Photoshop Fast Track for Newbies

With David Peters Photoshop Fast Track for Newbies video tutorials you will learn...
01) How to transform old photos just like new in just a few simple steps
02) How to remove red eye from photographs
03) How to easily change the appearance of any photograph or image, and apply cool special effects... effortlessly!
04) How to finally take command of all the important photoshop tools like the "text tool", "paint bucket", "lasso", "magic wand", "gradient fill", "layers", "effects" and much much more...
05) How to use the "Palette Well" to setup your Photoshop environment.
06) What is the toolbox and why it is needed for most Photoshop tasks
07) How to quickly find any image you want to work with...
08) How the "Image State" feature of Photoshop can allow you to never make another mistake again
09) Using the selection tool to make all your Photoshop work easy
10) How to correctly use the "Grow" command and how it can make tasks that used to be impossible now only take seconds
11) What is the difference between a canvas and an image?
12) Discover Photoshops BIG secret - layers.
13) Learn the different image and color modes and when to use which
14) How to retouch and improve any photograph - easily.
15) How to paint like Monet using the Photoshop paintbrush tool...
16) How to merge two (or more) photos together seamlessly
17) How to "frame" a photo so that it looks like a professional fashion photographer took it.
18) How to save your images in all the different formats
19) How to use the "Crop" feature so you can quickly and easily trim a photo or "cut out" any part of an image you don't want to appear.
20) How to find and use "plug-ins" (pre-programmed tools) to achieve amazing effects instantly.
21) Everything you need to know to apply text to images, how to select the right fonts, apply cool effects and much more.
22) How to make amazing enhancements to any photo such as, teeth whitening, blemish removal, hair restoration, wrinkle removal, double chin removal... all in seconds.
23) How to make graphics and logos - from scratch - just like the high priced "designers" do that can charge as much as $300 to $500 to produce...

....And Much, Much More!

Adobe Photoshop CS4

"Adobe is in the enviable position of not only publishing Photoshop, but also it's biggest competitor, Adobe Photoshop Elements 7. While Elements cannot stand up to Photoshop feature for feature, it is nonetheless a powerful photo editor and one capable of producing excellent prints. For the majority of photos, I doubt anyone could tell the difference which program produced the results assuming a competent user was at the controls. Moreover, Elements sells for a just over 10% of Photoshop's price, a significant discount to say the least.

Which product is best for you depends on a number of factors. First, have you done any editing at all or is this your first attempt at image manipulation? Do you want to primarily adjust simple things like contrast, color saturation, and maybe get rid of red eye? These are things that Elements can handle just as well as Photoshop for a fraction of the price (it can do a lot more, but these are reasonable examples). Another question is how frequently you'll work with a program like this. The price tag for Photoshop is a big pill to swallow if you're going to edit family snapshots a couple of times a year.

The two main drawbacks to Elements are that it lacks some of the more powerful tools unique to CS4 and that some methods of achieving the same results will take more time. That's an important point, so I'll repeat it. For most of your photos, you can achieve virtually identical results in Elements... but it will take more time to do it. Determining how highly you value your own time, and how often you edit photos, could be a key factor in whether CS4 is worth buying.

In summary, if you are serious about editing and printing top-notch photos, then you need to use Photoshop CS4. If you don't, you're spending more time than you should and leaving unfulfilled potential in your images. If you are a casual or occasional shooter, than you'll do well to stick with the less extensive products like Elements. It's cheaper, at least somewhat easier to use, and capable of generating quality work. If you end up frustrated with Elements and wishing you could do more, then you'll know it's time to reconsider moving up to CS4."

Adobe Photoshop CS4 Classroom in a Book

"I usually have trouble finding books that satisfy me when it comes to learning from them. I found this not to be the case with Classroom in a Book. I found it to be just what I was needing to say the least. This book takes you from no Knowledge to quite a bit of knowledge in no time. It has very good lesson files which are located on a disk to be used while you go through this book. I have learned so much thanks to the way the book is designed. If you are like me and need to actually do the work to be able to retain what it is you are trying to learn than this is the book for you. I wish all books, designed to teach, were as well thought out as this one is. Thank You so much Adobe. When you think about it,It just makes sense to use a learning book that has been created by the author of the software itself. You will not be dissapointed in what I consider to be a great tool in and of itself, ( Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Classroom in a Book). One of the GREATS!!!!!"

This is actually a fairly simple task -- although many of the Photoshop authors make it seem more difficult than it really is. Using logic, the portion of the image to be popped out of the frame must be separated from the original image and raised to a higher level, in front of the frame, while leaving the original photo in tact. This technique works in any image software which has layers.

1. Cut out the image: Using any of the software's selection tools you wish, make an accurate selection of the portion of the image you wish to pop.
In this example we used a combination of the Lasso and Magnetic Lasso to carve out the front of the car. Tip: to save time, cut only the part that will pop out.

Lift the image: Once your selection is accurate, and ready to go, duplicate it onto its own layer by using the "float" command (Cmd/J or Ctrl/J)

You can see the nose of the Jaguar is now on its own layer. (#1 in the layers palette) Note that it's just the nose -- no use to select more than you have to. It will match perfectly with the original image on the background layer and provide a seamless pop-out.

2. Create the Frame: Now, in a new layer, you can create the frame for the photo. Here we simply used a white background with the frame cut out. Layer #2 in the diagram.

At this point you can decorate or modify the frame any way you wish -- textures, borders, etc.
Key Concept: Layer Sequencing. Always remember that the stacking order of your layers affects the final product. As you look at the file, you'll understand that the layers were generated in that specific stack order to achieve the effect -- even though they may not have been created in that order.

Also note that we did all the selection work on a COPY of the background, just in case we flubbed something up, or needed to go back and get more of the image. The "work" layer can be deleted, and the whole image flattened when complete.

The good news is that dark photos have a lot more data than overexposed photos, so there is a better chance of recovering a decent photo from an underexposed one.

Bright photos blast the screen with light blocking any input with a sheer overload of information. So if you have a photograph that is too dark, you may have a chance of turning it into a decent image.

It should be said that not all shots can be saved. There is an element of luck in the process due to all the factors and variables that effect the process.

The best method to avoid underexposed photos is to alter your camera's aperture settings. Changing your shutter speed and film speed can help too. Does this sound too complicated? Well don't worry, Photoshop was created for the photographer who has better things to do.

So how do you save underexposed photos in Photoshop?

Just go to Image>Adjustments>Shadow/Highlight. The effect this has on your photo may be too much for you, but you can adjust the settings on the Amount and Tonal Width Sliders until you find just the right look.
This is a basic guide, so if you want more in-depth information on fixing underexposed photographs go to: Learn Photoshop Now

There is something just plain fun about wanted posters - the fake ones, at least. I've seen wanted posters used in some of the most creative ways, from invitations to help wanted advertisements.

Of course, the stand-by is a framed photo.Making your own wanted poster is so easy in Photoshop, you'll want to make them of all your family members!

All you need is a photograph that you want to use, a wanted poster template that you can download here, and Photoshop. Any version of Photoshop from 7 on will work fine - and most graphics editors that can handle layers.Making the Poster1.

Open the photograph you want to use in Photoshop. Our first step is to turn this photo into a sepia-toned antique. How easy is it? Terribly. With your photo open, set your foreground color to a tannish orange.

Then, using your rectangle shape tool (make sure it's the shape tool, not the marquee tool!), draw a square that covers the canvas.

Now, change that shape layer's mode to "Overlay", "Color", or "Hue". Each layer mode will affect the final look differently, so just go with what you like best.

Now we get to start putting the poster together. Leave your sepia-toned photo open, and open the wanted poster template. Then, grab your "move tool" and drag & drop the photo onto the poster.

Resize until the photograph will fit easily in the upper portion of the template. Reference Illustration 02.3. I wanted to add a little style to the poster before going further. Photoshop has a very clean star shape built in - I used this shape to create a series of stars down each side of the photograph.

What's left?

Text, of course! I used Cleaver's Juvenia Blocked, which is available for download at most free font sites. Use some creativity with the wording you choose - the standard "Wanted Dead or Alive" is a bit overdone ...

I'm sure you can come up with something perfect. Reference Illustration 04.5. The last thing that I did was add a wood pattern to the background. Mayang provides dozens of free wood textures that you can view and snag from her site.And you're all done! Try printing the finished photo out and framing it - great work.

Have you always wondered how to put photos into text using Photoshop? This Photoshop trick is perfect for creating simple yet cool looking headers for your websites or blogs. Say you are planning on setting up a website, but you are totally clueless on how to design the header and hiring a professional graphic designer is out of your budget, no worries, with Photoshop you can bang out a simple and sleek looking website header in no time by applying this really cool Photoshop trick. You can also use this effect to create magazine covers, movie posters, ebook covers and much, much more.Ok, without further ado, here are the steps on how to place a photo into text:

1. Open a new file then go over to the Horizontal Type Tool or vertical Type Tool and click on the icon. Next just type whatever text you want using the type tool.

2. Open up a photo that you wish to place inside the text and the go to Select > Select All (alternately hit ctrl+A on the keyboard).

3. Once you've selected the whole image or photo, just go over to Edit > Copy (ctrl+ C on the keyboard).

4. Next head over to image where you created the text and hit ctrl + V on the keyboard or go to Edit > Paste. Now you have pasted the whole photo onto the text but how do you place it into the text? Take a look at your layer palette; notice that the image layer (layer 1) is right above the text layer? Yes? Cool, because in the next step you will discover how to insert the image layer into the text layer via the layer palette.

5. Go over to the layer palette and hold the Alt key on your keyboard. Then move the cursor right between the layer that contains your photo and the text layer. Once you do this, you should be able to see that the cursor has changed shape.

6. Left click on the mouse and bingo! You have successfully placed a photo into text. Of course you can still make some adjustments like moving or resizing the photo inside the text or even the text itself, so that the whole effect looks just right. Simply use the Move Tool (V) to move the image around or go to Edit > Free Transform (ctrl+ T) to resize the photo.

That is how you do a photo into text trick in Photoshop. It's so simple isn't it? You can also spice up the whole thing by adding a few layer effects like bevel and emboss and what not. With Photoshop, anything is possible so get creative!

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7

"Professionals might look down upon this junior partner to Adobe Photoshop, but it has a good depth of image organizing and processing features for both the beginner and intermediate user.

The first major section is the Organizer, which is very useful for keeping track and sorting through your images. It can find and handle images already on your hard drive, can import them from a camera or a scanner, and then enables one to tag the images with custom tags, or a handful of suggested ones. Some basic editing can be done from within the editor. The user can also pass images to the Editor at the click of a button.

The Editor enables one to manipulate the contents of the digital image. General correction of lighting and contrast is very easy using Auto Smart Fix. That, combined with Cropping and Adjust Color Cast go a long way towards fixing up images for printing. There also is an easy-to-use feature to resize images for email or web posting.

I am currently working through a 500 page book (there is no manual) to learn more of the rest of the features. Only doing this part-time, that will take months. However, the above-mentioned features have been greatly helpful, and were easy for the beginner to master.

Highly recommended."

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 Classroom in a Book
(Book & CD-ROM)

"This book is an excellent training aid for me. I would prefer to take a class, but wasn't able to get into one at the local community college. Rather than fumble with Elements 7.0 software, I bought the book, set up the lessons on the CD that accompanies it, and began class.

FOR ME and MY learning style this is a perfect method for becoming proficient with Elements 7.0. I purchased 7.0 to replace Elements 3.0 and I am able to use Elements 7.0 far easier than I used Elements 3.0!

Perhaps not as good as a class (for questions and seeing the mistakes of others), with a little dedication and effort I feel quite comfortable with Elements 7.0."

You want to make a grayscale image from a color one, but the black and white image becomes flat and boring? There is a good reason for it. Different colors with the same brightness look similar when converted to grayscale. Look at the color strips of Red, Green, Blue turning into the same exact gray below when using the simple Image/Mode/Grayscale command.

In cases when you have an image with blue sky and yellow sand, or orange flowers surrounded with green leafs, you need to use the Channel Mixer... layer effect to create your black and white images. Open the layers window, and click the fourth icon from the left to open the Layer Effects menu and select Channel Mixer... In the channel mixer you can simulate what professional photographers achieve with their color filters to make dramatic black and white images. By mixing more of the blue channel into your image the sky will become brighter for example. If you need to bring out your orange flowers from the green background, you would need to decrease red and increase the green source channels. Experiment to achieve the best result for your image. Note how the RGB color samples turn into different levels of gray on your image.

This tutorial is to help you learn how to make certain spots color after you have converted a color photo to black and white. OK after you have the picture that you want to work on open in Photoshop:

1. Convert the photo to black and white using a Channel Mixer Adjustment Layer, If you need help with this step please refer to our Conversion to Black and White Tutorial.

2. Make sure you have Channel Mixer Adjustment Layer selected in the Layers menu.

3. Click on the Brush Tool,

4. (make sure the colors you are working with are black and white).

5. Using the color black, carefully brush over the parts of the picture that you want to be in color, (you made need to adjust brush sizes for the small details). When you do this the parts that you brush should turn back to color.

Nothing can make you want to toss a photo aside like the presence of acne on the subject of the picture. Don't delete or cast aside that image yet, as you can fix that by touching up that photo in editing.

First, select the picture with the offending acne. Then click on the "Healing Brush Tool" and set the brush size to 5px for an example.

As you choose the brush size, set the "Hardness" to 100% and the "Spacing" to 25%. Press ALT while you click the mouse over a non-blemished area and click over the acne area to "clear up" the skin.

To remedy the areas with two different colors of blemishes, set the "Hardness" to 66% in order to blend the areas for a much more realistic effect. Finally click on Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation to balance the colors out. The Hue slider for example can be adjusted to even out the reddish colored blemishes.

Adobe Photoshop today has gone beyond image editing. Today, the software is labeled as an image manipulation tool. This somehow gives people the impression that Adobe Photoshop actually gives them a greater degree of freedom than other image-editing programs available today.

In fact, it actually does. If sight is reality, then Adobe Photoshop can help you create any reality that you want. With Adobe Photoshop, you will be able to create images of other worlds. You will be able to capture the beauty of the universe inside a glass jar.

Your creativity will be unleashed. That's how much Adobe Photoshop can change your life. In the world today, one can easily observe the impact that Adobe Photoshop has wrought on culture. Just like Google, Adobe Photoshop is now being used by people as a verb.

When a person is said to be photoshopping something, it is always assumed that the person is editing an image of come sort, whether he or she is actually using Adobe Photoshop or not.

Photoshop's Warp Text tool allows you to wrap or bend text around an object in your image to make attention-grabbing, personalized banners or headlines. You can also warp text in both horizontal and/or vertical directions to give your text an individual look and feel.

Photoshop has many means by which to manipulate text, but this will provide a starting point that will especially come in handy if you have not had the chance to use these text features before.

First, open an image to which you want to add text. Choose the horizontal text tool from the toolbar and click the image near to where you want to position your text. Type in the text you would like to add. You can also add the more traditional style enhancements such as bold, italics or underline to your text while in text mode.

When you are done adding your text, select and right-click this text to open the contextual menu. To open the Warp Text dialogue box, choose Warp Text. From this box, you can choose from a selection of pre-defined text warps using the Style pull-down menu. Select the warp that best fits the effect you're trying to accomplish. If you're undecided on the kind of warp you want, try some out to see what effect they have on your image text.

There will be several sliders under the Style pull-down that will allow you to make fine-tuning adjustments to the warp effects. You can change the horizontal and vertical distortion and the text bend here. An option to using the sliders is to enter a percentage value for these properties. Once you have reached the effect desired, simple click OK and the Warp Text effect will be applied to your image.

Changing your photos can be just as time consuming as creating them, why don't you have some fun doing it? For this step by step know how you will learn to shade your skies different colors.

This is because in pictures the sky can look a little faded and fade the rest of the image. Sharpening your sky is pretty easy, start by opening the image that you want to edit. File > Open > Image name.

Then go to Image > Adjust > Selective Color and apply the following settings: - Colors = Blues - Cyan = 0% - Magneta = 0% - Yellow = 0% - Black = 100% - Method = Relative (Change color settings to your liking if you want) Press OK. Now you should create a luminosity selection by hitting the Ctl + Alt + ~ . Then create a duplicate copy of the image (Ctl+J) or Layer > New > Layer Via Copy.

Now select the new layer and set the new layer's Blending mode to color burn. In the new layer erase the parts that you don't want darkened. It is this easy and now your entire picture was touched up, instead of looking faded out you can sharpen you photo.