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Making of The Mermaid
The background plates for this image were taken on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago during Hurricane Sandy. The waves were so intense that I was almost knocked down several times just trying to capture them. Not to mention that this was at 5:30 in the morning and that I had to cross a police barrier just to get the opportunity. It was freezing, and I was completely soaked after just minutes but it made for an amazing and one of a kind background.
The Mermaid was photographed in our Chicago studio, using strobes to match the lighting from the background. We set black seamless paper on the floor to mimic the shine of the ground, and set up a giant 86″ paabolic reflector behind the subject.
Once hair and makeup were done it was time for our mermaid to get into the scene. Because there was no wave in the studio, we set up a v-flat as a barrier, and I stood where the wave was and splashed water onto our mermaid. Her legs were bound so as not no separate and she was propping herself on an apple box to mimic the rock. It was an amazing photo shoot and an amazing day.
Afterwords we photographed several fish including salmon, trout, and a beta. The beta won out for the best tail, and with a bit of Photoshop everything came together to create what you see here.
Bonus: Included Compositing Action!
Creating a Mermaid Tail
A mermaid is hardly anything without a spectacular tail. In this advanced photoshop tutorial we spend over an hour going through every detail on how to create an amazing tail. Learning these skills will allow you to create anything you can think of. We don’t focus on just one technique, rather the skills necessary to achieve these effects.
Getting a human to blend into a fish is no easy task, and you are going to be along for every step of the way. Including the original sketching and painting of form through coloring and adding scales and texture. Follow along and bring this mermaid to life.
A Body of Scales
Sometimes subtlety is the best way to tell a story, and we wanted the skin of our mermaid to be covered in a light layer of scales. Not enough to distract you from the overall image, but enough to give the person who looks close a visual feast.
We create scales to add to the body, fins on her arms, gills on her neck and ribcage, and even webbing between limbs.
Amazing Hair
Learn how to merge several photos together into one image to create the perfect head of hair. In this case we wanted it to be wild and whipped from the waves, but you could use these same techniques on a glamour portrait.
Adding a Light Source
To make the background much more stunning we add a giant light source. This can be very hard to do because light effects everything it touches. Once you add your light source, you then have to color and light everything else in the image. You also have to make sure that all the lighting works with the image, and that light decays at the same rate throughout the image.
We go over our exclusive techniques for checking to see if your light is behaving in the right way, as well as provide a free bonus action to compare!
Coloring the Background
This landscape is intense! To keep it from being too distracting we colored it in a monotone that would bring out detail in the mermaid.
Follow along as we go through every detail on how to color and dodge and burn a background to bring it to the fullest potential.
Adding Details
It would be nice if birds just happened to fly by exactly when and where you wanted them to, but more often than not you have to take care of those details on your own. We go over adding great details such as birds, sand and gravel, light shimmers and more!
The Perfect Color Cast
There are many things to take into consideration when creating a composite, and one of the biggest is how light and color interact with one another. In this tutorial we show you what to look out for when creating your composite and how to make sure everything fits.
In this case we brought the reflection of color from the tail onto the water underneath. Taking care of these details can make the difference between a good and great image.
Final Image
Bringing everything together to create this stunning image is a lot of fun and an amazing learning experience. No where else in the world will you be able to learn these skills and techniques to bring your ideas to life!
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Michael Woloszynowicz
Aaron's presentation of both photography and Photoshop techniques is clear, concise and enjoyable. The value you get from the texture packs and PRO courses is fantastic and they immediately take your finished products to a whole new level.
I love my weekly dose of Phlearn and look forward to the ambitious projects in upcoming PRO tutorials. Keep up the great work Aaron!
Ruben Chase
On the PRO tutorials, Aaron explains absolutely everything about the creation of one of his images. You choose what edition do you want to learn, you pay, you watch, and you know. Simply like that, better than a college class, and a lot cheaper. It's perfect!
Anna Irving
So, I bought photoshop, installed it and experimented. It was like walking uphill, in knee high mud. I bought books and scoured the internet for the many free tutorials but they the books were too mainstream and the internet stuff too extreme... it took an awful lot of sifting through irrelevant information, to get anywhere I needed to go with my work. I think I was trying to learn for about a year before I found Phlearn. I've learnt so much in the last 6 month that my peers have suggested, on occasion, that I should be training people!
I've invested in most of the Pro tutorials and have learnt so much from them that I am now confident creating pretty much anything my imagination can come up with. The pro turorials are worth every penny (or cent) and the free content, on this site, is pretty invaluable too. Aaron's great teaching style takes all the hard work out of learning photoshop and makes it a real pleasure. I'm proud to be part of the PHamily!
Sergio Otero
As a non-english-native I have to say that Aaron speaks very well, so it's easier for me to understand him. In addition, when he explains something, he doesn't tell you what you should do but he shows you. And, you know, it makes you feel relieved.
In conclusion, if you're thinking of buying some PRO Tutorials let me tell you something: "Stop thinking! Just buy it!" It's the best inversion that you could do. They're usefull and you're going to understand them quite well. And I'm sure that you will be able to make fantastic things soon!
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He is one-of-a-kind and legit as they get. When it comes to learning about all things digital photography, look no further than Aaron and Phlearn.
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The Phamily are some of the most nicest, and sincerest bunch of photographers and teachers you will ever have the pleasure of talking to. There's also no comparing the Phlearn Pro tutorials to anything else on the web. I myself have purchased a few and they are without a shed of doubt, the most influential and in depth learning videos I've ever seen, and the dichotomy of each video lends a hand to all styles and formats. I for one am happy to be part of the Phlearn Phamily and will continue to visit the site as long as it's longevity stands.
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Rj Osorio
Taking this into paid services such as creativeLIVE, or perhaps even Lynda.com; although you do receive some supportive commentary, you'll find yourself doing a lot more review work and get to the end figuring out that the person teaching you this segment might benefit from some tutorials themselves.
I feel as though PhlearnPRO changes this. These tutorials on an arbitrary scale of work are not completely out of the norm, but the combination of thought process and conversation throughout the edit from the sketch to the sharpening will have you interested in the *why* as much if not more than the *how*. This is imperative to visual learners (Which I'm assuming by coming to websites such as these, we all are), and I feel that Phlearn nails this. I knew of the tools of photoshop and how to use them properly, but PhlearnPRO taught me *why* to use them and *when* would be the best time to according to what is on my canvas. That help alone has been immeasurable, and the experience of watching PhlearnPRO has been a pleasurable one, as you get to know Aaron on a professional, as well as personal level.
I recommend this service to anyone who's been looking for that purpose in their post-processing that will give them the drive to execute work that they have had in their heads, and the confidence to follow through without feeling like you've bit off more than you can chew.
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Thanks to you and your team for all you do!
Jack Temple
It's the single most important resource for the development of my photography. But it doesn't stop there. Aaron has taught me not only how to take a good photo, but he's taught me a new way of viewing art, and the world for that matter. Anybody can explain the nuances of aperture, shutter speed, and iso, but it takes a special person to infuse creativity, change the perspective of others, and build a community.
Aaron's achieved this is the last two years, and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for the future! Thanks for the invaluable gifts of art and PHamily!
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I have purchased more than half of the tutorials and have more often than not, came out with a whole bunch of new tips and techniques that I wasn't aware of or familiar with. I find myself saying out loud "holy crap that's so awesome" or "oh my god I wish I knew about Phlearn years ago" and other things of the like many times throughout the videos.
Aaron makes the tutorials even more entertaining by being silly and fun! I've had numerous laugh out loud moments. I highly recommend purchasing any and all of the tutorials!
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