GeekSugar

How To Get Rid of Zits With Photoshop

GeekSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:05:16 PDT

Remember when you were going through puberty and your mom tried to make you feel better by saying that zits aren't permanent? Did you remind her about pictures? Because photographs are forever, and zits shouldn't be. I don't have any great tips for prevention (go to Bella for that), but I do have some good post-production advice: Photoshop!

Since so many of you copped to using Photoshop to improve pics of yourself in some way, I though I'd share my favorite tool for getting rid of zits. You just need basic familiarity with Photoshop to do this, so step into my lab of narcissism!

To see the tips and how-to video, just

read more My favorite Photoshop tool is the Clone tool - it's key for erasing zits and blemishes by simply taking a small patch of another part of the picture, and using that to "erase" other patches. Here are the super easy instructions, and I've even included a video of me getting rid of a cursed zit to guide you.

After you've dragged your photo into Photoshop, select it and make sure you're working on that layer. If the layer is locked, double-click on it to unlock it.
At the bottom of the canvas, increase the percentage so that the area you want to work in is much larger, (and therefore easier to work with).
Select the Clone tool.
At the top toolbar, adjust the size of the clone tool so it's a workable size, and make sure it's a feathered brush.
Find a patch of your beautiful, unblemished skin and option+click it. Choose a patch that's adjacent to the zit you're going to cover up so that the lighting and skin tone are the same. This will be the "paintbrush" you'll use to cover the zit.
Then, simply click over the zit and the nice, unblemished patch should cover the blemished patch. Depending on the size, you may need to click more than once, and with this tool, I find it's easier to click once and let go, rather than clicking and dragging. (If you start to see parts of the picture come into your "paintbrush," then just re-option-click a new patch.
Save your work, and admire your gorgeous mug the way nature intended it!

11 Fun and Useful Photoshop Tips and Effects to Try

GeekSugar — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:01:38 PST

Now that you've polished up your photography skills, it's time to take your photos to the next level by having some fun with Photoshop. Editing and tweaking your pics isn't considered cheating - it helps bring out the beauty in your images, and keeps things interesting. Here, I'll cover ten fun and useful Photoshop tips and effects that you can use every day, or when you want to add some pizzaz to your pics.

Get Photoshop for free - Don't have Photoshop? No prob! Get Photoshop Express for free!
Take in some free tutorials - Get the low down on Photoshop basics free of charge.
Get rid of blemishes - Who doesn't want clear skin? Make it a reality with this tip that ditches the zits.

See the rest of the tips, and learn about some sweet and simple effects you can add to your images after the break.

Best Apps and Tools For Serious Photographers

Kristy Korcz — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:21:19 PST

Serious photography requires a serious camera, but that doesn't mean you have to be chained to a laptop or desktop to process them. Paul Pierson, app designer and photo nerd, tossed his laptop aside for six months in order to find out if the iPad and iOS apps could handle a professional photo work flow. He found that the iPad is actually quicker and more efficient in processing photos than the traditional setup of a computer and Photoshop software, not to mention a lot less expensive.

At this year's Macworld, Paul shared some of his favorite tools and apps to help you create a love match between your DSLR and iPad. First tip? Get a Card Reader from Photojojo ($30) so you can get those beautiful images captured on your DSLR to your iPad and, thus, your camera apps. Duh. Also you'll probably want an iPad with lots of storage - 64GB ($700), please.

Load up your iPad with the apps below for professional photographers, and experiment with more than one to create stunning images with less equipment.

Sunseeker ($5) - Helps you find where the sun is, or it will be, with the help of augmented reality. Great for landscape photos.

ioShutter ($70, coming Feb. 12) - Turns your iPhone into an intervalometer. This tool plugs into your iPhone and SLR, allowing you to fire your SLR again and again with the app and help you create beautiful time-lapse sequences.

Ollo Clip ($70) - This clip-on lens gives your iPhone or iPad an advantage with three different lenses built right in - fish-eye, wide angle, and macro.

ACDSee Camera Flash ($1) - Brings out details in underexposed images.

Snapseed ($5) - Won Apple's App of the Year because of its variety of filters, edit tools, and selective adjust tools like edge detection that applies changes to objects within the perimeter.

Ready for more? See the rest of the list after the break.

Udacity and 14 Other Free Sites For Online Learning

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:51:42 PST

After seeing the success of a personal experiment offering a free Stanford University-certified artificial intelligence course (23,000 people completed the class!), Sebastian Thrun left his prestigious professor position to dedicate himself to teaching on a much larger scale. His new program, Udacity will offer free university-level computer science classes to anyone interested in advancing their tech knowledge.

The two courses currently up for the taking are "CS 101: Building a Search Engine" and "CS 373: Programming a Robotic Car." But that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to free online classes. Here, a list of places to point your web browser for free classes online, so you can soak up all the knowledge your brain can handle.

Yale Open Courses - Named one of Time magazine's top 50 websites of 2011, Yale's classes allow anyone to browse through lectures and course materials in subjects including engineering, chemistry, astronomy, sociology, Spanish, history, and more.
MIT OpenCourseWare - With over 2,000 courses available at your fingertips, MIT OpenCourseWare should be your first (and maybe your only) stop in online learning.
Online Education Database - This website offers up a list of 200 free classes you can take online. Take some physics classes and learn about the phenomenon of superconductivity, or retake that algebra class you struggled with in high school.
OpenCulture - This website offers up a list of free classes from top universities like Stanford and UC Berkeley, and even some video lectures you can find on YouTube.
Harvard Open Learning - Watch videos of lectures on computer science and abstract algebra, among others
Princeton Web Media - Browse through and take in archived lectures from Princeton's math, science, and engineering departments, and lots, lots more.

See more websites to get your online learning on after the break.

Geek DIY: Remove Photograph Backgrounds

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:16:03 PST

Is showing your blog more love among your top resolutions for 2012? Start a new year of blog dedication by learning some important basics to make photos and collages stand out on the page.

Pugly Pixel's Photoshop tutorial on image background extractions and how to use layers may sound intimidating, but the how-to is so carefully explained that even Photoshop newbies can get a handle on this more creative side of photo editing. Removing the background of a photo is necessary when you want to create collages of multiple small images, or to layer an image on top of another. Pugly Pixel's technique, pictured here, to layer the ribbon on the Instagram photo is also perfect for a "look of the day"-type post to showcase multiple objects with one base image.

Photoshop is a powerful tool that can inject amazing effects into your images, but going beyond the basics can be frustrating if you're experimenting on your own. Which Photoshop tips and tricks would you like to learn this year? We'd love to help you become a photo editing ninja!

Fresh Start Resolution: Learn New Software Skills

Emily Co — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:00:57 PST

It's a new year and a new you! Fresh Start is a short series detailing 12 helpful tips to start off the year right, whether it be to advance your career or increase your financial cushion. We've already given you advice on kicking your daily deal habit, quitting caffeine, and making a call to lower your bills. Here's another way to start afresh in 2012.

Many people include software skills on their resume, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and HTML, but not all of them have a good grasp of those programs. It's good to learn how to use various software because this knowledge can boost your résumé or even help you advance in your job.

A good way to learn these programs is through the online software training site, Lynda.com. If you pay a subscription fee, you get access to over 70,000 instructional videos for programs like Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and even Facebook. But if you're not keen on spending the money, you can even test out the service with a seven-day free trial. You might not even need a month's access because there's plenty you can learn in seven days. Remember to cancel before the trial ends or you'll be charged with a paid membership.

Link Time: Beauty Tips From Model Liya Kebede

BellaSugar — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:20:00 PST

Liya Kebede's tips for looking and feeling beautiful - Stylelist
Feeling fatigued postholiday? Try these energy-boosting tips - InStyle
Easy, awesome tips for clear skin - Glo
Czech Elle gets taken to task for Photoshopping its cover model - Huffington Post
Fictional beauty products that really should exist - Beautylish
A perfect moisturizer for every skin type - Real Simple
Awesome products that make under-eye circles a thing of the past - Refinery 29
The best beauty products you've never used - The Fashion Spot

How-To: Touch Up and Remove Blemishes in Photoshop

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:17:23 PST

Get ready for the barrage of Kodak moments and impromptu family portrait sessions during the coming holiday season. The joy of technology lets us change even less-than-flattering pictures into a worthy keepsake. There's a simple tool you can use in Photoshop to make your face look clear and bright in your own photos, even when person behind the camera forgets to adjust the lens to ideal settings.

Sure, while excessive airbrushing in order to sell products is bad, zapping that zit from a nice family photo is totally legit. If you have basic knowledge of Photoshop, this tutorial should be easy to follow. Check out my steps to using the clone tool after the break.

Geek Tip: Lomo-fy Your Digital Photos

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 May 2011 01:11:19 PDT

After all the fun I had making my photos look like tiny models with the Tilt-Shift effect, I had to look for something new to add to my effects arsenal. I love my Lomo camera and the effect it produces, but to be honest, I don't always have the cash to throw down for film or development. It can get pretty darn expensive! Given the fact that the latest Lomo camera, the Lomo LC-Wide goes for a whopping $389, I figure we could all use a bit of a break from temptation.

We can save some cash together by playing around with our digital photos in Photoshop with the Lomo Effect. It makes your pics look like they were expertly shot and developed using the plastic cameras with just a few simple steps. Check out the great tutorial here, and afterwards share with us your Lomo-fied pics by uploading them to our Cool Capture group!

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Sugar Shout Out: See How a FabSugar Editor Spends Her $500 Budget

Kimberly Timlick — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:55:00 PST