How is this done? 1

[JFRobishow]

Hi,

I'm not an expert in photoshop and came around this image that was linked from a forum:

http://www.rudefun.com/funpages/images/ctrl-a.jpg

If you open it with IE hit ctrl+a to highlight it or just drag your move over it. Once highlighted it reveal a woman.

How is that done? I thought that highlight was only inverting colors sort of.

P.S. I'm sorry if this offended anyone, it was not my intention ... I am just curious as to how it's done and this is the only site that provide realiable answers from peoples that know what they are talking about.

 

[jegray]

I have no idea how it was done, but that is the coolest damn thing I have seen in a long time! I wish I knew!

Josh.

 

[blueark]

The theory is easy enough. When you highlight an image in IE, it doesn't invert it, but it overlays a blue dithered pattern over it. First pixel is blue, then transparent, then blue, etc. Next line is the same but shifted over one pixel. The image in the link basically has a low-contrast image that fits into those transparent pixels, and a high contrast image that fits into the blue pixels. When unselected, the high contrast image is more prominent, so you don't really see the other one.

To do this yourself, put the two images on separate layers, and create a layer mask on the top layer. Fill the mask with a black & white checkerboard pattern. Best way is create a 2x2 pixel image and zoom right in. Then color the top right and bottom left pixels, select all, Edit > Define pattern. Now go back to the layer mask in the original image and fill with that pattern. Good luck!

 

[ticke]

actually, if you look carefully, you can see the other image.

 

[dimoj]

Nice explanation Blueark, I'm star-i-fying you for that! Most interesting thing I've read in here for ages!

 

[blueark]

Thanks!