Jay Arraich’s
Photoshop Tips
These tips are for beginners not Photoshop experts, but if you are a pro, you might find them entertaining.
There is a FAQ, as well as links to Adobe resources, and some basic information about this site to be found at General Information. It also tells you where your (Windows) Photoshop preferences files are located.
Please note, that, although many of these tutorials use black and white images, all were in RGB color mode.
Photoshop Elements users, there is a new section just for you at Jay Arraich’s Photoshop Elements Tips.
7 Basics
Take a tour of Photoshop version 7. Get a broad overview of the
tools, palettes, and menus and an introduction to the location of important
features. If you have never used Photoshop, it’s important to start
here.
Go to page one of ‘7 Basics.’
Brushes in 7
Find a detailed explanation of the all the features in the new brushes
palette in Photoshop 7.
Go to page one of ‘Brushes
in 7.’
Reference: 7 Tools
Find information on every tool in the Photoshop version 7
toolbox. Extensive screen shots, with descriptions of features, dialog
boxes, options, and shortcuts. Explanations of how each tool works, or
why it won’t work.
Go to Reference: 7 Tools.
Reference: 7 Palettes
Detailed information on all the features of each of Photoshop version
7 palettes. Screen shots of each of the palettes, buttons, dialog
boxes, and menus along with explanations of how to use them.
Go to Reference: 7 Palettes.
Reference: Filters
See multiple illustrations of seventy five of the Photoshop filters. If you aren’t familiar with all of the filters, here’s a way to browse through them. Find new ideas for effects you’d like to try on your own images.Go to Reference: Filters
Reference: Effects
Extensive information on all of the layer effects, and advanced blending options. Heavily illustrated with explanations of every setting in every dialog box.Go to Reference: Effects
Step Log
This is not a tutorial.If you would like to keep an accurate record of how you worked on an image, or created a particular special effect, here is a ‘step log’ for you to download and use. You can record each step used, every step undone, every tool, filter, and effect setting that you chose, as well as related ideas you may have for future experiments. Note that these forms are also very handy for making notes about the steps and tools used in tutorials that you find on the Internet.
Go to ‘Step Log.’
Using PS7 Brushes
Learn several basic techniques for using the new fancy brushes.
Go to page one of ‘Using
PS7 Brushes.’
Selections
Which selection tool is best for which shape? Here is basic instruction on how to use the marquee tools, the magic wand, the lassos, and the Color Range command.Created with Photoshop v. 6.0.
Go to page one of ‘Selections’
Channels
What are they, and why should you care? They’re simple, they’re fun, and they are powerful and useful tools for editing and creating images. Find detailed explanations.Go to page one of ‘Channels.’
Basic Layers
Layers are hard to explain, but easy to learn if you dive in and use
them. Here, I’ll walk you through the creation of a composite image,
using as many Layers palette features as I can squeeze into one lesson.
Go to page one of ‘Basic
Layers.’
Multilayer Masks
If you would like to apply one layer mask to multiple layers, here’s how. This is a very simple technique. The tutorial is in the Elements section, but it works the same in Photoshop.Go to ‘Multilayer Masks’
Basic Pen
This is a tough tool for beginners to master. Here are illustrations, explanations, and exercises to help you get started.Go to page one of ‘Basic Pen.’
How Much?
If you need to make tonal, or color corrections to your images, but can’t decide how much you need, here is a simple, effective technique to help you make the right editing decisions.Go to ‘How Much?’
Color Management
Aaargh!! You hate it. You don’t understand it. It makes your head hurt just thinking about it. Find help, here.Go to ‘Color Management’
Homemade Letterhead
Make a letterhead from pictures of your children or pets. You can print
this out on your inkjet printer, and customize it to suit the person you’re
sending it to. Also included is a silly text letterhead using the new
Styles features.
This was created with Photoshop v. 6.0.
Go to page one of ‘Homemade
Letterhead.’
Color Correction
If the colors in your images look perfect on screen, but all wrong when
you print them out, here’s a lo-tech, easy way to solve the problem.
This was created with Photoshop v. 6.0
Go to page one of ‘Color
Correction.’
Curves, Levels, or
Brightness/Contrast?
Which one of these methods is best for adjusting image contrast? I’ve
made a detailed comparison of the three.Made with Photoshop v. 6.0, but not at all specific to that version.
Go to page one of the comparison.
Combining Images
If you’d like to move a person, or object from one image into another, here’s how. It’s easy, and you won’t have fringes, or halos.Go to page one of ‘Combining Images.’
Combining Images II
In the first ‘Combining Images,’ I showed you how to move one image onto another, and blend them together. Now, I’ll show you how to put the moved image partially behind objects in its new location.Go to page one of ‘Combining Images II.’
Combining Images III
Learn how to put a woman in a glass bottle. Really. Placing a person behind or into a transparent object is easy as pie.Go to page one of ‘Combining Images III.’
Perfect Blend
Use Advanced Blending with Levels and layer blend modes to create beautiful, stylized interpretations of your color images.Go to page one of ‘Perfect Blend.’
Multicolor Fill
Create unique, beautiful, multicolor fill for text, buttons, and other shapes. It’s a simple, technique, and no two results are the same.Go to page one of ‘Multicolor Fill.’
Dodge and Burn
These are two very useful tools for image editing. They can be used either to increase or decrease local contrast, as well as for apparent sharpening of fine details.Go to page one of ‘Dodge and Burn.’
Duotones
Duotones, tritones, and quadtones are grayscale images with added dimension supplied by the additional of one, two or three colors. The effect is subtle, and beautiful.Go to page one of ‘Duotones.’
Styles on Masks
Did you know you could do this? When applied to masks, styles respond to luminosity instead of transparency. The results are very different from what you get when styles are applied to layers.Go to ‘Styles on Masks.’
Organic Textures
Learn how to make realistic real-world surface textures for 2D illustrations or for 3D UV texture mapping or decals.Go to page one of ‘Organic Textures.’
Abstract Background
Here’s a simple way to create original, abstract color images from scratch in Photoshop.Go to page one of ‘Abstract Background.’
Composite Filler
This is not a tutorial.If you are using Photoshop to make composite images, photomontages, or collages, here are forty four abstract black and white images that can be used for filler or background. These can serve to add an abstract, bizarre, surreal, menacing, or violent atmosphere.
Go to the thumbnails.
3D Wire Mesh Text
This is a really neat effect that is done by using a custom brush to stroke a path. I’m not sure what to do with it, but it’s tons of fun. Please take a look.Go to page one of ‘3D Wire Text.’
Quick Mask
Selecting is a very important part of using Photoshop. You need to find the easiest and best way to get it done. For irregular shapes in photographs the quick mask is ideal.This was created with Photoshop v. 5.5.
Go to page one of ‘Quick Mask’.
Adjusting Contrast
In this section, I take a photo that is too contrasty on one side and too flat on the other and try to correct it. I’m not sure I succeed. Look and see what you think. Lots of screen shots.This was created with Photoshop v. 5.5.
Go to page one of ‘Adjusting Contrast’.
Using Curves
What happens if you do unnatural things with the “Image-Adjust-Curves” command? In the following pages, two photos have been tortured and twisted using this feature, one of them mildly, the other quite extremely. This is a fun thing to experiment with if the picture is a near miss and you feel frustrated. Revenge.This was created with Photoshop v. 5.5.
Go to page one of ‘Using Curves’.
Scanning Negatives
Have you ever wondered if you could scan a negative on your regular flat bed scanner and make a usable positive image? Without a transparency attachment? Here is a demonstration of how you can. The photo used is slightly indecent, so be forewarned.This was created with Photoshop v. 5.5.
Go to page one of ‘Scanning Negatives.’
Rubberstamping
Everyone should know how to use the rubberstamp (aka the clone stamp). Two basic techniques are shown here for removing unwanted stuff from your pictures.This was created with Photoshop v. 5.5.
Go to page one of ‘Rubberstamping.’
More Adjustments
Why not try some of the other features offered in Image-Adjust? In this section, I have taken one photo and applied various unusual techniques to it. It’s easy, it’s fun and you can always undo it.This was created with Photoshop v. 5.5.
Go to page one of ‘More Adjustments.’
Sharpening
Basic use of the unsharp mask. I demonstrate the benefits of changing the threshold setting as well as experimenting with the radius setting.This was created with Photoshop v. 5.5.
Go to page one of ‘Sharpening’.
Filters
They’re cheesy and loud and tasteless, but sometimes they’re just the ticket. Keep an open mind and take a look.This was created with Photoshop v. 5.5.
[note: there is a new, better filtering tutorial in the Elements section called Artistic Filtering.]
Go to page one of ‘Filters’.
Color
How to colorize a black and white image, and how to change the colors in a color photo.This was created with Photoshop v. 5.5.
Go to page one of ‘Color’
Doodling
This is the very best way to learn Photoshop. Observe a master doodler at work.Created with Photoshop v. 6.0, but applies to all doodlers.
Go to page one of ‘Doodling.’
Photoshop Tutorial Links
Extensive list of tutorial sites. Includes sites featuring special effects, unusual textures, buttons, graphics and image manipulation techniques, as well as basic procedures.Go to tutorial links.
Photoshop Books
My short list of recommended books. Also included are books on related
topics such as scanning, and design. I’ll add to the list as I find
good, new books. (No, you won’t find Amazon affiliate links there…or
anywhere on my site.)
Go to Books list.
Advanced Elements
For those of you who are interested in making quality digital art and who are ready for more advanced tutorials, I have written an electronic book (.pdf on CD-ROM) accompanied by Quicktime screen capture videos. Though written for Elements 2 users, all Photoshop users will find solid, original editing techniques not found anywhere else, either on the Internet or in any Photoshop books.Go to ‘Advanced Elements.’
By special request, I have made a tutorial for adding a
wood frame with a beveled mat to an image. It is available only as a zipped
.pdf file, which can be downloaded by clicking the link below, and saving
to your hard drive. The JPG image used in the tutorial can be downloaded
also. After downloading, open it in Photoshop, and save it as a psd file.
Frames pdf
227 KB
Frosty Leaves JPG
37.1 KB
If you don’t know how to expand a zipped file or use Acrobat Reader, download the file, above, and then go here to find instructions.
Make a Frame
Learn how to make your own frames. This will teach you how to make much
fancier frames than the basic one included in the tutorial above. Includes
extensive information on the editing and use of custom gradients to make
elaborate contoured edges. This could be of interest to those of you making
objects for a Web site interface.
Go to page one of ‘Make
a Frame.’
If you would rather download a zipped pdf file of this tutorial, please
click on the link below and save it to your hard drive.
Make a Frame pdf
235 KB
Photoshop Elements Tips
Advanced Elements
The Belief Game
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