Part 13. Special Effects
| Task
You can perform two kinds of tasks with Photoshop. One is the basic, utilitarian task of image processing, and the other is the dynamic, eye-catching effects you can create by using filters and special Photoshop commands. Until this point, you've only looked at the image-processing side of things exploring how to crop, rotate, and paint images. Although you almost always will need these skills more than you will need creative special effects, the reality is that special effects are just more fun. To that end, the tasks in this part of the book look at a variety of special effects you can apply fairly easily in Photoshop. A good special effect is often the result of a careful selection so that the effect applies to only a portion of the image. A good special effect might also combine a filter or effect with surrounding layers or the previous image state. By creating effects in combination or by applying them to specific areas, you can create effects that are professional and distinctive. The tasks in this part spend a fair amount of time looking at various filter options; with more than 100 native Photoshop filters built into version 7, we won't scratch the surface of all that's available. I've selected certain filters you can combine with other effects, such as blur or lighting effects. The filters I've selected also let me explain the general approach to working with filters, emphasizing the use of the Fade command and the filter color selection. Of the filters not covered here, be sure to check out the Artistic and Brush Strokes filters, which create a staggering variety of strokes, textures, and abstractions. |
EAN: 2147483647
Pages: 144