tip#20 PEAR

PAINTING A PHOTO REALISTIC PEAR writing in progress check back later!

Here's one of my techniques for painting in a photo realistic manner. As in traditional art, it is benifical to start out with very basic or simple subjects. I have a background in traditional fine art & photography as well as a new found love of digital manipulation. Most subjects in nature can be broken down into simple shapes, some subjects consist of several shapes becoming complex. From my days of attencing Chicago Academy of Fine Art, decades ago, I remember learning the Elements of Design by having to start out drawing simple geometric shapes, forms and then rendering subjects that were relative to the form. For example, the triangle, the cone, the pear or the circle, the sphere, the apple. The following tutorial will use a pear, starting out with its pure and simple shape, then rendering it with another element of Design "Color," to adopt its form. Adding shadows will introduce another Element "space." This technique with some adjustments could apply to all sorts of fruits and vegetables that will feed and expand your Photoshop belly!

Start out with a new RGB document with a White Background and the default foreground/background colors of black/white.
The Canvas in this example is 422 pixels x 358 pixels.
Grab a Hard Round Brush @ 100% opacity (all jitter & other dynamics OFF)and paint the silhouette of the pear on the Background layer. One hand for painting and the other should have a finger hovered over the "x" key. Pressing the "x" key allows you to quickly switch to white when you need to erase (it's a lot quicker than having to switch from the brush tool to the eraser tool!). Press "x" to switch back to black and continue forming your pear. See below for reference of how your pear should look after doing this. The important thing is that the form is solid black.
Don't worry if your edges look a little jaggy. This step will show you how to smooth these out. This only works if the black image is on a white background. Go under Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Set the Radius slider to the point where the jaggies disappear. The edge will look blurry. See below.
Click OK. Now press [Mac: Command L], [PC: Control L] to clean this up with the Levels Adjustment directly on the Background. When the Levels box opens Slide the left black input triangle and the right white input triangle toward the center triangle, until they almost touch. Click OK. Repeat Steps 4 & 5 if necessary to further smooth and form the Pear.

So, what's going on here? The Radius of the blur disperses the edge to the pixel amount set. This gives a gradient area that consists of various shades of gray. Doing this help diffuse the edge and even it out for a smoother appearance. When you use the Levels command and push the input black triangle to the right, you are telling Photoshop you want to change the location of your darkest pixel (black point or shadow point). Gauge the location by looking at the Gradient bar under the Output Levels. The Gradient bar represents 256 possible shades or levels of brightness going from 0 (black) to 255 (white). Draw an imaginary vertical line from the black triangle down to the Gradient bar. That is the shade (& any shades darker than that) which will now be pure black or at level 0. If you look in the upper left Input Level field box, you can see it is Level 120. Moving the white input triangle to the left will remap the highlight or white point. Draw the same imaginary vertical line from the new location of the white triangle down to the Gradient bar—that gray shade & any lighter ones, will now be the lightest or whitest in the image. Look in the upper right Input Level field box, it now reads 140. In essence, you are decreasing the levels or shades contained in the image therefore this increase the contrast of the image. For this example, it has sharpened the edge by eliminating some gray areas. This has also decreased the dynamic range; what once held 256 shades ranging from black to white has decreased to only 20 shades of gray ranging from black to white.
Once you are satisfied with the form of your pear, you need to lift it off the Background and put it on its own layer. To do this, select the Magic Wand (W) from the Toolbox. Set the Tolerance to 0, check anti-alias and Contiguous in the top Options bar. Click the Magic Wand in the black area of the pear. This will put a selection around the pear.
Press the letter "d" to set the background color in the Toolbox to white. Use the following shortcut, to cut this out of the Background and jump the Pear to a new layer. [Mac: Shift Command J], [PC: Shift Control J]. The Background layer will probably have the remains of a slight outline, soselect it and fill it with white by pressing [Mac: Command delete], [PC:Control backspace]
In order to paint your pear without having to worry about "going outside the lines," you will add a layer mask to the new pear layer. Highlight this layer and Command click, [PC: Control Click] on it in the Layers palette. This will load the selection borders around the pear.
With the selection active click the add mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. See below.
Note that when the layer mask thumbnail is active, the mask icon appears in the layer column next to its visibility (eye) icon. Click on the layer thumbnail of the pear so the brush icon appears in the layer column next to its visibility icon. This makes a difference to whether you are telling Photoshop to edit the pixels of the layer or the 8-bit mask. You can only choose one at a time, and do so by clicking on its respective thumbnail in the Layers palette. (NOTE: a thumbnail is NOT an icon; icons are symbols relating to a function or effect, whereas a thumbnail is a small graphical representation of content.
Choose a base color for the pear. I chose a lime green. Fill with the foreground color you chose by pressing [Mac: Option delete], [PC: Alt backspace].

Notice how the thumbnail for this layer has filled entirely with the color, but only the pear shape is revealed. That's the power of masking! Where the white is on the mask is what part of the pixel layer will be revealed in the canvas. Here's the masking mantra, "White reveals and black conceals." What do shades of gray in the mask do? They reveal or conceal in a percentage of Opacity! If pure white reveals an object 100% opaque and black totally conceals the object, 0% Opaque, then a midtone gray shade would reveal the object at 50% opacity. At first this concept of masking may seem very difficult to grasp because it is abstract to most people! But I promise—one night, you'll wake up in the middle of a Photoshop dream chanting "Eureka! I've got it, Mama!" If masking doesn't boggle you in the least, you most likely are a left-brainer or possibly a hybrid! Usually, the artistic side of the brain is the right and the analytical or mathematical side is on the left. That's why artists usually are not mathematicians. Not that artists can't do math—it's just that it takes longer for them to understand and process those types of concepts. Of course there are exceptions.
Setting up the workspace: In this step you will set up your workspace for efficiency. Select a Soft Round Airbrush size 65. The top Options bar should read 100% Opacity, Normal. I use a Wacom, so I also click on the Brush palette icon and change the Other Dynamics for Flow Jitter to Pen Pressure and turn the Opacity Jitter OFF. If you are using a mouse change the top Options bar Opacity to 10% and just build up the density by subsequent sprays or hold the mouse down longer. Bring up the Color Palette; move it closer to your image window, so you will be able to easily dip into its lower gradient bar to select a variety of hues (Item C). Click on the layer thumbnail of the pear so that the brush icon is visible in the layer column (Item A). Deactivate the link that connects the layer thumbnail to the layer mask thumbnail (Item B) by clicking on it. (I'll explain this later).
Now, you're ready to paint some blobs of color in the image. You don't have to worry about painting outside the pear shape, because you've set up a mask, which is hiding those outside areas; indicated by the "black" part of the mask. I used a lime yellow, brick red, dark olive, and purple. Pretending my light source was from the top left, I contoured the darker colors on the right side of the pear. Once your mix is satisfactory, you will blend using a filter. For some reason, if you use this particular filter with the mask linked it will affect the edges in a negative way. This is why I had you deactivate it.

The purpose of the link between the layer and the mask is— if you were to move or transform the layer, the mask would move or transform right along with it! If the link is off, you can move or transform the layer and mask independently of one another.
When your image somewhat resembles the above graphic, go under Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. I used a Radius Setting of 24.3, but use whatever gives you a pleasing result. Click OK.
To add some stippled texture, go under Filter>Noise>Add Noise. I used an Amount of 3% with Gaussian and Monochromatic selected. Again, play around with the settings and choose what looks best. Click OK.
To make the image and colors pop, duplicate the pear layer, by pressing [Mac: Command J], [PC: Control J]. Change the Blending Mode for the upper dup layer to Soft Light. You can also experiment with other blending modes. I just liked the Soft Light blending mode @100% Opacity, best for this particular piece.
Set up your workspace for the Shadow/Highlight step by clicking the Color Swatches tab (this palette is nested with the Color palette, by default). If you can't find it, go under the top menu "Window" and select Swatches from the drop-down menu.The only tool you will use in the next few steps will be the Airbrush. The only colors you will be using for the next few steps are indicated along with an explanation of their purpose. Take a moment to memorize what each of these three colors will be used for, and their locations in the Swatches palette. Move the palette close to your image window.
1. White for lightening or highlights.
2. 50% Gray to erase the highlights or shadows.
3. Black for dark contouring or shadows.
To add the Shadow/Highlight layer, hold down the Option Key [PC: Alt key], as you click on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette. (looks like a little piece of paper with bent corner). As you do this, the New Layer dialog box will open. In this box, change the Mode to Overlay and check the "Fill with Neutral Color (50% gray)" box. Click OK.

Note: While the Shadow/Highlight layer thumbnail is filled with gray, this does not cover your image in the canvas with gray. This is what is meant by "neutral color" as it applies to a particular blending mode. The neutral color is invisible, but when edited with other colors, the interaction of those pixels affects the result in the canvas. If you were to toggle this layer back to Normal mode, it would indeed cover the canvas with gray.
Start with black and block in all those contour areas— especially around the top, where you will want to set the dip area for the stem.(See graphic below for reference). If the shadow is coming on too heavily, you can erase it by clicking on the 50% gray swatch. Your cursor will automatically switch to the eyedropper when you approach the swatches. Use your bracket keys to change brush tip diameter sizes, as needed. Also, don't be afraid to use a large diameter for edge contouring—since the underlying graphic is masked, just tap or lightly stroke the edges with the side of the large brush, for a more natural airbrushed effect. Remember, you don't have to worry about any of your paint falling outside of the pear form. After painting the contours, select white and paint in areas to lighten or highlight, again if you've applied too much, just dip your cursor into the 50% gray swatch and use that color to erase. When I say "erase" do not think you have to get the eraser tool! That would be a mistake! Part of the coolness of this technique is NOT having to waste time switching tools.

Using the "Overlay Mode Layer" approach simplifies your need to choose various colors for the shadows and highlights. Although you are using black & white to paint these areas, those colors interact with the existing pixels to produce a luminous variation of that color because of the blending mode.

See below for my image after completion of painting the Shadow/Highlight layer. Next to this is an enlarged view of the Shadow/Highlight layers thumbnail, so you can see where the shadows and highlights were blocked in. I also lowered this layer's Opacity to 85%. Play with your settings to see what you like best. If even at 100% you don't think the effect is enough, use the ol' Command J trick [PC: Control J], and adjust the copied layer Opacity. You can even experiment with some different blending modes...but not all, as you will discover easily enough when the canvas looks dirty!!
Time to paint the stem. Create a new transparent layer at the top of the Layer stack. Select the last "brown" color in the Swatches palette. Use a Hard Round brush, Size 9. Make sure the tool Opacity in the top Options bar is at 100%. Draw a stem shape. See below for reference.
For this little stem you will experiment with the Dodge & Burn tools for adding Highlight and Shadow to the Stem. Start off by selecting the Burn tool. Select a Hard Round, Size 3 brush; set the Exposure to 30%, Midtones, in the top Options bar. Brush the shadow side of the stem. Switch to the Dodge tool, Hard Round, Size 5 brush; set the Exposure to 30%, Midtones, in the top Options bar. Brush the highlight side. See below for reference.

I also added a layer mask to reshape the stem. If you need to do this, too—click the Add layer mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. Set your foreground/background colors by pressing the letter "d." With the mask active, paint black with a small hard round brush, to taper (hide) the stem. This is safer than using the Eraser tool! Why? Because if you take off too much, you can put it right back, by painting with white. Masking mantra—White Reveals and Black Conceals!
Once you are satisfied with the shape, apply the mask (this will get rid of the mask icon and delete the pixel areas you hid with the black paint. To apply the mask, [Mac: Control click], [PC: Rt. click] on the thumbnail of the mask and select "Apply Layer Mask" from the pop-out menu.
Now, you have to create a cast shadow for the stem. Create a new transparent layer and stack it just below the stem layer. The shadow will not fall on areas outside of the pear, so you'll want to protect that area. Do so by loading the selection for the pear mask. Command click, [PC: Control click] on the pear mask thumbnail. Highlight the new layer, where you'll be painting the cast shadow. See below for reference.
With the selection running (marching ants), highlight the new layer. Select a small hard edge brush and just paint in the shadow with black, making it look like it is wrapping over a contour of the pear. See below for reference. Inside the active selection is the only area where the paint will show, so you don't have to worry if your brush goes outside of the selection—nothing will happen because it's not part of the selection.
Once you're satisfied with the cast shadow shape, use the currently active selection to add a pear shaped layer mask to the cast shadow by clicking once on the add layer mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. When you do this a linked mask thumbnail with the pear shape (white) will appear on the layer. The marching ants are automatically disengaged. To give the cast shadow a more realistic flow, you need to gradiate it; the closest point to the stem should be the darkest and the furthest point should be a little bit lighter.
With the selection running and the mask thumbnail active for the shadow layer, select the Gradient tool from the Toolbox. In the top Options bar make sure the Linear gradient tool is selected. Choose the Black/White gradient from the Gradient Picker window.
Place your cursor on the outside edge of the selection in the image window, near the edge of the shadow. Start the gradient drag in the outside white area a little distance away from the selection border; drag to a short distance inside of the selection, in line with the direction of the shadow and let go. See below for reference of how the result should look and the mask thumbnail. If you mess up Undo, by pressing [Mac: Command Z], PC:[Control Z].

Below is what the pear looks like so far. I dropped the Opacity for the stem shadow layer to 85% and changed the layer blending mode to Multiply. All it needs now is a drop/cast shadow for the pear itself!

Before creating the shadows for the pear, (there will be two) you need to create a merged copy of the pear and the stem.
Create a new transparent layer at the top of the Layer stack. Now, load the selection for the stem AND the pear body by Command clicking on the stem layer, [PC: Control click]. Hold the Shift key down and Command click [PC: Control click] on the original pear mask thumbnail. The Shift key allows you to "add" to an active selection.
With this selection surrounding the whole pear and stem, highlight the new transparent layer at the top of the layer stack. Go under the top menu Edit>Copy Merged. Now go under Edit>Paste. The whole pear should appear on the thumbnail of this layer, with transparency behind it (indicated by the checkerboard pattern). The marching ants will automatically be Deselected after a Paste command.
Consolidate the Layers into a Set. Time to put the working layers into a set, so that the Layers palette is more manageable. Highlight on the stem layer and link all layers below it, except the Background layer. To link click in the column to the right of the visibility (eye) icons. When all the layers are linked, click the layers palette flyout tab and select "New Set from Linked." Click OK. Your Layers palette should look like the reference below.
With the Set 1 layer highlighted, click the new layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. A new transparent layer will appear right above the Set 1 layer. You can turn the Visibility icon off for Set 1. Choose the Eliptical Marquee from the Toolbox and create an oval selection with its left side matching up with the pears bottom shadow's ending transition.
With black as the foreground color, fill this selection by pressing [Mac: Option delete], [PC: Alt backspace]. When this fills, deselect (deactivate the marching ants) by pressing [Mac: Command D], [PC: Control D]. Lower the layer Opacity, temporarily to 80%. (you'll come back to this layer, later.) As, I stated earlier, my imaginary light source is from the upper left, so shadows would fall opposite the light source in the lower right. If there is more than one light source there can be multi directional shadows. In this instance you will be creating two separate shadow layers. See reference below, for the first shadow.

A shadow is usually an exact "copy" of the object but without internal detail; like a silhouette. Depending the altitude, direction and distance of the light source in relation to the subject, along with the subjects distance from the reflective surface determines how harsh, blurred, or large the shadow will be. How you render the shadows can change the whole spacial conception of the suject. The standard Shadow "Layer Style" doesn't cut it on it's own, so developing an arsenal of shadow techniques, will improve your illustrations and make them more life-like.
To create the pear shape shadow, select the pear layer and dup it by pressing [Mac:Command J], [PC: Control J]. This will jump a copy of the pear to a new layer above the original. Click back on the original pear layer, below. Rename it "Whole Pear Shadow" Then, with the Move tool offset it's position by dragging to the right in the image window. Click the "lock transparency" icon, located in the upper part of the Layers palette. When you click this, a lock icon will appear on the highlighted layer. See reference below.
With black as the foreground color, press [Mac: Option delete], [PC: Alt backspace]. This will fill just the shape of the pear, because you had the "lock transparency" icon checked. Unlock the transparency by clicking that icon again. The lock icon should disappear from the Whole Pear Shadow layer. You don't want it on for the following steps.
Removing Fringe or Matte. Now, that my pear is in front of a darker background, I notice a small light fringe aroung the bottom of the pear. If you have a similar situation, there are Matting commands under the top Layer Menu that can help remove these distracting edges. I highlighted the Pear layer and chose Remove White Matte, which took care of the problem quite well. See reference below.
Cast Shadow: Highlight the Whole Pear Shadow Layer and lower the Opacity to 80%, change the Layer Blending Mode to Multipy
Press [Mac: Command T]. [PC: Control T] to put a Free Transform bounding box around the shadow. See visual refernce below for position, rotation and distortion.

It is so important to know how to manipulate the Free Transform box in one shot as oppossed to involking the Transform box several times to manipulate the content shape. The Transform function uses the same interpolation method that you have set up in General Preferences, Bicubic by default. The logic behind limiting the number of transformations to a single layer is the same logic behind limiting Resampling of the same file over and over. The more times you do it, the more the data is lost, compromised or the edge integrity becomes blurry or pixellated.

If you are not familiar with the terms associated with this command or how to achieve a combination of the effects in one shot using the Free Transform Command, familiarize yourself with them by studying Transformation Tips. Make mental note of the visual clue the cursor gives you when these functions are used.