For each ring you make, create a new layer, this will help with adding effects individually later on. To get the best neon effect, set your foreground colour to white, and then select the pen tool, set the pen tool to paths at the top left hand side of the screen. Then create curves around your image. You can go as tight as you want, but here is my path that I have created.      

Once you are happy with the path you created, you need to select the brush tool then hit F5, this will bring up a selection of brushes. Select soft round, the pixel size will differ depending on the image you are using but in this instance I have used 21 pixels, remember that the pixel size you select will be the thickest part. Once your pixel size is selected, click onto shape dynamics and select control under size jitter as pen pressure. Go back to the pen tool and right click, select stroke path and a pop up box should be brought up. Select Brush and tick simulate pressure. Press enter and the brush pattern should appear, press enter again to get rid of the pen path. Here is what my image looks like:

Now our Rings have been added, but we want them to wrap around our image so they appear to wrap around. Create a clipping mask on the layer of the ring and then select the erase tool, use a soft edged brush, then slowly take away part of the spiral to create the effect of it wrapping around the model. Your image should look something like this after.

In this case the, white looks really good with this image, however I will show you how to change the neon glow. Double click on the layer and select outer glow, this is where you can choose the colour of your neon glow. For the brightest colours, drag the colour picker to the top right and select the colour via the slider on the right hand side. Once you have chosen your colour, change the opacity to 100% then the contour to half round. Once all of these settings have been chosen you should be left with something like this:

Conclusion

Neon Rings can be tough sometimes, but attention to detail and a steady hand will create the perfect neon glow to any image. Remember that a dark background is almost essential to create a glowing effect and that if you want the neon colour to really stand out, set the brush to white. This effect can really draw focus to your image, creating a futuristic and professional look to your work.

This article was written by Lewis Austin who is the social media marketer for SEO Positive and also Web Design Positive, for more information about them, follow their Twitter profile.

Hi, and thanks for dropping by to check out this short tutorial on Photoshop Action Scripts. I’ve been using this for a while, and I thought there might be some of you interested in this sort of things.

If you don’t know what Action Scripts are, then let me tell you: they are a series of actions that you would normally do manually, but they’ve been recorded by someone else, in order to ease your work. So for example if you want to change the brightness, the levels, and the contrast of an image, you’ll have to click your mouse a couple of times, whereas with action scripts you will have to push your mouse button once, and you would have the result you’ve wanted.

It might sound unreal, but believe me, this is one feature of Photoshop you don’t want to ignore.

Action scripts, can do so much more than just change a couple of things to your image, they can create 3D like images in mere seconds, and all you have to do is create the flat design, and the script will do everything else.

Here are a couple of images created with action scripts:

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Get your 70+ set of action scripts today, and start your own small design business in seconds.

1) First, you need a simple image, obviously. You can create a reflection for any layers you might have, even if you’re working with smart objects. The steps are the same.

2) You need to create a copy of the layer that you want to reflect. To do that, hold Alt (Option key on MAC) on the keyboard and click and drag the original layer.

3) Now for the reflection, we need to flip the copy of the layer vertically to achieve the desired effect. You fill find the Flip Vertical option in the upper menu in the Edit section, then in the Transform menu it will appear like this:

4) With this new layer selected, you need to create a Layer Mask. Press the small icon under the layer list on the right hand side menu.

5) Having the layer mask of the reflected image selected, we will apply a gradient over it, in order to make it fade. Also you can add a transparency to this layer to get a more real reflection. Select the Gradient tool, and just hold Shift while dragging the mouse over the layer, until it looks like you want it to.

For a (hopefully) more detailed version of this tutorial, you can watch this video:

If you need help with Photoshop, or think there is something we can help you with, just leave a comment and say so. We don’t bite.

What This Training is About

If you’re a fan on our Facebook Page, you probably know that we just launched a new training for architects and designers on Photoshop Basics. We’re covering the most usual tools you will use in Photoshop, and we even have a case study where I’m showing you how to change the color of a house and how to add a different texture to a driveway. There is a ebook that you can download. It contains  the most usual commands, description of tools and the case study. We have video tutorials to guide you visually, and a lot of free resources for your personal libraries.

Why Photoshop ‘Basic’

It’s not that hard to work with Photoshop, and nowadays almost every respectable architect, or designer will tell you that working with this software is a skill you need to learn in order to be successful and to have good looking presentations.

The software may be intimidating, and it can give you a headache if you try to learn it by yourself. I know that, because I’ve been there a few years ago, and it’s pretty discouraging. What you need to know, is that it can be learned and that it will tremendously ease your life and surely your work.

So take a few minutes of your day, and signup for our FREE training.

You need to learn PHOTOSHOP today! Don’t get left behind.

Many graphic designers swear by Photoshop and consider it to be the pinnacle of perfection in image manipulation programs. The CS5 edition only enhances this reputation with a host of new features that are remarkably useful. Since the standard and extended editions have many features in common and the extended edition can cost a couple of hundred dollars more, many people may assume the standard edition is perfect for them. Is the extended edition worth the extra cost? That depends solely on what you want to accomplish with your designs.

Comparison

Both editions of Photoshop CS5 have fantastic new features including a host of new tools to create realistic painting effects. These improvements allow for on-canvas color blending at any level of wetness and realistic brush strokes to take your painting enhancements to new levels. Other great new features include enhanced HDR image creation, intelligent edge selection tools, mobile integration, and enhanced raw image processing that make it easier than ever to achieve your desired results. In addition to these upgrades, the new Photoshop also allows for puppet warp, which enables you to manipulate the position of any element in an image. Perhaps the most impressive, and likely most useful, of the new features is the content-aware fill. This powerful tool allows you to remove any portion of an image and fill in the space with lighting, tone, and noise matching so flawless that it looks like the missing image never existed.

Cross-platforms

Other less visible enhancements allow you to work with Photoshop more easily than ever. Cross-platform 64-bit support utilizes current hardware to the fullest advantage and Configurator 2.0 gives you the freedom to set up your toolbars any way you need them. Other simple but useful improvements include the ability to create a new layer simply by dragging and dropping an element, the ability to delete all empty layers with scripts, an option to set your ‘save as’ default to the last folder in which you saved an image, and the ability to move an object even when the active layer is hidden, and an overlay grid for cropping that allows you to trim more evenly without guessing. These improvements are just a sampling of the many new surprises available in this release of Photoshop.

New Tools

As impressive and useful as these features are, the extended edition delivers even more of a punch with its suite of 3D tools. With these tools, you can paint realistically on 3D objects and add 3D elements to your designs or create composites. You can also use an image-based light source to add natural-looking lighting to your objects and it even allows you to animate your objects or light source for extra effect. Repoussé lets you transform your 2D objects into 3D using the extrusion qualities of your choice. You can then pause and restart your renderings for added control. Finally, the shadow catcher feature allows you to effortlessly create realistic shadows for your objects.

So what’s best?

So which edition of Photoshop CS5 is right for you? Both will take your image manipulation and creation to previously unbelievable levels. Both will also make using the program more hassle-free than past editions. But, if you really want to make your web designs eye-popping, the 3D imaging tools in CS5 extended edition make this version well worth the added cost.

This guest post has been written by Dhruv Kapoor from Offshore Ally- a company of competent virtual assistants and link builders. He is passionate about designing and technology.

Chances are you know some of them, but I bet you don’t know them all.

This article is written in PC Photoshop format. If you are using a MAC, the following apply Ctrl = Cmd and Alt =  Opt

So without further ado, here we go:

1. Screen mode

Pressing F on the keyboard will toggle between Standard Screen Mode, Full Screen Mode With Menu Bar, and Full Screen Mode. This is useful especially when working with larger files, and you need to have a ensemble view of the image.

2. Pan or Hand Tool

Holding Space and Left Mouse Button at once when in Full Screen Mode, or in any other Screen mode when zoomed, will allow to move the image in any direction wanted.

3. Zooming

You can fast zoom in or out if you hold Alt while using the scroll wheel of your mouse.

4. Zoom to 100%

If you double click on the Zoom tool it will zoom the document to 100%.

5. Scale Font Size

Select the text you need to scale up or down, and then with Shift+Alt+< or > will scale the text down, or up. Also you can capitalize all characters in the selection if you press Shift+Alt+K.

6. Moving layers up or down in the hierarchy

Select the layer you want to bring to front or you want to sent to back, and hold Ctrl + [ or ]

7. Hide all layers but one

Hold Ctrl + Alt and click on the visibility icon of the layer you want to be seen, and all other layers will be hidden.

8. Tool Panels

Press TAB to toggle tool panels in and out of the screen.

9. Precise Mouse Cursor

Caps Lock will display the precise cursor.

10. Increase or decrease brush / pencil / eraser size

Press [ or ] to scale the size down or up. By pressing Shift + [ or ] will increase / decrease brush / eraser  hardness.

11. Opacity

You can increase / decrease a layer opacity by pressing one of the number keys (ie. 1 = 10%, 2 = 20%…). When you have the brush tool / eraser selected, pressing the number keys will adjust the brush / eraser opacity.

12. Duplicate layer

There are a few ways you can do this, but my favorite is Alt + Click and drag. This operation will create a new layer from the active layer / layers.

You can also duplicate the active layer by Alt + any of the arrow keys.

Ctrl + J will duplicate the active layer in the exact position.

13. Change Workspace background

You can change the default Photoshop grey workspace background color by following these steps:
1. select your desired color
2. select the Paint Bucket tool
3. Hold down Shift + click on the working area (outside of the document area)

14. Switch between opened images

Ctrl+ TAB will help you easy navigate through different opened windows in Photoshop.

15. Proportional Scaling

You can scale any layer by pressing Ctrl + T in order to activate the transformation operation, and then to scale it proportionally press Shift + click on any of the corners of the layer to scale it up or down. If you want the scaling to happen from the center of the layer press Shift + Alt + click on any of the corners of the layer.

Of course you can also consult the Keyboard Shortcuts and Menu option of Photoshop, where you can define your own shortcuts. Get to that menu with Ctrl + Alt +Shift + K.

Hope you enjoyed this short post, and if we missed something, or you think we can add to our collection, don’t hesitate to leave a comment with your thoughts.

These days, most people are busy and it is all too easy to stop exploring a program such as Photoshop when we first learn the basics, as we mistakenly feel that further exploration cannot be justified on a time basis.

Understandable as this is, the reality of the situation is that there are a number of Photoshop tricks that many people have never seen and that can save the user a considerable amount of time.  These tricks can be applied to editing images for your website for example, and make it more appealing potential readers and/or customers. The following are tricks that should prove very useful:

1. Merging All Visible Layers

How often are you working on a file where multiple layers have been created in order to achieve a finished version? This is a common task with photo editing, but also for artists who are using Photoshop to draw/paint. The problem is the file can become needlessly large and somewhat messy with multiple layers. There is a quick way to solve this problem. Once you have finished editing the individual layers, create a new empty layer and then press: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E which will merge all visible layers (on a Mac replace Alt with the Command key).

2. Duplicating an Image

There are numerous situations when a user needs to duplicate an image. Perhaps as a reference or to compare changes, or even create piece of mind when embarking on editing. Of course, Photoshop comes with a way to do this (via the Image menu and then Duplicate). However, there is a really great way to do this quickly. Just right click the top of your window and click on duplicate. It’s a quick and simple trick, but you’ll be amazed how it speeds up workflow.

3. Web Images Looking Too Dark?

Sometimes when using the Save For Web command, the resulting image can appear a little darker than required. There is a little know trick to ensure that this does not happen: before using the command, go to the edit/color settings and check that “Web Graphics Default” as well as “SRGB” are both selected. This will prevent images being too dark.

4. Super Fast Layer Selection

The tried and tested way to select a layer is to go to the layer palette and click on the required layer. It works well enough, but can sometime take the user out of their concentration zone. A little known trick to help keep the user focused on the task is to hold down CTRL and then right click on the active document. This brings up list of layers that can be selected from to select a layer. For an even quicker trick, try using Alt and right click which bypasses the context menu.

5. Creating a layer below the current one

It’s probably fair to say that the majority of the time users create layers on top of a previous one, but there are occasions when creating a layer beneath a current one is required. In these situations use this trick and employ the following keyboard shortcut: cmd+new layer icon.

6. Working in the Corners

Sometimes the part of an image you want to work on is right in one of the four corners (or for that matter right against the side). It can be awkward, as the curser will change every time it moves beyond the image. Luckily, there is a trick to deal with this problem: simply go to View and Change Screen Mode (or use the Screen Mode button on the task bar) Or simply press F on the keyboard. You can use the hand tool to drag the image so you have loads of room to reach those formally hard to handle spots.

Photoshop is a tool that users should never stop exploring, however experienced they may be. After all no one’s too old, or too experienced, to learn a few new tricks.

Kevin Harris is a freelance writer for Adobe. Adobe software, such as image editing software, and services revolutionize how the world engages with ideas and information; anytime, anywhere, and through any medium. They also offer many other services like web application development.

This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to edit an image in Photoshop CS5 (earlier versions work just fine) so then your clients can see the improvements they want on their house, and so they can compare the proposed situation with the existing one, and decide on a solution.

1. First you want to open the image you want to edit. In this case was a one story house with vinyl sidings as our reader wanted to know how he can make the adjustments we talked about in the beginning.

2. After you’ve opened the image, you want to make it a Editable Layer. You can do this by double clicking on the Layer on the right called Background, and in the following window click OK.

3. Open the texture file you want to add as a texture to the driveway, and click on the Rectangle Selection Tool, then in the upper menu click on Select and then All.

You then want to define this selection as a patter. In order to do so, go to Edit and then Define Pattern.

4. Create a New file, and set it’s dimensions to match the ones of the original file, in our case the vinyl siding house.

5. Right Click on the Layer of the newly created file, and select Blending Options, and then click on Pattern in the Layer Options window. There you can select a pattern from the existing ones, and also there you will find the pattern you defined in step 3. You have the option to scale the pattern up or down. After adjusting the scale (if you need or want to adjust it) click OK.

6. You need to return to the original image of the house, and select the area of the image you want the driveway to appear on. In our case is the driveway to the garage.  For a clear and fast selection you can use the Quick Selection Tool from the toolbox on the left.

When you’re satisfied with your selection, go to the upper Menu, click on Layer and then on Layer via Cut. A new layer will be created from the selection you just made. You should hide that layer by clicking on the small eye on the left side of the Layer’s name.

7. You need to go back to the New file you created in step 4 and that you’ve added the pattern to in step 5 and Click and drag on it’s name so that you can see at the same time the patterned file and the original image of the house in the same screen. After that you will want to drag the layer of the patterned file into your original image. You can have a better understanding of the process from the following images.

8. Now that you have the textured driveway in the same file as our image, all you need to do is to give it a perspective look, so it can fit into the original image. But first you need to drag the pattern layer under the original image. The process is depicted below.

9. Before we go any further, you want to convert the patterned layer into a Smart Object in order to be able to have the perspective effect on it. You will right-Click on the Layer and then select Convert to Smart Object.

10. Now we need to transform this Layer so it goes into perspective and make it look as natural as possible. To do that, you need to click on Edit in the upper menu, and then Free Transform or Ctrl+T on the keyboard. Holding down Ctrl(PC) or Command(MAC) on the keyboard and dragging the corners of the layer you can obtain the perspective look you can see in the following image. Also you can reposition the layer wherever you please while in Free Transform mode (no need to hold down CTRL or Command for that).

11. When happy with the look of the driveway hit Enter on the keyboard and the changes will stay permanent. For a little more realism, I’ve added a Gradient in the Blending Options of this layer, in order to have a little variation in color and shadow.

This is how the original image now looks like:

12. Now for the facade part, you can use the Smart Selection Tool again, and after that create a new layer out of your selection via Copy. The steps for creating a new layer out of a selection were described above, so that process will not be depicted again.

This is how the selection can look on the original image:

13. In the Blending Options of the new Layer you can add a Color Overlay option and see the result of the changes on your image.

These are the options we used for this house facade.

The final image of the house with the new driveway and the new color on the facade are now done, and they look pretty realistically, so now you can edit any image with the processes described above.

In addition you can create a new Layer out of the facade selection by Cutting it, and then importing a new pattern and transforming that to have the desired perspective, but of course, that is something we can explain in a different tutorial.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and it was enough in depth for everybody to be able to follow along. If at any point you get lost or confused, don’t hesitate to leave a question.

As usual, your feedback is very much appreciated.

P.S. Good luck Ken.

One of the biggest requests we get of Photoshop is to make adding, removing, moving or repairing items faster and more seamless. From retouching to completely reimagining an image, here’s an early glimpse of what could happen in the future when you press the delete key. How might you use this new capability in your workflow?

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Scott Kelby, co-host of Photoshop User TV and the world’s #1 bestselling Photoshop author, is back to unlock the secrets of an amazing new collection of the latest eye-popping, jaw-dropping, Photoshop special effects—the same kind that made Scott’s previous editions of this book one of the top selling Photoshop books in history.

You’ll learn some of the most closely guarded Photoshop CS4 special effects—the same ones you see on TV, in magazines, and on the Web. Using Scott’s simple step-by-step method, with hundreds of full-color images, you’ll see exactly how it’s all done. The book is written so clearly, and it is so easy to follow, you’ll immediately be able to create all of these effects yourself. You’ll learn:

• The latest photographic special effects
• How to fake studio shots (you’ll be amazed at how it’s done)
• The latest cutting-edge type effects
• The most popular effects used by big movie studios
• The most-requested advertising effects
• Commercial effects that clients go crazy over!
• The most asked-for current Web effects
• Amazing 3D effects using Photoshop Extended
• Plus loads of effects that look hard, but are easy once you know the secrets

And not only that, but the whole book is packed with creative ideas, layouts, and design techniques that will help you unleash your own creativity. It’s all here, in the only Photoshop book of its kind. You’re gonna love it!

Buy: Photoshop CS4 Down & Dirty Tricks

Torrent: mininova