Photoshop Elements SIG 5-20-09

Photo touch-up and retouching were shown in this month's Photoshop Elements SIG. The Clone Stamp, Pattern Stamp, Healing Brush and Spot Healing Brush were demonstrated. The use of the clone overlay can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/q9oag3 in a video I recorded.

To use the Pattern Stamp tool,

1. Use the rectangle marquee took to select an area that you want to use as a pattern.
   
2. Then go to the Edit menu and choose Define Pattern from Selection
3. Choose the Pattern Stamp Tool. In the tool box this is under the Clone Stamp Tool.
4. Select the pattern you created in Step 2 from the drop down window between Opacity and Aligned.
5. Create a new blank layer and Drag in this area over the area you want to replace with the pattern.
6. Use the Move tool to line up the cloned area. You can nudge the area 1 pixel at a time using the Arrow keys. Shift + an arrow will nudge the area 10 pixels at a time.

I also showed the use of two retouching tools that can be installed as Plugins in Elements.
Retoucher v3.5 makes saves a lot of time in retouching and photo restoration and is recomended if one does this a lot. It is $87.
Multibrush is a tool similiar to the Clone Stamp and Healing Brush but many find them much easier to use. It is $49.
They both can be downloaded for a free 10 day fully functionable trial.
The web site is http://akvis.com/en/products-photo-editing-software.php

Photoshop SIG - 5-11-09

We continued to look at image sharpening using techniques described in Martin Evening's book
Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers and Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers The Ultimate Workshop.

Techniques were shown on replacing backgrounds behind people and replacing bland skies. The replacing skies techniques video tutorial can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/qcc9od.

In the video I left out an important step. After you add the layer mask and before you open Refine Edge change the clouds layer to Multiply mode and then Refine Mask Edge.

Photoshop Elements SIG 4-15-09

The textures shown in the class maybe downloaded free from

http://kuschelirmel-stock.deviantart.com/gallery/

Proshow Gold/Producer 4.0 Video CD

The new revised training CD for Proshow Gold and Producer has been completed and is available from my web site, http://www.computerphoto.org/pages/videos.html#proshow.

Photoshop SIG 4-13-09

Sharpening images was the main topic of this month's month Photoshop SIG. Techniques show were from the following two books:
Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers by Martin Evening and
Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers The Ultimate Workshop by Jeff Schewe and Martin Evening.

The Sketch plugin filter show is from Akvis, http://akvis.com/en/sketch/index.php

Scattered Photo Collage Effect

The effect shown at the April SIG is from the current Photoshop User magazine. Click on the link to see a video of how to create a Scattered Photo Collage Effect in Photoshop CS4.

http://tinyurl.com/ddsffh

Curves in Photoshop CS4

In Previous versions you could drag the eyddropper around the image and it would show on the curve where to adjust.

This behavior still available in Photoshop CS4, it is just accessed a little differently now that the Adjustments panel is used in the place of the dialog box when working with adjustment layers.
Previously you could drag the mouse around the image to see a "bouncing ball" on the curve that would indicate the point on the curve that represented the tonal value under your mouse at any given time.

1. If you held the Ctrl/Command key when you did this, upon releasing the mouse an anchor point would be placed on the curve in the place represented by the tonal value under your mouse.
2. In Photoshop CS4 in order to access these capabilities you first need to turn on the "direct adjustment" control by clicking on the icon of the hand with the double-headed arrow next to it at the top-left corner of the Adjustments panel.
3. With this option turned on (the button is a toggle to turn the control on and off) you can simply move your mouse (without holding the mouse button down) to see the "bouncing ball" on the curve indicating the tonal value for the pixel under your mouse pointer.
4. If you want to add an anchor point, you can click the mouse in the desired location on the image (with no need to hold the Ctrl/Command key).
5. Even better, you can click on an area of the image you want to focus an adjustment on, and then simply click and drag up or down to lighten or darken the image with an emphasis on the tonal value below your mouse when you clicked.
6. Upon releasing the mouse button you can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard to fine-tune the position of that anchor point.