This is the cover I've been working on for my story, but there's something annoying I can't seem to fix. Now, I know how to basically operate Photoshop (I have the latest version, cc I think) but I'm having trouble getting the perspective right on the title. What I want to do is make it look like the title (Alesia) is graffitied onto the wall behind the girl. Can anyone tell me what tools I need to use or the steps involved to do that?
The perspective is still waaay off. Since it's not following the angle of the wall, there's no reason for the eye to make the connection that it follows its plane. In GIMP it's just the 'perspective tool' that I would use. I would also reproduce the mortar lines of the cinder block with shading in the text. That's what will make the eye know it's flat to the wall. Right now, it's just strangely coming out of her throat and throwing the balance of the picture off.
Your first problem is going to be that text in Photoshop is (be default) a vector object, you can't transform it the way you can with other raster layers. Follow this tutorial to rasterize the text layer. You only need to get to step 2, but it's got pictures. After that with the text layer selected choose Edit>Transform>Distort and play with it till it looks right. Your second problem is you're using Comic Sans. The fix is very easy: Don't Use Comic Sans.
Yup. I just had a shower and I was thinking of other things to help and that was #1 on the list. Find a better font. Also, since it's a B&W, you can help the font follow the wall by picking a higher contrast tone than you are using now and then bumping the transparency a bit to let some of the wall texture come through. That'l also help "flatten" it to the wall. Also, a more formal font for your name, and smaller, your name, smaller. Too big.
http://www.fontspace.com/category/Graffiti This is a good place to start, but be careful. Fonts are intellectual property and you have to either license the ones you use or find free use fonts.
This is the base image I purchased from a site called featurepics.com. Then I added in the text with a simple B&W filter. It was actually pretty amazing I could find a stock photo that was almost a dead on for my MC's appearance
Ok, not pretending this is the best thing in the world. I did it in minutes, but just to show how a little transparency can borrow the texture of the wall and how foreshortening gives a little more help. I tilted the text so that it didn't look like she "followed the lines" when she wrote it. And the font is a just a quick download. The other font I found that was related to spray paint looked really Flowers for Algernon when I tried to use it. In the case of this pic, the cinderblock wall very conveniently gives you your foreshortening to follow. (and I just noticed the font I found doesn't support accent marks. How I missed that is anyone's guess)
This is positioned a little closer to where you wanted. I also blurred off the edges because the wall goes out of focus pretty quickly away from Alesia. The hard edge on the font was fighting the illusion.
When working in Photoshop what you want to do is make a Layer Copy of the text. With the LayerCopyText you want to Rasterize it by simply Rightclicking the text layer and clicking "Rasterize type" The best tool to use for perspective with the Distort tool under Edit>>>Transform>Distort Unlike perspective which I find to be restraining to algorithm. Distort with allow you to manually adjust each of the four points to the perspective of the lines in the brick. I can see your lines are wayyy off. Also what bothers me is the text is too dark. I cannot read the title and it does not stand out the way it should. Just like @Jack Asher said (Sorry I did not read the previous posts hard enough) Distort is the way to go. And please no Cosmic Sans. It is a designer's nightmare. Here is what I did as an example. Source: Photographic retoucher and designer is my job. Here is one that is a more muted tone. The BW image doesn't do much to me.
I'm afraid I can't take a stab at it w/o money changing hands. But if you want to see what an actual graphic designer can do PM me. I won't quote you but it'll be cheap.
@live2write how did you make the wall texture show through so well? I've been messing around with opacity and whatnot, but I still can't get it right.
Dude, is this the addict in your book? Do I have the right book? If you are going to portray this model, in a light that is less than flattering, it is best to check the fine print of your license. Writing I am new at, but I have been a professional photographer for over 2o years and have licensed lots and lots of pictures. Heard lots and lots of horror stories. What I believe you have, is known in the business as a sensitive use. Here is a good example as any as to what can happen. http://nypost.com/2013/09/19/woman-sues-getty-after-photo-appears-in-hiv-positive-ad/ Do beware, something like this can up a lot of book sale profits for a very long time. Usually it's best to see the model release she signed and make sure it covers all sensitive uses. And even that may not save your from a law suit. There are an amazing number of eyes out there watching, and I guarantee a friend or hairdresser or someone will let her know about the cover. P.S. Your original B&W conversion is too flat and dull. Yuk. Other examples are much better.
It's a pet hate of mine to have characters depicted on covers because I prefer to imagine what they look like based on the text. However, I know other people don't care/mind so it doesn't matter. The person above highlights a very good reason to not use photographs of people on covers though, more so when they are being portrayed in an arguably negative light.
I just received an alert and replying in another post. I used the Burning and Dodging tool. Just like going into the darkroom(photography) I darkened the wall with the Burn tool (Located in tool bar) and used the settings (midtones 5%) and brushed over the area several times until I was able to achieve my desired amount of darkness. Then I used the dodge tool (same tool in toolbar just right click to open other options) and dodged with settings (highlights 2%), to make the grout between pop a little bit. Always always always use small increments. Higher percentage will darken or brighten too much. Always start small. With final images I will add a sharpening, depending on the size of the image, for a 8X10 at 300dpi I use Unsharp Mask Percent 50%, Radius 0.8, Threshold 1
