You can decorate an image with various effects not only with the standard tools of the Photoshop editor. For this purpose, you can use additional plugins, brushes, shapes, styles, gradients and actions.
Necessary
- - Photoshop program;
- - plugin installation file;
- - files with the extension abr, csh, grd, pat, asl, atn.
Instructions
Step 1
One of the ways to apply effects to an edited image in Photoshop is to use additional plug-ins, independent modules that are connected to the program to expand its capabilities. A description of their action can be found on the Internet resources related to graphic design.
Step 2
To connect the plugin to the graphics editor, double-click the installation file, which can be downloaded from the developer's website, and follow the step-by-step instructions. If the add-on was installed in the default folder, after starting Photoshop, you can find the option to open its window in the Filter menu or in the folder with the name of the developer, which will appear in the same menu.
Step 3
You can add effects to a picture using components that do not require installation. These include brushes, shapes, gradients, patterns, styles, and actions. The Photoshop brush is a small file with the abr extension. To use the new brush downloaded from the design site, turn on the Brush tool, open the brushes palette and call the menu by clicking on the button in the upper right corner of the palette.
Step 4
Use the Load Brushes option and select the file with the new brush. If you want to add the loaded brush to the set already open, in the dialog box that will appear when the file is loaded, select Append. If you choose the Replace option, you will replace the set of brushes loaded into the program with the swatches that are saved in the file you open. To apply a new brush, click on its icon in the brushes palette.
Step 5
To load a new shape into the graphical editor, turn on the Custom Shape Tool, open the palette with sample shapes by clicking on the button in the Shape field under the main menu. Call the menu in the same way as when installing the brush, and select the Load Shapes option. The shapes file has the csh extension.
Step 6
Loading a gradient or pattern isn't too different from adding a shape in Photoshop. In order to be able to open a new gradient, turn on the Gradient Tool. The gradient file can be recognized by the grd extension.
Step 7
To load a new pattern into Photoshop, turn on the Paint Bucket Tool and select the Pattern option in the Options bar under the main menu. This will give you access to the Patterns palette where you can add a new pattern or set of patterns by applying the Load Patterns option from the palette menu. The pattern file has the pat extension.
Step 8
Layer Styles give you the ability to quickly apply an effect to an image and can be loaded with any tool turned on. You need to call the menu using the button in the upper right corner of the styles palette and select the Load Styles option. Style files have the asl extension.
Step 9
Effects include actions that record the sequence of applying various Photoshop tools. To load a new action, use the Load Actions option from the Actions palette menu and select a file with the atn extension. If you want to apply an effect to an image using an action, select the name of the sequence of actions you are interested in from the list that can be seen in the palette, and click on the Play button.
