Inspiring

Answered

Just drop me anywhere

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
January 13, 2020
3 replies
661 views

Good evening ladies & gentlemen,

Most times I draw my characters on an other sheet of paper than my background. To put them together, I used to stack them both on the lightbox and trace both on one third sheet.

I got tired of that and decided to try and do it with layers, but I don't know how to go about it. Do I drop the characters on the background layer, or the background layer over the characters? And how? I don't even know how to start.

I am a newbie in Photoshop, I am trying to master it bit by bit. I have a book, but that's worthless. It never tells me what I want to know, and when I ask it a question it doesn't answer. 😞

So please, somebody point me in the right direction? (I have a very old CS2, btw)

How to

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Correct answer Cyrano

That sounds a lot more comprehensible! 😄

Imma do that and see what happens, tomorrow morning.

Thankyouou

Chuck Uebele

Community Expert

First convert the layer to a smart object, by selecting it then going to filters in the main menu. Next try changing the blend more to multiply, by clicking on the dropdown menu in the layers pan. If that works for you great. To size it, press ctrl/cmd-T and drag a corner.

CyranoAuthorCorrect answer

Inspiring

That sounds a lot more comprehensible! 😄

Imma do that and see what happens, tomorrow morning.

Thankyouou

Chuck Uebele

Community Expert

Change the blending mode to multiple on the upper layers. You can create a smart object of the layer, so that when you transform it to size, it doesn't degrade the image, if you have to transform again. Where characters overlap, you can use a mask to make whichever one look like it's on top of the other.

You can also try using blend if in the layer styles to eliminate the white background. By hold down the alt/opt key, while dragging the slider, you can split the slider to feather the edge.

CyranoAuthor

Inspiring

I'm afraid most of what you explain is Greek to me, Chuck.. 😞

If you were to tell me which commands to make from the start, I'd know how to get at the point where I'd have to "create a smart object", or "use a mask", or "split the slider to feather the edge"...

Leslie Moak Murray

Community Expert

I used to use a lightbox too. Thank goodness for digital. If I'm understanding the question, I'd open the background as a new document, then open the character(s) and move them over to the background document (on top of it, of course). Or you can open the character and place it. (File/Place and select the character file from your computer)

CyranoAuthor

Inspiring

Open the background as a new document. So far I'm following.

But then? The drawing with my characters has a white background. The characters are "floating" in that white. What do I do with that? Use the KillWhite thingy? And do I do that on a separate document, copy the characters and paste them on a layer of the background document?

(I'm just thinking aloud, haven't tried it yet).

And then?

The problem is, that the characters are sometimes larger than the perspective of the background, if you know what I mean. Is there a way to do as on a lightbox, like "slide" the characters back and forth over the background until they're in the right spot? Or slide the background "behind" the characters, for the same goal?

It would be even better if I could zoom in and out one of the drawings relative to the other, so that I could really fit them right in. I know that they do that in 3D programs, but I wonder if it is possible in CS2?

If it's not possible, I have to try and shrink or blow up either one of both so it fits (approximately). That is what I do on paper. But it would be so handy if there was an easier way...

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