Steps Notes, Questions to be Answered and Homework Assignments
1. From the Photoshop samples folder, open two images: Gorilla and
Flowers.
These images come with Photoshop, but if you don’t have them, any images
will do. It’s the technique that’s important. Find some flowers and a different
critter, and do the exercise again at home this week.
2. Move the Flowers image into the Gorilla image. (Use the move tool, drag the image of the flowers to the gorilla.)
Does it matter which image you move into the other?
3. Use Free Transform to resize and place your flowers.
Does it matter which layer you Free Transform?
4. Switch to the gorilla layer. It is still the background layer, and we want to move it above the flowers, in the layer stack. To do this, you must convert it to a Layer.
Double-click on the layer thumbnail, and press enter. This changes the
background into Layer 0. Background layers are always on the bottom and
are always Opaque. If you want to change the order in the stack, or put
transparency into the background you have to convert it to a regular layer.
It will automatically be named Layer 0 when you do this.
5. Move the Gorilla layer (Layer 0) above the flowers, in the layers palette.
This would be a good time to rename your layers, Gorilla and Flowers
6. Apply a Layer Mask to the gorilla layer.
Click the Layer Mask icon on the Layers Palette.
7. Select the brush tool. Be sure your settings are Normal, 100%. Then “paint out” the grassland background around the gorilla.
Type:
B
Zero
D
What do these keys do for you?
8. Switch between “painting in” and “painting out” by pressing the X key on your keyboard.
What does the X key do?
9. Flatten the image.
Layers > Flatten ImageOrCtrl-Shift-EExplain this shortcut key.
10. Apply Levels, to brighten the image.
After applying Levels, you might apply Hue/Saturation, to increase saturation, if needed. It is also kind of traditional to do Filters > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask after all the other adjustments are done.