Achieve Practical Knowledge Using Photoshop Tutorials

In case a specific software program is brand new to you, eventually you do not have much idea yet of its operations and usefulness. To overcome this situation, an effective way to start with a software is to try first a tutorial or training. It is a precise and step-by-step instructions which will help you apprehend how to use it in carrying out many form of things. Tutorials hold a slow but sure manner of learning but are shown to be that useful in treating a subject that is generally not known and/or new to the user. Some companies proudly hosts a wide range of tutorials that can be used to further improve your own practical knowledge and skills on such type of matters just like web page building, designing, formats, features and applications and others.

Basically, in case you are in to graphic designing and working with a variety of Photoshop softwares, getting some Photoshop tutorial will definitely help you. This will let you grasp knowledge in many things primarily the basic principles. When you finally learn the basic, the rest are likely to follow. It is actually of great importance since it will create a foundation education about all operations and full functionalities readily available in the Photoshop. Self-exploration for a variety of advanced tools and tactics are going to be more convenient and less troublesome if you know by now exactly how things function.

Caused by technological breakthroughs in communications and also publication, humans nowadays have become ever more and more linked. Thanks to Internet as being a broad volume of knowledge and interconnection around the world, it has given us the ability to read and learn about with a quicker rate. Which means that if you wish to understand Photoshop but do not possess plenty of time to attend a training program, then an online Photoshop Tutorial certainly is the best for you. There are lots of Photoshop Tutorial out there online which are written by numerous graphic designers and Photoshop professionals. Perhaps the good thing regarding these tutorials is it is provided for free to get and very educational. So everyone has been provided the means learning in their personal time. All other methods for obtaining Photoshop Tutorial are still applied like Buying Training Compact disks and Exclusive Demonstrations but they are much less efficient because they are time consuming and cited to be too costly.

The Photoshop Software program is an excessively nicely taught application, which has a simple user interface. Unfortunately, as a consequence of unsubstantial experience and knowledge it is normally mislead to being difficult. That is the reason why newcomers can greatly make use of Photoshop education and tutorials. On the internet or not, these kinds of resources can definitely allow you to be a graphic designer extremely immediately!

Top 5 New Features in Photoshop CS4

On the 23 September 2008 Adobe Systems announced the release of the highly anticipated latest version of Photoshop, Photoshop CS4.

Photoshop has long been the industry standard professional digital image manipulation program. It fact it would be hard to get a job as a graphic designer if you didn’t have experience using Photoshop.

So let’s explore the new features in Photoshop CS4 and then decide whether for $199 it’s worth upgrading from CS3 to CS4. If you are still working on an older version of Photoshop such as CS2 or CS then I would definitely recommend upgrading.

This article is going to focus on the top 5 new features in Photoshop CS4.

1. Smoother panning and zooming and fluid canvas rotation

Working with bitmap images often involves editing pixel by pixel. The smoother zooming feature will give you much more control as you zoom in and out of your bitmaps. Plus the new rotation feature is very cool and is a huge improvement on the somewhat clumsy rotate image handles. I give these new features 9 out of 10.

2. New Adjustments Panel

This panel contains some of the most commonly used color and tone correction tools. Tools, which Photoshop users use every day such as Levels, Curves and Hue & Saturation are now all located on this single panel. Photoshop allows you to edit in a non-destructive mode using an Adjustments layer. Even though this feature is not new per se, this new Adjustment panel makes it easier to work with many of these stable Photoshop tools. I give this new feature 5 out of 10.

3. New Masks Panel

This is a very cool new feature. The new Masks Panel is really powerful and it gives you full control over both pixels and vector masks. You can adjust mask density and feathering, easily select noncontiguous objects, and much more.

You can still create layer masks in the old fashioned way but this new panel is much more powerful and will make learning masking easier for new users of Photoshop. I give this new feature 8 out of 10.

4. Content-Aware Scaling

This is my favorite new feature in Photoshop CS4. This new and revolutionary Content-Aware Scaling feature is used when re-sizing images. Users can select an area of an image that you do not want to lose when resizing and Photoshop will protect it, by removing other areas first.

Content-Aware Scaling automatically recognizes skin tones to keep people from being squeezed when you resize an image. So as you resize an image, people in the picture may move closer together or further apart, but they will remain properly proportioned whilst the background changes. I would have to give this feature a 10 out of 10.

5. Many enhancements

My final new feature is really just a whole bunch of cool improvements to existing features in Photoshop CS3. These include:

1. Improved color correction with re-engineered Dodge, Burn, and Sponge tools

2. Improved auto-blending of images.

3. New preview feature on the Clone Tool.

4. Better raw image processing.

I give these new features a 7 out of 10.

So in conclusion, Photoshop CS4 introduces some very new and exciting features such as fluid canvas rotation and content-aware scaling, a few new panels such as Mask Panel and Adjustments panel which help to improve your workflow, and a whole bunch of enhancements to existing features.

Overall I would have to say that $199 investment to upgrade is a no-brainer. Enjoy!

Photoshop - Need Help With Layers

OK, you now have  Photoshop ,now you just need to figure out how to use this thing so lets start with  photoshop  help layers.This business can be so confusing. It’s such an enormous subject and there’s just so much power and flexibility the layers element can provide. Mastering  photoshop   does not come over night. The more time and effort that you spend playing with this element the more you will see the potential and understand it.

Layers were first introduced in  Photoshop  3.0. This single addition totally revolutionized  photoshop . For the very first time you could do complex compositions easily that a professional would be proud off. A layer in  photoshop  is quite simply one image placed on top of another. Imagine I have a piece of paper that is blue. Then take a piece of clear plastic and paint a ship on it, and lay it over the paper. Now take another of clear plastic and paint some words on it, now lay that on top of the ship. You now have a background (blue) and 2 layers (ship and words).

 Photoshop  makes use of the Layers Pallet to allow you to do this with your images.If you have more than one  it’s usually called a composition. Photoshop’s  Pallet is a an extremely powerful application that allows you do many special things to your images.

Here is a summary of the commands.

Layer Effects (Styles): Special effects added to your image layer. Shown by the little f. Each effect added will be listed,and multiple effects can be used at once.

Type Layer: The same as an image layer, except this one has type that can be edited; (You can change font, size, character etc.)

Background: This is always locked, It can not be moved or have effects added to it. The icon of the padlock on the right, indicates it’s locked.

Thumbnail: A small picture of the layers contents.

Show/Hide Icon: If the eye is showing that layers element is open and visible. Click on the eye and it will still be there but invisible until you click on the eye again.

The Most Common Layers Features

Blending mode: Changes the way the layers work with each other.Play with the different modes to give you some ideas as to what is available.

Layer opacity: This adjusts how transparent each level is. 0 is completely transparent, 100 is completely opaque.

Lock all: If the box is checked the image is protected from any editing.

Lock Position: You can make all changes except for moving the image.

Lock Image pixels: You can not draw on this image if checked.

Lock transparent: You can paint on this part but not where it is transparent.

Delete: Will delete an entire layers.

New Layer: Click to add a new blank page. Or you can drag an existing thumbnail to create a duplicate.

New Adjustment: Allows for non-destructive adjustment of colors. (Can be undone anytime, even after closing document)

Create a new set: Allows you to organize your layers into folders.

Mask: Allows you to scrub away parts of your layer without damaging your original image.

Styles: Special effects for your layers. (Allows you to do some pretty cool things with no effort)

High Quality Image With Photoshop CS5

The Adobe  Photoshop  is graphic designing software that was brought into the market by the Adobe Systems in September 1988. Since the day of incorporation,  Photoshop  is immensely popular between the photographer and the graphic designer. Since 2003, the software underwent a re-branding and it came to be known as CS  Photoshop . CS stands for Creative Suite and is a specialized graphic designer. This is a graphic designing program that has redefined the computerized artwork process. It is a complete collection of image creating, editing, video editing and web developing. A number of software has been released by the Adobe Systems under the CS series. The CS5 is one of them. It was launched by the Adobe systems in April 2010.

The new version of the CS5 is a collection of various new applications, which Adobe has included to increase the effectiveness of the software. With The CS5,  Photoshop  has stepped into the world of creating 3D images along with creating 2D images. With CS5, Adobe introduced new features, such as, the Content Aware fill, mixer brush, refine edge, and bristle tips, puppet warp. All these features are unique in quality and contribute to create extreme high quality image. Apart from these, the other features that have increased the efficiency of the CS5 are the rule-of-thirds cropping tool, automatic image straightening, and color pickup along with many others.

In the 3D image creating section, Adobe has equipped the CS5 with all the best possible tools to create high quality 3D images. With its advanced tools and equipment it has taken creating 3D images altogether to a different high. All these features are included in the extended CS5, which includes all elements of creating 3D images along with 2D images. The extended version provides options, like, Cork, Chrome and glass. To increase the appeal of the 3D images further the shadow catcher tool may also be used. This tool adds an extra factor to the 3D image and increases the appeal of the image. The uses of all these tools and techniques have simplified the process of creating or editing 3D images. Thus, with the Aid of this CS5, creating or editing 3D images have become easier.

The various online  Photoshop  tutorials are available to learn the different styles and techniques of the CS5 series. The  Photoshop  tutorials the source of readily available answers to all possible questions related to the CS5 series of software. Be it a beginner or a regular user, the  Photoshop  tutorials is equally helpful to everyone in terms of providing quality information.

The  Photoshop  tutorial is the best thing, with the aid of which one can become proficient or even expert in the application of the different techniques in this graphic designing software. Thus, the  Photoshop  tutorial is an expert that teaches all the styles and techniques most efficiently and aids to create an effective image. Thus, with  Photoshop  tutorial one can expertise in all the features of the CS5 software and become an expert in the field.

The Key Principles in Photoshop Design

What draws us in Photoshop tutorials is how the authors were able to achieve a certain aesthetic effect on an image that looks as if it was meant to be that way. It is amusing to find out that a magnificent whole is a mere product of techniques that are distinct from each other. It is a hackneyed truth and yet being exposed to such is always a brand new experience.

There are times, however, when beginners manifest a tendency to be too naïve about graphic design. A lot of people treat Photoshop much like they would treat any word processor. They think that simply following Photoshop tutorials can make them great designers. What they tend to forget is the fact that learning Photoshop entails proper knowledge of the elements and principles of graphic design. If the elements are what give a design its completeness, the principles pertain to the “hows” of using these elements.

The four principles of graphic design that applies to Photoshop are as follows:

Balance. Simply put, balance is the equal distribution of visual weight. It is determined by the size, shade and depth of graphic and textual elements and how they interact within a piece. Color, value, size, shape and texture have something to do with balance.

There are two basic types: symmetrical and asymmetrical. Symmetrical balance is when elements are arranged evenly throughout the design. You can rarely find this kind in Photoshop tutorials as they are somewhat leaning to the uptight and conservative side of design. They do not show much of a designer’s creativity as they value tradition and function. However, clients prefer symmetrical designs because they exude strength and stability.

Asymmetrical balance is the arrangement of different graphic elements on each side of the page regardless of their symmetry. The important thing is that the weight of these two objects is still well-balanced. Asymmetrical creates more contrast and variety. It gives an illusion of movement across the page. Its informality elicits emotion from the audience.

Rhythm. You read it right. There is rhythm in the realm of visual arts. But no, it doesn’t mean that by merely looking, you get to hear the emotions that the graphic elements evoke. It’s nothing like that. Visual rhythm only means that a certain element is repeated and varied at regular intervals. It is achieved when you create a series of similar shapes evenly. That is what you call regular rhythm and it evokes a calming ambiance. Rhythm is also achieved when you progressively place a larger element to an even larger one. This connotes consistency and strength. Abrupt changes in size and spacing creates a more lively and exciting rhythm. Notice how these are played along in your favorite Photoshop tutorials.

Emphasis. This principle seems to explain itself. Emphasis pertains to the technique of anticipating which graphic elements should gain the audience’s focus. It involves what stands out and what gets noticed first. You have to control the elements of design to direct the audience’s eyes on what you think is important. It is not possible to focus on two or more graphic elements. That is defeating the purpose. In fact, that is not even possible in the books of communication theory. In stories, one character will always stand out as the main character. The same thing applies in visual arts.

Unity. We all like to talk about stretching our imaginations and experimenting. Truth be told, it is the easiest virtue to follow in graphic design. The difficult part comes in putting things together. In Photoshop, you don’t use all the filters on one project and expect to create a respectable design. More is never good. The least elements you can use for the clearest message is the aim of design.

The final effects employed in most Photoshop tutorials seem extravagant, you may say. But that is only because authors know how to distribute the elements to where they belong. In the end, they were able to create a sense of unity and wholeness to the piece.

The key is consistency. Know your purpose and visualize your ideas. Execute by keeping in mind that there is a technique for every effect and that learning is still better than following blindly.

How to Learn Adobe Photoshop

When asked if  Photoshop  is necessary, a typical photographer would answer no. But for those who take photographs for artistic and financial purposes, it is necessary. While the full version of  Photoshop  can be overwhelming for the average photographer, it is an essential tool for professionals. There is no argument that Adobe  Photoshop  is one useful program. Every aspiring photographer wants to get the free  Photoshop  download, because the full version is expensive.

Since its inception,  Photoshop  has undergone various improvements. A new version is created each time to upgrade the previous. Then again, as implied, the popular photo editing software has far too many options and functions that are unnecessary for most people. But it does not mean that it is inappropriate for beginners. In fact, it is a photo editing software tool that offers a high learning curve for aspiring hobbyists and photography enthusiasts. People with a seemingly passing inclination to photography and only do basic photo editing (cropping, red eye removal, and color enhancement) can always look at other cheaper or even free photo editing programs, like  Photoshop  Express, Lightroom, and Picasa.

Hone your photography skills first.

 Photoshop  does not make a photographer. Photography is an art itself that should be nurtured well. You cannot just take snaps all the time and rely on photo enhancement to make your photos look presentable. Seasoned photographers already have great material to start with. They use  Photoshop  or any picture editing software to enhance an already good image-not necessarily to repair a badly photographed one. You cannot keep relying on editing to save your images.

Is it difficult to learn  Photoshop ?

Editing on Adobe  Photoshop  is fairly difficult for beginners, because the functions are not readily laid out, unlike in other programs. If you seriously want to learn the program, there are tutorial videos on YouTube and instructional materials available online. You have to be patient, because even the pros had to spend enough time learning the basics.

Many workshops involve basic  Photoshop  tutorials. Look for photography communities in your town. They may have scheduled workshops for serious amateurs. You will not only improve your skills in taking pictures, but also you will improve your skills in photograph enhancement.

Learning the Basics First

Beginners would only have to worry about the basics first. Basic editing includes exposure correction, color correction or enhancement, noise reduction, red eye removal, and cropping. If you come up with good photographs, chances are you will only limit photo enhancement to these basic steps.

Should you enroll in a basic  Photoshop  tutorial class?

Well, if you are serious in this craft, it would be much of an advantage. You can always learn online, but it’s more effective to learn the skill via systematized instruction. A  Photoshop  tutorial course should include an introduction to the program, understanding the essential elements in photo editing and learning advanced photo enhancement.

There is no need to learn everything!

As mentioned,  Photoshop  is a quite a vast picture editing software tool with an extensive range of functions. You can spend a long time learning everything, but a lot of functions there would not suit your type of photography. Hardly any photographer uses  Photoshop  entirely each time. So don’t fret if you only learn a few things. Remember, the goal is to enhance your photos-not to master the tool.

Exploring Photoshop CS2

Many people might have purchased the Photoshop CS2 program and installed it already in their computers. Undeniably, this program is perfect for all your creative endeavors.

The Photoshop CS2

There are many things to explore in the upgraded version of Photoshop CS2. Here are some of the features that people enjoy in their Photoshop CS2 that you can also learn.

1. Adobe Bridge

Adobe Bridge is a convenient Photoshop CS2 feature that allows you to have a detailed preview of the photos and graphics even before you open the file. This will help you organize your work more easily, utilizing minimal time as much as possible.

2. Red-Eye Removal

The old version of Photoshop also requires a lot of manipulations before red-eye can be removed. Learning Photoshop CS2 will let you get rid of the red-eye in an instant.

3. Font Options

Another likeable feature with Photoshop CS2 is its font preview. Before, all you see in the drop-down menu are the font names. Now, you can easily pick the fonts you need from the preview, saving you more time.

4. Spot Healing Brush

The Spot Healing Brush lets you repair imperfections in your graphics with just a simple click of the mouse. There is no need to find any source point like it used to be with the old program.

Photoshop CS2 Tutorials

If you think that you still have not taken the most out of your installed program, then better explore your options. This is where taking Photoshop CS2 tutorials can be the best choice for you to make.

The Photoshop CS2 tutorials are introductory courses on the Photoshop program. This will let you learn everything you have to know, from the basics of the program down to the detailed units you can manipulate.

With this tutorial at hand, you can learn the ins and outs of the Photoshop CS2. The tutorial can also give you a general overview of how you can maximize the product for your own needs.

Here are some of the Photoshop CS2 tutorials that you can explore to learn more about the program and use it to the fullest.

1. Web Page Tutorial

You can easily browse the web for sites that offer Photoshop CS2 tutorials in their pages. They give the services for a fee. Thus, you can easily explore this anytime you encounter something you do not know in the program, as long as you are online.

2. Demo Versions

Some people opt to get a demo version first of the tutorials. These demos are given for free although they only have few chapters of lessons. They are perfect for evaluating the offers first before purchasing fully the package.

3. CD Package

The CD package is also a good option. It allows you to have everything you need to know in your hands. You do not need to be online to learn. This tutorial package can be purchased for less than $100.

4. PDF Formats

Tutorials can also be offered in the PDF format. This is a perfect choice for people who prefer to read printouts to learn.

5. Online Video Tutorials

The online video tutorials can provide more detailed instructions to you. You will be guided in every step of the way with what you can view from the videos.

Conclusion

Take the Photoshop CS2 tutorials and you will surely go a long way with your creativity and productivity using the skills you learned with the program.

Photoshop Trick - How to Place a Photo Into Text

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!

Tutorial For Adobe Photoshop CS5

Hopefully sometime this week Adobe  Photoshop  Creative Suite 5 (CS5) will officially be released, although I can already expose a few of the new features in this tutorial dedicated to the latest version of Adobe  Photoshop  CS5.

The team at  Photoshop  has been concentrating their efforts in improving two major areas of improvement as they have done for each and every one of the latest CS versions. First they take a look at what needs to be improved on in CS4 – There is nothing better than user feedback, so they will have already spent a lot of time looking improving existing CS4 functions and applications.

Even though we will now be looking at the new Adobe  Photoshop  CS5 functions, I must stress at this stage that overall new CS5 product will be practically 90% the same as CS4, so if you do decide to upgrade, there is only about 10% of the total program that you will need to learn how to use effectively.

So the main area of improvement is without a doubt the brand new features that  Photoshop  add, allowing the Adobe brand always one step ahead of the competition, and these new tools will also allow us to edit photos like no man has edited them before. Are you getting excited now???

First of all, CS5 is going to allow major improvements to the way “brushes” and “painting” can function in  Photoshop . We will have the ability to use a photo (or any image) like a template canvas or color palette for painting. By clicking on a certain area you will be able to simulate dipping your brush into paint. Then you will be able to drag that color out to be spread around while simulating a wet brush. You can also mix colors as much as you like, and achieve a number of different effects that will give your images a completely new look.

The second improvement will allow you to simulate brush physics while you are painting. An animated 3D brush preview will show alterations based on pressure, and rotation. This in turn will affect the means in which the paint is applied to the canvas as though you had a real brush. A variety of presets are available, although you will even be able to use your own creativity in order create your own.

Tutorials For Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 3

Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 3 was officially released by the company in 2008. It is a collection of programs for editing images, videos, and developing web applications.

If you are new to the Photoshop CS3, then there are separate beginner tutorials available. Using these you can learn the basic functions of the program like adjusting the color, saturation, contrast, hue, and the like. The red eye removal, tone settings, using the tool palette and some more similar functions will be included in these tutorials. The benefit of beginning to learn CS3 with the beginners’ tutorials is that you get a fair idea of the basic functions to be done and using those, you can experiment the other available functions.

The Tutorials For Adobe Photoshop CS3 for advanced users are elaborate on the functions. An advanced user gets to learn the functions like compositing, using collage, layering, and so on. If you were using CS3 for the basic functions, the use of the advanced options will be a creative and enriching experience to you. You get to see the newer features and functions available in the software. The step by step tutorials guide you from the beginning till the end. Using these tutorials you can do a lot more to your images and videos.

Video tutorials for Adobe Photoshop available on the web are another more efficient way to teaching the CS3. These tutorials will be focusing on the different functions. Each function may be divided into sections. So with each video tutorial you get a good working knowledge of the particular function. The benefit of learning through a video tutorial is that you get to see and do what you are learning. Based on the experience you can experiment the other different options and learn new functions.

Many web sites and blogs host video tutorials for Adobe Photoshop CS3. Also there are links to download the tutorials either for free or paid. You can read the reviews posted by the users, before you download a tutorial. The tutorial can be achieved as a hard copy also if you want. Otherwise there will be online helps and tutorials available. To get the tutorial directly from the company, you can fill a request at the official web site of the product.

If you just upgraded from CS2 to CS3 and you are having a tutorial for CS2, there is no need to order a new tutorial. A better option in this scenario would be to identify the new features in the products and browse the web for the tutorials on the specific functions. Certain web sites are dedicated to the CS3 programs alone. In these web sites you can find chunks of information on the specific functions. And in the related posts you can put a comment regarding your query about the specific function. In discussion forums you can start a thread on a specific function. Based on this thread, many active members may start pouring in solution to your topics. This way you can gather a lot of information and learn new things.

Learn Photoshop With Movie Tutorials

Adobe Photoshop is a powerful image editing tool, the standard in the industry. It is widely considered to be the best program for the purpose, beating out a number of competitors. Photoshop comes with a wide array of versatile and useful features. Unfortunately, these very features can be confusing and bewildering to the new user. Attempting to learn to use this tool from the manual can be difficult and frustrating. Manuals are usually written as reference for users who already have an idea of what they are doing, rather than for beginners. Even books on the subject seem dense and hard to understand. There may be many features in your copy of Photoshop that you don’t yet know how to use, because of the difficulty of learning this complicated program on your own.

To harness the potential of Photoshop in your image editing, consider making use of movie tutorials. This type of tutorial allows you to see how a given feature is used or effect is accomplished in real time, as the action is performed. You can even stop the video to go try it out in your own copy of Photoshop. Because of the ability to stop, rewind, and replay scenes in video tutorials, you can use them as a constant reference. If you do not have time or money to attend classes and seminars, video tutorials can be a great help in learning to use your copy of Photoshop.

Some video tutorials are available for free, others require some payment for the effort that has gone into them. These latter type are more likely to be professional. The saying goes that you get what you pay for, and this is still the case with Photoshop tutorials. However, even the free type of tutorial can be useful. They are readily available online, and can be used to find out if you like the video style of tutorial before you buy more professional video instructions. These tutorials may be offered in one of two ways. They can either be purchased individually, or a user who is learning Photoshop may purchase a membership in a site that offers tutorials.

Membership in a video tutorial site brings you the widest variety of professional video tutorials to help you learn how to maximize the features in your copy of Photoshop. Some topics which may be covered are how to remove red eye from your photos, cropping your photo to a more attractive size, and removing unwanted objects from the photograph. Video tutorials can also be found to help you remove damage and make recent photographs appear to be antique. Video tutorials allow you to learn how to use the many features of Photoshop easily. Compared to bulky, confusing manuals, these short movies are the best choice when it comes to learning this versatile program.

Indian Premiere League 2010 (IPL) - Cricket Fans Take Note

The Style of IPL

To begin off, the IPL is now firmly established on both the Indian and the world cricket scenario. The entire procedure including auctions, glamour, filmstars, hype and media fervor adds to the excitement and charm and it feels like watching cricket in a bullfight arena.

The Indian Premiere League is a decidedly different experience than the kind of cricket we used to see in our childhood, with the lone batsman playing ball after ball, refusing to give ground or leave the wicket. I remember how frustrated the entire crowd used to get at those snail pacers who were only after creating personal records at the cost of team victory.

One-Day Cricket Saves the Day but Still Insufficient for Today’s Pace

It of-course started with Australian millionaire Kerry Packer’s concept of bringing cricket to the arena of professional sports from the arena of amateurs. However, Kerry Packer’s initial proposals met with contempt from those opposed to change, people who did not ignore reality found a middle-way and One Day Cricket was born. It became an instant hit. The frenzy and popularity made it clear to sports organizers that sports lovers and cricket fans loved it. One-Day Cricket, being of limited duration brought all the energy and capital together in a short and brilliant spurt. It opened the new age of cricket. The T20 came as a logical step to take cricket into the fully professional squad.

IPL Is the Best Bet to Save Indian Cricket

I think the Indian Premiere League is an excellent concept because professional management, big industry investment and involvement, and high fees of players negate the possibilities of match fixing. Simple cricket fans like us can watch honest games, and relax knowing market dynamics is creating the best possible fun combination on the cricket fields.

The Actual Official Website and Online Store of IPL

However, it remains that the IPL having gained fame will become the target of those trying to make a quick buck. I have seen several websites on the Internet, which seem to be entirely dedicated to the Indian Premiere League, and also trying to sell dubious merchandise for cricket fans at unreasonable prices.

If we feel that IPL is good for Indian Cricket, and the Indian Premiere League 2010 needs our support to pull through the blames of discrimination cast upon it, it is also our duty to avoid spurious businesses that try to cash in on the popularity of IPL.

How to Upgrade Your Hosted Quick Books

Millions of small-and-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and accountants have selected Intuit’s Quick Books as their bookkeeping software. It makes it easy for companies to keep track of their sales, expenses, payroll, and taxes. In addition to the basic version of Quick Books, there’s also Quick Books Pro, Premier (for General Business, Contractor, Manufacturing & Wholesale, Nonprofit, Professional Services, or Retail), and Enterprise. Though some businesses remain satisfied with the basic version, there are many other companies that would prefer to upgrade to the more advanced editions of the software. At the same time, businesses that want to switch to a higher-end version are reluctant to upgrade because there aren’t any standardized hosted versions of Quick Books Pro, Premier, or Enterprise on the market. It’s possible for an IT hosting company to set up web-based deployments of the officially-licensed desktop editions of these applications, however.

The advanced versions support more simultaneous users, have more in-depth and informative dashboards, and have more bookkeeping and business management features. They are great for businesses that are comfortable with the Quick Books interface but want a program that gives them more control over their finances and that can serve as a more generalized business management platform (incorporating aspects of Enterprise Resource Planners [ERPs] and e-commerce systems, for example). In particular, Pro version makes it easier to design and generate forms and has a full-featured dashboard and a more intuitive, easy-to-navigate design; Premier version provides industry-specific estimating, tracking, and billing features; and Enterprise version adds a powerful inventory management system, advanced reporting features, and support for up to 30 simultaneous users.

Most companies prefer a hosted version of Quick Books to a desktop or on-premise version that they have to install and manage themselves. The benefits of Quick Books hosting include:

-Higher accessibility. The On-site versions can only be accessed from the PC desktops on which they are installed-usually meaning that employees can only utilize it at the office. On the other hand, Hosted ones, as a web-based hosted IT solution, can be accessed from anywhere with any Internet-connected device (including mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and smart phones). Not only does this mean that employees can utilize it from home and anywhere else with Internet access, it also lets everyone in an organization-including telecommuters, off-site project partners, and employees in separate offices-access the same Quick Books deployment regardless of their location.

-Doesn’t need to be managed. With an on-site version of Quick Book, a business has to take care of everything itself-it has to purchase and maintain the PC desktops and servers; buy, configure, and update the software; implement and manage its own backups and IT security; and provide its own technical support. In order to support an on-site version, the business has to either hire a $50,000/year on-site IT specialist or occasionally call upon a $100/hour freelance technician. With hosted Quick Books, however, the hosting provider will take care of the hardware, software, backups, security, and technical support.

-Limited on-site IT hardware required. On-site versions require PC desktops, servers, or both. A business has to purchase, maintain, repair, and eventually replace this hardware. With hosted Quick Books, however, employees only need an Internet-connected end-user device (a desktop, laptop, ultra book, tablet, or smart phone) to be able to access their financial software.

All it takes to upgrade to hosted version Pro, Premier, or Enterprise is to contact a hosting provider. The hosting provider can assist a business with transferring any existing financial data or software licenses to its new hosted Quick Books deployment. Companies need to be sure to select a hosting provider with reliable technical support; the flexibility to match their IT requirements and preferences; and the technology to provide them with a fast and secure hosted Quick Books.

Edit Digital Photos - Overflowing With Digital Photography Info

The editing programs today can do wonders to images. One of the most popular programs is Adobe PhotoShop, since this editing program is one of the most sophisticated tools. Most pro photographers will use this program, since you can create websites, book covers, images, movies, and more. Adobe is also used to design manuals, graphics, commercials, fliers, and more. This particular program I miss. I lost my copy during a severe virus attack, and the downside is it costs around $1000 to $1500 to replace. Outside of lightning effects, you can also setup brick backgrounds, or whatever background you choose. If you own this program you know what I am talking about, however if you have never had the experience and can get the opportunity to try out Adobe I promise you will have loads of fun. A common misconception is that Gimp lacks many more features that Photoshop has. In fact, with the exception of features that depend on patented algorithms, Gimp is 99% on par with Photoshop in capabilities. It’s just that Photoshop users try Gimp, are immediately lost in the baroque interface, and leave in terror. Having the features doesn’t do you much good if you can’t find them! The real hanger is the user interface.

– Photoshop – This digital picture editing program is certainly not cheap, but is considered to be the awesome editing tool of professional digital photographers. Unfortunately Photoshop is also not so easy to learn completely to benefit from the high cost for most photographers. The good news is that due to the popularity of the program, and the real benefits Photoshop offers serious digital photographers there are many ways one can comfortably learn Photoshop techniques either in your own time on the internet or off line though regular classes offered by certified professionals. Photoshop is in reality the desk top darkroom for digital photographers. Photoshop takes digital photography to new levels by going beyond necessary photo editing requirements. Photoshop users are able to take their not so successful photographs to become the base of new digital art by allowing the user to apply extreme manipulations and effects turning a useless image into an artistic creations.

eBay is a commonly used auction program that most of the time uses pictures to sell the items it lists. Pictures are the best sellers, “pictures say a thousand words” as the saying goes. To take some really good pictures for eBay that look proffessional, it isn’t that hard, here are few tips: Avoid underexposing your photos, especially if you’re shooting against a white background or outside in bright light. Your digital camera should have an over/under expose button that allows you to compensate and adjust the exposure. When taking pictures against a white background you might want to increase the exposure by +1 so that it lets more light into the camera and the background becomes a pure white. Getting close and filling the frame with your subject will produce a better photo, and also help avoid clutter. Buyers like to see the details of what they are buying. The best way to take good close-up photos is to use your cameras macro setting, which is designed to focus at short distances.Your product should be sharp and in focus. Take care to focus correctly. Auto focus on your digital camera may not always produce the best results as it can sometimes be fooled. In these cases use aperture priority mode, and set an aperture of 8 or higher to ensure that your entire photo is sharp. When you increase the aperture your camera compensates with a slower shutter speed, so remember to use a tripod.

When it comes to exporting its images, Photoshop allows seamless program shifts among other Adobe software used in image editing, authoring and animation such as Adobe Illustrator, ImageReady and After Effects. Photoshop files (.PSD or Photoshop document format) may be manipulated to produce special effects such as adding textures and changing backgrounds. Non-linear editing is also a breeze. Another advantage of Photoshop is that it can work with several color models such as RGB, CMYK, Lab, Bitmap, Duotone and Grayscale. This allows any user a lot of flexibility in terms of image editing, giving him the power to play with every type of photo image there is. The newest version of Photoshop is v. 10, also known as CS3. It’s integrated with Adobe Creative Suite, hence the ‘CS’. The most popular, though is the CS2 which was made available in 2005. It has successfully integrated new tools and former plugins like color replacement, warping and multiple-layer select.

If you think that you will be using a lot of photoshop and will are a hobbiest with the photoshop, then photoshop elements will be right for you. Save you money up and get it because it has more options than the Photoshop CS has. Some of those options include: Lens Blur Filter, Vanishing Point Tool, Pen tool and paths palette, Some adjustment layers (curves, color balance, selective color, channel mixer), Editing History Log, Text on a path, advanced text formatting, Advanced Layer Style manipulation, Advanced Color Management, Advanced Web features and ImageReady (rollovers, slicing), Customizable tool presets, keyboard shortcuts, and menus. In the features and tools that are shared, the Photoshop version usually offers more advanced options for fine tuning and control.

Sometimes, when you are editing that one picture and you need a sample of a color to show photoshop what to do the eyedropper tool is what you will need. It is an icon in toolbar and is for sampling colors from the picture in order to continue the use of the color elsewhere. Tip: To make the color selection more precise, press CapsLock on the keyboard and the Eyedropper will turn into a target so that you can collect one exact pixel of a picture. Eyedropper is a very simple and useful tool to use and will help you with your every day editing of pictures.

Filters will allow you to be able to apply different feelings to a picture. By applying different filters, you can change the color of an image to a single one, converted it to black and white or a sepia tone. The possibilities for adding and varying creative filter effects are virtually endless. To change the intensity of a filter, some programs let you “fade” the effect directly after it is applied. If you use layers, the transparency of the layer where the filter was applied can be reduced.

Image Retouching in Photoshop CS2

Photoshop is the gold standard for image retouching and comes with several tools designed to help make images look their best. Image retouching is an art, and learning to do it well takes both time and practice.

If you’ve never retouched a photograph before, choose a simple image with a few areas you want to repair. The more complicated the photograph is, the more skill it takes to retouch. While you’re learning, work with simple images.

Open an image to be retouched.

From the Brush menu, choose the Healing Brush Tool. (It looks like a bandage.) A toolbar will appear at the top of your window with controls for the Healing Brush Tool.

You can adjust the pixel size of the Healing Brush Tool using the pull-down menu at the top. The maximum pixel size is 24.

Examine your image carefully, especially in the area of the repair. Look for an area of the image that contains colours and shading similar to what you will need to repair the affected part of your image.

When you find a section of the image you want to use, “clone” it using Alt+left click. The cursor will change to resemble a target. You will see crosshairs contained in a circular shape. Click and drag the circle to the area you want to repair. A plus sign will show you the area you’re copying, and the circle will start to fill with the pixels you’re cloning.

You can repeat the clone-and-copy technique as often as you need to for areas of the photograph that require retouching. Be careful in your selection of the area to be cloned. Everything in the cloning area will be transferred to your target. This includes shapes, edges, colour gradations, and imperfections. It’s best to work with a small area and take your time when you’re retouching an image.

When you’re finished retouching, you can apply other filters, textures and gradients to make the retouched area look more natural.

Photoshop For Beginners - Understanding Levels and Curves Output Values

In a different article I explained how to use the INPUT values of the  Photoshop  Levels and Curves dialogs. In that article I didn’t discuss the OUTPUT values other than to say that the default values are 255 for the white slider and 0 for the black slider.

The OUTPUT values can be used to lighten dark tones or to darken light tones. This can be used to reduce the overall contrast of a photograph. In the Curves dialog, if you drag the black end point at the left of the graph upwards you will increase the value of the black output above the default of 0 (zero). Conversely, if you drag the white end point at the right of the graph downwards, you will reduce the value of the white output to less than the default of 255. This has the effect of lowering the contrast of the photograph you are editing. This is similar but opposite of using the Input values.

However, the OUTPUT values also have a more important function – they help you to calibrate your printer! When we print an image the image data is interpreted by the printer and this can lead to the all too common problem of the print NOT matching the screen image. The problem is that the printer has its own ‘contrast range’ and this might be, and often is, less than the contrast of the screen image.

What this means is that the printer may well print some of the more subtle tones of the image, i.e. shadows with values of 5, 6, 7 up to say 15 as solid black and the lightest tones of 250, 251, up to 254 as solid white. The result would be a print that had more contrast and less detail than the screen image.

The solution is to make some test prints using a grey scale of tones (i.e. a set of patches of various tone values) from black through to white. The tonal values of each patch should change in value by say 3 or 5 in both the darkest and lightest parts. The middle tones can change using greater differences in values, e.g. units of 10, since they are not so important for this calibration. Print this scale on your printer with your usual paper(s). You should test each paper you use because the paper will affect the visible contrast range.

Now, compare the print to the screen and find the tone value patch on the printed scale that is completely black and the one that is completely white. For example, you may have dark tones in the grey scale screen image of say 0 (black), 5, 10, 15, 20 and light tones of say 250, 252, 254, and 255 (white).

When looking at your test print, if there is no visible difference between the dark patches of the scale with values of 5, 10 and black (i.e. the tones of 5 and 10 are pure black in the print) this indicates your printer will interpret a dark tone of value 10 and lower as pure black.

Conversely, looking at the lightest tones, if the tones with values 252 and above are showing as paper white this indicates your printer will print anything above 252 as pure white. Good, now we know the limits of contrast the printer can produce. In this example any tone darker than 10 will print as pure black and any tone lighter than 252 will print as pure white.

Now we can use the OUTPUT values of the Curves dialog to compensate for this printer/paper contrast. Using our example, we now know that any tone with a value of 10 or lower will be black in the print. In other words, the BLACK POINT of the PRINTER is 10. So, to compensate we need to set the OUTPUT value of the black slider in the Curves dialog to the value 10. This will lighten the shadows in the screen image (and probably make it look dull) BUT when you print the image the printer will lower the values down again to where you want them.

The same happens for the lighter tones. The printer will produce any value above 252 as paper white (no ink), so we need to set the OUTPUT value of the white slider in the Curves dialog to 252. This will lower the values of the light tones in the screen image BUT the printer will raise them back up on the print! You now understand enough about the Levels and Curves OUTPUT values to allow you to adjust the screen image to match the contrast capabilities of your printer and paper. The visual result on screen doesn’t matter!

Photoshop - Fine Tuning Selections

Photoshop provides many methods for fine tuning your selections. Whether you use the marquee tools, the quick selection tool, or the magic wand tool, you can fine tune your selections using the refine edge tool.

There is a very visible difference in how the tool options appear in versions CS4 and CS5 but the choices you are making are basically the same, the difference being in presentation. When you choose the refine edge tool, it produces its own pop out menu with the set of options it offers.

The CS4 version offers a ‘preview’ check box which has been omitted in version 5. I can only imagine that version 5 assumes if you have chosen the refine edge tool, you definitely want to see a preview. Version 4 shows four display options at the bottom of the pop out menu in the form of colored icons. Version 5 offers these same options with its first selection window, ‘View Mode’. Both let you choose to see your selection with the ‘marching ants’ selection boundary, against a quick mask (scarlet) overlay, against white or black background. Version 5 additionally provides a new layer view which shows your selection as a new layer which you can save as output.

All of these viewing options help you distinguish your selection and especially appreciate the tuning you are about to do! You can cycle through these settings simply entering the key ‘f’. This makes it very easy to compare these different backdrops, compare the different highlights while focusing on your image and not the menu options.

Options radius and contrast work together balancing their separate adjustments. Photoshop tells you that increasing the radius helps improve your selection edge in areas of soft transition. This would be a ‘fine tuning’ area between your choice and the part of your image outside. Using contrast restores some of the color removed from your choice, restores some of the crispness that your ‘radius’ adjustment removed.

Smoothing will also soften your selection edge and help blend the transition between your choice and area outside. Cycling through the display options is really helpful to appreciate your adjustments. In a very real sense there is a trade off between smoothing your selection and actually changing your image.

Removing jagged edges provides a soft transition in your selection but the tools that soften add or remove detail and color in the process. The different display modes makes this much easier to see. Both CS4 and CS5 versions provide a ‘feather’ and ‘contract/expand’ adjustment but in version 5 the contract/expand is labeled ‘shift edge’. This is what you are doing when you expand your selection boundary and this adjustment provides that helpful control.

To me, ‘feathering’ is closer than any of the adjustments to actually adding to your design. Because feathering softens both sides of your boundary, you are adding an effect as much as sharpening your selection.

The refine edge tool is just that: you are defining a refinement process then fine tuning that refinement… so applying then removing an adjustment, cycling through the different display options will provide the best method for deciding on what ‘refinement’… works best for you!

Layers - The Backbone of Photoshop

Adobe  Photoshop  is not cheap. There are certainly more affordable photo editing software applications available on the Internet but there are reasons why  Photoshop  is so popular among professional web designers, photographers, and graphic design specialists. The ability of  Photoshop  to allow you to work in layers makes otherwise complex designs easy.

If you are learning how to use  Photoshop  to do your graphic designs than make sure you pay special attention to the section on how to use layers. To illustrate how layers work imagine you have a piece of paper. This piece of paper is your background. You could leave the background white or paint it any color you wish. Now, let’s assume you want to add a photograph of a sunset. Your photograph of the sunset is on a transparent paper and you lay it over the top of your background.

The sunset image is on your first layer. Now, let’s assume you want to add some text. Your text is on another sheet of transparent paper and you lay it over the top. This is your second layer. You can add as many layers as you wish. You can also change the order of the layers. For example, if you decide you want the text layer to be behind the sunset layer you can move the layers easily with a few clicks of the mouse.

This is essentially the same way you create graphics and complex images in  Photoshop . The beauty of layers is that if you decide for instance that you don’t want a sunset and you would rather have an image of a beach you can simply delete the sunset layer and add an a new layer for the beach image without disturbing the background or the text layer.

Working in  Photoshop  with layers allows you to experiment without fear of damaging your original image. Layers also allow the user to make changes without disrupting other elements of the image.