Thursday, November 5, 2009
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Photoshop Trick #3

Here is a Trick I like to use, Its called Layering. Layering in Paint.Net can make your picture go from ok to great in minutes.
If you go to the Windows tab on top you will see the Tool ( Layers) open it up. You could also press F7.
Think of layering as the way it sounds. It tells the Paint.Net which order to lay the images. You go from background to foreground.
Add New Layer
This will add a new, transparent layer to the image.
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Delete Layer
This will remove the active layer from the image. You will be asked to confirm this is what you want to do before it is deleted.
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Duplicate Layer
This will make an exact copy of the active layer. All properties of the layer, along with the graphical (pixel) contents, will be duplicated. The new layer will also have the same name as the original.
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Merge Layer Down
This will take the current layer and merge it into the layer that is below it.
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Import From File
This allows you to select one or more images that will be imported as one or more new layers.
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Adjustments
Paint.NET contains many commands which can be used to adjust your image to look exactly the way you want it to.
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Flip
This submenu allows you to flip just the active layer, either horizontally or vertically.

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Rotate/Zoom
This command allows you to rotate and pan in all three dimensions.
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Layer Properties
This command brings up a dialog that
allows you to define how the layer blends in with the layers that are before it in the Layers Window's list. You may specify a name, whether the layer is visible, a blending mode, and an opacity level.
There are fourteen (14) blending modes available: Normal, Multiply, Additive, Color Burn, Color Dodge, Reflect, Glow, Overlay, Difference, Negation, Light, Darken, Screen, and Xor.
The opacity slider controls how transparent the layer is overall.

Menu Bar

There are nine top-level menus in Paint.NET:
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File
Provides access to open, acquire, and save images. These options behave similarly to other document and image editing programs. There are also commands for setting the language of the user interface, and checking for updates.
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Edit
Contains commands for easy manipulation of the image history, the selected region of the image, the selection itself, and the clipboard.
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View
These commands change the way that the image or workspace are presented to you.
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Image
Contains commands that alter the entire image, including all layers.
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Layers
These commands alter only the currently active layer.
Adjustments
Contains adjustments which may be used to edit the current layer.
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Effects
Contains effects which may be used to transform the current layer.
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Window
These commands allow you to hide or show the floating utility windows, to reset them to their original locations, and to toggle their translucent effect.
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Help
Provides quick access to this help documentation, the ability to send feedback or a bug report, and access to information about the authors.
Photoshop Trick #2
List of Features
Paint.NET is designed to be accessible and simple for most users while still allowing powerful and sophisticated operations to be performed on an image.
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Simple, intuitive user interface
Every feature and user interface element was designed to be immediately intuitive and/or quickly learnable without assistance. It is also designed to be immediately familiar to users of Paint and Photoshop.
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Layers
This allows you to compose one complete image from a stack of other images that are blended together.
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Unlimited History
Every action you take on an image is recorded in the History window, and is only limited by available disk space and memory.
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Support for many popular file formats
The following file formats are supported:PNG,JPEG, BMP, GIF,TGA, and TIFF. The native Paint.NET image type is PDN which preserves layering.
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Effects and Adjustments
You can apply many special effects to your image, and support for image adjustments is also possible.
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Full Support for Dual- and Quad-Core CPU's, and 64-bit
Paint.NET is fully optimized for the latest in processor technology enabling dramatic performance improvements and the ability to work with larger and more images.
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Tablet PC Support
The Paintbrush tool supports the Tablet PC's pressure-sensitivity feature, allowing you to draw in a more natural and artistic manner.
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Extensibility
Paint.NET supports plugins that add new effects, adjustments, and file format support.
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Free
Paint.NET is provided for no cost with generous licensing terms.