Perspective

 

 

This will be a very simple demonstration of creating a perspective view.

When creating the grid layers later on, you can create them to meet at some point on the back edge for a total vanishing point if you'd like instead of going only about half way as I have in this tutorial.

Create a blank image and turn on Grid view. Go to File>Preferences>General Program Preferences and click on the Rulers and Units tab. Set the horizontal and vertical lines to 25. Click on OK.

Go to View>Grid, click on Grid and you should have an image that looks similar to below.

Open another instance of Paint Shop Pro and use the screen capture tool to capture the image of the grid as shown below.

Save the captured image as grid.gif. Close the second instance of Paint Shop Pro and open grid.gif in the first instance of Paint Shop Pro.

Go to Edit>Copy and then select your new image and go to Edit>Paste as a new layer.

Close grid.gif and turn off grid view by going to View>Grid and clicking on it again to turn it off.

We're going to use the above image to create our perspective view.

With the layer that the grid is on selected, use the deformation tool to deform the layer so that it looks similar to the image below.

Sometimes it may be necessary to skew the grid layers to get them to fit together properly. To do that hold down the Shift Key and move your mouse over a node. You should see the square icon turn into a skewed icon. Hold your left mouse button down while holding the Shift Key to skew the grid layers to get them aligned and shaped properly. You'll probably have to do this on all four grid layers.

Copy the first grid layer by going to Edit>Copy and then Edit>Paste as new Layer.

Go to Image>Mirror and click on Mirror. Place the new grid layer as shown below.

Go to Edit>Paste as New Layer.

Go to Image>Rotate and rotate the layer 90 degress. It doesn't matter if you rotate it left or right.

Move the layer to match the top edges and adjust with skewing as necessary.

Go to Edit>Copy and then Edit>Paste as New Layer to get the bottom of the grid. Move it to the bottom of your image and adjust and skew it to fit.

You should now have a final grid image similar to the one below.

The effect you should be seeing is that as the grid gets further away it appears to be getting smaller and the lines get closer together.

You will use those lines to draw your image adjusting the size of the objects in your image to stay within the lines.

You will use the horizontal lines for width and the vertical lines for height.

Create a new layer above the grid layers.

Choose a rust color similar to below. Use the air brush with a size  of about 25, opacity = 100 and density = 100.

Spray on a pattern similar to below being sure to leave white space. It is required to obtain the effect we are after.

Using the Smudge brush with the following settings:

1. Size = 13
2. Opacity = 48
3. Density = 100
4. Shape = Left Slash

Push and pull the sprayed color in a sweeping motion to get the effect shown below. Where you see the dark rust colored line through the mid section is where the sky meets the ocean.

Because we have the Opacity set at 48 we can see the grid layers below it.

Create a new layer.

Using the Rectangluar selection tool select the area from the mid line to the bottom of the image.

Flood fill it with a bright dark blue.

Set the Opacity of the layer to 32.

Go to Effects>Illumination Effects>Sunburst and use the following settings. (You may need to adjust the Horizontal and Vertical depending on where your mid line comes to)

1. Color = White
2. Rays: Brightness = 10, Density = 50
3. Light Spot: Brightness = 27, Horizontal = 52, Vertical = 54
4. Circle: Brightness = 20

You should now have a small area that appears as if the sun is shining on the water.

Create a new layer.

Using the selection tool, start your selection at the top of where your ocean selection started and go to the top of the image.

Using a linear gradient of a yellow gold on the bottom and a darker blue on the top (or colors of your choice), flood fill the selection.

Set the layer opacity to 32.

Go to Selections>None

Go to Effects>Illumination Effects>Sunburst and move the sun burst to the bottom of the selection trying to match its horizontal center to the center of the Sunburst on the layer below.

Then adjust the brightness and density to attain the effect you want for the sunset. It should be something similar to below.

Now look at your image and find the place where you want the end of your close visual.

I created a brick wall to separate the land from the ocean.

Using the Rectangular shape tool with bricks as a texture set to about size 10 create a new layer for each brick wall and draw them. Move them if you have to to place them correctly.

Create a new layer and using the Rectangle shape tool with the texture set to Pavement draw another rectangle for the street. You may need to adjust this to fit it between the lines as shown below. Use the technique mentioned above to skew it into place.

Create a new layer and using the Rectangle shape tool with the texture set to Grass draw a rectangle on the left side of the pavement. Adjust and skew as necessary to get it to fit within the lines.

Do the same thing as above to create the right side grass of the image.

Using the Spray Paint tool on a new layer, set to about size 3, draw a dashed white line down the middle of your pavement.

Create a new layer. (Create a new layer for each tree). Using the Picture Tube tool Trees, click once on the new layer. Move and size the tree. Pick a vertical line for height and make sure that the size of each tree on each layer follows that line.

Turn off your grass layers so that you can line your trees up on a line on the bottom grid layer.

Below is what your image should look like after adding all the tree layers. Notice that the tops of the trees follow a line in the grid and are getting bigger as they come closer to the edge of the image.

Create a new layer and using the Picture Tube tool set to Flowers, draw all the flowers on both sides of the road on one layer.

Below is a screenshot of my Layer Palette to give you an idea of how my layers are laid out.

Turn off the grid layers.

Merge the layers - Go to Layers>Merge>Merge All (Flatten)

Your image is now finished. You will see my finished image below at the end of this tutorial.

This is a very simple explanation of how to find your vanishing point. Simplistically you can think of a vanishing point as the furthest point of a triangle.

The closer you are to something, the bigger it appears. The further you are, the smaller it appears.

Using the grid image you created at the beginning of this tutorial will help get you started with perspectives.

Now the only problem I can see with this final image is that I am depicting an almost total sunset and it looks bright as day so, we can add an adjustment layer now.

Right click on the top layer in your Layer Palette and select New Adjustment Layer and then select Brightness/Contrast. In the image below I set the Brightness to -75 and the Contrast to 0. You can set it to whatever pleases you.

Copyright Vikki Olds, All Rights Reserved