Jen
Creative Chick
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City
Oct 14, 2009 13:45:09 GMT -6
Post by Jen on Oct 14, 2009 13:45:09 GMT -6
Here's the signature we'll be making. I used a picture of Manhattan but you can use any city you'd like.
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Jen
Creative Chick
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Posts: 8,309
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City
Oct 14, 2009 13:45:47 GMT -6
Post by Jen on Oct 14, 2009 13:45:47 GMT -6
START With A New File. Open your city picture. The way you're going to cut your city out is quick and easy so don't worry if you choose a complicated city. This is the picture I used...
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Jen
Creative Chick
Admin
Posts: 8,309
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City
Oct 14, 2009 13:46:12 GMT -6
Post by Jen on Oct 14, 2009 13:46:12 GMT -6
Choose the Polygonal Lasso Tool. You'll see in the picture I clicked and dragged the bottom right corner of my file that's why you see the grey border.
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Jen
Creative Chick
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Posts: 8,309
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City
Oct 14, 2009 13:46:38 GMT -6
Post by Jen on Oct 14, 2009 13:46:38 GMT -6
With the polygonal lasso tool you'll see after the first click down every click you do will be be connected by a straight line. If you aren't happy with the click you just made choose delete. If you continue hitting delete it will continue deleting your clicks. The black dots in the picture are my first twelve clicks. The black arrow is my first one. It makes it easier, but isn't necessary, to hold the shift key down whenever you're making lines that go up and down or left and right. For angled lines just release the shift key. When making the selection around your city with this tool you don't need to be exact. To close the selection your final click needs to be on the first one. To help you know where that is when you bring your cursor close to the first click a ring will be added to your cursor when it's okay to click down. Once you have a selection around your city choose Select>Inverse>Delete. Deselect.
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Jen
Creative Chick
Admin
Posts: 8,309
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City
Oct 14, 2009 13:47:02 GMT -6
Post by Jen on Oct 14, 2009 13:47:02 GMT -6
While holding the shift key click and drag the Background from the layers palette over your siggy file then release. Name this layer city. Reduce/Enlarge your city if necessary. Once at the size you want apply Filter>Sharpen>Sharpen to the layer. In the layers palette apply the lock I outlined in purple to this layer. Choose the color you want your city to be, I went with a dark brown. Now take your brush tool with the settings you see and paint over your city.
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Jen
Creative Chick
Admin
Posts: 8,309
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City
Oct 14, 2009 13:48:03 GMT -6
Post by Jen on Oct 14, 2009 13:48:03 GMT -6
Apply a Drop Shadow to this layer. I used black for my color. Then apply an Inner Shadow. For the Inner Shadow's color I sampled a dark area in my picture, yellow ring. To do that you need to click in the color box in the Layer Style window. When the Color Picker window appears go to your picture and click down on a color. Then click OK.
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Jen
Creative Chick
Admin
Posts: 8,309
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City
Oct 14, 2009 13:48:33 GMT -6
Post by Jen on Oct 14, 2009 13:48:33 GMT -6
Make a new layer and put it above your city layer in the layers palette. Name it windows. With the pencil tool choose a square brush, this is the one I used. Make your windows. When you're done change the opacity of this layer to 75%.
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Jen
Creative Chick
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Posts: 8,309
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City
Oct 14, 2009 13:49:15 GMT -6
Post by Jen on Oct 14, 2009 13:49:15 GMT -6
Make a new layer and put it above the city layer. Select the gradient tool and click on the grad in the options bar. Choose the Black, White gradient. Click the button on the toolbox that I added a blue outline to. Now you are in Quick Mask Mode. It should say this in your file's title. If you double click on the button that took you to QMM you should get this window. Make sure these are the settings. Now click on the highest point in your city and while holding the shift key drag to the bottom and release, blue arrow.
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Jen
Creative Chick
Admin
Posts: 8,309
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City
Oct 14, 2009 13:49:58 GMT -6
Post by Jen on Oct 14, 2009 13:49:58 GMT -6
Click the button to the left of the QMM button to leave Quick Mask Mode. When out of QMM you should see a selection. Choose black as your foreground color. With Layer 1 as the active layer choose option + delete for Macs and alt + delete for Windows. Deselect. Make your city a selection. With Layer 1 still the active layer choose Layer>New>Layer via Copy. Deselect. Name this new layer top city shadow and lower its opacity to 40% in the layers palette. Throw away Layer 1. *In my tutorials I try to show you the different ways you can do the same thing. Not always do I have you go the easy way because I want to show you the different tools and techniques so you can then use them the way you want. An easier way to make the top city shadow would be to make a new layer and then with the gradient tool selected choose the Foreground to Transparent grad. With black as your color click at the highest point in your city and drag down to fill the layer. Make the city a selection and then make a copy from Layer 1.
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Jen
Creative Chick
Admin
Posts: 8,309
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City
Oct 14, 2009 13:50:25 GMT -6
Post by Jen on Oct 14, 2009 13:50:25 GMT -6
Make a new layer and link and merge it with the city layer so you have one layer named city.
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