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Smudgeproof In reply to zpurvie [2008-08-07 08:10:55 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for the nice comment!

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Smudgeproof In reply to Green-Woman-Stock [2008-07-15 00:13:05 +0000 UTC]

Thank you

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Smudgeproof In reply to Unicorn-Power [2008-06-27 07:15:15 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much for the very kind comment. I've been working on photo manips for about a year and a half now. I'm still learning as I go, discovering new things when I occassionally read a tutorial (I have saved tons of tutorials but only seriously read a handful). I have just been winging it and self-learning mostly. A few amazing manip artists on DA have given me a couple tips that have really helped.

If you really want to know how to make manips, here's my tips:

You need a good art software (Photoshop is best but expensive; I use Paintshop b/c it's cheaper and quite a bit more user friendly even though it does have less goodies); a pen tablet (although some people manage using a mouse but it's 1000% percent easier to use a tablet); and obviously, imagination and stock.

Other tips for making good manips include:

1) using masking layers in your software to "erase" unwanted parts of the stock without truly erasing it (it covers it over and makes those places invisible but you can edit it without having to re-cut the stock out if you screwed up).

2) zoom in closely (300% and higher) to cutout -- you can see the edges much better to get a cleaner, closer shave. You can mask off the outer edges at a lower resolution but you want to see the pixels closely when you're cutting right against the edges.

Both #1 and #2 tips were the first tips another DA artist gave me and they made ALL the difference in the world!

3) use hard edged round brushes where possible for a cleaner cut but a soft edge brush will give you a softer edge and sometimes looks better for blending. A hard edge can look "cut" but a soft brush looks more "faded" or "blended" in. Keep in mind, a softer brush will definitely leave more "white" edges (see below).

4) where possible, use the lasso tool or magic pen tools to cut out shapes -- it just makes the process quicker. I seldom do this though as I find the lasso magnetically appeals itself to uneven edges and when you mask or cut it out the edge can be rough and require a lot of work. I just use a soft brush to mask the entire object. If you create a new layer with a bright color on it, say neon green (since most stock you will choose won't have that color in it), and place it beneath the stock you're masking, you will be able to see the edges much more clearly and notice if you or the lasso tools have inadvertantly cut or masked off a section badly. Turn the green layer on and off periodically to check this out. This is a tool pixel artists use to ensure their pixel-by-pixel edges are clean . This is very helpful if your stock will be placed on a lighter background because you'll see the errors quickly.

5) on the mask layer, use the "blur" or "erode" options to remove the "white" edge sometimes left behind around the "cut out" piece. You can also use the smudge tool to push the black of the mask into the edges for the same effect.

6) get to know adjustments layers, like "curves" and "color balance". You can really change a stock photo's appearance using these layers to adjust the contrast, or change colors of shadows and midtones. You can turn a black and white photo into something more colorful. If you mask a layer, insert the adjustment layer into that "group" between the stock and the mask layer and it will only adjust that piece of stock instead of adding the adjustment layer as the top layer of all layers in the file which would then apply the effect to all pieces (which could be useful, too).

7) try to choose high quality stock that has little grain or noise (unless you want that effect) -- it cuts down having to filter out photo noise, repainting skin, cloning skin, or using smoothing to get a sharper or smoother image. Also choose pieces that have contrasted edges (like a photo of a girl standing in front of a white cloth) to make masking the edges much easier. It's much harder to mask when a piece is darker or it's edges blend into the background. Of course, if you do use a darker piece you could use an adjustment layer to change the contrast, make your mask, and then delete or turn off the adjustment layer to return the now masked/cut out piece back to its original state. Also, higher quality allows you to work in larger sized files, which when your final image is reduced (to save space on DA and help prevent a larger piece being stolen from you) will give better clarity. I usually end up reducing my original pieces by 50% or so to display on DA. Larger pieces will also give you more freedom to use DA prints (as long as the stock artist allows prints). Or if you just want to print the work on your own computer, a larger file size (2000x3000 instead of 600x800) will enable you to print it in an 8x10 or larger.

8) if you want to drastically alter an already "masked" layer (ie: you cut out 2 vases in 1 piece of stock but decide you only want 1 now), duplicate the mask, turn off the original, and then make your changes. This way you can always delete/turn off your second try if you mess up or change your mind and still have the original attempt to make another duplicate and try again. This is also helpful if you want to see what the piece would look like if you changed the opacity, color, or any other adjustment without ruining your original work.

9) use layer blending options to make individual layers change opacity and color depths. You can make it darker, multiply, overlay, dodge, burn, etc for a wide variety of changes.

10) save your piece often so you don't lose changes if your computer decides to hiccup or you lose power.

Hope those tips are helpful if you decide to try photo manipulation yourself! Sorry, it is such a long description but nobody asked me how I made my pieces before so I was a little enthusiastic to offer help.

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Unicorn-Power In reply to Smudgeproof [2008-06-27 19:34:13 +0000 UTC]

Haha, it's alright! I enjoyed reading it! =O
It sounds very interesting, but also complicated ;

I only say this because I never used computer programs to do my art before, although I have a HUGE curiosity about it, since I see so many people using it...
I usually just do my pieces by hand. And I'm terribly lazy about it too...

But I still have hopes that one day I'll buy myself a tablet, and learn how to color in Photoshop

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Smudgeproof In reply to Unicorn-Power [2008-06-28 02:15:48 +0000 UTC]

I slack off on traditional art all the time and I struggle with it much more than I seem to with manips or even digital painting. Tablets can be as little as $100 (Wacom is the best) and a 4x5 is a good start. I now have a 6x8 which allows longer brush strokes but the 4x5 worked just fine and I upgraded only when, after 6 yrs, the middle mouse button died on it. Photoshop =$1000 Paintshop = $150 huge price difference. Unless you plan to pirate Photoshop which some of us have Or maybe you can get it from someone you know. But I just found Photoshop more difficult to learn and prefer Paintshop b/c it's friendlier and easier to navigate -- a cheaper choice if you're unsure about starting digital art or even working with your own digital photographs. But Photoshop is the supreme king of digital art software. There's also Corel Painter but it's really best used for digital painting (I have it too -- a gift I rec'd -- and it has way more functionality for painting than either of the other 2 softwares).

Either way, there is plenty of good tutorials on DA for using the softwares and for doing manips. It's not so complicated if you're good with computers and softwares. As with anything, practice makes perfect. DA has so many inspiring manips and artists. That's what drew my attention to them, too. I marvel at what others can do. Give it a try one day when you have the tools. You'll probably love it.

Have a great weekend!

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Unicorn-Power In reply to Smudgeproof [2008-06-28 02:45:18 +0000 UTC]

Omg =O
Thank you so much for all the tips!!

You see, I've been planning to get these tools, but I was going for Photoshop, without even knowing there was a cheaper version... D:
Thank you so much!!
You're so helpful! ^^
I'm definitely gonna remember what you said when I go off shopping to get my stuff

Also, what I'd like to do is draw the sketch by hand, and color it on the computer.

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Smudgeproof In reply to Unicorn-Power [2008-06-28 06:29:51 +0000 UTC]

Sure thing

Corel makes Paint Shop (I forgot they bought out the other company that used to make PSP (PaintShop Pro -- not to be confused with PS = Adobe PhotoShop). Anyway, here is the link to the software which will give you an idea and it does offer a free trial. And, better yet, the new version (which I don't have) is only $79 on sale right now. Cheap!! I looked at Staples.com and Photoshop is $649 and they don't seem to sell PaintShop. If your wallet is tight, you can imagine which one is gonna peak your interest.

PaintShop Pro link: [link]

The link shows a lot about photograph stuff but if you look at the art gallery you can see a couple of photo manips. But don't be fooled, you can also draw. And DA offers lots of "brushes" for PSP which can be stuff like trees, birds, or even just shaped brushes that help draw realistic hair etc. There's also things called "plugins" which you can find on the web that are often free and sometimes to purchase which help do special effects like remove all white in an image, or change colors, etc.

As for tablets, Wacom has a couple of versions. Here is the link to their website: [link]

I have a 6x8 Intuos which as I said is larger but Intuos also offers a more sensitive pen for pressure. However, when starting out, their lower grade version now called "Bamboo" would probably do you just fine. I have no idea what it's like (I had a Graphire before the Intuos) but Bamboo sort of says "doodles and sketches". And it's a good price, under $100. Intuos is for the "serious photographer or artist" as their site says. Go simple to start and if you get more serious, upgrade. Unless of course, cash isn't an issue. Then get the best.

Make sure you look for the "active area" on the tablets because that is the actual size of the drawing surface, not the tablet dimensions. Smaller requires shorter pen strokes but the tablet will conform to your monitor size and so stroke length really only makes a difference if you need the freedom to make long strokes like flowing hair. When you pencil sketch, if you find you make long single strokes, a small tablet might feel awkward. As I said, I had a 4x5 Graphire and it was fine for me, but I do love the larger size. Both my tablets have not been wireless but the mouse that comes with them IS.

Lots of other artists sketch and scan it in to color. There are lots of tutorials out there on suggestions like inking your pencil sketch first and then scanning it in and also on the best methods of making those scanned pencil or ink lines show up better once it's in the computer. But I'm sure scanning in would work well enough.

So, there you go. For around $200US you can have a tablet and PaintShop. Happy shopping!

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