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Loading A Layer Selection Has Changed
For years now, when you wanted to put a selection around everything on a particular layer, you would Command-click (PC: Control-click) on that layer in the Layers palette, and it pretty much didn’t matter where you clicked, as long as you clicked. Well, in CS2, it matters. You now have to click directly on the layer’s thumbnail to get the selection to load. So what happens if you Command-click (PC: Control-click) on the other part of a layer (the layer’s name for example)? It highlights that layer, so you can select multiple layers at a time.
Temporarily Unlinking A Layer
If you have a layer linked to another layer in CS2, you’ll see a Link icon appear to the right of the layer’s name (it appears there now, because the old Link column that used to appear to the left of layers is gone). If you hold the Shift key and click directly on that Link icon, that layer will be temporarily unlinked (you’ll see a red X appear through that layer’s Link icon). To relink it, just Shift-click on that icon again.
Unlinking All Your Linked Layers With A Single Click
Here’s another one we’ve been waiting (patiently, I might add) for a long time—the ability to unlink all your linked layers with a single click. Just click once on the Link icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and all layers linked to your current linked layer will be unlinked. See, if you just wait long enough.
Faster Flattening
In the past, if you wanted to flatten an image, there was only one way to do it—go to the Layers palette’s flyout menu and choose Flatten Image. But in CS2, it’s finally right at your fingertips. Just Control-click (PC: Right-click) on any image layer’s name in the Layers palette and choose Flatten Image from the contextual menu that appears. It’s not perfect, but it’s faster than digging through the flyout menu. Note: The options that in the contextual menu depend upon the type of layer on which you Command/Control-click.
Moving Layer Effects From One Layer To Another
In previous versions of Photoshop, when you wanted to move an applied effect (like a drop shadow or bevel and emboss) from one layer and have it appear on another layer, you’d copy the effect from your original layer, then paste it onto your preferred layer, then go back to the original layer and drag the effect into the Trash. Four steps are just too much. How about only one—just drag the little round “f” icon from the active layer to the layer you want it on, and it relocates to that layer. If you want to duplicate the effect (rather than move it), just Option-drag (PC: Alt-drag) the icon.
Changing Opacity While You’re Transforming
Until CS2, this was impossible, but now when you have Free Transform active on a layer and you need to change the opacity of the layer you’re transforming, you can do it by just going to the Layers palette and lowering the Opacity setting. But it’s not just Opacity—you can change the blend mode as well. If you do photo restoration, or wind up having to take a head shot from one photo and composite it on another (the groom’s eyes were closed, etc.), you know what a time saver this will be.
Finally, A Shortcut For Creating A Flattened Layer
I’m not talking about flattening your image. I’m talking about a new layer that contains a flattened version of your whole layered document, without flattening your layers. That’s right—one layer that looks like your flattened document. You could do this in previous versions, but it took a little doin’. Now, it’s just one simple keyboard shortcut, and it even creates the layer for you—it’s Command-Option-Shift-E (PC: Control-Alt-Shift-E).
Cropping Multiple Images At Once
If you’ve opened multiple images in Camera Raw, you can apply cropping to one of those images and then have that exact same cropping applied to as many other open images as you’d like, in just two clicks. First crop your selected image in the preview window using the Crop tool (C). Now select the other photos you want to crop by Command-clicking (PC: Control-click) on them in the list of open photos on the left side of the Camera Raw dialog. Then click on the Synchronize button. When the dialog appears, from the Synchronize pop-up menu at the top, choose Crop and click OK. All your selected photos will be cropped the same way you cropped the first photo.
Removing Your Edits To A Raw Image In Bridge
If you’ve edited a RAW photo in Camera Raw, you’ll see a little round two-slider icon below the RAW photo’s thumbnail in Bridge. If you want to remove those edits, and return the image to the original unedited version (like it just came out of your camera), Control-click (PC: Right-click) on the thumbnail and choose Clear Camera Raw Settings.
Like The Edits You Made To One Photo? Apply Them To Others
If you’ve got a number of photos open in Camera Raw, and you make some edits to one of those photos, and you think to yourself, “Hey, that doesn’t look bad,” you can quickly apply those same edits to other images. Here’s how: Once you’ve made your edits to an image, Command-click (PC: Control-click) on the photos along the left side of the dialog to which you want to apply the same edits. Then click on the Synchronize button in the top-left side of Camera Raw. This brings up a dialog with a checkbox list of all the edits you can do in Camera Raw. If you want all the changes you applied to the first image to be applied to your selected images, choose Everything from the Synchronize pop-up menu at the top of the dialog. If you only want a few edits applied, uncheck the checkboxes beside the edits you don’t want applied.
How To Tell Camera Raw Which Photo To Use For Edits
When you open multiple RAW images in Camera Raw, if you press Command-A (PC: Control-A) to select them all, any change you make to the top image in the list will be made to all the other selected images. But what if you’d prefer to edit the fourth or fifth image down, and have all the rest adjusted the same way (rather than having to adjust the first photo in the list)? It’s easy—once all the photos are selected, Option-click (PC: Alt-click) on the photo along the left side that you want to base all your edits on. That photo will now appear in the preview window, and changes you make to it will also be applied to all other selected RAW photos.
Having Bridge Always Process Your Raw Images
Double-clicking on a RAW image in Bridge opens that image in Photoshop’s Camera Raw, but if you’d prefer to always have RAW images processed by Bridge’s Camera Raw instead, just press Command-K (PC: Control-K) to open Bridge’s Preferences, and in the list on the left side of the dialog, click on Advanced. When the Advanced options appear, turn on the checkbox named Double-Click Edits Camera Raw Settings in Bridge.
Sorting Images In Camera Raw
When most of us think about sorting or rating images, we think about Bridge, but believe it or not, you can pretty much do the same thing right within Camera Raw. For example, let’s say you open 60 images in Camera Raw. You can toggle through the different images by clicking on the left/right arrows in the bottom-right side of the preview window. To delete any image you don’t like, click on the Trash icon in the Toolbox (it only appears when you have multiple images open). To add a star rating to a file, just click on it in the list of images on the left side of the dialog and drag out your rating below the image’s thumbnail.
Bypass Camera Raw’s Annoying Save As Dialog
If you’ve been processing images and you want to quickly save a file with the settings you’ve just applied, you don’t have to have the whole Save As dialog appear, which just takes up time and space. Instead, hold the Option key (PC: Alt key), and then click the Save button. It will simply save your image and apply the settings you selected without closing the Camera Raw dialog. It’s faster, it’s funner, and it’s all gooder as well.
How To Get Back Where You Started In Camera Raw
If you’ve made a number of adjustments in Camera Raw, and you’re not happy with them and just want to get back to where you started, go to the Camera Raw Settings pop-up menu (it’s just above the White Balance pop-up menu) and choose Camera Raw Defaults. That’ll put the photo back to how it looked when you opened it.
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Photoshop Tutorials
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Wild West Grunge
Corey shows you how to recreate this rugged, weathered look using a couple of filters, blending modes, and layer masks.
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Wall of Text
Use a clipping group to place an image inside of a background of text, with another layer of text placed in front to create depth.
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Natural Brushes
In this tutorial Corey shows you how to take an existing image and turn it into it’s own custom brush.
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Custom Coins
In this tutorial Corey creates a realistic-looking coin effect using the channels palette and the lighting effects filter.
Text Shape Layers
Converting text into shapes allows you to distort the text as you like while retaining straight, clean edges.
Borders Under a Minute
Create really cool borders in under a minute to use on virtually any one of your photos or even video for that matter.- Custom Coins
In this tutorial Corey creates a realistic-looking coin effect using the channels palette and the lighting effects filter. - Natural Brushes
In this tutorial Corey shows you how to take an existing image and turn it into it's own custom brush.
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Creative Contrast in Photoshop CS3
In this tutorial, we’ll take a look at some interesting techniques for improving contrast using the Shadow/Highlight command, empty adjustment layers, blend modes, and the Blend If sliders in the Layer Style dialog. -
Enhanced Workflow in Lightroom 1.1
In this article, we'll focus on techniques that will strengthen your workflow skills and simultaneously reveal some of the new features in Lightroom 1.1. -
Handlin’ Photoshop and Illustrator Content in Flash
we’ll take a look at how things work across Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash-specifically, some features and techniques for getting rasterized Photoshop content and vector Illustrator content into your Flash movies. -
Understanding Channels in Photoshop CS3
Photographer Chris Alvanas wants to go over Channels, because understanding what they are and what they do is key to understanding what their potential is.
Removing Those Typographically Incorrect Spaces
If you’re trying to set type that looks typographically correct in Photoshop, there’s an old habit you’ll have to break, and that’s the curse of putting two spaces at the end of every sentence. This is a holdover from people who at one time used traditional typewriters, where adding two spaces was necessary, but in typesetting that’s a huge no-no. About 70% of the text I copy-and-paste from text files that people give me has two spaces, but I use this Photoshop tip to fix the problem in just seconds. First, go under the Edit menu and choose Find and Replace Text. In the Find field, press the Spacebar twice (entering two spaces), then in Change To, press the Spacebar just once. Click Change All, and every time Photoshop finds two spaces at the end of a sentence, it will replace it with just one, making you typographically correct.
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Photoshop CS3 for Photographers Tour May. 19 - Nashville, TN
Photoshop CS3 for Photographers Tour May. 22 - San Francisco, CA
Photoshop CS3 for Photographers Tour May. 28 - New York, NY
Maximum Photoshop Tour May. 30
