Fashion Illustration Photoshop
Ideas
According to the University of Washington, Photoshop, produced by Adobe, is the number one digital editing and graphics software program in the world. Users range from a mom editing the red-eye in her children's soccer photos to professional graphic designers creating logos, brochures and annual reports for Fortune 500 companies. Photoshop is a robust, intense product. Its features are appropriate for use just about anywhere. It can even lend itself to enhancing fashion illustrations-adding texture, color, tone and even flattening photos so they appear hand-drawn.
Lace
If it is hard to tell that your clothing image is of a lacy, gauzy garment, use Photoshop to add texture without taking away from the item's fashion aspects. Bring the image into Photoshop, then add a layer with a grid. Right-click that layer and select Duplicate Layer; repeat seven times for a total of eight layers. Left-click layer one (they will be auto-numbered) and select Filter, then Distort, then Twirl and an angle of 20 degrees. Repeat the process with layer two but set the angle for -20. Repeat with layer three and four, with their angles of 40 and -40 respectively. Layers five and six receive angles of 60 and -60 and the last two layers should be 80 and -80. Next, remove the grid to keep the focus on the lace pattern that's emerged-use selection tool to draw a box around the grid and press the Delete button on the toolbar. If you want the lace pattern to remain the default white, just save your image as it is. Otherwise, merge the layers together, then color them by changing the hue and saturation to match the clothing's colors.
Sepia
To accompany a fashion spread that is themed to be old-time or historical, change your photos and images with a sepia-toned filter. Open your image in Photoshop Add a new, blank layer. You must add a layer because Photoshop can only change layer colors, not original images. Open the styles panel by navigating to Window, then Styles and Effects. Select the Layer Styles option from the drop-down box on the left side and the Photographic Effects option on the right side. A panel will appear with a variety of hues, including sepia. Click once on the sepia box and the image will turn sepia (because the layer that you placed on top of it is now colored sepia). Click Edit and then Undo to revert back to your original or save the image as a new version and add to your fashion layout.
Cartoon
If your fashion layout calls for illustrations, but you don't have an on-site artist, you can turn photographs of your clothing products into flat artwork by using Photoshop. Open the picture in Photoshop and add two new layers. Title one Background and use the paint bucket tool to fill it completely with a solid color. Use the eraser tool to erase any background items you don't want in the picture (such as the closet the item was photographed in, price tags) and rename that layer. Click on the Filter menu and select Sketch and then Photocopy, helping to render your item flat. Make your choices on how much detail and the light/dark ratio you prefer for your magazine or print ad. The final step is to ensure your fashion item's lines stand out clear and strong. Click the Image menu, then select Adjustments, then Threshold and use the slider to determine the preferred thickness. Consider using a heavy ratio for items such as coats and boots and thinner lines for delicate materials such as bras or tank tops. At this point, you can continue to play with the illustration by adding color and texture or use the current image as an old-school textbook-type illustration.
