Andy Warhol created a pop art sensation the moment he unveiled his “photo silkscreen” portrait of Marilyn Monroe and the famous Che Guevara portrait. This same look has been mimicked many times over. It has been used on shirts, billboards and political cartoons. Computers have made this technique easy. Make your own lithograph in Photoshop CS3.

1. Open up Photoshop. Import the picture you wish to work on. (This can be done by simply dragging the picture to the Photoshop icon on your desktop.)
2. Step 2

   Take the subject that you are trying to lithograph by cutting it out using either the Lasso tool, Quick Selection tool, or Quick Mask tool (at the bottom of the toolbox).

3. Step 3

   Use a combination of the Quick Mask and Lasso tools for the hard extractions. With the Quick Mask Tool selected, reset the foreground and background colors to their original black and white. Then grab the paintbrush and flip the foreground and background colors by clicking on them to paint over the area you want selected. If done correctly, there should be a selection around the area you want cut out. Clean this up by using the lasso tool (Lasso + “Shift”= add to selection and Lasso + “Option”= subtract from selection. Use “Control” instead of “Option” to subtract on a PC).

4. Step 4

   Choose Threshold by going to “Image>Adjustments>Threshold.” Move the slider until it is black and white.

5. Step 5

   Make a duplicate of this layer by dragging the layer in the Layers panel on the right-hand side to the new layers icon that looks like a little sticky note at the bottom of the Layers window. Fill this layer with white.

6. Step 6

   Remove the white of the black and white layer by going to “Select>Color Range.” A window should appear. Use the color picker to select the white of the image. Hit “OK.” The white area should be selected. Press “Delete.”

7. Step 7

   Create a new layer and fill this with any color you like.

Digital photography has taken off in recent years as digital cameras become less expensive and higher in quality, making the average user’s experience better than with traditional film cameras. Another part of the success of digital media is the abundance of relatively inexpensive software used for editing digital images. However, there is a learning curve to becoming fully familiar with the technology.

1. Update your plug-ins for CS3. Make sure that you have updated your camera raw plug-in to the latest version (http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw.html). If you have had trouble downloading raw files before, then this may be the only thing you need to do in order to fix the problem. The 40D camera was manufactured prior to the development and release of CS3.
2. Step 2

   Connect the camera to the computer by inserting the USB chord into the ports on the camera and computer respectively. If the computer does not register that a device has been connected, then try unplugging the USB chord and then reinserting the USB chord again.

3. Step 3

   Process raw images by selecting a raw image using Adobe Bridge. Choose “File” on the menu bar followed by “Open In Camera Raw.” You can also use “Control + R” as a keyboard shortcut. Click “Done” to accept the changes and adjustments in the camera raw dialogue box. Click “Open” to process the raw adjusted image copy in Photoshop.

4. Step 4

   Import the camera raw images into Photoshop by selecting the raw files in Adobe Bridge. Select “File” from the menu bar at the top of the screen, Open With, Photoshop CS3. Double-click on the images that you want to import and click “Open” while pressing “Shift” to open the image as a Smart Object. Then you can double-click the Smart Object layer containing the raw file in order to adjust camera raw settings.

5. Step 5

   Convert the raw file to a DNG, which is a different type of raw format. Use this step only if you still cannot download the raw files into CS3. You may need to download the DNG Converter from Adobe (http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3731). The converter is a free utility that converts files to DNG raw files. DNG is superior to traditional raw files because it presents an open standard for proprietary and unique raw files to be created and allows photographers to catalog raw files in a single format.

Creating a website from an image can be difficult and time consuming if you have to copy and save each individual element needed for your web page. Using Adobe Fireworks, it’s quick and easy.

1. Open Adobe Fireworks CS3 on your computer.
2. Step 2

   Next, open the image you want to turn into a website.

3. Step 3

   select the slice tool in the main tool bar. If you don’t have the main tool bar loaded, you can load the slice tool with the short keys shift-k or command-k.

4. Step 4

   Click and drag the slice tool, selecting the image you want for your web page.

5. Step 5

   Once you release you will be giving the option to name the slice. Continue creating slices until you’re done.

6. Step 6

   Save your file as a fireworks png. this will keep your slices in tact in case you need to make adjustments.

7. Step 7

   Click File, then Export. Here you’ll be able to save the entire project as a html file or just save the image slices.

The future will be filled with flying cars and robots. Well, not really. The world promised in the clean-edged worlds of tomorrow held the promise of life on the cutting edge of technology. Flying cars may not be here, but infusing your business with the same promise can be as simple as a logo turn. Use Adobe After Effects CS3 to make a spinning 3D logo to show clients that your business is innovative, competent and at the edge of technology.

1. Go to “File>Import>File.” A window should open.
2. Step 2

   Select the finished logo file. Import it as footage and check off the JPEG sequence button. This should import the file into your project window.

3. Step 3

   Drag the image from the project window to the Timeline window. You can fix the composition size, frame rate, and time duration by going to “Composition> Composition Settings.”

4. Step 4

   Click on the white triangle scroll-down menu. You should now be looking at the word Transform. Here you will find many ways to animate or distort your image.

5. Step 5

   Click on the white triangle-scroll down menu for “Transform.”

6. Step 6

   Look for “Rotation.”

7. Step 7

   Click on the white stopwatch icon next to “Rotation.” This adds a keyframe diamond to the Timeline window. A keyframe is a marker that marks the beginning and end of a change.

8. Step 8

   Move the Time Indicator, which has a blue tab and a red line extending below it, to the end of the Timeline.

9. Step 9

   Click on the first zero after Rotation and type one. This indicates the amount of revolutions your logo does. The second numbers indicate the degrees.

10. Step 10

    Play the animation by hitting the space bar. The logo should turn counterclockwise.

Add 3D

11. Step 1

    Make the turn 3D by right-clicking on the image name on the Timeline.

12. Step 2

    Click the 3D layer. Using the same technique as before, click on the “Z Rotation Stopwatch” icon to erase its keyframes.

13. Step 3

    Add keyframes to the X Rotation to rotate the icon top to bottom.

14. Step 4

    Add keyframes to the Y Rotation to rotate the icon left to right.

Adobe After Effects is a complicated animation and compositing program that can not easily be learned in a few steps. The best way to learn the program is to start simply, learn the basics, and build from there. One of the first things you will do to begin working with the program is to understand the Time Controls in After Effects.

1. Open the Adobe After Effects program. If you have worked with other Adobe graphics programs you will notice similarities in the way the workspace looks. Typically there is a Timeline across the bottom, a project window on the upper left and a Monitor in the middle. You will also see various controls, like Time Controls and Tools.
2. Step 2

   The Time Controls are usually located in the upper right of your workspace. They look like a series of arrows and the panel says Time Controls in the upper left of the panel.

3. Step 3

   Allow your mouse to “hover” over each arrow to see its name. You will see “First Frame,” “Previous Frame,” “Play/Pause,” “Next Frame,” “Last Frame,” “Mute Audio” and “RAM Preview.” While the title of each control makes it behave in a self-explanatory way, you may want to import footage into a Timeline and click on each Time Control to see how the tool behaves.

4. Step 4

   “First Frame” and “Last Frame” will move the Time Indicator to the first or last frame of your sequence. “Previous Frame” and “Next Frame” will move the Time Indicator to frame immediately before or immediately after the point of where the current Time Indicator is.

5. Step 5

   RAM preview will allow you to view any compositing or effects you have created without having to go through a full render, which can take a lot of time. You can change your RAM preview options with the controls directly under the Time Controls. For more extensive compositions you might want to change to a setting such as “Half” or “Quarter” to save you preview rendering time.

Adobe After Effects is one of the most powerful animation tools on the market. It is strengthened by its ability to work with a variety of file types. The program treats these different file types as footage, which it stores permanently in the project panel. The basic import structure is the same whether you are bringing in a dozen MP3s or a single JPEG.

Importing Files & Footage

1. Step 1

   In the top menu bar, choose the File option, then Import, then File. A dialogue box will appear.

2. Step 2

   If you are looking for a specific file type, click the drop-down menu next to the word Enable. “All Files” will show you all file types in the directory you’re looking in, while “All Acceptable Files” only lists files that are supported by After Effects. “All Footage Files” will only show files that are actual footage–for example, a QuickTime movie would show up here, but a previous After Effects project would not. Underneath these options are specific file types–if you’re dealing with a large directory and you know the specific kind of file you want, this feature can be helpful.

3. Step 3

   Change the “Import As” drop-down menu to read “Footage.”

4. Step 4

   Find the file you want to open using the Import File directory. To select multiple files, control+click on each file you want to import. To select contiguous files, click the file at the top of the directory, then hold down shift before clicking the file at the bottom of the directory. This should highlight all files. Once you have the file(s) you want to import selected, click the Open button at the bottom of the dialogue box.

5. Step 5

   Change the options in any prompt you may receive, if those changes are necessary to your project. Some file types have prompt boxes associated with them, while others don’t.

Many of the coolest graphic animation effects you see on television or on the web are created using Adobe AfterEffects. This is an extremely versatile program, but it is also very complex. The best way to learn this (or any other) program is through tutorials in which you apply the tools and techniques to a particular project.

1. Open AfterEffects. Select “Composition” and click “New Composition.” In the dialog box, select the size you want to use from the presets, such as NTSC DVD or HD. Then set the “Duration.” For example, you might choose “Web Video,” which is 320 x 240, and make it five seconds long. Name the project and click “OK.”
2. Step 2

   Select “Layer,” then “New” and click “Solid.” In the dialog box, make the size of the solid 200 x 200 and change the color to white. This creates a new layer in the “Layer” panel. Select the layer and hit “S” on your keyboard. This brings up the “Scale Control,” which lets you change the size of the solid.

3. Step 3

   Go to the timeline on the right and drag the timeline arrow to two seconds. Click on the little stopwatch to add a keyframe. Now drag the arrow back to the first frame, go back to the layers, and change the Scale to “0.” Now, if you click “0″ on the number pad, the video will play, and you will see the solid getting larger (or closer). Drag the blue timeline slider over to the keyframe you inserted so that you will only play the part you are working on. To make the animation run more smoothly, highlight both keyframes and hit “F9″ on the keyboard.

4. Step 4

   Select the layer and go to “Edit” and click “Duplicate.” Offset the new layer in the timeline one frame by clicking on the layer in the timelime and dragging it. Click on the “Toggle” switch at the bottom of the screen. Then click on the “None” menu under “TrkMat” and select “Invert Alpha.” Now the top layer solid (which appears smaller in each frame because it is offset) is functioning as a mask for the other frame, which now appears to have a hole in it.

5. Step 5

   Highlight both layers and duplicate them. Select the second layer down. Select “Layer” and click “Solid Settings.” In the dialog box, change the color to whatever you want. Select the top two frames and move them two frames over in the timeline. Now, when you play the video, you see two nested colored squares becoming larger.

Described as the “Photoshop of dynamic media” by After Effects 7: Visual Quick Pro Guide author, Anthony Bolante, After Effects has become one of the best tools for allowing a motion artist to create amazing effects. But on the rare occasion that some footage must be extended, which actually happens more than you would think, After Effects CS3 has a few ways of looping that footage. This won’t only save you time, but now you can keep the hair you would have pulled out in frustration.

1. Drag the footage onto the After Effects icon. This should open up After Effects with that footage in the Project Panel.
2. Step 2

   Select this footage, and go to “File,” “Interpret Footage,” “Main.” An Interpret Footage Window should appear. There should be four boxes within this window. Your only concern will be with the last one. This is the “Other Options” box.

3. Step 3

   Type in the number 2 with in the Loop Times box. For complete cycles type in whole numbers, and if you want partial cycles, use decimals. Then click “OK.”

4. Step 4

   “Double click” on the footage to open it up in another window. Hit the space bar to see it loop twice. You can do this as many times as you wish.

Expression Aided Footage Loop

5. Step 1

   Leaving After Effects open. Create a new composition by going to “Composition,” “New,” then click “OK.”

6. Step 2

   Go to “Layer,” “New Solid,” and press “OK.” Create a Square Mask by clicking on the square icon next to the Pen Tool icon in the Tools panel. Click on your solid in the middle composition panel. Drag across until you are happy with the size of the square.

7. Step 3

   Click on the Solid Layer in the timeline below the Composition window and type “P” to reveal the position property. Click on the Stopwatch Icon next to “Position.” This will add a key frame, or a marker that will allow you to animate this solid across time. Move the time indicator 20 frames, and move the square across the screen. Now it is time for an expression.

8. Step 4

   Select the Position Property Name on the TimeLine, and hold down Shift + Option + Equal Sign (for Mac) or Shift + Alt + Equal Sign (for PC). This will add an expression box.

9. Step 5

   Type “loop_out(“cycle”,0)” within the box. Hit your space bar to see the square animation loop

Adobe After Effects is a well respected video editing and postwork program. It is used by television and film makers to add any number of special effects to their footage. The CS3 version introduced a number of new features and upgrades that make it an even more effective program. Many of the upgrades to the program involve the way the program works with other programs when importing or exporting, while others are entirely new.

Photoshop Layer Styles

1. It has always been possible to import files from Photoshop (another Adobe product) into After Effects, but some features were not fully imported in such a way that they were still editable. One of these features is Photoshop layer styles. But with the release of version CS3 the style layer properties of Photoshop files became not only “editable,” but “animatable.”

Puppet

2. An entirely new feature that was first introduced in After Effects CS3 is the Puppet function. This upgrade provides a group of tools that allow the user to take part of an image, such as a person or an animal, and define a mesh for it that can then be posed almost like a 3D animated figure. This permits users to animate virtually any 2D image.

Brainstorm

3. Another interesting and useful upgrade in CS3 is the Brainstorm feature. Brainstorm lets the user experiment with different variations on a property. In the dialog he can compare the results of different settings for that property and use the version he prefers. Or he can choose to change different or multiple combinations of properties and compare these changes before applying them.

Improved Export

4. After Effects CS3 has also upgraded the already extensive export functions available to the user. In particular, is has added new presets export option that allow users to quickly and easily export their video in a format that will play well on small web devices like phones and the Apple iPod.

Color Control

5. Adobe has upgraded the color management tools in CS3. The new simpler color control interface makes it much easier to control the color of particular items in the video, as well as the resulting output colors.

Using CC Particle Systems II that already comes installed with After Effects CS3 you can recreate fireworks for use in your video or animation project.

1. Open After Effects and Create a New Composition apple n, in the dialog box chose the Preset NTSC DV.
2. Step 2

   Rename the comp to Fireworks and set the duration to 2seconds(00:02:00) and click ok.

3. Step 3

   We now need to create a solid for our particle effect to be placed on so use the shortcut key apple y to create a new solid. Rename this solid Explosive you will realize why
   later.

4. Step 4

   Change the size of the solid to 400×400 as we don’t need our firework to fill the whole screen and change the solid color to red and click ok.

5. Step 5

   With your solid layer selected in your timeline move over to your effects and presets panel and type in cc particle systems II.

6. Step 6

   Double Click on CC Particles Systems II in your presets panel. Double click places the effect on our solid and your effects tab should show up on the top left side of the program window. Your solid should have turned back at this point or your default color of your composition.

7. Step 7

   In your effects control panel under CC Particle System Effect change the Following parameters.
   Birth Rate (sec) 1.0 ——-speed at which new particles are created
   Longevity (sec) 2.0 ——–

8. Step 8

   Next Twirl down Producer and change the following parameters
   Radius X 0.0 (putting these at zero to give us more of a combustion effect)
   Radius Y 0.0

9. Step 9

   Twirl down Physics and change
   Animation to Explosive
   Velocity 1.0
   Inherit Velocity 0.0
   Gravity .8
   Resistance 1.7
   Direction 0x+353.0″
   Extra 1.1

10. Step 10

    Twirl down Particle and change the following
    Particle Type Line
    Opacity Map Fade Out
    Max Opacity 75%
    Color Map Origin to Death
    Transfer Mode Add

11. Step 11

    Now if you use your CTI to scrub through the timeline you will see your firework explosion come to life. As you are doing this you will notice that it keeps going though. In real life the explosion would be very quick and disappear fast so we need to cut this solids length in the timeline.
    To do this move to frame 11 or timecode 0;00;00;11
    At this point in the timeline hold down your alt/option key and ]
    This will cut the length of our animation but keep our keyframes in tact

12. Step 12

    Now if you play your animation you will see it explode and then disappear like a normal firework would. Move back to frame one in your timeline and select your explosive layer

13. Step 13

    Making sure your explosive layer is selected hit apple D to duplicate the solid and with it all its effect properties we
    changed.

14. Step 14

    With the duplicate layer selected hit enter/return and rename it to
    fractal explosive

15. Step 15

    Select Fractal Explosive layer and in its effects Change the Physics setting Animation to Fractal Explosive. When you click on the drop down menu you will notice there are a few other types to chose from. Twirl and Twirly settings simulate nice fireworks as well. If you want to create these do steps 13-15 changing names and animation type respectively.

16. Step 16

    After you are done creating your fireworks you can change the color of the explosions by changing the color of your solids for each layer. Select the firework layer you want to change and select Layer>Solid Setting to bring up your solids dialog box or Shift apple y. Change the color to whatever you want your firework color to be.

17. Step 17

    Final step if you have not don so already is to spread out your fireworks in the timeline and to place them in random areas of your composition window

18. Step 18

    Extra step to make it more lifelike would be to fade out the explosion. You would do this by animating the opacity on each layer by selecting the layer and hitting t to bring up the setting.
    So if your animation is 11 frames long place a opacity keyframe of 100% at frame 9 and at frame 11 an opacity keyframe of 5%. A 2 frame fade out to the end of your explosion