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...ace/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?

Originally Posted by 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]

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?

Originally Posted by 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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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).

Originally Posted by jjvera00

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]

Originally Posted by 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).

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.



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.

[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.