Path, Selection, and 3D Transformations
Dateline: 09/24/99
Path
& Selection Transformations
In addition to transforming layers, in Photoshop 5, you can now make path and
selection transformations. When you want to transform only the selection marquee,
you must choose "Transform Selection" from the select menu prior to
making any changes. If you don't choose transform selection, any changes you
make will effect the selected pixels, rather than the selection marquee itself.
All
the transformation commands are available from the Edit menu (see right). Depending
on the active tool, from the Edit menu you can choose to transform a layer,a
selection, a path, or points.
In the following image, I created a selection from the original text...
then I transformed the selection by dragging the top handle to the bottom to flip the selection, then skewing it...
then
I filled it with a gradient and applied a gaussian blur to create a perspective
shadow for the text.
Transforming selections are also useful when you need to make a circular selection that is not quite a perfect circle, as in the example below. First a quick circular selection is made...
Then we choose transform selection from the Select menu...
Using the transformation handles, we can distort the selection to closely match the shape of the object...
and voilą, a near perfect selection with very little effort!
3D Transformation
The new 3D transform feature lets you manipulate objects in three dimensions.
This is a filter, and is accessable via the Filter menu > Render > 3D
Transformation. From the 3D Transform dialog window, you first create a wireframe
enclosing the object, then you can turn, rotate, move, shrink, or enlarge the
selected object in three dimensions.
The 3D Transform dialog is shown below (slightly smaller than actual size). Wireframes can include cubes, spheres, and cylinders, and you can manipulate a grouping of several different objects in a single image. The tools on the left allow you to create and edit wireframe selections, zoom and pan the preview, and manipulate the view of the object. To the right of the preview are controls for the camera field of view, and dollying the camera. Clicking the options button allows you to adjust the resolution, anti-aliasing, and background display.
As wonderful as this tools sounds, I found it extremely cumbersome to use. The wireframes are difficult to manipulate and even with a near-perfect selection, the results looked obviously manipulated. The dialog box preview is too small, making it very difficult to maneuver when trying to precisely manipulate the wireframe. Although it is possible to zoom in for a larger view, the overall size of the preview is still too small to work comfortably in. I imageine some people may find this tool useful but, personally, I can't think of an occasion where its usefulness would justify the time required to produce acceptable results. For the curious, I've included the results of my first time experimentation with this filter below.
 Before
3D Transformation |
After 3D Transformation |
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Also see: Photoshop Resources
 |
Sue Chastain |
Screen shots captured with Corel Capture 9. Other images from Nova Development's Art Explosion 600,000.
