Photoshop Dissolve Blend Mode

A closer look (and some actual uses!) for the often ignored Photoshop Dissolve Blend Mode.

First I use the dissolve blend mode to see if I can additively reconstruct the RGB color separations of an image.

Then I use the dissolve blend mode to more accurately control the percentages of an array of noise, so that I might assemble a Truchet tile-based random 'maze' pattern.

I found I was unable to use this process to simulate subtractive CMY color mixing.

For more information look here:

http://www.digitalartform.com/archives/2009/06/additive_color_3.html

Category:

Education

Tags:

• dissolve
• dissolve blend mode
• dissolve mode
• blend mode
• photoshop
• truchet tile
• additive color
• rgb color
• cmy
• cmy color
• subtractive color

[pelegtz]

I just love your videos:)

can you tell me how did you extracted the R, G and B version of the image (women) to work with in the first place? ( 0:13 )

[digitalArtform]

@pelegtz Thank you very much :) -- one way to get R G and B layers is to make three copies of the image and multiply the top layer by pure red (255 0 0) and merge down, then repeat with the middle layer and pure green, and the bottom layer and pure blue. There are other methods involving using the channels palette but one method preserves color management while the other bypasses it.

[wickedpictorials]

@digitalArtform so the thing is, i have no idea in how to turn the 2px mosaics into 1 pushpin. i lose the closest neighbor effect after aplying the indexed color mode. Any idea oh how to do this? The importance of getting this done is that i can use more pushpins into the cork board and hence get a image with more...lets say resolution.

im a basic photoshop user, so please be patient with me lol.

[wickedpictorials]

@digitalArtform thanks for ur reply. As far as im concerned you cant pull a 1px mosaic. The range is between 2 and 200px.

ill explain what im doing:

1. i get the Full brick offset mosaic (vertical direction). One level is offset, then mosaiced, then re-offset

2. so far i have 3 layers. to apply the indexed color method i have to flatten the visible layers.

and heres where the problem starts, by going with the indexed mode with the custom palette, all my 2px mosaics are gone, they turn into 4px

[digitalArtform]

@wickedpictorials If I understand correctly you may need to go through a very low resolution phase (1 pixel mosaic) and then blow up 20x using the 'nearest neighbor' choice so the image stays in flat color blocks.

Are you trying to ultimately use push-pins?

[wickedpictorials]

@digitalArtform hello there i found this video searching for the work of Eric Daigh. Ive tried the Distort Photoshop Filter Without Distorting Image successfully, but i cannot yet get the effect after applying the indexed color method since every mosaic (20px) turns into individual pixels..not sure if im making myself clear here but could you please elaborate on how to do it.

I would really appreciate it. Thanks

[gustavonarez]

@digitalArtform you're right about that! He changed in 2011... Hadn't notice it, I will try that too... altough I think it looks better in the normal vertical/horizontal... thanks for all the help, maybe I send you a photo of the finished work heh... cheers!

[gustavonarez]

@digitalArtform This works great! I have tried to use index color but hadn't worked... This time I resize the image first so it gave me aprox. 20,000 pixels, then I used the Index color as you said and I played with the Diffusion %... beacuse at 100% it looks very white, but between 30% and 55% it looks extremely well... even better than with andreamosaic! :D

[digitalArtform]

@gustavonarez One other thing - I notice that in 2011 the guy in your video, Eric Daigh, switched from regular rectangular horizontal and vertical arrays to 'hexagonal closest packing' or a half drop brick pattern. I explain how to do that on my website on a page titled 'Distort Photoshop Filter Without Distorting Image' - you basically pre-distort the image, then mosaic it into pins, then restore the image which has the effect of distorting the pin placement but not the image.

[digitalArtform]

@gustavonarez I have it exactly now. Use Image > Mode > Indexed Color. Use an 8 color custom palette. Let the 8 colors be black, white, red twice, yellow twice, and blue twice. (Photoshop does not seem to allow a 5 color custom palette so I fooled it in this way) - let the dither amount be 100% and check 'exact colors' box - I think. There you have it - all in Photoshop and very easily done.