Preparing the Photo

The next step is finding the right photo to use. The client wants something that will grab a reader's attention (what client doesn't?), and I think using a photograph might add some punch. So let's switch back to Bridge to try to find the right image. An easy way to access Bridge is by clicking on the Go To Bridge button from Illustrator's Control Palette.

Find the Right Image

In Bridge, navigate to the image collection you're using and rate the photos that you like for the project with five stars. As you go through the images, try to look for things that might pertain to sunshine, travel, or relaxation. After you've gone through the collection, choose to view only images with a rating of five stars (see Figure 12.16). I personally like the image of the beach with the trees and the blue sky (ks4730.tif). Double-click on the image to open it in Photoshop.

Figure 12.16. Choosing to view only images with a rating of five stars in Bridge.

By the Way

If Photoshop doesn't open when you double-click on the image, that means you have a different application set to open TIFF images. You can modify the settings in Bridge's preferences, or you can right-click on the image (Ctrl+click if you have a single-button mouse on the Mac) and choose Open With Adobe Photoshop CS2.

By the Way

Of course, you might decide that you want to use the Adobe Stock Photos service for your project (for paying jobs, of course). At any time, you can click on the Adobe Stock Photos button in the Favorites panel in Bridge to search for and download comps from a variety of stock photo agencies.

Adjust the Image

After you open the image in Photoshop, the first thing you'll want to do is make sure the zoom is set to 100%. Because most monitor resolutions are 72 pixels per inch, Photoshop has to interpolate high-resolution images to fit on your screen. This sometimes results in moiré patterns or other screen anomalies, meaning that you aren't looking at the best representation of how the image will look when it prints. A quick way to get to 100% is to double-click on the Zoom tool in the toolbox.

Although the image looks pretty good, I'd like to make a few small adjustments. Choose Image, Adjustments, Shadow/Highlight to enhance the photograph. I think the default Shadows setting of 50 is too much, so drag the slider down to about 30 (see Figure 12.17).

Figure 12.17. Applying the Shadow/Highlight filter to enhance the shadows and the highlights of the image.

Sharpening a photograph gives it the pop it needs to grab attention. Choose Filter, Sharpen, Smart Sharpen and use an amount of 75% and a radius setting of 2 pixels (see Figure 12.18). Finally, convert the image to the CMYK color space by choosing Image, Mode, CMYK Color.

Figure 12.18. The Smart Sharpen filter gives a little pop to the image.

Save the Image

You're done with the image for now, so you can save it to your Version Cue project as well. Choose File, Save As and navigate to your Sunflowers project. Save the image as a native Photoshop file (.psd) and add a comment (see Figure 12.19).

Figure 12.19. Saving the file, with version comments, into the Version Cue project.

Did you Know?

I know it takes an extra few seconds to add a comment to a file when you save it using Version Cue, but remember that a few seconds now can save you several minutes later when you're trying to find a particular file. It also helps when other people in your department need to use your assets for other projects.