Need help to make this photo effect

[wolverine]

Hi all,
I'm new member here. Hope I'm in the right forum section. I'm looking for solution for making photo effect that have been confusing me for this one year. In my opinion, this movie poster of spider-man 2 is neither photo or painting. I want to know whether photoshop can make same effect. I've tried to play around with colors, but never get the same effect. I've been surfing the internet to find such tutorial but never found it. Pls help me if there's anybody here know the techniques using photoshop.

Thanks in advance

[oltenius]

Originally Posted by wolverine

Hi all,
I'm new member here. Hope I'm in the right forum section. I'm looking for solution for making photo effect that have been confusing me for this one year. In my opinion, this movie poster of spider-man 2 is neither photo or painting. I want to know whether photoshop can make same effect. I've tried to play around with colors, but never get the same effect. I've been surfing the internet to find such tutorial but never found it. Pls help me if there's anybody here know the techniques using photoshop.

Thanks in advance

Here is my example and I think that is a general explanation, so, you can't use it if you don't like! Start with a Gradient Map (red,green) to color the photo in red. Change the negative if it appears. Then, I used adjustments>levels, shadow/highlit. You can select with magic wand tool some area and improve color like yellow right side of your photo. Must use separate layers for coloring what you want. If you have a painting program (e.g. Deep paint - freeware) probably you can make a wonderful artwork. Sure, I understand that you have posted a final photo and not another one to play on. So, I have used a general way to explain.
Regards.

[wolverine]

oltenius, thanks for your reply.
But for me it seems like negative photo. If you don't mind, could you give example of the effect by using the attached photo of my nephew ?

Thanks in advance

[recrisp]

Actually, posters like this are made up alot as art, and while Photoshop can possibly (in some cases) get
close, I kind'a doubt that it can be done exactly like this.
These things are not just 'retouched', they're also painted too, by artists that spend a LOT of time making
it look that way.
You might get close as I said, but it wouldn't be the same thing, or they (the artists) would take the same
short-cuts (filters, etc.) too.
Whatever you do eventually come up with, you might be happy with, but I think that if you actually had what
they started out with, you'd see that it wasn't all 'Photoshop tricks', it's art, and years of skill.

Randy

[oltenius]

wolverine, as I'v said, you must check reverse at gradient map because the photo appears in negative! Well, follow this steps:
- Duplicate background layer
- Image>Adjustments>Levels to improve the lights
- Image>Adjustments>Gradient Map (red, green) and check reverse
- CTRL+E, set blending mode to Overlay (if negative image persist, the overlay mode correct this)
- You can use Brush tool for some yellow color effects (spatter, fuzzball and apply a Distort filter >wave, if you want). My example shows in right-up of this photo.
- New layer > Gradient tool (orange, yellow, orange) and set the blending mode of the layer to Soft light.
There are many alternatives to play with this photo and I don't know if my general explanation helps you. Sorry for my english!
Regards.

[wolverine]

oltenius,
Thanks for your explanation. I've got it.

recrisp,
Well, I was a firm believer that photoshop could do any photo tricks even some drawing that usually use other progz such as illustrator or coreldraw. In fact there are many digital artist who made some amazing artwork, and they claimed that they used photoshop only. For example, you can check this site:

http://www.pinardy.com

Check at portfolio section, he's got many good artwork of prewedding photography, and also some fine art. According to a friend of mine who is now being his assistant, the author use photoshop only to create all that effect.

[oltenius]

wolverine, another example that appears, I think, near your request! You can apply Filter > Render > Lighting effects or Filter> Stylize > Emboss to obtain some interesting effects.
Regards.

[recrisp]

Wolverine,

That's not to say you can't do stuff like this in Photoshop, 'cause that's what I do for a living, all I'm saying is that
it can't be done 'like that' without some artistic stuff.
In other words, there'll be painting, lot's of masking, and 'tricks' to pull it off, it won't be just a matter of just using
plug-ins n'stuff, or special programs, it's all selective type stuff, not a click of a button.
You can get close, but it'd more than likely lose the depth is should have, that's all subjective too, I guess. it's
all in how you look at it, and it all depends on the image you start out with too.

It can definitely be done in Photoshop though, that's about all I ever use, I should use Painter, but I just prefer
Photoshop personally.
Actually, every filter in Photoshop is derived from an actual combination of 'stuff', it's just a series of things that
are applied, so you're right, it can be done probably, but getting there is not an easy thing always.

Randy

[wolverine]

oltenius,
I like it ! it's getting closer. Thanks

recrisp,
U're absolutely right. Will need hard work and sense of art. I cannot expect one touch button to accomplish it. Hope I can learn more and more in this forum

[oltenius]

I'v saw pinardy site. He used ps filters to make his nice photos, improving a distinct difference between background and the subject which is more bright (probably Lucisart or another, combined with a paint program). Metal effect on his photos is great. Well, if you want only an effect of light or shadow, a relief using stylize>emboss or render>lighting effects, use PS, if you want more, combine PS with a paint program and the artwork will be wonderful! I know that I'v said is not an innovation but he works to the artist.
Regards