To make a silhouette (vignette) is to cut out an image of the background or situation you are in. Siluetear imágener, something very common in graphic design, is usually done to highlight an image (removing other elements) or to place it inside another image (making a photomontage).
In digital graphic design, silhouetting shapes can be done with many programs, but until recently the most common way to make silhouettes was to cut images by applying a clipping path in Photoshop and saving the image as a document *.eps(PostScript file). Encapsulated).
This was because the transparencies (now so fashionable) did not exist (the PostScript language does not support them) and when they appeared they did so slowly: Many programs did not accept them well and gave problems when filming.
Things have changed. Newer versions of Photoshop have other nondestructive procedures for silhouetting parts of images, and most other professional design programs accept them reasonably well. This is why many people claim that image editing services are a thing of the past.
However, they are still a valid technique for many cases (in fact "necessary" in some of them), and knowing how clipping paths are made is still necessary. Explaining how it is done and applied is the purpose of this page.
As we have explained, a path (path) is a line (straight or curved) having intermediate and final points called nodes (nodes) and anchor points (anchor points) or Control (points control).
Since its inception, Adobe Photoshop allows the inclusion of paths within bitmap images. These paths can be defined as clipping paths. In other words: When we place the images in another program (such as Quark XPress or InDesign), those clipping paths will act as a vector mask: What remains inside the path will be seen, while what remains outside will be covered —but it will not be erased, it just won't be visible.
In digital graphic design, silhouetting shapes can be done with many programs, but until recently the most common way to make silhouettes was to cut images by applying a clipping path in Photoshop and saving the image as a document *.eps(PostScript file). Encapsulated).
This was because the transparencies (now so fashionable) did not exist (the PostScript language does not support them) and when they appeared they did so slowly: Many programs did not accept them well and gave problems when filming.
Things have changed. Newer versions of Photoshop have other nondestructive procedures for silhouetting parts of images, and most other professional design programs accept them reasonably well. This is why many people claim that image editing services are a thing of the past.
However, they are still a valid technique for many cases (in fact "necessary" in some of them), and knowing how clipping paths are made is still necessary. Explaining how it is done and applied is the purpose of this page.
Introduction: Paths, Pen, and Associated Tools
As we have explained, a path (path) is a line (straight or curved) having intermediate and final points called nodes (nodes) and anchor points (anchor points) or Control (points control).
Since its inception, Adobe Photoshop allows the inclusion of paths within bitmap images. These paths can be defined as clipping paths. In other words: When we place the images in another program (such as Quark XPress or InDesign), those clipping paths will act as a vector mask: What remains inside the path will be seen, while what remains outside will be covered —but it will not be erased, it just won't be visible.
In Adobe Photoshop, paths are created and controlled with the pen tool (pen)
In the latest versions of Photoshop, the Pen tool has five variations. The one that interests us the most is " Pluma" simply, although we will also use " Añadir punto de la", " Eliminar punto de la" and " Convertir punto de la". The paths are selected with the two selection arrows: Path selection and direct selection. Also, there is a palette (" Ventana - Trazados") to treat them.
Before starting to work in Photoshop, it must be remembered that vector tools have three mutually exclusive basic ways of acting in their preferences, which usually mislead the new user; (from left to right): Shape Layers: This is the one that is enabled by default. It is used to draw layers of vector elements. It is not the option we must choose to make a clipping path.
Paths: This is the one that we must select when we go to make a clipping path. Simply draw vector paths. It is the "classic" mode of the pen.
If we want to work to make clipping paths, we must activate the preference " Trazados". These preferences are accessed through the " Ventana - Opciones" menu and are usually located in the upper left area of the screen.
Drawing well lines in any program with the pen is a technique that takes a little time to master and we will not explain it here. Fortunately, to trace images you don't have to know much: just go over the edges wherever you want the crop to occur.
Let 's try to splutter this photograph of US President Ulysses S. Grant (the original digital is available onsite American Memory of the Library of the United States Congress
What we are going to do is go over the entire edge of the character, including the inner edges of the arm he has in his pocket.
With the image to be silhouetted open, we activate the pen (making sure that the preference is in " trazados" mode, as we have indicated).
We click where we want to start tracing the silhouette. A small square will appear. That is the first node of the path. We move the cursor to the next point (no need to be pressing any button) and click again. A second square will appear that will be connected by a line to the first. That is the layout.
If we have not released the mouse button when clicking the second time, let's keep it pressed and stretch a little in the same direction in which we want the path to continue. We will see that they appear as Argentinean rounders that stretch and shrink as we move the cursor. In addition, the path will curve in one direction or another. These are the bola "handlers" (handlers) and serve to control the shape and direction of the path.
If we start with a simple shape, we will see that doing this stretch while drawing the nodes helps a lot to make smooth paths and with few nodes. This is important because in this way the paths will make more natural shapes, they will be lighter and it will be easier to learn how to make them.
When we have traveled the entire image to be silhouetted, we will come to find ourselves again before the first node. We will see that the cursor changes back to a feather with a small circle next to it. That is the way Photoshop has to say that if we click there the path will be closed. We must do it.
Leaving a path open is not convenient, unexpected effects may occur in the silhouette.
If the image has interior areas that should also be masked, we click on the area again and draw a new path. Since we have not created a " Nuevo Tratado" in the " Trazados" palette, that new path is a " subtrazado" and is part of the general path.
If we look in the path palette, we will see that the path appears as " Trazado de Trabajo" or " Trazado en uso" ( working path: The translation depends on the Photoshop version.
Although we can save it for the time being to finish it off later, " Trazado de Trabajo" or " Trazado en uso" are not valid names. And a valid name is essential to be able to use it later as a clipping path.
To name it, just double-click on the pathname in the " Trazados" palette and Photoshop offers to call it " Trazado 1" (or 2, 3, etc ... as there are several). That same name could be valid, but we can give it what we want; in this example, it will be " Grant".
In the latest versions of Photoshop, the Pen tool has five variations. The one that interests us the most is " Pluma" simply, although we will also use " Añadir punto de la", " Eliminar punto de la" and " Convertir punto de la". The paths are selected with the two selection arrows: Path selection and direct selection. Also, there is a palette (" Ventana - Trazados") to treat them.
Warning: Beware of pen preferences
Before starting to work in Photoshop, it must be remembered that vector tools have three mutually exclusive basic ways of acting in their preferences, which usually mislead the new user; (from left to right): Shape Layers: This is the one that is enabled by default. It is used to draw layers of vector elements. It is not the option we must choose to make a clipping path.
Paths: This is the one that we must select when we go to make a clipping path. Simply draw vector paths. It is the "classic" mode of the pen.
Fill pixels: The pen paints like a brush.
If we want to work to make clipping paths, we must activate the preference " Trazados". These preferences are accessed through the " Ventana - Opciones" menu and are usually located in the upper left area of the screen.
How to draw the path
Drawing well lines in any program with the pen is a technique that takes a little time to master and we will not explain it here. Fortunately, to trace images you don't have to know much: just go over the edges wherever you want the crop to occur.
Let 's try to splutter this photograph of US President Ulysses S. Grant (the original digital is available onsite American Memory of the Library of the United States Congress
What we are going to do is go over the entire edge of the character, including the inner edges of the arm he has in his pocket.
With the image to be silhouetted open, we activate the pen (making sure that the preference is in " trazados" mode, as we have indicated).
We click where we want to start tracing the silhouette. A small square will appear. That is the first node of the path. We move the cursor to the next point (no need to be pressing any button) and click again. A second square will appear that will be connected by a line to the first. That is the layout.
If we have not released the mouse button when clicking the second time, let's keep it pressed and stretch a little in the same direction in which we want the path to continue. We will see that they appear as Argentinean rounders that stretch and shrink as we move the cursor. In addition, the path will curve in one direction or another. These are the bola "handlers" (handlers) and serve to control the shape and direction of the path.
If we start with a simple shape, we will see that doing this stretch while drawing the nodes helps a lot to make smooth paths and with few nodes. This is important because in this way the paths will make more natural shapes, they will be lighter and it will be easier to learn how to make them.
When we have traveled the entire image to be silhouetted, we will come to find ourselves again before the first node. We will see that the cursor changes back to a feather with a small circle next to it. That is the way Photoshop has to say that if we click there the path will be closed. We must do it.
Leaving a path open is not convenient, unexpected effects may occur in the silhouette.
If the image has interior areas that should also be masked, we click on the area again and draw a new path. Since we have not created a " Nuevo Tratado" in the " Trazados" palette, that new path is a " subtrazado" and is part of the general path.
If we look in the path palette, we will see that the path appears as " Trazado de Trabajo" or " Trazado en uso" ( working path: The translation depends on the Photoshop version.
Although we can save it for the time being to finish it off later, " Trazado de Trabajo" or " Trazado en uso" are not valid names. And a valid name is essential to be able to use it later as a clipping path.
To name it, just double-click on the pathname in the " Trazados" palette and Photoshop offers to call it " Trazado 1" (or 2, 3, etc ... as there are several). That same name could be valid, but we can give it what we want; in this example, it will be " Grant".
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