The History of typography and explanation of font terminology - And some Free Fonts for you!

Photoshop allows you to be very creative using a variety of fonts for text. But, how did these fonts all get started and what does, serif, modern, and old style mean?

Enjoy this fascinating 5 minute video that explain how these fonts all got started and what these terms mean.


Nothing is better than free so, enjoy some fonts for free!
http://leonaruth.blogspot.com/2008/11/fun-and-free-fonts-ive-never-been.html

Quick Photoshop tips to save you time

I wanted to share a few Photoshop tips to help make you more productive. Hopefully there is at least one here that you didn't know about.
Enjoy!

• Hitting Tab hides all of your palettes. Hitting Tab again brings them back.
• Shift+Tab hides all the pallets except your toolbar.
• Hitting the "D" key resets your color pallets to Black foreground, White Background.
• The "X" key will toggle your foreground and background colors.
• Use CMD+Delete to fill your layer or selection with the current background color.
• Option+Delete fills your layer or selection with the foreground color.
• Change your paintbrush circle into a crosshair for precise control by pressing the Caps Lock key. 
• Zoom back to 100% by double clicking the magnifier icon 
• When zoomed in pressing the space bar will temporarily switch you to the hand tool for panning
• Ctrl-D to quickly Deselect a selection
• The square bracket keys [ and ] are used to increase or decrease brush size. By adding the Shift key, you can adjust brush hardness. 
• CMD + Shift - Do this a lot :-)

What's the deal with this Adobe Cloud?

There's a new way to purchase Adobe software. Now you have the option to "lease" Photoshop.
Let's take a look at these options.

When you buy a car it's your to use as long as you want. It requires a large initial investment.
When you lease a car, the monthly payments are relatively small and it's easy to upgrade when a newer version comes out.
The lease or subscription in this case, option might sound good. Your lease license gives you the right to run the software for a specific time and the right to the latest version that is available. So, updates will be no additional cost. But, if you let the subscription lapse, you no longer have the right to own the subscription or in my example, your car is taken away.
With a subscription you will get access to some of Adobe's online services which include, file storage online, ability to host websites, and a few others (whether you want them or not).

Is Adobe Creative Cloud a good thing? Here are some things to consider.

• How often to you need to upgrade?
• Is it important to have access to the latest technology?
• Are the additional applications or services found on the cloud important to you?

As for me, the jury is still out on this new option but as I gather more information, I'll share my thoughts in a later post. However, my initial reaction is I prefer to be able to buy something up front and have the right to use it until I am compelled by features or changes in the platform to update it.
However, here is the worst part. Starting in June, new versions of Adobe's CS software will be available only online, and only as part of a Creative Cloud subscription. No more admiring my Photoshop box on my office shelf.

For now, check out these sites for more information:

http://www.adobe.com/products/creativecloud.html

http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/06/rip-cs/

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/6/4305300/adobe-announces-creative-suite-update-and-rebranding-focus-on-cloud

Photoshop - More tricks with the Color Lookup adjustment layer

Last week I showed you how to create a warm golden glow to a photograph.
Last weeks post.
This week we're going to take it one step further.
I wanted to create a unique feeling to this barn photograph. I wanted a warm golden glow that you would get from the evening sun but I didn't want that effect applied to the sky.
When you add a Color Lookup adjustment layer Photoshop gives you a mask. (What is a mask?)
This mask allows you to paint out the part of the photo that you want to remove that effect from.
In my example below I first applied an adjustment layer to add the Color Lookup adjustment layer with the "Crisp Warm" effect. I didn't want to loose the blues in the sky so I painted that effect out of the sky area.
Then, I took it one step further. I added another adjustment layer with the "Color Lookup" but this time used the "Crisp Winter" effect. This added some wonderful blues to the photograph. Again, I didn't want to have this effect on the foreground and only the sky so I painted out the barn and ground leaving the blues to take over the sky area.
My results are below. A warm golden field of wheat with a cool crisp blue sky.

Photoshop - Creating a mood with the Color Lookup adjustment layer

I love adjustment layers. If you've never used an adjustment layer you need to start. Adjustment layers allow you to edit a photograph without damaging any of the original image. Also, you can easily go back at any time to change the opacity/effect of that adjustment or remove it completely.
For more on adjustment layers see my previous post here.
I've recently discovered a new adjustment layer that I've never used before. It's the "Color Lookup" adjustment layer.
The color lookup adjustment layer allows you to quickly create a new feel to your photo by remapping the colors in the image.
On a recent trip to NW Kansas we stopped by the farmstead where my husband was raised. Without my Nikon I grabbed a quick photo with my cell phone of the barn he played in as a child.
We weren't able to wait for the "golden hour" (just before sunset) to get the warm glowing effects from the late day sun. However, I was able to create that effect using the color lookup adjustment layer.

I opened the photo and added a new adjustment layer selecting the color lookup option. There are several options to select from in the drop-down menus provided.  In my example I selected the "Crisp Warm" look. Instantly I got the look I wanted shown below.

The best part of being an adjustment layer is that I can change the opacity of this effect right on the layer until it looks just right. Again, since it's an adjustment layer, no pixels are harmed!

You'll find a lot of other great effects like "Crip Cool" for winter scenes and many more.

What a nice feature to quickly change the mood of a photograph. Enjoy!

Photoshop - Creating perfect skin

I've been asked many a time on how to make skin look flawless. So, back by popular demand is my tutorial on creating perfect skin in Photoshop.
Here is the link to my instructions on how to do this.
Cheers!

Free online photo tools

Away from your computer and just want to do some quick editing?
Quick Picture Tools is the answer.
There are a dozen different options available allowing you to add text, borders, special effects, and more.
The best part I like about this site is the fact that you don't need to create an account to access the tools.
Simply upload then save your picture as I did on the left.
Enjoy!
http://www.quickpicturetools.com/en/