Create your own photoshop brushes

To learn how to create your own photoshop brushes click here

Getting to know photoshop

What is Photoshop?

Photoshop is the leading digital image editing application for the Internet, print, and other new media disciplines. It is embraced by millions of graphic artists, print designers, visual communicators, and regular people like you. It's likely that nearly every picture you've seen (such as posters, book covers, magazine pictures, and brochures) has either been created or edited by Photoshop. The powerful tools used to enhance and edit these pictures are also capable for use in the digital world including the infinite possibilities of the Internet. (source)

Let's get started!

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Photoshop Bootcamp

Open Adobe Photoshop (on most computers it is Start > Adobe > Photoshop)

1. CREATE A NEW FILE:

• Size: make sure you have your document in INCHES not pixels
• set your size to 5 x 7 inches (vertical format), or 7 x 5 inches (horizontal format)
  
• Resolution: 150
  
• Mode: RGB

2. GET TO KNOW YOUR TOOLBAR: experiment with the buttons to explore your options!

• University of Texas Photoshop Tutorial PDF
  
• Scribd tutorial (nice online book with examples)

3. IMPORT IMAGES: Search for images to copy and paste into document

1. Locate an image (Google image search works well but try other sites as well)
2. To Copy: Right click the image and select COPY OR click the image and select CONTROL + C (shortcut)
3. To Paste: Click the layer you want the image pasted onto, select FILE> PASTE OR select CONTROL + V (shortcut) 

4. ADD LAYERS: Add new layers by clicking the button (on layers palette) 

Video: What are layers?

5. SELECTION TOOLS: First, look at the area you want to select. Use the selection tool appropriate to your selection area by answering the questions below…

• A -- Is the area all of the same color? (or does it have large pieces which are the same color) If so use the magic wand tool
  
• B -- Could the area be cut out in a geometric shape? If so use the shape selection tool
  

If neither A or B apply you’ll probably want to use the quick mask tool or the magnetic lasso.

Video: Selection tool tutorial

7. FILTERS – filters are these wonderful special effects that you can apply to your photos.

• In order to do so you need to first make sure you have an area selected (see steps 6 &;7)
  
• Select FILTER from the menu on the top of the page

8. CHANGING SIZE/TRANSFORMING IMAGES (FILE >TRANSFORM)

• To make them bigger or smaller (TRANSFORM > SCALE or CONTROL + T)
  
• To Rotate images press control T and move cursor beyond the bounds of the image until the cursor turns into rotating arrows, then spin your image as you see fit
  
• To Flip (TRANFORM > FLIP [then choose horizontal or vertical])

9. ADDING TEXT: use the text tool bar, select your font/size, type in text box. More about this in the video here

10. FLATTENING IMAGES: Flattening your image takes all of the layers and compresses them into one (decreasing file size) – DO THIS ONLY IF YOU DON’T NEED TO MANIPULATE IMAGES FURTHER

• Select LAYER > FLATTEN IMAGE