Step Seven
Now you need to create the channel mask that will be used in many of the steps throughout the rest of this process.  Click on the Channels tab on the Layers/Channels/Paths Palette (shown at the top right) and drag the blue channel into the new channel icon.  This will create a new Alpha Channel called 'Alpha 1'.

Now go back to the Layers tab and select the background layer.  Fill the background with white for now.  You can do this a couple of different ways.  The first way is to make the foreground color white and use the shortcut key (Alt/Option - Delete).  The other is to choose Edit>Fill (Use: White; Opacity: 100%; Mode: Normal).

After filling the background with white, you need to create a new layer.  Choose Layer>New>Layer (Name: blood; Opacity: 100%; Mode: Normal).  The New Layer Dialog box settings are shown above right.

Next, select the foreground color to activate the Color Picker Dialog box (right).  Make the foreground color red by using the RGB values 128,0,0 and click OK.  Fill the 'blood' layer with red by using the shortcut key (Alt/Option - Delete).

Now load channel 'Alpha 1' as a selection by choosing Select>Load Selection (Document: blood; Channel: Alpha 1; New Selection).  The Load Selection Dialog box settings are shown at the right.

Next, open the Color Picker Dialog again and change the RGB values to 192,0,0 and click OK.  With the 'blood' layer still the active layer, fill the selection with the new red color (Alt/Option - Delete).  Remove the selection with the shortcut key (Ctrl/Command - D) or by choosing Select>Deselect from the PhotoShop menu and you will be left with dark red letters on a lighter red background.

For the last part of this step you will need to blur the image a little using Filter>Blur>Guassian Blur (Radius: 4.0).  You are going to be using the Plastic Wrap Filter next to create the specular highlights.  Blurring the image will create an expanded color range for the filter to wrap itself to.  Your image should now look like the one shown bottom right.

< Previous Next >

Selection Tip
Here is a little shortcut for loading channels as selections.   From the Channels Palette, click on the channel you wish to load (making it the active channel) and click the the  'Load Channel as Selection Icon' at the bottom of the palette.  You can also drag the channel into the icon and it will have the same effect.

Copyright © 1999 Indigo Productions, Inc.  All rights reserved.