Well.. I’m going to have to tie this post with Photoshop some how.. so yea here goes…
This animated GIF file was created with Imageready which comes with Photoshop! I’m just posting this here because it’s so very funny! Enjoy.
I have no idea who made this but it’s awesome! 😀
Welcome back to PhotoshopTips.net. Have you ever wanted to easily adjust only part of an image with out any hassles? Maybe you wanted to have more control over the options in the Image > Adjustments menu. If that’s the case then you need to learn about Adjustment Layers. Luckily, that is what this tutorial is about.
We will go over what adjustment layers are and what they are used for. We will also briefly cover the many available options for adjustment layers, and then finally end with some examples where we will use what we are about to go over. For this tutorial I am going to assume that the readers already know some basics of Photoshop such as regular layers and the Image > Adjustments menu.
What is an Adjustment Layer?
We all know what a layer is (atleast I assume everyone reading this does 🙂 ). We can think of them as transparencies lying on top of each other. Imagine you take a transparency and you draw something on one and then place it on a stack. Next you take another transparency and draw something on it and then place it on the same stack. What is going to happen is that you will be able to see stuff from the first sheet as well as stuff drawn on the second sheet as long as they don’t overlap. That is what basic layers are.
Adjustment layers work in the same way in that you can see through them but they don’t change anything actually below them. So you can apply an adjustment (such as hue/saturation changes) on a transparency/layer and it will become an adjustment layer. Next you take this adjustment layer and place it on our stack of layers. Magically, when look through the adjustment layer everything seen through it seems to have that adjustment. However, it doesn’t actually change the layers below thus giving you a lot of control over what you do. You can change the adjustments later if you don’t like the effect as well.
Read on for detailed step by step tutorials
The (semi) big news today in the “Photoshop world” is that microsoft just officially unveiled a complete suite of tools to compete with Adobe.
A beta version of their graphics software can be downloaded for free here. It was met with a few reviews that shed some not-so-flattering light on it.
Competition is good and this should keep everyone on their toes. I don’t know how this will be met by the graphics community but after looking at Microsofts recent history I have a hunch that Adobe has nothing to worry about.
The Expression suite includes Acrylic Graphic Designer for painting and illustration, and Quartz Web Designer for layout and design when building websites.
You can almost hear the collective sound of the entire graphics and design community going “Meh..”
Wacom, the leading graphics tablet manufacturer, just released the next version of their Graphire series. The Graphire 4 brings new features such as ExpressKeys, mouse with a scroll wheel, and a picture frame. They also added a second place to place your pen.
For people who are not familiar with what a Graphics Tablet is then you can click here. Here is a quote from the article:
A graphics tablet (or digitizing tablet) is a computer peripheral device that allows for a relatively simple method of inputting hand-drawn graphics or art into a computer in real time. They typically consist of a large flat surface for drawing on, and an attached “stylus” for drawing on the surface, originally as a part of the electronics, but later simply to provide an accurate but smooth “point”.
Basically you can grab a pen and draw instead of using a bulky mouse. That allows you to draw more accurately and more quickly. Plus, more people are used to drawing with pens and pencils so it helps with that too.
From what I can see from the description on the site this really does not offer many new features. Basically its a Graphire 2 or Graphire 3 with 2 ExpressKeys (buttons that can be linked with a keystroke) and a handy place to place your pen. If you own a Graphire 2 or a Graphire 3 then don’t bother upgrading. If you are interested in getting an upgrade then save up and get an Intous 3. Now that is a good tablet!
For people who do not have a tablet right now then this is a good product to buy. It costs $99 and trust me… it is well worth that price. If you can’t afford that then just go on ebay.com and search for a used Graphire 2 or a Graphire 3. Make sure the seller tells you that its in good condition and then buy one of those. It will be drastically cheaper and just as good as any other Graphire. I recommend going with Wacom tablets to everyone. I had a bad experience with some other companies like Aiptek (don’t sue me aiptek aaaa)
Wacom: http://www.wacom.com
Graphire 4: http://www.wacom.com/graphire/index.cfm
Thanks for visiting 😀
Software Cinema just announced that they have released a new training DVD set focused at beginners and advanced users of Adobe Photoshop. The big news is that it features Julieanne Kost, a leading Photoshop expert.
There are a total of three DVDs. You have the option of buying them seperately, or altogether at once.
The DVDs are: