Create a 3D Flowery Text Effect

Preparations: In this tutorial, we will need the beautiful Suddenly Spring brushes designed by GValkyrie. All rights of these resources belong to their respective owners.
		Step 1 - Setting Up Background: Create a document of size 750×550 pixels. Set the foreground color to #004B64 and background to #000000. Using the Radial Gradient tool, drag a circular gradient from the top downwards.
		Step 2a - Create a 3D Text: Open up Adobe Illustrator. Set the Fill to be #FFFFFF and type in your first letter with a bold font. I am using Helvetica 75 Bold. Draw a black layer below the white letter so it is visible.
		Step 2b - Create a 3D Text: Select the letter and go to Effect > 3D > Extrude & Bevel. Fill in the settings shown on the left. Check on Preview so you are able to see the end results from the settings. Adjust the values if necessary.
		Step 2c - Create a 3D Text: Fill in the remaining of settings as shown on the left. Click OK once you are done.
		Step 2d - Create a 3D Text: Repeat Step 2a to 2c for the rest of your letters. Adjust the values in Step 2b to get the letters facing in different directions. Select the first letter and press on Ctrl+C to copy it.
		Step 2e - Create a 3D Text: Go back to Photoshop and press Ctrl+V to paste the first letter. Paste As prompt will appear. Choose Smart Object. Do the copying and pasting for rest of the letters.
		Step 3a - Apply Surface Gradient: Select Magic Wand and enter the settings shown on the left. Click on top surface of the first letter.
		Step 3b - Apply Surface Gradient: Click on Refine Edge. Fill in the settings as shown on the left.
		Step 3c - Apply Surface Gradient: Create a new layer above the first letter and name it as Surface. Fill the selection with #000000. Select the new layer and choose Blending Option. Activate Gradient Overlay set the colors to be #003146 and #B8EBFE. Set the Blend Mode to Normal, Opacity to 100%, Style to Linear, Angle to 90 and Scale to 100%.
		Step 3d - Apply Surface Gradient: Repeat Step 3a to 3c for the rest of letters. Try to use different colors of same theme in the gradient overlay, such as shades of green and cyan.
		Step 4a - Adding Flowery Swirls: Load Suddenly Spring brushes. Create another layer above Surface layer and name it as Floral. Set the foreground to #FFFFFF. Select one of the Suddenly Spring brushes and paint over the gradient. Set the Blend Mode of Floral layer to Overlay and opacity to 50%. Select the Floral layer and Ctrl+left click on the Surface layer to load its selection. Click on Layer Mask button.
		Step 4b - Adding Flowery Swirls: Repeat Step 4a for rest of the letters. Create new layers in between each letter to paint some black (#000000) shadows with Soft Brush tool. Mask these shadows the same way done for the Floral layers.
		Step 4c - Adding Flowery Swirls: Create a new layer below all the letters. Set the foreground color to #BEF7A8 and paint some flowers around the letters. Right-click on the layer and choose Blending Options. Activate Outer Glow and set the color to #FFFFFF. Leave the rest of settings as default.
		Step 4d - Adding Flowery Swirls: Repeat Step 4c to plant more flowers around the letters.
		Step 4e - Adding Flowery Swirls: Create a new layer below everything. Set the foreground color to #FFFFFF and paint a large flower. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 6px. Set the Blend Mode of this layer to Overlay.
		Step 5a - Glowing Stars: Create a new layer above everything and name it as Stars. Use Soft Brush tool with size 1px and color #FFFFFF, draw a big cross as shown in the diagram. Erase slightly on the 4 corners with big Soft Eraser. Select Soft Brush tool, set its opacity 20% and size to 30px. Paint a fade dot in the center of the cross.
		Step 5b - Glowing Stars: Right-click on the Stars layer and choose Blending Options. Choose Outer Glower and set the color to #FFFFFF. Leave the rest of the settings as default.

read more...

Electrifying Energi Beam

Here's a great effect that will bring some energy to your subject. We'll be wrapping this singer's arm with a glowing beam of light, adding sparkles, and adjusting the colors to make it all seem magical.








Firstly, create a new layer, then grab your Pen Tool (P) and draw out a spiraling path, as if you have a snake wrapped around the arm.

Then select the Brush Tool (B) and set your diameter to 7px, with the Opacity and Flow at 100%, and your foreground color set to white. With your path still on the artwork, go back to the Pen Tool, right click on the canvas, and choose "Stroke Path." A menu will appear with the Brush set as the Tool. Check "Simulate Pressure" and press OK. This will make the beginning and end of your stroke thinner.

Now you need to delete the parts you want hidden behind the arm. With your stroke layer selected, choose "Add layer mask" at the bottom of the Layers Palette. Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) to select areas of the arm you want in front of the stroke -- use your eye and imagine how this path will wrap around the arm. Make sure your mask is active by clicking on it, and fill these selected areas with black. They should now be cut out, appearing as if they're behind the arm.












Right click on your stroke layer and choose Blending Options. A Layer Style menu will appear, where you'll be adding an Inner and Outer Glow to the stroke, making the edges of it glow with a blue hue. Use the settings below:











Make a copy of your stroke layer and right click on the Layer Effects icon. Choose "Clear Layer Style" -- we simply want to blur this layer (about 6 pixels) to add another layer of glow. Everything's looking nice and illuminated here, so let�s add some sparkles. With your Brush Tool, add some quick spots around your glowing path with varying small brush sizes (3 - 5px). Make as many as you want here, as you're always free Erase undesired sparkles.





We're now going to make a secondary stroke to create another level of motion. Use the Pen Tool to go over your original path, but make it a bit different and overlap parts. Select a smaller diameter brush this time with a 50% opacity, and stroke the path as before.





Our energy beam is nearly there. To make the effect more dramatic, you can adjust the overall hue of your photo. Create a new Curves adjustment layer, and tweak the colors to get a vibrant blue atmosphere. Download the Curves preset below to load it in your document. After your colors are locked in, use the Dodge Tool (O) (with a diameter of 35 pixels and the exposure set to 25%) to brush in some highlights underneath your beam, directly on the background photo. This makes it appear as if your beam is casting light on to the arm.
For the last part of this effect, we'll add one more layer of shimmer. Hold down Ctrl and click on your main stroked path in the layers palette -- your path should now be selected. Go to Select › Modify › and Expand the selection by 7px, then feather it by 10px.








Now select your background photo layer and apply a Plastic Wrap filter, found in your Artistic filters. This will add some wispy lines around your path. Set the Highlight Strength to 20, the Detail to 6, and the Smoothness to 8. Finally, lightly Gaussian Blur your background layer with the feathered selection still active.

read more...

Shattering Effect

Preparations:

We will need close-up image of a nice face, prefably facing front. I’m using one of Jessica Alba wallpapers in this tutorial. You will also need the Reborn Brush created by Rubina119.

Click here to download the Reborn Brushes.

All rights of these resources belong to their respective owners.

Step 1 - Setting Up Background:

Create a document of size 750×550 pixels.

Fill the Background layer with #000000.

Place the face at the center of the document and use Soft Eraser tool to remove the other unwanted background.

Step 2a - Drawing Face Grids:

Create a new document of size 20×20 pixels and create a new layer. Use Pencil tool with size 1px and color #FFFFFF, draw left and bottom border to form a "L". Hide the Background layer and click Ctrl+A. Go to Edit > Define Pattern. Name this pattern as Grid.

Back to Jessica Alba’s document, create a new layer above the Face. Use the Paint Bucket tool and select to fill with Grid pattern

Step 2b - Drawing Face Grids:

Remove those grids that cross outside of the face area.

Go to Edit > Transform > Warp.

Distort the grids the way shown in the diagram.

Step 2c - Drawing Face Grids:

Set the opacity of the grid layer to 20%.

Right-click on the grid layer and choose Blending Options.

Activate Outer Glow and set its Blend Mode to Color Dodge, Opacity to 100%, Color to #FFFFFF, Spread to 0 and Size to 5px. Leave the rest of the settings as default.

Step 3a - Shattered Blocks:

Create a new layer and name it as Holes.

With Pen tool, path out several square holes according to the face grids.

Go to the Paths tab, Ctrl+left click on the work path layer created. Back to Layers tab, select the Holes layer and fill the selection with #000000.

Step 3b - Shattered Blocks:

Ctrl+left click on the Holes layer to load selection.

Select the Face layer and hit Ctrl+X to cut out the pixels. Then press Ctrl+V to paste and then name this new layer as Blocks.

Drag the blocks to the right with Move tool. Go to Edit > Free Transform to reduce the size slightly.

Step 3c - Shattered Blocks:

Duplicate the Blocks layer. Shift the lower Blocks layer 1 pixel to the left. Repeat this for 10 times and you will get some sort of extruding effect. Merge these 10 layers of duplicated Blocks and name this new merged layer as Sides. Right-click on the Sides layer and choose Blending Options. Activate Gradient Overlay and set Blend Mode to Normal, Opacity to 80%, Gradient from #000000 to #D58761 and Angle to 180. Leave the rest as default.

Step 3d - Shattered Blocks:

Activate Pattern Overlay and set Blend Mode to Multiply, Opacity to 100% Pattern to Metal Landscape. Leave the rest as default.

Right-click on Blocks layer and choose Blending Options. Activate Outer Glow and set Blend Mode to Color Dodge, Opacity to 75%, Color to #FFFFFF and Size to 10px. Leave the rest as default.

Step 3e - Shattered Blocks:

Repeat Step 3a to 3d for 2-3 more times to form more blocks floating towards the right.

Step 4 - Adding Depth to Holes:

Merge all the Holes layers. Right-click on the merged layer and choose Blending Options.

Activate Bevel and Emboss, set the Style to Inner Bevel, Depth to 72%, Size to 5px, Soften to 0px, Angle to 0, Altitude to 50, Highlight Mode to Screen, Highlight Color to #DCA57E, Highlight Opacity to 100%, Shadow Mode to Multiply, Shadow Color to #000000 and Shadow Opacity to 75%. Leave the rest of settings as default.

Step 5 - Adding Smoke:

Create a new layer below the Blocks and name it as Smoke. Set the foreground color to #FFFFFF. Load the Reborn brushes downloaded earlier and paint a few smoke of different sizes on this layer.

Right-click on the Smoke layer and choose Blending Options. Activate Outer Glow and set its Blend Mode to Linear Dodge (Add), Opacity to 75%, Color to #FFFFFF, Spread to 0px and Size to 5px. Leave the rest of settings as default.

Step 6 - Adding Dark Blocks:

Create a new layer and name it as Dark Blocks.

Using Pen tool, path out few more blocks along the face grid. Fill the shapes with #000000.

Set the Blend Mode of Dark Blocks layer to Soft Light.

Step 7 - Adding Light Blocks:

Create a new layer and name is as Light Blocks.

Similar to Step 6 but this time fill the shapes with #FFFFFF.

Set the Blend Mode of Light Blocks layer to Soft Light.

Step 8 - Adjusting Colors: Now we need to smooth the face a little. Select the Face layer and go to Filter > Blur > Surface Blur. Set the Radius to 5px and Threshold to 15 levels. Create a new Levels Adjustment Layer and key in 10, 1.25, 244. Create a new layer and using a large Soft Brush tool with color #000000 and opacity 40%, paint some dark areas on the right to fade the blocks slightly.

Optional:

I merely added a barcode on her right arm to complete the design.

This is another long tutorial and I hope you will like this effect.

source : http://www.tutorialized.com/view/tutorial/Create-a-Face-Shattering-Effect/39861

read more...

Signature

The other day someone from my Myspace Photoshop page asked me if there was a way to add a signature to a whole bunch of photos without having to go through each and every one. She is a photographer and could potentially have hundreds to do at a time. That could take hours to complete. I never thought to do that so I started playing around with it a bit. She has Photoshop 7, so this is done in that version. You can do this in the newer versions, the only difference is that you have more options.

The fist thing you will want to do is create your signature. You can make it whatever you like. It can be fancy or simple. Just keep in mind how big the photos are that you want to brand with your signature and how much space you want to take up. I am not going to go into creating watermarks for this tutorial but here is a link to how to do that.

For this tutorial I am creating a signature at 250 X 75 pixels @72 pixels per inch. You should match the pixels per inch with whatever the resolution of your photos are. Make sure you select a transparent background. Here is what mine looks like before saving.





Now you will need to save it as a PDF file. After you hit Save, a PDF options window will pop up. Make sure you check mark the box that says "Save Transparency", and click OK.








Now we need to create an action or macro to automate the process for us. Open any picture. Next make sure your Actions Tab is showing, and click the Create New Action icon. Name it something meaningful like Signature and click Record. This will begin recording each thing you do until you tell it to stop.









Select File/Place and navigate to the signature PDF you created earlier and click Place. Then hit enter to commit the Place. Hit Ctrl+A to select all. Next choose Layer/Align to Selection/Bottom Edges. Then select Layer/Align to Edges/Right Edges. This should place your signature in the bottom right hand corner. It will probably be too close to the edges, so select the move tool, and move it up and to the left a bit. Make sure your signature layer is selected before doing this. Hit Ctrl+D to deselect. Select the flyout menu on the Layers Palette, and choose Merge Visible. This will create one layer for our document.










Now choose Save As JPEG. It doesn't matter where you save it for this recording process. Now hit the stop button on the bottom of the Actions Palette, and you have created an automated task!









This is how I placed mine.

OK, now for the good stuff. You will need to create a folder where Photoshop will put the photos with the signature on them. This will retain your originals as is, and make copies of the new ones.

Select File/Automate/Batch. In the window that pops up you will want to make sure that your signature action is set. You will need to navigate to the source folder, which is the folder where all of your pictures that you want to add a signature to are. Then navigate to the destination folder, which is where it will put the pictures with the signatures on them.










Click OK and let the automation begin. This will place the signature the same for landscapes and portrait layouts. If you are doing 100 or more pics, go get a beverage and let Photoshop do all the work for you.

source : http://www.tutorialized.com/view/tutorial/Add-a-Signature-or-Watermark-to-a-Batch-of-Photos/35797

read more...