Mastering Photoshop: Image Overlay With Stroke Effect

Photoshop is a powerful tool used by designers and photographers to create and edit digital images. One of its essential features is the ability to add a stroke or an outline to an object, text, or shape within your designs. This can enhance visual interest and emphasise specific elements. The stroke feature offers a variety of customisation options, including colour, width, style, position, blend mode, and opacity. You can also create solid-colour lines, colourful gradients, and patterned borders. This guide will show you how to get an image to overlay a stroke in Photoshop, adding a unique artistic effect to your designs.

Using the Stroke command to trace a coloured outline

Using the Stroke command in Photoshop is a great way to add a coloured outline or border to your images. This feature is especially useful when you want to highlight a specific section of an image or create artistic special effects. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use the Stroke command to trace a coloured outline:

Selecting the Image:

First, open the image you want to work with in Photoshop. This could be a portrait or a landscape image, depending on your preference.

Choosing the Colour:

Before adding the stroke, decide on the colour you want to use. While black is a standard choice, you can also choose a colour that complements or contrasts with the dominant colours in your image. To do this, click on the foreground colour palette in Photoshop and make your selection.

Making the Selection:

Now, you need to select the area of the image where you want to add the stroke. You can do this by using the Select menu and choosing "All," or by using the Rectangular Marquee Tool to draw a specific rectangle on the photo.

Applying the Stroke:

Go to the Edit menu and select "Stroke." This will open the Stroke dialog box, where you can customise your stroke settings.

Customising the Stroke:

In the Stroke dialog box, you have several options to adjust:

• Width: Set the width of your stroke, which can range from 1 px to 250 px. A thicker stroke will create a bolder outline.
• Colour: Choose the colour of your stroke by clicking on the colour swatch.
• Position: Decide whether you want the stroke to be placed Inside, Outside, or Centered over the selection or layer boundaries. This will determine the alignment of your stroke in relation to the selected area.
• Blend Mode: Select the blending mode to control how the stroke interacts with other elements of your design.
• Opacity: Adjust the opacity to control the transparency of your stroke. A lower opacity will make the stroke more transparent, while a higher value will make it more opaque.

Finalising the Outline:

Once you have adjusted the settings to your liking, click "OK" to add the outline to your image. If you want to remove any selection lines, press CTRL-D after applying the stroke.

By following these steps, you can easily use the Stroke command in Photoshop to trace a coloured outline around a selected area of your image, adding visual interest and emphasis to your design projects.

Selecting the width, colour and placement of the stroke

When adding a stroke in Photoshop, you have a variety of options to customise its appearance. This includes selecting the width, colour, and placement of the stroke.

Width

The width of your stroke can be adjusted using the Size slider. This allows you to set the width of your stroke anywhere from 1 px to 250 px. Increasing the stroke size will give you a thicker border, while decreasing it will give you a thinner one.

Colour

To select the colour of your stroke, use the Fill Type setting. This allows you to choose a solid colour, a gradient, or even a pattern. If you opt for a gradient or pattern, you will be given additional options to customise it further.

Placement

The placement of your stroke can be adjusted using the Position setting. This gives you three options: Outside, Inside, and Center. "Outside" will make the stroke grow outward from the edge of your shape, "Inside" will make it grow inward towards the centre, and "Center" will make it grow in both directions.

You can experiment with different combinations of width, colour, and placement to achieve the desired effect for your image.

Blending modes and their effects on pixels

Blending modes are a great way to digitally enhance your images and designs. They work by combining a base layer with a blend layer to achieve different effects. The base layer is the original colour or image, and the blend layer is applied directly on top of it using a specific mode. The result is a blend of the two layers, altering the colours to create a completely new appearance.

There are several blending modes available in Photoshop, each with its unique effect on the pixels of the image. Here are some of the most commonly used blending modes and their effects:

• Normal Mode: This is the default mode in Photoshop. When 100% opacity is applied, the blend layer completely blocks the base layer. Adjusting the opacity is necessary to see any difference between the layers.
• Dissolve Mode: This mode takes pixel colours from the base layer and paints over them with pixel colours from the blend layer, creating a unique pixelated effect. Adjusting opacity is essential to achieve the desired result.
• Darken Mode: This mode compares the pixels of the base layer and the blend layer and then selects the darkest pixels, giving the image a darker appearance.
• Multiply Mode: This mode multiplies the colours of the base layer and the blend layer, resulting in a darker colour. Any whites in the layers remain unchanged, while darker tones become much darker.
• Colour Burn Mode: This mode increases the contrast to darken the base layer colours before blending them with the blend layer colours. Blending with white has no effect on the image.
• Lighten Mode: This mode compares the base colours and the blend layer colours, keeping the lighter colour. It selects the lightest colour between the two layers and replaces the darker pixels.
• Screen Mode: This mode inverts the base colours and multiplies them with the blend layer colours, creating a brighter image.
• Overlay Mode: The overlay mode behaves like Screen Mode in bright areas and Multiply Mode in darker areas. It enhances the brightness of bright areas and the darkness of dark areas.

These are just a few examples of the many blending modes available in Photoshop. Each mode has a unique effect on the pixels of the image, allowing designers to create a wide range of visual effects and enhance their designs.

Layer masks and transparency settings

Layer Masks

Layer masks are a powerful feature in Photoshop that allows you to reveal or hide certain parts of a layer. This technique is especially useful when you want to create a transparent effect or blend two images seamlessly. To create a layer mask, follow these steps:

• Create a Hidden Mask: Hold down the Alt or Option key, go to the Layers panel, and click on "Create Mask." This will create a black mask that initially hides the contents of the layer.
• Reveal the Layer Contents: To bring back the contents of the layer, you will need to paint with white. Reset your foreground and background colors by pressing the "D" key. Select a brush and start painting.
• Adjust Opacity and Flow: You can adjust the opacity and flow settings to control the transparency and speed of your brush strokes. However, it's important to note that lowering the opacity will result in a splotchy and uneven effect. Instead, use the color picker to choose a shade of gray that matches your desired transparency level.
• Smooth and Precise Edges: By using the color picker to select a specific shade of gray, you can achieve a smooth and precise transparency effect. Combine this with a low flow setting to blend the edges beautifully.
• Applying the Mask: Choose the mask by selecting it in the Layers panel. Then, adjust the opacity to your desired level, such as 40% for a subtle transparency effect.

Transparency Settings

Transparency settings in Photoshop allow you to create opacity masks, which are similar to layer masks but defined by positive (white) and negative (black) spaces or gradients. Here's how you can use transparency settings effectively:

• Create an Object: Start by creating an object that you want to apply the opacity mask to. This could be a shape, text, or any other element in your design.
• Fill the Object: Fill the top object with a gradient. While you can use any color, it's best to use black and white. The colors will be translated to their grayscale equivalents when the opacity mask is created.
• Make the Opacity Mask: Select the object and go to the Transparency palette menu. Choose "Make Opacity Mask." This will create a smooth transition from the object to transparency.
• Understanding the Mask: In the Transparency palette, you will see two thumbnails. The left thumbnail represents the artwork, and the right thumbnail represents the mask. White areas in the mask indicate visible areas, while black areas are "knocked out."
• Clip and Invert Mask Settings: The Clip option defines the visible area of the mask and the object. The Invert Mask option does the opposite, reversing the opacity mask effect.
• Modifying Opacity Masks: To modify the opacity mask, you can either select the artwork and click on the mask thumbnail or Option (Alt)-click the mask thumbnail to see the black and white artwork. Make your adjustments, then exit the opacity mask mode by clicking the artwork thumbnail.

By understanding and utilizing layer masks and transparency settings in Photoshop, you can create stunning visual effects, seamless blends, and precise transparency adjustments in your designs.

Brush stroke overlays and customisations

Brush stroke overlays can be a fun way to add a creative flair to your images. In this guide, we'll take you through the steps to add and customise brush stroke overlays using BeFunky's Photo Editor.

Step 1: Navigate to the Brush Overlays

First, open your chosen photo in BeFunky's Photo Editor. Then, navigate to the "Overlays" option in the left-hand menu and select the "Brushes" category. Here, you'll discover a diverse range of free and premium brush stroke overlay effects to explore.

Step 2: Choose Your Brushstroke Overlay

Experiment with different brush overlay options by clicking on them and previewing their impact on your photo. Adjust the strength of the brush stroke effect using the corresponding slider to achieve the desired intensity.

Step 3: Customise Your Overlay

The customisation options are where you can truly make the brush stroke overlay your own. Click on the "Settings" button to access a range of adjustments. Here's what you can do:

• Background Colour: Use the Colour Picker to select a new hue for your overlay, or enter a specific HEX code if you have a precise colour in mind.
• Opacity: Control how transparent or opaque the overlay appears over your image by sliding the slider left or right.
• Size: Adjust the size of the cut-out in your overlay to make it larger or smaller.
• Rotation: Rotate your overlay cut-out to align it perfectly with the image.
• Blur Amount: Blur the section of the photo underneath the overlay to create a softer effect.
• Shadow Amount: Add an outline or shadow to the overlay's cut-out by adjusting the shadow slider.

Step 4: Save Your Creation

Once you're happy with your brush stroke overlay effect, click "Apply" and then "Save" to preserve your work. You can choose to save it to your computer or online storage locations like Dropbox or Google Drive. Additionally, the "Save as Project" option lets you return to your work later for further edits.

Customisation Ideas

Now that you know the basics of adding brush stroke overlays, here are some ideas to take your creations to the next level:

• Change the Background Colour: Experiment with different background colours to set a unique tone for your image.
• Play with Opacity: Make the overlay more transparent or opaque to reveal or conceal more of the underlying photo.
• Rotate and Reposition: Adjust the rotation and position of the overlay cut-out to find the perfect composition.
• Modify the Blur Amount: Blur or sharpen the portion of the background covered by the overlay to create interesting visual effects.

Frequently asked questions