by David Peters

If you already have more than a basic knowledge of using Photoshop you can take a look at the Photoshop Secrets Special FX. It's a tutorial CDROM with 19 lessons that are packed into 2 hours that will teach you exactly how to use the special cutting edge effects that the advance Photoshop users' use. Photoshopsupport.com features the best and latest Photoshop graphic tutorials for free. It also offers tips and tricks for beginners as well as advanced Photoshop users. It's like a site where your fellow Photoshop users can meet and share all the cool stuff and tricks they've discovered while using Photoshop. On this site you also get links to upgrades and guides as to what upgrades suit what you want to get out of Photoshop. You will totally benefit from this awesome resource. Other sites like Adobe.com and CBTcafe.com (Computer Based Training Cafe) have detailed tutorials for the babes to Photoshop use. There are tutorials with easy to follow written instructions and visual examples, so you see and understand how everything should be done.

Photoshop training is one of the best investments you can make in your professional career. Whatever field you're working in, Photoshop training can help you reach your full potential. Anyone who works with digital images and graphics knows that the Adobe Photoshop line of software is the tool of choice for graphic designers and professional photographers around the world. The Photoshop interface hasn't changed a great deal since the earliest versions, so users can easily upgrade to Photoshop CS2 from any previous version. Photoshop CS2 has powerful new features that will aid designers in all fields. You can literally use Photoshop CS2 to create any visual effect that you can image-if you can dream it, you can create it with Photoshop. Like previous versions of Photoshop, CS2 is available for both Macintosh and Windows. And the best thing about the new version is the price: Photoshop CS2 costs less than previous versions of Photoshop.

CROPPING. Select the "Crop" tool icon from your Tools bar, then drag it downward diagonally from the upper left corner to the bottom right corner. Release the mouse and then use it to manipulate the image size with the crop "handles." Hit "Enter" or "Return." RESIZING. Go to "Image" in your top menu, then choose "Image Size." Enter the dimensions you need and hit OK. (You can radically change the outer shape of the image by un clicking "Constrain Proportions" at the bottom of the page and entering different dimensions, then clicking OK.)

Strike a balance The Gradient Editor automatically places a midpoint between each colour stop to create a smooth linear blend between colors. You can tweak the effect of this blend by moving the midpoint to offset the mix between the colors. Using this technique you can create tight, dramatic blends between colors instead of gradual ones. The opacity stops run along the top of the preview bar. A black opacity stop indicates 100% solid, a white opacity stop indicates that that part of the gradient is 100% transparent and grey stops indicate values in between.

Photoshop offers blending options unsurpassed in the design industry in your "Layer Style" dialog box, you will first find "General Blending" options, which are often enough for any task. Experiment with the Blend Modes and their opacity to see just how incredibly flexible the normal Blending Options can be.To find your advanced blending options in Photoshop, double-click a layer or click the "Add a Layer Style" icon at the bottom left of your Layers palette, and then choose "Blending Options." Your "Layer Style" dialog box will appear.At the bottom of the Layer Style box, you will find, under "Advanced Blending," something called the "Blend If" tool. What is the Photoshop "Blend If" tool, exactly? Blend If is a "smart" blending tool. You can use it to blend images or create a more transparent image with almost infinite precision. This one tool is so flexible and handy it behooves any serios Photoshop designer to learn to use it, and use it well.

Hoping to get a jump on Google and other competitors, Adobe Systems plans to release a hosted version of its popular Photoshop image-editing application within six months, the company's chief executive said Tuesday.The online service is part of a larger move to introduce ad-supported online services to complement its existing products and broaden the company reach into the consumer market, Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen told CNET News.com. Chizen said Adobe laid the foundation for a hosted Photoshop product with Adobe Remix, a Web-based video-editing tool it offers through the Photo Bucket media-sharing site.

When you want to add an adjustment layer quickly, the best way to do it is to click on the shortcut option that is located at the foot of the Layers palette. You can also go to the Layer - New Adjustment Layer in the main menu. If you use the Lasso Tool when making a selection on your original layer, any adjustment layers you design will only affect the selected area. A mask protects the unselected parts of an image on each new adjustment layer. You can build your image adjustments effectively and slowly if you combine the effects of multiple adjustment layers. You also have the option of turning them off and on when you are ready to fine-tune the overall effect. Use the thumbnail icons to quickly identify your adjustment layers. These thumbnail icons are attached to the corresponding layer and they are labeled so you can see which layer applies which effect.

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