Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers - Martin Evening [196]
Figure 8.18 If you have a predetermined idea of what the final distortion should look like you can create an empty layer, draw the target distortion shape on this layer, and use the ‘Show Backdrop’ options discussed here to select that specific layer and be able to switch the guide Layer visibility on or off.
Saving the mesh
If you are working on an extremely large image then it may take a rather long time for Photoshop to process a liquify distortion effect. This is where the Save Mesh… and Load Mesh… buttons can come in useful. If you carry out your Liquify distortions on a scaled-down version of the master image first, you can save the mesh as a separate file. Later, you can open up the original master file, load the mesh you saved earlier and apply it to the master image at a time when you can afford to have Photoshop taking its time to process the calculations.
Straightening a fringe with Liquify
With the introduction of the Puppet Warp tool you may be wondering if we still need to use Liquify? After all, Puppet Warp does allow you to work on an image layer directly rather than via a modal dialog. Although I am a big fan of the new Puppet Warp feature, I do still see a clear distinction between the types of jobs that are best suited for use of the Puppet Warp and those where it is better to use Liquify. In the example shown here, the Liquify filter is the best tool to use to straighten the model's fringe because you can use the paint-like controls to carefully manipulate the mesh that controls the distortion. Plus you can also use the freeze tool, which is unique to Liquify, to control those parts of the image that you don't want to see become distorted. Every job is different and you'll need to decide for yourself which is the most appropriate distortion tool to use and which can best help you accomplish the results you are after.
1.
The objective here was to straighten the model's fringe using the Liquify filter. First I used the command to create a merged copy layer at the top of the layer stack, made a selection of the area of interest, inverted the selection, hit and used to deselect the selection. I then -clicked the copied layer to make a selection based on the layer contents (as shown here).
2.
I then chose Filter Liquify and used the freeze mask tool to protect the eyes from being edited. I then selected the warp tool and with a succession of low pressure brush strokes, gradually edited the fringe line to make it straighter.
3.
When I was happy with the way the fringe looked, I clicked OK. This screen shot shows how the fringe appeared after applying the Liquify filter.
4.
Finally, I wanted to even up the eyes and make the left eye bigger. With the layer selection still active, I chose Liquify again. This time there was no need to apply a freeze mask, so I simply selected the warp tool and used more low pressure brush strokes to carefully push the edges of the eye outwards and make the left eye a little bit bigger. When I was done, I clicked OK again to apply the Liquify filter.
Chapter 9. Layers, Selections and Masking
For a lot of photographers the real fun starts when you can use Photoshop to create composite photographs and combine different image elements into a single photo. This chapter explains the different tools that can be used for creating composite photographs as well as the intricacies of working with layers, channels, mask channels and pen paths. To begin with, let us focus on some of the basic principles such as how to make a selection and the interrelationship between selections, alpha channels, masks and the quick mask mode.
Selections and channels
When you read somewhere about masks, mask channels, image layer mask channels, alpha