Photoshop
Tips & Tricks
Never have a photo in your yearbook that is too dark. Fix the easily with our sure-fire method.
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You know the ones we mean. Someone takes a picture and the back is just a big white mass and the subject is almost completely black. But you HAVE TO HAVE that particular photo in your yearbook and restaging Homecoming (or whatever) is just not possible. We can help
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No matter what kind of light you want to shine on someone, this lesson will teach you the best way to do a spotlighting effect.
One of the coolest things you can learn in Photoshop is how to use Blending Modes. Once you master them a bunch of stuff comes into focus. Download this handout and give the tutorial a try.
OK, this may sound like something you do to your enemies but seriously, it is a really cool effect that will grab the readers attention. We promise.
Add color to your black and white photos using Photoshop CS4 or earlier versions of Photoshop.
You've seen them. The really cool photos where something sticks out of the picture. Ever wanted to know the "right" way to do them. Here it is
When you take color pictures in your gym or your auditorium do they come out kind of yellow? Or maybe REALLY yellow? We can fix that too.
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This is so much cooler than just putting a headline over a photo. This is a quick way to put the photo right into the headline. Really!
Everyone is asking, "How do I make my photos look like comic books?" Well here's the answer in a short number of steps
Create some cool edges for your pictures.
Magazines do this all the time when they run profiles of famous people. They blend an action shot with a posed candid. It's really all the rage so see how it would look in your yearbook by trying this tutorial.
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Take a photo and cut out a section (like you did it with an exacto knife) and then put your headline behind the cutout. I know you have to see it to understand but it's really cool.
Ever since the Look Book came out a few years ago with that incredible photo collage on the cover, we have been getting requests to learn how to do that. It's actually pretty easy, just time consuming. Found out here.
Take any photo and add it to your favorite screen picture making someone a star and more. Do it the right way. It's easy.
Ever have a photo that was really nice but the color of the entire photo was just "off"? Well, that's easy to fix. Grab this handout and give it a try.
Need a great spot to put a caption or a headline? Try this technique to create a great faded area on any photo.
The idea here is to put two photos together in a really cool way. Like mapping a soccer ball to a soccer player's face. Or money to the face of a shopper. Yes, we know, it's a special effect you won't use often. But when you do, it's cool.
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How about a black and white photograph that has a full color Polaroid at is center? Interested? Check out the look then give it a try.
Seriously. When we show you how to put dancers at the Fall Ball into the photo of a leaf you'll understand what we mean. And you'll probably have a hundred other uses for this technique.
Jostens Adviser magazine had one of these on the cover and I got a TON of request asking, "HOW DO YOU DO THAT?" Well here you go. It's pretty cool.
Try saying that five times real fast. It's a tough one. But so is having a picture of two people you want your readers to see that are in front of a very busy background.
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If you use InDesign to create your yearbook then this technique is best done there. But if you use YearTech Online you will have to use this method.
Ever since Apple started running those silhouette adverts for iPods I get request for doing this. Here it is.
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You know your students love them. And you know they get a TON of students into the yearbooks on one or two pages. But don't paste up pictures. Do them digitally. It looks so cool.
Photoshop is a great and powerful program that offers unlimited photo editing capabilities. Whether or not you are new to Photoshop or a pro, these tips should be helpful. If you only have Photoshop Elements you'll be able to do most of these effects, the buttons will just be in a different place. You can also download 30 day free trials of Photoshop here and if you're in a lab, you could do one computer a month and have it for the full year. If at anytime you need help or want some assistance we'd be happy to come to your class and help.
In Photoshop there's numerous ways to do the same thing and that goes for selecting elements as well. This guide discusses each option and which works best given the type of photo you are working on.
Photoshop Actions. Amazing!
Photoshop actions are pre-recorded steps that allows you to create the most amazing photo effects without doing any of the work. Read the following two handouts for an explanation and click here for some examples of free actions.
