Photoshop Tips & Tutorials

[ACPigeon]

Wait, what exactly do you mean by selected?

[Cerebellum'd]

Two questions:


What is the purpose of the "Liquify" tool?

How do I make a photo seem as if it was drawn or painted?

[Floyd Pinkerton]

Two questions:


What is the purpose of the "Liquify" tool?The liquify tool can be used for a few different things. You can make things expand/detract cause come turbulence. ETC. Play around with it for a bit.

How do I make a photo seem as if it was drawn or painted?With practice, and using the right tools.

[ACPigeon]

Yep, HHF128's right about the liquify thing. Basically, it makes your picture look like the reflection in the funhouse mirror.



As for your other question, the easiest way is to use the sketch filters. First, hit "D" on your keyboard to reset to the default colors. Then go to Filters - Sketch, and chose any of those tools. Most of them do a pretty good job of making your picture look like a drawing.


But say you don't wanna do it the easy way. There's another technique that looks pretty good. First, duplicate the layer that the picture is on. Second, go to Filters - Stylize - Find Edges. Now, on the newly created layer, set the blending mode to "Overlay". And viola, instant painting effect. If you don't know how to duplicate the layer, or set the blending mode or do some other step in this process, just give me a holler, and I'll help y'out some more.

[Hammer_Of_God1]

I use Paint Shop Pro, so it may be a bit different than photoshop, so if this makes no sense ignore my ramblings.

Do you have any suggestions of what to use for text besides vector? That stuff annoys me because you have to merge it to the image so you can't edit it without cropping and replacing it.

[PokéHomsar]

Wait, what exactly do you mean by selected?

If you use the regular paint brush, the color that would show up when you used it.

[ACPigeon]

I use Paint Shop Pro, so it may be a bit different than photoshop, so if this makes no sense ignore my ramblings.

Do you have any suggestions of what to use for text besides vector? That stuff annoys me because you have to merge it to the image so you can't edit it without cropping and replacing it.

The only other methods I know of are copy+paste letters from another picture or just draw your own. I'm not really sure what you're talking about with this "merging" business, but vector text is where you just choose the fonts, right?

If you use the regular paint brush, the color that would show up when you used it.

Hmm... odd. It's always the same for me, no matter what the color is.

[Hammer_Of_God1]

The only other methods I know of are copy+paste letters from another picture or just draw your own. I'm not really sure what you're talking about with this "merging" business, but vector text is where you just choose the fonts, right?

I guess it's just a Paint Shop Pro thing then...  Thanks anyway.

[Homestar Golfer]

I guess it's just a Paint Shop Pro thing then...  Thanks anyway.

Yes it is. Us cheapskates have to deal with alot of that sort of thing.

Regardless, if you just put your text onto it's own layer, and use the "Select all" command when working on that layer, you can still move the text around, distort it and stuff. But you can't edit the actual text after you've merged it to the canvas. I hope that helps.

[Regis]

Is there any line drawing tool? I need straight lines and can't do the freehand thing. Any suggestions?

[ACPigeon]

Sure. All you have to do is click the spot where you want your line to start, hold down shift, and click where you want it to end (While you're still holding down shift).

[EYE-Pod]

I'm wondering, how do you use the crop tool?  What is it used for?  Or is there some tool thats like this except a bit different?  The big point: I'm trying to find out how to crop with just using a square.

[ACPigeon]

Eh, I don't use the crop tool. I just make a selection, then go to Image - Crop. But that method and the crop tool do basically the same thing: they cut away everything outside your selection. Very useful when it comes to making avatars, by the way. If you want it to be a square, you could either

A) Hold "Shift" while making your selection (with the crop tool)

or

B) Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool (The dotted rectangle at the top of the toolbox). At the top of the screen, where it says "style", choose "Constrained Aspect Ratio". Make Width = 1 and Height = 1. That way, you'll make a square selection each time. Now select the portion of the picture that you want to be cropped. Then go to Image - Crop, and there you have it.

[EYE-Pod]

How do you take a single picture and insert it in with a transparent backround?

[ACPigeon]

I'm not sure what you're asking. Insert it in what?