Photoshop Puzzle

EU: Digital Photography allows the artist to manipulate photographs to achieve desired effects. 

EQ: How and why do you use selections in Photoshop when working with your photographs? 

Unit: Selections

Camera Functions: Continue on Aperture Setting or Shutter Speed Settings
Depending on the subject you choose for your assignment start to choose the right camera setting which are good for you. Landscapes are often stronger when the aperture is very large. Objects or portraits can be stronger with a low aperture 

Contact Sheet: Shoot at least 15 new photographs using the digital camera on any subject that you think would be good for this assignment. Pay attention to lighting and composition. 

Assignment: To use one strong image to which you can apply a jigsaw puzzle effect in Photoshop. 

Objective: To enhance software skills dealing with selections and to learn how use certain fx

Get the puzzle template from Mrs. Donovan's flash drive first

Steps for puzzle effect:

After copying and pasting in your layers to get the spacing and overlap that you want to include missing pieces and unfinished edges, follow the steps below....

Apply a background

1. Find a background on the internet that would contrast well with your image but have some sort of slight texture like the example above. Do not use another photograph. 
2. Copy, paste, and transform this layer to use underneath your puzzle

Apply Drop Shadow

1. Select one layer with an image or puzzle piece and apply a drop shadow by clicking on the fx button at the bottom of your layers palette and choosing "drop shadow"
2. Adjust the settings to get a believable look that is a darker shadow close to the piece (do not make it too hazy or blurred because this will make the puzzle look like it is floating)
3. Change the color of the shadow to match your background by clicking on the color swatch setting and using your eyedropper tool to select the tone of the background (don't close out of the box yet)
4. Make the color of the shadow darker now by clicking on your eyedropped color and selecting a deeper version of that color
5. Right click that layer and select "copy layer style"
6. Move to each layer with a puzzle piece or the image and right click that layer to "paste layer style"

Apply Bevel and Emboss Effect to the puzzle pieces and image layer

1. Select one layer with a puzzle piece and apply a beveled and embossed look so that it appears 3D by clicking the fx button at the bottom of your layers palette and choosing "bevel emboss"
2. Use the default settings and just play with the sliders to create a minimal but believable look 
3. Right click that layer and select "copy layer style"
4. Move to each layer with a puzzle piece and the image layer and right click that layer to "paste layer style"

Apply Bevel and Emboss Effect to the puzzle lines

1. Select the layer with the puzzle lines to apply a beveled and embossed look so that it appears 3D and imprinted into the image by clicking the fx button at the bottom of your layers palette and choosing "bevel emboss"
2. change the setting from inner bevel to  "pillow emboss" so that you can get a slight indented look
3. Pull the depth up a bit and keep the other sliders toward the left. It should be a minimal indent
4. Pull that effect apart so you can turn off the puzzle lines off and only view the imprint by going to the Layer Menu at the top of your workspace, choosing layer style, and then create layers (you will see the fx part has been removed from the layer and divided into 5 different layers)
5. Throw the top three layers that you just created into the trash
6. The top layer left will be the shadow of the indent and the bottom layer will be the highlight. Adjust the opacity in the layers palette if you think the shadow looks to dark to get a believable look. 

Arrange your composition

1. Select the two layers with your image and your puzzle lines at the same time by holding shift while you click on them
2. Use CTRL + T to turn or twist them by hovering over a corner so that the puzzle is not too straight on your document (It can even go off the page a bit)
3. Go to each of the puzzle piece layers and use CTRL + T again to rotate those pieces too. 
4. Move the pieces around the page to get a interesting composition. They can overlap a bit, go off the page, or even be on top of the puzzle in some spots. 

*Check with me to make sure all looks good

*Save as a JPEG to upload to your blog with a reflection