Using Photoshop for fashion illustrations - Tips & Advice

[Cypresses]

criticsdarling! Lucky you, there are easy ways to do it, it really depends on what kind of image your working on,

For more geometric cut out, use Cropping tool (the one under the lasso tool, or third one from left side on the dropdown menu)

More organic one use lasso tools, there are three different lassos, choose the one that most desire to frame around your images, than you can wither crop out that image, copy and paste or transfer by holding down the Move and drag it over to the college you are working on.

Sometimes Clipping Mask also works fine

If you have any question about the functions, I can post more detail steps.

 

[yogini108]

when i open photoshop, how do i get a blank thing to start on..to paste images on

 

[Luna]

Wow.. fourbolt.. it's so awesome that you've helped so much already. I know photoshop, but I have no idea how to explain anything to anyone else.

Karma for you!

 

[Luna]

when i open photoshop, how do i get a blank thing to start on..to paste images on

File > New File ?

 

[Cypresses]

okay, so now that i've found this..i have a question.
I want to make fun little collages for the express youself, don't repress yourself thread...and I'm not interested in making layers(?) or see through things or the high tech stuff just yet, but I still want to be able to make quasi simple ones.
I'm not even sure which photo shop version I have, but all I know how to do collage wise is open the picture I want to use, and with the little lasso icon, I can cut out the shape that I want. thats it
From there, how do I move it around, paste it on another document in its' full size, put it over in the corner or keep it in the middle.
The only a little more complicated thing i;d like to be able to know how to do is cut off edges. Instead of having a collage with squares layered over squares, I;d like to make the sides round and more defined, so I'm not covering so much up with random excessive edges.

This may take forever to respond to, it seems so complicated, but whenever anyone gets back is great!

To paste the image to another file with its full size:
1. Open both files that you are working on, the one you are cutting out and the one you are going to paste your work, make sure both window is visible to you.
2. With the image you want to cut out still selected, click the Moving Tool on drop down menu, than click and hold down the mouse on the image you selected, than just drag over to the file you wan to paste on.
3. I believe that’s the laziest way to do it. Or if you want to go more “formal” way, you can Import or Place the image.

Move around the image on new file:
I didn’t get your question, you can just select the image you want to move with Move Tool and move it around don’t you?

Cropping:
1. Beside just clicking Crop Tool, what you can do is set the stroke and fill to none
2. Than using circle, oval what ever shape that work best for you, or even define the area by using Lasso Tools
3. With the area still selected, crop it, or drag it over to new file

I am using MacOSX with SC2, so I don’t know if it works the same on PC.

 

[yogini108]

i think im yet to discover the move tool and the drop down menu

 

[criticsdarling]

Thank you cypresses!!

 

[Ceptuouse]

could someone tell me how you can make a photo, from a digital camera whatever look more like its been grapically drawn on the computer? Its the photoshopped look I want, is there any tool that can make everything look more smooth?

 

[fourboltmain]

Post an example of the look you want.

 

[Ceptuouse]

sorry about the wait, i went on dior.com to find a picture and somehow ended up watching the video anyway, this is what i mean, kind of a smooth looking picture...but obviously photoshopped

 

[fourboltmain]

Well, if you mean the soft edges, here's a quick and dirty way to get the look:

First, I'll use this lovely photo of Ms. Keira Knightly (mmm...) as an example:

Now, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels (or control + L) and slide the arrows below the the input levels around to darken her up. I slid the black one right, just enough to get good shadows, then I slid the grey one around, that's the most important, so you get a natural darkening. The white was moved over left a bit, just to add contrast. Why not use Auto Levels? I don't like them, and this way give you more shadows:

Next, you go to Filter > Distort > Diffuse Glow. Within this, you add the fuzziness around it. I put the grain to 0, to keep it smooth. Glow Amount controls the amount of glow (redundant, huh?). And the Clear Amount let's you control the blur on the work. You can see the general area where I put these at.

And here is the end result:

To get a result like your example is possible, but it involves some time. It would be easier to start with a photo that was lit from behind, but you get the general idea. Let me see what you come up with. And please, don't over do it, as it is a filter that has been whored to death, and your photos may end up looking like they were taken at the mall at Star Shots or something.

 

[Ceptuouse]

Thankyou so so much, your amazing!!

 

[MUXU]

and to answer the smooth look thing..there's an easy way to make everthing look smooth and dreamy..but not so blurred...

(dont know if you know this method already..quite simple and popular)

go to filter > blur > gaussian blur...than you move the slider to the amount which make the whole pic blurred..(the amount depends on the size of the pic)..not blurred to the point where you only see blobs of color..but to the point where you can still see a faint edge of the object(s)

click ok

now go to edit > fade gaussian blur
and fade away the blur to the amount you feel is just right

and this is how to create that dreamy, glowing look in 2 easy steps
=)

 

[Ceptuouse]

^ Thankyou muxu your all amazing!

 

[Urban Stylin]

am not really a pro at using it on illustrations but i always use it to enhance the colours and also smoothen some of the lines by again enhancing the colours. CS5 has great tools like the match colour, i also like using contrast /brightness to add character to the drawing and the select colour and hue/saturation tools to make the colours mode dramatic

 

[Urban Stylin]

here are some sketches where i used photoshop to make them more visible and also changed the colours of the clothes...basic i guess

 

[Alejandro]

The easiest thing I do to create that airy blurred out look is to use "Diffuse Glow" on the picture...

 

[Ceptuouse]

how do you lighten things aswell?

 

[IngridRom]

How do you airbrush (is that the name?) people using photoshop? I'm talking about making the skin looking smooth as this: http://techfire6.tripod.com/pics/adriana_lima_042.jpg

 

[gius]

how do you lighten things aswell?

I guess you can try going to Image > Adjust > Brightness/Contrast
and fiddle around with those.
You could also do the same thing by going to the same place, except choosing Hue/Saturation

NorwegianIngrid I couldn't see the picture, but you just use the airbrush tool and draw over the skin, I guess lol

I have Photoshop 6 ...