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I'll be the first to admit this: If it wasn't for programs such as Photoshop, I probably would've never gotten into newspaper design, and even now, the nights when I get to do something in Photoshop always seem a bit more "exciting" or "fun" because I know it's a chance to get really creative and challenge myself (and because I'm a geek and just love my filters and layer masks). The power and creative potential that Photoshop gives a designer goes without saying, but like any piece of software, it takes skills to properly use Photoshop in your daily work. Here're a few tips:
1. Have a blue plan before you start: Photoshop is amazing, but it can't do the illustration for you. In the end, it's just a tool to help you realize the vision in your head. Have at least a somewhat clear idea of what you want to do in Photoshop before you dive into it. I've found that those instances are when I'm at my most efficient because I know exactly the appearance of the final product that I'm looking for. On the other hand, the times I've gone into Photoshop without a clear concept in mind are the times I struggled most. There're so many things you can do in Photoshop, it's easy to get sidetracked or stumble onto the wrong path if you don't have a plan to follow. When you're dealing with tight deadlines and complicated packages that require more than just a few steps, that's a mistake you can't afford to make.
2. Experiment in your free time, not at work: There is a reason teams try out a new play in practice before running it during a game, and the same goes for Photoshop. There're countless tricks and effects out there, but many of them require some practice before you can get it right. I fully encourage people to experiment with as many effects as they can . while they're off deadline. When you're at work, on deadline, you have to go with what you know. Two hours before the page needs to be sent is not a good time to take your first crack at creating an effect that requires 20-some steps.
3. Resist Photoshop-itis: You've had it; I've had it; everybody who's ever touched Photoshop probably has had it - that itch, no, that burning NEED to do something, anything, in Photoshop for the paper tonight. Sometimes, our efforts turn out well, but sometimes, we take a look after deadline and think, "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all." It's part of the learning process for anyone using the program, and a leading cause of Photoshop mishaps. One way to decrease the frequency with which this happens (you'll never be able to completely rid yourself of it) is to take a step back during the planning stage and carefully think about what you want to do. If, upon careful examination, Photoshop is indeed what the doctor ordered, then by all means, dive in. But you might be surprised at how often a little extra effort in the initial planning stage would produce a superior package without needing Photoshop. Oh yeah, repeating that "You're designing for the readers, not yourself" thing a few times might help, too.
4. Know your filters: As if the standard set that comes with the program isn't enough, there're probably hundreds of thousands of filters and effects out there for Photoshop, but none of it will do you any good if you don't know how to use it. With filters and effects, it's all a matter of degrees. A few points one way or another could make the end result magnificent or flat out unusable. Play around with the filters when you have time and try all the different settings. Want to know how to do an effect? Do a Google search and chances are there's at least one Web site out there with the answer. While knowing all the filters don't make you a great designer, it will expand the range of what you can do, and that can open new doors as far as potential design ideas go. Case in point: One night, I accidentally stumbled upon the fact that you can give a photo a comic-book look with the Posterize filter. Three months later, I designed an entire special section to look like a comic book, which I could not have even fathomed doing had I not known about that filter, because yours truly can't draw stick figures to save his life.
5. Practice makes perfect, and if it doesn't, hit Ctrl-Z: One of the biggest obstacles facing Photoshop beginners is that while they know how to do something, they can't do it quickly enough to incorporate it into their nightly workflow. Unfortunately, there isn't a filter that can solve this problem. The only solution is to keep working on it until you get better and faster, and you will if you stick with it. The most important thing to master might be the pen tool. For one thing, it'll cut down on the amount of time you spend on cutouts. For another, so much of Photoshop requires precise selection of parts of an image, and the pen tool is by far the most accurate selection tool in the program.
6. Read up: As I mentioned before, if there's a trick you want to know how to do, there's probably a Web page out there with the answer. But sometimes it pays just to wander aimlessly through Photoshop tutorials. There's a good chance you'll uncover some shortcut to save you time or a function that you never even knew existed because, quite frankly, no single book or manual can include everything you can do in Photoshop. That being said, there're a bunch of great books out there for Photoshop users eager to expand their repertoire. Obviously there's the Down & Dirty Tricks book. A couple of my personal favorites are "Photoshop Studio" and "Commercial Photoshop" by Bert Monroy (who's so good with Photoshop that Adobe comes to him for advice in developing its next version). Those two books are filled with useful tidbits and mind-blowing Photoshop illustrations that are a treat to just look at and admire.
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