10 Most Common Workflow Elements

 

Whenever I'm asked to teach someone Photoshop, I always start with the work flow techniques I find most useful. After all, learning how to seamlessly apply the LIQUIFY tool will hardly be a good use of time if the most basic elements of your photo are out of whack.

So, here in this post I'll tell you my Top 10 Most Used, most essential techniques for creating great images. These are 10 common elements that I use 100% of the time when I edit an image in Photoshop - and why. In just a general order of importance:

1. LEVELS - under LAYERS - NEW ADJUSTMENT LAYER - LEVELS 

To set the overall photo exposure (lightness or darkness). Use the histogram image to drag the light (rt slider mark) or dark (left slider mark) in to just  touch the edge of your histogram image. If you go beyond the touch you will be clipping pixel from your image. Sometimes that's OK, just a word of caution.

2. CURVES - under LAYERS - NEW ADJUSTMENT LAYER - CURVES

This allows me to add just a bit of contrast to create a more intense image. I've covered this elsewhere on the blog so I just restate that it basically puts just a slight "S" curve to the diagonal line. Also, I'll use CURVES to adjust the white balance if needed. Just click the white eyedropper and then sample somewhere on your photo that is supposed to be white. Zoom in if needed. The white of someones eyes are often good reference points (but not if it's you're buddy who was out drinking all night!)

3. CLONE STAMP - in the tool palette by your eraser and paintbrush. Hardly ever get an image without some spot, pimple, reflection, shadow, ghost, or intrusion that doesn't need to be covered up.

4. Ctrl-J  The ultimate layer duplication shortcut. What more can I say?

5. FILTER - OTHER - HIGH PASS, my preferred sharpening method. Use Ctrl-J to duplicate the layer you wish to sharpen. Once in, slide the marker to the left until most of the color is gone (usually pretty low on the scale, <10.) Click OK. Change the blend mode on this layer to OVERLAY. Adjust the blend mode opacity to less that 100% if it looks too sharp. Use Ctrl-E to merge this new layer down over your original and you're done.

6. MASK - the layer mask (icon that looks like a rectangle with a white circle in it) when added to a layer let's you selectively paint in or out the parts of that layer that you do not want seen. Painting with the BLACK brush will hide (or MASK) anything on that layer. 100% opacity will mask completely. Use less that 100% to fade the hiding or blend to the surroundings. But it's reversible! If you want to change what you did with black, paint it back using white!

7. RECTANGULAR MARQUEE - it's the crop before the crop. Use the rectangular marquee to copy portions of your image to a new layer for further editing. Until you figure out just how much of the photo to keep, the rectangular marquee gives you time to play with your image a bit and still undo your changes. Once you use crop, all the surrounding area of your photo, down through all the layers is gone.

8. Ctrl - New Layer Icon - this puts a new layer BELOW the one currently active. Photoshop will put your new layer always directly above the one currently active unless you give it a modifying command like Ctrl. I use this mostly for background coloring, isolating layers,  previews, or creating frames or borders.

9. Ctrl - Alt - Shift - E - this command will merge all the visible layers together into one, like FLATTEN, but with one critical distinction...all the previous layers remain in their original state. Flatten is a true merge, all of your layers will be combined into one layer which means you will lose the ability o go back and make changes if you don't like the way they blended. However, Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E will create the composite just like FLATTEN, but will do so without actually removing all the layers. It's like a great reversible PREVIEW of flatten, before the actual flatten. To use: Create a new blank layer at the top of the layers stack, then press together Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E.

10. CROP - almost everybody needs more Crop. The great photographer Robert Capa once said,  "If your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough."  Well, if at the Photoshop editing stage, there isn't anything we can do to physically get closer to our subject, but we can simulate the effect of closeness by zooming in. Compose your photo using the Rule of Thirds and the CROP tool to get rid of any elements that distract from the story your photo was supposed to tell.

That was a long post, but hopefully helpful.

At the risk of running on, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that from now (11/9/2010) until December 24th the beloved PHOTOSHOP RECIPE CARD books will be shipped in their very own FREE GIFT BOX!

So whether you order for yourself, or for that special shutterbug on your Christmas List, these cards will make a wonderful holiday gift. Just click on the link here > PHOTOSHOP RECIPE CARDS< or the RECIPE CARD ad at the top right.

In my next post, I'll show you how I created that crazy word graphic above in less than 30 seconds!

Robert Schwarztrauber

Yesterday I promised if you stayed tuned I'd have a great Photoshop deal for you.

Shane Goldberg, an expert Photoshop teacher,
sent me an email the other day I knew I'd
have to share with everyone.

Rather than drone on, he's given me permission
to share that email with my readers here...
================================
Hi Bob,

I need your help.

I've got 600 Photoshop Elements Training DVD's in my garage.
I HAVE to get rid of them (for a number of reasons) NOW!!!

They were selling for $89.95 but they're getting older now
and there's new versions of Elements out now etc.

Anyway, here's the link it's directly to Paypal.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=MWEBZDCDCEQF6

I want you to have one even if you don't own Elements as
there are 85+ video tutorials on there, practice images
and the DVD is a GREAT Christmas present! (it's shrink wrapped
and professionally produced)

So for $10 that will cover my shipping and you get yourself
a killer DVD for yourself or someone special ;)
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=MWEBZDCDCEQF6

Have a great day, Hope you can help me out!

Thanks heaps,
Shane
PhotoshopZoo.com

p.s. You can order as many as you want, i've got stacks of them!

p.p.s if you have any questions let me know shane@photoshopzoo.com
=======================================================
He says...

This DVD includes...

85+ Awesome Video tutorials on everything from:

    * Organizing & Tagging your photos
    * The Tool palette (all about the tools!)
    * Tips, Tricks & more cool stuff
    * Color - Hue & Saturation (color adjustments)! Very cool
    * Layers, Layer Masks etc.
    * Digital Photo Editing
    * Cool Effects in Elements
    * and Productivity Techniques....

That's it over 6 hours of awesome video tutorials
=============================================

Looks like a great deal to me!
I got mine without hesitation.

For $10...how could you go wrong?
You'd have to learn something right?

Just to be upfront, there's nothing in this deal for me.
I have no ties to Shane, monetarily or otherwise, beyond
my respect for his work. I just thought it was a deal
that was too good for any Photoshop student (and aren't
we all really?) to pass up.

But, he's movin' them out before his wife does
it for him. So this offer won't last long.

Stretch your ten dollars and get this DVD.
Here's the link once more:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=MWEBZDCDCEQF6

by Robert Schwarztrauber

Stretching for Elements Users

Stay tuned...

I'm planning something big for my oft neglected Elements users.
If all goes well you'll be very happy with me by the end of this week.

If all doesn't go well, at least you'll know I tried.
I'm thinking about you.

============================================
While you're waiting, I hope (if you haven't already)
you'll take a couple minutes to help me with
my research project on the effects of Photography
on those who do it.

It's a simple 10 question, multiple choice survey.
It's completely anonymous.
No names. No emails. No offers.
Pure and simple research. 10 questions.
And unlike school, no one fails.

Why not take a minute (while you're waiting)
to give me your take on Photography?

Here's the link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BMG3WNP
===========================================


Thanks and Stay tuned!

Control Your Photoshop

I still remember the joy I felt
when I realized that I finally "got it".

After months of frustration,
opening then just as suddenly
closing Photoshop, in a huff
because I couldn't figure out
how to make it work,
the day finally came when
I could edit a photo.
Poorly at first. But my
learning curve rose sharply
from there.

Control had shifted. Now I was in control!

And so today I bring you some of my favorite
CONTROL keyboard shortcuts
to help you tame the Photoshop beast.

And, I'll show you where to get a PDF list of
all the Photoshop keyboard shortcut commands
for your system.

And, If you haven't yet contributed to my
research study on what photography means
to you, I'll give you that link again. It will help
me tailor my messages and tips to your desires.

So first, here are my favorite "Control Freak"
keyboard shortcuts...

Ctrl-J  Duplicate the current layer
Ctrl-E Merge your current layer to the one
            directly below (merge down)
Ctrl-H Stop those "ants" from marching
            Repeat to make them start again
Ctrl-Z Undo your last command
Ctrl +  Zoom in
Ctr l-   Zoom out
Ctrl- Left mouse click on Layer Thumbnail
         (creates a selection of the entire layer
          with marching ants and everything!)
Ctrl-  Click on create New Layer icon to
         put your new layer BELOW the current one
Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E  Create a new layer then use this to
                          Merge all active layers together
                          (it's like flatten all layers but the individual
                           layers are preserved so you can still
                           go back and make changes if you wish.)

Well, that should help you take control and gain some speed
in your editing.

======================================

I hope you can help me in my research, The results
have been very interesting so far. It's just 10 simple
multiple choice questions in an anonymous online survey
hosted by SurveyMonkey. I'll be sharing my findings
here in a later post so make your thoughts known!
Here's the link, it will just take you a minute
and help me a lot...

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BMG3WNP
====================================

Finally, If you want a complete PDF of all the
keyboard shortcuts for:

    * Adobe Photoshop CS4
    * Adobe Photoshop CS3
    * Adobe Photoshop CS2
    * Adobe Photoshop CS
    * Adobe Photoshop 7
    * Adobe Photoshop 6
    * Adobe Photoshop 5
    * Adobe Bridge & Adobe Camera Raw

Go Here:
http://morris-photographics.com/photoshop/shortcuts/index.html

That's it for today!
I hope you took time to complete the survey above.

Know Shadows

Shadows.

Like so many things in Photoshop there
are numerous ways to create a shadow
effect.

Previous I had discussed duplicating the object, desaturating, blurring and putting on a layer under your subject. Then adjusting with the move tool.

That method works great.

But sometimes you just want a quick and easy little touch of shadow.

And that's where the oft forgotten "BEHIND" brush mode comes in.

Most often we use the brush tool in its default mode of NORMAL.

But right next to your brush tool selection box is the MODE selection drop-down box. In there you will find the option of BEHIND which will let you paint behind something. Perfect for shadows. BEHIND mode lets you paint but the paint will only show where there are no opaque pixels.

If you already have a transparent background you're all set. Just go ahead and use the brush to paint in your shadow. Set the brush to a very soft edge and an opacity of about 30%. I used a soft square brush for the example above.

Sometimes, as was the case with this example, you need to first move your shadow subject onto its own transparent layer. Then you can go ahead and paint in your shadow. If you were to try to paint on the original that has a  white background (completely opaque) when you try to brush you will see nothing happening. Remember, in BEHIND mode the brush will only paint where the area is transparent. It will not paint over opaque (in this case white) pixels.

It's not for every case. But sometimes you just need a quick shadow technique. Maybe you can think of other uses for this cool, paint behind technique?_

Be sure to click on the example above for setting and layer details.

Photoshop World

Need a planet...fast? 

Or a tie dyed shirt?

Quick background?

Here's the fastest way
to get everything you need
with just a few clicks.



 First, on your color pallet, select two contrasting colors.

Here I used a light and dark blue for the rear. A light and dark red-ish color for the front orb.

Once you have those, open a new layer and use:
FILTER > RENDER > CLOUDS

If you needed a quick background you can stop here. You have it.

If you needed an overlay for some clothing or perhaps a little sky character, you can stop here too. It's just that fast!

If you wanted a planet, there's one more step.

Go to FILTER > RENDER > LIGHTING EFFECTS
Use the settings below as a guide, but you can play with them until it looks best for you.

(Click the settings pictured above to enlarge if needed)

That's it. We're done.

In those few simple steps you have created your own
Photoshop World.

Great New Photoshop Tips!

Well I apologize for not getting more great Photoshop Tips posted lately. But just because I didn't post, doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about you!

Truth is, so many of you who bought the Original Photoshop Tip Cards wrote in with suggestions on how they could be even better, I've spent the last month putting all your great suggestions to use. While y'all loved the tips, most of the changes you wanted centered around keeping the cards organized and easy to find when you needed them. While index cards have been in use for over 100 years, sometimes their "looseness" creates problems.

Great News!


Soon, you'll be hearing about the new, improved version of The Original Photoshop Tip Cards.

This new, improved format features 20% more material. It's jam-packed with easy to use new Photoshop tips to make creating stunning images faster and easier than ever.

Plus all your tips will stay in order in the new Plastic Comb Binder.

This new binding sytems along with a new table of contents assures you'll always find the exact tip you need when you need it. The comb binding also lets your cards lie perfectly flat while you work. Larger fonts let you easily read as you work. And, the flexible comb binding will let you add additional pages easily as they become available.

I'm just waiting on the printer now. If you're interested in getting your hands on this book, be sure to sign up at the right if you're not a member already. Joining is free and members are always the first to get the latest tips, updates, news and private special offers. So sign up today!

Stay tuned!

Photoshop Conversion to Black and White

 

The great thing about Photoshop is there are almost always several ways to accomplish the same result.

The bad thing about Photoshop is we often get confused with all the different ways there are to accomplish the same result.

One technique that often makes good pictures better is turning your digital colored photos into Black & White images.

"Why do that," you ask?

Sometimes, the many different colors or patterns in a photo distract from the overall appearance. Or, sometimes you want to feature only one particular aspect of a scene  - and that can be done with selective color. That's accomplished when you turn the original image to black & white and then allow only your chosen feature(s) to be in color.

Here is a reminder of the most popular ways to turn a colored image to black & white:

Image - Adjustments - Desaturate

Image - Adjustments - Gradient Map (preferred for preserving details) be sure palette set to default B/W

Image - Mode - Grayscale

Image - Adjustments - Threshold (absolute black or white, no grayscale here)

Layer - New Adjustment Layer - Hue/Saturation (move saturation slider max. left) good for selective color by later using layer mask to bring areas back to color

and for the more artistic look...

Filter - Sketch - Chrome

Filter - Sketch - Conte Crayon

Filter - Sketch - Graphic Pen

Filter - Sketch - Halftone Pattern

So next time you've feel the need to go Black and White, plan a few extra moments to try out something new.

From Mess to Marvelous!

Click the Pic for a Bigger, Better Look!

Michelangelo, the famous Italian sculptor said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

Perhaps as modern photographers we could find a similar expression in, "I saw the angel in the digital image file and Photoshop'd until I set her free." Not nearly as poetic as Michelangelo, but I think appropriate.

Here's just one more, I promise that will be all the culture for today...He also said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”

I think this is true of our photographs too. Using Photoshop as our chisel, we should be able to manipulate and form just about every image into something of beauty. After all, we must have seen something of beauty in the photo or else why would we have taken it in the first place? Just because we couldn't fully capture the maximum beauty with our camera and lights, doesn't mean the beauty's not there. We just need to work it a bit with our Photoshop tools.

With enough cropping, creative use of filter, brush, and adjustment layers we should be able to release the beauty.

I've attached a recent example that shows this. On the left above, is the mess I started with. I began shooting with only a vague concept of what I wanted. Actually, the theme was something blue. Blue umbrella, blue towel, blue eyes on the top center model.

After about 25 -30 shots of different poses and lighting, I really wasn't "feeling it" so I quit shooting for the night.

I opened the photos to preview and chose this one to Photoshop and began work to "reveal" the beauty trapped within.

Here are the steps and tools I used to go from mess to marvelous...

1. Heavy Gaussian Blur to hide the table and white backgrounds, layer mask to un-blur the face and umbrella.
Not enough, so I went to....
2. Filter - Render - Lighting Effects - Omni to center light on the top model and blacken out surroundings.
Good, but the skin tone of the mannequin is too flat, needs texture
3. Filter - Distort - Ocean Ripple, not bad, but needs more texture still
4. On a copy of the original layer, Filter - Distort - Glass, blend mode to overlay above the Ocean Ripple.
5. Looks good, but needs more intense colors, so on a copy of the Glass layer, Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur, mid range, then change the blend mode to overlay so it doesn't blur - it just intensifies the color, and reduce to 50% opacity, to tone done the color just a bit.
6. Finally, a bit of playing around with different crops, and...
7. a 50% gray adjustment layer to selectively darken and lighten areas

There were probably 5-10 other good photos I left in that image. I could release them with different cropping and PS tools centered on other areas, but the umbrella, the glass filters that give it a wet look, and her "blue" expression all seemed to work together for this image.

So don't be too quick to give up on your images because they're not exactly what you had hoped for when you held the camera. You've got  a lot of power tools in Photoshop. Much easier than a hammer and chisel.

Release the beauty within! Turn your mess into marvelous!

Something Else You Can Do With Photoshop

Photoshop is excellent for turning not-so-good photos into good ones, and for making good photos great.

And that's a great use of the software. But it can be used for so much more!

Business cards, promotional flyers, ads, greeting cards, or you can create, complete digital books for online viewing or purchase and/or hardcover printed books.

I invite you to take a look at what's possible when you begin to think creatively about your Photoshop skills.

Recently, I designed a children's book using only Photoshop. I used LEGO toy scenes which portrayed prosperity quotes from the masters.

Each scene was built using the colorful LEGO toy pieces. Once built to give visual representation and easier understanding for kids, the scenes were photographed and the actual text of the quotation was overlayed. One page from the book, which is especially appropriate for the holiday season, is shown here on this post .

There are over 105 inspirational, motivation, educational tips in all.

And though it's built as a children's book, parents read and learn as well! Special moments are created you're reading it together with your kids!

You can get more details about this book at:

http://helpbobhelpkids.com

But I digress!
No surprise there!

There are templates, far too numerous to mention, which can be very helpful in putting together the media you need, whether it be business cards, note pads, promotional flyers, ads, photo books, etc.

Vistaprint has many templates available for use, even if you only use them as templates for design. You don't have to buy your finished product there. I have used them many times and always find they produce and deliver as promised.

Previously I did 90% of my work in Microsoft Publisher and 10% in Photoshop. Now I'd say it has flipped to 90% in Photoshop and 10% in Publisher. And I loved Microsoft Publisher. Still do. But adding the photo element to your designs really makes them stand out.

Or should I say, outstanding!

So next time you need stationery of one kind or another, or just feel the urge to create something unique and wild, like a book...

Consider giving Photoshop the business!

Since it is the season of giving I offer two Photoshop Tips

1. Remember to fully explore the menu options.
~ Open all the brush palettes by clicking on that little, right pointing arrow at the top of the brushes box.
~ Explore all the different gradient choices the same way.

Just 10 minutes spent each time you open PS, exploring new menus, will give so much added dimension and interest to your work.

2. Here's one I used a ton while making the book...
Have you ever dragged an image from one photo to another, only to find that the dragged photo opened so, so big on your workspace? And then you wanted to used EDIT-TRANSFORM to shrink it down but it was SOOOO BIG you couldn't find the handles or guides to shrink it?

Here's the trick!
Anytime you have selected a function which involves moving your layer, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-0 (that's "control-zero"). PS will automatically reduce the size of your images to allow you to find the handles.

That's it for today!

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Robert Schwarztrauber

PS: The holiday stress can often bring us down.
If you find you need a bit of inspiration or motivation be sure to check
out my new book and the special promo which runs through Dec.24th.
Here's the link again: http://helpbobhelpkids.com

or you could visit my new blog for the book...

http://buildingblockbooks.blogspot.com/2009/12/get-building-blocks-of-prosperity-today.html

Until next time...Let's go Photoshop something!

Have a Happy and Safe Holiday Season!

Shortcuts Are Less Scary

Photoshop can be a lot less scary to work with and a whole lot faster to use when you know a few simple shortcuts.

Here are some commonly used keyboard shortcuts that are frighteningly simple to apply:

Alt-Backspace: will fill any layer completely with the foreground color shown on the pallet

Ctrl-Backspace: will fill any layer completely with the background color shown on the pallet

Alt-Shift-Backspace: will fill any pixel area with the foreground color...great if you've just drawn a shape with the marquee tool or selected a figure with the lasso tool. Could be useful for creating shadows too!

Ctrl-Shift-Backspace: will fill any pixel area with the background color.

And how about two useful text tips...

1. Say you've just created a line of text, but it's not positioned where you want it. You don't need to go out to the Move Tool (arrow). Simply grab the mouse and move the cursor away from your text.
Then, left click and drag your text to wherever you like.

2. You've positioned the text where you want it, but now you don't like the color. No problem. Simply move your cursor to the beginning or end of your text line, left click the mouse and drag across your text to highlight it. Now you can go up to the toolbar and click on colors to alter the one shown on screen.

OK, that's not really big news. But if you found it frustrating that you couldn't SEE the new color you selected because of the highlighting, stay tuned! I have a nice keyboard shortcut for you that will save you time and aggravation.

Press, Ctrl-H to temporarily turn off the visual highlighter so you can SEE your true text color.

That's all for today. See, nothing to be afraid of.

When you have a guide to walk you down the creepy dark corridors of Photoshop, it can actually be kind of fun! Let Photoshop Tip Cards be your great BIG FLASHLIGHT, lighting your path through the scary maze that Photoshop can become.

3 Second Fix for Layers

In the previous post I promised to give you a quick, 3 second fix for changing layers that you drag over to create a composite photo.

Take this photo...please! :)

This was composed of many separate base layers: the 1.dog, 2.the cat, 3.the bird, 4.the sunset over lake background, (one of Scott's, NewPhotoBiz backgrounds) 5.the waves, 6.transparent inner frame, 7.black inner mat...and more.

Getting all those layers to match in terms of color, lighting, texture, etc. can often be a hassle. But with this quick and easy way to adjust one layer, without effecting all the others, your work will be much simpler.

Like most things Photoshop, there are many, many paths one may take to reach the desired end result.

But here is my quick, 3 second fix for layers that that just don't fit. Fit well with the other layers that is.

Rather than do something destructive to the layers you drag in, one of the simplest ways to alter just one layer in your composite starts with duplicating the layer (shortcut, hold down "Ctrl" key plus the letter "J" or Ctrl-J)

Then, change the blend mode on your new, duplicated layer from "Normal" to say, "Overlay" or "Softlight" From there adjust the Opacity of that layer to lighten or darken your subject on just that layer. That's a really quick way to lighten or darken your dragged-in subject to match the surrounding scene -without effecting any of the other layers.

Of course you can also use any of the other layer adjustments too. Filters, lighting styles, blur, you name it.

When you've got it looking just right, you have two options. Leave it just as it is, on two layers.
Or, if you can stand commitment, merge the two layers together. Merge IS advised if you feel you are going to be moving things around. Otherwise, it may be hard to get the original layer and the duplicate lined up later. Certainly, if you don't want to commit and merge them together, you could LINK them together so they move in tandem.

Save Big Time with Cut-Outs

Unfortunately, we can't always get our subjects and our scenes in the same place at the same time.

Thankfully, we have Photoshop to fix that problem!

Case in point, my daughter's husky puppy looks just adorable with this sleigh (from NewPhotoBiz 1.0). Sitting in, rather than pulling it!

Originally, the puppy was photographed outdoors, in the backyard. The background was green grass and bushes.

The challenge was to remove said dog from the green grass to create a clean image that could be transferred to this sleigh scene.

If you've ever tried to cut fur from grass cleanly I know you're going to love this tip. A tip I got from Scott Voelker, creator of the NewPhotoBiz 1.0 program.

(Click On Photo Above for a Better View of Details)

Here it is...use the background eraser tool. The key is to set the parameters. Here's what I use:

Protect Foreground Color...check the box, this allows the eraser tool to cut out (delete, erase) anything that is not the color you select. In this case, I would use the eyedropper to click on an area of white fur to set the foreground color (protection). Sometimes, depending on your lighting and subject, you'll need to keep changing the foreground color you're protecting as you move around your subject. Like here when I cut around her pink tongue, I had to reset my foreground color to match her tongue, rather than her white fur. Then, once past, I returned the foreground color to white to protect her fur.

Tolerance. I set mine here at 50%. This tells PS how close to your foreground color it must protect. Since the fur color does vary a bit in white colors, but is very different from the green grass I want to erase, 50% worked well. However, if you're trying to cut out say a girls green dress from green grass, you might want to work with (set) a little less tolerance, say only a 10% tolerance (or variation) so PS doesn't confuse the grass with the dress and accidentally erase the dress too. Test, use "undo" to go back if you find it's erasing more than you want it to.

Limits. This will depend a lot on what you're working on. For fine detailed cutting in a photo where the colors vary greatly as in this puppy example, FIND EDGES will likely work best. If you have a lot of solid colors, perhaps Contiguous (connected) of Discontiguous (separated) might be faster for you

Sampling. In cutting out hair (or fur) I find that setting it to ONCE works best. Set it to the hair color and work around your subject.

Once you have your parameters set, chose a brush that works best for your situation, I usually start with a feathered brush, and start mouse-clicking that brush around the edges of your subject. If you've done it right, like magic it erases everything from around your subject, yet leaves even the finest hairs and whiskers! You might have to go around again to catch any stubborn areas, or use one of those spikey brushes to get into awkward areas.

Coming Next...Ever drag a subject from one photo into another and then wish you could change something about that layer. Maybe it's too light, too dark, not sharp enough. But you don't want to damage it, or go back to your original to fix it then move it back over?

Quick 3 second fix...next post!

Get Paid to Play with Photoshop

It's so much fun creating images, we could just sit for hours and doodle away with our Photoshop tools.

(read in this article for a link to some cool water effects you can play with for free!)

But just imaging how great it would be if we could GET PAID to just sit for hours and doodle away with our Photoshop tools?

Well, now you can!

Actually, it's been almost a year now since Scott Voelker released the first product that makes it easy for ANYONE to create stunning images using Photoshop...and sell those images for BIG BUCKS...like the precious dog photo shown here.

I've mentioned his product many times before on my blog (one of the very few products I promote -because it's just so good). It's called NewPhotoBiz 1.0

It's more than just easy to use professional Photoshop templates that you can add your child and pet portraits into (saving yourself $1000's of dollars in props). Although that's a great way to seperate yourself from all the other photographers out there...and charge a lot more for your prints!

And it's more than a business-in-a-box (or now, a business-in-an- instant download!). Even though it contains a complete and proven system for new photographers to get customers.

Here's a little secret he doesn't tell you much about.

The number one thing stopping most amateur photographers from stepping up to the professional level and selling their photos for big profits, is FEAR.

Like most artistic types, we photographers are always asking, "Am I good enough?" "Is my photo really worth $1000?"

Well, not only does Scott give you the digital tools to be great, but his secret weapon is the forum he provides for those who purchase the NewPhotoBiz package.

And here's why that forum is worth far more than the modest cost of the NewPhotoBiz system.

Because it takes away the fear.

Wouldn't your confidence go through the roof if you could have professional photographers critique your images before you presented them to any customers?

And wouldn't your skills grow exponentially if those same professional photographers would offer you their years of experience, their tips, tricks and secret weapons for creating the best images ever, while never compromising your own unique style?

And wouldn't it be great if they did it for free? And how much better would it be if there were lots more "amateurs" there, just like you and you could watch and learn as they have their photos critiqued too? And you could get ideas about what the hot selling photos are. And you could get FREE marketing advice. Or you could just get someone to tell you you've created a really great photograph.

Now that's priceless.

While it's fine to sit and create fabulous images using Photoshop, I'll tell you from my own experience, it's much more fun to GET PAID to do it! When you get Scott Voelkers NewPhotoBiz you get everything you need to make that happen.

But even if you want nothing more than to create the most memorable images of your own children or pets, the modest cost of his program (which includes access to his secret weapon for vastly improving your photography skills...THE FORUM) Scott's program is easily worth 10 times what he charges. Because if you hired a photographer to create just one of the adorable images you can create with the NewPhotoBiz program, you'd easily pay him or her $1000 for just one big wall print.

When YOU get his program, you can create all the photos you want...at a fraction of that price!

Want to be a better photographer? Want to learn dozens and dozens of photography and Photoshop tips? Want to get professional critiques of your work?

Want to know if you're actually good...and how good?

Get the NewPhotoBiz program now and see for yourself... just click here!

Here's just one sample of the great information available when you participate.
It's a link I got from the forum moderator (for FREE!) along with a critique of one of my photos...it has really cool water effects you can add as filters in your Photoshop program.

http://www.flamingpear.com/flood.html

My best Photoshop tip for today is: Get someone to pay you to play!
And that's what you get (and more!) with Scott's NewPhotoBiz 1.0

Cheapest Ring Light Ever!

While technically not a Photoshop tip, I am all about saving you time in your Photoshop edits. And it goes without saying that if you get the light right the first time you'll spend less time fixing it (or adding it) later in Photoshop.

Here in this diagram you'll see the amazingly simple and inexpensive ring light, made from 8 LEDs, that I used to photograph the strawberry in the color-change tip below.

All you need is a set of 10 LED lights that can be turned on continuously ($10+s/h) and a strip of adhesive velcro that wraps around your lens. ($3).

They provide an amazingly bright, even light that wraps around your subject. Really great for macro work. The tutorial said that the white balance might be weird, so I shot in RAW, but when I opened the files, I didn't need to make any color adjustments at all to compensate for the LED lights. (note: in the strawberry color change below, I did boost up the leaf color, yes, but that was because I already had bad color to begin with, not because of the LED light)

Here's a link to the cool website that showed me how to do it, and where to get the LEDs.
(another note: The website didn't say this but, the inexpensive LED supplier is in Honk Kong so, in my experience, it does about 10-14 days for delivery)

http://www.diyphotography.net/studio-at-home-introduction-to-led-lighting

Lots of other great tips there too...so take your time and browse around.

Consider adding these inexpensive LEDs to your camera bag. Used individually, as an additional spot light (highlighting the apple stem) or in groups like this ring light LEDs are
an inexpensive way to custom light your subjects. And so portable and lightweight too!

Let your imagination run wild!

And keep watching this week as I add more links to cool websites (other than my own!) where you can find great tips and inspiration. And more reasons to open up that Photoshop!

And don't forget to visit http://todaysphoto.org to view great scenes from photographers around the world...and get Rick's take on "The Original Photoshop Tip Cards".

Or for even more convenience, you can view TodaysPhoto.org right here at the bottom of this very blog page. Scroll down right now and check it out for your own self!

Glowing Your Own Produce

Yes, that's right! Not growing, but GLOWing your own fruits and veggies.

This fun project can keep you busy for hours. It starts with a trip to the grocery store to buy your subject material.

Begin with the end in mind. What we are going to do is hollow-out our fruit or veggie and then send the flash through it to create the effect of glowing shown here in this golden apple photo.



Apples of all colors work well. Peppers, oranges, eggplant work well too.

Anything with a colorful quality, with a firm and translucent outer skin could be a candidate. It should also be close to or larger in size than your speedlight.

A helpful tip if you are doing apples is to buy a lemon as well.
Apples quickly start to turn brown as you cut out the middle in preparation for the photo, but if you coat the inside with lemon juice it will help keep the apple white much longer. ( if brown it tints your flash-thru in an unpleasing way)

Once home, examine your fruit for its "best side". Next, plan your attack.

The inner fruit must be removed, hollowed-out, to clear the way for the flash to shine through and give it that glow.

In the example here I just cut the fruit in half to begin coring, then used two small pieces of Scotch tape to put it back together for shooting. Next time, I'll not cut in half, but rather have my cut lines at 10 o'clock and 2'oclock on the rear side to better hide the lines from the front camera angle. You may need to touch up a little in Photoshop if your seam or tape can be seen.

You don't have to be perfectly hollow, you don't want to puncture the skin on the photo side.

Once you have both pieces hollowed, take the rear half and cut a rectangular slot (1/2"wide by 1" tall) at the position where your speedlight can shine through as both the apple and flash rest on the table. If you're shooting something like a pepper that is mostly hollow already, you can skip the steps above and just start here with the slit in rear.

Next, place two pieces of gaffers tape over your speedlight to limit the flash to just the inside of your subject. Duct tape will work too. Drape some black material behind your scene (a simple sheet will do) and the set your subject on the table with the speedlight directly behind it. Masked slit to fruit slit. A wireless triggered speedlight offers more flexibility of camera position, but shown here is a basic wired version with camera on tripod.

Next set your focus and take a shot. Tweak.

You can play with the flash amounts, zoom in, zoom out. Higher or lower angle. Compare different surface materials for how they reflect the glow. If you're shooting in mixed lighting consider using camera RAW to more easily adjust the lighting later. The shot shown here was under florescent, normal room lighting.

However, when doing the apple I noticed the stem wasn't getting enough light. So I just spot-lighted it with the LED of my keyring!

Experiment! Be creative! Have fun!

Be sure to click on the photo above to better view details of the set up.

While I don't discuss shot set-ups like this in my Photoshop Tip Cards, the cards sure come in handy for creating the highest quality images AFTER you take your best shot. Spend your time with the camera...not at the computer fixing later. Photoshop Tip Cards offer the fastest path to fine finished photos. Save time by getting your Photoshop Tip Card Deck today!

Makin' Rainbows

Sometimes, we gotta make our own luck!

Rainbows can be pretty elusive. But often times they can add just the right colorful something to our photographs…even if we weren't at the right place, at the right time.

Fortunately, making them is not so hard when you know the secrets!

To begin, create a blank layer above your background image.
Open the gradient tool (under the paint bucket) and then click on the arrow in the top toolbar to open up the different gradient styles. Use the arrow at top right to open another text dialog box with options.
Choose "Special Effects"











At this point you'll have just a few options. Choose the rainbow looking one at the end. It's called "Russell's Rainbow"











Next, click on the rainbow gradient style in the top tool bar. It will open up this adjustment dialog box for the gradient filter. Click and drag the "GRAY" slider slightly toward the rainbow colors until "LOCATION" say 75% Click "OK"












One last thing before we apply our rainbow, in the top toolbar, just to the right of the colorful gradient rainbow style, click the second black/white icon to make our gradient draw "RADIAL"

Now we're ready to draw.
Whole holding the SHIFT key to make a perfect circle, click and drag a line up your photo. Just as you'd apply any gradient. When you release the mouse and shift keys, the magic appears. A perfect circular rainbow.











Use EDIT> TRANSFORM to create the size you need and move it into position. Once you have it positioned, we'll go ahead and remove the parts we don't want.

You can use your favorite method for removing the unwanted rainbow parts.
I prefer the LAYER MASK method of erasing, just in case I want to reposition my rainbow later, but you can certainly use the ERASER tool as well.












Two final steps you can use to suit your taste.
Apply a Gaussian blur filter to soften the rainbow a bit.
Change the blend mode on the rainbow layer to SCREEN.

But please, as with everything Photoshop, feel free to experiment with all the blend options available to achieve the right look for all your favorite subjects.











A word of caution though. Remember to account for the lighting conditions in your photo if you're going for realism. The sun should be coming from behind your camera position and be less than 45 degrees in the sky. Ideally, the scene conditions would imply that certain mix of sun and moisture that is usually present when we see rainbows.

To have more tips like these sent right to your email, be sure to sign up for my Tip Card Group.
Better yet, don't wait for tips! Get some for your own self ...right now!
Get a complete deck of "The Original Photoshop Tip Cards" at http://photoshoptipcards.com

Photoshop Filters - Bring Out the Artist in You

One of my favorite things about Photoshop is that it lets me choose between being a photographer and being an artist.

Being a photographer I'm pretty comfortable with. I feel I can handle a camera as well as most, although I'm constantly reminded by those more seasoned, that I still have a lot to learn. And I accept the challenge.

As far as being an artist? Not so good. I used to dabble at painting...and it always looked like a dabble. From that experience I learned that if I wished to express my vision, I'd better put down the brush and go get my camera.

Now, Photoshop let's me be both!

Truth be told...sometimes I don't take a great picture. Shhhh!

But when I draw upon the powers of Photoshop, that same, not-so-great photo can become a really wonderful piece of art to display.

This one here is an example. Overall, the photo was a decent "snapshot". But it really wasn't as crisp and clear as I would have liked and I wasn't happy with the look of the water.

So here's what I did.

I cut the girl from the photo and added a color-tinted (pinkish) gradient overlay across the water and then lightened the top, right corner to give it a more of a sunset feeling.

Next, I returned the young lady to the photo and then applied a filter over the entire photo that I thought appropriate, Ocean Ripple. (Filter - Distort - Ocean Ripple) Now it had that artsy, canvas look. (which worked really well to hide the lack of clarity!)

With minimal blending, using the non-destructive layer-mask dodge and burn method, the photo was complete. Except for the addition of a complimentary frame, created using the technique found in Fool-Proof Frames.

And viola! In just a few minutes time I changed a so-so photo to a wonderful piece of art!

Photoshop lets you save some really marginal pictures and turn them into something to treasure.

Next time you have a photo that you wished was sharper, better colored, or just lacks that certain something, consider saving it with one of the many creative filters available in Photoshop. Have fun and experiment.

Who knows? Photoshop might let you be an artist too!

Play with a Full Deck

Just a quick note to let you know...

The full deck of Photoshop Tip Cards in now complete!

Now, you too can become an instant Photoshop wiz!

Now, with your own set of Photoshop Tip Cards, you can plow through a pile of pre-printing processes in no time too!

Finally!

There is a simple, low-tech way to get help for the popular Adobe Photoshop editor.

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Wasting hours with distracting searches on the internet, flipping between screens looking for help as you're trying to work!

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ROLL!
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52 easy to use index cards show in simple terms exactly how to do all the most popular Photoshop edits, tricks and "secret" shortcuts. And thanks to input from our members, printing costs have been substantially reduced. You're going to love (and be amazed at) the price!

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Get more details or order yours today at:

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Christie said it best...
"I love, love, love your tip cards!"
PhotographybyChristie.net

Yes...they were designed by me for YOU!
Made right here in Buffalo, NY USA!

"Like a Photoshop seminar in every box"
(Only I saved you the high-priced fees and took all the notes for you!)

7 Profitable Photoshop Plans

Today I'm going to offer something a bit different.

Every once in a while you have to stop and think, "What's the point?"

Having all these great Photoshop tips at hand is a wonderful thing. But many of us are looking for ways to earn more money in photography. Luckily, the two go hand-in-hand.

You can use everything you learn in Photoshop to begin earning more money from your photography.

Here are 7 tips to get you thinking:

1. Add creative borders to your prints.
There is a reason people put thier most important photos into frames with mattes. It's because they look better! And naturally things that look better can sell for more. Fortunately, adding creative frames in Photoshop is not difficult (I've shown that in a previous post) and best of all it costs us nothing but a few moments of our time.

2. Adjust your exposures, sharpness and contrast
This is a bit basic, most of my readers will already be using Photoshop for post-production touch-ups on their photos. But for newbies, I can't think of one professional photographer, no matter how expensive his camera or how great his skill, that isn't using Photoshop or a similar editing software to create just a little bit better photo to sell his/her client.

3. Add Special Effects
How about adding a little vignette (soft border effect) to your photos? Maybe a little background blurr to make your subject stand out? Some shading? Text perhaps? A little color alteration or maybe add a few morew clouds in the sky? Maybe straighten the horizon. Maybe you want everything to be in black and white except some special feature? These can all help you collect more bucks for your pics with no expense but your time.


4. Cut and Paste your subjects into cute scenes
One of the most powerful features of Photoshop is that you can cut subjects from one scene and seemlessly paste them into another. Scott's NewPhotoBiz 1.0 is an amazing program for doing just that. Putting babies onto flowers, hugging fishbowls, and into washtubs can even allow you to make a great full time income from your photography. With all the different scenes and backgrounds available now, you charge for three or more scenes all from one photo! That's 3x the money!

5. Give your subjects "Extreme Makeovers"
With tools like the healing brush, gaussian blur and sharpness controls you can make skin tones flawless. No more pimples, moles, or scars! Tools like Liquify can turn frowns to smiles or make those big noses smaller. Even suck in those big guts making your subjects instantly look 10lbs. thinner. When you make your client look better than they ever imagined, you my friend are a true professional and will be rewarded accordingly.

6. Design your own business cards and flyers
I had struggled for years with other programs to create business cards and flyers. Boy was I surprised when someone flipped the switch in my brain by telling me that I could use Photoshop to to combine words and pictures (duh!). But until Scott from NewPhotoBiz 1.0 told me I never made the connection to creating business materials. With templates available from Vista Print and others, you can design your own custom materials and save a bundle.

7. Create unique custom greeting / holiday cards
Your profits don't have to end with the photo session. Once your client gets his 5x7's, 8x10's and 16x20's you should be coming back to him often throughout the year with more things to sell him from your original works. Turn those photos into greeting cards like the one shown in todays photo. Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays should your cue to get a custom card order out to your clients. Offer them postcards, keychains, coasters, tee shirts, golf balls, mugs, water bottles, blankets. None of this stuff has to be pre-ordered by you. There is no expense to you except to make the offer and there are many promotional site that make this easy. Cafepress
is just one site to look at for possibilities. Or start your own store!

Photoshop can be a powerful force that drives more profits into your business. For more ideas on getting the most from Photoshop and photography be sure to check out the other resources at the right on this page, in particular NewPhotoBiz 1.0.