Color Insert
Painting on a Photo
Color Plate 24-1
Thanks to Photoshop’s capabilities, Technique 24 uses a photograph as if it were wet paint.The first step in painting on a photograph is to prepare the “canvas.” I started with the original photograph (top) and added a layer filled with speckles created with the Noise filter. Then, using the Layer’s palette, I set the speckled layer to Soft Light blending mode. When painting, these speckles give the brush strokes texture. The final prep step is to add an empty layer that would be used for the actual painting.Next, I selected the Smudge tool and used the Brush Preset picker to select a brush tip. After checking Use All Layers on the Options bar, I started stroking with the Smudge tool in the image window (middle). For this painting, I used the 100 Rough Round Bristle preset in the default brush set, varying the brush’s diameter as I worked. When I was finished painting, I added a layer created using the Emboss filter that added texture to the strokes and set it to Overlay blending mode. Then I created another layer and added a canvas texture using the Texturizer filter (bottom). Finally, I set the canvas layer to Soft Light blending mode and lowered the Opacity to 30%.
