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Misty Cato Designs: Tutorial: Corner Folds


SUBJECT: Creating a corner fold from a background paper
LEVEL: Advanced
PROGRAM: PSCS2 and PSCS3 (does not work in PSE due to use of the warp function)

Start with two background papers on a single canvas. We will be 'folding' the top background paper to reveal a portion of the paper behind it. Click on the top paper in the layers palette to set it as the active layer.



Click on the Polygonal Lasso tool in your layers palette. The Polygonal Lasso Tool is housed with the Lasso Tool and the Magnetic Lasso Tool. Right click on whichever is showing and select the Polygonal Lasso Tool from the fly out menu.

Now create a triangular selection that will become the 'folded' part of your paper by clicking on your canvas to create each corner of the selection.



Go to Layer > New > Layer via Cut.



Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal.



Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical.



Click on the Burn Tool in the tools palette. The Burn Ttool looks like a hand in a partial fist. It is housed with the Dodge Tool and the Sponge Tool. Right click on whichever is showing and select the Burn Tool from the fly out menu.

Click on the small downward arrow in the 'Brush' area in the Options tool bar at the top of your work space. Select a round brush tip. Set the diameter to about 500px (smaller if you are doing a small corner fold and larger for a bigger fold). Slide the 'Hardness' slider to 0.

Set the Range to Highlights if your folded paper is white or very light, Shadows if it is very dark, otherwise use the Midtones setting. Set the Exposure to somewhere between 5-15% (you'll need to experiment based on your paper).

Click and drag along the folded edge of the paper to 'burn' or darken it, thus creating the illusion of a shadow. This takes a little practice. Also burn the tip of the folded down corner.



Click on the Dodge Tool in the tools palette. The Dodge Tool looks like cotton ball on the end of a stick. It is housed with the Burn Tool and the Sponge Tool. Right click on the Burn Tool and select the Dodge Tool from the fly out menu.

Set the brush diameter slightly larger than the diameter used for burning. Leave the Range setting as is and the Exposure somewhere between 5-15% (again you may need to experiment a bit).

Click and drag on the folded corner along a diagonal in between the two burned areas. The Dodge tool will lighten the paper to give it the illusion of being raised.

Continue to play with the Burn and Dodge tools as desired to create custom shadows and highlights.



Click on the 'fx' icon at the base of the layers palette and select 'Drop Shadow' from the fly out menu.



I used the following settings, but you may wish to adjust based on your background color and shadow style preferences.

Blend Mode: Multiply
Color: Black, #000000
Opacity: 75% (this will be adjusted later)
Distance: 2
Size: 13

Everything else left at default settings. Click 'OK'



Right Click on the 'fx' on the right side of the corner fold layer in the layers palette. Select 'Create Layer' from the menu.



Click on the newly created drop shadow layer in the layers palette. Select the Move Tool from the tools palette. Hover your cursor on the canvas just outside any of the bounding box corners until the cursor becomes a bent arrow, then click once. Now click on the warp icon in the options tool bar at the top of your work space. A grid should now appear over the shadow layer.



The warp grid contains 12 'handles'; one at each corner and two along each side. Click and drag one of the bottom side handles very slightly downward and inward. Repeat with the other bottom side handle. You can also play with the handles along the other straight edge of the folded corner as desired. Adding a slight curve to the shadow gives the illusion that the paper is arcing.

Click the check mark in the options palette when you are satisfied with your result. If the shadow appears too light or too dark, adjust the 'Fill' slider in the layers palette to correct.



Key Shift+Ctrl+G to clip the shadow layer to the top background paper. This assures the shadow does not show along the folded edge. We will be creating that shadow in the next step.



Click on the top background paper. Click on the 'fx' icon at the base of the layers palette and select 'Drop Shadow' from the fly out menu.

I used the setting shown in the screen shot below, but you'll want to adjust them darker if you bottom paper is darker. Click 'OK'.



Now your folded corner is complete. You can flatten the layers (Layer > Merge Visible) and use it as is, or leave it layered so you can tuck photos and elements 'under' the fold or between the folded paper and background paper.