Applying Photoshop Magic on Your Brochures

Do you want your brochure designs to look better and greater than they were before? Well then, before you go on to send your designs to the brochure printer, try doing several tweaking first.

In this article we have listed down a few little Adobe Photoshop magic tricks that will see your brochure printing

designs improve and becoming more eye catching. Just follow the tips below and see if you may want to do this in your brochures.

Enhancing your images – The first little Photoshop magic that you can do is to enhance your images. Enhancing your graphics, makes them look more vibrant and basically more attractive to readers. They will engage more with the pictures and hopefully get the dominant feeling out of them.

You can improve your images for your color brochures by simply adjusting the true color values and the brightness and contrast settings of the image. In addition, if there are errors in the images like splotches, or even image elements that you do not want see, you can easily erase these elements with the eraser tool and the clone tool in Photoshop.

Adding filter effects – Also, to add a more general effect to the whole brochure, you can try adding some filters into certain design elements. You can make your pictures look like posters, sketches or paintings using special artistic filters in Photoshop.

You can also add in some softening effects, blurs to text, and images to make the brochures look lighter and softer. There are also filter effects to make things look grainy or distorted, if you want to add a little bit of personality in your brochure designs. Doing these effects makes the brochure unique and interesting so make sure to try these filters out.

Making the text come out – Now, with regards to your text content one of the best ways to make them come out is by using some blending options. You can add in shadows into your text to make them look like they were lifted off the page.

Embossing effects can make 3D shadows for the text making them look three-dimensional. Glowing effects can make the text shine and come out, while texture fills can make your brochure text look like it was made out of a certain material. Playing with these blending options can really make your text more interesting. So if you want to emphasize some of your text and titles, try using this kind of magic.

Fiddling with your backgrounds –l Finally, one of the best subtle design magic that you can use for your brochures are texture effects in your background. While others are content in just a color background, in Photoshop, you can add in texture effects to make the background look more real with a certain type of material.

For example, you can make your brochure background look like it was made from satin, sand, brick and many other texture effects. You can even download special textures if you really want to customize the background. Adding textures to your background is a great way to enhance your brochure theme and it is one of the best ways to complete a well-made brochure design.

Therefore, those are just some of the Photoshop magic that you can use for your color brochures. Try some of these out and see what they can do to improve your brochure designs. Good luck!

Article Tags: Photoshop Magic, Brochure Designs, Them Look, Texture Effects

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie Marcus writes useful information about brochure printer and brochure printing .

Applying Photoshop Magic on Your Brochures

Do you want your brochure designs to look better and greater than they were before? Well then, before you go on to send your designs to the brochure printer, try doing several tweaking first.

In this article we have listed down a few little Adobe Photoshop magic tricks that will see your brochure printing designs improve and becoming more eye catching. Just follow the tips below and see if you may want to do this in your brochures.

Enhancing your images – The first little Photoshop magic that you can do is to enhance your images. Enhancing your graphics, makes them look more vibrant and basically more attractive to readers. They will engage more with the pictures and hopefully get the dominant feeling out of them.

You can improve your images for your color brochures by simply adjusting the true color values and the brightness and contrast settings of the image. In addition, if there are errors in the images like splotches, or even image elements that you do not want see, you can easily erase these elements with the eraser tool and the clone tool in Photoshop.

Adding filter effects – Also, to add a more general effect to the whole brochure, you can try adding some filters into certain design elements. You can make your pictures look like posters, sketches or paintings using special artistic filters in Photoshop.

You can also add in some softening effects, blurs to text, and images to make the brochures look lighter and softer. There are also filter effects to make things look grainy or distorted, if you want to add a little bit of personality in your brochure designs. Doing these effects makes the brochure unique and interesting so make sure to try these filters out.

Making the text come out – Now, with regards to your text content one of the best ways to make them come out is by using some blending options. You can add in shadows into your text to make them look like they were lifted off the page.

Embossing effects can make 3D shadows for the text making them look three-dimensional. Glowing effects can make the text shine and come out, while texture fills can make your brochure text look like it was made out of a certain material. Playing with these blending options can really make your text more interesting. So if you want to emphasize some of your text and titles, try using this kind of magic.

Fiddling with your backgrounds –l Finally, one of the best subtle design magic that you can use for your brochures are texture effects in your background. While others are content in just a color background, in Photoshop, you can add in texture effects to make the background look more real with a certain type of material.

For example, you can make your brochure background look like it was made from satin, sand, brick and many other texture effects. You can even download special textures if you really want to customize the background. Adding textures to your background is a great way to enhance your brochure theme and it is one of the best ways to complete a well-made brochure design.

Therefore, those are just some of the Photoshop magic that you can use for your color brochures. Try some of these out and see what they can do to improve your brochure designs. Good luck!

Article Tags: Photoshop Magic, Brochure Designs, Them Look, Texture Effects

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie Marcus writes useful information about brochure printer and brochure printing .

How to Achieve Picture Perfect Shots via Digital Photography

By: Trixter Marketing

Gone are the times when photographers had to take several shots of an image and develop them to find out if a fine or even perfect image was taken. Several photographers of this art form refer to this technique as ?trial and error?.

Gone are the times when photographers had to take several shots of an image and develop them to find out if a fine or even perfect image was taken. Several photographers of this art form refer to this technique as ?trial and error?.

Nowadays, there are a numbers of photographers who have decided to shift from regular point and shoot and old SLR models to digital ones. Through DSLRs, they can get more time to concentrate in taking those great pictures since images that are not par with their standards can simply be deleted away.

SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. The name implies the use of lenses and a mirror. Mirror reflects light entering the lens up into the viewfinder. Thus, a photographer can estimate how the image will likely appear when it is developed. Moreover, a SLR camera uses separate lenses that can be interchanged depending on the resolution needed. Hence, this camera can be used to capture image with varying depths.

Likewise, a digital SLR or DSLR camera uses lenses and mirror. But instead of a film that records the image, a DSLR camera uses light sensor chips and digital memory. In other words, a DSLR camera is the computerized version of the traditional SLR camera.



However, the functions of these models are rather different so it is suggested that users spend time getting familiar or acquainted with these gadgets. Owners should use that ?trial and error? technique by taking a few shots and storing better pictures. Sooner or later, users can surely hack these models.



Individuals who decide on using these types of cameras should really invest on memory cards and lenses. Thus, if they happen to become professionals someday, additional equipment will surely keep them busy for choosing photography as a career.



Here are some helpful tips that will definitely aid owners of DSLR cameras in capturing a perfect image using the new art of digital photography.



1. Normally, people take full body shots against a background. However, it is more appropriate to take a shot from shoulders up or an upper body one because image of those in the picture really appear small.



2. If doing the above technique happens to be difficult for the user, he or she can take a shot of the person with him or her at one side rather than at the center. Then the owner can just zoom in so the person appears to be at the center.



3. The law of optics remains the same whether using an old or a digital camera. For instance, if the sun is behind an image, the picture will be silhouette. If light is in front of the image, the picture will appear squint unless there are sunglasses on.



4. Use your sunglass to act as a polarizer to take away unnecessary reflections from glaring objects.



5. You can also use a sunglass to increase the exposure of objects.



6. When using a polarizer, be sure that the source of light is perpendicular to the object.



7. Change your white balance setting from auto to cloudy when shooting bright landscapes and outdoor portraits.



8. Do not use the flash mode when the setting is already sunny.



9. Zoom in to emphasize a certain asset or characteristic of the subject being captured.



10. Practice. Practice. Practice.



It suffices to say that the techniques in getting the perfect shot have not changed. However, using digital cameras and employing this new art of digital photography have simply improved photo shooting by making capturing pictures easy for everyone.



In other words, practice is what really makes perfect shots!

Article Source: http://www.articlecontentprovider.com/articlesubmit

Trixter Marketing Reviews For information on how to make money fromyour digital photos go here:- http://www.productsupplycenter.com/web341763

Photography School Reviews By: Andrew Holloway

"Any good photography is a successful synthesis of technique and art." - Andreas Feininger

This article will attempt to help you come to a clearer understanding of the photography schools and colleges available, what they can offer you in terms of photo and arts education, and guide you towards investigating more about specific schools and where you can find out more information.

Photography SchoolsPhotography is a wonderful choice when it comes to a career. Photography is a versatile path that allows you to specify within the degree, and move from different types of photography within your lifetime. From magazine covers to exotic locations to local newspapers, a career in photography will allow you to pick and choose exactly what you want to photograph. However, a career in photography doesn't happen with well wishes and hopes...you have to work to get there! So where do you begin in your search for photography schools? Right here!

You'll have to learn about the photography business, learn how to deal with copyright issues and information, manage your photo porfolio and how to work with others in the field. There are many courses in the field of photography taught at many of the schools, teaching you in a variety of areas including:


Photographic equipment
Photographic processes
Photograph techniques
Color theory
Special skills
Digital imaging and photo processing


There are many many more fields available when it comes to your career path in photography, the above were simply some examples.

If you're passionate about photography and want to pursue this versatile career, it's important that you take the time to learn from experienced professionals that can guide you in your efforts to pursue professional photography, motion picture and video photography, visual journalism, and thinks like visual communications. What's great about attending photography schools nationwide is that you dont' have to begin an expert, you begin a beginner! Many of you are pursuing this field because you have a natural eye for photography, and that's great - but maybe you're just developing one. That's great too! What you probably didn't know is that photography school will teach you much more than simply how to snap a few brief pictures and dip em in developer. They teach you the scientific processes of film, chemistry, optics, color theory, lighting rations, and digital and computer skills.

You'll also find collegues and students at your school that share your passion, talents, and skill and want to join in mutual efforts to further your careers. Here are a few photography school frequently asked questions that might help you!


What is the objective of many photography schools?
What types of photography might I choose to go into?
What type of school should I look for?
What are some of the top schools in the US?


What is the objective of many photography schools?
The objective (or the objective I believe is crucial to selecting a school) of many is to develop photographers that are technically and professionally sound, enabling them to pursue any photographic field and compete in the job marketplace.

What types of photography might I choose to go into?
There are many different types of photography fields, including fasion photography, digital photography, advertising photography, editorial photography, documentary style, wedding photography, portrait photography, or photo technician style work. You'll be prepared to do any of these with a solid education at a photo college or school.

What type of school should I look for?
My recommendation is a school that teaches nothing but photography! Obviously affordability is important, but a photo only institute is a great way to go!

What are some of the top schools in the US?
There are several wonderful photography schools, but some of ones we'll choose to highlight are Brooks Institute of Photography and the Art Institute of Colorado. For a more detailed list of Photography schools and information, please click here or continue browsing this article.

Brooks is a world leader when it comes to visual arts and photographic education. You'll want to find a photography school that helps to meet career oriented needs that you establish before you search. You'll want one with experience in the field for a long period of time, not just a hokey internet college.

You want want that can offer you a chance to broaden your resume through internships and opportunities. The joy of this career is that you get to turn your photographic ambition into something that pays the bills and you love to do every single day! Who wouldn't want that! I hope this article has proved even a little helpful, and that you'll consider going into the wonderful field of photography!

Author Bio
Andy is the owner of YouSeekIt.com, an article resource site, and this article can be found here: www.youseekit.com/Arts/Photography_Schools.html

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Understanding Levels and Curves Output Values By Les Meehan Platinum Quality Author

In a different article I explained how to use the INPUT values of the Photoshop Levels and Curves dialogs. In that article I didn't discuss the OUTPUT values other than to say that the default values are 255 for the white slider and 0 for the black slider.

The OUTPUT values can be used to lighten dark tones or to darken light tones. This can be used to reduce the overall contrast of a photograph. In the Curves dialog, if you drag the black end point at the left of the graph upwards you will increase the value of the black output above the default of 0 (zero). Conversely, if you drag the white end point at the right of the graph downwards, you will reduce the value of the white output to less than the default of 255. This has the effect of lowering the contrast of the photograph you are editing. This is similar but opposite of using the Input values.

However, the OUTPUT values also have a more important function - they help you to calibrate your printer! When we print an image the image data is interpreted by the printer and this can lead to the all too common problem of the print NOT matching the screen image. The problem is that the printer has its own 'contrast range' and this might be, and often is, less than the contrast of the screen image.

What this means is that the printer may well print some of the more subtle tones of the image, i.e. shadows with values of 5, 6, 7 up to say 15 as solid black and the lightest tones of 250, 251, up to 254 as solid white. The result would be a print that had more contrast and less detail than the screen image.

The solution is to make some test prints using a grey scale of tones (i.e. a set of patches of various tone values) from black through to white. The tonal values of each patch should change in value by say 3 or 5 in both the darkest and lightest parts. The middle tones can change using greater differences in values, e.g. units of 10, since they are not so important for this calibration. Print this scale on your printer with your usual paper(s). You should test each paper you use because the paper will affect the visible contrast range.

Now, compare the print to the screen and find the tone value patch on the printed scale that is completely black and the one that is completely white. For example, you may have dark tones in the grey scale screen image of say 0 (black), 5, 10, 15, 20 and light tones of say 250, 252, 254, and 255 (white).

When looking at your test print, if there is no visible difference between the dark patches of the scale with values of 5, 10 and black (i.e. the tones of 5 and 10 are pure black in the print) this indicates your printer will interpret a dark tone of value 10 and lower as pure black.

Conversely, looking at the lightest tones, if the tones with values 252 and above are showing as paper white this indicates your printer will print anything above 252 as pure white. Good, now we know the limits of contrast the printer can produce. In this example any tone darker than 10 will print as pure black and any tone lighter than 252 will print as pure white.

Now we can use the OUTPUT values of the Curves dialog to compensate for this printer/paper contrast. Using our example, we now know that any tone with a value of 10 or lower will be black in the print. In other words, the BLACK POINT of the PRINTER is 10. So, to compensate we need to set the OUTPUT value of the black slider in the Curves dialog to the value 10. This will lighten the shadows in the screen image (and probably make it look dull) BUT when you print the image the printer will lower the values down again to where you want them.

The same happens for the lighter tones. The printer will produce any value above 252 as paper white (no ink), so we need to set the OUTPUT value of the white slider in the Curves dialog to 252. This will lower the values of the light tones in the screen image BUT the printer will raise them back up on the print! You now understand enough about the Levels and Curves OUTPUT values to allow you to adjust the screen image to match the contrast capabilities of your printer and paper. The visual result on screen doesn't matter!

Now you can go on to learn more skills in Photoshop by joining me, and other like minded folk, for FREE at Zone2Tone Members and after you join us you will receive a free professional quality video tutorial.

Copyright (c) Les Meehan 2010.

Les Meehan is the author of seven published digital photography books and as a qualified instructor has been teaching workshops for over 20 years.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Les_Meehan

Understanding Levels and Curves Input Values By Les Meehan Platinum Quality Author

When you set the INPUT value in the Levels or Curves dialog either by dragging the black or white triangular sliders or typing a value directly into the Input box, you are telling Photoshop to change all of the pixels in the image that have this new tone value so that they match the default OUTPUT value. For example, when you move the white slider in the Curves dialog to 250, you are basically saying "I want all the pixels with the value 250 AND HIGHER (i.e. the range 250 to 255) to have the same value as shown in the OUTPUT box."

Since the default OUTPUT value is 255 for white, all of the pixels in the image with a value of 250 or higher will be made to be pure white (value 255). The other light tones in the image will also become lighter. The same is true for the black slider. When you move the black slider you set the INPUT value which will change all of the pixels with this value AND LOWER equal to the default OUTPUT value which is 0 (i.e. black). For example, if you move the black slider or set the black INPUT value to 25, all of the pixels with a value of 25 or lower will be made equal to the output value of 0 (black). This will also cause all of the shadow tones also to darken.

You are actually setting the upper and lower limit values of the white and black tones in the image which in this example would increase the overall contrast of the image. So, if you have a low contrast image that hasn't got a black tone and hasn't got a white tone, you would normally be saying "OK, the darkest tone in this image has, say, a value of 20 BUT this is not true black and I want it to be black. Right, so I need to set the INPUT value of the black slider to 20 and leave the OUTPUT value at 0."

This will change the value of the selected tone from 20 to 0 thus increasing the depth of the shadow tones. Note that all the tones in the dark areas will be lowered in value proportionally. You now have either a Levels or Curves tone adjustment that has 'mapped' the value of 20 down to 0. Working with the lighter tones now, let's say the lightest tone in this same image has a value of 230 (a light grey tone, typical of low contrast photos). Now let's assume we want the image to have a pure white. So, we need to change the value of this tone from 230 so that it looks white (value 255). Using the Levels or Curves adjustment dialog we move the white slider until the INPUT value is 230 and leave the OUTPUT value at the default of 255. This will change all the tones with a value of 230 so they have the new value of 0 (zero) which will change them to become white in the image.

The result of these two changes to the black and white input values will be that you have increased the image contrast to make it fill the full tonal range and appear more 'normal'. Now you understand how the Input values in the Levels and Curves dialogs work and how to use them to correct a low contrast photograph.

Now you can go on to learn more skills in Photoshop by joining me, and other like minded folk, for FREE at Zone2Tone Members and after you join us you will receive a free professional quality video tutorial.

Copyright (c) Les Meehan 2010.

Les Meehan is the author of seven published digital photography books and as a qualified instructor has been teaching workshops for over 20 years.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Les_Meehan

Working With the Pen Tool in Photoshop By Kevin M. Sugrue Platinum Quality Author

Photoshop has multiple pen tools. The standard pen tool draws with the greatest precision. The freeform pen tool draws paths as if you were drawing with pencil on paper, and the magnetic pen option lets you draw a path that snaps to the edges of defined areas in your image. You can use the pen tools along with the shape tools to create complex shapes. When you use the standard pen tool, the following options are available in the options bar:

• Auto Add/Delete lets you add an anchor point when you click a line segment or delete an anchor point when you click it.

• Rubber Band lets you preview path segments as you drag between clicks.

Before drawing with the Pen tool, you can create a new path in the Paths palette to automatically save the work path as a named path.

The easiest path you can draw with the pen tool is a straight line. Click the pen tool and create two anchor points. By continuing to click, you create a path made of straight line segments connected by corner points.

Let's try it. Select the pen tool. Position the pen tool where you want the path to begin, and click to define the first anchor point (do not drag). The first segment you draw will not be visible until you click a second anchor point. If you select the rubber band option to preview path segments and direction lines appear, you've accidentally dragged the pen tool. Choose Edit > Undo, and click again. When you are finished, click again where you want the segment to end (Shift-click to constrain the angle of the segment to a multiple of 45°). Continue clicking to set anchor points for additional straight segments. The last anchor point you add always appears as a solid square, indicating that it is selected. Previous anchor points become hollow, and deselected, as you add more anchor points. In order to complete the path, position the pen tool over the first anchor point. A small circle appears next to the pen tool pointer when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.

You can also create curved lines with the pen tool. Create a curve by adding an anchor point where a curve changes direction, and dragging the direction lines that shape the curve. The length and slope of the lines determine the shape of the curve. Drawing curves with as few anchor points as possible makes them easier to edit and your system can display and print them faster. Using too many points can also produce unwanted bumps in a curve. To prevent this, draw widely spaced anchor points, and practice shaping curves by adjusting the length and angles of the direction lines.

Let's practice. First, select the pen tool. Next, position the pen tool where you want the curve to begin and hold down the mouse button. The first anchor point appears, and the pen tool pointer changes to an arrowhead. The pointer changes after you start dragging. Drag to set the slope of the curved segment then release the mouse button. Extend the direction line about one third of the distance to the next anchor point you plan to draw. You can later adjust one or both sides of the direction line. If you wish to constrain the tool to multiples of 45°, hold down the shift key.

This article is written by Kevin M. Sugrue and is an extract from part of 'The Essentials of Drawing in Photoshop' Ebook. For more go to [http://www.tutorialhell.com/ebooks]

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