Moving leaves layer

(Leaf Layers Pile On Motion)

Leaf Girl is a test sample for a printer company. In the picture, a girl with long hair is standing on the left side of the image and leaves the leaves on the right behind. Manufacturers want fine-grained gradations, perfect skin tones, and tiny metallic reflections to show the printer's superior print capabilities.
This article will focus on the leaf area of ​​the image and hope to establish a background environment of a leaf combined lens in that area. In order to realize this idea, we use different special effects on each individual leaf to get a dynamic illusion effect.

The first condition for making this image is that there are 6 independent shots: the main figure of a model; two additional drawings with model hair; and 3 pictures with leaves.

We will enter the production process of the picture halfway through and provide you with a background picture. The models and their hair in the back view have been synthesized and modified.

Key points: Only do what we must do. When you open the background image, you notice that the edges of the model's hair are not very carefully modified. You will no longer see these in the final image because of the leaves. I could have made my hair more perfect and then added the leaves, but doing so was a total waste of time because no one could see the part of the model's hair. By delineating the image in advance, I know that the fine-tuning of this part is completely unnecessary.

The next step is to drag the leaves out and it will be placed on the right side of the image with a lot of color and texture. Here we will provide 11 files with different leaves to make the final image. The leaves in these documents have been removed from the background, so you can focus on placing or moving.

Now start working on the leaves layer of the image. In order to obtain a visual effect with a deep field of vision, different levels of Gaussian blur can be applied depending on how close the desired leaves are to us. We will also apply motion blur to the leaves to produce a wind blow effect. To reiterate, we will apply slightly different effects depending on where the desired leaf appears in the image.

Open the back view (File > Open) and also open 4 leaf images: leaf1.jpg; leaf2.jpg; leaf3.jpg; leaf4.jpg. The leaves in each image have been detached from the background, but before the tree page is pasted into the background image, the portion of the leaves in the image should be selected. We can use the magic wand tool (w key) to accomplish this task. Set the latitude to 32 and click in the white area around the leaves. If you can't select all the white areas with a single click, you can press the shift key to continue clicking on the first unselected place, and continue the process until all the white areas are selected.

To copy the leaves, invert the selection (select > Invert) and copy the selection (Edit > Copy). Next, click again to select the background image and copy the leaves to the background. This will create a new layer, we give it a name called Leaf1 (setting method: layer> layer properties, or layer options in version 5.x) so that we get the first leaf Layers, use moving tools to move the leaves to a suitable location. Repeat the same steps for the remaining leaf images and create a layer named leaf2, leaf3, leaf4. We will use these to form the set of leaves that are furthest away.

First of all, we need to change them to the right size. The leaves will appear farthest away, so their size should be minimal. Starting with leaf1, highlight it in the map level, select the Deform tool (cmd/ctr+T, or Edit> Distort> Magnitude), press the CTR button, grab a corner of the image, and drag it inwards to Reduce the size. Press the enter key to end zooming. Keep in mind that these leaves will appear in the distance, reducing their size. Repeat the deformation scaling operation for the other three leaf layers to complete the background leaf group work.

Next, we will use some Gaussian blur to create the effect of deep wilderness. Starting with leaf1, we use a Gaussian blur filter with a radius of 4.6 (setting method: Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur> 4.6> ok). When you continue to process the remaining leaves, each blur should be different. Because you can't destroy the shade of leaves. Therefore, especially when dealing with very small leaves, you should use a smaller amount of blur. For example, for the layer leaf2 we will use a radius of 3.4 (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur> 3.4> ok). Continue to blur the leaf3 and leaf4.

After you are done, link these 4 layers and merge them into one layer. Highlight leaf1 in the Layers panel, click to select the linking options for the other three layers, and merge the layers (Method: Layer Options> Merge Link Layers, or Layers in 5.x> Merge Links ). After leaf2 to leaf4 will disappear, named Leaf1 for the background leaf layer.

To create the middle part of the leaves, we can copy the leaves from the files leaf5.jpg, leaf6.jpg, leaf7.jpg to their corresponding layers, just as we did above. Name these new layers leaf2, leaf3, and leaf4. For these intermediate background layers, we will use a slightly different blurry technique. Starting with the layer leaf2, apply a Gaussian blur with a radius of 0.5 (method: Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur> 0.5> ok) and use the motion blur filter (method: Filter> Blur> Motion Blur> Angle-13. >Distance 8>0k) to produce the effect of the leaves blowing from the model.

In order to achieve consistency in the direction of the model's hair and leaves, the motion blur we use should be the same basic angle. Repeat Gaussian blur and motion blur for the leaf3 layer (method: Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur> 1.3> ok; Filter> Blur> Motion Blur> Angle-13> Distance 4> ok), for the layer leaf4 (Method : Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur> 0.5> 0k; Filter> Blur> Motion Blur> Angle-13> Distance 6> ok). When these operations are completed, the layers 2, 3, and 4 are merged, as above. Now all the middle background leaves are in a layer named leaf2.

Now handle the last set of leaves. This is a group of foreground leaves, and perhaps the most important. The observer will really notice the position and texture of the leaves in this layer because they are in the same focal plane with respect to the model. Open the leaf8.jpg file to leaf11.jpg, and then copy the leaves from the leaf3 to leaf6 as above. Use the following parameters to apply motion blur to these layers: leaf3, angle=27, distance=4; leaf4, angle=27, distance=3; leaf5, angle=27, distance=2; leaf6, angle=7, distance= 2. In this way we have finished.

Although this image was created by repeating the steps, we should pay more attention to each parameter setting of the layer placement and the filter. It is these details that are the key to copying the space and feelings of our environment. The proper placement of individual elements in the image is crucial for the creation of a well-designed, harmonious work. This ability to place is very important. Everyone needs to exercise and exercise this ability.

Maybe you would like to use the same level and angle of ambiguity for all layers, but the final work will look "filtered". By spending time dealing with each element, we can get a fine and realistic final work.

Maybe there doesn't seem to be much difference between the motion blurring done above, but it is the accumulation of these details that will make a big difference in the final work. I hope that after you finish this tutorial, you will be able to use these seemingly small but crucial skills in your own work.