How to help with effects

[shanti771]

Hi, Please help, I cannot figure this out!
Does anyone know how to take a silhouette and stair step it inward changing the color of each step (like this photo) so you get a radiating effect?
Thanx in advance

 

[carlbush]

relatively easy process:
Photoshop:
1. get a silhouette of a human body and fill in the color of your choice.
2. Use the magic wand tool to select the entire silhouette (mask).
3. go to "SELECT > MODIFY > CONTRACT" and choose how many pixels to contract the mask.
4. Add a new layer and fill the selection with your next color choice.
5. repeat steps 2-4 as many times as necessary to achieve desired result. (see attached pics)

There is probably a "Photoshop Action" you can download that automates this process.
This can also be done easily in Adobe Illustrator using built-in processes.

Cheers.

 

[IamSam]

Carl beat me to it so I will just add this.

Once you have your original silhouette isolated, use that as your starting point for making your initial selection by holding command and clicking on the layers thumbnail, then use the SELECT > MODIFY > CONTRACT to reduce the size of your selection.

Once done.....


Create a merged layer via "stamp visible layers". Select the uppermost active layer and hit shift + option + command + E. Right click the stamped visible layer and convert to a smart object (SO). Then add a smart Gaussian Blur filter. Adjust the blur to your liking.

 

[shanti771]

Thank you guys soo much!!! I spend like an hour trying to figure it out, so simple.

 

[SCTRWD]

Make a silhouette on it's own layer and add an inner Stroke effect with Gradient fill and Shape Burst style. Tweak the gradient to make you happy.

 

[IamSam]

Make a silhouette on it's own layer and add an inner Stroke effect with Gradient fill and Shape Burst style. Tweak the gradient to make you happy.

This works for one color but doesn't seem to work with multiple colors and it's in reverse. Reversing the gradient only causes blurriness.

 

[SCTRWD]

Gradient fill lets you make a lot of colors and adjust the transitions between them. That is what the Gradient is after all...