Photoshop Files and Formats

Written by Shaun Pearce


Continued from page 1

.bmp Windows bitmapped image. Used by Microsoft Windows applications. Good quality, large file size. Not for use onrepparttar web.

.wmf Windows MetaFile. Useful for clipart, and can be used to make large area, small sized background files.

.pcx Older general purpose format. Practically obsolete now. Not for use onrepparttar 138804 web.

.psp Internal format for Paint Shop Pro, useful if you want to swap files between these two applications.

.pcd Kodak PhotoCD format, used with Photo Developing - although most photo processors will save your photos as jpegs if you ask them to.

.pdf Portable Document File. Adobe's file system that allows electronic cross platform sharing of documents.

So what'srepparttar 138805 best format for web graphics: gif or jpeg?

The general rule of thumb is to use gifs for diagrams, line drawings, illustrations, and images that contain large areas of flat colour, and jpegs for photographs and images with continuous colour tones. The jpeg format has a very good compression rate, but compression reducesrepparttar 138806 quality ofrepparttar 138807 image, so it's best to experiment withrepparttar 138808 tools in Image Ready until you haverepparttar 138809 optimal quality/file size. The gif format, onrepparttar 138810 other hand, has a smaller file size - but a limited range of colours.

Shaun Pearce is a writer and video maker. His latest production, "Photoshop Master", is an interactive video tutorial. It shows you how to get the most from Photoshop, and can be downloaded from http://www.learnphotoshopfast.com?=art03g


10 Things You Could Be Using Photoshop For But Probably Aren't.

Written by Shaun Pearce


Continued from page 1

6. Designing Web Banners and Buttons. Photoshop comes with a predefined web banner sized canvas. Photoshop's sister application, Image Ready, comes with several - and lots of tools for animating text and pictures. You can also create interactive buttons that enhance a web browsing experience.

7. Adding Text to Photographs. Impress your boss by puttingrepparttar company name onrepparttar 138803 side of an airliner, building, or racing car. Userepparttar 138804 Move Tool to skewrepparttar 138805 text to fitrepparttar 138806 contours ofrepparttar 138807 picture, adjustrepparttar 138808 opacity a little, and hey presto! The text will look like it's always been part ofrepparttar 138809 photo.

8. Combining Pictures, Text, and Graphics to Make Covers for Books, Reports and CDs. Photoshop contains many ofrepparttar 138810 image manipulation capabilities of high-end DTP applications that cost thousands. Userepparttar 138811 "Layer via Cut" command to make your title text go behind part ofrepparttar 138812 picture - just like onrepparttar 138813 cover of "Rolling Stone."

9. Designing Web Pages. Did you know that Photoshop and Image Ready can turn your photograph or artwork into a web page? Userepparttar 138814 slice tool to cut your work into easily downloadable pieces, thenrepparttar 138815 rollover function to embed website URLs.

10. Combining Pictures to Makerepparttar 138816 Impossible Possible. Come on! You didn't seriously think that Michael Moore and President George W. Bush really stood hand in hand onrepparttar 138817 White House lawn forrepparttar 138818 Fahrenheit 9/11 poster, did you? I don't know for certain that they used Photoshop to fake that picture, but they certainly could have done. With Photoshop you can removerepparttar 138819 background from one picture, take some elements from another, and combine them withrepparttar 138820 background from a third to create a picture that could never have been taken for real. Who saysrepparttar 138821 camera can't lie!

Shaun Pearce is a writer and video maker. His latest production "Photoshop Master" is an interactive video tutorial. It shows you how to get the most from Photoshop, and can be downloaded from http://www.learnphotoshopfast.com.


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