Hosted by Bert Monroy.
Be amazed and learn as master digital artist Bert Monroy takes a stylus and a digital pad and treats them as Monet and Picasso do with oil and canvas. Learn the tips and tricks you need to whip those digital pictures into shape with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Read More
Learn to make an automated contact sheet in Adobe Photoshop, and check out Bert Monroy's tricks to instantly updating images with Smart Objects.
We're back in the studio and this week, learn more about Smart Objects in contact sheets!
Smart objects are often used with images, and Bert shows you how to create a contact sheet. Choose File > Automate > Contact Sheet II. This option isn't available for everyone because Adobe removed it a couple versions ago. You'll need to re-install this plugin from your Adobe CD, or find it on the Adobe site. Place the plugin in the Automate folder. .
When you get the Contact Sheet II window up, choose the folder that contains your images and set the specifications of your contact sheet's layout. Photoshop will automatically create the graphic with all image files loaded in a single layer.
In a new layer, Bert takes a rounded corner rectangle with a radius of 20px and he draws a box around the first image. He loads this as a selection, then hits Ctrl+T to transform and copy for each of the images in the contact sheet. This layer of shapes is moved below the image layer, and a clipping mask is made so that the images show through the rectangle shapes..
Bert then drags his contact sheet layers into a new, pre-designed document. He duplicates and flips the contact sheet layers, then applies a gradient layer mask to the bottom images to add a stylistic reflection. He uses creative warp options (arch) for additional design elements.
You can adjust the color of your smart object images by choosing Layer > Smart Objects > Edit Content or Replace Content. This will update all layers that used the original smart object.
Want your artwork on PixelPerfect?
Make sure to send in your artwork to bert@revision3.com if you'd like your image used as Bert's background on a future episode of PixelPerfect. Your image should be a 1280x720 JPG.
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