For Design Lovers

So youâ??ve gotten your brand new digital camera, and youâ??re ready to get out and take some pictures. But whatâ??s the next step? Well, getting some form of Adobe® Photoshop (preferably Elements 3, or CS 2) is a great step in the right direction. Once you have the program installed, it wouldnâ??t hurt to pick up a Photoshop Tutorial for it.

The Photoshop Tutorial will help you to understand what the program is capable of, and how you can utilize its tools to their full capacity. What may not be answered, though, is which format it uses and saves in, and what advantages and disadvantages there are to the different file formats.

Photoshop has the ability to open and save several different types of files, but more importantly, you should be aware of why these types of files exist and how to use them to your best advantage. It is vital to know about the different types of files while you learn Photoshop. There are three basic things that concern file format, which will determine how you should save your file: quality of image, layering, and web use.

Quality of the Image:

When youâ??re taking your photos, youâ??ll want to use the highest pixel setting possible that your camera provides. For instance, if you have a 5.1 megapixel camera, then you should use that setting to capture your imagesâ??the higher the pixilation, the greater the quality. The thing to remember, though, is that the higher the quality, the larger the file. You do have the ability to change the size of the file straight from the camera, and should consult your manual if this is something youâ??d like to do.

Itâ??s best to take your photos in as a raw image, and then convert to something smaller later, because youâ??ll have the best ability to manipulate the image when itâ??s the largest it can be. Once youâ??ve taken the photo, and imported it onto your computer, it can import as a .jpeg or .jpg, or as a raw image. Itâ??s best to save the raw image, because youâ??ll lose some of the quality with the .jpg.

Layering:

Once you have the photo in your computer, the photo will usually open using your default program, so youâ??ll need to open Photoshop and then open the image. Youâ??ll then have the ability to do all of your resizing, layering, and manipulation in the program itself.

If you save the image directly in Photoshop, it will save it as a .psd, .pdd, or .eps file. These formats will keep the file large and preserve all the layers, so keep that in mind when saving. If youâ??re going to rework the image at a later date, itâ??s best to save in this mode. If not, then you have some other choices.

The .tif or .tiff was frequently used with early scanners, and will preserve the majority of the quality, but it saves large files and are best used if submitting them to a publisher or a printer.

The .bmp, or a bitmap, is a Windows® file that creates good photos, but still creates a large file.

The .pdf is an Adobe Acrobat® file, and locks images and texts so that they canâ??t be further manipulated. If you want to create files like these, youâ??ll probably need to buy the full version of Adobe Acrobat.

Web Use:

The best file formats for Web use would, of course, need to be small file sizes. Many times, though, the compression takes out some of the range of color and the vibrancy of the photo.

Joint Photographic Experts Group – .jpg or .jpeg is probably the most popular Web form, because it compresses the file to a small size, but still allows for the display of millions of colors. Photoshop give you the ability to choose how compressed you want the image to be, and youâ??ll want to play around with Adobe Image Ready until youâ??ve found a small file size that doesnâ??t seem to lose any of the color and subtleties in the photo.

Portable Network Graphics or .png is a recently developed format thatâ??s becoming popular for Web use. It compresses the files differently than .jpg does, but it leaves better quality photos. It has the capability to maintain millions of colors and transparencies, but still keep the file size relatively small. If youâ??re on a PC, though, bear in mind that Internet Explorer doesnâ??t support it.

Graphics Interchange format or.gif is the other popular Web form, but itâ??s not great for photos. Itâ??s better for graphics and illustrations because it loads quickly and has the capacity for animation and transparent color.

This should be a helpful guideline to get you started in the digital photography and manipulation world. Allow yourself the time to explore all the possibilities of current programs and settings on your camera. Learning computer basics in the various photo editing programs can be a lot of hard work. If you want to be able to master everything immediately, youâ??ll only end up being frustrated.

Adobe, Photoshop, and Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the U.S. and/or other countries. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Plasma cutting patterns are available for free download.  Are you looking for some original plasma cutting files? If you are I have a few here that you can use on your plasma cutting machine.

These files of mine are free for you to use without any limitations.

I actually created these designs from scratch and was selling them on eBay. I always wanted to go to markets to see if I could sell them there as well. If you’re trying to make money with your plasma  machine, one way could be to do the rounds selling at the local markets around your area.

These plasma cutting art files can also be used with any other CNC cutting machine. You can use them with water jet cutting machines, laser cutting machines or gas cutting machines.

You could also use these files for two-dimensional CNC milling.

How I created these designs was by firstly drawing them on a piece of white paper, and then scanning that image into the computer. Once the image was in the computer I used my graphics design program to trace around the pattern of the scanned image.

The software that I used for this was called CorelDRAW 12. There is an updated version available now which I believe is called CorelDRAW X4.

The images need to be a vector file to work with.  When these patterns are vector files there is no degradation of the image quality. If you use a bitmap or a JPEG image you’ll notice when you zoom in the image will become blurry and pixelated.

When you use a vector file there is no pixelation at all. This is because a vector image is a mathematical equation and no matter how far you zoom in, lines will always be sharp and clear.

To get your free plasma cutting patterns follow this link here: plasma cutting patterns

If you use Photoshop then you must be aware of its fine printing capabilities. People create images with Photoshop mostly for web design or printing purposes. Let’s discuss how you can print an image through the Photoshop interface the right way.

When printing through Photoshop there’s one thing you need to be aware of, the dots per inch (dpi). This refers to how many dots per inch of paper, your printer can print. If you want a clearer image then you want more dots per inch. The more dots a printer can print in an inch of paper the better the quality. Printers are clarified according to the dots per inch they print. A printer which prints more dots per inch is generally better and more expensive.

The most commonly used dpi value for image printing is 300 dpi. Meaning that the printer will print 300 dots per inch of paper. That is, if your printer can actually print in that resolution which is very likely, unless you own a really old printer.

You can set the dpi of an image through the Photoshop menu:

Image > Image Size.. > Resolution

In the Resolution input box enter the value you want for your image. Your version of Photoshop might not mention dots per inch but pixels per inch, which is the same thing.

Now let’s talk about the quality of ink for your image. This depends on your printer type. Inkjet printers for example can be cheap and they use jets of ink that they spray on paper. Ink quality is medium. Dye printers are more expensive than Inkjet printers and use a system to melt dots of dye that can generate over 16 million of colors. Ink quality is medium to high. Laser printers are very popular these days and they print in good quality. Ink quality is high. Last but not least there are the Thermal Wax printers that use blocks of wax that melt on the paper.

Now let’s say you want to print an image through Photoshop. Before doing anything else go to:

File > Print with Preview

A dialog opens. Through that dialog you can set all kinds of properties for your image. For example you can define the position of the image on the piece of paper. You can specify the space you want to be left blank from top or bottom or you can let Photoshop center the image by ticking the “Center Image” check box.

Then you can define the scale of the image, it’s height and width. I use the “Scale to Fit Media” check box a lot, since it lets Photoshop automatically adjust the printable size of the image.

Depending on your image you might want to print on portrait or landscape. You can change that through the “Page Setup…” button on the right of the dialog. A new dialog will appear that also allows you to choose the type and the size of paper you will use for printing.

Well, that’s about it. All you have to do now is click the “Print…” button. Depending on your printer, a dialog will appear that will let you customize printer properties. For example you might want to print three copies of the image or tell the printer to use more or less ink. It’s really easy to print images through Photoshop. I use this software all the time mostly for the “Scale to Fit Media” check box I mentioned above.

Most people don’t use Photoshop to its fullest capabilities. Here are just ten uses to which you could put this highly versatile software.

1. Restoring Old Photographs. Have a look through that old family photo album – the really old one from up in Grandma’s attic. Inside there are probably a few photos from way back when that haven’t stood the test of time so well. They’ve got cracks and tears that really spoil their appearance. Scan them into Photoshop, and then set to work with the Clone Stamp, Healing Brush, and Patch tools. The Healing Brush in particular is a great tool for this purpose as it samples data from one part of the picture and blends it in with what’s already there.

2. Correcting Mistakes. We’ve all done it: Had an attack of “finger over the lens syndrome,” or got too close with the flash, so our subjects suffer from “red eye” and look like extras from a horror movie. Use the crop tool to salvage something usable from your obscured photo, and the enlarge wizard to blow it up to a reasonable size. For “red eye” and “pet eye,” use the eyedropper tool to sample color from around the iris, and a brush to paint away the red.

3. Adding Graphics to Videos. It’s a little known fact, but many domestic and professional nonlinear editing systems (especially the Mac based ones like Avid or Final Cut) enable you to import Photoshop .psd files directly into the timeline.

4. Creating Text Effects for Print and Web. There’s an almost unlimited amount of things you can do with text in Photoshop. Use the Type Mask Tools to create picture filled text, then upload the results to your web page – or print them out for a one of a kind T-shirt.

5. Turning a Photo Into a Work of Art. Everyone likes to have nice things to look at. Most of us like to have pictures on the wall, and something that looks different from what other people have on their walls is a definite plus. Unless you’re blessed with artistic talent, though, this can be very expensive – until now. Use one of Photoshop’s many Artistic or Brush Stroke filters to turn your photos into “new masters,” then print them out on quality art paper.

6. Designing Web Banners and Buttons. Photoshop comes with a predefined web banner sized canvas. Photoshop’s sister application, Image Ready, comes with several – and lots of tools for animating text and pictures. You can also create interactive buttons that enhance a web browsing experience.

7. Adding Text to Photographs. Impress your boss by putting the company name on the side of an airliner, building, or racing car. Use the Move Tool to skew the text to fit the contours of the picture, adjust the opacity a little, and hey presto! The text will look like it’s always been part of the photo.

8. Combining Pictures, Text, and Graphics to Make Covers for Books, Reports and CDs. Photoshop contains many of the image manipulation capabilities of high-end DTP applications that cost thousands. Use the “Layer via Cut” command to make your title text go behind part of the picture – just like on the cover of “Rolling Stone.”

9. Designing Web Pages. Did you know that Photoshop and Image Ready can turn your photograph or artwork into a web page? Use the slice tool to cut your work into easily downloadable pieces, then the rollover function to embed website URLs.

10. Combining Pictures to Make the Impossible Possible. Come on! You didn’t seriously think that Michael Moore and President George W. Bush really stood hand in hand on the White House lawn for the Fahrenheit 9/11 poster, did you? I don’t know for certain that they used Photoshop to fake that picture, but they certainly could have done. With Photoshop you can remove the background from one picture, take some elements from another, and combine them with the background from a third to create a picture that could never have been taken for real. Who says the camera can’t lie!

You sit down at your computer one day and you decide that you want to learn how to use Photoshop and become a pro at it. Then you actually load up the program and you realize that it is far more complex than you could have ever imagined. Photoshop is not a simple program to learn by any means and takes a very long time to truly master. So now you are staring at Photoshop and decide that you want to turn to the internet for some help. Upon beginning your search you hop on a search engine and begin to try to look for tutorials. What you then find though is that there are hundreds if not thousands of tutorials on the subject, free ones too. So which do you choose and how do you learn?

The best way to learn Photoshop is to take it step-by-step. You are not going to sit down in one night open up a bunch of tutorials and expect to learn it by the following morning. This is something that is just not going to happen even if you are an absolute genius. What you have to do is you have to find tutorials that can work for you and that you can understand. You can do this by looking over the internet and checking various tutorial sites and seeing if they make sense to you.

Some of the free tutorials on the internet are not the best sources of information. Sometimes they can be useful but if you cannot understand them then you may have to seek help in other locations. Another option would be to join a forum or community where you can talk to people who use Photoshop and they can then help you with certain things.

A third option would be to go out and buy a book about the subject matter. There are many Photoshop tutorial books out there which can help you learn the basics and even advanced techniques about Photoshop. Most of these books are available online or in any book store such as Barnes and Noble or Borders.

All of this is meaningless though if you are not able to have the patience to take it step by step. You have to be able to sit down and learn little things and master them one at a time. If you can do this then you can learn the basics and build from there. It is like a foundation that has to be laid.

You can use the free tutorials for the basic stuff to get a better idea about what you are doing but once you have your solid foundation you may want to look elsewhere. Join a forum or community such as the one at PhotoShopTalent.com and gain friends who are seeking the same knowledge you are and then you will be able to fully master the art of Photoshop.