tapes? There are different ways to add such effects to your images and even create an animation from a static photo using an Animated VHS Creation Kit.
This tutorial will show you how to convert your image to a VHS frame in simple steps using only standard Photoshop tools.
Tutorial Assets
Any photo you want to use for this manipulation.
You can find some free photos on Unsplash and Pixabay or buy high-quality photos on PhotoDune. I chose
Organizations today are rife with politics. Smaller the issue, greater is the hubbub around it. When it comes to dealing with a human being, you need to take into consideration perceptions, ego, and inherent insecurities. The instant you create a situation where there is a winning side and a losing side, you create politics. Office Read More …
Almost exactly two years ago we published our first translation; a step into the unknown, a risk perhaps, but something we felt sure our community would be enthusiastic about. Fast forward to today and we’ve published over 2,000 translations, ranging across 41 different languages, submitted by almost 600 dedicated volunteers. These posts see around a quarter of a million monthly pageviews and are helping us build upon our strong global community.
Thank You!
2,000 is a very significant milestone–thank you, community members. You rock! I should also thank translation platform Native, without which we’d still be wrestling with text files and email.
So which translations and which languages have fared best on Envato Tuts+ Design & Illustration over the last two years?
The top ten most visited Design & Illustration translations reveal a broad range of languages, including French, Russian, Indonesian, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese (both simplified and traditional). This diversity isn’t found on any other topic at Envato Tuts+.
Most significantly, the number one slot is filled by 10個阻擋你進步的繪圖迷思. This Chinese translation sky rocketed across social media, making it the most visited single post of any language (including English) across the whole network in 2015! Its success gave us reason to seriously consider how we’re approaching our Chinese audience–I’ll let you know what we’re doing about that in a moment.
For now, here are the top three visited translations for this topic:
Croatian is one of our less prominent languages, but thanks exclusively to Maja’s dedication (and love of Design & Illustration) we now have 37 Croatian translations which bring in growing numbers of visitors every week.
Here are the top three most productive translators for this topic:
We’ve built a great foundation for a truly global educational platform. Thanks to this solid start we’re reaching more people than ever, helping them learn and understand creative subjects.
We’d like to continue this growth, especially in less prominent languages. If you can help, please volunteer by clicking the Translate this post button in the sidebar of a tutorial which interests you! Read more about what this entails by going to Translate for Envato Tuts+.
Help us spread the word by sharing translations on social media, and sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date.
If you’d specifically like to hear about our progress in China, talk to Kendra; our feet on the ground in Beijing. Kendra is working to build our community in China, talking with translators and instructors, and managing Chinese social media. Get in touch via Twitter @kendraschaefer, or through WeChat at kendrakai.
Curves are one of the best utilities in Photoshop for making lighting adjustments to an image. This feature may seem complex at first, but once you understand its power, it will become your ‘go to’ feature!
In our ten-minute Coffee Break Course, Using Curves in Adobe Photoshop, Envato Tuts+ instructor Kirk Nelson will teach you how to understand the histogram, make targeted adjustments to increase the contrast of an image, and even how to remove a color cast from a photo.
Watch the 30-second introduction video to find out more.
You can take our new Coffee Break Course straight away with a free 10-day trial of our monthly subscription. If you decide to continue, it costs just $15 a month, and you’ll get access to hundreds of courses, with new ones added every week.
If you want more help with adjusting your images, you can find thousands of useful Photoshop actions on Envato Market, such as the Digital photographer action pack, which gives you 18 useful actions for your photos, from smoothing skin to adding vintage or cross-processing effects.
I have no shame… I love a good vector illustration which uses simple silhouettes. They’re great for beginners and are simple, quick exercises to ease you into Adobe Illustrator.
In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to use Illustrator’s Image Trace (in legacy versions it’s known as Live Trace) to create a quick and surreal portrait scene as well as a fun way to create clouds.
What You Will Need
In order to complete this tutorial, you’ll require the following stock images from Envato Market:
I’ve specifically picked a selection of stock images with the background removed. This will make it easier for me to use Image Trace. If you’re using different images and want the background removed, there are services on Envato Studio which can help you with this. Otherwise, let’s jump straight into the tutorial.
1. Use Image Trace on the Stock Images
Step 1
Before I put together our composition, let’s get straight into using Image Trace on our stock images.
Create a New Document and use File > Place to insert your first stock image into your document. Use the Free Transform Tool (E) to reduce the size of your stock image. I’m then going to hide the artboard boundary by going to View > Hide Artboards.
I often hide my artboards when I’m creating fun little illustrations so I don’t feel I’m limited to the boundary of the artboard.
Step 2
Duplicate the image by Copy and Pasting in Front (Control-F). This is so we can apply two different Image Trace settings to our image.
Select the top stock image and you’ll notice a button along the top of Illustrator saying Image Trace. When you click on this, default settings are applied to the photo.
To the left-hand side of the button, there is an Image Trace panel button. Click on this and you’ll open the settings, where you can modify to change what is traced and what isn’t.
Each one of these images I’ll be tracing in Black and White with Ignore White ticked. However I’ll be playing with different Threshold and Advanced settings, and I’ll tell you why. If you want to know about each specific setting with Image Trace, consider checking out our tutorial on How to Use Image Trace.
For this trace, I want to pick up on as much detail as possible around the edges of my shape, so I’ve put the maximum values on Paths, Corners and Noise. However, I only want to trace some of the face which is in shadow, so the Threshold is just past halfway.
When I’m finished with each Image Trace, I click on the Expand button to release the trace to editable paths. Select each group of shapes and create a Compound Path (Control-8).
Step 3
For the bottom stock image, I want the overall silhouette. I’ve opted for one less than the full Threshold amount of 255. This is because if I use 255 I’ll get an entirely black image. With one less than the maximum, it doesn’t trace the white background.
I’ve modified the Advanced settings to create smooth curves around the portrait. This means reducing the Corners, Paths and Noise values, which creates rougher outlines on the overall shape.
Step 4
Next I’m going to Image Trace the trees. As I want to show the detailing in the leaves and branches, I’m going to reduce the Noise to a minimum. Noise will only add texture to the edges and not create the look we want.
Step 5
Select the Image Trace of the trees and as with previous traces, click the Expand button. This time, while the group is selected, go to Object > Ungroup.
With the Direct Selection Tool (A), draw a shape around a tree and create a Compound Path (Control-8). Do that to each of the trees so you have eight shapes in total when complete.
Step 6
The final image to trace is the castle. This time I’ve reduced the Corners and Noise to create sharper points for the towers and smoother curves all over.
I adjusted the Threshold so I can see the smaller details in the trellis.
2. Create a Tapered Art Brush
There will be some additional details added to the portrait which Image Trace hasn’t picked up on.
Draw a black filled circle using the Ellipse Tool (L). Using the Free Transform Tool (E), squash the circle. Then with the Direct Selection Tool (A), select each of the side points and use the Convert point to corner option in the Control panel.
Once done, I select the shape and in the Brushes panel, select Add New Brush, select Art Brush and then keep the options as default apart from Colorization Method: Tints. Click on OK once done.
3. Bring Together Your Composition
Step 1
Time to begin arranging the traced images. First I’m going to use a basic colour scheme of dark and light green for the face.
Step 2
I wanted to add a castle for a crown or tiara in the composition. It may sound strange but I thought about building a scene around her hair with trees and foliage and the castle idea seems right… even though it looks bizarre!
You may need to resize images while you’re placing them. If that’s the case, use the Free Transform Tool (E) and hold down Shift-Alt to ensure an even resize.
Step 3
I’m going to use duplicates of the trees and position them around the portrait. The majority of them will be a dark green fill, with the exception of the one on the shoulder.
The trees help add texture around the edges of the hair and help the castle blend into the head.
4. Refine the Face
Using the tapered brush and the Paintbrush Tool (B) to refine the details for the eyes, eyebrows and lips.
It doesn’t have to be precise, just enough detailing to create more definition for the face.
5. Create the Sky
Step 1
I first create a Rectangle (M) behind the composition and fill it with a gradient going from light to medium blue, both desaturated tones.
Then with the Ellipse Tool (L) I create a circle with the same fill, this time set to Blending Mode Screen. This helps create a sun. I’ve lined the sun up with her eyes as it appears it’s in a position where the light is coming from.
Step 2
I’m going to show you how to create some quick and easy clouds. It all starts with the Blob Brush Tool (Shift-B).
Double-click on the Blob Brush Tool to get the options. Change the settings so the Size is influenced by Pressure—this will give it a variable size when pressure is applied with a graphics tablet.
Step 3
With the gradient as a fill and set to Blending Mode Screen, Opacity 50%, just doodle some looped lines where you’d like the clouds using the Blob Brush Tool.
Step 4
With the paths still selected, go to Effects > Blur > Gaussian Blur. I’ve used a value of around 45 pixels to blur it enough that it softens the edges but is still visible on top of the background.
Step 5
Add strokes on top of the portrait to create clouds overlapping in the foreground.
6. The Finishing Details
Step 1
I think we need a bit more detailing in the background. What I’m going to do is add some further duplicates of trees in a layer behind the current ones and give them a lighter fill colour. This will give the impression of the trees being further away in the distance.
Step 2
Using the Blob Brush Tool (Shift-B) and the different shades of green, create little curved “V” shapes to give the impression of birds flying in the distance.
Step 3
Group together all of the shapes for the illustration. Then, using a duplicate of the sky rectangle, create a Clipping Mask (Control-7).
Step 4
Time to change the colours around. I select all of the shapes apart from the ones for the background and the sun. Then along the top of the Control panel, select Recolor Artwork, and then the Edit section.
I’m going to change the colours of the portrait and trees to a reddish/brown hue to complement the blue, desaturated sky… a warm colour against a cool colour.
Awesome Work, You’re Now Done!
A lot of people may get down on the use of Image Trace, but I think when it’s used for creative compositions and to add texture to an illustration, it can add that extra level of panache.
Try this one out, and show me in the comments what you’ve come up with.
style! Those extraordinary clothes, those fancy hairdos, the music and, of
course, the cars! In this tutorial we’ll combine our love for the 50s,
cinematography and games, creating a crazy mix. We’ll make an aerial view of a stylized Greased Lightning retro car, using basic
shapes, various types of gradients and blending modes, working with the
Pathfinder panel and other functions of Adobe Illustrator.
Grease is the word. It is a movie that represents the pure essence of the 1950s—a story of love, joy, beautiful things
and marvelous cars. Those retro cabriolets with smooth rounded shapes and
folding roofs. They definitely remain stylish and unforgettable.
Inspired by this
movie, we’ll be making a top view of a retro car with lightning-shaped patterns. You can
actually use these techniques to create any kind of a car—be sure to check the
cars top view section of Envato Market to make it easier to imagine the vehicles from such an aerial
angle of view. Browsing through retro cars at Envato Market may also be quite
useful in order to get a nice detailed reference of a vehicle.
Ready to start drawing? Let’s begin!
1. Create the Basic Outlines
Step 1
We’ll start by making the main parts of
our car. Take the Ellipse Tool (L)
and let’s shape the top view of the chassis. Make a 130 x 300 px ellipse, switch to the Direct
Selection Tool (A) and drag both side anchor points down, making the bottom
part flat and wide.
Step 2
Continue by making a smaller 55 x 155
px ellipse and placing it at the left side of the chassis. This will be the
base for the headlights. Drag the side anchor points up, making the bottom part
of the shape more pointed.
Step 3
Now let’s shape the bottom part, which is
for the back of the car. Make a 130 x 125
px rectangle with the Rectangle Tool
(M). Select both bottom anchor points with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and use the Live Corners feature to make the bottom corners rounded, by pulling
the Live Corners circle markers up.
If you’re using earlier versions of Adobe
Illustrator, feel free to apply Effect
> Stylize > Round Corners. However, it affects all the
corners of the shape. You can then use the Eraser
Tool (Shift-E) and hold down Alt
to delete the upper part of the shape, making the upper corners sharp again.
Step 4
Now add a narrow shape with the Rounded Rectangle Tool, forming the
top-view of the wing. And let’s add the same elements to the right half of the chassis.
Select both the oval and the wing and double-click the Reflect Tool (O) to open the options
window. Select the Vertical Axis and
hit the Copy button. Place the
copies on the opposite side of the car, making them fit the chassis.
Step 5
Now let’s make a windscreen for our car.
Make a small rectangle of about 110 x 18
px size, placing it inside the chassis. Go to Effect > Warp > Arc Upper and set the Horizontal Bend value to 20%,
making the shape arched at the top. Object
> Expand Appearance to apply the effect.
Then go to Object > Path > Offset Path and set the Offset value to -5 px,
creating a smaller shape inside. Click OK.
Step 6
Finally, let’s add the interior parts of
the car. Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to make two small
rectangles, fitting the inner space of the car. Those will be for the seats. Make the
outer corners of the shapes rounded, using the Live Corners feature.
Finally, form a simple steering wheel, made
of three ellipses, one inside the other.
Great! Now all the main parts are ready and
we can move on to coloring!
2. Apply Colors and Add Details
Step 1
First of all, let’s select the largest element, the base of our car, and apply a bright radial gradient from vivid red
in the center to darker red at the edges. Use the Gradient Tool (G) to shrink the shape of the gradient, making it
more oval, this way adding subtle shadows to the edges of our car.
Step 2
Select the headlights ellipses and use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to pick the red
gradient color from the car base. Switch the Type of the gradient to Linear
and place the gradients vertically from lighter red on top to darker red at the bottom.
Add a small rounded rectangle beneath the
chassis (press Shift-Control-[ to Send it to Back) and fill it with similar red colors, filling the gaps on
the front side of the car.
Step 3
Apply the same red linear gradient to the
wings of the car as well, positioning it at 90 degrees angle in the Gradient panel.
Step 4
As for the bottom element (the back
of the car), let’s apply an oval-shaped radial gradient as well and Send this part to Back (Shift-Control-[), placing it beneath the base of the car.
Step 5
Now let’s apply the colors to the
windscreen. Make the outer shape light red, slightly lighter than the base of
the car, making it pop out. As for the inner shape, apply a light-blue vertical
linear gradient, depicting the glass surface.
Step 6
Let’s add some glossy highlights to the
windscreen. Use the Rectangle Tool (M)
to make two narrow vertical stripes of any color (just to make them visible
above the white background). Set the Blending
Mode to Screen in the Transparency panel.
Hold down Shift and rotate the shapes 45 degrees, placing the stripes above
the windscreen. Now select the stripes together with the blue glass shape and
take the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M).
Hold Alt and click the unneeded
pieces outside the glass to delete them.
Finally, set the Fill color to white in the Color
panel and here you have it!
Step 7
Now we’ll make the striped pattern for the
seats in order to make them look more realistic and textured.
Make a 13 x 60
px rectangle and fill it with horizontal linear gradient from white to
light grey.
Hold down Alt-Shift and drag the shape to the right, making a copy. Press Control-D several times to make seven
more copies. Group (Control-G) the
shapes.
Step 8
Now let’s head back to our car, select the
seats, Copy (Control-C) them and Paste in Front (Control-F). Place our
texture beneath the seats (press Control-[
a few times to move the object several positions down). Hold Alt-Shift and drag the texture up,
creating a copy for the second half of the seats.
Now select the bottom piece of texture and the
seat-shape above it, click the right mouse button and Make Clipping Mask.
As you can see, now the texture is hidden
inside the seat-shape, creating a nice puffy texture.
Repeat the same for the second half of the
seat, placing the texture inside the Clipping
Mask.
Step 9
Now let’s create some additional shadow in
order to make the seats more three-dimensional. We still have two more outlines of
our seats (the copies that we created a few steps before).
Select the upper half and fill it with the
same white-grey linear gradient as we had for the seat’s texture (you can use
the Eyedropper Tool (I) to pick the
color), but this time place the gradient vertically. Switch the Blending Mode to Multiply, making a darker semi-transparent shape.
And repeat the same for the second half of
the seats.
Step 10
The two halves of the seats look equal now,
but let’s add a bit more variety here. To do so, select the elements
of the lower half and shrink them, making the seat narrower. As for the second
half, let’s do the opposite: extend the shapes, making the seat much wider,
creating contrast between the shapes.
Step 11
Now let’s move on to the steering wheel. Select
the two circles (which are for the wheel), right click and Make Compound Path (or simply press Control-8). Fill the created donut
shape with a squashed radial gradient, consisting of three colors: dark grey,
white, light grey. Fill the center of the steering wheel with a simple radial
gradient from light grey to darker grey.
Step 12
Now let’s modify the back of our car, adding a folding roof. Copy the bottom shape and Bring it to Front(Control-C > Control-F
> Shift-Control-]). Fill the shape with vertical linear gradient from
white to light grey.
Make the shape much smaller and place it as
shown in the screenshot below: the light-grey shape should fit nicely inside
the back of the chassis, so that the dark-red bottom of the chassis
creates a thin outline around the shape, making both shapes match
perfectly.
Finally, duplicate (Control-C > Control-F) the light-grey shape that we’ve
created, make the copy smaller and reverse the colors of the gradient, creating
the inner part of the folding textile roof of the cabriolet.
Step 13
Now let’s form the inner part of the car,
making it much darker. Select the base of the car and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Set
the Offset value to -5 px, creating a smaller shape inside
the base.
Now select the new shape together with the
outer part of the windscreen (the red one), take the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M), hold down Alt and click on the top piece to delete it. This way we
have formed the interior of the car.
Step 14
We already have the base for the
headlights, but we haven’t yet made the headlights themselves. Let’s shape them
out!
Make a 35 x 8
px oval shape using the Ellipse Tool
(L). Fill the shape with vertical linear gradient from light grey to white.
Copy it and Paste in Back (Control-C > Control-B).
Select the bottom anchor point of the back
shape with the Direct Selection Tool (A)
and drag it down, holding Shift.
Finally, fill the extruded shape with
bright-red radial gradient by picking the color from the chassis, using the Eyedropper Tool (I).
Voila! Now we can attach the headlights to
the car.
Place the headlights on the top part of the
car. They should look like this.
Step 15
Now let’s add a shiny chrome element to
the front part of the car. Take the Rounded
Rectangle Tool and form a narrow vertical stripe at the top of the car.
Apply a linear gradient with the following
colors: light grey, white, dark grey, light grey. Place it horizontally, as
shown below, giving the shape a true-to-life metal look.
3. Add the Lightning Pattern to the Car
Step 1
Now it’s time to make our retro car look
unique and associate it with the Grease movie! Get ready to grab the Pencil Tool (N) and draw those
flowing lines, creating a fancy lightning pattern for our car. Try to keep it simple.
You
can double-click the Pencil Tool (N)
to play with its Fidelity settings,
making it smooth. I’m drawing these shapes with just a mouse and, as you can
see, Adobe Illustrator copes perfectly well with making the lines smooth.
Step 2
Make three more different shapes of
lightning.
Step 3
Start applying the lightning shapes to the
left half of the car. Rotate them and move them around, making them fit the
elements of the car perfectly. Remember to use the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M) to delete the unwanted pieces of lightning outside the car.
As soon as you’re happy with the
position of the elements, select them and use the Reflect Tool (O) to flip the shapes over the Vertical axis, making
mirrored copies and attaching them to the opposite side of the car.
Step 4
Now let’s add a bit more dimension here.
Select the two mirrored lightning shapes on the front part of the car and Make a Compound Path (Control-8). Apply
a bright radial gradient from white to greyish-pink, making the pattern silver
and glowing. Apply the same color to all the other lightning shapes.
Step 5
Now let’s add some highlights to the car, making
its surface look glossy and polished. Select the biggest element of the chassis and apply Object > Path > Offset Path with -7px Offset value. Fill the new shape with vertical linear gradient
from pink to black and set the Blending
Mode to Screen. You will see the
black part becomes transparent, creating a nice glossy effect.
Do the same for the oval shapes beneath the
headlights.
Step 6
Add a similar highlight to the back of the
car. Be sure to place the lightning patterns beneath the highlights.
Step 7
Now let’s add another important element of
any car: the exhaust or the tailpipe. We’ll actually make two of them to make
our car look cool.
Make an 8 x 35
px rectangle for the tailpipe and fill it with the same chrome linear
gradient as the decorative stripe at the nose of the car (use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to pick the
gradient).
Hold Alt-Shift
and drag the shape to the right, making a copy. Select both tailpipes and Send them to Back (Shift-Control-[).
Step 8
Now we’ll depict flames being thrown from
the exhaust.
Start by making a 7 x 30 px ellipse of black color and attach it to the tip of the
tailpipe. Create a smaller oval on top, filling it with bright-orange color.
Step 9
Select both ovals and go to Object > Blend > Make. This way
we make a smooth transition between the colors, creating a flame effect.
We can still edit the elements inside the Blend group in the Layers panel. For example, you can add a smaller yellow ellipse on
top and drag it inside the Blend
group to make the flame even brighter.
Drag the side and bottom anchor points of
the shapes down, using the Direct
Selection Tool (A) to extend the flame.
Step 10
To get the semi-transparent flame effect, firstly we need to create any kind of background beneath our car. For this purpose,
create a grey rectangle of 800 x 600 px
size and place it beneath the car (Shift-Command-[).
Select the flames and switch the Blending Mode to Screen.
4. Form the Background and Add Finishing
Touches
Step 1
Now that we’ve already started making the
background, let’s proceed with that, making our composition look complete and
balanced.
We already have an 800 x 600 px rectangle beneath our car. Apply a radial gradient from
grey to dark grey, depicting the asphalt surface.
Step 2
Now let’s return to our car and tweak
it a bit, adding a gentle flat-style shadow. Select all parts of the car, duplicate them (Control-С > Control-F) and Unite
in Pathfinder, creating a single
silhouette.
Use the Line Segment Tool (\) to draw a red vertical line across the car.
Step 3
Let’s align the objects. Select both the
red line and the car silhouette, hold Alt
and click the silhouette to make it a Key
Object. You will see a thick selection stroke, indicating that all the
selected elements will be aligned to this object. Head to the Align panel and click Horizontal Align Center.
While both objects are still selected, go
to the Pathfinder panel and click Divide in order to split the silhouette
into two equal halves. Delete the right half and apply Multiply Blending Mode to the left half, making it semi-transparent
and thus darkening the left side of the car.
Step 4
Let’s make the ground beneath the car
textured for more realism. Duplicate
(Control-C > Control-F) the
background rectangle and head to the Swatches
panel. From here, click the Swatch
Libraries menu icon and find Patterns
> Basic Graphics > Basic Graphics_Textures. Apply the USGS 22 Gravel Beach texture to our
rectangle.
Step 5
Now let’s add a shadow cast by our car.
Use the Ellipse Tool (L) to make an
oval of a slightly larger size than the car. Place it beneath the vehicle and
apply a squashed radial gradient from greyish-pink in the center to white at
the edges. Switch it to Multiply Blending
Mode, forming a blurred shadow on the ground.
And here is what we have!
Greased Lightning, Go, Greased Lightning!
Great job guys! We’ve successfully crossed
the finishing line of our race and created an aerial view of a retro car,
inspired by the Grease movie. These techniques can be used to create any other
top-view vehicle or symmetrical object, which is perfect for simple racing
games and easy to animate.
Feel free to go further and adjust our
result image even more. For example, here I’ve duplicated the car that we created and played around with the colors, creating alternative palettes, which
can also be found in the original Grease movie. You can get these top-view retro cars in AI, EPS and PNG in order to see how they were made or to edit them your liking.
In this tutorial we are going to create a 3D isometric map made from combinations of a few landscape photos. No 3D software is used in this project—we are going to use only Adobe Photoshop. The end result can be used as an icon or as part of an infographic.
Tutorial Assets
To complete the tutorial you will need the following assets:
Soil texture (personal photo, available inside the zip file)
1. Prepare the Canvas
Step 1
First of all, we need to add an isometric grid to our canvas. You can find instructions for this in the isometric tutorial we published earlier.
Step 2
Based on the grid, draw a rectangle vector shape on the isometric surface. You can use any color, because this is just a guide for our next photo manipulation process.
Step 3
Duplicate the vector shape by clicking Control-J, and move it upward.
Step 4
From now on, you can turn off the grid, because we won’t be needing it anymore.
2. Build the Soil
Step 1
Draw the left side of the 3D map using the Pen Tool. Double-click its layer shape and then add a Gradient Overlay.
Step 2
Set its Fill to 0%.
Step 3
Repeat the same step on the other side.
Step 4
Draw a new shape using the Pen Tool, covering the whole map. Add a Gradient Overlay to the shape and then set its Fill to 0%.
Step 5
Grab the soil texture and place it on top of the map.
Step 6
Control-click the left side of the map to make a new selection based on its shape. Click the Add layer mask icon in the lower part of the Layers panel to cut off the rock texture outside the shape.
Step 7
Repeat the same process on the other side of the map.
3. Build the Hill
Step 1
Grab the hill landscape and overlay it on the map with low Opacity. Position it until you get a nice perspective.
Step 2
Add a layer mask to the landscape photo and then paint with black to hide unwanted areas. In this case, I want to retain the street, the hill next to it, and the tree in the corner. Try to get a natural shape using your brush stroke. We don’t want this to be a flat, box-like shape.
Step 3
Let’s go back to the soil. We need to make it darker and more believable. Start by painting shadow on its corner. Add a new layer and simply paint black using the Brush Tool with low Opacity.
Step 4
The result is already much better. Keep on adding black shadow to the soil to make it a lot darker.
Step 5
Next, grab another dirt or soil texture. Paste it on top of the previous soil and set its mode to Overlay. Take your time, add a layer mask, and carefully insert any dirt, rocks, and roots into the soil to make it as realistic as possible.
Step 6
Let’s add another landscape image into the map. Place the landscape behind the current hill landscape. Add a layer mask to the landscape image and then paint black to remove most of its content while leaving part of its valley.
Step 7
Add a new layer and then paint shadow on areas of the new landscape as indicated below.
4. Add the Sea
Step 1
Now, add the sea image behind the map. Position it where you like it most.
Step 2
Control-click the base of the map to create a new selection based on its shape. Click the Add layer mask icon to hide unselected pixels.
Step 3
Manually fix broken elements in the landscape, if there are any, by painting them with white using a soft brush. In this case, do this with the rock.
Step 4
To add more waves to the sea, we can simply duplicate the sea image and move it to a different position. Apply the same layer mask as the first one and then hide some of the areas until it blends with the first image.
Step 5
Select the ocean by Control-clicking on its layer shape. Add a Photo Filter Adjustment Layerwith Cooling Filter to increase the contrast of its blue sea surface.
5. Add Details
Step 1
Let’s add more contrast into the scene manually. Start by selecting the main hill. Make a new layer on top of it and then click Edit > Stroke to add a stroke line.
Step 2
Apply a Gaussian Blur filter to soften the line, and then reduce its Opacity setting in the Layers panel. If necessary, you can also delete a segment of the blurred line using the Eraser Tool.
Step 3
Repeat this process, and add another shadow by painting with black on a new layer.
Step 4
Let’s make the road more realistic by adding an unfinished street at the end. Activate the hill landscape layer and then paint with white to reveal a chunk of street hanging outside the map. Right underneath the street, paint black to add thickness to the street and then paint a big soft shadow on the soil.
Step 5
To make it appear more realistic, add a new layer and scribble some short black lines using the Pencil Tool with 1 px brush size on the street. Duplicate the layer, and invert its color to white by pressing Control-I. Move the white scribbles down 1 pixel. Reduce their Opacity setting in the Layers panel.
Step 6
Add another shadow and highlight onto the scene by painting with black and white using a soft big brush with low Opacity.
Step 7
Here’s the fun part. The map will not be complete until we have a small car on the empty street. You might notice that in our main landscape there’s a parked car. Select and then copy it to a new layer (Control-J). Place it on the street, add a layer mask, and then hide unneeded pixels by painting them with black.
6. Add the Background
Step 1
We will use a simple background for this map. Activate the Gradient Tool with a standard white to black gradient. Drag from top to bottom until we have this background.
Step 2
Let’s add a shadow underneath the map. Control-click the base to make a new selection. Fill it with black, deselect (Control-D), and then apply a Gaussian Blur filter (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) to soften it. Repeat this process a few times with different Radius settings and layer Opacity until we have a realistic floor.
Step 3
We may need to draw shadow manually by painting black on the canvas using a big soft Brush Tool with low Opacity.
Step 4
This grey background is just too dull. Let’s make it more interesting by changing its color to blue. Add a Photo Filter Adjustment Layer above the background and select Cooling Filter.
Conclusion
Now, we have reached the final result. As you can see, there are no complicated tricks in this tutorial. We only used a simple layer mask and a bit of manual drawing.
I believe that it is important to select the best landscape photos—by doing this, we save ourselves from time-consuming photo editing and can focus on working with the map shape. I hope you understand this tutorial and can follow it easily. If you do follow along, let me know your result. I’d love to see it. Thanks.
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