Scary Pumpkin With Your Face From Scratch - Photoshop Cs5

hey guys, this is my first instructable, hope you'd like it!

in this tutorial i'll teach you how to make a scary pumpkin poster with your face. we'll be using photoshop, so it's better if you know your way around the software allready, but even if you don't, i tried to be as clear and as specific as i could.

in this project i did several different things that you can also use separately (let's say, only make a carved pumpkin or a smoke face.

Step 1: Open a New Document

first open a new document. use the settings as seen in the picture.

.then, open a new layer, name it "background 2" and use the paint bucket tool to paint it black

Step 2: Start Pumpkin!

STEP A

mport a picture of a pumpkin (just google pumpkin and you'll find one). make sure the picture you got has a clear white background or else you'll need to work with the pen tool to delete the background.


STEP B

1. fit the pumpkin to the right mesurments, and drag it to the bottom.

2. right click on the thumbnail of the pumpkin in the layer palette and choose "resterize layer" (remamber that step, we'll use it again later).

3. use the magic wand tool and choose the white background (make sure "contiguous" is unchecked).

4. press delete.

5. press ctrl+D to deselect the pupmkin.

6. change the layer's name to pumpkin.

Step 3: Pimp My Pumpkin!

STEP A

o to image-> adjustments -> brightness/contrast and set the settings as seen in the image (you can play with the settings. it's possible that the pumpkin you chose would look better with different settings. you want the pumpkin to have stronger colors and to be a bit more darker).

STEP B

right click on the thumbnail of the pumpkin on the layer palette, choose "blending options", go to inner shadow and use the settings in picture and press OK.

Step 4: Cut It Up

STEP A

use the lasso tool to select the top of the pumpkin (select it in a kinda wavy line to make it look more authentic). press delete.

STEP B

now open a new layer, name it "pumpkin bg" and drag it under the layer of our pumpkin.

again using the lasso tool "draw" the outline of the back of the pumpkin, as it would have looked if the pumpkin's top was really cut off (again, kinda wavy). look at my picture as an example.

now, with the new layer selected on the layer palette go to edit -> fill and make it use "color". choose an orange color (a bit more darker then the pumpkin but not too dark) and press ok. press ctrl+D to deselect.

STEP C

go to "blending options" of the "pumpkin bg" layer (right click on the thumbnail). and use the settings as in the pictures (both the "inner shadow" settings and the "pattern overley" settings).

STEP D

now using the brush tool set to the settings as seen in the picture (notice the opacity and the flow), and a yellow color, lightly paint the bottom of our new layer, to make it look like theres fire inside

Step 5: Carve Your Face

STEP A

import the image you want to use as the face for pumpkin and the smoke, resterize it (right click on the thumbnail in the layer palette) and delete everything around it, leaving only the face and the neck. you can either use the pen tool or the eraser tool. i've used the eraser tool because in this project it doesn't need to be precise.

STEP B

go to image -> adjustments -> brightness/contrast and play with it untill you get the best resault. your goal is to make it look more colorfull with stronger colors, and overall, better. brightness: 20, contrast: 75 worked for me.

STEP C

now duplicate the layer (right click on the thumbnail in the layer palette). name one layer "pumpkin face" and the other "smoke face" and hide the "smoke face" layer for now (click on the eye by the thumbnail in the layer palette).

STEP D

take the "pumpkin face" layer and resize it to make it fit the pumpkin.

go to image -> adjustments -> threshold and play with it untill you get the best resault. 160 did the job for me. when i'm telling you to play with it it's because the "best" settings are different between every photo. you don't need it to be perfact, it just needs to be clear that thats a face.

STEP E

open a new layer, name it "light" and drag it under the "pumpkin face" layer.

using the lasso to make a wavy shape around the face (still inside he pumpkin though). again it's wavy to make it look like its carved.

got to edit -> fill and choose to use color. use a light yellow. i've used the color #ffffcb.

STEP F

go back to the "pumpkin face" layer, and using the magic wand tool click on a black spot on the face. make sure that the "contiguous" and "sample all layers" boxes are not checked. this should select all the black ares in the "pumpkin face" layer.

now go back to the "light" layer and press delete. you can also delete the "pumpkin face" layer. this should leave you with the "light" layer shaped as your face.

STEP G

go to "blending options" of the "light" layer (right click on the thumbnail in the layer palette) and fill the settings as seen in the photos (both "outer glow" and "bevel and emboss. the orange i used for the "bevel and emboss" is #dc8100.

STEP H

using te eraser tool, erase the "light" layer in a 3-4 places so it would connect the face with the rest of the pumpkin (look at my photo for exaple). otherwise, it looks like the face is a floating pumpkin. which we don't want. at least not in this project.

STEP J

right click on the "light" layer and choose "select pixels". now open a new layer (make sure it's above the "light" layer in the layer palette) and name it "inside".

using the brush tool (soft brush, size:100, opacity:35, flow:35) start painting the bottom of the selected pixels in a orange color (use #ffae00) and aroundthe center start painting it yellow (use #ffff00). don't paint it roghly, the point is to make it look theres a light source in there. look at my photo for example.

STEP K

make sure that no one is looking and give yourself a high five.

Step 6: Smokey Face

STEP A

first of all, make the "smoke face" layer visible (press the eye icon by the thumbnail on the layer palette. now resize the face to be a bit bigger then the face on the pumpkin and locate it above the pumpkin.


STEP B

press ctrl+shift+U (or go to image -> adjustments -> desaturate). now go to filter -> stylize -> glowing edges.

your goal with setting those settings is to make the our face to keep looking like a face, not to make it too bright and to keep a "smokey" feeling on the black areas of the face. for me edge width: 2, edge brightness: 10 and smoothness: 8 worked great.

change the blending mode of this layer (smoke face) to "screen". look at my photo for example.

using a soft brush size: 100, delete the center lines of the head. forhead and chin. we want the smoke to look authentic and smoke doesn't flow horizontaly.

STEP C

import a photo of smoke. i've found the three images i used here on google you can use them or search for other photos if you'd like.

resterize the layer and change it's blending mode to "screen".

locate the smoke layer between the "pumpkin bg" layer and the "pumpkin" layer, to make it look as if the smoke is coming out of the pumpkin. now locate the smoke face" layer just above the actual smoke layer as it's part of the smoke.

to make it look real use the erase tool with a soft brush size :100 and flow: 50 and start lightly erasing the space where the smoke meets the face. you target is to blend them toghether. you can also use the "burn tool" and the "dodge tool" set to midtones if the face/smoke are lighter/darker then the other.

**notice that the smoke pictures i used and probably the ones you'll find also, have noticable edges. so use the eraser tool around them to blend the smoke into the rest of the photo.

**i've used two smoke photos that "came out" of the pumpkin because one just wasn't enough. if you're heving problems with blending the smoke to the bottom of the face, you should try using another smoke picture.

STEP D

blend two smoke photos into the sides of the head (one at the top right corner and the other at the top left corner). so it would look like the face are fading into smoke.

we're done with the smoke face!

Step 7: Make a Moon

STEP A


open a new layer, name it "moon" and using the "elipse tool" (check photos if you don't where it is) press the shift key and drag a line to make a perfect circle (make sure your foreground color is white).


STEP B

enter the "moon" layer blending options and fill the settings as shown in my photos. both drop shadow and outer glow settings. for the drop shadow i've used pure white and for the outher glow i've used the color #94d0ff.


STEP C

using the "magic wand" tool click on the center of the moon to select it's pixels (you should have a selection of a perfect circle). make sure that "sample all layers" is not checked.

open a new layer and name it moon 2.

go to filter -> render -> clouds (make sure your foreground and background colors are black and white).

go to filter -> distort -> spherize and click OK.

now deselect the moon (ctrl+D or select -> deselect).

go to the "moon 2" blending options (right click on the layer in the layer palette) and follow the "color overlay" settings as seen in my picture (color: pure white, blend mode: linear dodge (add), opacity: 35%-40%).

while "moon 2" layer is selected go to layer -> merge down. this should merge both of your moon layers. now drag the complete moon layer to the top right corner.

your moon is ready!

Step 8: Add Some Fog

STEP A

import a photo of clouds and name the layer "clouds". you can use the one i've used or just find one on google.

STEP B

resterize the layer (right click on the layer in the layer palette) and then desaturate the photo (ctrl+shift+U or image -> adjustments -> desaturate).

STEP C

go to image -> adjustments -> levels and move the small black cursor under the graph more right, until the grey background of the clouds becomes black (see picture).

STEP D

go to filter -> blur -> gaussian blur and set it to 7.

STEP E

set the layer's blend mode to "screen". now use the eraser tool eith a soft brush size: 100 and flow: 40 and softly erase the bottom of the "clouds" layer. this is done because usually theres a visible border to the layer so softly deleting it helps to bland the clouds into the photo.


done with the fog! we're almost there..

Step 9: Happy Halloween

STEP A

using a nice halloween font (just google halloween font and choose something you like) write "Happy Halloween", "Trick or Treat" orwhatever you want to write.  use a big font and locate it on th top of the image without hiding the moon.

STEP B

resterize the layer and duplicate it (right click on the layer in the layer palette). name the bottom layer "text 1" and the top layer "text 2".

STEP C

go to the blending options of the layer "text 1" -> color overlay and set the color to orange (i've used #ffae00) blend mode: normal and opacity: 100%.

now go to filter -> blur -> motion blur and set the angle to 0 and the distance to 300.

STEP D

right-click on the layer "text 2" and choose "select pixels". now go to filter -> render -> clouds. deselect (ctrl+D or select -> deselect).

STEP E

go to the blending options of the layer "text 2" -> color overlay and set the color to green (i've used #079a00) blend mode: color burn and opacity: 65%. you can check other blend modes, each one has a different effect and can still be good.

go to drop shadow (still in blending options) and fill as seen in my photo.

Step 10: Finishes

STEP A
let's add some grass (the leagle kind). google grass and find a nice photo of a lawn or use the one i used (if you try to find a new one it's better if it was taken with some side view (not from completly above).

place it on the our canves, drag the layer on the layer palette to be under the pumpkin and resterize the layer (you should know how to do it by now). now go to edit -> transform -> perspective and pull the bottom left corner more to the left. this should shape the layer as a trapezoid and make it look like it's going to the distance.

use the eraser tool with a soft brush size abot 30 and lightly erase the top border of the grass. this is so the grass won't end as a stright line.

STEP B

change the blend mode of the layer to "hard light".

now duplicate the layer and locate one of the layers above the layer of the pumpkin.

use the eraser tool with a soft brush size about 150 and erase everything from the layer, instead of some grass hidding the bottom of the pumpkin.

STEP C

go back to the layer "background 2" and go to it's blending options. go to gradient ovelay and fill the settings as seen in my photo.

now click the colored box near the word "gradient" and this should open a new window.

in this window theres a box with gradient in the center that has four cursors, one in each corner.

click on the bottom left cursor and set its color to black. click on the bottom right cursor and set it's color to dark blue (i've used #02002f). you can also try using a dark red instead of dark blue, or even something else. play with it.


STEP D

open a new layer and using the brush tool with a "bat brush" place a bat standing on your text with the moon behind it (google "bat brushes" and you'll find nice resaults. this is where i got mine). make sure your foreground color is black.

still with black as the forground color, put two trees on the background, growing just from where the grass ends and the sky starts.

congratulations, we're DONE!