Photoshop Video Tutorial

Here is a terrific Photoshop video tutorial that shows you how to easily change a black and white photograph to color.

The video demonstrates how you firstly create and name a layer within photoshop. Next you select the pen tool and outline the image, specifically the skin areas. As the photoshop video tutorial shows, you need to trace the eyes and mouth to exclude them before adding a color to the layer. Photoshop lasso tool and layers are also used to color the eyes.

The after photograph in this example does seem like the original, however the video tutorial still effectively demonstrates the general idea of how to turn your old black and white photos into color.

Note: The software used in this tutorial is Adobe Photoshop.

Have fun changing all the old family photos into color before including them on your personal websites :)

Video Tutorial - How to change eye color in Photoshop CS

Have you ever wanted to see how you would look with blue, green or brown eyes? Here is a tutorial on how to easily change a photos eye color using Photoshop . This Photoshop CS tutorial is also great for reducing red eye in photographs.

Firstly, use the lasso tool to select the iris. Next you need to feather and select hue saturation. Choose colorize and you can then adjust the colours. It's good to choose a colour that looks nice and natural.

Press the arrow on the video to see how easily its done.

Easy, you never have to worry about red eye in photographs again.

 

Photoshop Video Tutorial - How to remove an image background from a photo.

Removing a background from an image isn't as hard as you might think with Photoshop . This video tutorial shows you a beginners (easy) method, as well as one that requires a bit more skill. The advanced way shows you how utilises a filter to extract the main part of the photo from the background.

As demonstrated, the easy way of removing an image background is to use Photoshop eraser tool. Holding down this eraser tool you'll see different types of erasers. One of these is a background eraser tool.

Too see how to use this tool is used to remove a background, click the arrow on the video to start the tutorial. Note: A few people have said they needed to click the arrow twice.

 

 

Did you notice the use of color tolerance? Color tolerance is one of the most useful tools to learn how to use when learning Photoshop.

Learn how to use Photoshop by following tutorials

One of the best ways to learn how to use Adobe Photoshop is to find a couple of online tutorials that you'd enjoy following. Here are two popular Photoshop tutorials that you'll have fun with while your learning.

The first tutorial takes a normal photograph and turns it into a popout image like the examples below.

You can find this tutorial online at http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2288434 where you will learn how to use Photoshop layers, paint brush, feathering, selection and erasor tools. You will also pick up a few handy keyboard shortcuts along the way. I recommend this tutorial from beginners to intermediate.

The second Photoshop tutorial involves taking a picture of your car and placing a face onto it, similar to the movie cars. You can find this one at: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1151725

Following the Photoshop tutorial above you'll learn how to use transform and flip layers, set opacity, rotate and scale images. Furthermore, you'll use the magnetic laso and pen tool as well as Photoshop brushes before ending with healing and clone stamp tools.

If you have any favorite Photoshop tutorials you'd like to share please leave their website address in your comments :)

 

How to improve your facial features in photos

This video tutorial will show you how to use Photoshop tools to air brush your facial blemishes, blotches and skin marks in photos or remove your wrinkles. Just like graphic artists do for magazine models. It also shows you how to add hair to bald heads or give yourself a nose job. After following this Photoshop tutorial you will be able to remove double chins or lift your eye brows.

Note: The software used in this tutorial is Adobe Photoshop.

To start the Photoshop tutorial click on the arrow.

 

Video Tutorial - How to use vanishing point tool in Photoshop

In this photoshop tutorial you'll learn how to use the vanishing point tool found in Photoshop CS2 (Photoshop 9). Using Photoshop vanishing point tool is a two step process that lets you clone, paint and transform image objects while at the same time keeping visual perspective. What does this mean? It means you can have a photograph of a few different objects sitting on the ground and with the vanishing point tool, you can easily take two of them out of the picture. No one will ever know the difference ;)

To view this Photoshop tutorial press the arrow button.

Video Tutorial - Adobe ImageReady, gif animation

Here is a great video tutorial to help you learn the basics of using ImageReady to create gif animations. The tutorial uses a simple stick person and turns him into an animation that is bouncing a ball. I agree, stick people aren't usually the most interesting of animations, but it's what you learn when you follow the steps that is important. For example, you will learn how to use layers, frames and the move tool. Layers and frames especially are the two most important Photoshop elements to grasp if you want to create your own gifs.

Note: The software used in this tutorial is Adobe Photoshop.

With a little practise at using ImageReady you may end up making an animation like the one shown below :)

To start the gif tutorial above, click the arrow button.

 

 

 

How to use a Photoshop Action to watermark an image.

This PhotoShop tutorial will teach you how to make and use a Photoshop Action to watermark an Image. You can then take the action and batch process as many images as you like! Very quick and easy for times when you have more than one image to watermark :)

Note: The software used in this tutorial Adobe Photoshop.

To start this Photoshop tutorial press the arrow.

This post is listed at Technorati under: watermark image

How to make one part of a photo in color

You've most likely seen a trend lately where photos are displayed in black and white with only one part of it seen in color. Take the example below for instance where the wedding photo has been changed fully to black and white. Then the flowers were re colored using Adobe Photoshop.

How do you do this?

Well firstly you need to make your photo black and white. A quick way to do this is to open your image in Photoshop and click along the top toolbar on image / adjustments / desaturate. Here is an example of one I did earlier:

Now to re color, you simply choose the history brush tool and brush over the part of the image you want to color.

Depending on the size of your photo you might need to also adjust the size of your brush:

Here is the final result after I've colored one part of my photo which of course in this case is the bush at the front.

In this tutorial below Scott Kelby visibly demonstrates how to selectively color a photograph using Photoshop.

To start the Photoshop tutorial press the go arrow.

How to make a photo cube

There are two ways to make a photo cube using Adobe Photoshop. One I like to call the quick lazy way, while the second version teaches you how to use numerous Photoshop tools such as filters, layers and 3d transform. You'll also learn a few keyboard shortcuts that will come in handy in all your Photoshop designs.

First I'll show you exactly what a photo cube is so you'll know the look you should ultimately be aiming for. Here is an example of one I created earlier:

Lazy but easy way

The cube image above was made using a PhotoShop action called Photo Box which you can download from Turning Turnip.

What is a Photoshop action?

An Action is a recording of a sequence of events within Adobe Photoshop. Repeatitive and complexed tasks can be recorded and 'played-back' at a later point saving time and effort.

 

An action speeds up the time taken to design an image in Photoshop by supplying you with an automated set of actions to preload.

For example, to make an image of the photo cube shown above from scratch I would have had to use numerous layers and effects to get to the final result. This of course would take me quite a long time experimenting to get the perfect result. Opening a photo within Photoshop and applying an 'Photo Box' action on the other hand takes around 5 seconds to complete.

To install the Photo Box download, unzip the file into the following folder:
"../Adobe Photoshop/Presets/Photoshop Actions"

Note: If you have Photoshop open you will need to close and re-open for the new action to be displayed.

Now look to the right of your screen if you don't see anything that looks like the image below, press your keyboards Alt + F9 to display the action window.

Highlight the 'Photo Box' action then press the arrow on the bottom of that window that turns green.

Presto, your image should now be a photo cube. The only downside to using actions is that you see the same photo on each side of the cube.

Second Method

The second method of making a photo cube allows you to place different photos on each side of the cube.

Before following this video tutorial you need to see if you have a filter called 3Dtransform. Check this by clicking your top toolbar on Filter / Render / 3Dtransform. The last 2 versions of Photoshop doesn't come with it autmatically installed but it does have it on the installation cd under a folder called goodies. Therefore you might need to drag it into your Photoshop pluggins folder.

To start this Photoshop tutorial press the go arrow.

Summary of keyboard shortcuts shown in this tutorial:

1. Ctrl + j to create a new layer.

2. Ctrl + t to transform

3. Hold down your Ctrl button while dragging transformed sides into absolute positions.

 

 

Photoshop Text Tutorial - How to create a 3D text effect

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about 3D text is the Superman logo. Here is an example to give you an idea as to what you will be learning to do in this Photoshop tutorial.

Note: The software used to make this text effect is Adobe Photoshop.

To create 3D text you first need to start a new image.
File / New / Choose your settings / Press OK.

Then choose your text / horizontal type tool.

Type whatever word you want to use as your 3D text logo onto your new image. I'm going to use the word 'Superman' for this example. Next color your text and warp it into an arc style.

At the bottom right of your layer styles choose stroke.

Then pick a brownish color and set the stroke size to 2 pixels, then press OK.

Right click the layer style as shown in the image below and choose create layer.

Highlight the new layer by clicking once on it.

Press Ctrl + J on your keyboard to duplicate the layer.

Press Ctrl + T to free transform. Then press your keyboards down arrow key, then the right arrow key and hit your Enter key.

Now for the fun part. Hold down your Ctrl + Alt + Shift key while pressing your t key numerous times to get this effect below:

And there you have it! 3D Superman text effect.

For those that have broadband Internet access, here is a Photoshop video tutorial to show you through the steps visually.

To start this Photoshop video tutorial, press the go arrow.

 

 

Overview of interface changes in Photoshop CS3 and how to use them.

There is no doubt that CS3 has the most customizable interface of all Photoshop versions. This demonstration will firstly explain basic interface differences between Photoshop CS3 and earlier versions. Then it will explain how to customize Photoshop CS3 interface to suit your needs.

Note: Photoshop CS3 is still in Beta and can be downloaded for evaluation purposes from the link below. The final release of Adobe Photoshop CS3 is planned for spring 2007.

Download Photoshop CS3

One of the first changes you will notice is the single column tool box. This can be changed by a single click back to double column as it was in previous versions. However it is more effecient as a single because it allows you to have more space on your screen.

As this video demonstration below shows, you can still use floating palettes or dock them to either side. The difference being, you can now create multiple docks which you can also collapse down to icons to save space when designing. Furthermore, you can press Shift+Tab to hide all the floating palettes. They will then reappear when you hover over the right side of the work area.

Another useful change with the interface is the new “Maximize Screen Mode” view. In this view, your window resizes automatically as you add and collapse palettes.

At first glance, the new interface may seem confusing, especially if you've been using Photoshop for some time. However once you get used to CS3 you'll soon realise that it's all about users choice. That is, the choice to customize the interface to suit your own individual needs.

 

To view this Photoshop CS3 video presentation, click the go arrow.

 

Photoshop tutorial showing some tricks to help you better understand and master the pen tool.

The pen tool is one area of frustration for those just starting out in Adobe Photoshop. What makes it frustrating initially for most users, is that you can only create a 90 degree curve at any one time.

However, once you grasp the basics of using the pen tool, it isn't as hard as it first seems to draw a full circle.

Handy Tip: When following this tutorial you need to set your pen tool to "Paths" option and not "Shape Layers" along the top toolbar. If shape layers is selected, then your pen tool will fill in whatever shape you draw with a color instead of drawing the outline of a shape.

Each time you click your canvas with the pen tool, you create what is refered to as an anchor point. To make the first anchor point, simply click your canvas once. Then when adding the second (and every one there after) anchor point, click and drag it to make a curve.

If you would like to visually see how easy it is to use Photoshop pen tool, press the go arrow on the video below:

At first it takes a little practise, but after a while you'll soon grasp the concept and find it a very useful tool.

Photoshop Plugins and Downloads

Anyone that's used Photoshop for a while, will also have found themselves at one stage or another searching for free plugins including ready made brushes.

Listed below are some of the best Photoshop Brushes to download for use in your own collection. These brushes and addons have been created for use in Adobe Photoshop.

1. PS Brushes has one of the largest collections of Photoshop addons on the web. Furthermore, they consistantly add 50 new themes each week. Here is a sample of a few of my favorites:

Over 20 grunge brushes

24 Photoshop heart brushes

Numerous Photoshop butterfly brushes

2. Deviant Art also has a huge collection of brushes including animals, flowers, grunge, eyes, smoke, paint splatter and hundreds of others.

Photoshop flower brush found at Deviant Art

Photoshop swirl brush

3. Jenn B’s Hair Brushes are a set of Photoshop hair brushes based on her own scanned locks/curls that look great!

 

4. Fractured Sanity also offers grunge brushes for download. Grunge seems to be a popular theme at the moment?

They also have Photoshop star brushes for download.

And numerous nature brushes including trees, palms, flowers, vines and roses.

5. Angelic-trust.net features unique brush creations and currently offers a collection of more than 300 different brush sets, with something for everyone, including Stars, Hearts, Ornaments, Bubbles, Pixels, Seasonal, Curls and Swirls, Doodles, Symbols, Frames, Backgrounds, Grungy brushes and much more.

6. If your after cute Photoshop brushes then Kiss My Pixels is worth a look. Brush sets include popular characters from Disney and Hello Kitty, cute and cuddly animals, and quirky doodles.

7. Miss M's brushes includes shapes, star dust, doodles, papermark, autumn veins, antique iron, caffine and flower power.

8. Designfruit has created some terrific looking tattoo inspired Photoshop brushes. They describe the brush themes as being:

Tattoos, Tatoos, Tattos, Body Art, Super Cool Body Paint For Your Mom, whatever you want to call it.

 

9. Obsidian Dawn offers a delightful collection of high quality brushes including hearts, lightning, flames, feathers, wings and many others.

10. brushes.500ml.org offers a beautfil set of vintage themes including Victorian ladies, vintage cameras, Christmas, Easter, halloween, radio sets, vintage toys and TV sets.

How to make glass effects in Photoshop

Creating images such as a glass ball or button isnt as hard as it seems. This Adobe Photoshop tutorial will show you how to firstly draw a normal colored circle

and turn it into a glass ball like the image below. As you can see by the image below, the ball also has a reflection on the graphic that makes it look as though it's sitting on a glass table.

Following this glass effect tutorial will teach you how to use layers, gradients, transparency, elliptical tool, contract selections, feathering and many others.

The graphic software used in this tutorial is: Adobe Photoshop.

To start this Photoshop glass tutorial click on the go arrow.

Photoshop Website

This week I received an email from one of our visitors asking if I could add a tutorial to our blog explaining how to design a website with Photoshop. While the majority of webmasters use Photoshop for image manipulation, others use it as an editor to create their actual website HTML files.

The tutorial shown below demonstrates how to use Photoshop to create a website page. The graphic software used in this tutorial is Adobe Photoshop. This type of method is often refered to as a graphical approach. Firstly you start with creating an image in Photoshop of how you'd like your website to look. The tutorial will then show you how to slice the image and prepare each section for use in a HTML document. It then finishes with saving as both images and html.

If you find you like designing a website with Photoshop, click on the ImageReady icon which can be found on your toolbar.

ImageReady is specifically used for designing webpages, ie image slicing, rollover effects and HTML building. You can use it in the exact same method as shown in this tutorial, but it also has lots of other tools and addons.

Click the go arrow to start the tutorial showing how to turn a graphic into a webpage using Photoshop.

How to create human hair in Photoshop

One of the most regular requests we've been receiving lately is for drawing hair texture. Especially with the increasing popularity of 3D chat services like Second Life and IMVU, where members can customize their avatars.

Creating hair using Adobe Photoshop is as easy as using a brush to draw two lines and then applying filters.

After starting a new document and filling it with a dark color, take an extra soft brush and draw two lines. For starters, make one line a mustard yellow and the second one a brighter yellow or gold color. Later on you can experiment with different colors if you'd like red, blue or orange hair =)

Next is to add noise. Type in 15% and check Gaussian and Monocromatic.

Now add a motion blur. Set it at 90 degree's and around 800 pixels. You might need to play with this a little to get the right hair texture. At this point you may also realise you should have made your two lines in the beginning a little thicker. And here is the result:

If you want to add highlights to your hair texture, add a layer on your image then add two lines of white.

Change layers to overlay and play with the Opacity until you acheive the hair highlights your after. Once again, experimenting is the key. Some people like thick highlights, others like thin.

As you can see, this is a fast and easy way to make hair templates using Adobe Photoshop. Hair templates are popular in virtual worlds like Second Life and IMVU.

If you like working with Photoshop actions, Taunt.com has a terrific hair texture action you can download to help make your design life easier.

Here is a video tutorial shown below for those that have broadband access. It will visually demonstrate how to make hair texture using PhotoShop.

Amazon also has some really useful guides to designing your Second Life.

To start this Photoshop tutorial press the go arrow.

How to use smart objects in Photoshop CS2

Smart objects in Photoshop CS2 have a similar concept to Corels Paint Shop Tubes. For example, smart objects allow you to easily place images onto your canvas with a few clicks of your mouse. Your then able to resize them, keeping the quality of the image as you do so.

If you place more than one instance of any smart object on your picture, any changes you do to that smart object will effect all of them.

This can be very handy if your creating an image that contains multiple elements such as stars for example and in future you need to change the color of them. Changing the color of one star will change them all.

Of course if you want each smart object to be edited separately, Photoshop allows you to do that as well. Shown below is a video tutorial that demonstrates the advantages of using smart objects. It also explains how and when to use them.

The graphic software used in this tutorial is Adobe Photoshop.

To start the Photoshop tutorial press the go arrow.

 

Resizing Photos and Images

Here is a tutorial for complete beginners on how to resize an image using Photoshop. Resizing images is one of the most used tools amongst website developers.

In the majority of cases, photographs taken with digital cameras are not website friendly, specifically where size is concerned. Therefore, it's important to know how to resize images properly and not simply display them smaller. Even if an image is displayed at 200 x 200 pixels, it may still be in its original large size. This is quite often the reason for slow loading websites.

The graphic software used in this tutorial is Adobe Photoshop.

To start this Photoshop tutorial, press the go arrow below: