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I have 4 questions about ps if anyone can help...


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Angry.Felix

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I'm very new to photoshop (17th day of my trial download) and some stuff confuses me.....
I'll just ask all the questions I have and if you can help...well then you're a legend! Feel free to answer only what you feel like.

1) What does vector mean? or What is Illustrator for? [confused]

2) Are alot of the tools in ps duplicated? As in blending options in the layers palette and then a duplicated set of (the same?) tools in the drop down layers menu? I am wondering if there are a new set of blending options I should learn about or is PS like Windows with multiple ways of doing the same thing? [innocent]

3) Is there anyway to expand the size of the palette menu horizontally?
I use a laptop and find it's easier to leave the layer and history menu in the palette 'cause it just gets too crowded on the screen, however the same problem happens with the palette as it becomes too crowded and I can't resize it ? I'm hoping it's not automatic and just scrunches up on my screen. :(

4) I find the pen tool to be the most confusing. Everything else I can deal with fairly well. Any hints or advice generally on how to deal with this thing?

This is a mercator I did following theKeepers tute and a robotic eye I did following a tute on deviantart.

Great site Mark- I hope you make heaps of friends and tons of money!
 
Welcome to the forums (even though I'm new here too ;) )

1. Vectors are mathmatical equasions that define lines and curves. Graphics fall into two categories. Raster(bitmapped) or vector(paths). Raster refers to an image that is made up of a grid of pixels. These types of images are great for subtle gradiation in color and tone, like a photograph, but they don't scale very well (they don't get bigger and smaller without loss of quality). Vectors scale infinitely (you can make them any size you want and then change them to any size you want without loss of quality), but they are not as well suited to the types of artwork raster is. Since they define specific lines and curves, they are better suited for things like shapes and sharp defined areas of color. Illustrator is Adobe's main vector design product. While you can make paths in Photoshop, the tools for creating and dealing with vectors are not as robust.

2. Don't mistake similar functions for duplicate tools. When you see things like blending modes in the layers palate and blending modes in the brushes palate, this doesn't mean that it's the same tool. What it means is that you can change the way EACH tool works using consistant methods. If you change your blending mode to screen in your layers palate, the current layer will change to screen. If you change it in the brushes area, ONLY the brush will change... so when you use it, it will be in screen mode, but it doesn't directly effect anything until it's used. This is true of most things that are seen in multiple places. The only exception is that there are often multiple ways to access the same features, but they are generally all contained in the same palate. So if you wanted to make a new layer, you could click the new layer button in the layers palate, or click the drop down arrow in the layers palate and choose new layer, or click in the menu and select new layer. They would all do the same thing. Unfortunately there is no hard and fast rule for when this applies, so it's mostly experience with the user interface.

3. Only thing I can say is to make sure that your info bar is docked to the top of the screen... if it's shorter than the screen, you probably dragged it out of it's docked state. Otherwise, not that I know of.

4. The pen tool is for creating freeform vector shapes (see above). It's is very confusing when you first start using it. It just takes practice... if you are teaching yourself photoshop or illustrator and don't have access to schooling or other training I would suggest starting out with the Classroom in a Book series of books from adobe. Very basic and well laid out into lessons.

Hope that helps.
 
Hi Angry.Felix, welcome to the community. Hope you enjoy your stay. [excited]

MB has given some good advice. I think it's enough for now to get you progressing a bit further, so i won't try to add to it and give you an info overload... just yet anyway. ;)

Here's a section i made for the Beginning user A.F. Hope it can help starighten some things out for you. At the end of the "Selection Tools" section is some info about using the Path tools: http://photoshopgurus.info/beginners/learning_fundamentals/learning-fundamentals.shtml

Have fun!
Any questions/problems don't hesitate to ask around here. Lots of folks will offer to help, no worries. [honesty]
 
Welcome to the house, Angry.Felix.

Good questions :righton: , let's seee....

1. Simply, a vector image or object is resolution independent, you can make it in any size you want by scaling it and you don't lose visual content. Photoshop uses bitmap graphics which are fixed-resolution. Image focus is compromised whenever you increase or decrease the size of an image or object. Ilustrator, Corel Draw, Autocad, 3dMax - these are apps that use vector line imaging. I use Corel or Illustrator in creating complex shapes or text layouts and exported directly or as an .AI to PS for postwork.

Check out the March Project Thingy in Gary Bouton's Area.


2. I can't say the tools are duplicated but more of choices of how the palletes and tools can be displayed in the workspace. Imagine working on a large size image wherein you need certain tools. You can modify the preset contents of the pallete to display what you usually use.

And yes, there can or are multiple ways of doing the same thing.


3. If you mean the pallete dockers on the menu, I don't think so. You can stretch the palletes any way you want by hovering your pointer at the edge which turns into a double head arrow, click and drag.

You don't have to show all the pallettes. Close the ones you wont normally use. and you can summon them out with certain Fkeys ( I Don't remember the hotkeys at the moment :D ).


4. The pen tool is one of the most useful tools in PS. Learn to use them. If youv'e used certain vector apps before like Corel, you'll get the general idea. It's a matter of knowing where and what to click as well as which way to push or pull.

BTW, the PS pen tools act like vector tools with vector outputs (well almost I think).


Hope this helps. As a rule here in the forum - Don't shy away from asking questions. ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE MANY, MANY ANSWERS.

Enjoy your time here.

vee
 
Welcome Angry.Felix! :)

Nice results with those tutes! ;) You're making great progress in such a short period of time! :righton:

Enjoy your stay with us! :D
 
Welcome Angry.Felix. Looks like they have already answered your questions, but if you have any more, don't hesitate to ask.

Great work on the two images you've poseted.

Sanby
 
heya Angry Felix, welcome to the madness :D :D
 
On behalf of all - You're welcome Angry.Felix! :D

[shhh] Ah, shucks... Geoff says that he feels a touchy moment coming on! ;\
 
Adding my welcome to you, Angry.Felix...enjoy your stay. You asked good questions and it looks like you've gotten some excellent answers.
 
Bezier curves and such

Hi Felix,
when you talk about the pen tool, it gives me a smile. I remember it vividly, that thing, so impossible to deal with. Not a long time PS user myself, on occasion I'd like to just throw the thing out the window. And if I didn't use a digitial pen, I just might... it does get better with practice. Also, what I find with PS I'm able to skirt some of the stuff I absolutely don't seem to want to do. I just find ways to accomplish something in a different way. For example, I found the concept of Quickmask so strange and silly, I must have spent months developing ways to make selections etc. all to avoid Quickmask. With "the thing" the same thing. Except, I'm really drawn to it's technology and what it actually accomplishes. I could have probably said it in a couple of sentences, PS as much as a stickler it is in so many ways, it lets you have your way to a certain extent. In that sense,yeah, some similarity there with Windows I suppose. Great mercator. I've got to look for that tut. Oh, what really prompted me to reply... in your robotic eye is that a reflection of a person, a guy? Or did I look at way too much pixelation aggrevation today? Stefan.
 
Re: Bezier curves and such

Stefan said:
For example, I found the concept of Quickmask so strange and silly, I must have spent months developing ways to make selections etc. all to avoid Quickmask.
Click to expand...
I never use Quickmask, since I do everything with regular masks.

Does someone have a good use for Quickmasks?
 
The one thing I usually use quick masks for is when I'm trying to remove jagged edges from a pixel drawn shape. I'll sometimes move to quickmask, blur, levels and un-quickmask for a quick smoothed selection. Most of the time though, I use regular layer masks as you say. I don't work in "destructive" mode much anymore. So this is usually a quick 'n' dirty solution type of thing.
 
Has it really been that long...

Hey guys,
I never noticed this little thread about Quick Mask. As it turned out I asked myself that question after posting, what could be useful about it? I have been using quick mask since then. Not very often 'cause it still seems less permanent than working in the channels. And it really is volitile compared with layer masks and channels. This may sound strange but I'm much more focused and patient dealing with the bizarre selections someone smarter than me could probably simplify in no time.

Hey mindbender, your animation is totally awesome. So smooth, the movement seems more organic than artificial. How'd you do that? Is it much practice or a technique that's well proven. I don't mean to sound like that'd be less. But I could research and learn that. I've done some tinkering with making air bubbles come up in a thick fluid. I can truely say it all looked pathetic even after a month of all that going on. Stefan.
 
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