CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

So I have access to Photoshop 7.0.1 and I've been looking at tutorials and stuff, but I still don't get a lot. So this is a thread for me (or anyone else) to ask random general questions about Photoshop and lovely people (like Orenji, who I have been bothering most recently) can explain such things.

For instance, is there any reason I should not be able to make a new layer? Is there something I should deselect or what?

http://www.good-tutorials.com
This is where I learned everything I know. You should probably get something out of it. I, myself, am relatively new at Photoshop. So I can't really explain much. I'm sorry.

I've been trying to look at that, but there's so much there, it's so hard to get the little bits of information I want. Is there one or two in particular that you would recommend?

http://www.idigitalemotion.com/tutorials/guest/bwtutorial/bwtutorial.html
This is a good one.

But I seem to be having trouble with the basics, like making a new layer or thickening the pen tool (I can alter the brush thickness, but it seems to have no effect on the pen tool...) Once I get that, though, I think what you recommended looks like it will be hugely useful. Thanks!

Well, I'm not sure if this will help any, but..

XD Thanks... but where on the pen settings do you adjust the thickness?

And also, it won't let me click to make a new layer... The sign is there, but I can't click on it, which puzzles me greatly...

Thank you so much for your patience...

You should have no trouble creating a new layer, unless you selected file format which doesn't support layers. But if you only work with .PSD files, there shouldn't be a problem. As for adjusting the pen tool...it's not like the brush tool. It's for drawing vector shapes. I use Illustrator for all my vector stuff, so I can't really help you with it in photoshop, 'cause I never use it there. Still, I'll try and look it up...

How very peculiar. It is a .psd file, but still won't work...

So, basically, you can't adjust pen width?

I do, I'm not sure why you wouldn't be able to. Just click on the brush tool, right click and select the width.

Weird.... I will at least practice my pen techniques, even if I can't do anything with them yet besides trace. Thanks so much for your help, guys!

I find Photoshop rather erratic at times and the help files tend to not reflect the reality...

"Step 5: Click on the XYZ tab and select ABC"
Me: That's greyed out!

Are you in RGB mode or indexed colour? In indexed colour, layers don't work (well).

To tell the truth, I rarely use tutorials or manuals as they confuse me. I've learnt from clicking around, in the good old 'trial and error' fashion.

I use Photoshop CS and there shouldn't be major differences between the two versions (at least in the basic functions).

I can't imagine what reason you won't be able to create a layer except maybe for what Shooby said (I've never tried that before though).

I'm going to attach some images to save ppl with slow Internet connection. So pardon the multiple posting. Whatever I'm sharing is very basic, I don't really know how much you're familiar with PShop so I'm going to assume the least. If you have any more questions, pls feel free to keep asking or PM me. I'll help where I can help.

Blimey, it won't let me post the same blank post within 5 minutes. Oh well...

Hope this helps in some way.

if you ever want to adjust the size of your brush, pen or whatever, just hit the [ ] brackets to make it larger or smaller

glitch1501 wrote:if you ever want to adjust the size of your brush, pen or whatever, just hit the [ ] brackets to make it larger or smaller

that works for the brush and pencil, but not the PEN tool. Um, I just tried playing around with the pen tool and all I could make were shapes and straight lines. Now I can't find my PS manual (argh!) Worst come to worse, the way I would go about it is to convert the shape or path to a selection, and then Edit>Stroke the selection. The result would be a raster line, not vector, but at least you can control the stroke width.

shooraijin wrote:Are you in RGB mode or indexed colour? In indexed colour, layers don't work (well).

Yeah, that would've been my next guess too.

BTW Mave, awesome tutorial, but uh, I can't help but think you couldn've just pointed out the 'new layer button' on the layer pallette. But I guess that's the great thing about PS, a million ways to do the same thing!

Esoteric wrote:BTW Mave, awesome tutorial, but uh, I can't help but think you couldn've just pointed out the 'new layer button' on the layer pallette. But I guess that's the great thing about PS, a million ways to do the same thing!

LOL I thought the same but based on my personal experience, it's better not to assume that anything is obvious. Also, I wasn't sure how PShop 7 functions differently from CS (probably not much except for customized settings). So no sweat, this isn't an official tutorial, considering that I whipped this out in 5 minutes. ^_^;

Boy, Mave, that was definitely helpful. I'm ashamed to say that I use all of these image programs a lot, including Photoshop, but I've always avoided layers, because no one has ever explained them to me. I thought they were scarier than that.

I'm such a doofus!

The pen tool in photoshop does not have adjustable thickness of the outside line. It is what we call a vector drawing tool (creates adjustable shapes based on mathematic equations), while the brush and the pencil tools are what we call raster tools (what you see is what you get). The pen creates a complicated equation determining the area the color exists in (Its like drawing a wall that holds color in. You can move the wall around and the paint will flow into new areas but never escape.) I usually use the pen tool to trace lineart by zooming in 300+ percent and tracing the individual lines that I drew.

BTW... if I remember correctly the pen tool creates a new layer for each shape you create. you could just make a random pen shape then rasterize it then erase it to make clean layers... but that is a really off kilter way of doing that.

BTW... could you screen shot PS so we might be able to see any settings that might be making it so you can't make a new layer?

By the way, since you're a pen tool god ^_^ , what's the easiest way to fill a path? I'd rather do my map work in Photoshop instead of Illustrator.

Since we talked this over in IM I'll just transcribe it over with usernames adjusted.
anything with a * on each side is somthing added after the fact.


Shoo: since I have you here, what's your easiest way of filling a pen path in Photoshop?
Shoo: I'd rather do that sort of thing in PS rather than Illustrator, which I despise but am forced to use for vector work
Mech: it should automatically fill as you draw the path
Mech: is it not?
Shoo: no, it just draws the path
Shoo: but I don't get a filled vector, just a path
*Random Conversation...not pertinant*
Mech: you see the top bar with the various options to draw shapes?
Mech: there should be three buttons on the left side, one that has the symbol of a square with small squares on the corner
Mech: next to it ( to the right) is the same symbol with a pen over it
Mech: which one is down?
Shoo: the pen-over one
Mech: it should be the one with out the pen
Mech: thats *(the one with the pen over it)* a paths tool
Shoo: but what if I'm trying to make a path? in this case, I'm tracing over maps
*More unhelpful (to the PS stuff conversation)*
Mech: ooh!
*(I was toying around in PS while talking and had a revelation)*
Shoo: ?
Mech: go to the paths pallate
Shoo: one second
Mech: its linked to layers usually
Shoo: okay, got it
Mech: there's an option on the bottom to "stroke path with brush"

*The above works well... you also can go into the pallate options (little arrow at the side of the pallate) and select Stroke With... which will open a menu for things to use such as pencils gradients brushes ect.*