Photoshop Top 40: The Contest

My Photoshop Top 40 countdown continues. And now that we’ve moved into the realm of the Top 20 (drumroll please), the whole gang here at dekeOnline figured it was time for a contest. And the prizes are phenomenal!

This is no small contest. It’s a grand, knock-down drag-out, show-us-your-talent contest in which three lucky winners will take home a jackpot of prizes just in time for the holidays. The Grand Prize winner in particular will receive a brand new Olympus E-620, the world’s smallest and lightest image-stabilized digital SLR, as pictured below. I am seriously not kidding—someone’s going to win an f’ing SLR! (You have to be a dekeOnline member to comment and participate.)

Just check out the specs on this one, baby:

  • 12.3 megapixel Live MOS sensor and TruePic III+ processor
  • Tilt and swivel LCD
  • 11-point auto focus system
  • Art Filters
  • multiple aspect ratio shooting
  • in-camera multiple exposures
  • mechanical image stabilization
  • retail price: $699.99

THE CONTEST:

Create for us a magnificent piece of artwork that celebrates your favorite features of Photoshop. But you must do so using not fewer than three of the Top 40 Features I’ve posted so far. (Note that you’ll need to be a member of dekeOnline to participate so that you can post your artwork and include comments.)

To jog your memory, the Top 40 features so far are as follows:

Feature 40, Reset and Purge
Feature 39, Layer Comps
Feature 38, Vector-Based Type
Feature 37, The Fill Functions
Feature 36, Black & White
Feature 35, Refine Edge
Feature 34, Save for Web
Feature 33, Calculations
Feature 32, The Pen Tool
Feature 31, The Brush Tool
Feature 30, Actions
Feature 29, Liquify
Feature 28, Hue/Saturation
Feature 27, The Crop Tool
Feature 26, Dodge and Burn
Feature 25, Selection Calculations
Feature 24, Curves
Feature 23, Color Range
Feature 22, The Healing Brush
Feature 21, The Gradient Tool
Feature 20, Free Transform
Feature 19, Luminance Blending
Feature 18, Smart Objects

THE RULES:

  1. Assemble your amazing piece of artwork using three or more of the features listed above.
  2. Post your image (preferably large, not less than 1000 pixels wide) to a third-party site such as flickr or Picasa from which you can link.
  3. Create a comment to this entry and include a URL to your image. (We will make that link live or embed the image in the comment.)
  4. In your comment, please explain what features you use and what was going through your head, if anything.
  5. Multiple entries are welcome. And given the high stakes, previous winners may win again.
  6. Submit your entry before 5pm Pacific time on Tuesday, December 22.

We will announce winners on Thursday, December 24. There will be three winners in all, and here’s what they’ll win:

Grand Prize:

  • Olympus E-620 (a $699.99 value!)
  • free Premium subscription to lynda.com (a $375 value!)
  • free 1 Month Premium subscription to image vendor fotolia.com, 30 days, 25 downloads per day (access top quality images for a whole month!)
  • signed copies of all three CS4 One-on-One books (a $149.97 value!)
  • dekePod t-shirt (priceless!)
  • two Martini Hour glasses (precious!)

Runner-Up

  • free Annual subscription to lynda.com ($250 value!)
  • $100 in free credits from image vendor fotolia.com (exceptional!)
  • signed copies of all three CS4 One-on-One books (also $149.97 in Canada!)
  • dekePod t-shirt (fetching!)
  • two Martini Hour glasses (heirloom quality!)

Honorable Mention

  • free Monthly subscription to lynda.com ($25 value!)
  • $50 in free credits from image vendor fotolia.com (what a treat!)
  • signed copy of one CS4 One-on-One book (your choice, $49.99 value!)
  • dekePod t-shirt (unusual!)
  • two Martini Hour glasses (perfect for romance!)

Colleen and I will judge all artwork on its merits, purely subjectively of course. All decisions will be final. No whining. And good luck!

Next entry:Photoshop Top 40, Feature #18: Smart Objects

Previous entry:Photoshop Forensics in France Contest Winners!

  • Alright, jokes on me…

    I give up, how do you post an image?

  • Olympus E-620

    I’ve had the E-620 for a few weeks now and am quite pleased. Other options I considered were the Nikon D5000, Canon T1i & XSi, Panasonic G1, Sony A300 & A350, and Pentax K200D & K20D.

  • Cheering post

    Thats a great contest and awesome prices. I don’t have enough skills for participating this yet but I give you warning guys, I am coming, I am learning: slowly but without doubt (big thanks goes to Lynda’s group, to Deke and whole gang). :P

    I wish luck to all of you. I am sure that our judges; Mr deke and Mrs Colleen, will pick the right winner. Can’t wait to see how breathtaking the winning art will be.

    Sisu has left the building. Out.

  • Love the Top #40

    Deke! I am a part-time instructor at a local college in Ohio in Visual Design. I had my students go to your site for many tutorials and I test them on your video, 101 Photoshop Tips in 5 Minutes. I am putting my students on the Top #40 next semester.

    I have PR, COMM, Advertising, and some art students in my classes. I have some art students fall in love with the site because you open a new perspective in Photoshop beyond what the learn in class!

    I will assign my students to sign up for free accounts next semester.

  • hash3m

    Go ahead and put the link to your image in your comment (as plain text) and Deke or I (probably I) will make it a live link/post the image.

    See the measures we go to in order to keep our community relatively spam-free?

    cw

  • Howdy From London England - Union City

    So what will London look like in..say the future? Well im pretty sure it will have some awesome buildings..but maybe appear a little retro..with the aid of a smidgen of a sepia filter maybe? a smart object here…and of corse each building by then will be built using photoshop pen tool.  I Created Union City as a series of quite a few cityscape’s.. inspired by real-life cityscape’s.  I made great use of the mighty power of photoshop using pretty much every tool listed in some way..You know what..i dont have a fav tool because i really need them all..they each do a small but important job. I’m sure photoshop luvvies can see what was used where.

    Union City

    (Click the image for high-res.)

  • top 40 contest entry

    This is my humble entry, its an image of my brother in law who is a huge fan of the smallville tv series, so in order to poke some fun at him I created this image.

    Not all that super

    For full res, click here.

    for top 40 details:


    1. I used vector based type
    2. refine edge for the superlight
    3. hue/sat to boost red/ and blue on face
    4. cropped from a larger image
    5. dodged and burned details on face
    6.curves to boost contrast, also did a curves on the superlight to add a touch of blue.
    7. healing brush on my bro’s skin
    8.gradient in mask on light trail leading to superlight
    9.free transform on superlight to give a different orientation

    10.luminance blending on superlight.

    I also used a displacement map for his super tattoo but thats not in the top 40 yet.  Lovin everything on the pod always entertaining and enlightening , thanks Deke.


    ps i hope the use of such obvious copyright images doesnt disqualify me.

    Dave


  • Contest

    Five women placed as “Smart Objects” against a stock background.
    Initial masking using “Color Range”
    “Brush” tool used to refine the masks (painting in overlay mode and soft light is f*ing amazing).
    “Curves” applied in more than one sense.
    “Healing Brush” to hide some blemishes.
    FYI these are uniforms for women in the gaming industry (cocktail waitresses)

    How perfect is that?


    Cocktail waitresses before

    Cocktail waitresses after

    For higher res, click here.

    Eric

  • Wow, great job on the

    Wow, great job on the masking!

  • masking

    thank you.
    Eric

    P.S. Deke also covers painting in overlay mode at lynda.com. Awesome stuff.

    Photoshop CS4 One-on-One: Mastery

  • Snakes on Deke

    dekesnake

    • gradient tool for the red-to-snake fade


    • obviously vector-based type
    • fill function during the masking of deke
    • brush tool while masking deke
    • refine edge on selection of deke
    • snakes are smart objects
    • free-transform on snakes

    • saved final comp using save for web

  • My submission

    Here’s a piece I started with Corey Barkers great “Striking Match” tutorial I originally saw on Bert Monroy’s pixelperfect site. I checked out the full tutorial at planetphotoshop.com. After seeing this contest I thought I thought it would be cool to add a realistic matchbox for the match to strike. I used the pen tool for some of the shapes for the box. I used vector smart objects from the box design I made in Illustrator. I also use a few other techniques with the dodge and burn tools and the brush tool.

    It was a heck of a lot of fun and I learned a few new tricks to add to my toolbox.

    -Jerry

    Deke Matches

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    Edit: I thought I’d some scratch marks under the match to make it look a bit more realistic. I used the brush tool to paint out some stokes and added a layer style to them with an outer glow with noise to make it look like sulfur dust.

  • Here goes

    Here’s one I had a lot of fun with:

    For full res, click here.

    Feature 19, Luminance Blending: Used on a few of the texture layers to let the background show thru.


    Feature 20, Free Transform: To position the dragon image on the green bottle (used also in a million other places).

    Feature 21, The Gradient Tool: used to restrict brightness/contrast adjustment on books, etc.

    Of course I used a lot of the others too. This image is composed of about 12 different photos and illustrations. I don’t know WHAT I was thinking!

  • Zombie me

    This is my 1st submission.

    This is me with a “zombie twist”. 

    I used a smart object on my face for resizing purposes and since I dont have “Hollywood skin”, I used the healing brush on some unflattering details. I croped and aligned my face using the almighty crop tool and finaly, I used the save for web command to export the file.

    Cutesy zombie

    For high-res, click here.

  • Cute little puppies

    This is my second submission.

    These cute little puppies who are sleeping in my hands and my friends new dogs.

    I used a vector type for their names.  Calculations command for the initial mask. The brush tool for fixing some edge fringing and coloring and the dogs where converted to smart objects for resizing purposes.

    Cute little puppies

    For high-res, click here.


  • My third submission…. yet!

    This guy flying in the air is my step bro from Colorado.

    I used some obvious vector type for the tittle. The pen tool for masking those “pain in the neck” spokes + the color range in concert with the refine edge command for the rest.

    Obviously, E.T. inspired me on this! :)

    Justin Bruner

    For high-res, click here.


  • No way… a forth submission!!!

    Now this pic I made for a friend who just lost his last dog alive.  The dog on the right was added to the picture of the one on the left using some advanced masking with both the brush tool and the color range command.  I recreated some missing details on the right using the healing brush. And I reduced the over satured colors of the dog on the right with the hue&sat command. Also the DUH features: Save 4 web and vector type!

    RIP to both of you guys… you were fantastic companions! :)

    Beloved dogs

    For high-res, click here.

  • Ok, now I’m abusing a little… fifth submission!

    This one I did for some practice with some masking techniques using the color range and refine edge commands. I used the brush tool for some edge details and the save for web to export as jpeg.

    Angel boy

    For high-res, click here

  • Ok, now I’m blushing… how much do I want this!?

    Sixth submission….

    Vector type for the obvious. Pen tool to create the particle beam twisting around my son.  The burn tool for the shadow effect on my son’s forhead.  And a smart object for resizing the dragon onto my son’s shirt.

    Ain’t he something? I made this for a birthday invitation card :)

    Birthday invitation

    For high-res, click here.


  • dekePod

    Deke silhouette

    (This silhouette of Deke is based on the same source image as my previous “Snakes on Deke” submission, found at http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2008/05/coming-soon-the-return-of-deke.html)

    • Fill function - background, silhouette, ipod earphones


    • Refine edge - selection of Deke
    • Save for web - saved final composition
    • Brush tool - headphone wires, finetuning all masks
    • Crop tool - dekePOD logo from screenshot of deke.com
    • Gradient tool - mask of background art, mask of Deke’s shadow

    • Smart objects - background art, ipod, earphone

  • hi

    hi, i love this idea..concept and design ..so much i wanted to say so pretty cool

  • Sorry for asking, but can

    Sorry for asking, but can you take part if you’re technically a minor and live overseas?

  • The Odyssey Illustration

    Ok this is my second sub..i may sub about 5ish..its a illustration inspired by sci-fi, you know star trek. Battlestar and so on.  The Vastness of space…the stars and..well awesome spaceships with sparkly retro-boosters..hey! i am a nerd guys ok..dont hold that against me.  This Illustration was created using All of the above techniques in one way or another,sometimes very slight..but less is sometimes more. The pen tool and smart layers were used the most.. i don’t think i actually used any vector based type..My fav feature is smart objects..the ship itself is a smart object allowing me to transport it onto different background if i so wish..so thats real cool and offers me versatility that greatly enhances my work… anydo’s enjoy :)

    Odyssey

    (Click the image for high-res.)

  • Thank you. I’m tickled with

    Thank you. I’m tickled with how it came out. Thanks to people like Deke, Bert and Corey I’ve learned so much about Photoshop and Illustrator.

  • Entry for Photoshop Top 40 Contest

    Hello! I have been teaching myself (well, with your help : ) PS for the last couple months and thought I would enter this contest as a means to force myself to come up with something to work on from scratch.

    El Jefe

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    For this piece I used Vector Based types, Fill functions, Brush tool, Crop tool, Healing brush, Gradient tool, and Save for Web as well as some blurring.

    Whether I used them well is for you to decide : )

    What was going through my mind…well, as often is the case, when I am trying to think of something to work on I come up with nothing for quite awhile.

    Once I said to a friend that I felt as if i was ‘riding the short bus’ while trying to come up with an idea to create in PS.

    So this is a visual of me in deep thought, ‘riding the short bus’, to my destination of ‘nothing’.

    haha…hope it makes sense!

    Thanks for all the training and tutorials you put out…they are by far the best I have ever learned from.

    Jeff


  • Hello Everyone

    On this piece I used Calculations, Pen, and Brush to create Whale Selection from a shot I took at Seaworld on a bright sunny day, then loaded selection as mask.  I used the Crop tool on another photo I had taken outside of Page, AZ, and placed as my background “Beach”.  I use a Curve adjustment on the whale selection to help it fit in with the foggy background a bit, as the original was very sunny and bright.  I used the Healing Brush to remove telephone poles and lines from Background, and Burned the “Beach” a bit.  Then to help transition the foreground to the background I made an subtle Outer Glow on the whale selection.  I then made a Gradient Fill from the Top of Background down to the fog to add some color to the otherwise white sky.  Then I used Text Tool for my text, used the preset Chrome fill, gave the top line a small stroke, and reduced the transperancy of the second line, and placed it behind the whale selection.

    Top 40 Tours

    For high-res, click here.

  • my submission

    Here is my simple addition to the contest with just a few tips used

    Truck on road

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    Black & White, The Brush Tool,The Crop Tool, Dodge and Burn, Curves, Color Range, The Healing Brush

    Gun4Hire

    www.NotStockPhotography.com

  • evil your name is BIL (brother in law)

    another entry , also of my brother in law,  wanted to make him look menacing and evil. Not really the easiest of tasks if you know the good hearted and jovial nature of my subject but he was willing and so am I.

    tools used include,


    hue /sat.
    crop for added canvas(bottom of shirt is just a black layer)
    so i guess i also used the fill function to fill said black layer
    also gradient tool to help blend the black layer with the t shirt
    dodge and burn on skin and hair
    free transform for the eyes
    curves for contrast adjustments
    healing brush for skin

    brush tool for mask

    and im sure a million other combination of tools but I did this a few months back and cant remember my exact workflow.

    Evil Jon

    For high-res, click here.

    also included in this set is the original if you care to compare the two images

  • This is fun

    These are so cool to see. I’m learning and inspired.

    Here’s my 2nd entry:

    Castle

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    I used luminence blending for the textures, Hue/sat adjustment layers, black & white adjustment layer, pen tool to create a selection to extract the castle, curves layers, free transform on just about every element.

    Ken


  • I can’t help myself

    Here’s my 3rd. This one’s admittedly a bit macabre:

    For high-res, click here.

    Used:


    Luminance blending
    Liquify (wax and flames)
    Black & White adj. layer
    Vector-based type
    Smart object (placed banner from .ai file.)
    Free transform

    Brush tool

  • Shadow Edge (a fake movie poster)

    Having watched GI Joe movie not long ago, and despite the outrageously silly action sequences (which is not necessary a bad thing), I was more fascinated with the cool promotional posters than anything. So I set out to create this GI Joe-inspired piece. I used one base image of Jeslyn (the model) and several free texture images composited for background. I started by isolating Jeslyn using path tool, duplicated the layer before creating layer mask, and desaturated her with Hue and Saturation adjustment. To refine the layer mask, a small amount of Gaussian blur with Level adjustment, and brush was used for hair bits. Background layer is colour adjusted a few times, with several copies on various layer modes to darken the background, zoom blur is also applied to add dynamism. Gradient tool is used to add vignette around the edge. Additional texture image is overlayed on background to give it a grungy look. Using custom (free) brushes, I painted the areas behind the model to simulate a bright exposion. Additional flares are added, in screen blending mode around her arm and hip. Foreground sparks were created using custom brushes on a separate layer (masked) with layer effects. The final logotype design was done in Adobe Illustrator and brought back into Photoshop for enhancements (glow, glossy effect). Final text was also created mostly in Illustrator and imported as Shape Layer. Reduced final size and Save For Web :)

    Thanks!

    Shadow Edge

    (Click the image for high-res.)

  • Help is available

    For those that cannot help themselves… Call 1-800-SIC-DEKE.  All charges apply; this is not a 12 step program; results may vary….

    All fun aside Kentiki; nice work!

  • Precious!

    Nuff said… I like!

  • Oh sure

    raise the bar…  Looks awsome c-monsta!

  • Ummm

    Did you get phone numbers and addresses for the models; if so, can you share them?

    Good job digitalassets!

  • Sweet

    I like The Odyssey Illustration as well… Patience is a PIA… lol

    Really, good work nickgreenaway!

  • Sonny Jim

    On a stick….
    I masked Jimmy out of a parking lot via Alpha Channel useing the Pen,Brush, and Refine Edge tools.
    Drug in a remote location photo for BG (Location just north of Flagstaff)
    Used the Healing Brush to clean up spots on Jimmy, then Curves to match him closer to the backgound.
    Joined Jimmy and BG together as a Smart Object, then adjusted Shadow and Highlight.

    Added Text, and created Inner Shadow.

    How the West Was One

    For high-res, click here.

  • Jeff

    I masked my grandsons, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law, and placed them into my sons sunglasses… look close, my camera and I are in there two…

    Features Used include Refine Edge, Calculations, The Pen Tool, The Brush Tool, Actions, Hue/Saturation, Dodge and Burn, Curves, Color Range, The Healing Brush, and Free Transform.


    Son Jeff, w/ family in glasses

    For high-res, click here.

  • Mars Rover Spirit (well my version anyway)

    Hello y’all .. this is my 3rd entry..hopefully i’m offering a little bit of a different angle on preceding’s with my work. This one (of maybe 5 or so) was inspired by the Mars Rover Spirit, the one that has got stuck on the surface.  Again all of the techniques were used in one way or another..great use of smart objects as well as the pen, brush and gradient tools.  Use of the smart object in photoshop cs4 is a particular fav..in particular getting the shadows right - the rover here is a smart object but clever use of free transform means i can stretch the smart object (after duplicating it and making it fully black with color overlay in layer effects, then changing the object to darken so it lays well on the ‘soil’, and then reduce the overlay so it feels like a shadow) quite a bit..to give an illusion of the sun quite low in the sky (or anyplace i think rocks..haha rocks! get it? lol… )..i can then apply this effect to anything i pop in the scene…which is fantastic…all of the angels will look correct and it will save a whole heap of time (use actions here :).

    Mars Rover Spirit

    (Click the image for high-res.)

  • Not a professional.

    But when I captured a great photo of my friend with my digital camera, I couldn’t resist coming up with something corny, like this.

    Don't Drink Paint

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    Caption: I took a photo with my digital camera of a friend of mine, imported the picture into Photoshop CS4 and worked with it to create this illustration. I mainly used some simple techniques; find edges, the levels command, and some sharpening functions. Lastly I added the text, flattened the image and saved it for web and devices to create the smallest size as possible without loosing all the details (trying to at least).

  • Contest

    Image given to me in color of Coopers Bday

    I played with it:

    Cooper TV

    For high-res, click here.

    http://www.kentkb.com

  • And the winner is…. :)

    Seventh submission…

    Not much time to write…

    Brush tool for masking some edges, save 4 web (again… DUH) and the pen tool to mask my fingers…

    E-620 with Face

    For high-res, click here.

  • Wizard Of Oz Colorized

    A publicity still for the movie.  I used the Pen Tool for selecting the parts to be colorized.  Used Curves Adjustment layer’s in CMYK mode for the actual colorizing.  Also used Hue/Sat adjustment layer and the Brush tool.

    Wizard of Oz Colorized

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    To download the layered PSD file, click here.

  • My \“Top 40\” Submission #1

    Ok so here it is.  A picture is worth a thousand words.  This one may may be worth a few less, but it is designed to tell a story, to exhibit a response, yada yada yada. 

    The Ingredients:


    1.Smart objects to maintain editable text while warping around the cooling towers
    2. The pen tool to make selections on the image of the window- all of that is masked off to reveal the power plant image in the background
    3. The Gradient tool- I used that to give the impression of the reflection of glass- that is hard to pull off no matter how good you are (even Deke??)
    4. Color range to make selections for masking pretty much everything in the image- myself, Barack, Mahmoud

    5. Refine edge for all the masking

    The list could go on, but I’m not here to brag, I’m here to win…

    Nuclear Sale

    For high-res, click here.

    Happy Holidays to all!

  • My \“Top 40\” Submission #2

    In the spirit of the Holidays…

    Santa's Little Helper

    For high-res, click here.

    1. Smart objects used on text and characters to maintain edit-ability and scale-ability


    2. Refine edge to clean up the masking around the characters- they were looking a bit “jaggy” and needed some help, especially when I threw on the strokes
    3. The pen tool for making selections around the tough areas of the characters- their feet especially
    4. The crop tool to automatically crop and rotate the candy cane into place

    5. Color range- to change the color of the stocking top to green- (it started off blue believe it or not) - of course I approached this from a non-destructive direction and created a new layer with a solid color and a mask and clipped it to the layer below with the blend mode set to color (c’mon Deke, give me some props for that!) Not a pixel was harmed I swear…

    Enjoy!!


  • Love that Concept

    Dude you need to Sharpen the 3rd Person Facial Details

    Creative Work I Liked it

    Black Seals ... White Reveals…!

  • The iDeke

    My daughter just got a Zune HD so I thought I’d come up with a device I’d love to have.

    I drew the Zune from scratch using a photo as a guide. I couldn’t find the right font for the menu so I ended up painstakingly drawing each letter by hand with the pen tool. I used a gradient mask for the screen reflection and turned the whole thing into a smart object, copied and flipped it for a lower reflection and then applied a gradient mask to it.  To add a little spice I came up with a iDeke logo and topped it off with a vignette background from a little tip from Scott Kelby in one of his tutorials. The tiny little icons are the graphic headers from deke.com scaled down with lower transparency. Crop and save for web were used too.

    If they made this thing, I’d buy it. How cool would it be to carry Deke around in your pocket?! I could come with all kinds of jokes for that one. ;)

    iDeke

    (Click the image for high-res.)

  • End of The Decade

    John Lemon

    Actually, the decade doesn’t end until the end of 2010. But, then, Deke always has been ahead of the curve.

  • My Deke Photoshop Top 40 Contest entry.

    I pretty much used every single feature that was covered in Deke’s tutorials.  The idea was “Cosmic Awareness” with a bit of Star Trek thrown in for good measure.  I created the starfields and planets in Photoshop and composited the portrait into the image.  In all I had about 22 layers. 

    Cosmic Awareness

    For high-res, click here.

    (Image copyrighted.  All rights reserved..)


  • My Third Deke Photoshop Top 40 Contest entry

    This image was more difficult than it looks.  I blended three different columns of cigarette smoke together to create the smoke and then composited a skull into it and did quite a bit of masking and hand paint work.  I had to do quite a bit of retouching on the subject’s face and finally added a B&W layer to him. 

    Smoking Kills

    For high-res, click here.

    (Image copyrighted. All rights reserved.)

  • My Second Deke Photoshop Top 40 Contest entry

    This composite image was actually not that difficult.  I shot each aspect against a green background so I could composite them out.  I color corrected and retouched their skin individually and added a faux HDR look in Lab.  I dropped them in on a clouded sky and added text in on a separate layer.  Finally I added a vignette layer. 

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjrphoto/4195392999/

    The Man

    For high-res, click here.

    (Image copyrighted. All rights reserved..)

  • My Fourth Deke Photoshop Top 40 Contest entry

    This image required quite a bit of retouching.  I used free transforn/perspective to correct the size of the right eye which seemed too small to me.  I converted it to B&W with the black and white converter tool and then pulled the red channel slider to turn the reds more of a white color.  I added layers to change the colors of the eyes and lips and did quite a bit of healing brush and clone stamping to retouch. 

    Black and White with Red

    For high-res, click here.

    (Image copyrighted. All rights reserved.)

  • My Fifth Deke Photoshop Top 40 Contest entry

    This image was not too difficult to do.  I composited the model and then added some blur to simulate motion.  I retouched with healing brush, clone stamp and free transform/warp tools.  Finally I sharpened using high pass filter.  All layers were smart objects. 

    Cloud 911

    For high-res, click here.

    (Image copyrighted. All rights reserved.)

  • Deke On The Rocks

    BG layer is Bryce Canyon; dodged & burnt
    Layer 2 is Rainbow Bridge from Lake Powell; quick selection, refine edge, healing brush, curves
    Top Layer, our favorite front man Deke, Calcs, pen, brush, refine edge, free transform

    Topped off with Color Balance layer…

    On da rocks

    For high-res, click here.

  • Candice 1

    Pen tool for partial mask creation
    Color Range for partial mask creation
    Brush tool (overlay) to finesse hair portion of mask
    Hue and Sat applied to multiple layers with soft masks painted back in
    (skin smoothing, eyes, lips, etc)

    Healing Brush.

    Candice 1

    For before and after as well as high-res, click here.

  • mountain lion in Wilderness

    This is the link to my entry.The background is a combination of two pictures I took in the wilderness area of Colorado while I was on a week long mule ride. The mountain lion came from a picture I took of a stuffed lion.  I mounted the lion on a rock in a more pleasing environment.  I used different PS tools and techniques from Dekes top 40 including free transform, curves, dodge and burn crop tool, gradient tool, Hue Saturation, brush tool, refine edge, amongst other blending modes.( along with some other techniques I learned from Dekes other tutorials on Lynda.com.)  I figured the lion is a lot happier in his natural environment than he was stuffed on a limb in a Sports shop.

    Lion on Rock

    For high-res, click here.

  • Lady in thought

    In this image I used several of Dekes methods of image enhancements, including healing brush, brush tool, dodge and burn, crop tool, clone tool, (had to take out a jar she was holding) and other tools and techniques I have learned over the years from many his tutorials. She is a housewife and a mother of 6 and a dear friend of mine. I worked on this photo,  taken by her husband with love and respect for both of them.

    Lady in Thought

    For high-res, click here.

  • Point taken and fixed (a

    Point taken and fixed (a little!)

  • my entry

    part of a recently completed series which examines the inherent qualities of traversing the internet. In creating a representational mandala, the image seeks to represent the internet from a perspective which identifies with the mapping qualities of the web; attuning itself to the act of connection which underlies the very foundation of the internet.

    The image is built based on a set of over 200 screenshots taken consecutively while navigating the internet, slices of which build the outer ring of the mandala-like form. Everything within the main ring is built up from the graphical contents of the screenshots, illustrating a complete account of the experience.

    top 40 features used:


    Fill Functions
    Refine Edge
    Pen Tool
    Brush Tool
    Actions
    Hue/Saturation
    Crop Tool
    Curves
    The Gradient Tool
    Free Transform

    Smart Objects

    Mandala 03

    For high-res, click here.

    thanks for doing these videos every week Deke! I always learn something new about a tool that I barely think about anymore when using. I cant wait to see what makes your top 10!

  • OlympRobo630

    A robo is in everyone

    Robo in Everyone

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    For source files and the final file, click here.

    Used techniques:


    Feature 38, Vector-Based Type (“a robo is in everyone”)
    Feature 37, The Fill Functions (to fill layer masks)
    Feature 34, Save for Web (saving as jpg at the end)
    Feature 33, Calculations (for masking my head)
    Feature 32, The Pen Tool (to help creating masks)
    Feature 31, The Brush Tool (shadows, dodge and burn, layer masks; say everywhere)
    Feature 26, Dodge and Burn (with new layers at blend mode overlay)
    Feature 25, Selection Calculations (for masking and selecting)
    Feature 23, Color Range (for selections and masking)
    Feature 22, The Healing Brush (retouching - e.g. at the feet)
    Feature 20, Free Transform (to fit parts of the cameras to my body)
    Feature 18, Smart Objects (at the lenses)

    and many more…

    What was going through your head:


    I want to create a steam punk like look. So I began to fuse the olympus camera parts to my body.

    Best regards from Austria


    Martin
    —-

    http://blog.martindoersch.at

  • currently bothering me

    Just made a spoof on the twilight series that has been shooting here in vancouver.Unbelievable hype.
    So here is my offering :
    1. free transform on body parts, text , flare…
    2 vector based text
    3 liquify for the teeth
    4 dodge and burn
    5 hue /sat, curves, layer masks and brush tool for the eyes
    6 gradient tool on text to help fade, as well as on lower part of shirt to go to black

    7. and that awesome clone source tool , never used that before and it worked out awesome( collar on left side of pic is cloned from bottom)

    I dunno, just lovin what Im gettin here on the pod and trying to bend pixels to my will!

    Vampin

    For high-res, click here.

  • The Photographer

    My thoughts on this image were trying to capture the action and excitement of a photo shoot, with the lights and flash and movement involved. I used the brush tool in conjunction with layer masks, the liquify too to bend some uncooperative pixels to my will, and save for web to have better control over image size and matching to the original with minimal loss.

    Layered several of my fractal images over the image of the photographer, and liberally applied Photoshops cutout filter to a stamp visible layer. Lots of color adjusts, hue/sat and curves.


    The Photographer

    (Click the image for high-res.)

  • Vector Frenzy

    I had to use this “pop art” imagine i made of my friend Daniel for this.

    I used and abused the pen tool, gradients and free transform for it.

    Daniel

  • dekeLine

    dekeLine

    100% created in Illustrator and Photoshop.

    Photoshop Top 40

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    I wanted to create something entirely from scratch. So I started with Illustrator and brought the vectors as vector smart object to Photoshop. And there the magic begun…

    Best regards from Austria


    Martin
    —-

    http://blog.martindoersch.at

  • mb \“Top 40\” Submission #1

    This was a FuN photo project (35th annual Holiday card) emulating images of Picasso for Life magazine in 1949. I wanted it to look realistic, but make the viewer wonder if it was possible to create “live.” I shot a separate background, and got many separate images of myself against black, (the best were composited as smart objects), used the pen tool to create paths of light, based on tests, and warped them into position to build up the light painting. Adjusted colors and layered blend modes to get the right transparent qualities . . . cloning, healing, all that stuff.

    Light Painting 2010

    For high-res, click here.

    *:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*


    M i c h a e l     B R U N S f e l d

  • mb \“Top 40\” Submission #2

    HOLIDAY FLOWERS 2006 Annual Holiday card. A friend shot images of my wife and I. I collected and hand-drew a boat load of vector curlies and arranged them on multiple smart object layers to build up depth. I then used to photos to displace and liquify the uppermost layers to conform to the photos. Color adjustments and blend modes galore. I think my wife looks lovely but . . . I look completely off my rocker.

    Holiday Flowers

    For high-res, click here.

    *:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*


    M i c h a e l     B R U N S f e l d

  • mb \“Top 40\” Submission #3

    Peace_HoPE 2007
    Holiday card anticipating the coming election.

    When printed, one of these was flipped so it would stand up, folded.

    PEACE—-> The shapes were designed in Illustrator, just type and embellishments in b&w. I took the electronic file to a copy facility and enlarged and printed it to about 8 feet long. It was important for each letter to be of a sufficient scale that I could wrap each in a satin fabric, without being overwhelmed by the fabric. Each of the letters were then transferred and cut out as large fome core shapes, and individually wrapped in gold satin material. Then I went to a Florist, bought a bunch of green, bendable Curly Willow,  and a few other plants, formed them into braids like rope, and painstakingly wired them onto the fome core enlargement template to create the typographic embellishments. All pieces were photographed separately, and composited in Photoshop.

    HOPE—-> Much more graphic . . . wanted it to employ a rainbow of color and I LOVE type. This was a decidedly less digital approach than much of my work, but cloning, healing, dodge & burn, free transform, smart objects are part of every image I create.

    Hope and Peace

    For high-res, click here.

    *:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*


    M i c h a e l     B R U N S f e l d

  • Progress update

    Just want to let everyone know, we’re super psyched about the submissions! I’m flying home today (after two days of recording Martini Hours). When I land tonight, I’ll get on converting the most recent posts to images so everyone can see who’s doing what. Keep the submissions coming. Just a few days left.

    Cheers!

  • Photoshop 40 entry

    You can view my entry at:

    Crystal Ball

    For high-res, click here.

    I used many Photoshop features to create this artwork, including:


    Feature 38, Vector-Based Type
    Feature 37, The Fill Functions
    Feature 32, The Pen Tool
    Feature 31, The Brush Tool
    Feature 28, Hue/Saturation
    Feature 26, Dodge and Burn
    Feature 24, Curves
    Feature 21, The Gradient Tool
    Feature 20, Free Transform

    Feature 19, Luminance Blending

    My thoughts were to create a fun holiday card. Best holiday wishes to all!

  • Photoshop Top 40 - submission #1

    Posum Cover

    For high-res, click here.

    (size is: 1528x2296)

    I made this as I remembered a recent trip I made to Greece (evidently). The idea came to me more as an “what if”-type of thing. I was talking to my girlfriend (basically day-dreaming) about how it would be to have a magazine with her on it…so, I got to it, trying to keep it as simple as possible. :)

    Tools I used:


    Vector based type - which I converted to shapes for the heading
    Pen tool - for all the paths used to mask the hands and hat
    Curves - in an effort to fix what a very bright day did to the pic
    Crop tool - to mimic the magazine format

    Smart object - for the image itself, as I wanted to protect the original from any alterations

    ...and other tools. :)

  • The Umbrella girl

    The original photograph is from Eirian Stock and i found it on google.

    My entry:

    Umbrella Girl

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    What I used for this design from the videos:


    The Pen tool
    Gradients
    Hue Saturation
    Dodge & Burn
    and a little of liquify
    and many others that haven’t been mentioned yet.


  • The Contest

    Here is a cover I did for my favourite band. I organised the photoshoot after seeing them in Edinburgh, Scotland. I was very nervous taking the photos in the studio, and a bit star struck.

    I think I have used every technique to produce the final cover - the band were delighted, and so was I.

    Skull and Bones

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    Here is a logo I produced for a friend of mine who runs a small Music Studio. A lot of techniques were used on this piece. I drew the basic design in Illustrator before importing just the paths into Photoshop to start rendering the chrome and leather effects. My friend loves the design.


    Logo

  • Dancing into the light (or maybe from the light, i dunnow)

    Hi, here are the features i’ve used for my picture (at least, from what’s already known about the top 40); may i add that i also used tip 40 reset and purge (prove me wrong on that one) :

    Feature 36, Black & White


    Feature 33, Calculations
    Feature 31, The Brush Tool
    Feature 29, Liquify
    Feature 28, Hue/Saturation
    Feature 27, The Crop Tool
    Feature 25, Selection Calculations
    Feature 24, Curves
    Feature 23, Color Range
    Feature 22, The Healing Brush
    Feature 21, The Gradient Tool

    Feature 20, Free Transform

    i was thinking about this wonderful movie “dancer in the dark” (wonderful, but insanely sad, even more than that movie with Rick Schroeder, John Voight and Faye Dunaway…), and so i wanted to show a dancer in the dark, but i also wanted to show her dancing into the light, so…


    ...here it is :

    Odyssey

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    cheers from Paris, France, where it’s almost 3AM (which kinda is my cue to go to bed…).

    Carmina One

    PS/ by the way, happy hannucah, merry xmas and a schmappy new year…

  • This is so cool!!!

    This is so cool!!!

  • Wonderful work!

    Wonderful work!

  • On Her Majesty’s Secret Service [my first contest entry]

    Hello everyone :)

    Well here is my first entry. A spoof entry on James Bond. At least everyone of us [males, maybe some female too i don’t know :))) ] wanted to be in shoes of James Bond :)) Well if not in reality, i could make some touch putting myself in 007 world digitally.

    I got Craig’s image from the web, snapped myself with an iPhone and made composition out of it.

    The Real James Bond

    For high-res, click here.

    Techniques used:

    Feature 39, Layer Comps


    Feature 38, Vector-Based Type
    Feature 35, Refine Edge
    Feature 34, Save for Web
    Feature 32, The Pen Tool
    Feature 31, The Brush Tool
    Feature 29, Liquify
    Feature 28, Hue/Saturation
    Feature 27, The Crop Tool
    Feature 26, Dodge and Burn
    Feature 24, Curves
    Feature 23, Color Range
    Feature 22, The Healing Brush
    Feature 21, The Gradient Tool
    Feature 20, Free Transform

    Feature 18, Smart Objects

    File size is 3500px x 1200px

    Greetings and Merry Christmas everyone!


    Have Fun! :)

    Ratko

  • Simulated Markers and Ink

    Markers and Ink

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    This was painted completely in Photoshop CS4 from stock photographic references.


    Model/Stock Artist: http://neriah-stock.deviantart.com/

    Stock References:


    http://neriah-stock.deviantart.com/art/Me-Standing-Around-97493107
    http://neriah-stock.deviantart.com/art/Lost-Shoe-Due-to-Squirrel-82387768
    http://neriah-stock.deviantart.com/art/sortofnotreallysideview-79319990

    http://neriah-stock.deviantart.com/art/Much-Standing-79319295

    I used the following Top 40 Features to assemble and compose my master reference (not shown):

    Feature 36, Black & White


    Feature 33, Calculations
    Feature 26, Dodge and Burn
    Feature 24, Curves

    Feature 18, Smart Objects

    These features were used in combinations to mask the figures out of the stock photos, assemble them into a composition (i.e. as smart objects), and posterize them into black and white (no gray tones).  Once I had this black and white collage to reference, I painted the black and white image above, following the reference reasonably closely.  Once the black and white inking was done, I threw on a texture, and some simulated markers for a touch of color.

    I used the following Top 40 Features for the painting itself:

    Feature 34, Save for Web : Thanks, Deke, I never knew you could adjust the size in the dialog for Save for Web!


    Feature 31, The Brush Tool: My ink and marker brushes rely on the brush engine;
    Feature 29, Liquify: helps me when quick fixes are needed, especially painting faces, schmering noses around to get just the right look, etc.;
    Feature 27, The Crop Tool; Thanks, Deke, now I know to hide, rather than trash the pixels outside my crop!

    Feature 20, Free Transform: another way I can fix quickly when I accidentally paint someone’s head too large or on a bad angle—Thanks, Deke, I never knew holding down control/command would allow me to move individual corner points in free transform!

  • Christmas Card 2009

    This is the cover for this years Christmas card, the family did a lot of traveling this year so the theme seemed appropriate. I scanned the passports, got rid of the numbers for safety, replaced the family photos with new ones I took. I replaced the seal with a tree, added some tree "stamps" & snowflakes on the inside pages, also look for the North Pole stamp, it’s kinda subtle. I took the snow background shot also while snowshoeing in the Cascades at Snoqualmie Pass. I have been doing these cards for years and always have a lot of fun working on them. I use the pen tool a lot, rubber stamp, healing tool, channels as masks, do some painting in quick mask, of course curves and color adjustments on the photos I take, some liquify filter, dodge, burn, etc.

    Christmas Card 2009

    For high-res, click here.

  • 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,

    2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009.

    Yep. Thats 10 years. A decade, And it ends at the end of 2009. Imagine that.

  • Cactus

    Hello once again my digital friends, my 4th submission is another illustration..Remember all based on a photograph, this one is entitled ‘cactus’ and it takes inspiration from 1950s loony tunes cartoons…bright vivid colors, spiky cacti and lots of sand.  This illustration created in Photoshop cs4 once again most of the techniques were used. My love for smart objects for all of the elements (rocks,,plants..flowers) created using the pen tool, gradient,free transform fill and save for web (which deals with .png really well i always use that) one element that wasn’t used was vector based type…and crop tool was used..i now regularly use this great tool to tidy up all of the loose ends. i only discovered this tool recently and i now appreciate its value..actually i used this tool on all of my work. Ive really noticed the quality of features grow in Photoshop since version 7 (the first version i used) to cs4..to a degree that im not sure i could create work, certainly as i now do..without smart objects and few other features that didn’t appear back then, this tool is like not having wheels on a car for me.  Well that’s all of my gibberings tata my friends from jolly old England :)

    Cactus

    (Click the image for high-res.)


  • Top 40 Contest Entry

    I made this piece out of 8 photos I/friends took.

    Mermaid

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    These are the features I used:


    Feature 37, The Fill Functions
    Feature 35, Refine Edge
    Feature 34, Save for Web
    Feature 32, The Pen Tool
    Feature 31, The Brush Tool
    Feature 30, Actions
    Feature 28, Hue/Saturation
    Feature 27, The Crop Tool
    Feature 24, Curves

    Feature 20, Free Transform

  • Delivery Delayed

    Hi, due to the bad weather over Europe, this year Santa’s delivery will be delayed. In any case, this one is compiled from my photos, and two scans, taken with different cameras at different places. As usually with this kind of work, a lot of PS features were used : cropping, distorting, color balance, healing brushes, dodge and burn, channel masking, luminace and layers blending, even some calculations were employed, but only for the sake of seriousness ( you know, when you say I use calculations, this sounds very heavy, serious and even dangerous ). In any case, hope that everyone will get something from Santa’s bag. Wish you merry Xmas and happy photoshopping during next year.

    Delivery Delayed

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    Cheers,


    dalmar

  • Emblem

    Emblem

    dekeOnline in Wood

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    And here is a gallery view with source file.

    Used tools:


    Feature 40, Reset and Purge
    Feature 37, The Fill Functions
    Feature 34, Save for Web
    Feature 32, The Pen Tool
    Feature 31, The Brush Tool
    Feature 26, Dodge and Burn
    Feature 24, Curves
    Feature 21, The Gradient Tool
    Feature 20, Free Transform

    Feature 18, Smart Objects

    I wanted to create something with layer styles and a stylish emblem.

    Best regards


    Martin

    —-


    http://blog.martindoersch.at

  • Cross This Line

    Cross This Line

    Cross This Line

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    Used tools:


    Feature 38, Vector-Based Type
    Feature 37, The Fill Functions
    Feature 36, Black & White
    Feature 34, Save for Web
    Feature 32, The Pen Tool
    Feature 31, The Brush Tool
    Feature 29, Liquify
    Feature 28, Hue/Saturation
    Feature 26, Dodge and Burn (with layers)
    Feature 24, Curves
    Feature 21, The Gradient Tool
    Feature 20, Free Transform
    Feature 18, Smart Objects

    and much more

    Best regards from Austria


    Martin
    —-

    http://blog.martindoersch.at

  • DEKEcom

    DEKEcom

    DEKEcom

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    And here is a gallery view with source file.

    Used tools:


    Feature 38, Vector-Based Type
    Feature 37, The Fill Functions
    Feature 34, Save for Web
    Feature 32, The Pen Tool
    Feature 31, The Brush Tool
    Feature 25, Selection Calculations
    Feature 24, Curves
    Feature 21, The Gradient Tool
    Feature 20, Free Transform
    Feature 18, Smart Objects

    and Illustrator and Bridge and Blend Modes and Brushes and Textures and ...

    This was a fun one!

    Best regards from Austria!


    Martin

    PS: was a fun weekend for me, my Mac and Photoshop!


    —-

    http://blog.martindoersch.at

  • Hey to all !!!I will

    Hey to all !!!

    I will explain in a couple of lines what features I have used and what was in my mind when I made this composition.


    First I took my bike and my camera in a fall weekend to make some shots.
    I was thinking that it is autumn, all nature is covered in gold color and it`s should be interesting stuff to shot.
    I have traveled all day in search of ‘something special till I got bored of taking pictures that i didn`t like anymore. I came back home to see on my computer how the shots are looking and I have to be honest, I was disappointed and I left them on my hard drive since it is so spacious.
    One day I thought maybe I can try to make a composition blending some shots, so I have looked at all pictures that I have shot that day and I tried to make a composition and I decided to name it Autumn.
    I have used three shots one of a leaf one of a duck and one of sunset
    Futures I have used:
    Feature 23, Color Range—>for masking
    Feature 31, The Brush Tool—> to paint inside of mask
    Feature 28, Hue/Saturation—> for changing colors and desaturation
    Feature 27, The Crop Tool—>for croping images to square shape
    Feature 21, The Gradient Tool—> used for knockout layer

    Feature 34, Save for Web—> final to post it on the web

    Autumn

    For high-res, click here.

    Here are the layers from Autumn composition.

    And here are the base images.

  • Couldn’t get the link to work on this one

    So I copied over and am hosting directly from dekeOnline.

    Hope that’s okay.

  • Roots of the Tree

    I recently finished this piece as an assignment for Beginning Photoshop at the local community college. My original thought on the piece was to create a very earthy, woodsy and stark feel for a fictitious acoustic guitarist. All photos are by me including my hand and guitar strings. It is more or less a cd-cover design for the guitar player I would love to be but am not quite there yet.

    There was a lot of photo manipulation with brightness, effects, overlays, channel mixing, brush, clone stamp tool, initial cropping of the photos, masking and edge refining, smart object text, use of free transform and a lot of elbow grease and coffee trying to figure out how to do all of it.

    Feature 38, Vector-Based Type


    Feature 35, Refine Edge
    Feature 31, The Brush Tool
    Feature 27, The Crop Tool
    Feature 20, Free Transform

    Feature 18, Smart Objects

    Roots of the Tree

    For high-res, click here.

    Thanks Deke for being a true inspiration getting me back into my art!


    Jason M.


  • Dynamite - Vector Car Photographed in Real Life!

    Hello, This is my 4th entry and there may be one more (or 2 maybe) Dynamite is a fictional 50s retro muscle car.
    I really wanted to get my head around creating cars..transport and so on.  Using the pen tool and smart objects (like all of my work) i created a fictional 1950s American Muscle car..  Most of the tools in the top 40 were actually used…and for the first time in my entry’s i actually used the type tool lol! woop!  Liquify was actually handy..not to destroy my pic, but to tweak parts of the car very carefully…with a feather touch..it works great..this is how i mostly use liquify..just gently..subtly.

    A very very subtle gradient was used for a bit of texture..this can be seen best on the go faster stripe on the side..  Once again smart object was the best tool of all..in my opinion one of the most handy tools i use..getting used to using it with the new version of PScs4 needed a bit of getting used to now its a vital tool in my creative armory! :) Crop tool was used to cut the image down to size..Actions was used to store some effects for further car creation…save for web was used to save it as a .PNG (it seems to compress better in save-for-web rather than just save as..which is nice) and brush tool was used mainly to give the bodywork a bit of weight and texture..thou like all good use of these tools..it was only used subtlety.

    Vector Car in Real Life

    (Click the image for high-res.)

  • Not For The Color Blind

    Hello everyone. Great contest Deke & Colleen!
    My entry is called “Lost Vegas”... I know, I know, not too imaginative but creating the image just took it all out of me.
    It would be easier to name the Top 40 features I didn’t use, but here is a brief list:
    35. Refine Edges
    34. Save For Web
    32. Pen Tool
    26. Dodge & Burn
    28. Hue and Saturation
    24. Curves
    22. Healing Brush
    20. Free Transform
    19. Luminance Blending
    18. Smart Objects
    ...Among many others.

    Put your sunglasses on and view it here:

    Lost Vegas

    For high-res, click here.

    Thanks and hang loose!


  • Progress so far

    Just wanted to make a note (to all, but mostly myself) that I made it this far in converting the URLs to live, viewable images. It’s a major pain in the ass, but those are the lengths we go to in the hopes of reducing spam.

    Thanks to all who have participated. (Some great stuff!) Also thx for the kind comments regarding Photoshop Top 40 and my other training.

    There was a question earlier about whether youngsters and folks from other countries can participate. Answer: absolutely. It’d please me know end if a 14-year-old from Micronesia won a deluxe SLR. Just make sure your mother knows I say the word “ass,” and not in the context of a donkey.

  • Photoshop Top 40 - submission #2

    Metamorphosis

    (Click the image for high-res.)

    In this one I imagined a different type of metamorphosis :P


    Basically, it all started with the picture of a tree, more precisely, the bark of a tree. From then on, I added some 7 other pictures, finally getting to this composition.

    Tools used:


    Curves
    Free transform
    Healing brush
    Dodge & Burn
    Pen tool

    ...and the list goes on. :)

  • Cervino (Matterhorn)

    This is actually a pano. The problem: once the two images had been through Camera Raw and stitched, create a good sharpen to bring out the amazing texture of the mountain without accentuating the noise in the blue channel and without leaving any obvious halo at the edge of the mountain.

    So… #23: Select>Color Range to isolate the sky, invert the selection, leaving the hard edge in place. Into Quickmask and brush out the cloud with a large, soft-edge brush on the mask. Out of Quickmask, copy the selected mountain to its own layer (Ctrl-J). Filter>High Pass on the new layer, picking a good radius. Change the blend mode to overlay and Ctrl-U to desaturate (to avoid any color halos). Downshift (double de-clutch, of course—no stripped gears in my copy of Photoshop) into 8-bit mode and save the jpeg.

    Cervino (Matterhorn)

    (Click the image for high-res.)

  • What’s New Pussycat? - jfrancis entry 2

    Nothing is real but the model. All else, including the ears and tail, was rendered in Maya / Maxwell and assembled in Photoshop.

    The 3D models for both signs relied heavily on curves derived from the pen tool. Refine edge controls the compositing, and hue/saturation and curves control the color of the model as she is integrated with a warmly-lit environment.

    Smart objects are essential for finessing the lineup of the model with her background without degrading the image every time I change my mind.

    The Pussycat Theater is a now defunct chain of XXX theaters. I wanted to create something with a swinging 60’s/70’s retro feeling.

    I do not shoot process screen to extract the model. I lift her out of her environment using my deke-taught ‘layers’ superpowers that I learned at lynda.com - I use the pen tool a lot. I don’t extract hair carefully very often. I usually cut it crudely and rebuild it strand by strand with stroked pen curves, which I copy and build up by holding the alt key on a PC and moving them around. It’s easier and faster than it sounds.

    What's New Pussycat?

    For high-res, click here.

    Here’s the original photo from 2006 (as I said, it was never shot to be comped; that idea came years later). It includes the model’s blue denim shorts before I turned them brown with shiny metallic gold threads (thank you Photoshop).

    ——

    Feature 37, The Fill Functions


    Feature 36, Black & White
    Feature 35, Refine Edge
    Feature 34, Save for Web
    Feature 32, The Pen Tool
    Feature 31, The Brush Tool
    Feature 28, Hue/Saturation
    Feature 27, The Crop Tool
    Feature 25, Selection Calculations
    Feature 24, Curves
    Feature 23, Color Range
    Feature 22, The Healing Brush
    Feature 21, The Gradient Tool
    Feature 20, Free Transform
    Feature 19, Luminance Blending

    Feature 18, Smart Objects

  • Flying High

    Deke, I’m not sure I’m doing this entry to your contest correctly. Please let me know if I’ve muffed it;

    Top 40 tools used were, smart objects, free transform and curves. I called it “Flying High.” I’m somewhat color blind so I like images that have a lot of color and punch.

    Flyin' High

    For high-res, click here.

    Jim

  • Dolphin Retreat

    Free Transform, Curves, Brushes, on & on.

    Another attempt at an entry. Again I hope I’ve got it correct.

    Nothing particular was going through my head. Was just playing around and ended up with this.

    Dolphin Retreat

    For high-res, click here.

  • Great

    That looks much better ...wish you success

    Black Seals ... White Reveals…!

  • mb \“Top 40\” Submission #4

    2002_ANAGRAM John Knoll (who with his brother Thomas invented Photoshop) created an application that would generate anagrams from any word(s) you submitted. I received this on a floppy disk. I used it to create many ANAGRAMS of my name. Many were wonderful, and I listed them on the FRONT of the card. When you open the card, I saved the best for inside “Elf Behind Mr Claus.”  All type was created in Illustrator. The bottom half of Santa—all I needed—pirated from a number of 50’s illustrations, were comped together and WILDLY distorted and warped. The ELF is me in my Bowling Shirt and Pajamas . . . the rest is fabricated or simply painted.

    2002 Anagram

    For high-res, click here.

    *:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*


    M i c h a e l     B R U N S f e l d

  • mb \“Top 40\” Submission #5

    Plunges into TEXAS book cover . . . I began this cover by searching on Google for mosaics. I took pieces and created patterns and arranged them into a mosaic wall map. The rest of the elements were found, or photographed—->Every element is separate and composited together and color-corrected.

    Texas Spread

    For high-res, click here.

    *:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*’``’*:-.,_,.-:*


    M i c h a e l     B R U N S f e l d

  • TOP 40 CONTEST : OLYMPUS E-620 Fake Ad.

    Hi Deke, hi people.

    For the Photoshop top 40 features i have created a fake ad for the Olympus E-620 that a lot of photoshoper out there want to win.

    So, here is some features from the TOP 40 i have used:


    The original image was a screen shoot from Olympus’s website.

    1- The Pen Tool


    2- The Refine Edge
    3- The Gradient Tool
    4- Free Transform
    5- Vector-Based Type
    6- Hue/Saturation

    and so on….

    Fake E-620 Ad

    For high-res, click here.

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