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If you’ve ever wanted to shine in the spotlight, try this tutorial. It shows you how to create a silhouette of a person taken from a normal photo, adding colorful light to it as if the light source is located behind this object.
Step 1
Start out by importing the image you want to cut the silhouette from into Photoshop. I used an image with a white background, which makes cutting very easy. Everyone has their own way of cutting something out, so I will not include that part in this tutorial. If you are unsure how to cut something out, look for a tutorial on that subject first.
When you are ready and feel like you have a clean cut, go into the layer’s blending options, choose Color Overlay, and set the color to black. This should give you the silhouette of what you cut out. In my example, I did the hair separately and used a lower opacity on the Color Overlay so you can still see some gray tones.
Step 2
We can add a background by creating a radial gradient (Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient). In the gradient options, change the style to Radial and choose dark colors on the outside and light colors for the inside.
Step 3
To get some light shining, we add a Layer Mask (Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal All, do this while having the silhouettes layer selected). Select a large, soft brush and set the foreground color to black. While having the layer mask selected (click on it in the layers pallet), brush at the sides of the silhouette so it becomes transparent. With a hard brush I got rid of the cable that runs to the guitar.
Step 4
At this point we can add a bit more color to the light. I made a Levels adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels). When I hit the Auto button it came up with some colors I liked. If you dislike the automatic settings, you can try hitting the Options button and changing the shadows and highlights there, or try out other types of adjustment layers.
Step 5
Cut a little piece of the original guitar and put it over the silhouette to give it some depth. For a smooth transition, use a the eraser or a mask to soften the edges. Desaturate the layer (Image > Adjustments > Desaturate) and set the blending mode to Multiply with an opacity of 60-70%.
Step 6
Copy the silhouette layer and change the Color Overlay in the Blendings Options to white. Give this layer a Gaussian Blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) of 3-4px. Update the layers mask if needed (at some places too much white may shine through).
Step 7
If we want to insinuate some movement, we can make a few paths on a new layer. Before stroking, select a small hard brush and a darker color. Right-click the path and choose Stroke Path (while having the Pen Tool or Path Selection Tool active), in the options choose Brush and check Simulate Pressure.
Step 8
Create two more paths on a new layer, but stroke these with a large white soft brush. Add a Motion Blur (Filter > Blur > Motion Blur) to this layer.
Step 9
When adding text, we can use a piece of the background as on overlay so it fits in perfectly. Create a new layer above your text layer and use apply image (Image > Apply Image) on it. Make this layer a Clipping Mask (Layer > Create Clipping Mask) and move it around to find a good part of the background. If you don’t find a good position, try Apply Image again but this time with only the background layers shown. I also added two black boxes (with a low opacity) to create a subtle letterbox effect.
Conclusion
As a finishing touch, we need some more light and color. Add a new layer and use apply image (Image > Apply Image). In the lighting effects (Filter > Render > Lighting Effects) options, add more lights to the scene (drag the light bulb icon onto the small preview). Set this layer to Soft Light with an opacity of 80-90%.
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By Ben Merckx
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I’m stuck on step 2, please help!
how can I choose in the gradient options dark colors on the outside and light colors for the inside. I’m trying to flip bark and forth but I end up with dark color on the inside and light on the outside =/ and then if I want to continue to step 3 –>Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal All there I can’t click reveal all it’s only available delete, disable and unlink (and I’m staying at gradient layer) what am I doing wrong?
ok, I figured how to do till 6th step now when I want to copy the silhouette layer this silhouette becomes real image (the one that I used before I changed it into sillhouete). and then when I change the Color Overlay in the Blendings Options to white I get image like this http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=9ifsbn&s=4 and when I give this layer a Gaussian Blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) of 3-4px I get this
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=261kl6t&s=4
what an I doing wrong?
Sorry if my other 2 comments show up, internet was giving me issues (sighs). Krispy what that section of the tutorial means, if I remember correctly, is that you set that layers blending mode to Overlay then Fill it with white. After that just following the rest of the steps.
Anyway I love the finished image from this tutorial, heres my take on it: http://s330.photobucket.com/albums/l429/lost_artz/Photoshop/
Hopefully my internet works this time >.> lol
I have a radial gradient, but I don’t know how to change the colors. Right now, it’s just black and white. Please help!
Do you have a gradient fill layer, Gradient Issues? If so, you can double click on the gradient picture in the layer menu. You should then get a dialog box that says Gradient Fill. Once there, click on the gradient at the top. That gives you the Gradient Editor dialog box. That’s where you can change the colors, or add colors to your gradient. See the arrows under the gradient … under where it says “Smoothness?” Double click an arrow to get the color picker. You can click anywhere under that gradient to get more arrows to add more colors to your gradients. The arrows at the top of the gradient that point down adjust opacity. HTH.
Thank you so much. It was so knowledgable. :-)
Mind Blowing
Great tutorial. Amazing results. Thanks a ton!
Just Plainly awesome….Amazing
Good tutorial :)
hm, nothing incredibly new but it’s set out in an easy to understand way, anyway heres my take on it ;)
http://ribsanimaniac.deviantart.com/art/Dancing-silhouette-121418153
hey.. im stuck at step 7…. i keep doint the stroke path thing with the stimulate pressure.. but i only come up with 2 dots… one at the beginning of the path and 1 at the end… and then i followed the advice of Slev7n but now when i do the stroke path.. nothing appears.. help please….
wow that is not that amazing this is my first year of photoshop and i can do it easily. not that impressive!!!!!..
very good!!!
beautifull
nice effects ;) great work dude ;)
this is the worst tutorial ever you skip steps it’s not very detaliated
Nice simple, useful techniques. Thanks.
Hi good tut but this is not the point of my comment…
Someone stole your artowork for SELLING a guitar guide…
http://www.guitarchordsmadesimple.com/123method1.php?gclid=CKuz3pmtjZwCFclL5QodBD4mXg
I hope you can sue him :)
Seeya
Btw he’s named “Claude Johnson” according to him
Thanks a lot! How do I get your permission to use it for my son’s avatar in his friendster’s account. He’s into music, specifically, guitar instrument.
great tut man, really creative ideas that you don’t see all over the web. What’s bugging me is whatever happened to Web Roundup – DEC, and JAN, cos we’re in Feb already
Woo…..
Very nice tutorial, thanks.
awesummmmmm mate what a trik .. thaanku ..
this is very nice blog,thank you for all
thanks for all
Thats good
it’s rely rockng,,,,,,,,,,,,,n i thnk creativ also
dat’s it.
nice lesson ,,
look this ^^
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/8697/91600634.jpg
t.y
good tuts, nice trick,
thank you everybody .This very important blog
OMG that’s good
Thats good
thank you web admin
I love the gradient colors, but I’m unable to replicate the colors in Photoshop
Any chance of telling me the exact colors, opacity, and locations used in the gradient? Doesn’t have to be exact, close is fine
I love the gradient colors, but I’m unable to replicate the colors in Photoshop
Any chance of telling me the exact colors, opacity, and locations used in the gradient? Close is fine
Thanks a lot for the wonderful information
I’m stuck on step 5…when you say, “put it over the silhouette”, you’re talking about a new layer, correct? When I set the blending mode to Multiply, the image becomes black (silhoette) even if I change the opacity???
Can you give us some more details on how you “did the hair separately and used a lower opacity on the Color Overlay so you can still see some gray tones.”
Did you cut the hair out separately?
In step 5, as soon as I click multiply it turns the image black?? Any ideas?
Disregard my last 2 comments…I figured it out
im stuck in step 5, any idea how to do it?
Please help I’ stuck on step 5.
I copied & desaturated the image but when change theblending mode to multiply instead of darkening it becomes black.
Please help
Seriously this tutorial is crap. And it ain’t basic to be able to do this tutorial you have to know photoshop very well. As there is alot of missing information.
I, just to check, followed this tutorial and ended up with a completely black image.
To get the background the gradient, for starters, the back of the cut out of the sillouhette must be transparent.
Thank you very much. I really learnt a lot from your tutorial. God bless you
Very nice sharing. Thank you…
Good information and good way your blog post. Good luck blogger man.
Wow! That effect is amazing!
Very nice sharing. Thank you…
i like this.because im new dessiner just few mounth .plz help me in same information things.thanks
Good info thanks for sharing with us.Nice information, valuable and excellent, as share good stuff with good ideas and concepts, lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need, thanks for all the enthusiasm to offer such helpful information here..
Good information and good way your blog post. Good luck blogger man.
Thanks for admin wonderful web site..
Thanks for admin wonderful web site..great information