learn to create text and image effects with Photoshop software

I actually just stumbled upon this recently, and it proved to be quite useful. You can erase part of a whole layer set, by just selecting a layer set and pressing the layer mask button. And yes, you're allowed to say "Duh!" to yourself. :P

If you right-click on the eraser tool, you get a menu of different erasers. For photo manipulators, the magic eraser tool can be a lifesaver when removing a background from a photo. I didn't find this until a while after using Photoshop 7.

To open a document in Photoshop, you don't need to reach for the File > Open menu option or even press Control+O - you can just double-click on the grey Photoshop window background!

While in the layers palette, you may find yourself masking a picture and needing to overlay something to make, say, the skin look lighter. So you make a new layer with white set on Soft Light blending mode. And you think to yourself, "I wish there was an easier way to put this on just the layer below it." Or something along those lines. With the "Group with Previous" function, you can. It can be found in the layer drop-down menu, or by pressing Ctrl+G. What this does is link the two layers together, So the transparent pixels in the bottom layer are also specified in the top layer.

If you're working on a large image such as a photo, you can maximize the available editing area by pressing the F key to toggle between a full screen mode with and without menu bar, and normal editing mode. If you also use tip number 2 above, and the tool shortcut keys, you can do a lot of your work without a menu or palette in sight

You can get precise control over the position of your layers by using the arrow keys on the keyboard to nudge the layer around. Hold down the Control key (Windows) or the Command key (Mac) and use the up, down, left and right arrows to move the layer 1 pixel at a time. To move the layer by 10 pixels at a time, hold down the Shift key as well.

Choosing Colours Quickly

Press I to bring up the Eyedropper Tool, then click on a colour in your image to make that colour the foreground colour. Press the ALT key and click to make the colour the background colour instead.

You can also press the D key to reset the foreground and background colours to the default (black and white), and the X key to swap the foreground and background colours.

3D Effect In Photoshop

by: Blur Loterina

You can use your Adobe Photoshop in creating 3D images. Since 2Ds are obsolete and 3Ds are in, you might want to start enhancing your skill in computer graphics.

You can start making a cube. Your aim is to create an image of cube that is viewed in such a way that the three sides, left, right and top, are shown. Then, learn how to put different effects on it, like shadow, to make it more realistic.

Adobe Photoshop is an ideal program for making two dimensional (2D) images. But it does not limit you to this type of image. You can also create your three dimensional image, or the so-called 3D image, by using the 3D Transform. This will allow you to create simple 3 dimensional shapes or wrap an image in a 3D shape.

To access 3D transform, go to Filter, select Render and choose 3-D Transform. The editing box will appear. This is where you can find the primitive tools. These tools are used to edit the three kinds of primitives, which includes sphere, cube and cylinder. Also, these tools will allow you to create basic images and editing tools, such as Select and Direct Select. The Select tool enables you to move objects, while the Direct Select tool lets you to make adjustments by dragging the anchor points.

If you want to preview your work, use viewing options like pan camera. There is also the trackball that is used to move the 3D render around from different angles.

For the 3D shapes, create first the new layer. Fill it with color. On the 3D shapes layer, create some drop shadows or darker shades of color fills. And because 3D transform only distorts the pixels, you might need these fills to see the effect.

If you want to create 3D effects on your text, use the different transform functions. You can use the shortcut key Alt + E/F and then hold down Ctrl as you drag any of the handles to any desired direction.

Before you add filters or layers effect, you might want to rasterize your text layer. To do this, right click on the layer in the layers palette. Then, choose Rasterize Layer. You will notice that your text will be converted into a normal layer so that you can freely edit it. Create a backup copy because you cannot edit the text after rasterization.