Compilation of Useful Photoshop Tutorials

How to Blur Backgrounds

• Blur Those Backgrounds in Photoshop
• Easy Depth of Field Effect in Photoshop
• Simulating Depth of Field (Aperture) with Photoshop

How to Use the Clone Stamp Tool
“Clone” or replicate parts of your image.

• A Clone Stamp Tool Tutorial

Summary:
1. Set the hardness to 0%.
2. Hold down Alt key and click the area of the image you wish to “clone,” then release the Alt key. This sets the source point.
3. “Paint” with the cloned pixels. Deselect the aligned option if you would rather paint with the clipboard source point than continuously clone the aligned source point.
4. Alt-click a new area to set a new source point.

Optimizing Photos for the Web

Optimizing Photos for the Web

1. Edit image.
2. Resize image.
3. Sharpen small (≤ 500 px in width) images with the Unsharp Mask and larger images with the High Pass Filter.
4. Reduce noise.
5. Make the file size smaller by using Photoshop’s “save for web & devices” option. The difference between jpeg high (60), jpeg very high (80) or jpeg maximum (100) is barely noticeable. I usually save small/medium images as jpeg high and large images as jpeg very high. Make sure the convert to sRGB box is checked.

How to Sharpen Images

Image Credit: Flickr Creative Commons. By alltagskunst

How to Sharpen Photos: An Introduction (Easy)
Read More: http://digital-photography-school.com/an-introduction-to-sharpening-photos

Summary:
1. Sharpening should be done at the end of the editing process.
2. Create a flattened version of the image either by flattening or merging all the layers. The Unsharp Mask works only on the current layer.
3. Use the Unsharp Mask (Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask).
4. Note: There are other sharpening tools available which do an even better job of sharpening than the Unsharp Mask. Use the Unsharp Mask method primarily for small images (i.e. 500 px).

Resizing (Resampling) Images

Image Credit: Flickr Creative Commons. By lirontocker

Resizing vs Resampling

Usually, when people use the word resizing, they actually mean resampling. Technically, resizing means changing the ppi (pixels per inch), or the resolution, of your images. Resolution and ppi become significant when you wish to print photos. For example, let’s say you have a 12 megapixel camera. This means the photos you take will have 12 million pixels (4,000 pixels by 3,000 pixels). If you want high quality prints, your photos should have a resolution of 240-300 ppi. At a resolution of 240 ppi, your photos will print at a size of 16.6 inches (4,000/240) by 12.5 inches (3,000/240). At a resolution of 300 ppi, your photos will print at a size of 13.3 inches (4,000/300) by 10 inches (3,000/300). Notice how the print size of photos decreases as the ppi increases. Changing the ppi of images will change the sizes the images will print, which is why it’s referred to as “resizing.”