Step 1
To start off, fire up Photoshop and place this walkman player image into a new document.
Step 2
We need to change the contrast, so we'll add an adjustment layer - go to the half black and white circle at the bottom of the layers palette and click it to bring up the Adjustment Layers tab. Adjust the settings to: Output 21, Input 33.
Step 3
Create a new layer and grab a soft brush, set the flow to 15%, and the color to a light blue. Brush over some of the walkman like the image referenced below. These areas are going to act as guides so we know where to add cut-away sections. This step is very helpful, but optional, we'll end up turning this layer off later in the tutorial.
Step 4
Now, we'll use the areas that we brushed in the previous step. Draw a shape like in the following image, using the pen tool. It's important to make sure the pen is set to paths, not shape layers. You can use the freeform pen tool to draw paths; this is especially good when you have a pen tablet. I spent some extra time making sure these had nice curves with no jagged points.
Step 5
In the paths palette, double click the path to save it (otherwise you can lose it if you create a new path) - and rename it something memorable.
Step 6
Using the Pen Tool, draw another shape on the right side of the Walkman. Again use the blue brushed area as a guide, save the path by double clicking it in the layers palette.
Step 7
To select the two paths at the same time Ctrl click one, then holding Ctrl + Shift click the other. The little pointer has a square in it and this should have a cross when you press shift. You can also press alt to get a minus and take away a selection.
Step 8
With this selection still active, create a new layer. Press 'D' on the keyboard to set the foreground and background colours to black and white. Then press 'X' to swap them around. With white as your foreground colour fill these shapes. Hit Ctrl + D to deselect them. Then, just below the opacity bar you'll find the fill, reduce it to zero for the previous layer. We do this so that we can add a layer style (you can't add a layer style to a selection). Now double click to the right of the layer to bring up the layer styles window and add a 1 pixel white stroke.
Step 9
Place this image of a motherboard circuit into the document below the stroke outline we just created. Look at this image for reference, we want the circuit on the left outline positioned so the edges of the circuit's are at the same angle as the walkman. Lower the layer opacity so you can do this accurately.
Step 10
Ctrl click the first cut out shape to select it. Now with the area we want selected, we can add a layer mask to reveal the background. To do this, click the circle in a square at the bottom of the layer's palette. The reason we use layers masks is because they are non-destructive, they can be edited again and again as opposed to deleting parts of the image.
After deselecting you should end up with the following image.
Step 11
Now duplicate this layer and set the original blend mode to Multiply and the copied layer to Colour Dodge. You should have an image like below. This gives the X-Ray cutaway a much more interesting effect, and leaves the shine on the edge of the walkman.
Step 12
Select all the layers you have so far and press ctrl+ G to put them in a group, being organized helps us to find things when we need to. Now for the right hand outline at the front we'll repeat steps 10 and 11, using the same image motherboard circuit. Arrange the image under the stroke where you think it works best, like the following image. Then Cltr click the stroke layer and add a layer mask, duplicate the layer, change the original layer's blend mode to multiply and the copy's to colour to dodge. This is what you should have.
Step 13
Now we're going to draw the 3 main cut-away outlines where the tape goes. We'll call this the 'tape area' and these the 'tape outlines'. Draw the paths with the pen tool or freeform pen tool. If it helps, turn off the visibility of the first group. You should end up with 3 shapes like the images below that will make up the tape area.
Step 14
Go through each path on the tape area and stroke it like we did earlier in this tutorial. Create a new layer for each new stroke and fill. If it looks different than how you expected it to go, delete the layer, back to the path and edit it, then stroke it again.
Step 15
To begin the tape area we'll start on the left, the far left and middle areas will be covered with the same image. Place this image 'VHS cogs' into a new document in Photoshop. As you'll notice if you hit Ctrl + Alt + I it's fairly large which is perfect for the detail we need in our image. Now cut out a similar area with the Marquee Tool and copy it to a new layer (Ctrl + J). Then deselect and drag it (holding shift) into the X-Ray document.
Step 16
Add a Curves Adjustment Layer to this new circuit layer with an Output 44 and Input 188. This is just to take the shine off the flash I used when I took the picture.
Step 17
Now we'll move the circuit into place. To do so press Ctlr + t to bring up the Free Transform Tool. Now, rotate the image counter clockwise. A useful tip is to press the arrow key (or enter) every time you've moved the image into a difficult position. This way you won't have to go back over things. Next bring up the free transform tool again, then right click and hit distort and move it into position. I like to think in terms or 3D. If you just think the circuit image is a 3D plane with a texture on it (which it is), you simply have to lower the back end to place the image into the correct perspective. Remember the images were taken from directly above so quite a bit of manipulation is required.
Step 18
Once it's in a position you're happy with Ctrl + click the stroke outline (or path) like we did before. Hold down Ctlr + Shift to get the cross on the finger curser and select both the tape outlines on the left. Add a Layer Mask to those 2 selections.
Step 19
Duplicate this layer, like we did before and set the original layer to Multiply and the copy to Overlay. Now we need to add a layer with white, beneath the strokes and circuits in the tape area. Ctrl + click the 3 shapes we've drawn on the tape area and fill them with white. This helps bring a light to the circuits we are going to add, this can be seen clearly if you turn this layer off once the circuits are in place.
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