by David Peters

Everything you want to learn about Photoshop is grouped into sections that are easy to identify and access. Tutorials are continually being made simpler and clearer so that everyone is included. If however, you think that the tutorials are not enough there are DVD Rom tutorials that you can purchase and have to access anytime that you forget how to do something and need to refresh your memory. This DVDROM has 120mins (yup, 2 hours) of tutorials that will help you know how to use Photoshop even in your sleep. If you already have more than a basic knowledge of using Photoshop you can take a look at the Photoshop Secrets Special FX. It’s a tutorial CDROM with 19 lessons that are packed into 2 hours that will teach you exactly how to use the special cutting edge effects that the advance Photoshop users’ use.

If you try to learn Photoshop yourself, a trial and error method of learning will allow you to become pretty good at a few fundamental techniques. But you’ll never begin to imagine the unlimited potential of Photoshop CS2 until you sign up for Photoshop training. If you deal with images or graphics of any type in your work or in your favorite hobby, Photoshop training can help you reach your full potential. Adobe says that Photoshop CS3 Extended is ideal for film and video professionals, professionals in the manufacturing industry, medical professionals, architects and engineers, and scientific researchers. Photoshop CS3 lets professionals render 3D images and incorporate them in 2D composites. When CS2 came out, professional and novices alike were thrilled with the new Font Preview capability.

CROPPING. Select the “Crop” tool icon from your Tools bar, then drag it downward diagonally from the upper left corner to the bottom right corner. Release the mouse and then use it to manipulate the image size with the crop “handles.” Hit “Enter” or “Return.” RESIZING. Go to “Image” in your top menu, then choose “Image Size.” Enter the dimensions you need and hit OK. (You can radically change the outer shape of the image by un clicking “Constrain Proportions” at the bottom of the page and entering different dimensions, then clicking OK.)

Strike a balance The Gradient Editor automatically places a midpoint between each colour stop to create a smooth linear blend between colors. You can tweak the effect of this blend by moving the midpoint to offset the mix between the colors. Using this technique you can create tight, dramatic blends between colors instead of gradual ones. The opacity stops run along the top of the preview bar. A black opacity stop indicates 100% solid, a white opacity stop indicates that that part of the gradient is 100% transparent and grey stops indicate values in between.

To experiment with advanced Photoshop layering, you’ll need something to work on. So first bring up a photo inside Photoshop, then create another layer with something on it. On the bottom of your Layer Style box, you will find the “Blend If” settings. Choose either gray, red, green or blue inside the drop-down Blend If menu, then use your slider bars to control the opacity of the layer you highlighted or the layer underneath. Dragging the “white” slider left will diminish the whites or highlights, and the layer underneath will show through.You will quickly see how blending each color affects the image. You can use this versatile feature, for example, to replace a washed-out sky with a nice blue sky, blending the transparency to a gnat’s eyebrow.

Hoping to get a jump on Google and other competitors, Adobe Systems plans to release a hosted version of its popular Photoshop image-editing application within six months, the company’s chief executive said Tuesday.The online service is part of a larger move to introduce ad-supported online services to complement its existing products and broaden the company reach into the consumer market, Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen told CNET News.com. Chizen said Adobe laid the foundation for a hosted Photoshop product with Adobe Remix, a Web-based video-editing tool it offers through the Photo Bucket media-sharing site.

You can use adjustment layers to do all kinds of experimenting and not one pixel will be damaged. There are ways to do this and they are not time consuming or difficult to learn.Sometimes you may use Photoshop to do some magic pixel manipulation but other times you may just want to make a few small changes. What about the times when you just want to make a minor change to an image’s color balance? Maybe you have had occasion to tweak a contrast balance to achieve a print that is more pleasing to look at. You can do this by learning how to take control over the way in which you adjust the image. It’s a good thing to be able to try various things in the adjustment department while being able to go back and retrace your steps if you encounter a problem. Smart layering allows you the ability to do these things.

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