Rotoscope+Photoshop+Tips

HOW TO CREATE A ROTOSCOPE-LIKE ILLUSTRATION IN ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
[|All of the content on this page was found here] =Combining Reality With A Rotoscope-Style Painting In Photoshop=

Written by Steve Patterson. In this **Photoshop Effects tutorial**, we’re going to look at how to easily combine reality with a rotoscope-style painting. “Rotoscoping” is the term used when artists paint or trace over live-action film, frame-by-frame, to create an animation, and it’s being used in everything from tv commercials to Hollywood movies, most notably the recent Keanu Reeves movie “A Scanner Darkly”. We’re not going to be creating an entire animated sequence here, but we //are// going to learn how to give a photo that same rotoscoped effect, and it’s very easy to do. Rather than applying the effect to the entire image though, which we certainly could do if we wanted, we’re only going to apply it to the main subject of the image, leaving everything else in the photo untouched so it looks like we’re combining a painting with reality. [|Download our tutorials as print-ready PDFs!] Learning Photoshop has never been easier! Here’s the photo I’ll be starting with: And here’s the image after applying the rotoscope painting effect to the main subject (the two people) while leaving the wall, the sidewalk and whatever it is he’s holding in his hand untouched: Let’s get started!

Step 1: Select The Main Subject Of Your Photo
Since we’re only going to be applying the effect to the main subject of the image, the first thing we need to do is isolate it from the rest of the photo, which means we’re going to need to select it. In my case here, I want to apply the effect only to the two people sitting on the sidewalk, so I’m going to select them. You can use any selection tool you’re most comfortable with to select your subject. I’ll use the [|Pen Tool], but the Lasso tool would also work just fine. Go ahead and select your main subject: Use the selection tool of your choice to select the main subject of your image. Notice that I’ve selected around whatever it is the guy is holding in his hand, since I don’t want the painting effect to be applied to it.

Step 2: Copy The Selection To A New Layer
With the main subject selected, use the keyboard shortcut **Ctrl+J** (Win) / **Command+J** (Mac) to copy the selection onto a new layer above the Background layer. You won’t see anything happen in your document window, but if you look in your Layers palette, you’ll see that your selection has been copied to a new layer which Photoshop has automatically named "Layer 1": Press “Ctrl+J” (Win) / “Command+J” (Mac) to copy the selection to a new layer.

Step 3: Apply The “Poster Edges” Filter To The New Layer
With "Layer 1" selected in the Layers palette, go up to the **Filter menu** at the top of the screen, choose **Artistic**, and then choose **Poster Edges**. This brings up Photoshop’s **Filter Gallery** set to the “Poster Edges” filter options on the right (circled in red): Go to Filter > Artistic > Poster Edges to bring up Photoshop’s “Filter Gallery” set to the “Poster Edges” options on the far right. Keep an eye on the large preview area on the left to see what’s happening to your image as you adjust the Poster Edges options. For my image, I’ve set **Edge Thickness** and **Edge Intensity** both to **1**, and **Posterization** to **2**. These settings work best for this image, but feel free to experiment with the options yourself to see if other settings work better for your image. The object is to make the subject look less like an actual photo and more like a painting. The main option here is the third one, “Posterization”, which determines how many different shades of color your image will contain. Lower values tend to work best. Click OK when you’re happy with the results to exit out of the Filter Gallery. Here’s my image after applying the filter: The image after applying the “Poster Edges” filter to the main subject.

Step 4: Add A Black Stroke Around The Main Subject
We’re going to enhance the effect a little by adding a black stroke around the main subject. With "Layer 1" still selected, click on the **Layer Styles** icon at the bottom of the Layers palette: Click the “Layer Styles” icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. The choose **Stroke** from the bottom of the list of Layer Styles that appears: Click on “Stroke” at the bottom of the list of Layer Styles to select it. This brings up the **Layer Style** dialog box set to the Stroke options in the middle column. Photoshop always sets the default color of the stroke to red (which makes no sense at all). We want our stroke color to be black, so to change it, click on the **color swatch** to the right of the word “Color”: Click on the color swatch to change the stroke’s color. Photoshop’s **Color Picker** will appear. Click in the bottom left corner of the large square area on the left to select black. You’ll know you’ve selected pure black because the values for the "R", "G", and "B" options on the right will all read "0": Select black for the stroke color by clicking in the bottom left corner of the large square area. Click OK to exit out of the Color Picker. Then, back in the Stroke options in the Layer Style dialog box, set the stroke **Size** at the top to somewhere between **2-4 pixels** depending on the size of your image. I’ve left mine set to the default of 3 pixels. Then change the stroke **Position** to **Center** by clicking on the down-pointing arrow and choosing “Center” from the list: Change the “Size” of your stroke to somewhere between 2-4 pixels, then change the “Position” to “Center”. After adding the black stroke around your subject (the two people in my photo), your image should now look something like this: The image after applying the black stroke around the main subject to enhance the rotoscope “tracing” effect. Don’t click out of the Layer Style dialog box yet. We have one more effect to add.

Step 5: Add A Drop Shadow
With the Layer Style dialog box still open, click directly on the words **Drop Shadow** on the left of the Layer Style dialog box. Make sure you click directly on the words and don’t simply click inside the checkbox. We want access to the Drop Shadow options, and for that, you need to click directly on the words: Click on the words “Drop Shadow” on the left of the Layer Style dialog box. The middle column of the Layer Style dialog box will change to show the Drop Shadow options. The first thing we want to do here is lower the **Opacity** of the drop shadow down to around **40%** so it’s not so dark and intense. Then, increase the shadow **Distance** by dragging the slider to the right. Keep an eye on your image to see how far your shadow is extending outward from your subject as you drag the slider. I’ve increased my shadow distance to 30 pixels. Depending on the size of your image, you may want to set yours higher: Lower the drop shadow opacity and increase the shadow distance. Here’s my image after adding the drop shadow: The image after applying the drop shadow.

Step 6: Clean Up Any Unwanted Shadow Areas If Needed
The image is looking good except for one thing. If you recall from the beginning of the tutorial, I pointed out that the guy in the photo is holding something in his hand, and because I only wanted the rotoscope painting effect to be applied to the two people in the image, I made sure that whatever it is he’s holding wasn’t included in my initial selection so that it wouldn’t be affected. Problem is, the drop shadow I just applied is extending over top it, as well as the strap dangling below it, and it doesn’t look right. I need to clean that up. To clean up the drop shadow, I’m going to use the **Eraser tool**, but before I can use it on a layer style, I need to convert the layer style into a normal layer. To do that, I’m going to go up to the **Layer menu** at the top of the screen, then I’ll choose **Layer Style**, and then **Create Layers**: Go to Layer > Layer Style > Create Layers to convert layer styles into normal layers. If I look in my Layers palette, I can see that both the stroke and the drop shadow have been placed on their own layers, with the stroke appearing above “Layer 1″ and the drop shadow appearing below it. I’m going to click on the Drop Shadow layer to select it: Both the Stroke and the Drop Shadow have been converted into normal layers. Then I’m going to grab my Eraser tool from the Tools palette: Select the Eraser tool from the Tools palette. I could also press the letter **E** on my keyboard to quickly select it. Then, with the Eraser tool in hand and my drop shadow layer style now converted into a normal layer, all I need to do is click and drag my mouse over the areas where I want to remove the drop shadow, which in my case is over the item the guy is holding, including the strap hanging from it: Use the Eraser tool to remove the drop shadow from any unwanted areas. Once I’m done erasing away the drop shadow, the effect is complete! Here, for comparison, is my original image: The original image once again. And here is the final “rotoscoped painting combined with reality” effect: The final effect. And there we have it!