posted
I'm trying to make a perspective shadow look like it's "radiating" from the background. For lack of a better description, sort of a split-blend shade without the split - does that make sense? Thanks for your help.
-------------------- www.signcreations.net Sonny Franks Lilburn, GA 770-923-9933 Posts: 4117 | From: Lilburn, GA USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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I'm not sure if I understand your question properly Sonny, but is this something like you wanted?
If so, it's done skipping some basic steps here and there by creating a new file, putting text in it, arcing the text while in the text menu then hitting <enter>.
If you use the layer effects menu (or via the layer pallette 'f' symbol) you can't get the drop shadow to be on the left on one size and the right on the other, it wants to remain consistant. So, you have to rasterise that text layer (right click>rasterise) then duplicate it (right click> duplicate, or drag that layer onto the new layer symbol at the bottom of the layers pallette)
I'll assume you set the text colour the way you wanted it originally. Ctrl-Click on the underneath of the two layers (the original one)(which turns its contents into a selection and drag it down a bit so you can see it, then choose a new colour for the shadow (choose a new foreground colour then press Alt-backspace, alternately Edit>fill)
Now to get the perspective bit into it go Edit>transform>perspective (or Ctrl-T then press & hold the Ctrl button ) while you drag the bottom corners one at a time to where you'd like them. Do the same for the top selection handles if needed.
To add a gradient or a blend to the shadow, Ctrl-click its layer in the layer pallette (which loads that layer's contents as a selection, and then choose a gradient, or set the foreground & background colours as needed and choose a gradient & drag to place it in the selection. Ctrl-D to deselect afterwards.
To add an outline, click on the text layer (the top one 'Copy-1') and use Layer effects>stroke say 2 pixels & choose the colour. That will always be there and be unselectable though.
To add an outline which you can chop up and move to give the impression the letters have a raised rim and a sunken center takes a little more fiddling, using Ctrl-click on the text layer, Select>Modify>contract 1 pixel, then Select>modify>border 2 pixels, then press the letter 'D' (for default colours) and Alt-bkspace (for fill with background colour- white) then Ctrl-J (for put this white inline on its own layer).
Duplicate that layer, and Ctrl-click it and use the eyedropper to sample the original text colour, then use Alt-bkspace to fill it with the text colour. You can then use the move tool (the arrowed cross) to shift this textcolour outline a little one way or another to block the white one where required.
Hope that helps, or am I on the wrong track?
The other way is to do it in a program that allows a perspective distortion, like flexi or corel, and cut & paste it across. You suffer some resolution degradation though.
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"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7016 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Edit to add a whoops, somehow the shadow has a bit of a shadow under it which shouldn't be there. The sunset background is just another gradient fill (radial) after editing the gradient bar to ammke it mostly yellow & orange, all done on the background layer.
The white inline may be better black or dark brown, not white, as you can't really have a highlight with the light behind it all. I also selected the right half of the red copy of the white inline, and used Ctrl-Shift-J to chop it out & put it on its own layer, and moved that bit the opposite way to the left half, to try & reinforce the radial bit.
I don't know yet how to make the shadow 'stick' to the letters and also be dragged perspectively. All we've really done here is duplicate the original letters, rather than making a 'proper' shade.
Here's one cut and pasted from a vector program into Ph'shp. It's fine if you need only 72 ppi resolution.
and you can dicker it up more there, but I have to get to bed!
[ April 21, 2005, 08:28 AM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
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"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7016 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Sonny, would you post a pic or sketch, or email me one, of what you mean by radiating split blended perspective shadow, then? (& I'll have another try!)
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"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7016 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
radiating split blended perspective shadow ... without the split??? Oh yeah, that guy showed me how to do something similar when we were at the place ... over by the thing around the corner.
I have no idea what your trying to do. But using photoshop you could try making the general shape of your shadow first then feathering, bluring, setting transparency, etc. It doesn't have to be done all on one layer, or with one filter.
-------------------- Compulsive, Neurotic, Anti-social and Paranoid ... but basically Happy Posts: 2677 | From: Rochester, NY, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Sonny, I would recommend you take a look at the filters available for Pshop at www.alienskin.com they arethe folks who produce the popular eyecandy software....there may be something there, particularly the eyecandy 4000 shadowlab feature, that might be what ya wanted...
posted
Barry, I have Eye Candy, but I didn't see anything that would give me this effect. I can do it with the airbrush tool, but for this particular job, that would be too time-consuming.
Mark, what would you call this shadow???
-------------------- www.signcreations.net Sonny Franks Lilburn, GA 770-923-9933 Posts: 4117 | From: Lilburn, GA USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Mark, you should be writing software, or at least pre-programed "actions" to sell to sign folks. You got the tech talent, & the presentation ability. I'll bet you could market up a storm if you decided to sell your talents.. (besides whatever you are obviously already doing with your job & your side gig)
My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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-------------------- Jon Aston MARKETING PARTNERS "Strategy, Marketing and Business Development" Tel 705-719-9209 Posts: 1724 | From: Barrie, ON, CANADA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Wow Mark - you da man. I have to get out my Photoshop for Dummies book and do some catch up, cause you're way ahead of me. This is exactly what I need and I'm sure glad we have this forum to exchange techniques. If it's not too much trouble, can you spell out a little more detail for us beginners? (I'm working in version 6, does it have all the stuff you mentioned?) Thanks very much, and put me down for a copy of your book.
-------------------- www.signcreations.net Sonny Franks Lilburn, GA 770-923-9933 Posts: 4117 | From: Lilburn, GA USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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posted
I just read the above tutorials and played with the perspective element of it. I used 7 but 6 should have everything You're just making a smaller version on a layer under the original ... many times ... it's all about setting up the action to repeat it for you. Window->Actions ... have fun
-------------------- Compulsive, Neurotic, Anti-social and Paranoid ... but basically Happy Posts: 2677 | From: Rochester, NY, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Thanks Mark. I just looked at your website and the flame tutorial. Incredible. Have you considered doing seminars at a sign show or Letterhead meet? It seems most of the PS education around here is geared to photo retouching and collage and they want an arm and leg to attend. Photoshop is so overwhelming, but I've been able to do some cool stuff with just a basic understanding. With a little training and practice, I could get dangerous. Again, thanks for your help.
-------------------- www.signcreations.net Sonny Franks Lilburn, GA 770-923-9933 Posts: 4117 | From: Lilburn, GA USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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