Cinematic Image Effect Tutorial!



[Original Tutorial]

This is not an effect I figured out how to accomplish by myself. I actually saw & liked it enough that I downloaded a free trial of CS3 to execute it. xD You may use whatever image you wish to begin the tutorial. If it's your first time though, it may be best to stick with what I provide for you, just so you get the hang of everything the first time around.

First, copy and paste this as a new image:

Image

Now, head up to Image> Adjustments> Hue/Saturation.

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Next, you'll be shown three options: Hue, Saturation, & Lightness. We'll only be playing with Saturation for now. Set it to -76.

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Afterwards, head up to Image> Adjustments> Exposure...

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These settings can be played with and will vary from image to image; however, for those of you using the image of Sora, Riku, & Kairi, these are the settings I chose to use:

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Now, duplicate your layer by going up to Layer> Duplicate Layer...

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You'll then get a pop-up regarding your new layer. Dismiss it by selecting 'OK.' Then, we'll apply our blur effect by going up to Filter> Blur> Lens Blur.

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Be sure all of your settings match mine, including checked boxes and any numerical values.

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Next, select the 'Add Layer Mask' button in your Layer Palette. It's the one that looks like a circle inside of a box:

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After doing so, a white box will pop-up right beside your layer's name. Make sure it's selected by clicking it once.

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Select the brush tool and set its Master Diameter to 400px. Then, set its Hardness to 0%.

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x) Ok, this initially tripped me up when I tried it because I'm still a n00b with masks, so be sure you do this right too or it won't work. Set your brush color to BLACK. You have to do this because a color such as white will not help you in the least bit. x) You will make zero progress during this step if you paint your white mask, white. xD USE BLACK!! Alright, once you've accomplished this mind-bogglingly huge task, find your focal point in your image and click. Your image should then look something like this:

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The area you clicked on should have cleared up a bit. If it didn't, you probably used white instead of black and have now failed the tutorial...xD I joke. Just go back a step and make sure you're with the rest of the class. Once you've succeeded, create a new layer by going up to Layer> New> Layer...

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You'll get another pop-up. Ignore it and select 'Ok' again. Flood fill this layer black. You may need to revert your gradient tool to the paint bucket, like so (Don't click quickly. Hold your click until the two tool options appear, then select the bucket):

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Ok, now simply set your main color to black (which it should still be at) and click anywhere in your new layer. The entire image should then turn black. Next, set your layer's opacity setting to 70% via the tool palette.

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Alrighty. Select your eraser tool and give it the same settings you gave to the paint brush.

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Erase the Center of the photo, leaving a slight shadow around the edges.

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You should see your image begin to take shape now. n.n Exciting, yes? Next, flatten your image.

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And add some noise. Filter> Noise> Add noise...

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Make sure your settings match mine:

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For a more cinematic look, go ahead and add the black bars to the top and bottom of the image by selecting the rectangle tool. Once you're finished, select your Background layer.

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And for extra spiffiness, go ahead and play with the image's color by going up to Image> Adjustments> Color Balance...

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Play with the bars a bit. I think it looks best when you tilt them towards Cyan and Blue. Try not to play very much with the middle bar. These are the settings I used for each, Shadow, Midtone, & Highlights:

Shadows: -44,0,14
Midtones: -23,-11,17
Highlights: -17,0,13

And my results can of course be seen at the top of the tutorial. =) I hope you enjoyed it!



If you have any questions regarding this tutorial or are unsure about something, feel free to contact me at dark_riku_765 on neopets.com