Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers - Martin Evening [222]
You can only apply Warp Transforms to a single layer at a time, but if you combine layers into a Smart Object, you can apply nondestructive distortions to multiple layers at once. For more about working with Smart Objects see pages 528–531.
Warp transforms are better suited for editing large areas of a picture where the Liquify filter is less able to match the fl uid distortion controls of the warp transform. For example, the warp transform can be used on fashion photographs to change the shape of a portion of the image. However, as I just mentioned, the new Puppet Warp (see pages 520–525) is now also worth considering as an ideal tool for this type of image manipulation work.
1.
The easiest way for me to illustrate the power of the Warp Transform is to take a made-up fl ag layer and use the custom warp controls to distort the fl ag shape to make it appear as if it were fl apping in the wind. In the Layers panel view shown here, you can see that I had the fl ag layer and a shadow layer above it. I began by selecting both these layers before converting them into a Smart Object.
2.
I then went to the Edit menu and selected Edit Transform Warp. The default option is the ‘Custom’ mode, where I had access to the bezier control handles at the four corners of the warp bounding box. These could be adjusted in the same way as you would manipulate a pen path to control the outer shape of the warp. Here, I was able to drag the corner handles and click inside any of the nine sectors and drag with the mouse to manipulate the fl ag Smart Object layer, just as if I were stretching the image on a rubber canvas.
3.
I was able to adjust the warp so that the fl ag was twisted in on itself to reveal the reverse side of the fl ag. You will notice below how the distorted fl ag existed as a Smart Object layer, where the two layers that make up the fl ag design were both warped in unison.
Including soft edges
The Puppet Warp mesh is mostly applied to all of the selected layer contents, including the semi-transparent edges, even if only as little as 20% of the edge boundary is selected. And if this fails to include all the desired edge content you can always adjust the Expansion setting to include more of the layer edges.
Puppet Warp
The Puppet Warp is available from the Edit menu whenever you are editing a normal, non-background layer in Photoshop. This is a truly outstanding new feature for anyone who uses Photoshop for retouching work. While the Liquify filter is great, the main benefits of working with the Puppet Warp tool are that the warp response feels that much more intuitive and responsive. As you edit the pins, the other elements of the photograph appear to warp in a way that can help the warping effect look more natural. The other advantage is that you can edit layers directly in Photoshop without having to do so via a modal dialog. Or rather, it seems to be non-modal whereas in fact the Puppet tool is really still modal – it's just that you are able to work on a layer directly rather than via a dialog interface, as is the case with Liquify.
The only way to truly appreciate Puppet Warp is to watch a movie demo, such as the one on the DVD, or better still, try it out for yourself. Puppet Warp offers three rigidity modes of operation. The Normal mode applies a standard amount of fl exibility to the warp movement between the individual pins, while the Rigid mode is more stiff and good for bending things like human hands. The Distort mode provides a highly elastic warp mode which can be good for warping wide-angle photographs.
The Puppet Warp function is based on an underlying triangular mesh. The Normal default Density setting can be changed to show more or fewer points via the Puppet Warp tool Options bar (Figure 9.51) – the Normal setting is the best one to choose in most instances. The ‘More points’ Density setting allows for more precise warping control but at the expense of speed since the processing calculations are more intense. A ‘Fewer points’ Density setting allows you to work