PUPPET WARP GETS SMART!

The new Puppet Warp feature is a great way to have more control over image distortion but did you know that if you convert the layer into a smart object it will then apply the Puppet Warp as a Smart Filter. This gives you the freedom to work non-destructively by allowing you to access the distortion control points even after you have applied the distortion.

August 5th, 2011 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

MINI BRIDGE IN FILMSTRIP MODE

Ok, so we know how cool Mini Bridge is right? Here’s something just as cool. Did you know that if you drag the Mini Bridge panel to the bottom of your screen it will dock at the bottom in a filmstrip look similar to Lightroom. Allowing maximum screen area while still accessing Bridge.

August 4th, 2011 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (0)

CREATING 3D TEXT RASTERIZES

Hooray! Photoshop can now create 3D text! However it also rasterizes it. Meaning when you go to convert a text layer into 3D it will convert the text to pixels, making it un-editable. I would recommend making a duplicate of the text layer before converting to 3D. This will save you having to completely start over of something goes wrong.

August 3rd, 2011 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

HDR TONING ONLY WORKS ON A FLAT IMAGE

As cool as the new HDR Toning feature is, there is still one little caveat. You can only apply to a flattened image. Meaning no layers. It will prompt you to flatten the image if you try. Also it will not work on a smart object. Believe me, we tried. Best thing to do is apply the image in a duplicated flattened version and then drag into your layered document.

August 2nd, 2011 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (2)

CUSTOM DEFAULT LAYER STYLES

Tired of those silly default colors and settings in the layer styles panel. Well the suffering ends now. You now have the ability to save a layer style, perhaps one you use all too often, as a default setting. Simple set up your layer style then click the Make Default button at the bottom of the panel window. Voila!

August 1st, 2011 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

DELETE EMPTY LAYERS

You ever have a whole lot of scattered empty layers in your document. It just takes forever to go in there and delete each one especially if they are mixed with other layers. Now all you need to do is go under the File menu to Scripts and choose Delete All Empty Layers. Done!

July 29th, 2011 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (2)

BROWSE 3D CONTENT ONLINE

Sometimes you need more 3D content than what Photoshop will give you. There are some great 3D resources that you can access right from within Photoshop. Just go under the 3D menu to the bottom and choose Browse 3D Content Online. This will open you browser to an Adobe landing page for 3D. Here you can download free materials, access stock 3D libraries like 3dvia and Archive 3D. There are also links to other news and training for 3D in Photoshop.

July 27th, 2011 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

3D GROUND PLANE SHADOW CATCHER

In addition to Repoussé, another great new feature added to 3D is the ground plane shadow catcher. When invoked, this feature creates an invisible ground plane, which will receive shadows cast by the main 3D object and based on the lighting that is applied to the object. To see the shadows you must put the layer into Ray Tracer mode from within the 3D panel.

July 26th, 2011 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (1)

SAMPLING RING

Sampling colors in Photoshop isn’t a new concept but there is a great new addition when sampling colors. When you select the eyedropper tool, choose a sample size and then click in the canvas area to sample a color. When you click you will notice a sample ring appear around the cursor. The top half represents the color being sampled and the bottom half represents the existing foreground color. Provides a great visual aid when color matching is critical.

July 25th, 2011 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (2)

WHAT IS REPOUSSÉ?

Repoussé is the name of the new 3D features in Photoshop CS5 Extended. The word repoussé is actually a French term that refers to a process of forming a relief into a sheet of metal or something by hammering a shape from one side. How it came to be the name of this feature is a long story but basically it refers to Photoshop ability to use internal constraints to push and pull textures and surfaces in 3D. Though it is only part of what this feature can do the name somehow stuck.



Another point to remember is that Repoussé along with all the other 3D features are only available in Photoshop CS5 Extended version.

July 22nd, 2011 | Web Editor | Tip of the Day | Comments (3)