HELP with TORN PAPER LOOK

[Mike Wozowski]

does anyone know if there are "torn paper" masks somewhere to download.

i have tried the torn paper tutorial, but mine didn't come out looking so good.

i would scan a piece of paper, and head at it from that direction, but i don't have a working scanner at the moment.

or does anyone have any other suggestions!

thanks!

mike

[Lauren]

I do my torn edges in a pretty complicated way but I really think its the most realistic -it should work in both psp and photoshop but I am not sure about dip - simply put - use a ragged edge brush and draw a line where you want your paper torn - use a contrasting colour or slightly lighter colour than your paper depending on what look you are after .
Apply a very slight bevel and a texture to it -
delete the remainder of your paper - tuck your torn edge under your paper layer - move it slightly so part of the edge is under the paper .
Use the same brush but smaller size as an eraser and at 50% opacity run it along the edge of your paper where it meets the torn edge.

Thats in a nutshell - of course its not quite as easy as it sounds - I shall schedule a chat for Friday where we can do it together


does anyone know if there are "torn paper" masks somewhere to download.

i have tried the torn paper tutorial, but mine didn't come out looking so good.

i would scan a piece of paper, and head at it from that direction, but i don't have a working scanner at the moment.

or does anyone have any other suggestions!

thanks!

mike

[Mike Wozowski]

ok -

i will give these instructions a try.

will let you know how it goes.

thanks!

mike

[Margie]

dang lauren!! i just erase in a sloppy way then add noise to the edges. :D

[mommy2girls]

Hi Mike,

Did you ever get the torn paper look to work for you? I'm a real novice using digital software. I worked on it a lot yesterday and couldn't get the look. I tired several different brushes - it called for a rough brush but the only thing I could find on PSE2 was a natural brush. I tried several different brushes; strengths; lighten and darken but still just looked like the edge from the lasso tool.

Any suggestions? :)

[Margie]

i'll try to get my simplest of all tutorials posted asap. it's very realistic looking and way easier than the others posted here!! :D

[mommy2girls]

i'll try to get my simplest of all tutorials posted asap. it's very realistic looking and way easier than the others posted here!! :D

Thank You! I also tried to change the color on one of the freebie torn papers but couldn't get it to work. Is that possible? Might be easier since I'm a newbie! This is a great site! I've seen tons of CG layouts on twopeas site and just love them - I really like using the computer and think it will be much faster for this mother of two beautiful girls. Thanks again! Oh, by the way, where will the tutorial be posted? :)

[Margie]

it's posted now.
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/quicktornedgesps.shtml
it's under quick classes in the university and linked from the photoshop and techniques pages. hth!
also, changing colors is pretty simple. the programs do it different ways:

In Photoshop, there is Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation or Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance.
In Digital Image Pro, it’s Touchup > Hue Saturation or Touchup > Adjust Tint.
In Paint Shop Pro, try Colors > Colorize > or Colors > Adjust > Hue/Saturation/Lightness.

[Mike Wozowski]

Hi Mike,

Did you ever get the torn paper look to work for you? I'm a real novice using digital software. I worked on it a lot yesterday and couldn't get the look. I tired several different brushes - it called for a rough brush but the only thing I could find on PSE2 was a natural brush. I tried several different brushes; strengths; lighten and darken but still just looked like the edge from the lasso tool.

Any suggestions? :)
i posted my attempt in the gallery a few days ago. you can check my gallery to see. i got it to work ok, but not great.

i will have to try again!

[Emma]

Mike, I thought it looked fine! Part of carrying off the illusion is putting other things with it: incorporate it into a page, and you're sure to like the results better. A torn piece of paper isn't art, it's just background :) And it was pretty small, you might want to crop a close-up so we can get a better look and be more helpful with details.

So now you have Margie, Lauren, and my 2 torn paper tutorials in the U section, so you're bound to find something that works for you! I like them all for different reasons.

[Lauren]

I thought it was great too - Remember this method is one I have been perfecting for months and months so for a first attempt I think its awesome - part of the process is working out what brush to use- and the more familiar you become with photoshop and pse the better you become and adjusting brushes to suit what you are painting - also colour choices for your edge can make a big difference - once you have made your edge and have it under your paper layer try playing with the hue saturation sliders and see if a slightly different colour would look better - As with all my elements everything is trial and error - lots of error and heaps of trials!!! :D

[Mike Wozowski]

wow! y'all r too nice.

i will have to try it in a layout and see then!

of course, my free time is going to significantly decrease in about two minutes as "summer" officially starts!

thanks for the nice comments!

mike

[sandra]

I am trying to improve my torn edges (link below,) and I like the look of Lauren's method. I used the extra options of applying small bevel to paper edge in darker color rather than black, as well as applying noise to the torn edge and using low op. eraser along both paper and torn edge. The only thing I altered was to lower the fill on the torn edge to 85% because it just looked too clean... color issue, I think.

Just wondering, when you say use a "rough edged brush" which one do you usually choose? Is it a preset PS brush like the artist's medium brushes (oil, watercolor, pastel loaded, wet, etc?)

Also, when using the brush to create the torn edge in a new layer, are you using full opacity/fill?

And one last question, when you apply texture to the torn edge, which do you usually choose?

Here's a link to see my torn edge practice (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/data/500/torn-edge-practice.jpg), using two backgrounds from the Mocha Latte Swirls freebie kit. I'm not sure why it doesn't look right. Is it my choice in brush/color? Is it too clean looking? I zoomed in so you can get a closer look, and I can see the shadow is too big, but that's easy to fix.

[Lauren]

Just wondering, when you say use a "rough edged brush" which one do you usually choose? Is it a preset PS brush like the artist's medium brushes (oil, watercolor, pastel loaded, wet, etc?)

.The brush I like to use is the chalk brush ( it comes in the default brushes - but you need to go in and adjust the spacing and angle jitter - ( larger spacing and fairly high angle jitter)_

GREAT job on your torn edge - yes the shadow is too large but the edge itself is very very good.
Yes I do use the brush at full opacity on the new layer -I cant remember if I wrote this in the tutorial but sometimes after I move the torn edge under the main layer - select it and use an eraser ( same brush as the torn edge) at a reduced opacity to run it along the edge of the paper layer - I think this IS in the tutorial but didnt recheck!!!

[sandra]

Thanks for getting back to me! Yes, that was the tutorial I was referring to. You did include the bit about low opacity eraser along the paper edge, and then near the end again on the tear edge. It is very well written... I am just a nut about the details. Thanks for sharing the brush specs. Every little bit of info helps a neurotic like me LOL.

Do you think the color of the edge is ok? Maybe not as light next time. Maybe I will try a different texture too. Should I repost if I give it a whirl again? I crave input from digscrap ghurus such as yourself ((read: needy newbie here!))