Things You Should Know Before Learning Photoshop

It doesn’t matter if you are new to the world of graphic design, or you are a photographer and you want to enhance your photos, you will eventually encounter the need to use Adobe Photoshop. Remembering when I first started out, I wondered how I would ever begin to know how to work my way through Photoshop and create professional quality, eye-dazzling work, L.O.L.  Well, that’s another story. Later on, I use Photoshop on a daily basis, this is how I learn Photoshop. I also keep looking on internet how to use this one, that one, and looking for many words that sounds alien to me. But I keep doing it though. I keep practices whenever and wherever I have time, and I download many tutorials from YouTube on campus. I won’t lie to you. Learning Photoshop is difficult, you can only make it if you keep trying and learning on daily basis. And one thing for sure, you won’t be able to go from getting started, to pro overnight, but you can take comfort in knowing that everyone has to start somewhere, just like I do.

So, here, what I want to tell you is in learning Photoshop, you don’t have to go to Photoshop courses. But if you want to go there, that’s better.  You can learn Photoshop by yourself, believe me. As long as you have a strong will to learn Photoshop, you can learn it from the very small thing. You may begin with by getting acquainted with Photoshop UI and make yourself getting used to it. Frankly speaking, when I learn it for the first time, it’s very frustrating because Photoshop got so many tools, that’s why I suggest you to getting used to it. But Don’t worry, I have made a post that contain the very basic of Photoshop, I explain the tool quite simple though, you must understand it in no time I believe. Just click on this Link.

If Photoshop tools looks alien no more. You can go further to another step. There are a lot of thing that you can do. Just look it up on the internet or YouTube, using keyword Photoshop Tutorial. They will provide a lot of Photoshop Tutorial that you can download it to learn it later on your home, whenever you got time. See? Learning Photoshop should not go to some Photoshop Courses, right? Besides, there are many advantages of learning photoshop at home by yourself. It saving your time, saving your money, and you can explore more about Photoshop.

If you want to master Photoshop, like what I’ve told you before, you should learn it on daily basis just like I do. Because you won’t be able to go from getting started, to pro overnight. And it is recommended as well for you to join any group that will help you learn Photoshop, whether social media group, or communities. It helps a lot because you would have many friends to share with. It will motivate you as well. By looking on your friend’s work, it will arouse your inner desire to learn more about Photoshop. Maybe you have a question, Oh really? Can I master photoshop without taking any Photoshop courses? The answer is YES, as long as you keep practicing, especially on daily basis, always trying something new, and never give up, it will.

Well, basically Photoshop is an incredibly powerful but also intimidating application though, I couldn’t agree more. But, learning the basics and learning your way around the program can make things quick and easy. As with anything, practice makes perfect. And also, knowing what Photoshop will and won’t do (There isn’t much that Photoshop can’t do) will help you to edit your images and create digital artwork quickly and efficiently. Just remember, “Practice Makes Perfect”. Good Luck.

Colors in Design

When we think about design, we always think about color. Design and color is something that can’t be separated. Design without the right color, is a chaos. It’s almost like chasing a traceless murder. In design, there are many kinds of color that every designer should know. And if you’re a beginner, you should know that color isn’t only about black and white or red and green, there are many. Besides, the rule of color also does exist. Here, in this post I’ll explain them one by one in the simplest way and easy to understood. Let’s get started:

RGB

RGB color is a model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. RGB tends to be used for on-screen purposes. So, RGB mode is most suitable and true-to-life to work with. It is good to keep in mind that all monitors are different though. One monitor may display blue slightly different than the next monitor, and both of those could be different than the next in line.

Hex

A hex is a six-digit number used in HTML, CSS, and design software applications to represent colors.

Palette

A color palette comprises of colors that can be utilized for any illustration or design work that represents your brand. The chosen colors should be designed to work harmoniously with each other.

Monochrome

Monochrome is used to describe design or photographs in one color or different shades of the single color.

Analogous

Analogous color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. They usually match well and create serene and comfortable designs.

Complementary

Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are considered to be complementary colors (example: red and green).

Triadic

A triadic color scheme uses colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel.

CMYK

CMYK is a color model that is used for print purposes. CMYK colors begin as white and then get darker as more colors are combined.

Pantone

The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a standardized color reproduction system. Every hue is given a number, making it easy for people to reference and reproduce the same colors.

 Warm colors

Warm colors are made with red, orange yellow and various combinations of these colors. They give a friendly, happy, cozy vibe.

Cool colors

Cool colors such as blue, green and light purple have the ability to calm and soothe.

Color theory

Color theories create a logical structure for color. There are three basic categories of color theory: The color wheel, color harmony, and the context of how colors are used. Understanding how to use different colors to convey meaning is an important part of both design and marketing. Here’s a quick guide on how colors affect our brain:

Gradient

A gradient is a gradual change of colors (such as green turning gradually into blue) or a color fading into transparency. There are two common types of gradients: radial and linear.

Opacity

Opacity enables us to make an element of a design transparent. The lower the opacity, the more transparent an element is. For example, 100% opacity means an object is solid.

Hue

Essentially, a hue is a way to describe a color. And a hue can be any color on the color wheel. For example, red, blue and yellow are all hues.

Tint

A tint is a variety of a color. Craftsy explains that Tints are created when you add white to any hue on the color wheel. This lightens and desaturates the hue, making it less intense.

Well, I think that’s all. So, I hope after you read this post, your understanding of color getting greater so you can make the right combination of color and use the right kinds of color on your design. Good luck, always learn and remember “practices makes perfect” so if you’re working on daily basis on coloring, your sense of color will be getting sharp for sure. See you on the next post, adios fellas.

 

Minimum System Requirements for Adobe Photoshop CS2 to CC

If you ever see stunning pictures on magazine, internet, etc which looks pretty amazing like girl on fire, whale are flying in the skies, etc. You might be thinking how can Agency people make something like that? I’m not a designer, I don’t even know anything about software design, can I make something like that? The answer is sure you can, the only thing that you need is a notebook/ PC and Adobe Photoshop app. But you might still wonder because there are many version of Adobe Photoshop in the internet, what are the differences? Should I use this one, or that one? Well, actually it depends on your Laptop. Different Photoshop version requires different laptop specifications. Well, without further due, let’s take a look down below which one is suitable for your laptop, so you can choose the right Adobe Photoshop for your laptop:

Adobe Photoshop CS2

Windows:
Microsoft Windows 2000 (SP4) or Windows XP (SP1 or SP2)
Intel Xeon, Xeon Dual, Intel Centrino, or Pentium III or 4 processor
320 MB of RAM (384 MB recommended)
1024×768 monitor resolution with 16-bit video card
650 MB of available hard-disk space
CD-ROM drive
Internet or phone connection required for activation

Mac:
Mac OS X version 10.2.8 through 10.3.8 (10.3.4 through 10.3.8 recommended)
PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor
320 MB of RAM (384 MB recommended)
1024×768 monitor resolution with 16-bit video card
750 MB of available hard-disk space
CD-ROM drive
Internet or phone connection required for activation
Adobe Photoshop CS3

Windows:
– Intel® Pentium 4 or higher or equivalent
– Microsoft® Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise
– 512MB of RAM
– 1 GB of available hard-disk space (additional free space required during installation)
– 1024×768 monitor resolution with 16-bit video card
– DVD-ROM drive
– QuickTime 7.1 software required for multimedia features
– Internet or phone connection required for product activation
– Broadband Internet connection required for Adobe Stock Photos* and other services

Mac OS
– PowerPC® G4 or G5 or Intel-based Macintosh
– Mac OS X v.10.4.8
– 512MB of RAM
– 2 GB of available hard-disk space (additional free space required during installation)
– 1024×768 monitor resolution with 16-bit video card
– DVD-ROM drive
– QuickTime 7.1 software required for multimedia features
– Internet or phone connection required for product activation
– Broadband Internet connection required for Adobe Stock Photos* and other services

Adobe Photoshop CS4

Windows:
CPU: 1.8GHz or faster processor
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (Service Pack 3 recommended) or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (certified for 32-bit Windows XP and 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista)
System Memory: 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
Storage: 1GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on flash-based storage devices)
Monitor: 1,024×768 display (1,280×800 recommended)
Video Card: 16-bit video card (some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0)
Optical Drive: DVD-ROM drive
Software: QuickTime 7.2 software required for multimedia features

Mac OS:
PowerPC G5 or multicore Intel processor
Mac OS X v10.4.11–10.5.4
512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
2GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system or on flash-based storage devices)
1,024×768 display (1,280×800 recommended) with 16-bit video card
Some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0
DVD-ROM drive
QuickTime 7.2 software required for multimedia features

Adobe Photoshop CS5

Windows:
-Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® 64 processor
-Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 3; Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (Service Pack 2 recommended); or Windows 7
-1GB of RAM
-1GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on removable flash storage devices)
-1024×768 display (1280×800 recommended) with qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics card, 16-bit color, and 256MB of VRAM
-Some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0
-DVD-ROM drive
-QuickTime 7.6.2 software required for multimedia features
-Broadband Internet connection required for online services and to validate Subscription Edition (if applicable) on an ongoing basis*

Mac OS:
-Multicore Intel processor
-Mac OS X v10.5.8 or v10.6
-1GB of RAM
-2GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system or on removable flash storage devices)
-1024×768 display (1280×800 recommended) with qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics card, 16-bit color, and 256MB of VRAM
-Some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0
-DVD-ROM drive
-QuickTime 7.6.2 software required for multimedia features
-Broadband Internet connection required for online services and to validate Subscription Edition (if applicable) on an ongoing basis*

Adobe Photoshop CS6

Windows:
-Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® 64 processor
-Microsoft® Windows® XP* with Service Pack 3; or Windows 7 with Service Pack 1
-1GB of RAM
-1GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation
-1024×768 (1280×800 recommended) resolution display with 16-bit color and 256MB (512MB recommended, required for Photoshop Extended) of VRAM
-OpenGL 2.0 capable system
-DVD-ROM drive

Mac:
-Multicore Intel® processor with 64-bit support
-Mac OS X v10.6.8 or v10.7
-1GB of RAM
-2GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation
-1024×768 (1280×800 recommended) resolution display with 16-bit color and 256MB (512MB recommended, required for Photoshop Extended) of VRAM
-OpenGL 2.0 capable system
-DVD-ROM drive
Adobe Photoshop CC

Windows
Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® 64 processor (2 GHz or faster)
Microsoft® Windows® 7 with Service Pack 1 or Windows 8
1 GB of RAM
2.5 GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on removable flash storage devices)
1024 x 768 display (1280 x 800 recommended) with OpenGL® 2.0, 16-bit color, and 512 MB of VRAM (1 GB recommended)*
Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, membership validation, and access to online services.†

Mac OS
Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support
Mac OS X v10.7 or v10.8
1 GB of RAM
3.2 GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system or on removable flash storage devices)
1024 x 768 display (1280 x 800 recommended) with OpenGL 2.0, 16-bit color, and 512 MB of VRAM (1 GB recommended)*
Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, membership validation, and access to online services.

After knowing the requirements needed, hope now you can choose the right Adobe Photoshop suitable for your laptop and enjoy learning, design, and editing. Good Luck. #designwithrei

14 Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts

Raise your hand if you have ever wasted time in Photoshop.

I know that feeling. I’ve spent what’s felt like hours trolling through Photoshop menu, hoping to stumble on the button I need. Wouldn’t it be much easier if you could just press a button and magically make it happen? Also sometimes we find it hard to work, and when things aren’t done in time, it often frustrating us.  It’s not easy to work under pressure. So, how to work faster, easier, and more eficient in Photoshop. Cheating ! that’s the key to work faster. But don’t get me wrong about this, it’s not that cheating that you do in class L.O.L #justkidding. Well, here what I’ve got for you:

ALT + [ OR ] : Switch to layer below or above.

CMD/CTRL + [ OR ] : Move layer up or down.

CMD/CTRL + ALT + G : Create a clipping mask.

PRESS # KEY : Adjust layer opacity ( 5 = 50% )

PRESS B : Activate the brush tool.

[ OR ] WITH BRUSH : Increase or decrease size.

SHIFT + X : Toggle foreground and background colors.

CMD/CTRL + ALT + I : Change image size.`

CMD/CTRL + N : Create a new layer.

PRESS SPACEBAR : Hand tool.

TAB : Hide all tools and palettes.

CMD/CTRL + TAB : Move between open documents.

CMD/CTRL + SHIFT + E : Merge all layers.

CMD/CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + S : Save for web.

Well, since Photoshop has a wealth of nifty keyboard shortcuts, I think for now I just can give you that. And to be honest, Photoshop has way too many shortcuts to remember if you’re just starting out with the software. It’s really hard to track them all. But no worries, I will give you more one day. Good luck and let’s work more efficiently in Photoshop. I hope that shortcuts that I have shown you could save your time. And if you have any questions, suggestions, request, or comment, please write down below and enjoy learning Photoshop with me. #designwithrei