Photoshop Hall of Famer, Eddie Tapp guest hosts this week with Bert Monroy at Photoshop World in Las Vegas. Learn about skin softening techniques and the controlling of color and tones.

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Julieanne Kosts guest hosts with Bert Monroy this week in Las Vegas at Photoshop World. Learn how to change the focal plane of images and check out tips on creating custom edges!

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Learn best practices for lighting your canvas in Adobe Photoshop.

Bert explains the study of light and it's effect on objects. Shadows, hotspots and other effects can be learned and emulated by simply opening your eyes and observing the way light travels. There is no guess work with shadows, and it's important to get your art to copy real life.

With basic shapes, layers, filters, and 3D effects, you will learn how to reproduce the effects of light in Photoshop. In this example, Bert uses two shapes (a ball and rod) on top of a custom texture with a single source of light. Watch and learn!

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We take another look at signs in Bert Monroy's Times Square piece. Learn how to make 3 dimensional letters in lights!

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In Bert Monroy's Times Square piece, neon lights make the McDonald's building attractive. Learn how to create your very own box of lights with Photoshop and Illustrator.

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Learn to create fern leaves by using custom brushes and adjusting brush settings along paths.

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A cascading shower of M&M's sounds like a dream come true! Bert Monroy shows you how to illustrate and style M&M's using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

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Learn to create snakeskin leather boots using textures and paths with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

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Learn how to use Smart Objects in Photoshop and how they protect your pixels when scaling images.

Deke McClellan is back once again to guest host with Bert Monroy on the topic of Smart Obects. We will work with RAW dng images and some type in a branding project.

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Deke McClellan guest hosts to demonstrate gradient masks using the Vanishing Point filter.

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Author of the Photoshop Bible and host of the Martini Hour, Deke McClelland joins Bert this week to show you the Vanishing Point filter!

This week, you'll learn how to use the greatly under-appreciated Photoshop filter, Vanishing Point.

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Learn to create an erupting volcano with spewing and falling lava, smoke and highlights!

Bert Monroy creates an erupting volcano using textures, brushes, filters, masks, alpha channels and lighting. Read below to learn how:

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Create an anime billboard made of tiny lights.

Create character illustrations
We begin with the paths drawn to make the anime characters. You can draw these in Adobe Illustrator and import the paths into Photoshop. Add a thin stroke to the character paths, and you will see a nice outline. The method used to fill the art with color resembles an old art form called "reverse painting on glass", where the color is painted behind the outline that is on a layer of glass. In Photoshop, the colors will exist in layers underneath the outline. Each element (such as the hair, eyes, and clothes) are organized in a separate layer set, with each layer labeled properly.

Create tiny light bulbs
The billboard that this artwork will reside in is made up of tiny light bulbs. To create this effect, first merge visible layers (and keep original layers) to make a flat composite of the art. In a new layer, create a small circle marquee and fill with black. With some selection padding on the top and right of the dot, create a pattern (Edit > Create Pattern) and name it "Bulbs". Throw away the layer with the circle, as it's no longer needed. Create a new layer behind the art composite and name it "back of scene". With a rectangular selection, fill with black. In a new layer, with the same rectangular selection, fill with the bulb pattern. This pattern will become a mask for the artwork. Now, the anime character is encased within the dots. Adding some layer effects to the mask will create a more realistic bulb effect. Bert uses a small bevel & emboss and background shadow (yellow). Increase the saturation of the artwork to create more impact.

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Learn how to create an iPhone from scratch in Photoshop and Illustrator, then create a full blown iPhone billboard!

Create a reflection of the iPhone
Apple's signature reflection style is easily re-created by duplicating the iPhone layer, and reflecting it across the horizontal axis. Move the duplicate layer to the bottom edge of the original iPhone, then bring down the opacity to about 50%. Finally, add an opacity mask using a linear gradient to make the reflection fade away. Finally, you can add the iPhone and Apple logo, then distort your billboard's perspective.

Build elements of the iPhone
As always, Bert re-creates everything from scratch. He uses many different paths to draw the iPhone and gives a tour of all the shapes built, including the iPhone hardware, the screen, the icons, and even the detailed logos within the icons. Most shapes include some effects such as Inner Shadow, Bevel and Emboss, and Satin. However, underlying all of these effects are just simple shapes. Each element of the iPhone, including the screen detail and highlights, are on separate, labeled layers. Make sure to name your layers because there will be many.

Use Illustrator to draw icons
Many of the icons appear to have gears and starbursts. Draw these in illustrator and import them into Photoshop as Paths. All of the detail are added in Photoshop, including shading, gradients, and colors.

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Learn how to make beautiful, wavy, realistic hair in Adobe Photoshop using custom brushes

Hair details in Layers
Last week, Bert showed us how to create some of Cindy Crawford's lacy clothes. This week, we're taking a look at how to create her wispy hair, full of waves and highlights. The hair is made of many different layers. Each element of the hair -whether it be the base, the highlights, the dark areas, or the wisps - is placed in separate layers so we can manage the details.

Create a custom brush that resembles hair
First, create a brown base for the hair with a large, brown brush in a new layer. Then, create a new brush that that is made of small dots and in the brush settings, turn down the spacing to zero so that the brush is a set of continuous lines. Add a fade to the brush so that the hair ends after a certain length. Bert uses 800 to begin.

Loosely brush the hair base in a new layer using a dark color (black), and feel free to increase the length of the brush for longer hair. Repeat until you are satisfied with the look of the dark hair. In a new layer, use a lighter brown color and brush to create highlights. Repeat a dark haired layer on top of the highlights. Watch closely to see how Bert makes the highlights realistic by brushing the hair in the opposite direction. Add random wisps of hair to the edges, and eventually, you'll have a satisfying head of hair.

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Bert gives us an update on his Times Square piece and focuses on some sexy lace on Cindy Crawford's shoulders made from scratch!

Create geometric shapes in lace using Adobe Illustrator
Before we add lace to the curves of Cindy Crawford's body, we want to build the shapes of the lace in Illustrator. You can use a photo of existing fabric to trace a few of the patterns. Bert builds these from scratch by first turning on the guides and draw a couple circles with no fill, then blend to replicate more circles. Create segments by drawing a vertical line, then rotating the angle by 20 degrees. Hit Ctrl D to replicate the rotation in future copies of the line until you have a shape that looks like a spider web. Repeat the process for the rounded parts of the pattern that sit on the outer edge.

Import the shapes to Photoshop
We now bring our completed shapes into a new file Photoshop. The new file should have a gradient that is similar to Cindy's shoulder skin tone. Then, paste in the copied shape from Illustrator. Make sure the shape looks like a bunch of white, twisted threads by using these brush settings: 5 pixel diameter with a white foreground, Shape Dynamics turned off, and increased spacing so that the knots look like they're just touching. Go back to your path, and then stroke the path with the brush. Now the shape looks like a doily. Add a slight drop shadow and a small inner bevel with a soft edge to add some depth.

Warp the shape
Contour the lace to the shape of the shoulder by using Warp. In a larger example, Bert stitched all his shapes together first before wrapping Cindy's shoulders.

Coming up in a future episode:
Learn how to create Cindy Crawford's beautiful, elaborate, wavy hair!

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Create videos that move while in a 3D space using Adobe Photoshop CS4

Photoshop imports video in CS4
You now have the ability to import Quicktime videos into Photoshop with CS4, so this means you can add video to your images, much like a moving picture within a TV in a living room, or a changing scene outside a window.

Add video layer
Choose Layer > Video Layer > New Video Layer From a File. Bert chooses a video of an old PixelPerfect episode as an example. He then creates a frame around the video using separate layers.

Create a 3D Postcard from the video layer
With the video layer selected, choose 3D > New 3D Postcard from Layer. Nothing will change in the appearance of the layer until you rotate the movie using 3D controls. Apply the 3D settings to both the video and the frame, then merge all the layers so that they become one unit that moves together. Adjust the positioning of individual layers by using the 3D Scene window.

Apply video to a 3D shape
In a separate example, Bert demonstrates Photoshop's ability to apply video to a 3D shape. He creates an example of a curvy object made from a black and white gradient (3D > New Mesh from Grayscale > Plane). To add the video to this shape, open the 3D object layer and choose Layer > Video Layer > New Video Layer. When you save and close this window, you'll see that the video is a part of the wavy 3D shape.

Create animation
In the Animation window, lock the object position. Shorten the movie length to about 5 seconds. At the 4 second mark, rotate and change position of the 3D object. When done, Export > Render Video, then choose your video output settings. This will take a few moments before your exported 3D video can be viewed.

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This week, Bert uses the Iron Man template to create an entirely new face mask by repurposing the layers with simple textures and brushes.

Prepare the existing Iron Man template
In this week's episode, we take a closer look at the different Photoshop layers that construct Iron Man's face. Bert starts with a template that has different pieces for the forehead, face, eye holes, and more. He merges them into one layer and then traces the parts of Iron Man's head with the pen tool that aren't already a part of the mask.

Add texture to mask
In a new layer, Bert fills a rectangular selection with a solid colors and applies a filter called Fibers (Render > Fibers) using black and white. He then applies the Crystallize filter, and fades this effect's opacity and changes the mode to Overlay in order to let the Fibers show through more. Add a clipping mask to the texture layer so that the pattern stays within the boundaries of the mask. Bend the corners to conform the texture to the mask by using Warp.

Add detail to the face
With a soft, large brush, create a new clipped layer and paint over the edges of the mask to create a wider range of tones and shadows.

Style the eyes
To make eyes, create a new layer underneath the mask and quickly trace a selection of the eye holes - this doesn't have to be very precise. Feather the selection and then apply a radial gradient. Bert uses yellow for the foreground and red as the background. Repeat for the second eye, then add some Inner Shadow and Inner Glow in Layer Styles.

Create hair
To create hair, use a styled brush and remove the spacing. In other brush effects, apply a Fade to 500 and when you use the brush, it will look like hair. Bert does the brushing free-hand in this example. Use grey as the foreground color and use the hair brush in desired areas on a new layer behind the mask and eyes. Vary the foreground color to add some dimension. Add shadowing with a large, black brush in the areas where the mask would overlap the hair.

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Learn how to create Iron Man's glowing chestplate and the lights that highlight the art on a billboard.

Create Iron Man's illuminated chest piece
Start on a canvas filled with a black background. In a new layer named Disc, create a vertical oval marquee, then fill with white. You'll be adding some effects to this disc give it some dimension. In layer styles, give the object a light blue Inner Glow. Make sure the blend mode is not Screen, because the color won't show up. Instead, us Multiply. Also add a small inner shadow.

The background is the chest, so change the color from black to a reddish color. Create a copy of the disc layer, and apply an Outer Glow. Use the same blue tone as the inner glow. You can dump the effect copied over on the copied layer. Apply a gaussian blur to the glowing layer.

Prep the billboard lights
In Bert's example, his billboard has 5 light sources from the lower edge of the artwork. In his light template, he applies an Inner Shadow with blend mode: screen and he uses the color white. Add a white drop shadow and match the angle of light so that they appear to be shooting upwards.

Add illumination
Use the pen tool to draw the light boundary. Fill the path with white. Make sure this layer is behind the light sources. Add a light gaussian blur. On the upper edge of the light, apply more gaussian blur. Do this blurring incrementally as you move the feathered selection upward. When done with adding blur, bring down the opacity of the white light. Change the entire light layer to layer mode: Screen. Duplicate this light 5 times for each light source.

The light is probably spilling outside of the billboard right now, so clip the lights to the boundaries of the billboard. Create a comp of what's visible by holding Option and choosing "Merge Visible" in the layers window. We hold option so the original layers are still in tact and not flattened.

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Create metallic armor like the arm piece in Iron Man using Photoshop paths, textures, and simple filter effects.

The suit of Iron Man contains a lot of metallic detail. In this episode, Bert Monroy focuses on recreating a single piece from Iron Man's arm.

To create this piece of armor from scratch, create paths that outline the object. In a new layer named Plate, fill the path with a gold color. Select the two paths that represent the indented area and fill with the gold color in a new layer named Indention. Use the Indention layer as a mask for the armor's base plate.

Use Bevel and Emboss to create some depth to the indentions. Apply a blur to add smoothing. Add more Bevel and Embossing to the Plate layer.

With the burn tool, use a large, soft brush to add additional dimension to the Plate layer. This adds to the metallic affect. Use the dodge tool to add highlighted "hot spots" - this will be the glare of the metal.

Create and Add Texture

In a new layer named Texture, we will create the metallic texture. Fill the canvas with 50% grey and add some noise and motion blur at 90 degrees. Tighten the levels to add more definition to the vertical lines. The ocean ripple filter adds more to the metal appearance. With the texture created, you can then change the layer style to Overlay, which will apply the texture to the golden plate. Clip this layer to the Plate layer to keep the texture within the armor's boundaries.

Warp the texture layer (Transform > warp) to match the corners of the texture to the shape of the armor. Pull in anchored points to create a matching curvature.

In the indented areas of the armor, create a new layer and apply a soft, smaller white brush in the area where there's a glare. Distort the texture area only inside the Indention area. You can add detail by using another warp to only the indention area.

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Create a moonlit landscape using simple 3D effects, lighting, and traditional filters.

Set up the moon
Bert starts with a static photo of the moon, which is in a new layer against a black background. Add a blue glow to the moonlight to add visual luminance. This image is cropped so that you can move it around the canvas as desired.

Create landscape using foreground and background colors
Imagine the landscape being built like Google Earth, where your perspective is from above. In the end, we will be adding a lake.

In a new layer, choose colors for your foreground. You can label this layer, "Terrain". These colors will represent the heights and depths of your landscape. The lighter the color the higher the peaks, and the darker the color, the lower the valleys. The color will automatically become a texture map. In this episode, the light color is a grey, and a dark color is a forest green. Apply the Clouds filter on this new layer while holding down the Option button (Alt on a PC). Holding down the button on your keyboard will ensure high contrast in the Clouds filter. Keep applying the clouds filter until you have a desired landscape.

With the dark color (green), use a soft, large brush to apply color to the bottom right portion of the canvas. Now, we will apply the lake color in the same area using a blue color.

Add 3D to the landscape
We will now create a 3D perspective and effects to this landscape. Choose 3D > New Mesh from Grayscale > Plane. To see the peaks and valleys, tilt your plane. Don't worry about the lighting at this point because we will apply our own light sources.

Add texture to the landscape
To apply some effects to your terrain, intensify the light source and then focus on the 3D Materials. Increase the bump strength to create an illusion of treetops, water ripples, and more. In Bump Strength, create a New Texture that has the same dimensions of your original image. In Layers, double click the "Terrain Bump Texture, which will open in a new window. Add noise to this file, save, and close. The noise will then appear as a texture in your 3D landscape.

Apply proper lighting from the moon
The moon is the only light source, so we'll manipulate the 3D lights to replicate this. Turn off all the light sources, and you will see that the image is completely dark except for the moon. Add new light source: Spotlight. Move the source of the light to match the position of the moon. Rotate the angle of the light so that it shines down into the landscape. At this point, the landscape will look like it is sprinkled with glitter, so we'll need to return to the 3D Materials window to adjust the Glossiness. Bring this value down to make the glitter appearance disappear a bit.

Add lighting detail to the landscape using a mask
Duplicate the terrain layer. With the top layer selected, turn off the lights so you can see the light's effects, but not the cone that indicates the angle of the light source. Bring down the intensity of your spotlight from the moon until satisfied with the appearance. Now, Bert adds a mask to the lake, brushing black onto the lake to let the glitter show through, which represents the light reflecting from the moon.

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Create realistic reflections of light using layer masking and warp distortions.

Create a reflection in windows
In Bert's Time Square piece, he focuses on an LG ad that is reflecting on a neighboring building's windows. To create this reflection, flip a copy of the original image horizontally, and distortion and masking to match the window's reflection surface. Having trouble trying to visualize a reflection? Simply pull out a mirror to create a a model. Here are the details:

Use Warp for distortion
Windows create some distortion on any reflection, so you will have to add some ripples of your reflection layer to create a realistic effect. Start the distortion by duplicating the reflection layer, then turning off the original reflection - you'll need this original reflection layer later. Warp (Transform > Warp) a vertical slice of the image and pull in the anchors to give the image s slight ripple effect. Repeat for the remaining slices of the image. After completing the warps, Bert cuts removes few slices of the image, whose selection matches the window's separations. Turn on the original reflection layer, then warp the portions of the image you just deleted. Merge these two reflection layers. Next we'll apply a mask.

Apply masking
Since a reflection consists only of light, you will be able to see transparency more strongly through the darker portions of the image. Turn down the reflection layer's opacity in dark areas by creating a single mask on your reflection layer. You can do this by clicking the mask icon while the reflection layer is active (the icon is third from the left on your layers window). Since the dark portions of this image are somewhat solid, such as the logo and banners, Bert can create a reflection by using the magic wand tool. With this selection, fill the mask with 50% gray. This makes your opacity in the selected areas transparent by 50%. He then brings down the entire opacity of the layer down to 88%, so that the whole reflection is somewhat transparent. In this demonstration, there is a separate layer containing the window's edges. These need to show through the image, so makes a selection (Ctrl click) of the window edges, then fills the reflection mask with 100%. Now, the reflection only appears on the glass, and not the window edges. Add more tone by lightly brushing your mask in desired areas.

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Use free 3D models, with some simple lighting and animation to make a plane fly in Photoshop!

Download free 3D models!
In this episode, Bert uses a 3D plane from Archive3d. Get the same file here: http://archive3d.net/?category=29

Set up lighting
Insert your 3D model onto a flat image of a sky. There will automatically be three different infinite light sources. Bert adjusts the lighting to mimic the sun's direction of light. Rotate the model to see how the where the light and dark areas of the 3D model are.

Create the animation
Create a flight path in a new layer using the pen tool. Stroke the path so it is visible, and adjust the plane's position to the beginning of the path. Open the animation window, and lock the 3D Object Position. With an advanced time setting selected, move the plane into position along the flight path. Turn the plane's direction as necessary. Repeat for future time intervals until the plane exits the scene. At this point, the flight path layer is no longer necessary and can be deleted. Play the video from the Animations panel to check out the flight!

Render the video
File > Export > Render Video: Here, you can specify the parameters of your video's output, whether it be Flash, Quicktime, Windows Media, etc. The output may take some time and will come out smoothly.

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Learn to make your own money in Photoshop! Bert teaches you how to make coins by applying textures to a 3D cylinder object.

Gather your materials
The first step of making a 3D coin in Photoshop is to get an image of the front and back side of the coin. You can use a scanner to capture both sides of a quarter at 300 dpi. When you have the image, use the marquee tool to copy and paste each side into a new file.

Make a 3D replica of the coin
Create a grey 3D cylinder in your original image file by choosing 3D > New Shape from Layer > Cylinder. Shrink the cylinder's height using the 3D controls that exist in your image canvas so that the shape looks similar to a quarter. Then, rotate and scale the diameter to match the size of the coins in your scan. You no longer need your original image, and you can fill the background with white.

Apply textures to different parts of the 3D object
In the 3D Materials panel, you will see that the coin is made of 3 parts: the Cylinder Material, the Top Material, and the Bottom Material. Each are indicated with different colors. Clicking on any of these materials activates that particular area of the image, and we can apply a texture. Place the face of the coin on the Top Material alongside the area where Diffuse is defined. Place the tail side of the coin in the Bottom Material, also alongside Diffuse. The ribbing of the coin will go in to Cylinder Material.

Create ribbing texture for the Cylinder Material
Bert creates a vertical strip filled with grey and applies a bevel. We need a continuous tone of highlight to shadow, so create a pattern from this image (Edit > Define Pattern). Apply this pattern to a new image file, and save as a file such as "ribbing.psd". Then, apply this file as a texture to the Cylinder Material alongside the Bump definition area.

Apply lighting to the 3D coin
Add a spot light to the coin. Adjust as necessary to create the desired luminance. Rotate the coin to see the lighting effects on your finalized coin.

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Getting ready to improve your home? See the results in Photoshop first. This week's episode is about DIY home improvement, specifically showing you how to create flooring.

Create hardwood flooring
Bert received a request to create Parquet floor, which is a simple, symmetrical type of pattern. Set up your workspace by turning on your canvas grid (View > Show > Grid) because we'll be working with straight, even shapes. Choose colors like the ones Bert picks for your foreground and background color. The filter Render > Fibers will create a wooden texture based on the colors you chose. Apply this filter, and your whole canvas will be filled with wood. Change your grid color in Preferences so you can see your grid on top of the pattern.

Create planks of wood
Use the grid to create uniform vertical, rectangular selections. Choose Layer > New > Layer via copy. Make two planks. Darken the midtones of the background layer using Levels. Simply pull the middle arrow to the right. Select another uniform sized plank and make a couple new layers with it. Put all the planks next to each other and you'll see that there will be differences in color - this is good. You can lighten some of the planks for more contrast.

Add nails to the wood
Get a small sized brush, turn off Shape Dynamics and turn on Smoothing in Brush Presets to manually apply nails to the wood in a new layer. At this point, turn off the background visibility and merge visible layers.

Create a pattern
Now that you have a single tile of planks, duplicate that layer and rotate 90 degrees. You may turn off the grid at this point to see the floor from a better perspective. Scale down all layers and merge the visible tile set. Create a pattern from this set (Edit > Define Pattern) and fill the canvas with the flooring pattern.

Create marble flooring
Bert uses black and green for his foreground and background colors this time. Set up the tiles ahead of time by creating a checker pattern mask.

Create the pattern by using filters
Instead of Render > Fibers, we'll choose Render > Clouds, then Render > Difference Clouds. Apply this filter several times until you see your desired marble texture. Duplicate the marbled layer into a new layer. Desaturate and rotate the top layer and create a mask. In that mask, fill with a checkered pattern to see the tiled marble floor.

Use 3D to apply perspective
To give the floor some angles, don't use distort or perspective. Instead, use Photoshop's new 3d capabilities. Choose 3D > New 3D Postcard from Layer. Now you can pull in corners of the floor while keeping the tiles in tact. Apply some spot lighting to create additional realistic depth.

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Photoshop can be used to fix and enhance product photography, or to retouch someone's face.

Bring focus to the product: Retouch a wine glass
Bert's first example of retouching involves an etched wine glass that sites on a dark wooden table. Our objective is to create more wine glasses to draw more attention to the glass instead of the table.

Create a work path to add glare to a wine glass
First, add additional glare to the glass by using the pen tool to draw shapes of light. After drawing the shapes, create a new layer, select the work path, then fill the layer's selection with white. Soften the light by applying a gaussian blur. Apply a layer mask to the glare and brush a grey mask to soften up the appearance of the glare. Make sure Shape Dynamics (in Brush Presets) is turned off so that you get a uniform, even shaped brush. This layer mask should have a Screen layer style.

Use alpha channels to apply styling to monogram
The monogram (letters) are saved as an alpha channel so we can apply styles to only the letter areas and not worry about being so precise. We will create a second monograph alpha channel and this version will be blurred. Nudging the blurred alpha channel a couple pixels to the left allows an overlap of channels. Use Calculations to save the overlapped areas into a new alpha channel. See episode 9 for a re-cap of alpha channels.

Add highlights to the product's focal point
Select the new alpha channel that holds the blur overlap. Brush this selection with a white brush in a new layer to add tonality to the monogram graphic. The wine glass now has more attention pulled in than the table

Correct staged photos, such as a winery scene
In a staged product photo, small details are sometimes overlooked, such as wine poured into glasses without the wine bottle being open, or imperfect landscape. Bert retouches a staged winery photo to make it perfect.

Use clone tool to add fruits to a bare tree
Use the clone tool to sample a fruit, and brush the clone onto other areas of the image. In Adobe Photoshop CS4, you get a convenient preview of your cloned area before you commit.

Use brush mode, "Color" to bring dead trees back to life
This example has dead, brown trees. These need to come back to life by turning them green again. Sample a green hue from neighboring foliage and paint the brown trees green using a brush mode, "Color" - this adds color without losing any detail of the leaves. Lower the opacity of the green brush to add color to the edges of the brush for a softer edge.

Use clone Tool to open the bottle of wine
Manually select the mouth of the bottle to apply changes to make the bottle appear open. Simply use the clone tool to sample existing glass and apply this to your selection.

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Learn how to create textiles and fabrics using Adobe Photoshop.

Create denim

• Apply a solid light blue to your canvas background.
• Create a new layer with a fill of 50% grey.
• Apply a filter to the 50% grey layer: Sketch > Halftone Pattern. Choose 1 as the size, and 20 for the contrast with the pattern type: Line.
• Apply another filter: Pixelate > Mezzotint. Type: Fine Dots. This creates a texture. Duplicate this layer, and rotate it to 45%.
• In Layer 1 (horizontal texture), apply a blur with a radius of 1.
• Change Layer 1's layer type to Soft Light.
• Rotate the layer with the 45 degree angle to a layer type: Multiply.
• Create a new layer, then choose Merge Visible from the Layers window. This merges your visible artwork without discarding the original artwork layered below.
• To create the bends and folds in your fabric, don't use the liquify filter because it will blur your image and you'll lose your texture. Instead, use displace or warp. These will work much better.

Create fine threaded linen

• This fabric is created from a pattern. In a new canvas with a black background, and new layer, create two thin vertical strips (threads) and fill with a light grey color. Duplicate this layer and rotate 90 degrees.
• Apply a dark colored inner glow (blend mode: Multiply) to both layers to give the appearance of depth.
• Add a drop shadow to the top layer so it appears to be sitting on top of the bottom layer.
• Break the styles into their own layers so we can manipulate the styles separately from the image. Layer > Layer Style > Create Layers
• Use clipping to apply drop shadowing only to intersecting thread areas.
• Erase where necessary to complete the weaved effect.
• To add extra texture, you can optionally add some extra tones to intersecting areas.
• Create a pattern of the intersecting weave area: Edit > Define Pattern.
• The pattern is saved, so you can discard all of your working layers, only leaving the black background layer.
• Fill the whole canvas in a new layer with the pattern, and it appears to be a detailed fabric!

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Architects and engineers will love this episode about 3D lighting. Bert demonstrates how to add lighting to a 3D model car.

Obtain a 3D model car and add lighting
Download a 3d model from the web. You can often find these for free. In the 3d control panel, scale, rotate and position the car to your desired working size. Open the 3d (Lights) panel and you can adjust the Infinite lights to brighten or darken the color of the car. Changing the color of the light source can also make the paint of the car appear as a different color.

Illuminate the inside of your 3D model car
A Point Light can be applied to car inside the cabin. This will illuminate the interior of the car like a light bulb.

Add texture and reflection to a 3D model
In the 3d (Materials) panel, you can load a texture through the Environment tool. You can load a photo and it will be reflected on the 3d model, much like a moving vehicle through a neighborhood like San Francisco. As you rotate your model, the reflection changes accordingly.

Check out the inside of your 3d Model
The Cross Section functionality in the 3d (Scene) panel can create a plane that splits your 3d model in half, allowing you to see the insides of your 3d model. Adjust the intersection, offset, and tilts upon the X, Y, or Z axis to change your view.

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3D functionality is a huge part of Adobe Photoshop CS4. Bert shows you some tips in applying light sources to your 3D projects.

Create a 3d object
This week, Bert teaches us that 3D is not just about angles, shapes, and depth. Lighting is equally as important. We begin with a 900x600, RGB file set to 72dpi. Fill screen with a solid blue in a new layer. Turn the layer into a 3D Postcard so we can apply lights. In 3D controls, you can scale down the solid block of color and apply rotations.

A note about resolution in your Photoshop files
If working in print, your resolution should be double your halftone screen. i.e. If the magazine prints at 150 line screen, you need 300 dpi. If working for the computer screen only, use 72dpi as it speeds up the computing speed when working on images. Higher resolution requires more time for processing.

About 3D lighting
There are 3 different sources of light, which can be controlled in the 3D (Lights) panel: Point lights, spot lights, and infinite lights. In this window you can also adjust the lighting source position, color, intensity and angle.

Point lights
Point lights are simulate the light from a regular lightbulb.

Spot lights
Spot lights shoot the light out at an angle like a cone - narrow at first, then widening as the light travels.

Infinite lights
Infinite light is like an ambient light, much like sunlight. Changing the angle of the Infinite light will lighten or darken your image with more coverage. You can also use Infinite light much like a photographer's reflection screen to hide shadows.

Adjusting light properties
- Hotspot and Fallout values will change the softness of the light's edges.
- Attenuation determines the distance of how far the light travels, and you can set inner and outer values to manipulate the light to be realistic with distance.

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Photo merging allows you to put many individual photos together to create a larger image. This week, we're going to look at merging for photo solutions you may not have heard of before.

Use two images to get rid of an unwanted object
Bert uses two similar photos of a tree and it's shadow that are not exactly the same, taken only a few feet apart from each other. Layer one image on top of another, select both layers, and choose Edit > Auto-Align Layers (Auto) to distort image, making them visually aligned. Crop the image to the desired boundaries of the image. Create a layer mask on the top layer, and brush a black mask over the unwanted (black hides). Since the two images were auto-aligned, the final image appears to have no unwanted object in the shot.

Use to images to add a new object into a photo
Don't have a photographer to shoot a photo of you and your wife? Simply plan ahead when putting two objects together in a single photo using Photoshop. This example involves adding Bert's wife into a photo with him, derived from two pictures shot separately. Layer the photos on top of each other. Select both layers, and choose Edit > Auto Align Layers, as we did in the previous example. Crop the image to the desired boundaries. Create a mask on the top image, then use a brush to create a mask which will reveal the bottom layer. Apply styling such as shadows to create a realistic effect.

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Last week, we created an energy can to be placed in a billboard. We continue this week by building the rest of the advertisement using both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

Create the billboard canvas in Photoshop
Open your energy drink graphic, and copy the image into a new layer on a large Photoshop canvas.

Use Adobe Illustrator to make the billboard's background design
Bert utilizes Adobe Illustrator to create starburst-like shapes that will serve as the billboard's background design. These shapes will be imported into Photoshop when complete. The method of creating multiple angled lines is done by using the Reflect function and making manual adjustments as needed. Use Object > Join to connect your duplicated lines to create a single shape. Duplicate this shape multiple times using the Reflect function to create a starburst-looking object.

Import shapes into Photoshop and apply color
Copy and paste this path into Photoshop in a layer behind the energy can and adjust the shape as desired. Create a yellow colored gradient in another layer below the can, then make a selection using the starburst paths. In that selection, apply some green color that will contrast with the yellow gradient.

Apply styling to the can using gradients
Apply a glow to the can for additional styling. In this case, we're not going to apply a glow using layer styles. Instead, we'll make a large glow behind the can by using a white color, and creating a radial gradient that fades to transparent. This way, the glow is uniform and doesn't stick to the shape of the can. If the glow isn't strong enough, duplicate the glow layer for more intensity.

Add text to the billboard using Illustrator
Create an ellipse selection in Photoshop using the marquee tool and save this selection as a path. Copy this path and place it in Illustrator. Lock this path, then make a new path with less anchor points using the smart guides, which will help identify the boundaries of the imported path. Apply type to the rounded path and find a font that you like. You can adjust the placement of the text by dragging the handles. Copy this text back into Photoshop as pixels. Finally, apply a white stroke to the text using layer styles to complete this project.

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Be amazed by the Photoshop magic used to re-create an Energy Can Billboard like the ones in Times Square

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Learn how to create a sign made of lit bulbs using Adobe Photoshop - a simple process involving layer styles, type, masks, and clipping paths.

Build the sign base
Begin this project by creating a solid grey rectangle in a new layer. In a new layer, create a single bulb using a small circle marquee. Fill this circle with grey and create a pattern (select a rectangular marquee with a 1px padding, so that the circle pattern will have space between them, then choose Edit > Define Pattern). Fill your entire canvas with the bulb pattern in an empty layer, then apply clipping so the bulbs are contained within the grey rectangle base.

Add styling to the bulbs
To give the bulbs some depth and style, add a Drop Shadow, Inner Glow (dark), and Satin via Layer Styles.

Create letters
Add a bold, block style type in a new layer using a bright color, such as green. This layer should lay on top of the bulbs. Clip the type layer to the bulbs, and it will make the bulbs appear green, but not lit up. To make the letters fill the right bulbs, rasterize the type and use your brush to manually fill or remove in any necessary green areas.

Add bright light to the bulbs
Duplicate the type layer and remove the clip. This will appear pretty messy, but applying a mask of the bulbs will clean it up nicely. There will still be some extra green areas outside of the bulbs, so use the eraser tool to manually clean the letters up. Apply an Outer Glow and Inner Glow in Layer Styles to create the effect of light.

Add light reflection to the non-light bulbs
Finally, add a realistic reflection effect by applying an Outer Glow (bright green, soft technique, high opacity) to the originally clipped type layer.

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Save time and make modifications easy by labeling, grouping and duplicating layer groups. Bert demonstrates with multiple hotel room scenes.

Re-use layers to create different scenes and moods
Bert uses a hotel building with multiple rooms to demonstrate the effectiveness of using layers in a Photoshop file. All of the rooms derive from a single scene with individually labeled lamps, chairs, beds and more in separate layers. All the elements that belong to a room are put into a group, which can be duplicated and modified instead of being re-drawn.

Apply and change lighting
Lighting will vary from room to room, most noticeable on wall and ceiling layers. Radial gradients create lighting effects. To change the lighting in a duplicated room, simply move the gradient to the desired area of the room's ceiling and wall layers. Modifying the brightness of the lamp shade, light bulb, and light pole layers also contribute to the effect.

Changing shadow directions
Make sure to turn off "Use Global Light" to change drop shadows individually for each element. If left on, your shadows will move in all places of your Photoshop file.

Add curtains
In a new layer, create multiple shapes of curtains. Fill with white, then duplicate to make 3 separate curtain layers. Varying opacities and shades between the three layers make the curtains look realistic.

Using masks
Use layer masks for elements that will filled with different patterns, such as a bed. With a mask, the shape stays in place and patterns can be applied easily, varying from room to room.

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Photographer Frederick Johnson is back to discuss more Lightroom 2 features and a detailed tour of the new user interface. Learn best practices in making your image search and cataloging experience most efficient.

Organize and view images within the Library
The Lightroom 2 application is flexible and conforms to the way you like to work. When in the Library screen, your left column contains source information of where your images are located. The middle column is displays the images in grid mode, full screen mode, compare mode, or survey mode. In the right column, you can set instructions to modify the images of your choice.

Best practices for image searches
Search results are improved by applying flags and keywords are associated with your images. In addition, you can also search by metadata, file name, title, caption, and more. This functionality was also included in Lightroom 1, but the search interface has been improved in this release, also allowing the user to save search results for future use.

Image modification in the Develop panel
In the Develop panel, you get a column on the left where your presets hold image correction instructions. You can apply and see changes to your photographs here. A new feature in Lightroom 2 is a non-destructive vignetting filter, included to darken edges of your photograph for artistic purposes.

To try Lightroom 2 without buying, you can download a 30 day demo from Adobe at no cost.

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Learn how to apply localized correction to your images in the greatly improved Adobe Lightroom 2 by watching a tour of features from Frederick Johnson.

Frederick Johnson joins Bert this week to give a demonstration of the all-new features in Lightroom 2. He claims that 90% of his general photo editing can be done with this single piece of software, due to an improved localized correction process for dodging and burning, sharpness, saturation, and more, applied by painting directly on your image.  Here are some of the features discussed in this episode:

Use Gradient Tool to apply changes to a sky
Frederick uses  a photo of Death Valley to demonstrate saturation of the sky using Lightroom2's gradient tool, located in the Histogram panel, which allows you to select only the desired parts of the image. Click and drag on your image to apply settings. These will be non-destructive changes that can be removed later.

Use Auto Mask in Expert Mode to apply changes to a local area
In expert mode, which can be accessed by a switch in the Histogram panel, you're given many other options to change your image, such as exposure, brightness, contrast, saturation, clarity, and sharpness. You can pre-define these options before using the "Auto Mask" feature, which is considered magic to Frederick. This feature allows you to make intelligent decisions of where to apply the adjustment. You can see the changes as you paint directly onto the image, and the high contrast edges stay in place.

Quick Collection
This is a temporary area where you can store images that you'd like to return to for future work. Filing through hundreds of images after a photoshoot becomes an easier process. 

Create multiple versions of images without using up disk space
Lightroom 2 allows one image to be referenced in "virtual copies", storing only instructions to change the graphic instead of storing multiple image files.

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Use 3D shapes and animation to create rotating planets and moons in Photoshop. Bert demonstrates how to apply lighting and styles to create a realistic outer-space experience.

This week, we're looking at 3D in Photoshop from a different perspective: Deep Outer-Space! You'll learn how to create planets and moons in their orbit. Here are the steps:

Set up a tiled Earth graphic for animation
Bert shows us how to rotate a moon around our Earth using movie files. Start with a full, flat image of the earth (just Google the image for a free, public graphic). Copy, and paste the image into a new document (don't delete your original document - we'll return to it later). Enlarge the new canvas width by 300% and make an additional 2 duplicates of this earthly image, tiled horizontally. Copy all that is visible, then paste into your original document.

Apply animation
In your animation window, switch to frame view, a new frame, and move the image to the opposite edge. Apply about 5 frames of tweening, then render the video. You'll need to wait for a few minutes while Photoshop processes the rotating image of Earth. A Quicktime video will be created when the animation is complete.

Apply rotation to the globe
Import the movie file to your original document (Layer > Video Layer > New Video Layer from File) and delete your old layer of Earth. The new layer will have a movie icon on the layer thumbnail. Create a globe by choosing 3D > New Shape from Layer > Sphere. Adjust the lighting as desired through the 3D Lighting panel.

Add stars
Monochromatic noise on the dark background creates stars with some adjustments.

Add a moon to Earth's orbit
With a flat moon image file, apply a Sphere shape as done previously to the Earth. When sized correctly, move the moon to the side of the Earth. To adjust the lighting to match Earth, select both layers, then choose 3D > Merge 3D Layers. The moon will then take on the same properties as the Earth.

Cast shadows on the Earth
To apply shadows on the Earth as the moon orbits, apply 3D Render Settings > Ray Trace. When you choose OK, a shadow will appear. You can apply layer styles to the shadow to make it look realistic.

Render the video
When exporting your movie, rendering will take some time (at least a few minutes) to create the movie frame-by-frame for every element in this file, like positioning, shadows, and lighting. Apply a loop and you're done!

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Design a custom, ice-cold beer bottle using Adobe Photoshop. Bert demonstrates how to create realistic effects for the bottle, beer, and condensation with simple layer styles.

In Bert's New York Times Square piece, he created realistic beer bottles and shows you how in this episode!

Create a beer bottle shape in Illustrator:
Due to the ease of use in Adobe Illustrator, we start there to create a beer bottle shape using the pen tool. An effective way to create this shape is to draw half of bottle, select all points, and reflect them across the vertical axis. Use Command J to join the end points, creating a single object. Copy and paste your shape into Photoshop as a path.

Apply color and glow in Photoshop:
In a new Photoshop layer, fill with a nice yellowish beer color. Apply a large sized Inner Glow with the Layer Style palette. Change the glow color to a deep, darker orange. Separate the layer effects into it's own layer (Layer Style > Create Layer) and apply another dark Inner Glow to the original layer for more tonality.

Add glare and shadows to the bottle:
To add a glare to the bottle, use a large, soft-edged brush and add white strokes to the bottle in a new layer. Bring down the opacity of these glares and change the layer style to "Screen". The same concept is applied to create dark areas on the bottle.

Fill the bottle with beer:
Fill the beer bottle path in a new layer with the color grey. Create a shape to specify where the liquid exists and apply a layer mask. Again, Bert applies an inner glow to make the bottle's neck appear empty.

We create a brown colored path at the top of the liquid and apply a mask to hide everything that falls outside of the bottle shape. Apply shadowing to give the liquid a realistic feel.

Apply condensation to bottle:
Create a new layer to hold the moisture texture. In Brush presets, turn off Shape Dynamics and increase the Size Jitter. Give some spacing to the tip and apply a large Scatter value. Then, simply brush in the bottle area with the color white. This will look like little, white drops. Turn off the color (fill opacity = 0 in Layer Styles) because we want the beer's color to come through from underneath. Bert adds a low-opacity drop shadow, some beveling, inner shadow, and smudging to add finishing touches to the moisture.

Your bottle should now be complete, and you can add your very own label!

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Photoshop Secrets: Learn how to use Content-Aware Scaling in Photoshop CS4, eliminating the need to use the clone tool when drawing items of focus closer to each other. Also, learn how to manipulate and create new 3D graphics using gradients.

Content-Aware Scaling
Bert demonstrates by using examples such as an image of three boats in the water, or an ocean-front image with two palm trees. To draw the items of focus closer to each other, Content-Aware Scaling is used, a process that eliminates redundant areas of an image.

Content-Aware Scaling gives you the same transformation handles as the other transform tools. However, when you pull the handles in, excess space in the background is removed and the items in focus come together in the proportions. Trim the image to apply final cropping touches.

This new method in Photoshop CS4 eliminates for the need of cloning to achieve the same result.

3D Objects
3D integration has been simplified and there is no longer a need for third party software. This feature is demonstrated with a 3D image of a bench layered onto a flat image of a deck, and step-by-step instructions on creating new 3D objects. There are many free 3D images offered online.

Once you have these 3D files, you can bring them into Photoshop for manipulation.

To apply a 3D object onto another flat image, take the following steps:
- Choose from the menu: 3D > New layer from 3D. Locate your file, and it will appear in the center of the screen.
- Manipulate the 3D file by rotating, scaling, rolling, and twisting - all functions available from the main toolbar.
- Apply different lighting to the bench to make the object appear naturally into the background.

You can also create new 3D objects. Bert shows us by creating a vase, using tones from a gradient that will determine the shape of the 3D areas. Bert advises to experiment with your gradients and tones when applying 3D effects. You can learn to make custom shapes, where dark areas become narrow portions in the object, and light areas become the wide portions of the object.

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Adobe's John Nack joins Bert to demonstrate new panoramic stitching and stacking features in CS4, including auto-blending, 3D perspectives and depth of field extension. Also, learn to build your own custom workspace with Configurator.

Auto-blending in Panoramic Photo Stitching
Photoshop CS4 stitches images with auto blending, which eliminates vignette rippling in panoramic photos - a huge step up from CS3.

Auto-Stack Panoramic and HDR images in Bridge
In Bridge, you can automatically stack together panoramic and HDR images using Stacks > Auto Stack Panorama. Bridge finds matching pixel patterns and overlaps, then uses the auto-stack command to stitch properly. You can then hand the image off to Photoshop for retouching.

360 Degree Stitching
The 3D tools, such as Spherical Panorama, can create a 3D 360 degree environment from panoramic stills shot on a swiveling tripod, putting the viewer in the center of the perspective. With some touchups using the healing brush tool, artifacts can be eliminated, creating a seamless spherical photo. This is demonstrated using the San Jose, CA Adobe campus basketball court.

Depth of Field Extension
Detecting the focal point in a series of images is now possible, exemplified using a macro shots of an insect. The sharpest coordinate is automatically detected from each image in the shallowly focused set of photos, then blended together to create an entirely synthesized, crisp single image. Select all the layers > Edit > Auto-Blend Layers > Stack Images with Seamless Tones and Colors.

Configurator: Custom Photoshop Toolbars
Configurator is a free and soon-to-be open source application, and functions like a set of Legos to create custom Photoshop toolbars. For the first time, since Adobe now leverages Flash technology, you can build your own toolbars/panels relevant to your type of work, such as individuals who work only in video, web, or painting. Simply turn on or off the tools you need or don't need. Defined configurations are accessible via Windows > Extensions. Download Configurator from Adobe Labs.

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Adobe Photoshop's Principal Product Manager joins Bert again to continue explaining lots of the new features in CS4 (Creative Suite 4).

• Camera Raw (over 200 formats natively supported inside of Photoshop)
• Simple painting and graduated filer/gradient tools inside the RAW environment (the cool thing about doing it in RAW is that all the settings are non-destrictive - same as some of the features in Adobe Lightroom)
• Dial in adjustments using brushing tools in camera RAW
• A plugin called pixel bender that harnesses the power of the GPU to let you do a ton of things on the fly (look for the pixel bender at labs.adobe.com)
• Applying photos as a texture onto a 3D surface
• 3D navigator tool for rotating on multiple axes
• Controlling lights and sources of light in 3D images
• Painting Directly on 3D surfaces
• Mixing 2D and 3D together - applying 2D imagery to a 3D environment

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Principal Product Manager for Adobe Photoshop John Nack visits the show in a first of a 3 part special introducing Photoshop CS4 (aka Creative Suite 4).

• A cleanup of the bridge interface
• Performance feature updates (what makes it run faster and feel better) - taking advantage of the GPU (graphics processor). John demonstrates a few things with a 442 megapixel image.
• Spring loaded keys
• Canvas rotation
• Tabs in the Photoshop interface
• Application frame that helps isolate your creative space
• The adjustments panel to take the best practices and bring them front and center
• and more...

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Bert uses alpha channel masks and type treatments to create a cool auto show poster.

In the first step of creating the auto show poster, Bert uses the Type Tool to create the word, 'Wheels', and converts the type to a work path. To see the work path, create an extra layer below the type and fill it entirely with white. After stylizing the work path as desired, discard the original text layer and the white layer, leaving only the work path.

To dramatize the colors in the Channels window, Bert makes a copy of the green channel, giving him his first alpha channel. The levels in the alpha channel are adjusted, creating strong light and dark shades in the image. He then duplicates the adjusted channel, and then inverts the newly made second alpha channel.

Within the layers window, Bert creates a copy of the background image. He then chooses the light colors in this new layer by loading the first duplicate green channel. With this selection, he creates a new solid color layer. With this new solid color layer, he applies a bold color, such as purple.

To apply a different bold color, to the remainder of the image, select the second alpha channel, and create another solid color layer on top.

In filters, apply Smart Blur to blur only the edges of the original car photo. Bert then demonstrates to invert the blur and use the Multiply layer mode, which added a black texture on top of the color layers.

The last step is to add the text with a bright color (Bert uses white) and use layer styles to apply color and create a drop shadow for some impact.

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Bert celebrates the fall season by creating a falling leaf animation on Illustrator

Blend Option> Specified Step (10 steps) and creates from the tip of the first leaf downward,. Then taking the middle leaf, and shift click to the bottom leaf, using Object> Blend> Make to create the path.

With the pen tool, Bert adds curves within the straight line of the path, repositioning to how he'd like the animation to go.

In the layers pallet, under the pulldown layer, selecting the different layers, Bert selects the Release to Layers (Sequence) option. Then, Bert saves the file under "Save for Web & Devices," picking a SWF format (for flash) with Layers to SWF frames.

Animation is a go!

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This week, Bert creates an iPod using various elements in Photoshop.

To create the screen of the ipod, Bert uses the rectangle path tool, adjusting the radius, filling it with a black color.

For the center menu button, Bert uses the circle path tool and fills it with black, adding texture with bevel/emboss layer style. To create the smaller center button, Bert uses the circle path tool and clips it to the main body layer to add color/effects. Bert then adds an indentation by adding a layer on top of the button, using a black to white linear gradient. Finally, he clip them together and brings down the opacity. To add text on the menu button, Bert uses the the text tool. He then adds the play/stop controls with the pen tool.

Bert then adds an image of Pixel Perfect on the iPod screen by dragging the image onto the file, and clipping it with the screen layer, then resizing the image to fit.

As a final touch, Bert creates a ground for the iPod in the background layer, by simply adding a linear gradient. To create a shadow of the iPod, Bert clips together all the elements of the iPod, copies/pastes, flips the new layer vertically, drags it to the ground and adjusts the opacity, adding a layer mask.

Viola!

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Bert continues his in-depth conversation with famed digital landscape photographer, Stephen Johnson.

Learn more about Stephen Johnson and his work on his official website. And buy Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography here.

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Bert discusses photography with famed digital landscape photographer, Stephen Johnson

Learn more about Stephen Johnson and his work on his official website. And buy Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography here.

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Bert shows how he recreated Toys "R" Us Display for his Times Square masterpiece

Bert sheds light on how he will recreate the Toys "R" Us display in Times Square, specifically the Shark Tale video box and Shrek head.

Bert starts created Shrek's face by first tracing the face with paths, filling in the paths with colors, creating a guide layer, and adding stroke layer effect. Bert simply uses the dodge/burn/saturation tool for texture and tones, and adds the texturizer filter and more to recreate the popular computer-animated character.

For Shrek's eye, check out the evil eye episode.

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Bert invites us into his magnificent studio and treats us to a sneak peek of his latest giant project.

Bert estimates his project on Times Square in NYC will take roughly two years to finish.

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Bert celebrates the 100th episode of PixelPerfect with a tour of his Berkeley Hills Studio - where all the magic is made.

1. Epson Stylus Photo 2200
2. Epson Stylus Photo R2400
3. Epson Perfection V750-M Pro
4. Epson Stylus Pro 9800
5. Cintiq 21UX LCD Monitor
6. Apple Cinema Displays
7. Radion/Stardom SR6600
8. Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera

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