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Tip of the Day | Page 55
Saving Your Workspace
Once you’ve set up your workspace exactly the way you want it, you may want to save it for later use. If you choose Window>Workspace>Save Workspace, you can enter a name for your current layout. Saving the workspace can also save your current keyboard shortcuts and current menus.
Moving Camera Raw Presets
Camera Raw 4.1 has a new Presets panel. It lets you save popular or frequently used settings so you don’t have to re-create them each time (say, for a black-and-white photo). Here’s the tip: If you ever change computers, you’ll probably want to take those settings along with you. It’s not quite as easy as you’d think though. So here’s how: First go find the presets folder. On a Mac, it’s located in User:Library:Application Support: Adobe:CameraRaw:Settings. On a PC, look in C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Adobe\CameraRaw\Settings. Then copy any of the preset XMP files in there to the same folder on the computer you want to move them to. The next time you go into the Camera Raw dialog, you’ll see your new presets in the Presets panel.
Free Floating Panels
The interface in Photoshop CS3 focuses on using panels for grouping all of the features that you need. If you prefer a floating panel layout, just click on the panel’s tab and drag it outside of the Panel area. This will make it a floating panel.
Accessing Tools in a Tool Group
Let’s say that you are using the Magic Wand tool, but would rather be using Photoshop CS3’s new Quick Selection tool. No problem! Just press-and-hold the Shift key while pressing the group’s keyboard shortcut (W, in this case) and you can access all the tools within that tool group.
Switching Toolbox to the CS2 Version
If you are like me, and you are having a hard time getting used to the Toolbox as one strip of tools, simply click on the double arrow at the upper left-hand corner of the Toolbox. This will change it back to the old two-column version. You can toggle back and forth between versions this way by clicking the double arrow.
Changing the Pasteboard Back to Its Original Setting
Okay, so it’s not a full tip per se, but after playing around with the pasteboard, you will decide that the gray was just fine (everyone does). If and when you do, the RGB settings are 192, 192, 192. Just click on your Foreground color swatch, enter these settings in the Color Picker, and then Shift-click on the pasteboard again.
Changing the Color of your Pasteboard
Ever get tired of the gray pasteboard? Here’s how you can change it: Select the Paint Bucket tool (G) from the Toolbox (it’s nested beneath the Gradient tool). Select a new foreground color. Press-and-hold the Shift key, click on the pasteboard, and it will change to your Foreground color. Done!
Changing Your Ruler Settings
Instead of going through the preferences to change your rulers, you can Control-click (PC: Right-click, though more and more Macs now have access to the Right-click, too) on the ruler and select your preferred measurement unit from the contextual menu.
Resetting Photoshop’s Preferences
Here’s a quick way to reset your preferences in Photoshop: Press-and-hold Command-Option-Shift (PC: Ctrl-Alt-Shift) while you start Photoshop. As you start the program you will get a pop-up dialog asking you if you would like to delete the settings file. Deleting the file will create a new set of preferences from scratch.
Turn the Font Off and On
Often, I echo Matt Kloskowski’s feeling that font preview is either loved or hated. I find myself usually turning it off, and here’s why: I love fonts—lots of them. I install fonts like there’s no tomorrow. I’m assuming that this is going to catch up to me at one point or another, but I continue to troll sites to find more and more fonts.
As you install more and more fonts on your machine, you might notice that there could be a performance problem. Because of this, we should go to Photoshop>Preferences>General (PC: Edit>Preferences>General) and turn off the Font Preview Size checkbox in the Type preferences. You can also turn on the Font Preview Size there too, if you happen to like it. I’ll stay away from that argument now.
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Photoshop Tutorials
Hollywood Touch-Ups
See how you can add some subtle touches to give that green screen studio shot the Hollywood treatment.
3D Christmas Ornaments
Corey shows how to create reflective holiday ornaments using 3D in Photoshop.
Styles & Text
This week Corey has a tutorial using layer styles and text shapes to create energetic effects.
3D Light Beams
This effect was discovered by a 'happy accident' and uses the 3D features inside of Photoshop CS4 Extended.
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Flare Effects
Corey has a cool trick for creating a flare brush and see how one effect can lead to another.
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Hollywood Touch-Ups
See how you can add some subtle touches to give that green screen studio shot the Hollywood treatment.
-
3D Christmas Ornaments
Corey shows how to create reflective holiday ornaments using 3D in Photoshop.
-
3D Distortions
This week Corey has a cool new trick for using 3D reflections in a rather creative way!
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.
Create A Composite Layer
If you have a multilayer composition and you
want to apply an effect to all the layers at once, don’t flatten the layers–use a composite layer instead. Hide the layers you want excluded, and press Shift-Command-Option-E (PC: Shift-Ctrl-Alt-E). A new layer will be created at the top containing a merged copy of all the visible layers.
Another option is to create a new layer at the top of the stack and make it active. Command-click (PC: Ctrl-click) each layer you want to include to make those layers active, as well. Press Option-Command-E (PC: Alt-Ctrl-E).
by Colin Smith
