This brief tutorial shows how to prepare an image for use as a texture map by straightening its contents with the Puppet Warp tool in Photoshop.
The image we will use for this example is a fern photograph for the fern tutorial.
The reference fern
The image was cropped in Photoshop.
The cropped fern. The stalk is curved. We’ll correct this using the Puppet Warp tool
In order to use the Puppet Warp tool, we need the image to be on a Layer that is not the Background layer. Rename the background layer or copy it to another layer.
Select Edit>Puppet Warp.
Puppet warp edit active. Thumb tacks have been added to the stalk, and a horizontal guide has been also added.
Move the points to the horizontal guide.
The stalk is now horizontal
From here on, the process is the usual: Offset filter, rubber stamping as needed, etc.
The image was then converted into a Strata 3D texture and the final result is below.
Hope you find this little technique useful.
