Photoshop Tips #12


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*1. UNDO HISTORY

The Undo command has long been a feature we all depend on. In 
the newest versions of Photoshop, there is an additional Undo 
command that is a bigger and better Undo command. Unlike the 
standard Undo (which can undo only the last task), the Undo 
History command continually takes you back one full 
History step.

To move one step back through the History palette, press 
Ctrl-Alt-Z in Windows or Command-Option-Z on the Macintosh. 
Keep in mind that you can undo as many times as there are 
steps in the History palette.


*2. REPEATING HISTORY

In our previous tip, we introduced you to the Undo History 
command. As you may recall, Ctrl-Alt-Z in Windows or 
Command-Option-Z on the Macintosh will move you back through 
the steps recorded in the History palette.

In addition to moving backward through the History palette, you 
can also move forward. To move forward through the History 
palette, press Shift-Ctrl-Alt-Z in Windows or 
Shift-Command-Option-Z on the Macintosh. Keep in mind that you 
can move forward if you are currently in a past History step.


*3. IMPROVED CONTACT SHEET PLUG-IN

If you've used the Contact Sheet feature in Photoshop 5, then 
you know that you cannot control the order that the images 
appear on the page. While seemingly a small oversight, this 
missing feature made Contact Sheet relatively useless.

Fortunately, there is a new and improved Contact Sheet in 
Photoshop 5.5. This Contact Sheet allows you to automatically 
create a Contact Sheet from the images in a directory, set the 
order of appearance, and even print the name of the file 
underneath the thumbnail image. It's located under the File, 
Automate menu.


*4. PHOTOSHOP AND POWERPOINT

Creating presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint often requires 
graphics, and we don't have to tell you the best graphics tool 
on the market is Adobe Photoshop. But getting your Photoshop 
images to display properly in PowerPoint can be difficult.

For example, most PowerPoint slides have gradient backgrounds. 
For those gradient backgrounds to show through once you place 
your Photoshop graphic on a slide, you must remove the 
background from the graphic and save your graphic in a file 
format that supports transparency. Although there are two 
formats that support transparency--GIF and PNG--we 
recommend PNG.

The PNG file format supports 24-bit color and multiple levels 
of transparency--which results in a smoother image edge. 
PowerPoint versions for Office 97, Office 98, and Office 2000 
support the PNG file format.


*5. ADDING TEXT TO A SLICE

In our previous tip, we discussed the No-Image slice in Adobe 
ImageReady. As we mentioned, ImageReady allows you to cut an 
image into pieces, called slices. Then you can export the 
image, and ImageReady will create multiple images from the 
slices you've created. In addition, ImageReady exports the HTML 
to combine the images as one image when previewed in a Web 
browser. A No-Image slice allows you to instruct ImageReady not 
to export a section of an image and to set the table cell in 
the generated HTML table as empty.

In addition to this functionality, you can also use a No-Image 
slice to place text in the generated HTML. To do so, select a 
slice with the Slice Selection tool and choose No Image from 
the Type list box in the Slice palette. Then, in the Text 
field, enter the text you want to appear in the generated table 
cell. When you export the slices, ImageReady places the text in 
the No-Image slice into the generated HTML table cell.


*6. TEXT PITFALLS OF THE NO-IMAGE SLICE

Our previous tip discussed how you can place text in a No-Image 
slice and export it into an ImageReady-generated HTML table. 
However, there are a few caveats you should keep in mind before 
you begin to use this feature.

First, the amount of text you can place in a No-Image slice 
is limited. Second, be attentive to how your text may affect 
the generated table. Too much text can increase the width and 
height of the table cell and push the other cells and images 
out of alignment. Third, the text you place in the No-Image 
slice is limited to HTML formatting. Therefore, if you want to 
bold or italicize a word, you must place the requisite HTML 
tags around that word.


*7. CREATING AN IMAGEMAP WITH LAYERS

Adobe ImageReady is a great tool to use for processing images 
for the Web. For example, you can quickly and easily create an 
imagemap just by isolating areas of an image and moving them to 
new layers. Then, you apply a URL for each layer and export 
the document.  

To demonstrate, first open an image in ImageReady. Use a 
selection tool to select an area of your image. Next, choose 
New Layer Via Cut from the Layers palette. ImageReady moves the 
selection to a new layer. Now, with the new layer highlighted, 
choose Layer Options from the Layers palette. In the resulting 
dialog box, select Use Layer As Image Map, choose a shape for 
the image map section, and enter a URL to link to the section. 
Click OK to close the dialog box. To create more imagemap 
sections, simply select, cut, and paste, then apply a URL to 
the new layers.  

Once you're satisfied with your image, save the file and 
generate the HTML for the imagemap. To do so, choose File, Save 
Optimized and select Save HTML in the resulting dialog box.


*8. LAYER EFFECTS

Adobe Photoshop has several layer effects you can apply to 
layer objects with the click of a mouse. To access the 
following layer effects, choose Layer, Effects.

- The Drop Shadow effect adds a shadow behind the contents of
  the layer.
- The Inner Shadow effect adds a shadow inside the edges of the
  layer contents. This effect creates a recessed appearance.
- The Outer Glow and Inner Glow effects add glows that emanate
  from the outside or inside edges of the layer contents.
- The Bevel and Emboss effects add various combinations of
  highlights and shadows to a layer.


*9. FINICKY LAYER EFFECTS

In our previous tip, we discussed the layer effects that allow 
you to effortlessly apply special effects to layers in your 
image. Although these features are an incredible timesaver, 
sometimes they do not display properly.

Specifically, layer effects may not preview properly when 
viewed at high magnifications. Therefore, to accurately see 
layer effects, always preview at 100 percent magnification.

In addition, the Image Cache setting may disrupt the preview 
accuracy of layer effects. Image Cache allows Photoshop to 
create several stored views of an image. Sometimes these stored 
views do not include layer effects. To minimize the disruption 
Image Cache may cause, you can disable it. To do so, set Cache 
Levels to 1. To do so, choose File, Preferences, Memory & Image 
Cache. Then enter

1  

in the Cache Levels text field.


*10. SLIM DOWN YOUR MACINTOSH SYSTEM EXTENSION

One of the easiest ways to gain more performance on your 
Macintosh is to pare down the number of extensions (those icons 
you see across the bottom of the screen when your Macintosh 
starts). Limiting the number of extensions your Macintosh loads 
increases the amount of memory and resources for other 
applications, such as Photoshop.

You can easily turn extensions on or off through the Extensions 
Manager. To open the Extensions Manager, choose the Apple menu 
in the upper-left corner of the screen and select Control 
Panel, Extension Manager. In the resulting dialog box, deselect 
the extensions you don't want to load.

Warning: Setting an extension not to load can cause an 
application that uses that extension to be unstable. This 
includes your Macintosh System. Therefore, be sure to avoid 
turning off any Macintosh OS System Extension.

Note: In case you are wondering, Photoshop doesn't require any 
extension to run.
