Robyn Gough Designs » Tutorials

Online Photography Classes

clikchic — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:17:53 +0000

Have you ever wanted to improve your photography? Having a photo that pops can really make your digital and paper scrapbooking layouts shine. I am now running two monthly photography classes at Digital Scrapbook Place, ideal for improving your images.

First we have DSU151 – Taking Better Snapshots

DSU151 – Taking Better Snap Shots

Take your snapshots to the next level in this 4-week class. Topics and assignments will focus on avoiding common snapshot pitfalls, and learning techniques that will make your snapshots an even more meaningful centre of your scrapbook pages.

Prerequisites: This is a beginner-level class. Students must have a digital camera, or 35mm camera and scanner for this class.

Cost: $30 for 4 weekly sessions. Registering the 1st-5th for the current term incurs a $10 late fee.

Class starts again 1st of next month. It is not too late to sign up! Click here to find out more.

For those of you who want something a little more advanced, DSU152 – Delving Into Exposure will be perfect for you!

DSU152 – Delving Into Exposure

Ever wanted to learn more about exposure and how to use your camera in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual modes? This is the class for you!

Gain better control and creativity over your photography by learning the in depth essentials about shutter speed, aperture and ISO the three factors that affect your exposures. Learn how to discern well exposed images from bad, and how to make the most out of your camera to enable you to create truly beautiful images. Develop your eye for exposure and learn how to see your subject how your camera does.

Prerequisites: This is an intermediate-level class. Students must have a digital SLR, or 35mm SLR and scanner for this class.

Cost: $30 for 4 weekly sessions. Registering the 1st-5th for the current term incurs a $10 late fee.

Class starts again on the 1st. It is not too late to sign up! Click here to find out more!

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Saving an Image for Web Viewing in Photoshop & Photoshop Elements

clikchic — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 21:50:20 +0000

For those of you new to digital scrapbooking communities, galleries and social media sites, you may never have had the need to save images for viewing on the web before. Read on to find out how to save your images for web use to enable fast viewing and to be able to upload to online galleries. Images viewed via the web do not need to be the same resolution as images saved for printing, as the maximum viewing resolution on a monitor is 72dpi. Images should also be compressed to allow for quick displaying of images when viewed via the internet. The image should also be smaller in size than that to be printed out, as viewing size on a monitor is much smaller than that being printed out.

This tutorial explains how to save images for sharing on the web or in online galleries.

When your digital scrapbook layout is complete, the first step is to flatten your layers. Doing this prevents your layer styles from needing to be rescaled when your image sizes is reduced, which can happen on occasion, particularly in Photoshop Elements.

To flatten your layers, go to the layers palette and click on the more button in PSE or in Photoshop, the small button with a triangle pointing to the right of your screen.

From the menu which appears select flatten image.

This will flatten all the layers in your layout to a single layer.

After you have done this it is time to resize your image. In the Digital Scrapbook Place gallery, the maximum size you can upload to our gallery is 125kb. In your image menu, select Resize> Image Size. (or in Photoshop just select Image Size)

In the window that appears, you can select the size you wish to make your image. (600×600 pixels is a fairly standard gallery size)

Firstly ensure that Resample Image is checked so that you are able to access the pixel dimensions portion of the window. (constrain proportions should also be checked) In the Width and height the maximum amount of pixels should be 600. You may make it smaller if you wish however 500-600pixels is a good viewing size for the web. For a square image, you can resize it too 600×600 pixels, and for rectangular images, the maximum Width or Height is 600pixels. Just change the largest Dimension to 600 and providing Constrain Proportions is checked, the other dimension will change automatically. Once you have changed the amount of pixels to 600 or less, click on ok. This reduces the viewing size to a suitable size for viewing on the web.

Next we need to save our image for the web. This allows us to reduce file size as much as possible without reducing viewing quality. (do not use this method for layouts you wish to print)

Go to your file menu and choose Save for Web. (or Save for Web and Devices in newer versions of Photoshop)

A new window will appear with two versions of your image. (in Photoshop you may need to click on the 2 Up tab) On the left is your original image and on the right is the sample of the image as you adjust its compression settings.

In the Preset box, ensure that you have JPEG selected in the box for file types. To the right of this box is a Quality box. This is where you adjust your compression level. Adjusting the level in the Quality box directly effects the file size shown under your sample image. The aim is to get the maximum viewing quality possible, with minimum file size. Play with the levels in the Quality box and see how it affects your sample image in comparison to your original image. Brightly coloured or high contrast images tend to be larger file sizes than lower contrast images.

To be able to upload your image to the Digital Scrapbook Place gallery, your image file size must be less than 125k. Check the file size under JPEG shown as above below the sample image. Generally speaking you should be able to keep your images under 100k for most layouts. If you need to zoom in to get a better view of the effect of the compression, you can click on the magnifying glass at the top left and click on your image to zoom in. (hold down the alt key and click to zoom back out). You can also optimise for File Size and choose the Maximum File size of your image.

Once you are happy with your adjustments, click on the Ok button.

Be sure not to overwrite your high resolution images by saving as the same name. You might like to put -web or -lowres at the end of your file name to indicate that the image is a low resolution image for web/email viewing.

Once you have named your file and chosen an easy to remember place on your hard drive to save it, click on Save, to save your new, low resolution version of your image.

Tip: When going back to your image in PS or PSE, remember not to re-save your original as your full printing size will be lost. You may wish to undo your sizing and layer changes before saving again, or in Photoshop you can click on Revert in the File menu to revert to the last saved version.

Happy Gallery posting!

Not to be reproduced without express written permission.

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Realistic Paper Tearing in Photoshop

clikchic — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:49:52 +0000

Have you ever wondered how to tear digital paper and make it look real? Learn how to do realistic paper tearing in photoshop.

Realistic Paper tearing in digital scrapbooking is something that can be done in many different ways, here my version of digital paper tearing. This tutorial is done in Photoshop CS, however the basic principles will apply in other versions of Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. You may also be able to apply the principles to other software packages. Select the layer you wish to apply the torn edges to by clicking on it in the layers palette. Then click on the ‘Add Layer Mask’ button at the bottom of the window (second from the left) to create a layer mask. Creating a layer mask allows you to make changes that can be easily removed from the layer at any time. To make changes to the layer mask, click on the square showing to the right of your layer thumbnail. This is your layer mask thumbnail.

Using black on your layer mask will erase from the layer much like the rubber tool and using white will bring it back. This makes it is easy to correct any over brushing by using white.

Select your brush tool from your tools menu on the left hand side.

I like to use the Rough Round Bristle for creating my torn edges but it is worth experimenting with different brushes to see which you prefer for the effect you are after. Adjust the brush size according to your layout and the size needed for the desired effect. For this layout I set mine at about 150px. Make sure you have selected black from your colour palette and begin brushing the edges of your paper, photo or matt. Ensure that the brush opacity is set at 100%.

With this particular brush it is usually necessary to go over any dark pixels that have not been properly erased to ensure you have a clean torn edge. Once you have finished creating your edge with the black brush select the layer in your layers palette below the one you are working on and then create a new layer. This will place a new layer underneath the layer you are creating the torn edge on.

To do this click on the little arrow in a circle on the top left of your layers window and select new layer.

I like to once again use the Rough Round Bristle for the under portion of the torn edge. Once again you might like to experiment with different brushes to get different effects. This particular brush gives a nice textured effect to this portion of the torn edge. Select an appropriate colour to match your paper or photo. In the case of photos I like to use white as photos are printed on white paper and give a white torn edge. For coloured paper I would use a slightly lighter shade of the same colour. Choose a brush size for your desired effect. I used approx 150 once again.

Begin painting the torn portion of the paper on the layer beneath your photo or paper by dragging your brush along the middle of the edge of your torn paper. You may wish to tidy up the edges with your rubber tool and by selecting the same brush. Once you have completed the edge on your photo or paper you may wish to apply a drop shadow to this layer.

To apply a drop shadow select Layer, Layer Style and then Drop Shadow from your menu.

Adjust the settings to suit your layout. Different colours will require different shadow strengths and the further the paper away from the layers below the softer and larger the shadow will be. The closer it is the darker and smaller the shadow will be. For the sake of realism in a paper style layout I prefer to keep my shadows quite small and subtle. Fiddle with the Opacity, Distance, Spread and Size settings to achieve your desired effect.

You may wish to apply further effects on the torn edge portion of the paper, in this case the white portion or the layer beneath your paper or photo. You may wish to apply textures similar to that of the above layer, or a texture to simulate torn paper. Some people like to add noise. Personally I do not think this technique requires any further textures or effects but this will differ according to taste and the style of your papers and layouts. I also like to slightly lower the fill opacity of the white torn edge. Again this is a matter of taste and may not suit your paper or layout. You may prefer to use the rubber tool for this purpose with a lowered opacity to brush over the edges to simulate the effect of the thinned edge of torn paper.

There are many different methods of creating a torn paper edge, and this is the one I like to use for my layouts and kits.

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Creating a Blinkie in Photoshop CS-CS5

clikchic — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 09:50:09 +0000

Anyone who joins the online digiscrapping communities will notice the popularity of blinking avatars and 'blinkies'. This tutorial teaches you how to easily create your very own blinking avatars and blinkies in Photoshop CS-CS5.

There are a few more steps to create a blinkie in older versions of Photoshop CS than in Photoshop Elements but once you know how you will be creating dozens of blinking avatars and blinkies! The blinkie size I have used in this instance is 125×60 pixels, another common blinkie size is 150×50 pixels. The avatar size limit on on most scrapping forums is 125x125pixels so this is a good size to create your avatar's at.

Firstly you need to create your design, and this needs to be a layered image, as showing and hiding the layers enables you to create each frame of the blinkie.

For the purpose of this tutorial I will be using the top three layers as 'blinking' layers for the blinkie. You can use any combination of layers you wish to create a frame for your blinkie. In this instance I will keep it simple and only 'blink' the top three layers.

Once you have all your layers ready to go you then need to begin the animation process. To do this, go to the file menu and choose Edit in ImageReady.

Note: This step is unnecessary in Photoshop CS3+ as animations are now done within Photoshop itself. Simply click on the window menu and click on Animation to open the Animation window while still in Photoshop.

Image Ready will open up (this can sometimes take some time to load) with your image in it, and no longer in Photoshop. If you need to go back and fix something you can just choose Edit in Photoshop from the file menu of Image Ready. Be warned however if you do this you should do so before you begin the animation process as it can play havoc with your frames. If you need to do it after you have started adding new frames, first delete the extra frames and then do your editing in Photoshop before coming back to Image Ready.

Next you need to open the Animation window, in image ready or in Photoshop CS3+.

Go to the Window menu and ensure that the Animation option is checked. This will ensure you have the animation window open.

To create each frame we need to turn on the layers we want visible and off the layers we don't. You can do this by clicking on the eye next to each layer. If there is no eye next to the layer, it means the layer's visibility has been turned off. In the above sample we have turned off the 'Love' and 'CD' Layers which will be for the first frame of our blinkie. For this blinkie the first layer only has the 'I' layer visible.

Here we have the Animation window visible. This is where we create each frame of the animation. Here we need to ensure it is set to forever. This allows the blinkie to continue blinking. If it is set to once, it will only go through the frames once and then stop.

The frame delay is the length of time in seconds the frame will appear. You can set different time values for each frame if you wish. For instance if something takes a little longer to read you can make it a longer frame delay. If it is just an outside border which flickers, you can set it to a short delay so that it blinks quickly. For the purpose of this tutorial we will set all the frame delay's at 0.5 seconds.

Once the first frame is set, following new frames are defaulted at the same value, but can be changed if you wish.

We already had the first frame ready to go, and just had to adjust the frame delay. Now we are ready to create the second frame. First we need to click on the New Frame Icon circled above.

Next we need to make the layers visible that we want to appear in the second frame of the blinkie. Above shows the second layer we want visible.

Here is the third frame we wish to have for the blinkie, showing the layers which are visible for this frame. We have now finished creating the frames for the blinkie and it is now ready to be saved into gif format.

Note: In CS3+ this step is now done through Save For Web & Devices (file menu). The settings are on the right hand side of the window. If you wish to view the quality settings, click on the two up tab. This allows you to view the Original file on the left, and your adjusted settings on the right. You can use the play button at the bottom right of the window to view your animation before saving. Once you are happy with your settings click on save and save to your computer.

Photoshop CS3+ Save For Web & Devices

Back to prior photoshop versions…

Next we need to make sure that gif is selected in the optimize palette. If you need to compress the image a little further and reduce the file size you can try adjusting the number of colours, however this can reduce the viewing quality of the image. If file size is not an issue you will not need to adjust any of the other settings.

For the purpose of this tutorial I have left all the settings at their defaults.

Now it is time to save our image! Go to the file menu and choose Save Optimized As. Choose an easy to find spot on your hard drive to save your blinkie and you are done!

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Using Drop Shadows for Realistic Looking Layouts

clikchic — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:50:18 +0000

Drop shadows can have a dramatic affect on your layouts and can provide a variety of different effects and looks. Adjusting a drop shadow can really make your layout pop, or can spoil it. The trick is creating the right type of drop shadow for the effect you are trying to create.

Below is a photo with six different drop shadows to illustrate the different effects a drop shadow can give.

The first image has a subtle drop shadow, a short distance from the image, with the shadow being heavier on two sides of the photo, illustrating that the light source is coming from the top left. The small size of the shadow also suggests that the photo is likely to be directly on top of the background paper as it might be on a traditional paper layout.

The second photo has a heavier and larger drop shadow again heavier on two sides of the photo indicating that the light source is coming from the top left. The increased size and softness to the drop shadow makes the photo appear that it might be further away from the background paper. Such a shadow might also be used for objects such as page pebbles, or other embellishments which would appear to be thicker in real life than a photo. In this instance, used on a photo which is less than a millimetre thick, it makes the photo appear to float on the page.

The third photo has a very large drop shadow and is much softer looking than the previous two. The shadow has dispersed just as shadows do in real life when an object is a distance from something. The closer the object is to where the shadow is being cast, the darker, smaller and sharper the shadow will become. This shadow makes the photo appear as if it is floating some distance above the page and does not lend itself towards a realistic looking paper style layout as much as the first shadow does.

The fourth photo has a small brown drop shadow with the colour altered from black to dark brown. The shadow is set at zero distance giving an even size around the photo and indicating that the light source might be directly above the photo. This form of drop shadow gives a lovely soft look and is useful for creating a realistic and soft looking shadow around the photo. This effect is particularly useful for freestyle layouts and a variety of other effects and looks.

The fifth photo has a larger, softer drop shadow, at zero distance with the colour altered from black to dark brown. The shadow has also had noise added to give a less even look. The size of the drop shadow does not lend itself to a realistic photo on top of paper look, however it does almost give the appearance that the photo is set behind the paper instead of on top of it. To enhance this effect you may wish to reduce the opacity of the shadow and include an inner shadow on the photo itself. It is another style of drop shadow which may be useful for freestyle layouts.

The sixth photo does not look at all like it has a drop shadow but like it has a frame around it or that the paper may have been embossed. This look was achieved by using zero distance, changing the colour to dark brown and experimenting with the contour of the drop shadow. Once again, not a very realistic looking drop shadow, but perhaps an interesting effect to experiment with!

Knowing how to make the most of your drop shadows is a very useful tool to have under your belt and it can be fun to experiment with them. Why not give it a go in your next layout?

Not to be reproduced without express written permission.

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New Photography Class! Delving Into Exposure!

clikchic — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:18:41 +0000

Ever wanted to learn more about exposure and how to use your camera in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual modes? This is the class for you!

Cost: $30 for 4 weekly sessions. Registering the 1st-5th for the current term incurs a $10 late fee. If you can't make it in August, don't worry, there will be classes coming in October and January also!

Click here to find out more!

DSP has a whole range of classes, click here to see what we have to offer!

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Do you love Layered Digital Scrapbook Templates?

clikchic — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:19:50 +0000

Why not check out my collection of Layered Templates at Digital Scrapbook Place. All my templates include layered PSD files as well as individual .png layers easily placed in order into a new document. Not sure how to use them? Instructions are included, but make sure you check out some of the software specific tutorials at DSP. Layered templates are also known as Quick Clicks at Digital Scrapbook Place.

Check out tutorials for your software here. Quick Clicks, Using [PSP] [PSE3] [PSE6 to PSE8]-pdf file [PS] [DIP] [FotoFusion] [PI]

I also have several clipping masks available in store at Digital Scrapbook Place, for some awesome artsy touches to your layouts! There is an awesome Photoshop tutorial on using Masks here.

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Need to learn to take better Snapshots?

clikchic — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:06:44 +0000

I am so excited. I have wanted to teach some Digital Scrapbook Place classes for some time and starting July I am teaching my first class at DSP. Photography has been my passion for a long time, I even had my own darkroom for a time. I can't wait to start teaching this class.

DSU151 – Taking Better Snap Shots

Prerequisites: This is a beginner-level class. Students must have a digital camera, or 35mm camera and scanner for this class.

Cost: $30 for 4 weekly sessions. Registering the 1st-5th for the current term incurs a $10 late fee.

If you can't make it in July, don't worry, there will be classes coming in September and November also!

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Cutting Shapes from Digital Scrapbook Papers in Photoshop

clikchic — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 04:08:54 +0000

In this tutorial I am going to demonstrate a quick and easy way to cut shapes from Digital Scrapbook Papers/Backgrounds in Photoshop. This method will work in all versions of Photoshop.

First I have opened the paper I am choosing to work with in Photoshop. This paper is from my Floral Fancy Value Collection.

First we need to create a new layer above the paper layer.

I am going to cut a heart shape from my paper, and will use the custom shape tool to create the heart to cut my paper with. The custom shape tool can be found above the hand tool on the left hand tool bar.

Once you have clicked this tool you will see the custom shapes menu appear in the above menu bar.

First you need to ensure the Fill Pixels button is selected.

Once the Fill Pixels button is selected you can go ahead and click on the Custom Shape Picker to choose your shape. Photoshop has several preinstalled shapes, but you can also create or add more.

I will use a Photoshop custom shape for the purpose of this tutorial. The shape I am using is called Heart Card.

Click on the Heart Card Shape to select that custom shape. Click on your new layer to ensure it is selected. Using your mouse, click and drag over the canvas to create your shape. Hold down the SHIFT key while doing so to maintain aspect ratio. (keep the shape in the correct proportions) Holding down the SHIFT key is a good tip to maintain aspect ratio when resizing any object in Photoshop.

You can now see on the layers palette that there is a layer with your custom shape and the layer underneath with the paper.

Next we need to hold down the CTRL key and click on the shape layer to select the outline of the shape. When you do this you will see ‘marching ants’ appear around the outline of the shape.

Now we need to select the paper layer so that we can cut the shape from it.

Once the paper layer is selected, you can use the Edit>Copy command or press CTRL and C to copy.
Now we need to open a new canvas to paste the shape onto.

Ensure the background contents are selected as transparent and click on OK.

Now use the Edit>Paste command or press CTRL and V to paste. You will now have your shaped paper in a new canvas, to save or drag to your layout.

Once you have dragged the shape onto your layout add a drop shadow to complete the look!

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Using Composition To Improve Your Photography

clikchic — Sun, 01 May 2011 03:02:52 +0000

Photographic Composition can have a dramatic effect on the impact of your photographs. There are several easy techniques which you can use help improve your photography.

Distracting Backgrounds

Distracting Backgrounds can spoil an otherwise great photo. For instance, a brightly coloured object behind the subject, say a child, can draw your eye away from the subject. I took a snap of my daughter when she was 2 while she was playing in the backyard. The background was the plain green of the grass apart from one distracting element, a bright red swing in the background. The bright colour drew your eye away from the main subject. It was such a nice natural candid shot it was a shame to have it spoilt by the swing in the background.

Wherever possible it is best to keep an eye out for such distracting elements when taking your image and change your position or recompose. However this is not always possible and in this case I was able to remove the swing with the help of the clone tool in Photoshop.

Fill the Frame

Another way to avoid distracting backgrounds and maximise photo impact is to fill the frame with your image. Because the frame is filled with the subject it draws and holds your eye on the subject. Simplifying the photo further by converting to black and white can also dramatically improve an image, or simply give a different feel or mood.

Rule of Thirds

It is not always best to fill the frame as sometimes you need to show more to tell the story. Sometimes positioning the subject in a certain way can add tension to the image. A common technique is to use the ‘rule of thirds’. When using this technique you mentally divide the frame into thirds by way of horizontal and vertical (mental) lines. The points at which these lines cross are the best points to position the subject to take advantage of maximum ‘tension’ and compositional ‘correctness’ emphasise the feel or mood.

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