Photo Into Painting » examples

Retouching a Portrait Using Selective Color

Jason Marti — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:00:40 +0000

Recently I received a number of emails asking how to change the color of a background without effecting the subject. Now although there is no easy answer due to the fact every image has its own requirements, I figured I would just show a simple example of a technique most commonly called “selective color” using a layer mask and a black & white layer adjustment in Adobe Photoshop CS3.

The image we are going to use can be found at Dreamstime.com.

Original image from Dreamstime

Step 1

Open your image and go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black & White and enter the values I have shown in the image below.

Black & White Layer Adjustment

Step 2

Select the Brush Tool (B) and choose a round brush and set the Hardness to 33%.

Set Hardness to 33%

Step 3

Select Quick Mask Mode by pressing (Q) and using black (#000000) as your foreground color begin to paint over the iris. If you accidentally paint over the whites of the eye, simply paint them back with white (#ffffff) to remove the mask.

Quick Mask Mode

Step 4

Exit Quick Mask Mode by pressing the (Q) key again and invert the selection by going to Select > Inverse. Next go to Select > Modify >Feather and enter a radius of 2 pixels.

Feather Radius 2 Pixels

Step 5

With Black (#000000) still set as your foreground color, select the Black & White Adjustment Layer Mask and press ALT + Backspace to fill your selection with Black (#000000). Press CTRL + D to get rid of the selection. You should have something that looks like the image below.

Fill Selection with Black

Step 6

Next we will boost the saturation to bring out our models eyes by going to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation and set Saturation to +36.

Boost Saturation

That’s it! The final image should look like the one below. The trickiest part of changing the color of any background is correctly selecting the subject you want to preserve and applying the desired color treatment to the background. For another excellent example of how to select a subject and replace the background check out the video here.

Final

Anything to Share?

I would love to see your examples below. Do you have any favorite tools, tips, tutorials or techniques you would like to share? Leave your comments below. There can never be too much of a good thing.

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10 Examples of How to Use High Res Textures in Your Designs

Jason Marti — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:02:42 +0000

Textures are all around us. We feel them when walking barefoot across a plush carpet and see them when gazing upon a jagged hillside. Each one provokes a mental and physical response different from the next. In design you can easily add richness and dimension to your work with high res textures, separating your work from the crowd.

Textures in web design– In web design, textures are so versatile because they can be used in all elements of CSS and layout design. Depending on your audience and mission, you can use textures in all aspects of header, footer, sidebar, content and background design.
Textures In Modern Web Design (Smashing Magazine)
Textures in photography– By adding a texture to a photograph using an image editing program like Photoshop, you can easily give your image a “vintage” or completely distressed look. Be careful not to go overboard with your textures, not every image will benefit, but a little goes a long way and can add big impact to your photography work.
The Inspiring Textures Gallery (Flickr)
Textures as brushes– Most every image editing software allows you to create your own custom brush set. Making your own set of brushes out of textures will grantee your work Will have a unique style.
Free High Res Photoshop Brushes: Grungy Texture (Bittbox)
Textures in textures– By using multiple textures and different blend modes in Photoshop, you are able to create a limitless library of textures to use in any of your projects. There are many advantages to creating your own textures, like speeding up your production work.
36 Cool Free Textures (Abduzeedo)
Textures as patterns– Photoshop patterns are versatile and powerful. They can be used as seamless pixel fills, as a pattern stamp tool, fill layers, and layer styles to name a few. Seamless patterns are by far the most sought after due to the skill required to create them. Web designers love seamless patterns because they can be placed as a background element and not display the dreaded and very distracting seam.
Textures and Patterns Design Showcase (Smashing Magazine)
Textures in typography– Textures in your typography, graphic and logo design can change the mood of your work and even the way people read the design.
Watercolor Typography in Photoshop (Texture Lovers)
Textures in abstract designs– By using a variety of textures, filters, brushes and lighting effects, you can create some beautiful abstract designs and wallpapers simply with textures alone.
Tuesday Total Textures #12 (Abduzeedo)
Textures in backgrounds– As a digital painter, I use a lot of textures in my backgrounds and have both sold and given away a few. Removing a subject from a distracting background is a great way to place the emphasis where it belongs–the main subject.
Digital Backgrounds (Photo Into Painting)
Textures as papers — The ability to create papers from textures is one of my favorite features in Corel Painter. Just like in traditional media, your choice in substrate can greatly enhance your Corel Painter projects.
Wood Grain Paper Textures For Corel Painter (Photo Into Painting)
Textures in digital scrapbooking– Another big community that uses high res textures are digital scrapbookers. I’ve seen them used as full page layouts, edging effects, paper creation, and accenting photographs, to name a few.
Scrapbook (flickr)

By no means is this an exhaustive list. There are countless ways in which high res textures can be used and created. As an element of design, texture can add impact and your bring designs to life through variation and relief. They are fun to create and even more fun to use. Please share your thoughts on how else you use high res textures.

Feel free to check out some of my design freebies here. Besides designing freebies, I also offer custom digital paintings to the public and provide special services for photographers.

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2010 Wedding Season Services For Photographers

Jason Marti — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:39:30 +0000

The 2010 wedding season is fast approaching and we at PhotoIntoPainting.com are busy helping studios and photographers create exceptional works of art from their photographs. For the past few weeks, Photo Into Painting has been swamped with photo retouch work, digital oil and watercolor portraits, and the scheduling of clients. The creative juices are flowing and we are in the zone. If you are a photographer and are looking to expand your business and product line, visit our “For Photographers” page to read more about the services we can provide your studio or contact us.

The above work is a recent example of a hand painted digital watercolor portrait that you can offer to your clients.

It’s great to be busy, but I haven’t had much time to post any design freebies in awhile. I know, I know, bad designer/blogger, I should be posting something at least every few days, but don’t fret, I was able to squeeze in some time and will be posting some new textures in the next few days. If you haven’t done so already, and you would like to be the first to know when new stuff is available please subscribe either by email or RSS.

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Watercolor Portrait

16 x 20 White Wine Still Life Painting

Jason Marti — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:51:13 +0000

If you are looking for a beautiful still life painting to decorate your home, cafe or restaurant consider ordering this handcrafted painting. The warm rich color tones stimulate the appetite and bring a cheerful and comforting feel to your space. Click on the thumbnails below to see the detailed brush work and textures.

Choose from our ready to hang contemporary 1.5″ gallery wrap, fine art canvas mounted on a 1″ stretcher frame or fine art paper mounted on double weight matboard.

Your still life painting is printed with large format inkjet printers using the finest archival inks, a process known as giclee. Every step of the printing process is closely monitored by art and print experts.

Free shipping within the continental United States.

Custom sizes are available upon request–contact us for pricing.

Typical shipping time is 4-5 business days.

Photo into painting also offers custom paintings created from your photos.

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Wine Painting Still Life

Jason Marti — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:19:27 +0000

Today I want to share with you a wine still life painting I completed over the weekend. Using a variety of impasto, dry bristle brushes, pallet knives and chalk in Corel Painter I was able to create this beautiful 16 x 20 gallery wrap still life painting. The client who commissioned this painting requested I compose and photograph a classical 17th century still life of wine as reference for her painting. So I dusted off my Canon EOS 50D and set off to have some fun. The above image is the end result.

Your dinning room or kitchen will glow with this wine still life painting. Order your fine art print today and receive your finished artwork within 4-5 business days.

Free shipping within the continental United States.

Wine Glass Still Life Oil Painting Close up

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Maternity Photo Into Painting

Jason Marti — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:49:54 +0000

Today I want to share with you my most recent maternity photo into painting. This project was extremely fun to do and looks great on our 16×20 canvas stretcher bar. Using Corel Painter I was able to combine acrylic, oil, charcoal, water color and various textures to achieve a beautiful and unique piece of wall art.

Maternity photography is fast becoming a must have in documenting those special one of a kind moments. I rate the importance of maternity photography right alongside wedding and newborn photography. What better way to share in the joy of your ever growing family then with an eye-catching photo into painting! We offer a variety of substrates and mounting services such as fine art paper, fine art canvas and gallery wrap canvas.

If you are a photographer and are interested in offering your clients an unparalleled work of art from your photographs please contact us to see how our studio can be of service to you.

A close up view of our maternity photo into painting.

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Free Halloween Desktop Background

Jason Marti — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:09:00 +0000

Can you believe it… Halloween 2009 is almost here! The holiday season is fast upon us and to kick things off I’ve created a free Halloween desktop background. Feel free to share this background with your friends and family. Along with the changing seasons, I love to change my desktop backgrounds. Please leave your suggestions on new backgrounds you would like to see.

Trick or Treat!!

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Space Scene Desktop Background

Jason Marti — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:20:26 +0000

Here is yet another free desktop background for all to enjoy! I created this scene using Photoshop by following a wonderfully fun tutorial from Six Revisions. If you haven’t heard of the site and are interested in playing with design tools then I highly recommend you check them out. I love fun quick tutorials like the one from Six Revisions because it helps me get the creative juices flowing and I always learn a new twist to an old trick.

Also the textures I used were downloaded from another great design site Bittbox. He also has some of the best tutorials and most used design elements on the web.

Download the full 1680 x 1050 background here!

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