Full Version: Photoshop CS: How do I
From: Ken D. (KDEVORY) [#1]
24 May 2006
To: ALL
I'll be using Photoshop CS to prepare a photo that will be laser engraved in marble or granite. I want the engraving to be oval in shape and fade/blend into the background over a half inch span around the perimeter. (The oval will be several inches across.)
How do I do the half inch wide fade to black oval border?
(Can you list the steps: 1)... 2) ... 3) ...)
From: Franklin (FW_HAYNES) [#2]
24 May 2006
To: Ken D. (KDEVORY) [#1] 25 May 2006
From: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#3]
24 May 2006
To: Ken D. (KDEVORY) [#1] 25 May 2006
The way I would do it:
1 - Pick the eliptical marquee tool (if the upper left of the tool palette shows a dotted square, click and hold over it until more tools fly out and then select the dotted oval)
2 - Use it to draw an oval selection. The oval should be in the center of the fade range. In other words, the dotted line it shows will be in the middle of the fade-out
3 - decide how many pixels you want the fadeout to be. If you are at 300 dpi and want the fade to take 1/2" from solid image to solid background, then the fade is about 150 pixels.
4 - divide that number by 5 (in this example, the result is 30)
5 - go to Select > Feather and enter that number
6 - go to Select > Invert
7 - Click on the add-layer icon in the layer palette, and drag the new layer to the top of the stack of layers
8 - set the foreground color to be the color you want the background to be (for example white or black)
9 - Select the Paint bucket tool and click outside the slection oval.
What this all does is to create a mask that starts at the edge of the image and goes toward the center. The outer part is your background color and the center is transparent. Since it is the top layer it will cover all other layers and only let them show through in the center of the oval. In the feathered area it fades between the color you filled with and transparent. So basically it fades between whatever is under that layer and whatever fill color you used outsode the oval.
The advantage of doing it this way is you are not modifying the underlying layers. You can continue to modify them, scale them, position them, etc... and the mask will always cut the oval in the same place. If you had cut out the other layers in the oval shape you couldn't later move the image a little to the left or right without going all the way back to before you cut the edges of the image. With this method the cutout shape and the image you put under it are independant and either can changed without changing the other.
BTW, the divide by 5 part is based on a test I just did in CS2. I don't still have CS loaded, but supect it's the same. The number of pixels you enter in the Select > Feather dialog needs to be smaller than the size you really want the feather to be. In CS2 I calculate it to feather about 2.5 times as many pixels on either side of the original selection to fade completely to 0% or 100%. Hence the divide by 5.
Once you are finished you will then probably need to flatten the image and send it to PhotoGrave, or use Photoshop's Image > Mode > Bitmap to convert the image into dots to laser onto stone.
From: jeanettebrewer (JEANETTEBREWER2) [#4]
25 May 2006
To: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#3] 25 May 2006
Dave,
What are you doing here? I figured you'd be too busy playing with your laser to visit us here! B-)
From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#5]
25 May 2006
To: Ken D. (KDEVORY) [#1] 25 May 2006
This discussion made a bell go off in my head. I use Corel Paint so I will make it generic.
I often need to do oval or square fades to bring into Draw and it takes a little bit of time to set up the shapes exactly in the Paint program. I just tried this and it is a real time saver.
Set up a new picture in Paint about 6" tall by 4" wide, 300 DPI is what I used. You can do it in grayscale to conserve size.
Drag an oval mask and then feather. Use 'Invert Mask' , or whatever it is called in your program. Save the drawing just like that. You can also paint that area black if you will later need to invert the image.
Open your drawing with the picture in it in Draw, or what you use. Import that saved picture, it will go in the top layer. Drag it over the picture and touch up the shape as needed.
A perfect easy fade effect is achieved. Really fast also.
From: Ruben (QUIEROLEARN) [#6]
25 May 2006
To: Ken D. (KDEVORY) [#1] 25 May 2006
Hi,
there is some different ways you can do it in Photoshop and here is another way that I'm going to show you and because of lock of words on how to explain it to you I create a video if it is to fast please use the video controls to pause here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw0exVrZfFk
PS: I edit it to change the link of the video. I upload to "You Tube" video, the video is very small but I think is better than nothing
Ruben
EDITED: 15 Feb 2007 by QUIEROLEARN
From: Ken D. (KDEVORY) [#7]
25 May 2006
To: ALL
From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#8]
25 May 2006
To: Ruben (QUIEROLEARN) [#6] 25 May 2006
From: Ruben (QUIEROLEARN) [#9]
25 May 2006
To: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#8] 25 May 2006
Thank you, Harvey :O
And yes please do, now the host I'm using is a 30 day trial and I'm not sure if I will continue with them, I may but not sure yet, if you want the files so you can upload it in your server (EE.org), you are welcome to them just let me know
Ruben Salcedo
EDITED: 25 May 2006 by QUIEROLEARN
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#10]
25 May 2006
To: Ruben (QUIEROLEARN) [#9] 25 May 2006
You're "The Bomb."
I don't know how to say that in Spanish though. :-)
Thank you very much.
From: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#11]
25 May 2006
To: jeanettebrewer (JEANETTEBREWER2) [#4] 25 May 2006
Jeanette, I have to take a break once in a while. But I am certainly having fun with it. :D
BTW, I bought a replacement lens like I mentioned, and it did up the power of the laser a bit. No idea what the previous owner had been doing that "frosted" part of the old lens.
I think it was $108 well spent.
From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#12]
25 May 2006
To: Ruben (QUIEROLEARN) [#9] 25 May 2006
From: Ruben (QUIEROLEARN) [#13]
25 May 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#10] 25 May 2006
Thank you David,
thank goodness that you call me that here and not in an airport or in a Country in conflict :O
Ruben
EDITED: 25 May 2006 by QUIEROLEARN
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#14]
25 May 2006
To: Ruben (QUIEROLEARN) [#13] 25 May 2006
It may be too late. I have it, on good authority, that my post was forwarded to the Dept. of Homeland Security. :-)
From: Ruben (QUIEROLEARN) [#15]
25 May 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#14] 25 May 2006