Adobe Photoshop Tips and Tricks

Photoshop is an excellent tool for creating custom graphics and enhancing photos. It is also one of the most used software programs by graphic artists for doing post work. Here are a few tips and tricks for using Photoshop that you may or may not know about.

All About Layers
Layers are simple to use. When creating images that require a lot of attention to detail, layers are the way to go. By adding layers you can work on one piece of the image at a time so that in the event of a mistake you can delete the layer and start again.

Layering also allows you to add special effects to just one part of the image rather than the entire image. To add filters and effects simply copy the layer and add the filter to the duplicate layer and then toggle which layer you would like to be seen.

Any easy way to have multiple images in different colors is to duplicate a layer, go to image/adjustment/hue& saturation, tick the colorize box and use the sliders to change colors. To view the image in different colors click which layer you wish to view and save each one.

Brush with Confidence
The brush tool in Photoshop is more than just a crayon to paint with. Adobe provides different presets for brushes that you can customize as you go along.

To edit or add a brush preset click on the brush tool in the tools menu on the left. At the top you should see a menu that shows the brush size with a pick arrow next to it. Clicking on that pick arrow will allow you to add your own brushes, load a new brush or select one of the default brushes.

After you've selected which brush you want, look directly to your right at the top of the screen. In that same menu bar, on the right you should see two little icons. The first one will open up the preset box. The second icon will open up a different part of the Photoshop program called the Adobe Bridge.

In the preset menu box you will see options for changing the pressure of the pen, how scattered the brush strokes are, the different kind of strokes you can use and a preview of the brush itself.

Don't be afraid to play with the brush options in the top menu. You can change the opacity of the brush, the flow and enable air brushing capabilities as well as alter what mode the brush is in. If you are using layers playing with these options should not cause a catastrophe.

Dodge, Burn and Sponge
These three tools can be found in the tools menu on the left of the screen which has two columns. You will find these tools in the right column. They are seventh down on the list and will look like a hand, a stickpin and a sponge.

The dodge, burn and sponge tools are used to create depth, highlights and shadows to your image. They are great for giving character's clothing a realistic feel as well as painting in shadows and highlights in hair.

Play with these settings adjusting the options in the top menu to achieve the desired amount of highlights and shadows you wants.

Colors of the Rainbow
Ever wanted to know what the html color code is for something but have no idea how to figure it out? Quit trying to guess and use the eyedropper tool in the tools menu.

After you select the eyedropper tool, click on a color in an image and it will automatically put that color in the color boxes. Still using the eyedropper tool click on that color box and a color picker box will pop up that will give you the code.

Inside the color picker box you will see a button that says color libraries. There are shades of colors there that I bet you didn't even know existed.

Blended not Stirred
If you don't have the layers window activated do so now. To open up the layers window go to the very top drop down menu and select the one called windows. Scroll down and click on the one that says layers, or push F7.

Start a new layer and add something to it. For the sake of learning it doesn't matter if it's text or just a blob. Once that's done, place your cursor over that layer in the layer window and right click once. It might take a couple of tries because there are two different menus that appear depending on where you click. You should look for the one that says Blending Options.

Are you amazed by what you see? You should be because this option is not listed in any of the drop down menus or tool menus. Here you can emboss layers, add drop shadows, inner shadows, color overlays, gradient over lays and more. There are literally tons of ways to enhance your image with blending options.

Hot Keys are Hot
Here is a list of commonly used hot keys that will make your Adobe Photoshop experience easier.

Cntrl+A = select all.
Cntrl+S = save
Cntrl+shift+S = save as
Cntrl+O = open
Cntrl+N = new document
Cntrl+P = print
Cntrl+W = close
Alt+Cntrl+Z = step back multiple times
Alt+Z = undo once
Cntrl+C = copy
Shift+Cntrl+C = copy merged
Cntrl+V = paste
Cntrl+T = transform
Shift+F5 = color fill
Cntrl and + = zoom in
Cntrl and - = zoom out
Alt+Cntrl+I = image size
Shift+Cntrl+N = add new layer
Alt+Cntrl+O = show actual image pixel size
Cntrl+D = deselect

When in doubt with hot keys check the menus at the top as they list which hot key goes with which command.