Create A Photo Within A Photo To Add Excitement And Bring Focus To Your Subject
Here's the original image I'll be using for this tutorial:Here's the original image I'll be using for this tutorial
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...50383f9d9b.jpg
And here's what we'll be working towards throughout the steps:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...91f89e3c3f.jpg Now that we know where we're headed, let's get started
With my original photo open inside Photoshop, I can see in my Layers palette that I currently have just one layer, the Background layer:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...6858fba0f9.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: Photoshop's Layers palette showing the Background layer containing my original image.
The first thing I need to do is duplicate the Background layer, so I'll use the quick keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac). I now have my copy of the Background layer showing in the Layers palette, which Photoshop automatically names "Layer 1":
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...c73c933b57.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: The Layers palette showing the Background layer with the copy of it above, named 'Layer 1'
To keep things easier to follow as we go along, and as a good habit to get into, I'm going to rename this layer to something more descriptive. Since "Layer 1" will eventually become the smaller, cropped version of the photo, I'm going to double-click on the name of the layer and change its name from "Layer 1" to "Smaller version":
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...1248fb1b89.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: Double-click on the name "Layer 1" and change the layer's name to "Smaller version"
Step 2: Create A New Layer Below The 'Smaller Version' LayerThe next thing we need to do is create a new layer below the "Smaller version" layer, so it ends up between the two layers we currently have. What most people would do here is click on the Background layer to select it and then create a new layer, since by default, Photoshop always creates your new layer directly above the layer currently selected in the Layers palette.
Here's a neat trick I prefer to use instead, and if you don't know about it, once you do know it, you'll use it a lot. Rather than creating a new layer above the currently selected layer, you can tell Photoshop to create it below the currently selected layer by holding down the Ctrl key (Win) / Command key (Mac) while you click the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette, as I'll do here:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...85772f5f5c.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: Hold down 'Ctrl' (Win) / 'Command' (Mac) as you click the New Layer icon to create a new layer below the 'Smaller version' layer.
And now, thanks to that little trick, Photoshop has created a new blank layer for me directly below the "Smaller version" layer:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...5c8a947dec.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: The new layer, again named "Layer 1", created below the "Smaller version" layer.
Since I renamed the previous "Layer 1" to "Smaller version", Photoshop has gone and named this second new layer "Layer 1" in its place. I'm going to double-click the layer's name and rename it to "Clipping mask", since in a moment, we're going to be using this layer to "clip" the layer above it:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...abe076238e.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: Double-click on the name of the new layer and rename it "Clipping mask".
Step 3: Drag Out The Shape Of The Smaller Photo With The Rectangle Tool
With the "Clipping mask" layer selected in the Layers palette, select the Rectangle tool either from Photoshop's Tools palette or by pressing U on your keyboard:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...50c1f90bf1.gif Photoshop tutorial: Select the Rectangle tool.
The Rectangle tool draws rectangular vector-based shapes, and with it selected, I'm going to drag out the approximate shape and location of my smaller, cropped photo. I want to bring focus and attention to the subject of the photo, which in this case is the guy in the kayak, so I'll drag out a rectangular shape around him:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...e654aa3943.jpg Photoshop tutorial: Drag out the approximate shape and location of the smaller version around your subject.
With the vector shape drawn, notice what's happened in the Layers palette. The "Clipping mask" layer, which was a normal, blank layer a moment ago, has now become a vector shape layer:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...a9247ea1b5.jpg Photoshop tutorial: The "Clipping mask" layer has become a vector shape layer.
In case you're wondering, the layer is still named "Clipping mask", even though you can no longer see the name. If I was to drag out the width of the Layers palette, you'd see it.
[float=left]Step 4: Use The Vector Shape To Create A Clipping MaskNow that we have the shape of our smaller, cropped version of the photo drawn out, we can use this shape as a clipping mask, which will "clip" the layer above it to the dimensions of the shape. To do that, hold down the Alt key (Win) / Option key (Mac) and move your mouse cursor directly between the "Smaller version" and "Clipping mask" layers, until you see your cursor change into the clipping mask icon (circled in red below):
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...b13a6e0d49.jpg Photoshop tutorial: Hold down Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) and move your mouse directly between the two layers until your cursor changes to the clipping mask icon
Once your clipping mask icon appears, simply click with your mouse to create the clipping mask. It won't seem like anything has happened yet in your image, but in the Layers palette, the "Smaller version" layer will indent to the right, indicating that it's now being clipped by the vector shape below it:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...ffd9536ad5.jpg Photoshop tutorial: The Layers palette now showing the "Smaller version" layer clipped by the vector shape layer below it.
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Nothing much has happened yet to the image, but we're about to change that. We're going to create the appearance of our smaller, cropped photo around the subject by adding a couple of layer styles to the vector shape
Step 5: Add A White Stroke To The Vector Shape To Create The Border Of The Smaller PhotoClick on the vector shape layer in the Layers palette to select it, and then click on the Layer Styles icon at the bottom of the palette:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...f53a00bfd4.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: Click on the vector shape layer to select it, then click the Layer Styles icon at the bottom of the Layers palette.
Select Stroke from the list:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...72821d2f1f.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: Select "Stroke".
This brings up the rather massive Layer Style dialog box with our Stroke options:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...f614772ee9.gif
Photoshop tutorial: The Stroke options in the Layer Style dialog box.
There's three options we want to change here, and I've circled them in red in the screenshot above. I've set my Stroke Size to 10px to create a "Polaroid"-size border around my smaller photo. Depending on the size of the photo you're working with, you may find a different value works better. Below that, make sure Position is set to Inside. This means our stroke will appear inside the boundaries of the shape. By default, Position is set to "Outside", which causes the corners of the stroke to appear rounded. We want our corners nice and sharp, and "Inside" does that for us. Finally, by default, Photoshop sets the stroke color to red, which makes absolutely no sense, and obviously we don't want a red border around our image, so change the stroke color to white.
Here's what my image looks like so far with the 10px white stroke applied:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...a5ed927b37.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: The smaller photo is now visible with the white 10px stroke applied.
Don't click OK yet though. We have one more layer style to apply.
Step 6: Apply A Drop ShadowWith the Layer Style dialog box still open, click on the very first layer style at the top of the list on the left, Drop Shadow. Make sure you click directly on the words "Drop Shadow" and don't simply click inside the check box to the left of them. We want to bring up the options for the drop shadow effect, and you need to click directly on the words themselves for that.
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...15a1b4133b.gif
Photoshop tutorial: Click directly on the words "Drop Shadow" at the top of the list of layer styles on the left.
This changes the options shown in the Layer Style dialog box from the Stroke options to the Drop Shadow options:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...c44ec6a8a9.gif
Photoshop tutorial: The Drop Shadow options in the Layer Style dialog box.
The two options we're most concerned about here are the Angle and Distance options, circled in red above. Now, we could start guessing at values and continue entering them in manually until our drop shadow looks the way we want it, but there's a much better way to go about this. Keeping the Layer Style dialog box open and set to Drop Shadow, simply click anywhere inside your image and drag your mouse around. As you drag the mouse, you'll see the drop shadow moving right along with you, and the values for "Angle" and "Distance" changing dynamically as you continue dragging.
I've dragged my drop shadow around and ended up with an angle value of 134 degrees and a distance of 9 px, which looks good to me. When you have your drop shadow placed where you want it, click OK to exit out of the Layer Style options.
Here's my image now with both the white stroke and the drop shadow applied:
[IMG=510,343]http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-Graphics/Photoshop/Photo-Effects/2007-11-12/8979810df42fd94632ac0b8e3eb0ff96.jpg[/IMG]
Photoshop tutorial: The smaller photo now has the white stroke and the drop shadow applied.
Step 7: Use 'Free Transform' To Rotate And/Or Resize The Vector Shape As NeededIf you need to rotate, resize or reposition your vector shape at this point, make sure the vector shape layer is selected in the Layers palette and then use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+T (Win) / Command+T (Mac) to bring up the Free Transform box and handles around the smaller photo.
To move the vector shape, click anywhere inside the Free Transform box and drag the shape to a new location, or use the arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge it. To resize the shape, click and drag any of the Free Transform handles. To simply make the shape larger or smaller while keeping the same proportions for width and height, hold down the Shift key as you drag any of the corner handles. Holding down Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) as you drag will cause the shape to resize from the center rather than from the side or corner opposite from where you're dragging. Finally, to rotate the shape, click and drag your mouse anywhere outside of the Free Transform box. Press Enter or Return when you're done to apply the transformation.
Rotating the vector shape adds a bit more excitement to the image, as I've done below. I've also made slight changes to the size and position of my shape:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...dff61c235d.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: Resize, reposition and/or rotate the shape of the smaller photo as needed using "Free Transform".
Step 8: Use The Eyedropper Tool To Sample A Color From Inside The Smaller Photo AreaSelect the Eyedropper Tool from the Tools palette, or press I on your keyboard to select it. I'm going to use the Eyedropper to sample a color from inside the smaller photo area and then use that color to colorize the original image in the background:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...3a7df414a7.gif
Photoshop tutorial: Select the Eyedropper tool to sample a color from inside the smaller photo area.
With the Eyedropper selected, I'm going to click somewhere on the helmet of the guy to sample that blue color:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...09f0feb67e.jpg
Step 9: Colorize The Background With A Hue/Saturation Adjustment LayerClick on the Background layer in the Layers palette to select it. Then click on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the palette and select Hue/Saturation from the list:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...671b0bad61.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: Click on the "New Adjustment Layer" icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and select "Hue/Saturation".
This brings up the Hue/Saturation dialog box, which I'm going to use to colorize my background. No need to start dragging sliders around to select a color here, I've already sampled my color from the image. All I have to do is click the Colorize option inside the dialog box (circled in red):
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...805a6d44b7.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: Select the "Colorize" option in the Hue/Saturation dialog box.
And Photoshop will use that sampled color to colorize my original image in the background:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...f74b34e2b7.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: The original image in the background is now colorized with the sampled color.
Click OK to exit out of the Hue/Saturation dialog box.
One last thing to do, and that's apply a Radial Blur to the background
Step 9: Duplicate The Background Layer Once Again
Before we go applying our Radial Blur, let's duplicate the Background layer one more time so that we have a separate layer on which to apply the filter, since we never want to touch our original pixel information of our image on the Background layer. Select the Background layer in the Layers palette, press Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) to duplicate it, then double-click on the new layer's name and call it "Radial Blur", as I've done below:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...e04e3b7101.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: Duplicate the Background layer once again and rename it "Radial Blur".
Step 10: Apply The Radial Blur Filter To The New LayerWith the new "Radial Blur" layer selected in the Layers palette, go up to the Filter menu at the top of the screen, select Blur, and then select Radial Blur, which brings up the Radial Blur dialog box:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...6701cc5380.gif
Photoshop tutorial: Filter > Blur > Radial Blur to bring up the Radial Blur dialog box.
As circled in red above, I've entered an Amount value of 40. The Amount value determines how much of blur effect you'll get, and you may want a different value. For Blur Method select Zoom and set the Quality to Best. The Blur Center option in the bottom right determines where the blur will originate from in your image. Try to position the blur center close to where the subject in your photo is by clicking at that approximate location in the Blur Center box. It's not the most accurate thing in the world and it make take you a couple of tries before you get it right, so don't be afraid to undo the filter with Ctrl+Z (Win) / Command+Z (Mac) and try again. I'm happy with my Radial Blur settings, so I'll click OK to apply the blur to my Radial Blur layer:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...ec1bf0d9e0.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: The image with the Radial Blur filter applied
Step 11: Lower The Opacity Of The Radial Blur LayerThis last step is optional, but I think my radial blur is a bit too intense and I want to blend it in more with the original image on the Background layer, and I can do that simply by going up to the Opacity setting in the top right corner of the Layers palette, clicking directly on the word "Opacity" to turn my mouse cursor into the "scrubby slider" icon, and then dragging my mouse to the left to lower the opacity. I'll lower mine to 60%, which I think looks good:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...e9c6524b73.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: If needed, lower the opacity of the Radial Blur layer to blend the effect in with the original image on the Background layer below it.
For comparison, here's my original image once again:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...b7d75f49b3.jpg
And here's my final result:
http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/d/file/2D-...aa3cefc71d.jpg
Photoshop tutorial: The final "Photo Within A Photo" result.
