Tip of the Day | Page 46

Rendering Text In Just One Click

If you need to convert your Type layer into an image layer, you can save some time by simply Control-clicking (PC: Right-clicking) directly on the Type layer name that appears in the Layers palette. A contextual menu will appear where you can choose Rasterize Type to instantly render your type.

April 17th, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

Highlighting Your Text Super Fast!

When you want to automatically highlight the type in a Type layer and switch to the Type tool at the same time to make some copy changes, just double-click directly on the “T” thumbnail on the Type layer you want to edit in the Layers palette, and blam! You’re ready to go.

April 16th, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

One-Click Access To The Copyright Symbol, And More

Looking for some special type characters, like ©, ™, or ®? If you’re not fussy about these characters actually being a font, you can find them in the default set of Custom Shapes. Just get the Custom Shape tool (press Shift-U until you have it), click on the Shape thumbnail in the Options Bar, which opens the Custom Shape Picker, and you’ll find all three special characters there, in the default set of shapes.

April 15th, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

Secret Opacity See-Through-Part-Of-A-Layer Tip

This is a pretty wild tip—how to make just one part of a layer have a lower opacity. We know it sounds impossible, but this is totally cool. Start by making a selection on any area of the layer that you want to become transparent, while the rest of the layer remains at 100%. Then go under the Edit menu and choose Fill. Continue Reading »

April 14th, 2008 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

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)

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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.
Want More?

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).