Tips, Tricks & Tutorials

PHOTOSHOP CREATIVE CLOUD

Examples of Students' Work:

Examples of some of the teacher's work:

Using 3D to create a filmstrip from scratch
A fun collage with a trendy spiral and images that are stroked
Clipping mask using live type
In the Advanced Photoshop class this will be your very first project, except you will use your own photos to create the clipping mask from scratch
Scroll down to see Web page mock up and Other Tutorials for more

Video Tutorials:

Most video tutorials are now only available in Bb. Take the CO252, Adv. Photoshop class with me for complete access to all Photoshop tutorials, tips and tricks.

For advanced Photoshop users only: learn how to use channels to select hard-to-select areas of an image.
Knock out the background around an object for print or Web. Use the Web & Devices dialog box to create transparenat pixels and knock out the background. You may also use the Pen Tool to create a Clipping Path or a selection to remove the background.

Other Tutorials:

Quickly export image assets from Photoshop - Students in the Advanced Photoshop course will optimize images for the Web using the 'Save for Web' dialog box and will create a Web page mockup from scratch, slice and optimize the images.

Sometimes using the 'Save for Web' dialog box and going through the process of slicing may be more than you need. If you want to quickly and easily extract a few images from Photoshop for a Web site, try Creative Cloud, Version 14.1 and the new Generator feature. All you need to do is include the file extension as part of the layer name on the Layers panel - and wahlah! - your image files are immediately created and ready to use on the Web! No need to slice, export or even Save! Adding a percentage as part of the file name will generate image files for retina (high resolution) displays.
It's amazingly easy! Check out this video to learn how. Read Photoshop's Blog to learn more. If you don't have Creative Cloud, you can get it on JourneyEd for $19.99 a month. You may also obtain a free trial download.
Photo into a Sketch -- Photoshop can turn you into a sketch artist! With your favorite photo, use a Gaussian blur filter, along with a couple of blend modes and you will love the results! See a sketch example along with instructions.
Zoomify your high-resolution images on the Web-- File size and pixel dimension of a high resolution photo on the web is impractical without the Zoomify feature in Photoshop. With Zoomify, you can create interactive viewing on the web. Allow your web site visitors to zoom and pan your high-res photos. All you need is a jpeg and Photoshop will create the HTML and Flash for you! See an example along with step-by-step instructions to Zoomify your images.
High Dynamic Range (HDR)-- Photographers, you're going to LOVE this one . . . HDR is a utility in Photoshop that allows you to combine several photos into one stunning image! Combining several photos into one captures a greater range of detail than any camera can ever capture in a single image. See an example, read tips for creating HDR photos, and step-by-step directions on how to use HDR in Photoshop.

Tips:

Camera Raw: software and some of the best tips for how to use the tool bar and panels!
Photoshop adjustments, filters and retouching tips.
Interpolation tips.
Vector, Bitmap, Pixels, Rasterize -- confused with all the terms? To be an effective Photoshop user, it is important to understand the meaning of each. FreeRangeStock.com explains it well.
Brushes Galore -- although Photoshop now comes with 15 brush libraries (3 more than CS4), there are countless more available for free on the Web. Here's just a few below. The blue squiggle you see on the main navigation bar on the top and bottom of this page were made with just one click, a free brush I downloaded.
- PhotoshopRoadmap
- QBrushes
- PhotoshopFreeBrushes
- Brusheezy
- Can't find the brush you want? Create your own.

Other Tips and Resources:

Graphics Tablets
Create shading and brushstrokes with far more accuracy using a tablet than a mouse can provide. With Photoshop's pressure sensitivity options, you can easily create custom brushes. The amount of pressure applied can be used to control anything from the size of the brush, angle of rotation, and variance between foreground and background colors. If you purchase a tablet, give yourself at least two weeks to get use to it. The learning curve takes time, but after you're comfortable with the tablet, you will never go back to the mouse. The portability, convenience, and lower price of a small Intuos4 tablet works for me. You can purchase it for the same price (as of spring 2011) on Journey Ed as you can at Best Buy.
Non-destructive Techniques
It is good practice to use Smart Objects, Adjustment Layers (instead of adjustments in the Image menu) and masks when working with your images and artwork. Using these non-destructive techniques allow you to always go back and revise your work, even after you save and close. How? Take the CO152 course to learn the foundations and then CO252 to take it to a whole new level!
What's new in CS6 and when will it be released? Based on the timing of previous releases, this may be in April of 2012. Below are links to some of the new CS6 features: