How to Remove Old Shortcuts From Photoshop Cs4

Adobe’s Photoshop CS4 provides keyboard shortcuts to help improve users’ productivity. And, beginning with Photoshop CS3, Adobe offers the ability to customize those shortcuts. This means that you can create a work environment that more efficiently meets your personal needs, work style and preferences. Whether you think the keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop CS4 are difficult to remember, you want to reassign a default shortcut to another function or your want to delete a shortcut you created, the following instructions will help you to spend more time being creative and less time trying to remember keystrokes.

Steps to Delete a Photoshop Keyboard Shortcut

1. Step 1

   Pull down the “Edit” menu and select “Keyboard Shortcuts.”

2. Step 2

   At the top of the “Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus” dialog box, select the “Keyboard Shortcuts” tab.

3. Step 3

   If the shortcut you want to delete is part of a customized set, select the set name from the “Set” drop-down menu. Otherwise, continue to the next step.

4. Step 4

   Select the menu type where the shortcut is located: “Application Menus,” “Panel Menus” or “Tools.”

5. Step 5

   Scroll down and select the shortcut you want to delete. Then, click the “Delete Shortcut” button. Note that if you were working with the default set of keyboard shortcuts that came with the program, the set name automatically changes to “Photoshop Defaults (Modified).”

6. Step 6

   Click the “Save Set” icon. (This is the small icon that looks like a floppy disk, to the right of the “Set” drop-down menu.) You can give your modified set a new name or, if it was a previously created set, save it under the old name.

7. Step 7

   Click “OK” to save your changes and exit the “Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus” dialog box.

   Tips & Warnings

   • When saving a keyboard shortcuts set, make sure that the file is saved in the “Keyboard Shortcuts” folder inside the Adobe Photoshop CS4 “Presets” folder.

How to Make 3D Shapes in Photoshop CS4

Adobe Photoshop was originally mostly used by professional photographers to touch up photos, create photo effects and even create photo manipulation. The program is also used by graphic designers to create logos and other graphic elements. Adobe Photoshop CS4 offers a wide variety of improvements that are set apart from previous versions such as a more powerful rendering engine and the ability to manipulate different lighting effects, which makes the creation of 3D objects much easier. For beginners, Photoshop can take some time to learn, but after some practice you will have the ability to create effects like a professional.

1. Open Photoshop CS4 and create a new document by clicking on “File” and then “New Document.” Keep the background color as white, and make the document any size you’d like. Select “OK.”
2. Step 2

   Create a new transparent layer by clicking on the “New Layer” icon in the Layers Palette. This new layer must be established before creating a 3D shape, because these shapes are made from layers. Add color to the new layer by clicking on the Paint Bucket tool in the Tools Palette. The color can be anything you’d like. Click on the new layer to fill it with color.

3. Step 3

   Convert the layer to a 3D shape. Click on the 3D shape icon on the Tools Palette, highlight “New Shape From Layer” and select any shape you desire. You will notice that your chosen color is now the primary fill for the shape, and the color is within the shape and nowhere else.

4. Step 4

   Rotate the shape to give your desired placement by clicking on the 3D Rotate Tool on the Tools Palette.

How to Create 3D Text in Photoshop Cs4

Adobe Photoshop CS4 can create a variety of text effects for use as titles in a video or print project. 3D text helps draw attention to elements in a graphic by simulating depth and dimensional space that helps lift the text off the background. Although Photoshop CS4 can work with 3D objects created by animation software, the creation of 3D elements within Photoshop may not be so intuitive.

1. Create a new file in Photoshop by selecting “File” and “New” from the menu. Make the file 11 inches wide and 8.5 inches high.
2. Step 2

   Select the Text Tool by pressing the “T” key. Use the text properties menu to choose a bold font like Arial Black or Impact. Make the font size 70 points. Choose yellow as the text color, then type “3d Text.”

3. Step 3

   Duplicate the text layer by pressing the “Ctrl” and “J” keys.

4. Step 4

   Change the text color of the duplicated layer to black by selecting the text color palette beneath the main menu. When finished, reselect the original text layer.

5. Step 5

   Move the yellow text layer to the front by selecting “Layer” then “Arrange” then “Bring to Front” from the menu.

6. Step 6

   Select the black duplicated text layer you moved to the back and use the “Ctrl” and “J” keys to create three or four more duplicates of the same text layer.

7. Step 7

   Rasterize the text layers. Select all text layers from the Layers tab, right click on your mouse, and select “Rasterize Type” from the menu.

8. Step 8

   With the rasterized text layers still selected, press “Ctrl” and “T” on your keyboard to enter the Transform mode. Right click on your mouse and select “Perspective” from the menu. Drag the transform anchor in the upper right corner downward. This will create the vanishing perspective commonly associated with 3D text.

9. Step 9

   Offset one layer from the other. Select the first duplicated text layer. Select the Move tool by pressing the “V” key, then use your right arrow on the keyboard and press it two times. Then press the down arrow two times. Your duplicated layer will now be offset from the original layer by 2 pixels. Repeat this step for each additional duplicated layer. You should now see how these layers are building three-dimensional depth to the original yellow text layer.

How to Make Balloons in Photoshop Cs4

If you are planning a party you may decide that you want to make your own decorated invitations. If you do, you will want to give these invitations a party appearance. One way to do this is to add balloons. Fortunately, in Photoshop it is a fairly straight forward matter to create your own party balloon graphics.

1. Open Photoshop. Select “File” and click “Open.” In the dialog box that opens browse to the invitation document you have been working on and open it.
2. Step 2

   Click on the “New Layers” icon under the “Layers” panel. Select the new layer.

3. Step 3

   Set the “Pen” tool from the toolbar. In the options at the top set the tool to “Fill.” Change the “Foreground” color to what you want for your first balloon. Use the tool to draw out a rough shape for your balloon.

4. Step 4

   Select the “Convert Point” tool and click on the points in the shape to adjust the bezier curves to produce a smoother curve.

5. Step 5

   Select the “Elliptical” selection tool and use it to select the balloon–except for the lower bulging part.

6. Step 6

   Select “Filter,” then “Render” and click “Lighting Effects.” In the dialog that opens move the spot light so it is shining from the lower right. Click “OK.”

7. Step 7

   Select the top layer and reduce the “Opacity” to 60 percent.

8. Step 8

   Repeat Steps 2 to 6 to add more balloons.

9. Step 9

   Select “File and click “Save As.” Name your file and save it as a JPEG.

How to Link Adobe Photoshop

You can link two or more layers with Adobe Photoshop CS4. You can begin by opening the Layers panel, and selecting the layers that you would like to have linked. The advantage of linking layers is to have them move together simultaneously around the page, which will help you move images in your design. Once they are linked, your job as a designer is made much easier, and you can save time by learning this technique.

1. When you have selected the layers that you would like to have linked, you will see a chain symbol at the bottom of the panel. Click the chain icon, and the layers will be linked. You may decide that you want to unlink these layers. To do so, just click the chain icon again. This technique will make a design with many layers, images, or texts easy to manage, and give you the ability to move a complex design pattern across the page to fit it perfectly to the desired space.
   There are other shortcuts you can use to link and temporarily unlink layers, and once these linking techniques are learned you can apply them to more complex tasks with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. These software programs can work together to give your design a sophisticated look.
2. Step 2

   With a book-length manuscript you can link layers in Adobe Photoshop CS4, and import them into your Adobe InDesign CS4 page. Here, they can be grouped into a page design, with the advantage of saving time by having these layers, images, or texts linked.

3. Step 3

   After learning how to link layers there are some other linking techniques you can learn. You can assign a URL link to an image slice with Adobe Photoshop CS4. When you use this web page link, the image slice will appear in the browser with the assigned URL link. In Adobe Photoshop CS4, select the Slice Select tool. In the dialogue box you can enter the URL, then enter the name of the Target Frame as a _blank, _self, _parent or _top.

4. Step 4

   For Windows users, Adobe Photoshop CS4 allows you to link or embed images into an OLE application. An OLE application might be a word processing or page layout program that runs on Microsoft Windows applications. The advantage of OLE is that you can insert Photoshop files into into applications such as Adobe PageMaker, Adobe FrameMaker and Microsoft Word. You can copy and paste, or export files to OLE applications.

5. Step 5

   Another linking technique you can try is linking files from Adobe Photoshop CS4 to a page in Adobe Illustrator CS4. You might want to link the new files to the original files, and to do so you can choose File > Place. In the Place dialogue box, select the Link option. Adobe Illustrator CS4 will center the image, creating a more professional space to design your page. A red X superimposed on the image means it is Linked, and cannot be edited any further. This is the advantage of Linking files from Adobe Photoshop CS4 to Adobe Illustrator CS4.

How to Edit Photos Quickly in CS4

Adobe Photoshop CS4 is an incredibly powerful and complex program. Fortunately, there are some image editing presets already programmed into the software that allow those with busy schedules to edit their images quickly. Photoshop CS4 also lets users save their own versions of preset actions, allowing complex operations to be applied to an image with the touch of a single button. To edit photos quickly, use these presets to control the basic settings in the photo, such as contrast and color balance.

1. Open your image in Adobe Photoshop. Go to the File menu and select “Open,” then navigate to your image’s location on your computer. Select the image, then click “OK” to open the image in Photoshop.
2. Step 2

   Open the Actions menu to begin creating a custom preset action for editing your photos. Select “Windows” from the top toolbar, then select “Actions” from the drop-down menu. This open the Actions menu window.

3. Step 3

   Click “Create New Action” at the bottom of the Actions menu window. Name the action so you will remember what the action does. You can also assign the action to a function key using the drop-down menu, so that the action can be activated by the touch of a button. Click “Record.”

4. Step 4

   Begin editing your photo. Each step you perform will display in the Actions menu. If you make a mistake, use the “Step Backwards” function under the “Edit” option on the top toolbar. When you are finished editing, press the square “Stop” button at the bottom of the Actions menu window. Save your edited photo.

5. Step 5

   Open the next photo and then press the function key assigned to your actions. This applies your editing preset in one step. Large actions can use a large amount of memory, so be prepared if your computer slows down.

How to Create Photo Galleries in Photoshop CS4

Unlike earlier versions of Photoshop, the Web gallery option is no longer included in the application itself but in the companion software Adobe Bridge, which is installed when you install Photoshop CS4. Photoshop CS4 and Bridge are seamlessly integrated, so creating a gallery is as simple as saving your files in Photoshop, and then moving into Bridge to do the final organization.

1. Edit each of your files in Photoshop and save them in a single folder on your computer.
2. Step 2

   Go to the “File” menu and click on “Browse in Bridge…”

3. Step 3

   Browse to the folder that you saved your pictures to and select the ones you wish to include in the gallery by clicking on each one while holding down the “Ctrl” key. Press “Ctrl” and the “A” key to select all pictures in the folder.

4. Step 4

   Choose “WEB GALLERY” in the right panel, and use the standard settings. You can add information like a gallery title and your email address in the fields under the “Site Info” heading.

5. Step 5

   Select the color Palette for your Web gallery. If you don’t know what colors to choose, just select grays and blacks, as they will work well with anything.

6. Step 6

   Choose your “Appearance” settings. The default settings are fine for most situations.

7. Step 7

   Decide whether you want to upload the files immediately or save them to your hard drive for later uploading. If you wish to save to a disk, just select a folder and press “Save.” Otherwise, check the “Upload” bubble, enter your FTP server information and click “Upload.”

How to Create a Clipping Mask in Photoshop CS4

Layer masks are a useful tool in graphic design. Adobe Photoshop CS4 provides shortcuts that make it easy to create a mask. Unlike some other graphic design software, such as Adobe Illustrator, in Photoshop the masking layer is placed beneath the layer that is being masked. Once you get used to this concept you will be ready to create layer masks like a pro.

1. To create a new document, select “New” from the File menu, or use the “Ctrl”-”N” (“Command”-”N” on Macs) keyboard shortcut. For this example, start with a document that is 300 pixels by 300 pixels, at a resolution of 72 pixels per inch, in the RGB color mode with a transparent background. Choose “OK.”
2. Step 2

   Clipping masks are made from objects on different layers, so you will need to be able to move between layers with ease. Open the Layers palette to reveal the layers and their contents. In CS4, when the palette is minimized to the panel, the “Layers” icon looks like a semi-transparent diamond shape with a drop shadow. If you’re having trouble locating it, select “Layers” from the Window menu, or just press “F7.”

   In the Layers palette, create a new layer. The “New Layer” icon looks like a small square with the corner folded up to reveal another square beneath it; the icon is located in the bottom right-hand corner of the palette, next to the “Delete Layer” icon.

3. Step 3

   Select the top layer by clicking it in the Layers palette; the palette will highlight your selection in blue. This layer is the one that will be masked.

   Choose a fill color; perhaps a cheery yellow. Double-click the foreground color selector in the toolbar, and type in the hexadecimal color value #F4F70A in the pop-up “Color Picker” dialog. Now select the Paint Bucket tool from the toolbar (click the “Paint Bucket” icon or simply press “G” on your keyboard). Click the stage to fill Layer 2 with the color you selected.

4. Step 4

   Select the bottom layer by clicking it in the Layers palette. Now draw a random shape of your choosing. For example, click and hold down the shape tool in the toolbar, then select the Custom Shape tool from the fly-out menu. Click the “Shape” drop-down menu from the options toolbar at the top of your screen. If you do not see the options toolbar, select “Options” from the Window menu. In the “Shape” menu, choose a shape such as the amorphous blob. Click the stage, drag your mouse, and release to draw your shape on the stage.

5. Step 5

   Now it is time to create your mask. There are two ways to do this. The slightly more formal method is to select the top layer in the Layers palette, then select “Create Layer Mask” from the “Layer” menu at the top of your screen.

   The abbreviated shortcut method is to hold down the “Alt” ( or “Option”) key and position your cursor over the line that separates your layers from each other. The arrow pointer will turn into a symbol showing two overlapping circles. Click on the dividing line between the two layers.

   Either way, Photoshop will use the bottom layer to create a clipping mask over the top layer. The shape in the bottom layer will remain, and all other contents of the masked top layer will become transparent. However, the shape will now have the color attributes of the top layer, even if the bottom layer was filled with a different color.

How to Move Layers Between Open Documents in Photoshop CS4

Adobe Photoshop CS4 has a new twist that at first can make it tricky to move layers from one open document to another. By default, the files now open as “Tabs” across the top of the screen. So, how do you work on more than one file at a time when all you can see is the file name and not a visual reference? It’s an easy fix, that you can address a few different ways. The steps in this article are specific to CS4 but the way you move things from one open file to another are applicable as far back as there have been layers in Photoshop.

1. If you’re preparing images for scrapbooking, invitations, presentations or anything else, at some point you will need to move elements from one open file to another.
   Set-Up Your Work Space:
   1. Make sure you can see your “Tools” and “Layers” palettes; they’re in the scroll down selection menu “Window” at the top of your screen.
   a. Leave “Tools” and “Layers” open for the entirety of this exercise.
2. Step 2

   Let’s say, we’re preparing a series of images for a fund raiser and we want all of them to have an identifier such as the green circle you see in my example image PH02
   1. Select two photos to work with for this exercise. For simplicity, I will work with single layer images to start this exercise.
   If you’d like to use my photos but need help making a screen shot, please see link in resources to my article: How to Make a Screen Shot Using a PC

3. Step 3

   Immediately, you can see the problem. How are you going to move that green circle from one file to another if you can only see one image at a time?
   1. Make sure that you have your “move tool” selected from your “Tools Palette”.
   a. Your cursor will look like a little white arrow. Use your mouse to click and hold anywhere on your “first” file name tab at the top of your screen and drag it straight down.
   b. Everything will “grey out” as you do this and you will see the file name physically moving down into your work area.
   2. Release your “mouse click” and your file is now “floating” in your work space; no longer docked as a tab across the top of your screen.

4. Step 4

   Do the same with the other file you opened originally and you will now see both of your files “floating” in your work space.

5. Step 5

   Technically, we’re done with this exercise; but while I’ve got your attention let’s go ahead and move that green circle from our first photo to our second photo.
   Select your “Elliptical Marquee Tool” from your “Tools Palette”. It’s underneath the little dotted square (Rectangular Marquee Tool) at the top of your “Tools Palette”. If you click on the rectangular one; you’ll see the round one underneath. Still holding your mouse down, just select it from the drop down menu you see.

6. Step 6

   Use the Elliptical Marquee to draw a circle around the element you wish to move. If your circle isn’t just right when you draw it, just go up to “Select” top of screen and scroll down to “Transform Selection” and use the little boxes that appear to drag your selection to exactly the way you need it. Then, click on your “Move” tool in the “Tools Palette” and drag your selection into the other photo. When you release your mouse the selection that you dragged over will be another layer and you can use your “Move Tool” to move it around and get it just the where you want it. The circle or the element you moved will now show up on both images fully intact. In the image you moved it into; it will be a separate layer which is convenient if you want to move it around.

7. Step 7

   If you don’t want to have your images to open into Tabs in CS4; do the following:
   Go to the Edit Menu (top of screen). Scroll down to select Preferences. Within the Preferences menu; on the left hand side, the second choice is “Interface” click there. Uncheck: “Open Documents as Tabs”. Now your images will open the way they would in previous versions as separate items on your desktop.

How to Show the History in Photoshop CS4

Photoshop, Adobe’s digital-imaging application, has literally hundreds of tools and processes to create unique digital compositions. Occasions often arise when a user might want to look back on each step of the editing process and go back to a point to correct a mistake or start over from a certain spot. Photoshop collects this information and makes it viewable in the “History” panel, allowing users to retrace their steps. Bringing up the history panel can be accomplished in a few simple steps.

1. Click “Window” in the application bar of Photoshop.
2. Step 2

   Choose the “History” option in the drop-down menu. This will bring up the history panel.

3. Step 3

   Scroll up and down in the history panel to view the previous edits and actions that you’ve made to the document. The most recent edits will be at the bottom, and the oldest ones will be at the top.