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Transform tools in Adobe Photoshop Class - 11 [Adobe Photoshop for Beginners]

 Transform tools in Adobe Photoshop Class - 11 [Adobe Photoshop for Beginners]:

Assalam.o.Alaikum

welcome to Tech Learning 4U


As you create in Photoshop,


there will be occasions where you will want


to change the size, shape, and form


of creative objects in your composition


to meet your design and imagination.


In this tutorial I'm going


to discuss and demonstrate how to


manipulate creative elements in our canvas area


by using the transform tools.


By the end of this tutorial


you will feel comfortable transforming


and manipulating creative elements in Photoshop.


So here we have the document opened and if we look


in the layers panel, we can see this document


consists of multiple layers.


Here we have a blue background layer


and some Origami birds each on their individual layers.


Now, in Photoshop there are lots of ways


to transform your creative.


So let's say we want to flip the entire canvas.


This can be done easily by coming up to the top menu


and clicking on Image.


If I scroll down there is an option


here called, Image Rotate.


If I place my mouse cursor over this


we can see a few options.


I can flip the canvas in various degrees.


I can flip vertically or horizontally.


On this occasion, I'm going to select, Flip Horizontal.


So upon click, the entire document has flipped horizontal.


So this can be useful if I have a photo


I would like to flip.


Now, as you just saw, there are other options there


in the Image Rotate menu.


Be sure to experiment with those.


So I'll press Command-Zed to undo that.


Now, what if I want to flip a particular layer


in my composition horizontally?


Now this can be done easily,


but we need to follow a different path.


So first I need to select the


particular layer I wish to transform.


So I'll select the red bird layer.


This time, instead of coming to Image, I'll come to Edit.


If I scroll down, and come to Transform,


you will see a number of transform options.


On this occasion, I will select, Flip Horizontal.


Upon click, we will see the layer flip horizontal.


So remember, to flip the entire document


we need to go to Image, Image Rotate,


and to flip a layer we must first select a layer


and go to Edit, Transform.


So, with the move tool, I'll just move my red bird


up a little like so.


So next, I want to introduce you


to the Free Transform tool.


The Free Transform tool in Photoshop will allow you


to edit in multiple ways.


I find this tool to be one of the most common


transform tasks used in Photoshop.


So, for example, I'm going to focus on the blue bird here.


So to use the Free Transform


we must first select the layer we wish to edit.


In the layers panel I will select the blue bird layer.


With the blue bird layer selected, I will come up to edit,



scroll down and select, Free Transform.


Now upon click, we will see a square bounding box


around the contents of the layer.


Now since this layer only consists of the blue bird,


it's put square bounding box around the blue bird.


Okay, so for now I will just press enter.


Upon pressing enter, the Free Transform will be turned off


and we will go back to normal.


This time, I'm going to use the keyboard shortcut.


To quickly activate the Free Transform tool,


we can press Command-T on the keyboard.


Upon pressing Command-T, we will activate the free


transform, and just like before, we can see


the square bounding box appear around the item on the layer.


So what do we have here?


So upon activating Free Transform,


we now have an outline around the object.


This bounding box.


If we look closely, we can see a number of details.


We can see we have eight mini squares


around the outline around the bounding box.


Now these are points that we can use


to manipulate this object in various ways.


So as I move my mouse cursor over anyone of these points,


you will notice the mouse cursor change.


This is Photoshop indicating what task


this point will perform.


So the points on the top and bottom give us the ability


to transform the image vertically.


For example, I'll place my mouse cursor over the top handle


and pull down and up like so.


If I place my mouse cursor over the bottom point


and pull up and down you can see I can edit this, too.


Now, as you have probably already guessed


we can do the same to the sides, as well.


If I move my mouse cursor over to the right point


I can drag it in and out and likewise


with the point on the left.


Now, you can also click and drag on the corner points


by clicking and dragging


on any one of the corner points we can alter the scale.


Now, if you move your mouse cursor


just off the corner point, and float the mouse


near the corner, you will notice the mouse cursor


change to a curve with arrows on each end.


Well, this is Photoshop communicating


you can now click and rotate.


So if I click and drag I can rotate.


So with the Free Transform active on our layer,


we can change the height, width and rotation very easily.


So I'll just play with the Free Transform tool


on this blue bird to make it change of it like so.


Once I'm happy with the change, I'll simply press enter


and the transform will be applied.


Simple.


So I'm gonna press Command-Zed to undo that


and go back to what I had, previously.


So now I want to demonstrate some useful tips you need


to be aware of when using the Free Transform tool.


So I'll activate Free Transform again


on this layer by pressing Command-T.


Upon click, we will have the bounding box back.


Now, there are a number of buttons you can press


on the keyboard to control how you make transformations


as you apply them.


For example, if I press and hold shift on the keyboard


and click and drag in and out on one of the corner points


you will notice you can increase


or decrease the object to scale.


So without shift held down, you can increase


and decrease freely, but with shift


held down, you can increase and decrease to scale.


Convenient.


Now, here is another interesting one.


This time I will click and hold alt on the keyboard.


By pressing and holding alt on the keyboard


and dragging in and out this time we will increase


and decrease from the center of the image.


As we drag we can do this quite freely.


Now, with alt held down, this time I will also press


and hold shift.


So with shift and alt held down


on the keyboard, this time if I click and drag


in and out I can increase and decrease


from the center but to scale.


This is really useful to increase


or decrease a creative element really fast.


Now, another important tip you should be aware of


with Free Transform active on the layer, this time I'm going


to move my mouse cursor up to the corner.


Instead of putting my mouse cursor on the cursor point,


I'll move it just off to get the rotate arrows.


So instead of clicking and dragging freely like before,


this time I will press and hold shift on the keyboard.


With shift held down on the keyboard, as I click


to rotate, you will notice the bounding box snap


to small increments.


This can help if you want to rotate accurately


to degrees of 90.


One last tip you should keep in mind


when using Free Transform is the distort


and perspective transform.


With the bounding box around your creative object, this time


instead of pressing alt or shift, this time I'm going


to press and hold command.


By pressing and holding command on the keyboard,


if I move my mouse over a point,


you will notice it turn white.


Now, if I click on a corner point and drag out,


I can distort the image by clicking and dragging


on other points I can alter the perspective


and make some quite drastic changes.


Once I am happy I'll press enter to commit.


Though on this occasion, I'll press Comman-Zed to undo.


So those are some techniques you can use


with the Free Transform tool.


Be sure to practice with those techniques to get a good grip


of them as you will be using those techniques


a lot in future.


Now, you can also transform multiple layers


in one go.


So I'll come over to the layers panel.


I'll select the top layer by pressing and holding shift


on the keyboard,


I'll then select the blue background layer.


Upon click, I will select all the layers


in the layers panel, bar the bottom point base layer.


So, with all the layers above selected,


I will press Command-T to activate Free Transform.


Notice, upon click, the bounding box is now


around the biggest element in the selection


and here, the bounding box is around the outside


of the canvas area.


So with the bounding box active, I can attempt


to make any of the transforms you saw


in the previous demonstrations.


For example, if I wish for all these creative elements


to be smaller, I can hold alt and shift on the keyboard,


click and drag on the top right point


and drag in like so.


So that's how we can apply modifications


to multiple layers at the same time.


So I'll just press Command-Zed to undo that


and go back to what I had previous.


Now, there are various other transform tools


you can explore.


This time, I'll select the purple bird,


I'll come to Edit,


scroll down to Transform, and this time I'll select, Warp.


Upon click, we will have a different kind of bounding box.


With this active, I can click and drag


on the corners like with the Free Transform


and also on parts of the grid to create a warp effect.


I'll press enter to apply, and Command-Zed to undo.


Next, I'll come to Edit, Transform,


and select, Perspective.


And this time I can click and drag the points


to alter the perspective.


So that is how to manipulate your creative elements


in Adobe Photoshop using the transform tools.


In the next Blog we will be looking


at one of the most significant tools


in Photoshop, the brush tool.


I will be discussing and demonstrating brushes


and how we can use them in our compositions.

See you in the next Blog.



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