Bringing the 80s Back With a Futuristic Twist
In the world of digital art, the fusion of retro aesthetics and futuristic concepts always carries a unique allure. Today, we’re going to explore how you can create a captivating retro sci-fi, laser scan portrait in Adobe Photoshop. This technique not only taps into nostalgia but also gives your artwork a fresh, high-tech spin. Let’s dive into this throwback journey equipped with a futuristic toolset.
The Stage: A Moody, Dark Background
The first element you’ll need for your laser scan portrait is a dark, mysterious background. This isn’t just to set the mood, but also to allow your laser grid to stand out vividly. You can use any dark image, and if you prefer, there’s a pre-provided dark wall background available in the video description or the project files.
Choosing Your Subject for the Sci-Fi Makeover
Next, select a photo of a subject—a person or even an object—that you’d like to incorporate into your artwork. By layering this subject over your dark background, you essentially set the canvas for the transformation. Bringing your subject to the forefront involves placing the image over the background and adjusting proportions to fit within the frame perfectly.
Prepping Your Subject: Selection and Refinements
Here’s where the magic begins. You’ll want to separate your subject from the background in the original photo by creating a precise selection around it. This can be efficiently done using the Quick Selection Tool or the ‘Select Subject’ function if you’re using a recent version of Photoshop. Once you’ve captured your subject, refine your selection using the ‘Select and Mask’ technique. This step ensures clean edges and avoids clumsiness where the background might bleed into your subject’s contours.
Into the World of Smart Objects
Converting your selected subject into a Smart Object will allow you to modify and move it non-destructively. Make copies for different processing stages—one for the original and another to create a displacement map that syncs the grid’s flow with your subject’s contours. By experimenting with Smart and Gaussian blurs, you can smoothen out the tones, making your displacement map refined and ready for seamless integration.
Weaving the Digital Grid
The grid is the quintessential retro-futuristic element. You’ll start by designing a minuscule grid pattern—10 pixels wide and tall—and save it as a pattern file. Once your pattern is prepared, apply it to your composition by creating a new layer, filling it with black, and styling with your saved grid pattern.
Applying the Displacement Map: Curves in the Digital Wave
With your grid in place, it’s time to add the displacement map. This procedure will ensure that the grid bends around your subject’s features, intensifying the 3D appearance of your artwork. You will see your grid transform into a sleek, sci-fi-inspired laser scan.
A Pop of Color and Light Play
Next up is infusing color. Fill your pre-selected grid with a bright, electrifying green, turning your pattern into a neon spectacle reminiscent of retro video games. Adjust the subject’s Blend Mode to ‘Soft Light’ for an integrated look, where the colors blend harmoniously with the underlining space.
Selective Coloring and Masking
Applying a Black and White adjustment layer that’s clipped to your subject helps in maintaining focus on the color in the grid, providing aesthetic balance within futuristic clutter. You can also tailor where the grid appears with strategic masking, particularly to control the cut-off where the portrait meets the floor, enhancing the illusion of a genuine digital hologram.
The Reflective Illusion: Adding Depth with Reflections
Reflections echo sci-fi cinema and the glittering night neon. Enhancing your image with a reflected grid on the floor heightens the digital theme, adding luxurious depth. By copying your original grid, flipping it vertically, and slapping the perfect blur onto it, you cast a sensational reflection suggesting both realism and a glitch-in-the-matrix feel.
Creating an Ambient Glow
No retro laser portrait is complete without an atmospheric glow. Craft a reflective glow on the backdrop wall by utilizing a large, soft brush in bright green, carefully applying it to reflect light from the grid. Recreating this light dynamism elevates your artwork beyond two dimensions.
In transforming a simple photo into a retro sci-fi masterpiece with precision and flair, Photoshop isn’t just a tool but an artist’s playground. So, dust off your digital skillset, leap back into the future, and embark on creating your own laser scan wonders.
