Tutorial: Art History Brush AHB - Palms method (Photoshop)

[palms]

Originally Posted by DannyRaphael

Your AHB work is simply outstanding and continues to amaze me...

Could I twist your arm to write up a detailed step-by-step "how I did this transformation" (when you get time) along with "in progress" images, brush & setting details, etc. You get the most pleasing results out of AHB than anyone I've seen before. Really.



.

Thank you Danny and Bob I will give it a twirl tomorrow as i will have a bit more time then.

Palms

sorry for the delay but the gremlins are at work and cant get images to upload will try again tomorrow

[palms]

How i do my ahb paintings

my way is not a "new" way and might not be the "proper "way to do it but it is the way i do them, and as i have received a few requests both in posts and pm's here we go


The brushes that i use the most are Trimoons art history spatter brush's which can be downloaded from here

http://www.trimoon.com/html/downloads.html

also Trimoons detail brush which can be downloaded in the set here

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...w-brushes.html

One of the good things about Trimoons brushes is that you dont have to worry about opacity or style or anything else it is all automatically set when you select the brushes ( unless of course you want to alter them )

I have added more about using the brush in post #18

Now i open the image, > duplicate ( just to be on the safe side) > add a new layer and fill with a pale colour, like white, cream, pale grey, etc there is usualy a clue in the image

Add another layer select the art history brush, selecting the spatter brush 15, roughly paint across the whole layer roughly ( 1st pic) leaving a bit of white is ok although i dont like too much
You may have noticed that you cant see the layer underneath, well that's it i dont look at it, just paint away and see what appears ( it is fun honest )

Add another layer using the same brush reduce the size to about 25 and loosely paint in more
detail ( 2nd pic) but not over all the layer

Finaly open another new layer select the detail brush and pick out the finer detail, if needed going down to about 2 pixels, here i just let the brush pick out the details like in the shadows and highlights, around the edges of buildings etc again on this layer i dont go over the whole layer (3rd pic) I probably would check the original now to see if i had got all the detail i wanted/needed to into the image

By using the three layers all can be altered by adding more, taking some out ( eraser) or reducing opacity, i may do this more on the 3rd detail layer

when i am happy with the image i flatten the image
Now i do lots of different things
i will sharpen using the other > custom filter ( you get quite a cool effect from it )
adjust the black white and grey's using selective colour ( surprising the difference small amounts make) (4th pic)
On this image (5th pic )
I also tried out paint daubs filter settings 2,4 and simple
added a pattern layer set to soft light and reduced the opacity
lastly i added a bit of saturation

There are lots of other things that i either do or can be done like using a sketchlayer etc, i am hopeful that in the near future i will be able to expand on this but enough is enough for now

Well how have i done ? have you been able to follow, has it made any sense ? any problems or any more explaining needed please ask, Now that has been hard work for me ( writing/explaining is not one of my fave things to do ) so i'm of for a look around to see what you all have been doing today

[DannyRaphael]

Simply awesome. Many, many thanks...

[palms]

Originally Posted by DannyRaphael

Simply awesome. Many, many thanks...

Thank you Danny for prompting me also for all the support you and my other friends ( members ) here have given

Palms

[GerryB]

Thanks for the wonderful tutorial, Palms! I'm going to sit down and give it a try today.

[Bob Mc]

Thanks Palms
That was a good clear explanation

This may just be the weekend to try it. Gonna be about 100 degrees outside - again - so sitting at my pc will be a lot cooler

Regards

Bob Mc

[palms]

Thank you Gerry and Bob hope you have fun

I was going to add some about different brushes here but i sort of got sidetracked a bit, which is nothing unusual with the ahb, the possibilities are endless. and no two turn out the same, similar but not the same.
I started with a brush i had downloaded ( again endless possibilities) of a leaf done the usual over 3 layers using the detail brush on the last layer just on the face to give a bit of definition
You can use any brush but i have found that when you resize them they change quite a bit, So i tend to stick with brushes no bigger than 100 and idealy about 60 , opacity i keep to 35% if they go a bit wld ( pic 1) i will try altering the style ( but if you find a brush that you change and like SAVE it i always forget to do this )
If you wan to try something different , use Photoshop square brushes they give a good effect, and the smallest size doubles as a detail brush


after flattening , I used other > custom then repeated, other > custom ( i was in a what would happen if mood )
then added paint daubs not sure of the exact settings but usualy about 2 and 4 (pic 2)

Another action i run sometimes is the Velvia Action (pic 3) available from

http://www.atncentral.com/download.htm


And there you are a different look, maybe not to everyones taste, but most important I like it

If you (or me) arent getting to bored i will add some more in the week

[Bob Mc]

Hi Palms
I tried an AHB thing this afternoon. I call it a thing because it's my first. I'll post it tomorrow. I used some WOW Watercolor art history brushes on several layers getting smaller and smaller as I went. At the end tho - it just seemed too splotchy in places and I realized I didn't even cole close to covering all or the major parts of the picture - so it seems like I (had to)touch-up too many areas.

I actually used an old Wacom tablet - at least 6 or seven years old - with no updated drivers for a long time - but it worked.

I'll have to try some of Steven's brushes next time

Regards

Bob Mc

[GerryB]

I tried your AHB technique on the same picture and it was a success. I then tried it on the latest weekly challenge on the NAPP Battleground forum and got great results.

[palms]

Bob hope you will post later, stick with it you will get some where, and get used to both the ahb and your pen tool ( you can use a mouse for this ) if you are worried about not "seeing " you can always reduce the opacity of the fill layer
I have tried the wow brushes but tend to stick to others.

Gerry
Great well done, now you have the hang of it, it is onwards and upwards get experimenting ( when you get time of course ) there are loads of different brushes to try and then fiddling around with brush settings ! ! ! ! and different finishes

Palms

Palms

[Bob Mc]

Palms,

My first

Practice, practice, practice is what I need to do.

I realized after I finished that I didn't do the shapening nor adj the blacks and whites or any of the other tweaks you mentioned as finishing touches.

I put a border around it to hide the edges which came out poorly.

I can see that I'll gradually try more - especially with Steves brushes

Thanks for the explanation.

Regards

Bob Mc

[palms]

That is great Bob well done, dosent matter if you didnt do all the other tweaks so long as you are happy with the result that is what counts, Plus i get it to that stage duplicate it and then try the tweaks see what i like for that image toggling between the two, It is not set in stone
Do try Steve's brushes they are at a price not to be ignored (free) and do not take very long to download
Yep practice is a key so long as you relax and enjoy it

Palms

[amica999]

Thank you Palms, very nice and very clear. Unfortunately I can't seem to find that mentioned detail brush with a result that it looks washed out. Any suggestions, please?

[Bob Mc]

Thanks Palms

I appreciate your suggestions and encouragement.

I think I probably have Steve's brushes and presets already since I'm sort of a photoshop and painter collector junkie. If it's free I've almost certainly got it and if it's expensive I'm saving for it.

Regards

Bob Mc

[Bob Mc]

Amica999,

The second post from the top gives you Steve's (Trimoon) site where you can download brushes, presets etc.

REgards

Bob Mc

[palms]

ok guy's i have found it right here on retouch

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...w-brushes.html

In the three brushes here is the spatter brush 15a i prefer the most. dont know why it is different from the ones on trimoons downloads but i think it is
also is the impressionist brush and the detail brush.

Palms

[amica999]

Thanks Palms and Bob

[palms]

I had the thought the other night that we might not all use the ahb the same way so i will attempt to explain what I do, And i do Stress it is what I do, if you are happy doing it your way then do carry on with it

Select the ahb brush and the brush of your choice ( i used the 15a spatter brush followed by the detail bruh on the last layer )

On the first layer i do the painting in one "click" ( actually i use a pen tool most of the time but you can use the mouse just as well ) with a mouse this might be a bit wearing on your wrist so it might be 2 >3 (1st image)

When you move upwards on the image the paint moves up and when you go downwards the paint goes down, knowing this can help keep the different colours in there proper places or when you have finished and you have bits "over the edges" you can go back to the appropriate layer and put right (2nd image)

On the second layer i tend to do one colour or one item in a single "click" In the flower image i done each of the yellow/ orange flowers , then the green, and then the vase (3rd image)

On the third layer too many clicks to count just moving the brush across to pick out the detail i want and then do the finishing tweaks that i want for the image ( 4th image)


Hopefully i have not confused to much this is a hard one to explain it would be much easier to show you.

And if you have ( like some of you do ) a pen tool gathering dust get it out and try it again , it does take a bit of time to get used to and remember it is not instead of a mouse but as well as . and here is maybe another weird thing i do, i dont have it set up in front of me but to the side and turned sideways i find it a much easier positon to use it

Palms

[palms]

Sometimes i make a background with ahb, i like this as it keeps the back ground within the colours that are already there, although this can be done with the paint brush and colours of your choice just vary opacity and shades
The brush i use most (at the moment) is here
http://www.furiae.com/index.php?view=gallery
under tutorials, textured brushes the download link is right at the bottom

And basically all i do is make a copy of the original image (image1) and paint away again using one/two "clicks"( make the brush a bit smaller if you like) controlling the colour can be a bit hard but move your brush around a bit(image2), and that is it you can then do loads of things like add contrast, sharpen, or colorize,(image4) When you get a background you really like save it and alter for other images

What i do then is have the art work under this layer and use a mask to bring it through (image3) or if you have cut your image out on to another layer put it on top of the background

Hope this helps some for someone

photo curtesy of morgue file

[dmrdm]

Had never played with the ahb until I read about it on this site. It's been fun. The background method above its real neat.

Played around with the methods as explained above. Had success on dogs (attached a copy of one of the dogs I dinked with) /cats/flowers/buildings, but when playing with portraits of people, they aren't turning out as well. The faces just aren't turning as nice as I hoped. Would anyone be able to share some additional tips? Suppose it just takes more practice. Thank you.

[Steve Conway]

Being only an occasional Photoshop user, can anyone tell me which versions of Photoshop these brushes will work in? I find no TPL files in either Photoshop 6 or in Photoshop Elements 4.

I also am assuming that they go in "presets/brushes."

Steve C.

[palms]

Glad you have had fun dmrdm and enjoy using the ahb, your dog image is excellent.

Faces can be a problem but i have done some, could you post (here) one that you have done and point out what it is your not happy with or i have posted one here today have a look and say what it is on this one you dont think is quite right or you that you dont like ( i wont cry honest )

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/tur...tml#post169462

That way I/someone would be able to offer more advice/tips

Palms

[palms]

Originally Posted by Steve Conway

Being only an occasional Photoshop user, can anyone tell me which versions of Photoshop these brushes will work in? I find no TPL files in either Photoshop 6 or in Photoshop Elements 4.

I also am assuming that they go in "presets/brushes."

Steve C.

Hi Steve

I am not sure wether these brushes work in ps6 or elements

tpl files though are kept in the presets folder under tools if that is some help to you, also you load them from the preset manager, Edit> preset manager, from the drop down menu pick tools, load, then i think you navigate to were you put them

hope you can get them to work for you Steve as i think you will enjoy using them

Palms

[dmrdm]

Your toddler looks great. I honestly have deleted all of the faces I started them, because they just weren't what I was looking for. I'm always starting from square one again when I try a new one, but I went ahead and did a real quick example (don't have any time in it at all, just trying to show the skin, lips). My problem is primarily just the skin and lips. The skin turns out too crystaline looking, kind of blotchy, the lips like a bad lipstick job (like when a 2 year old applies lipstick). On the skin, am not sure if I sure I should be using a bigger or smaller area and a shorter or longer style. Using the TM detail brush after the spatter. Guess since these areas are smooth in reality, I'm having a problem with them. I'm okay with the eyes, nose, hair. Fur is just easier! Am not sure if my upload will show what I'm attempting to explain. Thank you!



(using CS3)

[palms]

dmrdm which brushes are you using, and would you say you use lots of "clicks"
my first thought is that you use short strokes with your pen/mouse now there is nothing wrong in this just that you will get a different look
Can you post the original (or a original) and i will have a go along with you posting the different layers i use and you can compare the differences and see if any tips can be picked up that way (for both of us), I like the way you have done your eyes they are my trouble spot, and most mouths look like a bad lipstick job until i tidy them up with the detail brush
The ahb is really quite a hard tool to use and no two images come out the same even by the same person, so stick at it and just keep trying

Palms

[dmrdm]

MMM...yes, I believe one could say I am using a lot of clicks. That could certainly be my problem. I'll have to go back and focus on that see what happens.

For this pic, I've only been using the TM splatter15a and the TM detail, although I have played with the style, area and size on them.

When you do the lips, do you change your style to tight and short or is that inmaterial? (I didn't know if when you get to the details, one has better results with shorter strokes or not)

Here is the orginal. I'll have to play some more!

http://picasaweb.google.com/doris.ro...42504996745954

[Steve Conway]

Originally Posted by palms1

Hi Steve

I am not sure wether these brushes work in ps6 or elements

tpl files though are kept in the presets folder under tools if that is some help to you, also you load them from the preset manager, Edit> preset manager, from the drop down menu pick tools, load, then i think you navigate to were you put them

hope you can get them to work for you Steve as i think you will enjoy using them

Palms

I'll give it a try....and thanks Palms.

Steve C.

[palms]

Dmdrm

I have had a try at your image and have posted the three layers here that i used. I am not that happy with the results myself and have tried a few different things, one being resizing the image to 200dpi that makes things slightly better (4th image ) others was to use blur tool, smudge tool,and even a smart blur layer, but i wasnt happy with them either,
( begining to realize how few portraits i have done, i tend to smudge them, and the ones i have done are usually adults ) any way see what you think and ask any questions you want will try another thought i had later

Palms

[dmrdm]

Thanks palms1. I might just have to stick with dogs and cats! The 3rd one looks pretty nice. Yes, I've played with some bluring also, but nothing helped much. I made a couple more attempts, but nothing I like yet. Might look at trying some different brushes, some more bluring and playing with some different things on the layers. Will google a little more and see if I can find any other ideas also. Thank you!

[palms]

I have had another try and got bit better results by using a noise reduction filter ( as i am ps7 i use neat image but i believe your version of ps has one) tried using it after as well but that was too much. Also try a different photo this one does have a lot of shadows and that may be making the crystalising worse ( or try shadow/highlight) I have done a ahb in the desire ll post in the photo art section and that turned out ok keep trying if you get anywhere let me know

Palms