Tortoise peak
INTRODUCTION
Tortoises are among the oldest living animal species and have rather unusual looks. An image editing app gives you the opportunity to transform a regular tortoise into a monument for the whole species. Create a photomanipulation commemorating the resilience of tortoises.
The Brush Tool, Filters, the Gradient Tool, Layer Masks and other features of Pixelmator are used in this tutorial.
RESOURCES
PXM File
Stock photo (Paper) by pareeerica
Stock photo (Desert) by Stephen Hill
Stock photo (Tortoise) by elChrizzo
Stock photo (Rock) by dynamosquito
Stock photo (Moss) by Firehouse Designs
STEP 1
Open Pixelmator and create a new document. The image size used in this tutorial is 1000×600 pixels. Then, drag the stock photo of the Landscape onto the Pixelmator canvas. Rename the new layer to “Landscape” and use the Move Tool (V) to position it as in the example below.
Next, alter the colors of the image and make them less vivid. First, choose View > Show Effects to open the Effects Browser. Then, choose the Color Adjustments group in the Effects Browser and double-click the Brightness thumbnail. Set Brightness to 10% and Contrast to 5% and click OK. Next, click the Hue thumbnail in the Browser. Set Saturation to -30% and click OK. Then, click the Color Balance thumbnail. Select the Midtones tonal range in the Color Balance dialog. Then, set the Cyan/Red to 10% and Yellow/Blue to -10%. Next, select the Highlights tonal range and set the Cyan/Red to 10% and Yellow/Blue to -10%. Finally, click OK
STEP 2
Now, drag the image of the desert onto the Pixelmator canvas and rename the new layer to “Desert”. Control-click the layer and choose Add Mask from the shortcut menu. Then, select the Gradient Tool (G) and fill the mask with a black to white gradient as in the example below.
Next, choose the Color Adjustments group in the Effects Browser and double-click the Levels thumbnail. Set Black to 30% and Gray to 65%. Click OK. Then, double-click the Exposure thumbnail. Set Exposure to -25% and click OK.
STEP 3
Then, drag the image of the tortoise onto the Pixelmator canvas and rename the new layer to “Tortoise”. Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to select the outline of the tortoise. Then, choose Edit > Refine Selection. Set Smooth to 20% and Size to -2 px and click OK. Choose Edit > Transform and reduce the size of the tortoise to 70%. Then, use the Move Tool (V) to position the image as in the example below.
Now, let’s enhance the colors. Choose the Color Adjustments group in the Effects Browser and double-click the Levels thumbnail. Set Black to 5% and Gray to 50% and White to 80%. Click OK. Then, choose the Sharpen group in the Effects Browsers and double-click the Sharpen thumbnail. Set Sharpness 40% and click OK.
STEP 4
Next, Control-click the “Tortoise” layer and choose Add Mask. Then, select the Brush Tool (B) and choose a soft rounded brush. Control-click anywhere on the canvas to open the shortcut menu. Set Diameter to 35 px and reduce the Hardness to 0%. Then, add strokes of the brush in the layer’s mask to hide the lower part of the tortoise in the sand. The final result should look similar to the example below.
STEP 5
Now, add a shadow underneath the tortoise. First, create a new layer and name it “Shadow”. Then, select the Brush Tool (B) and use the same brush as in step 4 to add strokes of black underneath the tortoise. Use the image below as an example. Then, choose the Blur group in the Effects Browser and double-click the Motion thumbnail. Set the Radius to 10 px and Angle to 90 degrees. Click OK. Finally, reduce the “Shadow” layer’s Opacity to 30%.
STEP 6
Now, duplicate the “Shadow” layer. Set the new layer’s Blending to Soft Light and increase the Opacity to 100%. The final result should look similar to the image below
STEP 7
Drag the image of the rock onto the Pixelmator canvas. Then, use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to select the outline of the rock. Choose Edit > Refine Selection. Set Smooth to 10% and Size to -1 px and click OK. Next, cut and paste the selection into a new layer and name it “Rock”. Delete the original layer with the rock image as it will no longer be used.
Next, choose Edit > Transform and reduce the size of the rock to 65%. Finally, use the Move Tool (V) to position the rock as in the example below
STEP 8
Now let’s make the colors of the rock less vivid. Make sure that the “Rock” layer is selected and choose the Color Adjustment group in the Effects Browser. Then, double-click the Brightness thumbnail. Set Brightness to 50% and Contrast to 30%. Click OK. Next, double-click the Exposure thumbnail and set Exposure to -20%. Click OK. Then, double-click the Hue thumbnail and set Saturation to -30%. Click OK.
Next, fine-tune the sharpness of the rock to make it appear more defined. Choose the Sharpen group in the Effects Browser and double-click the Sharpen thumbnail. Then, set Sharpness to 20% and click OK.
STEP 9
Let’s make the rocks gradually blend in with the tortoise’s shell. Counter-click the “Rock” layer and choose Add Mask. Then, use the Gradient Tool (G) to fill the mask with a black to white gradient as in the example below. Next, hide the upper part of the shell that is not hidden by the rocks. Select the Brush Tool (B) choose use the same brush as in step 4. Add strokes of black in the “Tortoise” layer’s mask to hide the part of the shell that is visible behind the rocks.
STEP 10
Now, add some wear and tear to the tortoise’s shell by applying a moss texture. Drag the image of the moss onto the Pixelmator canvas and rename the new layer to “Moss”. Make the image transparent by reducing the “Moss” layer’s Opacity to 50%. Then, choose Edit > Transform and reduce the image’s size to 60%. Use the Move Tool (V) to position the moss texture as in the example below.
Next, make the colors of the image a bit blander. Choose the Color Adjustment group in the Effects Browser and double-click the Hue thumbnail. Set Saturation to -30% and Lightness to 5%. Then, click OK.
STEP 11
Now, hide the unnecessary part’s of the moss texture. First, make sure that “Moss” layer’s Opacity is set to 50% and Control-click the layer. Choose Add Mask from the shortcut menu. Then, select the Brush Tool (B) and open the Brushes Palette. Choose View > Show Brushes. Now, select a rounded brush and set Hardness to 90%. Add strokes of black in the “Moss” layer’s mask to hide the parts of the image that are situated outside the outline of the tortoise’s shell. After you’re done, set the layer’s Opacity to 100%. The final result should look similar to the image below.
STEP 12
Next, select the brush that situated second from the left in the third row of the Brushes Palette. Use this brush to make the transition from moss to rock a bit smoother. Add strokes of black in the “Moss” layer’s mask near the edges of the tortoise’s shell and where the rock meets moss. The result should look similar to the image below. Finally, set the layer’s Blending to Overlay.
STEP 13
Now, let’s apply the moss texture to the tortoise’s head and front legs. First, Control-click the “Moss” layer and choose Duplicate from the shortcut menu. Select the new layer’s mask and choose Edit > Fill. Select black as the color and click OK. Then, use the same brush as in step 4 to add strokes of white over the tortoise’s head and legs. This should reveal part of the moss texture as in the example below. Finally, change the layer’s Blending to Soft Light.
STEP 14
Finally, add some lighting to the tortoise’s body and shell. Create a new layer and name it “White”. Then, select the Brush Tool (B). Use the same brush as in step 4 to add strokes of white over parts of the tortoise’s body as in the example below. Then, choose Blur group in the Effects Browser and double-click the Gaussian thumbnail. Set Radius to 10 px and click OK. Last, change the Blending to Overlay and reduce the Opacity to 70%.
CONCLUSION
And that’s it! Seamlessly merging different images is the key to creating a realistic photomanipulation. In this case, Layer Masks and the Brush Tool were the most important tools that were used to create a satisfying result.
