Graphic Design 10: How to Straighten an image in Photoshop

Have you ever imported an image into photoshop and it was crooked? Well here is a fast accurate solutions in straightening the image.

Select the tape measure tool (it shares space with the eyedropper in Photoshop’s toolbox) and drag a line across part of your image that should be straight. This can be done horizontal or vertical. Then from the drop down menu choose (Image), (Rotate Canvas), (Arbitrary).

Photoshop auto-calculates the value required to straighten your image. Click (Ok) and your image is all squared up.

Peace!

Graphic Design 9: Quick Blurs

Here is a fast tip on how to isolate a specific area on an image and blur it. Using the elliptical marquee tool, select the area you desire to blur. A good example would probably be an individual’s face in a crowd shot, if you do not want to reveal their identity. Next go to the drop down menu, filter, blur, gaussian blur. Select the intensity level in which you want to blur the object or person. It’s that easy! Get creative with it!

Peace!

Graphic Design 7: Photoshop to Illustrator

Converting Photoshop pixel files into an Illustrator vector file.

Have you ever created a logo or had an object in photoshop that you wanted to convert into a vector file? Well, here is one simple way to achieve this. Now keep in mind that considering how complexity of your design, will determine how much clean up you will need to do later in Illustrator. I find that this technique works more efficient with designs that are not so complex. Its great with logos, one color process t-shirt designs, etc.

Step 1: Open the file you want to convert in photoshop. Use the magic wand tool to highlight the object. The object should show the marching ants around it as shown below in Figure 7:1.

Figure 7:1.

Step 2: Next you will click on the path tab that is located on the layers box. Click on the path icon located at the bottom to change the marching ants into a working path. See below in Figure 7:2.

Figure 7:2.

Step 3: After completing the first two steps, click back on the layers tab and turn the eye off on the object layer so you can view the path as seen below in Figure 7:3.

Figure 7:3.

Step 4: We are almost finished! In the top menu bar, click on file, export, paths to illustrator as shown below in Figure 7:4. Save and name the object as an illustrator file to your destop or folder of your choice.

Figure 7:4.

Step 5: This is the final step! Open the new object file in illustrator. You can now change the colors, clean up the graphic and resize it the way you please as a vector format. See below in Figure 7:5.

Figure 7:5.

Hope this helps!

Peace and God Bless!