In this week’s free Deke’s Techniques video, Deke uses Photoshop to turn a scan of the first Airmail stamp (valued at roughly $160) into an almost-million-dollar “inverted jenny.” Along the way, there’s a great deal to learn about intricate masking of fine detail (which is good, because knowing more about forging stamps is a questionable bit of skills development).

Before I get into detail about this technique, however, I have to show you the joy that arises when a Photoshop genius lets his inner philatelist-nerd out to play. Just look at the unapologetic grin on Deke’s face and the sparkle of delight in his eye:

Anyway, this actually useful technique involves masking the blue-inked airplane away from the red frame, and then, of course, turning it upside-down. But the real subtlety and ingenuity comes when Deke stacks layers made from a series of increasingly fine alpha channels, shown here in the Channels panel:

Deke then uses those alpha channels to imitate ink passes, thus allowing for the build-up of detail with each virtual “ink pass.”

If you’re a member of lynda.com, then you can watch the follow-up movie in which Deke shows you how to isolate the red-ink frame around the airplane and the perforations of the stamp. If you’re not a member, you can get a free 10-day trial by signing up at lynda.com/deke. And the sky’s the limit on other Deke’s Techniques (and other training videos in the lynda.com library) that you can watch with your trial subscription.