|
Magnum's Photoshop Tools Tutorial -
01-25-2003, 04:38 PM
Here, I will cover some of the most commonly used tools I use for making sigs. Enjoy.
Image Menu
Adjust
Brightness/Contrast - Use the sliders to adjust the brightness and contrast of the current layer or selection. Leave the preview option checked to see how it will look in real time. This option works like the controls on a TV.
Hue/Saturation - Use to adjust the hue (color) and saturation of a layer or selection. This also works like a TV. Checking the "Colorize" option will give the whole layer/selection the chosen color. This is useful for making things look like old Sepia toned photos and such, among other things.
Desaturate - Make a color image black and white.
Invert - Invert the colors of the layer/selection. Black becomes white, blue becomes orange, etc.
Duplicate - Use to duplicate the image if you are going to edit something and you want to keep the original.
Image Size - Adjust the size of the image. If "Constrain Proportions" is checked, you will uniformly scale the image. If it is unchecked, you will distort the aspect ratio of the image.
Crop - Trim an image by a selection. It will discard anything outside of the selection.
Layers
New
>Layer - Use to create a new layer. Best used when doing a freehand paint or other edit. Not necessary when copying & pasting other images in, as that creates a new layer automatically.
>Background from Layer - Uses the current layer and makes it the background, which is a special locked layer at the bottom. A transparent area will take on the color of the background color.
Duplicate Layer - Use to "backup" a layer if you edit it, or create effects.
Rasterize > Type - Transforms a text layer into an image layer. You won't be able to edit the text, but you will be able to use image filters.
Add Layer Mask* - I discussed this in my blending tutorial.
Layer Style > Blending Options - There are many options in this menu. Commonly used ones are Drop Shadow, Outer Glow, and Bevel/Emboss. Play around with the settings in this menu to add effects.
Sidebar
History panel - If you make several mistakes, use this to delete the actions you made. The standard undo only goes back one step.
Layer panel - Adjust the layer order. Put layers on top of each other and change the order by clicking and dragging. Also, select between the primary image and a layer mask.
Toolbar
[img]http://web.syr.edu/~adkirsch/toolstutorial.jpg[/img]
Marquee - Use to select a large area, usually rectangular or elliptical/circular. Hold down the mouse to select different options.
Lasso - 3 Functions (hold down mouse to select different options):
>Standard Lasso - Use to select do a freehand select.
>Polygonal Lasso - Use to select an area with straight lines. Often for angular selections.
>Magnetic Lasso - Often the most precise way to select something. Raise the frequency in the top toolbar to make it more accurate. Click on the edge of something, release the mouse button and drag the selection around the object. Click on the beginning of the selection when you get back to it.
Move - Use to move layers and image components. Just click and drag.
Magic Wand - Select an area by color. Lowering the tolerance number will make the selection more specific to avoid selecting unwanted things. If an edge is unclear, lower the tolerance.
Airbrush - Use for subtle coloring/shading. Adjust the brush size and pressure to specific needs. Lighter pressure (15% - 25%) is often better.
Clone Stamp - Not usually used in sigs, but worth mentioning. (It's used a lot in Photoshop contests.) It replicates an area according to the brush size and is used heavily in replacing text, faces and the like. Hold down Alt and click on the plain area you want, then let go and "paint" over the area you want to make look like the other part.
Eraser - The eraser functions obviously enough. Use the Pencil and Block modes to completely erase areas. Use the Airbrush mode for light erasing and blending.
Blur/Sharpen/Smudge - Use to blur, sharpen, or smudge something. Fairly self-explanatory. Like the others, hold down the mouse to select different options. Adjust the brush size and power settings to your needs.
Gradient/Paint Bucket - Paint Bucket paints a solid color over an area or selection. Gradient paints a gradient over an area or selection. When using gradient, adjust the colors and shapes of the gradient to your needs.
Text - Adds a new layer containing text. Adjust font, color, and text shape in the menu bar.
Foreground Color - This is the color used when you use the Airbrush (and Pencil/Paintbrush tools) and Paint Bucket. Click to select the color.
Background Color - This is the color used when you make a background layer, as well as the filler when some filters such as Sprayed Strokes are used. Click to select the color.
Switch Color - Switch the Foreground/Background colors.
Filters - You will need to experiment with these. Adjust the different settings to get different results. In general, the filter simply gets applied or a dialog box will let you adjust the options and preview the result.
Artistic - Add artistic effects. I commonly use Palette Knife, Paint Daubs, and Smudge Stick.
Blur - There are several kinds of blurs. The standard blur is self explanatory. Use the Gaussian Blur for heavy blurring and blending.
Brush Strokes - Good for breaking up solid areas. I commonly use Sprayed strokes.
Noise - Use to age an image and add graininess.
Pixelate - Also good for breaking up solid areas, especially in conjunction with Brush Strokes. (Pointillize is good for this.) Mosaic will add a computerized pixel effect.
Sharpen - Self-explanatory. I commonly use the Sharpen Edges tool to retain the clarity of the edge of object I blurred for blending.
Sketch - More types of artistic effects. I commonly use the Water Paper filter.
|
Magnum's Photoshop Tools Tutorial
Linear Mode
