HOW TO EDIT A LANDSCAPE PLAN IN PHOTOSHOP

HOW TO EDIT A LANDSCAPE PLAN IN PHOTOSHOP

Many years ago I decided it was time to learn Photoshop so I could erase my mistakes and fears of messing up...and it's been fabulous. I'm definitely not a Photoshop pro, but I enjoy that it gives me freedom to hand-draw with the added bonus of digital editing.

LET S BEGIN 1 2 3 4 5 6 Scan in your image and save as a.jpg (or.png) Open Photoshop Open file (File > Open > then choose the image you just scanned in) Save your drawing with a new name. Keep the original in case you need to use it again. I like to do this early so it s easy to save periodically as I work on it. (File > Save As > then pick a name and location). Choose.psd as your file type initially so you can continue to edit it. Rotate it to the view you prefer (Image > Image Rotation > then choose one of the top four options). The arbitrary option allows you to rotate it a little at a time if you just need to tweak it bit. Crop the image. The crop tool is on the toolbar or you can find it under Image > Crop. Crop as closely as you d like to eliminate any unnecessary parts of the plan.

WHITEN THE WHITES 7 Make the image background white. Though your background may look white on the screen, it s actually a light gray. By making it pure white you won t have a gray border around your image if you print it out or use it again digitally. You can do this a couple of ways: Use the Magic Wand Tool or Use Levels

MAGIC WAND TOOL This is found in the left toolbar. Select the magic wand tool, then click once on the white space surrounding your image. You will see a dashed line suddenly surround it. While it s highlighted, hit the delete button. A window will pop up like this: Make sure the Contents selection is White. Click OK. Now your background should be a pure white. Pros and Cons of the Magic Wand Tool PROS: This is a quick way to make pure white around your image. CONS: If you have a lot of whites within your image if may take a while to do this process for every splotch of white in your drawing (unless you re okay with some areas being a light gray). I typically focus on the border around the drawing because having that gray border on a white sheet of paper just doesn t look good, but grays within your drawing could be perfectly fine.

LEVELS (Image > Adjustments > Levels) Once you click on Levels, the window below will pop up. Make sure the Preview box is clicked so you can see how you re adjusting your image in real time. First use the Input Levels box. At the bottom of this box are three triangles that you can slide. The right one controls the whites, the left controls the darks, while the middle controls the grays. I typically start with the right one and pull it towards the left to start making my whites more white. You ll notice as you make the white more white, it also lightens your colors too. This is when you have to also adjust the black and gray tones. You ll have to play with all three until you re happy with a pure white background, plus are still okay with the colors in your drawing. You can always hit Cancel if you d like to start over. Once the background seems white, click on the eye dropper tool on the left toolbar. Use this eye dropper tool to click on the white in your image

The new white will show up here. These are also in the left toolbar near the bottom. The top square is typically the new color you just clicked on with the eyedropper tool. Click on this square and the Color Picker window will pop up. In this window you ll see a series of letters in a vertical column. Check to see if R,G,and B are all 255. If they are, you have a pure white! If not, go back to your levels and adjust until they are all 255. Pros and Cons Using Levels PROS: All your whites will be adjusted at the same time. CONS: Levels can also alter your colors. Be careful so you don t make them too light or too dark.

LET S CLEAN IT UP 8 Clean up any smudges. Correct any drawing errors. There are two ways I clean up my drawing: Use the Brush Tool or Clone Stamp Tool

BRUSH TOOL I use this tool when the area to edit is not very complex. When I want to fix an area (erase a line, for instance), I copy the color (with the eyedropper tool we used above) that will replace that line, then use that color to brush over it. When you click on the color with the eyedropper tool it will make the top square in this image that color. Once the new color is in the top square you can use the brush tool to color over the line you want erased. You can even change the size of the brush (on the top toolbar towards the left) if you need something dainty or make it bigger for large strokes. CLONE STAMP TOOL I use this tool when the area I need to edit is more complex...maybe it has several shades of one color or has a complicated pattern. This tool basically copies one area on your paper and uses this image to brush over another area. Once you get the hang of it it's fun to use. Select the clone stamp, then click on the area (while you also hold down the alt key) you d like to copy. Once you click, move over the area you d like to cover up. Hold the left button down on your mouse while you move over the space. You ll be copying the original space as you see it in the new one. Try it out to see what I mean.

TIME TO SAVE 9 Save your image once again as a.psd file (this will allow you to edit it again in the future if needed). You can also (in addition to) save it as a.jpg or a.png if you d like to use it in another document or program. Enjoy exploring how Photoshop can help edit your landscape drawings!