Fun ways to play with Photoshop

By: David Peters

Want to learn how to create your own word shadowing technique? Here it is in four easy steps: 1. Open a new document. (The size I used is 500x100) Now type some text, doesn't really matter what. (I used Arial Black 36pt) 2. Now hit CTRL + A(=select all), CTRL + C(=copy) and then CTRL + V(=paste). You have now copied the layer. Move the new layer exactly above the original text layer. Hit CTRL + T(=transform) and click the right mouse button, select "flip vertical". Now move the layer down by dragging it or using the arrow keys. 3. Hit CTRL + T again and now select "Perspective". Move the lower right box to the right. 4. Now simply go to the layers window and lower the opacity of the "reflection layer" to whatever you want. (I used 25%)

Let's get really creative, using different designs on pictures can make your photo look really cool. It is really easy to do. Follow these step by step instructions: 1. Open Photoshop. Open an image to apply patchwork grid effect. 2. Create a new layer in the layer palette and fill it with white color. Keep the layer selected. 3. Filter > Texture > Patchwork Square Size - 1 Relief - 0 4. Change the layer blending mode to Color Burn and Opacity to 70% These techniques can be used for whatever reason you want it to be for. These pictures can be used on websites or just in simple documents or just to look cool. Use your creativity in Photoshop and find different cool ways to make new fun pictures to look at.

Having fun with graphics is one of the best things to do if you enjoy playing with numbers and fading things in and out of focus. It is easy enough to do, creating a lightning bolt should be like this: start by creating a new image and then right away create a new layer. Also set the background color as black, (the image size I used here is 350X500). Now make a selection one pixel wide and make it cover the whole length. Fill this selection in with white. Next you have to go to Filter > Distort > Wave. The settings are as follows, [Generators - 5], [Wavelenth - 225/299], [Amplitude - 5/35], and [Scale - 100/100]. Now you have a wavey line, Apply an outer glow and transform and duplicate it a bit (Or experiment, I am just giving you an idea of how this is done.) I made the light balls with the gradient tool set to "radial." You can now start to add detail, smaller particles and some dodges. This effect is easy, but it really depends on how much time you want to spend doing it. It really starts to look good on 3D explosions in abstracts. I went ahead doing a little more detail using the same techniques and styles.

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!

Adding effects to photos can be enjoyable. You can do fun things like changing the sky or making a photograph look old. Making a picture look old starts like this, choose a picture: then we change the size, creating a "zoom" in the face. Then we will apply here Filter > Noise > Dust & Scratches using: Radius: 4 pixels and Threshold: 0. This will help to dissimulate the image's pixilation. Next create a copy of this layer, we proceed to apply a blur: Filter > Blur > Gaussian blur ... Using 15 pixels. Ok, now click and add a mask to the layer. Using the radial gradient tool make a gradient in the mask like the image in the left. Now click in the icon in the layers palette, select Hue/Saturation and use this values: Hue: 38 Saturation: 22 Lightness: 0 be sure you check the "Colorize" option. Open a texture image from zombie-stock, copy (Ctrl+C) and paste it (Ctrl+V) into a new layer and set this one to multiply. After that click again and choose Brightness/Contrast, using: Brightness: -16 and Contrast: +15. Next you will want to use a duplicate from the first layer, change the colors using Curves and Selective Color (From the Image > Adjustment menu) and set the layer to Soft light. Add a pair of little blurry white circles in the eyes, in a new layer in Overlay mode. Now, save the image scratchtexture.jpg (in the left), open it, select all and hit Edit > Define Pattern. Fill a new layer with it, and set this one to Soft light. Add a border and that's finished! An old and beautiful picture.

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.

People rarely get the opportunity to see exactly how specific images are created. I am going to give you access to a step by step way to create an awesome picture: Layer 1 Create a normal gradient fill. Layer 2 Apply Filter > Render > Clouds and set the layer to soft light, opacity 25%. Layer 2-5 Importing two different views of the model, Apply filter > Blur >gaussian blur: Radius 5. Also added some lighting to the left model. Layer 6 Using Airbrushing tutorial add "wings" of airbrushing to go behind the main render. Layer 6,7 Import the main render and duplicate the layer on the first layer apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur radius 10 and set to multiply to add a shadow. Layer 7-25 Using the architectural lighting tutorial add lighting to the underside and uppersides of various "blocks". Layer 26 Duplicate the original gradient layer and place it over the top of the image, then erase the center so the sides are slightly faded as above. Layer 27-42 Importing the three views of the craft model use the architectural lighting tutorial to add engine lights of blue and red, also add airbrushing with motion blur to work as engine trails. Layer 43-46 Add small areas of red lights to the upper blocks apply gaussian blur, radius 3 and then Edit -> Fade Gaussian Blur to 50%. Layer 47 Using the architectural lighting 2 tutorial add lighting to the faces of the "blocks" and the side of the "bridge" on the left of the image. Layer 48 To add "over-clouds" Apply Filter > Render > Clouds. Then Apply Filter -> Render -> Difference clouds 5 times, and erase the bottom third of the layer. Finally set the layer to soft light 40% opacity. Layer 49 On the next layer just use Filter -> Render -> Clouds erasing most of the perimeter of the layer set to color dodge 20% opacity. Layer 50 Create a color balance layer with -44, Yellow on highlight and +5 blue on both midtones and shadows.

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