| Wave of the Future | |
|
||
|
||
Adobe’s mad scientist Russell Preston Brown works with the new Liquify option in Adobe Photoshop 6.0.
INTERMEDIATE
Welcome to the Wave of the Future. You are going to see how to bend and curve text to follow the contours of a flag. And, it’s going to be easy with the use of the new Liquify option in Adobe® Photoshop® 6.0!
1. In this project, we’ll work with two layers: a text layer and a background image. In Photoshop, select the Channels palette. Create a copy of the channel with maximum contrast between the shadows, midtones, and highlights by dragging the channel on top of the new layer button at the bottom of the palette. In this case, we used the red channel.
Add
Extra Contrast
After making a copy of the channel with the most contrast, you
can enhance that contrast by using the Levels option.
2. Return to the Layers palette. Select and make visible the image you want to distort on the background. In this case, it’s the text layer.
Hint
If you choose to distort text in your project, Photoshop will
automatically rasterize it when you select the Liquify tool.
Remember, once you’ve used the Liquify tool the text can
no longer be edited.
3. Choose Image > Liquify.
4. In the Liquify dialog box, select the shift pixel tool from the Tool palette. Before we start you might want to familiarize yourself with this tool by trying these simple experiments. Paint right to left across the top of the type and see the pixels of the type move down.
5. Next, paint left to right along the bottom of the type and see the pixels move up. Keep these shift pixel tool behaviors in mind, because you will be using them as we continue this project.
Cancel
or Reset
Remember, at any time you can press the Option/Alt key to change
the Cancel button to Reset and then reset the Liquify dialog
box parameters– and the artwork–to the defaults.
6. If you paint wildly all over the image, you’ll find yourself back in the 60’s. It’s OK to experiment with mind-altering tools, because we can always revert back to normal by clicking the Revert button.
Shortcut
Press the Option/Alt key while painting with the shift pixel
tool to change the direction of the pixel movement. You can
do the same thing with any Liquify tool that gives you a choice
of directional movement.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, and Photoshop are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. ©2000 Adobe Systems Incorporated. Licensed to About.com. All rights reserved. Photo Credit © Photodisc, Inc. PS6.0 11/00
Visit www.russellbrown.com for more tips and special events!
To submit your own content to this site, visit the article submission form.
