FF:SA Rotoscoping Lightsabers 101

Heya guys as a few of you have asked, I am posting shortened instructions for Rotoscoping Lightsabers using Photoshop 7, if you are familiar with using Photoshop 7 you shouldn't have any problems. Although there are quite a few steps, just follow them slowly, and in time with practice you should be rotoscoping like a demon.

The original notes I downloaded are about 13 pages long in a word document, this is due to the fact they are rather long winded and also relating to rotoscoping a filmstrip rather than just a single photo.

If you feel you need further help, or aren't familiar with photoshop 7 I will be happy to forward them on to you, just email me at:
guri@chariot.net.au

 

STEP 1

ROTOSCOPING THE BLADES
1. Open Photo
2. SaveAs Sabers
3. Create a New Layer (Shift Ctrl N)and Select It
4. If multiple colour sabers are in frame, pic a colour and just do those saber/s first (you can only do one colour at a time)
5. Using Line Tool ? draw line/s just a fraction thinner than your actual blade (if your saber line is moving or at an angle where its thick at one end and smaller at the other, use your polygon selection tool and paint fill bucket to cover the span of moving blade)
6. Use the eraser tool to round any lightsaber ends etc
7. When done select the Background Layer
8. Adjust Levels ? goto Image/Adjust/Levels or Ctrl L
9. Change the Upper OUTput level to ?0? and click OK
10. Select Layers/Flatten Image (to reduce all layers to 1 background layer again)

 

STEP 2

CREATING THE 3 LAYERS OF AURA?S
1. Do a Gaussian Blur at ?2.0? (Filters/Blur/Gaussian Blur)
2. Adjust Levels ? Change the Lower Input to ?30? and Upper Input to ?50?
3. Duplicate the Background Layer and rename it to Loose Auras
4. Do a Gaussian Blur at ?4.0?
5. Adjust Levels ? Change Upper Input to ?10?
6. Gaussian Blur again at ?4.0?
7. Adjust Levels - drop the upper output levels of the Red, Green, and Blue channels individually, to make the aura color of your choice. In this case, drop the Green and Blue upper output levels to 0, but leave the Red channel alone (255,0,0). Click OK
8. Adjust Levels ? drop the Upper Output level to 127 (this will give the soft aura)
9. Rename the Background Layer to Blades
10. Duplicate the Blades Layer and name it Tight Aura?s
11. Move the Tight Aura?s layer to the top of all the Layers
12. Do a Gaussian Blur at ?1.0?
13. Adjust Levels ? Change Upper Input to ?10?
14. Gaussian Blur at ?2.0?
15. Repeat Step 7 to do your colour, and your tight colour aura is done.
16. Move the Blades Layer to the top of list
17. Do a Gaussian Blur at ?0.75?
18. Check that your Layers are in this order, Blades/TightAuras/LooseAuras
19. In the Blades Aura?s change its mode from "Normal" to "Screen".
20. Then click on the TightAura?s Layer and change its mode from "Normal" to "Screen".
21. Select Layers/Flatten Image (to reduce all layers to 1 background layer again)

 

STEP 3

COMPOSITING AURA?S TO ORIGINAL PHOTO
1. Select All (Ctrl A)
2. Copy (Ctrl C)
3. File/Open your original picture
4. Paste (Ctrl V) this will create the black saber image as a new layer automatically
5. Make sure the new layer is on top of list
6. Change its mode from "Normal" to "Screen". VOILA!!!
7. Select Layers/Flatten Image (to reduce all layers to 1 background layer again)
8. Save / SaveAS if you want to rename the file and keep original as is

 

Hey, cool ! I have photoshop 6 but I am hoping the instructions would be very similar ?

 

M S I better email you the notes, there were a few program changes between version 6 and 7, but the notes did go into different techniques in certain parts of the tutorial.

 

& I thought turning on my computer was hard...


You've topped it !

 

Oh yes please ! you do a cool job of the lightsabres. I'd love to be able to it to.

 

Further to the above, if you have multiple coloured sabers....when you have done to above for your first colour, and saved everything.

Go back to your original image and start all over again for your next coloured saber/s, then when it becomes time to composite, open up your previously saved file.

 

Now for the theory of relativity....
Anything harder ??

 

Nah nothing more, anything else you just FIDDLE with til you get it right...and I know how much like to Fiddle Evil

 

la la la la la la la

ok i've just finished afternoon shift number 1, and I'm already making funny noises.

On that note I think I should go to bed, before I start making growling noises like something out of Little Nicky.

 

Thanks for these Guri, I've got Photoshop 7 and Photoshop CS 8 and am trying to out some stuff now!