What's new
Photoshop Gurus Forum

Welcome to Photoshop Gurus forum. Register a free account today to become a member! It's completely free. Once signed in, you'll enjoy an ad-free experience and be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Adding edge effects and background to enhance image


HumblyLearning

Active Member
Messages
38
Likes
4
I am making a collage of my soccer memories, for PERSONAL usage. I have attached the soccer logo. If I paste it on a black background, how do I make it so that the black background is almost "eating away" the picture? The effect can be seen here:

il_570xN.686569722_2mzf.jpg

(the black background eating away the Canada flag, but I want it to look like the black background eating away my attached logo).

By the way, I use Photoshop 7.0. (I know... I currently can't afford a newer version until I get a better job.) Please can you help me? I don't have to get the exact effect. I just don't want the edges to be blunt when I paste this on a black background. Any effect you think looks nice will do.

Thanks a lot.
 

Attachments

  • worldcuplogo.png
    worldcuplogo.png
    1.4 MB · Views: 7
Last edited by a moderator:

Tom Mann

Guru
Messages
7,223
Likes
4,343
Re: How do I get this effect around the edges?

I don't think I really understand what u mean when u say, "eating into...". In fact, I can think of several alternative interpretations. So, could u explain what u mean in a bit more detail, or, even better, post some more examples?

Thanks,

Tom M
 

IamSam

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Messages
22,721
Likes
13,258
Re: How do I get this effect around the edges?

Something like this?

Screen Shot 2015-07-06 at 12.47.57 AM.png
 

Tom Mann

Guru
Messages
7,223
Likes
4,343
Re: How do I get this effect around the edges?

@HumblyLearning - Personally, I wouldn't make any changes that would "eat into" the base image. The main reason I say this is because the base image has detail right to the edges, and if you "eat into" this, that detail is obscured. This image is quite different from the maple leaf image which has very little detail. It's essentially only a shape. Rather, for this image, I would do things that would add on and frame the base image, eg, layer effects on top of a grunge background that's brighter in the center.

BTW, normally, I wouldn't work on a copyrighted image, but since the women's WC is history, the OP stated this is for personal use only, and the annotation clearly states, "For Photoshop educational use only", I didn't see any harm in showing one way one might set this image off on an interesting background.

Tom M
 

Attachments

  • worldcuplogo-tjm01-ps05a_8bpc_sRGB-canvas_x2-cropped-more_fx-01.jpg
    worldcuplogo-tjm01-ps05a_8bpc_sRGB-canvas_x2-cropped-more_fx-01.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 9
Last edited:

HumblyLearning

Active Member
Messages
38
Likes
4
Re: How do I get this effect around the edges?

Wow... Tom, that is impressive! I always thought you were good at explaining things. I can totally understand why the effect I was initially after would only cover up the image. Yes, this is for my use only. Can I have the image, please? It looks really good.
 

HumblyLearning

Active Member
Messages
38
Likes
4
Re: How do I get this effect around the edges?

Paul, thanks for the link. I actually watched one of the videos and I understand this is called layer masking and I think I can do it in the future! (But now I want what Tom made me. LOL...)

IamSam, yeah, initially that was what I came up with too (feathering?), but I thought that looked too plain so I ditched it. Thanks for that though.
 

IamSam

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Messages
22,721
Likes
13,258
Re: How do I get this effect around the edges?

IamSam, yeah, initially that was what I came up with too (feathering?), but I thought that looked too plain so I ditched it. Thanks for that though.

Yeah, it's all I had to go with based on your description. Glad Tom came up with something you liked.
 

Tom Mann

Guru
Messages
7,223
Likes
4,343
Re: How do I get this effect around the edges?

Hi "Humbly" - Thanks for the nice PM, but we try not to use PMs if we anticipate that other readers of this thread, either now or in the future, may be interested in the content. So, let's try to keep all technical and artistic discussions in the thread.

Anyway, to answer one of your questions, I'm glad you liked both the image and the explanation behind my choice of approach. You can download the full size version of this file simply by right clicking on the image, selecting "open in new tab", and then downloading the image that appears in that tab.

Anticipating a possible future question, no, I won't remove the annotation I placed at the bottom of the image, and no, I will not make my PSD file available. If you chose to remove the annotation, any possible copyright related consequences from FIFA's legal team (...if not otherwise occupied, LOL), will clearly be on you, not me.

Cheers,

Tom M
 

HumblyLearning

Active Member
Messages
38
Likes
4
Re: How do I get this effect around the edges?

Tom, I didn't send you any PM, or ask you to remove anything???

Thanks for letting me use your artwork. It's really nice.
 

Tom Mann

Guru
Messages
7,223
Likes
4,343
Re: How do I get this effect around the edges?

Whoops. I'm very sorry. I confused you with someone else. :redface:

Ignoring my senile dementia, I'm glad you liked the image. :cheesygrin:

Tom M
 

Paul

Former Member
Messages
12,879
Likes
7,023
Re: How do I get this effect around the edges?

Paul, thanks for the link. I actually watched one of the videos and I understand this is called layer masking and I think I can do it in the future! (But now I want what Tom made me. LOL...)

IamSam, yeah, initially that was what I came up with too (feathering?), but I thought that looked too plain so I ditched it. Thanks for that though.


Considering you asked for help NOT it doing for you, oh fell off soap box glad you liked Toms work:mrgreen:
 

HumblyLearning

Active Member
Messages
38
Likes
4
Tom is full of surprises! Tom, how did you do the effects like that? Did you use layer masking? Did you take a photo that looks yellow and brown and blend it in? Please let me learn from your work.
 

Tom Mann

Guru
Messages
7,223
Likes
4,343
Yup ... I maintain a (rather large) file of photos that I have taken that might serve as backgrounds or adornments, and when something like this comes up, I usually go bonkers and have fun compositing several of these photos together to make a grungy, semi-random, semi-recognizable background. In this case, when I was done with compositing the background bits and pieces together, my final step on the background was to add a bright yellow central area (see attached image).

For the poster, I first increased the contrast and saturation, and then added two layer effects. I made the layer effects yellow and added noise to the outermost one to blend better with the yellow part of the grungy background.

HTH,

Tom M
 

Attachments

  • worldcuplogo-tjm01-ps04b_8bpc_sRGB-canvas_x2-cropped-01_just_bkgnd_with_yellow_spot.jpg
    worldcuplogo-tjm01-ps04b_8bpc_sRGB-canvas_x2-cropped-01_just_bkgnd_with_yellow_spot.jpg
    258.3 KB · Views: 12

Tom Mann

Guru
Messages
7,223
Likes
4,343
I used a photo of a brick wall (I think I overlaid it with itself twice), a photo of some ornamental gee-gaws (the round things that look like cucumber slices) I think I found on a printed page, the lattice work on the front porch of a couple of older houses, some free GIF curlicues, and, if I remember correctly, a fancy old frame in a museum.

To be honest, at some level the exact choice of what goes into the grungy composite is less important than its overall colors, overall contrast, general level of texture vs big features, what it subliminally suggests psychologically, etc. For some reason, the concept of a brick wall goal defense lineup entered my mind and I went down that path, adding a few feminine touches (eg, the gee-gaws, the curlicues, etc.) since it was woman's soccer.

T
 

Top