Photoshop CS & CS2 Features

Photoshop CS

Top Features for Photographers:

• Professional toolset: create original images or modify photos using a full assortment of painting, drawing, and retouching tools.
• Color correction: improve the color, contrast, and dynamic range of any image with a comprehensive set of professional color-correction tools.
• Improved File Browser: quickly preview, tag, and sort images; search and edit metadata and keywords; and automatically share batches of files from the improved File Browser.
• Comprehensive 16-bit support: perform more precise editing and retouching with expanded support for 16-bit images in core features, including layers, brushes, text, shapes, and more.
• Healing Brush: effortlessly remove dust, scratches, blemishes, wrinkles, and other flaws with the Healing Brush.
• Integrated digital camera raw file support: get truer, higher-quality output by working with the complete raw data files from most major digital camera models.
• Match Color command: achieve a consistent look between package shots, fashion photos, and more by instantly matching the color scheme of one image to another.
• Histogram palette: monitor changes to your image in the Histogram palette, which dynamically updates as you make adjustments.
• Shadow/Highlight correction: quickly improve the contrast of over- or under-exposed areas of an image while preserving the overall balance of the photo.
• Crop and Straighten command: Scan multiple images at once and let Photoshop automatically straighten and save each image as an individual file.

Top Features for Web Designers:

• Enhanced ImageReady user interface: create and modify Web designs faster with multiple object selection, object grouping, and smart guides.
• Improved Photoshop integration: enjoy quicker, more seamless integration between Photoshop and ImageReady, plus automated file saving and common commands, tools, and shortcuts.
• Image slicing: slice complex, layered images and apply appropriate format and compression settings to each area before exporting as an HTML table.
• Variable data support: easily import database and spreadsheet information to automate the production of Web graphics.
• Macromedia Flash (SWF) file export: use ImageReady CS to create Macromedia Flash (SWF) animations, complete with vector artwork and variable text.
• Animated GIF creation: turn layered Photoshop or Illustrator files into compact GIF animations in a few short steps.
• Web Content palette: create and edit rollovers and other interactive Web elements more easily using the new Web Content palette.
• Layers-as-files export: optimize and export individual layers as separate files for use in Macromedia Flash (SWF) animations and dynamic HTML.
• Weighted optimization: smoothly vary compression settings using channels to display higher-quality results in critical image areas.
• Streamlined HTML output: create leaner, more easily edited HTML with new controls for nested tables, XHTML, and more.

Photoshop CS2
Smooth File Handling with Adobe Bridge
Simplify file handling with Adobe Bridge, the next-generation file browser. Students can process multiple camera raw images at once; resize, rate, and label thumbnails; quickly review images in Slideshow mode; search metadata; and more.

Vanishing Point
This revolutionary technology lets you produce amazing results in a faction of the time. You can confidently clone, brush, and paste elements that automatically match the perspective of any image area.

Image Warp
Students can easily create packaging mock-ups or other dimensional effects by wrapping an image around any shape or stretching, curling, and bending an image using the Image Warp tool. Faculty
and students will embrace this new feature, which lets them add dimensionality to their creations without using complex 3D software.

Advanced Noise Reduction
Give your work a professional look by polishing digital photos and removing JPEG artifacts with advanced noise reduction. Now you can produce images that look great for advertisements, brochures, posters, magazines, newspapers, Web sites, presentations, and much more.

Multiple Layer Control
Select and move, group, align, transform, and warp objects more intuitively by clicking and dragging directly on the canvas. Now it's easier for students to work with complex, layered images.

Photoshop Gradient Blending

I have had many people ask me how I blend my images so I thought I would make a simple tutorial on the method I use most often. This may not be the correct way but it is the technique I use in the majority of my wallpapers. This tutorial assumes you are already somewhat familiar with Photoshop. The version I use in this tutorial is V.7 but I think it will work pretty much the same for versions 5 and up. You may have to adjust some of the steps because one or more of the tools may not work as they do in Version 7.

For this tutorial we are going to use 3 simple images from Lord of the Rings that are the same size and are for demonstration purposes only. When the images are not the same size then more work is required to blend them properly. You can download the zip here.

1) Unzip the images and open two of them in Photoshop. The ones you want to open are the single Frodo image and the one with Frodo and Sam. Open a new canvas, 800 X 600 with a white background. Drag the two images onto the blank white canvas with Frodo the first layer above the background and Sam and Frodo the next layer. Make sure your layer palette is on your desktop as you will be using it. Select layer 1 which will be the Frodo image and drag it to the right til it just meets the right side of your canvas. Then select layer 2 and drag it to the left til it just meets the edge. Your image should look something like this:

2) Now go up to your layer palette and turn off layer 2 by clicking on the eye and select layer 1. Next click on the "Add layer mask" at the bottom of your layer palette. See diagram below:

3) Select your gradient tool and make sure your background color is black and your foreground color is white. Make sure that the "Linear" gradient is selected.

4) Now place the little crosshair on the very right edge of your image and drag it to the left til you are about 1/4 inch from the left edge, then let go. The point is to make the edge fade out gradually with no line showing. Your image should look like below

5) Now go back to your layer palette and select layer 2. This should turn the layer back on. Once again, with layer 2 selected, click on the "Add layer mask" icon at the bottom. You don't need to turn off layer 1.

6) You are going to repeat the steps you did in step 4 only you will start on the left side and drag it to the right. It should look like the image on the right below when you are done.

7) Now at this point you could leave it as it is and still have a nice blend but lets say you want to do something about the white faded area down the middle. There are several ways to get rid of this. The easiest way would be to select your white background layer and flood fill it with a color of your choosing. You would get something like this: (I chose a blue color in this example) Or you could even choose another image, maybe some kind of scenery shot and place that below the two blended layers. There are many possibilities. Another option is to add a third layer on top and blend that one also, which is what I've done below. However, this time we are going to center the image and fade the outer edges. With layer 2 selected open up that third image that was in the zip which is the image of Pip and Merry. Drag it to your layered image, making sure it is the top most layer. Center the image.

8) As you did with the first two layers you are going to click on the "Add layer mask" icon at the bottom.

9) Now with your gradient tool active, you are going to select the Reflected Gradient.

10) When you click and drag the crosshair start in the middle of your image and drag to either the right or left edge.

11) With that blended in, we see that it kinda covers up the images below it so we are going to play with the opacity a bit.

12) And there you have it! Your finished image should look like below. However, this can just be a start. You can add as many layers as you wish, just remember to start on the side you want the darkest and end on the side you want faded out. If you want more of it faded then don't drag it as far. Just play around with it until you get the look you want. If you don't like the way it looks then undo it and try again. From there you can add whatever effects you want like brushes or erasing the edges of your canvas. It is only limited by your imagination. If you have any questions about this tutorial then please feel free to e-mail me.

Photoshop Tutorial - Match color, lighting effect

1

Open the image that you want to work with and also open any image of a sunset.

2

Choose Image>Adjustments>Match Color

The Match Color dialog box will open.  We will only need to use 2 settings for the task at hand.

Under Source, click the drop down menu and select the image of the sunset. There will be a thumbnail for you to check that you have selected the correct image.

Turn on the preview option if it isn’t already. The working image will now take on the color attributes of the sunset image. Most probably the effect will be a bit too much.

Adjust the Fade slider until you are happy with the result. Move it to the left for more of the inherited color and to the right for the original color.

3

When you are satisfied, click the OK button to apply the changes. There are many things that can be done with this new Filter in Photoshop CS including using the match color to remove a color cast in a single click.

 

For more cool techniques like this on an easy to follow video format check out Photoshop Secrets For Digital Photographers photoshopCD.com

Discuss this and other tutorials at our forum

Photoshop Tutorial - Painting Effect

1

Begin with a Photo.

If you like, you can right click on this image and use it. Bear in mind that the effect will appear different on images of different sizes. A larger image will produce finer lines.

The shadows are plugged up in this image so we will fix that right away.

2

If you have Photoshop CS or Photoshop Elements 3 Choose image>Adjustments>Shadow Highlight 
Move the amount slider as high as it will go. The image may look a little too bright in places but that doesn't matter.

If you are using Photoshop 7 or less, choose the curves or levels setting to brighten the image. 

3

Choose Filter>Stylize>Find Edges

All the edges will now become outlined. The color has gone a bit funky though. We'll fix that and finish the effect in the nex step.

4

Choose Edit>Fade Find Edges (This option will only be avaliable at this point, if you do anything else between Find Edges andd Fade, you won't be able to do this)

Change the blending mode to Luminosity. This will restore the colors (Don't close the dialog yet)

5

Here we have the image so far, with the original colors restored.

We will now blend this image with the original to get the result.

6

Reduce the Opacity slider until you are happy with the result. I used 33 for this image.

Click ok to apply

There you have it, in 3 easy steps we have created a classic.

Have fun with this and don't forget to check out all the cool tricks on myPhotoshop Secrets For Digital PhotographersVideo!

Photoshop Tutorial - Blending images with Gradients

1

First thing you will need is 2 images. Make sure they are both in the same resolution (72 dpi for the web) and color-space (RGB in this case). Open both these documents in Photoshop.

2

We will want to combine both images into 1 document.

Now select the move tool "V" key.

Drag one image into the other window and a new layer will be created automatically with the new layer on top.

Tip: To center the new image in the window hold down the Shift key while dragging.

3

The Layer Mask

Click on the add layer mask button

This will create a new layer mask. A layer mask is transparent. When you paint black into the mask it allows the image underneath to show through. Where it is white, the underlying layer will be hidden.

4

Press the "G" key to select the gradient tool. Make sure the fore and backgrounds are set to black and white. "D" key.

Select linear gradient and foreground to background.

Now drag the gradient diagonally across the image.

5

You can see the gradient in the layer thumbnail and the result on the image. Where it is white, the top image shows and where it is darker the back shows through. Experiment with differant angles.

Tip: You may also use any of the brush tools on the mask. Black will "paint away" the image and white will "paint it back". Use a soft brush for best results.

6

For an interesting variation change the layer blending mode to multiply. This makes the top image appear as if it is a reflection in the glass on the clock.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and let me know if you want more on collaging techniques. This is one of my specialties.

Discuss techniques in our forum

Photoshop Tutorial - Creating Reflections

1

Start with a gradient. Tip: To constrain the gradient to 90 degrees hold down the shift key.

2

Add your text or image 

3

Make a copy of the text by dragging to the new layer icon 

4

On the copy go into free transform by pressing Ctr/Cmd+T. Mac: Option+Click>Flip Vertical. PC: Left click >Flip Vertical.

Drag the reflected copy below the original

5

Free Transform again and stretch image by dragging down on the bottom middle handle. 

6

Add a layer mask to the reflected copy and fill with a black to white gradient 

7

Should look like this 

8

Filter>Blur>Motion Blur. Angle -90 

9

Make a selection around the bottom part of the background layer. Image>Adjust>Levels or Ctrl/Cmd+L Adjust the sliders to lighten the surface

10

Free Transform again - Perspective

11

Select the background. Open Hue Saturation box. Colorize to add some color to the background.

12

Merge the reflection layer with the background by clicking on the box between the eye and the thumbnail, a link should now appear in the box. Click on layers>merged linked.

13

Make a selection around the bottom part of the image by using the rectangular selection tool

14

Filter>Distort>Ocean Ripple. Adjust settings to suit