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Stupid Application Tricks (&tips)


G

gare

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I've discovered several dumb, purposeless tricks you can easily perform in Photoshop and other graphics apps.If you can find a design purpose for any of them, then you're the wiser for it \:/

First, you can change the image window background color in PS by dragging the window out until you see gray(Eyerdropper the current color so you can restore it; swap foreground/background colors next--press x), pick any color, and then with the Paint Bucket tool, Shift+click on the window background (pattern fills won't work).

Anyone else got any rhinestones of wisdom?


My Best,

Gare
 
Warping a la KPT without KPT

The Warp Free Transform (Win: Ctrl+T, then right-click; Mac: Cmd+T, then Ctrl+click) can be used to create a more elegant, refreshing page curl effect. And if you drag the mash severley enough, you can see the back of the page.

I added a little shading to this image, but see the effect?

Warped from birth,

Gare
 
Painting in Xara

Usually, you draw paths in Xara, and afterwards you apply a pressure profile. But you can paint strokes from the get-go by choosing a line width, color, and profile before you draw or select anything. You don't get a nag box like you do when pre-setting object color or font type or anything, too.

M Best,

Gare
 
Photoshop Rhinestone Tour

Did'ja know... you can adjust the tolerance of the Magic Wand tool almost instantly from the keyboard. W selects the Magic Wand, Return (Enter) highlights the tolerance field. Up and down arrows changes the field by 1, Shift + Arrow keys X 10, but using your scroll wheel adjusts the number dynamically.
 
Good one, Welles---

You're up again early, Welles, and as sharp as ever--how many cups? 8}

To add to your shortcut, you can change opacity of Layers in PS by your number pad; type 0 and you got 100%, 6=60%, typing 43=43% and so on.

My Best,

Gare

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Why do applications use a 3?" disks for File>Save icons? Why not go really retro and us a 5??
 
Re: Stupid application tricks

Ctrl-T and right click only allows me to 'distort' ( and it opens Babylon ) Not that I have any use for a page curl ( but I do use Babylon ) WazUp?
 
Free Transform

Hi ronmatt--

I Googled Babylon and came up with a dictionary software and maps; right?

Anyhow, I think your Babylon has global hotkeys that are messing with Photoshop's shortcuts, if Ctrl+T (Mac Cmd+T) is loading an app--would you try changing Babylon's hotkeys, if that's possible?. You can put a selection on a layer into Free Transform alternatively by choosing Select>Transform Selection, but the Warp mode only appears to be available from the contextual menu (Win: right-click Mac: Ctrl+click).

But the bottom line is that this thread is about stupid app tricks; I
don't blame you at all for having no use for a free page curl effect 8}

Sorry.

My Best,

Gare
 
Re: Stupid application tricks

thanks all. I mostly use PS 7 on my PC. I've got CS2 on the Mac but seldom use it. Guess I'll have to live without 'page curl', O-DEAR. :cry:
 
ronmatt

ronmatt--

but I understand Corel is running a fire sale on KPT Glass Lens, so there's hope ;)

-g-
 
Re: Stupid application tricks

Ok, here's one, although I don't think it's just a stupid app trick but accually a useful one.
Don't have a screen capture program?....just press 'print screen' then go to Photoshop, make a new doc and press crtl+v (paste).
 
Screen caps

Good one, p?tr??k--

I'd like to add to that, that you can do ScreenCapping to Xara, too (and several other graphics apps),
and can edit the cap. The result if you're running a 1024 by 768 monitor resolution is a 2.3MB file. You hit PrintScreen again to update it, and to clear the Clipboard, you can choose Edit>Purge in PS.

Welles, on the Mac, it's Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+3, isn't it?

My Best,

Gare
 
Re: Stupid application tricks

We have a G5 running Tiger and I'm pretty sure it's just cmd+shift+3. The difference on a Mac is it acually saves the .png right to your desktop.
 
Re: Stupid application tricks

Hi, p?tr??k--

That's nice to be able to save to png no less, right to the desktop. For Macintosh screen caps, I use a Kensington programmable four-button mouse and an applet so I can right-click and save to file.

An additional stupid trick for screen captures lies in the editing phase, in case you're hard-copy documenting a UI or something. As you're all probably aware, you can't usually screen snag a tool cursor, because it's displayed on a unique video layer--ResHack can extract the icons and tool cursors, tho', and TechSmith's SnagIt will capture cursors in situ. I blew up all the PS tool icons to 1000%, then used Streamline to auto-trace them. As vectors, I can scale them above screen caps, then write the "scene" to bitmap in Xara. If anyone would like a font of PS cursors, let me know.

My Best,

Gare
 
Re: Stupid application tricks

That's cool, Gare. I don't really need the font, but just out of curiosity, what app did you use to create it?
Also, all the tool and cursor icons are located in the photoshop.dll I opened them up in Icon Developer and if you'd like I can give ya the .icl
 
Plug-ins folder

Hi, p?tr??k--

I use CorelDraw for a mercifully few tasks, such as creating symmetrigons and for creating typefaces--but I usually use FontLab on the font afterwards to fine-tune characters and convert to OpenType which both Win and Mac users can access.

Deep in the recesses of my mind I knew that a dll had the cursors, but until CS, PS's icons were tucked in a really obscure dll. Icon Deveoper is StarDock, right? I use Aha Software's Icon Lover Suite; it, too can extract bitmap data from apps.

I'd like to open this thread up to application tips in addition to stupid tricks.

You know that in Photoshop v 6 and later, you can specify an external plug-ins folder? This is terrific because now other apps such as Painter and Xara can use the plug-ins without installing a plug-in twice (and many plug-ins such as Auto f/x won't let you install more than once).

One thing, especially if you've got a lot of plug-ins, is that Xara will grind to a halt as it searches for plug-ins; the search is triggered if you don't have Search for plug-ins at Startup checked in Configure plug-ins--you'll then be forced to take a pause if you choose Utilities>Bitmap Effects & plug-ins, but also if you open the Bitmap Gallery and right-click on a bitmap to save or delete. To delete or save a bitmap without triggering the plug-ins search, click the delete and so on buttons at the top of the gallery palette instead of right-clicking on a thumbnail.

My Best,

Gare
 
About Screen Captures on Mac...

Command+Shift+3 -- Full-screen screenshot


Command+Shift+4 -- Crosshair to allow selection of screenshot area


Command+Shift+4, then spacebar -- ?Camera? to capture a specific screen object

Apple includes a program called Grab, which is located in the Utilities folder inside of the Applications folder. It does the same things as the built-in image capture, plus it allows users to do timed captures as well as screen captures that include the cursor.

Then there are endless little utilities to allow you to choose file type location and a variety of screen captures but with the advent of Tiger, I've gone to Widgets. I have a lower corner a hot corner to bring up Widgets and use Capture... every day!

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/business/capture.html
 
Welles--

I have a question, Welles--

Because I document programs for a living, I need screen caps all the time.

What do you and most everyone else use screen caps for?
 
Re: Warping a la KPT without KPT

gare said:
The Warp Free Transform ( And if you drag the mash severley enough, you can see the back of the page.
Click to expand...


I've got many happy hours out of the Warp Tool....
 
Wonderful!

Shaun, that is a marvelous image! You did it+what apps if you did?

I got a Xara workaround trick. I know a lot of use use blends to do a shadow, but I get lazy on occasion and feather an object. The problem with this is that if the shadow needs to tuck behind an object in a photo, feathering renders an unrealistic effect at the edge of the object.

So you create a 32-bit bitmap of the feathered shadow (hi-res is best...then you don't have scaling issues for output later), then create a silhouette of the object, and subtract it from the bitmap shadow.

My Best,

Gare
 
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