How-To

A beam of light will be most intense in the center of the beam, so by making three different curves layers that get smaller and smaller it gives the light a sense of depth. It's also important to apply a gaussian blur to the layer masks so the light doesn't look unreasonably hard edged.

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Making selections is an essential skill for any Photoshop user. In this tutorial, we are going to show you 10 ways to modify a selection in Photoshop. By watching this video, you will be able to understand the connection between all the selection features Photoshop offers including; Feather, Contract, Expand, Border, Smooth, Refine Edge, Quick Mask, Color Range, Transform Selection and many more. Let’s get started! 1. Basic ModificationsThe following selection options are considered basic modifications:Add to selection (hold down Shift while using the following tools: Magic Wand, Lasso tools, Marquee tools)Subtract from selection (hold down Alt/Option while using the following tools: Magic Wand, Lasso tools, Marquee tools)Intersect selections (hold down Alt/Option and Shift together to intersect a new selection with a previous one)Select All (Ctrl/Cmd + A to select the whole canvas)Deselect (Ctrl/Cmd + D to deselect everything)Reselect (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + D to reselect previous selection)Invert selection (Ctrl/Cmd + I to deselect what was previously selected and select what was not selected)Move selection (hold down Space while still drawing the selection with Marquee tools to move it around)Perfect circle or Square (hold down Shift with Elliptical or Rectangular Marquee tools while creating them)Draw selection from the center (hold down Alt/Option with Elliptical or Rectangular Marquee tools while creating them) Add to selection Subtract from selection Intersect selections 2. Save & Load SelectionsSaving your selections can be useful if you need to come back to them at a later date. Saved selections are stored as Channels. They are essentially Pixel Masks not assigned to any layer. You can find these options under the Select menu. Save selections Naming saved selections 3. Transform SelectionsThis feature is essentially the Free Transform tool, which will only transform your selection but not the content of the selected layer(s). This can be very useful when you need to create perspective distortions to shapes selected with the Marquee tools. This can be achieved by holding down Ctrl/Cmd while dragging one of the control points of the transform bounding box. You can also use Warp features to bend and reshape your selections with this feature. Transform selections Warp selections 4. Quick MaskThis is a very handy feature for making changes to your selections. You need to click on the icon at the bottom of the toolbar to enter Quick Mask mode or press Q. You can use the same keyboard shortcut to exit this special selection editing mode. Once in Quick Mask mode you will see your selection normally and everything else outside your selection with a red overlay. This setting can be changed by double clicking on the icon in the toolbar. In this mode you should work with the Brush tool and the Gradient tool to make fast and precise changes to your selections. Using black as your foreground color will remove areas from your selection, while using white will increase the area of your selection. Try using custom brushes to achieve special selections. Quick mask mode Quick mask options 5. Magic Wand, Quick Selection, Similar & GrowThe Magic Wand is a classic Photoshop tool. It creates selections based on the similarity of neighbouring pixels. This method can be achieved with two features from the Select menu. Similar will extend the selection by including similar coloured areas from around the whole images (not only adjacent pixels) and Grow will extend the selection only using adjacent pixels. The Quick Selection tool uses also the same sampling, but together with a very powerful brush method. With the Quick Selection tool you can quickly sample several areas with a simple brush stroke and you can customise the size of your brush to make precise selections. Adding Similar pixels to selection Using Magic Wand for selecting not only adjacent pixels 6. FeatheringThis feature will soften the edges

Last year I got a call from photographer Joe McNally asking to talk to me about a project that he wanted me to work on. I have the absolute pleasure of being able to call Joe a friend , but its never really lost on me the fact that when we are working, this is Joe “Frigging” McNally we are talking about. Joe is one of the three most influential and inspiring photographers for me – a long studied idol. To be asked to do a project with him filled me with anticipation.As it turned out, Joe wanted me to work as a guest instructor with him on an annual class that he does: The Advanced Flash workshops at Jade Mountain. Jade Mountain is a beautiful resort in St. Lucia. In this wonderful paradise, Joe takes out a small group of photographers and takes them through the paces of a variety of different flash scenarios. This isn’t a “What is your favorite Fstop” kind of event – you are a shooter.. with an assignment.. and your goal is to produce an image that celebrates the person that you are trying to shoot. From sunset portraits to mountain bikers racing along the jungle – you learn how to run your gear to light an image. My contribution to this? I was tasked to take the participants through the world of post processing as well as explore the world of HDR with them. I know. The concept of tying Joe McNally and HDR in the same sentence sounds like a complete shocker. HDR is often a polarizing topic, and many photographers have started big flamewars on its contribution to the photographic space.Joe however, saw this situation differently. To him, this was a technique that merited a space to talk about. While it’s not something that he himself works on, he appreciated the form enough to give it a platform. To that, he believed enough of my contribution to it to talk about it as one of the foremost experts on the topic (I assure you, his words.. not mine) Knowing how the industry can sometimes be on HDR never really bothers me. I believe that for the most part, my work on it stands for itself – and I’ve prided myself in showing through example how you can totally work on it and have great results – not the typical “Elvis on Velvet” kind of look people cringe at. Having said that, this was one of those situations that did make me nervous about me doing it. Here’s a person that I respected – asking me to teach and show my art. I would be lying if I didn’t say I was determined on focusing on other types of shooting entirely – ignoring the use of HDR. I figured my technique would be something that I would keep to myself, for fear of not wanting to look too different – or look bad.I guess I wanted to write about it because I believe that many of us as photographers struggle with that entire concept of voice all the time. In looking for a place for us to make a mark, we can often struggle with accepting the things that we like and surrendering to them. To giving in to what we love and in the process of it, finding a new style that we can call our own. We quickly comb through websites of other work and say to ourselves “Look at THAT. That image is great. If only I shot this. If Only I shot that.. “ Perpetually looking at the grass on the other side just keeps us thinking that the grass we stand on isn’t as good.. or cannot be cultivated as well as the one right in front of us.At times like this, I remember a maxim that my good friend Pete Collins shared with me:Comparison is the thief of Joy.Rather than sit and compare myself to all of the other stuff around me, I found it better to just sit and think to myself “This is what I do. This is how I work. Let me dive into the scenarios and leverage how much practice I’ve done with this technique to see if I can bring about something completely new that these people have not seen.” Eric Clapton was once asked about legendary guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn. When asked about playing next to Stevie, Eric stated that he tried not to watch him play. To do so would have him lost in the greatness.. and not let h

Hello all. I have a question. I have a 99 ford escot with a 2.0 SOHC engine and for the last week or so it was making a tapping noise but it was intermittent. Today, I revved the motor up slightly and it started making this horrible clanking noise and then it stalled out. I tried starting it up and when it did start to run, it made the same clanking noise then it shut off. I tried to start it up and it wont even turn over. Its acting like it siezed up but Im not sure if its in the top end or the bottom end. Now I know the CVH engines are notorious for dropping valve seats but Im not sure how to diagnose it if that is what happend. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

OK folks, I need a little help. My daughter's 2004 GT, 3.8L, with stock AM/FM/CD Monsoon radio system seems to have an issue. She gets intermittent noise/humm/static that is audible in the two drivers door and center dash speakers. Noise is of varying degrees of intensity, can be heard in the mentioned speakers with the radio on or off, and usually the noise varies with the engine RPM (whine intensifies as RPM increases, decreases when RPM decreases). Sometimes the noise starts with no provocation, sometimes it starts when you shut the drivers door, sometimes the noise starts when you hit a sharp bump in the road. The noise usually, not always, stops when you shut the car off and re-start it. I've tried to open and shut doors, lock and unlock doors, activate electric windows, cruise control, traction control, turn signals, etc. to see if they affect the radio noise. They don't. Recently though it seems that the noise will stop immediately when you blow the horn. Problem is intermittent enough that I have only tested the horn twice but I'm 2 for 2. I haven't yet taken the radio out or taken the door panel off but think that's within my abilities. Looking for any advice anyone may have with this. I might mention that this problem seemed to start about the same time she started getting traction control/steering assist warnings that were recently solved by the dealer replacing a wheel speed sensor. Probably not connected but seemed coincidental. Dealer speculated that the amp might be going out but that really doesn't seem to make sense to me do to the intermittent and non repeatable nature of the issue.

Back to Work #123: I Want to See Your Face the Whole Time (LIVE) | 5by5: macsacandcrack: Last night I got an opportunity to listen to the latest episode of Back to Work. I started at 12:30am, ruining my productive ability today (not my reproductive ability. Well…) as I just had to listen through to the end. This was the first show Dan and Merlin had recorded together in the same room; the excitement I felt as the show kicked off was palpable, bagable, bakeable; I was smiling ear to ear as I nerdily observed and learned the following… They talk over each other a lot more in person. (Naturally. Over. It’s the nature of the beast, and what I’ve observed for myself in doing shows in person and over Skpye. Over.)  Because they’re talking in person and able to hold a more natural and fluent conversation, the jokes (especially at the start) were flying thick and fast. Which was absolutely delightful. And it’s those mumbled throw-away lines that you learn that Dan’s sense of humour is just as dirty as Merlin’s. Which is another reason I still listen, 123 episodes later. Dan has a penetrating stare that can (allegedly) impregnate a woman from a distant of up to 100 feet away (or 25 hands, as horses would neigh). Merlin’s kryptonite is the afore-mentioned stare. Merlin found their first in-person meeting to be a very weird experience (contrary to my guess). Haddie has to text Dan every line he says on air. Merlin doesn’t have the same OCD germ concerns that Dan does (despite previous jokey conversations about germ-free bathroom use). Dan’s kryptonite is Merlin moving imagined germs towards his person. And the rest of the show I probably listened to in a semi-conscious state, and will remember and recite to others accidentally throughout the course of my day. Thanks, guys! Was too much fun.

Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime. An important part of our growth and motivation as people lies in contributing to the greater good, being part of something greater than ourselves. While “making the world a better place” often calls to mind images of great leaders at the head of mighty social movements, white-coated researchers developing new medicines or energy sources, or geniuses dreaming up theories that explain the world around us, there is plenty of room for less lofty acts that create small measures of happiness in the lives of those around us. Little gestures can create or strengthen our sense of community and of shared humanity, lightening our burdens for just a moment and giving us something to smile about. And that’s no small matter. Here are ten little gestures, all of them easily within our grasp, that can spread goodwill in our own communities, as well as increase our own sense of mindfulness about the people around us and our relationship to them. 10 Small Ways to Make the World a Better Place The post 30sec Tip: You will Forget Tomorrow The Kind Words You Say Today appeared first on Lifehack.

This controversial material is often associated with the hippies of the '60s, but it's actually one of the earliest known domesticated plants. Hemp has been cultivated by civilizations for over 12,000 years. In fact, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper, and...

Koi ponds are almost a staple of certain landscapes, particularly Asian- or tropical-inspired styles, and are easily at home in many contemporary gardens. If you love koi but these landscape styles don't appeal, don't worry. It's surprising how well koi ponds will fit into other gardens, from traditional...