Adobe Photoshop Tips and Tricks

Photoshop is an excellent tool for creating custom graphics and enhancing photos. It is also one of the most used software programs by graphic artists for doing post work. Here are a few tips and tricks for using Photoshop that you may or may not know about.

All About Layers
Layers are simple to use. When creating images that require a lot of attention to detail, layers are the way to go. By adding layers you can work on one piece of the image at a time so that in the event of a mistake you can delete the layer and start again.

Layering also allows you to add special effects to just one part of the image rather than the entire image. To add filters and effects simply copy the layer and add the filter to the duplicate layer and then toggle which layer you would like to be seen.

Any easy way to have multiple images in different colors is to duplicate a layer, go to image/adjustment/hue& saturation, tick the colorize box and use the sliders to change colors. To view the image in different colors click which layer you wish to view and save each one.

Brush with Confidence
The brush tool in Photoshop is more than just a crayon to paint with. Adobe provides different presets for brushes that you can customize as you go along.

To edit or add a brush preset click on the brush tool in the tools menu on the left. At the top you should see a menu that shows the brush size with a pick arrow next to it. Clicking on that pick arrow will allow you to add your own brushes, load a new brush or select one of the default brushes.

After you've selected which brush you want, look directly to your right at the top of the screen. In that same menu bar, on the right you should see two little icons. The first one will open up the preset box. The second icon will open up a different part of the Photoshop program called the Adobe Bridge.

In the preset menu box you will see options for changing the pressure of the pen, how scattered the brush strokes are, the different kind of strokes you can use and a preview of the brush itself.