Photoshop Tips For Digital Scrap Booking Enthusiasts

Scrap booking, a preview for the enthusiasts on how to create one we enlist some tips that would help you. Creativity is something that uses imagination and there are various things in your house that you can use to create an attractive scrap book. Search the market to find collectibles. There are so many decorative items you can buy without spending much. Inexpensive gems and fancy ribbons, the markets is filled with them. There is a lot that you can do with tiny things like sparkle stickers etc. Such efforts will bring great results. If all these smalls bits of border outlining and fancy sparkle is not your taste then you can find things in your house, try creating a border outline with wood chips of your pencil sharpener then use pencil colors carefully to beautify that outline. Most of it is usually imagination and creativity, it’s your playground.

Now we shall learn the steps while designing an alphabet along with multiple patterns for a Digital scrap-booking project? Through this article you shall learn to create a text combining with design using Photoshop that helps you to make your own neat digital scrap booking. By the way of learning this process one could easily design alphabets and numerical, print and ultimately use to write names, titles or special heading on your scrapbook.

Now lets learn to operate Photoshop software, move the mouse cursor to click on file and select New to initiate a new document. Pick the size you would like to create, like 250 x 400 pixel or what ever size you require for your image.

Start with initiating a new document and save it, then create a new Layer, type with letter C and use the font – (Swis721 BlkOul BT) with 200pt and align it in the middle of the document. Now go back and select the layer from last step and use keyboard to press Crtl simultaneously click on in use layer and select the letter C. Now select option gradient tool and choose a color option for example Dark Blue = #276D25 and Blue = #5C9159. Pull by using gradient tool diagonally from bottom right to top left corner and unpick the selection. Take the help of using the above said procedure you have learned to make a Letter C with varying Blue color.

In the next step go to top menu bar, click on filters and then blur. You find that this way the letter C will turn the color a bit blurred. In the next step we are shown how to make a shape which will be the design for the scarp book, this shape is created using the Pen Tool in the Photoshop toolbox palette. Now choose your color and fill it in with Gradient tool. I hope that these steps have helped you well in trying to create the alphabet C with the color blue along with a design of your choice.

Business Gift Certificates - How to Create Your Own

You started your own business. You read that smart business owners offer gift certificates. You know from experience that you appreciate gift certificates. Now you’re wondering how to create your own gift certificates.

No matter what your business is, you can create your own gift certificates, with real value, and encourage your clients to buy and use them as gifts.

Suggestions on How to Create Your Own Gift Certificates

You can create your own gift certificates with various computer software programs. If you are comfortable with multiple programs, you have more options.

1. Microsoft Publisher: This program allows even a novice to create small business gift certificates. The software provides a gift certificate template to get you started. Simply start Microsoft Publisher. A “New Publications” window opens on the left. Click the top choice, “New Publications for Print” and then click “Gift certificates” in the new window. You will have a choice of 35 different small business gift certificates, ready for you to customize. Select a design you like, and click areas to type in your information. If you don’t like the gift certificate color scheme or font, go to the task pane on the left and choose a new one.

2. Microsoft Word: This software, too, offers gift certificate templates. In Word, under “File” click on “new” and type “gift certificate” into the task pane on the right. These 30 templates offer all-purpose as well as specific occasion gift certificates. Select a line of text, and customize your small business gift certificates.

3. Adobe PhotoShop: This graphics program allows you to place a photo of your business or product on your small business gift certificates. In PhotoShop, under “File” click on “new” and enter the dimensions of your gift certificate. A common size is about 3.5″ height by 7″ width. Leave a margin of at least 0.25″ on all sides. Color blocks are good, and can be added to your gift certificate easily in this program. Make it clear in writing that this is a gift certificate. Add your business name and address. Type the word “Number” with a line or box in which the number can be entered. Indicate that “This certificate entitles (space for a name) to (space for your offer)” or type the exact offer. You will also want a line that tells the recipient that the gift certificate is not redeemable for cash, and that its redemption value does not exceed a given amount. Provide authorization and expiration spaces, and print.

4. PageMaker: For clearer type, you may want to design the graphics of your small business gift certificates in a program such as Adobe PhotoShop, and then import those into PageMaker. Add the copy in PageMaker and print. You can line up 3 on a page by copy/pasting your gift certificates.

5. Giftango: This is not software, but a website where you can download and modify free small business gift certificates.

Gift Certificates for Online Businesses

You can create gift certificates for online businesses, too. Check first to see if the shopping cart service you use makes provision for gift certificates. They will be able to tell you how to create your own gift certificates for online shoppers.

Uses for Small Business Gift Certificates

Small business gift certificates are appreciated by both the gift givers and the gift recipients. They are easy to give and fun to spend.

Use small business gift certificates to introduce your business to new customers. You can potentially bring in a loyal customer or client who will be with you for years. Say thank you to loyal customers with gift certificates Add gift certificates to your regular line of merchandise.

Use small business gift certificates for private bookshops, boutiques, beauty salons, nail salons, restaurants, spas, candy stores, flower shops, etc. Use gift certificates online for any kind of business you have.

Generic Gift Certificates

If you decide not to create your own gift certificates, you can purchase generic gift certificates. They will be less effective as an advertisement, but can still bring customers to your store.

Photoshop Elements, Applying a Quick Fix to Your Photos

I will be using Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 for this article, as I believe it still has many of the useful features that newer versions boast these days. You should still be able to follow this guide if you have an older or newer version of the software, as the principles are still the same. In this article I will be explaining how to quickly fix a photo in easy steps.

I am presuming you already know how to take your pictures from your camera and place them onto your computer. If you need help with this, your camera instructions will help you. This guide tells you what to do next.

Open Photoshop Elements and select Quickly Fix Photos from the options that appear while the program is loading. Now you should be presented with a blank screen in which to work in. At the top left of the screen, click where it says File, then click Open. This will bring up a box asking you to find your picture you wish to edit. If you know where the photo is, navigate to it, then click OK. Your photo should now be displayed in front of you. So now we need to adjust it, and if you look at the right side of the screen, there are a list of options for you to alter your photo.

The first box deals with red eye, when the photo of someone is spoilt by one person having devilish red eyes. This option fixes this. If you hit Auto in the Red Eye options box, as with all the options, the computer will try to do it for you, but not always with the best results. Try it first, but if you don’t get the desired results, hit Reset above your photo, as this will restore the picture to what it was originally. There is also a slide bar which you can adjust manually by clicking and holding the mouse button over the small grey ball on the bar in the options box, then moving left or right. If you are happy with the result, let go of the mouse button, then click the Green Tick on the top of the Red Eye options box. This will save your changes.

Next, if you wish, alter the Lighting Levels or Contrast by either clicking the Auto button, or sliding the slide bars manually. Remember, you can always cancel your changes by clicking the Red Circle next to the Green Tick at the top of the options box. If you are happy with your changes, click the Green Tick, this will save your changes. Alternatively, you can always click the Undo option in the Edit menu at the top left of the screen if you don’t like the changes you have made.

Adjust the colour levels and sharpness levels in the same way, and once you are happy with all your changes, and the photo is complete, you need to re-save your picture. Do this by going to the File menu at the top of the screen, then select Save As. Click the File Format button and select jpeg for best results, then type in the name of the photo and click OK, or Save. If you haven’t set up your picture organiser, a box will now appear asking you to do so. Don’t worry about this at this time. You can hit Yes and follow the instructions, or just hit No for now, you can do it later, and it doesn’t affect what you are doing now.

Congratulations, you should now have an improved photo. I always find it’s great to just play around with the settings, changing everything to see what happens. You always have the option of starting from scratch, and as long as you don’t save over your original picture, you will always be able to start again.

Three Good Reasons Why You Should Learn Photoshop Today

Have you ever been inspired by spectacular photographs and often admired the artistic eyes of the photographers who took those pictures? The interesting thing is, even if your photographs do not come out amazing the first time they were taken, you can still improve them and turn them into unique works of art. That can easily be done through the magic of Photoshop!

Adobe Photoshop is the software of choice for people who are in the visual arts business such as graphic artists and photographers. It is such a powerful, yet user friendly software that evens those who are not in the visual arts business use it for personal and professional purposes.

Here are three good reasons why you should learn Photoshop today:

1. Even someone who is not in the graphic arts business will find Photoshop useful for enhancing personal photos. Through Photoshop, you can easily remove wrinkles or unwanted blemishes on the face (even acne!). You can superimpose your picture onto a scenic background like a European village or if you want, you can make it look like you’re in the middle of Manhattan Square! You can touch up old photos and make them come back to life. You can turn new photos into vintage ones. The possibilities are only limited by your own imagination.

2. If you are in the visual arts business, you will find Photoshop an indispensable tool that you can use to sharpen and enhance your designs. Your creative energies will flow easily as you see an image going through changes right in front of your eyes. You will be a notch ahead of your competitors if you learn Photoshop and have a good mastery of its techniques.

3. The best thing about investing your time and money to learn Photoshop is you can start charging other people for your creative services using this great software. You can create unique company logos, banners and brochures for those who want to promote their businesses. You can even be a website designer, which is getting to be a lucrative job nowadays, as almost all businesses see the potential for increased sales through online marketing.

Anyone who understands the potential of improving their skills in the visual arts will be interested to learn Photoshop. If you spend the time and energy to learn Photoshop, you will discover more of its potential to help you get ahead in your business or your career.

For an easy and smart way to learn Photoshop, try the Photoshop Video Lesson Tutorials. This set of 20 video lessons in Photoshop will guide you step by step in using the different tools to get the effects you want to achieve with your photos.

Learn Photoshop Online - Using Photoshop"s Keyboard Shortcuts

If you want to learn Photoshop online or by any other means for that matter, one of the most crucial and time saving tools is to customize your Photoshop keyboard shortcuts. If you have Photoshop CS or later, Adobe allows you to add customized keyboard shortcuts so you can quickly access your most commonly used items, such as filters.

Here are the steps to customize your Photoshop keyboard shortcuts. First, you want to open the edit menu and go to “keyboard shortcuts.” This will bring up a dialog box called “Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus.” As you can see, there are a multitude of items that you can assign shortcuts to.

Next, choose the set and shortcuts you want to use or make changes to. These are the first two drop down menus in the dialog box. Find the item you want to create a shortcut for (such as a filter or tool), click on it, then type in the shortcut. Finally, click accept and then the save button next to the “Set” drop down menu. That’s it!

I would not recommend just going and setting up a Photoshop keyboard shortcut for every little thing, especially if you’re just starting out. Learn the basics of Photoshop first, then as you use Photoshop more and more, you’ll see a pattern of certain tools, filters, and options that you use more than others. Those are the ones you should create shortcuts for, as that will save you the most time in the end.

Photomatix Presets

I just discovered that there is the option of creating your own Photomatix presets. I realized not long after starting to use Photomatix Pro that it came with several installed presets, but didn’t figure out initially that you could configure your own or install presets created by others. Yet another feature that earns this software its due praises.

Let’s say you do the research online and find Photomatix presets created and made available for download. To install these presets on a Mac, download and then simply place them in: Users/Library/Application support/Photomatix/Presets. For a Windows install, paste them into the following root and unzip. C:Program FilesPhotomatixPro4Presets.

As one example of what can be found online, here is a really amazing free download of presets found on DeviantArt, (a massive online artist community). DeviantArt member and artist Stuart Perry has created numerous Photomatix presets and offers them to any enthusiast to use and enjoy. I have checked them all out, and have a good number of favorites that have enabled me to produce some stunning HDR images so far. Of course, there is the option to apply a preset that comes close to what I am envisioning, then I can manipulate the sliders as I see fit until I dial in my preferred end result. Often there are final tweaks I will want to make in Photoshop afterward that I won’t be able to achieve in Photomatix. Photomatix is awesome for the default starting point, and these presets can provide a wonderful array of choices with which to start.

Much like creating a brush in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, you can always create your own presets in Photomatix Pro. First, adjust your tone mapping settings exactly how you want them, as your own personal initial “go-to” setting. Then, simply click on the presets dropdown menu and choose “Save Settings”. Finally, you are able to give your preset a name, and decide where you want to save it if not in the default preset folder.

This is all written under the assumption that you are familiar with and use Photomatix Pro. If not, this program is amazing, and worth the time to sample it for free. I believe you will agree, if HDR imaging is the reason you’re reading this, that the program is also worth the price. First things first, though; check out the HDRsoft website to download the free trial version. If you decide to do so, I should let you know that any images processed with the demo will embed a watermark in all saved images. The watermark can be removed from the same images once you decide to purchase a license key.

If you are already a Photomatix user, then you’re informed by now of the program’s value. I encourage you to check out and enjoy the Photomatix presets, and/or create your own.

How To Import Photos From A Card Reader or Digital Camera In Photoshop Elements 8

One of the options in Photoshop is to import images from your digital camera or via card reader, which will read your SD card and transfer the image to your computer, and import into Photoshop elements 8.

1. Connect the camera, SD card (only with new computers) or card reader to the computer according to manufacturer’s instructions. A card reader should connect via a USB, whilst an SD card slots into the appropriate slot in new computers.

2. Next, your computer should recognize the device, either by opening up windows auto play box or the photo downloader. You want the photo downloader, so if the box automatically appears continue, if not open up the program and choose to import the photos you want from your camera/SD card. This option is available under the Source box.

3. Then you have to import the photos onto your computer. Under location, an automatic folder for your photos should be available. However, if you want to import your photos to elsewhere choose to browse your computer for the most appropriate location. Below location, there is a choice for subfolders, which you can rename according to date or title or leave blank.

4. The next two steps are very important to saving your files correctly. On the Renames menu, click on DO NOT RENAME, this will make sure all your photos remain with the same name when imported. Secondly, after you have copied the photos, choose the DO NOT DELETE ORIGINALS option under the Delete options menu.

5. You should then be able to import your photos by clicking the ‘Get Photos’ button. If the automatic download box appears any time during the importing process, always disable it.

6. Next two things should happen, a dialog box should appear to tell that your images have been copied to the location set by you (click ok) and a second dialogue box will tell you they are being imported into Photoshop elements.

7. Before any photos appear in the Photoshop elements browser pane, you may be asked for keywords or to confirm them if the photos contain keyword metadata. If this happens, just simply select the keywords you wish to import, these are added to keyword palette, and thus they have no bearing or effects on your image. This won’t necessarily happen every time, so you may find your photos are often automatically imported into Photoshop elements.