Quote:
Originally Posted by dugnsuz
Great idea.
Mike, tie jase down to a chair and apply the thumbscrews to get every last bit of processing know-how out of the man!!  |
Not the medieval torture...
Here is a couple to make a start (basic ones first).
Double clicking the grey background in PS is a quick way of bringing up the open file dialog box.
Use spacebar to activate the "grabber" to move around the image (everyone knows that surely)
When using masks (either hide - black mask or reveal all white mask), use the X key to switch the white/black palette. If you've used a colour select function and the white/black palette has changed, use the D key to change it back to the default.
Talking masks. If you want a closer look at your mask, present the Alt key while you click on the mask in the layers panel. It will open and allow you to make finer adjustments.
When working with selections, use the Control+H key to hide the selection edge/lines. Push it again to bring it back. This is great when selecting stars to work on as the selection can sometime be distracting. Just remember that you've still got the selection active.... it is still active even if its hidden. I think its Control+D to deselect.
On the topic of selection - star selection (an alternate way to using the colour range tool)
Make a grayscale copy of the image. I'll call this image #2.
High-pass filter image #2 with a radius of one pixel.
Apply a Gaussian blur to image #2 with a radius of one pixel.
Invoke Image->Adjust->Threshold.
Adjust the Threshold Level one click at a time until just the stars are white and everything else is black.
In the original image, in the Channels Palette, create a new channel. Name it "Stars." Choose "color indicates masked areas."
Paste image #2 into this channel.
Make just the RGB channels visible (i.e. make the Stars channel invisible).
Discard image #2.
In the original image, invoke Select->Load Selection. Choose the Stars channel you just created.
Invoke Select->Expand and expand the selection by a few pixels (e.g., three). Done. I'm not sure of the source of this, I think it could have been Russ Croman.
Tip...of the iceberg perhaps, but its a start.