Web Master Tutorials

A simple method to mask out a figure, apply a ‘threshold’ effect and reapply variant Brush, Shape or Type textures for a grunge focus affect.

Step 1 – Starter Image

To begin, copy/paste the following image into Photoshop. Or you can right click; choose Save Image from your browser context menu, save it to a location on your computer. In Photoshop, File > Open and browse to the previously saved image to open it.

Step 2 – Knockout Background

The first thing to do is to isolate the subject matter from the surrounding white background so that new elements added later can seamlessly blend in with the overall composition.

Drag-and-drop the Background Layer onto the New Layer icon command (encircled in red). This will create a Background copy Layer directly above the original as captured below.

Step 3 – Add New Background Color

1. Click the Create New Adjustment Fill Layer icon command (encircled in red) at the bottom of the Layers Palette, and choose Color Fill from the context drop list.
2. At the Color Fill dialog, select any color to act as the new background color. I used a variant of green. Then click OK to commit the new Color Fill 1 layer.
3. Place the new Color Fill 1 layer below the Background copy layer as I have captured.

Step 4 – Knockout White

The next step will utilize the Magic Wand Tool (W) to isolate the background.

1. Make sure the Background copy layer is active in the Layers Palette.
2. Active the Magic Wand Tool (W) in the Toolbar.
3. Tick Anti-alias and Contiguous and adjust the Options Bar Tolerance setting. In my case the default of 32 was too high and grabbed some of the white around the acid wash area of her left knee. So I bumped it down to 11.
4. Then click ONCE outside of the figure area. You will see that most of the background is selected. But there are few more areas that made the selection.
5. Hold the Shift key and click in those areas that never made the original selection. In doing so, you should notice a + sign to the lower left of the Magic Wand cursor indicating that you will be adding to the previous/original selection.

Now that all the background area is selected let’s invert the selection to the actual subject. With the selection still active, apply the Select > Inverse menu command as captured below. Notice how the marquee (selection lines) is away from the borders of the image bounds and now onto the bounds of the subject.

1. With the Background copy layer and Inverted Selection still active click the Create Layer Mask icon command (encircled in red) at the bottom of the Layers Palette.
2. Adding the mask knocks out the selected background and allows for the underlying Color Fill 1 layer (the green variant created in 3).

Step 6 – Apply Threshold Adjustment Layer

Next, let’s apply a Threshold Adjustment Layer and clip it to the Background copy layer.
With Background copy layer active, click the Create New Adjustment Layer icon command (encircled in red) at the bottom of the Layers Palette and then from the context list choose Threshold.

At the Threshold dialog, adjust the Slider (I positioned it to 131) so that most of the outline is visible, as I have captured. Then click OK to commit the Threshold command. Obviously, there is no right integer here. Your choice of Threshold effect is entirely discretionary.

Committing the Threshold now adds the new Threshold 1 Adjustment Layer to the Layers Palette as well as the added effect to the overall image. Unfortunately, we only need it applied to the layer below it (Background copy) and not the entire image. The next step will correct this.

To apply the Threshold Layer ONLY to the layer below it:
1. Right click on the Threshold 1 Layer, and from the context list choose Create Clipping Mask.
2. The Layers Palette now correctly isolates the Threshold to a local layer – the one below it, as well, the rest of the document is unaffected by the change.

Step 7 – Apply Shapes and/or Brush combinations

The remaining step(s) relies on texturing the background either through Brush Presets, additional Threshold imagery, Text Layers and/or Custom Shapes. For the sake of brevity, I’ll only outline some samples below. The important thing is to place all background elements/combinations below the Background copy Layer in the Layers Palette.

Tags: Grunge Focus, Photoshop Grunge Focus

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