Week 4&5

The past two weeks, we have covered the topics of making selections and using the layers feature.


Chapter 4&5

These chapters were about making and manipulating selections. There are many tools Photoshop provides that lets us create, change and remove selections in images to be edited.

The tools that can be used to select include:

• marquee - selects according to a shape 
  
• lasso - selects using mouse movement
  
• magic wand - auto-selects
  

There are several things you can do with a selected image, such as transformation:

• scaling
• rotating
• skewing / distorting
• changing the perspective
• flipping
• copying (holding alt)

Also, selections can be saved by clicking on Select > Save Selection.

After learning this, I learned how to turn this image:

into this image:

by selecting the man and duplicating him and transforming the Transformers logo.


Chapter 6&7

This chapter is all about layers. Layers are used to create composite images, create complex projects, correct color, add special effects and repair photos.

This is how the layers palette looks like:

There are five types of layers:

• normal layers - added on top of current layer
• adjustment layers - used to modify an image without affecting original image
• layer masks - protect areas of layer
• shape layers - vector shapes
• type layers - type elements

Merging is combining two or more layers into one.

Flattening is merging all the layers in a document in order to optimize file size.

Last but not least, layer styles can be applied onto layers to add special effects.

And I got to do this:

Used layer mask to select the cards precisely (the edges are curved) and also to create the reflection.

Gave the cards a stroke layer style to neaten the edges.

Changed the perspective to make it look like the card is viewed from different angles.

Type tool to type "Photoshop".

That type layer is given a bevel and emboss layer style to look 3D.