How do you make gradient in Photoshop?

**Shahed** · 06-14-2007, 12:27

Originally Posted by Tran

Like this picture?

With Paint.NET, I can just put two pictures, then drag a line, and it's done.

With Adobe Photoshop CS2, I simply have no idea how to do that. Dragging a gradient line simply can't "remove" part of the picture, at best I can only place another "gradient color" on top of it. I've been Googling for Gradient tutorial too, but none explain what I needed. I know this sound silly, but I have never figured out how to do that in Photoshop

Anyone have any idea?

Have a look at this tutorial, you can see the use of a gradient image here. This tut shows how to do it:

Originally Posted by crypel

Crypels Tutorial

It is finally released! Before I give you the links some things I want to say. All I do is to show you how I work with the tools Photoshop offers. You decide yourself what things can be useful for your work, I don't want to force anyone to work like I do. There are thousands of other ways to do this. Also I hope this will bring you more enjoyment of digital imaging to you and I hope not to see just copies of my style, but lots of different works. If you want to, you can mention in your "credits" that my tutorial was helpful for you.

So here is the download link

http://rapidshare.com/files/19264674/TUTORIAL.wmv.html

Youtube coming soon

This version is 42 MB, I couldn't achieve the quality/file size I want, but I think Photoshop users should see what I am doing. If anyone wants the full quality version of 900 MB I could upload it as well.

So, have fun!

Ah and btw I used to paint/play Warhammer too for a while.

source: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...t=85200&page=2
MANY THANKS to crypel for the tut.

**Mithrandir** · 06-14-2007, 16:00

I've been using Photoshop since "adding a new layer" meant adding a new layer of mud on the cavewall, but I never really followed tutorials etc. So I know some basics, some advanced stuff, but I don't have a solid understanding of all the options etc....

What are masks? Summarised?

And how does one "porn" up an image of someone, I mean airbrushing it to kingdom come?

**Shahed** · 06-14-2007, 16:12

I really don't know much about PS.

I think masks are a sub function which allows you to add another aspect to the function that you are already using. For example in the above tutorial, crypel drags in the sky then he adds a mask to the image, then he uses background/foregroud (or vice versa) gradient. I do use that technique all the time but that's the best I can exmplain it.

No idea on how to airbrush, what I do is use the blur tool on skin with airbrush selected. That can work very well.

**Xiahou** · 06-14-2007, 17:05

Originally Posted by Mithrandir

What are masks? Summarised?

In simplest terms, I'd say they do exactly what it sounds like- "mask" or cover up part of an image.

Referring again to the tutorial I linked earlier:

About Layers and Masks

The technique is a classic example of using layers and layer masks. If you don't know what these are here is an extremely short introduction to the basic concepts. Refer to the figures below when following the text.

All images in the GIMP can be composed of one or more layers. When an image is first loaded, it occupies the default Background layer, as shown in Figure 1 below. You can add additional layers on top of the background layer. These upper layers can contain anything you want. Frequently you want to create upper layers that are different versions of the same image. This is most easily accomplished by duplicating a layer, such as in Figure 2 where I duplicated the Background layer.

Each layer can be manipulated independently of the others. In Figure 3, I used a Levels adjustment on the upper layer to lighten it.

Now the good stuff. Layers can be combined in various ways to produce a single image, as if you were looking through the top layer down to the bottom. One way this can be done is by reducing the opacity of part or all of the upper layers. The opacity of a layer can be changed from 100% (opaque) to 0% (completely transparent) or anywhere in between.

It is also possible to make parts of the same layer have different opacities (or levels of transparency, if you prefer to think of it that way). Again, there are many ways to do this, but one of the most flexible ways is with a layer mask. A layer mask can be added to a layer and becomes one of its attributes. It is a grayscale image that is the same size as the layer. The layer mask has the effect of varying the opacity of each pixel in the the layer according to each corresponding pixel value in the mask. A black pixel in the mask makes the corresponding pixel in the layer completely transparent, a white pixel makes it completely opaque, and any value in between is interpreted as a percentage of opacity between these two extremes.

I'm sure you are beginning to see the possibilities. In Figure 4 we see a useful layer mask created for the upper layer in this image. Once the layer mask is added, it is filled with a gradient. It has the effect of carefully blending the upper layer image from completely opaque to totally transparent, as shown in Figure 5.

Note the real beauty of this approach: our original image is untouched on the background layer; the lightened image on layer 2 did not require any painstaking selection to only affect the required areas; and the layer mask (in this case) was trivial to create. For maximum flexibility you can save this image in the GIMP's native XCF format and it will retain all of the layered structure. This allows you to easily go back in and make additional adjustments, safe in the knowledge that your original unmodified image is conveniently available on the Background layer if you ever need to redo the upper layer or the layer mask. When you are ready to export the image to one of the more common image formats such as TIFF or JPEG it will flatten the image as shown in Figure 6.

I hope this gives you a basic foothold to grasp the concepts of layers and layer masks. Layer masks are just one of the many attributes that a layer can have. Other attributes such as the blend mode also affect how a layer combines with the other layers below it. A little further research into how layers work will pay off big rewards in your GIMP image editing abilities.