Photoshop Tutorials

To Save as Photoshop File & JPG

  1. Always save your photo as a Photoshop file in case you want to go back and make changes.
  2. To save as a jpg, do a save as and under "format" select jpeg.

Black & White Photo -

  1. Open a picture of your choice and change it to a black & white photo.
  2. Open picture and double click on the background layer to make and new layer. This allows you to work on a copy of the photo. Your original will be unaffected. Click OK to use the name suggested.
  3. Use the Lasso or Quick Selection Tool and select photo OR click on Select >> Select All
  4. Click Image >> Adjustments >> Black & White. Then adjust the intensity to make the photo look great.
  5. Save as a .jpg in your Photoshop folder. 

Selection of Black & White -

  1. Open the picture file named Zinnia in in ClearyWork >> ClearyData.
  2. Double click on the background layer to make and new layer.
  3. Use the Lasso or Quick Selection Tool and select just the flower, zinnia.
  4. Select the inverse - Select >> Inverse
  5. Click Image >> Adjustments >> Black & White. Then adjust the intensity to make the photo look great.
  6. Save as a .jpg in your Photoshop folder. 

Cropping and Enhancements

Step One: Crop the photo

  1. Open the picture file named Beagle in in ClearyWork >> ClearyData.
  2. Double click on the background layer to make and new layer.
  3. Click on the Crop tool.
  4. Draw a box around the beagle. This will remove the extra background images.
  5. Press enter or double click in the center.

Step Two: Enhance the photo

  1. Because this photo is dark, click on the Image menu >> Adjustments >> Brightness/Contrast.
  2. Increase the brightness and contrast to improve the picture (up to +20 each).
  3. Click OK.
  4. Notice the changes in the picture above.
  5. Go to Image >> Auto Color and see the results.
  6. Save file as a jpeg.

Blur

  1. Open the picture file Daisy in ClearyWork >> ClearyData.
  2. Double click on the background layer to make and new layer.
  3. Use the Lasso or Quick Selection Tool and select only the daisy.
  4. Go to Select >> Select Inverse.
  5. Next, click on Filter >> Blur >> Choose a Blur of your choice.
  6. Adjust the amount.
  7. Save file as jpeg.

CloningClone the Women - Put the women on the right also on the left.

golfers

  1. Open the picture file "golfers" in ClearyWork >> ClearyData
  2. Double click on the background layer to make and new layer.
  3. Click the Clone Stamp Tool. This tool will copy a designated area and then paste (stamp) that area wherever you click.
  4. Change the Brush Size to approximately 19 px. Check out all the different brushes.
  5. Press the Alt key and place the pointer in on the top of the women's head on the right.
  6. Click the mouse button. The area under the pointer is copied. Note that the pointer changes to a circle with a plus in the middle.
  7. Continue to move the pointer over the women on the right and click the mouse.
  8. Make sure the women on the right is cloned to be on the left as well.
  9. Note: the + indicates the area that will be cloned. If the + is in the wrong area, you could stamp the wrong color onto a spot. Remember to use the "ctrl Z" to undo.

 

Copy and Paste Combining two pictures - Add the Monkey to Todd's pic

  1. Go to www.pics4learning.com
  2. Type guenon in the Search box at the top left corner.
  3. A thumbnail of the Wolf's Guenon Monkey appears on the next screen. Click on the name to enlarge it. Right click on monkey and save it to your file.
  4. Open Photoshop and open the Monkey
  5. Open the file "Todd" in ClearyWork >>ClearyData
  6. Make sure both photos have duplicated the layers. (Double click on the layer called Background and now you will have a new layer.)
  7. Click on the Monkey photo.
  8. Use the Lasso or Quick Selection Tool and select only the monkey.
  9. Once the monkey is selected, copy monkey.
  10. Click on the Todd file and past the money on Todd.
  11. Click the move tool and drag the monkey to a good spot.

 

Color a Black & White

  1. Open a black and white photo.
  2. Then, locate the "How To" pallette, along the top right-hand side of work area.
  3. Click on Fun Stuff >> Color a Black and White Photo.
  4. Follow the directions.

Transparent Background

  1. Open "Cactus" in ClearyWork >> ClearyData
  2. Double click on the background layer to make and new layer.
  3. To rotate picture, Image menu >> Rotate and then 90 degrees Left.
  4. Click the crop tool and enclose just the cactus. Double click in center.
  5. Click and hold the Eraser tool. Three erasers choices appear. Click the Magic Eraser tool. These choices also appear in the Options bar.
  6. Set the Tolerance to 20% in the Options bar.
  7. Click the sky at the top of the picture. Part of the sky changes to a checkerboard to indicate it is transparent. Only the portion of the sky was changed because Photoshop Elements erases one color at a time. The sky near the roof is a lighter blue.
  8. Click to erase the remaining sky, the building, and other elements around the cautus. Be careful to not erase any of the cactus. Jump to the Background Eraser tool section when it becomes difficult to erase elements.
  9. Click the zoom tool to erase small areas
  10. Use Ctrl Z to undo
  11. Click the Zoom tool to make the elements of the photo larger
  12. Click the background eraser tool.
  13. Choose the Brush size of approximately 75-100 px.
  14. The Background Eraser tool erases the background as you drag the cursor. This can be faster than clicking the magic eraser tool.
  15. The file must be saved as a .gif file to retain the transparency. Do a Save As and choose .gif.
  16. Test your graphic in PowerPoint on a dark background.

Remove Red Eye (Red eye occurs when you use the flash while taking pictures of people. The light reflects off the blood vessels inside their eyes.)

  1. Open Red Eye 2 in ClearyWork >> ClearyData.
  2. Choose the Red Eye Removal Tool (with the Spot Healing Brush Tool).
  3. Click on the red part of the eye. The color should automatically change.
  4. Save this as Red Eye with your initials afterward.  It should be a jpg.

Filters - Take a photo of yourself and add 16 different filters on the photograph. Print on one sheet of paper.

  1. Take one photo of yourself (make sure the photo is a small image size)
  2. Add a different filter on the photo by clicking and dragging the filter to the picture or double clicking on the filter.
  3. Name the photo the filter you used.
  4. Do this until you have 20 photos with different filters applied to them.
  5. Then print all photos on one contact sheet. To do so, go to File >> Print Multiple Photos.
  6. Add your 20 photos in the left panel if they are not already there.
  7. Select your printer.
  8. Select Type of Print >> Contact Sheet
  9. Select Layout >> 4 columns
  10. Add Text Label >> File Name
  11. Print out

Frames -

  1. Open the three images you want to frame.
  2. Click on the Layer Menu and choose Duplicate Layer. This allows you to work on a copy of the photo. Your original will be unaffected. Click OK to use the name suggested.
  3. Click the foreground color box.
  4. Click the photograph.
  5. Click Effects >> Frames.
  6. Click apply.
  7. The Frame is added
  8. Open any image you want to frame.
  9. On the right side of the screen, you will see Effects.
  10. Click on the down arrow and choose Frames.
  11. Choose one and click apply.
  12. The frame is added.

Concocting Inedible Food

  1. Open the spaghetti file located in ClearyData >> Digiphoto.
  2. Click on the Image Menu and choose Duplicate Image. This allows you to work on a copy of the photo. Your original will be unaffected. Click OK to use the name suggested.
  3. Select the Polygonal Lasso tool or the Magic Wand tool.
  4. Select the spaghetti portion of the food.
  5. Select Enhance >>Adjust Color>> Hue/Saturation from the Menu Bar
  6. Adjust the hue and saturation as required.
  7. Repeat these steps to the other portions of the picture to make it more unappetizing.

Create an Old Newspaper Photo

  1. Open your photograph that you want to manipulate.
  2. Click on the Image Menu and choose Duplicate Image. This allows you to work on a copy of the photo. Your original will be unaffected. Click OK to use the name suggested.
  3. Click Filter >> Sketch >> Reticulation.
  4. Click and drag the slider to adjust the settings. Click ok.
  5. Click on the image. Then click Adjustments >> Equalize.
  6. Click Filters >> Blur >> Blur More. Click on Blur More 2 or 3 times more.

Feather a Photo

  1. Open your photograph you want to feather.
  2. Double click on the background layer to make and new layer.
  3. Use the Lasso or Quick Selection Tool and select.
  4. Click on Select >> Feather
  5. Then enter the number of pixels (experiment with the numbers)
  6. Click on Select >> Inverse and press delete
  7. Crop photo to make more appealing

Effects

Artist's Sketch

  1. Open your photograph that you want to manipulate.
  2. Click on the Image Menu and choose Duplicate Image. This allows you to work on a copy of the photo. Your original will be unaffected. Click OK to use the name suggested.
  3. Click Enhance >> Adjust Color >> Remove Color.
  4. Click on Enhance >> Auto Levels.
  5. Click Filter >> Stylize >> Find Edges.
  6. Save this photo and reopen the original photo.
  7. Complete these same steps without Step 2. See what happens.

Effects

Watercolor Art

  1. Open your photograph that you want to manipulate.
  2. Click on the Image Menu and choose Duplicate Image. This allows you to work on a copy of the photo. Your original will be unaffected. Click OK to use the name suggested.
  3. Click Filter >> Artistic >> Watercolor.
  4. Click and drag the slider to adjust your watercolor. Click ok.
  5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 again.
  6. Click Filter >> Artistic >> Dry Brush.
  7. Click and drag the slider to adjust your dry brush settings. Click ok.

Ghostly Overlays This can be a graphic of a person with a smaller photo of his loved one (more transparent) in the upper corner of the picture. Your graphic can be more spooky also if you want.

  1. Select your particular photograph.
  2. Click on the Image Menu and choose Duplicate Image. This allows you to work on a copy of the photo. Your original will be unaffected. Click OK to use the name suggested.
  3. Click Filter >> Distort>> Diffuse Glow.
  4. Click and drag the slider to adjust the Diffuse Glow. Click OK.
  5. With the photo still selected, click Filter >> Blur >> Gaussian.
  6. Click and drag the slider to adjust the amount of the blur.
  7. In the Layer palette, click Opacity and click and drag the slider to adjust the amount.

Change Day into Night

  1. Locate a photo that has a good portion of the sky showing.
  2. Click on the Image Menu and choose Duplicate Image. This allows you to work on a copy of the photo. Your original will be unaffected. Click OK to use the name suggested.
  3. Click and drag to select a portion of the sky.
  4. Click on the Layer >> New >> Layer via Cut .
  5. In the Layers palette, click the sky layer.
  6. Click the Effects tab >> click Sunset >> Apply. (Elements creates the sunset effect layer above the sky layer over the entire picture.
  7. Take your arrow and click the Sunset picture then click Layer >> Group with Previous.
  8. Click the background layer in your photo (Click the non-sky layer of your original image, if it is not your default background layer.
  9. Click on the Layer 1 layer and your picture should be there with the new sky.
  10. Click Enhance, Adjust Brightness/Contrast, and then Brightness Contrast.
  11. Click and drag the slider to adjust the brightness and contrast.

Create a Fall Graphic - With some of your fall pictures, create a photomerge with at least 3 photos. You do not need to use the Photomerge feature in Elements you can also layer your photos to create one.

  1. Take your time on this photomerge.
  2. Use many of the tools you have learned to make it the best.
  3. You must have the 3 original photos to show.

Create a Photomerge -

  1. Download these three photo to your directory: Photo 1.jpg, 2.jpg. & 3.jpg
  2. Open Adobe Photoshop Elements
  3. Click on File >> Create Photomerge
  4. Browse to find these three photos and click OK.
  5. You may have to adjust some of the photos.
  6. You may need to crop the photo.
  7. Save file as bridge.jpg

Hints for taking Panoramic Photos:

  • Use a tripod with a swivel head to take the photos so camera is level
  • Overlap the photos by 15% - 40%.
  • Keep the exposure the same for all photos
  • Keep focal length the same, don't zoom on some pictures
  • Stay in the same position to take all photos.

Create a Slide Show -

  1. Select at least 10 of your favorite photos
  2. Open Adobe Photoshop Elements
  3. Click on File >> Automation Tools >> PDF Slide Show
  4. Click on the Browse button and select the photo you want in your slide show.
  5. Use the CTRL key to select in a random order
  6. Output/File click Choose to choose a place to save your slide show.
  7. Advance Every 4 seconds
  8. Click down on the Transition and choose a transition
  9. Click ok
  10. Go to the location of your slide show and double click on the file. It will open up in Adobe Reader.