Hi. This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV.
I'm going to show you how to create your own corner billboard!
If you'd like to use this image by photographer, Rob deCaterino,
I provided its link in my video's description or project files.
Before we begin, I want to point out that the Vanishing Point feature, which we'll be
using in this tutorial, is available in versions CS2 and later.
Open a photo that you'd like to place into the billboard.
I downloaded this one from Dreamstime.com.
If you want to add text to your photo, open your Type Tool and pick a font.
I'm using Byrow.
If you'd like to use it, I provided its link, as well.
I'll make its size approximately 50 points, however, feel free to use whatever size you like.
I'll make its aliasing: Sharp and flush left alignment.
Click the color box to open the color picker.
Pick a color you like for your text.
If you want to copy a color from your photo,
just click on that area of the photo to copy its color.
Then, click OK.
Click on your photo and type out your text.
If you want to adjust the space between all your characters, highlight your text and press
and hold Alt or Option + the left or right arrow key on your keyboard.
To adjust the space between just 2 characters, click between those characters and repeat the step.
To reposition it, open your Move Tool and move it.
Make a composite snapshot of your visible image by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Alt + E on Windows
or Cmd + Shift + Option + E on a Mac.
Press Ctrl or Cmd + A to select your composite snapshot
and press Ctrl or Cmd + C to copy it to your clipboard.
We'll paste it into the billboard a little later.
Open your billboard photo and click the New Layer icon to make a new layer.
Go to Filter and Vanishing Point.
I did an in-depth tutorial on Vanishing Point, so if you'd like to watch it, I provided its
link in my video's description.
Zoom into the billboard by clicking the Zoom Tool and dragging it over the billboard.
Click the "Create Plane Tool".
Click the top, left corner of the left side of the billboard and click the top point between
the left and right sides.
Click the bottom point between the left and right sides and click the bottom left corner
of the left side.
The bounding box and grid of a perspective plane is normally blue.
If there's a problem with the placement of the corner nodes, the bounding box and grid
turn either yellow or red.
If you see either of these colors, move the corner nodes until the bounding box and grid
are blue.
We can create an additional grid that shares the same perspective of the first grid by
going to the middle edge node and Ctrl-dragging or Cmd-dragging it to the edge of the other side.
If the newly-created plane doesn't properly line up with the image,
drag the corner nodes until they do.
You'll notice that the only visible grid is the last grid you created, however, the first
plane is actually there; it's just hidden.
Now that we have the perspective grid on both sides of the billboard, we can paste our photo into it.
Press Ctrl or Cmd + V and drag it inside the grid.
Immediately, our photo retains the same perspective as our Vanishing Point grids.
To reduce or enlarge our photo inside the grid,
drag the inside image over until you see a corner.
Click the Transform Tool, go to a corner and when you see a diagonal, double-arrow, press
and hold Shift as you drag it in or out.
Pressing Shift kept your aspect ratio as you resized it.
To reposition it, just drag it.
When you're happy with its size and position, click OK.
Notice your new billboard image is on its own layer.
Ctrl-click or Cmd-click its thumbnail to make a selection of its overall shape.
Go to Select, Modify and Feather.
Feather it 1 pixel and click OK or press Enter or Return.
Click the Layer Mask icon to make a layer mask of the selection next to the active layer.
Click the chain-link icon to unlink the layer and the layer mask.
Doing this allows us to resize and/or reposition either of them independently of the other.
Click the thumbnail of the cutout billboard to make it active and open your Transform
Tool by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + T. At the top, click the chain-link icon to link the Width
and the Height.
Now, whatever we type into one of them, will be repeated in the other.
Type in 101%.
Then, press Enter or Return.
This enlarged our billboard image just a bit to ensure that it covers the original billboard under it.
To make the billboard blend more into the background, we'll add a little grain it.
Go to Filter, Noise and Add Noise.
I'll make the noise amount 3%, but you can adjust the amount to what looks good to you.
Make it Gaussian and Monochromatic.
Because the billboard image is most likely sharper than our background,
we'll slightly blur the billboard.
Go to Filter, Blur and Gaussian Blur.
Blur it: 0.3 pixels and click OK or press Enter or Return.
The source of sunlight in this particular background is originating from the left, so
the shadows are being cast to the right.
Therefore, I'll make the billboard's right side a bit darker than its left.
First, make a copy of the top layer and its layer mask.
Ctrl-click or Cmd-click the layer mask to make a selection of its shape.
Press "Q" to make the selection into a Quick Mask.
Open your Pen Tool and click directly above the top, middle corner to place an anchor point.
Release your mouse or pen and click below the bottom, middle corner.
If you need to reposition the path, press and hold Ctrl or Cmd as you drag the anchor
point to relocate it.
Release your mouse or pen and click below the lower, right corner.
Continue until you click back on the original, top anchor point to close the path.
Right-click directly on the path to open the fly-out list and click "Make Selection".
Feather it 1 pixel and click OK.
Press Alt or Option + Delete to fill the outside of the selection with the quick mask.
To deselect it, press Ctrl or Cmd + D. Press "Q" to convert the Quick mask into a selection
and invert the selection by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + Shift + I.
Make sure your layer mask is active and press Alt or Option + Delete to fill the selection with black.
Now, only the right side of your billboard will be visible through the layer mask.
Then, deselect it.
Click the top layer thumbnail to make it active and click the Adjustment layer icon.
Click "Levels".
To restrict the adjustment layer to affect just the one layer below it, we need to clip
it to that layer.
To do this, either click the Clipping Mask icon or press Ctrl + Alt + G on Windows or
Cmd + Option + G on a Mac.
Drag the Output highlight level to the left approximately this much to darken it.
This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV.
Thanks for watching!