Adobe Photoshop Tips&Tricks

Photoshop Natural Looking Colored Pencils

The best way is to select an appropriate brush shape, and begin stroking and hatching in the color just as if you were actually coloring with colored pencils. It's really fun and easy.

Creating a "Light Sabre" in Photoshop

Create the object you wish to make the light sabre. Use the Pen tool to create a simple straight path. This will provide the structure for the "light".

Now, set a soft-edged brush to the appropriate size to be the thickness you need for the sabre.

Now, you'll use the Stroke Path command to paint the sabre. The Stroke Path command allows you to create a paint stroke (using the current settings for your painting tools) that follows any path.

Start a new layer. When you stroke a path, the color values appear on the active layer. Make sure the layer you want is active before beginning.

1. Select the path in the Paths palette (Cmd/click or Ctrl/click).
2. Click the Stroke Path button at the bottom of the Paths palette. Each click of the Stroke Path button builds up the opacity of the stroke and in some cases makes it look thicker.

To stroke a path and specify options:

1. Select the path in the Paths palette.
2. Select the painting or editing tool you want to use to stroke the path.
3. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Stroke Path button at the bottom of the Paths palette. (Or, Choose Stroke Path from the Paths palette menu.)

There's the sabre.

To create the aura surrounding the sabre, duplicate the layer. Now select the bottom most sabre

Ctrl/click (Mac: Cmd/click) the layer to select the sabre
Choose: Select > Modify > Expand Selection
... and expand it to approximate the amount of aura you desire.

Fill the new, thicker, sabre with the desired aura color.
Click Okay.

Drop the selection and choose: Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur

Adjust the slider until the aura is as you wish.

Photoshop Blends Color to Grayscale

While there are a dozen ways to do this, here's a straight-forward way to accomplish the effect you're looking for.

Open the color image you wish to modify.

Select all and COPY the full image

Now use Mode and reset the color to Grayscale, say "Yes" to removing all color.

The image goes grayscale. Tweak or adjust the black and white until it suits you.

Return to MODE and return the image to RGB

Select the Move tool (Tap: "V") and then PASTE

The original color will return to the file on a new layer.

NOW: open this diagram and follow along

Now generate a Layer Mask by clicking on the Layer Mask button. Make sure its active with a double border (2nd thumbnail added to the orignal color thumbnail in the layers palette.)

Now select the Gradient tool (Tap "G") and observe in the options bar:

a) set the type of gradient to "Foreground to Transparent" by clicking the second pull-down to reveal the gradient thumbnails. F-to-T will be the first icon.)

b) set the style of gradient to Linear in the next row of icons (Actually, you can set to whatever you wish. In our example we set to Linear.)

Tap the letter "D" to return the colors to their default.

Now drag the Gradient tool in the image in the direction you wish.

Presto... color to grayscale.

Undo if it does not suit and try again. In our example we dragged a very short gradient near the center of the image to make a very quick transition. Dragging a longer pull with the Gradient Tool will generate a smoother transition.

Hiding the transparency grid

Hiding the checkerboard pattern in Photoshop 6 through CS

To hide the checkerboard, press Ctrl/K (Mac: Cmd/K) to display the Preferences dialog box.

Then, select Transparency / Gamut from the main pop-up menu

In the Transparency Settings section, select None from the Grid Size pop-up menu and click OK.

Presto: no more checkerboard. Do the reverse to get it back, or change its attributes.

If you're ready to go from blindly following step-by-step instructions to "Aha, I finally GET Photoshop!" this is the place to start.

Replacing Color in Photoshop CS2

In previous versions we would use the "Replace Color" command, but in this new Photoshop, there's a new tool for you to abuse -- the Color Replacement tool.

Using this tool you can make quick color changes in quickly and easily.

Choose the Color Replacement tool from the Toolbox (it's hidden on the Healing Brush tool's flyout menu).

Then, go to the tool options bar and set the Mode pop-up menu to Color, the Sampling pop-up menu to Once, and the Limits pop-up menu to Find Edges.

You'll probably also want to adjust your brush settings if necessary.

Now Alt/click (Mac: [option]-click) on the color you want to replace.

Next click on the Set Foreground Color swatch in the Toolbox and choose a new color to use in your image.

Now, just paint away the old color with the new.

Losing Selections, Saving Selections

All you have to do is either use the QuickMask command, or Save your selections for future use

We've all done it:

... created a selection and deselected it only to discover you need the selection again... or, worse yet, had to start from scratch.

Rather than wasting time reselecting it all over again, just save your selection.

* Make your selection
* While it's still active, choose Select > Save Selection.

In the resulting Save Selection dialog box, name the selection and click OK.

Now, when you need to access that selection, choose Select > Load Selection. In the resulting dialog box, choose your saved selection from the Channel pop-up menu and click OK.

In complicated situations, save the selections at various stages.

Remember you can use QuickMask as a "temporary" selections arena that will not go away simply by clicking elsewhere. You can work on it until the selection is correct, then use the above to save the selection.

Seeing web images from Photoshop

Yes, to review your Web images before you save them (Photoshop 6.x/7.x/CS), you'll be using the Save For Web command, where you can preview how your images will appear on both a PC and a Mac.

First, select File > Save For Web.

In the resulting Save For Web dialog box, you'll see an arrow icon in the top-right corner of the preview area.

Click the arrow, then select the platform in which you want to see your image.

It you don't like it, just cancel out and continue working.

Of course if all that sounds like Greek to you, don't worry. Deke McClelland uses highly effective One-on-One teaching methods and creates a classroom environment that combines written instruction with more than two hours of video training (provided on CD). As host of the "Best of Photoshop" disk that ships with every Photoshop order, he's uniquely qualified to present the material in this dynamic, interactive format. Whatever your skill level, Adobe Photoshop CS2 One on One will soon have you speaking fluent Photoshop CS2.