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Bmud
Bipolar (III) Inmate

From: Raleigh, NC
Insane since: Mar 2001

posted posted 08-27-2003 15:49

AHHHHHH!!! I searched the whole asylum and there has yet to be a post concerning BLEND IF. I just figured out how to use it last night. It's so cool. In fact.. it's so cool I want to write a GN tutorial on it. absolutely fantastic! it has changed the way I use photoshop in only a few seconds.

If you are not familiar with Blend if, try this.
Go to a layer's properties. There are two sliders at the bottom. One says "this layer" the other below says "layer below" or "bottom layer" or something. (i'm not at home I'll double check in an hour) Typically, the default also says "blend if grey" This confused me for the longest time -- ever since I've used photoshop even. but NOW i know what to do.

For example, get a picture of a white car. Now how do you change its color? Say you want a red car, or a blue car, or even one of those weird cars that have multiple color shifts depending on the angle. The later, would require not too much more effort from what I can see when using blend if.

Make a new set (a folder), set it to multiply, give it a mask (vector: trace out the car, or just a section) Anything will do. Now make a fill color layer inside the set. Dark red is my choice. And make yet another below that with a slightly different color, i picked a more purple/indigo. by going to blend if for the red layer and picking the white slider on bottom layer, hold down the [alt] key and slide the left part of the arrow (it splits) over towards the darker side. Now where there are darker areas it will let more purple in. Your shadows are givven a different hue. I'll show you some examples when i get home to my test pictures.

TRY IT! =D

Shine and shine. :: [Cell=992] :: [See my team's 30 second animation]

warjournal
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist

From:
Insane since: Aug 2000

posted posted 08-27-2003 16:46

I'm so used to avoiding those sliders because it a good way to get instant jaggies.
Mucho smoothio-er!
I'll have to write it down on a Post-It so I can get in the habit of not avoiding them.



Bmud
Bipolar (III) Inmate

From: Raleigh, NC
Insane since: Mar 2001

posted posted 08-27-2003 17:51

After experimenting, you're right. They can provoke jaggies, but this is a big tweaking adventure. More practice/play needed than if you were trying to use curves or even levels -- which I've found to be usually meticulous.

Shine and shine. :: [Cell=992] :: [See my team's 30 second animation]

Bmud
Bipolar (III) Inmate

From: Raleigh, NC
Insane since: Mar 2001

posted posted 08-27-2003 18:01

How is the ol' GN doing these days anyway? I'm still waiting for that revamp.

Shine and shine. :: [Cell=992] :: [See my team's 30 second animation]

DL-44
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: under the bed
Insane since: Feb 2000

posted posted 08-27-2003 18:06

You can currently see about half of that revamp
The rest is still trudging along ebhind the scenes.

Bmud
Bipolar (III) Inmate

From: Raleigh, NC
Insane since: Mar 2001

posted posted 08-28-2003 03:06

yeah i noticed the new links at the bottom. Glad at least that is fixed.

Shine and shine. :: [Cell=992] :: [See my team's 30 second animation]

DL-44
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: under the bed
Insane since: Feb 2000

posted posted 08-28-2003 06:11

"at least that"?

There is also a rather impressive links database, the KPT section, a chat room, some very cool flash front ends for various sections, the new forum, the tutorials are being dealt with at the moment and are partially available in the new format, as well as some other tidbits that I'm sure I'm forgetting.

It has actually come along quite a bit.

=)

Steve
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: Boston, MA, USA
Insane since: Apr 2000

posted posted 08-28-2003 13:05

Bmud - if you write that tutorial, you can be guaranteed of at least one reader: me. This has been a feature of Photoshop since, well, forever (really since the first version that supported layers: version 3) and, although I know WHAT it does, I STILL haven't figured out how and when to use it for anything I do. I would LOVE to have someone step through it for me - maybe it will suddenly, magically all fall into place for me.

Perfect Thunder
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: Milwaukee
Insane since: Oct 2001

posted posted 08-28-2003 22:16

Yeah, the only useful information I've ever seen about Blend If... has been from Steve himself, and if even Steve doesn't understand it, we definitely need a tute.

Cell 1250 :: alanmacdougall.com :: Illustrator tips

poi
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: France
Insane since: Jun 2002

posted posted 08-28-2003 22:53

IMHO the Blend if lacks a "medium tone" cursor to set a sort of attenuation rate. As it is that's a simple threshold and it makes this feature almost unusable.

So far, I prefer to make a mask from the underlying layer by converting it to B&W and highlighting the region of interrest.

Bmud: I wonder in what the "Blend if" helps you if you achieved to make a mask of the car.

Mathieu "POÏ" HENRI

Emperor
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist with Finglongers

From: Cell 53, East Wing
Insane since: Jul 2001

posted posted 08-28-2003 22:54

Bmud: Yep I agree with the above - pop over here:
http://development.gurusnetwork.com/discussion/forum/21/

and kick a few ideas around (and make lots of notes ).

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

Steve
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: Boston, MA, USA
Insane since: Apr 2000

posted posted 08-29-2003 15:48

poi:
"As it is that's a simple threshold and it makes this feature almost unusable." Maybe I misunderstand, but I believe the technique of alt/option dragging the sliders to "split" them effectively feathers the effect to it's not a simple threshold. This, combined with all the options in the command's pop-up, makes it a rather sophisticated tool. It's just that .... I haven't yet found the nail that this is the hammer for. Hmmm. Now I'm inspired to give it a closer look.

Thanks for the prod bmud! Now get busy and start writing.


poi
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: France
Insane since: Jun 2002

posted posted 08-29-2003 16:00

Steve: How could I've missed the bold "hold down the [tab] key" ?

Mathieu "POÏ" HENRI

warjournal
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist

From:
Insane since: Aug 2000

posted posted 08-29-2003 19:06

One use I've found so far that I will use is kind of a reverse of Hard Light.

Blend if Gray > This Layer
Split both ends and bring the inside ones towards the center.

Highlights become transparent as do shadows, but the midtones remain opaque.

With the test I've done with gradients, it seems to behave well with Adjustment Layers. Oh yes, I can definitely put this to good use.

Okay, in a D-Map, 50% Gray basically does nothing. Imagine being able to layer together a bunch of make-shift layer masks while each seperate "mask" mantains it's own tweakability! Now, combined with a Set or two with multiple motions, so many amazing things can be done. Tweak freak attack! Am I the only one with goosebumps?

(Yes, that can already be done with the Exclusion hack, but Blend If is much more elegant - same tweaks, but friendlier, more intuitive tweaks.)




[This message has been edited by warjournal (edited 08-29-2003).]

axleclarkeuk
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: Swansea, Wales, UK
Insane since: Aug 2001

posted posted 08-29-2003 19:23

NO !! Warjournal, i too have goosebumps, butt hat only because i feel i have been left out in the cold ????

I think i really do need to do a bt of reading.......Thanks for the info Bmud

A quick scan on google threw this up, which may help people visualise a bit better Blend If



[This message has been edited by axleclarkeuk (edited 08-29-2003).]

docilebob
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist

From: buttcrack of the midwest
Insane since: Oct 2000

posted posted 08-30-2003 04:16

Here`s another good one to start you off.

Bmud
Bipolar (III) Inmate

From: Raleigh, NC
Insane since: Mar 2001

posted posted 09-03-2003 03:21

Good link doctilebob. Thanks. That's a wonderful place to start for in-depth details.

Shine and shine. :: [Cell=992] :: [See my team's 30 second animation]

Emperor
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist with Finglongers

From: Cell 53, East Wing
Insane since: Jul 2001

posted posted 09-03-2003 03:47

And Bmud has started the ball rolling over in the GN on making this into a tute:
http://development.gurusnetwork.com/discussion/thread/2226/

so feel free to throw any thoughts/advice in there too

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

Bmud
Bipolar (III) Inmate

From: Raleigh, NC
Insane since: Mar 2001

posted posted 09-19-2003 15:45

mhmm. Good call emps. I've edited my rough draft 2 or 3 times already.
Nice link Bob.

Take a look at these images: http://arch.ced.berkeley.edu/courses/arch245/Exercises/exterior_quality1.htm

I'd really like (permission) to use some of these. I'm a lighting junkie, and Blend If, in my mind, is the perfect thing to fake some of these effects. If they aren't keen on the idea, I'll render out some iamges specifically for the tute. Otherwise, it's cool for inspiration =)

[This message has been edited by Bmud (edited 09-19-2003).]

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