General Photoshop Tips
Here, I just wanted to put some general photoshop tips that are always helpful to me as I work in Photoshop. Keeping things in certain places around your work space and using certain techniques can save time and aggravation, and generally make things easier.
Layout
I have my photoshop work surface set up like this:
A couple things to note:
- Make sure you have a nice, big area of space to work. Yours will be bigger since you probably don't have your taskbar of the left side of the page.
- I like to "super-size" the page so that the file is the only thing you are looking at when you are working; no annoying brush strokes that go off the page or resize the window.
- Notice how I have the boxes on the right put together: History, Info, and Actions are the ones I use the least, so I made them as small as possible and put them up top. I put Navigator with them because I can easily look at how my page is sized with the Navigator, and I need it to be in plain view all the time so I don't have to switch to it that much. I also put Color, Swatches, and Styles together because those go together theme-wise, and the Layers, Channels and Paths together as well.
- Notice how big my layers thing is. I tend to create a lot of layers in my pages, so I made the other two boxes as small as I could manage and put the layers in the center, letting it fill up the rest of that section.
- The window is maximized. I leave space between the tool boxes and the edge of the program window so that when I maximize the file I'm working on's window, the scrollbars will still be accessible.
- I move the skinny toolbox thing all around the page, Usually, it is where it is now, but if I need it to move, I move it.
- I know the the extra menu that displays brushes and styles and all of that is at the bottom of the page. You probably would rather have it at the top. I am just used to having it at the bottom, so I keep it there.
Creating a File
There are a few things that I always set when I create a new file:
- Whenever I am creating something from scratch or just messing around in photoshop, I always make a 1000x1000 px file. My graphics are usually not that size, so when I want to just get a certain part of it and save it, I select that part, copy it into Microsoft Paint (making sure that there is no white space) and save it as a .jpg file. I know there are easier ways to do the same from Photoshop, but I do not like to disturb, if you will, the original photoshop file.
- I usually use a resolution of 72 since I read somewhere that it is enough for web graphics. Sometimes I use a resolution of 96.
- ... do I need to say anything about starting to create a document without having it in RGB Color mode?
- I always make the Contents Transparent. Always. That way, I can automatically start with a transparent layer and get right to work.
General Tips
- Use HSB sliders in the Color box as opposed to RGB sliders. I find RGB sliders almost impossible to use and I don't recommend anyone try to figure out how they work. In the Color Box, click on the little arrow in the upper right hand corner of the box and make sure the checkmark is next to "HSB Sliders."
- When ever you are editing a photo, always make copies of your layers, anytime you make a major change. That way. If you mess up completely or decide to do something different, you don't have to hit the Step Backward option from the edit menu or use the History tab.
- It is always good to create everything in a new layer except if it is necessary to put two things in the same layer. If you need to move a bunch of layers in the same position around your window, put them all in a folder and click the folder before you move it.
- Make sure your layers are organized, especially if it is a big file. It is definitely not necessary to name your layers, though it helps. I usually name my layers when I am creating a graphic completely from scratch or am doing a vector image. Try to group things together in folders, like layers that are old or things that relate to each other.
- I create new swatches all the time. Make a practice of creating a swatch for every new color that you need. I even use old swatches that I have used before. To create new swatches, click the inside of the swatch box or hit the little "New" button at the bottom of the box that looks like a little page of paper being flipped.
- Occasionally, I make entire rows that are white or black in the Swatches box. This is because I personally create a lot of swatches, but it is a good practice to get into so you are not constantly scrolling to the top of the Swatches box or manually creating black or white in the Color box.
- The info tab can be very useful for finding the RGB values for random colors, but if you want the six digit color code for a color (for example, standard bright yellow is #FFFF00,) click on the color in the box on the Toolbox, right underneath the little hand.
I will add more tips as I start really working on my tutorials. I hope this helped!