Photoshop Tutorials

I'd like to write some photoshop tutorials but first I'd like to get some input from anyone interested in learning more about how to use the program. So fire away with your requests, anything you'd find interesting, had trouble with or just want to know how to do.

I've always wondered how to make REALISTIC looking rain in Photoshop.

Other then that ... I can't really think of anything that I'd want to be able to do that I can't already find a good way of doing. Maybe I should post my composite of Bruce Campbell as a GTO Judge.

Like most other things, with Photoshop I found it far better to learn the basics from tutorials/help files, and then learn the rest through experience. It would be good if you were to start writing some beginner tutorials.

Like most other things, with Photoshop I found it far better to learn the basics from tutorials/help files, and then learn the rest through experience. It would be good if you were to start writing some beginner tutorials.

Adobe Studio and Sijun do a pretty good job of that already, save Lep some bandwidth cost

Yea, there are tons of basic tutorials on the net.

What I'll most likely do is get in to some basic texture related techniques like tiling.

Yep, tiling textures would be good. I think we used to have a crate-making tutorial too, but I don't have the images for it any more! And maybe filters and gubbins you can apply to photographs to turn them into decent looking textures (I know that's blaspheming, but for some of us that's our only option for some textures)

I was looking around for some tutorials and found this great little site for Phobochop tuts- http://www.good-tutorials.com .

Basically a collection of tutorials from around the net.

I really want to learn Photoshop, but I'm a big noob and have no knowledge at all about it. Maybe I can try those noob links above^^. Plz post more links to beginner tuts. I would appreciate that :smile: .

What version of Photoshop do you guys use and what do you recommend?

I think anything above 5.5 is terrible. Since the last REAL feature Adobe added was the history in 4.0. I think they're at version 8 now. But I don't like it much. Most of the functionality has been there since the earliest of versions, so they really haven't done anything to be honest.

But I know people who praise 6 and 7 ... I just think they're terrible though.

Well, I have to say you are very wrong Crono, photoshop has evolved quite a bit since 5.5. Right now photoshop is v8.0 or CS (creative suite series)

Tools added since 5.5: Healing brush, Annotation tools, patch tool, Photo merge, replace color brush and text tools(cs). Not to mention brush dinamics

Other features added since 5.5: Browser, filter library(shows layered effects preview), pattern maker, layer styles, picture package, 16 bit editing (v8.0), save for web features, print preview (yea 5.5 didn't even have a print preview).

The list go's on and on. Personally I wouldn't go bellow 6.0. So many layer features alone where added in 6.0. 5.5 will leave you doing a lot of things the hard way.

v6.0 is what I would recommend you start with.

Leperous said:
Yep, tiling textures would be good. I think we used to have a crate-making tutorial too, but I don't have the images for it any more! And maybe filters and gubbins you can apply to photographs to turn them into decent looking textures (I know that's blaspheming, but for some of us that's our only option for some textures)

Do you still have that tutorial I wrote on how to add realistic looking wire to textures? The images would still work since I still have them in place. I wrote the tutorial just before the site change over a while ago.

I agree, and I'm a photoshop n00b. In my high school art department a few years back they had 5.5, and I found it really hard to use after becoming accustomed to 6.0 on my home computer. Certainly wouldn't go below 6.0 personally.

edit yes I do have that tut, I'll give it a look over tomorrow morning!

This image might refresh your memory on the tutorial.

Tools added since 5.5: Healing brush, Annotation tools, patch tool, Photo merge, replace color brush and text tools(cs). Not to mention brush dinamics

Other features added since 5.5: Browser, filter library(shows layered effects preview), pattern maker, layer styles, picture package, 16 bit editing (v8.0), save for web features, print preview (yea 5.5 didn't even have a print preview).

My opinion isn't wrong.
I know what features 6.0 and up has, and I think it's still not that great. I've used all the versions intensly and these 'features' didn't help a damn thing.

I simply don't use these things, I also, obviously, do not use photoshop for all the same purposes you do, so to simply say I'm "wrong" for my opinion is rather arrogant and misplaced, no offense, because after all I said that things above 5.5 didn't show much improvement to me and I found no use for them, personally.

I agree, and I'm a photoshop n00b. In my high school art department a few years back they had 5.5, and I found it really hard to use after becoming accustomed to 6.0 on my home computer. Certainly wouldn't go below 6.0 personally.

And I found it difficult to use 6.0 and above after being acustomed to 3.0 - 5.5 for so long.

No need to take offense. Everyone is intitled to thier opinion, mine being that yours is misinformed. I don't know what you use the program for but I would recommend getting a decent tutorial book before you condemn v6.0+'s potential.

What exactly do you use Photoshop for? Maybe you are using the wrong program. I can't imagine any use of the program that wouldn't benifit from the enhancments made in the later versions.

Grim, I've used all the recent versions, for long periods of time. I just dont like them. I like the basic tools and thats about it. I don't care about most filtering or any of that stuff.
I use it for overall image editing and graphics for webdesign. I have no problem using 5.5. and I don't need a tutorial on how to use other versions, they are rather intuitive, but when you're used to a certain layout it can be disorienting.

I've used Illustrator, Painter, ImageReady, you name it I've used it and not just for like five minutes or something as such.

I just prefer an older version, I don't think there is anything wrong with that, do you?

No, nothing wrong with that. Personally I think you should give the later versions more of a chance but thats just me. I learned on 6.0 myself, I didn't see much interesting stuff in 7.0 or 8.0 even after using them. That is until I say down and read about the new features and what they can really do.

Its cool if you want to stick with 5.5, although I wouldn't recommend anyone else to. I know of a lot of really good artists that use earlier versions, thats great and all but for a noobie, shooting to the most recent versions is a better option (as you learned with 5.5 or 4.0 when it was early in its release I imagine).

Basically I'm just trying to give good advice to anyone who wants to get into photoshop now, as a begginer. I'm sure you learned the work arounds, for example techniques to create a drop shadow under text (without layer styles). Some one learning 6.o and above would not need to know your technique, they could simply use the layer styled to achieve the same results. Basically you can live without the features in the later versions, the only thing they really do is make your job easier and speed up your process (what ever it is that you are doing). I will say that I frequently use tools only found in 7 and 8 while working with photos, also layer styles play a big role in my art. The advanced layer blending options are a godsend as well.

I know completly what you're saying. But yeah, I learned on 3.0.

And I'm very 'efficient' at doing things the way I do them. If someone wants to use a different version that's fine, I'm not like hellbent against the other versions, I just found some of their stuff to be a bit of eyecandy and overblown.

yeah, that's pretty close to how I make dropdown shadows Except, I can do it quickly. Its gotten to the point to when I'm doing certain things, I don't even realize it while I'm doing them, complete auto-pilot.

However, I'm going to post some of these pictures, when I do, I actually made them in 6.0 just because they were for a class and I had to work on them at school ... but I did a good majority at my home too. Here's a sample (its not too great, but then again it took less then an hour and a half)

The GTO Judge Campbell

Yeah, not great, but I was also learning how to blend skin by doing this, so.

Looks nice to me Crono :smile:

Anyway, I think the point is here, that it would be wise for a newcomer to learn the newest since they might as well learn all the new features and learn how to achieve effects as easily as possible with them. Learning using an old version, in this case would be shooting yourself in the foot, as you will have to learn workarounds that simply aren't necessary.

Thats not to say you are wrong for liking 5.5 best - its what you are used to and it does all you need, so thats great. But it still doesn't make too much sense to suggest it, when those are your two primary reasons which are highly personal.

I would like to see some tutorials focused on advanced selection techniques: quickmask, color selection, pen-tool. Without controlled selection, you just aren't using Photoshop to it's fullest.

I would stress focusing on color selection first, because it's something I use almost every day in creating textures. This technique really sped things up for me, allowing me to easily grab organic/random shapes (usually from photo reference) and apply them to my textures.

Also, coupling this tutorial with a tutorial on the use of Channels, for saving selections, would be excellent.

Good luck with this... I just love Photoshop, and am glad to see others pushing it.

i need a good tutorial on how to make transparant textures, im already trying ot figure it out but it wont work. i alos need to be albo to make my pallete 256 colors. i got photoshop 7.0 never had any version before so i cant judge about that

Ok, I'm going to come up with a list of topics. I like your idea on teaching people how to select properly Finger, especially color selection, its not something most people even know about. Quickmask is VERY handy also. The pen tool is getting a little more advanced, I'm not sure many people here would be too interested in it, I would include it in a selection tutorial though anyway.

Working with channels would be good. Using them with the Lighting effects filter would also be good.

Tiling textures, also a good one (offset filter/clone/patch)

Maybe even a simple tutorial on the basics of using layers.

Over all I want to keep them quick and to the point. Also I plan on using a lot of images to help people understand.

You should conside writing some drawing (art) tutorials Finger, you're one of the best drawers here.

"You should conside writing some drawing (art) tutorials Finger"

Thanks Grim, maybe I will kinda show some of my methods, If I can organize myself enough to do so.

Dodge, Burn, Resize, Sharpen, and layer styles are all you need to learn to make good textures. I detest a texture that uses filters so blatantly that you can tell their name by looking at it.

Since when you make textures, you're trying (typically) to create totally realistic art, you have to be a photoshop samurai like I've never seen to do that on par with someone who will simply edit photo bases.

...photoshop samurai...

Quite possibly the best title I've ever heard given to a guru at something :biggrin:

I know, I'm a genius.

i would like those ideas

Cassius said:
I know, I'm a genius.

even a broken clock is right twice a day chum :biggrin:

/runs

Some filters are good to use for a foundation of a texture. I agree, textures that are made solely based on filters are pretty bad, its a good way to learn though. For newbies I'd say its ok to a point.

Using photos to make textures can be pretty complicated also depending on what you have to work with. In some (most) cases its pretty easy though. In a lot of my photo textures I have actually used anywhere from 2 to 4 pictures to create one texture.

Here is some of the textures I made with photos:

Made from 2 log pics (of the same log): Mossy log



Made from 4 photos aimed at the ground: Evergreen shedings



Made from 4 pictures, sampling only the parts that worked: Old mossy brick/rock structure



Sampled at a beach: Beach rock



Created from a beach cliff face:



Here is an example of one of the pictures I took without any color correction or preping of any kind:



The following two are start and finish, you can see that the texture originated from an old burnt fireplace at a camp site. The result is a stone wall with pillars when tiled, I also made 3 other variations.

preworked fireplace:



Final brick wall:



Last here is an example of a 100% photoshoped texture (some of you might recognise it since I posted it twords the end of last year)

They look a little faded but I think thats because I changed their color profile when I converted them to jpeg and droped their resolution. (Photoshop was set to can non matching color profiles, oh well)

Orpheus said:

Cassius said:
I know, I'm a genius.

even a broken clock is right twice a day chum :biggrin:

/runs

how did you made that last texture??

Well, there are a lot of steps involved, you'd have to know photoshop to really understand. basicly I used a number of filters, color changes, layer sytles, clone tool, color selection to alter hue. The board was made on a seperate layer, copied multiple times, altered and repositioned. Then I insured the tile worked. Since the boards are on seperate layers I was able to make 10 variations of this texture.

Nice textures Grim. I am using/creating roughly 90% photo based textures at work. When I first got there, I got out my Wacom, and started building some textures from scratch....then looked over and saw my coworker whip up an amazing texture using 3 or 4 photos that totally smoked what I was working on, in half the time. Since then, I have been liberally using our large library of photos, and whipping out nice textures, very quickly. I do, still go in and add little touches here and there, but I am definately a promoter of 'what works best'. You just can't beat good photos.

For an amatuer judgement of the photo textures I say they are good.

For an expert judgement I say they are ok... They have artefacts in them which make the tiling look a bit crap.

Myrk- said:
For an amatuer judgement of the photo textures I say they are good.

For an expert judgement I say they are ok... They have artefacts in them which make the tiling look a bit crap.

Well, you get repeating artifacts with almost all textures. If you try and eliminate all the aftifacts the textures start becoming pretty bland, or atleast in my experience they have.

edit: Myrk, I have a .wad I made to test those textures out. Do you want to try them out?

Finger: Where do you work now? Sounds like you got an interesting job, I know before you didn't work with art (i can't recall where you said you worked in the past).

about the last texture, how did you create those wooden bars on the wall??