nondestructive workflow

It’s one thing to learn the techniques, but to master them you need to understand when to apply them and in what order. In the second part of the book, Glyn brings everything together with his real-world projects. He covers six complete, start-to-finish projects—including all the images for you to download and follow along—that show you how to apply the techniques to a variety of scenarios, including character portraits, themed composites, and a landscape.

 

Author Biography

Glyn Dewis is a photographer, retoucher, and trainer based just outside of Oxford in the UK. Working both nationally and internationally, his work sees him shooting promotional and commercial material for industry professionals, physique athletes, musicians, bands and actors. An Adobe Community Professional, Glyn teaches workshops and one-on-one coaching specifically covering all aspects of Adobe® Photoshop® from the basics through advanced retouching techniques, and Glyn is an instructor at Scott Kelby’s Photoshop World conference. Glyn can be found online at glyndewis.com, as well as at his YouTube channel, which has over 50,000 subscribers.

Table of Contents

PART I: TECHNIQUES

 

Ch 1: Selections/Cut Outs

-       Blend If (Extracting Liquid and Other Tricky Elements)

-       Mastering the Pen Tool

-       Perfect Results with Refine Edge

-       Cut Out with the Overlay Blend Mode

-       Creative Uses of Brushes and Layer Masks

-       Tricks with Layer Styles (Inner Shadow, etc.)

-       Using Color Range

 

Ch 2: The Power of Grey

-       Adding Textures

-       How to Transform a Location

-       Non Destructive Dodging and Burning

-       Lens Flare

-       Faking Detail

-       Creating Dents and Making Abs

 

Ch 3: Lighting Effects

-       Simple Light Source

-       Neverending Lighting Rig

-       Gradient to Mimic Street Lighting, etc.

-       Light Beams / Sun Rays

-       Realistic Shadows (From the Sun; Under Feet/Objects)

 

Ch 4: Blend Mode Techniques

-       Compositing

-       Match Color (in Composites)

-       Adding Colored Highlights (Blend If)

-       Light Glow / Reflection

 

Ch 5: Special Effects

-       Thingies (i.e. Dust in Light Source for Realism)

-       Rain

-       Cartoon / Painterly Look

-       Debris

-       Wet Look

-       Snow

 

PART II: PROJECTS

 

Ch 6: Character Portrait (Editor Style)

 

Ch 7: Composite on Grey (Tough Guy Style)

 

Ch 8: Full Composite (Giraffe)

 

Ch 9: Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe

 

Ch 10: Flowers