Design Post Update: adobe photoshop

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Wednesday, March 9, 2016

How to Use The Pen Tool

SmartGirl adobe photoshop , anchor points

The pen tool and associated tools

The Pen Tools...

The Pen: This is what you use to draw paths and shapes of all kinds precisely by clicking to add a straight line anchor point and/or clicking and dragging to add a curved line anchor point. As you click to add anchor points they automatically join up in order of creation until you complete the shape by clicking back on the original (first) anchor point added.

The Freeform Pen: This freehand style is usually used when you are confident in what you’re going to draw and do not want to bother with anchors. However, it’s not commonly used as it is hard to draw perfect shapes with a mouse.

Add Anchor Point: Used to add a new anchor point after the shape is made.

Delete Anchor Point: Used to delete an anchor point from a shape.

Convert Point: Click on an anchor point in this mode to turn it into a Corner Point, or hold down your mouse and drag on an anchor point to turn it into a Smooth/Rounded Point.

Straight, Curved or Freeform Lines

Straight and curved lines created using the pen tool

A shape in progress showing 4 straight and 2 curved anchor point

As already mentioned there are two types of anchor points; straight line anchor points and curved line anchor points.

To create a straight line point you simply left click on the canvas when using the pen tool.
To create a curved line point left click, hold and drag to create the curve you want. A preview line will appear to show you what the line will look like. Once you release the left click the point is created.
As you continue to left click on different parts of the canvas the anchor points will automatically join together until you join the last anchor point with the original anchor point, thus completing the shape/path. You must join back to the first anchor point to properly complete the shape.
Once you complete the path/shape it can be moved using the path selection tool or edited using the direct selection tool.
You can also use the freeform pen tool to create free hand lines as shown below.

The freeform pen tool allows the creations of shapes quickly but is less accurate

Anchor points can also be added to the shape/path, using the add anchor point tool (within the pen tool), or deleted from the shape/path using the delete anchor point tool (also within the pen tool).
Anchor points can also be converted from straight line points to curved points and vice versa. To do this, simply click on a point with the convert point tool.
Below are the available options under the pen tool options on top.

Pen Tool Modes

Add caption

Shape Layers – create solid coloured layers, this is the most common use of the pen tool.
Paths – create working paths for selection of an area or to create an invisible shape to hold a body of text.
Fill Pixels – create rasterized shapes that do not have shape editing capabilities once formed

So in summary, the pen tool can be used to create path selections, basic pre-set solid shapes and

stylish original vector shapes. Have fun testing out your skills with the pen tool in Photoshop, InDesign or Illustrator.

Photoshop Text Tips

SmartGirl adobe photoshop , design tips

You can do a lot with text in Photoshop through both simple and advanced techniques

Photoshop was and still is primarily a photo editing software and always will be but it does have a wide range of text editing tools and capabilities that often go untapped or unnoticed by us. The tips below will help you to make the most of text in Photoshop.

Box Over Point

Always create a text box rather than a text point. Click and drag when using the text tool to create a text box. This gives you more control and options when positioning and formatting the text.

Diagonal Text

You can have text going horizontally or vertically. If you want to put it diagonally, type it horizontally first then use Edit > Transform > Rotate.

Divide and Conquer

Give separate pieces of text, such as paragraphs, a text box of their own. This will maximise your editing opportunities if you want to make major revisions or changes later. This is especially true with posters, magazines or CD/DVD covers.

Quick Access

To return into a text box double click on the ‘T’ beside the text layer. This is the easiest, fastest and most fool proof method. You may think to just double click on the box in the canvas but you need to be using the text tool first to do this while with the other method you don't.

Colouring In

To change the colour of text you must enter into the text box, highlight it and then choose a colour from the text colour picker at the top of the screen, not the colour picker on your tool bar. You never use the paint bucket or paint brush as this will force rasterisation of the layer. A layer style > colour overall will also work but takes longer to add and to edit.

Don't Rasterize

Never rasterize text unless it is totally necessary, read any pop ups that appear and if it says you must rasterize the text cancel it unless you had intended it. The text will no longer be an actual text layer once rasterized so If you rasterize text you will lose all the text editing capabilities like changing the font style or using text warps.

Text Warp

When using text warp you should reduce the text box to snugly fit the text. This is because the text warp actually warps the text box and not the text directly, so a snugger text box gives you more control with the text warp.

Styles before Filters

Layer styles can be applied to text without rasterizing it but filters from the filter gallery cannot be applied to text without rasterizing it.

Customising Letters

To edit the shape of text by editing anchor points you first need to convert it to a shape. To do this, select the layer, go to layer> type> convert to shape. This will turn the text into a shape layer. You can then edit the individual anchor points using the direct selection tool.

Images as Text

You can use the horizontal or vertical type mask tool to “cut” text from an image. It works by selecting part of the image in the shape of the text you have typed. This can be a nice effect to have an image running through your text as opposed to a flat colour or gradient. This tool works like normal text but after you have typed the text you will then need to use the move tool to move the selection to the canvas or canvas area you want it on.

Character and Paragraph

The Character and Paragraph windows give you additional text editing options such as line height, letter spacing, text height, font weight, alignment and much more. Good text is very important in design, spend time working on it and experimenting with the different options that can be achieved.

Design a Movie Poster In Photoshop

SmartGirl adobe photoshop , blending images

completed movie poster

1. To create this horror movie poster we will be using a selection of copyright free images, as seen below. First open these files in Photoshop by going to File-> Open and navigating through your files and selecting the relevant images.

2. For the poster, we will be using an A3 canvas, to create an A3 canvas go to File-> New and in the options window choose International Paper as the Preset and A3 as the size.

3. Next open the house image in Photoshop, unlock the layer by double clicking the lock icon on it and selecting ok, and then use the quick selection tool (or other selection tools if using older versions of Photoshop) to select the background, press backspace or delete to remove it.

4. The use the move tool to drag and drop the house into the A3 canvas and resize and position it as shown below, using Edit-> Transform-> Scale.

5. Next open the sky image in Photoshop and drag it onto the canvas with the move tool. Put the sky on a layer beneath the house and resize and reposition it until you are happy or it resembles the image below.

6. Next open the road image in Photoshop and crop it down as shown below.

7. Next use the quick selection tool to select and delete all areas of the image apart from the road itself, as seen in the image below.

8. Now resize the image to fit into the canvas as shown below, to do this go to Edit-> Transform-> Scale. Ensure the road is on a layer below the house and above the sky layers.

9. Select the house layer and use the clone stamp tool to clone the existing grass into the empty space between the existing grass areas and the road. To use the clone stamp tool, Alt + Click to define a source point from which to copy then click over the area you want to 'brush' it into. Be aware the source point follows you around so you will have to repeatedly redefine new source point. Don't get too particular about it though as there will be multiple layers overlaid on top of the grass very soon, so just aim to achieve a basic coverage of the empty space.

10. Now open the man image into Photoshop and as with the other image, unlock the layer, remove the background using the quick selection tool, move it into the A3 canvas and move and resize it using Edit-> Transform-> Scale.

11. Now open the fire, paper, wood and eyes images in Photoshop. We will first drag and drop the fire and paper images onto the main canvas and stretch them to fit the full canvas. Next select each layer individually and select Layer-> Layer Styles-> Blending Options. In the pop up window choose the overlay blending option for the fire and drop the opacity below 50%. For the paper choose multiply.

11. The wood image requires editing before it is blended. First it will need to be removed from its background, cropped down, moved onto the canvas and stretched to fit half the canvas. Next go to Layer-> Duplicate Layer to create a copy, go to Edit-> Transform-> Flip Horizontally and then Flip Vertically. Now position the two wood layers so they fill the entire canvas as shown below.

12. To blend the wood into the image go to Layer-> Layer Styles-> Blending Options. In the pop up window choose the overlay blending option.

13. The final image to be blended in is the eyes. As before drag and drop it onto the canvas, resize it to a size you are happy with and blend it using the multiply blending option.

14. Now we will use the paper layer to create a rough, black border around the edge of the poster. Select the paper layer and use the magic wand tool to select the white area around the paper (you may need to use the ‘add to selection’ option to get all the area selected at once. While retaining the selection move from layer to layer hitting delete or backspace to remove the content within the selection until all layers, except the background later, are completed. Then deselect (Ctrl+D shortcut) and select the background layer and use the paint bucket tool to fill it in black.

15. The final part of the image is the text. The font I have chosen is called Calame and is available for free download HERE. The title I have chosen is Abandoned but you can choose any title you like. The image below shows the Layer styles used on the text. A basic drop shadow was added and then an inner shadow was added to increase the scratched looked of the text.

16. Next additional text was added to represent the actors in the movie and quotes from reviews of the movie. I have chosen to use the same font style as the heading (Calame) but again the choice is yours. As a final touch I duplicated the paper layer and placed it above the text as the very top layer, as shown below.

17. And that it, your poster should look like the one below...

The completed Movie Poster

If you enjoyed this check out our new video tutorial on how to create a Sci-fi movie poster.

Create a Cartoon Character

SmartGirl adobe photoshop , cartoon

The completed cartoon character will look something like this

1. To create this cartoon character we will be using vector graphics created by the shape tool, pen tool and associated Photoshop tools and techniques. First create a new A4 canvas in Photoshop by going to File-> New and choosing international paper and then A4. You could choose any other size but if you wish to follow this tutorial exactly then you need to choose an A4 canvas size.

2. The first part of the character we will create is the body, represented by a simple circle. Use the elliptical shape tool to click and drag out an ellipse and then hold on the shift key (while still clicking and dragging) to get a perfect circle. You can resize the circle once you have released the mouse using Edit-> Transform-> Scale. Try to create a circle approximately half the width, and one third the height of the overall canvas. To change the colour of the circle double click on the Finally, in the layers window, right click on the layer, select layer properties and name the layer 'body'.

3. Next, while still on your 'body' layer, go to Layer-> Layer Styles-> Blending Options. In the window which opens select inner shadow and stroke and set the options to those shown in the image below.

4. Next we will create the eyes of our little character. Again we will use the ellipse shape tool to create two ellipses for the eyes. Set the colour to white, add a stroke of between 10pt and 20pt and name each layer 'right eye' and 'left eye'. Now to reshape the eyes into the shapes shown below; First use the add anchor point tool (within the pen tool) to add two anchor points either side of the bottom anchor point on the left eye. Next use the direct selection tool to move that bottom anchor point upwards slightly. For the right eye add two anchor points either side of the top anchor point and two either side of the bottom anchor point and , once again, use the direct selection tool to move the anchor points to obtain the desired shape. Don't be too particular though as the eyes or eyebrows may cover any wobbly looking lines.

5. Now to add the eyeballs; once again start by using the elliptical shape tool to create two ellipses for the eyes, colour these layers blue and name them 'left eyeball' and 'right eyeball'. Next add an inner shadow to the eyeballs using the options shown in the image below. If the eyeball appears below the eye just drag and drop its layer above the eye layer in the layers window.

6. The pupils of the eyes will once again be started by using the elliptical shape tool to create the shapes. Next colour the shapes layers black and name them 'left pupil' and 'right pupil'. To complete the pupils add a bevel and emboss as shown in the image below.

7. We will now complete the eyes by rotating the eyeballs and pupils slightly and positioning and resizing them as necessary to match the image below. Don’t worry that the right eyeball is out of the eye as the eyebrow will cover this.

8. To create the eyebrows we will be using the pen tool. Click and drag to create the curved line anchor points used to create the shape of the eyebrow. Don't be too particular about the shape to start just be sure to join the last anchor point to the initial anchor point to complete the shape. You can then use the direct selection tool to move the anchor points around to achieve a better shape. Finally colour the eyebrows orange.

9. To complete the face of our character we will use the pen tool to create a quizzical smirk and for a little detail use the elliptical shape tool to create cheeks. Colour the cheeks either one tone darker or lighter than the yellow of the face and colour the mouth the same orange as the eyebrows.

10. The last parts of our little cartoon character are the arm and hand. To keep the quizzical look going we want to have the arm and hand scratching the chin (if he had one!) of our character. Similar to the eyebrows, we will use the pen tool to create the arm and hand in three separate shapes. First the arm. Use the pen tool to click and drag creating curved line anchor points and complete the shape by joining the final anchor point to the initial anchor point. Tip: The fewer anchor points you can use the smoother the curve on the arm will be, 6 anchor points would be enough if you can manage it!

11. Finally the hand is made up of 2 shapes, a simple warped ellipse for the wrist and then a detailed shape representing a hand with thumb and fore finger stretched out with the other fingers closed; only showing knuckles. Take your time to create these shapes and remember to complete the shape by joining the final anchor point to the initial anchor point. Don't be too particular about getting the shape perfect the first time around as you can always use the direct selection tool to move the anchor points around or even add or remove anchor points using the appropriate tools.

12. For added detail add an inner shadow to the hand and wrist shape using the options show in the image below.

The completed emoticon style cartoon character should now look something like this. Hope you enjoyed the tutorial, now how about trying to create different emoticon cartoons.

Creating Shadows for Text in Photoshop

SmartGirl adobe photoshop , graphic design

The Final Result

This is going to be a detailed tutorial on how to create shadows under text in Adobe Photoshop, this tutorial will guild you step by step in order to create shadows for your text for such work that might include doing some sort of title for a presentation to either do at home or for commercial use.

Step 1

Firstly begin by clicking on the text tool icon and to just simply type anything out and onto a layer in Adobe Photoshop to have something to work for the tutorial. Make sure to have a background layer already in place in order to even the text tool and you can change the font and the size of the text in the top tool bar in Adobe Photoshop. Also if you cannot see the text when you type then try changing your background color because if your background is white and your text is also white then you will not see the text without changing the text or the background to a darker color.

Creating a text layer

Step 2

The next thing to do would be to duplicate the same layer by right clicking on the original text and clicking on duplicate layer. The duplicate text will be behind the original text, so make sure to use the move tool in order to drag the text out. Nothing else should be selected but the text copy at this step.

Creating a text layer copy

Step 3

Then go to Edit/Transform/Flip Vertically in Adobe Photoshop to flip the text upside down. This would help create the mirror effect for the text. The move tool will help you to move the text into position under the original text.

Flipping the copy text vertical

Step 4

When the text copy layer is selected then right click, then go down to warp text and click on it for a window to appear, you will then want to click the drop down menu and what I personally selected would have been the Arc Upper, make sure that the "horizontal" is selected, Bend: +14, Horizontal Distortion: +4 and vertical distortion set to -19 then you can change the text to how you may want to have the text.

Warping the text copy in Adobe Photoshop

Step 5

After that to adjust the size of the text, then you will need to click on the text layer and then hold Ctrl+T this will activate the free transform tool to adjust the text to how you may like it. The free transform tool can only adjust the size and shape of the text that is selected.

Using the free transform tool to edit the original text

Step 6

Then the next thing would be to use the free transform tool to adjust the text copy layer in order to get it set up in the right position, which would involve making the image larger so that the text lines up directly under the original text. The text copy image has now begun to look more like the shadow of the original image.

Adjusting the text copy using the free transform tool

Step 7

To apply a gradient overlay by clicking the add layer style button to the text copy to give it a fading out effect to the copy text or have a blend of two different colors. Then set the blend mode to normal, opacity 100%, the style linear and the gradient a shared proportion of both black and white on the text. After that you will need to use the gradient tool to drag the mouse cursor across the screen in order to create the blend of the two colors on the text.

Adding a gradient overlay for the text

Step 8

The next would be to adjust the text copy layer opacity to somewhere around 40% and it should be complete. Feel free to go ahead and try this method for yourself. The opacity is located to the right of the window in Adobe Photoshop and the text will begin to fade the lower the opacity, 100% opacity being solid and 0% then the text will simply disappear, 40% opacity will be the lowest I will go for the shadow of the text, but feel free to experiment with the different opacity settings to get some unique shadows for the text.

Changing the opacity of the text copy to 40%

The Result: The text now has the effect of casting a shadow

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