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Photoshop Photo Effects Cookbook
"Ink Outlines"
(Pages 64, 65, 66 from the Brush Strokes section of Photoshop Filter Effects Encyclopedia Cookbook - courtesy of O'Reilly Media.)

The Ink Outlines filter offers an interesting "drawn" line effect in combination with a background mottling that recalls the Sponge filter (see page 15).

How It Works
STEP 1
Set to Stroke Length 7, Dark Intensity 5, Light Intensity 5, a fine line (always black, irrespective of palette settings) traces color and tone edges. Mottled patterns can be seen in the balance of the image and, in close-up, some vestigial cross-hatching can be seen in the highlight areas.

STEP 2
The Stroke Length control is curiously named. Setting it to maximum (50) has the effect of spreading highlights and displacing the traced line — compare this close-up with the previous example.

STEP 3
A useful compromise setting (15, 5, and 50) gives a more effective result that's lighter and not so emphatically mottled.

STEP 4
The same settings applied to the target image show the line displacement. Note the metallic effect that has appeared over the area of gray gradation.

Using The Ink Outlines Filter
You can use Ink Outlines as a remedy to breathe some life into otherwise flat subjects.

STEPS 1 & 2
Duplicate the original image in the Layers palette and apply the Ink Outlines filter. Keep the Stroke Length low to avoid overpowering the original image. Here, the values that we have used are Stroke Length 2, Dark Intensity 11, and Light Intensity 30.

STEPS 3, 4 & 5
Even at a low setting such as this, the effect is too strong. Use Edit > Fade > Ink Outlines to restrain it.

STEP 6
In close-up, it's easy to see the reviving effect of the filter.

Fixing Color Cast With Ink Outlines
Another rescue mission involves mitigating irreversible color casts.

STEP 1
A heavy cast due to fluorescent lighting, with no corrective filtration at the moment of shooting, can still be sidestepped.

STEP 2
Select the whole of the image (Ctrl/Cmd+A) and copy it (Ctrl/Cmd+C). Open the Channels palette, make a new channel, and paste (Ctrl/Cmd+V) the image into it. The channel window will now show the pasted image in monochrome.

STEP 3
Use the Ink Outlines filter at low values: Stroke Length 2, Dark Intensity 14, and Light Intensity 26.

STEP 4
Hold down the Ctrl/Cmd key and click in the alpha channel thumbnail. Return to the Layers palette where the original image will show the alpha channel selection. Hide the selection (Ctrl/Cmd+H) so that the work area is easier to see.

STEPS 5a & 5b
Use Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast to lighten, and reduce the color strength of, the selected areas.

STEPS 6a & 6b
Though the correction is acceptable, more detailed work can pay dividends. The originally bright yellow warning panels and handrails are now pink. Click the Eyedropper tool in a typical pink area and go to Select > Color Range. Select the central eyedropper icon to add more related colors to the selection by clicking in the main image window. Choose White Matte as the Selection Preview from time to time to check progress. When satisfied, click OK.

STEPS 7a & 7b
Use Image Adjustments > Color Balance (Ctrl/Cmd+B), uncheck Preserve Luminosity and increase the yellow component in Highlight, Midtone and Shadow areas. When you're done, click OK and then Ctrl/Cmd+D to deselect. The handrails and warning panels are now much closer in color to the original.

Copyright © 2005 The llex Press Limited - All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, xerography, or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, either electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Photoshop CS3 Upgrade Options And Bundles From The Adobe Store

Photoshop CS3 Extended is ideal for film, video, and multimedia pros and for graphic and web designers using 3D and motion. Get the full version for US $999, or upgrade for US $349. The standard version of Photoshop CS3 is available for US $649, or as an upgrade for US $199. See all upgrade options at the Adobe Store. See our CS3 Resource Center for free Photoshop CS3 tutorials.

Photoshop Extended is also available as part of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium, which combines all-new CS3 versions of Photoshop, Flash Pro, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat 8 Pro. Upgrade options for customers in Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Asia can be found at the Adobe International Store.

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Fluid Mask is based on breakthrough segmentation technology inspired by the way the eye, optic nerve and brain perform visual processing. When an image is loaded, Fluid Mask's segmentation engine analyses the distribution of colors, finding the natural groups within the image. Together with information calculated about edges, gradients and textures, a model is constructed which divides the images into objects.

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SiteGrinder Photoshop Plugin - Create Websites Instantly

There often seems to be a strict division of labor within the world of web design and development. Creative professionals tend to stick to the Photoshop domain, while those well-versed in scripting are left to the task of implementing their work. Indeed, the two realms are quite different from each other, to which any of us even vaguely familiar with either can easily attest.

Essentially, Photoshop is a no-holds-barred design studio, offering the artist a seemingly endless array of creative options. On the other hand, HTML, CSS, Java and the like follow strict rules of engagement, requiring the developer to take any number of esoteric concerns into consideration in order to ensure that designs are properly displayed on the web.

Turn Photoshop Into A Complete Web Design Tool
SiteGrinder seeks to bridge this gap between design and development. Basically, this program turns Photoshop into an easy-to-use and fully functional web design tool. With SiteGrinder, designers will now have the freedom to totally let their creativity loose and then, without skipping a beat, transfer their designs to the web. Bringing esthetic concerns together with more practical considerations, this program is an amazingly powerful tool that would make a fantastic addition to any web designer's bag of tricks.

Generate Your Web Pages Directly From Photoshop
By generating web pages directly from Photoshop, you'll be able to spend much more time on the creative end of the spectrum, since you'll know right off the bat how well particular designs will translate to the web. No more going back to the Photoshop drawing board after getting a phone call from your development team, telling you that what you had envisioned doesn't have a chance of being displayed on the web. You can immediately visually and interactively test your designs, which permits you to then make changes to either esthetics or functions while it's still relatively early on in the design process.

Pricing and Availability
Mac OS X and Windows versions of the SiteGrinder unlockable demo are available now via download. SiteGrinder can be ordered from Media Lab's online store.

Photoshop CS3 Book - CS3 Essential Skills - By Mark Galer And Philip Andrews

Brimming with beautiful pictures, Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills guides you through a project-based, progressive curriculum so that you can build all the essential skills to enhance photographs creatively and professionally with Photoshop CS3. If you are an aspiring professional, enthusiastic amateur photographer, or a student learning photography, digital imaging, art and design, or design graphics, you'll be amazed at the stunning results you can achieve. A DVD is included free.