Photoshop help

G

geegee

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I have recently started a multimedia course using Photoshop to create designs and logos etc from SCRATCH! I am really struggling with this and want a book which will show me how to create shapes, text and effects from beginners to advanced level.

Can anyone recommend such a book?
 
photoshop

Try a book called Photoshop for Dummies. I think it could be quite expensive though.

There are a number of Photoshop tutorials available free online. Google for them.

What edition of Photoshop are you working on? Elements? 5? 6? 7? Make sure you get a book which covers the one you're using.

Good luck
 
Thanks for your reply, Ash. I am using Photoshop 7 and I looked at the book you recommended on Amazon but two out of three reviewers panned it. Are there any other good books? I know there is help online but it is better to have a ready reference guide off-screen.
 
other sources

If you trawl along the magazine shelves at the newsagent, you might find some with Photoshop tutorial articles. Sometimes they even have CD-ROMS or DVDs which might help you out.

Mastering Photoshop may take some time. Get to know just a few of the areas you want to work on first. Try not to be dazzled by all the stuff you'll probably never use. As ever, spend lots of time mucking about on the screen. Learn as you go. Try everything. With the "history" facility, you can always go back a number of stages if something doesn't work out.
 
Hi geegee,

My daughter uses Photoshop 7 regularly and has drafted the following which may be helpful:

"Adobe Photoshop 7 I must agree is quite a complicated program. As Ash said, it takes much practice and doodling to be able to perfect its tools and options to your own standard.

Try some areas such as Curry’s or PC World. Browse around in some of their tutorial guides and books, and you should see some guides on web and graphic design. Here’s a short list of tools in Photoshop that could be of use to you;

Pen tool – This tool is known for its vector designs, and is mostly used by many graphic designers. With the pen tool, you can create curved lines with the use of brushes. You can also create ovals, shapes, and other objects of all kinds.

The Marquee tool – This tool is used to make a selection of a certain shape. It’s also very useful for designs.

The Lasso tool – This also works like the marquee tool, but can be of use when selecting.

The Text tool – This tool helps you create text. It can be very useful, but also requires some practice. With knowledge of the text tool, you will be able to select options such as spacing, underlining, bolding, and more for you text. You can download many different types of fonts at a very useful website, known as www.dafont.com/en/

Layers! – Layers are very useful when working on designs. With layers, you can create a certain object on one layer, and do all the features that you wish with it, without affecting other layers. It can take a while and some practice to work out how to use Layers, but make sure you do as their essential and much easier when working on large projects. You can open the Layers window by clicking Window > Layers.

If you need any help or tips on these tools, enter Photoshop and head to Help > Photoshop Help. From there you can get some help guides straight from the program. No Internet access required!

I hope I’ve been of help. If you require any more help, feel free to ask. I can get some screenshots and more sources if you need"
 
Thanks for your reply Ash and please thank your daughter for her useful advice, sueellen and your nocturnal posting time!

I do have a specific project in mind and, if you don't mind, here it is! What I really want to do is recreate the image of green energy onEzCode Parsing Error:=[broken link removed]


I know it is advanced but why not learn to swim in the deep end?!
How would I go about thi
 
Hi Geegee,

The following is my daughter's closest work of art - taking into ac. she is only a teenager :)

Sueellen

"What you're asking for is a bit complicated, but it is best to venture around and try the deep end. ;)

To create this green energy effect, it requires a few different filters to be used. But that’s only to create the green and the light – to create the shapes and symbols in this image, you’ll need to create them yourself and then add them in on a new layer. (Such as draw them onto the canvas with a brush sized 4, or the pen tool.)

But here’s a walkthrough about how to create the background and lightening effect;

1.&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp First, create a new canvas of whatever size you wish. (I used Width 335, and Height 226)

2.&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Lay in a solid colour of green. I did so using the Paint Bucket Fill tool. (G on your keyboard) The colour of green that I used was 00A54E. Click on the colour Foreground/background tool and type in the code. You should then get the same green colour as I did.

3.&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Now we’ll start using filters. To get the green colour somewhat darker in the corners, you’ll need to use the filter Lightning Effects. You can reach this by Filter > Render > Lightning effects. This will take some experimenting with to get right. Use the circle on your left to adjust the effect, which should be showing you a preview of what the effects will look like.

4.&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Next we’ll need to create the shining effect. This took a while to make, because the only filter that works best for this, the Lens Flare, requires a few redoing before it looks like a decent shine. To get this effect, select Filter > Render > Lens Flare. I selected 50-300mm Zoom with this tool.

5.&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp You’ll notice that this effect will give you a small hint of light on your image, and isn’t strong enough to resemble the green energy image. So! You can redo the Lens Flare tool again and again with the exact options that you gave it by pressing Ctrl + F. Do this a few times to strengthen the effect. Unfortunately, the Lens Flare effect will always look similar to a lens flare, so getting the exact look as the green energy’s light is a little tricky and requires some experimenting!

And there we have it! Sorry if this walkthrough was a little tough – it won’t be so easy at first.

The image below is my result which is the closest I could get but I couldn’t create the symbols that you’re looking for. Like I said, you could just draw them onto a new layer or create them with the pen tool. I hope I’ve been of help"


[broken link removed]
 
Hi sueellen junior,

Thank you so much for the in-depth help. With regard to the shapes, how do I draw them uniformly and achieve the black surround effect? Are you entirely self-taught or did you do a course and/or read a book?

Regards,

gg
 
Hi geegee,

She's gone to bed and I will get her to reply tomorrow. She is self-taught and as far as I am aware did not read any book. She has a keen interest in art and IS MY BEST FRIEND :)
 
Hi geegee,

Got her out of the bed/home from school :) She has drafted the following:

"Hi Geegee,

Creating the small symbols and shapes would be the main problem of working on this graphic. An unfortunate downside to Photoshop, which almost all artists and designers will tell you, is that it can be quite hard to literally ‘draw’ an object onto your work in Photoshop.

Load up Photoshop and try doodling around a new, large canvas with the brush tool. As you will learn, Photoshop’s brush tool (when drawn with a mouse) can give very wonky and un-smooth lines. The only way to achieve a smooth and good line drawn with the brush tool is with the assistance of the Pen tool, or of a drawing Tablet.

Tablets are what many artists and designers use to draw required graphics onto the Photoshop canvas. They are very convenient and are a must for very serious artists and designers who work with digital media, but can be a little pricey.

I bought a Wacom (best tablet brand!) Graphire 3 for €80 over the Internet, which works very well and is compatible with many of the latest graphical software, mostly being Photoshop. But you can still find some cheap and somewhat decent tablets around different stores for good deals of €30-€60. Try stores such as Currys, PCWorld, or other areas, but I saw a good one in GAME located in LiffeyValley for €59.99.

If interested, you can find the official Wacom Europe website [broken link removed]. They offer ordering online and many tips on buying products/software.

But some of the most famous graphic artists of today don’t always use tablets! In Photoshop, there is a special tool known as the Pen Tool. The Pen tool is a vector tool, meaning it can create smooth, straight, and curved lines with some practice. Once you have created your required shape, you can stroke the Pen tool’s line with the brush. You’ll understand more once you try it out.

Also, once you’ve drawn the shapes, you can use a special feature to create the black outline around them with Layers. Before you even start drawing the images, make sure you create a new layer and then draw them onto that new layer. Then, after you have drawn the images, you can click Layer > Layer Style > Stroke. Then you can set the settings to what you wish, causing everything on that layer (your symbols and graphics) to be stroked.

As my darling mother said, I’ve been completely self-taught. I relied on online tutorials to help me get used to Photoshop’s features, and haven’t used any courses or books since I’ve started. ;) I’ve been using Photoshop for about a year.


You can find some guides and very useful Photoshop tutorials at

I hope I’ve been of help. :) "
 
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