There are many techniques for creating unique plan illustration graphics in Photoshop. I'd like to share one that has come in handy for producing graphics similar to ones seen in magazines such as Time or Newsweek, but with a fun graphic flare. (Note: this technique does not have to be limited to architectural illustration. Try it out on general graphic design projects, and most importantly, have fun experimenting!
The first step is to create your graphic as you usually do, complete with shadows from trees and other elements. I have found that using very detailed brushes (ones that show tight detail when zoomed in closely) work well with this technique. Sometimes using abstract filters from the filters pull-down menu can make smaller details disappear, but this technique actually highlights details nicely.
If you have created your graphic using multiple layers (which I highly encourage you to do so as to take advantage of the full capabilities of Photoshop), you'll need to create a flattened version for this next step. I recommend making a separate file by saving your layered.psd file, flatten the image, then save as a second.psd file so you can experiment freely with this technique.
Make a copy of your layer containing your graphic. On the layer that you copied (which is above the original layer), click the Filter pull-down menu, select "Stylize", and select "Find Edges" from this submenu. Type Ctrl+U to pull up the Hue/Saturation sliders, and slide the saturation all the way to the left to remove all color. Finally, select "Soft Light" from the layer styles pull-down menu, and adust the opacity down a bit, roughly 80-90%.
You can play with the saturation of your original graphic, which stays beneath the Soft Light Edges layer, and see what unique adjustments you come up with. This technique takes a good looking graphic and turns it into a great looking, uniquely stylized one that looks as though it took twice the time to create as it actually did. Have fun!
Eric Howard is an architectural illustrator and owner of Solis Studio, http://www.solis-studio.com/. Eric has been designing and illustrating professionally for 14 years, serving clients across the country. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in design and a Masters degree in landscape architecture. Eric is a member of the American Society of Architectural Illustrators and the National Association of Photoshop Professionals.
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