Stretching only parts of a complex image to a shape

[unknownsailor]

Hi,

I know the basics of Illustrator but I'm no expert so I was looking for some basic advice on how to manipulate an image to wrap around a shape.

I have an octopus design with tentacles that sits in an oblong shape when viewed normally. I am trying to apply the image to a triangle shape, so I want to stretch the top tentacles upwards and then the bottom corners out and down to the corners of the two lower triangle corners.

I understand how to transform in Photoshop (warp, perspective etc) but using these affects the whole shape. I am assuming that there must be a way of breaking the design up into smaller parts so that I only affect the areas I want to stretch, something like lots of anchor points which I can then select independently.

I can Image Trace and then expand but because the image is complex in colour the image trace loses definition and creates thousands of independent parts. All I'm looking to do is create lots of anchor points of the outline.

Anyone understand what I am trying to achieve and how I can do this easily?

Thanks in advance.

[Ton Frederiks]

As far as I understand you are talking about a pixel based image.

Photoshop is the right tool for that.

Try Filer > Liquify... to distort specific areas.

[unknownsailor]

Thanks for the idea, Tom. I tried it and it doesn't really work as it stretches the image and gives a smudged appearance.

[jane-e]

Hi unknownsailor​

You might try Puppet Warp:  Warp, pose, and sculpt your artwork easily |

Puppet Warp also works in Photoshop for raster images, but make it a Smart Object first so you can edit it later.

Warp images, shapes, and paths in Adobe Photoshop

The idea is the you put in pins to anchor the parts you don’t want to move and others for the parts you do want to move. In Illustrator, save first and play with it. In PS, just delete the effect from the Smart Object and start again.

~ Jane

[unknownsailor]

Yes, of course! I forgot about puppet warp, mainly because I've not really used it  Thank you, Jane, I'll give this a go.

[jane-e]

Happy to help, unknownsailor.

In Photoshop you might want to put the octopus on its own layer. The secret magic trick in Photoshop is to use a Smart Object. Otherwise you can’t edit it.

~ Jane