Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Final touches...

Another picture is placed in my wallpaper and remember to rename you layer for it. After that, I use the Quick Mask method again to crop out the image I wanted. Then, of course using the Eraser Tool to remove unwanted pieces.

File> Place

Quick Mask Mode + Eraser Tool

After that is done, as usual I wanted to add a few effects to my image, so I went to Levels to do so.

Image> Levels

After Levels

Well, after placing the last picture, I felt like adding more things to my wallpaper as it looks a bit plain at some part. So I chose to add some wishes to my wallpaper. I first clicked the Type Tool, then type out the wishes that I want with the font of Nueva Std and size to 30pt.

Type Tool to type out the wishes

Change text size and text type

Next, I put some effects to the words by going to Blending options> Drop Shadow & Color Overlay.

Blending options> Drop Shadow

Color Overlay

Finally, I adjusted the position of everything a little bit more and my wallpaper is now FINISH!! :] Remember to save it after everything is done.

The Finish Wallpaper~ :]

Monday, November 15, 2010

More editing....

Well, this is another editing I've done to my wallpaper which involve cropping...let's begin~

First step, I open up the file which I last save my wallpaper I did in the previous post.
Then I place a picture of a snowman into the file.

File> Place> Picture

Next, I open up a new layer and rename it. Then I click the Quick Selection Tool to remove the unwanted space around the snowman. But before that, I rasterize the layer first (Right-click layer> rasterize layer)


After that, I use the eraser tool to remove the extra bits that still appear around the snowman.

Eraser tool to remove excess unwanted pieces

The next step, I use the Blur tool to blur the snowman to hide any rough edges around it. Of course, I open up a new layer for this as well.

Blur Tool

Adjust the Blur tool brush diameter to 35 and strength to 30%

Next, I want to change the tone and color of the snowman so that it blends more with the background. So, first I open another layer for this (remember to always rename your layer so you will not be confuse later on). Then I go to Image> Adjustments> Levels( Ctrl+L)/ Color Balance(Ctrl+ B).

Set the desire tone for image

Set the desire color balance for image

I wanted to add more effect to the snowman so I add a shadow behind it by right-clicking the color balance layer and click Blending Options then tick Drop Shadow box.

Blending Options> Drop Shadow

Here's the final outcome... :)


Friday, November 12, 2010

Layers layers~

So to start off, the first thing and also most important, from whatever picture you are about to edit, you need to have layers. This is because with layers, you are able to edit your pictures or photos without any worries that you might accidentally ruin the original picture/photo. Let begin~

First, I opened a new file in A4 size, then I click Place in the File tab to place the picture I want as a background for my wallpaper.

File> New

File> Place > background

I then pulled the picture until it is same with the A4 background.

pulled picture until desire size

Next, I opened up a new layer....

From the below right corner, click the icon that says 'Create New Layer'.
Before we move on, it is also important if we name our layers. Why? This is because to ensure that we will not get confuse while editing our pictures/photos, and also it will be much easier to manage with.

So for this, I am naming my 'Layer 1' to 'Merry Christmas'.

Double-clicked the text, then rename it.

Ok, so the next step I'm going to do is to add some text to the picture. In order to do so, click the Type Tool, and choose the Horizontal Type Tool.

Type Tool

Next, I typed out the words 'Merry Christmas'. As you can see below, the text seems to be too small to read, so I choose to re-size the text to 90pt and also change the text type to Monotype Corsiva.

Typed out 'Merry Christmas'

Change text size to 90 and text type to Monotype Corsiva.

After that, I would like to add more texture and color to my text as it looks a bit dull. So I right-clicked the Merry Christmas layer and choose Blending Options.

Right-clicked 'Merry Christmas' layer
and choose Blending Options.

After clicking, a form will appear, I chose to add a little shadow behind my text so I tick the Drop Shadow box. Also, I would like to add colors to my text, so again I tick the Color Overlay and chose the color green for my text.

Tick Drop Shadow

Tick Color Overlay and chose the color green

After that is done, I wanted the text to be warp as well. So in order to so, you need to click the Create warped text at the top right of the page. (before this, you need to click the Type Tool button first in order to see it)

click Create warped text

I wanted my text to curve upwards so I chose Rise from the option.

Choose Rise and adjust the setting I wanted.

Bevel and Emboss

Besides that, I also tick the Bevel and Emboss so that the text will pop out more.I also adjusted the text a little to the position I wanted and Tadaa~ the finish product!! :]


Before saving, I deleted the Background layer because it is unnecessary already. So after that, I saved my finish product.

Unlock background> drag into bin

File>Save As and save in PSD file.

So that's about what I did for my wallpaper so far using layers. With it, it made editing quite easy for me to do and I do not have to worry if I did anything wrong to the original piece as I can just refer back to my layers.

Well, that's about it for now, but there's still more editing to be done for my wallpaper which I will update soon. Cheers~ :]

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Selection Tools

So the photoshop I will be using is Adobe Photoshop CS3. Here's a little introduction of what is in photoshop.

What are Selection Tools?

The selection tools allow you to select a portion or a subset of an image to work on. Most of Photoshop’s other tools and filters can then be applied to this selected area, altering its color, shape, texture, position and/or other attributes, while leaving the rest of the image untouched.

Photoshop contains three types of selection tools: the Marquee Tools, the Lasso Tools, and the Magic Wand.
The marquee tools are used to select a specific regularly shaped area. The marquee tools include the Rectangular, Elliptical, Single Row and Single Column Marquees:
The lasso tools are used to select an irregular area. These tools include the Lasso Tool, the Polygonal Lasso Tool and the Magnetic Lasso Tool.

The Magic Wand is used to select areas of an image based upon color. Another additional tool is the Quick Selection Tool.


Saturday, October 23, 2010

'Tis the season~

So for my first assignment, we were told to created an e-wallpaper using Adobe Photoshop, and the theme given to us was "Festivals". With that, I have chosen the Christmas festival for my wallpaper. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, so I guess this will make it more interesting to work on creating my wallpaper. What is Christmas u ask? Well here's a little info especially just for you... :]

"Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday observed mostly on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The date is not known to be the actual birthday of Jesus, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived, the date of the winter solstice on the ancient Roman
calendar, or one of various ancient winter festivals. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.

Although nominally a Christian holiday, Christmas is also widely celebrated by many non-Christians, and many of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, Father Christmas (or Santa Claus) is a popular folklore figure in many countries, associated with the bringing of gifts for children."

Emm...just so you know, I got this from Wikipedia....a very useful software i must say....hehe.
So anyway, I'll probably start postin
g on my progress in creating the wallpaper in the next few posts, so be sure to stay tune~ Cheers~ :]






Friday, October 22, 2010

Hey there~ I'm Camille, 18 and currently studying in Multimedia University(MMU) in Cyberjaya. This blog was especially created for the purpose of my Computer Graphics subject, thus the title. I am currently learning about Adobe Photoshop in this class, so you will probably be reading/seeing a lot of step-by-step posts of what I understand about the program and how I use it's specific tools.

Anyway, I do hope you'll enjoy reading my blog and maybe gain some useful tips on how to use Adobe Photoshop as well. Cheers~ :]