LESSON 05 – ARTWORK & EFFECTS

 

ABOUT THE PANEL

 

To see the Artwork & Effects panel (menu), pick Window > Artwork And Effects.

 

This panel is unfortunately a little messy and requires that the user spend a fair bit of time examining it to fully understand the tools and options available.

 

Here is what it looks like:

 

 

The first thing to understand is that the panel contains five sub-sections that you get to choose by clicking on the iconic images at the top (see below).

 

 

SUB-SECTIONS

 

The five sub-sections are:

 

PHOTOSHOP HELP

 

The following is from the Help menu in Photoshop.

 

Artwork

 

Apply preset decorative templates to a photo creation. You can replace an image or selection background on album pages, put a frame around an image, or add shapes and graphics to an image.

 

Themes 

 

Apply preset theme templates to a photo creation. You replace a image background or frame in scrap books, CD and DVD label or jacket designs, or photo layouts.

 

Special Effects 

 

Apply photo and text effects, layer styles, and filters to an image. You can add visual effects to an image or a selection.

 

Text 

 

Add text with preset effects to an image.

 

Favorites 

 

Save preferred designs and effects in a separate section.

 

HIGHLIGHTS (MY OPINION)

 

Artwork > Frames

 

The built-in frames are simple but neat.  They give you a variety of simple frames to use.  Here are a few examples:

 

 

 

Artwork > Graphics

 

The built-in graphics, while limited, are neat because they are vector graphics.  This means that they can be resized to any size without losing quality.

 

Artwork > Shapes

 

Some of the simple shapes are quite cute.

 

 

Special Effects > Filters

 

The filters are well known in Photoshop.  They can also be accessed using the Filters menu at the top.

 

You should note that the filter only applies to the selected area.  So you could select the area around a subject and apply the filter to that area.

 

 

Special Effects > Filters > Distort > Liquify

 

This filter allows you to manipulate pixels in a small area by stretching them or dragging them around. 

 

 

Special Effects > Photo Effects > Drop Shadow

 

You can add a Drop Shadow to any shape.  If you have a photo, it actually makes the frame larger to fit the shadow.  This is a very nice tool for finishing photos for web use as it makes them look professional.