Tip of the Day

Invert to Alpha

When working with vector - created art and the source art is unavailable, modifying the art to create a logo can be a pain, to say the least—particularly when it’s flattened and the background needs to be knocked out. A careful combination of Invert (Command - I [PC: Ctrl - I]), Color Balance (Command - B [PC: Ctrl - B]), and layer Blending Options (Control-click [PC: Right-click] the layer name) can yield simple background knockouts of one- or two-color logos without making a mess.

July 3rd, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Glow/Bloom Effect

In the same composition, use Select>Color Range…to select the high-lights of the base image. Be generous with the Fuzziness, as detail won’t be an issue. Copy the selection to a new layer (Command - J [PC: Ctrl - J]) and set its blend mode to Screen, which works kind of inversely from Multiply—blacks become invisible and whites are added. The result is a simple bloom or glow effect.

July 2nd, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Get Into Dodge

Anyone who’s used Photoshop CS3 (or prior) versions and tried to composite a human subject into an existing light setup knows that they eventually hit a wall with Levels, Curves, Color Balance and—even in desperate situations—Brightness/Contrast adjustments to match the environment. Careful use of the Dodge tool ( O ) in the right tone range can allow you to simulate key - and fill-light spill on your superimposed objects. [ The Dodge and Burn tools are more darkroom-like in Photoshop CS4—Ed. ]

July 1st, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Only Shades of Gray

A simple tip to creating believable retro imagery is never to use 100% black or white tones in the artwork. The retro look often relies on distressed or faded artifacts, and a foundation of grays in a subtle tonal spectrum can enhance the vintage believability. Unlike using Desaturate (Image>Adjustments>Desaturate), Image>Adjustments>Black & White gives you control over specific color values, tinting, hue and saturation as well as some presets with which to experiment.

June 30th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Light Depth with Layer Blending

Studio lighting can be quickly and easily dramatized by blending multiple layers. Duplicate a layer with a subject by pressing Command - J (PC: Ctrl-J). Desaturate the new layer, then adjust the Levels dialog (Command - L [PC: Ctrl-L]) to create a strong contrast. Now, apply a Gaussian Blur (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur) to the new layer and set its blend mode to Overlay, which amplifies the saturation of the base colors, while retaining the tonal contrast of the new layer. This effect can provide a strikingly more provocative sense of depth with very little effort.

June 29th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (2)

Quick Shapes

Use the Lasso tool ( L ) or Polygonal Lasso tool to rough-in a shape. After making your selection, open the Paths panel (Window>Paths), press-and-hold the Option (PC: Alt) key, and click the Make Work Path From Selection icon at the bottom of the panel. Choose a suitable Tolerance from the ensuing dialog and click OK to create the path. Grab the Direct Selection tool (nested under the Path Selection [ A ] tool in the Toolbox) and edit the path as necessary to achieve the proper geometry and smoothness. Control-click (PC: Right-click) the path and select Define Custom Shape, name it, and click OK.

June 26th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (3)

Stamp Visible

This is one of those tips that you’ll either use all the time or never. Press Command - Option - Shift - E (PC: Ctrl - Alt - Shift - E) to Stamp Visible layers, which creates a new layer on top of all the visible layers below. This is really useful when you want to apply a filter to the compiled image but want to keep all of your existing layers intact. The only downside is that it can increase the file size dramatically.

June 25th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (3)

Change the Hardness of a Brush on the Fly

You probably know that when the Brush tool ( B ) is selected, you can decrease or increase the brush size by pressing the Left Bracket ( [ ) or Right Bracket ( ] ) key, respectively. But at times it’s useful to change the brush’s Hardness setting as well. To do this, just press Shift-[ (the Left Brace { ) to reduce the hardness by 25% or press Shift - ] (the Right Brace } ) to increase it by 25%.

June 24th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Create a “Rule-of-Thirds” Grid

Don’t use the grid view very often? Then turn it into a rule-of-thirds grid. In Photo-shop, press Command - K (PC: Ctrl-K) to open your Preferences. Click on Guides, Grid & Slices from the list on the left and change the settings for the Grid section as follows: Gridline every 100 percent, Subdivisions 3, and click OK. This creates a grid that divides the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically. When you turn on the grid by pressing Command - ’ (PC: Ctrl - ’(apostrophe)), a rule-of-thirds grid will be superimposed over the image.

June 23rd, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

Lightening an Underexposed Image, Method 3

This time, let’s use a Curves adjustment layer to lighten our image. Open the image and in the Adjustments panel, click on the Curves icon. Now select the little hand with the double-facing arrow at the top left of the Curves Adjustment panel and click-and-drag inside the image to adjust the curve. Move the cursor over the image and click on the area of the image you want to brighten. While holding down the button, move the mouse up. This will adjust the curve and lighten the image.

June 22nd, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

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Photoshop Tutorials

Design Effects
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Stylized Comic Book Effect
Using this effect, you can transform anyone into a comic book character with a halftone, saturated look.
Text Shape Layers
Converting text into shapes allows you to distort the text as you like while retaining straight, clean edges.

Ice Age Acorn

Corey has a special extended tutorial on illustrating the Ice Age acorn.
Transformers, Part 2

In part two of this tutorial, Corey finishes the Transformers logo he began last week.
Transformers, Part 1

In this two-part tutorial, Corey begins creating the Transformers logo from this summer’s upcoming blockbuster.
Planet Works

Corey uses the new 3D features in Photoshop CS4 Extended to re-create the DreamWorks animated title.

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Layers TV: Episode 94
Corey has a tutorial showing how to wrap a graphic around a 3D object in Adobe Illustrator. RC tries to clear up some of the confusion about using the Pen tool in Illustrator and Photoshop. You can download each episode by subscribing to the podcast on iTunes. var so = new SWFObject('http://media.kelbymediagroup.com/players/player.swf','mpl','500','300','7'); so.addParam('allowfullscreen','true'); // so.addVariable('type','rtmp'); so.addVariable('file','http://media.kelbymediagroup.com/switch/video/layers-tv-episode-94.mp4'); so.addVariable('plugins','hd-1'); so.addVariable('hd.file','http://media.kelbymediagroup.com/switch/video/layers-tv-episode-94-hd.mp4'); so.addVariable('hd.state','false'); so.addVariable('image','http://www.layersmagazine.com/images/layerstv-logo.jpg'); so.addVariable('height','300'); so.addVariable('width','500'); so.addVariable('autostart','false'); so.addVariable("backcolor","0x000000"); so.addVariable("frontcolor","0xF1F1F1"); so.addVariable("lightcolor","0xF88E21"); so.addVariable("quality","100"); so.write('player'); Thank you [...]
The Digital Camera: Compact-camera Shooter
I took most of the photographs in this article with my Canon PowerShot G10 compact camera to see if I could get good shots with a basic camera.
Using Adobe Exchange
Adobe Exchange is a free resource on the Adobe website for adding features to your Adobe applications.