123RF Tutorial: Free-transforming Rasterized Text to Wrap Around an Object

Utilizing a few transform tools such as free transform, object warping, and/or shear tool, you'll soon realize how easy it is to create a smooth twist-and-turn effect of text to wrap around an object. This effect can also be enhanced by adding in necessary details like shadows and tones to create depth. With minimal trials-and-errors, you should be able to create a gracefully-flowing set of text through an object!

Before & After:

Part 1 - Model

Start off by finding a suitable image. I couldn’t find one, so I'll merge the following 2 images instead (attach Model A's arm to Model B).

Model A - Image ID: 1164800 © Ivan Grlic 123RF.com
Model B - Image ID: 527561 © Ivan Grlic 123RF.com

Model A	Model B

To begin with, remove the left arm of Model B by Clone-Stamping (select Clone Stamp > hold Alt > click to sample area) the white background.

Next, remove the model's fingers from the thigh carefully Sampling the area and Clone-Stamping it upwards.


Make a selection around the arm of Model A and copy it.


Cleanly mask the arm off its background.


Resize the arm and find the best position to place it.


Combine arm layer with Model B layer, then “stitch” the parts together using a combination of Healing Tool and Stamp Tool.


Notice that the arm color is slightly different from the model. Select the arm area and apply Feather. We can use several Adjustment Layers (contrast, color balance, etc) to make similar the arm and the model.


We’re done with the initial image.

Part 2 - Text

We can prepare the text either in the same workspace or in a new file. Select an appropriate font and size, and paste the full length of text into Photoshop as a new layer. Duplicate the text layer and rasterize it (while keeping an un-rasterized layer so that changes can still be made whenever needed).

Copy the first line of text.


For the 1st curve, apply Shear Distortion (Filter > Distort > Shear).


Once done, select a small portion of text from the end of the line (preferably an alphabet’s length). Apply Free Transform > Scale to compress the text. Press “Enter” when you are done.


Gradually extend the length of selection as you transform. In this case, I’ve transformed the text for approximately 6 times or more, thus creating this smooth curve upwards.


I've also scaled the text and gave it a little depth of feel by changing the perspective.


Copy and paste the next set of words. Reverse and tilt it a little.


Repeat the same scaling steps like before.


Do the same for the subsequent sets of words.


From now on, the steps will become quite redundant. Every set of text you do should be in a layer of its own, and for your own conveniences, I suggest you to rename it accordingly.




Note: Be patient throughout the scaling process if you wish to achieve a smooth curvy effect. We should also rotate and/or skew the transformed text accordingly to get a desired angle of ascension.

It is looking a bit messy now so I’ve decided to mask away any texts that are supposedly behind the model’s leg. Select one of the layers, click on the masking icon and start brushing. Repeat for all the layers involved.


Proceed to the next set of text and transform it accordingly to the steps above.


You may apply the same transformation for the following sets of texts but this time, distort it a little by dragging the bottom left corner so that it slants towards the direction you want.


When you have finally reached the arm area, you may want to reduce the length of text selection to suit the arm’s small circumference. This is what I did:


Proceed to the next set of text where I've transformed the perspective to give it more dimension.


I've also re-introduced the Shear Distort Filter to curl up the text.


Next, use a simple Text Warp feature from the text option to create an arc.


Merge all of the text that appears in front of the model as one layer. Then apply Color Overlay and Drop Shadow. Set Drop Shadow’s blend mode as Softlight.

Also, merge all of the text that is flowing behind the model and apply a lighter shade of red.


Create a new layer and reset your palette. Using a soft brush, roughly draw the shades out. This works as a shadow and highlight effect that will drop on the text.


Clip the shades layer with the textfront layer and set the blend mode as softlight.


I’ve desaturated the model, added a bit of contrast in it, and created a reflection on the final image. This is the result. Good luck!

If you liked our tutorial, feel free to share it with your friends or even bookmark it!

123RF Tutorial : Extract Filter - Masking

123RF November Tutorial #2: Extract Filter - Masking

The Extract Command is useful for selecting and extracting complicated/fine outlines. If you have objects with a lot of fine details (like hair blowing in the wind, tree branches, grass, etc.), the Extract Filter is the best tool to use. It also work wonders for objects placed on solid-colored backgrounds.

Take this image for example. It will be difficult to mask those hair from its background, but let's see how it is done.

Original Image - Image ID: 1511842 © Ekaterina Solovieva

Step 1
Open the image and immediately duplicate (Ctrl + J) the background layer.

Step 2
Use the Lasso Tool (L) to select areas of the hair area which are over exposed.
Once selected, go to Select > Feather > Feather Radius : 30 pixels
This will soften the edge of the selected area.

Step 3
Darken the selected area; go to Layer Pallete > Create New Filter Adjustment Layer > Curve


You will get darker hair results like this:­

Step 4

1. Use the Marquee Tool (M) to make a selection from the image (an area which you would like to extract later)
2. Ctrl+J to create a new layer of it, then hold the Ctrl Key + Click on the layer.

Step 5
Now is the Extracting Part. Go to Filter > Extract and you will come across a dialog box like this. There are 2 ways to do it. Use the Highlighter on the left tool bar and proceed to:

A) Draw a selection AROUND the girl's hair/body.




OR
B) Outline the object and fill the selection using the Paint Bucket tool.

Both methods will give you the same result.

NOTE: If you mess up, select the Eraser tool in the Extract filter's toolbar, fix the mistake, and switch back to the Highlight tool to continue outlining the area you want to knocked out.

Step 6
Once you have selected the area;
1.Unchecked the Show Highlights and Show Fill check box.
2.Select Eyedropper Tool (I)
3.Checked the Force Foreground option and pick on a color (in this case, the hair color).

Step 7
Click on the Preview bar.

Check the Extracted part. If you are not satisfy with the results, Ctrl+Z to undo the process and pick another colour that will result in the best effect. Once you are satisfied, click OK.

You will see :

Step 8
Now, create a blank layer on top of the background layer and fill it with color.

Step 9
Go to Layer Pallete and click on Add Layer Mask.


Make sure the brush is set on - Hardness: 100, Opacity: 100 and Fill: 100 for a cleaner masked edge.

Slowly and carefully mask out the girl. When it comes to the hair, just mask it as you would normally as we have already developed an Extracted layer of it in Step 7.

Step 10

1. Hold Alt + Click on the layer mask (layer 1). The black and white outline will then appear (showing areas that you have masked).
2. Choose the Magic Wand Tool (W) and click on the space you want erased (In this case, we are going to erase the background).



3. To make your selection more precise, choose Select > Modify > Expand and enter the number of pixels you'd like to expand the selection by. The closer your selection to the real object, the less white space will appear afterwards. In this case, we will expand it by 3 pixels.



You will notice that the selection has become closer to the object's outline. Example as below:

Before	After

All you need to do now is to hold on the Alt key + press Backspace to fill it with black colour.



Hold the Alt key once more and click on the current Layer Mask to reveal new background colour.

Step 11


Now, remove the white area (original background) by masking Layer 1. Play around with the brush hardness, size, and opacity to achieve the best result. Brush slowly for better output.


As for the model's face, remove excess dirt by brushing them out from the Extracted layer (Layer 2). Zoom into the image if you must for a more precise, clean, and detailed result.

NOTE: Using the Extract tool will need some practice and a little attention-to-detail to achieve the best result.

Step 12


When everything is masked out and cleaned, select Layer 2 > Ctrl+M > Adjustment Layer > Curve. It will help to darken the Extracted Layer (hair) so it will look closer to the original Image.

That's it for now! Have fun trying on different background colors too.

Before & After

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