Fun ways to play with Photoshop - written by David Peters

There are some pretty cool things you can do with Photoshop that can changed your view of text for a while. One interesting one is having some normal text and adding a few shades to make it fun and more interesting. It is in two easy steps: 1. First, create an image about 300 x 100 pixels, and 72 pixels/inch. Select a foreground color of #CACACA, and fill the image, to make the background this color. When you've filled the background, then select your text tool, and add the text you want to add, make the color of the text close to #3F3F3F A darker grey. 2. OK, now we can add the shadow. It is as easy as adding a layer effect and can come in very useful for other things too. Go to Blending Options (Right-click on text layer).You will get a menu with structure, elements and quality. In the structure menu you would select 100% opacity, 0% noise, and the solid not gradient option. For the elements you would want the technique to be softer, the spread 2% and the size 8pixels. For quality you want 55% range and 0% jitter. You can always play around a little with these, if it does not suit. (The color used for the shadow is #8A8A8A) So once you have that, just click OK, and you should get your final result. It's as easy as that!

Let's get really creative, using different designs on pictures can make your photo look really cool. It is really easy to do. Follow these step by step instructions: 1. Open Photoshop. Open an image to apply patchwork grid effect. 2. Create a new layer in the layer palette and fill it with white color. Keep the layer selected. 3. Filter > Texture > Patchwork Square Size - 1 Relief - 0 4. Change the layer blending mode to Color Burn and Opacity to 70% These techniques can be used for whatever reason you want it to be for. These pictures can be used on websites or just in simple documents or just to look cool. Use your creativity in Photoshop and find different cool ways to make new fun pictures to look at.

When you are creating a blog or something and you want to have some fun with smoke or lights. This is the way to create smoke: 1. Step one, open a new image, it doesn't really matter what size but be sure to set your background color to black. (this effect generally looks its best on a black background.) Make a new layer and select the "Polygonal lasso tool" and create an abstract shape that looks similar to the example below.(It doesn't really matter what color you use here either, but just don't make it too dark, and feel free to experiment.) 2. Now we can start our highlights of our smoke. Select the "Dodge" tool and make the brush size around "50" and the "Range" to "highlights." Now use this tool around the edges and corners of your shape. Next, select the "Burn tool" and use it in the middle and wherever you see fit. 3. Here we can make it look like smoke now. Go to "filter"/"Distort"/"Wave." And make the settings as follows: - Generators "5"- Wavelength "10"/"120"- Amplitude "5"/"35"- Scale at "100%" for both. 4. Right after you have used the "wave" filter you can go to "Edit"/"Fade-Wave" and set the opacity to "50%." Now repeat this distortion and fade method many times, or until you think it looks best. 5. To make this effect look even better you may have to "distort", resize, and change the blending modes when fading a bit. Finally, to make it different colors instead of the same throughout. make a new layer and use the "brush" tool all over the place using different colors. Then set that layers "blending mode" to "Overlay." And there you have it, a simple yet effective smoke method!

Lots of people enjoy decorating their pages with fun little interfaces like chords and screens, they use things like gradiaents and shading that make it look difficult to do. In truth it is quite easy. To create a chord all you have to do is create a new document, make a 2 pixels line, black color. Then Filter > Disort > Shear. Play around with these settings until you see something you like. When you are done with that duplicate the layer and move it 1-2 pixels to the right to get this effect on the left. Now just give it a Drop Shadow Color = black: Layer effect = Multiply 66%: 120 Angle: Distance = 13: Spread = 0: Size = 10 And you done, it's that easy! You can do some pretty crazy things with chords, use them as string, extension chord in your graphics. Long gone are the days of hunting for good graphics online.

Adding effects to photos can be enjoyable. You can do fun things like changing the sky or making a photograph look old. Making a picture look old starts like this, choose a picture: then we change the size, creating a "zoom" in the face. Then we will apply here Filter > Noise > Dust and Scratches using: Radius: 4 pixels and Threshold: 0. This will help to dissimulate the image's pixilation. Next create a copy of this layer, we proceed to apply a blur: Filter > Blur > Gaussian blur ... Using 15 pixels. Ok, now click and add a mask to the layer. Using the radial gradient tool make a gradient in the mask like the image in the left. Now click in the icon in the layers palette, select Hue/Saturation and use this values: Hue: 38 Saturation: 22 Lightness: 0 be sure you check the "Colorize" option. Open a texture image from zombie-stock, copy (Ctrl+C) and paste it (Ctrl+V) into a new layer and set this one to multiply. After that click again and choose Brightness/Contrast, using: Brightness: -16 and Contrast: +15. Next you will want to use a duplicate from the first layer, change the colors using Curves and Selective Color (From the Image > Adjustment menu) and set the layer to Soft light. Add a pair of little blurry white circles in the eyes, in a new layer in Overlay mode. Now, save the image scratchtexture.jpg (in the left), open it, select all and hit Edit > Define Pattern. Fill a new layer with it, and set this one to Soft light. Add a border and that's finished! An old and beautiful picture.

Airbrushing techniques aren't limited to just shifting light, you can actually create an image that is a great ball of light and then set images in front behind, creating more layers. Set the brush as above and brush across the area required for general volume lighting similar to that shown below. Apply Filter > Blur > Radial Blur Zoom 100%. The result should be similar to below. Using the above eraser settings. Lightly brush over the lighting like the image below. Apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur radius 2.5. Using the above settings for the lasso tool while holding shift select from parts of the render as shown below. Now simply delete these unwanted areas from the volume light area.

Creating images out of airbrushing techniques, gradiants, image editing is a lot harder than it sounds. Guess whatI am going to give you a step by step way to create a popular image: Create a normal gradient fill Layer 2 Duplicate the gradient layer and apply Filter > Render > Difference Clouds 5 times. Set the layer to soft light. Layer 3 Duplicate the gradient [layer 1] and set to multiply. Layer 4 Usings the render Apply Filter > Distort > Twirl : -75 degrees. Set the layer to soft light opacity 65% Layer 5 Usings the original render apply Filter > Distort > Twirl: +75 degrees. Set the layer to soft light opacity 65%. Layer 6 With the render, Apply Filter > Distort > Radial Blur: Zoom 100%. Apply image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast: Brightness -100 , Contrast -100. Layer 7 Another render copy, Apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur: Radius 10. Apply image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast: Brightness -100, Contrast -100. Move the layer slightly to offset the shadow. Layer 8, 9 Create an area of simple airbrushing. Duplicate and offset. Layer 10, 11, 12 Create a smaller area at the center of simple airbrushing. Duplicate and reduce in size twice. Layer 13 With a black brush create a large area of airbrush in three lines at the center bottom of the image. Layer 14, 15 Create two sets of tenticles on either side of the center. Layer 16, 17 Create 2 areas of more detailed airbrushing at the start and sides of each of the tenticles. Layer 18, 19 Create 2 areas of exploding pixie dust. Set the layers to soft light Layer 20, 21 Create a basic layer with the render on again. To lighten the render duplicate this layer and set to screen, opacity 50%. Layer 22 Duplicate the render again. Apply image > Adjustments > Color Balance. Setting the highlights to yellow and mid to green. Set the layer to hard light, opacity 65%. Layer 23 Create areas of more detailed airbushing over the render, using the Crafted Light Tutorial to pick out key pertruding areas of the render. Layer 24 Duplicate the original gradient layer and carefully erase the central part, so that the image comes through from underneath but fades towards the edges. Layer 25 Create a Hue/Saturation layer: Colorize with saturation set at 0. Set the opacity to 55%. Layer 26 Create a color balance layer: Highlights: Yellow: -80, Magenta -10 Midtones: Blue +67, Green +40 Layer 27 Create a Color Balance Layer: Highlights: Yellow: -55, Midtones: Blue +60. Shadows: Cyan -40. Finally apply a gradient mask to the layer so that it applies only towards the top left of the image.