The texture performance of PS and water

In the use of Photoshop reflect a variety of reflective materials, we will generally choose metal, plastic, glass and other strong light reflection material. This time, let's try water--the most common thing--to show a strong, shiny, and transparent surface effect.

We are more familiar with the medium of water. In Photoshop, a lot of time to use layer style to express its sense of transparency and reflection, although this method is more convenient, but can not show the underwater refraction effect. Precisely is the refraction effect, only then can embody the reality feeling. For the same transparent material, the refractive index of glass (15000) is larger than water (13333). In addition, water has a very important characteristic, that is the surface tension. Therefore, although it is not as transparent as the shape of the glass, but it must not be treated as a plane. If you think this sentence is difficult to understand, it is good to do, sprinkle some water droplets on your table, carefully observe its shape, so that you will understand its three-dimensional and other materials of the three-dimensional difference.

Having said so much, you may have vaguely sensed that it is not an easy thing to show the ideal effect. Yes, there are many challenges waiting for us, such as light and reflection, highlights and glare, and shadows. In the authoring process, we will try to develop Photoshop features, channels, filters, layer effects and various image adjustment tools, as well as layer blending mode.

One thing to know is that there are many different ways to achieve the same effect in Photoshop. One of the biggest surprises of Photoshop is that it can sometimes be like a Swiss army knife with 16 different types of bottle opener, which, although functionally different, can eventually achieve the same goal-your bottle is open. Sometimes, if you think you're not good at using commands like curves, arithmetic, channels, etc. to process images, you can try to replace them with other methods, as long as you can achieve the same effect.

Okay, now let's get started!

1. First, create a new document in Photoshop with a size of 600x400 pixels and a resolution of 72dpi. If you want to use it for printing, you need to increase the resolution. Write with text tools, black color. If you want, you can fine-tune the text to make it patchwork. You can choose a thicker font, which will work better. The font size is slightly larger. (Figure 01)

Figure 01

If you want the text to be more colorful, edit the text path in Adobe Illustrator, and then place the text in Photoshop.

Merge the text layer with the background layer after you adjust the font to satisfaction.

2. Next, we add another kind of decoration. Create a new layer, set the brush hardness to 100%, with a black brush around the text a few random points. Choose a slightly finer brush than your font strokes, as in the example I chose a 20-pixel-diameter brush, drag down the lower end of the text, and then click at the end with a 30-pixel-diameter brush. This creates a liquid downward drip effect. To make the effect more natural, just click at the end. To make the distribution of water droplets as natural as possible, not too regular, you can adjust the size of the brush, so that it changes. The layer is then flattened down. Here, the purpose of placing water droplets on the new layer is to insure that they do not break the text layer. Of course, if you are sure, you can operate directly in the text layer. (Figure 02)

Figure 02

3. Go to the channel panel, now the channel whether it is RGB channel or monochrome channel, its content is the same. We randomly select a copy from it. OK in the new channel, double-click the Channel, and in the Channel Options dialog box, rename the channel to water. By default, in the channel, White is the selection, and Black is the hidden part. Therefore, we need to reverse-phase command (CTRL+I) to reverse the black and white channel image, so that the text and water droplets outside the mask covered. (Figure 03)

Figure 03

4. Below we will make the background image. Since it's water, then I think we'd better put it on the bathroom tiles. Here, we only intend to make the simplest tiles, without any pattern of the kind. Even so, in the back we carry to the reflective effect of the time, such background will enhance the reflective effect, enhance the texture of the water.

Now, create a new document, 240x240 pixel size, white background. Double-click the background to convert the background layer to layer 0. Press Ctrl+r to open the ruler. Select alignment and alignment to the document edges and guides in the View menu. Drag a guide from the top and left sides of the ruler, slowly drag the guide, and as you select alignment to the edge of the document, the guides are automatically adsorbed to the center of the layer. With the Rectangle Marquee tool, drag the mouse to the upper-left corner of the document along the intersection of the guides until the edge of the document. The rectangular marquee takes up one-fourth of the entire image. Select the foreground color to RGB (0,102,153) to fill the selection.

Make sure the current tool is still the marquee tool, move the marquee to the lower-right portion of the image with your mouse, close to the guide and document edges, and still fill with the foreground color. Then, move the marquee to the upper right and lower left, and the foreground color to RGB (0,51,102), and fill it separately. Now the image, as shown in Figure 04.

Figure 04

Select the image > Definition Pattern command to define the current image as a pattern. Go back to the previous document and click the Paint Tube tool to select the pattern in the fill type. In the Fill Drop-down box, select the pattern type that we just defined, and the other options are set by default. The result is shown in Figure 05.

Figure 05

5. Although only a simple background is needed, we still have the right to reject the tablet. There are a lot of ways to add anger to the background image, where we use a more commonly used effect--illumination. This requires using the lighting effect filter in the Photoshop render filter group. Most of the time, just by adding the light, the image will have a real sense of reality. Now let's experience it. Open the Lighting Effect dialog box, with the default style, set the light-emitting source to the upper-left corner of the image, and adjust the lighting area. Light type is point light, strength is 14, focus is 71, property bar, gloss and material are set to 100, exposure is 0, environment is 50. Make sure the light color is white. Finally, the blue channel is selected in the texture channel, and the white part is protruding. Height is 50. This will give the image a stereo effect, and the light box will be higher than the dark square. If you do not select a white section to protrude, the darker squares are higher than the light-colored squares. (Figure 06,07)

Figure 06

Figure 07

6. Now, we have finished with a three-dimensional background. Select the channel panel, select the channel water, drag it to the back of the channel panel to create a new channel button, and copy its copy. We want to make a little more liquid sense in this channel. In the channel water copy, first select Filter > Blur > Gaussian blur, set the blur radius to 6.0 pixels, and then press the shortcut key ctrl+l, open the Color Level dialog box, set the input levels are 36,1.00,54, reduce gray pixels, make the white area edge smooth. At this point, the letters in the channel and the drop zone are further fused together. (Figure 08)

Figure 08

7. It's time to put our new channel in handy. Back to the layers panel, a new layer, named water, reset the color board, fill the layer with white. Make sure it is the current active layer, load the selection of the channel water copy, and deselect after filling the selection with black. (Figure 09)

Figure 09

8. We are ready to add a stereo effect to the water layer, which is achieved by styling the relief filter in the filter group. But if the relief effect is applied directly, the hypotenuse of the image will be sharp, unlike the drop effect. Therefore, before applying the emboss, the image should be blurred, so that the relief image is smooth and the edges are smooth. Apply the Gaussian Blur filter again, set the radius to 6 pixels, so that we create a smooth transition from black to white for the next relief. When you open the Embossed Filter dialog box, set the angle to 45 degrees, the height is 6 pixels, and the number is 100%.

We want to add a soft, smooth edge to the image, and now the relief effect is obviously not satisfying, so we need to trim some of the edges. The channel selection that loads the water copy of the channel, selects the selected > Feather command to soften the selection with a feather radius of 2 pixels. After you fill the selection with black, then fade the fill effect with the Edit > Fade Fill command: Opacity is 50%, mode is normal, and then deselect, as shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10

9. Now, we've got a smooth relief effect, but it still doesn't feel like a liquid. Let's go through one of the most commonly used color-adjustment tools in Photoshop-the curve, to the effect of the light reflected by the liquid. If you're new to the curve tool, it's best to take the time to learn about the tool, and as the most powerful color-processing tool in Photoshop (I think), the curve really deserves some time to study. It can adjust the pixels of all shades of the image, from white to black. Here, we intend to use the curve to enhance the contrast between the high light and dark tone of the water droplets, which will make it appear in addition to the shiny appearance.

Determine that the water layer is the current active layer. Press the shortcut key ctrl+m to bring up the Curve dialog box, as shown in Figure 11 to adjust the curve. While adjusting the curve, open the preview window so that you can see every change you make to the image. After adjusting the curve as shown in the diagram, our image becomes the following (Figure 12).

Figure 11

Figure 12

As we know, the grayscale gradient bar below the curve chart represents the level 256 gray value of the current layer or channel in the image. The vertical gradient bar on the left side of the chart represents the changed pixel order value. The mouse moves or clicks within the range of the chart, and the corresponding input and output values of the dots appear below. Before the curve is changed, the curve is 45-degree slash, with the same vertical and horizontal coordinates for each point. When you move a point on a curve, you change the input and output values, and the curve changes. In this way, the corresponding pixel in the image has also changed.

10. Next, we use the plastic packaging filter to add more high light effects to the image. Plastic packaging filters for the creation of irregular high light, such as liquids, glass and so on, have a very good effect. Turn on filter > Art > Plastic Packaging, set high light intensity of 20, details 11, smoothness of 8, and then use the Edit menu fade Plastic Packaging command to reduce the effect, set the opacity to 25%, the mode is normal. So the effect of plastic packaging is more delicate. (Figure 13)

Figure 13

11. Our task now is to detach the desired image from the background. Make sure that the current active layer is a water layer, load the selection of the channel water copy channel, deselect, delete, and then cancel the selection. Next, change the layer blending mode to strong light, so that the effect of water droplets is initially revealed. Although not very ideal, but we will be in the following process gradually improved. (Figure 14)

Figure 14

12. Next, our task is to create a light effect and bend our background under "water" to indicate the refractive effect. First, we need to copy the background layer, then, hold down the ALT key, double-click the background layer copy, in the Pop-up Layer Properties dialog box, change the name to refraction, we will achieve the distortion in this layer. We use the substitution filter to distort. First, the displacement map used to make the displacement filter.

Go to the channel panel, select the channel water copy, press CTRL + A, select the entire channel image, and then CTRL + C copy. Create a new document named water displace. Because the data just left on the Clipboard, the default size of the image is now exactly the same as the size of the channel image, and the image mode is grayscale. You will then press CTRL + V to paste the image of the water copy of the channel into a new layer, flattening the layer. Blur the image with a Gaussian blur filter, with a radius of 6 pixels. The image is stored as a. psd format, the water displace is closed and the displacement diagram is made.

Back to the document we just worked on, deselect, go back to the RGB channel, and make sure the current active layer is refraction. Perform a filter > Twist > Permutation to open the Replacement Filter dialog box. Set the horizontal and vertical proportions are 5%, the displacement map stretches to fit, undefined area repeat edge pixel, after clicking OK, you will be asked to select a format for. PSD Displacement map, select the water displace file we just made, click Open. Your refraction layer will be distorted by the shape of the water. (Figure 15)

Figure 15

If you're not quite familiar with the substitution filter, in this case, the image produces a large number of grayscale pixels after you have water the file displace with a Gaussian blur. In this way, the original white as a high light area, black as darkened area. Other changes in grayscale pixels that focus on the edge of a droplet object, depends on whether it is above the 128-degree gray value: The grayscale value is higher than 128, which is the lighter pixel, so that the pixel corresponding to the distorted image to the left and up, the gray value below 128, that is, the darker pixels, then the distorted image corresponding pixels to the right and down. Pixels with a grayscale value of 128 do not change. If you want to know more clearly how the displacement map works on the refraction layer, see Figure 16. As you can see, in the refraction layer, the completely black and white areas of the water displace file are not distorted, and the displacement map only acts as a replacement for the gray pixels of the edges.

Figure 16

13. As you can see, the distorted part also includes the side of the drop object, and we only need to show the background distortion under the water droplets, and the next twist is superfluous. Load the area of the channel water copy again, deselect it, and make sure to delete it in the refraction layer, cancel the selection. In this way, we are very good performance of the refractive effect of water droplets. (Figure 17a,17b)

Figure 17a

Figure 17b

14. Water droplets are not translucent enough for the background, and we will use a different layer blending mode to solve the problem. Copying the water layer, you can see the high light portion of the water more translucent, flattening the water copy and the water layer. (Figure 18a,18b)

Figure 18a

Figure 18b

　

15. In order to add more depth to the water droplets, we need to add a projection and glow effect to the water droplets through the layer style. Select the refraction layer, double-click the Layer Open Style dialog box, select the projection, keep the blending mode and color unchanged, reduce the opacity to 40%, the angle of 135 degrees, the use of global light, distance of 3 pixels, expand to 0%, the size of 6 pixels, right click on the layer effect, Select the Create Layer command from the pop-up menu and the detached layer is automatically named "Refraction" projection. Add a projection style to the refraction layer again, this time changing the blending mode of the projection to normal, the color is white, the angle is 45 degrees, and the other settings are the same as last time. Still use the method of creating layers to separate the effects from the layer, and to avoid confusion with the previous projection layer, name the newly created layer effect layer as the "refraction" glow. (Figure 19)

Figure 19

16. Our image still has the most obvious high light portion. Without a strong reflection of light, the effect of water droplets is not complete enough. First, we're going to make the high light area. In the channel panel, copy the channel water copy and rename the replica 2 channel to highlights. Using a Gaussian blur filter with a radius of 3 pixels for two consecutive fuzzy channel highlights (the effect of the Gaussian blur with a radius of 3 pixels is better than the one with a single radius of 6 pixels), the input level is adjusted by the color order, respectively, the 200,1.00,255 And then create a stereo effect with an embossed filter, the angle is 45, the height is 6 pixels, the quantity is 100%, then uses the color order adjustment, sets the input level to be 128,1.00,255 respectively, thus eliminates the gray, only then leaves the white high light area, then uses the Gaussian blur filter blur, the radius is 3 pixels, Make the last level adjustment, set the input levels to 130,1.00,200, and this is the high light area that we eventually need to get. (Figure 20)

Figure 20

17. Back to the RGB channel, the channel highlights as a selection load, a new layer on the water layer, named highlights, with white fill selection, deselect (Figure 21a).

Figure 21a

We also have to manually add some special high light to the image. Create a new layer at the top of the layers panel named highlights 2, select the Brush tool, set the foreground color white, open the Brush panel, select the 35 pixel diameter of the soft brush, set the hardness of 0, roundness is 80%, angle of 20, in the image need to highlight the place click to enhance the high light effect, You can change the size and angle of the brush if necessary. (Figure 21b,21c)

Figure 21b

Figure 21c

Finally, with a star-shaped brush sprayed on the flash, our work is done! (Figure Water)

Figure 22