19:09:11 [Nancy] The chat tutorial today is on using Photoshop to make titles for Premiere. I have used Photoshop 6 for the project files, and I assume the information will also work with other versions and programs as well, such as Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop Elements.
19:09:34 [Nancy] First of all I've used the term "title" very broadly. What might be a little more accurate term would be a "frame" for a clip, as an introduction to a video.
19:09:56 [Nancy] As with movies or TV shows that we watch, or even books that we read, a title screen or image can give an introduction of what is to come. They can also be used as "dividers" between different sections of a video or a book.
19:10:34 [Nancy] Hopefully you've had a chance to download the [project files] and have Photoshop open. If not, I'll be providing some screenshots so you will be able to follow along. The first project is going to be using shapes to provide a frame as an introduction around a video clip.
19:10:45 [Nancy] http://www.neshaw.com/titles
19:11:33 [Nancy] ready to go on?
19:11:37 [psturgill] i got V7 open and ready
19:11:49 [Mitch] ok
19:12:02 [Nancy] v7? wow you upgraded
19:12:05 [Nancy] I have chosen an image that might work well for a wedding video. This image was chosen only because I've seen several comments at Wrigley forum regarding doing wedding videos and thought this might be useful. The concepts can be applied to any subject though.
19:12:35 [Nancy] I wanted to start out with just a quick brush-up on Photoshop itself. The first screenshot is of the work area in Photoshop. I've put some numbers and arrows so we can all know what tools/options I am referring to. http://www.neshaw.com/titles/one.html
19:13:27 [Mitch] cool
19:13:28 [Nancy] #1 refers to the Option Bar. The option bar has options relating to the tool you've chosen. The different tools are located on the toolbar, which is #2 in the screenshot.
19:13:46 [petrax] got it
19:14:14 [Nancy] As you can see, the gradient tool is what is chosen and on the option bar it shows how this will look when applied to our image. Our screenshot is showing a 3-color gradient, that is going to be linear. As you can see we would set the option here to make other choices such as radial, angle, reflect
19:14:28 [Nancy] ed or diamond.
19:14:32 [Nancy] oops
19:14:48 [Nancy] #3 points to the Navigation palette - although for today we will leave it set at 100%, it can be very using for doing cleanup work to increase that to a much higher level, like putting your image under a magnifying glass.
19:15:24 [Nancy] #4 points to the Layers palette - this works like the video tracks in Premiere - the higher a layer in the palette, that object will be visible in front of other objects on lower layers.
19:16:01 [Nancy] #5 points to the Layer Styles Icon. This is just a quick way to access the options for the styles. They can also be accessed from the menu bar under Layer.
19:16:35 [Nancy] 6 points to the New Layer Icon - which is also available from the menu bar under Layer. The icon makes just a blank new layer, right above the layer you have selected. To duplicate a layer, you can just drag the layer to the icon and it makes a duplicate.
19:17:09 [Nancy] I also have a second screenshot which shows the options bar when the shape tool is selected on the toolbar. For each tool you choose to use, different options will show in the option bar. http://www.neshaw.com/titles/two.html
19:17:52 [Nancy] any questions on any of these?
19:18:02 [Mitch] ok
19:18:14 [psturgill] wow... this is great stuff... and a new way to show stuff
19:18:39 [petrax] the biggest problem I have is locating toolbar when screen real-estate is small
19:18:54 [petrax] ie the tool bar seems to float all over the place
19:19:07 [petrax] ie not just in the photo shop window
19:19:16 [Nancy] yes that can be a problem petrax - do you use the palette reset under Window on the menubar?
19:19:31 [petrax] yes frequently
19:19:52 [Nancy] it is possible to nest some palettes within another, which helps with screen real estate.
19:20:07 [Nancy] what size screen are you working with?
19:20:23 [petrax] 1024
19:20:33 [petrax] ie thats my screen res
19:21:08 [Nancy] hmmm that should be enough to find a comfortable work area.
19:22:40 [petrax] just an observation...
19:22:51 [Nancy] you might also want to learn to use the tab key - which will show and hide your palettes. It's quite handy.
19:23:16 [Nancy] okay are you ready then to start an image?
19:23:26 [Mitch] sure
19:23:47 [Nancy] So let's start on a project. I'm going to guide this chat so you can do a quick image in Photoshop, but if you would rather not make an image or on a computer where you don't have Photoshop, there are some additional screenshots that should be able to show the image as it develops.
19:24:08 [Nancy] 1. Start a new project 720x534 - 72 ppi - transparent contents. Photoshop 6 does not have the preset like the CS version does, but this is the size for standard NTSC, DV/DVD.
19:25:10 [Nancy] If you need the PAL settings petrox, I can get them for you, but for tonight that image will serve our purposes.
19:25:39 [Nancy] 2. I always work with an empty layer on the bottom, so right away go ahead and make another layer, using the new layer icon on the bottom of the layer palette.
19:26:12 [Nancy] 3. Using the gradient tool, with a 3 color gradient - I used E0E6A1 for gold and F6F6F6 for an off white and then used the gold color again to make the 3rd color. Your image should now look like this: http://www.neshaw.com/titles/three.html
19:27:05 [petrax] thanks
19:27:20 [Nancy] ready to go on?
19:27:31 [petrax] yes
19:27:39 [Mitch] ok
19:27:45 [Nancy] To rename the layers, right click on the layer you want to rename, choose layer properties, and give it a new name. If you don't name the layers, it can get confusing, so I suggest they be named.
19:27:47 [psturgill] how do you do a 3 color gradient (newbie)
19:28:20 [Nancy] do you have the paint bucket showing in the toolbar?
19:28:35 [Mitch] yea, where do you set the colors
19:28:45 [Nancy] if so, click on the corner or that little icon, and you should be able to pick the gradient tool.
19:28:57 [psturgill] I have the gradient tool
19:29:09 [Nancy] on the option bar, click on the gradient that is showing and a window will pop up to make choices.
19:29:30 [Nancy] I usually just pick any 3 color default one, and change the colors right there.
19:30:07 [Nancy] use the little color on the bottom of the slicker, and then the color shows in a small box near the bottom. click for the eyedropper.
19:33:45 [Nancy] okay I think we're back
19:33:54 [psturgill] ok
19:34:10 [Nancy] petrax?
19:34:27 [Nancy] just raise your hand if you're here.
19:34:43 [psturgill] I
19:34:58 [psturgill] --
19:35:05 [psturgill] oh darn they did not connect
19:35:14 [petrax] sorry just carry on
19:35:25 [Mitch] back
19:35:34 [petrax] I'm juggling other things ...
19:35:51 [Mitch] go ahead
19:35:53 [Nancy] 2. Make another new layer. Select the shape tool, and on the options bar, select the options for a custom shape and then choose the heart from the custom shapes drop down.
19:36:25 [Nancy] refer to screenshot #2 if you need to.
19:36:47 [Nancy] 3. Draw a heart on the new layer. It really doesn't matter what color as we are only going to use this layer for its shape. Photoshop will make it the foreground color. Try to put it in the center of your image, and hopefully not too big.
19:36:58 [Nancy] Maybe about 75 pixels down from the top, and about 100-150 pixels in from each side. If the placement isn't quite right, it can be adjusted with the move tool on the toolbar after you've drawn it.
19:37:39 [Nancy] f the new layer is beneath the gradient layer, you can just drag it up on the layers palette so that it is above the gradient layer. It will make it a little easier to see and work with. http://www.neshaw.com/titles/four.html
19:38:12 [Nancy] ready?
19:38:28 [Mitch] yes
19:38:35 [psturgill] I think
19:38:58 [Nancy] 4. Control-click on the shape layer, so that you have a "marquee" around the shape, and then select the gradient layer. It will be showing as blue in the layers palette if it is selected. The marquee shape will follow along with you as you change layers. http://www.neshaw.com/titles/five.html
19:39:11 [Nancy] does your image look like the screenshot?
19:39:49 [Mitch] I'm being lazy and just following on the screenshots
19:39:53 [Nancy] You can also turn off the shape layer for the time being, by clicking on the eye on the left side of that layer.
19:40:05 [Nancy] *S*
19:40:09 [psturgill] no, but that is ok
19:40:32 [Nancy] what didn't work for you?
19:40:52 [psturgill] my heart is black
19:41:10 [Nancy] no problem. we don't need any particular color
19:41:27 [psturgill] oh, just turned the eyeball off... it now looks something like yours
19:41:39 [Nancy] do step #4 - the control click of the shape
19:42:03 [psturgill] i did that
19:42:21 [Nancy] as long as you have the heart shape and have the gradient layer selected, you're fine.
19:42:25 [Nancy] Now go to the menu bar, Select>Feather>set feather radius to 40 pixels, and click on ok. http://www.neshaw.com/titles/six.html
19:43:05 [Nancy] 5. Hit the delete key http://www.neshaw.com/titles/seven.html The shape doesn't look a lot like a heart at the moment, but it shows the feathering and shows how the center section is transparent.
19:43:44 [Nancy] 6. Now go to the menu bar, Select>Deselect. There should no longer be a marquee showing.
19:44:21 [psturgill] my center is not transparent
19:44:33 [Nancy] 7. Control-Click on the heart shape layer again.
19:45:00 [Nancy] do you have a layer below the gradient that is filled with a color?
19:45:17 [psturgill] yes... background color of white
19:45:42 [Nancy] http://www.neshaw.com/titles/seven.html
19:45:48 [Mitch] what's control-click do?
19:45:57 [psturgill] i turned off the eyeball of the background layer... it is now transparent
19:46:04 [Nancy] okay just turn that layer off with the eyeball. Transparent in the center of the gradient now?
19:46:09 [psturgill] it reselects the shape
19:46:17 [psturgill] yes, nancy it is
19:46:27 [Nancy] it selects what is on that layer. just selects the shape
19:46:27 [Mitch] ok
19:46:52 [Nancy] so we use the shape layer only as a template for the shape we want.
19:47:01 [psturgill] ok... all set
19:47:07 [Nancy] 8. Make a new layer using the new layer icon on the bottom of the layer palette, and again if it is not above the gradient layer, drag it above. Right click on the layer and rename to stroke.
19:47:35 [Nancy] Although this makes more layers to keep track of, it makes it much easier later to change things if they are separate objects on separate layers.
19:48:00 [Mitch] good
19:48:21 [Nancy] 9. Then go to the menubar Edit>Stroke and using the following settings: 13px outside; the foreground color we originally used, normal blending mode at 100% opacity.
19:49:28 [psturgill] cool
19:49:32 [Nancy] you should have a defined heart shape.
19:49:38 [Nancy] 10. Next we'll add some layer styles to the stroke layer. Click on the styles icon on the bottom of the layers palette and choose Bevel & Emboss. When that palette opens choose the following settings.
19:50:09 [Nancy] bevel - inner bevel style; smooth; 41% depth; up direction; size 3; and soften 0 and keep that window open a second.
19:51:04 [Nancy] put a checkmark in front of Satin, and also make sure you select that Satin layer to change to the correct options.
19:51:12 [Nancy] satin - blend mode normal; angle 19; distance 11; size 14; contour gaussian; anti-aliased; and inverted are also selected.
19:51:47 [Nancy] If you drag the layer styles windows around a little you should be able to see a preview on your image.
19:51:50 [psturgill] which one is gaussian?
19:52:10 [Nancy] You can of course choose your own settings for any of these.
19:52:28 [Nancy] top row, right I think. I had to mouseover it a minute to find the name *S*
19:52:30 [psturgill] found it
19:53:26 [Nancy] if you've done the settings, you can now click ok.
19:54:11 [Nancy] Now when I got all done with this image and took it into Premiere, I thought the background color looked a little too washed out in the center. In the sample wmv file http://www.neshaw.com/titles/title-samples.wmv I actually had gone back into Photoshop and adjusted the gradient layer.
19:55:28 [Nancy] I did have to do the step of selecting the heart and feathering, but because I had the stroke on a separate layer I didn't have to work with it, and the whole remake only took a moment.
19:55:59 [Nancy] 11. If you think he gradient layer is looking just a little flat, you can, at this point, select/highlight that layer and use a filter to add a little depth. I like to use Filter>Texturizer>Sandstone, with a depth of 2.
19:56:31 [Nancy] If you choose the right colors for the gradient, that may not even be needed.
19:56:38 [Mitch] nice tip
19:56:56 [Nancy] As far as I know, Premiere does not work well with layer styles in Photoshop, so how do we get that image into Premiere and still retain the layer styles as well as the transparency? There are a couple of methods that work.
19:57:30 [Nancy] I'll explain both, and then leave it up to you to choose which one you like better.
19:57:48 [Nancy] 1. First Method - this one is a little more complicated than the second. The only layers showing in Photoshop should be your gradient layer, and the stroke layer. You can then go to the menubar and choose Layer>Merge Visible.
19:58:13 [Nancy] This works well for saving and importing into Premiere. However, the disadvantage is that those layers can no longer be adjusted as individual objects in Photoshop.
19:58:34 [Nancy] he solution is to make duplicate layers of each of those (right click on the layer and choose "duplicate layer". Then hide the original and merge the duplicates. Photoshop renames that layer as merged, so you can rename the merged layer so you'll know which layer to import in Premiere.
19:59:11 [Nancy] 2. Second Method - Again with only the gradient and stroke layers visible, go to File>Save for Web. When the new window opens, change the drop down setting for the type of image to PNG-24. Then click on OK to go ahead and save the image with the file name and location of your choice.
19:59:41 [Nancy] Not everyone will want to work with PNG images since they are not native to Photoshop, but the advantage to this method is that it is a bit quicker than the first method, and still keeps the layer styles and transparency.
20:00:11 [Nancy] I've not noticed any difference myself in Premiere.
20:00:27 [psturgill] any issues with using png as far as quality?
20:00:31 [Nancy] As some comments on this project I will mention just a couple of things. I think Premiere can do a fine job of adding text as an actual .prtl file. The advantage of having the image part done separately in Photoshop is that it can easily be used in several projects.
20:00:33 [psturgill] oops... too slow
20:00:42 [Mitch] cool
20:00:53 [Nancy] I've looked on several monitors and can't notice anything.
20:01:26 [Nancy] All you then need to do is make a quick text title in Premiere. So for example, with the image we made today, you could use it to introduce several sections to a wedding video, changing only the clip or still image that appears in the frame and adding some text using the titler in Premiere for each
20:02:00 [Nancy] Secondly, by using shapes as the starting point rather than the marquee and floodfilling, you'll find the shapes can be sized, and transformed to your liking, before you go through all the other steps.
20:02:36 [Nancy] You may find that you want to do one photoshop file that has several different shapes and backgrounds. Open it as needed for a new project, make a couple of quick adjustments, and zing you're done.
20:03:05 [Mitch] good idea
20:03:34 [Nancy] http://www.neshaw.com/titles/nine.html http://www.neshaw.com/titles/ten.html are just some other samples using the same methods.
20:03:39 [psturgill] is there a place with free shapes to import into the shape gallery?
20:04:19 [Nancy] there should be some, if not I should be able to provide some - or maybe some day do a more advanced chat on altering shapes.
20:05:32 [Nancy] the polygon shape has a lot of options - can make stars, or sunbursts.
20:06:08 [psturgill] is this a one hour talk or two?
20:06:25 [Mitch] thanks for the discussion, I think the Photoshop books I've read are starting to make sense
20:06:40 [Nancy] well I had a part two, but it was actually only the same principles using text instead of shapes.
20:07:15 [psturgill]
this was great for me... since I have not read any ps
books, i have my own personal instructor..
20:07:27 [Mitch] cool, I would like to hear it tomorrow
20:07:57 [psturgill] I might miss a little of it tomorrow... i have a meeting for the first half hour
20:07:57 [Nancy] I will say I am not that knowledgeable about the fine points of PS as I did the self-teaching thing, so my tips have been learned through trial and error.
20:08:19 [Nancy] sure. I would be glad to do text tomorrow.
20:08:37 [psturgill] so any transparent area imported into PPro will have the video show through it?
20:08:44 [Nancy] thus, the "second separate layer" for the stroke shape
20:09:04 [Nancy] yes exactly. as long as you either import the merged layer, or as a PNG-24
20:10:01 [Nancy] try playing with a couple other layer styles - color overlay of red on the heart "frame" would be great for Valentine's
20:10:12 [psturgill] Mitch, this has been the best so far.... I like how Nancy had screenshots ready for reference
20:10:27 [Nancy] mess with some of the other options as you want. see if you like the results.
20:10:36 [Nancy] Okay - that's all I had planned for today.
20:10:49 [Mitch] yes, they are very handy
20:10:52 [Nancy] thanks Paul.
20:11:05 [Mitch] Thanks a lot Nancy!
20:11:20 [psturgill] thanks a ton Nancy
13:04:02 [Nancy] The chat tutorial today is on using Photoshop to make titles for Premiere. I have used Photoshop 6 for the project files, and I assume the information will also work with other versions and programs as well, such as Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop Elements.
13:04:26 [Nancy] First of all I've used the term "title" very broadly. What might be a little more accurate term would be a "frame" for a clip, as an introduction to a video.
13:04:51 [Nancy] As with movies or TV shows that we watch, or even books that we read, a title screen or image can give an introduction of what is to come. They can also be used as "dividers" between different sections of a video or a book.
13:05:19 [Nancy] Hopefully you've had a chance to download the [project files] and have Photoshop open. If not, I'll be providing some screenshots so you will be able to follow along. The first project is going to be using shapes to provide a frame as an introduction around a video clip.
13:05:58 [Nancy] http://www.neshaw.com/titles/
13:06:45 [Nancy] I want to start out with just a quick brush-up on Photoshop itself. The first screenshot is of the work area in Photoshop. I've put some numbers and arrows so we can all know what tools/options I am referring to.p://www.neshaw.com/titles/one.html
13:08:11 [Nancy] #1 refers to the Option Bar. The option bar has options relating to the tool you've chosen. The different tools are located on the toolbar, which is #2 in the screenshot.
13:08:40 [Nancy] Let me stress that knowing the terminology for Photoshop will help greatly with any tutorials you come across on the internet.
13:09:30 [Nancy] Secondly, because Photoshop has so many palettes, it is handy to know that under Window on the menubar is an option to reset the palettes.
13:10:14 [Nancy] As you can see, the gradient tool is what is chosen and on the option bar it shows how this will look when applied to our image. Our screenshot is showing a 3-color gradient, that is going to be linear. As you can see we would set the option here to make other choices such as radial, angle, ...
13:10:27 [Nancy] ....reflected or diamond.
13:11:04 [Nancy] and if you click on the actual gradient, you can also alter it to colors of your choice.
13:11:30 [Nancy] #3 points to the Navigation palette - although for today we will leave it set at 100%, it can be very useful for doing cleanup work to increase that to a much higher level, like putting your image under a magnifying glass.
13:12:21 [Nancy] The higher percent would be if you are working to cut out a section of an image.
13:12:38 [Nancy] #4 points to the Layers palette - this works like the video tracks in Premiere - the higher a layer in the palette, that object will be visible in front of other objects on lower layers.
13:13:10 [Nancy] The layers palette is your friend - make it your best friend. *S*
13:13:37 [Nancy] In other words, you will use it for almost anything you do in Photoshop.
13:14:00 [Nancy] #5 points to the Layer Styles Icon. This is just a quick way to access the options for the styles. They can also be accessed from the menu bar under Layer.
13:14:43 [Nancy] Styles are such things as drop shadow, bevel, inner or outer glow, and apply only to the layer you are working on. Much the same as Video effects in Premiere.
13:15:27 [Nancy] #6 points to the New Layer Icon - which is also available from the menu bar under Layer. The icon makes just a blank new layer, right above the layer you have selected. To duplicate a layer, you can just drag the layer to the icon and it makes a duplicate.
13:16:04 [Nancy] Both the layer Styles and the New Layers are also available on the menu bar, and the icons are just a shortcut, but very handy ones.
13:16:20 [Nancy] I also have a second screenshot which shows the options bar when the shape tool is selected on the toolbar. For each tool you choose to use, different options will show in the option bar. http://www.neshaw.com/titles/two.html
13:17:13 [Nancy] any questions so far?
13:17:28 [Mitch] none here
13:17:35 [AdamKampia] I'm caught up
13:17:35 [FM] I'm ok
13:18:12 [psturgill] yep
13:18:35 [Nancy] In yesterday's session, we used shapes but I'm going to switch today and use text. However the concept is the same for either one.
13:19:00 [Nancy] 1. Start a new project 720x534 - 72 ppi - transparent contents. Photoshop 6 does not have the preset like the CS version does, but this is the size for standard NTSC, DV/DVD.
13:19:36 [Nancy] I have a couple of screenshots, but they do show shapes, I'll try to point out what I want you to notice so it doesn't confuse you.
13:19:58 [Nancy] 2. I always work with an empty layer on the bottom, so right away go ahead and make another layer, using the new layer icon on the bottom of the layer palette.
13:21:01 [Nancy] 3. Using the gradient tool, with a 3 color gradient - in the screenshot I used E0E6A1 for gold and F6F6F6 for an off white and then used the gold color again to make the 3rd color. Your image should now look like this: http://www.neshaw.com/titles/three.html
13:21:17 [Nancy] what I want you to notice is the layers palette.
13:22:20 [Nancy] so feel free to use any gradient you want. Here's a screenshot of the text image I used. http://www.neshaw.com/titles/foura.html
13:23:08 [Nancy] To rename the layers, right click on the layer you want to rename, choose layer properties, and give it a new name. If you don't name the layers, it can get confusing, so I suggest they be named.
13:23:37 [Nancy] As you can see here http://www.neshaw.com/titles/three.html the layers are renamed.
13:24:08 [Nancy] 2. Make another new layer, using the new layer icon.
13:24:49 [Nancy] use text. Choose any words you want. It could be the year, it could be Happy Birthday. Choose a fairly thick font so your video will show through. http://www.neshaw.com/titles/foura.html
13:25:22 [Nancy] oops that got cut off. Switch to text on the toolbar and on the new layer, use text.
13:25:48 [Nancy] again, you can see text in this screenshot http://www.neshaw.com/titles/foura.html
13:26:14 [Nancy] I had a graduation video in mind when I made this, thus I used the year. You may do any text you want.
13:26:38 [Nancy] 4. Size the text as you need for your video to show through. You may use the Free Transform, Edit>Free Transform, or use the Characters palette to size. If you need something larger than the text dropdown allows, you can just type in a number in that box. I used Arial Rounded in the sample, set at
13:26:52 [Nancy] 300
13:27:48 [Nancy] Two lines can be used, but are a little more difficult. I have a sample here: http://www.neshaw.com/titles/ten.html
13:29:06 [Nancy] At this point your image should look like this http://www.neshaw.com/titles/four.html but with text instead of a shape. Pay attention to the layers palette.
13:29:57 [Nancy] Your text can be any color, as we are only going to use it as a template for the letters.
13:31:05 [Nancy] I have used the character palette to adjust the space between letters so they overlap just a little bit. The arrow in the screenshot is pointing to where you would adjust the line height and the space between the letters. and screenshothttp://www.neshaw.com/titles/foura.html is showing where...
13:31:09 [Nancy] to do that.
13:31:53 [Nancy] Remember that you want video clip to show through where the letters are, so don't make them too small.
13:32:17 [Nancy] Once the text is sized you will follow these steps: 1. Control-click on the text. 2. Be sure your background layer is selected, and use the delete key.
13:33:01 [Nancy] http://www.neshaw.com/titles/five.html shows how the marqee would look before hitting the delete key.
13:33:07 [Nancy] Everybody still with me?
13:33:23 [AdamKampia] yep
13:33:32 [FM] Perfectly
13:33:36 [Nancy] Control-click just give you a selection, or outline of the letters.
13:33:41 [FM] one question:
13:34:01 [Nancy] You are not actually going to work with the letters any more.
13:34:11 [Nancy] sure. go ahead FM
13:34:17 [FM] Is there an easy way to center both horiz, & Vert the text?
13:35:13 [Nancy] To be honest, I've always just eyeballed it.
13:35:45 [AdamKampia] I usually link the layer to my background. Then Layer-> align linked
13:35:57 [Nancy] not a good answer I realize. but certainly would be useful to do that.
13:36:17 [Nancy] that's a good method Adam.
13:36:36 [FM] ok thanks
13:36:37 [Nancy] The link is not usually visible on the layers palette, but is located just to the right of the "eyeball"
13:37:35 [FM] yea, it just happens that sometimes I get both layers misplaced that way
13:37:37 [Nancy] any other questions?
13:37:55 [AdamKampia] Yeah, same here FM
13:38:14 [Nancy] yes that can happen also. Which is why I say to pay a LOT of attention to your layers palette to notice what is linked.
13:38:55 [Nancy] as a tip on this: alignment is based upon the selected/highlighted layer, and the linked layers just follow along.
13:38:57 [FM] ok
13:39:23 [FM] that's better
13:39:33 [AdamKampia] good to know
13:39:37 [Nancy] sometimes you'll need to switch which one is selected.
13:39:38 [FM]
thanks
13:40:00 [Nancy] so your second best friend is of course Edit>Undo. *S*
13:40:32 [Nancy] switch which layer is selected, and the layers still remain linked.
13:40:43 [FM] lol
13:40:53 [Nancy] okay. moving on ..
13:40:58 [Nancy] If you would like just a small stroke to outline the letters, deselect the letters: on the menubar Select>Deselect.
13:41:30 [Nancy] this step may not be totally necessary, but just my methods of working.
13:41:52 [Nancy] Make a new layer, control-click the text and then Edit>stroke. You may choose any width, but for letters you will want something fairly small - no longer than 3 probably. If you try it, and don't like the effect, just Edit>Undo and then Edit>Stroke again and alter your settings.
13:42:30 [Nancy] your new layer should be above all the other layers. If it isn't drag it upward on the layers palette.
13:43:52 [Nancy] Keeping your stroke of the outline of the letters on a separate layer makes future changes much easier.
13:44:40 [FM] Control-click = select?
13:45:13 [Nancy] not exactly
13:45:42 [FM] but similar? on another layer?
13:45:48 [Nancy] control-click allows you to select an outline of what is on that layer, instead of the whole layer. make sense?
13:46:16 [FM] perfectly, thanks
13:46:22 [Nancy] and can be done while you have another layer as your selected/highlighted layer.
13:47:31 [Nancy] http://www.neshaw.com/titles/eight.html shows a screenshot of layers that have started with a shape, but have a separate stroke layer.
13:48:28 [Nancy] Your image should look similar as far as layers go. A blank bottom layer, a background color layer with the letters cut out, showing transparent, a stroke layer, and the text layer.
13:49:37 [Nancy] That screenshot also shows some layer styles applied to the stroke. For a narrow stroke, like we added for the text, it would likely be too small to use those styles.
13:49:54 [Mitch] looking good here
13:50:29 [Nancy] As far as I know, Premiere does not work well with layer styles in Photoshop, so how do we get that image into Premiere and still retain the layer styles as well as the transparency? There are a couple of methods that work. I'll explain both, and then leave it up to you to choose which one you like
13:51:02 [Nancy] 1. First Method - this one is a little more complicated than the second. The only layers showing in Photoshop should be your gradient layer, and the stroke layer. You can then go to the menubar and choose Layer>Merge Visible.
13:51:23 [Nancy] This works well for saving and importing into Premiere. However, the disadvantage is that those layers can no longer be adjusted as individual objects in Photoshop.
13:51:41 [Nancy] The solution is to make duplicate layers of each of those (right click on the layer and choose "duplicate layer". Then hide the original and merge the duplicates. Photoshop renames that layer as merged, so you can rename the merged layer so you'll know which layer to import in Premiere.
13:52:08 [Nancy] 2. Second Method - Again with only the gradient and stroke layers visible, go to File>Save for Web. When the new window opens, change the drop down setting for the type of image to PNG-24. Then click on OK to go ahead and save the image with the file name and location of your choice.
13:52:59 [Nancy] Not everyone will want to work with PNG images since they are not native to Photoshop, but the advantage to this method is that it is a bit quicker than the first method, and still keeps the layer styles and transparency.
13:53:47 [Nancy] I have used the PNG method and been pleased as far as how Premiere handles it.
13:54:05 [Mitch] cool
13:54:12 [Nancy] As some comments on this project I will mention just a couple of things. I think Premiere can do a fine job of adding text as an actual .prtl file. The advantage of having the image part done separately in Photoshop is that it can easily be used in several projects.
13:54:56 [Nancy] or is several places in the same project, and only have to change the text by using the titler.
13:55:22 [Nancy] All you then need to do is make a quick text title in Premiere. So for example, with the image we made today, you could use it to introduce several sections to a wedding video, changing only the clip or still image that appears in the frame and adding some text using the titler in Premiere for ....
13:55:31 [Nancy] each section
13:56:06 [Nancy] The same concepts we've used with text work as well with shapes.
13:56:45 [Nancy] Secondly, by using shapes and text as the starting point rather than the marquee and floodfilling, you'll find the shapes and text can be sized, and transformed to your liking, before you go through all the other steps.
13:57:51 [Nancy] You may find that you want to do one photoshop file that has several different shapes and backgrounds. Open it as needed for a new project, make a couple of quick adjustments, and zing you're done.
13:58:32 [Mitch]
is "zing" a technical term?
13:58:48 [FM] LOL
13:59:10 [Nancy] very technical, yes.
13:59:48 [Mitch] thanks a lot nancy for the help, I think I'm beginning to understand what I can do with PS
13:59:54 [Nancy] I like the titler in Premiere for some things, however I think doing some of those tasks in Photoshop just opens up a whole new world.
14:00:07 [FM] Great work Nancy
14:00:24 [Nancy] This is all I have planned. Any questions?
14:00:26 [AdamKampia] Thanks Nancy
14:00:50 [AdamKampia] yeah
14:01:03 [psturgill]
yea, when does Nancy University of Photoshop open? I
need more classes..
14:01:04 [Mitch] no questions here
14:01:13 [AdamKampia] If I want to zoom a lot on a PS image (like text), what's a good resolution to bump it up to?
14:01:20 [Nancy] Adam: If you'll look through the chat log from yesterday I think you'll find the shapes interesting also, and uses the same concepts as today.
14:01:48 [Nancy] more like high school level Paul. I'm not that skilled.
14:01:48 [FM] Just one: I think I missed how you did the transparency on the gradient
14:02:19 [Nancy] okay, there was a delete key used after you've control-clicked the letters.
14:02:34 [FM] that's it... ok!
14:02:44 [Nancy] be sure you have the gradient layer selected, do the control-click, and then hit the delete key.
14:03:30 [Nancy] you can, if you want add some feathering to your selecting before deleting. just please play with the concepts and adjust some options - I think you'll have a lot of fun.
14:03:34 [FM] ok! oh, & nice tip: the duplicating layers by dragging them to the new icon
14:04:08 [Nancy] yes. a tip I just also learned - possibly from Curt *S*
14:04:16 [FM] See? I told you I would also be learning something
14:04:25 [FM] great!
14:04:26 [Nancy] LOL
14:04:56 [FM] lol
14:05:04 [Nancy] Paul - possibly sometime I can do a session on just how to make and alter shapes.
14:05:04 [Mitch] thanks again, I'll get the log posted within a few days
14:05:21 [psturgill] thanks