Adobe Photoshop and CS

[aliwolly]

I know this isn't a photo question, but it has to do with photoshop and you guys know more about photoshop than anyone I can ask. Is there any way to take something and make it a brush or a stamp? Like a Mickey Mouse head outline?

Thanks!!

Hi there!

Here are the steps I take...

1. I create a new file with a white background.
2. I create a new layer (I click the little button on the Layers window - see red arrow) and paste the image that I want to create a brush of into that new layer.

3. I hold ctrl and click on the layer that I pasted into in the layer window - that selects just my image that I want to make into a brush.
4. I click Edit, Define Brush Preset. A window pops up where I can name my brush.

5. I open the file that I'd like to use my brush in and select the brush tool. I click on the brushes tab of the options window and select my brush.

6. I can now use my brush like normal on any image!

Have fun... and if I wasn't clear enough, you should be able to find a bunch of great tutorials by google-ing "create brush photoshop".

 

[Binkrin]

Sounds clear enough, and thank you so much for the visual aids

I can't wait to get home from work so I can try this!

 

[Terk-1]

Am looking to invest in this software and was wondering how difficult it is to use. My new pc came with a sample of Corel Draw, but I did not care for that software. Is Adobe Photoshop 4.0 a good software for photos?

 

[jann1033]

i just bought it on eBay so am no expert but so far i like it better by far than corel( had free trial of that) or the Nero or arc soft programs i got with my DVD burner and camera..it seems easy to use although i have not really played with it that much(...like just basic cloning etc, no layering stuff yet.) it's way easier than the big photo shop( had free trial of that also and thought i would lose my mind using it )

i really like the photoorganizer set up so far too and it tells you when you should backup your pics( i have a tendency to forget to)

 

[Rascal1003]

Assuming you mean Photoshop Elements 4, yes, it will have everything you will ever need.
If you have not experienced the Phooshop software before, why not look at saving a bit of money and go for Elements 3 or even 2. They have loads and loads of great features that are taken from the professional versions of Photoshop.

 

[aunt kelly]

I purchased Photoshop Elements 4 a few months ago, and I really like it. It is amazing what you can do on it. I use it to edit photos and to do digital scrapbooking.

I am pretty bad about not reading instructions. I like to try and figure out how things work on my own. I have found that this program is not intuitive (at least for me) and I had to buy a "how-to" book to use it. I bought Photoshop Elements for Dummies-Just the Steps. With the help of the book, I've been able to figure out how to do just about everything I've wanted to do.

I did find that it was really time consuming editing each and every photo. Now I really pick and choose which ones I edit.

 

[jann1033]

hey aunt kelly that book sounds right up my alley...in the mean time....tell me, is there any way to get a bunch of photos in the photobrowser into the editor or do you have to click on one, edit it , close it, click on the next in photo browser repeat repeat ...i am figuring since there is the photo bin across the bottom of the editor there must be a way to fill it but can't find that little tidbit anywhere if there is...
thanks

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

I am a graphic designer and use the full blown version of Photoshop. However, as others have said all you probably need is Photoshop Elements. I think you will be able to do everything you would ever need with Elements. The full version may be a little overwhelming...

 

[Cyrano]

I've Photoshop loaded but still need to learn how to use it

 

[Jeanne B]

i just bought it on eBay so am no expert but so far i like it better by far than corel( had free trial of that) or the Nero or arc soft programs i got with my DVD burner and camera..it seems easy to use although i have not really played with it that much(...like just basic cloning etc, no layering stuff yet.) it's way easier than the big photo shop( had free trial of that also and thought i would lose my mind using it )

i really like the photoorganizer set up so far too and it tells you when you should backup your pics( i have a tendency to forget to)

What is there in particular that you like so much more about Photoshop vs Corel? I can't decide which one to buy although I can by Paint Shop Pro X on Amazon right now for just $22 after a $50 rebate (actually $12 because I have a $10 Amazon gift certificate). I haven't come across any good deals on Photoshop and I hate waiting for rebates but I'm very tempted to buy Paint Shop at this price.

 

[Belle's Mom Tink]

Does Photoshop elements have the History Brush so you can make photos black and white and then color in a part of the picture? A friend of mine has the all out version, provided for her work as a graphic designer, and she does some amazing things with the history brush. She offered to help me with any pics I have but if the elements version has this tool then I would much rather be able to do it myself whenever I want. Do any other programs have a tool like this? Thanks for the help!

 

[Anewman]

Does Photoshop elements have the History Brush so you can make photos black and white and then color in a part of the picture? A friend of mine has the all out version, provided for her work as a graphic designer, and she does some amazing things with the history brush. She offered to help me with any pics I have but if the elements version has this tool then I would much rather be able to do it myself whenever I want. Do any other programs have a tool like this? Thanks for the help!

I do not use Elements(use CS2), but I am sure it allows you to make selective color images. The history brush method is not the only way to produce such images so I can not say for sure that it is part of ELEMENTS, just sure that I have seen many selective color images from elements users.

 

[jann1033]

i downloaded the freebie tryout but do not really know if it's worth the upgrade or not. any opinions of what you think would seal the deal either way?

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

If we are talking Photoshop rather than Photoshop Elements then both version 4 and 5 are extremely old (in terms of software release). Currently Adobe is selling Photoshop CS2 which is equivalent to version 8. They are working on the next release which I would expect to be available after the first of the year (according to the little software elves who come to sing and dance while they spread their merryment to unsuspecting computers).


Jeff

 

[ndelaware]

I am pretty sure Jann is talking about Elements which was just released.

Sorry Jann, I haven't seen Elements 5 yet.

 

[LoraJ]

I just got Elemnts 5 and started playing around with it. What I loved about Elements 4 was how easy it was to take photos and make webpages out of them. Elements 5 has some really neat looking webpage templates. So I put one together for my friends wedding, but for some reason, the way they name the directory, my hosting site will not accept it. Not sure why. I need to figure this out.

 

[jann1033]

yeah sorry i was talking about elements i think i am going to upgrade since the missing manual book i got said it has enough improvements to make it worth while. technically since i could use it for hubby's work i can declare at least some of it i think ( well our accountant will, i just sign the papers )

 

[wdwmom2]

Would you trust purchasing this product off of eBay??? Pros or cons????

I downloaded the trail from Adobe and am enjoying it. But it is going to take me more than 1 month to figure out the program to my satisfaction.

Any opinions??? Would you buy it off of eBay? If not, where? (I can purchase the trial I downloaded off of Adobe)

 

[rtphokie]

Would you trust purchasing this product off of eBay??? Pros or cons????

I downloaded the trail from Adobe and am enjoying it. But it is going to take me more than 1 month to figure out the program to my satisfaction.

Any opinions??? Would you buy it off of eBay? If not, where? (I can purchase the trial I downloaded off of Adobe)

I wouldn't buy software from ebay, especially PhotoShop, especially an old version of PhotoShop.

If it's someone selling off their old copy because they upgraded, the license probably doesn't allow this. When you try to register the product to use it, you may not be able to because it's already registered somewhere else. You may be buying a pirated copy, you may be getting a grey market copy.

You just dont know.

Look for sales from known retailers and get it cheeper that way. Once you have a legal copy, upgrading is much much less expensive. I usually skip a release or two because I dont necessarily need the absolute latest and greatest and it really keeps my cost down.

Another way to save on software like Photoshop is to buy educational versions if you can. Another good way is to look for bundled deals. I got my original copy of Photoshop bundled with a scanner I bought 10 years ago. I've upgraded 3 times since then have the latest and greatest. In those 10 years I've not spent in upgrade fees what the original software cost.

 

[Master Mason]

It depends on who is selling it. If it is a Brick and Mortor that has an eBay store, then it should be ok. If it is an individual, I wouldn't do it as they most likely don't have authorization to be selling the product.

ETA: If you have a student you can get it from here http://www.campustech.com/c/campust/store.html?id=Va8izYBq&mv_arg=Adobe At a pretty good discount. This is where I bought my full Photoshop CS2 Suite from.