Deke’s Techniques

Your weekly quick-fix of Deke, with ideas you may inspire or inform your own projects.

Contour Mapping for Cash in Photoshop

Deke uses his contour map skills to make a portrait effect suitable for use on American currency

Riffing on Your Contour Map in Photoshop

Deke riffs on last week's project with an extra displacement map.

Contour Mapping with Distort > Displace

Deke uses a displacement map to contour a stripe pattern to his model's face.

Jogging Your Creative Memory with the Note tool

Deke reveals his secret for remembering how he arrived at creative brilliance: the Note tool in Photoshop

Enhancing and Masking Your Marvel Disintegration Effect

Deke puts the final demolition touches on his Marvel-esque superhero disintegration effect

The Marvel Disintegration Effect in Photoshop

Deke attempts to recreate the Marvel disintegration effect using displacement maps in Photoshop.

“Quieting Down” an Overly Elaborate Design

Deke uses the easily changeable nature of Illustrator's dynamic effects and tones down the out-of-control puzzle piece he's been working on.

Dynamic Warp Distortions in Adobe Illustrator: Fish and Twist

Deke wraps up his warped, extruded, blended letter puzzle with a fishy twist.

Object Blends Meet Dynamic Distortions in Adobe Illustrator

Deke applies some killer Illustrator dance moves (or rather distortion effects) to his letter extrusion object blends in Adobe Illustrator.

Making One Object Blend Effect Cut through Another

Deke shows you how to take letters extruded with Illustrator's object blend effect and make one blend "pass through"another

Creating Letters with Accordion Extrusions in Adobe Illustrator

Deke uses Illustrator's Blend tool to extrude letters accordion-style (think snakes-in-a-can or classic Electric Company graphics).

Making Dead Cells Spring to Life

Deke uses the power of smart objects (in Illustrator) to bring half his Photoshop file back to life.