Photoshop is used by interior designers to add colour and textures to floor plans and elevations. We show you how in our Adobe Photoshop training courses.
To create a mock up like the one shown here, first set up your new canvas: File > New document > 1280 x 720 px. Or International Paper > A4, etc, depending on whether the output is for web or print.
Next open a texture image, like the wooden floors shown here and copy it into your new canvas. Right-click on the new layer to Convert to Smart Object – this will prove useful later for further editing. Then scale the image to fit your canvas or use: Edit > Transform > Perspective. Warp is another useful option. In addition you can press Control to move each corner point independently. Rename the layer Left wall, for example.
Next we want to copy this layer so that we have a right wall, a back wall, a floor and a ceiling. Edit > Scale > Flip Vertical or Horizontal are useful in this situation. So our basic room is created, if a little claustrophobic. Rename each layer for easy selection.
We may wish to change the colour or texture of the floor, for example. So double-click on the Smart Object icon to edit that layer. Either change the colour in Hue/Saturation or paste in a carpet or tile image. Then close the image and save – it should update in your main room file.
To add some realism to the scene we want to create shadows in the corners and edges, known in lighting terminology as ambient occlusion. Therefore create a new layer and right-click on it > Make Clipping Mask. Use a large Black soft-edged brush to create some shadows and change the layer opacity to around 50%. Repeat this process for the other walls. Lighting could also be simulated in this fashion using a soft-edged white brush.
To cut a window in the back wall to reveal the beach scene, choose the Rectangle Marquee tool with a Feather of 2px. Then select an area on the back wall and Select > Inverse. Click the Mask button on bottom of layers panel to create the hole in the back wall. Open a Beach image and copy across into your file. Put the beach layer at very bottom of the layer stack and scale. Tip: make sure you match the horizon with the converging parallels of the walls.
Lastly paste in an image of the girl and the chair. Use the selection tools to select the girl and hit the Mask button to hide the girl’s background. You can later adjust the mask with a black or white paint brush. And finally create a new layer for fake shadows. Make a selection with the Lasso tool (Feather 10px), fill with black and reduce the opacity. Repeat this with the chair layer and any other props you bring in. You could also experiment with the Lighting Effects Filter.
Many more tips and techniques can be found at the Adobe website. And see many examples of our clients’ work on our Facebook page.
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