I. Understanding the Concept
The basic idea is to take a portrait photo and superimpose bubbles over it, making it look like the person is surrounded by or emerging from bubbles. This involves selecting the subject, creating/finding bubble images, and blending them realistically.
II. Required Assets:
* A Portrait Photo: Choose a clear, well-lit photo of the person you want to feature. Higher resolution is better for detail. Headshots or upper body shots generally work best.
* Bubble Images/Brushes:
* Photos of Real Bubbles: Search for royalty-free or Creative Commons images of bubbles. Look for photos with a dark background to make selection easier.
* Bubble Brushes: Photoshop brushes of bubble shapes can be downloaded from websites like Brusheezy or DeviantArt. Find brushes that have a variety of sizes and shapes.
III. Steps in Photoshop CS3
1. Open Your Portrait:
* File > Open... and select your portrait photo.
2. Isolate Your Subject (The Person): This is the most crucial step. There are several ways to do this:
* Magic Wand Tool (W):
* Set the Tolerance in the options bar appropriately. Start with a low value (e.g., 20-30) and increase if it doesn't select enough. Make sure "Contiguous" is checked.
* Click on the background. If the selection isn't perfect, use Shift+Click to add to the selection or Alt+Click to subtract.
* Inverse the selection: Select > Inverse. Now, your subject is selected.
* Magnetic Lasso Tool (L):
* Trace around the edges of the subject. The Magnetic Lasso will try to snap to edges based on contrast.
* This tool requires a steady hand and patience.
* Pen Tool (P):
* This is the most accurate but also the most time-consuming. Click to create anchor points along the edges of the subject. Close the path by clicking on the starting point.
* Right-click inside the path and choose "Make Selection..." Feather Radius: 0 (for a sharp edge), or a small value (e.g., 0.5-1) for a slightly softer edge.
* Quick Mask Mode (Q):
* Click the "Edit in Quick Mask Mode" icon in the Tools panel (it looks like a rectangle with a circle inside).
* Select the Brush Tool (B) and paint over the area you want to select using black (for selection) or white (for deselection).
* Exit Quick Mask Mode (click the same icon again). The area you didn't paint will be selected. Inverse the selection (Select > Inverse).
3. Create a Layer for Your Subject:
* Once your subject is selected, press Ctrl+J (or Cmd+J on a Mac) to copy the selection to a new layer. This creates a layer containing only the subject, separate from the background. Rename this layer (double-click the layer name in the Layers panel) to something like "Subject."
4. Prepare Your Bubble Images/Brushes:
* Bubble Photos:
* Open the bubble photo in Photoshop.
* Remove the Background: Use the Magic Wand tool, Color Range (Select > Color Range...), or the Pen Tool to select the dark background around the bubbles and delete it. You want isolated bubbles.
* Adjust Bubble Levels/Contrast: Image > Adjustments > Levels or Image > Adjustments > Curves can help make the bubbles more visible and distinct.
* Copy and paste the isolated bubbles onto a new layer in your portrait document (above the "Subject" layer).
* Bubble Brushes:
* If you're using brushes, load them into Photoshop: Edit > Preset Manager... Choose "Brushes" from the dropdown. Click "Load..." and find the brush file (.abr).
* Create a new layer above the "Subject" layer (Layer > New > Layer...). Rename it to something like "Bubbles."
5. Position and Scale the Bubbles:
* Using the Move Tool (V), move and resize the bubble layers (Edit > Transform > Scale or Rotate) to position them around the subject. Experiment with overlapping bubbles.
* If using brushes, select the Brush Tool (B), choose a bubble brush, adjust the size, and paint bubbles onto the "Bubbles" layer. Vary the brush size and opacity (in the options bar) for a more natural look.
6. Blending the Bubbles (This is Key!):
* Layer Blend Modes: Experiment with different blend modes for the bubble layers (in the Layers panel dropdown).
* Screen: Often works well for making bubbles appear to glow.
* Lighten: Similar to Screen, but can be less intense.
* Overlay or Soft Light: Can blend the colors of the bubbles with the subject.
* Opacity: Adjust the opacity of the bubble layers to control their intensity. Lower opacity makes them more subtle.
* Layer Masks:
* Add a layer mask to the bubble layers (Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All).
* Select the Brush Tool (B), set the color to black, and paint on the layer mask to hide portions of the bubbles. Use a soft-edged brush and low opacity (e.g., 10-20%) to gradually fade bubbles, especially where they overlap the subject's face or important features. This creates a more realistic sense of depth. White on the mask reveals, black hides.
* Gaussian Blur: (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) Apply a very subtle Gaussian blur to the bubble layers (especially if using brush-created bubbles) to soften their edges and help them blend better. A radius of 0.5-1 pixels is usually sufficient.
7. Adding Depth and Realism
* Bubbles in Front/Behind: Create separate bubble layers for bubbles that appear to be in front of the subject and those behind. This helps create a sense of depth. You might use different blur settings for each layer.
* Highlights and Shadows: Use the Dodge and Burn Tools (O) to subtly enhance highlights and shadows on the bubbles. Use low exposure settings.
8. Color Correction and Final Touches:
* Color Balance: (Image > Adjustments > Color Balance) Adjust the color balance of the bubble layers to match the overall tone of the portrait.
* Overall Adjustments: You can use Adjustment Layers (Layer > New Adjustment Layer) to make global adjustments to the entire image (e.g., brightness/contrast, levels, curves). This can help to tie everything together.
* Sharpening: (Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask) Apply a small amount of sharpening to the final image to bring out details. Be careful not to over-sharpen.
9. Save Your Work:
* File > Save As... Save a layered PSD file so you can edit it later.
* File > Save As... Save a flattened JPEG or PNG for sharing.
Tips and Troubleshooting
* Non-Destructive Editing: Use Adjustment Layers instead of directly adjusting the original layers. This allows you to make changes without permanently altering the original image data.
* Experiment: Try different blending modes, brush settings, and techniques to find what works best for your specific image.
* Realism: Pay attention to light and shadow. The bubbles should appear to be lit by the same light source as the subject.
* Practice: This effect takes practice to master. Don't be discouraged if your first attempts aren't perfect.
Example Workflow Summary
1. Open portrait.
2. Isolate subject to a new layer.
3. Open bubble photos, remove backgrounds. Alternatively, load bubble brushes.
4. Paste/paint bubbles onto new layers above the subject layer.
5. Position and scale bubbles.
6. Apply blend modes (Screen/Lighten/Overlay) to bubble layers.
7. Add layer masks to bubble layers to fade edges and overlap areas.
8. Apply subtle Gaussian blur to bubble layers.
9. Adjust color balance to integrate bubbles into the scene.
10. Final adjustments (levels, curves, sharpening).
Good luck creating your bubble portraits! Remember that Photoshop CS3 has limitations compared to later versions, so you might need to adapt the techniques slightly.