Add A Stroke Layer Style

Shows how to create a stroke layer style in Photoshop CS2 to quickly add a custom border to your photos.

Kloskowski, Matt. Planet Photoshop (2006). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop CS Layer Effects

In this topic, you will apply Bevel and Emboss and Outer Glow effects to an Adobe Photoshop CS type layer.

Adobe (2004). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop CS Type Layers

In this topic, you will create a Photoshop CS type layer in which you will add and format type.

Adobe (2004). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop Power Shortcuts  

In Photoshop CS2, many of the shortcuts for the application menus, palette menus and tools can be customized using the Keyboard Shortcuts editor. Although this document mentions some of the more common editable shortcuts, it also provides additional functionality only accessible through using keyboard modifiers which can't be changed through the Keyboard Shortcut editor. Although this is not a completely comprehensive list of all of the keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop CS2, it is my goal to present the shortcuts and additional functionality that enable me to use Photoshop CS2 both more freely and efficiently.

Kost, Julieanne and Daniel Brown. Adobe Evangelists (2006). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Automating Photoshop CS2  

Automating repetitive tasks in Photoshop can increase productivity as well as save time and money. Almost any command (or set of commands) in Photoshop can be recorded into an action to be applied repetitively to a single file or across multiple file. The most basic action will execute one command such as resizing an image or displaying a dialog box. More complex actions can execute multiple commands automating more elaborate tasks. When used with the Batch command and/or Droplets, these actions can be applied to multiple files at once, enabling Photoshop to do repetitive tasks more quickly than even the best-trained Photoshop user! When repetitive tasks in a more involved workflow need to be carried out between applications, then AppleScript, Visual Basic, or JavaScript can be used to create scripts which work with Photoshop. In the case of conditional logic (a fancy way of saying 'Make a decision!') when an action needs to be applied to some files but not others, JavaScript files can be written to fulfill this need. One word of caution when first trying to conquer actions - run them on duplicate files, leaving your pre- cious originals unaltered. As you become more Action savvy, you can kick off those training wheels, and batch away!

Kost, Julieanne and Daniel Brown. Adobe Evangelists (2006). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Be Prepared: Fill the Gaps in Your Photoshop Know-How

It's next to impossible for one person to know the ins and outs of every single facet of Photoshop. With that in mind, we present three video tutorials to plug a variety of holes in your Photoshop knowledge.

Perkins, Chad. Creative Pro (2007). Articles>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Better Than Ginzu Knives: InDesign's Pathfinder Commands  

Every avid chef has little gizmos and gadgets, designed for specific tasks, that find their way to the back of a drawer and are then forgotten. Like those special tools, the Pathfinder commands in InDesign are often forgotten or considered too sophisticated for non-artistic types. Yet they can slice and dice and combine paths in unique ways that add vastly to the repertoire of the InDesign chef. Added to InDesign's other ways to mix up text and graphics, Pathfinder can help you further push the creative edge.

Burns, Diane. Creative Pro (2007). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe InDesign

Bitmap to Vector?

Line art and stencils from a bitmap? Tough question. If it's line art you're looking for, convert the bitmaps to grayscale, then use the Brightness / Contrast adjustment layers to 'homogenize' your image and clean up edges.

Photoshop 911 (2005). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Blurring the Boundaries  

For years, the desktop-publishing landscape has been characterized by sharp boundaries - PC vs. Mac, vector vs. bitmap, page-layout vs. illustration, and so on. But Illustrator provides the perfect example of how that is changing.

Kvern, Olav Martin. Adobe Magazine (1997). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Illustrator

Brushed Metal Effects

In this tutorial we'll look at using some of Photoshop's tools to produce realistic brushed-metal effects. You can easily apply these effects to text or to other objects such as geometric shapes and interface bars.

Elated (2001). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Color Corrections with Hue/Saturation

Hue/Saturation dialog uses HSB (hue-saturation-brightness) model of the color presentation. The slider Hue shifts color position on the rainbow-colored bar at the bottom of the dialog, Saturation can increase/decrease color intensity, while Lightness changes its brightness

Doubrovski, Andrei. Photoshop 911 (2004). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Color Photo from Black and White

This reader wants to make a color photo from a black and white. Tough question.

Photoshop 911 (2004). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Coloring Old Black and White Drawings

Step 1. Clean up any blemishes or distracting marks in the illustration. Make it as perfect a B & W illustration as you can. Make sure the contrast, sharpness and clarity are uniform throughout. Step 2. You will have sharply clear demarcations of tone which are easy and you will have areas where the tones between parts are quite similar and therefore more difficult. Start by using the Keep-Color brush to preserve everything you do not wish to color. Carefully outline each element with your chosen color being sure there are no unwanted gaps. Where there is no demarcation between tones, you should outline each color as precisely as you can. Also, the original may have lines separating the sleeve from the jacket for example. Cover that line with the Keep-Color brush and put a line of your chosen color closely beside each side of the line. Step 3. Press the run button (green arrow) and be amazed when your B & W illustration pops into color just as you ordered. Press the green check mark , the AKVIS window closes and the changes are applied to your original graphic. Save your new image immediately."

Sisson, Gordon. AKVIS (2006). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Colorizing a Map in Photoshop

Laying color over a map is easier than you think and it doesn't require brushes.

Photoshop 911 (2004). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

CorelDRAW Tutorials, Tips, Etc.

This page contains a listing of twenty-four links to technical illustration tutorials and how-to articles for illustrators using draw software, especially CorelDraw.

Broz, Donald. Broz and Dian. Resources>Graphic Design>Software

Depth of Field

Shows how to simulate a depth of field effect using a filter.

Kloskowski, Matt. Planet Photoshop (2006). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

The Draw Layer: A Metaphysical Space (And How to Bring It Back Down to Earth)

Word's draw layer is a metaphysical space where floating objects reside. It really isn't a layer, since floating objects can be sent behind the text layer or brought out in front of it. Either way, they continue to reside in the draw layer.

Rado, Dave and Bill Coan. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Graphic Design>Software>Microsoft Word

Fading One Image into Another

In this tutorial you'll learn how to use layer masks to create the effect of one image gradually fading into another.

Elated (2003). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Find The Exact Center

Shows how to find the exact center point of your Photoshop document.

Kloskowski, Matt. Planet Photoshop. Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Graphics Don't Appear or Won't Print

Objects in the drawing layer are visible in Page Layout (Print Layout) view and Print Preview but not in Normal view. Interestingly, a frame is a sort of hybrid object that can appear to float (and text can be wrapped around it), but it is actually inline and can be viewed (though not in position) in Normal view.

Barnhill, Suzanne and Dave Rado. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Graphic Design>Software>Microsoft Word

Hand Tinting a Photograph with Photoshop

Before the age of color film, when black-and-white photography was the only option, it was common practice for photographers to tint a black-and-white image with colored dyes to mimic real-life colors. Although we now have all the advantages of stunning color photography, we can still use Photoshop to replicate this technique, and add great charm to black-and-white images.

Shelbourne, Tim. Photoshop Tips and Tricks (2006). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Hot Spots Too Bright

I have a photo of a pearl necklace, which has one bright flash spot on each pearl. How do I reduce the brightness without making the pearls appear dull and gray?

Photoshop 911 (2004). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

How to Blur the Background Around an Object

Working in your new layer, and on the item you wish to keep in focus, find a starting point, click the mouse once and begin slowing tracing around the object. Once it has been entirely traced, return to your starting point and double-click to select your object. Under the SELECT menu choose INVERSE. Then under the FILTER menu choose BLUR » GAUSSIAN BLUR. When the Gaussian Blur window appears, use the radius slider bar to choose the amount of pixels to blur. I chose 4.5 for my example. When you are satisfied with the preview, click OK.

Hill, Julie. Presentations (2003). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop