Tech No. 5: The Orange Sky

[kygirl]

Using this tutorial (http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/2985/1/The-Orange-Sky) from Adobe Tutorialz, we'll experiment with layering and blending modes. Don't feel like you have to use the same photos used in the tutorial, but if you can, try using the Screen Mode to hide a black background (the technique used to blend the moon into the sky). This is a wonderful way to avoid extracting an image.

Looking forward to seeing your work in the gallery.

Note: Because we're working in many different versions of Photoshop and Elements, your program may vary from the one in the tutorial. If you run into a wall, just post and we'll work through it together.

[indybev]

Heaven help me, these things are going to drive me to an early grave. I've advanced to the Merge Down, and am now on a seek and destroy mission for the Dodge Tool. I have made my way up and down the tool bar and I don't see any Dodge (is that why it's called Dodge?). In the toot, the word Dodge is followed by Highlights 50%. Hmmm. There's a "thing" on the upper tool bar that says "Show Highlight on Rollover". I checked that and rolled over, but nothing happened. Now that I've Merged Down, I can't get into Mode. I'll ask HELP, I said to myself. I type in Dodge Tool. HELP doesn't seem to know about it either. This is the most machiavelian software I've ever seen. Somebody tell me where they've parked the Dodge Tool, please.

[mizamigo]

Bev,
The dodge tool is on the side toolbar - you have the MOVE tool at the top and the foreground/background color picker at the bottom of that toolbar. The dodge tool is embeded in the BURN tool, which is the one right above the foreground/background colors. It looks like the hand is closed and the thumb/forefinger makes an "O". Click on the Burn tool then go to the top and you will see 3 icons, one is a SPONGE tool, the second is the DODGE tool and the third is the BURN tool. Click on the 2nd one to get the dodge tool.

Hope that helps you.

[indybev]

Well, expletive deleted! I didn't know they hid tools within the tools. Thank you, Victoria. I have seen the little hand and the little fingers that look like they're making a little 0. I have given it one of my little fingers .....

[Nevermore]

reading Bev's exploits...

[kygirl]

LOL, Bev. If you actually make it to the end of this tutorial (I must admit that I didn't. I have a tendency to veer off course when doing these things), you're going to learn all kinds of new tools and techniques.

But if you get too frustrated, just try putting an object with a black background on your page and using the screen blending mode. It's like magic. :-)

[indybev]

Oh, heaven help me. I am here to entertain you all .....

[Nevermore]

as great as an elephant butt and a gnat for Bev's approach. I guess a little moderation at either end could be helpful. I need to focus on the bigger picture and Bev needs to have patience with things a little less in your face than an elephant butt.

I discovered blend modes as an extraction tool a while back and it is mega useful in many different circumstances. I would have spent hours extracting these fish but only had to click into multiply layer blend mode to have the program do it for me: fish (http://www.digitalartquirks.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2671&cat=500&perpage=9&ppuser=47)

[indybev]

"Me mum" always told me I was behind the door when they passed out patience! My solution for the elephant woule be a dynamite enema (which would, of course, take care of the gnat as well)! Could one of you gurus please tell me how to import an image on top of another? I asked HELP, which gave me 999 options with the exception of importing an image. It is exceedingly good that I live alone. No one in my immediate vicinity is safe when I set my old gray head to these tutorials!

[mizamigo]

Actually, Bev, in PSE 5 you do not import images. You click open, then find the file you are looking for then you can double click on the file to open it.

Once it is open in PSE 5, you can then drag it onto your workspace OR

you can click on file/copy of the file you just opened, then go to your workspace of your project and click file/paste.

I can't wait to see the finished product.

[indybev]

You're too funny, Victoria. You actually believe there'll be an end result?! BUT, OK, I've learned how to "import", but it drops it like a piece of cement in a pond. You can't resize it, you can't move it, .....oh, yeah, I'm sure you can, but that's in step 2000 of the tutorial, so I soldier on. I don't know how you guys ever create ANYTHING. I have elevated you all to saint status!

[mizamigo]

Bev,
You are too funny!!! I know you are going to do something wonderful with the challenge.

Yes you can resize, just use the MOVE tool (the first one in the list at the left side). Make sure you have the layer of your subject highlighted so you get the correct subject ready for resizing. Click on the MOVE tool, then you will see there is a box around the subject. Within the box, you should see a tiny square at each corner and at the middle places on the lines connecting the corners. You put your mouse over any of those tiny squares, click and drag the tiny square whichever way you want to... toward the center to make it smaller, or outward to make it larger.

Also, if you want to rotate the subject, just hover the cursor near one of the corners and when it changes from a straight line with two arrows into a CURVED line with two arrows, you can lightly move it left or right to make it rotate.

Try it... you'll like it!

[Kazadoodle]

Here's mine - Invasion of Paris (http://www.digitalartquirks.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=6462) - which I did completely differently.