Tip of the Day | Page 24

Dragging Between Tabs in CS4

You can drag a layer between documents even when the images are displayed as multiple tabs in a single document window. With the Move tool (V) active, click within the layer you’d like to move, drag it onto one of the other tabs, pause until that tab comes to the front, and then release the mouse button to move the active layer.

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

Fisheye Panoramas

To stitch a panorama captured with a fisheye lens, select the images in Bridge, choose Tools>Photoshop>Photomerge, use the Auto setting, and turn on the Geometric Distortion Correction checkbox. This will cause Photomerge to read the metadata from your images and recognize the distortion caused by most fisheye lenses.

April 30th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (2)

Underpainting Inmodernity

Underpainting is an initial layer of paint on the canvas that will serve as a base for the entire painting. There’s a popular misconception that underpainting has to be monochromatic, but underpainting in color allows the artist to easily control the overall tone and mood of the painting. Choose the underpainting color and load it as your Foreground color. Now go to the Edit menu and choose Fill, in the dialog choose Foreground from the Use menu and click OK. Add a new layer above this one to begin your painting. Now choose your Brush and be sure to turn down the brush’s Opacity in the Options Bar to let the mood of your painting shine through.

April 29th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Angle Jitter

Ever wonder what Angle Jitter in the Space Dynamics section of the Brushes panel refers to? When using the Brush tool with a stylus, the initial direction takes the original movement of the stylus and applies it to the angle. This angle will be constant until you lift the stylus and start a new stroke. Direction constantly changes the angle of the brush based on the movement of your pen.

April 28th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Brushy Blend Modes

Want to cycle through the Brush tool’s blend modes without having to click in the Options Bar? You must have the Brush tool selected, so press the B key, and then hold down the Shift key and press + or – to move up or down the list, respectively. Also while you’re painting, you can navigate through your Brush panel by using the Arrow keys on your keyboard.

April 27th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Tracing Can Help

If you need a little help getting started with digital painting, try this: Open your photo (or a royalty-free stock image), then click the Create a New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a layer above the photo. Fill this new layer with a slightly off-white color (R:249, G:244, B:225), and then lower the layer’s Opacity to 50% to simulate tracing paper. Add one more layer above this and trace away.

April 24th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

Get Started Sketching

Start your sketch on a new layer above the Background layer. Sketching one element per layer will allow you to use the Move tool (V) and Free Transform (Command-T [PC: Ctrl-T]) to rearrange your composition endlessly.

April 23rd, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Find Your Dry Brushes

With oils and acrylics, using a dry brush is a very common technique. To simulate a dry brush in Photoshop, pick a default chalk brush (or any brush except Round) by clicking the Brush Preset Picker in the Options Bar, clicking the right-facing arrow, and choosing something like Natural Brushes 2 from the list. (When the warning dialog pops up, click Append to add these brushes to your current set, or OK to replace them.) Next, open the Brushes panel (Window>Brushes), uncheck everything except Smoothing and then lower the Flow setting in the Options Bar.

April 22nd, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

You “Knead” the Eraser Tool

An eraser has always been part of the artist’s toolbox; digital art is no exception. Choosing the Eraser tool (E) with a soft-edged, round brush and lowering the Opacity in the Options Bar is similar to using a kneaded eraser to soften hard edges and enhance blends and highlights. Additional eraser tip: In Photoshop, any brush can become an eraser by choosing Clear from the Mode drop-down menu in the Options Bar.

April 21st, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

From Natural to Digital

You could also do your sketching with traditional media, and then scan the final to open it in Photoshop. A quick Levels adjustment will help to eliminate smudges. Then add layers above for painting. Set the layer blend mode to Multiply so you can see through to your sketch. This can help make the move to digital a lot easier.

April 20th, 2009 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

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Photoshop Tutorials

3D Light Beams
This effect was discovered by a 'happy accident' and uses the 3D features inside of Photoshop CS4 Extended.
More Texture Effects
Further experiments into what you can do with texture images in Photoshop.
Reverse Restoration
Corey shows you how to make a new photo look damaged by blending in some unusual textures.
Rain Drops
In this tutorial, Corey not only creates the raindrops, but also the splashes that are formed with the raindrops hit the hands.

Light From 3D Shapes

Corey shares another way to get a cool 3D light beam effect.
Olympic Graphics, Part 2

Corey finishes up the Olympic-inspired design that he began last week in Part 1.
Olympic Graphics, Part 1

The Olympic-inspired tutorial will be coming in two parts. Stop by next week for the conclusion to this video.
Masking with Channels

This week’s tutorial deals with creating masks for complicated images by using channels.

Premium Video Tutorials From NAPP

Photo Retouch
Scott Kelby shows you how to take an overexposed photo into a great photo using Photoshop. Want Great Photoshop & Photography Skills?

Extended Definition Processing
Scott Kelby shares a technique he's been working on, which gives your final image an HDR look using just one photo.
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Smart Object Masking Trick
Dave Cross shares a trick he discovered that will help you remove white from around your subject when using smart objects.
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Light Painting
Dave Cross takes a popular trend - light painting - and shows you how you can paint text recreating this cool trend.
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Open in Camera Raw from Bridge

You can open RAW images in Camera Raw right from Bridge in Photoshop CS3. This frees up Photoshop to continue working on your files while they’re being processed in Camera Raw. Just select one or more images in Bridge, Control-click (PC: Right-click) on them, and choose Open in Camera Raw. This will open the image(s) in Bridge’s Camera Raw rather than Photoshop. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Command-R (PC: Ctrl-R).