Posts Tagged ‘photoshop training’

Making Selections In Adobe Photoshop

Monday, March 28th, 2011

Vector graphics consist of discrete objects which can be selected and manipulated independently of the rest of the drawing. By contrast, a Photoshop image is one continuous whole consisting of a matrix of pixels. Making selections in a bitmapped image is therefore much more complex and difficult than simply clicking on an object as you would do in a vector drawing. In fact, selections are such a big deal in Photoshop that there is a whole menu dedicated to selection options and techniques: the Select menu.

Having succeeded in making your selection, Photoshop allows you to save it and load it back at a later date. If the selection has sharp edges, you will probably save it as a vector path. In the Paths panel (Window – Paths), choose Make WorkPath from the panel menu. If you may want the selection to contain feathering and other soft edge effects, you are best to save it as an alpha channel. To do this, simply choose Save Selection from the Select menu.

Selections are required within an image for any number of reasongs. Perhaps we want to cut out a product or person and place them on a different background. Perhaps we want to blur part of an image to add emphasis to the remainder.

Selections are a recognised element within Photoshop and can be manipulated independently of the pixels they include. Selections almost make you forget the absence of objects within bitmapped images. Once part of an image is selected, it can be targeted and manipulated in such a way that the pixels inside the selection can almost be treated as an object.

Making selections is often a painstaking operation; and so Photoshop allows you to build selections gradually and contains a number of sophisticated tools for modifying them. One of the simplest techniques is to add to or subtract from an existing selection. This can be done either by using modifier keys (hold down Shift to add or Alt to subtract) or by clicking on icons to enter Add or Subtract mode. Any selection made using one of these methods will take into account the pixels that are already selected.

Once you have mastered a few basic techniques, selections become less like hard work. Photoshop is extremely consistent in the use of modifiers, so it doesn’t matter which selection tool you are using, the same techniques are always used for adding to and subtracting from a selection.

If you would like to learn more about Photoshop training courses, visit Macresource Computer Training, a UK IT training company offering Photoshop Classes in London and throughout the UK.

With Photoshop Training You Learn All The Cool Tricks

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

We all have memories of past trips, places and fun times in photos but where are they? Are they tucked away in a drawer or stashed in a scrap book? We spend money on expensive cameras and film but the pictures just get tucked away, now with a Photoshop program you can proudly display your pictures with borders, sayings and more just in an instant on your home computer with Photoshop training.

Each professional photo is going to cost approximately between 8 and 20 dollars if not more depending on the size and style, wouldn’t you like to have the same quality of photo that you do yourself. The money saved and time saved all from home for a great quality photo.

Photoshop is an inexpensive program that you can install on your home computer and play around with any kind of photo and add borders, shading, sayings and more right on your computer. A child’s photo can now be turned into a one of a kind masterpiece.

We all like taking pictures and many of us don’t even realize that chances are if you have a computer you have a photo program already installed on your computer and don’t realize it or you don’t realize what all you can do with it. There are lots of ways that you can learn this program either take a class, do the tutorial or get private classes that show you how the program works and can be used.

Using Photoshop can be quite easy and simply because all you have to do is connect your camera to your computer, download the photos, pick the picture you want and then add many features or little or none it is all up to you on the features that you want to add to amaze your family and friends.

The fun part is that all those photos stored in your box or drawer can be scanned onto your computer and redone, you can make memorable photos for the entire family with touch ups, slogans, borders and more.

Photoshop training can really be helpful, most tutorials are free and come equipped on your computer or with the purchase of the program while some private tutoring or classes may require a small fee. Go ahead and see what you can do with your photos today!

If you would like to learn more about Photoshop training courses, visit Macresource Computer Training, a UK IT training company offering Photoshop Classes in London and throughout the UK.

Revamp Photographs More Effectively With Photoshop Training

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Photoshop is the industry standard for image manipulation and editing in every professional field where graphics are used. Adobe Photoshop has revolutionized the design potential of graphic artists, engineers, and architects across the planet. As Lachmi Khemlani said in AECbytes, “I haven’t come across a single architectural practice in the U.S. that doesn’t use Adobe Photoshop … Photoshop literally rules the roost when it comes to image editing and compositing in architectural firms.” Sign up for Photoshop training today and find out how the power of Photoshop can help you achieve your full potential.

Core aspects of the Photoshop interface have remained the same since the earliest versions, so users can easily upgrade to Photoshop CS5 from any previous version. Photoshop CS5 has powerful new features that will aid designers in all fields. You can literally use Photoshop CS5 to create any visual effect that you can image-if you can dream it, you can create it with Photoshop. Like previous versions of Photoshop, CS5 is available for both Macintosh and Windows. And the best thing about the new version is the price: Photoshop CS5 costs less than previous versions of Photoshop.

New features in Photoshop CS5 make it easier to composite images in multiple layers. In earlier versions it was necessary to select a required layer in the Layers palette. But now it’s possible to select multiple layers by using a marquee tool. The Show Transform Controls feature allows objects to be reshaped faster than ever before, and it works across multiple layers. Smart Guides is another innovation that makes it easier to align objects, even if they’re on different layers.

So what exactly can Photoshop training can do for you? Well, Photoshop is the industry leader for professional image creation, compositing, and editing. The first time you sit down to check out Photoshop, you’re amazed by how much it can do. Photoshop CS5 has tools and filters that let you create any kind of visual effect imaginable. Adobe Photoshop lets you create everything from simple effects for your own line of greeting cards to breathtaking effects for a feature-length film.

Adobe Photoshop is the film and video industry standard for design, creation, and editing of digital images. Film and video professionals see Photoshop training as part of their ongoing professional development. Adobe Photoshop is the No. 1 tool for image editing, storyboarding, frame editing, compositing, painting, title design, and still photography imaging. As filmmaker Scott Billups said, “Photoshop is the single most commonly used application in motion picture and high-end TV production. Everybody uses it, whether they’re in pre-visualization, production, post-production, or distribution.”

Photoshop CS5 makes it easier than ever to integrate film images with computer-generated images and still photographs. If you work in the film or video industry, you already rely on Photoshop CS5 in all stages of the production process. And if you’re considering a career as a graphic designer or visual effects artist, Photoshop training is one of the best ways to achieve your career goals.

The author of this article conducts Adobe Photoshop CS5 training courses and Creative Suite training in London and all over the United Kingdom.

Navigating The Image File Format Jungle In Adobe Photoshop

Friday, February 25th, 2011

The native file format of Adobe Photoshop documents is “.psd”. This is the only format which supports all of Photoshop’s features: layers, layer masks, layer comps, etc. If you have used these features in creating your final artwork, it is always a good idea to retain the “.psd” version and use File – Save As to export your work in any other format.

When exporting images from Photoshop, you will normally either be targeting print or web graphics. Print graphics are saved in the CMYK colour space while web graphics remain in Photoshop’s native colour space: RGB. With print graphics the focus is on quality, while the main talent of web graphics formats is file compression.

If you are exporting work for print, the normal format you should be using is TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) and the colour space CMYK. Although the TIFF format is capable of preserving layers, best practice is to make sure that you flatten the image by choosing Layers – Flatten Image before exporting. EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) is another option for exporting files for print. However, this option is now normally reserved for files that contain one or more spot colours.

GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) and JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) are the two main formats used for exporting web graphics. The GIF format compresses files by reducing the number of colours in an image. This makes the format ideal for exporting images that contain flat colour such as logos, charts and symbols. If photographs or images containing smooth transitions of colour are saved in GIF format, posterization and banding will normally occur. This is where, instead of seeing all the colours that were in the image, we see simplified clumps or bands of colour.

The JPEG format compresses images by dividing the image into blocks of 8 x 8 pixels and locating redundant information within these blocks and rewriting the information in a simplified manner which requires less data storage. The fact that the human eye does not detect slight changes in colour means that pixels which have very similar colour values can be treated as being identical. When saving an image in the JPEG format, Photoshop allows you to specify the degree of compression. Naturally, there is always some loss of quality, so it is never a good idea to open a JPEG, make changes to it and then resave it. It is always better to fall back on the original PSD file if changes need to be made.

For more information on Photoshop training courses, visit Macresource Computer Training, an independent computer training company offering Photoshop Classes in London and throughout the UK.

Adobe Photoshop Training Courses Offered Worldwide

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

You may feel overwhelmed with the current technology and how it is consistently every changing. For this reason adobe Photoshop training courses are designed to help ease this overwhelming feeling. You will be comforted in the fact that you will always be up to speed of the current knowledge.

These courses tend to very interactive. This will only end up benefiting you, the student, a great deal. This is because it allows for you to practice what you are learning simultaneously as this is typically the way people learn the best.

You may feel that you already know a sufficient amount of information on adobe Photoshop. However, things are always changing and you will want to be consistently informed. Also, there is always the possibility that you may have missed something before and you could benefit from learning various new techniques.

The biggest deciding factor in any program like this one is that many people simply do not have the time it takes to attend a physical class. However, this is no longer an issue. This is because online classes are becoming increasingly popular and are just as effective. You are able to view the classes in your own home at any hour that works for you.

There are also several other forms of learning available. Adobe Photoshop has designed these other forms for people who do not wish to participate in the full length of any specific course. These other forms consist of: books, and videos. However, there is also the possibility of a classroom like setting available. This option is available for those who do have time and feel that they will most greatly benefit from this type of a demonstration.

Overall enhancing your Photoshop knowledge is always a good idea. You can never know enough about an ever changing program such as this one. There are also several different ways in which to use different tools within the program and it is always good to hear another persons suggestions.

If you would like to learn more about Photoshop training courses, visit Macresource Computer Training, an independent computer training company offering Photoshop training courses in London and throughout the UK.

Yeehah! Lasso Those Pixels In Adobe Photoshop

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

There are three main tools for making selections in Adobe Photoshop: the Marquee, the Magic Wand and the Lasso. The Lasso is one of those tools with several options. To reveal the different modes it offers, click on the tool and hold. The three different modes of the Lasso are freehand, polygonal and magnetic.

Freehand mode, as you can probably imagine, puts the onus on the user to manually trace the shape of the area to be selected. If using a mouse, it requires a steady hand; not to mention a decent mouse. This mode works best if used in conjunction with a graphic tablet where the mouse is replaced with a pressure-sensitive pen.

As the name suggest, Photoshop’s polygonal Lasso is used for drawing polygons, shapes made up of straight lines. This tool is great for selected elements in an image which have straight edges, such as boxed products, pillars and buildings. Unlike the freehand Lasso, where you hold the mouse button down as you outline the area to be selected, with the polygonal Lasso you simply click repeated around the area to be selected and Photoshop joins the points you click on.

Magnetic Lasso mode is the cleverest option that the Lasso tool offers. In this mode, Photoshop recognises edges within the image automatically and creates a shape as you move the cursor around the area to be selected. It creates the shape by automatically placing points around the area to be selected. You can also click yourself to add points if Photoshop occasionally doesn’t seem to understand where you want the points to be placed. If Photoshop plain gets it wrong and places a point where it’s not suppose to be, just press the Backspace key to remove the point and the segment of the path that comes after it.

Regardless of which Lasso tool you use, Photoshop offers two ways to close and complete the selection. The first method is to click on the point you started from. To make this a little easier to achieve, when you position the cursor in exactly the right place, Photoshop displays a tiny circle next to the cursor. The second method is to double-click at any point. This technique causes Photoshop to unceremoniously close the shape by drawing a straight line from the point on which you double-click back to the point you started from.

You can get up to date information on Adobe Photoshop training courses, visit Training Company . Com, an independent IT training web site offering Photoshop training courses in London and throughout the UK.

Become A Magic Wand Wizard In Adobe Photoshop

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

When I run courses on Photoshop, tools like the magic wand and the clone tools are usually the ones which everyone finds the easiest to start using because they give such immediate results. The Magic Wand is one of three tools in Photoshop which are dedicated to making selections. The Magic Wand works by selecting colours within the image adjacent and similar to any pixel that you click on. Pixels of dissimilar colour act as barriers to selection and so the selection ripples outwards from the point you click on.

Naturally, it’s quite rare to get a “hole in one” when you are using the magic wand to make selections. Typically, you will select part of the area that you want and you will then need to add and subtract from the selection, perhaps switching to the other selection tools from time to time. Photoshop offers you two ways of modifying a selection: you can either use modifier keys on you keyboard or activate the modifier icons on the options panel normally displayed below your menu bar.

To add more pixels to your selection, hold down the Shift key while clicking with the Magic Wand on a part of the image which is not yet selected. To subtract from the selection, hold down the Alt key and click on the part of the selection which you wish to deselect. The selection modifier icons are situated on the left of the options panel. There are four of them: new selection, add to selection, subtract from selection and select intersection. These icons effectively allow you to change selection mode on a permanent basis. Thus, for example, you could click on the second of the four icons when using the Magic Wand and click continually on different parts of a subject until it was completely selected.

If you want to select a subject against a uniform background such as a wall or the sky, a simple trick is to use the magic wand to select the background and then invert the selection by choosing Select – Inverse. A slight variation on this technique is to make a rough selection which completely encloses the subject as well some of the background and then to use the Magic Wand in subtract mode to remove the background from the selection.

You can control the number of pixels which the Magic Wand selects when you click on part of the image by changing a setting called tolerance. Tolerance determines how far a pixel can vary from the pixel that you click on and still be included in the selection. The default tolerance is 32 and the maximum is 255.

To learn more about Adobe Photoshop training courses, visit Training Company . Com, a UK IT training web site offering Photoshop Classes in London and throughout the UK.

Adobe Photoshop Training Changes How You See The World

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

The first time I got a taste of Photoshop training, I was producing an animated film for an independent production studio in Merida, Mexico. That was in 1995. We were using Adobe Photoshop 3.0 on Mac computers-state of the art. I was amazed by what graphic designers and digital editors were doing with Photoshop 3. Working with those people changed the way I saw the world.

By profession, I am neither graphic designer nor a visual effects editor. I was in awe of what Photoshop artists were doing with Photoshop 3.0 back in 1995, and I’m equally in awe of what artists are doing today with Photoshop CS4.

When I saw Photoshop in use the first time, I realised that I was not a visually oriented person. I thought I was, but I wasn’t-not when I compared myself to the people who were doing such amazing things with Photoshop. I was managing, organizing, planning, attacking logistical problems, taking care of the business end, writing and editing a lot of text in English and Spanish. We were working long days and at times longer nights. I was inspired by what the Photoshop editors were doing. We were using Adobe Photoshop to color and composite animation frames, as Disney did in its animated version of Beauty and the Beast two years earlier.

I looked over the shoulders of the Photoshop artists whenever I had a chance. Watching them at work gave me a much deeper understanding of how to use color and how to balance elements in a composition. This inspired me to become bolder and more artistic in my use of graphic images to add value to my text jobs and presentations. I wasn’t doing them with Photoshop, but I was getting more out of all my familiar programs by what I had learned about design, color, and composition from the Photoshop artists I had been working with.

It is no exaggeration to say that observing Photoshop artists and digital editors changed the way I saw the world; I was becoming a more visually oriented person. And it seeped into everything I did-even the way I laid out text on a page. I developed a much keener sense of how to compose text as I became more aware of the elements of graphic composition. One area made me stronger in the other.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a novice or an experienced Photoshop user, there’s a level of Photoshop training that’s right for you. If you’re just getting started, an introductory Photoshop training course will give you the fundamental skills you need to get the most out of your photos and videos.

I guess it’s unlikely that I will ever master Photoshop the way those graphic artists and digital editors had mastered Photoshop 3 back in 1995. When you sign up for Photoshop training today, you’ll be on your way to mastering Photoshop CS4. Even if you’re still a novice like me, Photoshop training will add tremendous value to your life-it might even change the way you see the world.

The author of this article runs Adobe Photoshop CS4 training courses and Adobe Illustrator training in London and throughout the UK.

Get To Know Adobe Photoshop By Finding The Right Photoshop Training

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

With the sheer number of software programs available to us, knowing which product is the right one can be quite a task. I have a feeling that many people steer away from learning how to use new software because the whole selection process can be so intimidating. If you’re new to the wonderful world of digital editing and compositing, you need look no further: Photoshop is the industry leader, no matter what your specific field of interest might be. Photoshop is the software of choice for professional designers, as well as for amateur photographers and You Tubers.

One great thing about Photoshop is that the user interface has changed little over the years, which makes it easy to upgrade from earlier versions. If you have learned how to use a version like Photoshop 6, check out the upgrades available for Photoshop CS4. Then sign up for advanced Photoshop training to see how CS4 can help you reach your full potential.

Perhaps you are a photographer or just starting to experiment with online video and digital imaging; if so, a good place to start is Photoshop Album Starter Edition 3. This software is free, so it’s a great way to learn the fundamentals of digital photography. It will teach you all the basics about how to view, manage, correct, and share your photos online. Photoshop training will teach you how to fix common problems with a single click, and then you can use Photoshop Album Starter to send your digital photos to mobile handsets. The best thing about Photoshop Album Starter is that it’s a fully functional download-it’s not a trial evaluation download that will be restricted or limited after an initial period. Photoshop is dedicated software-the choice for professionals in a broad variety of fields. But Photoshop training makes it easy for novices to start creating professional designs and visual effects with Photoshop CS4. To get the best results in the least amount of time, sign up for an online Photoshop training course that will show you how to do things you didn’t know were possible.

Advanced Photoshop training focuses on how to create complex images; it will teach you all the skills you need to master digital image creation, editing, and compositing. One of the best things about Photoshop CS4 training is that it shows experienced users how to quickly solve old problems with new tools and techniques. Advanced Photoshop training will give you new techniques for solving problems like image selection and image correction.

Perhaps you’ve been using an earlier version of Photoshop, check out the upgrades available and sign up for an advanced Photoshop CS4 training course. Advanced Photoshop training will teach you how to:

- Achieve more professional results with layers, gradients, and other tools. – Use advanced color correction techniques. – Enhance images with layer masks. – Master the tools and skills necessary for creating professional composite images.

Sign up today for the Photoshop training course that’s right for you.

The author is a trainer and developer with an independent computer training company offering Adobe Photoshop classes as well as Adobe Acrobat training at their central London training centre.

Investing In Photoshop Training

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Beginning to use Photoshop without Photoshop training can be a frustrating experience. I had my first “hands-on” experience with Photoshop in 1995. It was one of the most rewarding and frustrating experiences in my life. I was producing a feature-length animated film for our independent start-up company in Merida, Mexico. We were developing this project with amazing talent-that was the rewarding part of the experience.

I had never been part of a project that relied on digital editing and compositing. Some of the people I worked with and got to know at that time were major talents in the world of high-end digital solutions-people who had risen to top positions at Apple Computer and Silicon Graphics. And then there were the whiz kids just out of college who could do anything you could imagine on a Macintosh computer running Adobe Photoshop. Just watching them use Photoshop to color animation frames in a fraction of the time it would have taken to paint the frames by hand was a great learning experience for me. I had the opportunity to watch people with amazing talent do amazing things with Adobe Photoshop. But when I sat down and started playing around with Photoshop, trying to emulate the simplest effects I had seen others create so effortlessly, I quickly ran into trouble. I didn’t take the time to seek out any sort of Photoshop training; I learned to get by with simpler design software.

I did what was necessary for my text presentations, but I gave up dreaming that I’d ever be able to do anything myself with Photoshop. Like many people, I decided that Photoshop was too deep for me-I wasn’t a graphic designer or visual effects artist anyway, so I saw no need to sign up for Photoshop training. And like most people, I thought that Photoshop training was only for those who wanted to turn their Photoshop skills into a career path. I didn’t have time for it, I didn’t really need it, so I crossed “Photoshop training” off my wish list and went on to other things. That was a big mistake.

It wasn’t too long ago that I was forced to realize-after all these years-how badly I need to learn enough digital editing and compositing to create better graphics and videos for the Internet. Just a hobby to begin with-I told myself-but something that has been in the back of my mind ever since I crossed “Photoshop training” off of my wish list. I had mastered the simpler software and gotten as much out of it as I was going to get. There is only one program in the world that can let me do what I want to do with photos and video-Photoshop. It’s time for me to get serious about Photoshop training.

I hope you’ll decide to get serious about Photoshop training, too. It’s one of the best investments you can make-even if you only want to get the most out of your photos and Internet videos.

The writer of this article is a trainer and developer with an independent computer training company offering Photoshop training courses as well as Adobe Acrobat training at their central London training centre.