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Tip of the Day | Page 7
AUTO-SELECTING A LAYER
Here’s a really cool way to select a layer: with the Move tool (V) active, press-and-hold the Command (PC: Ctrl) key and click on that layer in the image.
SELECT SIMILAR LAYERS
Here’s a quick way to select multiple layers of the same kind—meaning multiple shape layers, type layers, or adjustment layers. Just click on one of the layers, and then from the Select menu, choose Similar Layers.
CHANGE THE FILL OPACITY ON THE FLY
You probably know that (with a non-painting tool selected) you can press a number to change the opacity of a layer (1 for 10%, 2 for 20%, etc.). But what if you want to change the Fill opacity rather than the opacity? Add in the Shift key, pressing Shift-1 for 10%, Shift-2 for 20%, etc.
COPY & PASTE BLEND MODES AND OPACITY
Not only can you copy-and-paste layer styles from one layer to another, but you can also use the same method to copy blend modes and opacity to multiple layers. Just pick the layer that has the blend mode and/or opacity setting you want, and Control-click (PC: Right-click) on it and choose Copy Layer Style. Then select all the other layers you want to share the same setting, Control-click again, and this time choose Paste Layer Styles.
DUPLICATING SMART OBJECTS
When you use the standard shortcut Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to duplicate a smart object, changes you make to the smart object will affect both copies. To avoid this, Control-click (PC: Right-click) on the smart object and choose New Smart Object Via Copy. Now the two smart objects can be edited separately—ideal for making two Camera Raw edits of the same RAW file.
SAVING A CUSTOM SHAPE
When you have a vector shape you want to save as a permanent custom shape in Photoshop, simply select the shape then go under the Edit menu and choose Define Custom Shape. You can also right-click the path and choose Define Custom Shape form the pop-up menu. Then just give the shape a name when prompted.
POST-CROP VIGNETTE
Here’s a very simple tip for the newest Post Crop Vignetteing settings in the Camera Raw Effects panel. You’ll see 3 options listed in the style pop-up list. The only one worth a darn is Highlight Priority so stick with that one 90% of the time. You can try Color Priority once in a while if you don’t care for that “burned in” edge look and it’ll keep the colors looking more true. But honestly, Highlight Priority gives the nicest effect and it’s where we stick for most of our photos.
VINTAGE PHOTO LOOK
Wanna get a really old and vintage styled look to your photos? The new Grain feature in the effects panel works great. However, try this tip. First go to the Hue/Saturation panel and covert the photo to a black and white. Then go to the Effects panel and start adding grain. The black and white look to the photo really brings home that classic style in a photo.
COPY & PASTE LAYER STYLES
You can copy on layer style to another layer simply doing a right-click on the FX icon and choosing Copy Layer Style from the menu. Then select the target layer and right-click again then choose Paste Layer Style. You can also hold down the Option key {PC:Alt} then click and drag the fx icon to the target layer.
UNLOCK LAYER TRICK
One quick way to unlock the background layer is by clicking on the padlock icon and dragging it to the trash. If that isn’t fast enough you can hold down the Option key {PC:Alt} and double click the padlock and it will unlock just the same.
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Styles & Text
This week Corey has a tutorial using layer styles and text shapes to create energetic effects.
3D Light Beams
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Flare Effects
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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.
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3D Christmas Ornaments
Corey shows how to create reflective holiday ornaments using 3D in Photoshop.
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3D Distortions
This week Corey has a cool new trick for using 3D reflections in a rather creative way!
Premium Video Tutorials From NAPP
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Scott Kelby shows you how to take an overexposed photo into a great photo using Photoshop. Want Great Photoshop & Photography Skills?
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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
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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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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
