Arts & Entertainment Facts and Tips

1. When working on a colour image, you can use the Paint Brush tool to selectively “paint away” colour to black and white. It can make one portion of your image really stand out. In the Paint Brush Options palette, change the blend mode to Colour, and paint away the colour

2. When using your magic wand tool you can press your Shift to add more to the selection, or press your Alt to take away from the selection.

3. If you have a lot of images to display, use Photoshop’s image gallery to build a webpage of images that are thumbnailed for you. FILE > Automate > Web Images Gallery

4. To automatically select the entire text layer, double click on the ‘T’ on a Type layer in the Layers Palette.

There are at least two ways to switch between the various measurement units that Photoshop displays.

5. Option one is to change them in your Preferences by choosing Units & Rulers (in Photoshop 7 under Mac OS 9, Preferences is found under the Edit menu) in the Photoshop menu under Preferences. At this point you can change the ruler units and click OK.

6. The second way is to open the Info Palette (go to the Window menu and choose Info) and click on the small triangle next to the cross in the lower left quadrant. This will bring up a menu that will allow you to change units on the fly.

7. To cycle through different screen modes, simply press the F key

8. By holding the Cmd/Ctrl key and clicking the mouse on that layer in the Layers palette, you can select only the pixels and not the transparency area of the layer

9. Do you have a layer style you like to use a lot? You can save that layer style as a style that will show up in your styles palette. In the Blending Options, just under OK and Cancel you’ll see ‘Save Style’. Name it and save it. You’ll then find this new style in the Styles palette. Note: the style must be in its own layer.

10. From time to time when you combine multiple images, there can be a bit of fringe around the edges of the composite images. Hide this with steps: Layers > Matting > Defringe. At the dialogue box, pick the default setting; should that not work, undo it, and try Defringe again at a setting of 2.

11. Got too many layers? Simply select the right layer by using the move tool ( V ) Right click the mouse over the layer and a drop down list will come up.

Alternatively, you can put your layers in layer sets. On the bottom of your layers palette, click the create new layers set (looks like a folder), name the new layer set, and just drag the layers you like in that set. Great for coping a set too. Highlight the set right click and copy.

12) Press Shift-Command-M (Mac)/ Shift-Control-M (PC) to toggle between Photoshop and ImageReady.

13. Press Shift-Command-Option-S (Mac)/ Shift-Control-Alt-S (PC) to access the Save for Web dialogue rapidly,

14. Press Cmd/Ctrl J to duplicate your current layer.

15. To bring up the Extract dialogue box, press Command-Option-X (Mac)/ Control-Alt-X (PC). Within the Extract dialogue box, switch to the Extract Edge Highlighter tool by pressing the letter “b.”, the Fill tool by pressing the letter “k.”, and change the Edge Highlighter’s brush size by holding the ] key to make it larger and the [ to make it smaller.

Boasting a brand name in cameras, the 4- megapixel Canon PowerShot A520 is a nice little camera from all points of view. The new generation to descend from the PowerShot A85, the Canon A520 is smaller and lighter than its predecessor with a longer zoom lens and the addition of a few more scene modes.

Those both experienced and new to photography will be pleased with what the Canon PowerShot A520 has to offer. What’s even tougher to beat than this camera’s features is its great value-for-money appeal making it a camera to consider if in the market for a camera purchase.

The only true design change with the Canon PowerShot A520 is in its size. It is essentially a compacted version of the A85 as a result of this model operating on two double-A batteries whereas the A85 operated on four.

Outside of size, the only other obvious differences are that the AF assist lamp on the front has been relocated to the opposite side of the optical viewfinder and if you look close, you will notice the microphone is slightly shifted.

The LCD is still the same 1.8 inches diagonally but does have some differences. The LCD is now an f/2.6 to f/5.5, 5.8- to 23.2-mm (35- to 140-mm, 35-mm equivalent), 4X optical zoom lens.

Quality photos come easy due to the well thought out optical system of the Canon PowerShot A520. Along with the 4x optical zoom, there is a 4.2 megapixel resolution with this camera. It also boasts an impressive ISO range of 50 to 400 and a shutter speed range of 15 -1/2000 sec.

The Canon PowerShot A520 maintains the first-rate level of manual control of earlier A-series models, including Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, and Manual modes, accessible via the top-mounted mode dial. The dial provides five common shooting modes (Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Slow Shutter, and Fast Shutter), as well as Stitch Assist and Movie mode.

A combination of ease of use and plentiful options are still available from the unchanged menu system with the only suggestion being to illustrate the scene modes with on-screen help and sample images such as that found on Casio models like the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z55.

The Canon PowerShot A520’s battery life using the two included alkaline double-A batteries is admirable and the camera is rated for up to 300 shots according to the CIPA standard (using NiMH double-A batteries).

Pictures are stored in SD memory cards with the Canon A520. It is considered standard in digital cameras today to be equipped with at least a 512 MB memory card and may are supporting a 1GB card. With the USB 2.0 interface, transferring pictures from the camera to the PC is simple.

There have been confirmed reports that the Canon PowerShot A520 is generally quite slow. The controls are not responsive enough - frequently one had to press a button more than once to perform the desired operation.

Hopefully you have found this overview of the Canon PowerShot A520 to be helpful. Should you be looking for a reasonably priced yet nicely equipped digital camera, you may very well find it in the Canon A520. Make sure to check out not only this camera but other comparable cameras to find the best suit for you.

When trying to win a poker tournament, almost all pros will tell you, you need to win hands when you don’t have the cards. When you pull this off you are “making a move” in poker terms. Let’s take a look at some of the ways a player does this.

The bluffs you might see can be as ordinary as an attempt to steal the blinds, to very complex schemes. You’re behind or have no cards, but you want those chips. You need to get a fold.

One of the easiest bluffs to run is stealing the blinds. You raise with a weak hand hoping everyone folds. You should be the first to act in this bluff. Short stacks will push all in to make this steal. Bigger stacks can push the small stacks around by constantly stealing the blinds.

One of the most powerful plays in poker is the check raise. You are in the big blind and call a raise from the button. You miss the flop completely.

You check your hand and your opponent bets the pot. Now you pause for a moment, and re-raise. This bluff will usually get a fold right here. If he doesn’t fold, you will fold to any other betting.

The semi-bluff is a little different. You have KQ of hearts. You call a raise from middle position from the big blind.

The flop shows J74 with two hearts. When your opponent raises you have to decide how to play this. I think here you can go all in, and put your opponent to the test.

You might get a fold. If he calls you have outs, at least nine of them. If he has AJ you will be a mathematical favorite. This is a classic semi-bluff.

The post oak bluff is quite different. You have been calling some moderate raises with a speculative hand. When the last card hits you know your only chance to win is to get a fold.

Now on the river you come out with a small raise. This raise is intended to induce a fold. The small bet is to convince your opponent that you have a huge hand, and have been slow playing it. You need to believe your opponent will think this way.

There are a lot of other bluffs out there. You need to make moves like these, and others, if you want to win tournaments. You have to be able to make chips without the cards sometimes.