photocollage with all of the tools learned!

Instructions for making a photomontage using the clone stamp, magic wand, lasso tool & move tools.

1. Open Photoshop

2. Open your image by going to the File menu and selecting Open.

3. Choose File and click Open

(repeat steps 2 and 3 to open the additional files)

4. Make sure the Layers Palette is visible, if not go to Window - > Layers

(The image of beach chairs will be your background layer. You will be adding parts of the other two images on top of that background layer).

Use the Clone Stamp Tool to fix the top right corner of the background image:

5. Select the Clone Stamp Tool from the Tool Palette (the stamp, keyboard shortcut is the letter S)

6. Choose the settings for the Stamp at the top

(size of brush = 200, hardness = 0%, opacity = 100%, flow = 100%)

7. Hold down the ALT key (you will see the target appear while you hold down ALT)

8. Click on the area to the left of the white area (in the top right of the image).

This is the area you would like to sample (you will be adding that area to the white area to cover it). You can let go after clicking once on the area.

9. Click and hold down the mouse while moving over the white area to cover it with the surrounding information.

(you are using the clone stamp within one image to sample from one area in the image and paint on to the other area within the same image).

Add the 1st selection:

10. Select the Magic Wand Tool from the Tool Palette (the wand, keyboard shortcut is the letter W)

11. Set the tolerance for the wand at 30 (located in the upper panel). Click on the picture with the silhouette.

12. Click on the area of the picture with the shadow. The shadow will be selected.

13. Use the Shift + Lasso to add the bench into the selection.

14. Use the ALT + Lasso to subtract areas of the selection. Use the Shift + Lasso to add areas to the selection.

15. Use the keyboard shortcut CNTRL + C or Command + C to copy the selection.

16. Click on the background image (beach chairs).

17. Use the keyboard shortcut CNTRL + V or Command + V to paste the selection.

18. Use Free Transform (CNTRL + T or Command + T) to adjust the size of the selection. Click and drag the corners out to change the size. Hit the ENTER/RETURN key to apply the transformation.

19. Select the Move Tool from the Tool Palette (it looks like an arrow and the shortcut is the letter V).

Use the Move Tool to change the placement of the top layer.

20. Adjust the Opacity of the top layer in the Layers Palette by selecting the top layer and then dragging the opacity slider to the left.

Add the border:

21. Click on the image of the border.

22. Select the Magic Wand Tool from the Tool Palette (the wand, keyboard shortcut is the letter W)

23. Set the tolerance for the wand at 30 (located in the upper panel).

24. Click on the black area of the picture.

25. Use the Copy and Paste Shortcuts to bring the border onto the background image.

26. Use the smudge tool to smooth out any edges.

Save the image:

Save your image by going to the File menu and Save As (Choose JPEG for finished images and PSD for unfinished images). For JPEG save the image at the highest size (Size 12).

***REMEMBER YOU CAN ALWAYS GO BACKWARDS ONE STEP WITH THE KEYBOARD SHORCUT CONTROL + Z or COMMAND + Z***

images for oct. 20

The Flow Slider/Selection Box

The Flow Slider/Selection Box

The Flow Slider/Selection Box.

A lot of people are confused when it comes to the difference between "Opacity" and "Flow", and it's not hard to see why. However, they really are two completely different things, although Flow is somewhat related to Opacity.

What "Flow" does is control how much paint your brush puts down when you paint over an area with your mouse, which technically is exactly what Opacity does, hence the confusion. The difference though between Opacity and Flow is that with Opacity, as long as you don't lift your finger off the mouse and then click again to continue painting, your brush will add exactly the amount of "paint" you've specified in the Opacity value, and no more. No matter how many times you paint over the same area, as long as you don't lift your finger off the mouse and then click again to continue painting, your brush will never add more paint.

With Flow, that's not the case. If you have a value of 10% specified for Flow, the first time you paint over an area, you'll lay down 10% of your paint. But here's the difference. The next time you move your mouse over the same area, you'll add another 10% on top of the original 10%, even if you haven't lifted your finger up off the mouse. Paint over the same area again, and yet another 10% will be applied. That's the difference between Opacity and Flow. Opacity keeps the paint % value the same no matter how many times you paint over the same area (with the mouse button still down), while Flow increases the amount of paint in an area by the % value every time you pass the mouse over the same area.

If you're not confused yet (and hopefully you're not but if you are, the easiest way to see the difference between Opacity and Flow is to experiment and try them out on your own), here's one final thing you need to know about Flow. Flow is limited by the value you've set in Opacity. What I mean by that is, Flow can never, no matter how many times you paint over the same area, never ever add more paint than the value you've specified for Opacity. In other words, if you've set an Opacity of 50% and set Flow to 100%, Flow will only add 50% of the paint to the canvas because it's limited to 50% by the Opacity value. It can't go beyond that. You can paint over the same area until the cows come home but if you're Opacity value is set to something less than 100%, Flow can only add paint up to the % value you've specified for Opacity.

If you're now completely confused about the difference between Opacity and Flow, like I said, the easiest way to see the difference is to simply grab a brush, pick a color, change the value in Opacity and start painting. Then change the value again and paint again. Once you're comfortable with what the Opacity value is doing, set Opacity to 100% and start changing the Flow value while you paint. It won't take long before the difference between the two becomes clear.

Again, there's several ways to change the value in the Flow option box, which are all exactly the same as they are for the Opacity option, so I won't bother repeating them here. Simply check them out in the description of the Opacity option above if you haven't already.

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/basics/brushes/photoshop-brush-options-bar.php