The Photoshop Cs2 Help Desk Book

After years of fielding questions at seminars from Photoshop users, Dave Cross realized there was a lot of common ground: there were many questions that were indeed "frequently asked." In addition, most questions seemed start with “How come I can’t...." "How do I...." or "Why won’t the (fill in the blank) tool work?" This book addresses the most common problems and questions in Photoshop by both providing answers to the most frequently asked questions, and outlining strategies that can help you avoid problems in the first place. You’ll see: • Where to start when things don't work: from tool settings to re-installing Photoshop • The most common warning dialogs: why they appears, how to fix them, and how to avoid them • The Photoshop CS2 Checklist: what to check when things go wrong, or before you start working, to help avoid problems • Solutions to typical problems when using the Adobe Creative Suite • How to avoid problems by creating flexible documents (adjustment layers, layer masks, groups, smart object, layer comps, and more) • Frequently asked questions—and their answers—in all key areas of Photoshop CS2: • general operations (palettes, workspaces, menus, etc.) • color (CMYK, color management, spot color, choosing color, etc.) • type • selections • making adjustments • layers • preferences and settings • image capture (resolution, Camera Raw, file size) • sizing (canvas size, image size, copping) • automation (actions, batch, built-in automation commands) • common image problems (exposure, focus, noise, color cast, etc.) • painting (brushes, choosing color) • output (web, PDF, video, printing) • special effects (filters, layer styles) • tools (that don't fit into any other category) • How to customize Photoshop CS2 to work the way you want it to (actions, menus, workspaces, shortcuts, preferences) • How to make your own brushes, swatches, shapes, styles, and patterns

Over 300 productivity-enhancing secrets even a lot of pros don't know about Illustrator CS2.; Illustrated, stand-alone tips reveal the hidden features and productivity-enhancing tricks that allow users to accomplish more in less time with Illustrator CS2.; Easy-to-browse format lets users find and apply information instantly!; Includes many tips and techniques that focus on Illustrator CS2's new features: Live trace, Live paint, SVG-T, and much more. Short on theory and long on the pithy tidbits that are often relegated to sidebars and notes in more encyclopedic volumes, this short, sweet, full-color volume offers tips, more tips, and nothing but - in the process providing answers to all users' need-to-know questions about Illustrator CS2. Veteran users will be able to find the info they need about specific Illustrator CS2 issues and features, while first-time users will be able to ramp up fast in the areas that interest them most.

Brace yourself—this For Dummies guide is in full, dazzling color! That way you can see how you can lighten, brighten, blur, sharpen, or even age your digital images with Photoshop CS2. Chances are you have Photoshop CS2 and have explored it enough to know that you need a good guide to make the most of all its capabilities and get up to speed fast. Odds are you’ve experimented with some photos and spent hours tweaking them. Maybe you’re a veteran and used Photoshop CS2 to turn the gray sky to blue in a resort photo or to brighten the CEO’s smile. Maybe you’re a novice and gleefully extracted your ex from old photos and gave yourself a flattering mini-makeover at the same time. Maybe you used it to remove a scratch from a treasured family photo. Regardless, you probably haven’t scratched the surface. Photoshop CS2 gives you so many options and tools for digital image creation, correction, and enhancement that even experienced pros can discover new techniques and shortcuts. With explanations for working on a PC or a Mac, Photoshop CS2 All-In-One desk Reference For Dummies is your complete resource that: Combines nine minibooks: (1) Photoshop Fundamentals (2) Image Essentials (3) Selections (4) Painting, Drawing, and Typing (5) Working with Layers (6) Channels and Masks (7) Filters and Distortions (8) Retouching and Restoration (9) Photoshop and Print Has more than 650 pages of tips, techniques, and plain-English explanations Is in glorious, full color, with all kinds of photographs and examples Has tons of screen shots so you’ll know exactly what to look for on your screen Provides a tear out Cheat Sheet that’s your instant reference for finding your way around Photoshop CS2, accessing the tools palette through shortcuts, and making selections Gets you up to speed on the new Adobe Bridge that lets you view, search, and organize your files, edit Camera Raw files, search for and purchase royalty-free stock photography, synchronize color settings, and more Introduces you to the 58 tools in the Tools palette, from the Pen to the Eraser… the Spot Healing Brush to the Burn…the Clone Stamp to the Red Eye Explains how to work with Vanishing Point—the new feature that lets you edit three dimensionally on a two-dimension image Features special Putting-It-Together exercises that walk you through numbered steps to show you how to do various tasks such as getting the red out of eyes, making and fine-tuning a collage, and more; images on the book’s companion Web site let you follow along

The RAW file format is the uncompressed data file captured by a digital camera's electronic sensor. When your camera saves an image in RAW format, settings like white balance, sharpening, contrast and saturation are not applied to the image but are saved instead in a separate header. Because RAW files remain virtually untouched by in-camera processing, they are essentially the digital equivalent to exposed but undeveloped film. This makes RAW an increasingly popular format with amateur and professional digital photographers, because it affords greater flexibility and control during the editing process-if you know how to work with RAW files. Most digital camera manufacturers supply their own software for converting RAW data, as do some third party vendors. Increasingly, however, the RAW converter of choice is a plug-in included in the latest version of Adobe Photoshop, the most popular and widely-used digital image editing tool in the world. Adobe Photoshop CS2 is emerging as the best place to edit RAW images, and the best way to master this new format is with Photoshop CS2 RAW. An important book dedicated to working with RAW in Photoshop, this comprehensive guide features a unique design that helps readers grasp the subject through visual instruction and prompts. The entire RAW process is explored, from shooting to using the Adobe plug-in converter and new Bridge navigation software. The primary focus of Photoshop RAW is, as the title suggests, Photoshop editing technique: automating RAW workflow, correcting exposures, extending exposure range, manipulating grayscale and working with the new DNG (Digital Negative) open standard that Adobe supports. Presented by photographer Mikkel Aaland, a pioneer of digital photography and author of eight books, including O'Reilly's Photoshop for the Web and the award-winning Shooting Digital, Photoshop CS2 RAW investigates and instructs in an accessible visual style. Required reading for professionals and dedicated photo hobbyists alike.

This book breaks new ground by doing something for digital photographers that’s never been done before—it cuts through the bull and shows you exactly “how to do it.” It’s not a bunch of theory; it doesn’t challenge you to come up with your own settings or figure things out on your own. Instead, it does something that virtually no other Elements book has ever done—it tells you flat-out which settings to use, when to use them, and why. If you’re looking for one of those “tell-me-everything-about-the-Unsharp-Mask-filter” books, this isn’t it. You can grab any other Elements book on the shelf, because they all do that. Instead, this book gives you the inside tips and tricks of the trade for organizing, correcting, editing, sharpening, retouching, and printing your photos like a pro. You’ll be absolutely amazed at how easy and effective these techniques are—once you know the secrets. LEARN HOW THE PROS DO IT Each year we train thousands of digital photographers and, almost without exception, they have the same questions and face the same problems—that’s exactly what we cover in this book. You’ll learn: The real secrets of how the pros retouch portraits How to color correct any photo without breaking a sweat (you’ll be amazed at how the pros do it!) How to use Camera Raw for processing not only RAW photos, but JPEGs and TIFFs, too! (And you’ll learn why so many pros like it best—because it’s faster and easier) The sharpening techniques the pros really use (there’s an entire chapter just on this!) How to deal with common digital camera image problems, including removing noise and avoiding halos The most requested photographic special effects, and much more! THE BOOK’S SECRET WEAPON Although Elements 10 offers some digital photography features that Photoshop CS5 doesn’t offer, there are plenty of features that Photoshop CS5 has that Elements 10 still doesn’t have (things like paths, Channel Mixer, etc.). But in this book, you’ll learn some slick workarounds, cheats, and some fairly ingenious ways to replicate many of those Photoshop features from right within Elements. Plus, since this book is designed for photographers, it doesn’t waste your time talking about how to frame a shot, set your exposure, etc., and there’s no talk about which camera or printer to buy. It’s all Elements, step by step, cover to cover, in the only book of its kind, and you’re gonna love it!

Presents step-by-step lessons on the digital image editing software with two hours of video instruction on the companion DVD-ROM.

If you’re a photography hobbyist, would you like to brighten up that gloomy island vacation photo? Slim down without going on a diet? See whether white or green shutters look best on the house? Expunge the ex-boyfriend from family photos? If you’re a pro or semi-pro photographer, would you like to make it snow in that ski resort photo? Replace the old logo in the glamour shot of the corporate headquarters with the new one? Grow hair in the CEO’s glaring bald spot? Freshen up the lettuce in that food shot? You’ve come to the right place. With Photoshop CS2, you have the tools. With Photoshop CS2 For Dummies, you’ll have the know-how. In full color, with all kinds of examples, screen shots, step-by-step explanations, tips, and techniques, this guide takes you from the fundamentals to special power-user tricks! Cross-platform Mac-PC coverage includes: The basics of getting around in Photoshop, getting images into and out of Photoshop, choosing the right file formats, and setting your preferences Working with Adobe Bridge to organize and manage your images Working with tonality, including making easy Auto Repairs, making adjustments with Levels and Curves (and the eyedroppers), and using Shadow/Highlight and the toning tools, Burn and Dodge Making color look natural using the color adjustment commands Taking advantage of the RAW format for maximum flexibility, including using the Adjust, Detail, Lens, Curve, and Calibrate tabs and the Camera Raw buttons Fine-tuning your fixes, including making your selections with tools (four marquee tools, three lasso tools, and the Magic Wand tool) Masking for both layer visibility and for protecting parts of your images The most common problems in digital photos—red-eye, wrinkles, unwanted objects and people, and noise—and what to do about them With Photoshop CS2, you can go beyond enhancing your images to create “art.” You have a very powerful painting engine, an extremely complex Brushes palette, and all kinds of painting tools. Photoshop CS2 For Dummies walks you though: Compositing (combining images into a piece of artwork) and working with layers, including choosing from the almost two dozen blending modes Selecting with Extract which is great for making tough selections, such as flyaway hair and various types of fringe Using Vanishing Point to “map” a pattern to angled surfaces Creating panoramas with Photomerge Creating precision edges with vector paths, including using shape layers and the Custom Shape tool, choosing from more than 300 ready-to-use shapes with the Custom Shape Picker, and using the Pen tool to create paths Where to find dozens, or even hundreds, of custom shapes already on your computer – absolutely free Dressing up images with layer styles, including using the Styles palette and creating custom layer styles Adding text messages and tweaking your text Using the extensive painting tools and the Brushes palette Using filters, including sharpening to focus the eye using blur filters or the Unsharp Mask and the new Smart Sharpen filter that give incredible control Getting fun effects with the Liquify filter In a special Power Photoshop section, you’ll learn about streamlining your work, including creating a PDF for both onscreen presentation and for printing. You’ll discover how to spiff up your online images by working with Image Ready to slice, optimize, and otherwise juice up your images for the Web and how to create fancy rollover buttons and fun animations, From basic cropping to complex techniques that can turn good photos into great ones, Photoshop CS2 For Dummies is your guide to exploring all the possibilities that await you in Photoshop CS2.

Bestselling essential reference work for all digital photographers.