Tip of the Day | Page 38

Un-Filling For Fun And Profit

Back in Photoshop 7.0, Adobe brought a once-buried command front and center when they added the Fill option to the Layers palette. This isn’t your average everyday fill. No sir, this is a special freaky fill that only works when you’ve applied a layer style to a layer. To see it in action (and immediately understand its power), create some text, and then apply a drop shadow. Lower the regular Opacity of this layer, and you’ll notice that both your type and the shadow fade at the same time. Now raise it back up to 100%. Then lower the Fill amount (in the Layers palette) and you’ll notice that the type fades away, but the drop shadow stays at 100%. Ahhhhhh. Makes you stop and think, doesn’t it?

April 11th, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Selecting Just One Object On A Layer

If you have multiple objects on the same layer (like a few words of type that have already been rasterized) and you want to select just one item on that layer (for example, you want to put a selection around one letter so you can move it independently of the rest of the letters), here’s how: Use any selection tool to create a loose selection around the object. Hold the Command key (PC: Control key), and then press the Up Arrow key once and the Down Arrow key once. The entire object will become perfectly selected without disturbing anything else on the layer. Now you can move it, edit it, or tweak it separately because it is a “floating selection.”

April 10th, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

View Your Layer Mask As A Rubylith

If you want to view your layer mask by itself (rather than how the layer mask affects your overall image), hold the Option key (PC: Alt key) and click directly on the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette. This will display just the mask itself. You can also view the layer mask like a Rubylith (a red overlay used in traditional masking) that appears over your image by pressing the Backslash key (\) on your keyboard.

April 9th, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Layers Palette Navigation Speed Tips

The less you need to be in the Layers palette, the better (at least when it comes to speed), so here are some shortcuts you’ll want to know: When you want to select multiple layers, press Option-Shift-Left Bracket ([) (PC: Alt-Shift-Left Bracket) to select layers beneath your current layer. To select layers above your current layer, press Option-Shift-Right Bracket (]) (PC: Alt-Shift-Right Bracket). Continue Reading »

April 8th, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Easier Drop Shadow Angle Adjustments

If you’re creating a drop shadow using Photoshop’s built-in layer styles (from the Add a Layer Style pop-up menu in the Layers palette), rather than setting the Distance and Angle numerically, you can adjust it visually. Just move your cursor outside the dialog right into your image, click on the shadow itself, and drag it where you’d like it.

April 7th, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Color-Coding Made Easy

In Photoshop you can color-code layers and layer sets for quick visual identification. One way to do this is to bring up the Layer Properties dialog (from the Layers palette’s flyout menu) and choose your colors from a pop-up menu. But there’s a much faster way-at least if you know this shortcut: Control-click (PC: Right-click) on the Eye icon next to the layer you want to color-code and a contextual menu of colors will appear where you can choose the shade you’d like.

April 4th, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Shapes Without The Shape Layer

If you use Photoshop’s Shape tools, by default they create a Shape layer (which is basically a layer filled with your Foreground color with a clipping path in the shape of your shape, if that makes any sense). We’ve had loads of email from users asking us, “Do I have to have that funky Shape layer? Can’t I just have the shape without the layer and clipping path?” Absolutely! When you choose one of the Shape tools, look in the Options Bar and on the far left you’ll see three icons. Click on the third icon from the left and you’ll get just the shape-no Shape layer, no paths, no kidding.

April 3rd, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Layer Effects Removal Speed Tip

If you want to remove all the layer effects applied to a particular layer, don’t drag them all into the Trash one by one. The fastest way is to simply drag the Layer Effects icon (it looks like a little “f”) directly into the Trash icon at the bottom of the Layers palette, and all the effects go right along with it.

April 2nd, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Separation Anxiety: Put A Layer Style On A Separate Layer

When you apply a layer style to a layer using the Add a Layer Style pop-up menu in the Layers palette, you’ve done just that-applied a style to a layer, and that style is married to that layer. However, if you’d like to edit your effect separately from the layer, you can ask Photoshop to put to the layer style on its own separate layer (or layers if necessary). To do this, click on your layer, then go under the Layer menu, under Layer Style, and choose Create Layers. Your effect will now appear on its own layer beneath your current layer. Note: If you apply a bevel effect, it will create multiple separate layers.

April 1st, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (2)

Layer Navigation Shortcut

If you’re working on a large, multi-layered document and you have the Move tool (V) active, you can jump to the layer you want by Control-clicking (PC: Right-clicking) on a portion of the image. A contextual menu will appear with a list of the layers beneath the point where you clicked your cursor. To make one of those layers the active layer, just choose it from the menu. It’s important to note that if there aren’t any layers beneath where you’re clicking (or the layers are transparent where you’re clicking), the only layer that will appear in the menu is the Background layer.

March 31st, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71

Photoshop Tutorials

2012 Text Effect

Recreate the text effect from the title to the new blockbuster movie.
More Fun with 3D

Continue exploring the possibilities with Photoshop’s new 3D tools.
Reverse Restoration

Corey shows you how to make a new photo look damaged by blending in some unusual textures.
3D Background Effects

Use Photoshop’s new 3D tools to create some dazzling background effects.

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.
Join NAPP & Get a Free DVD.

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.
Want More?

Light Painting
Dave Cross takes a popular trend - light painting - and shows you how you can paint text recreating this cool trend.
You Don't Need to be a Pro to Join NAPP.

Viewing and Basking in your Image

When I’m done working with an image, I like to sit and admire it (hey, I spent six hours working on it, I should). To do that, I hit the Tab key, then hit the F key three times. This hides all of the panels and toolbars and lets you see the image by itself surrounded by black. To get back to regular mode, press the F key and the Tab key one more time.