In this Photoshop photo effects tutorial, we're going to learn how
to make it look as if the subject of a photo is popping right out of
the image. Not only is it a great way to add interest to a sports
photo, a wedding photo, product shot, or even a photo of your kids
playing in the backyard, it also happens to be very easy to do, as
we'll see.
Here's the photo I'll be starting with:
And here's the finished effect:
Let's get started.
Step 1: Duplicate The Background Layer
To begin, I'm going to duplicate my Background layer using the
simple keyboard shortcut Ctrl+J (Win) /
Command+J (Mac). I now have my original Background layer
and a copy of it, which Photoshop has named "Layer 1", in the Layers
palette:
Photoshop tutorial: Press "Ctrl+J" (Win) /
"Command+J" (Mac) to duplicate the Background layer.
Step 2: Add A New Blank Layer Between The Two Existing Layers
Next, I'm going to add a new blank layer in between the
Background layer and "Layer 1". Since I already have "Layer 1"
selected, I'm going to hold down my Ctrl (Win) /
Command (Mac) key and then click on the New
Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette:
Photoshop tutorial: Hold down "Ctrl" (Win) /
"Command" (Mac) and click the "New Layer" icon.
By holding down the Ctrl/Command key, this tells Photoshop to add
the new layer below the currently selected layer in the
Layers palette rather than above it, which it does by default. I now
have my new blank layer between the two initial layers:
Photoshop tutorial: The new blank layer is
added between the Background layer and "Layer 1".
Step 3: Fill The New Layer With White
Press the letter D on your keyboard to quickly
reset your Foreground and Background colors, so white is now your
Background color. Then use the keyboard shortcut
Ctrl+Backspace (Win) / Command+Delete
(Mac) to fill the new layer with the Background color, which in this
case is white. You won't see anything happen in the Document Window
since "Layer 1" is blocking the new layer from view, but if you look
in the Layers palette, you'll see the thumbnail preview area for the
new layer now filled with white:
Photoshop tutorial: Press "Ctrl+Backspace"
(Win) / "Command+Delete" (Mac) to fill the new layer with white.
Step 4: Select The Object(s) In The Photo You Want To Have Pop
Out
Click back on "Layer 1" in the Layers palette to select it. Then,
using the selection tool of your choice, make a selection around the
object(s) you want to have popping out of your photo.
In my case, I want the football player in the center of the
image, as well as the player in red directly behind him, to pop out,
so I'll use the Pen Tool to select them. You can use the Pen tool,
the Lasso tool, or whichever selection tool you prefer:
Photoshop Tutorials: Use the selection tool of
your choice to make a selection around the object(s) that will "pop
out" of the image.
Step 5: Copy The Selection To A New Layer
Once you've made your selection, with "Layer 1" selected in the
Layers palette, press Ctrl+J (Win) /
Command+J (Mac) to copy the selection onto a new layer.
Again, you won't see anything happening in the Document Window, but
you'll see your selection copied to a new layer at the top of the
Layers palette:
Photoshop Tutorials: Press "Ctrl+J" (Win) /
"Command+J" (Mac) to copy the selection onto a new layer.
Step 6: Drag A Selection Around The Rest Of The Photo You Want
To Keep
Click back on "Layer 1" in the Layers palette to select it. Then
press M on your keyboard to quickly select the
Rectangular Marquee Tool and drag a selection
around the rest of the photo that you want to keep, essentially
creating a smaller, cropped version of the image. Make sure you
select an area small enough so that some of the object(s) you
selected a moment ago will stick out, which is what's going to
create our "popping out" effect:
Photoshop Tutorials: Use the Rectangular
Marquee Tool to drag a selection inside the photo which will become
a smaller, cropped version of the image.
Step 7: Add A Layer Mask
Once you've dragged out your selection, click on the Add
A Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette:
Photoshop Tutorials: With "Layer 1" selected,
click the "Add A Layer Mask" icon at the bottom of the Layers
palette.
This will add a layer mask to "Layer 1", and because we had part
of the layer selected, only the area inside the selection will
remain visible. The rest of the photo that fell outside of the
selection will now be hidden from view:
Photoshop Tutorials: After adding the layer
mask, only the part of the photo that was inside of the selection
remains visible.
We can now see the "popping out" effect taking shape
Step 8: Add A Stroke To "Layer 1"
We're going to make our smaller photo look more like an actual
small photo by adding a border to it. To do that, with "Layer 1"
still selected, click on the Layer Styles icon at
the bottom of the Layers palette:
Photoshop Tutorials: Click the "Layer Styles"
icon at the bottom of the Layers palette.
Then select Stroke from the list of Layer
Styles:
Photoshop Tutorials: Select "Stroke" from the
list.
This brings up Photoshop's Layer Style dialog
box set to the Stroke options:
Photoshop Tutorials: The "Stroke" options.
First, change the Position of the stroke to
Inside. Then use the slider bar at the top to
increase the Size of the stroke to give the photo a
"polaroid" style border around the edge. I've increased my stroke
size to 13 pixels. Finally, click on the
Color swatch, which will bring up Photoshop's Color
Picker:
Photoshop Tutorials: Photoshop's Color Picker.
Choose a light gray for your stroke color. Click OK when you're
done to exit out of the Color Picker, and then click OK to exit out
of the Layer Style dialog box.
Your image should now look something like this:
Photoshop Tutorials: The image after adding a
stroke around the smaller photo in the background.
Step 9: Merge The Top Two Layers In The Layers Palette
Since "Layer 1" is already selected, hold down your Shift
key and click on the top layer in the Layers palette to select it as
well. You should now have both layers selected at once:
Photoshop Tutorials: Select the top two layers
at once in the Layers palette.
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+E (Win) /
Command+E (Mac) to merge both layers together so the
smaller photo and the object(s) above it end up on the same layer.
You'll now have just one layer instead of two:
Photoshop Tutorials: The top two layers are now
merged into one.
Notice that your Stroke is no longer a separate layer style. It's
now simply part of the image.
Step 10: Add A Drop Shadow To Complete The Effect
We're almost done. We're just going to add a drop shadow to
finish things off. With the newly merged layer selected, click on
the Layer Styles icon once again at the bottom of
the Layers palette and this time, select Drop Shadow
from the list:
Photoshop Tutorials: Click on the "Layer
Styles" icon and choose "Drop Shadow".
This brings the Layer Style dialog box back up, this time set to
the "Drop Shadow" options:
Photoshop Tutorials: The "Drop Shadow" options
in the "Layer Style" dialog box.
I find the default Opacity value of 75% is a bit
too strong, so I've lowered mine to 60%. Set your
Angle to 120°, Distance
to 5 pixels, and finally, increase the Size
of the drop shadow effect to 10 pixels. Click OK to
exit out of the Layer Style dialog box, and you're done!
Here's the original photo once again for comparison:
Photoshop Tutorials: The original photo once
again.
And here, after applying the drop shadow, is the final "popping
out of a photo" result:
Photoshop Tutorials: The final result. |