Do you ever feel like just when you've got something figured out, you discover a better way or someone introduces a new tool you missed? This happens to me all the time, and it keeps things fresh, exciting, and humbling. Recently, I discovered the border selection tool, which lets you soften the edges of an object when needed. If you’re not familiar with this tool, check out the end of this post for a quick guide.
For those who purchased my Halo Special Effect Collection, I've added a few more halos! Just log in to your membership account, find your purchase, and click the link to see the new additions at the end of the previous files.
Lately, I've been loving working with painterly effects and finding ways to add authentic looking textures. In my Art Studio collections, available in my digital elements shop, you’ll find many background canvas textures and painterly overlays. Try mixing and matching these effects using different layer blending modes—you might discover some amazing results.
For example, in my pieces "I Saw Your Wings This Morning No. 1 & 2," I had a great time experimenting with these effects. I even took the final images into Rebel7, a digital drawing and painting program, and added some pencil doodling. This exploration has continued into my current KAIZEN Contemporary Art Studio collection, which will be available in my shop on September 1st.
I Saw Your Wings this Morning No.1 & 2
Speed Video
Here I have created an editing speed video where I used the 'Story Time Collection' elements and utilized the Puppet Warp and Transform Tools extensively. Additionally, I employed the "3 shadow step method": first, a thin dark shadow that connects to the object or character; second, a larger, lighter shadow directly beneath the object; and third, a shadow cast in the direction of the light source, which could vary in length depending on the time of day or the placement of artificial light in indoor settings.
To further enhance realism, I adjusted the characters to match these lighting conditions by creating a new layer with an overlay blending mode. I then selected the character and used black and white adjustments to refine the shadows and highlights on the character itself. I always try and follow these steps when I work on something that I would like to look realistic.
I hope you enjoy the video.
For those that are not familiar with photoshop and image artistry, I highly recommend Sebastian Michaels' Photo Artistry Course. It's a great way to learn photoshop and to learn how to express yourself through this digital art form.
Some new Collections and elements now available in my shop.
Here are the steps to soften the edge of an object or character using the Select > Modify > Border technique in Photoshop:
Select the Object or Character:
Use any selection tool (e.g., Lasso Tool, Magic Wand, Quick Selection Tool) to create a selection around the object or character whose edges you want to soften.
Refine the Selection (Optional):
If needed, refine the selection by going to Select > Select and Mask or Select > Refine Edge. Adjust the settings to ensure the selection is accurate.
Modify the Selection Border:
With the selection active, go to Select > Modify > Border.
In the Border Selection dialog box, enter a value in pixels. This value determines the width of the border around your selection. A larger value will create a wider border. Click OK.
Feather the Border:
With the border selection active, go to Select > Modify > Feather.
In the Feather Selection dialog box, enter a value for the feather radius. This value determines how much to soften the edges. Click OK.
Apply Soften Effect:
Now, you can apply the soften effect. One way is to add a layer mask to your object or character:
Click on the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers panel. The feathered selection will create a smooth transition on the edges of the mask.
Alternatively, you can apply a blur effect directly to the selection by going to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Adjust the radius to soften the edges as desired.
Deselect the Selection: Once you are satisfied with the softened edges, go to Select > Deselect (or press Ctrl+D on Windows or Cmd+D on Mac) to remove the active selection.
Please let me know if you have any questions or requests. Thank you for visiting my website.
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