Lego Photography

Applying "Decals" using Photoshop

So... you have a model that is photographed well, but it looks a little plain. How do you add detail such as decals digitally?

Ninety percent of making an exciting shot is taking a good picture in the first place. Use a low aperture setting to provide a shallow depth of field in order to make background removal easier. Also keep your shot as blur-free as possible by using a tripod or bracing yourself on an object. Try to use natural lighting to eliminate film grain.

Once you've done these things, it's time to spice up the photo to make it more interesting. In this tutorial, we will be demonstrating how to make a digital decal to add more detail to an existing image.

On all of the images, you may click on the thumbnail to get a larger image.

Hmmm... this image is not very exciting. We do have a nice composition and the shallow depth of field is nice, but it needs a little something to make it more interesting.

I decided that this image would really be great if there was a neon sign over the door. But Lego doesn't make neon signs! What can I do? With Photoshop, the answer is always… anything!

My first step is always to color correct the image. In this case it is a little dark, so I lightened it briefly and bumped the contrast.

I created the basic sign using nothing more than some text. I used Shelly BT for the main font and Stuyvesant BT for the the subtitle. Both of these fonts are from the Image Club. The line under the Main Title is a custom Photoshop pen.

This sign took about 3 minutes to make. You will note the references from Fight Club as well as the title from a Beastie Boys album.

The first step was to simply paste the sign in a new layer on top of the existing photograph. I placed it roughly in place using the arror keys to fine-tune the placement.

Next, I created a new layer and drew some perspective guides using the line tool. This would help me to make the image match the perspective of the photo. Since it is on a new layer, it is easy to get rid of when I am finished. Hint: Never draw guidelines in the same layer as your actual image data.

I used the distort mode of the transform tool to freely distort the sign so that it matched the perspective of the image.

I deleted the guide layer and positioned the sign slightly. This is the result. It looks a little flat. Not at all like a neon sign. We'll have to fix that.

I made a duplicate of the sign layer and set the top layer to Soft Light mode and the second layer to Overlay mode. Next, I adjusted the brightness of the top layer so that it stands out a bit more. Now we have a sign that looks more transparent and less like a piece of paper glued to the model.

So... you have a model that is photographed well, but it looks a little plain. How do you add detail such as decals digitally?

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	Hmmm... this image is not very exciting. We do have a nice composition and the shallow depth of field is nice, but it needs a little something to make it more interesting. I decided that this image would really be great if there was a neon sign over the door. But Lego doesn't make neon signs! What can I do? With Photoshop, the answer is always… anything! My first step is always to color correct the image. In this case it is a little dark, so I lightened it briefly and bumped the contrast.
	I created the basic sign using nothing more than some text. I used Shelly BT for the main font and Stuyvesant BT for the the subtitle. Both of these fonts are from the Image Club. The line under the Main Title is a custom Photoshop pen. This sign took about 3 minutes to make. You will note the references from Fight Club as well as the title from a Beastie Boys album.
	The first step was to simply paste the sign in a new layer on top of the existing photograph. I placed it roughly in place using the arror keys to fine-tune the placement.
	Next, I created a new layer and drew some perspective guides using the line tool. This would help me to make the image match the perspective of the photo. Since it is on a new layer, it is easy to get rid of when I am finished. Hint: Never draw guidelines in the same layer as your actual image data. I used the distort mode of the transform tool to freely distort the sign so that it matched the perspective of the image.
	I deleted the guide layer and positioned the sign slightly. This is the result. It looks a little flat. Not at all like a neon sign. We'll have to fix that.
	I made a duplicate of the sign layer and set the top layer to Soft Light mode and the second layer to Overlay mode. Next, I adjusted the brightness of the top layer so that it stands out a bit more. Now we have a sign that looks more transparent and less like a piece of paper glued to the model.