Hi. This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV.
I'm going to show you how to create polyscapes.
Polyscapes are essentially photo effects that merge beautiful landscapes or scenes with
geometric shapes using clipping masks and shape tools.
There are limitless possibilities of designs for polyscapes, but for the most part, they
all use use the same basic technique to create them.
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For this particular polyscape design, we'll use 2 photos.
I downloaded both of them from Shutterstock.
Find 2 horizontal photos that you'd like to use for this project.
Begin with the photo that we'll use for your background.
We'll convert it into Smart Object, so we can modify it non-destructively and adjust
the effects at any time.
It'll also allow us to replace the photos with others without having to redo the effects.
To do this, click the icon at the upper, right of the Layers panel and click "Convert to Smart Object".
Make a copy of it by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + J.
Temporarily hide the copy and make the original layer active.
We’ll create a soft dark vignette along the outside edges of our image.
Go to Filter and Lens Correction.
Click the "Custom" tab and slide the "Vignette" amount all the way to the left.
Then, click OK.
I'd like to adjust my background's brightness and color cast.
If you want to do the same for your background, click the Adjustment Layer icon.
If you're using Photoshop CS6 or later, click "Color Lookup".
If you're using an earlier version, you can experiment with "Hue/Saturation" or "Color
Balance" or "Channel Mixer".
Open "Load 3D LUT" and cycle through the filters to choose the effect you like.
I'm using, "Crisp_Winter.look".
For this image, the filter is a bit too intense, so I'll reduce its opacity to 40%.
We'll convert our image into a Smart Object by Shift-clicking "Layer 0" to make it active,
as well as the adjustment layer and converting them into a Smart Object.
Let's name it "Base" and the copy, "Ring".
Make the Base layer active and click the New Layer icon to make a new layer.
Inside this empty layer, we'll create our first shape.
Open the Polygon Tool and choose "Shape".
If you're using CS5 or earlier, the Shape Tool is here.
Click the "Fill" box.
The "Fill" color is the color of the shape, however, since we'll be filling the shape
with a photo, the color doesn't actually matter in this instance.
For now, click black.
Click the "Stroke" box and click the white box with the red, diagonal line in it.
This is the box to click when you want no Fill or no stroke.
The pixel amount in this field determines the width or thickness of the stroke, however,
we won't be needing it for now, so the amount is irrelevant.
Later, we'll make a shape using a stroke with no Fill, which is essentially an outline.
Make the number of sides: 3.
Click the gear icon and make sure "Star" is unchecked.
Then, press Enter or Return.
Next, we'll create guidelines to locate the exact center of our document.
Open "View".
If you're using version CC or later, click "New Guide Layout".
If you're using an earlier version, I'll show what to do in a moment.
Make sure Columns and Rows are both checked and the number for both is: 2.
If you're using a version earlier than CC, click, "New Guide".
In either orientation, type in 50% for the Position.
Then, click OK or press Enter or Return.
Go back to View, New Guide, tick the other orientation and type in 50% again.
Go to the center of the guidelines and press and hold Shift as you drag down the Shape
Tool a bit below the bottom of your image.
Then, release.
To slide the shape up, press "v" to open your Move Tool and press and hold Shift as you
drag it straight up to approximately here.
Open your other photo and drag it up onto the tab of your background image.
Without releasing your mouse or pen, drag it down and release.
Go to Layer 1 and drag it down above the shape you made.
We're going to mask the photo, so it'll show only through the inside of the shape.
To do this, we'll make the photo into a clipping mask by pressing Ctrl + Alt + G on Windows
or Cmd + Option + G on a Mac or you can go to Layer and click "Create Clipping Mask".
Position the photo inside the shape by just dragging it.
We can resize the photo by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + T to open your Transform Tool.
Go to a corner and when you see a diagonal, double-arrow, press and hold Alt or Option
+ Shift as you drag it out or in.
Continue to position and size it to your liking.
Then, press Enter or Return.
To temporarily hide the guide lines, press Ctrl or Cmd + H. Make the shape layer active
and click the "fx" icon.
Click "Stroke".
Make the Size 9 pixels and the Position: Inside.
The Blend Mode is "Linear Dodge" and the Opacity is 50%.
The Fill Type is "Gradient".
Click the Gradient bar to open the Gradient Editor.
For this example, let's click this preset called, Spectrum".
Then, click OK on both windows.
Notice the subtle, but thin stroke surrounding our shape.
We'll place our shape and corresponding photo into a folder by Shifting-clicking the photo
to make it active as well, and pressing Ctrl or Cmd + G.
Make a copy of it
and drag the copy to the right.
Open the top folder and make the shape active.
Go to Edit, Transform and "Flip Vertical".
Notice, just the shape flipped, but not the photo inside the shape.
That's because only the shape is active.
Open your Transform Tool and using the same steps, drag it in to approximately this size.
Position it to approximately here and press Enter or Return.
Make the photo active and drag it to a position you like inside the shape.
Close the folder and make a copy of it.
Open this folder and make the shape active.
Press and hold Shift as you drag across the second copy to a position that's equidistant
as the right shape is from the center shape.
To reposition the photo inside this shape, make the photo active and drag it.
If you want to resize the photo, use your Transform Tool.
To see the Transform's entire bounding box, press Ctrl or md + 0.
Resize and reposition it inside the shape to your liking.
To zoom back it into, press Ctrl or Cmd and the plus key once or twice.
Close the folder and name it, "Left Shape". Name the middle folder, "Right Shape"
and the bottom folder, "Center Shape".
Make the "Left Shape" folder active and click the New Layer icon to make a new layer above it.
In this empty layer,
we'll create another shape, but this time, it'll be an thin, circular outline.
Let's zoom out to 50%.
Make the guidelines visible again and open your Ellipse Tool.
Click the Fill box and click the No Fill icon.
Click the Stroke box and click black.
Make the width 10 pixels.
Click the gear icon and make sure "Proportional" is ticked and "From Center" is checked.
Go to the center and drag out the circle almost to the edge of your canvas.
Then, release.
Make the top layer visible and active.
Clip it to the shape under it.
I'd like to give the image inside of the ring more complexity, so I'll flip the image.
If you'd like to do the same, go to Edit, Transform and "Flip Vertical".
Open your Transform Tool and enlarge the photo inside the ring approximately this much.
Hide the guidelines and zoom back in.
This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV.
Thanks for watching!