EDET 703 - David Barker - Graphic 2 assignment

Creating a scene in Photoshop with multiple elements

This assignment focused on taking elements from different sources and creating a cohesive scene. The work was done in Photoshop.

Process

I decided to create an urban scene that would incorporate graffiti. I am fan of good graffiti and also like to overlay objects in Photoshop.

Steps:

  1. I found a brick wall image from Pixabay (where all of the images are CC0 public domain)
  2. I found images of graffiti and a man using a phone, also from Pixabay
  3. Next I added the graffiti to the scene and adjusted its size using the transformation tool so that it would match the scene.
  4. I then used the layer effects (blending options) to make it look weathered. Next I used the displace filter and a PSD file of the wall to make the graffiti conform to the bricks.
  5. I then added the man to the image. To do that I had to use the quick selection and magic wand tools to remove the background and isolate the subject. After I added him to the image I added a shadow behind him by cmd+clicking on the man layer thumbnail to select the outline of the man and then creating a new layer. IN the new layer I used the paint bucket to fill in the selection with black. Once I had the black outline of the man I used gaussian bluer and opacity settings to make it look more like a shadow. Then I moved the layer under the man layer and used the distort too to modify the shadow to appear more natural. This was the same process for all of the shadows on the image.
  6. I wanted to add a few more elements on the wall. So I added a mailbox using the same techniques as used on the man. I also wanted to add a pipe but was unable to find an appropriate image. So I used a free paintbrush kit to "paint" a pipe on the wall. I then edited it to make it look more natural. To make it look fastened on the wall I had to draw fasteners. I used the ellipse tool and the pencil tool to create the fasteners and bolts.
  7. I also wanted to add a personal signature/tag so I found a graffiti font and used the same techniques as on the pig to create a tag. To get the two tone effect I created two versions and overlayed them. To achieve the correct kerning I created each letter individually.
Composite image recreating a street scene