In this week’s free Deke’s Techniques episode, Deke takes a delightfully narrative but not nearly threatening enough warning sign, and adds a sharp-toothed incentive to stay off the frigging cliffs.

The Cliffs of Moher on Ireland’s west coast receive something in the vicinity of one million visitors a year from all over the world. Thus, they need graphically narrative signs that warn people away from the friable edges. But, of course, intrepid photographers ignore those signs on occasion. And Deke, being one of those sign-scoffers decided to use the power of Photoshop to enhance the perceived danger portrayed in the sign. Like this:

Now, lest you think this is just Deke being Deke (which, it is, on so many levels; I can tell you, I climbed over more than one “No Trespassing” sign, written in English, during our visit to the Cliffs, in order to retrieve him and his fancy camera before they slid off the muddy edge).

But nonetheless, I will also tell you that this particular technique, whilst frivolous and cartoon shark-infested on the surface, nonetheless does a terrific job of showing how to create masks, manage paths, and master the Transform command options. If you follow along, you may just find yourself doing something actually useful with this knowledge down the line. And if not, you’re well set to create a humorous warning sign from your next set of vacation photos.

And for members of lynda.com, Deke’s got an exclusive episode this week as well, in which he shows you how to add that extra bit of texture to your shark (or whatever danger bonus you create) that really sells it as an original bit of sign. If you’re not a member of lynda.com, you can get a free week’s trial to check it out at lynda.com/deke.