Ask Sasha

[Sasha]

I have decided to create this thread in recent of all the threads created to ask a simple question about designing. This is so the Design Studio Gallery does not get clogged up with the same threads.

I am somewhat experienced with graphical design, and the programs I am able to cover are Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator.

So, ask away.

 

[TimFlem]

Sasha do you know anyway of making pictures stand out other than the motion blur. I been overusing for quite awhile now and I need a way of making my pics stand out without using it. Can you help me?

 

[Sasha]

You can use just about anything to enhance an image, and to make it more lively, or stand out. The most common tools are the ones you have already uses, the motion, radial blurs.

You have to use different tool with different backgrounds. Say for a darker background, just a simple contrast/brightness (Image>Adjust>Brightness/Contrast) edit would work, and maybe at times a blur. With white or lighter backgrounds, copy the image, and make a bigger version (Image>Image Size) of it to place behind the original one, and lower the opacity.

The key is to just play around with different filters, and try new things always. Experiment.

 

[Erin]

How can I enlarge a smaller picture and make it decent without making the quailty go down tremendously?

 

[Sasha]

There is no way to do that, because most images are pixel based meaning they are made of tiny boxes, and enlarging those boxes loses quality. There are some ways around it with the Smart Blur (Filter>Blur>Smart Blur). When applying it make sure not to apply too much, or the image will turn out looking smooth, or plastic like. Also you can hide some things by using the Gaussian Blur (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur) filter to give it an angelic look.

 

[Erin]

Thanks.

 

[TimFlem]

Sasha I got another problem.

When I crop an image on a transparent background it looks perfect. But when I cut it and paste it onto a white/black background document it's all jagged and I have alot more cropping to do. Can you help me out?

 

[Sasha]

Thats designing. Theres nothing you can really do about that. If youre using the Eraser Tool to crop, then maybe switch over to the Pen Tool, or the Polygonal Lasso Tool. Itll make the cropping far easier, faster, and more smoother.

 

[Butter]

Hey Sasha.

My current T-Mac avatar is quite blury as you can see. In Photoshop I first saved it as JPG maximum quality and it came over 20000 bytes which is the limit here on JBB. Then after it not being allowed, I had to save the avatar by "Save for Web" which reduced the size but ruined the quality. How can I lower the size but keep the quality of the avatar?

Thanks- Sixerholic

 

[Sasha]

Make it a .PNG. .PNG's are used for transparency images, and unlike .GIF's they don't leave a grainy feeling. One thing though, only Netscape operated browsers recognize it as a transparancy file, so you might experience a little of a background color where there isn't supposed to be one in IE browsers. This is because IE sucks!

 

[Sir Desmond]

Dear Sasha,

Recently I found out my girlfriend was cheating on me, with a friend of mine. We live together and I want to end this arrangement, but she doesn't have anywhere else to go and I don't want to kick her out into the street. What do I do?

Regards,
Confused and hurt.

 

[Vyper]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Supersonic:</div><div class="quote_post">Dear Sasha,

Recently I found out my girlfriend was cheating on me, with a friend of mine. We live together and I want to end this arrangement, but she doesn't have anywhere else to go and I don't want to kick her out into the street. What do I do?

Regards,
Confused and hurt.</div>


Dear Confused & Hurt,
If it was me I'd kick da b.tch to da curb and say listen b.tch its my way or da highway now get the hell out.

Best Wishes,
Richard Pryor.

 

[Smoke]

you two are foolish.

 

[Sir Desmond]

^ Yes we are. Anyway ignore that little interlude, and get back on topic with the thread people

 

[rjnavarrete]

Just had to say... Glad there's another member who enjoys FG as much as me! I got all three seasons DLed!! HAHAHA!!! Long live FG!!

<font color="Navy"><font size="1">EDIT: Good to hear, next time use the PM system though champ

- SS</font></font>

 

[twool913]

Everytime i save, i save at the highest quality, yet when i load it up on the web (via villagephotos.com) i can see the quality of the picture on the web, and the way it looked in photoshop declined. A LOT! simple, possibly really dumb question, but wtf, its pissing me off. What am i doing wrong?



SASHA: I made an account on photobucket, and the quality seems to have gone up when i load, i think the problem might have actually been with villagephotos.com, but still give me the rundown.

 

[Sasha]

Are you using an AOL browser? If so, AOL decreases the quality of all images, even their own. Your best bet is to get a Netscape powered browser, like Mozilla, or Mozilla Firefox (your best bet), both at which are available at www.Mozilla.com. If this is not the case, then I really do not know.

Use ImageShack.US for all your uploading needs. It's the best alternative other than having your own FTP program. You do not need an account or anything, though the images are scattered all over their servers, not all in one spot, but that isn't a big of a worry.

 

[TheGoat]

How do you make a border like in Sixerholic's sig?

 

[Sasha]

You would apply different colored strokes.

-After you have finished your signature, make a new layer to place on top of all the other layers.

-Then take the Rectangular Marquee Tool

and select the outermost part of the siganture while only leaving one pixel unselected.

-Then, when you have done that apply the stroke (Edit>Stroke) in a color of your own choice.

-After that repeat the above steps but do not select beyond the first made border, because you will overlap it, if you do.

 

[TheGoat]

alright thanks.

 

[AllenIverson3]

2 Avatar questions.

1. I`m following the tutorial and I get to the part with the patterns for the backround, how do you get that up, it didn`t come up, the toolbar.
2. For backrounds, how do you get team`s logos in the backround? Thanks.

 

[Sasha]

1.) What toolbar? You don't need a toolbar for that.
2.) You have to create a new layer. When you get your logo you put it on a new layer by pressing the New Layer button in the Layer Window. Then rearrange the layers so your image is on top of the logo.

 

[AllenIverson3]

1. Oh, where?
2. Thanks.

 

[rjnavarrete]

Dude, your sig is way, way, way toooo big! Remove it or it will be removed! Thanks. (HAHA, I'm acting like a mod... HAHAHA)

 

[AllenIverson3]

Yeah lol I got rid of it, I didnt think it would be that big, but can anybody answer my question?

 

[rjnavarrete]

It's still there.

 

[AllenIverson3]

After downloading fonts...

I downloaded acknowledge and silkscreen fonts from dafont.com, now how do I use them? There not in my font box.

 

[Sasha]

You have to install them. Most likely you got them in a .ZIP file. So open up the files (via Winzip), and extract them to a folder where you will keep all your fonts. Then go to the Fonts folder (Start>Settings>Control Panel>Fonts), and click on File>Install New Font, then choose your folder from the list, select your font, and press OK.

 

[harbingerofdoom]

using photochop, how do i get the background of an image im working with to be invisible?
i did something and now all images automaticly have a colored image when im erasing the junk i need to get rid of....

am i making any sense even?

 

[Sasha]

To get a background to be invisible you have to make a graphic without the background, meaning it has to be transparent. (File>New, then go to options in the bottom left corner and click the bubble that says Transparent.). From there on, create your graphic, when you are done, you have two options in which to save them:

- .GIF file: this is the leading file for transparent and motion images around. However it created a grainy feel to images, and even motion graphics.

- .PNG file: this is the newest introduced file type for transparent and motion images around. It does not create a grainy feel like the .GIF file type. However it is not recognized in IE operated browsers, and simply puts a color where it is supposed to be transparent. In Netscape powered brosers (Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, etc) it leaves it as is.

If you are experiencing that the color comes back once you save your transparent graphic, then you are most likely saving it as a .JPEG, .JPG, or a bitmap file which do not produce the desired transparent effect.

Is this what you meant HOD? I don't think I quite fully understood your questions.