2,001 Tips
Applications
Desktop Publishing/Graphics

Photoshop 3.0

Shifty Shades

Set color options quickly by pressing the Ctrl key and clicking on the color bar at the bottom of the Picker Palette. Shift+click to cycle through all the available options.

Quick Layers

To create layers without using the Layers dialog box, Alt+click the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. If you need to change the default name of the layer at a later time, double-click on the layer to open the dialog box and rename the layer.

The Font's the Same

When you're working with layers, each layer of your drawing remembers the last font and font size used in that layer. When you click on the image with the Type tool, the last used font on that layer is selected in the Type Tool dialog box, allowing you to add text items without resetting the font.

The Shadow Knows

When you need to make quick painted shadows with any of the brushes, select Behind in the Paintbrush Options palette. This mode allows you to paint only on the transparent parts of a layer. Select the color and opacity and then paint behind any silhouetted object.

Pare Your Palettes

Too many palettes open? Double-click on the title tab on any of the palettes to hide it under the tab. To keep everything neat, palettes snap to the sides of the screen as well as to each other.

Band on the Run

Don't let banding in gradient fills ruin an otherwise excellent drawing. To minimize this, add a small noise filter. Select Filter/Noise/Add Noise. Enter a small number in the amount box. The banding should be reduced or eliminated, greatly improving the appearance of the fill.

Put Files on a Diet

The preview options in the More Preferences dialog box build an image that is saved with the file, increasing the file size and the time it takes to save it. Turn off the Thumbnail and Full Size options to save time and disk space.

Duplicate Drawings

If you need a new file with the same image size as an existing drawing, open the drawing you wish to duplicate. Now select File/New/Window. Select the open image from the bottom of the Window menu to copy the image's characteristics into the New File dialog box.

Filter Finesse

If you consistently run out of memory when applying filters to large files, try this trick. Apply the filter to each channel individually. If you're running in RGB mode, each individual channel requires only one-third the memory of the full-color image.

Get Organized

If your workspace has gotten messy, restore everything to its default position. Open File/Preferences and click More. Select Restore Palette and Dialog Positions. An additional dialog box appears that enables you to restore all palettes to their original position.

Layer It On

Select a layer of your drawing directly from the image on the screen. Using the Move tool, hold the Ctrl key while clicking on any part of the image to make that layer active in the Layers palette. This shortcut may not work if the opacity for the layer you click is less than 50 percent.

Banish Ghosts

Moving type on a colored background sometimes results in ghosting. Avoid this by selecting and moving type on a transparent background using the magic wand.

Fix That Crop

You can crop an image to the height, width and resolution of another image. Select the image with the desired dimensions and resolution. Then select Fixed Target Size and click Front Image in the Cropping Tool Options palette.

True Colors

If you want the colors on your monitor to match the printed output, calibrate your monitor by selecting File/Preferences/Monitor Setup from the submenu. Read the instructions in the Adobe Photoshop User Guide before attempting this procedure.

Hidden Layers

You can hide all but one layer by holding the Alt key while clicking on the eye symbol next to the layer you wish to view. Alt+click the symbol again to redisplay all layers.

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