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Graphic Help & Resources

post #1 of 149
6/19/06 at 6:09am
Thread Starter 
So as not to tie up the siggy shower with questions on how do I do that, where did you get that etc, I thought it would be a good idea to start a new thread with resources and questions.

I use photoshop so am not much help with other programmes, but for people learning photoshop, I recommend www.good-tutorials.com and for fonts www.dafont.com.

The fonts on dafont can be loaded to work with all software by installing to C:\\Windows\\Fonts

http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/applications/ is a great resource for most applications, for Photoshop, you can d/l ready made PSD backgrounds, as well as brushes, fonts and filters. I would assume the same for the other software but haven't really checked.
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post #2 of 149
6/19/06 at 6:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by iclemiss21
Karen, if you load your fonts to the windows central font folder they will load on all programmes, thats what I do when I want to use one of my photoshop ones for something else.
and it worked I am very excited!!! Thank you SO much!
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post #3 of 149
6/19/06 at 7:31am
Grr...I'm not figuring it out for some reason, and now I have to go to work...very frustrating!
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post #4 of 149
6/19/06 at 9:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by clixpix
Grr...I'm not figuring it out for some reason, and now I have to go to work...very frustrating!

If you're talking about Fonts. Chances are, when you download a font, it will be in a zip file. If you don't have winzip, you need to download it, because that's the way to install your new fonts that you download. What I do, is create a folder on my D drive called "Fonts Downloaded", that way you will be able to find the fonts you download. Then I click on the fonts zip file, and Winzip will open up, and ask you what you want to do. Well what you want to do, is unzip the file, and then you want to install it in the C drive: Windows-Fonts. That's all there is to it. It's so simple, it could be hard, because it's so simple. Once you've installed your new fonts, you can use them in any program you have. I'm a font-aholic. The cool thing about fonts, is that not only do they have text fonts, but they have Dingbat fonts, and Dingbats, are graphic fonts. You can use those to create a lot of cool backgrounds and effects. In Photoshop, you can colourize the and/or paint the Dingbats, and make them into lovely pictures, and add ons to your backgrounds you create.
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post #5 of 149
6/19/06 at 11:28am
Thank you for the explanations. Now I'm going to have to try it!
Yeah! It worked! I used WinZip and saved to Fonts - they show up in PSP X! Now I'll probably spend a bit of this week saving new fonts.
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post #6 of 149
6/19/06 at 12:17pm
Thread Starter 
Good fonts also at:

http://www.typenow.net
http://www.fonts.com/
http://www.abstractfonts.com

Photoshop stuff at

http://www.photoshopsupport.com/tools/brushes.html
http://www.freephotoshop.com/html/free_brushes.html
http://missm.paperlilies.com/01_brushes.html
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post #7 of 149
6/20/06 at 1:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HopeHacker
If you're talking about Fonts. Chances are, when you download a font, it will be in a zip file. If you don't have winzip, you need to download it, because that's the way to install your new fonts that you download. What I do, is create a folder on my D drive called "Fonts Downloaded", that way you will be able to find the fonts you download. Then I click on the fonts zip file, and Winzip will open up, and ask you what you want to do. Well what you want to do, is unzip the file, and then you want to install it in the C drive: Windows-Fonts. That's all there is to it. It's so simple, it could be hard, because it's so simple. Once you've installed your new fonts, you can use them in any program you have. I'm a font-aholic. The cool thing about fonts, is that not only do they have text fonts, but they have Dingbat fonts, and Dingbats, are graphic fonts. You can use those to create a lot of cool backgrounds and effects. In Photoshop, you can colourize the and/or paint the Dingbats, and make them into lovely pictures, and add ons to your backgrounds you create.
Well, that did the trick...thanks Hope!
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post #8 of 149
6/20/06 at 9:21pm
how do you cut around the image? I know how to do it in theory but I can never do it as good as the ones I am seeing in many of these signatures so maybe I am actually doing it the wrong way
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post #9 of 149
6/20/06 at 9:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by huggles
how do you cut around the image? I know how to do it in theory but I can never do it as good as the ones I am seeing in many of these signatures so maybe I am actually doing it the wrong way
Which software are you using?
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post #10 of 149
6/20/06 at 9:27pm
oh sorry PS7
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post #11 of 149
6/20/06 at 9:37pm
OK, use the Lasso took (It looks like a, well, a lasso!) But press down on the corner of the tool and get the flyout menu and use the magnetic lasso tool. From your upper menu pick a feather value of about 3 px, and then start dragging your cursor around the object. It just sort of finds the edges on its own. Now I don't use PS, so there may be something I'm missing, but it selected a really good selection for me. I think FEATHER is the key...
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post #12 of 149
6/20/06 at 9:43pm
ahhhh the magnetic lasso tool... I have just been using the standard lasso tool. Let me go have a try now Thankyou!!

edit - just tried it and thats perfect!! thankyou so much... that normal lasso tool was driving me batty
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post #13 of 149
6/20/06 at 9:47pm
No prob.
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post #14 of 149
6/21/06 at 1:17am
Thank you all so much for the links and hints. I have just managed to do this!
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post #15 of 149
6/21/06 at 10:14am
I don't use the Magnetic Lasso tool, when I cut them out, I use the regular lasso, however, I always feather around the edges as I cut out. With the regular lasso, I think 1 pixel is enough. Then I sometimes feather again, another 1 pixel, when I move the picture to the background. I think you get a more precise cut out when using the regular lasso tool.
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post #16 of 149
6/21/06 at 2:10pm
Thread Starter 
I use the magnetic lasso with a decent size feather and then go around it with a feathered eraser after to get rid of some of the 'shadow' look and then depending on the type of fur (ie long hairs) I use the smudge tool to recreate the fur that should 'stick up'
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post #17 of 149
6/21/06 at 2:37pm
I have another Photoshop tip, I just taught myself a couple of days ago.

You know how sometimes it's really difficult to work with small pictures? Well, I've learned a way to make them larger without losing quality. What you do, is open up the small picture, and then "Select All" then Edit Copy. Then Create a new file, which will be the same size as the picture you copied. Then Edit and paste. Now to Enlarge it, go to Layer, and add "Vector" mask. That way, you can enlarge it without losing quality, because it will be a Vector File. Of course if the small pix is poor quality to begin with, it will still be poor quality, but if it's a nice clear picture, it will enlarge very well and look perfect. The cool thing about it, is that it won't lose quality, because Vector is for creating LARGE or small graphics without losing quality. After you've enlarged it, you can flatten it. It will no longer be a vector graphic, but it will be enlarged, and will look as if it had always been a large photo.
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post #18 of 149
6/21/06 at 4:56pm
Thread Starter 
thanks for the tip

Its always a pity when you get a really nice pic but its just too small
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post #19 of 149
6/29/06 at 8:35pm
I was wondering if anyone new how to do this? change the background to blurred? I have wanted to take these type of photos for a while but unfortunatly the lense I have on my camera isnt the best for doing these type of shots so I thought maybe I could manually do it in photoshop but I cant seem to work out how to do it

http://www.photofudge.com.au/retouch/retouch04.htm
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post #20 of 149
6/30/06 at 5:46am
Thread Starter 
the best way I know to do it is to make a new layer with just the girl, use guassian blur on the back layer and then retouch/use more layers until there are no hard edges and the skin colour looks correct
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post #21 of 149
6/30/06 at 5:59am
wow it sounds complicated... maybe I should just spend the $150.00 and get a new lense for my camera
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post #22 of 149
6/30/06 at 6:05am
Thread Starter 
Not that complicated:



to



in 10 mins
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post #23 of 149
6/30/06 at 6:15am
ohmy!!! look at that!! your so clever THANKS! That photo looks so much better with a blurred background. It didnt take that long then? and it would be quicker the more you did it. hmmm let me give that a go. Although I always have trouble doing the lasso tool.
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post #24 of 149
6/30/06 at 9:05am
There's another way to do it as well. You can take your lasso tool, and outline the subject then under Selection, you would select "Inverse", then do your Gaussian blur, it will blur everything that is not outlined. Maybe that would be easier for you than making a new layer. You might have to use the blur tool around the edged of the subject to smooth it in with the background, but I've done it, and it works really well.
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post #25 of 149
6/30/06 at 9:06am
Thread Starter 
Yeah thats what I do but it creates a line around it which is why I like to increase the size a little and put another layer over it
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post #26 of 149
6/30/06 at 11:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by icklemiss21
Yeah thats what I do but it creates a line around it which is why I like to increase the size a little and put another layer over it
That's a good idea. I usually just smooth things out with the blur tool. I may experiment using your technique.
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post #27 of 149
7/4/06 at 3:06am
Hi,
When I made this sig. I used a bit of Roscoe's eye to make the background, But I couldn't match the colour very well for the text. Does anyone know if there is a way to put the colour from a bit of the picture on to the text?
I have Photoshop elements.

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post #28 of 149
7/4/06 at 12:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anakat
Hi,
When I made this sig. I used a bit of Roscoe's eye to make the background, But I couldn't match the colour very well for the text. Does anyone know if there is a way to put the colour from a bit of the picture on to the text?
I have Photoshop elements.
Well, I think you could take a copy of the eye, put it on it's own layer, smudge out or replace the pupil, and then put a mask of the text "Roscoe" over the eye. But unfortunately I use Illustrator, so I'm not sure how to mask in Photoshop...yet.
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post #29 of 149
7/4/06 at 4:58pm
Like this:
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post #30 of 149
7/4/06 at 5:19pm
you should also be able to use the eyedropper tool to select different bits of color from his eyes until you get one you like, then use that color when you type his name. However, that will make his name one solid color, not the subtle blend of colors that kluchetta has.

~Julia
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