This is what we will be making
You will need the following items to complete the tutorial:
- Paint Shop Pro...get it at: www.jasc.com
- My Gradient: Download it here.This gradient isn't in a zip file, so you can just save it directly into your PSP8 gradients folder.
- A photograph containing a large sky area with clouds. You can find a lot of great photos which are free for you to use at Webmaster El Dorado.
Note: This tutorial has only been tested on images where the largest side is 400 pixels or less. If your image is a great deal larger or smaller, your results may be different.
Let´s begin!
1. Open up the image you're going to "paint" and resize if necessary. Go to your layer palette, right click and choose Promote background layer. Now grab your freehand selection tool with these settings:
Note: I used the point to point setting, but if Freehand or one of the others works better for you, go for it.
Select all around the area of your image which contains sky.
Note: Don't worry about being too precise, the feathering will help take care of that.
2. Add to the selection (Shift Key) or subtract from it (Ctrl Key) until you have it the way you want it to be, then, go to Selections>Promote selection to a layer. Name the layer sky. Rename the other layer "Main Image" (just to avoid confusion).
3. Turn off the visibility on the sky layer, then highlight the Main Image layer. Hit your delete key. De-select.
4. Create a new layer and drag it to the bottom. Name it Gradient. Choose your flood fill tool. Set gradient for your foreground, then click in the box and locate the Rainbow-ns Gradient. Set the angle for zero, the repeats at zero and choose either the linear or the radial gradient. Flood fill the selection.
5. Make the sky layer visible again and set the blend mode to Overlay.
6. Turn off the Main Image layer. Make sure you are on the sky layer, then Merge>Merge Visible. Rename the merged layer "sky" Turn the Main Image layer back on, then drag the sky layer to the bottom if necessary.
7. Highlight the sky layer. Go to Effects>Artistic Effects>Contours and use these settings:
8. Highlight the Main Image layer and repeat the Contours effect, then go to Adjust>Brightness and Contrast>Brightness/Contrast. I set my Brightness at 35 and my Contrast at 15, but this will probably vary depending on the image you use.
Note: The purpose of this step is to change the Main Image enough so it will blend in nicely with the boldly colored sky.
9. Highlight the sky layer once more. Go to Effects>Artistic Effects>Topography:
You're finished! Merge your layers, mat and/or frame your image and you'll have another "masterpiece" from a photograph.
Here's the result my tester "Mur" got using a different photo. Notice how she color coordinated her frame? Cool!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
*~Nightshadow~*
This tutorial is my own creation, any similarity to any other tutorial on the Internet is unintentional. It is copyrighted by me, Nightshadow, on May 4, 2004 and is not to be copied or reproduced in any way under penalty of law. Graphics lists, please e-mail me for permission to post my tutorials, especially because I would love to see the results :O)
NOTE: Any image you make using this tutorial is completely your own property.
