Scribd
Upload
45 views

Computer 9 Lesson 4

The Puppet Warp tool in Photoshop allows users to manipulate objects in images by adding virtual pins that can be pulled and distorted to reshape parts of the subject. The tool works by placing a mesh over the selected area and using pins to distort specific parts while keeping other areas locked in place. It is useful for fixing awkward poses or dramatically changing limb positions. To use it, isolate the subject, add pins around areas to remain fixed, then drag pins on other areas to distort the shape in a natural-looking way. Settings like mode, density, and expansion control the warping effect.

Uploaded by

Macsie Trish Andaya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
45 views

Computer 9 Lesson 4

The Puppet Warp tool in Photoshop allows users to manipulate objects in images by adding virtual pins that can be pulled and distorted to reshape parts of the subject. The tool works by placing a mesh over the selected area and using pins to distort specific parts while keeping other areas locked in place. It is useful for fixing awkward poses or dramatically changing limb positions. To use it, isolate the subject, add pins around areas to remain fixed, then drag pins on other areas to distort the shape in a natural-looking way. Settings like mode, density, and expansion control the warping effect.

Uploaded by

Macsie Trish Andaya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 28

Computer 9

PRESENTED BY: AARON JAMES M. DE MESA


Puppet Warp
 Have you ever taken an amazing photo only to find out your subject’s
stance is awkward? Or do you have a creative project where you’d like to
move a person’s limbs in the photo like a puppet? There’s a lesser-known
tool in Photoshop to do this, called the Puppet Warp Tool.
 The Puppet Warp Tool is an excellent way of manipulating objects in your
image to reposition parts of the subject, such as a person’s arms or legs.
While the tool is more complex than the ones you find in the Toolbar, once
you understand the tool’s settings and practice a bit, you can easily
manipulate any object you like.
Puppet Warp
What does Puppet Warp do?
 The Puppet Warp Tool In Photoshop is like other warp tools, as it adds a mesh
onto a subject in an image. The mesh allows you to manipulate certain parts of
the subject while keeping other areas in tact.
 The tool allows you to make subtle adjustments to the photo or extreme
distortions of limbs, tree branches, and more. To manipulate an object, you must
use the tool to add pinpoints around specific areas to pin them in place. Then
you can add a pinpoint to pull and distort the area into a new shape.
 The Puppet Warp Tool is excellent for fixing awkward poses in pictures or
dramatically changing limb positions to create new poses. You can use the tool
on limbs that are wide apart, but the tool won’t work well when limbs are
stacked against each other.
 You can only use the Puppet Warp Tool on a layer containing pixels, so you can’t
create an additional layer to edit non-destructively. However, converting the
image layer to a Smart Object allows you to re-edit the warping later.
How To Access Puppet Warp
 To access the Puppet Warp Tool, you
need to have a pixel layer selected. Then
navigate to Edit > Puppet Warp.
 Once you select the tool, settings
appear in the Options bar, which I will
detail in the next section.
How To Access Puppet Warp
 A mesh also appears over
your image. Since I have
isolated the subject in a
separate layer from the
background, the mesh
only covers the person.
 It’s essential to separate or
isolate the subject you are
warping from the
background. Even though
you can pin areas in
place, it is more difficult to
pin the background in
place than simply isolating
the subject.
Puppet Warp Settings Explained
 Once you have selected the
tool, the Options bar contains
various settings to alter how the
tool works. To understand how
the settings work, you first need
some insight into the tool.
 To use the tool, you add pins on
the mesh to keep the subject in
place. Once the tool is active,
you can start adding pins by
clicking on areas around the
mesh. The mesh shows where
you should add the pins. A pin
turns blue when it’s selected.
Puppet Warp Settings Explained
 If you need to delete a pin,
hold in Alt (Win) or Option
(Mac) and click on the pin
to remove it when the
scissors icon appears. You
can also click on a pin and
press Delete to remove it.
 When you have placed your
pins, you can adjust the
settings in the Options bar. I
recommend placing at least
three pins before you warp
anything because the more
pins you add, the more
control you have over the
distortion.
The Mode Setting
 First, you can alter the Mode between Rigid,
Normal, and Distort. The Mode determines how
stretchable the mesh becomes.
 In most cases, I recommend you set the Mode to
Normal. This mode allows you to move the limbs
around without creating unnatural results.
The Mode Setting
 Rigid keeps the limbs (or area
you are distorting) as straight
as possible between the pins.
If I were to move the man’s
arm down with the Mode set
to Rigid, the arm would
remain relatively straight. The
rigid mode is suitable for
warping hands and feet.
The Mode Setting
 When you set the Mode to
Normal, you will notice a
slight bend in the arm
around the wrist and elbow
areas. Normal mode keeps
the distortion looking the
most natural because it
allows for a standard
amount of flexibility
between pins.
The Mode Setting
 Setting the Mode to Distort
creates a dramatic
distortion in the area that
you have shifted. Keeping
the arm in its new position,
when I change the Mode
to Distort, you can see the
drastic bend in the wrist.
This highly elastic setting is
best used in wide-angle
photographs.
The Density Setting
 The next setting is the Density drop-down menu, which allows you to adjust
the mesh that covers the subject while you distort the subject. You can
choose between Fewer Points, Normal, or More Points.
 The Density setting adds fewer or more mesh points to adjust the spacing
of the mesh. More points give you a more accurate distortion but increase
the processing time.
The Expansion Setting
 The next setting is the Expansion slider, which lets you contract or expand
the edge of the mesh. The expansion setting gives you control over the
distortion, with a higher number producing more manageable warp
movements.
 The Expansion is set to 2 pixels by default, and the mesh movement
becomes harder to manage if you set it lower than this. You can increase
the expansion value slightly to give yourself more control as you warp the
subject.
Other Puppet Warp Settings
 You can toggle the mesh on and off if you want to warp the subject
without the mesh by checking or unchecking the box next to Show Mesh.

 The Pin Depth setting lets you move the pin backward or forward to
decide what areas you place in front or behind. This setting is helpful when
you are moving a limb behind another one.
Other Puppet Warp Settings
 You can also adjust the Rotate option between Auto and Fixed. By
default, it’s set to Auto, which automatically rotates the mesh around a set
pinpoint depending on the selected mode.

 in the Options bar, you can use the last three icons to either Remove All
Pins, which undoes any distortions you have made, Cancel Puppet Warp
to exit the tool without making the changes, or Commit Puppet Warp to
make the changes and exit the tool.
How To Use The Puppet Warp Tool
Step 1: Isolate The Subject From The
Background
 There are many ways to remove the
background from an image. Since the
background is simple in my example, I
will use the Object Selection Tool (W)
and click the Select Subject button in
the Options bar.
 Once you select the subject, copy and
paste it to a new layer by pressing
Control + C (Win) or Command + C
(Mac) and then Control + V (Win) or
Command + V (Mac). This action
places the subject in a new layer.
 Select the subject once
more, then click on your
background layer (Layer 2,
in my case) and press Shift +
Backspace. This action
opens a Fill dialogue box.
Select the drop-down next
to Contents and select
Content-aware.
 Click OK to fill in the
selection with the
background. Photoshop’s AI
fills the selection as best as
possible but may be slightly
inconsistent.
 You can use a tool such as
the Patch Tool (J) to fix up
the background before
moving on.
Step 2: Convert The Subject
Layer To A Smart Object
 To transform the subject you’ve
now isolated from the
background, convert the subject
layer to a Smart Object.
Converting the layer to a Smart
Object allows you to edit the
warp later.
 To convert the layer, right-click
(Win) or Control + click (Mac) on
the layer and select Convert to
Smart Object.
 The icon in the layer’s thumbnail
shows it has been converted.
Step 3: Activate The Puppet
Warp Tool And Adjust The Settings
 Select the smart object layer
and activate the Puppet Warp
Tool by navigating to Edit >
Puppet Warp.
 Adjust the settings as needed
for your image based on the
explanations of the settings in
the previous section. For my
image, I have kept the default
settings.
Step 4: Add The Pins To Lock Parts
In Place
 Once you have the settings as
needed, you can start warping
your subject. First, place pins where
you want the body to remain in
place. For example, as I want to
adjust the right arm, I need to lock
the man’s shoulder in place. To lock
the shoulder, I need to place a few
pins around that area.
 Note: Zoom in using Control + +
(Win) or Command + + (Mac) for
more accuracy.
 Then, add a pinpoint around the
area you want to manipulate. I
added a pin on the man’s wrist to
move the arm.
Step 5: Move The Pins To
Warp The Subject
 Then, to move the arm down,
click on the pin placed on the
wrist and slowly drag the arm
down. Look out for unnatural
distortions as you move the
arm — such as the elbow
weirdly bending if you move
the arm down too much.
 To prevent distortion, add
another pinpoint around the
elbow area, and drag both
pinpoints down. You can’t
select more than one pin at a
time, so you must pull down
one at a time, keeping the
arm looking as natural as
possible.
 You can turn off the mesh
by clicking the Show Mesh
box in the Options bar to
see how the image looks
without exiting the warp
tool. You can keep
adjusting the pins without
the mesh if it’s easier to
see the result.
Step 6: Warp Another Part Of
The Body
 You can move on to other body
parts if you want to warp
anything else. I will distort the
man’s leg by bending it. First, I
placed my pins around the
thigh and knee to keep those in
place, then a pin near the ankle
to bend the leg.
 Once you manipulate the
subject, click on the checkmark
in the Options bar to accept the
changes and exit the tool.
Step 7: Check The Warp And
Make Changes If Needed
 Your subject is now in a new
position. If I place the original
subject behind my
manipulated layer, you can
see how I have moved the
man’s limbs.
 Since you converted the layer
to a smart object, you can
quickly re-open the Puppet
Warp Tool and re-adjust the
warp later on. Double-click on
the Puppet Warp smart filter
below the layer to edit the
warp.
 The Puppet Warp Tool opens, and
you can see the pins you placed
and adjust them as needed.
 You have now successfully warped
your subject to re-position the
man’s limbs. You can get creative
using the Puppet Warp Tool, but
always ensure you keep your
subject looking as natural as
possible, especially when
manipulating people in photos.
Assignment
 Research and Find 5 Plugins for Photoshop that you would use.
 Describe what the plugins do and how they help the user in photo editing
 Printed and maximum of 1 - 2 pages, please include a sample photo of the
plugin
 Submission April 3 for Monday Class & April 5 for Wednesday Class (Submissions
after the day of class will not be accepted)
END OF LESSON

You might also like