CMD + T = Free Transform. Must Press Enter When Done

Common Shortcuts

CMD + J = Make a copy of the selection

CMD + T = Free transform. Must press enter when done.

CMD + DEL = Fills the layer with the background color.

CMD + New Layer icon = creates layer under the active layer.

CMD + D = de-selects

Low Polygonal Tutorial Easier way

Step 1: Open a photo of a subject that’s looking directly at you.

Step 2: Go to View and if rulers and snap are not selected, just click on them.

Step 3: Go back to view > show > grid.

Step 4: Go to edit > preferences > guides, grids and slices. In the grid section, choose lines and pixels. Make the gridline every 20 pixels with 1 for the subdivision. For the color of the grid, choose 50% grey. # 808080 or (HSB) Hue 0 Saturation 0 Brightness 50.

Step 5:Start with the eye. Press Z for the zoom tool and marquee over the eye.

Step 6: Open the polygonal tool and uncheck anti-alias in the options bar.

Step 7: The polygons will be triangular in shape and their sizes should correspond to areas of your image that have specific angles or consistent color and tonal values. Each time you click a corner of the grid because we have snap to grid checked.

Step 8: Make a triangle around the eye, go to filter > blue > Average. To start another polygon start by making a line parallel to the first triangle. Continue making triangles for one side of the face because it will be flipped.

Step 9: Make a small triangle in the darkest area of the eye and fill it white.

Step 10: Use the rectangular marquee tool to select half of the image.Press command + J to copy the selection to a new layer. Press command + T to transform the image. Place your cursor over the left side of the image. When you see the double sided arrow drag it across to the opposite end. Press enter or return.

Step 11: Click the adjust icon on the bottom of the layers panel and select levels. Do not press command + L. Scroll down.

Step 12: Click the clipping mask icon.

Now in your levels panel, drag the midtones to the right, to darken half the face.

Step 13: Hide the grid. You’re finished!

Low Polygonal Tutorial Hard way

Step 1: Open a photo of a subject that’s looking directly at you.

Step 2: Go to View and if rulers and snap are not selected, just click on them.

Step 3: Go back to view > show > grid.

Step 4: Go to edit > preferences > guides, grids and slices. In the grid section, choose lines and pixels. Make the gridline every 10 pixels with 1 for the subdivision. For the color of the grid, choose 50% grey. # 808080 or (HSB) Hue 0 Saturation 0 Brightness 50.

Step 5: Start with the eye. Press Z for the zoom tool and marquee (draw a rectangle) over the eye.

Step 6: Open the polygonal tool and uncheck anti-alias in the options bar.

Step 8: Start by making a triangle on the eyebrow. Make your selection. You can use the polygonal lasso tool to draw two sides of the triangle and then DOUBLE CLICK to close off the selection. Press CMD + J to make a copy of the selection on its own layer.

Step 9: Open the actions panel. (Menu bar > Window > Actions) Click the new action icon and name it “CREATE POLYGON”

Step 10: ONCE YOU hit that round record button it will start recording your actions on photoshop. ***Note*** You should already have a triangle shape selection.

Step 11: Begin recording and follow these actions:

Select the background layer

Press CMD + J to duplicate the selection on its own layer.

Name the layer polygon by double clicking the layer name.

Now press and hold CMD and click the polygon layer which will select the selection of this layer.

Go to filter > blur> average.

Press CMD + D to deselect

Stop recording.

Step 12: Double click the action you just made to open its options. Under function key you are going to set a shortcut key for each time you want to make a polygon. The MAC keyboard already uses some of the F buttons for other things like raising volume or brightness. Click on the apple and choose preferences and then choose keyboard. Check the “use all F keys as standard keys….” To temporarily disable those keys.

Step 13: Having made the action we can now delete all of the layers and begin again.

Drag a ruler and position it to the center of the face. Make sure to show the grid (CMD + H) and that you have snap to grid turned on. Begin covering the eyebrow and making smaller triangles for the eye.

Continue making polygons for the face.

You can now GROUP all these layers into one group by selecting them and hitting new group. Rename it face.

Once you have your grouped layers (face, ear, body) HIDE the background layer and then create solid color layer. Click the semi-circle at the bottom and choose solid color.

Step 14: To fix any mistakes or open spaces due to mismatched triangles, you can press and hold CMD and click on a polygon. This will automatically take you to the layer that the polygon is on and you can re-draw that polygon.

Step 15: Put all groups inside another group called LEFT SIDE. Duplicate the LEFT SIDE GROUP and rename it to right side. Select that group and set the anchor point in the options bar to the right middle. Press CMD + T , right click the selection and choose flip horizontal.

Step 16: Double click on the color fill layer to open up the layer styles or just right click and choose blending options.

Change the blend mode to screen.

Change the style from linear to radial.

Check the reverse box.

You can click on the canvas and drag to change the direction of the gradient.

Set the opacity to 20%.

Press Ok. Change the color if necessary.

Step 17: Choose any polygon and right click > blending options. Go to stroke. Change the color to white and the pixels to 2. Click ok.

Step 18: Right click on that layer and choose copy layer style. Click the button highlighted. Select all layers CMD + OPTION + A. Right click and PASTE LAYER STYLE. This should copy the stroke to all layers.

Step 19: You or the photo you picked should now be a low poly portrait. You can add different effects and paste them to all layers .