Problem with displacement map frame tutorial

[swalkr]

Here is the website someone posted on here for making a frame on a photo with a displacement map.
http://photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/photo-borders-displace/page-6.php

I am on step 7. I've selected layer 1 as instructed, used Grant's tools mask (since I'm not using full Photoshop), and I quote from step 7: "if we look closely at the thumbnail, we can see a large rectangular area in the center that's filled with white. This is the area that was inside our selection (the area that remains visible). Everything around the white rectangular area is the area that was outside of our selection (the area that will now be hidden), and we can see that it is filled with black". This is not happening for me. I'm wondering if anyone can clear this up for me, why I'm not seeing the black outline with the white middle in my layer mask. And as the tutorial goes on, I now should be seeing the white edge outside my selection on layer 1 photo, which I don't.

[ljameso1]

Suzanne, just played and found need an additional work around for PSE. Once you've added Grant's mask, click on the mask and go to selection>inverse and edit>fill selection and choose black. Don't forget to reverse the selection again before continuing with the tut.

[jjvera00]

Try this:

1) Apply Grant's Layer Mask (no square selection)
2) Then with the Mask selected (brackets around mask), make your square selection
3) Press Shift+Ctrl+I This will inverse your selection. Your selection will be an edge around your subject.
4) With Black as your foreground color, press Alt+BkSpace, this will apply the black outline showing your white background.

Proceed from there. Hope this helps.

[swalkr]

All went well with your instructions, until I tried to insert the displacement map. I followed the directions, (step 16) to apply the displacement map, and nothing happened. I tried it with the square selected on the mask, and tried it without the selection, and still nothing happened. Do you have any other suggestions?

Try this:

1) Apply Grant's Layer Mask (no square selection)
2) Then with the Mask selected (brackets around mask), make your square selection
3) Press Shift+Ctrl+I This will inverse your selection. Your selection will be an edge around your subject.
4) With Black as your foreground color, press Alt+BkSpace, this will apply the black outline showing your white background.

Proceed from there. Hope this helps.

[swalkr]

I did this also, and it did nothing - the displacement did not show at all. Any additional help will be appreciated.

Edit: After adding Grant's mask, do I then make the marquee selection on the mask?

Suzanne, just played and found need an additional work around for PSE. Once you've added Grant's mask, click on the mask and go to selection>inverse and edit>fill selection and choose black. Don't forget to reverse the selection again before continuing with the tut.

[jjvera00]

All went well with your instructions, until I tried to insert the displacement map. I followed the directions, (step 16) to apply the displacement map, and nothing happened. I tried it with the square selected on the mask, and tried it without the selection, and still nothing happened. Do you have any other suggestions?

I'm glad the suggestion for step 7 went well. Once you have applied the black outline around your mask you do not need a selection anymore.

As for the displacement map, I was able to do it as in the tutorial. Here are a few suggestions:
1) Slide the black slider and white slider way in the Levels step. I slide the black slider into 60-70, white at 150-160. It should look like a bad B/W photocopy.
2) When doing the displace step, play the Horizontal/Vertical numbers. I did 25 for both values.

Hope you get it to work. Remember though, once you delete the White layer (Step 17), it will look like there is no border anymore (it is still there) but you wont see it until you add the Hue/Sat Layer beneath the top Layer with the Layer mask.

[swalkr]

I guess I need you to hold my hand once more, because under "image", there is no "adjustment" and so I went to "enhance" and still didn't see a place where there are levels, only auto levels. (Remember, I'm using PSE 6.0).


I'm glad the suggestion for step 7 went well. Once you have applied the black outline around your mask you do not need a selection anymore.

As for the displacement map, I was able to do it as in the tutorial. Here are a few suggestions:
1) Slide the black slider and white slider way in the Levels step. I slide the black slider into 60-70, white at 150-160. It should look like a bad B/W photocopy.
2) When doing the displace step, play the Horizontal/Vertical numbers. I did 25 for both values.

Hope you get it to work. Remember though, once you delete the White layer (Step 17), it will look like there is no border anymore (it is still there) but you wont see it until you add the Hue/Sat Layer beneath the top Layer with the Layer mask.

[jjvera00]

I guess I need you to hold my hand once more, because under "image", there is no "adjustment" and so I went to "enhance" and still didn't see a place where there are levels, only auto levels. (Remember, I'm using PSE 6.0).

Hmmm??? OK, here goes. I am using PSE 6 as well.

For the Displacement Part of the tutorial:

1) Open your picture.
2) Press Shift+Ctrl+U to make it B/W.
3) Then Press Ctrl+L to bring your levels boxes. Slide the black slider to 65, white slider to 155; Play if needed.
4) Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Set to value of around 1.0 (I did a 0.8).
5) Save your map as a PSD file, example, Map.psd

To add frame:

1) Select Layer 1 (Top Layer w/ Layer mask)
2) Select the Layer Mask
3) Go to Filter>Distort>Displace
4) Have values of Horizontal/Vertical Scale = 25 (play if needed); Stretch To Fit and Wrap around selected.
5) You’ll get a “Choose displacement map:” Box, and open the map file: Map.psd
6) The displacement map frame should be applied to the layer mask.

Final Steps:

1) Delete Layer 2 (Your white layer)
2) Your picture should look normal now, but if you look at your layers palette, the top layer has you layer mask with the displacement frame, and your bottom layer.
3) Select back ground layer
4) Use eye drop tool to select a color and it will be your foreground color.
5) Add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer
6) Select Colorize, Saturation at 20, Lightness at -60.
7) Click OK

[swalkr]

Johnny, this is what I get after I've added the displacement map and deleted the white middle layer.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1x3eoKEsgPJ4xAL1NPjBUhpx0m4EH_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1x3eoKEsgPJ4xAL1NPjBUhpx0m4EH)

And this is what my screen looks like after I added the hue/saturation level. I must be missing something. Nothing ever changes. The extra photo in the bin is my displacement map that I added there to show what I was using.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1W764XrFJre26nt2wqUsqu443QVRv_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1W764XrFJre26nt2wqUsqu443QVRv)

[jjvera00]

Were you able to get the black outline in step 7 on your layer mask?

Just in case do this:
The layers are as follows: Layer 1 w/ Layer Mask, Layer 2 (White Layer), Background Layer.

1) Select Layer 1, Select Layer Mask. Brackets with a white outline will be around the Layer Mask.
2) With the Rectangle Marquee tool, make a square.
3) Press Shift+Ctrl+I to inverse selection.
4) With Black as foreground color, Press Alt+Bk Space, this will make a black outline (white square in middle) on the Layer Mask. The White Layer below should now be showing through.
5) Press Esc to deselect if you still have the marching ants marching around.

After you have created your displacement map:
1) Make sure Layer 1 is still selected, and you layer mask is still selected.
2) Go to Filter>Distort>Displace
3) Fill out the Horizontal/Vertical values and select Stretch to Fit and Repeat Pixels. Open you displacment picture.
4) The displacement map should now take over the black outline.

[swalkr]

Yes, I got the black outline and here is what I am still getting after I've done your work around several times. Each time I've done the displacement map with the mask selected, nothing happens. I even tried deleting the white later afterwards to see if it would show through. All that did was delete the white edge around the photo. I'm stumped and I'm sure you are tired of fooling with me.

Edit: The displacement mask does not replace the black outline in the layer mask, even though I have the layer mask selected.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1Jq6PIAWwLrPXSghAv2ibaYMIJxfZ6_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1Jq6PIAWwLrPXSghAv2ibaYMIJxfZ6)



Were you able to get the black outline in step 7 on your layer mask?

Just in case do this:
The layers are as follows: Layer 1 w/ Layer Mask, Layer 2 (White Layer), Background Layer.

1) Select Layer 1, Select Layer Mask. Brackets with a white outline will be around the Layer Mask.
2) With the Rectangle Marquee tool, make a square.
3) Press Shift+Ctrl+I to inverse selection.
4) With Black as foreground color, Press Alt+Bk Space, this will make a black outline (white square in middle) on the Layer Mask. The White Layer below should now be showing through.
5) Press Esc to deselect if you still have the marching ants marching around.

After you have created your displacement map:
1) Make sure Layer 1 is still selected, and you layer mask is still selected.
2) Go to Filter>Distort>Displace
3) Fill out the Horizontal/Vertical values and select Stretch to Fit and Repeat Pixels. Open you displacment picture.
4) The displacement map should now take over the black outline.

[jjvera00]

That looks good so far. What are you doing on the displacement map step?

[swalkr]

I have clicked on the mask, then went to filter>distort>displace. horizontal and vertical at 25, stretch to fit, repeat edge pixels. Then I choose my displacement map....and nothing happens.

That looks good so far. What are you doing on the displacement map step?

[jjvera00]

Try "wrap around" instead of repeat edge pixels

[swalkr]

Did that and still nothing.

Try "wrap around" instead of repeat edge pixels

[jjvera00]

Maybe increase the Horiztonal / Vertical values to 50? 75?

Also when you created your displacement map, make sure it looks very black and white with little grays in between.

Other than that, I'm stumped too.

Edit: Also is your displacement map a PSD file and not a JPG?

[swalkr]

Yes, made sure blacks were very black and white with small amount of gray in between. And yes, the displacement map is .psd. I increased the H/V values to 75 and still nothing. Grr-r-r-r-r-r. :(. Did it work for you? If it worked for you, then it is something I'm doing wrong.

Guess I'll go to bed and sleep on it. Anything else comes to mind, let me know. Mucho thanks for all your help. You've been very patient. Maybe someone else will come along with something we've missed.

Maybe increase the Horiztonal / Vertical values to 50? 75?

Also when you created your displacement map, make sure it looks very black and white with little grays in between.

Other than that, I'm stumped too.

Edit: Also is your displacement map a PSD file and not a JPG?

[jjvera00]

It looks to me that you are doing everything right. I am stumped as well. Maybe you just need to sleep on it. I was able to get it to work, here is mine. I did it without remove the white layer. I like the white border color rather than the hue coloe of the picture below.

Edit: Added a drop shawdow to the picture.

http://www.elementsvillage.com/gallery/files/1/2/8/1/4/framepic2_thumb.jpg (http://www.elementsvillage.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=4873&c=2)

[des_enzano]

I'm glad I came across this thread as I was having the same problem as swalkr :confused: but having followed the advice given here it worked for me.:D Thanks guys!

George

[Diana]

Here's a link to instructions posted by Butch some time ago to do something similar to this tutorial by hijacking an adjustment layer mask:

http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=253227&postcount=9

Diana

[des_enzano]

I had problems with this same tutorial and found that it worked only after I inversed the selection and filled the area with black which as Johnny says, makes a black outline on the layer mask.
Oh, and make sure the mask is selected before doing this as it's easy (well it is for me) to forget this step.

George

[swalkr]

Just saw where this thread had new life. I'll have to go back and try this again, with the new information. Thanks George and Diana.