Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:55:57 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/ Posts from the Graficalicus Workshop en-us http://graficalicus.com/images/http://www.graficalicus.com/themes/plain_simple/images/very_topgraffi.gif http://graficalicus.com/ webmaster@graficalicus.com http://graficalicus.com/Article291.html Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:55:57 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article289.html Thereare several Photoshop CS3 tools hidden away in Photoshop Elements 7, and many of them (including Layer Masks, Channel Mixer, Black & White Adjustments & Curves) are unlocked by the actions available in Handy Actions and Handy Actions Lite. But that's really just a small sampling of the things the Adobe folks have hidden away within the consumer version of their industry standard.... Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:32:51 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article287.html Another way to do an old effect. This one is complementary to the several sketch/comic/painted effects found in Sketchy-Paint 3 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:27:14 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article286.html I got to noodling around again with some of the actions I've got loaded into my Photoshop Elements 6, and arrived at an interesting multi-effect in just four steps. Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:23:27 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article283.html Probablythe single most-sent email message I receive runs along these lines: "Hey, Graffi:  I have Photoshop Elements x.x and I like the actions in your blog.  Where do I put them in Elements to make them work?"  (The second-most received message I get usually goes something like "Hey Graffi: I downloaded the actions from your blog and put them in Elements but they're not showing up - what can I do?"). Of course, my answer is to use the Add-O-Matic, which will automatically sort and place - along with a generic thumbnail & the required .xml file - the actions so they appear in the Effects palette and the new Actions Player in Elements 7. At around $10, it really is the simplest solution for adding Actions, Shapes, Styles, Brushes, .8bf-format plug-ins, and many more esoteric items like Color Swatches and Curve shapes. Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:13:06 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article282.html So the questions I get asked most often (as mentioned in this post) are finally answered in full in a public place! Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:10:20 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article281.html The links to my Photoshop and Photoshop Elements tutorials are here: Photoshop tutorials Photoshop & Elements tutorials Sat, 20 Dec 2008 13:24:08 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article278.html Here'ssome information on the new Add-O-Matic v7, set to coincide with the release of Photoshop Elements 7 in early October. I've started getting questions and requests for the newest upgrade to all of the Action Packs in the Graffishop already, and the Add-O tops the most-requested list.  I've already got a prototype for the newest version in Alpha stage, and so far so good. There's a few new twists that Photoshop Elements users will be interested in: Read all about it here Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:26:01 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article276.html Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:38:14 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article275.html I got to noodling around again with some of the actions I've got loaded into my Photoshop Elements 6, and arrived at an interesting multi-effect in just four steps. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:55:38 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article274.html Anothertechnique I found while surfing around, trying to find new ways of sprucing up some of my vacation photos from this summer. This one is a snap of an old church in Boston (right around the corner from the original Cheers, if you're interested) and the hazy sky didn't really do much for it. The technique here really makes the blue pop out of the haze, and adds a bit of depth and contrast to the shadow areas. *Note that it requires Handy Actions 3, or an action that will select just the highlights of your image and place them on a new layer. The image to the right is split, with the original photo showing on the left and the effect showing to the right. Check out those rich blue Boston skies! Adding Drama and Contrast to a Boring Sky Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:26:07 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article273.html This simple one-layer technique will really make your images pop. It takes longer to show you how to do it than it does to actually do it - enjoy the video! The photo to the left is a split, with the effect on the left side and the original photo showing through on the right. Creating a Neutral Density Filter Effect with Photoshop or Elements Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:07:41 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article272.html Severalfolks have written and asked me how to change the menu names for Layer Styles added using their Add-O-Matic, so I figured I'd put the info in one place rather than typing it out each time - so here ya go: Mon, 26 May 2008 01:28:30 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article271.html Anew Sampler Pack for Photoshop Elements 6 (Win) is now ready for free download. This pack contains an effect from each of the full packs - B&W Lab, FunFotoFX, Glam Photo, Handy Actions and Sketchy Paint.  The download includes the installer and an information sheet. Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:07:21 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article270.html Here's a step-by-step of how I made my Snowy Stable image using Photoshop Elements 6: Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:29:53 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article267.html There's so many different ways to make tape using Elements & Photoshop (just Google "Photoshop tutorial tape" for about 1.8 million ways), so I figured I'd toss out a few ways to make a few slightly different kinds. Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:44:39 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article266.html I got to messing around with some of my Sydney photos and came up with these two treatments of the Opera House, taken on a cloudy gray morning. I like how simple it was to create two different looks from the same image using just the tools in a few action packs.  *I should mention that both of these were done with my Handy Actions 2.5 & B&W Conversion Lab action sets in Elements 5. Sat, 25 Aug 2007 11:25:46 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article265.html This is the third article about using Handy Actions 2.5 for Photoshop Elements. In this episode, I'll go over all of the different Selection tools in the action pack.  Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:59:59 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article264.html This time, I'm going to show a few examples of how to use the 8 different Channels actions in Handy Actions 2.5. They're all conveniently clustered together in the palette, under the Channels category. You'll find actions for editing one of the three color channels (Red, Green and Blue), and few swap channels actions, plus a return to RGB editing and the popular Channels Mixer for creating Black & White images. It's hopefully pretty obvious that channel editing is a pretty powerful way to correct some colors and get your photos looking their best with very little effort. Sat, 21 Jul 2007 10:27:43 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article263.html I'vebeen meaning to do a little write up on all of the various actions in Handy Actions ever since I put them out there awhile back, but somehow just never got around to it. Now, I'm getting around to it! I'm just going to start at the top of the effects list and explain each of the actions one by one, covering a few with each post, until I get to the bottom. Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:59:42 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article262.html Using Add-O-Matic, now it's easier than ever to create custom thumbnails for your added effects and add them to your Special Effects palette.Here's a walk through on upgrading your version of Add-O-Matic, reinstalling your actions, and creating thumbnails for them.... Wed, 18 Jul 2007 06:27:30 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article256.html Making a Cross Processed Look Using Photoshop Elements & Graffi's Handy Actions 2.0 The "Cross Processed" look is pretty popular these days - creating an image with unnatural colors and a high contrast look. These effects are easy to accomplish with Photoshop Elements 5 and the Channels & Curves actions available in Handy Actions 2.0. Read more... Thu, 01 Feb 2007 13:05:34 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article254.html Making a Crumpled Paper graphic for Scrap Pages Using Photoshop Elements Here's an easy way to create a "crumpled paper" graphic that you can use for your scrap or webpage projects. Fri, 29 Dec 2006 12:54:30 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article253.html A Washed Out Grunge Effect - Perfect for Avatars! H ere's a fast and easy effect you can apply to a snapshot if you're looking for a quick way to create a stylish avatar - There's a few variations, but the entire effect shouldn't take more than a minute or two to finsh, and it's very effective. Read on... Fri, 29 Dec 2006 10:49:01 +0000 http://graficalicus.com/Article252.html By requestthere is a new "cheat sheet" available for the newly-updated Handy Actions for Photoshop Elements 3-4-5 Action Effects pack.This spec sheet outlines the details of each action, as well as a few tips on when and how to use them.There is a pdf of this document available here (pdf, 60k, opens in a new window) Mon, 20 Nov 2006 16:54:32 +0000