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photolesa.com
The creative tutorial home of image wrangler, Lesa Snider.

Step by step tutorials

Welcome to the home of the step by step creative online tutorial. Here you will find detailed, easy-to-understand steps accompanied by screen shots. These tutorials are liable to be about anything from my current project to something that drove me nuts trying to figure out. It is my hope that the things I can convey here will save you time and frustration.

If there's something that you'd like to see written up, please feel free to let me know

Selecting Frizzy Hair

Use the Extract Filter for complex selections

Does the thought of isolating (also referred to as "knocking out") a person in a photo with big hair fill you with dread? Never fear for the Extract filter is here!

Let's take this image of a frizzy-haired hippy I snatched from iStockphoto. To change the background, it would mean creating a selection around the hippy dude and his frighteningly frizzy hair. Yes, there are third-party plug-ins who'd make haste of this task for a price, but what if I don't want to spend the extra money? I can turn to the Extract filter for help instead.

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Use your local library Cookie Cutter tool + Custom Shapes = fun photo frames Swirls of Summer
How to make your text see-through Hollow Text Holiday Cards
Lesa's Top 10 Search Engine Optimization Tips Fast uploading
Creating a collage with Linear Burn A Stroll Down Blend Mode Lane, Pt. 4 How to turn a photo into a blueprint Paint it Blue
Retouching People Using vector shapes to add a watermark Protecting Your Photos Online, Pt. 1
Painted Edges in Elements Creating Favicons
How to create a partial color photo in just two steps! Selective Color Photo Effect Managing Photos with Bridge CS4, Part 1
How to instantly reverse color Fun with Adjustment Layers How to Fix Animal White-Eye, Part 2
How to sharpen individual channels Get Sharp! Black and white photos with just a touch of color Partial Color
Using the Crop tool to increase canvas size Banishing bags 'n blemishes The Basics of Retouching People, Part 2
Using Channels to produce eye-popping contrast Goin' Grayscale Pinching Flabby Chins Photoshopping People
How to add a page curl using Free Transform in Warp Mode Creative Curls Channel your way to a perfect silhouette Super Silhouettes
Lines of All Kinds Blur Baby Blur!
Removing lens glare with the Clone Stamp Tool Glare o' the Glasses Creating duotones with Elements' QuickFix mode Delicious Duotones
Fire It Up! Gradient Map Your Way to a Beautiful Sunrise Enhancing the Sunrise
Creative Photo Frames, Pt. 1 How to add vector art to photos Easy Embellishments
How to smash a photo into pieces Break it up! Upsizing an Image with Minimal Quality Loss
The secret to losing 5 pounds--digitally! The Basics of Retouching People, Part 1 Retaining a photo's aspect ratio while cropping Zoom Crop
Combine Images Creatively in Photoshop Combine Images Creatively in Photoshop Web navigation tips
Say hello to advanced red-eye and retouching tools Livin' La Vida Levels
How to fix an out-of-focus photo Filters To the Rescue! How to add soft or hard round edges to your photo The Secret to Round Edges
Oversharpening trick makes retouching eyes a snap Super Sparkling Eyes How to make a drive-free Desktop
Creative Combinations, Pt. 2 Using the Crop tool to make a 10-second frame Quick Polaroid Frame
Finding Photoshop's hidden cropping grid Cropping to the Rule of Thirds Zapping contrary color casts with Hue/Saturation Gettin' the Red Out
Place a photo inside text Easy Clipping Groups Custom Twitter Background in Photoshop Build a Custom Twitter Background in Photoshop

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