Color Modes in Photoshop

The color modes and color models of digital imaging seem to be a bit of an enigma to those first experiencing Photoshop. The diversity of color modes can be so overwhelming that novice users many times avoid these features without realizing the impact color modes can have on the end results of the image.

The color modes establish the color model that should be applied to display and print digital pictures. Understanding color modes and models and how to utilize them in Photoshop is a must for those who are serious about professional quality digital imaging. Learn what color modes will work best for different application to optimize results.

RGB

RGB stands for Red Green and Blue. In the RGB color mode colors are produced by mixing these three primary colors. Essentially you are working with three color channels in RGB mode, each of which the intensity level can be adjusted separately to attain various degrees of colors. White is created by combining all of the three colors.


CMYK

CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and black. RGB creates colors by mixing colors together, but CMYK basically generates color by reducing varying degrees of each color. As an example, if white is needed all colors would be subtracted to zero.

Understanding how color modes work will produce a better result and improve your digital imaging skills. Monitors use RGB color while printers use CMYK color. This can sometimes create a variance in what is displayed on the PC monitor and what is printed on paper. Software is now available to be installed that will calibrate you color monitor and your printer so that what you see on your monitor is the same as what will be printed.

Simple Photoshop Tutorial

Upon first inspection you will see that Photoshop is basically made up of four areas: the menu bar, at the top, the toolbar just below it, the toolbox on the left and the palettes on the right. The different modes and options you can choose are located in the menu bar and toolbox which always stay the same. The toolbar will change with the context.

The palettes are designed to display an up-to-date status of your image. Palettes include a history of all of the actions you have performed and a thumbnail view of your project’s current status.

As an example of how the interface changes as you use it, select the type tool from the toolbox (looks like a capital T). Note how the toolbar changes completely to permit changes to the font name, size etc.

Changes are noted in the history palette. The use of the type tool will be added to your history, and the layers palette will list the addition of a new layer for your text.

Everyday tools such as selecting, filling and making shapes will be found in the toolbox. More advanced functions, such as blurring sharpening and most other effects Photoshop can produce are found in the menus, most of which are found under the Filter menu.

Take a look at this Video I found on You Tube that demonstrates how to use some of the tool box functions

Airbrushing

Airbrushing can be really fun sometimes, you can create spectacular photos using shading, airbrushing and mixing these techniques. Here is an airbrush technique right here:

Set the brush as above and brush across the canvas until you have a similar look to the one below. Apply the filter > Distort > Ripple Effect with the standard settings repeat a further four times.

Apply the Filter > Blur > Radial Blur Zoom 50% click Edit > Fade Radial Blur > 75%. Set the eraser as above and brush lightly across the canvas until you have a similar look to the one below. 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 depending on the blur applied it should come out something like below.

Color of the Sky?

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.

Making Money With Adobe Photoshop

While Adobe Photoshop is worth it, this popular program comes with quite a price! Here are 5 ways that you can generate money through Photoshop or Photoshop Elements as a business venture, for extra spending money or even to repay yourself for the program.

1) Photo Restoration Service – Everyone has a collection of those old family photographs that have taken a beating at the hands of time. Old or damaged photos can be made new again using the Healing Brush, Spot Healing Brush and Patch tools.

2) Photograph Doctor – What could have been a ruined image can be made picture perfect with “red-eye,” “pet eye,” poor exposure and of course that finger over the lens being a thing of the past. Photoshop can also be used to transform a color photograph into black and white, or add tints of color into a black and white photo to make it color. There will always be “sick” photographs out there to be made better.

3) Design Greetings Cards – Designing greeting cards is a breeze with the photo enhancement and graphic design features in Photoshop. Enhance photos, combine photos with cut and paste for a fun and amusing card, transform photos into drawings or paintings for a masterpiece…the choices never end. No matter the need from holidays to special events you can create the card for the occasion. Card blanks and envelopes are available from specialist suppliers.

4) Design T-shirts – How many times have you seen something that you thought would make a great t-shirt? It can be hanging in your closet thanks to Photoshop. Transfers can be found at stationery shops or craft stores and plain cotton t-shirt can be purchased from low cost suppliers or even found in bulk online.

5) Web Design – This is a skill always in high demand. From designing full websites, to a few buttons or banners, you can capitalize on this need. Charge for web site personalization, or design generic templates that can be bought and downloaded for customers to customize themselves.

10 Top Photoshop Tips Part 2

Continuing from Mondays Post

6) Color Fill - Press Alt/Option+Delete to fill a layer or area with the color in the forefront. To fill a layer or selection with the background color, press Cmd/Ctrl+Delete.

7) Changing Brush Size - Press the [ ] keys. By holding the shift key down and pressing the [and ] keys, the brush gets softer and harder, correspondingly. You are allowed to change the level up to five times).

8) Removing Scratches or Blemishes – If your edition of Photoshop does not have the Spot Healing Brush, edit out blemishes or scratches from a photo by double clicking on the Blur Tool. Next in the Blur Tool Options palette, decrease the opacity to 15%, and then change the mode to Lighten. Now when you paint over scratches they will vanish.

9) Drawing With Brush Tools – If you want to draw a straight line with one of the brush tools, click, hold the Shift key, and click again where you want the line to end. The Photoshop program will draw a straight line from point to point.These steps also work with most tools, including erasers and even the highlight tool in the Extract filter.

10) Creating Duplicates – Choose Duplicate Layer in the Layers palette and change the document setting to ‘New’ to generate a new picture from any layer.





Take a look at this video I found on You Tube...
Removing Belmishes using phot shop

10 Top Photoshop Tips Part 1

1) Auto-Select a Layer - Hold down the Cmd/Ctrl key and at the same time click on a layer in the main image window in Photoshop.

2) Remove Color - Removing all color from an image without going into grayscale mode simply press Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+U ('Desaturate') while still in RGB mode to make your mage grayscale. Another option is to use the channel mixer which will actually create a better result. In this option, all you need to do is click on the Grayscale Option

3) Move Selection to its Own Layer - Copy the selection by pressing Cmd/Ctrl+J. Press shift+Cmd/Ctrl+J to cut and move a selection.

4) Hide the Selction Marquee ('Marching Ants') - Press Ctrl/Cmd+H.

5) Feathering – When setting a feather using the Lasso Tools, press the Return/Enter key. This will highlight the Feather field in the Options palette and you can enter or change the value.



Take a look at this video I found on You Tube...
Changing the color photoshop CS3

Changing Image Dimentions Using Adobe Photoshop

If you want to resize a large photo you have to take the correct precautions to prevent losing too much resolution. Making an image smaller can make it appear blurry if you don't do it right. This can make the picture less clear than it should be.

This is a fairly common issue when resizing images, but with Photoshop there's a solution.

To perform this function you must own at least the CS version of Photoshop. If you don't have this version, you may want to get it as it has far advanced features. Buying the software will get rid of the limitations you may have when editing your pictures.

To make an image smaller go to Image> Image Size> Resample Image. Choose Bicubic Sharper from the resulting menu. This setting will minimize any blur that occurs when resizing the image.

When you want to make an image larger, select Bicubic Smoother.

This process is so effective that I would recommend setting Bicubic Sharper as the default selection when you start the software. You can do this by going to Preferences> General> Image Interpolation. Here you can select Bicubic Sharper as the default.