Compositing an Imaginary Place with Photoshop

Sharon Steuer

Transforming snapshots into a more painterly look.

If you decide you like the composition as a stand-alone piece of art, you can experiment with ways to transform your collection of snapshots into something more cohesive. I used Save As to save a flat copy of the image in TIFF format and then applied various filters and Blending modes to the flat version to make the image appear painterly (See Figure 7:)

      You might find that your composition moves in directions that necessitate your taking more photos. If you do need to keep working and have to incorporate new elements, ensure you return to the multi-layered file (without the effect applied). At this point in my process, the client had chosen a different direction for her screen, but I liked the composition myself and decided to show my mom. She really loved it but had some requests. The main change she wanted was (if we were to create a composition that she would actually hang in her home) to dress her up a bit. In addition she wanted me to substitute one of her own rugs for the fake one, and she even had some specific flower arrangements she wanted me to use. Because I had to photograph her rug and flowers anyway, I asked her to dress up in her outfit of choice. The flower arrangement wasn't on the table she liked, so back in the multi-layered file, I composited the new elements together using Layer Masks.
(See Figure 8: Incorporating new photographs into the image.)

Layer Sets

If you have a number of elements that you always move together, you should probably create a Layer Set for them.
      I created a Layer Set for the table and vase with flowers so I could easily move them around as a unit. With the layers linked, choose New Set from Linked from the Layers palette pop-up menu. You can then attach a Layer Mask to the Layer Set so that the grouping can be integrated as a unit to the image below. If you need to apply a color correction to the images within a Layer Set, make sure to change the Blending mode for the Layer Set to Normal (from Pass Through). To work on some of the layers within a set, expand the Layer Set and unlink elements that you want to exclude, but remember to link them later if you need them to be a unit again.
      I needed to scale the table but didn't want to stretch the vase, so I unlinked the vase while I used the Edit > Free Transform command. Then after I applied the transformation, I relinked the vase and collapsed the view of the Layer Set.
      My mom wasn't happy with the pose that I'd chosen, so I went back to my collection of shots and found one similar to the original pose. I then had to go back and photograph one last time to capture details such as her floorboards, how the wall met the floor, and the side of the desk.
      If at any point you want to again transform the look of your image, save a flat copy of your image and apply the filters and such to the flat copy. I used File > Save As to save a flat copy as a TIFF image and then experimented with new ways to transform this image.

Creative Thinking

The book Creative Thinking in Photoshop by Sharon Steuer covers how to create the final painterly effect, and how to apply the same effects to another updated file. But that's not all! Joseph Kling, master Photoshop pre-press guru and commercial photography retoucher summed it all up in his review when he said:

"This book is a fascinating look into one artist's method. I learned some interesting things about myself, and the different ways I might approach future projects. I would highly recommend giving this book a read."

We think you'll agree after you've delved into some of the pure inspiration Sharon shares. In addition to this technique of composting, She covers: Creative problem solving with layers; radical new ways of generating new ideas from previous projects; and a blockbuster section of pure "Nonlinear Creativity".
      To learn more creative ways to use Photoshop, check out Creative Thinking in Photoshop: A New Approach to Digital Art, ISBN 0735711224) by Sharon Steuer from New Riders Publishing.

 
Story copyright 2002, 2003, Sharon Steuer

 

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