Help on flattening a multilayered image and keep the bevel look

C
Posted By
cameracop
May 19, 2005
Views
731
Replies
16
Status
Closed
I need help on flattening my image. I set my layer options (ie. bevels and drop shadows) and try to flatten the image. The image doesn’t look the same after. It is as if flattening takes away the shadows and depth of the image. What am I doing wrong?
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MV
Mathias_Vejerslev
May 19, 2005
Hi,

Are you sure you are viewing the image at 100% before/after? At any other magnification, the preview is just an estimate.
C
cameracop
May 19, 2005
The image view does not change.
C
cameracop
May 19, 2005
Is there a simple button I am not clicking to counter the effect?
MV
Mathias_Vejerslev
May 19, 2005
I wasn’t asking if it was changing. Only that you are viewing the image at 100%. This is important.
C
cameracop
May 19, 2005
No, the image is at 300dpi 8.5×11. I can’t see the whole thing at 100%.
MV
Mathias_Vejerslev
May 19, 2005
Select the zoom tool. Right-click the image and select ‘actual size’. Compare before/after flattening.
D
deebs
May 19, 2005
Hi cameracop

The thinking runs a little bit like this:

actual size = 100% which will probably overspill but and it is a great big B-U-T viewing at other than 100% either ditches pixels or invents them.

What? Do I hear you ask?

A rasterised image depends upon pixels – a 100 by 200 image has 20,000 pixels.

Viewing at 50% (eg 50 by 100 pixels) has 5,000 pixels that is some 15,000 less data than the original.

Now suppose you view at 200% (200 by 400 pixels) well that image has 80,000 which is 60,000 pixels more than in the original data.

Obviously something has to happen to make sure that the image has some fidelity that, IMHO, is zoom set to 100%

Does this make any sense?
C
Corey
May 19, 2005
Rather than flattening the PSD file, why don’t you "Save As…" another file type like a PNG or TIFF without layers. See how that looks. I always leave my layered files as layered files so I can edit them should I need to. Flattening is just so permanent.

Peadge 🙂

wrote in message
I need help on flattening my image. I set my layer options (ie. bevels and
drop shadows) and try to flatten the image. The image doesn’t look the same after. It is as if flattening takes away the shadows and depth of the image. What am I doing wrong?
C
cameracop
May 20, 2005
Thanks, that makes sense. I get it now. duhhh-huh
R
Rastamon
May 25, 2005
I am resurrecting this thread in the hope of resolving a similar problem. Whenever I use the "dissolve" option, and then flatten the layers, the result looks way different then before. When printed, it still looks way different. The little dots that spread outward become more tightly packed, and don’t look like a "splatter" any more. I hope this describes the problem, but if not, I can post an example tomorrow (I’m at work, and don’t have photoshop here).
MV
Mathias_Vejerslev
May 25, 2005
Rastamon,

So we can gather you are viewing the image at 100% before/after flattening, right?
R
Rastamon
May 25, 2005
Fairly sure, but will check this evening.
R
Rastamon
May 26, 2005
I have the examples to post now, but can’t remember the name of that site that so many people use to post photos. I have checked the Internet under "post photo" and "photo post", to no avail, and also did a search of the forums, and my bookmarks. Can somebody please remind me of the name?
LM
Lynch_Mike
May 26, 2005
One is <http://pixentral.com/>
be sure to size your images appropriately…
R
Rastamon
Jun 1, 2005
Mike Lynch, Thanks for the link to PixCentral. That is the one I was looking for. Strangely enough, your post doesn’t show up in my newsreader, but does show up on the Internet.

I am viewing them both using the "actual pixels"option. Here are the links:

Unflattened:
http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1omxNFQfQ3SZdnU7Et83gl butfuLWo

Flattened:
http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1uYcdMl0NZECNP6oapGDVr 6XmGHT
R
Rastamon
Jun 2, 2005
F-L-O-A-T.

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