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mommatrish

mommatrish

mommatrish
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
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Any tip. As many tips as you like. Something you know that you wish you knew earlier.

For me - Use brushes on paths to create your own scallops. That was my ah-ha scrapping moment. :lol
 
keeping an eye on this thread... i have NO tips for PS. seriously.
 
If you have a zillion layers and can't find something... while in the move tool, hold down CTRL and then click on the item you're looking for. It'll take you to the correct layer. :)
 
hmmm. Well, now I want to know how to do the scallop/brush thing Trish!

My tips? Well, I always duplicate my page when I'm done after I flatten it and then change the top layer to soft light and adjust opacity to give it some extra pop if needed. Also, if it needs more dimension, I duplicate the page, then on the top layer do a render-lighting effects and change the opacity WAY down on that.
 
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I love little tips that make working on a page easier!! Here's one from me: to have the text in a justified form use Ctrl+Shift+J while the text is selected.
 
Something I wish I'd known sooner? Hmm... That sometimes all that is needed to make a photo stand out is to apply a white "inner stroke" to give it a border. Simple but effective!
 
Here's one I just came across. In Photoshop, you can duplicate a layer by holding down ALT and any of the directional arrows on your keyboard.
 
kelley said:
Well, I always duplicate my page when I'm done after I flatten it and then change the top layer to soft light and adjust opacity to give it some extra pop if needed.
Click to expand...
I do something similar....After I flatten I duplicate my background layer, run a high pass filter (radius btw .3 & .5) on the top layer, then change the blend mode to linear light. This brings out a lot of detail in the image and makes it nice and crisp.

kelley said:
Also, if it needs more dimension, I duplicate the page, then on the top layer do a render-lighting effects and change the opacity WAY down on that.
Click to expand...
How do you do this? I don't have "lighting effects" as an option under render. *scratches head*
 
How do you ladies know how to do all this? I dont even know how to duplicate a page and I can't for the life of me figure out what the different blending modes do. I know certain things brighten pictures but that is it! How did you guys learn all of these things?
 
Ronisdragon said:
How do you ladies know how to do all this?
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Umm, I'm a total computer geek.:whistle Plus I have a background in graphic design. My Photoshop knowledge has been a gradual process though. I've just been using it for so long now that my skills have grown to be advanced.

Do you use Photoshop? Because I could whip up some tutorials for anything you'd like to learn.
 
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Ronisdragon said:
How do you ladies know how to do all this? I dont even know how to duplicate a page and I can't for the life of me figure out what the different blending modes do. I know certain things brighten pictures but that is it! How did you guys learn all of these things?
Click to expand...
Trial and error?
 
I shadow in a dark brown (color code 2c1901) and use "linear burn". Makes it just a smidge more realistic than black.

Create your own styles!! It'll make shadowing that item in the future much, much easier.

If you hold shift as you drag an item to your canvas, it'll center that item.
 
These are good tips that I am totally going to have to try.
And, Roni, I was kind of thinking the same thing. Most of what I have learned has been good ol' trial and error and apparently, I know nothing compared to these ladies!
 
mommatrish said:
Any tip. As many tips as you like. Something you know that you wish you knew earlier.

For me - Use brushes on paths to create your own scallops. That was my ah-ha scrapping moment. :lol
Click to expand...

Add-on to Trish's tip:
Use brush properties to change up: size/roundness/angle and you will get a whimsical scalloped edge. It only needs a few % in changes to get a nice whimsical edge result.
 
I should add that I totally stole my shadow tip from Peppermint. I believe I read it on her blog when I first started digi scrapping. That's another reason that I make my own shadow styles - so I don't have to go in and change the color code every time I apply a shadow to something.

Another tip that some beginners may not know, and that I discovered by happy accident. If you have your rulers active, click on it and drag down (or across) to set guides. Then just click on them and drag them back over the rulers to make them disappear.

Masking while misting is a favorite of mine - place what you want to be masked on one layer (alphas, shapes, etc.) and then mist on a layer above that. Use your magic wand to select what you used as the mask (make sure that layer is active), select the mist layer, hit delete, hide the mask layer and voila!
 
Ohhhh... lots of great tips girls; I must follow this thread!

Here is a one of my faves, that was a ah-ha moment when I first started digi.

Ctrl G your top layer to merge it with the one below it. Works in loads of scenarios. (i.e. merging a paper into an shape/embellishment; merging a spray to paper so it's not hanging over....)
 
One of the shortcuts (for PS) I use most is CNTRL-SHIFT-] to move a layer to the top and CNTRL-SHIFT-[ to move a layer to the bottom.
 
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If you have a brush selected - or the eraser, clone stamp, spot healing brush, etc. - you can use the bracket keys---> [ ] as a shortcut to make it smaller or bigger. (left bracket smaller, right bracket bigger)
 
Journaling:
Journal as if you were writting in a diary, NEVER edit (except for spelling). It is more real that way. Let what ever comes to your mind just flow out onto your layout! :P
 
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