The bobblehead images were used for a yearbook because the seniors wanted something special and it kinda fits their attitude–just nod all the time when the teacher is speaking…

This is the original shot:

1. Using the magnetic lasso tool (L), I selected the head and created a new layer via copy. Now we have a head layer and a body layer:

2. Using the move tool (V), I resized the background, so that the body shrinks. After that I used the crop tool (C) to cut the transparent background:

3. Now on the head layer we use the eraser tool (E) to erase parts of the neck and get a smooth transition to the body layer:

4. Should the neck be a little too big for the body you can fix it in warp mode. To do that, select the head layer, click on any transformation handle on the selection and then click on the warp mode icon in the top right-hand corner:

In order to fix the neck now you have to grab the handles at the bottom corners of the head layer and drag them toward the center, as indicated in the image above.

5. After that it’s time to give the guy the comic-slim body. Select the body layer and open the liquify tool (Filter -> Liquify -> Forward Warp Tool). Depending on the image size you have to change the brush size so that the brush diameter is about the size of the body. Then you can squeeze the body the way you like. Practice makes perfect, and if you made a mistake you can always click on “reconstruct” or “revert all”.

After the warping my image looks now like this:

All you have to do now is crop the image one more time to get rid of the white space.

Here’s the final image as it appeared in the yearbook:

Check out more bobbleheads at http://shadowness.com/Mike/yearbook-photos

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If you like Please help me to VOTE this work on Sicaf (Cartoon competition in Korea)
http://sicaf-idcc.org/bbs/board.php?bo_table=eng&wr_id=37&sca=illustration

Many thanks for your kindness

Second installment is here: http://shadowness.com/mynti/frecklestutpart2

For this one, I’ll be using Photoshop CS3 on a PC. The techniques for this tutorial are simple and the overall process is easy. Around the end, it can be a bit more tricky for some people, but don’t worry.

However, it can also be a very stressful time.  If you do not prepare the file just right, the printer will have a hard time completing the job, and you may have to make some adjustments.  Or, even worse, the project may not look the way it is supposed to look after it gets printed.  While the latter usually is not an issue if you are working with a quality commercial printer, it is still important to know the things you need to do to ensure that your Photoshop file is ready for the commercial printer.

Here, step by step, is how to do just that:

Step One: Make sure your file is in the correct format

Your image file should be in a standard format, to avoid any potential problems with your printer.  Standard formats include PDF, EPS, and TIF.

Step Two: Set the resolution to 300 dots per inch

Almost all commercial printers require that your files be set to 300 DPI (or dots per inch).  So, if you design a file at a lower resolution, it will get stretched to 300 DPI by the printer, which will result in a very unfavorable image.

Step Three: Size matters (make sure your file is the right size)

Your printer will print your file at whatever size you ordered.  So make sure you designed your image at the same size that the ultimate product will be.

Step Four: Check the bleed

About 3 mm on each side of your design will get chopped off.  That is called the bleed.  Do not put anything important (i.e., anything that you want to appear in the final product) in the bleed.

Step Five: Don’t cut off your words

Keep all text, along with vital images, at least 6 mm away from the edge of the product.  Otherwise, some of it might get cut off.

Step Six: Rasterize your text

Photoshop allows you to rasterize your text, which means you don’t have to worry about sending fonts along with your files to the printer.  However, make sure you don’t rasterize your text until you are sure you are done editing, because you can’t do so after rasterizing.

Step Seven: Use unique filenames

This one is very often forgotten.  When you send your files to the printer, use unique names for each file.  Use names that are descriptive and make it easy to tell what it is and what it is for.

These are generic tips that should help you in preparing your files for use with most commercial printers.  Always check with your printer before sending a file, though, to make sure everything is in order.

Kaitlyn Miller is a copywriter for Printplace.com, a printing company based in Arlington, Texas.

1. Create new RGB image with any size..Here i will choose 500/100..Then press “D”..This will reset swatches..

2. Then go to Filter : Render : Clouds

3. Then Filter : Pixelize : Mosaic [ 15 pixels ]

4. Then Blur : Radial Blur [ Zoom / 20 ]

5. Then Stylize : Emboss [ 135 degrees / height 10 / amount: 170 ]

6. Then Brush Strokes : Accent edges [ width 2 / brightness 38 / smoothness 5]

7. Then Stylize : Find edges

8. Then Image : Adjust : Invert [or] Ctrl+i

9. Then Blur : Radial Blur [Zoom / 60]

10. Then go to Image : Adjust : Levels [or] Ctrl + L and put 60 in the redmarked field

11. Then lets repeat 9 & 10 steps but with another optionsRadial Blur [ 20 ] & Levels [ 200 ] : the same fields

12. Then lets add some contrast. Image : Adjust : Brightness/Contrast and set +30 to contrast

Final. Then we can colorize picture..There are many ways but i like that one : Create a new layer above our crazy effect and fill it with stylish color of your choice and put the layer option to Color

You can change the zoom blur to radial in step 9 for another cool result.

NOTE: The preview images have been shrinked to to 300 of width in order to fit the page. They do not represent the real size. Thank you for using this tutorial!

1. Start a new image 200×200. Creat a new layer
[ layer/new/layer ] and name it ‘fire’. Let’s fill it with white color [ ctrl+backspace ] and then, render it with difference clouds [ filter/render/difference clouds ]. Repeat the filter 1 or 2 times more. You should come up with the same result as previewed on the left.

2. Now, Render it with lighting effects[filter/render/lighting effects]. Use the following paramaters:

3. Last step is quite magic. Simply use the filter accented edges[filter/brush strokes/accented edges] and again, follow the parameters below:

Final. Use the layer and set it ’soft light’ or other modes on your own work[layers] as to use effectively the fire you just created. Note that the fire can very much vary depending on the resolution and parameters you started from, but fortunately, the effect will always be the same. So go on, don’t fear to try!

NOTE: The final result haven’t been done only using ths tutorial. It is strictly a sample.

If you are like me, you are probably thinking, “Huh?”

Well, in layman’s terms, dynamic range is that quality of sight and sound that humans possess that is not able to be recreated by any mechanical equipment. In other words, the rich colors and contrasts that we can see with our naked eye cannot be reproduced by a camera image.

When it comes to graphic design, dynamic range is a positive quality, in that the higher you can get your dynamic range, the better. Adobe’s Photoshop has a new feature that is able to create images with remarkably high dynamic range. This tutorial will show you how to use this new feature, which is called “Merge to HDR”.

Planning Ahead

In order to use Merge to HDR, you have to do a little bit of planning. Merge to HDR works by taking three or more pictures of the same scene, and blending them into a new image. So, obviously, you are going to have to take at least three pictures of whatever scene you are editing.

Now, if the scene you are shooting has moving pieces or items, it probably isn’t going to work so well with Merge to HDR. Moving images will not blend together very well, so this works best with static scenes, where nothing (or very little) is moving. You will also want to try to be as still as possible when taking the shots, so that they are all framed the same. This is easiest to do if you use a tripod.

One thing you may not think of, but is very important, is that you do not want to use your camera’s autofocus feature. This will automatically change the focus of each shot you take, which will mess up the merging process.

The most important thing to do when you are taking the shots is to change your exposure for each picture you take. Adobe recommends that you vary your exposure by 2 stops between shots. If you don’t vary your exposure, then Merge to HDR will really not have any affect on your image.
Using Merge to HDR

Now that you have your shots, you can use Photoshop to increase the dynamic range.

In Photoshop, go to File >> Automate >> Merge to HDR. Then find the images that you shot. After all the images load (which could take a few minutes, depending on your computer) a preview of your merged image will appear. You can change the overall effect by removing individual images from the final product. Do this by clicking on the checkbox under the image you want to remove. Each time you remove an image, the final product is re-merged, which again could take some time.

There are two things to keep in mind when you save your HDR file. First, do not save the file as a JPEG, which would make it no longer a HDR file. Secondly, HDR files are very large. They can get up to about 100 MB or more.

Converting your HDR file

To do much with your new HDR image, you will have to convert it into a more usable form.

Go to Image >> Mode >> 16 bits/Channel or 8 bits/Channel. A dialog box will then appear.

The dialog box contains a lot of options. Basically, you will have to play with these until you get the results you want. This is very much a trial-and-error process, so feel free to experiment, within reason.

Merge to HDR is a new feature, so there are not a lot of options available with it yet. Still, it is a very powerful tool that can really add life to your images. And it should be supported with a lot of new features in the very near future.

Kaitlyn Miller is a copywriter for Printplace.com, a printing company that offers postcard printing and color printing