by David Peters
There are some fun ideas you can play around with in Photoshop and text. Here is a great way to make imac text in just a few easy steps: 1. Type some text. I used: TG using the font “Lucida console” the font color doesn’t matter so just pick one. 2. Now go to Blending Options (Right-click on text layer). Select (and modify) the following: Dropshadow, color to #4B6B95 Innershadow, color to #304B98 Outerglow, color to #44CAFE Innerglow, color to #314E9A Bevel and emboss Contour, now just double click on the little box and you’ll see something like this: 3. Create 2 more points to have a total of 4 points and give them the following input-output values: Point 1: input: 0% output: 0% Point 2: input: 27% output: 4% Point 3: input: 59% output: 56% Point 4: input: 100% output: 99% You’ll see something like this: 4. Select satin, change the color to #60ACFF and change the contour to “ring”. And finally select color overlay and change the color to #B7E1F7. Its this easy to create your own awesome text formats.
Want to learn how to create angled lines? Having fun with photoshop there are tons of different types of angles and grids. Pulling together resources and tutorials that are correct and easy to follow can be quite awesome looking. Check out this easy way to create angled lines over your picture: 1. Open Photoshop. Open an image to apply angled lines effect. 2. Create New file with 3 pixel width, 3 pixel height and transparent background. 3. Select some foreground color. Draw angled line using Pencil Tool. 4. Select All using CTRL A 5. Create a pattern by Edit > Define Pattern. Name the pattern. 6. Close the Pattern file and go back to image file. Create new layer. Keep it selected. 7. Edit > Fill (Choose “Pattern” from “Use” drop down menu and again in “Custom Pattern” you will find newly created pattern) 8. Select newly created pattern and fill the layer. Change the layer mode to “Multiply”
When you are creating a blog or something and you want to have some fun with smoke or lights. This is the way to create smoke: 1. Step one, open a new image, it doesn’t really matter what size but be sure to set your background color to black. (this effect generally looks its best on a black background.) Make a new layer and select the “Polygonal lasso tool” and create an abstract shape that looks similar to the example below.(It doesn’t really matter what color you use here either, but just don’t make it too dark, and feel free to experiment.) 2. Now we can start our highlights of our smoke. Select the “Dodge” tool and make the brush size around “50″ and the “Range” to “highlights.” Now use this tool around the edges and corners of your shape. Next, select the “Burn tool” and use it in the middle and wherever you see fit. 3. Here we can make it look like smoke now. Go to “filter”/”Distort”/”Wave.” And make the settings as follows: - Generators “5″- Wavelength “10″/”120″- Amplitude “5″/”35″- Scale at “100%” for both. 4. Right after you have used the “wave” filter you can go to “Edit”/”Fade-Wave” and set the opacity to “50%.” Now repeat this distortion and fade method many times, or until you think it looks best. 5. To make this effect look even better you may have to “distort”, resize, and change the blending modes when fading a bit. Finally, to make it different colors instead of the same throughout. make a new layer and use the “brush” tool all over the place using different colors. Then set that layers “blending mode” to “Overlay.” And there you have it, a simple yet effective smoke method!
Want to learn how to create some interfaces? Creating interfaces for your can be pretty easy. Some people like to make their sites look cool by making lcds screens and adding shading techniques. Here is a step by step process for creating a lcd screen: 1. Create a new layer and select the polygonal marquee tool. Make a shape similar to the one shown here (around 180 pixels high). Go to select > modify > smooth, enter ‘25′ and press ok. 2. Set your foreground color to #D0D2C7 and fill the selection. 3. Open the layer styles dialog for your layer and go to ‘inner glow’. Use the following settings: Blend mode: normal: opacity: 22%: Size: 18px You can leave the rest of the settings as default. Go to ‘inner shadow’ and set the inner opacity to 44%, size: 7, and distance: 8. Then Click ‘ok’. 4. Create a new layer. Select the Elliptical Marquee tool and set the mode to ‘intersect’. Draw a circle over your already selected shape, so you get something similar to what is shown on the left. Fill the selection with #FFFFFF and set the blend mode to overlay and the opacity to 40%. Press ctrl D. 5. Hold down ctrl and click the layer 1 in the layers palette (the one which includes the green shape) to select the outer perimeter. Make sure your foreground color is set to #ffffff. Create a new layer above the green shape. Go to select > modify > contract and enter a value of ‘5′. Then smooth the selection with a value of ‘5′. Fill the selection with #FFFFFF. Contract the selection by ‘5′ again, and delete the selected area. 6. Set the layer’s blend mode to overlay and opacity to 35%. 7. Create a new layer above the background, and fill it with a gradient. 8. Select the top half of that layer, then create a new layer. Select the gradient tool and set it to “foreground to transparent”. Click and drag from the center up to create a white gradient. 9. Hold down Ctrl and click the layer in the palette, which has the green shape on it. Create a new layer under it, and expand the selection by 5. Set your foreground color to a dark grey, then make a gradient directing downwards 10. Set the foreground color to white, and make a gradient directing upwards from the bottom. Open the layer styles dialog box for layer 1, check ‘outer glow’, and use the following settings: Blend mode: normal: Opacity: 57%: size: 7 pix Leave the rest of the options as default and you’re done!
Changing your photos can be just as time consuming as creating them, why don’t you have some fun doing it? For this step by step know how you will learn to shade your skies different colors. This is because in pictures the sky can look a little faded and fade the rest of the image. Sharpening your sky is pretty easy, start by opening the image that you want to edit. File > Open > Image name. Then go to Image > Adjust > Selective Color and apply the following settings: - Colors = Blues - Cyan = 0% - Magneta = 0% - Yellow = 0% - Black = 100% - Method = Relative (Change color settings to your liking if you want) Press OK. Now you should create a luminosity selection by hitting the Ctl Alt ~ . Then create a duplicate copy of the image (Ctl J) or Layer > New > Layer Via Copy. Now select the new layer and set the new layer’s Blending mode to color burn. In the new layer erase the parts that you don’t want darkened. It is this easy and now your entire picture was touched up, instead of looking faded out you can sharpen you photo.
Want to do something cool? Turn mere chicken scratches into a commonly seen airbrushing techniques, here’s how to do it: Set a pen tool as above and scribble across the canvas until you have a similar lock to the one below. Apply the Filter > Distort > Wave effect with the standard settings. Then Edit > Fade Wave. Repeat another two times but don’t fade the wave on the last round it should look something like this. Apply the Filter > Blur > Radical Blur Zoom 50%. Click Edit > Fade Radical Blur > 75%.Set the eraser as above and brush lightly across the canvas until you have a similar look to the one below. Next Apply a Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur set the radius so you get the required detail of airbrushing Apply > edit > Transform > Distort to create the required shape.
Now for some really fun stuff, ever wondered how to create those really awesome images that people use on their sites all time, well here is a step by step way to do it. Layer 1 Create a normal gradient fill. Layer 2 Duplicate the gradient layer and apply filter > Render > Difference Clouds 5 times. Set the layer to soft light. Layer 3 Duplicate the gradient [layer 1] and set to multiply. Layer 4 Now on to the render, Apply Filter > Distort > Radial Blur Zoom 100%. Apply Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast: Brightness -100, Contrast -100. Layer 5 Another render copy. Apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur: Radius 10. Apply Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast: Brightness -100, Contrast -100. Move the layer slightly to offset the shadow. Layer 5 Another Render copy. This time simply as standard, Normal. Layer 6 Duplicate layer 5 and set to screen.Layer 7, 8, 9 Create 3 areas of exploding pixie dust. For light background areas set the layer to overlay. For dark backgrounds keep on normal. Layer 10, 11, 12 Create 3 areas of simple airbrushing. Duplicate each to improve contrast. Layer 13, 14, 15 Create 3 areas of more detailed airbrushing. Layer 16, 17 Duplicate the Render Twice, slightly offsetting each. This adds much larger scale to the structures. Use the eraser to rub out the middle unwanted area. Layer 18 Duplicate the original gradient layer and carefully erase the central part, so that the image comes through from underneath but fades towards the edges. Layer 19 Create a hue/saturation layer colorize with saturation set at 0. Set the opacity to 80%. Layer 20 Create a color balance layer. Highlights: Yellow -66 Midtones: Blue 20, Red 35 Shadows: Blue 15 Layer 21 Create a levels layer: Red input levels: 0, 1.3, 255 Layer 22 Create a Brightness/Contrast layer: Brightness 15, Contrast 25