Graphics Tips

Adobe Photoshop Tip: The Frank Miller Sin City Effect

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Let me start by admitting that I'm going back to the well on this one, but not so much so that it doesn't warrant it's own tutorial. I'll be using the Adobe Photoshop CS3 Beta for this but you can use anything from Photoshop CS on up.

The effect detailed below attempts to capture the look of the Frank Miller graphic novel series "Sin City" and, to some extent, the film (and soon to be "films") based on it. The most important element of this project is the photograph; if you start with a bad image, you'll end up with another bad image at the end of all this. It should probably be something very dark with the subject of the image harshly lit.

I'll be using these two I bought off of iStockphoto.com. I'm going to show them side-by-side throughout the whole process as one image is much better suited for this effect than the other.

Step 1: Get inky

Start by duplicating your Background layer in the Layers Palette.

Reset your Foreground and Background colors. (Tap the D key on your keyboard)

Go Filter>Sketch>Stamp... Set the Light/Dark Balance to 8 and the Smoothness to 10. (If your image isn't as dark and contrasty as it should be, you may have to modify the numbers here. I've used 10 and 7 on the picture on the right for this reason) Click OK.

Go Filter>Artistic>Cutout and use settings of 2 for the Number of Levels, and Edge Simplicity of 0, and an Edge Fidelity of 1. Click OK .

Go Image>Adjustments>Threshold and punch in a value of 128 (to get rid of any gray areas). Click OK.

Go Filter>Stylize>Diffuse and use "Anisotropic." Click OK.

Duplicate the Background layer again and bring the new duplicate to the top of the Layers Palette.

Go Filter>Artistic>Poster Edges and use a setting of 10 for Edge Thickness, 3 for Edge Intensity, and 6 for Posterization. Click OK.

Go Image>Adjustments>Threshold and punch in a value of 25. Click OK.

Go Filter>Artistic>Cutout and use settings of 2 for the Number of Levels, and Edge Simplicity of 3, and an Edge Fidelity of 1. Click OK.

Go Image>Adjustments>Threshold and punch in a value of 128. Click OK.

Go Filter>Stylize>Diffuse and use "Anisotropic." Click OK.

Set this layer's Blending Mode to Multiply.

Step 2: See Red

Okay, it really doesn't have to be red--it could be yellow. Let me explain; traditionally, Frank Miller's Sin City contained images of stark contrast peppered with the occasional splash one signature color. In the books in my collection, he only used red or yellow... but this is your image, do what you want.

Create a new layer on top of the Layers Palette and set its Blending Mode to Multiply.

Using the Brush tool and one vivid color from the Swatches Palette, paint in a little something in your image--something significant.

Step 3: Looks Like Rain

Reset your Foreground and Background colors. (Tap the D key on your keyboard)

Create a new layer on top of all the others an fill it with a color...any color ...doesn't matter ...it'll be gone in a minute.

Set this layer's Blending Mode to Lighten in the Layers Palette.

Go Filter>Render>Fibers... and enter in a Variance of 10 and and a Strength of 64. Click OK.

Go Image>Adjustments>Threshold and plug in 190. Click OK.

Create a selection with the Rectangular Marquee Tool somewhere in the middle of the fibers. You see, we want some rain but the Fibers filter on its own ends up looking like brushed metal. Select an area that we can blow up to make the rain for the whole image.

Transform (Command-D) the selected area and drag the Transform box corner handles out to the edge of the image. Hit Enter when you're done.

Go Filter>Artistic>Cutout and use settings of 2 for the Number of Levels, and Edge Simplicity of 8, and an Edge Fidelity of 1. Click OK.

Go Image>Adjustments>Threshold and punch in a value of 128 (to get rid of any gray areas). Click OK.

Go Filter>Stylize>Diffuse and use "Anisotropic." Click OK.

We're going to transform the rain again. So choose Edit>Transform>Distort. We want to scale up the rain again (since the Cutout Filter has a nasty habit of making the rain look like it starts and finishes well within the frame of our image), but we want to give it some drama. So, first drag each of the Transform box corner handles out beyond the edge of the image, then pull the lower corner handles well away from each other (somewhat unevenly, I might add) to create dramatic perspective. Hit Enter when you're done.

Now, you see how the second image--the one of the guy holding the gun--does not work so well? I mean, it's okay...but the source image is key here.

I hope you have fun with this effect.

--Rick