Mark S. Johnson Photography

For as long as I can remember, watercolor painting has seduced me. I love the way the water, paper, and pigment interact. Although I’ve only dabbled in the process, I’ve been curious to see if it’s possible to recreate the look using Photoshop. What I’ve discovered is that, although nothing beats the real thing, Photoshop does possess the tools necessary to create a reasonably authentic look.

As a photographer, you may be asking how this process can apply to your work. Consider this—if you enjoy montaging or compositing, what would happen if you created an abstract watercolor backdrop, then blended it with a photographic subject, either as a background or as a color wash? Additionally, even if you have no interest in watercolor, this tutorial is as much about creating a custom brush as it is about watercolor. Once you learn about Photoshop’s powerful brush engine, you’ll have yet another tool to enhance your creativity.

Since painting and impressionism are on my mind, I’d like to take a moment to pass along a pair of eBooks that have inspired me. William Neill’s eBook, Impressions of Light, is a gorgeous exploration of camera movement that produces exquisite impressionistic scenes. His other eBook, Landscapes of the Spirit, is more literal, yet the play of light and color makes each image appear more like a painting than a photograph. These two eBooks are definitely worth checking out. Now on to today’s lesson…

Prior to Photoshop CS5, extracting hair was tricky business, but thanks to substantial improvements to the Refine Edge dialogue, the process now feels almost like child’s play. To improve your odds of producing a clean extraction, consider these capture strategies:

1. Photograph the subject in a studio.
2. Light the subject with a diffused beauty dish or softbox and two edge lights that create separation between the subject and the background.
3. Use a white seamless backdrop that is not lit.
4. Position the subject so that the backdrop becomes light gray.

If you are unable to capture your subject in a studio environment, don’t despair. The techniques we’re about to cover are so effective that they work with a variety of lighting conditions. Before getting started, I’d like to thank iStockPhoto for providing both of today’s images.

As I record this, the 300th Workbench, I’m reflecting on the past six years and relishing what a remarkable journey it’s been. I count myself lucky each day to be in a position to share with my audience creative techniques that excite me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support of my site.

Over plates of Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles, my friend Alec Johnson grabbed his iPhone and shared images from several recent photo shoots. Some of the images featured an edgy look that appealed to me. I’ve seen a variety of different grunge treatments over the years, but Alec’s possesses something a little different, so I asked if he’d be willing to share his approach. Fortunately for all of us, he graciously agreed to let us in on his secrets.

Today’s Workbench features a handful of extremely useful tips for adding light, and therefore life, to a subject’s eyes. Each technique is accomplished in a non-destructive fashion permitting the effect to be strong, subtle, or anything in between. We’ll work with two images––one an animal portrait and another human. The first, a lovely image of a lynx, was submitted by Sean Patrick O’Connor (thanks, Sean Patrick!) and the second is a recent portrait of my daughter.

Believable composites involve much more than just extracting a subject from one scene and pasting it into another. In addition to making a flawless selection (which we won’t have time to discuss during this Workbench), you must also match the lighting and balance the colors. If the subject is photographed in a studio with controlled lighting, it is much easier to manage the quality, color, and angle of light. If, however, the subject is captured elsewhere, matching the lighting can be more challenging. But so long as the subject and background weren’t captured at radically different times of day, such as twilight and midday, believable lighting is still attainable. That said, it may also be necessary to unify the subject and background by creating consistent color throughout the scene. In other words, toning may be required. In today’s Workbench, we’ll unlock the secrets to matching lighting and color in a composite.