Although this is an advanced course, I think it's important to review key Photoshop features and functions first to be sure that we're all on the same page. In this lesson, I'll do that by taking a look at new features in Photoshop 6. Though this updated version looks and acts a lot like previous versions of the software, there are a number of new features (particularly for advanced users) that I want to describe before we plunge into the techniques that you'll be learning in this course.
Layers are the most essential tools in Photoshop, especially when creating collages, paintings, and other effects. Layer clipping paths are new to version 6.0. Before we can discuss them in full, I need to tell you about Fill layers . Also new to 6.0, a Fill layer is a layer that is filled with a solid color, pattern, or gradient.
This lesson will introduce you to the History palette, the Adobe way to provide multiple levels of undo options. With the History palette, you can step back through the changes you've made to a Photoshop file, undoing one or all of them until you reach the state you want. by default, the History palette supports 20 undos, or states . You return to the state you want by clicking it in the History palette. Your image is updated to reflect the state you've selected.
In this lesson, we're discussing Photoshop's improved vector handling capabilities, including a new Type tool that doesn't rely on the previous version's annoying and constricting Type dialog box. Those of you familiar with Adobe Illustrator's Type palettes will find yourself at home with Photoshop's improved features. Let's take a look at the Type tool's options.
You'll often hear the term drop shadow, but do you know what it means? A drop shadow is a shadow that appears beneath an object, like the shadow a book would cast if it were laying on a table. A cast shadow, on the other hand, is made when a shadow is thrown from an upright object.
On top of being a wonderful image-editing tool, Photoshop is renowned for its color management and production capabilities. That is what we will be discussing in this lesson. I will take you step-by-step through the different options available in your management of color and how to use color successfully.
In this lesson, we're going to talk about what makes a really advanced user: efficiency. Photoshop is chock-full of keyboard shortcuts, actions, and batch processing that can save time and effort. To be an advanced user, you have to use the processes available in Photoshop efficiently and know how to shortcut many different elements to allow you to produce more in less time and with less effort.
In this lesson, we will discuss Adobe ImageReady 3.0, which is bundled with Photoshop 6. It's Adobe's answer to getting images ready for the Web. ImageReady includes testing color configurations, assigning rollovers, and creating animations -- truly a useful program.
I bet you never thought printing could be such a complex task did you? But many people make their livings ensuring the print quality of newspapers, magazines, and other publications. It's an involved process, and I don't expect you to be an expert when this lesson is said and done. My goal is to alleviate some of the uneasiness surrounding the printing process.
