Learning Adobe PhotoshopElements 7By Greg Bowden

Guided Computer Tutorialswww.gct.com.au

The Drawing Tools

Chapter 4

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GUIDED COMPUTER TUTORIALSPO Box 311Belmont, Victoria, 3216, Australia

www.gct.com.au

© Greg Bowden

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First published 2009

ISBN: Module 1: 1 921217 72 3 Module 2: 1 921217 73 1

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Chapter

4The Drawing Tools

Photoshop provides drawing tools that can be used with photos or in the creation of your own designs. These tools allow you to create web page buttons,, borders for photos, company logos, artistic sketches, etc.

Starting a Blank Document 1 Load Photoshop Elements in EDIT MODE or close the current file.

2 Display the FILE menu, highlight NEW and select BLANK FILE.

4 Select OK to start the document.

Drawing Normal ShapesPhotoshop provides the normal drawing shapes such as rectangles, ellipses, polygons and lines.

A Drawing Rectangles

1 The SHAPES TOOL is at the lower section of the TOOLS palette. It may contain a rectangle, ellipse, line or custom shape depending on which tool was used last.

3 Set the WIDTH to 800 pixels, the HEIGHT to 600 pixels and the BACKGROUND CONTENTS to WHITE.

2 Click and hold the mouse button on the SHAPES TOOL in the TOOLS palette and select the RECTANGLE TOOL from the pop-up list of tools.

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Learning Adobe Photoshop Elements 7

6 Click on the COLOUR box arrow again to close the COLOUR palette.

B Rectangle Styles

There are numerous styles that can be applied to a shape.

3 Check that the CREATE NEW SHAPE LAYER button is selected in the OPTIONS BAR, drag a rectangle on the screen and it will be filled with the colour displayed in the OPTIONS BAR.

5 Select a colour shade and the rectangle will be filled with the new colour.

1 Click on the arrow next to the STYLE box in the OPTIONS BAR to display the STYLE palette and select a style for the rectangle.

4 Click on the COLOUR box arrow in the OPTIONS BAR.

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4The Drawing Tools

2 Click on the arrow icon at the top right of the STYLE palette to display the STYLE PALETTE MENU and select COMPLEX.

3 Try some of the complex styles. If you don’t like the effect simply select a different effect.

4 Click on the STYLE PALETTE MENU icon again and select PHOTOGRAPHIC EFFECTS.

5 Apply some of the PHOTOGRAPHIC EFFECTS to the rectangle.

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Learning Adobe Photoshop Elements 7

6 Try some other styles from the STYLE PALETTE MENU. Some are suitable for rectangles others are less effective.

C Using the Effects Palette

You can also apply styles to the rectangle from the EFFECTS palette.

7 Click on the STYLE PALETTE MENU icon again and select REMOVE STYLES to clear the styles from the rectangle.

1 Click on the LAYER STYLES icon at the top of the EFFECTS palette and set the TYPE box to BEVELS.

2 Double click on one of the BEVEL styles to apply it to the rectangle

3 Set the TYPE box in the EFFECTS palette to DROP SHADOWS and double click on a DROP SHADOW style to apply it to the rectangle.

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4The Drawing Tools

D Creating Buttons

Buttons have become a vital part of web sites. Photoshop Elements allows you to quickly produce professional looking buttons.

NOTE: i The RADIUS box controls the size of the rounded corners of the rectangle.

ii Notice that there are now 3 layers in the LAYERS palette. One for the background and layers for each shape.

3 When you make a style change only the shape in the selected layer is altered.

1 Select the ROUNDED RECTANGLE TOOL from the SHAPES TOOL in the TOOLS PALETTE, draw a small rectangle next to the first rectangle and it will have rounded corners.

2 In the OPTIONS BAR set the RADIUS box to 20 pixels and the STYLE to REMOVE STYLE.