design 5

10 Tips For Using Adobe Photoshop

2007-07-13T23:28:00.000-07:00

10 Tips For Using Adobe Photoshop

10 Tips For Using Adobe Photoshop
By Paul W Wilson

Like a brush is to a painter an essential skill in the field of graphic design is Photoshop. The software offers increased productivity as well as flexibility. The features include aspects like file browser, vanishing point tool, smart sharpen filter, noise reduction filter, smart objects, as well as camera workflow enhancements. Photoshop offers professional photo editing features, digital imaging, as well as non destructive editing.

There are so many hidden features and insights to software, that it is often impossible to know them all.

1. There is a hidden option using which you can simulate bold and italic formatting styles for fonts that do not have these options. Click the button on the type tool option to bring up the character palette. Then select text and click the arrow in the upper right hand corner of the palette menu where faux bold and italics are present. However you will not be able to warp type when formatting has been applied.

2. One can quickly flip through blend modes while trying out effects by using the keys “shift+ to change to next mode and shift- to go to the previous mode.” When a painting tool is active this shortcut will change the blend mode of the painting tool. However, if anything is highlighted then the shortcut will not work. You will have press esc and then use the shortcut keys again.

3. The photomerge feature can be used to seamlessly combine multiple images to create a panorama. This feature can be accessed from the Automate menu. You can even refine the composition using tools like rotate, zoom, pan, and set vanishing point.

4. When re-sampling images one can use either Bicubic Smoother or Bicubic Sharper. You can use Bicubic smoother for up sampling and Bicubic sharper for down sampling. You can actually specify which interpolation method is to be used by going to general preferences and setting a default.

5. There are two features for printing. You can use contact sheet II or picture package. Use contact sheet when you want all images in the same size and you want to print the name below the image. Use printer package when you want different image sizes on the same page, or multiple copies of the same image, or a text overlay.

6. If you want to remove a glare on the eyeglasses of an image you should use a part of the lens that does not have a glare and use it to layer the lens with a glare. Use tools like rotate and skew and soft-tip eraser to soften the edges. Ensure the glare does not show through from below. Or, do some careful work using the clone tool.

7. The online services enable you to connect to online photo printing and sharing sites.

8. The Web Photo gallery can generate hyperlink pages that can be uploaded to a server.

9. The Picture Package option will help you prepare photos in layout with multiple size prints on one page.

10. You will never forget how you achieved a certain result because the History Log will detail every step taken by you as well as time-tracking, and a legal record. There are three choices wherein, you can create a sessions only record where, it will record only when Photoshop is opened or closed; or a concise record which will record each action including the text that appears in the history palette; or the complete editing history including the text that appears in the actions palette.

Adobe Photoshop is a dream tool for every designer and one can over time master every subtlety of the tool and crop, rotate, resize, create shapes, add layers, change text, and play with colors. It is a hands on software where the more you use it the more you will learn.

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com, the premier website to find Free Software Downloads including free anti-virus software, free spyware detection software, free toolbars, free chat software and more. He also freelances for Free Online Games site http://www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com

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Learning Photoshop for Photographers

2007-07-13T23:26:00.000-07:00

Learning Photoshop for Photographers

Learning Photoshop for Photographers
By David Peters

Professional photographers can have an Adobe Photoshop product and Photoshop tutorials made just for them.

The product is called Photoshop for Photographers. Tutorials for this Photoshop version are readily found online for under $100. Let’s take a look at what you can learn with these Photoshop photography tutorials for Adobe.

By visiting this vendor's site you can peruse an online demo of the first three chapters of the Photoshop Photographers tutorials before buying the entire CD/DVD package.

The introductory CD includes a basic introduction to the uses of Photoshop for Photographers, as well as the best way to use the tutorials to teach you Photoshop.

You’ll watch an introductory demo, and then learn how to customize your own Photoshop workspace.

You’ll learn to take advantage of essential Adobe Photoshop shortcuts, including keyboard shortcuts.

You’ll watch a demo about the elements of taking snapshots with your Photoshop program. You’ll learn about presets for your Photoshop tools as well.

The second CD contains CDs that cover the basics of contact sheets and file browsers. You learn file browser basic, and how to export your chase, and alter your metadata. You’ll be taught how to rename your batch, assign keywords, create your own contact sheet, and your Photoshop picture package.

The next of the Photoshop tutorials focuses on brushes and styles of fonts. You’ll learn about Adobe brush palettes, how to be more creative with your brushes and how to create your own style using Photoshop.

All of the above is part of the free online demo, the starter package for Photoshop tutorials. Masking is the next part of the CD/DVD package. Here you’ll learn simple masking techniques and quick masking.

Next is the Photoshop technique of selecting and creating patterns. The Photoshop tutorials will teach you as well how to take people out of your shots, how to change your photo backgrounds, how to use the extracting filer and how to create the backgrounds of your choice. You’ll learn to master the blending modes of Photoshop as well as its adjustment layers, and adjustment for curves, for levels, and for saturation and hues.

Color sharpening and correction is the next of the Photoshop tutorials for photographers. On this CD you’ll tackle improvements to the default settings for your auto color, and corrections of curves and levels color. You’ll be able to remove a red face after these Photoshop tutorials, and will know how to sharpen, burn and dodge.

With these Photoshop tutorials you’ll be able to convert your color photos to black and white, mix your color channels, and calculate your lab color and channels. The tutorials will teach you about using your photoshop camera RAW, and converting your digital negative. You’ll learn basic and advanced RAW for Photoshop, expediting its workflow and its batch processing.

Toning is the next part of the Photoshop tutorials, in which you’ll learn both duo and tri tones, as well as selenium and cross process techniques. You’ll become accomplished at using Adobe Photoshop to create the look of the 1920’s in Cyanotops and Sepia, as well as beginning to advanced lessons in hand coloring your photos.

Master The Basics Of Adobe Photoshop In Under 2 Hours With Easy To Follow Instantly Accessible Online Video Tutorials. Full Details Here: http://www.aaaphotoshop.com/

Photoshop Tutorials

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Adobe Photoshop v Adobe Illustrator

2007-07-13T23:25:00.001-07:00

Adobe Photoshop v Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop v Adobe Illustrator
By Kevin M. Sugrue

What are the differences between adobe photoshop and adobe illustrator? Produced by the same company, there are some that say the difference between the two programs is small. In actuality, adobe illustrator takes some key elements of adobe photoshop to the next level and beyond.

Abobe photoshop is a very popular program used by digital photographers around the world. The abundance of

photoshop tips and tutorials make this a very easy program to learn and to use. Photoshop can be used to take any existing image and give it a professional, polished looked. Borders can be added and pictures tweaked to look better than any digital camera could make possible. Almost anything you can imagine doing to a picture is capable when using adobe photoshop.

Abobe illustrator is a different program entirely. Illustrator is a vector-based drawing program that allows you to create your own unique graphics. Adobe illustrator graphics can be used in print, online, in video, and even on your cell phone. Want to create your own background for your cell phone? It’s possible when you have adobe illustrator, and something that can’t be done with photoshop alone.

Both programs are vastly talked about on the web. You will find a huge array of photoshop tutorials and illustrator tutorials, illustrator and photoshop tips. Forums, chat rooms, and discussion groups that focus on both programs are also abundant on the web. Once you start looking, you’ll find more and more information on adobe photoshop and adobe illustrator.

While photoshop does have some photoshop drawing and vector art tools, the tools are nothing compared to what is available on adobe illustrator. With a vast array of templates that can help you get started and a number of different drawing tools, you can create your own unique graphics and artwork using adobe illustrator. You can create unique graphics with photoshop, but you must start with a base image and your tools are limited in comparison to adobe illustrator. For the serious graphic designer, adobe illustrator is the best program to use. However, if your drawing needs are small, photoshop will probably work just as well.

Photoshop tutorials do not extensively cover photoshop drawing, and you’ll have to look for some photoshop drawing specific tutorials to find truly useful information. Photoshop tips pages mention little regarding photoshop drawing and vector art tools. However, to make your digital images look perfect adobe photoshop is the perfect tool for you. Once you learn how to use photoshop to make your images perfect, you won’t be able to stop yourself from “fixing” every digital image that you use.

Adobe illustrator is a different program. Where photoshop helps you create a unique look using existing images, illustrator helps you create your own brand-new images. In graphic design, adobe illustrator may be one of the best and easier tools you can use. The software is user friendly and tutorials to help you use illustrator better are all over the Internet. Whatever you need to learn about adobe illustrator, there’s a tutorial for that.

There’s no reason you cannot work with both adobe photoshop and adobe

illustrator to create brand new images or polish existing ones. The two programs have some basic, shared components, so by mastering one you will already have a working knowledge of using the other. To make your images as stunning as possible or to create graphics that no one else has seen before, you can use both adobe photoshop and illustrator. There is no reason to pick between the two and use only one program if you have uses for both. Because the two programs and their uses are so different, it’s probably preferable to use both adobe programs for your digital photography and image creations.

In their own unique ways, adobe photoshop and adobe illustrator and great additions to your existing software. Each program has vast uses for the digital photographer and graphic designer, and you’ll find that both are equally useful when it comes to creating the best and most sophisticated images. Tutorials, photoshop tips, and adobe illustrator information that you’ll find online make using these programs quick and easy. The more you use these adobe programs, the more you’ll want to use them. Who knows what you’ll create next?

This article was written by Kevin M. Sugrue the creator of FreePhotoshopZone.com! Free Photoshop Zone offers free photoshop tutorials and free photoshop articles! To visit our site go to http://www.freephotoshopzone.com.

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Learning With Photoshop CS Tutorials

2007-07-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

Learning With Photoshop CS Tutorials

Learning With Photoshop CS Tutorials
By Mario SG Churchill

Photoshop CS tutorials will definitely be of good use to people who have long purchased the program and have not yet maximized its use. Taking the lessons and tutorials will definitely help you become more productive and creative.

Photoshop CS Tutorials

There are many things to learn with your Photoshop CS. You can explore them and utilize each for your own use. Here are some of the aspects you can look forward to from basic Photoshop CS tutorials.

• Learn the Basics

The basics of Photoshop CS tutorials will dwell on getting you familiar with the different aspects to manage Photoshop. This includes screen areas, layers and styles, droplets, actions and even the creation of new images.

This will also expose you in understanding images. This must show you how you can explore the blend modes and distinguish the vector from the bitmap graphics.

• Techniques and Tools

After passing the basics, the tutorials can next lead you to navigate the selections on painting, drawing and creating shapes. This will dwell on how you can do filling, cropping, cloning, sampling, annotation and retouching.

This part of the Photoshop CS tutorial will help you appreciate more how the Internet web sites and web in general are structured. You will see how graphics and animation basically operates.

• Optimization and Download

You can learn about browsers, JavasScript, platforms, backgrounds, positioning, monitor resolution and interpolation at this stage. This will be especially helpful for you if you plan to expand on your web page.

Any Photoshop endeavor will also bank a lot on the colors. This part of the tutorial will help you explore the best color choices for your web page. You can learn how to use colors, explore their modes, and choose them properly.

If all these words mentioned above still sound very much Greek to you, then it is all the more important for you to start taking the tutorials.

Photoshop CS Tutorials Options

Now that you have seen the significance of taking lessons on your Photoshop program, then you can start exploring the many options for you to learn. Here are some of them:

1. Web Page Tutorials

You can access web sites that will teach you how to operate Photoshop. For a fee, you can explore the site and get everything you need to learn.

2. Demo Version

There are also demo versions for Photoshop tutorials that you can download for free. This will include very few chapters only. You can use this to evaluate the offers of a particular site before purchasing the whole package.

3. CD Version

You can also purchase the CD so you can learn everything about Photoshop even if you are not online.

4. PDF Files

Some web tutorials offer tutorials in the PDF format. This is a good choice for people who want a printout for their lessons.

5. Video Tutorials

Photoshop CS video tutorials are good also for people who need to be guided in every step of the way. This will demonstrate to you exactly what you need to see and click.

Conclusion

Online Photoshop CS tutorials provide the best opportunity for people to maximize their program and skills to become more productive and creative. So take the initiative now. Make sure you learn and you will definitely benefit from it.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For a free photo shop tutorial and or to purchase a video photo shop tutorial checkout his website.

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Photoshop CS2 Tutorials

2007-07-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

Photoshop CS2 Tutorials

Photoshop CS2 Tutorials
By Mario SG Churchill

The Photoshop CS2 program is one perfect utility that you can explore. It provides a whole new perspective to any creative endeavors. Many people will attest to the benefits and advantages of Photoshop CS2.

Photoshop CS2 may sound really good. However, for beginners, this will still all be Greek to their ears. Thus, tutorials will really play a big role to expose one to the many possibilities of CS2.

The Photoshop CS2 Program

Photoshop CS2 is the upgraded version of the basic Photoshop program. This now showcases a number of features that you cannot find in the old version. It provides more options to the user and makes creative work an easier task to do.

However, it takes more than just owning and installing the program. You have to learn the various aspects of Photoshop CS2 so you can maximize it. This way, you can also be more productive with your purchase. Here are some of the features that you can enjoy.

1. Adobe Bridge

Adobe Bridge is one convenient feature that makes Photoshop CS2 a very fine companion. With this option, you can easily look at the detail of your artworks and photos even before you open the file.

This is definitely a good tool for organizing your works. It is even user-friendly so you can easily maximize your time and effort.

2. Font Preview

The font preview option is also very desirable. Before, it will take you a lot of guessing game and trials before you can put a good font in your work.

With Photoshop CS2, you can easily choose the right font from the drop-down menu as it showcases the actual font from the preview.

3. Spot Healing Brush

Any imperfections in your graphics can be easily cured by the Spot Healing Brush. You do not need to find any source points anymore. All you have to do is point your mouse to the area and with just a click, you can resolve the problem.

4. Vanishing Point

This aspect lets you cut and paste a photograph in a proper perspective. This is like making a virtual art gallery out of your graphics. This will let you move and skew any windows in places that you deem proper.

5. Preview Video Graphics

For people who are into making videos, they know that coming up with a good graphic will not always translate to a good video output. There are certain qualities that are not retained when the video option is utilized.

Photoshop CS2 will allow you to preview your graphics as to how they will appear in video. Thus, you will never have to spend more time in modifying as you can make your graphics the way you need them to come out.

Photoshop CS2 Tutorials

Now that you have a good idea of the great things about Photoshop CS2, then taking tutorials will help you make the most out of the program in your computer.

There are many options for you to get the right Photoshop CS2 tutorial. Here are some of the things that you can consider.

1. Web Tutorial

There are many web tutorials that you can use. You can search for the right web site and get tutorials for a fee. There are even options for you to view the Photoshop CS2 tutorials in video so you will be guided in every step of the way.

2. PDF Format

Some tutorial services can give you a PDF format option. This is perfect for people who can learn better when reading a printout of the lesson.

3. CD Package

You can also purchase a CD tutorial course. For less than $100, you can have everything you need to learn in your hands.

Conclusion

Photoshop CS2 tutorials are perfect for beginners. You will be taught step-by-step on how to maximize the use of the program. With this, you will surely become more productive and creative.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For a free photo shop tutorial and or to purchase a video photo shop tutorial checkout his website.

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Resize an Image Using Photoshop

2007-07-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

Resize an Image Using Photoshop

Resize an Image Using Photoshop
By Halstatt Pires

Photoshop is a wonderful tool for graphic design, web development and any other form of digital media creation. In this article, we discuss resizing an image using the program.

Photoshop has many uses and is a very powerful program with many different capabilities and functions. Photoshop can have a high learning curve and may be a little overwhelming at first because of all the different tools and options available to use, but I am sure you thought the same thing about learning to read. Now look at you, you are a pro.

As with any thing in life practice is the key to becoming better at things you don’t know or think are too difficult. Try not to become intimidated and don’t be afraid to try new things and experiment. Someone famous once said that learning from failure is the key to success.

While Photoshop may be a lot more program than you need to resize an image, it is an important function to learn because it is a common technique in digital media development. Why would you want to resize an image in the first place? There are numerous reasons, but the most common is to make photos fit on web pages or print material.

Ok, as for the actual steps involved in resizing an image here they are:

1. Open Adobe Photoshop and the photo you wish to resize.

2. Once you have your photo open navigate your mouse to the tool bar that runs along the top of the screen and click on “Image”.

3. Once you click on “Image” from the tool bar, a drop down menu will appear. Select “Image Size” from the drop down menu. A window should popup with the images properties.

4. Initially, for our intents and purposes we only want to pay attention to “Pixel Dimensions” in the popup window. You will see that you can control the width and height values of the image in the popup window. You should also see a drop down menu for selecting “pixels” or “percent”. Make sure pixels is the unit selected in both the width and height fields. Pixels are tiny dots of color that make up the photo. If you ever look at printed material under a magnifying glass you will notice that the image is made up of tiny dots of color. These tiny dots of color are analogous to what pixels are in a digital image.

5. Okay. Let’s pretend that the image you opened up at the start of this tutorial is very large, something like 2000 pixels wide by 1500 pixels in height and we want to resize the image to fit on a web page. Most web pages are somewhere around 800 pixels wide by some arbitrary height. The reason height is arbitrary is because it is determined by how much content appears on the page. Let’s say that we want the image to take up about half the width of the web page. To accomplish this we would change the pixel width value from 2000 to 400 pixels (which is half of 800 pixels, the width of the web page). Make sure that the “Constrain Proportions” option is checked so that the ratio between width and height is preserved and the image does not become distorted.

6. Click “OK” and save the newly resized version of your image. YOU’RE DONE!

You just resized your first photo using Photoshop and are now 100 times more advanced. Congratulations you are on your way to becoming a Photoshop master.

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Preparing Web Images with Photoshop

2007-07-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

Preparing Web Images with Photoshop

Preparing Web Images with Photoshop
By Andy Eaton

If you’re creating images to be used on a website, then Adobe Photoshop is a must have. It’s the premier program for manipulating and creating website images. The creators of Photoshop realize that many web designers use the program, and they’ve made it easy to create and save web images.

When you’re creating images in Photoshop, it helps to have a working knowledge of the program. You’ll get lost trying to learn without guidance. It’s a huge program with a steep learning curve. The sheer number of design options can be overwhelming. There are numerous books written on how to create simple and complex graphics using Photoshop. The purpose of this article is to briefly discuss how to save a file after creation.

Save for web is an indispensable feature when it comes to creating web graphics. It’s excellent for creating JPEGs and GIFs at 72 ppi, which is the webpage standard. Photoshop also saves in other formats, but none are as popular as the GIF and JPEG. A quick note: If you plan to later print an image you’ve created in Photoshop, you should know that 72 ppi doesn’t print well. You will have to resize your image as a 150 or larger ppi file.

When you first create your image, it will be a Photoshop file with extension “PSD”. It’s a good idea to save your original image as a PSD file so it can be edited later if necessary. PSD files can be saved without flattening. Once a file is flattened, it can’t be edited. Never flatten an image unless you’re certain you won’t have to edit it.

When you’re satisfied with the look of your file, you can prepare it for web use. By clicking the file option, you’ll also see “save for web”. That’s what you want to choose. The dialog box will appear and prompt you to choose a save format. Take a moment to explore the options box.

Photoshop has made it possible to experiment with different settings without altering the original file. Based on the format you choose, your image will be adjusted before your eyes. In fact, you will see exactly how different formats will look. For instance, you can see what your image will look like as a JPEG, then as a GIF, and so one. You can decide on a final format, file size, and various other choices based on the preview image. Once you’re happy with the results, it’s time to save the file.

So basically you need to:

1. Create the image

2. Choose file, save for web

3. Choose a file save format

4. Choose an image size

5. Chose quality level for a JPEG and a number of colors for GIF

6. Choose a location in which to save your file

Of course there’s more involved, and this article simply provides a basic overview. Some Photoshop users aren’t aware of the save for web option. Now you have an idea of what can be accomplished.

Andy Eaton is by far the best graphic designer I have ever come across! Not only does he create quality graphics, which actually do increase your website sales he actually goes one step further and teaches you his exact methods to crank out profit pulling graphics. Check out his work at http://quickpaypro.com/x.php?5086_u18

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Creating a Glass Orb (the Quick Method)

2007-07-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

Adobe Photoshop Tutorial - Creating a Glass Orb (the Quick Method)

Adobe Photoshop Tutorial - Creating a Glass Orb (the Quick Method)
By Ugur Akinci

Creating a Glass Orb (the Quick Method)

Create a new Photoshop document, about 4" X 4"in size by selecting File > New. Select the "Transparent" radio-button for "Content" to make the background transparent. Also make sure the "Mode" is "RGB Color". Click OK.

Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) and draw a circle while pressing on the Shift key. The circle should display "walking ants" around its circumference.

Select a non-white foreground color. I choose RED for this exercise.

Fill the selected circle with the foreground color by selecting Edit > Fill > Foreground Color.

Select the Move Tool (V) (the arrow with black tip).

Duplicate the Background layer by grabbing it and then pulling it over the "Create a New Layer" icon at the bottom of the Layers list.

Select the Background layer and lock it by clicking the Layer Lock check-box on top.

Select the Background Copy layer. Right-click and select Layer Properties from the pop-up menu. Change the name of the Layer to "Orb Base".

While the Orb Base layer is selected, click the "Add a Layer Style" icon at the bottom of the Layers list. From the pop-up list, select "Inner Glow."

10.

In the Layer Style dialog box that displays, select the following settings:

Blend Mode: Normal.

Opacity: 75%

Color: select a dark color close to Black.

Size: Around 100-150, to taste.

11.

Click OK.

12.

Click CTRL + D to deselect the selection circle (the "marching ants").

13.

Create a new layer on top by clicking the "Create a New Layer" icon at the bottom of the Layers list.

14.

Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) and draw an ellipse towards the top of your circle-sphere.

15.

In the tool box, click on the Default Background-Foreground Colors icon to shift the colors back to Black and White.

16.

Click on the color-switching double-arrow to make White the foreground color.

17.

Select the Gradient Tool (G).

18.

From the Properties Bar on top of your screen, select White to Transparent gradient (second from top-left).

19.

While the top layer is still selected, click and pull the gradient from top towards the bottom to create a white-to-transparent gradient on your sphere.

20.

Select the Move Tool (V) (the arrow with black tip).

21.

Click Ctrl + T to activate the Free Transform function.

22.

By pulling on the corners of the transform square, reshape your gradient to something like this:

23.

Hit Enter to register the new shape. Click CTRL + D to deselect the selection circle (the "marching ants").

24.

And you have your "Glass Orb."

BONUS STEPS -- How to Place an Object Inside the Glass Orb?

While still in Photoshop, open any picture file you want. Let's say we are using the photo of a metro train...

( Visit http://writer111.googlepages.com/creatingaglassorb-photoshoptutorial for the screenshots that accompany this tutorial.)

Make sure you have selected the Move Tool (V) (the arrow with black tip).

Click on the new photo and drag it on top of your Glass Orb window. This will import the new picture by automatically creating a new layer on top. Let's say the new photo is just too big and it needs to be resized.

While new layer is still selected, Click Ctrl + T to activate the Free Transform function.

You will see the selection square around the picture.

On the top properties bar, enter an appropriate percentage value (let's say, "50") for W (Width). Click on the chain icon to make sure the H (Height) will be scaled down by the same percentage as well. Make sure when you are finished the square picture covers the glass orb completely.

Press Enter to finalize the scaling. Click CTRL + D to deselect the selection circle (the "marching ants").

Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) and draw a circle while pressing on the Shift key. The circle should display "walking ants" around its circumference.

Center the selected circle over your square picture.

10.

Press Ctrl + Shift + I to inverse the selection.

11.

Press Delete to delete the corners of the square.

12.

Click CTRL + D to deselect the selection circle (the "marching ants").

13.

Make sure you have selected the Move Tool (V) (the arrow with black tip).

14.

Center your round picture over your glass orb.

15.

Click on the downward arrow right next to the "Blending Modes" field on top of the Layers box (which displays "Normal" by default).

16.

Select "Overlay" and Bingo! Your picture is captured inside the glass orb.

Feel free to experiment with other Blending Modes and Opacity settings.

Try for example "Difference" blending and 50% Opacity.

Your imagination is your limit. Enjoy!

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Ugur Akinci is a writer with 20 years of experience. Visit his web site http://www.writer111.com for more information.

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Adobe-Photoshop -- Imaging Editing Software

2007-07-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

Adobe-Photoshop -- Imaging Editing Software

Adobe-Photoshop -- Imaging Editing Software
By John Gibb

Photoshop is widely considered the best image-editing software in the world today by a long way, and it is not difficult to see why. Photoshop offers incredibly advanced effects which would previously have taken days or weeks to accomplish, and reduces them to the level of a few settings and a few clicks.

Although it is expensive, today it is considered an essential program for anyone working with graphics, whether it’s in print, on the web, or even in television and movies. This has led to a huge number of cheaper competitors (who have been largely ignored), as well as rampant piracy of Photoshop itself. To counter this, a cheaper, simpler version of Photoshop called Photoshop Elements is now available, which is especially good for beginners.

How did Photoshop get into this dominant position? Well, development started in 1987, with the first release in 1990. Since then, Adobe has been improving the software continuously, constantly taking advantage of advances in hardware power. Even now, to get the best performance out of Photoshop, you should buy as much RAM as you can afford.

It is not just Adobe’s efforts that have got Photoshop where it is today, however. The program’s plugin architecture has allowed there to be are all sorts of plugins available for more advanced work, including some plugins that actually cost more and do more than the program itself. In this way, Photoshop is often used much like Windows, as a platform – and it would be a huge effort to get these plugins to run on any other software, making competitors effectively useless to anyone who relies on a plugin.

Today, you can get Photoshop for Windows and Mac OS (both OS 9 and OS X). If you want to use it on Linux, however, you will have to use Crossover Office, Codeweavers’ program that allows some Windows software to run on Linux, but it will be quite slow.

John Gibb is the owner of Adobe Photoshop resources, For more information on Adobe Photoshop check out http://www.adobe-photoshop-resources2k.info

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Modifying Standard Shapes in Photoshop

2007-07-13T23:10:00.000-07:00

Modifying Standard Shapes in Photoshop

Modifying Standard Shapes in Photoshop
By Gabriel J. Adams

Have you ever wondered how someone was able to create a logo that looked so perfect? I used to think that someone probably had to draw the logo by hand, but then I learned some very interesting things about creating shapes in Photoshop. I used to think that you could only create standard shapes like ovals, rectangles, squares, and circles. However I recently learned that Photoshop gives you the ability to take these standard shapes and modify them to make new shapes that are very appealing. The way that this is accomplished is by selecting the path of the shape and manipulating it to create a completely new and different shape.

The first thing that you need to do is create a shape like a rectangle or an oval. Then choose the direct selection tool (white arrow), and select the path around the shape. You will know that you have selected the path, because you will see anchor points at the corners of the shape. Once you see the anchor points you will be able to click the anchor points and use them to resize and redesign the shape. The best thing about using paths to change the shape’s design is that the shape maintains its crisp lines, and looks just as good as a standard shape. How are you able to do this? The reason these changes are so clean is that the shape is vector based, and not pixel based, so you are able to just manipulate the vectors that comprise the shape. Another great thing about editing a shape in this way is that whatever formatting you have used on the shape will not be affected by modifying the path. If you have a gradient fill on the shape it will be modified as you modify the path of the shape, and it will maintain the same look as before you modified the shape. Now that you know how to modify the path of a shape you are no longer limited by the standard shapes that appear in the tools palette. Use your freedom wisely, and take this new found knowledge to you computer so you can create graphics that everyone else will envy for a change.

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Fix Skin Color in a Picture - A Photoshop Tutorial

2007-07-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

Fix Skin Color in a Picture - A Photoshop Tutorial

Fix Skin Color in a Picture - A Photoshop Tutorial
By Jason Hillman

A lot of common issues that I see with photos are that the skin color always seems to be off a little. In the photos that I see, the reds seem to take over the skin color areas of the person that is being photographed. In this tutorial you are going to learn how to get the skin color back to normal without affecting the entire image.

To begin with, you are going to need some basic Photoshop knowledge to accomplish this fix. The only things that we are going to be dealing with to fix the skin color in a picture are the new adjustment layers and layer masks. That is all that is needed to do this simple, yet effective fix.

The first thing that you need to do is to choose a picture that you want to fix the skin color on and open in Photoshop. I do want to warn you that this will not totally fix photos that the skin color is off really bad. You only want to use the fix for photos that have a slight to moderate problem.

The next step is to make a new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer on top of your original picture. You can do this by clicking on the icon below the layers that looks like a half colored in circle, and clicking on Hue/Saturation. This will bring up the Hue/Saturation window and make it on its own new layer.

Next, with the Hue/Saturation window still open, you want to determine which color is overriding your skin color. Like I said previously, I seem to have the problem with the reds, so I am going to choose the reds for my picture. You can choose the color that you need to in order to fix the skin color in your picture. You can choose the color using the drop down menu in the Hue/Saturation window.

Next, take the Saturation slider and slide it to the left until the skin color looks pretty good, or the best that you can get it without looking fake. Don’t worry about the other parts of the picture right now. Just concentrate on the skin color. We will fix the background colors next.

Once you are satisfied with your skin color, click OK to close out of the Hue/Saturation window, and you will see your new layer above your original picture. If you notice though, the adjustment that you made affected the entire image. To get that back restored to normal, click on the layer mask part of the new layer, and grab your brush tool. Make sure that your foreground color is set to black, and you have a large enough brush so that you are not brushing the background back a long time.

Now, using black, brush in the parts of the photo that you want to restore back to normal. I usually brush in the whole picture except the skin areas that I wanted to fix. This gives me the most realistic look. You are now done with the Photoshop tutorial on how to fix skin color in a picture.

If you found this article helpful, be sure to check out other great tutorials at Tutorials4You

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Tips For Using Photoshop when Creating a Web Site

2007-07-13T23:05:00.000-07:00

Tips For Using Photoshop when Creating a Web Site

Tips For Using Photoshop when Creating a Web Site
By Gabriel J. Adams

Photoshop is a wonderful tool for creating web sites. It allows even a novice the ability to create a fully functional web site without much knowledge of HTML or JavaScript. You can create an entire web page template with Photoshop, and then use Image Ready to slice up the image and create the HTML for you. Or you can use Photoshop to create just the navigation for your web site, or to optimize images on your web site. No matter how you use Photoshop, it will definitely make your web site look much nicer, and also help it to run faster.

Photoshop can help you to create an entire web site without coding much HTML by hand. You can draw a complete web site in Photoshop, and then transfer your image into Image Ready so that you can slice up the image into smaller elements, and then save the images and the corresponding HTML to render the page very easily. Then all you have to do is use you’re newly created web site and entire content into the blank spaces that you have left in the template. After you have added the content to your pages, you will be ready to post your new web site to the web.

When I am creating web sites I use Photoshop to create the navigation for the web site and also to optimize all of the images, so that my web site will load faster. I usually create buttons for the navigation, and then create rollover effects from within Image Ready. This saves me quite a bit of time, because all of the JavaScript for the mouse over effects are done for me, which allows me to work on the more advanced coding of the pages. Even if you want to create all of the navigation and layout of your web site without Photoshop, then you should at least use Photoshop to optimize your images so that you web site loads within a reasonable amount of time.

Photoshop can give you 3 different optimized views of a particular image, and tell you how fast it will load on a particular connection speed. Then you can choose which optimized image you would like to use based on the ratio between how good the picture looks and how fast it loads. Without optimizing your images your web site will perform very slowly and visitors will be less likely to wait. You can create a web site on your own by hand coding the entire site, but using Photoshop will make creating your web site much easier and more appealing.

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Photoshop Plug-ins: Making Photoshop Even More Powerful

2007-07-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

Photoshop Plug-ins: Making Photoshop Even More Powerful

Photoshop Plug-ins: Making Photoshop Even More Powerful
By Gabriel J. Adams

Adobe’s Photoshop software is a very powerful image editing program that is by far the market leader for editing image files. I use Photoshop extensively when creating, and editing images for the web sites that I design. Almost all professional photographers and printers also use Photoshop to create all of the wonderful images that appear in magazines, billboards, and even on television. I am not the best artist in the world, but with Photoshop I have enough power to create brilliant images with tools that are built-in to the software.

The coolest thing about Photoshop is that even as powerful as it is out of the box, there are many different plug-ins to make Photoshop even more powerful. The Photoshop plug-ins can be grouped into a few major categories which include 3D, color management, digital asset management, photographic, retouching, and special effects.

The Photoshop plug-ins which are available can help perform tasks much faster and more efficiently than performing these tasks by hand. The 3D plug-ins are used to create 3D images and type very quickly and elegantly. The color management Photoshop plug-ins can create new colors to correspond to the printer that you are using, or the monitor that you are using to create your graphics. The digital asset management plug-ins are used to organize all of the digital images that you have created so that finding the correct image is much easier than without it. The photographic ones give many different professional lens techniques that you can apply to any picture to create amazing effects.

The retouching plug-ins can intelligently change the contrast, color, sharpness, and many other common filters to make a picture look as crisp as possible. The special effects plug-ins are my favorite, because they can make a rather plain image into something fantastic. If you use Photoshop on a regular basis, then you need to look at some of the plug-ins that are available, because they can make your life much easier, and your graphics look much better.

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What Can a Free Photo Shop Download Do For Me?

2007-07-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

What Can a Free Photo Shop Download Do For Me?
By Alberto Martinez Miller

When it comes to exploring the world of graphic design, a free photo shop download will certainly come in handy. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate user, or expert, there are plenty of ways to enhance your skills with the software program that brings newsletters, photos, and graphics to life. Today, the Internet is filled with plenty of free photo shop download opportunities for computer users to explore.

As you sit in front of your PC or type away on your Mac, you never know when a free photo shop download will make life much easier for you. With the changes in technology and the way the world now uses the computer to tweak digital camera prints or create greeting cards at home, software is needed to execute these activities. Photoshop is one of the most popular software applications on the market, but how do you know if it is for you?

Depending on the software title, you could be spending more than $100 on a selection that may or may not complete the kind of tasks you wish to accomplish. Sometimes, the application is great, but a little too advanced for your taste. When you are interested in checking out the line of Adobe products, a free photo shop download helps you test-drive the goods before committing your finances.

A free photo shop download allows you to see the kind of skills needed to operate the software. After a trial period, you can decide whether or not the software will satisfy your needs. Not only does a free photo shop download permit you to navigate the ins and outs of an application, but may also provide free photo shop tutorials to help you create a wide-range of projects and achieve a variety of graphic design goals. This type of free photo shop download also helps save money for the individual that often gets into the habit of purchasing a self-help manual for their software applications.

The best part about most free photo shop downloads for tutorials is that many offer animation and colorful screen shots that present step-by-step instructions in a slow, easy-to-follow manner. Many individuals have learned how to effectively use the toolbox, filters, and adjust colors – all by using a free photo shop download. Once you find just the right photo shop download for free, navigating the application becomes much easier, allowing you to make the most informed software purchase.

Alberto Martinez is a successful affiliate marketer, who regularly makes a healthy living from the Internet. If you want a great video tutorial about Adobe Photo Shop, he recommends the following site: http://thefeeder.info/adtrackz/go.php?c=photoshoparticle.

Alberto Martinez is a successful affiliate marketer who regularly makes a
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Photoshop Benefits Webmasters in A Big Way

2007-07-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

Photoshop Benefits Webmasters in A Big Way
By Anthony Amerson

If you would like to get into the webmaster industry, you should know
that Photoshop is the perfect tool for making your very own website.
Photoshop will allow even the beginning webmaster the ability to create an
entire web template from scratch. After you're done, you can easily use
Image Ready to cut up the template image and spit out the HTML code for
you - simple and easy. If you have something more specific within your
webpage you want to alter, like the navigation or certain images for
example, Photoshop can help you with this as well. It doesn't matter what
you are utilizing Photoshop for, it will definitely benefit the overall
image and smoothness of your website.

In the old days webmasters had to resort to coding their webpages by
hand. This was a long and tedious process which was very drawn out -
testing and altering the code could take hours. With Photoshop on your side
you don't have to worry about spending vast amounts of time creating
your website. You can create the overall look of your site and then
transfer it to Image Ready, which will then slice the image into smaller
HTML elements. After this, all you will have to do is insert your webpage
content into the white space that you left for yourself in the
template. After you have placed the content on your site, it will be ready to
go.

You should be concerned with load times when you are working with
images. With Photoshop you can optimize all the images you work with so that
you can make sure your visitors are getting the fastest load times
possible.

You will also be delighted to know that Photoshop can help brighten up
your navigation bar. Using Image Ready, you can create superb looking
rollover effects that will make your visitors want to click to other
pages within your site. Instead of having to fiddle with Javascript to get
this done, Image Ready will make sure it's already done for you, giving
you more time to work on other things on your site.

As you can see Photoshop is one of the best weapons a webmaster has -
so take full advantage of it!

Written by Anthony Amerson. Find more real tips from Photoshop experts
at the photoshop forum and
don't forget to enter into the exclusive photoshop contest.

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Photoshop Layers Tutorials

2007-07-13T22:51:00.000-07:00

Photoshop Layers Tutorials
By Matt Philips

Layers are a powerful feature of Photoshop that allow you to work on one part of an image without disturbing the rest of it. While the concept of layers may seem intimidating at first, once you get the hang of using layers you’ll wonder how you ever survived without them!

The transparent parts of any layer, shown by the checkered grid, allow the layers beneath that layer to show through. You can show and hide each layer in an image by clicking on its corresponding eye icon in the Layers palette.

To organize your layers, you can arrange them into layer groups by going to Layer > New > Group…. Each layer group displays in the same way as any ungrouped layers on the Layers palette. A layer group is signified by a folder icon. You can collapse or expand layer groups by clicking on the triangle to the left of the folder icon, and nest layer groups within each other by dragging one folder icon into another.

Here are 10 quick Layer Shortcuts.

1 - Rename layers by double-clicking on the layer name.

2 - Select a layer by using the keyboard shortcuts Alt-[ and Alt-] (Option-[ and Option-] on a Mac).

3 - Merge a layer into the one beneath it by pressing Ctrl- E (Command-E). If you have selected layers, this shortcut
will merge those selected layers together.

4 - Change the transparency of a layer by changing its opacity with the Opacity slider, or typing a value into the
Opacity box (which is visible when you have the Selection, Move, or Crop tools selected).

5 - Duplicate a selected layer by pressing Ctrl-J (Command-J on a Mac). You can also duplicate a layer by dragging it
while pressing the Alt (Option) key.

6 - Select multiple layers by holding down Ctrl (Command on a Mac) and clicking the layer names. This forms a temporary link between the selected layers that allows you to move them as one unit, delete them all, and so on.

7 - You can also link layers together. Select layers by clicking on them while holding down Shift or Ctrl (Command
on a Mac).

8 - To unlink all the layers, select one of the linked layers and go to Layer > Unlink Layers.

9 - To temporarily unlink a layer, hold down Shift and click on its link icon (a red “X” will appear over the link icon).

10 - Reactivate the link by holding down Shift and clicking the link icon again.

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3 Great Tips for PhotoShop Novices

2007-07-13T22:47:00.000-07:00

3 Great Tips for PhotoShop Novices
By Sheldon Amerson

The release of the tenth and newest version of the graphic editing industry standard PhotoShop is called CS3, and it was released on April 16,2007. If you are a novice of the graphic editing and manipulation world, you are going to want to read these three HOT tips to help get you going.
They are put together to help you to see that the world of image management is not really as daunting as it may seem right now.

These tips for beginners address some of the basic challenges that you will encounter quickly as you delve into the sometimes perplexing realm of PhotoShop CS3.
Here we go then….

Tip 1: Create custom, project-specified workspaces. Each project that you endeavor will require a certain set of palettes.You will want to take advantage of the feature that lets you save them
independent of one another. Here’s how it’s done: When you have the palettes for a given project lined up as you like them, choose Window> Workspace> Save Workspace.
Assign a name to the particular workspace and then click Save.

Tip 2: Plan ahead when naming workspaces so that in the future each will ring a clear bell in your memory. Multiple projects over time can get confusing to remember.

Tip 3: Use two different windows to display each image.You often need to zoom in for closer looks at pixels. When you make changes to a zoomed-in image, you need to know that it will work
effectively when you zoom back out. So, instead of zooming in and out constantly, it is far easier and less time-consuming to have two windows opened containing the same image at different zoom levels.
To do this, simply select Window> Arrange> New Window. The same image will appear in a new window. Keep one zoomed at 100% and the other however you need it to work on it.

Well, there you are: a beginner’s lesson to get you started on the right foot. The sphere of PhotoShop CS3 is a large one, but one that can be managed with good habits and some forethought. Enjoy!

Written by Sheldon Amerson. Find more real tips from Photoshop experts at the [http://www.photochopz.com/forum]photoshop community
and don't forget to enter into the exclusive photoshop contest

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What to Look for in Display Graphics and Trade Show Graphics

2007-07-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

What to Look for in Display Graphics and Trade Show Graphics
By Rick Hendershot

Display graphics are graphic images used for illustration or "display" purposes. Display Graphics are usually printed on paper, vinyl or fabric using a "large format" printing device. Normally display graphics are over-sized graphics printed on paper or some other material, and then mounted or hung on a graphic display unit of some sort in a conspicuous place.

One-off display graphics are used in vinyl banners, trade show displays, or as backdrops for a convention, press conference, or special event such as an athletic event or tournament.

Multiple units of display graphic items are often required when a company has numerous sales outlets or franchises. In that case the producer of display graphics will produce a number of units such as posters, mounted displays, banner
stands or vinyl banners so the company can mount a consistent promotional campaign.

Indoor vs. Outdoor Applications

The most important distinction is between display graphics used for indoor displays and display graphics used for outdoor display purposes.

Indoor products are usually set up in trade shows, retail stores, malls, and conferences. Outdoor items are things such as vinyl banners, signage, adhesive vinyl used for vehicles or window graphics, large outdoor posters (usually
printed on vinyl or fabric), and streetscape banners.

Outdoor items are exposed to the elements and require special inks in order to be UV resistant and waterproof. The usual procedure is to use special solvent inks that do not fade nearly as quickly in bright sunlight, and are also water
resistant. Some suppliers attempt to "cheat" by laminating items printed with water-based inks, but this is not a satisfactory solution.

It is often desirable to use solvent based printing for some indoor items as well. For instance, banners that you expect to use a number of times will have to be rolled and unrolled, and water-based inks are much more likely to scratch and break down with this kind of handling. Or if you want to hang a banner across the front of your display table at a trade show it is likely to be bumped and have
coffee spilled on it. The more durable you make it, the better.

Artwork Considerations

Most experienced suppliers of display graphics will know exactly what kind of images and illustrations you should or should not use in your designs. Digital printing devices can print from photographs and illustrations, so you can include logos, maps, text or anything normally printable from a program like Quarkxpress,
Illustrator, or Coreldraw.

One major consideration is the resolution of your original images. Offset printing (brochures and magazines) requires a resolution of up to 300 ppi (pixels per inch), but display graphics can be printed with resolutions as low as 50 ppi
(pixels per inch). Keep this in mind when shooting your original photos. Make them as large as possible and you should not have any problem blowing them up for a banner, popup display or roadside sign.

Find a display graphics supplier who can advise you in simple, straightforward terms. If you have a bit of experience dealing with images and layouts, you will find that creating display graphics is relatively easy. One important thing when designing your display item is to keep your design simple, and focus on one or two main elements.

Many suppliers of [http://canadadisplaygraphics.com/products/]display graphics products, such as Canada Display Graphics will even make minor adjustments to your files for no extra charge.

Rick Hendershot is the editor and publisher of the Linknet Publishing Network. For more
information on advertising opportunties, see our link packages and article writing services.

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Discover the Key to Self-confidence

2007-07-13T22:36:00.000-07:00

Discover the Key to Self-confidence
By Colin Dunbar

"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation" - Arthur Ashe

Self-confidence is necessary for success

As Arthur Ashe says preparation is an important key to self-confidence. And preparation can be achieved by using the goal setting tool of questions. Asking questions, that is, doing research, can enable you to become proficient in whatever subject or area you want you to.

Self-confidence is necessary not only to achieve success with our goals, but also to live a happier and contented life. When we have self-confidence, we can overcome many of life's obstacles easier. How then do we find the key to self-confidence?

Identify the obstacle

Before you can work on gaining more self-confidence, you need to clearly identify the area that is an obstacle for you not having self-confidence. When you have identified the obstacle, you can use a variety of goal setting tools to solve it. And yes, you should undertake your development of self-confidence as a goal. This way you can make positive progress, and have eventual success.

Can I share the following true story with you...

Having had over eight years experience in technical writing, but lacking the industry software skills, I turned down positions as result of a lack of self-confidence. It did not take any rocket science for me to realize that I needed to become skilled in the software that was being used in the industry.

The industry standards at the time were Microsoft Word and CorelDRAW. If you are familiar with these software packages, you know there are a myriad of features, and in technical writing, many of these are used.

There was only one way I could master this software...

Use a step-by-step approach

Adopting a step-by-step approach is a practical tool for reaching your goal, and a key to gaining self-confidence.

Before starting, you should determine as accurately as possible as to what the steps are. This forms part of your preparation, or research, in many cases. Become familiar with the subject matter.

For me, the starting point was finding out what the most used features were in producing technical documentation. Armed with this knowledge, I could begin my step-by-step approach.

Using this approach I began with one or two features only, and I would practice these until I could do it almost blindfolded. And from there I would move onto the next feature or two.

This is similar if you want more self-confidence for public speaking, starting your own business, or whatever other area in your life.

Self-confidence will come

Using the one goal setting tool of a step-by-step approach, you will become more knowledgeable, and as a result your level of self-confidence will rise.

In using this tool, my self-confidence rose to the level where I eventually lectured freelance at a leading computer training school.

For the effective attainment of your goals, no single goal setting tool should be used in isolation.

Make it your goal to...

Identify the obstacle or obstacles that are preventing you from having self-confidence. Do your research, and begin as soon as possible to use the goal setting tool of a step-by-step approach. Follow Arthur's advice of the key to self-confidence.

About The Author

Colin Dunbar's eaziGOAL offers you 12 practical and proven goal setting tools to enable you to get what you want. Manual, workbook with goal setting worksheets PLUS companion software. FREE newsletter. New articles every week. [http://www.eaziGOAL.com ]www.eaziGOAL.com

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Full Color Postcards

2007-07-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

Full Color Postcards
By Kristy_Annely

Full color postcards can be produced with the help of traditional methods of offset printing as well as technologically advanced digital printing. Traditional offset printing is done using film and plates. To bring out the true effect of full color postcards, it is advisable to make use of striking images, good photography, and eye-catching content.

Advantages that full color printing has over other types of printing are that full color printing offers precise, detailed reproductions at a low cost-per-sheet. Inkjet printers or color photocopiers fail to live up to the standards set by full color printing. Full color postcards are also one of the most cost-effective advertising and marketing tools. If the right printer is chosen, high-quality standards can be achieved within a limited budget. For small jobs, inkjet printers can be a viable option. Full color printing is a better option for clients who may want to print a large number of postcards for business purposes.

Any individual can create a postcard with the help of Quark, Publisher, Photoshop, or CorelDraw software on their computer, depending on their marketing objectives. For those who do not have the will or time to design their own postcards, they can get help from postcard designers or designer firms.

Generally, printing firms may ask customers to select a product type, quantity, and job format. Such firms may provide an approximate estimate of cost, depending on the requirement. Some postcard designers may present a few design options, and clients may select from those options. After the client approves of the design, a final proof may be sent and then it will go for printing after approval.

Full color postcards are available in various: of 4x6 postcards, 5x7 postcards, 4x9 postcards, 5.5 x 8.5 postcards, 6x9 postcards, 8.5 x 11 (letter size) postcards, and 6x11.75 (omni size) postcards. Postcards may also be custom made to order in sizes other than mentioned above. [http://www.PostCards-Web.com]Post Cards provides detailed information on Post Cards, Post Card Printing, Free Post Cards, Real Estate Post Cards and more. Post Cards is affiliated with [http://www.i-GreetingCards.com]Printable Greeting Cards.

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Using the Curve smoothness slider in CorelDRAW® 12

2007-06-21T00:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel3/Section/Display&sid=1047024315119&gid=1047024354238&cid=1047024354496
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite Tips & Tricks

Using the Curve smoothness slider in CorelDRAW® 12

Did you know that you can reduce the number of nodes in complex curves without changing their appearance by using the Curve smoothness slider? Reducing the number of nodes in curves makes it easier to work with a drawing, saves you time, and lets you easily output a drawing to a variety of printing devices and file formats. You'll find the Curve smoothness slider especially useful if your drawing

* contains objects with contour effects applied to them
* contains text converted to curves
* was imported from file formats such as AutoCAD® Drawing Interchange Format (DXF) or Windows® Metafile (WMF)

In addition to reducing the number of nodes, the Curve smoothness slider can also smooth curve segments or entire curves.
With the Shape tool selected, you can access the Curve smoothness slider from the property bar.

To reduce the number of nodes in a curve without changing its appearance
A contour effect is essentially one or more curves that contain multiple nodes. In this procedure, you'll apply a contour effect to text and then break the new contour group apart so that you can edit the contour curve. Next, you'll use a low Curve smoothness value to reduce the number of nodes in the contour curve without changing its appearance.

1. Using the Text tool , type Contour in the drawing window.

2. Select the text, and do the following:
* On the property bar, choose Times New Roman from the Font list box.
* From the Font size list box, choose 100.
* Click the Magenta color swatch on the default color palette.

This is how your text should look.

3. Click Effects > Contour.

4. In the Contour docker, click the Contour steps button, and enable the Outside option. Next, type 0.03 in the Offset box and 1 in the Steps box. Click Apply.

The Contour steps page of the Contour docker.

5. Click the Contour color button, open the Fill color picker, and click the Cyan color swatch. Click Apply.

The Contour color page of the Contour docker. The Fill color picker is marked by a red ellipse.

This is how your text should look.

6. You'll now separate the text from the contour effect. Using the Pick tool , marquee select the text in the drawing window. Next, press Ctrl + K.

In the Object manager docker, you should see two objects listed on Layer 1: Artistic Text and Curve.

You can now manipulate the contour curve. Note that if you had applied a contour effect with multiple steps, you would need to ungroup the contour curves to be able to edit them.

7. Select the contour curve, and move it below the text.

The contour curve is positioned below the text.

8. Open the Shape edit flyout , click the Shape tool , and marquee select the contour curve to select all nodes.

Use the Shape tool to select all nodes on the curve.

9. On the property bar, move the Curve smoothness slider to 2.

You can also type Curve smoothness slider the Curve smoothness box, and press Enter.

Pay attention to the status bar. In our example, the status bar now indicates that 86 nodes are selected. The number of nodes was reduced from 2799 to 86 in the modified curve.

Click anywhere in the drawing window to deselect the curve, and you'll see that its appearance has not noticeably changed.

Top: The original contour curve; bottom: the contour curve with a low value of smoothness applied.

To smooth a curve
In this procedure, you'll create a freehand curve and then smooth the curve by using high values of the Curve smoothness slider.

1. Open the Curve flyout , click the Freehand tool , and draw a tulip in the drawing window. Duplicate the tulip by pressing Ctrl + D so that you can later compare the original and the edited curve.

A closed curve drawn with the Freehand tool.

2. Using the Shape tool, marquee select the part of the tulip that you want to smooth. In this example, we marquee selected the right side of the tulip.

We used the Shape tool to select the nodes in the right portion of the curve.

3. Move the Curve smoothness slider to a value between 80 and 90.

The curve segments in the right side have been smoothed.

4. To smooth the entire tulip, click the Select all nodes button on the property bar, and move the Curve smoothness slider to 80 or more. In the example below, we used a value of 90 to smooth the entire curve.

The smoothed curve.

5. Compare the original tulip object to the edited one, and note the smoother appearance of the edited tulip.

Left: the original tulip object; right: the smoothed tulip object.

6. Select the original object, and then the edited curve, while watching the status bar for the number of nodes each object contains. In our example, the original curve contains 103 nodes, whereas the edited curve contains only 8 nodes.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12

2007-06-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

Scrap Booking Online: Word Perfect or Corel Graphics Suite?
By http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kristina_Chu
Scrapbooks are very popular these days. I think that almost everyone wanted to capture family histories and stories in any which way they can. And with the onset of digital technology, scrap booking has even extended to newsletters and journals with photos and illustrations online and in the email. They've become so popular that it's not surprising to receive an entire scrapbook from your relatives and friends and loved ones even across the globe.

With the advanced technology, people have been using graphic design and desktop publishing software to help them create wonderful and creative scrapbooks. Two of this well-known software is CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 and WordPerfect Office Suite 12.

Each of the software has their own endearing qualities. Both applications are used to create newsletters as far as I know. But what software to choose? It all depends on what you want to create.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12

For graphically-rich family history newsletter or time capsule, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 would be the ideal software as it is the easiest graphics suite available in the market today.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is a vector editing program. This software is definitely for illustration, page layout, and vector drawing. It has the Corel Photo-Paint for bitmap editing of photos and images for that professional digital imaging look. It has hundreds of clip art photos and images to choose from, which you can overlay your own family photos on top. It also has Corel R.A.V.E. 3 for motion-graphics creation.

With the software's features and vast collection of photos, clipart and fonts, you can create and design a professional-looking newsletter or a family history time capsule, and even a memorable album where you and your family will find the highlights of your life in wonderful and elegant designs made by you.

Corel's WordPerfect Office 12

And if you're the simple type, and you don't want too much clutter, you can use Corel's WordPerfect Office 12 to create a no-visual and text-based newsletter. The software has an array of newsletter templates you can use to help you start right away with your newsletter. This so far, is the best alternative to Microsoft Office.

Better yet, why not use both software to help you create your scrap book? One freelance newsletter designer who specializes in genealogy utilizes both software because the combination makes him complete his design tasks twice as fast. "I can create graphics in CorelDRAW 12 and quickly pop them into all my text-based WordPerfect 12 office documents because switching between files is very easy," he relates. This is made possible by the tools in both the software that reduce the number of steps required to finish his jobs.

He adds that what makes it more worthwhile is that aside from saving time, finger movements on the mouth is also reduced, thereby reducing cramps and strains from the fingers to the wrist.

For comments and suggestions regarding this article please contact [mailto:webmaster@ucreative.com]webmaster@ucreative.com or visit http://www.ucreative.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristina_Chu http://EzineArticles.com/

Photoshop Tips & Tricks

2007-06-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

Photoshop 7.0 Tutorial – Tips And Tricks To Get Creative With Your Images
By :Mario G. Churchill

Cutting and painting can only go so far. If that’s all you wanted to do with your photos, you shouldn’t have bothered purchasing Adobe Photoshop 7.0. This software is very powerful, and it would be such a waste if you don’t allow your knowledge and skills to grow with it.

If it’s your first time to use any Photoshop software, you might as well start with the best.

The Pixelate Function

Look for the Filter section in the tool menu situated on top of your screen. There are various options under the Filter category, and you can start playing with images with the pixelate function. The pixelate function allows you to modify images and turn them into different artistic styles. Remember when your art appreciation class required you to do a mosaic all by yourself and with your own two hands? It was hard work, wasn’t it? Now imagine being able to do that with any photo or image saved in your computer with just one click! And yes, you can do that just by clicking on pixelate and mosaic next.

Other artistic styles included under pixelate are crystallize, fragment, facet, color halftone, pointillize, and mezzotint.

How to Get Rid of Blemishes

Are you afraid of having your photos taken in close range because you don’t want to make your blemishes – acne, scars, and so forth – too visible? If that’s your only problem, Photoshop 7.0 can certainly eliminate such worries. There are various ways to accomplish that, but the easiest and basic strategy – which is where you should start as well – you could use is the blur function.

The blur function is still under the Filter category. Select the area that you wish to fade away into oblivion and then start clicking the blur function. Keep clicking blur or pressing Ctrl F until the area’s properly invisible. If the area’s too big, blurring the area would be definitely noticeable. But if they’re as small as dots on your face, rest assured that you could later on enjoy a blemish-free face from hereon forward in all your images.

The Importance of Layers

You hear about how important layering is in various aspects. Layering is important when applying fragrance to your skin or when you’re wearing clothes for fashion, winter, and sports. But layering is important in enhancing images as well, and you could learn how and why through Photoshop 7.0.

Now, in the previous version of Photoshop, using the Layer opacity affects all the layers you have in your image. Changing or modifying the effects of Layer opacity is slightly complicated however…until the arrival of the Fill opacity of Photoshop 7.0, that is. With the Fill opacity, only the layer you specified will be affected when you make certain changes.

Why the Magic Wand is Magical Indeed

Let’s say that you have a photo of --- Barney the purple dinosaur in a garden background. Now, you want to get only the outline of Barney and nothing else. In the old days, you’d have to painstakingly cut it part by part. But in Photoshop 7.0, all you have to do is click the outline of Barney with the magic wand and voila! Mission accomplished. If it can’t be done in one click, you could just add everything to a selection until you complete Barney’s image.

Practice, practice, practice is all you need to do to master Photoshop 7.0. Good luck!

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For a [http://www.prophotosecrets.com]free photo shop tutorial and or to purchase a video [http://www.prophotosecrets.com]photo shop tutorial checkout his website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mario_G._Churchill
http://EzineArticles.com/

work

2007-06-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

designer & Illustrator

2007-06-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

ABOUT ME
Career objective
vakov a.k.a Sigit Purnomo is a freelance designer & Illustrator.
Here is a range of my personal work that i have done. I have complete free range to do what ever i like with each peace of work. a mixture of art works as creative & art worker.
hope you like it!
Skills
-Manual Drawing
-Adobe Photoshop
-Corel Draw
-Adobe Ilustrator
-Macromedia Freehand
-Macromedia Flash

Experience
2006
- Freelance designer

2003 - 2005
- Graphic Designer & Ilustrator
2001 - 2003
- Graphic Designer Gabriel Design & Print

Contact:
Ki Hajar Dewantoro Street, Klaten, Central Java, Indonesia
PH-6281328781901

mail to:
-able@vakov.com
-vakov79@yahoo.com

ym: vakov79
http://www.vakov.com