ENVELOPES

Let’s start with a few Illustrator techniques. Vector objects are made of paths called Bezier curves. Each path consists of an anchor point and a segment. Creating artwork in Illustrator consists of generating and editing Bezier curves with any one of several drawing tools. After the paths are in place and filled or stroked with a color they can be bent and twisted with the Envelope Distort features found under the Object menu. 

 

Actually there are three Envelope Distort options. First, is the Make with Warp option that when chosen and applied to a selected object, displays a dialog box with a menu of pre-programmed warps. Dragging the sliders controls the amount with more specific control, as in Figure 1. 

 

The Make with Mesh option displays a dialog box that configures a grid with horizontal and vertical lines. The number can be specified to produce smaller cells and therefore more precise warping. The process of distorting consists of dragging gridlines, anchors or direction handles with the direct selection tool, as in Figure 2.

 

Finally, the Make with Top object option uses the top most selected object to distort the objects below it. When this distortion is performed, the selected objects that are positioned lower in the stacking order are warped to conform to the shape of the top object as in Figure 3. 

 

The warping capabilities in Illustrator also extend into the Effects menu where they reside in the Distort and Transform submenu. These features are specifically designed to alter shapes by applying preprogrammed algorithms to a selected object. Most of the Distort and Transform features display dialog boxes with controls that precisely control the configuration of the Bezier curves as in Figure 4. 

 

When envelope distortions and distort and transform effects are applied, the selected objects are converted into an intermediate “unexpanded” state—a sort of hybrid object that has characteristics of both raster images and vector objects. They no longer contain paths and cannot be edited with the path editing tools until they are “expanded” (Object > Expand), which restores their anchor points and segments. 

 

Warping can also be applied with a set of manual tools. Clicking on the tool in the Warp Tools Options menu displays a dialog box that controls the Warp tool’s performance (see Figure 5).

 

WARPING IN PHOTOSHOP 

Unlike its vector based sibling, Adobe Photoshop is designed to primarily alter pixels. Its distortion features vary considerably from Illustrator’s in their results but are fairly similar in their technique. Photoshop’s transformation features found in the Edit menu all produce their effects by intuitively replicating or manufacturing pixels. The commands include Scale, Rotate, Skew, Perspective, Distort and Warp. Distort and Warp produce the more radical results. The target content needs to be either selected with one of the selection tools or must reside on an independent layer. When the Distort command is selected, a bounding box is displayed. Any corner point can be dragged to globally distort the image, as in Figure 6. 

 

The warp feature in Photoshop, like its Illustrator counterpart, displays either a menu with a series of options or an adjustable grid. Unlike Illustrator, there are only four vertical and four horizontal gridlines for a total of nine cells on the grid. Warping is performed by dragging the gridlines, anchor points or direction handles (see Figure 7). Once performed, all transformations must be committed by clicking on the checkmark in the Options bar.

 

THE HEAVY ARTILLERY

The Liquify filter also distorts and transforms regions of an image but instead of dragging gridlines, the distortions are performed by “painting” with a brush. If you can imagine applying the earthshaking effects of the Photoshop’s Distortion filters on the fly with a set of programmable brushes, then you understand the essence of this powerful sub-interface (see Figure 8). The Liquify filter (found in the Filter menu) contains sophisticated pixel altering tools that warp, twirl, pucker and bloat, push pixels to the left or right, rotate or simply smoosh pixels together. In addition, two tools let you “freeze” or “thaw” areas, which is Liquify-ese for masking or unmasking to protect regions of the image from alteration. The reconstruction modes in the control panel correct unwanted distortions so that you can apply a partial or complete reconstruction at will. There is an optional mesh overlay that enables you to gauge the effects of the distortion as you apply it. If desired, you can save the mesh and apply it to an entirely new image regardless of the image’s size or resolution.

 

The Liquify filter has fully functional previewing capabilities and a set of transformation tools that enable experimentation before actually applying their effects. You can configure everything exactly the way you want it without the risk of damaging the image, click OK, and your entire session is applied to the image.

 

PUPPET MASTER

The much publicized new features in Photoshop CS5 are well known to digital artists and designers who have been anxiously awaiting the new version’s release. Indeed, Adobe has exhibited its new software online and at National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) conventions. By the time this article is published in Sign &Digital Graphics magazine Adobe will have begun distributing CS5. Today, I’d like to preview a single powerful new feature that produces dramatic results and enhances the user’s ability to “sculpt” with pixels. This feature is called Puppet Warp and it has the ability to bend and shape images with extreme accuracy. 

 

It’s best to place the image on a layer surrounded by transparency. When you choose Puppet Warp from the CS5 Edit menu, a mesh is displayed, as in Figure 9. The mesh can be made denser for greater accuracy. Clicking on the image places control points that can be dragged to warp the image. If areas overlap on the warped image, their depth relationship can be changed with controls in the options bar. 

 

EXPERIMENT—HAVE FUN

Both Illustrator and Photoshop offer spectacular features that can bend and twist images into weird realities. These techniques are used to create eye-popping images or for more subtle distortions that improve the credibility of copied or composited regions of an image. Let me remind you that when using these features, less is usually more—just because you can do something that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. The main thing is to experiment, have fun and produce cool images.