Using The Fade Command

Did you know after you've applied a filter, used a tool such as the Brush, Blur or Dodge tools or used an adjustment command like Levels, you can use the fade command to reduce the effect. After using any of these techniques, look under the Edit menu for the Fade command – it will say "Fade Gaussian Blur", "Fade Brush Tool", "Fade Levels", etc. Drag the slider to gradually fade out the effects of the last step you just did – undo using a slider!

New Tips for the New Photoshop CS2........

Okay I have been a bit behind in updating this blog due to my workload and the fact that I have been using the latest version of Photoshop. The new version is called CS2. It has some really cool upgrades and I have been learning to master them and are ready to start sharing what I have learned. One of the best new features is really much more than an upgrade for Photoshop. It is a stand alone program called The Bridge and it is shipped with every new version of Photoshop. The Bridge replaces the file browser that was introduced in version 7.0 but The Bridge does so much more. Not only can you open all your image formats in The Bridge it is also designed to handle file formats from other adobe products like Illustrator and acts like a bridge to integrate the programs and make it much easier to flow your work between the two. Hence the name"The Bridge.

Okay so here is small tip for using The Bridge. Unlike the file browser you can open multiple Bridge windows by choosing File>New Window or by using the keyboard shortcut Control-N.

Resetting Photoshop CS Preferences

Oneof the best way to fix many common problems in Photoshop is to delete the Preferences. The easiest way to do this is while launching PhotoshopCS hold down Command–Option–Shift (PC: Control–Alt–Shift). You’ll be asked if you want to “delete the Adobe Photoshop Settings file.” Click OK and all your settings will revert back to the original, “out of the box” defaults.

Simple Photoshop CS© Tip.....

Yes, I say a simple tip but I just learned this myself and thought I should pass it on to you. Have you ever applied a Layer Style such as a stroke or drop shadow but wished it could be applied as a separate layer? Well it can be and it is so simple.

Just go to Layer>Layer Style >Create Layer Now you can edit the effect on its own layer. How simple is that! Duh!

Batch Renaming tip for Adobe Photoshop CS

Adobe added one new field to the Batch rename function in Photoshop CS. In the past if you added a serial number to one batch of photos (example you named them 1 to 100), if you added another batch of photos of the same subject, you couldn’t start with the number 101. But at last now you can............ the new field is found in the bottom left hand corner of the dialog, and it’s called “Starting Serial #”. Got to love it!!!

That annoying number in Adobe Photoshop CS©

I am often asked,” How do I I make that number in the top left-hand corner of my image go away?” The number apprears if you click the Slice tool in the toolbox. It will stay there even when you switch to another tool but it is very simple to remove. To make it disappear, visit View>Show>Slices. Click on slices to remove the check mark there and viola the slice number will have disaapeared from your image!

Free Transform Tip for Adobe Photoshop

If you want to use free transform on a layer, but image extends beyond the edges of your document window (and this happens frequently if your collaging different photos together), you won’t be able to reach the free transform handles to scale your image down to size. Here’s the hidden keyboard shortcut that lets you reach each and every handle, no matter how far the image extends outside your current canvas area. Just press Command-T (PC: Control-T) to bring up free transform, then press Command-0 (PC: Control-0), and your window will zoom exactly the right size to enable you to reach all the handles. Cool!