The Font-Resizing Shortcut

Want to make your font size larger or smaller without going to the Size setting in the Options Bar?  This one is really easy.  Double-click the Type layer thumbnail to select your type.  Then press Command-Shift-> (PC: Ctrl-Shift->) to make your font larger or Press Command-Shift-< (PC: Ctrl-Shift-<) to make it smaller.  Bonus tip: Add the Option (PC: Alt) key to the mix and the size will change in increments of 10.

August 17th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

Unlink That Mask for Flexibility

If you want to move a layer around your image, but leave the layer mask exactly where it is, you need to unlink the two.  Click the little chain link icon between the layer thumbnail and the layer mask to unlink them.  Then you can move the layer around wherever you want to.  Click between the layer thumbnail and layer mask again to re-link the two.

August 14th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

Turn Off or Disable a Layer Mask

You can Shift-click on the Layer Mask thumbnail in the layers panel to turn off or disable the mask.  You’ll see a red X appear over the mask icon in the Layers panel.  The mask is actually still there but it’s disabled.  Shift-click on it again to enable it.

August 13th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (2)

Convert a Background Layer to a Regular Layer

Double-click on the name “Background” in the Layers panel, and then click OK, or press Return (PC: Enter) in the New Layer dialog to accept the new name.  Or, even better, you can hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key, double-click on the Background layer’s name in the Layers panel and that bypasses the New Layer dialog.

August 12th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (8)

Blend Mode Keyboard Shortcuts

I never used to use keyboard shortcuts for blend modes.  Then about a year or so ago, I realized that the keyboard shortcuts for blend modes are actually very easy.  It always involves the Option-Shift ( PC: Alt-Shift ) keys and then one letter that’s usually the first letter of the blend mode.  For example, Option-Shift-M ( PC: Alt-Shift-M ) is Multiply.  The letter O is Overlay.  The letter S gets you Screen and so on.  It doesn’t work for all of them ( F is actually Soft Light ) but it’s pretty darn close and since I’ve started using them I work a lot faster.

August 11th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (3)

Deleting a Layer

Instead of dragging a layer to the Trash icon to delete it, you can quickly delete a layer by pressing the Delete ( PC: Backspace ) key in Photoshop CS4.  In CS3, using that key will only work if you have the Move tool (V) selected first, so you could quickly press V and then the Delete ( PC: Backspace ) key.  Hey, it’s still faster then dragging.

August 10th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Create a New Layer Without a Dialog

Pressing Command-Shift-N ( PC: Ctrl-Shift-N ) creates a new layer but it brings up the New Layer dialog so you can name it.  Personally, I find it kind of annoying and it’s not a lot faster for me than just clicking the new layer icon.  However, if you throw the Option ( PC: Alt ) key into the mix, Command-Shift Option-N ( PC: Ctrl-Shift-Option-N ), then it’ll bypass the new layer dialog and just create a new blank layer in the Layers panel.

August 7th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

Fading Your Healing

*Adobe Bridge CS4 and Adobe Camera Raw 5 Tip*

In Photoshop, when you want to reduce a blemish, a popular technique  is to use the Healing Brush tool to completely remove the blemish, then go under the Edit menu, choose Fade Healing Brush, and then lower the Opacity in the dialog, so a little hint of the blemish comes back.  You can now do the same thing in Camera Raw when using the Spot Removal tool ( B ).  But it’s even easier in Camera Raw because there’s now an Opacity slider that appears in the Spot Removal panel.

August 6th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

The Double-Ringed Cursor

*Adobe Bridge CS4 and Adobe Camera Raw 5 Tip*

When you use the Adjustment Brush in Camera Raw, you’ll notice that there are two brush cursors displayed at the same time, one inside the other.  The smaller one shows the size of the brush you’ve selected; the larger (dotted-line circle) shows the size of the feathering.  Increase the Feather value to widen the distance between the rings; decrease the value to 0 and you’ll see that there’s no space.

August 5th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

Make It Look Like You Thought It Would

*Adobe Bridge CS4 and Adobe Camera Raw 5 Tip*

Want your RAW images to look more like what you saw in your camera’s LCD display?  Then check out the new Camera Matching Profiles in the Camera Calibration tab of Camera Raw.  They approximate the “looks” you can apply in camera.  Camera Raw looks at your image’s embedded EXIF data to determine whether you took the shot with a Nikon or Canon (so far, those are the only two camera brands it supports), and then it gives you a corresponding list of looks you can apply (these can help you get closer to the JPEG look).  Just choose from the pop-up menu to begin (I recommend starting with the Adobe Standard Profile).

August 4th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (3)