White Border with Drop Shadow

You can easily add a white border to your images and add a drop shadow to them in Photoshop. You can do this in any version of Photoshop.

Step 1 : Open any image in photoshop. I have opened  this free stock image.

It belongs to ~kristyvictoria Kristy Victoria

There is only a single Background layer in the Layers palette.

Step 2 : Press ALT+Double Click the Background Layer. The Background Layer changes to Layer 0.

 Step 3 : Press CTRL and click the New Layer icon. A Layer 1 forms below Layer 0.

Step 4 : Make sure that the Foreground and Background Colors are set Black and White respectively. 

If it is not press X and then D on your keyboard. It will restore the default setting.

Step 5 : Press CTRL+BACKSPACE. This will fill the layer with the Background Color 

which in this case is White.

Step 6 : Click back on Layer 0.

Step 7 : Press CTRL+T. A selection forms around the image.

Step 8 : Press SHIFT+ALT and drag inwards. It drags the image inwards proportionately.

Press ENTER.

Step 9 : Click the Layer Style button and from the popup click on Drop Shadow.

Step 10 : In the Drop Shadow dialogue box drag the Distance, Size and Spread sliders in that order. 

DO NOT CLICK OK.

Step 11 : Place the cursor on the image. You will now be able to move the Drop shadow 

anywhere you want.

Step 12 : Keeping a watch on your image adjust the Distance, Size and Spread sliders

 till you are satisfied with the effect. Now click OK.

This is the effect. I am satisfied. Click OK.

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Dramatic lighting with Curves Adjustment Layer

You can give dramatic lighting to an image in just a few steps in Photoshop. All you need is an image and a Curves Adjustment layer.

Step 1:  I have opened this free stock image in Photoshop. She is a pretty girl. There is a lot of background that she can do without. Let me use this image to demonstrate what you can do with a Curves Adjustment Layer. The image belongs to ~kristyvictoria Kristy Victoria

Step 2 : Click the New Fill or Adjustment Layer button and click on Curves.

Step 3 : The Curves dialogue box opens.

Step 4 : Drag the Input and Output (white and black sliders) as shown. 

There is nothing hard and fast about it. It is just to make the image very dark.

Step 5 : My image looks like this after application of the Curves Adjustment Layer.

Step 6 : Click the Lasso Tool.

Step 7 : Drag out a selection with the Lasso Tool.

Step 8 : As soon as you complete the selection, it changes into a column of marching ants.

Step 9 : This is how the Layers palette looks. 

There is just the Background Layer and the Curves Adjustment 

Layer over it.

Step 10 : The Foreground Color is set to White and Background to Black.

Step 11 : Press CTRL+BACKSPACE. It will fill with the Background Color which is Black.

Step 12 : Press CTRL+D to deselect. The marching ants go away.

Step 13 : Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur.

Step 14 : The Gaussian Blur dialogue box comes up. 

Drag the Radius while keeping watch on the effect it has on the image.

This is how my image looks with this setting.

Step 15 : I have decreased the Radius.

This is how my image looks.

Instead of selecting the face, I could make the selection larger in Step 11.

I am setting the Radius at 35.

 

I am satisfied with this effect. You can see how simple it is to do.

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Blend If in Photoshop

The Blend if option in Photoshop blends two images without the need for complex selections or masking. I will use two free stock images to demonstrate how to use it.

I have opened this image of a tree in photoshop. This image belongs to lillyfly06-stock

I have also opened this free stock image. It belongs to ~MapleRose-stock

Step 1 : I am dragging the clouds image onto the tree image with the Move tool while keeping Shift pressed.

This is the Move Tool.

Step 2 : The clouds cover the tree image entirely.

Step 3 : There are only layers in the layers palette. The Background is the image of the tree and Layer1 the clouds. Double click Layer 1.

Step 4 : The Layer Style dialogue box opens. 

Step 5 : We are only interested in Blend If which is set to Gray.  This Layer and Underlying layer below it are set from 0 to 255.

Step 6 : The Blend If also has options beside the default Gray. They are Red, Green and Blue.

Step 7 : Since the image is blue, I am selecting Blue as Blend If.

Step 8 : I am dragging the Black slider on Underlying Layer while keeping an eye on the image.

Step 9 : As I drag the slider, the tree becomes visible.

Step 10 : This is how much I have dragged the Black slider of the Underlying Layer.

Step 11 : This is how my image looks. There are come problems at right below the leaves. There are also some at the left. That has to be fixed. Click OK in Layer Styles.

Step 12 : I have zoomed into the image. It reveals that the edges where the sky and leaves meet are very harsh.

Step 13 : Double click Layer 1 to bring up the Layer Style. Press ALT and click on the Black slider. It will separate into two. Drag the left portion of the Black slider to the left while watching the image.

Step 14 : As you drag the Black slider to the right the harsh edges are removed. The leaves and sky blend perfectly. 

Step 15 : I am tweaking the Black sliders a bit in the Underlying Layer. Click OK.

Step 16 : This is how the image looks.

Step 17 : Double click the Background Later. It will turn to Layer 0. Drag it above the Clouds layer i.e. Layer1. A duplicate Layer 0 copy forms.

Step 18 : The original image of the tree becomes visible.

Step 19 : Press ALT. Click the Layer Mask button. A Black layer mask forms next to the layer thumbnail on Layer 0 copy.

Step 20 : The default Foreground Color is Black and the Background White. In this case the Foreground should be set to White.

Step 21 : Press b on the keyboard to bring up the Brush Tool. To make the Brush large press  ] (right bracket key) and to make it small [ (left bracket key), To make the Brush hard press SHIFT+] (right bracket), to make it press SHIFT+[ (left bracket). Here we need a large and soft brush.

Step 22 : I am painting where a portion was not looking right. Look at the image above this to see the difference.

Step 23 : By zooming into the image we can see some more places which have to be touched up, specially the tree trunk.

Step 24 : Press b to bring up the Brush Tool and paint with White set to Foreground Color.The tree trunk has been fixed, but some other problem areas remain.

Step 25 : Click on Layer 1.

Step 26 : Click on the Eyedropper Tool.

Step 27 : Click with the Eyedropper on the clouds.

Step 28 : The Foreground Color changes to the color picked.

Step 29 : Click the New layer icon and a new Layer 2 forms above the clouds on Layer 1.

Step 30 : Paint out the bits and pieces visible earlier.

Step 31 : Click with the Eyedropper on the clouds.

Step 32 : Click the New Layer icon and a new Layer 3 form.

Step 33 : The imperfections in the sky have been taken care of.

Step 34 : Click the Eyedropper tool again.

Step 35 : Click somewhere in the Foreground with the Color Picker.

Step 36 : Click on the New Layer icon. A new Layer 4 forms.

Step 37 : Press b to bring up the Brush Tool. In the top panel lower the Opacity to 50%.

Step 38 : The bluish shade in the foreground has been painted out. That is all. The tree is clearly visible and the sky behind has been filled with clouds. I don't think that was difficult.

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