Photoshop - Expanding a selection

by Ted LoCascio
www.tedlocascio.com

You can expand an existing selection by applying either the Grow or the Similar command in Photoshop CS3. These commands can be applied to any type of selection, but they are best used to expand those you’ve made with the Magic Wand tool. Each command adds pixels to your selection based on the current Tolerance setting.

Choose Select>Grow to add only contiguous (adjacent) pixels to an existing selection. To add both contiguous and noncontiguous pixels to a selection, choose Select>Similar.

The difference between the two commands is comparable to making a Magic Wand selection with the Contiguous option turned on or off.

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Photoshop - Determining the resolution

by Nathan Segal
Corel-photo-paint.com

As a quick reference, Web images use a resolution of 72dpi. Newspapers use resolutions ranging from 125dpi to 170dpi. High-quality brochures and magazines use resolutions ranging from 200dpi to 400dpi. And for books, the range is generally from 175dpi to 350dpi. These measurements refer to 300 dpi at an output size of 8.5 x 11 inches, as an example.

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Photoshop CS3 - Soft Proof

by Ted LoCascio
www.tedlocascio.com

You can create a soft proof to preview your images onscreen to see how your images will appear when you print them. The accuracy of your soft proof will depend upon having a calibrated monitor and properly specifying output conditions. What’s the best way to go about this? Obtain an external monitor calibration kit and calibrate your monitor. Using the Customize Proof Setup dialog (View>Proof Setup>Custom), specify the output profile for your final print device and printing conditions, and then turn on the proof preview.

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Photoshop - Proper File Extensions

by Amy Palermo
Eli Journals

Many servers are case sensitive when it comes to recognizing file names. When you save Photoshop files, if you notice that Photoshop capitalizes all of your filename extensions, such as .GIF, .JPG and .PNG, don’t despair! There is a quick way to set Photoshop to append lowercase filename extensions:

1. Choose Photoshop > Preferences > File Handling (Edit > Preferences > File Handling in Windows).
2. Choose Always from the Append File Extensions pop-up menu.
3. Select the Use Lower Case option, and click OK.
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InDesign - Alphabetize Menus

by John Feld
The Graphics Report

If you are having trouble finding things in menus, try sorting the menu items into an alphabetical list. Doing this may make it easier to find items. Press Command + Option + Shift (Mac) or Ctrl + Alt + Shift (Windows) and click on a menu with the keys held down. The items will be listed alphabetically. Even the sub-menus will be alphabetized. It will immediately revert to regular next time you select a menu unless you hold down those same keys, so nothing is changed permanently.
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