Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Photoshop Killer Tips
The Hidden Shortcut for Flattening
Your Layers
There technically isn't a keyboard shortcut
for the Flatten command, but I use a stan-
dard shortcut for flattening my image all
the time. It's Command-Shift-E (PC: Ctrl-
Shift-E) . That's actually the shortcut for
Merge Visible, so it only works if you don't
have any hidden layers, but I usually don't,
so it usually works.
Creating Cast Shadows
To create a c as t shadow (rather than a
drop shadow), first apply a Drop Shadow
layer style to your object (choose Drop
Shadow from the Add a Layer Style icon's
pop-up menu at the bottom of the Layers
panel, change your settings, and click OK),
then go under the Layer menu, under
Layer Style, and choose Create Layer . This
puts the drop shadow on its own separate
layer. Click on that new drop shadow layer,
then press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) to
bring up Free Transform. Now, press-and-
hold the Command (PC: Ctrl) key, grab the
top center point, and drag down at a 45°
angle to create a cast shadow (like your
shadow is casting onto the floor).
for Guides, Grid & Slices, where you can
choose any color you'd like. You can also
press Command-K (PC: Ctrl-K) and click
on Guides, Grid & Slices on the left.
Customizing the HUD
Pop-Up Color Picker
What That Fill Field Does
In the Layers panel, right below the
Opacity field is a Fill field, which has
had Photoshop users scratching their
heads since it debuted several versions
ago. It only kicks in when you have a
You can have a heads-up display color
picker appear onscreen when you're using
the Brush tool by pressing Command-
Option-Ctrl (PC: Alt-Shift) and clicking
(PC: Right-clicking) . And, did you know
you also get to choose which type and
size of HUD you want? Press Command-K
(PC: Ctrl-K) to bring up Photoshop's pref-
erences, click on General on the left, then
up near the top of the General preferences
is a HUD Color Picker pop-up menu for
choosing your style and size.
Copying Layer Masks
from One Layer to Another
If you've created a layer mask, and you
want that same mask to appear on a differ-
ent layer, press-and-hold the Option (PC:
Alt) key and just drag-and-drop that mask
onto the layer where you want it. It makes
a copy, leaving the original intact. If you
want to remove the mask from one layer
and apply it to another, then don't hold the
Option key and, instead, just click-and-drag
the mask to the layer where you want it.
layer style applied to a layer, like a drop
shadow or bevel. If you have something
on a layer and you apply a drop shadow
to it, then lower the Opacity amount, the
object and its shadow both fade away,
right? But if you lower the Fill amount
only, the object starts to fade away, but
the drop shadow stays at 100% opacity.
Changing Brush Blend Modes
on the Fly
If you want to change the blend mode
for your current brush without traveling
up to the Options Bar, just press Shift-Ctrl
(PC: Shift) and click (PC: Right-click)
anywhere in your image, and a pop-up
menu of Brush tool blend modes appears.
 
 
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