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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

Tough Selections, Part 1

The magic of the Background Eraser

Conquering tough selections means having many tricks up your sleeve. Chances are, no one tool is going to get you where you want to go, but the wisdom lies in starting out with the tool that'll get you the farthest.

In this new tutorial series, we''ll discuss several methods for getting at those really tough selections which aren't suited for selecting by shape or color. Let us start off by using an oft forgotten selection tool, the Background Eraser, on a beautiful photo of Old Glory snatched from iStockphoto.com.

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QuickTip: preparing t-shirt artwork in Illustrator Using Channels to produce eye-popping contrast Goin' Grayscale
How to add Lab Pop Intensifying Color Learning to Love Levels
How to Create a Layer Mask in Elements Correcting shadows and highlights
How to turn friends and loved ones to stone (or a zombie--you pick) Simply Statues Shallow depth of field Shallow depth of field
Removing lens glare with the Clone Stamp Tool Glare o' the Glasses Creating a watermark action Protecting Your Photos Online, Pt. 2
Fixing the animal version of red-eye How to Fix Animal White-Eye, Part 1 How to recreate the effect of a popular new lens Blurry Background a la Lensbabies
The magic of the Background Eraser Tough Selections, Part 1 Using blend modes and masking to lighten shadows Lighten Up!
Creating Favicons The Skinny on Scanning
The Beginner's Guide to Image Editing, Part 2 How to create a partial color photo in just two steps! Selective Color Photo Effect
Pixel Super Sleuthing Turning sub-par images into an emotional piece of art From Photo to Pencil Sketch
Ordering business cards online Creative Combinations, Pt. 1
Repainting Cabinets in Photoshop and Elements Sensational Serigraphs, Pt. 2
Pinching Flabby Chins Photoshopping People Give your photo a film strip edge Festive Photo Frames
Fade to White Replacing Backgrounds with Photoshop's Background Eraser
Removing antennas and power lines Spot Healing Brush to the Rescue! Use the Extract Filter for complex selections Selecting Frizzy Hair
Polaroid in a Picture Two-step pro portrait studio effect Fast Photo Spotlight
Oversharpening trick makes retouching eyes a snap Super Sparkling Eyes Filter your way to a flurry of snowflakes Let It Snow!
Tips for Better Text, Pt. 1 Using the Color Replacement brush to zap stubborn red-eye Serious Red-Eye Fixer Upper
Quick Creative Collage Combining Images How to change the default email client in Tiger
Tips for Better Text, Pt. 2 The Beginner's Guide to Image Editing, Part 1
The magic of selective blurring Softening Freckles Fabulous Feathers
Creating a collage with Linear Burn A Stroll Down Blend Mode Lane, Pt. 4 How to fix an out-of-focus photo Filters To the Rescue!
Creating Coloring Book Art Filtering away edge haloes or fringe Fixing Fringe
Demystifying Blending Modes A Stroll Down Blend Mode Lane, Pt. 1 Super Funky Edges
How to create black teeth, red eyes, and green skin Halloween Fun with Elements Contemplating Color Burn A Stroll Down Blend Mode Lane, Pt. 3

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