Entries for the 'Adobe Photoshop CS3 Basics' Category

In this video we go over some basic shortcuts, settings and workflow ideas. Tab key, caps lock, brackets, CTRL+J and ALT click on the layer eyeball just to name a few.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial. If you must add a huge stroke around an image, and you don't want round corners or to use the "inside" setting under the stroke command or layer style, here's a workaround for you.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial. Three different ways to add a stroke to an image. The Stroke command, the layer style method and the stroke path method. Learn how to avoid rounded corners.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial covering the creation of 3D "chiseled" type using layer styles and blend modes.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial. Using the Magic Wand and Quick Selection tools.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial. Using the magnetic lasso tool.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial. Introduction to the various selection tools.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial. Turn a dull still life into an interesting one simply by adding a layer blend mode.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial covering an introduction to working with Layer Styles and Layer Blend Modes with with text.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial. A quick look at the Paragraph palette in Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial about editing text; the character palette

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial about working with the text tool.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorial covering the blending of two images using a layer blend mode.

Recap of the basics of working with layers in CS3.

Continuing with layers. Tools such as the Text tool, Shape tool and pen tool automatically add a new layer to your document.

Take a look at some basic things that you can do with layers.  Add layers, duplicate layers, group layers...

Customize your CS3 workspace by collapsing menus and turning palettes into buttons.

For many of you out there the new layout in CS3 came as somewhat of a shock. The old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" may come to mind. I am here to tell you to free your mind of such ridiculous statements! Once you get used to the "new way" of doing things in the CS3 workspace you will wonder how you ever managed to retain your sanity in the clunky, counterintuitive workspace of CS2. Okay, so maybe that last statement was a slight exaggeration (or a blatant lie depending on how you want to look at it).  But seriously, the new layout frees up so much space. And if you're using your keyboard shortcuts like I know you are, then your CS3 real estate is maxed out!  For starters, the tool bar on the left can be collapsed into one column simply by clicking the double arrow in the upper left hand corner of the palette.

Perhaps one of the most useful upgrades from Photoshop 6.5 to 7 (for those of you who actually remember the good ol' days of PS 6) was the Patch tool. At least from a retouching standpoint. No longer would retouched faces look like something out of a Stephen King novel. What the patch tool improved on was the ability to blend the textures and shading of a selected area of an image whereas the clone stamp could only clone pixels from a defined source. The Patch Tool also gave us the ability to repair , or "patch" large sections of an image at one time. A MAJOR time saver to be sure.

Thankfully my favorite retouching tool is still around today in Adobe's latest incarnation of Photoshop, CS3. While slightly more daunting than it's cousins; the ...

...you would be amazed at how much faster you can actually work without all that clutter on your screen. For example; there is really no need for the actions palette to be open all of the time. A quick press of the F9 key to reveal and/or hide it will do nicely. The text dialogue box is another eyesore when working on any project. If you need to change text formatting in any way on the fly, simply press CTRL + T (Command + T on a Mac) while you're using the type tool and have already laid down some text. Note: CRTL + T when not using the text tool will bring up the free transform function.

My advice: you should learn the keyboard shortcut for any function you perform on a regular basis. When hovering over an icon in the toolbar, a description ...