Just for Beginners, post your questions, ask for help, get opinions...
32 posts Page 2 of 4
suzi, you have done almost every other GTwCS, right? What makes you think you can't do this one??? It really isn't that hard. Just practice on the templates a lot, then turn on your grid and give it a try. And mess around with the handles and the points. Did you download the cheat sheet? Print it out and keep it handy.

You can do it! :cheer2:
Reka
CS3 on Vista, Nikon D40 (50mm1.4, 18-55mm and 70-300mm VR) and FIREFOX
ImageMOM

My galleries <------------------> My blog
Cheat sheet, I didn't see that. I am up to lesson 4 and after a few blunders doing, ok.
Got the sheet, now back to work, this is so much fun, well not yet, but hopefully soon will be
I feel like I am talking to the wall. If it weren't for suzi, I would be.

I am up to Wags' point: if there is no interest in participation, I may as well quit. This may be the last GTwCS.

Image
Reka
CS3 on Vista, Nikon D40 (50mm1.4, 18-55mm and 70-300mm VR) and FIREFOX
ImageMOM

My galleries <------------------> My blog
Oh , please don't do that, Reka. I need you!!!! I am so lost with this week's it's not funny. I can do the practice's with no problem but the last one has got me. The cheat sheet is not helping me at all. I can't seem to get started...how do I get the first 2 points going???? see told you I was lost. Is there anyway you could post a screen shot of how you started the cloverleaf. At this rate the only thing I can do is a square :help: :help: :help:
Suzi, start at one of the inside corners or the stem. Draw a straight line or straight lines first, then one of the outside curves. Put your points where the path changes directions. Don't worry if not all of it looks good at the beginning. Some of the curves will have to have their handles moved to make the curve go the way you want it, and you can do that when you have closed the path. Remember, Ctrl selects the point you want to change, Alt lets you change it or move the handles. So first Ctrl and a click on the point you want to change, then Alt to actually change it. You can also move a point with Ctrl if you think it is in the wrong spot.

Unfortunately, it's my bedtime. I will see what I can find to help you in the morning. I hope to have some new help here in the thread before you get up tomorrow! Hang in there, girl, and remember: practice makes perfect! :thumbsup:
Reka
CS3 on Vista, Nikon D40 (50mm1.4, 18-55mm and 70-300mm VR) and FIREFOX
ImageMOM

My galleries <------------------> My blog
Reka, thanks, my eyes are crossed from trying to do this. I think I am missing a step somewhere.
OK, Reka, just for you I am going to totally humilate myself. I can't get this thing going.try for round and get garbage. Don't laugh to hard at this. I need some serious help. You will see that what was supposed to be a cloverleaf looks more like a mutant elephant.


reka-help.jpg
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Why, suzi, I would never laugh at anyone who needs help! I see you are having problems. Are you using the PDF file as a background to guide you on making the path?

I am sorry, I had something prepared to post, but got going on work, left it in my drafts folder and forgot to post it. I will post it immediately after this post. Read it and try what it suggests, then get back to me. And read the parts in BOLD carefully!!!
Reka
CS3 on Vista, Nikon D40 (50mm1.4, 18-55mm and 70-300mm VR) and FIREFOX
ImageMOM

My galleries <------------------> My blog
Thanks, Reka. Shoot laugh if you want. I sure did. I am having problems with setting the points. Do I need to click on the pen tool everytime I try to set a new curve??
Okay, let me first give you a few quotes that have helped me along the way:

For the moment, try to imagine a springy wire. A guitar string will do. Unlike a piece of rope, a guitar string’s material has a “memory”; it is made in such a way that it “remembers” what it is supposed to be. In the case of a guitar string, that is a straight line. That doesn’t mean it can’t be deformed, but it wants to be a straight line.
Imagine now that we have a board with two nails hammered in, and we force the springy wire or guitar string between those nails. It will form a smooth arc, right? The outward tension the string creates (wanting to be a straight line) will create a smooth curve. If we feed more string in, the curve expands in size but stays smooth. Without the nails, the string forms a straight line. The somewhat odd graphic at right is my attempt at clarifying this concept visually!Image
This is the best bezier curve analogy I can come up with. The Pen Tool creates points (the “nails” in the analogy) which constrain and define the segments, which can be either smooth curves or straight sections.
thegoldenmean.com

Imagine your pen tool is a car. The edge of the object you are drawing is a road that you are driving down. Now every time you come to a curve, you have to hold the button down and steer towards that curve. That will create a pretty close approximation for what you want to do. Remember that if the turn is abrupt, you just click and let go so that it is a sharp angle.
planetphotoshop.com

One of the nice things you'll learn rather quickly about the Pen Tool is that it is extremely forgiving. There's no reason at all to worry about getting things right the first time when drawing paths with it because we can go back and fix things up easily when we're done! Did you place an anchor point in the wrong spot? No problem! Just move it where you need it! We'll see how to do that in a moment. Did you drag out a direction handle in the wrong direction? Not a problem. Grab the handle and rotate it into the direction you need. Again, we'll see how to do that. Is one of your direction handles too long or too short? No problem at all. Just click on it and then drag it longer or shorter as needed (yep, we're going to see how to do that, too). Paths are fully editable at all times, so there's absolutely no reason to worry about making a mistake or getting it right the first time. Doesn't that make you feel a little better already?
photoshopessentials.com

Then I would recommend you look at this long, but very good tutorial about the pen tool:
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/basi ... elections/

And since you have more experience with it than the last time you watched, try watching Bert Monroy's video about the pen tool again. He goes fast, but he has a lot of good things to say.
http://revision3.com/pixelperfect/pentool/

This is also a good resource, though it is for Illustrator:
http://www.oit.umass.edu/workshops/tuto ... g/ai_2.pdf

You may also want to turn the rubber band option on (down arrow next to the blobby shape at the top). I don't find it terribly helpful, but you might.
Reka
CS3 on Vista, Nikon D40 (50mm1.4, 18-55mm and 70-300mm VR) and FIREFOX
ImageMOM

My galleries <------------------> My blog
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