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-   -   Photoshop Elements 9: A Simple Signature (Tutorial) (https://www.pixiehollowforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9654)

Iris Waterdew 10-31-2011 08:02 PM

Photoshop Elements 9: A Simple Signature (Tutorial)
 
Photoshop Elements 9: A Simple Signature
Welcome to my tutorial of how to make a simple signature – the way I first made it when I first started out in Photoshop.
Hope this helps and that it is clear and understandable! ^^

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There are 8 easy steps to making a simple signature like the one below:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43052

#1: Open your PDF file
#2: Crop your fairy
#3: Resize the image & canvas size
#4: Arrange layers
#5: Copy & paste in Background
#6: Add text
#7: Add glow and adjust your effects
#8: Flatten & save your file

We will go over each step with images and explanations below.
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#1: Open your PDF file
Open your PDF file by clicking File --> Open, or pressing Ctrl+O on your keyboard.
A little box like the one below should pop up:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43009

You don’t have to adjust any of the labels because they are set on default. So just click “Okay” in the bottom right corner.
Once you open your image, it should appear in your workspace as something like this:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43010

There is a little size box at the bottom left of your screen; it may say 16%, 50%, or any percent of the actual size of the image. Type in 100% and it will maximize to the actual file size, which should look like this:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43018

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#2: Crop your fairy
Choose the Magnetic Lasso Tool from the Toolbar. The Magnetic Lasso Tool is shown in the image below:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43020

Now, click where you want to start cropping your fairy and slowly work your way around the fairy. It looks like a line around where you want to crop with little boxes in the line. The little boxes are there to mark your spot; they simply hold where you have cropped. To erase the spot-holder, press Delete or Backspace. The image below shows what it looks like while cropping:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43023

When you are finished cropping, you should be at where you started. Click on the spot-holder where you started and a dashed line should appear around your fairy where you want it to be cropped.

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43029

Now right-click on the dashed/dotted line to see the drop-down menu. In the drop-down menu, pick the “Layer via Cut” button.

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43030

If you look at your Layers panel (shown below), there are two layers: The layer with your fairy and the layer with the background.

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43031

Then, right-click on the background (the one without your fairy) and select “Delete Layer”.

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43032

You will see that there is only one layer left; the one with your fairy. The background is shown to be transparent by the white & gray checkers.
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#3: Resize the image & canvas size
You have opened the file and cropped the fairy now. What next? You have to resize the image, of course! You can’t possibly make such a large signature, can you? *raises eyebrows skeptically*
How do you resize your image? Simply go Image --> Resize --> Image Size in the top panel, or just press Alt+Ctrl+I. After you click or press those buttons, a screen will pop up:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43033

You can adjust the Width of the image to 600; the Height will automatically be adjusted. 600 for the Width is generally the average size so you can easily change the size of the fairy to your liking in the signature. After adjustment, your image should look like something similar to this:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43034

Now you’ve resized your image, you need to make it signature size. A signature size is 500x200 pixels, and you go to Image --> Resize --> Canvas Size in the top panel, or just press Alt+Ctrl+C. The program will tell you that the new canvas size is smaller than the old canvas size, and that it will clip some of the image. That’s okay; you can adjust where your fairy will be after you click “Proceed”.

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43035
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#4: Arrange Layers
Now your fairy will be cut in half or some other awkward position. Don’t worry, I understand your concern. Just use the Move tool shown below to move your fairy around on the signature until you find a place you would like the fairy to be.

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43042

Move your fairy around until you can find a place you would like your fairy to be, like the image below.

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43043
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#5: Copy & paste in Background
Find a background you want, copy the image (right-click on the image, and click Copy Image) and click on Edit --> Paste or Ctrl+V in the top panel. Your background will appear as a separate layer, like this:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43044
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#6: Add text
There are two easy ways to add text. One is to go to Content --> Text in the right panel. The other way is to click on the Text tool in the Toolbar. We’ll go with the one in the Content bar because that one is premade and simpler for you.
There are several different colors and patterns in the Content --> Text bar. You can choose one and click “Apply”. You can adjust the font, size, etc. in the top Text Editing bar below the top panel shown below:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43045

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43046
Now I have completed all the steps above, the whole signature should look something like this:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43047
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#7: Add glow and adjust your effects
Now you have completed all the basics of a signature, you can begin to adjust your effects and tinker around with glow. You can find effects in the Effects --> “fx” on your right panel. There are many different filters and effects, so you can customize your signature to your liking. I’ll leave customizing and exploring to you and add some glow around the fairy and around the text. An example would be this:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43048
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#8: Flatten & save your file
This is the last step – but also the most important. Flatten your file, as shown below. You can find the Flatten Image button in the Layers panel in the right, and clicking on the little symbol with lines on the top right of the layers panel.

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43049

After you flatten your file, your fairy, background, & text are one layer, flattened together. After you flatten your file, you cannot change anything else to your image. Flattening your file can minimize file size. This is what a flattened file looks like:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43050

Lastly, save your file. Many people know that saving an image as a .jpg destroys quality, and they save images as .png. But in a high quality program like Photoshop, you can adjust how much quality you want if you save as a .jpg, so you can always, always save a .jpg in Photoshop Elements 9 without destroying quality. When you save a .jpg, there is always a pop-up that comes up. Shown below, always change the quality to 12, Maximum. That way, you can save your image with the highest quality possible.

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43051

Now you’re done! Open your newest work and admire it! As for our example, it looks like this:

http://www.pixiehollowforums.com/for...ictureid=43052
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Enjoy! Hope this helped!
~ Iris

_____________________

Jillian Snowdew 10-31-2011 08:11 PM

I hate Lasso tool!! I seem to disfigure the fairy.

Iris Waterdew 10-31-2011 08:15 PM

Just go patiently and carefully around the fairy. Erase a spot-holder each time you're not satisfied with it, and keep on going slowly around the fairy.
It gets better with practice!

FragileSnow 10-31-2011 08:16 PM

wow, this is amazing iris! too bad i dont use that program..

Iris Waterdew 10-31-2011 08:18 PM

Thanks Strawberry :) Do you mean that you use Standard Photoshop?
I use Elements, which is a lot easier with all the new things they added, along with the spot-healing brush and such. So much easier to change things if you mess up!

Jillian Snowdew 10-31-2011 08:18 PM

Can you tell me more about PDF?
I use the standard photoshop.

Iris Waterdew 10-31-2011 08:19 PM

Jillian, you can download it online for free :)
Just Google something like, "Free PDF Creator" or something similar and there will be many options for you!

And I seem to be the only one using Elements, lol! Elements is actually a lot easier because you have the Magnetic Lasso tool instead of just the Lasso tool. The Lasso tool makes you trace by yourself, while the Magnetic Lasso tool catches onto a line and traces it if you move your mouse closely to where you want to trace.

FragileSnow 10-31-2011 08:20 PM

to tell you the truth i have no idea what the differences are at all, all i know is they keep coming out with newer ones, when the old ones were fine lol
i use Photoshop CS3 Extended

Jillian Snowdew 10-31-2011 08:22 PM

Can you tell me exactly how to adjust the brightness and glow around the fairy and not around the siggie? The last time, I tried, the glow was coming around the siggie, not the fairy. Thanks a lot for this thread, Iris!

Iris Waterdew 10-31-2011 08:22 PM

Lol Strawberry! I think they changed some filters and effects in Elements when they released the first ones, and I'm very sure they added the Spot Healing brush to make it handier to use and also the Magnetic Lasso tool.

And Jillian, I flattened the file before I saved it. This means that the fairy, text, and background are all one single layer so it would not be possible to add glow to just the fairy.

lotuscup 10-31-2011 08:34 PM

thank you for taking the time to show us how this is done,
i will be making more of a effort with this now :Wink::witchani:

June Rosewillow 10-31-2011 08:35 PM

Great tutorial, Iris! I use Elements 7 and love it!! I use it exclusively for photo editing for my photography business. Although I would like to upgrade to 9 since it allows more freedom with creating adjustment layers and such. I have never used the magnetic lasso tool. I usually use the quick selection tool but it can be tricky around small areas (like the point of your fairy's wings and around her hands and fingers). I'll have to try the lasso tool next time! Thanks for the tip!

Iris Waterdew 10-31-2011 08:41 PM

@ Lotuscup: You're welcome! I'm glad you will be taking more time with Photoshop; you can create wonderful things with it!

@ June: Thanks June! I started Photoshop over the summer and got the newest version since I heard that Standard was super complicated from a few friends. The magnetic lasso tool automatically jumps to the line you are tracing so that it is easier for you; I wish I could show you a video of me doing it but I have no idea how to make a video on my WebCam, lol! I have also tried the quick selection tool before after finding it in books but prefer the magnetic lasso. I have also found the magic wand tool to be quite handy if you are rushing; you can make it kind of messy and then go back to it and edit with a bit of soft-edged eraser and glow and poof! It is transformed without much work!

P.S. You have a photography business? How cool, it must be fun to play around with so many images and possibilities in front of you every time you work!

June Rosewillow 10-31-2011 08:51 PM

Wow!! You started Photoshop over the summer?? I am amazed at how well you do with only so little time learning it! Amazing! :pshocked:

I had also heard that the standard version of Photoshop was a bit complicated (not to mention EXPENSIVE!!). Elements works perfectly for everything that I need to do. And yes, it is super fun to work with images in front of me everyday, especially ones that I create! I love it! :D

Iris Waterdew 10-31-2011 08:55 PM

Yes, I started over the summer, but it is easier and easier every time I do it because I spend, well, hours over it every day and lots more time over it during the summer, lol! ;)

And once I had considered buying Standard CS5 and my eyes popped when I saw the price... Elements also has everything I need and want, and is a lot less expensive for sure!
It must be nice to be with something you enjoy so much every day. It is so fun to experiment with so much and to be able to work with it every day! Elements makes me feel like I have a lump of clay in my hands and I can work it into any shape I want :D


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