REFLECTING BALL
These notes refer to creating the above image in PSP but it can be adapted to other graphic programs.
Open the image showing a person with an outstretched hand, duplicate the image (Shift + D) and close the original.
Effects / Geometric / Circle. Default settings, Colour Black.
Image / Add borders and use the same colour – black - as above
Duplicate the background layer.
Create a new raster layer between the image layers and fill with any background colour to be replaced later. Grey is used here.
Activate the top image layer and Magic wand select the black and press “Delete”. This gives the ball on a transparent background.
Open the hand image and select the hand outline. Copy the selected hand.
Open the ball image and paste the hand as a layer (Ctrl + L). Position, rotate and resize as necessary to get the fingers in the right position
There are two images to make from the hand image, one for the hand to cradle the ball and one to reflect on the ball. Temporarily turn off the visibility of any layer as needed,
Move a hand layer below the ball layer.
Lower the visibility of the ball layer so you can see the hand through it.
Add a new show all mask (white) layer to the ball layer and paint in ends of the thumb and little finger with black.
Return the layer visibility to 100%
Duplicate the hand layer and place it at the top of the layer palette.
Feather select the palm area, Copy and paste as a layer and deselect.
Turn off visibility of the hand layer.
Select the pick tool and drag the top of the palm image down so it turns upside down and is say, half as high and upside down.
Mesh warp this layer so the thumbs and little fingers coincided.
Erase any bits of the “reflection”outside the ball with a very soft eraser brush and fade the top edge.
Duplicate the ball layer and place it on top of the layer palette Use the Pick tool to reduce the size and placed it in the hand,
Change the background if desired and add a frame.
This would have been a good project to name the layers! Here they are.
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