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“Getting Started
With Photoshop”
A Photoshop Introduction For Newbies
Hello and welcome to the “Getting Started With Photoshop”. This is a complete
beginner‟s guide on understanding the basics in Photoshop. Getting Started With
Photoshop as been set out into 10 parts. Each volume will guide you through the basics of
Photoshop starting at the beginning and slowly be working our way through to the more
advanced stuff… but don‟t worry it‟s all aimed at the total newbie.
So pull up a chair and relax, and get ready to take control of Photoshop the way it should
be.
Menu Bar:
The menu bar is the simplest of tools there is, the reason being you‟ll find this on
most other programs you‟ve used in the past. This can be found at the top of you
Photoshop window, and once clicked on this will then open up a variety of other
options and tools which can be used in Photoshop.
Options Bar:
The options bar again is a simple tool and can be found at top of your Photoshop
window, this sits underneath the menu bar, again once clicked on, and this will open
an array of different tools.
Toolbox:
The tool box is where all your day to day tools are and it sits on the left hand side of
your Photoshop window. It sits there by default. This is something you must play
around with and get familiar with as much as you can.
Palettes:
OK just what are palettes? These are on the left hand side of your workspace and are
called “panes”. Each of the individual panes hold information on the image or photo
that you‟re working with. The palettes can be dragged and dropped into different
location depending on what suits you best and each palette can be minimized too. You‟ll see
in this image below where each tool is found and how easily they are accessed. There are
short cuts for each of the following and I‟ll be covering these later on in the coaching
newsletter.
This might be going over you head a bit but don‟t worry everyone has to start from
somewhere.
Saving Your
Customized
Workspace
When you become more
familiar with Photoshop you‟ll
slowly find out which palettes
you use on a regular basis and
others that you hardly ever use.
The good thing with Photoshop
is it lets you save and load
different palettes for different
jobs.
Workspace Satisfaction
Your workspace needs to be clean and tidy so you know where everything is, so
having the correct menus, palettes and knowing your short cuts will help you
work more effectively.
Once you are happy with your workspace you then need to save it. Select Window
Workspace > Save Workspace. This can be found in the menu bar and you should
also give this a name. For example...Alter Images Workspace. Again this will help you
work more effectively with Photoshop. If you want to load your different workspaces
select Window > Workspace and then just select your workspace from the options it
gives you.
GIF
The GIF format has a maximum of 256 colours and should be used when you‟re
saving images which have large areas of the same colour. The best example here
would a logo from someone‟s business.
JPEG
The JPEG format is the most commonly used format of the three. This should be
used on images which have more than 256 colours and gradients in, the best
example here would be and image from a photography website. There is a
PNG
The PNG format is almost the same as the GIF format, and works best with logo
images, so what‟s the difference, PNG has the ability to support images which
have more transparency in coloured areas and also PNG will give you a better
image once the image has decreased in size. Photoshop gives you two methods when
saving an image in PNG – PNG-8 and PNG-24.
Te best part about layers is you can work on an individual layer with out disturbing the
rest.
Understanding Layers is really quite simple, and most times beginners get overwhelmed
by it. It‟s simple to master and once you‟ve master it which should take you no more than
30 minutes you‟ll wonder how you ever survived without it.
The example to the left shows you how layers actually work within
Photoshop.
Once you have opened and played around with layers you‟ll notice the
transparent part in any layer is shown with the chequered grid. This helps
the layers below to show through. To show and hide any layer within your
layer palette you just need to click on the eye icon.
A must when working with layers is making sure they are organized correctly into Groups.
This is simple, all you have to do is go to Layer > New > Group.
All layers whether they are grouped layers or non group layers are displayed in the same
way.
Expanding or collapsing layer groups is straight forward you just have to click on the
triangle to the left of the folder icon.
Shortcuts In Layers
To rename anyone of the layers you have just created all you have to do is
double-click on the layer name.
Duplicating a selected layer is very simple all you have to do is press Ctrl-J (Command-
J on a Mac). Or you can duplicate any layer by just dragging it while pressing the Alt
(Option) key.
Selecting multiple layers can be done by pressing down Ctrl (Command on a Mac)
then just click on the layer names.
Photoshop allows you to link layers together. This process can be done by pressing on
them while holding down Shift or Ctrl (Command on a Mac). Now that you have
selected all the layers that you want to link just click the link lLayers button at the bottom-
left of the layers palette.
If you‟re not happy with what you‟ve linked together no worries you can unlink your layers
just go to Layer > Unlink Layers. If you wish to just unlink one layer just click on the
layer you wish to remove and click its corresponding link icon, you‟ll also notice that the
other layers will stay linked.
You an also unlink a layer temporarily this is done by pressing, Shift and click on its
link icon (a red “X” will appear over the link icon).
Reactivate the link by holding down Shift and clicking the link icon again.
Layers can be rearranged, all you have to do is just drag and drop them above or below the
others layers. The shortcut for this is, “move down” shortcut Ctrl-[ (Command-[ on a
Mac) and the “move up” shortcut Ctrl-] (Command-]) to move selected layers up and
down. Shift-Ctrl-[ and Shift-Ctrl-] (Shift-Command-[ and Shift-Command-] on
a Mac) will bring layers to the very top or the very bottom of the stack.
Keyboard shortcuts for selecting a layer are Alt-[ and Alt-] (Option-[ and Option-]
on a Mac). You can also move the layers up and down in your palette.
Photoshop also allows you to merge layers together this is done by pressing Ctrl-E
(Command-E). You can only use this shortcut if you have the selected the layers which
you want to merge.
Selection Tools
When you are editing your images you can use the selection tool to edit your
image. The area which you have altered will only be affected with the selection
tool. Again to understand this in more detail you have to play around with the
settings.
Next you‟ll come across the Lasso tools (L). The Lasso Tool comes in three different forms:
Lasso Tool – Polygonal Lasso Tool and Magnetic Lasso Tool.
Brush Tool
The Brush Tool (B) can be used on almost anything in
Photoshop. It‟s very easy to use.
Pencil Tool
The Pencil Tool (B) can be used for most drawings
within Photoshop; it‟s used in the same way as the
brush tool.
Eraser Tool
The Eraser Tool (E) speaks for its self, it just removes pixels from your image.
When using the eraser tool it will give you three options, Brush, Block or Pencil
mode. Again this is trail and error when using it.
Paint Bucket
The Paint Bucket Tool (G) is what it say‟s it is. It‟s fills a select of your image with
the colour you have chosen. It‟s very easy to use the paint bucket tool, all you
have to do is click once in the area that you wish to fill, choose your colour and
click the area.
The two most common gradients used are; foreground-to-background gradient and
foreground-to-transparent gradient.
If you want to blend your foreground colour into the background colour then you need to
use - foreground-to-background gradient. If you looking for a transparent background
(fading out) then you need to use foreground-to-transparent.
Text Tool
The Text Tool (T), again it say‟s exactly what it does. The text tool is very simple
to use it just a case of finding the right text and then just start to type.
The cool thing with the text tool is that you can have your text in any shape or
size, whether it‟s curving or a zig zag pattern it doesn‟t matter, it will just follow your
command. You also can change the colour of your text, this can be done with the options
bar across the top.
If your after a quick shortcut to finish using the text toll use Ctrl-Enter (Command-
Return on a Mac).
Shape Tools
In Photoshop it‟s very easy to create
shapes, it‟s a very simple process, all
you have to do is select the icon and
then drag and drop it.
As A Path
basically this is very simple to understand, the shape you have made will be
created as a path in the paths palette.
As Filled Pixels
Again this is very easy to understand, your shape will be created on whichever
layer you have selected. So if you have created it one layer 2, then that‟s the layer.
Selecting Colors
Selecting colours for your background and foreground is very easy, all you have to do is
click on the appropriate tile and then select the colour your after. See the example to the
right.
This can be done by pressing on the following; hold down the Alt key (Option key on
a Mac) as you select colours using the eyedropper. If your Swatch palette is open, use the
Ctrl key instead (Command key for Mac users).
The other great feature with the eye drop tool, is that you can temporarily turn on the
following The Paint Brush, Pencil, Paint Bucket when you using this tool.
So what‟s the difference between making a selection and using quick mask?
Well nothing really. When you‟re ready to use quick mask you need to go into quick mask
mode (Q) then just select the tool you want to use. For example brush tool or painting tool
and then select the images you don‟t need.
2 – The next one might take a bit to get your head around it, but it‟s easier to colour in any
object using quick mask. If you spend 30 minutes playing around with quick mask you‟ll
soon learn how simple it becomes.
Photoshop also gives you the option of creating your own alpha channels, which is a very
useful tool. So if you have a background which you like, and you want to save it, just
Select > Save Selection. Make sure you give your selection a name and click OK. To
view your newly channel just enter your channels palette and you‟ll see your new selection
right at the bottom of the list.
Ctrl-Z (Command-Z on a Mac) lets you undo and redo the previous step.
IMAGE ADJUSTMENTS
No doubt you‟ll need to tweak things such as levels and colour values
on occasion. These shortcuts will take you to the heart of the Image >
Adjustments menu
Adjust Levels....[Ctrl]+[L]
Auto Levels....[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[L]
Auto Contrast....[Alt]+[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[L]
Auto Color....[Shift]+[ Ctrl]+[B]
Curves....[Ctrl]+[M]
Color Balance....[Ctrl]+[B]
Hue/Saturation....[Ctrl]+[U]
Desaturate....[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[U]
Invert....[Ctrl]+[I]
SUPER-FAST SELECTIONS
Copy, paste and modify selections more quickly to speed up your workflow
Constrain marquee....[Shift]+drag when first creating selection
Draw marquee from centre point....[Alt]+drag when first creating selection
Select All....[Ctrl]+[A]
Deselect....[Ctrl]+[D]
Add to existing marquee selection....[Shift]+drag
Subtract from existing marquee selection....[Alt]+drag
Hide marquee selection (but keep it active)....[Control]+[H]
Nudge empty marquee selection....Use arrow keys
Nudge empty marquee selection in larger increments....[Shift]+arrow keys
Copy and move selection....Select the Move Tool, hold down [Alt] and drag
Fade....[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[F]
Paste Into....[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[V]
FILE MANAGEMENT
Browse, open, close and save your files for a variety
of formats, all at the touch of a key – or three
New File....[Ctrl]+[N]
Open File....[Ctrl]+[O]
Open File Browser....[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[O]
Save....[Ctrl]+[S]
Close....[Ctrl]+[W]
Save As....[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[S]
Save for Web....[Alt]+[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[S]
Undo last action....[Ctrl]+[Z]
Step Forward....[Shift]+[Control]+[Z]
Step Backward....[Alt]+[Ctrl]+[Z]
Page Setup....[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[P]
Print....[Alt]+[Ctrl]+[P]
LAYER MANAGEMENT
Who needs to click icons or pull down menus
when layer control is just a shortcut away?
Show/hide Layers palette....Press [F7]
New Layer....[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[N]
New Layer (from copy of selected layer)....[Ctrl]+[J]
New Layer (cutting selection from existing layer)....[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[J]
Group with previous layer....[Ctrl]+[G]
Ungroup from previous layer....[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[G]
Merge Down....[Control]+[E]
Merge Visible Layers....[Shift]+[Control]+[E]
To hide non-selected layers....Press [Alt] and click on the layer‟s
show/hide Eye icon
To cycle between layers....[Alt]+[ [ ] and [Alt]+[ ] ]
To bring a layer in the layers palette forward....[Ctrl]+[ [ ]
To send a layer back....[Ctrl]+[ ] ]
To jump from the top to the bottom layer in the Layers palette....[Alt]+[Shift]+[ [ ]
To bring a layer to the top from any location....[Shift]+[Ctrl]+[ ] ]
There are two names we give external graphics which have been placed in Photoshop and
they are Raster layers or Smart Objects. They are not that important but you need to have
some form of understanding of them. Okay, lets get straight to it, how do we place these
graphics within Photoshop.
Once you have made your choice (Smart Object) Photoshop automatically place‟s a
bounding box around it. The bounding box helps you move, scale and rotate your object.
Once you have finished and you are happy all you need to done is double click in side the
bounding box and this will place your smart object to it‟s layer.
Raster layers or some times called (Regular Layers) is always fully editable. This means
you do basically anything you like to it within Photoshop. There are pros and cons to both
and by using them more you‟ll find what works best for you.
The great thing with smart layers is you don‟t lose the image quality if you're resizing
whereas with raster layers you do and you‟ll find your image become blurred.
As you can see on the image above Photoshop lets you alter your Image either in pixels or
inches. Plus Photoshop also allows you to alter the resolution for your image once you
have changed the size of it.
If you want to resize an image within your layer palette, all you have to do is just select the
images you wish to resize by using the selection tool. If you don‟t use this you‟ll end up
resizing them all.
Once you have made your selection buy using the following keys Edit > Free
Transform or press Ctrl-T (Command-T on a Mac). You‟ll then see a
Bounding box appear around you image.
This can then be dragged in or out by clicking your mouse on the handles at either corner.
You might find that your image will get misshaped and out of proportion and all you need
to do is hold down the Shift key and resize it by using the corner handles in all four
corners.
Once you have done that, you‟ll notice if you put your
mouse over the bounding box corners that a curved two
headed arrow appears and this gives you the option of
rotating your image to which ever angle you wish.
If you're looking for 15 degree movements all you need to do is hold the shift key down.
You can also put a specific rotation angle in, which is very helpful when you're adding
new images and this can be done through the text box in the options bar.
Once your happy with your placement of your new image just press enter or double-click
inside the bounding box to complete the transformation.
Diagonal Lines
Again using the brush or pencil tool just position your mouse where you want
your line to start from and just click once on your mouse, and then hold down
shift and find the spot on your document where you‟d like your line to finish and
Photoshop automatically fills in your diagonal line.
Okay you now need to select the direct selection tool, hold
down the shift key and drag it across to make your corner
straight. See image...
Okay now go and open your pen tool with a blank document. All you need to do is click
one point on the blank document, and then click your second point and then your third,
you‟ll see that you‟ll have created a triangle, to finish all you have to do is click enter and
that‟s it. How simple is that.
Now comes the tricky bit creating curves. Once you understand how to create the basic
curves there will be no stopping you. Okay lets start by clicking your blank work
document, next drag your mouse and you should now see two lines on your document.
On the line you have used created you‟ll see some little square boxes and these are known
in the Photoshop world as “handlebars” or “Bezier Control Handles”.
As you can see in the example above the handlebars determine the curvature of your path
on the line to make your curve.
1 - Start by selecting the pen tool and click once to create a point.
6 – Once you„re happy all you need to do is click once to close it.
Find your image and click OK. To use your new image
or shape just Select the Custom Shape Tool and to
see your image or shape just scroll the list.
To sample the colour of you image (If Opened In Photoshop) you need to select the
Eyedropper Tool, to grab the colour your after all you need to do is click on the image, this
then will select the fore ground colour for you.
If you have not managed to open your image within Photoshop, and you‟ve used paint, all
you need to do is resize both window i.e: Photoshop and your image so you can see both
on your screen, and just Select the Eyedropper Tool. Now click anywhere and drag
the eye drop tool to the image you need and click on it. This will set your foreground.
Colour Picker
Another great way to view your hexadecimal colour code is through the colour
picker. The codes are displayed within the boxes.
A really simple and very effective way of using the transparency layer effect is with the
move or crop tool when they are selected. All you need to do is change the number, and
then if by magic the opacity level will change, again you need to play around with this to
find out which settings you need.
First you need to create a layer mask, this must be the top layer and then you need to
apply the gradient tool. You can also use the brush tool. Both will give you a faded effect.
Sometimes you might just over do it a bit by hiding to much and a simple process of
getting this back is by painting them back, but this must be on a white layer mask.
If you go into your palette and click on the paths palette, then select Select Layer >
Vector Mask > Current Path. Photoshop automatically creates a vector mask which
will be the rounded rectangle you have just picked.
1 - If necessary, adjust the digital exposure compensation of your image so that the
highlights are not blown out. We are only boosting shadows, not averaging shadows and
highlights as we do with digital blending.
Look at an area in your image where there is an abrupt change between dark and light and
you will see an odd blurring side effect. Increasing the radius reduces this effect, but it
also changes the contrast of the image. Adjust Amount to get a reasonable looking image.
Don't worry if it's lacking in contrast a little.
You may need to reduce saturation slightly after this step since the contrast enhancement
gives the colours more "punch."
Before After
2 - Open the Brushes palette. Click on the small arrow in the top right-hand corner and
select Square Brushes. This then will give you two options; replace or append. I nearly
always click append and add a default brush. Then just click okay.
3 - Next you need to choose the brush which you are going to use and you need to make
sure the brush you have selected is the correct length for the dotted lines you need. It
doesn‟t really matter, because you can always adjust the diameter with the slider bar. If
you find that the brush you have chosen isn‟t correct, you can quash it. To do that you‟ll
need to click on the circle in the dialogue box and drag it one way or the other.
4 – Once this is done you then need to click on the scattering check box and set the
scattering to 0%
5 – Okay let's start to draw your box. The first thing you need to do here is find the colour
you need and you‟ll find that most coupon boxes are coloured in black. To do this you
need to create a new layer and at the same time hold down your shift key and drag across
your blank document to draw your first horizontal line.
6 - Your next steps here are to finish off your box. Next you need to draw a vertical line
and you can do this by rotating the axis by 90 degrees. You can do this in the brushes
palette.
7 – Just keep following the step above until you have your dotted coupon box
See the image above for your coupon offer box.
Once you‟re happy with your drop shadow just press OK and that‟s it.
Play with the opacity, angle, distance, and other settings in the Layer Style dialogue box
until you‟re happy with the effect. Note that the value for Angle will affect all drop
shadows in your document, so that the light source is consistent across your entire image.
You‟ll also find that with some images you save will have smooth crisp edges and this is a
result of anti-aliasing.
If you was to place this image on a coloured background you would need to click on
custom matte colour. If you don‟t, sometimes you‟ll end up with this “colour halo” around
your image. Your finished image should look something like this.
1 - Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the top section of the image;
make sure you include the base of the bridge. Copy and paste it into a new layer. Go to
Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical to create an upside-down version of the bridge.
2 - Select the flipped reflection layer, and to give the reflection a sense of
Custom Shapes
First thing you need to do is create a new Photoshop document and you then
have two options... either create your own or use the default shapes which
Photoshop gives you by using the Custom Shape Tool (U). You must then put
each shape into it‟s own layer and this allows you to manoeuvre it around later on if you
wish.
Okay once this is done, and you are happy, hold down
Shift and click on each shape‟s layer in the Layers
palette. You need to select them all. Right-click
(hold Ctrl and click on a Mac)... after this you
then need to select one of the layers and choose
duplicate layers found in the menu which will appear.
I know this is a bit long winded, but it will help you if you have to revert back later on.
Now if you were to use your own images which you fancy for your background, you would
have to do it the following way because if you
didn‟t you‟d find gaps between your images.
Simple as that and always make sure you save it once you're happy, and there you have
the tiled background for your website.
Below you see a great example of a water fall which has been repeated on it‟s web page.
Must admit this can look really effective when used right.
In the example above you can see we have used oranges for our tile. If you decided to do a
tiled background you must always make sure that what ever you‟re trying to blend in,
blends in with the simplest of ease. As you can also see from the image above only a
selection has been used to tile.
One thing to keep in mind when you‟re doing this is make sure the perspective of your
image is correct, because if it‟s larger at the front or back, then it‟s not going to work.
The next step is very important... you must always create a new layer and you can name it
anything you like, but I suggest you name it something like “your first clone”. The next
step is to choose a brush and this can be found in your options bar on the left hand side
and paint your new layer. You‟ll see once you begin to paint a cross-hair and this will
move in your original image. This is just to show you where you are cloning from.
You may find from time to time after you have been cloning that you‟ll want to switch to
the Move Tool (V), as you„ll need to very carefully line up your cloned patch with the offset
layer beneath it.
Your next process after doing all that is to add another layer mask to your clone layer and
this is done by clicking on “Add layer mask” button which can be find at the bottom of the
Layers palette.
You‟ll also need to set your foreground colours to black. Next grab a brush; I would
normally go with a soft-edged brush and just paint around your clone section, and this
will help it blend into your background.
Nearly there and the next step is to create another layer from within your tile image.
Select the Clone Tool (S). Holding down Alt (Option)... now just click in your
original photo image as we are now going to set up another source point. The reason being
is because we are going to clone more areas into your new layer on your tile image. After
you have done all this you need to add another new mask layer.
All we are doing here is just repeating the process so after a while it will all blend in. There
may also come times when you need to shuffle your layers around so they all fit nice and
neat. I know you might be thinking this is hard, but after a few goes you‟ll soon get the
hang of it.
Horizontally-striped Background
The first thing we need to do here is create a new document. I know this might
seem a little bit strange and weird as we are only creating a pixel which is just 1
pixel wide by 2 pixel high. You can alter the height if you like as it determines the
spacing between each stripe and once you‟ve done a few examples you‟ll see what I mean.
For my example I‟ll be sticking to the very basics, which is 1 pixel by 2 pixels. You now
need to select the Pencil Tool (B)... after that you need to select your foreground
colour for your strip and I suggest you play around with your colours at first to find out
which one will work best for you. On your new layer, you will need to draw a dot near the
bottom of the canvas and at times it‟s best to zoom in at this point just to see a close up of
what you're doing.
Your next and final step is to hide your background layer and this is done by clicking on
the eye icon in your layers palette. Select File > Save for Web. That‟s it now once you
have saved your image and it‟s ready to use for your background.
Once you have mastered the basics of your first horizontal strip, try making some bigger
or even making some in funny shapes.
Vertically-striped Background
To be honest creating a vertically striped background is just the same as creating
a horizontally striped background, but with one difference. All you need to do is
make sure your new document is 1 pixel by 1 pixel or 2 pixel‟s by 2 pixel‟s, I think
you get my drift, and just draw your dot on the vertical edge.
Diagonally-striped Background
Again like above, hide your background layer and this is done by clicking on the eye icon
in your layers palette. Select File > Save for Web. That‟s it now when you have saved
your image and it‟s ready to use for your background.
Let‟s start off by creating a new document. We are going to be using the Pencil Tool (B)
and selecting the colour for your background. Okay, create a new layer and select
background colour and then save. The next step is to create your pattern and always make
sure you change the colour so you can see what you're doing. See image below for my
pattern.
Once that‟s done and you're ready to move on to the next stage just save your image... but
you must “Save this > Save for Web”. Below you‟ll see what it will look like once it‟s
been repeated for your web page.
All you need to do here is create a new document within Photoshop. For horizontal
gradient you‟re going to have to have a small width and larger height. For the Vertical
gradient you‟re going to do it the opposite way.
After that all you need to do then is repeat your image for your web page. You will find
that sometimes your image doesn‟t fit, but don‟t worry as you always have the crop at your
finger tips.
If you look at the image below, the background has been gradient filled and also an image
has been added.
Here are some really cool gradient backgrounds and as you can see with the correct
gradient background in, you can really make a picture look cool.
Now you need to select Filter > Blur > Motion Blur. I normally set the Angle to 0 and
adjust the distance bar until I‟m happy, but it‟s best if you play around with this. The
image below was set to 120 pixels.
You may find out that your image may have some form
discrepancy between the centre and all you need to do here is
just crop it until you feel happy about it. See image below.
Now you need to duplicate the layer in your layers palette and
to do this you need to use the following...Ctrl-J (Command-
J on a Mac) then apply the Offset filter to your duplicated
layer.
For your next step you need to click on the Add layer mask
button which can be found at the bottom of the Layers palette and the reason you're doing
this is because it adds a layer mask to the offset layer.
Next, I‟m going to show you three more great examples of how
to make backgrounds for your web page. Starting with Granite,
Wood-grain effect, and Textured Stone
Granite Background
Let's start off by filling in your background layer. I
would suggest you use a grey colour, then Select
Filter > Noise > Add Noise...you will need to bring
up the noise dialogue box. See image to right. The next step here
would be to set your amount to roughly 50% and again you‟ll
need to play around with this. After that make sure the
Monochromatic option is checked.
The next step you need to select Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur... here you‟ll have to
set a Radius of .5 pixels in the dialogue box.
Now select Edit > Fade Gaussian Blur or press Shift-Ctrl-F (Shift-Command-F
on a Mac). The next step is very important, because if it‟s not done in the correct order it
will not work. Bring up the fade dialogue box and fade your effect to the percentage you're
after. With bringing up the fade dialogue box first, it allows you to blur your effect.
Your next step is to apply the Offset filter (you should have remembered this from the
tiling example earlier on). If you find it‟s got some faint edges, just use your clone stamp
tool to clone your areas and don‟t forget you can zoom in if you like.
Wood-Grain Background
Next we are to have a look at making a wood-grain background and it‟s very
similar to our last example (Granite Background).
Okay we need to fill your background layer with the colour you want for your wood. Next
we are going to add the noise filter like we did above. Select Filter > Noise > Add
Noise. Again the dialogue box appears and set your amount to the percentage you like
and make sure the Monochromatic option is checked.
Once you have done this you‟ll need to bring up the Motion Blur dialogue box by
selecting Filter > Blur > Motion Blur. As you can see from the image below I have
set my alterations to Angle -77 and the distance is 73 Pixels. I would suggest you set yours
to about... Angle to 0° and the Distance 73 pixels. Again you need to play around with this
to get the effect you‟re looking for.
By doing this it will help the colours of your wood grain look brighter.
For your next step you need to select Image > Adjustments > Levels or press Ctrl-
L (Command-L).
What we are looking for here is to adjust the contrast by sliding the sliders. Again you‟ll
need to play around with this to find what works for you. Once this has been done and
you're happy we are then going to apply the liquefy filter. To do this you need to select
Filter > Liquefy. I find this tool to be a real gem because of some of the effects you can
create with it.
As you can see from the image below the Liquefy filter dialogue has a lot to offer you. It‟s
worth spending an hour just playing around and finding out what each option gives you.
To get the wood-grain effect we are going to use three tools; Forward Warp, Turbulence
and Clockwise Twirl. Like I said the best thing here is to just play around and experiment
with it until you get the correct texture you‟re looking for.
You now need to duplicate your layer and then apply the offset filter. Once you have done
that, then apply a layer mask to the offset layer. You‟ll need to blend in your seams by
using the Brush Tool (B) and I would select a soft-edged brush for doing this.
You‟re nearly done and all you have to do is save this > Save For Web, and that‟s it.
Your next step is to open your Channels palette. You need to do this because you‟ll be
creating a new channel button and I would call this Alpha 1. Next select Filter >
Render > Difference Clouds.
You need to intensify your clouds and to do that just press Ctrl-F (Command-F) to
repeat the last filter command. Keep pressing Ctrl-F (Command-F) down until you're
happy with your cloud. What we are looking for here is to have the light proportions
almost equal. Like I keep saying you‟ll have to play around with the settings until you feel
happy with them.
If you would like to test your view just select the Layers palette and click on the clouds
layer. Select Filter > Render > Lighting Effects and then apply the following settings:
Next we apply the offset filter, as explained in the last two examples and If need be, you
can use the clone stamp tool if you are not happy to just tidy it up. That‟s it all done.
First of all, we have to create a new completely black image. We are going to apply our
filters on this black background. Select Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Set this noise to a
value of 400 and check the Gaussian and Monochromatic boxes. The more noise you add
to the image, the denser the fabric weft will be. Select Filter > Blur > Motion blur.
Give this blur an Angle of 0 and a Distance of 50. Apply a second Motion blur and this
time with an angle of 90 degrees.
It is this double use of the Motion blur filter with two different angles that creates our
weave pattern.
We have now created the basis of our texture, but the fabric weft is not yet visible. Two
new filters will put that right. Select Filter > Stylize > Emboss. Give this filter an
angle of 135 degrees, a height of 3 and an amount of 500.
Move the black and white triangles along the levels line until you obtain a realistic-looking
texture. This adjustment of the levels completes the effect by increasing the contrast of the
weave pattern so that each thread is defined more clearly. In this case, we have used Input
levels of 85, 1 and 170.
Now we have the fabric background made, our next step is to make the stone background,
like we did in the last example although I‟ll quickly go over it again here.
Start by creating a new image and colour it black. The next step is to apply the filters.
Select Filter > Render > Clouds. Then Select Filter > Render > Difference
Clouds.
Open the photo that you want to apply the texture on.
First you need open your image, photo or blank page. Then Select the Text Tool (T)
from the toolbar on the right hand side. Next you have to click once in your image, photo
or blank page.
You‟ll then see a flashing text cursor and by default Photoshop creates a new layer. You‟ll
see this if you look at your palettes on the left hand side and now just start to type.
When you have finished just click enter and you should have also noticed that the text you
have just written also appears by default in the text name on the layer. If you want to
change this just double click that layer.
Remember everyone makes spelling mistakes or types something in they don‟t like, so if
you want to get rid of your typing just exit the Text Tool by pressing the Esc Key.
First you‟ll need to highlight the text you're altering. Next you need to open the Character
Palette by clicking on the Toggle Character Palette Button in the options bar at the
top and you‟ll find this on the far right at the top.
You can also type in your own character value and all you
need to do is click on the white box which has the value in
it. Backspace that value and then enter your own, but you
must make sure you put “pt” at the end.
Another really cool effect in Photoshop text is altering the Kerning and again you can alter
this in Character Palette. So I„ll run through a few of these for you.
All you need to do here is place your cursor between the two letters you want to space and
then alter your kerning value till you‟re happy. As you can see in the image blow I have
altered the spacing between W and A.
Once you're happy with your Style you can then start to play around with the other three
options.
Okay first you need to grab your image that you‟re going to warp and like I said a nice
coffee mug would be nice. Now open your image or photo you have and place it in a new
layer. Next you‟ll have to select the Text Tool and write your text over the coffee mug.
Now in the other options I have Bent set around 22%, I leave Horizontal set at 0 and I
set Vertical around 0%.
All you need to do is highlight your text Select the Text Tool (T) and then in the
options bar at the top you„ll see a drop-down menu, which allows you to set the anti-
aliasing method you need.
The tools we‟ll being using for this are;- The Pen Tool (P) or the Shape Tool (U) to
create your path. One quick reminder here is if you‟re using the Shape Tool it won‟t work
if you‟ve got the Fill pixels option selected.
Next you need to Select the Text Tool (T) and move the cursor over the path until it
changes to an I-beam with a curved baseline and you can see this in the image below.
Now all you need to do is click it once and type your text and by default your text follows
your line. Check out the image below and you‟ll see the text following a curved path.
If you want to flip your text on the path you need to use the Direct Selection Tool (A).
All you need to do here is position your cursor near the beginning of the text. Next you‟ll
notice that it changes into an I-beam with a small black arrow. All you have to do now is
move the text by clicking and dragging the cursor along the curve, then just flip the text by
dragging the cursor downwards.
Photoshop also allows you to create circle text as shown in the image below. This is very
easy to do and to do this you use the Direct Selection Tool (A) and this alters the
shape of the path. Next you need to make sure that the text layer is selected in the Layers
palette on the left.
Next you need to open the Layer Style dialog box and to do this just click on the Add a
Layer style button at the bottom of the Layers palette. Then you need to select Stroke
and you‟ll find this in the drop down menu. You‟ll have to modify the stroke options until
Again you‟ll have to experiment with the settings in the dialog box to create the glow effect
you‟re looking for. But as you can see from the image below the outcome can be amazing.
First you‟ll need to create a blank image and fill the background with black. A great
shortcut here to flip your colours is by Pressing X on the keyboard. Once you have done
this you need to select the Type Tool and then just type in what you like as you can see
from the image below and then just press Enter.
A great tip and time saver here is make sure your text is exactly how you want it, because
if you change your mind you‟ll have to start over with another copy of your dynamic text
layer.
If you need to center your text in your image just use Ctrl+A > Ctrl+X > Ctrl+V. Next
press Ctrl+E and this will merge your text layer into the black background layer which
you made. You have to do this because we are going to use the Wind Filter
For your next step Select Filter > Stylize > Wind and apply the setting "Wind" and
"from the left". Now press Ctrl+F to apply the same filter over again for the second time.
Now we need to use another Filter > Stylize > Wind, but this time we are going “from
the right” and then just press Ctrl+F to re-apply, just like before. See Image below.
For our next step we need to repeat the process but this time we need to do it for the top
and bottom. If you're trying to find a top to bottom option, well there isn‟t one. All we do
here is rotate your image around 90 degrees and apply the settings like we did above.
Then just straighten your text and image so it reads correctly
Now we need to apply the following Select > Apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. I
would put a value of around 2 in, then Filter > Distort > Ripple with the default values.
I would suggest you choose a Black Body Table as this seems to work best when you‟re
doing a “Fire Effect Text”.
You‟ll see your text is now engulfed with flames, but it‟s very hard to read. Now what we
need to do next is unhide the layer which I told you to make a copy of at the beginning,
which was your original text layer. Now drag it to the top in your Layers Palette and you‟ll
now see you can read your text. See image below.
Next you are going to duplicate that layer and to do this just right click and duplicate layer.
Now we need to select a new channel and then you need to Gaussian Blur it. I would
Next you need to Invert Selection, so just Select > Inverse and hit delete. The reason we
have done this is because we need to cut off any excess blur outside your original text area
and you‟ll also notice that your text is looking like something in 3D.
Next you have to go to the Layers Pallet. Then you need to click on the Background layer
and make a new layer. We now need to fill the new layer in with a dark colour and as you
can see from the image below they have used Navy Blue. Again you can play around in
here until you find something you like.
Now for the really cool part for this 3D text tutorial. You need to go to Filter > Render >
Lighting Effects. Here you need to switch texture channel to "Alpha Channel 2 (or #5).
Light type "Spot Light".
Just one more task and you‟re done. You now need to
Select > Load Selection and choose Alpha1 or
Alpha4 and click okay. Then Invert Selection and hit
delete. Deselect, Select>Deselect.
The first thing you need to do is select your Paint Bucket tool
and fill the background layer with black. Next you need to select
your Type tool and type the text you want. If you‟re happy, load
your selection from the text layer and then create a new channel
and fill the selection with white, by using the Paint Bucket tool.
You must keep the select active like the image above and then Select Dust & Scratches
filter > Filter > Noise > Dust & Scratches. I like to keep the radius value around 2 or
3 for this type of job. See image to the right.
Next you need keep the selection active and duplicate your
current channel. Next apply the following setting Select >
Filter > Brush Strokes. Your next step now is to invert the
selected area and the shortcut key for this is Ctrl+I.
Now you need to load the selection from your first channel and next create new layer and
finally Select > Reflected Gradient Tool.
The settings we now need are;- Set your foreground to white and middle grey and
R: 153; G: 153; B: 153; HEX: 999999; as background colour. Now create a gradient, to get
the best effect. I have found it is best to start in the middle of your text and then make
your way to the top. Again experiment with this to find the best result for you.
Apply Noise filter Select >Filter > Noise > Add Noise
Apply Grain filter Select >Filter > Texture > Grain
Apply Noise filter Select >Filter > Noise > Add Noise
Nearly there and now you need to load your selection from the second channel and create
a new layer. I have found that the following settings work best. Apply the following;- Set
R: 140; G: 102; B: 54; HEX: 8C6636; as foreground colour and then make sure you fill the
selection with your Paint Bucket tool.
Last step. Now just select the following setting, Inner Glow layer effect, Select > Layer >
Effects > Inner Glow and make sure you apply it to the created layer. Now just apply
the same colour as in the previous step, R: 140; G: 102; B: 54; HEX: 8C6636. See image
to the right for end result. Don't you just love this type of design?
You‟ll have noticed a new layer was created and now we need to duplicate that layer...
Layer > Duplicate Layer and then we need to render it... Layer > Type > Render
Layer or Layer > Rasterize > Type. Next you need to go to Edit > Transform >
Scale and drag down the middle
Next you need to go to Filter > Distort > Ripple, and within your options you need to
set the Amount to 100 and Size to Medium. If you‟re happy with this, then you need to
reduce the layers opacity. You‟ll have to play around with the settings, but I like it to be
around 45% .
After that, you now need to go to Edit > Transform > Perspective, and here you‟ll see
some nodes so just drag one of the nodes in the lower corner to flair out the rippled text.
See image below. When you do this it gives the effect of your text reflecting in its surface.
I would always recommend you try to use a light background and make the text black with
the Gaussian Blur, as this way you create a long shadow effect.
Next step is to Select > Layer > Layer style > Drop shadow. You can also double
click on your type layer on the layers palette to the right. You‟ll see a layer style flyout box
and here you can just use the values for the drop shadow.
Now you need to select the Inner Shadow and select your values and then you need to
select the Inner Glow and select your values. Finally select Bevel and Emboss and select
the values. You‟ll have to play around with your values to find the right effect for your
chrome effect design.
Okay we now need to select your Gradient Overlay box, if you use the setting in the image
below you should be fine. Now you need to select the Stroke area and select your values.
For the last bit, we need to group all our effects together and this is a very simple step.
First you need to create a new layer and make sure your text layer is selected and Select >
Layer > Rasterize > Type. Your next step now is to link the type layer and the new
transparent layer and merge the two of them together.
We now need to click on our type layer and add a new fresh drop shadow to our text and it
won't mess any of our old settings up any more. You will end up with something like you
see in the image below.
Okay let's get started and first you need to create a new image. It‟s up to you how big you
make your image, but I like it to be around 450 x 450 pixels.
Now you need to hold down your Ctrl key and click on a layer you want this effect to be
applied to. You‟ll notice that the layers opacity has been selected. Now you need to apply
the Quick Mask Mode and select all. The shortcut key is Ctrl+A.
Now Select > Edit > Transform > Rotate 90o CW
Then Select > Filter > Stylize > Wind. Press OK. If you
want the rust dripping farther down, press Ctrl+F to repeat the Wind filter.
Now Select > Edit > Transform > Rotate 90o CCW
You now need to exit the Quick Mask Modeand the shortcut key
for this is Esc. Next you need to click on the layer which is right
under your text, which will be the object you're applying the
drips to. Now you need to create a new layer and select a rust
colour for your foreground colour. Then just fill in the selection.
See image to the right for the final outcome.
Next Select > Type Tool and fill nearly all of your
Image in and I would also suggest you use a typeface
with thick smooth edges. See image below.
Now you need to hold down your Ctrl key and click on
the Type layer, which you‟ll find in the windows palette
and select its transparency.
A good tip here is to make sure your height map looks good,
because this really is the key to your final outcome.
Okay that‟s that bit out of the way. Now we need to create a
new image Ctrl+N and make it the same size as before and
then copy and paste this to your blurred channel from your
last step. Save this image, but give it
a different name to before, and again save it as a .psd.
Your next step here is to find an image you like, because you
are going to use this for the background effect.
Now select that layer and select all and the Select > Filter > Distort > Glass.
Once opened you can see you are given some settings.
See image to the right.
There is also an invert options and this and will create a great effect. I suggest you do play
around with the settings and find what works best for you.
What you‟re looking for here is a little icon with two intersecting circles. It replaces your
cursor and then just click.
Only a few more steps and we're done, so next you need to
hold down your Ctrl key and click the layer which is your
transparency layer and create a new layer above it.
Make sure your new layer is selected and then Select >
Filter > Render > Lighting Effects.
Next is to set your texture channels and we need the bump map which we created earlier.
I would go for Alpha1, and play around to find what works best for you.
This next and final step is to set your Channel height to around 100 'Mountainous'.
See image below for final outcome.
Now you need to use your Type Mask Tool and type a letter or letters that you are looking
for. Next Select > Edit > Copy and copy that layer and now edit and paste. You are
looking for a new layer with the letter or letters cut out of the texture.
Next Select > Layer > Effects > Inner Shadow. I have found that using the default
setting normally works fine, but again play around with the settings in there. Once you‟re
happy click OK.
For the next step we need to distinguish your letter or letters from the background and to
do this we need to Select > Image > Adjust > Brightness/Contrast. Again I have
found the best settings here are Brightness 50 and Contrast 50.
I have found using the Brightness and Contrast tool enables us to preview our cutout
effect in real-time which is really cool. Once you‟re happy just click OK. See image below
for final outcome.
Volume 4 Summary
In this chapter, I‟ve tried to cover a basic understanding of how text works. We have
learned text paths, curved text, coloured text, word wrapping text, altering your text styles
and I‟ve also shown you how to produce more effective text which you can use for banners,
logos and headers for your photos or images.
So don‟t go throwing these away any more because with a few clicks in Photoshop you can
make this that perfect picture that you had in mind. So first things first.
You need to open your picture up and then click on the Create new fill or adjustment
layer button. This is found at the bottom of your layers palette and then choose levels
from the menu.
Once you see the levels dialog box, you‟ll see a slider
bar, so just click and drag the levels either to the
right or to the left. You‟ll notice that your picture
will either go darker or become lighter and give you
a much more crisp finish, which is what we are after.
If you look at the image on the left you‟ll see in the layers
palette that I have added a special layer. This way I‟m
keeping the original picture untouched and this way if you decide you don‟t like what you
have adjusted in your picture you can just hide that adjustment layer. To do that you just
need to click on the eye icon.
I would recommend using this method all the time because it keeps your original picture
intact. You must also remember that “The adjustment layer affects all the layers beneath
it”. Once you start using this method you‟ll also notice that it can become a little tricky if
you need to add a new image to a specific layer. When I do this I always add a new layer
mask to my adjustment layer.
Something to remember when you are using the adjustment layer is that the shape of the
histogram itself won‟t change; but if and when you apply the levels command, the
histogram is altered to reflect the remapped tonal values and this will then change your
picture permanently. But remember if you're not happy you always have the undo button.
If you have a picture like this you‟ll notice that by altering your level adjuster you can
either make it brighter or darker. What you need to do next is have more control on the
mid tones and to do this we can adjust the curves. There are two ways you can do this;-
either a Curves adjustment layer or the Curves command.
So let's start, so click on your Create new fill or adjustment layer button which you‟ll find
at the bottom of your layers palette and next select Curves. See image below.
Once you have clicked on Curves, a new dialog box will appear. See image to the right. The
first thing you‟ll notice is the line which goes from top right to bottom left. To alter your
mid tones on your picture we need to alter this line.
Understanding Curves
Understanding curves is very simple. You have a horizontal axis and a vertical
axis. The horizontal axis represents the input levels and this is the original colour
of your picture. The vertical axis is your output levels. You‟ll see when you first
open your curves dialog box that you have a straight line, so to alter your mid tones in
your picture you have to alter that line. The more you make it into an S-shape the more
darker it becomes.
You‟ll also notice you can edit your colour range so to do that just click on the drop down
box and you‟ll see all the different options available. Once you're happy just click OK.
In the two pictures below you‟ll notice that the one on the right has had its Saturation
altered. As you can also see the colours have become more vivid
You will find that with some photos the unnatural colouring is more obvious, but if you try
the method above you‟ll notice that the outcome of your photo isn‟t crisp enough. If this is
the case then you need to use the curves adjustment layer.
First you need to open your image then select and set the gray layer to Overlay mode. Next
create a new layer on top of your image layer. Next we need to fill the new layer in and to
do this you need to Select Edit > Fill. You‟ll then see a dialog box, so select around 50%
Gray from your first drop down menu and then you need to set your Opacity to 100%.
Next set the blend mode of this layer to Overlay and this is done by selecting it from the
drop down menu which is at the top of your layers palette.
Now just select your Burn Tool (O), and choose your brush. I normally choose the soft-
edged brush, then just use it to paint over the areas you want to darken. You must
remember that you only need to paint over the filled gray layer and not the image layer.
Sometimes you will need to alter the size of your brush, but in most cases like the image
below I would use a brush around 90px.
I have found when I‟m using this technique that some areas like the very bright ones are
harder to darken. The way I get round this is to change the Blend mode to a more Linear
light or a Vivid light.
First you need to open up your image and then we need to desaturate it. To do this we
need to Select the following > Image > Adjustments > Desaturate, and click. Next we
need greyscale the image and to do this we need to Select >Image > Mode > Grayscale,
and click.
This is the quickest way to change colour to black and white but you might find out your
image might look a little bland. So my next step would be to use Lab colour and the reason
I use this is to sharpen my image up. You can find Lab Colour by Selecting the following >
Image > Mode > Lab Colour. See image below.
As a beginner you‟ll notice when you start experimenting around with Photoshop that you
will start altering images which are more complicated, with different effects.
Something you might want to play around with is the channel mixer and I personally
think this is a really cool tool. First you need to Select your Image > Adjustments >
Channel Mixer, see image below.
Once you have done this you‟ll notice a flyout dialog box with 3 channels in it. The
channel colours are red, green and blue. If you want to play around with a black and white
photo you‟ll need to click in the monochrome box, as this way by default Photoshop
automatically sets your red channel to 100 and green and blue to zero.
The three diagrams below show their 100% respective colour. The one on the left is Red,
the middle one is Green and the one on the right is Blue. You‟ll also notice that different
images which your going to play around with will give you different results all the time,
because of the colour which is already in the image.
Okay the first step here is to open your image, as you can
see we have a bull mastiff in this image. Next you need to
select > Image> Adjustments> Desaturate.
Once you have done this you‟ll see a new dialog box,
where you need to enter the following settings:
Filter: Sepia
Density: 50% (or experiment)
Preserve Luminosity: Selected. - Then if you're happy
just click OK.
Next we need to convert to grayscale and apply a duotone. This is a simple step and the
reason we are doing this is so you will have more control over your results.
First open your original image and select > Image > Mode > Grayscale. You‟ll now see
a dialog box appear which will say “Discard colour information?” The answer we are
looking for here is “YES”, then click OK.
Your next step is to create your Sepia effect and to do that we need to do the following.
Select > Image> Mode> Duotone. You‟ll now see your duotone dialog box and make
sure you Type: Duotone is selected…
Only a few more steps and we are there. Next you need to pick yourself two different inks
and the most common one used is EB8B23. So just add that code into your blank box,
you‟ll also have to name your ink, so lets name this SepiaInk1. Now for your second Ink
you need to enter 000000 and name this SepiaInk2.
Then just click OK.
Now for the final step, go back to RGB mode and Select
Image> Mode> RGB Colour. Next you need to play
around with the saturation levels, so select > Image>
Adjustments> Hue/Saturation. Now you need to
move the slider to around 40%, but everyone has their
own idea of what a Sepia image should look like.
Basically we are trying to get a Rich Reddish Brown as
you can see in the final image to the right.
Okay the first thing you need to do before you get started is to find the two images you're
going to use. See images below. Image 1
Image 2
Next you need to duplicate your background layer on your target image. You‟ll see your
background layer in your layer palette on the right hand side. To duplicate your image just
press Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac).
The next thing you need to look at is the Source Image, which you‟ll see at the very top.
This just shows you the currently correct selected source image. In this tutorial we will
only be dealing with two images, but if you had more images to blend then you could
select more from the source box.
Our main goal here is trying to blend two images together, so you need to have the
following settings in.
You‟ll see there are two more option tick boxes at the bottom "Preserve Transparency"
and "Mask", but for this example we don‟t need them. If you have some free time just
apply a tick in each box and see what the outcome is like in your final image. Remember
you can also undo each process. See image below for final outcome
So for this example I‟ll be walking you through how to sharpen up your images.
The image below is fine, but you get that feeling you can make it a lot more crisp and a lot
more sharper.
Now you need to copy that channel and to do this just Select > Ctrl-A (Command-A on
a Mac) and Ctrl-C (Command-C).
Next you need to return to the RGB layer and this is because it‟s in full colour. Now just
paste in, Ctrl-V (Command-V). The reason you do this is because we need two layers,
your original layer and your greyscale layer.
What we are looking for next is to try and smooth your image out, as well as looking to
increase the contrast in your image.
So first as always duplicate your layer and we need to duplicate the grayscale layer and as
I keep mentioning as this is for our backup layer. Now Select >Filter > Blur > Surface
Blur.
You‟ll get a fly out dialog box with the following options in, Radius and Threshold. What
we now need to do is to make the surface smoother and to do this we just need to alter the
sliders. See image below.
Once you're happy with this, make sure you duplicate this layer again, and then Select
Image > Adjustments > Levels, the shortcut Ctrl-L (Command-L on a Mac).
Now in the levels dialog box you‟ll see a slider. We now need to move them closer to the
middle as this will increase the contrast. I have also found out that by dragging the gray
slider along, you‟ll increase the contrast of the edges on your image.
Now you need to Select Filter > Stylized > Find Edges. Photoshop by default will
automatically run and define your edges.
You might get this right the first time, but I usually find I have to reapply the surface blur,
find edges filter and the level command. It‟s a trial and error process although you know
when you have found that sharpness you're after. Once you're happy just click OK.
Next you need to Select Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. What we need to do in here is
make the blurred effects into a more solid colour and again you‟ll have to play around in
here. Once you're happy just click OK
Now you need to add the levels command to the newly created layer. You‟ll see in the
dialog box some sliders, which you need to bring inwards. What you are looking for is to
have the outlines very strong and the lighter grays to have nearly turned white. See image
below.
Next we need to create a selection and to do this we need to open your channel palette
which should be on the right hand side. Now we need to select the RGB layer we created
earlier and the reason we are doing this is because we need to create a selection base and
once you have done this you‟ll see the dotted lines.
Okay, one more step and we are finished, so you need to go back to your layers palette and
hide your other layers, to do this you just need to press on the little eye icon. Open that
layer and you‟ll see the dotted lines. Now with this selection still being active you need to
Select > Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. You‟ll get another dialog box with the
following options in;- Amount, Radius and Threshold. You‟ll need to play around with the
settings, but we are looking for the sharpest image possible.
Once you're happy just click OK . See images below for before and after. Before is the one
If you look at the two images below you can see the
original one to the left and the new image which has been
altered in Shadow/Highlight
Okay, let's get started, so first open your image and Select
Image > Adjustments > Shadow/Highlight. You‟ll see
another dialog box appear (Shadow/Highlight). You are
now given a load of new options with slider bars, so your
best option here is play around with the sliders to find
which best suits your image, but make sure you have the
tick in the “Show More Options” box at the bottom. Once
you're happy with your new brightened image just click
OK .
If you liked, you could also play around with the levels
and curves adjustments layers as this way it gives you the
best of both options. See image below for final outcome.
Volume 5 Summary
In this Volume, I‟ve tried to show you the basic ways of adjusting your poor and faulty
images. I‟ve also given you a quick overview on how curves and levels work. The main
thing you should now be understanding in Photoshop is anything can be repaired or
altered, so all those discarded images which you‟ve been deleting or throwing away can
now be worked on.
First you need to open up your image and then select your preferred selection tool and
create a selection around your image, as you can see in the image below.
Next you need to open your channels palette and then select your new alpha channel. We
now need to invert this channel and to do this you need to Select Ctrl-I (Command-I
on a Mac). The reason we are doing this is because it will create a black silhouette of
your selected object against your white background.
Next you need to open your toolbox and set your foreground colour to black and after you
have done this you need to select the Gradient Tool (G). You now need to use the
foreground to transparent gradient option and once you have selected this, click on hold
onto your mouse and you must make sure you hold your image near
the bottom of the foreground object. Next you need to drag your mouse upwards, but you
must also press the shift key at the same time. Once you're happy just release your mouse
and this will create the gradient.
Now you need to select your photo from your layers palette. Select Filter > Blur >
Lens Blur. You‟ll now notice a new dialog box so you now need to select the alpha
channel that Photoshop has just created for you.
In here you‟ll have to alter some settings, so you need to alter the Blur Focal Distance to 0
and you must also alter the (increase) on the radius. You will need to play around with
this setting because each photo will be different. You‟ll also see some more settings so
please feel free to play around with these. Once you‟re happy you just need to click OK.
See image below for the final outcome.
First you need to open your photo which you are going to use and then you need to select
the layer which contains your photo. Next you need to bring up the layer style dialog box
and to do this you need to click on the add layer style button. This can be found at the
bottom of your layers palette.
Now your next step here is to select the stroke from the menu and then increase the size of
the stroke to 10pixels. This of course all depends on how thick you want your borders.
Next select inside from the position drop down menu and here you need to set your colour
to white.
Your next step is to select the Drop Shadow layer style and you‟ll find this on the right
hand side of your layers style dialog box. I would recommend you keep your settings just
for now, then just click the OK button and close the dialog box. See image below.
The next step you have to take is to free-transform the photo layer and to do this you have
to use Ctrl-T (Command-T on a Mac). Once you have done this you‟ll notice a
a bounding box and this is for rotating your image, resizing it and moving it. All you have
to do to resize it is just click on the small clear handles and move them. Once you are
happy with what you have done just double click inside the bounding box and this will
apply your settings, so all you need now is a drop shadow.
To do this we need to select your photo from the layer, found in the layers palette. Next
you need to bring up your layers style box and all you do this by clicking on the Add a
layer style button. This is at the bottom of your palette and then select drop shadow from
the menu which will appear.
But you need to know when you use the two different techniques. If you're going to use
clipping then you need to use this method on objects which have hard edges. If you want
to use the extract filter you need to make sure your objects are on detailed backgrounds,
plus you also need to know that a layer mask will help you if there is little contrast
between the object and it‟s background.
Next comes the long and hard bit as you need to create a path that tightly follows the
outline of your object and a good idea here is to use the zoom on your image.
You can also use the Direct Selection Tool as this will help you adjust the handlebars for
the path which you are creating. See image below.
Once you have finished this you then need to select your image layer from your layer
palette and then you need to Select Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path. What we
are doing here is creating a halo around the object we want to cut out.
Next use the Direct Selection Tool (A), the reason you need to use this is because you
will need to later get your path from the vector mask, plus you also now need to get rid of
the halo. As you can see from the image below you now have a nearly perfect cut-out of
your flower.
When you are using this method the first thing you need to do before you start to make
any alterations is to duplicate your first layer for the layer palette. To do this you need to
use the following: Ctrl-J (Command-J on a Mac).
Your next step once you have duplicated your first layer is to select the extract and to do
this you need to Select Filter > Extract. You‟ll now see a dialog box and in that dialog
box you need to Select the Edge Highlighter Tool (B) and this is on the left-hand side
of your dialog box.
Next you need to draw an outline around the edges of your object which you are cutting
out. The trick here is to make sure the outline is thick enough to over lap your object and
the background. The reason you need to do this is because the extract filter looks for
contrast between the object and your background, so if need be try using a larger brush, as
this way you can catch all the finer detail. See example below.
If you are happy you just need to click OK and apply the filter. Your next step is to set a
state for your History Brush Tool. You need to open the History palette and you‟ll see all
you actions you have made. Next click on the duplicate layer actions which is on the left
hand side.
We are now going to use the paint with History Brush Tool (Y). To do this you just
need to toggle the column on the left hand side of your previously duplicated actions.
Okay we‟ve just set up a “state” for the History Brush and this is why Photoshop is so
clever as it‟s going to use this version of your image to paint.
You will find that you might have erased too much with the Extract Filter, but you can just
brush them back in by using the History Brush. A great tip here is to use a smaller brush
when you are doing this. See image below for the final outcome.
When you have done that, you‟ll need to use a smaller brush to fill in the edges around
your object and a great tip here is to zoom in so you can get really close to the object you
are cutting out. When you are using the Pencil Tool you can modify one pixel at a time
(This is why it‟s time consuming). Once you have finished and you are happy just clean up
your image by using white paint back on the areas you deleted accidentally. See below for
final outcome.
The first thing you need to do is to make sure the text you want to create an image with is
on it‟s own layer. Next you need to duplicate that layer and to do this you need to select
Ctrl-J (Command-J on a Mac). If you would like to use a text layer like I‟m showing
you in this example make sure you turn it into a vector shape layer and to do this you need
to right click on the layer palette and select Convert to Shape.
Next you need to transform that duplicated object you have just created by using Ctrl-T
(Command-T). You should then see a bounding box, so click and hold your mouse
bottom down and this should be done on the middle control point at the top of your
bounding out box. Your next step here is to hold down your Shift Key and then drag and
the mouse downwards and what you need to do here is flip your object upside down. Once
you are happy just click the OK button to apply the transformation.
After you have done that you need to lower the opacity in the Layers Palette. You now
need to lower the flipped layer to an opacity of around 75%, then click on the add layer
mask button and this will add the flipped layer mask to your layers palette.
Next you need to add an gradient to your layer mask so that it fades out the bottom part of
your text image.
Drag the top-center control handle down slightly to compress the shape until the top of
the shape no longer overlaps the object. Double-click inside the bounding box to apply the
transformation. Repeat this process for the other curved letters. See below for the final
outcome.
You now need to select the merged layer and open Filter > Brush Strokes > Sprayed
Strokes. To get a rippling water effect you would need to use the following settings;-
Once you are happy just click OK and you are done.
There is also another way to create a thumbnail image and that‟s to use the Crop Tool.
First you need to Select your Image then Select Crop Tool (C). Enter your height
and width values but you need to make sure your resolution is set to 72 Pixels/Inch. Save
your image as a thumbnail by Selecting File > Save For Web. If you are going to save
a lot of images as thumbnails use the Batch Processing Tools.
The first thing you need to do is create an image in Photoshop. Next you‟ll need guides on
your image and to do this you‟ll need to use the ruler. We now need to create guides for
the front and back. Use the Rectangle Tool (U) to create the front and back box with
the above values. Now use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to move the point of the back
and front sides like this: 0,0>0,10px, 0,300>0,290px for the back side and
200,0>200,20px, 200,300>200,380px.
Your next step is to import your footage and I normally make the front side a little wider
but these values can be experimented with. As you can see this footage is 50×300px back
and 200×300px front. A good tip here is just forget the writing for the first time and just
concentrate on the image. Now for the magical part. Select the first rectangle you created
and Select Ctrl Key (or Command key) while you click the layer representing the
rectangle.
Next you need to Edit > Paste Into (or Shift + Control/Command + V) to paste
into the rectangle. Then you need to Transform (Ctrl/Command + T) to transform the
front and back side footage to move it's new position.
Once you have done this you need to create some inner shadows to give it that awesome
effect. To do this you need to Select Drop Shadow to that layer and add the following
values: 10% opacity, 10px distance, and 20px size. I also added an outside stroke with the
width of 1px, white, to the same layer. See below for final outcome.
First you need to Select Edit > Transform > Warp. What we are doing here is adding
a three column three row grid. To adjust these all you have to do is select the handlebars
for each point and this way we can make the curve on our image.
Once you have sorted out your corners you are probably going to have to sort out the
inner parts as well. Once you are happy with the warping of your image just click the OK
button and the transformation will happen.
As you can see on this women‟s face she has an unwanted spot. First you need to open
your image and Select the Spot Healing Brush Tool (J) from your
toolbox.
Once you have selected this the next step is to select your brush size and you need to go
with something a little bigger than the spot. Now your next step is to centre the cursor on
that spot and just click once. Photoshop automatically makes that spot disappear for good.
If you wanted to remove a larger spot I would recommend using the Healing Brush Tool.
Volume 6 Summary
In this Volume, I‟ve tried to show you the basic ways of manipulating images. Yes there
are many other different ways, you‟ll come across them once you become more advanced
with Photoshop. The ways I‟ve shown above are the most used and the most common
methods for manipulating images. Remember manipulating images is all about having
fun, so don‟t get frustrated if you don‟t get it right the first time it‟s the end result which
counts.
To start with we‟ll be creating the very simple rounded buttons. The best way to create
rounded buttons is by using shapes as this way you can resize or re-scale the button
whenever you like.
The first you need to do is Select the Rounded Rectangle Tool, then you need to add the
following dimensions in (4 or 5 pixels) or there abouts, it just depends on how big you
want your rounded button to look. These dimensions are for the radius of the rounded
corners and next you need to draw your rectangle button.
Once you have done this and you're happy just double click on the layer name, and enter a
layer name. Once you have entered this just double click to the right of that layer as we
need to activate the layer styles options for this.
The next step is to add a drop shadow to your button. To do this we need to do the
following. First we need to make sure the check is ticked for the Drop Shadow, then we
need to apply the following settings;- 8% opacity, 90 degrees for the angle, 5 pixels
distance and 0 pixels size. You can enter what you like in here, but to get the same
result as this finished button you‟ll have to enter the same settings in.
After you have done that you now have to add a Colour Stop to the middle, so to do this
you need to right click below the gradient in the middle. Again the settings used for this
were #468bcc.
Now you need to add another Colour Stop at the same location and again you just need to
link to the right of it, just below the gradient and again the settings used in this were
#81b3e2. Now all you need to do is change the location to around 50%.
Your next step is to check the stroke style at the bottom and make sure you select 1 pixel
and also make sure you choose white for the colour.
As you can see in the image above they have added an extra glow in to button, so all you
need to do for this is to draw a path with your Pencil Tool, then fill it in, use white and
fade it a bit and you can also set the transparency to around 50%.
When you have finished you might be in two minds if you like the colour of your button or
not, but don‟t worry as you can alter all this in the Hue and Saturation Adjustment Layer.
Your simple rounded button should look something like this.
You now need to draw a rounded rectangle, it doesn‟t might what your size is to begin
with because this will only be an example.
Next you need to Select your Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and make a selection
of about a quarter of the rectangle you have just made. Now right click on that selection
you have just made and click on Layer Via Cut and this will cut the new layer. See image
below.
After you have done this you can delete the first layer and to do that you need to right
click and Select Delete Layer. We then need to do the following steps.
You need to Select the Move Tool (V), then hold down Alt+Shift Key and this will
duplicate the layer. Then you need to go to Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical and once
you're happy just press the Okay button. Nearly there and the next step is to merge the
two layers together, so we can do this by pressing Ctrl+E.
The first thing you need to do is to create a new document. In this example the following
settings were used. Make a 100 by 100 pixels and fill the background with white, so to do
this you need to Select Edit > White
Next you need to make a new layer and to do this you need to Select > Layer > New
Layer and once you have done this then you need to select the Elliptical Marquee Tool.
We are now going to make a fixed size selection and in this example the sizes were 75 by
75 pixels and this needs to be in the middle of your document. Next we need to add some
colour with the linear gradient from #68ac00 to #036800. You should see something
like this.
The next step is to add the gradient overlay. To do this we need to Select the following:
Layer > Layer Style > Gradient Overlay. See image below.
Once you have done that we now need to add a Stroke to it. To do this you need to select
the following: Layer > Layer Style > Stroke
The next step is to add a nice shiny layer to it. To do this you need to Select > Create
New Layer and then select the area of your icon and the quickest way to do this is
Ctrl+Click on the icon layer.
Then when you have done this, you need to Select > Modify > Contract by 2 pixels and
you can alter this more if you like, but this example was done only using 2 pixels.
Next you need to Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool, but make sure you set the style
to normal as the next step is a little tricky. You need to hold down Alt Key and then
subtract the bottom half of the selection. You should see something like this.
Once you have done that you need to create a new layer and then select the Gradient Tool.
You now need to set your foreground colour to white. Next you need to apply the gradient
and the gradient which was used in this example was White to Transparent.
Now you need to left click it just at the top of the selection and just drag it down to just
under the bottom of the selection. I know it sounds a lot, but with a few goes you‟ll have
mastered this. The reason we are doing this is because we don‟t need to make it 100%
white at the top of the selection to 0% at the bottom.
Your icon should be looking something like this now. As you can see from the image below
it‟s now looking very shiny.
You have now just created a single button, but why leave it like this. You can add anything
you like into this. The best way to add anything in is to use your Custom Shape Tool and
in this example an arrow was used.
Your last step is to fill the arrow or your custom shape in with a colour and to do this you
need to select the following: Edit > Fill. Once you have chosen your colour you should
end up with something like this.
Okay the first thing you need to do is Select your Rounded Rectangle Tool. The choice is
yours on how big you make your button. Now drag out your main shape till you're happy.
Once you have done this go to the layers menu and right click that layer to make it as a
Shape Layer and then you also need to make it as a Rasterize Layer.
Once you have done that you need to double click that layer, which will get you to the
Layers Style Menu. In this example the following setting were used.
Next we are going to add some glossiness to the button and this will give it that “WOW”
effect. To do this we need make a new layer, then you need to hold down Ctrl and click on
the shape layer to load this selection. Next with the selection tool you need to drag and
intersect with the first selection on the top of your button. You can even do this on either
side if you like. See image below
Now we need to make a gradient. The gradient we are going to choose will be “White to
Transparent”. You must then drag it within that selection. You can also add a reflection to
this button, but like I said we need to give it that “WOW” look. To do this you need to copy
the shape layer that you made earlier and drag it down beneath the button you have just
made. Then you need to load that selection with a gradient which will be “White to
Transparent” and then drag it into the selection. Your finished button should look
something like this.
To start with you need to create a new document and in this example the sizes used were
400 x 110 pixels.
Next you need to apply the Layer Styles. To do this you need to right click your button
layer which you made earlier and then Select > Blending Options. In this example the
following settings where used.
Next we need to give your button a glossy shiny finish. So you first need to make a
selection around the inside of your button, Select > Load Selection. To get the inside
selection to fit just right you need to contract your selection by roughly 5 pixels to do this
and you need to Select > Modify > Contract. You should now have something which
looks like this.
Your next step is to create a new layer, once you have done that you then need to drag a
“White To Transparent” gradient from the top of the selection to the bottom and
again you should end with something like this.
We are now going to add a nice curvy path into the button, so to do this we need to Select
the Pen Tool as we did before and again turn your path into a selection. Once you have
done this you then need to delete the bottom half of the gradient. Your final result should
look like this. Don‟t worry if it doesn‟t, just keep practising and you‟ll soon master it.
Another great way to finish any button off is to add a reflection to it. To add a reflection
shadow you need to duplicate your main button layer, than move it into position under
your button layer and then it‟s just a case of removing everything accept the top. See
image below for final outcome.
First you need to create a new document and once you have done this you need to select
the Rounded Rectangle Tool like we did before.
Next you need to create the size of your shape and specify the radius size. After you have
done that you need to right click on your rectangle layer and choose Blending Options
Next you need to set your gradient overlay and in this example the gradient parameters
settings were... First and second thumb: 434343, third 000000. You also need to select
your stroke parameters and again in this example the stroke parameters were set to
363636. After that you need to set the Inner Glow. Your button should look something
like this.
Next you just need to add the layer with the Text in and also add the RSS icon in if you
like and you should end up with this very cool RSS Feed.
In this navigation bar button tutorials we are going to make a navigation like the ones you
see in vista.
Okay, let's get started. The first thing you need to do is to open a new file and for this
example the following settings were used;- 500 x 50 pixels. Once you have done that you
need to make a selection with the following settings 480 x 30 pixels.
Next you need to Select Modify > Smooth and then apply the following settings;- 2 pixel
ratio. You should see something like this.
After you have done this your next step is to create a new layer and there are two ways to
do this;- Layer > New > Layer or the shortcut is Shift+Ctrl+N. You can fill that
selection with any colour if you like. After that you then need to apply the following layer
styles settings. The gradient used in this example was 313332 to 46474a. See image
below
Now set your blend mode to Linear Dodge and also set the opacity to around 35% and if
you have done this correctly you should have something like this.
Your next step is to create a new layer and make a new selection, this must be one pixel
under the top of the border from the navigation bar you have just made. It should look
something like this.
Now you need to fill this selection in the colour white, but that is only if you want to copy
this example. Again it should look something like this.
Now you must press Ctrl+Click over the first layer thumb, this will select it. Once you have
done this you need to press Select > Inverse. After you have done this you then need to
Once you have finished this you then need to change the layers blend mode to Soft Light
and also change your opacity to around 65%
Now for the tricky part. This is where we are going to make a roll-over effect. You now
need to create a new selection and make this to the following dimensions 130 x 24 pixels.
Once you are happy with this you need to Select > Modify > Smooth and you must
apply a 2 pixel ratio. See image below
If you have got this far you are doing well. The next step is to create a new layer and you
need to fill it with any colour you like, just like you did before. The gradient overlay
settings for this example were set to 000000 to 2f3233.
Next you need to set your stroke settings and again in this example the settings used were
0f1011 to 575858
You now need to change the opacity on this and the setting used was 15%. See image
below for final outcome.
Your next step is a repeat of what we did before. You need to select the top middle half of
your new roll-over. Now in a new layer you need to apply a “White to Transparent”
Now it‟s just a case of adding some text and you can use any text you like in here, but I
would make sure the text colour is white. To make the final touch to this navigation bar
you need to add some separators. To do this you need to create a new layer and make a
selection. To do this you need to use a Single Column Marquee Tool. In this example the
following settings used were 1a1b1c. Now you need to move the selection 1 pixel to your
right and fill this with 5d5f60. After that you need to move the selection by 1 pixel to the
right again and fill this with 232526. You should have something like this.
You‟ll now have to erase the bottom and the top parts. To do this you need to use a soft
brush something around 15 pixels should do it, but you‟ll have to change the layers opacity
to around 50%. To do the other two links you‟ll just have to duplicate the layer twice. Once
you have done this your navigation bar will look like this.
Your next step is to Select the Rectangle Tool. In this example the following radius
settings used were Radius 5 pixels. Then start to create your first shape and once you are
happy with this you need to duplicate it. The best and quickest way to do this is by
pressing Ctrl+J as this will duplicate your layer. Once you have done this and created
four buttons you need to place them next to each other as shown in the image below.
Next it‟s the gradient overlay you have to alter. See image below.
If you are happy you then need to Select the Rectangle Tool again and make another
thinner and longer rectangle. See image below
Next you need to go back into your layer style settings and add the following layer styles
in. The first one is the gradient overlay. See image below
Nearly finished, again if you are happy with what you have done up to now you need to
select your Line Tool and the settings which were used for the line tool in this example
were a weight of 1 pixel. Now you need to make 3 new lines and then place them on your
new rectangle which you have now just created. See image below. That‟s it you have now
just created a very nice looking apple style navigation bar button.
Your next step is to make your shape and to do this you‟ll be using the Rounded
Rectangle Tool (U) and in this example the following
settings were used. The radius was set to 20pixels and the
foreground colour was set to 1d97bc. Then you need to drag
the four lines across so it makes your shape. See image
If you are okay with the size and everything your next step is
to Select the Pen Tool (P) and hold Ctrl and click near
one of your top rectangle borders. What we are trying to do
in this next step is make two of the corners square. To do this
you need to make Anchor Points on each side and they need
to be at the bottom and the top. In this example you‟ll see the 90 degree corners are
opposite. See image below.
Next you need to apply your text style and to do this you need to Select your Text Tool.
You can type anything in here you like. Okay, you now need to Select your Pencil Tool
(B) and draw some lines underneath your text.
This needs to be done in a new layer and set the colour of your new line to black. Once
you have done this you need to repeat it with another line,
but this time set the colour to white.
Once you have finished that you just then need to add some more text in the spaces. When
you are doing this make sure you choose the Horizontal Type Text Tool (T).
This effect does look really cool like that, but why stop there.
Lets make an Hoover effect on all your buttons. To do this you need to make a selection
over your first button you have just created; then make a new layer, but make sure you
place this under your first text layer. To add a different colour make sure you use the
Gradient Tool (G), then just fill that selection in. Your final button image should look
something like this.
Volume 7 Summary
In this Volume, I‟ve tried to show you the basic ways of creating buttons, yes there are
some more advanced techniques within these examples but they are easy to master. Infact
once you have mastered the basics in creating Photoshop buttons you can just about
create any type of button you like.
The first thing you need is plenty of images. Next we need to create an Action within
Photoshop. Then you need to open just one of your images that you wish to resize in
Photoshop. Next you need to go to your Actions Palette and then Select Windows >
Actions. You then need to Create A New Action and to do this you need to click on the
Create New Action icon at the bottom of your palette. See image below.
Once you have successfully done that you‟ll see a new dialog box which will say New
Action. Once you have given your action a name you need to press on the Record button,
which is a small red circle. If you now look at your Action Palette you‟ll see you are
recording your commands for this action.
Your next step is to Select Image > Image Size. You will be given another dialog box,
which you have to enter your image sizes in. Once you are happy with your new sizes click
the OK button.
A great tip here is to make sure you don‟t overwrite your original files, so the best thing to
do is to make a new folder and then store you new thumbnails in that folder.
Once you have done this and you have saved your new thumbnail you need to close your
original image without saving any of your new changes. Once you have done this you can
then click the Stop Button, which you can see in your Action Palette. See image below.
The next step is to resize multiple images all together. First you need to Select File >
Automate > Batch, and you‟ll now see the batch dialog box appear. Before we go ahead
you need to remember you have already created your action for the single image resize, so
we don‟t need to create another.
Next you need to grab your saved action which you made before and then open your
folder, which has all your images in that you are going to resize. To find your folder you
need to Select the Source drop down.
Photoshop by default always gives you another folder for your destination folder so make
sure you choose the correct one. See image below
If you are happy just click on OK and run your new batch command. You notice that once
you have clicked OK, Photoshop will run through your new action and change all images
to your new size. To view your new and resized images just click on the folder you saved
then to. As you can see from the image below all these new images are now the same size.
The first thing you need to do is Select File > Automate > Batch. Next you need to
select the correct Set and Action from within the Play option.
Next you‟ll have the option for Source and inside the Source option you have a drop down
menu which contains “Folder, Import, Opened Files, File Browser”. See image
below.
If your action was recorded in order to operate on any of your open files or any specific
files for an action, then you need to deselect that check box. After you have done that you
need to put a tick in the check box to Include All Subfolders, and this will process all the
files in your subfolders.
You can also put a tick in the Suppress file Open Options Dialog and this will only hide the
dialog for file open options, although sometimes this can be useful when dealing with
RAW files.
You now need to put a tick in the last box which is Suppress Colour Profile Warnings and
all this does is turn off the colour policy message. In the Destination option you have three
choices; None, Save and Close and Folder
When you are using this option, it‟s always best to select the Save and Close options and
the reason being is that you have the options of selecting the override action “Save As”
command option.
You might choose a folder as your destination, but you then need to specify your file
naming convention and you must select file compatibility options for your processing
files.
When you are entering your text into the fields you need to include a unique text for every
file and this way it will prevent your files from being over written. Your File Naming
Option will include the following;
Once you have filled in all of that you need to go to the Errors Box. Inside there you‟ll see
a drop down menu that gives you two options; Stop For Errors and Log Errors To
File.
Stop For Errors will just suspend your batch command until you confirm it and Log
Errors To File will just log all of your errors to a file and carry on running.
Once you have done that you just need to click Save As.
Your next step is create a new layer and once you have done this you need to Select your
Custom Tools. Inside there you have a really nice copyright image. See image below.
If you are happy with that, you need to change your layer mode to hard light. You could if
you really wanted add some text under this copyright image. To do this you just need to
Select the Horizontal Type Tool from your Tool Box and just write anything you like.
If you want to embed your copyright note all you have to do is Select File > File Info
and this will then bring up a dialog box where you can add all your information.
Once you‟re happy all you have to do is click on the stop icon, which you‟ll find at the
bottom of your actions palette.
Your last step is really easy and all you have to do is Select File > Automate > Batch,
and then it‟s just a case of choosing your actions name “Watermark”, and then just click
on “Choose”. From here on you can choose your folder which you‟d like to add the
watermark to. After that you have to Select Save and Close which you‟ll find under
Destination.
The way around this is to create a new set button and to do this you need to Select Create
New Set Button, which you‟ll find at the bottom of your actions palette. You‟ll then see a
New Set dialog box and in there you need to enter your name. Once you're happy just click
OK.
Next you need to got to your actions palette as here you need to drag and drop that action
which you intend to share into this new set. See image below.
To be honest you can save your actions anywhere you like, but I like to save them in the
Photoshop defaults folder and the reason for this is because it will automatically open it
up for you when it starts up....Cool. To find any action file you notice that the extension
is .atn. Now it‟s just a case of sending it to your friend, (make sure they pay you for
it…Only Joking).
The first thing you need to do for this is to put all your photos into one folder and give it a
simple name like “Web Base Photos”. Next you need to Select > File > Automate >
Web Photo Gallery.
Once you have chosen your style a very small preview box will appear and this will be in
the right hand column. As you can see in this example only basic was chosen. See image
below.
All you have to do now is click on the folder where your images are and then click on the
destination button and then you have to select where you want your image to go to. That‟s
it and you have just completed your first web gallery. Once it‟s finished it should look
something like this, but it all depends on which options you have chosen.
So your first step is to create a build up of layers so you need to build them up from start
to finish, as you can see from the example below, seven layers have been created
Your next step is to add your animation and to do this you need to Select Windows >
Animation and Photoshop will then automatically show your animation frames at the
bottom of the screen.
Now this is the tricky part as we are turning on and turning off the visibility for your
layers.
On your first frame you need to turn the visibility off for all your layers and the next step
is to add all the layers which you are going to use, but you need to turn the visibility back
on. I must stress you only need to add one layer at a time.
Now you have added all the frames in and your count down is ready, you need to create
the illusion that your rocket is taking off. So your next step is to add one more frame, but
Next you need to select how many frames to add and again by default Photoshop sets and
spreads the movements of your layers across the frames.
You also have an option to set the timing which can be very handy.
Once you have set everything up the way you want it and all of your frames are working
correctly; (I mean by this the timing between each frame), then it‟s time to export your
animated images (GIF‟s).
To do this you need to Select > File > Save For Web and Devices.
You must also make sure your image type is set to GIF and nothing else.
Now for the exciting bit, so when you are ready to test this out just drag your file to your
web browser and watch your animation go. Who knows you could be the next.
Volume 8 Summary
In this Volume, I‟ve tried to show you some of the more advanced techniques within
Photoshop, but at the same time I‟ve also tried to show you just the very basics.
Photoshop can get very complex once you start entering into the stages for the very
As you can see in this image below we are this women has a beautiful smile, but we are
going to get rid of the unwanted wrinkles and moles.
The first thing you need to do is open up the image which you are going to alter, next you
need to duplicate your background layer. Your next step is to go to Filter > Blur >
Gaussian Blur, and you‟ll do this on your new layer. Then just click OK.
You now need to set your layers blending mode to colour. Next you need to double click
on that layer which will open the blending options. Next you need to un-check the
following two options which are R and G. See image below.
After you have done that we are now going to smooth out the face. You can use any of the
cloning or healing tools for this, but in this example the Healing Brush Tool (J) was
used. We are going to remove the four freckles which can be seen on her face and body.
See image below
To do this you need to create a new blank layer and this should be just above your
background layer. Now you need to Select > Healing Brush (J) and at this stage you
need to make sure the “Sample All Layers” is checked. Now just paint over the four
freckles. If you are doing anything like this make sure you never alter your source image,
as you never know when you might need it.
Your next step is to Select > Polygonal Lasso Tool. Once you have selected this you
need to click around her face, so keep doing this until all the skin is selected. Once you
have done this and you're happy, you need to press ALT and click on anything which is
not skin, eyes, lips, eyebrows etc. Again if you are happy with this, you need to go back
and deselect the areas which have a detail which needs to remain, ie nose, collar bone,
dimples etc. You should end up with something like this.
Next you need to invert the selection and to do this we need to press (Shift + CMD + I),
and next you need to delete those pixels.
If you're happy, you need to Select > Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. In this example
the following figures were used;- the radius 20, the layer opacity was 75%. You now need
to select and duplicate the same bottom 3 layers and then press CMD + E as this will
merge the 3 together.
Now you need to put that layer just above the blurred layer. You should now have the new
layer selected and you now need to press CMD + Alt + G. What you are doing now is
creating a clipping mask and we do this because the top layer uses the bottom layers
transparency for a mask.
Next you should still have your new layer selected and need to Select > Filter > Other
> High Pass and the setting used for the radius was 4. See image below to see what it
should look like.
The first thing you need to do is open your dull and bland image, so see the image used
below;-
Once you have loaded your image into Photoshop you need to go to your Levels
Channel (Ctrl +L). In there you‟ll see three arrows in the “Input Levels” and you now
need to drag the three arrows together.
Make sure you preview your image before you click Save. You should have something like
this. See image below.
The reason why we are doing this is because we are darkening the darker colours and
making the lighter ones more vivid and brighter. See image below for final outcome.
Your first step is to open your facial image up in Photoshop. Then you need to make a
copy of your background layer and to do this you need to Select > Layer > Duplicate
Layer. See Image below
A great tip and a must is to create a clipping mask when you are using layer adjustment.
You‟ll notice that your Brightness/Contrast will differ from image to image, so you‟ll have
to fine tune your settings.
Once you are happy with your Brightness/Contrast you need to merge the clipping mask.
To do this all you need to do is right click on your layer and Select > Merge clipping
Mask. For your next step you need to apply a soft brush, but it needs to be on a low
opacity. To do this you need to create a new layer > Layer > New > Layer, and the
reason we are doing this is because if you mess up you can just erase that layer, so this
way you don‟t need to start all over again.
Next you need to change the colour balance and to do this you need to Select > Layer >
New Adjustment Layer > Colour Balance, but remember when you are doing this
make sure you use the previous layer to create your clipping mask. See image below
Next you‟ll have to make a second background copy. To do this you need to Select >
Layer > Duplicate Layer. Now you are going to have to set your colours in your tool
menu to white and pale blue. The easiest way to do this is to Select > Eyedropper, as
this way you can pick out the perfect colour. Next you need to make sure the pale blue is
in the background box. Once you have done this you need to Select > Filter > Distort >
Diffuse Glow.
You will have to play around with the settings, but what we are looking for is a soft and
not to bright finish. When you feel ready your next step is to make a new layer. To do this
you need to Select > Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels and again you need
to remember to check (use previous layer to create clipping mask). Once you're in the
Levels, play around with the settings to make them a bit darker, and again each image will
be different. See image below.
Once you are happy you then need to merge the clipping mask and to do this you need to
right click on your layer and Select > Merge Clipping Mask. See image below
What we are looking for here is to make the poster edges softer, so you‟ll have to play
around with the settings in here and find what works best for you.
Next you‟ll need to erase the background on your poster edge layer and this will be on the
third copy of your background. The reason we are doing this is because it will give us a
shaper image and make the background softer.
Once you have done this you will have to merge your third and second background copies
together. To do this you can Select > Ctrl > Click Both Layers > Merge. Next you
need to add the white square in your background box and then Select > Filter >
Distort > Diffuse Glow. See image below
You can if you like make the background behind your facial image brighter and if you like
it this way, your facial image stands out more.
Next you need to make a colour change. To do this you need to Select > Layer > New
Adjustment Layer > Colour Balance. Again you need to check (use previous layer to
create clipping mask). Now with your Colour Balance selected and opened, make your
final settings to your facial image by altering Blue and Cyan. See images below for before
and after shots.
The first thing you need to do is open up your image. Next, as always is to duplicate your
layer. To do this you need to Select > Layer Duplicate Layer, or press Ctrl + J.
There are a few ways we can do for this, so first we‟ll be using LAB Colour. To do this you
need to Select > Image Mode > Lab Colour . See image below
This method works great on landscapes and not too good on facials like this. If you
increase the “S” shape you‟ll notice that you add more contrast, see image below.
The next one is to convert your image into RGB Colour. To do this you need to Select >
Image > Mode > RGB Colour.
In the next few steps we‟ll be using a technique called “Adaptive Saturation”. Basically
all this does is intensify the saturation from the original saturation image or photo.
First you need to add a layer mask, so to do this you need to Select Layer >
Adjustment Layer > Reveal All. Next you need to change your blending mode to
“Difference”.
You‟ll see that you image or photo looks really ugly, and the reason for this is because
what you are seeing is the difference between the saturation boost and your original image
or photo.
Your next step is to make sure you have your layer mask selected. To activate this you
need to click on that layer in your layers palette.
Then you need to Select > Image Apply Image, and this will open the Image Tool. In
this example the following settings where used, see image below.
Your next step is to select that layer mask and then Select > Image >Adjustments >
Auto Levels and the reason we are doing this is because we need to increase the
difference between the blacks and whites.
This Adaptive Saturation Technique and LAB colours channels has now finished. Your
next step is to apply a normal Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer.
To do this you first need to duplicate your background layer, but you must move this to
the top in your layer palette. Next open your Hue/Saturation and adjust your settings
accordingly, and once you're happy just click OK.
Next you need to press and hold down the Ctrl key and make sure you select the top two
layers, and once you have done that you need to press Ctrl + G, as we are placing these
two layers into a group here. Now you need to Select the group and then Select > Layer
> Layer Mask >Hide All.
Now you need to make sure that you have your layer mask for the layer group selected.
You now need to click on your layer mask and select it, then you need to Select > Brush
Tool and you‟ll find this in your Tool Box on the right hand side. Your settings need to be
set to hardness 0%. If you are using this image you can use the following settings below.
All you have to do now is to paint the areas with your brush tool to make your image look
better. See the image below for the final outcome.
First you need to open the facial images you are going to use, and I must stress that this
technique only works best for facial images.
First you need to duplicate your layer and then put this into a group, and the shortcuts for
these are Ctrl +J (Duplicate) and Ctrl + G (Group). Now it‟s up to you what you call
your group name, but in this example the group was called “Airbrush” and also give your
duplicated layer a new name.
Next you need to select your duplicated layer and select your Surface Blur
Filter. The reason we are using this filter is because it retains the edge details. See images
below
If you are happy with your settings just press OK. Next you need to create a new layer, but
you must move it above the last layer you just created. Now you need to select this layer
and change the blend mode on it to Hard Light. You are going to use this layer to add a
slight texture to the skin.Ok next you need to make sure you have the new layer selected.
Once it‟s selected you need to Select >Edit >Fill. In this example the following settings
where used. See image below.
After you have done that you now need to Select > Choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian
Blur. Again in this example the following settings were used. See image below.
If you have done this you now need to temporarily tint the colour of this layer. The
simplest way to do this is to Select > Eye Dropper Tool, and this can be found in
your Tool Box. You now need to sample an area of the skin in your photo. Once you have
done this you need to click on the flyout dialog box and select the HSB sliders, which are
on the right hand side.
Now you need to open your Hue/Saturation Tool and to do this you need to Select
Image > Adjustments >Hue/Saturation. Make sure you have a check in the
“Colourize Option”. Then you can adjust the Hue, Saturation and Lightness, but you
need to alter them the same as you did before, so make a note of them when you are using
them to sample the skin. See image below
Next you need to press D on your keyboard and this will set the background to your
default colours, which are black and white. Then select the Brush Tool and apply the
settings below.
When you are doing this its best if you zoom in to around 100% and then paint over the
skin in your facial image. You will find that some of the skin tone on your facial image
doesn‟t look right, but don‟t worry about this as the reason it doesn‟t look right is because
you didn‟t choose the correct colour when you applied the Hue/Saturation to tint in one of
your layers.
You will have to change your brush size and the best way to go about doing this is with the
shortcuts. Decrease brush size: [ , Increase brush size: ], Decrease brush
softness by 25%: Shift + [ and Increase brush softness by 25%: Shift + ]. See
image below.
In your next step you are going to fix back the colour and the tone of the skin. To do this
you need to select that layer and then select hue/saturation. Now we need to apply the
natural skin tone. Hue needs to be set around 10, Saturation needs to be set around – 56
and lightness needs to be set around -8, but you will have to alter the settings to fit your
image. What you are looking for here is a more natural skin tone.
Your last step is to restore the skin details. To do this you need to Select > Image >
Apply Image. In this example the following settings were used. See image below.
As you can see in the before and after images this airbrush technique gives you an
amazing smooth skin tone finish.
The first thing you need to do is bring up an underexposed photo in Photoshop. Next you
need to bring up the Brightness and Contrast Tool. To do this you need to Select Image
> Adjustment > Brightness/Contrast, then just play around with the settings in
there until you find the correct exposure setting you like.
In fact, I‟ll guarantee you that there‟s no setting in there you like, the reason being is that
Photoshop will have made your image more overexposed. So If I were you I would cancel
this or just click the undo button.
Here‟s another way you can have a go at brightening up your image. You need to use the
Levels Tool. So with your image open Select > Image > Adjustments > Levels, then
just slide the slider bars from side to side. You will either brighten your image or darker
your image, but when you are doing this to make your image more brighter you‟ll notice
the same effect as you did before and your image will be more overexposed.
Now another technique which the pro‟s use is; yes I think you might have guessed it, The
Shadows/Highlights Tool. Inside your shadow/highlighters tool you are given an option
of using the Curves Tool, as this gives you a lot more flexibility when you are working on
underexposed images. By all means give this option a go. Select Image > Adjustments
> Shadows/Highlights. The only thing wrong with this technique is if you're using this
above 50% you can start to see halos and overly detailed shadows.
Next you need to move the gray input slider to the left and this will brighten the image up.
You can also increase the contrast if you like and to do this just move the white slider to
the left. If you're happy just click OK.
After this you need to apply the Apply Image Tool, so to do this you need to Select Image >
Apply Image. In this example the following settings were used. The reason we are doing
this is because we are applying the inverted copy of the image to your layer mask that you
have selected. See image below.
After you have done that your image should look like it has a lower contrast and higher
saturation. Now if you want to add or increase the contrast to your image just use the
Brightness/Contrast Adjustment Layer. See image below
What you are looking for here is for your image to be a natural vivid look. See the example
below of two different ways you can alter an underexposed image. As you can see the one
on the left is the original image, the one in the middle has been altered using the
Brightened and Levels and the one on the right has been altered using this last technique
and as you can see it gives you that more natural vivid finish you need.
In my opinion this tutorial works best on facial photos rather than on landscape photos,
but I‟ll let you be the judge of that!
Again like always you need to duplicate this layer, and the easiest way is to Press Ctrl +
J, as this duplicates the layer. Once you have done this you will have two adjustment
layers and you need to rename them. As you‟ll be changing the shadows and highlights it
would be OK to rename them Shadow and Highlights. See Image below.
After you have successfully done that we need to apply a layer mask. To do this you need
to Select Highlights > Image > Apply Image, and you‟ll now be given an Apply
Image Tool, so next just simply click OK and you're done.
The next step is to add the colours and to do this you need to Select the
Hue/Saturation icon which is on the Highlights Layer in your layers palette. You‟ll now
see a flyout dialog box and in there you can alter and change the colours to your liking,
although we are trying to get a colour which looks a little tinted. See image below.
Now we have the two layers altered and coloured the way you want the next step is to
adjust the balance between them both. To do this we need to work on the layer mask of
the Highlight Layer. Select > Image >Adjustments > Levels. Now you‟ll see the
slider bars and first you need to slide the middle slider either to the right or left, as this
alters the balance between the two colours. See image below.
As you can see in the image above it now has a more evenly spread colour balance. Have a
look at the before and after shots below. The one to the left has been split toned and the
one to the right is the original.
Before we get started with this tutorial you should able to use this on any type of image,
but in the example a really nice and cute little dog was used.
Okay, let‟s get started, so first open your image and next we need to duplicate the original
layer. To do this you need to Select > Layer > Duplicate Layer. Don‟t forget you need
to name that layer. Your next step is Select > Image > Adjustments > Hue/
Saturation on your new layer. Once you have opened this you‟ll see a silder that
needs to be set to around +60. The reason you are doing this is because you need to make
the colours more vibrant, so once you're happy just click OK.
After that and with your layer still selected you need to change the blending mode. We are
going to change this to “Colour”. To do this you need to select the drop down menu and
choose “Colour”. Also in the flyout box you‟ll see two check boxes at the bottom and you
need to put a tick in the Colour check box.
Your next step is to duplicate your original image, but this time you are going to Select >
Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen More. You‟ll notice that your image might look like it has
been overkilled with sharpness. To get round this you need to Select > Edit > Fade
Sharpen More.
Inside that menu you can change the opacity and the blending mode. To start off with I
would change the opacity to around 20%. As you can see in the images below one is the
original and the other one has been faded.
Your next step is to add an Overlay Radial Gradient as this way you‟ll be making the dog
the focal point of the image.
Your last step is to duplicate your radial gradient layer and once you have done that you
need to change the blending mode to Multiply and set your opacity to around 20%. Once
you have done this you need to Select > Edit > Adjustments > Levels. You‟ll see two
sliders, one black and the other grey and you now need to slide the sliders closer together.
The reason you are doing this is because you need to make the distance of black and white
closer. As you can see in the image below it makes your image the focal point of your
photo.
Next you need to select the sky with your Lasso Tool and as you can see in this example
below the sky has been outlined.
Next you need to add your first photo Filter. To do this you need to Select > New
Adjustment Layer, and now you need to press the icon at the bottom of your layers
palette. After you have pressed that you need to select, Photo Filter, and you'll find this in
the list from the adjustment layers.
This should then bring up a dialog box for Photo Filter. The reason we are doing this is
because we are only changing the sky colour, as that was the only area we selected. Photo
Filter works as a camera lens, being that it just adds coloured filters.
This brings up Photoshop's Photo Filter dialog box, and since we selected part of the
image before adding the Photo Filter, only the area we selected will be affected by it.
Once in Photo Filter you have two options to choose from, and the one used in this
example was Filter, and the settings for this were Magenta.
Once you have done that, your next step is to make sure the Preserve Luminosity option is
ticked. The reason you are doing this is because you need to keep your image lighter, but if
it‟s unticked it will just make your image darker. Once you have done this just click OK.
You should have noticed that your sky has more colour to it. Now the next step is to add
some more colour to the ground. To do this we need to add another Photo Filter
Again you just need to select the ground which you want to alter, so to do this you need to
use a second filter on your adjustment layer. You need to load your original sky selection
and then invert it, and this is easy to do as you just need to press Ctrl (Win) on your
keyboard and then click on the Layer Mask Thumbnail in your layers palette.
Now you‟ll notice in your layers palette that you have a black and white thumbnail, and
this means that the white area is the one which is selected. See image below.
As you can see from the image above the ground has now become selected, but you‟ll also
notice that a very small part of the water has been selected too, but we‟ll fix this later on.
Now that this selection is in place you can add your second Photo Filter. Just repeat the
steps from above to add your Photo Filter in, but when you come to the colour, you need
to make the ground look warmer, so try adding a colour like orange in. You could also try
adding “Warmer Filter 85”. You can also play around with the density in here and in this
example 85% was used.
Once you are happy just Click OK. As you can see in the image below you now have a nice
warm effect but the water is now in the wrong colour.
This simplest way to remove this colour is to paint over it with the Brush Tool. So select
your brush tool and just paint. What you are doing here is painting on the layer mask, so
You will have to change the size of your brush and to do this you need to use the Left and
Right Bracket Keys on your keyboard. See image below.
Now just keep painting until you have uncovered all the water.
Once you have done that you're just about finished, but you can add an extra special touch
to it, which gives you that glow like finish which the pro‟s have.
To do this you need to use the curves tool. So first make sure you have the top layer
selected because this is the layer we are going to add the curves to. Once you have done
that you need to click on the New Adjustment Layer icon, which can be found at the
bottom and then Select > Curves.
Once you have clicked on that you‟ll see a new dialog box appear which will be your
Curves dialog box. What you need to do in here is make the straight line into more of an
“S” shape. To do this you just need to click on the line near the top and then click on the
line near the bottom. You‟ll then have two little squares.
Now you just need to drag them into an “S” shape, but keep the channels to RGB.
That‟s it, you're finished as you can see in the two different images below. The one on the
undernearth is the original and the one on top is the enhanced image and as you can see it
gives you that nice glowy and crispy like finish.
The first thing you need to do like always is to open your image in Photoshop and
duplicate your background layer. The shortcut for this is Ctrl + J
Next you need to change the blend mode of your new layer to screen. To do this you need
to Select > Layers > Drop Down Menu > Screen. The reason you are doing this is
because the screen mode makes your images brighter.
Now you might find that your image is still to dark and if this is the case you need to
duplicate that layer again and Select > Layers > Drop Down Menu > Screen again.
You‟ll now see that your image is looking even brighter now.
You could if you really wanted repeat this step as many times as you like until you find the
right colour for your underexposed image.
Now the next step is to fine tune your image and to do that we need to alter the opacity.
To do this we need to use our top layer and then select the opacity which is in the top right
hand corner and set your opacity to around 28%. As you can see in the before and after
photo below, the underexposed image is now perfect.
What you are trying to achieve here is to bring more light to your facial image and less
attention to the rest of the image and it works best on facial images.
Okay let‟s get started. The first thing to do is to open your image up in Photoshop, and
once you have done that you need to duplicate your background layer. I keep mentioning
this and I can‟t stress just how important it is, so to duplicate your background just press
Ctrl + J, Command + J on a Mac.
You should also rename this layer to something you like. Once you have done this you just
need to bring up Photoshop‟s Lighting Effect Filter. To do this you need to Select >
Filter Menu > Render > Lighting Effects, and you should now see your Lighting
Effects dialog box.
Once in here you‟ll see a load of different settings, but don‟t get too overwhelmed by them
all. The first option you are going to select is Style.
If you select the drop down menu you‟ll see a load of options, but the one you are going to
choose is Flashlight. You can if you like play around with the different options inside here.
Once you have selected Flashlight you‟ll be given a preview window, which will be on the
left. You‟ll now see your image inside that preview window.
You should have also noticed that the light source is currently located in the centre of your
image and you should have also noticed that there are little square handles, which you can
move around.
In this example you‟ll see that the light needs to be where she‟s holding the flower, so just
drag the small circle and your new light source to your new location. See image below.
So you need to select the Alt Key or option Key for the Mac and click and hold and drag
the new light source over to your facial image. The reason you are holding down Alt /
Options is because you are copying the light source and not moving the original one. See
image below.
Again if you need to make the light source smaller or larger just drag the little handles in.
You could if you like add another light source into your image but that‟s up to you. In this
example another light was added. See image below.
That‟s it, you might have to play around with your lighting to get the right image you're
after. Here‟s the before and after shot from this example.
Just 2 hours from the time you got it and you will be able
to produce your own graphics quickly, easily, and
completely stress free.
Photoshop Killer Text boils down to 2 things. “Fonts and Layer Styles” Combining these 2
things together will create truly eye popping text effects.
You don't have to search the web for the best fonts.
With just click a few buttons and you get cool looking text. Although it's super easy to use
this tool, and you will also be given step-by-step instructions on how to use and load
everything. You'll be up and running right away.
So if your after altering your Digital Photos then “Learn Elements Now” is just what you
need.
Whether it's creating a cool montage or removing unwanted background objects from
your photos David has everything like this covered.
This has to be the number one piece of editing tutorial system on the Internet today.
eCover Design Crash Course. 46 pages packed with 2 years and 100's of hours worth
of eCover design experience. In the crash course Max tells you precisely what makes an
eCover look good. Max tells you everything you need to know to create a top notch
professional cover from scratch. This no fluff crash course is packed full of only the best
advice...literally 100's of hours of experience packed into 46 pages.
Step-by-step easy to follow tutorials. In these tutorials Max starts with a blank
canvas, and create a professional looking cover from scratch. Max shows you
EVERYTHING you need to do to create your own stunning looking covers. Max also
explains the whole process in detail. It's like actually being there with Max, looking over
my shoulder, as Max takes you through the whole process step-by-step.
eCover Action Scripts 49 Magical eCover action scripts that transform your 2D flat
cover into a photo realistic 3D cover with just 1 click. This is the fastest, AND most
effective way to compile a cover into 3D. Think about it...what could be easier than 1
click?.
Click Here If Would Like To Know More About “Design Your Own
eCovers”:
Volume 10 Summary
In this Volume I‟ve shown you the very best software products available on the market
today for helping you become a master in Photoshop and Digital Photography. Plus you‟ve
also been given an great inside on how to make money from Photoshop or Digital
Photography.