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Photoshop Ghosting Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Technical Illustrations
Photoshop Tutorial - Ghosting TechniquesSubject: Acura NSX / 350 dpi @ 20 inches
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS CS2
Drawing Tablet: Wacom

A “Ghosted”, “Phantom View”, “Transparent”, or “See Through” technical illustration is one that renders the exterior skin of an object transparent in order to see the interior workings.
A Ghosted illustration will be slightly more time consuming and expensive to create than a Cutaway Illustration. Ghosting an object requires completion of the entire outside AND inside of the subject before the fading or “ghosting” process takes place. The decision to ghost or cutaway a subject is a stylistic one. Although more internal information may be visible in a cutaway version, a ghosted illustration will favor the exterior of the subject which may contain important components, body features, logos, etc.

Simply click on the word effects in the layer palette and drag it on top of any layer you wish to apply the current style to. If you have multiple effects applied to a shape but want to apply just a single style such as “Inner Glow” to another shape, simple click on that effect in the layer palette and drag in the same fashion.

For multiple layers, it is best to link the layers, control click to “copy layer style” and then choose “paste layer style to linked.”

Styles Palette & Variations
Keeping a good library of particular effects is very helpful in replicating an effect from a previous project into a new piece. For instance I keep a library of skin tones and light effects to help speed the process of making artwork in a particular style.

The sheer range of options in the layer styles palette means most effects can be simulated including water, fur, grass, glass and metal. A simple switch between layer styles and opacity settings can render an ambulance into a pimped-up van.