Photoshop Tips #19


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*1. MODIFYING CMYK IMAGES

As you probably know, CMYK stands for a four-color image consisting of 
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. Unique to a CMYK image, you can 
create black by applying color to the Black channel or by applying 
heavy tones to the same area of the Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow 
channels.

Therefore, to prevent a sudden influx of black into your image, avoid 
modifying all four plates at one time. Apply modifications to the 
Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow channels or to the Black channel.


*2. PHOTOSHOP AIN'T A WORD PROCESSOR

While I'm still in heaven over Adobe's inclusion of a real Type tool 
in Photoshop, I can still complain about the lack of the most basic 
word processing features. Therefore, when you must input any amount of 
text larger than a word, we suggest opening a word processing program, 
entering the passage of text, and copying the text. Then open your 
Photoshop image, choose the Type tool, and click in your image. In the 
resulting dialog box, paste the text directly into the Content 
section.


*3. INSTALLING 5.5 AND REMOVING 5.0

You may have noticed that installing the 5.5 Photoshop update leaves 
the previous version on your computer. Be careful how you choose to 
remove the previous version. If you use the Add/Remove Windows Control 
Panel, Windows may very well remove the Adobe Gamma utility. This can 
result in some odd display color variations.

If you've already uninstalled the previous version of Photoshop and 
you notice 5.5 is exhibiting odd behavior, we suggest reinstalling the 
5.5 Photoshop upgrade. Reinstalling the upgrade should set everything 
in Photoshop to normal.


*4. INSTALL PROBLEMS

Some Photoshop users (mainly those with an AMD K6 processor) have 
experienced Invalid Page Fault errors as they try to install 
Photoshop. The quickest workaround for such a problem is to copy the 
install folder from the Photoshop CD to your hard drive. Then, reboot 
your PC in Safe Mode and install Photoshop from the hard drive.


*5. TROUBLESHOOTING PHOTOSHOP STARTUP

The most tenuous moment in Photoshop is while it launches and 
initializes all its support files, such as fonts, device profiles, and 
so forth. In fact, a common startup error occurs while Photoshop 
initializes the ICC engine.


In almost every case, a simple procedure will expose the culprit. 
First, move all the .icm and .icc files from the Windows, System, 
Color directory to a new folder. Then, restart Photoshop. With all of 
the ICC profiles removed, Photoshop should launch.


Now for the tedious part. Shut down Photoshop and move, one at a time, 
only the profiles you need. After you move a profile back to the Color 
directory, launch Photoshop again. Continue until Photoshop bombs 
during startup. The last file you move is the culprit. Most likely, 
this means the file is corrupted.


*6. SLIM DOWN AND BACK UP

In our previous tip, we explained how to troubleshoot a startup 
problem that may be caused by a corrupted monitor profile. In the tip, 
we suggested moving all the .icm and .icc files out of the Windows, 
System, Color directory and into a new folder. Then, to find the 
culprit, one by one, you move a file back into the Color directory and 
launch Photoshop each time.

While you troubleshoot Photoshop startup problems, keep in mind that 
you don't need every profile originally in the Color directory. In 
fact, too many profiles can slow Photoshop's startup time. Therefore, 
pay careful attention to the files you place in the Color directory 
and use only the profiles you need for the devices in your office, 
service bureau, or printer.


*7. DETERMINING WHAT PROFILES YOU NEED

We've been discussing the .icm and .icc profiles in the Windows, 
System, Color directory. As you may recall, Photoshop attempts to 
initialize these files as it starts up. However, having too many 
profiles in the Color directory can seriously impede the Photoshop 
startup process. What's more, a corrupted profile can cause Photoshop 
to stall or bomb when it launches.

In the past few tips, we've suggested ways to troubleshoot the 
Photoshop startup process. In addition, we suggested reducing the 
number of profiles in the Color directory. However, to adequately 
reduce the number of profiles, it's helpful if you know what device a 
profile describes.

Sometimes you can discern the true device profile from the profile 
filename. Fortunately, there's an easier way. Simply right-click an 
.icm file in Windows and choose Properties from the context menu. In 
the resulting dialog box, select Profile Information.


*8. MAKE A COPY OF YOUR DEVICE PROFILES

Here's one final tip when dealing with device profiles and Photoshop. 
Once you have paired down the Windows, System, Color directory to only 
the profiles relevant to the devices you use with Photoshop, make a 
copy of the Color directory. This way, you can easily restore the 
profiles if one becomes corrupted.


*9. GETTING TO KNOW PHOTOSHOP'S COLOR MODELS

You're probably familiar with the Bitmap, Grayscale, Indexed, RGB, and 
CMYK color models available through Photoshop. If your color model 
familiarity stops there, you're missing a great resource--the LAB 
color model.

The LAB color model is a color model defined by three values: a 
Lightness channel and an A and B color channel. This model contains 
colors that span both the RGB and CMYK spectrums. In fact, Photoshop 
uses the LAB color model internally as a template for converting one 
color model to another.

The LAB color model is ideal for independently adjusting the luminance 
or color of an image. In addition, you can create superior grayscale 
versions of your color images if you convert the image to LAB, isolate 
the Lightness channels, and apply the Sharpen filter.


*10. PHOTOSHOP AND FLASH

Before you save an image in Photoshop to import into a Macromedia 
Flash animation, be sure to choose the right file format. We've found 
that PNG files are the best format. JPEG and GIF, while compatible, 
often bring odd color casts that show up when you save the Flash 
movie.
