Quick Adobe InDesign Tip on photo and illustration effects for designers

Adobe InDesign CS3 has tools in it that are great for a designer. If you don’t have time to use Photoshop or Illustrator but want to just learn InDesign, there are some ways to manipulate a photo or illustration within the software.

CS3 and CS4 allow you some awesome abilities to blend a photo with a background color.  In this instance I have a Orange-ish background that I created using the “Eyedropper” tool.  I then chose to right click on the photo and click “Effects”.

From the Effects pallet that pops up on the screen you have sooo many options of what to do next.  I like to add a directional feather and a basic feather. My feather widths are set at .2 all around to create the illusion that the photo blends perfectly with the background color.

Click okay and your done! Yep, it’s that easy! Gotta love the help that Adobe InDesign CS3 and CS4 bring us!

Finally a way to get a facelift with just a simple trick in Photoshop CS3!

My favorite tool in Photoshop CS3 is the surface blur tool.

If you want your photo to look FANTASTIC and like you just got a face lift, well I have the perfect trick and now all of your photo’s will be picture perfect!

Open your photo in Photoshop CS3.  From the layers panel, create a duplicate layer.  While on the duplicate layer go to the menu and choose Filter, Convert for smart filters as in the example below:

OK almost done. Now go back to the Filter menu and choose blur, surface blur. For radius put in 4 and for threshold put in 12.  This will give you a very painted look but never fear, keep following these instructions my friends!

Now come over to the layers pallet again. Notice under surface blur you now have something new called “Smart Filters”.  Click on that white box.  Go to the menu up top again and choose Edit, Fill. Under contents click the drop down and change it to black.  This makes all the changes you just made with the surface blur disappear.

But Why Sylva? I want a makeover…you promised!! Hold on my friend! Watch this..now go over to your toolbar and choose the paintbrush tool.  I would change the roundness to about 20 or so.  Now you can start brushing on the photo where you want the facelift.  I have even done strokes to my hair to give it that extra “glow”. Hahaha! Now you know how to look MAGNIFICANT all the time!  Any questions, just hit me up on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/sylwilson and be sure to follow me!