Are you just starting out on Photoshop? Do you have absolutely no idea where to begin? I was exactly where you were not too long ago. After hours of research and exploring Photoshop I've finally got a strong grasp and you can too! In this first tutorial, you'll learn the basics of Photoshop. You'll be a pro in no time!
First, I'd like for you to open up Photoshop and start with a blank canvas. To do that you must go to file. From file you go to new and then create a new image. It'll offer you the option to make the image a preferred size. If you make a mistake, much like many other programs you can go to the top at “edit” and it'll offer you the option to undo the last thing that you did.
The best thing you can do as a graphic artist is create intricate art in layers. To work in layers, there is a section on the right side of your Photoshop window that's dedicated to them. You click the “new layer” option. This will help in the long run if you want to take something out of the image.
If you would like to edit a certain section of the image you use the rectangle selection tool. After selecting it, do whatever you would like to edit that specific selection. Do you know how to select a color? Well, if you don't-I can help you. On the right side there is a box that has two boxes with colors in them. The one box that is the top is black. The other one below that is white. Click on one of them and a chart of colors will pop up. You can select from there. If you want to switch between whatever color is in either the top box or the bottom box, just click the arrows and they'll switch. The top box will be the color that you're using. Another thing that you can do to make your life easier is fill in an area with the preferred color with just one click. On the left side of the screen there will be a bucket pouring paint out. Click that button. Select the color you'd like to use and then left click the mouse in the spot you'd like to be that color. If you would like to add text to your image click the “T” button on the left side and click where you'd like add it. You'll notice a box that offers a chance to change the size, font, and color of the text if you would like to.
Next, I would like to tell you about the History Brush tool. We've all been there, we've made mistakes and want to revert back to the previous step. I've already told you about the undo option, but there's another option of finding up to 20 steps of history. Really, the only problem I've found with this is that it uses memory up. If you would like to change how many steps back it'll go whether smaller or bigger (assuming you've got a lot of ram) go to Edit, Preferences, General – History States.
That's it for now, but please look forward to my other tutorials that I plan on creating. Hopefully this has helped you.
Download Adobe Reader 9.3 for Windows from Fileforum now.
Usually on a Patch Tuesday, the discussion turns to Microsoft; but amid a very light round of Windows fixes, it's Adobe in the spotlight today. Last month, a serious and potentially easily exploitable vulnerability was found in a JavaScript API call, DocMedia.NewPlayer — a situation where an intentionally crafted PDF file could invoke the call, deallocate the memory allocated when the media player is generated, and then execute the code in that de-allocated memory, without need for privilege.
Adobe Reader 9.3 was released today, right on schedule, to address this issue. In the meantime, the company is realizing the changing nature of the platform business, and how Reader/Acrobat and Flash are now just as susceptible to potential attacks as any other platform, including Windows. Interestingly, the cross-platform nature of the Acrobat platform means that Mac users were just as susceptible to this exploit as Windows users.
Beyond today's update, Adobe is busy working on non-improvised means for improving its platform users' security long-term. Already last October, it began implementing what it calls the JavaScript Blacklist Framework — a way for its platforms to maintain actively updated lists of non-trusted sources for executable content. Last month, Adobe advised users to use this Framework to effectively blacklist the API call — a way of turning off the vulnerable function (which was rarely in use anyway) as an alternative to disabling JavaScript.
Meanwhile, beta testers are working on a potential update to today's update: a new version of the Reader that replaces its current updating mechanism. Today, Reader automatically checks for updates whenever it starts. But as Adobe Senior Security Researcher Kyle Randolph blogged this morning, testers are examining the efficacy of an always-resident mechanism instead — something that could silently update Reader and Acrobat (and perhaps Flash as well) in the background.
“The new updater improves the user experience and helps users stay up to date with the new option of receiving security updates automatically, via background updates, which have been shown to have better patch adoption,” Randolph wrote. “Some customers, such as corporate IT administrators, need to know and manage which updates are installed and when. But a lot of customers, particularly consumers and individuals who don't have the autopilot luxury of a managed desktop environment, just want to have the most secure and up-to-date version, and don't want to be interrupted when it is time to install an update. By allowing customers to select an update process that automatically runs in the background, we can help protect more users from attacks against known, patched vulnerabilities.”
It would be yet another always-present driver in the system, which in the case of Windows might go against the company's new architecture. Last November at Microsoft's PDC 2009 conference, Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich introduced Windows 7 developers to the Unified Background Process Manager — a service that leverages the task scheduling system to enable processes to do their jobs and leave memory without staying resident all the time. At the show, Russinovich explained several reasons why this new architecture was not only more efficient, but conceivably more secure.
Adobe already uses one stay-resident utility, Speed Launcher, whose efficacy at performing its stated task has been somewhat variable — more accurately, Adobe uses one Launcher for Reader and another for Acrobat. Having both on the same Windows XP-based system was the cause of a problem Betanews encountered a few years ago.
I'm so glad I ditched Adobe Reader a long time ago. It's a real POS.
A little bird told me that part of the reason for compulsory updates is so Adobe can keep an eye on other Adobe software installed on a users system. Using the reader as a kind of trojan horse to get in and send back information about the keys to Adobe apps like Photoshop. This is of course just a rumour, one I may, or may not have started.
Here's a typical user case scenario for the viewing of a PDF document. User gets out of bed. User wants to read PDF's, has heard Adobe Reader will do that. User goes to download it and instead of getting the download, first has to go through installing a new download system. After lunch user finally has the 16 gigabyte install for the reader software done, along with some extra software they didn't ask for. User goes to read PDF document but now there are updates, these are important security updates. User believes they must have these. After dinner user tries again to read the PDF document and the crowd goes wild, he shoots, he succeeds!
Cue Jingle
|At Adobe Dynamics, we make simple tasks stupidly hard, because we can.
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