1. Begin with a Photo.
If you like, you can right click on this image and use it. Bear in mind that the effect will appear different on images of different sizes. A larger image will produce finer lines.
The shadows are plugged up in this image so we will fix that right away.
2. If you have Photoshop CS or Photoshop Elements 3 Choose image>Adjustments>Shadow Highlight
Move the amount slider as high as it will go. The image may look a little too bright in places but that doesn't matter.
If you are using Photoshop 7 or less, choose the curves or levels setting to brighten the image.
3. Choose Filter>Stylize>Find Edges
All the edges will now become outlined. The color has gone a bit funky though. We'll fix that and finish the effect in the next step.
4. Choose Edit>Fade Find Edges (This option will only be available at this point, if you do anything else between Find Edges and Fade, you won't be able to do this)
Change the blending mode to Luminosity. This will restore the colors (Don't close the dialog yet)
5. Here we have the image so far, with the original colors restored.
We will now blend this image with the original to get the result.
6. Reduce the Opacity slider until you are happy with the result. I used 33 for this image.
Click ok to apply
There you have it, in 3 easy steps we have created a classic.
Click to enlarge
Have fun with this!
About the Author:
Colin Smith is a best-selling author, trainer, and award-winning new-media designer
who has caused a stir in the design community with his stunning
photorealistic illustrations composed entirely in Photoshop. He is
founder of the world's most popular Photoshop resource site, PhotoshopCAFE.com, which boasts more than two million visitors.
With over 10 years of experience in the design industry, Colin was formerly Senior Editor and Art Director for VOICE magazine. He is a regular columnist for Photoshop User magazine, PlanetPhotoshop.com, and the official site of the National Association for Photoshop Professionals. He also contributes to a number of other graphic art publications and Web sites, such as Mac Design magazine, Web Designer magazine and Computer Arts Magazine.
Colin's graphic design work has been recognized with numerous awards,
including the Guru awards at Photoshop World 2001 and 2002, for his
work in both Illustration and Web Design. He's authored or co-authored
more than ten books on Photoshop, including the best-selling How to Do Everything with Photoshop CS (McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2003) and award-winning Photoshop Most Wanted: Effects and Design Tips (A Press/Friends Of Ed, 2002). Colin is also creator of the Photoshop Secrets Video training series (PhotoshopCD.com).
He is in high demand across the United States as a lecturer, presenting
his Photoshop techniques to Web designers and other graphics
professionals across the nation.
