Creating Layers and Working with Shapes |
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| Overview: Layers are one of the principal foundations of A.P.E.. Knowledge of layers will help you create more detailed and unique projects. In this tutorial, we will introduce the concept of layers as well as how to work with basic shapes and the skills that go along with them to create our Dorro “Wanted” poster. | ||
| 1. Open the file you saved at the end of the last tutorial. If you did not save the file, click here to open the image, then save it to your "My Documents" folder. Now, open dorro1.png in A.P.E.. | ||
| 2. Our goal here is to turn this image into an imaginary “Wanted” poster, so we will begin by creating another layer to work with. On the bottom right-hand side of the screen is a palette called Layers. Within the Layers palette, there is only one layer, named "Background", which you can see is highlighted blue. We want to make a copy or a duplicate of this layer. Right click on the blue portion of the layer and choose Duplicate Layer. A dialog box will appear asking for a name for the new layer. The prompted name is Background Copy; change the name to "Mask" and click OK. |  |
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3. Now that we have another layer to work with, let's begin creating an authentic “Wanted” poster image. On the toolbar on the left, select the Cookie Cutter Tool. |
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| 4. Choosing the Cookie Cutter Tool opens up another toolbar, just above your image and workspace. In this new toolbar, we are given a choice of shapes we want to use, i.e., different cookie cutter shapes. Select the drop down menu on the left-hand side of the toolbar. The selection box that appears only has a limited number of shapes and doesn't contain the shape we are looking for. Select the arrow on the top right-hand side of the box, and select All Elements Shapes. Scroll through and find the shape named “Banner 4”, which looks like this. Double click on the shape to select it. | ||
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| 5. Before we begin working with our shape, make sure you have the Mask layer selected. What we want to do here is give the image a “Zorro” mask. The Cookie Cutter Tool is going to allow us to cut out a shape from a layer and work on that area specifically. The shape we have selected will help us create the mask. | ||
6. To give the image its mask, move your cursor, which is now a small cross, to just above the image's left ear. Click and hold and drag over to the bottom of the right ear. You will see the shape we have selected being drawn over the image. When you have reached the right ear, let go of the mouse. We need to adjust our mask to make sure it lines up and fits properly over the face. You will see grab points in the corner of our shape; start with the upper right-hand point and manipulate the shape until you think you have a proper mask shape. Try tilting the shape by moving your cursor to just beyond one of the corner grab points until you find the curved arrow that allows you to tilt the image. Tilt the shape slightly to the left and make it line up with the face.
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7. When you are satisfied, double-click anywhere inside of the image selection area. This “cuts out” our selected area, as you will notice down the in Layers palette. The Mask layer is now the area we just selected. |
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| 8. Now we want to cut eye-holes in our mask. To begin, you want to “turn off” the layer named Background. To do this, scroll down to the Layers box and click on the eye symbol on the left-hand side of the Background layer. Doing this allows us to work only with our Zorro mask and not affect the other layer. |  |
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| 9. Now, all we have on our workspace is the mask, which still looks like the eyes of a face. To cut eye-holes in it, choose the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Clicking this opens a menu at the top of our image and workspace, similar to what happened when we selected the Cookie Cutter Tool. The pre-selected shape is a rectangle, but we want oval eyes in our mask. In the toolbar at the top of your workspace, you will see an oval shape and if you move your cursor over it and leave it there, a box will appear that says Elliptical Marquee Tool. This is the tool we want, so select it. | ||
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| 10. Using the Elliptical Marquee Tool we will click and drag an oval around the left eye on our Mask layer. That oval area is now selected. We will push the Delete key on our keyboard to delete this area; this has made an eyehole in our mask. Repeat the same process over the right eye. | ||
| 11. Once both eyeholes are punched out, we'll go up to the menu bar to Select -> Deselect . This makes it so nothing on the image is currently selected. | ||
12. Still working on the Mask layer, scroll to the top of the screen and select Enhance -> Adjust Lighting -> Brightness/Contrast.... A dialog box will appear which allows you to change the brightness and contrast of our layer. Move the brightness adjuster all the way to the left, and do the same with the contrast adjuster. You will notice the area we cut out with the Cookie Cutter Tool is now black. Click OK. We have a Zorro mask! |
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| 13. In the Layers palette, click the eye symbol to turn the Background layer back on. Notice how our image now has a Zorro mask. | ||
14. Let's also add a mustache to our image. We need to choose the Custom Shape Tool to make our criminal have a devious mustache. On the toolbar on the left, find the Rectangle Shape Tool. In the bottom right hand corner of the rectangle tool is a small arrow. Click and hold on the arrow. A dialog box will appear and from there, choose the Custom Shape Tool. Following the same process when we chose the mask shape and use the drop down menu from the toolbar at the top of your workspace. Choose the mustache shape called “Mustache 3.” You can find the name of a custom shape by hovering over a shape for a moment. Once you have found the mustache, click and drag on your workspace to create a mustache on the upper lip of the image. Notice that this will create another layer in the Layers palette. |
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| 15. Save the file as dorro_2.psd to your "My Documents" folder. We will use this file in the next tutorial. | ||
Congratulations! Layers are an incredibly powerful tool and one of the more difficult to master in A.P.E. With layers, you can also create animations, so check out the Animation Tutorial to learn more. Shapes and their manipulations can also add a lot of depth to your project and their many uses will come in handy. |
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