Notes 5th March

Creative Computer Use

What we did on 5^th March.

We looked at www.qubewinterwarmers.blogspot.com and saw that all the lesson notes are posted there together with tasks you can try.

We returned to the image we were working on last week by opening photoshop (double click the icon) Choose File | Open and browse for the image file in the normal way.

When the image was open we noticed that all the layers we made the week before were present. This is because it was saved as a photoshop file with the extension .psd.

The last job to do was to add the text. We selected the text tool and clicked on to our picture. A new text layer appeared in our layers panel. We type Happy Easter. We then dragged our curser across the text to select it and changed the text size, colour and style with the text menu options at the top of your work panel.

Once we were happy with the text we put a line around it to emphasise it. We chose the Magic Wand Selection tool – made sure contiguous in the menu was ticked and clicked the magic wand tip on part of the text. This left selection ants marching around the edge of the text.

Because the text makes a special text layer it won’t accept graphics. We therefore made a new layer using the button in the layers panel and then applied a stroke (or line) to our selection edge (where the ants are marching). We chose Edit | Stroke selection – chose a line width and colour – clicked ok and the line appears around our text. Click select | Deselect to clear the selection ants.

That was our card finished.

We then discussed image size – Image | resize | Image Size

If you want to print the picture set the pixels per inch to 300

If the picture is for the web or email that will only be viewed on screen set the pixels per inch to 72.

We set our Easter card to 15cm width keeping the proportions restrained with a pixels per inch of 72. Clicked Ok – the screen image changes size – to make in fit the work panel again click View | Fit on Screen.

Because we were posting our images onto our blog we saved this image by clicking File | Save for Web. This launches some special software that flattens your picture and compresses it reducing the file size by a large margin. We clicked OK and saved this copy.

We then went back to qubewinterwarmers and signed in so that we could post our pictures to it.

thanks martin

Thanks for the productive course, very enjoyable, kevin

going cheep

second time lucky? Will this arrive?
maralyn

Happy Easter

Here is yet another wonderful Easter card designed under the guidance of Martin

sylviaeast

s

Happy Easter to all of you Bloggers!

Maralyn

Itsnot that auful

Don't look. It's awful!

Kens easter card

this is kens first blog post

Here's one I laid earlier!

This is one I managed to design today!!!!!

this iswhat I did today

Picture from Sheila

Sorry- I missed last week so we still have snowmen

Notes - 26th Feb

What we did 26th February 2009 – opened IE – looked at winter warmers blog

1. Opened Photoshop – ready to receive files and minimised it so that we could see our desk top.

2. Internet Explorer.
Found a Google search box - www.google .co.uk
Searched for baby chick – clicked the images link at the top left - trawled the images to find a suitable image.
Clicked on it to go to the website the image is on.
CLICKED see full size image at the top left.
Right click the image and choose copy –
Maximize Photoshop – choose New/Image from clipboard – the image appears in Photoshop.

Other options
Choose save Image as when you right click – save it to your computer then choose file – open and choose the image to open it.
Or copy the image as before and choose new and just paste the image into the new Photoshop file CTRL or V or file /paste.

3. Because we want to delete the background – discussed selection options – we chose the polygon selection tool from the tool box (be careful to choose the correct tool as more than one hide in each box).
Click to create an anchor point – click move click move – draw all around chick until the selection line joins - double click to join it up so the ants start marching around the selection indicating the active area – refine edge – added feather – to soften the edge. Because the chick was the active area and we wanted to delete the background we chose select/inverse to select opposite of what we had, i.e. the background.

4. LAYERS
Sometimes the background layer is automatically locked so double click it – name it if you wish - click OK and it is now unlocked.
Make a new layer under the chick – click the make new layer button (top left of the layer panel) and a new layer will appear above the chick. Click and drag the layers so the chick is above your new layer.
Click the chick layer so it’s highlighted and therefore active. Press delete or backspace on your keyboard and because you have the background of the chick image selected it will be deleted revealing the transparent layer below. Remove the selection by choosing select/deselect in the menu.



5. PAINTING
Select a brush from the tools – choose a colour by double clicking the background colour box and use the colour wheel to click on a colour (use the slider to choose range – click in the box to choose colours – new colour will be indicated – click OK to confirm it). Choose brush style and size with the boxes in the brush menu at the top left.
Click on your new layer under the chick image so it is active. Paint on the image (called canvas) by click and drag.
Change your brush colour as often as you like – paint a decorative design.
The chick will sit on top of your painted design. Because you applied a soft filter it will have a soft edge.

6. CREATING LINES
We made sure the chick layer was active and used the magic wand selection tool to select around the chick (click the magic wand in the background area) choose edit/stroke selection – type a width – choose a colour – inside/middle or outside selection line – click OK. We applied a 10px white line around our chick.

7. Pasting new images into a document – googled Easter eggs – opened in photo shop - deleted background – drew marquee around egg. Square marquee selection tool – imagine a box around the area you want to select, click at the top left of the imagined box drag to the bottom right – release – ants start marching indicating your selection.
Choose the move tool (pointer-top of the tool box) click and drag your egg selection onto your chick canvas.
Repeat for all 4 eggs.

8. MORE ON LAYERS
Once items are aligned correctly it can be helpful to merge the layers so they are one. The layers need to be next to each other (drag them into position if need be) select the layer nearest the top and choose LAYER/MERGE LAYERS DOWN (CTRL E)
DUPLICATING LAYER
RIGHT CLICK the layer you wish to duplicate – choose duplicate layer – an exact copy of the layer will appear above it. Use the move tool to position the objects on the duplicated layer.
When working with lots of layers you may find it helpful to name layers descriptively – double click a layer to open an information box where you can rename it.
Click on the eye symbol by a layer to hide it (make it invisible).
Drag a layer into the bin at the bottom of the layer panel to delete a layer.