There are times when you need to ghost back an image so that text can be read when placed on top of it or perhaps even another image can be seen below it. Reducing the opacity moves the image in a 2-dimensional space to the middle-ground or background. It also increases the transparency and enables us to see what lies underneath. There are a couple of simple ways to reduce opacity in Photoshop and the steps are outlined below. Option #1 - Opacity Setting Open the file in Photoshop. Make … [Read more...] about Changing Image Opacity in Photoshop
Teaching
Create a Seamless Pattern in Adobe Illustrator
I love patterns! There are so many applications for them: website backgrounds and headers, books, posters, CD packages, wrapping paper, iPhone cases, fabric, and more. It's fun making them, too. My tool of choice is Adobe Illustrator and here's how I do it. Create a new document. The dimensions should be square. I usually make mine 600 x 600 pixels. The edges represent the seam. Place your objects around the edges of the square so that part of the object is visible inside the square and … [Read more...] about Create a Seamless Pattern in Adobe Illustrator
Top 10 Typography Books
I compiled this list of my favorite books about typography, from the perspective of one who teaches the subject. I first wrote it in the summer of 2009 when I was preparing to teach a Typography 2 class, updating my bibliography list, and thinking about which books are must-haves and/or classics. Now I'm updating it again after revisiting some material. I suspect I'll continue to update it every few years... :-) The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst This is a comprehensive … [Read more...] about Top 10 Typography Books
Best Alternatives to Photoshop
I recently had the pleasure of presenting a hands-on workshop to a friendly group of artists at the South Shore Art Center (SSAC) in Cohasset. We covered a lot of technical territory concerning the types of images you use for web and print and the software tools available on computers and iPads. The gold standard tool is still Photoshop, which is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription plan. That's a pricey option because it includes all of the Adobe products. If you don't need or want … [Read more...] about Best Alternatives to Photoshop