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All of the photos were taken with my Olympus Camedia C-3000 Zoom digital camera. The "close-up" setting was applied in most cases, and I usually don't need the flash. The photos are taken at HQ resolution, which produces JPGs that are 2048 x 1536 pixels at 72 dpi.

Why so large? If I DO need to add special effects, it's easier to do if the resolution is higher and I have more leeway. The images are shrunk down drastically for web use, of course.

After downloading the images, everything else is done in Adobe Photoshop. Currently, I have version 6.0. Once I've added everything I need for a photo, I save it as a Photoshop PSD file, for corrections and future use, and then as a JPG again. I keep the PSD files and burn them on to a CD later. The average size of the PSD files for a whole chapter of Resurrection is around 400 MB!!

The scenes with the Desert Scorpions to the left didn't require much work. I created a separate layer (with 50% transparency) and used the Airbrush tool to add the "burnt" shading on the front end of the VAMP. Other than that, the only thing I did was the text bubbles.

To create the text bubbles, I start with the text itself. The dialogue of the characters is done in Tekton font, and the editor's notes are in Future (both bold). I type the text in, centered, and then adjust the lines so they're roughly rounded in shape (this doesn't always work out perfectly).

After that, I create a new layer underneath the text for the bubbles. I use the Elliptical Marquee Tool to draw the circle, then add the arrow with the Polygonal Lasso Tool. The resulting text bubble is then filled with White (at 75% transparency).

Using Layer Styles, I add a default Outer Bevel to the layer and it's done!

Okay, this image took some work. Just look at the "Before" picture down below it!!

In addition to the ballon and the dust cloud effects (covered in the next section), I needed a ravine. I didn't have enough sand to effectively build one, so I made a tiny one and made up the rest.

Adobe Photoshop has a wonderful thing called the Clone Stamp Tool. Using it, I copied the edges of the ravine outward, as well as the sand, erasing all the grass, leaves, tennis shoe footprints, etc.

(As time has progressed in the filming of this story, I've had to erase more and more junk off of the sand, which started out completely clean at the beginning.)

I'm also having a lot of trouble with shadows and light, as you can see. Depending on the time of day I'm able to take pictures, there may be a distinct shadow created by the edge of the house, or random blobs created by the trees above. I have not been completely successful in getting rid of all that. Moral of the story: choose an open area when filming outside, if at all possible.

I also darkened up the floor of the ravine, to at least give it SOME semblence of depth.

The dust clouds I use to give the (slight) illusion of motion on the vehicles are fairly simple.

I create a new Layer and then use the Elliptical Marquee Tool to select the rough areas of where I want the clouds. I fill them with a suitable sand color (at 50% transparency), and then add a Gaussian Blur.

That's it!

On to the NEXT PAGE for motion blurs, text effects, spinning knives, and flying capes!