This workshop is devoted to the basic settings of your Wacom tablet. You'll get to know not only the various pens and their settings, but also interesting details about ExpressKeys, the Touch Ring, and the Radial menu.
Basic Settings
In this chapter you'll see how to install the Wacom tablet for Mac or Windows in a way that allows you to use the full functionality of the tablet.
Installing Your Tablet
In this tutorial you'll learn how to install the Intuos4 for Macintosh computers from the installation CD. You'll also get an overview of the functionality of the system settings.
In this video you'll see how to install the latest driver for the Wacom Intuos4 on the Windows operating system. You'll see how to adjust all the functions in the Control Panel and save these functions as files.
In this lesson you'll see how to install the Wacom tablet Intuos4 and connect it to your computer via Bluetooth. You'll also get some tips on optimizing the battery life of your tablet.
This chapter is all about pens – from the basics and choosing a nib, to settings like pressure and tilt sensitivity, to working with the Eraser, Art Pen, and Airbrush. You'll also learn about the other pens available for you to use with your tablet.
Working with Pens
If you have never used a pen and tablet before, it may feel awkward at first. Don't worry, this video will take you through all of the difficulties and get you comfortable.
This video looks at the different nibs provided in your pen holder, as well as the colored rings that you can use to identify pens if you have several of them.
In this video you will see how to set the functions on the side switches individually. You'll see how these switches can be changed to work as a modifier keystroke, a hold key, or a multitude of other functions.
At the top of your pen is the eraser, which also has pressure sensitivity. In this video you'll see how this button maps directly to the Eraser tool in Photoshop. If you prefer you can also assign this button a custom function in the Wacom Control Panel.
Although it is constructed like a classic marker, the Art Pen is not only tilt- and pressure-sensitive, but also capable of rotation sensitivity. In this tutorial you'll learn how it works and how to use this feature in Photoshop.
In this lesson you'll get to know the Airbrush and see how you can adjust its settings in Photoshop. You'll also see why the Stylus and Touch Ring are particularly useful with the Airbrush.
In this video you'll learn about the other pens available for you to use with your tablet, including the Classic Pen, the Intuos4 Ink Pen, and the Ballpoint Pen.
This chapter looks at the options related to displays. You'll learn how to set up mapping preferences, work with multiple monitors, switch between Pen mode and Mouse mode, and more.
Display Settings
In this lesson you'll learn how to set up mapping preferences and toggle between multiple monitors with your tablet. You can even set up the tablet to use only certain areas of the tablet or the monitor for mapping. You'll also see how the ExpressKeys can be adjusted to be perfect for either left-handed or right-handed use.
In this video you will see how to work with two monitors and jump between monitors. You will also learn how to adjust the brightness of the display (OLED).
In this chapter you'll learn how to use application-specific preferences and how to back up and restore preferences.
Control Panel Preferences
In this video you'll see how the Control Panel settings can be assigned and arranged differently for different applications. We'll look at Photoshop and SketchBook Pro specifically.
The Wacom Tablet Utility allows you to back up or restore custom preferences and settings. These preferences can be saved and then reapplied on different machines by using the Restore button. This tutorial will walk you through the required steps.
ExpressKeys keep you from having to always go back to the keyboard while you're drawing. You'll learn how to configure and work with them in this chapter.
ExpressKeys
This lesson explains why you might want to work with ExpressKeys and how to set them to suit your own particular workflow.
You can create specific ExpressKey setups for different applications, and in this video we'll look at defining ExpressKeys for Photoshop and SketchBook Pro.
ExpressKeys can also be combined to act as modifiers, providing more flexibility in the way they are assigned. You will learn how to do so in this video.
This chapter covers two very useful features, the Touch Ring and the Radial menu.
The Touch Ring and the Radial Menu
The functions of the Touch Ring can be adjusted individually for individual programs. In this lesson you will learn what features can be assigned to the Touch Ring and how you can customize it to take advantage of the latest features in Photoshop.
In this video you will learn more about the Radial menu and see how to add new functions to the menu in order to optimize your workflow. You'll also discover that you can create multiple levels of commands using submenus.
This workshop is all about digital drawing and painting in Photoshop. You'll learn about everything from setting up the workspace and sketching to drawing and coloring, and in the process create an entire illustration from scratch.
Drawing and Painting in Photoshop
In this course we're going to create a detailed illustration from scratch using Photoshop and the Wacom tablet. This chapter covers the preliminaries, from setting up the workplace and tablet to creating sketches and a value study.
Preliminaries
In this video, we'll get ready to work by creating a new file, setting its resolution, and choosing appropriate brush options.
In this video we'll choose which sketch we want to proceed with and delete the others. Then we'll create a value study to serve as a guide to how the lighting will work in the final image.
The star of this show is the character in the middle of the image. In this video we'll draw in all his details, from eyes, nose, and ears to hands, feet, and clothing.
Perhaps the most enjoyable part of creating an illustration is adding the color – although the quality of the results will be improved by doing some less fun things like creating masks, as you'll see in this chapter.
Coloring
In this lesson we'll clean up the drawing in order to prepare it for coloring.
Before we get into the fun part of coloring, it's a good idea to create a couple masks that will be useful later in the process. That will be the focus of this lesson.
The overall color of the illustration looks good, but it could be improved by some attention to detail. In this lesson we'll use different blend modes to refine the coloring.
The final quality of the illustration can be enhanced by making a few last adjustments. In this video we'll decrease the intensity of some parts of the image with an adjustment layer and fine-tune the color balance.
In this workshop you'll follow along with digital artist Uli Staiger as he uses Photoshop techniques to create a breathtaking composition. In the process you'll learn about everything from 3D tools and blend modes to masking and layer adjustments.
Photo Illustration
In the first chapter of this workshop, we'll create the planetary surface that serves as the background of our composition. After importing some source images, we'll add the sky, the atmosphere, some clouds and their shadows, and finally the sun.
Creating the Planet
In this video, we'll look at the source images we'll be using to create the composition in this course. This is a good way for you to familiarize yourself with the materials you'll be working with.
We'll begin the process of creating our composition in this video by opening a file, copying the background layer, then deleting the original background. Then we'll transform the 2D image so it looks like part of a sphere.
If you are using Photoshop CS5 Extended, you have the option of using the 3D tools to create a 3D version of the planet that will be used in the composition. You'll see how it's done in this video.
When painting in Photoshop, it's important to be able to easily change the hardness of your brush tip. In this video you'll learn how to do this using the keys on the Wacom pen.
In this video we'll add clouds to our composition by importing an image of clouds, scaling and warping it, and then selectively erasing the unwanted blue background.
To look realistic, the clouds need to cast shadows on the surface. We'll make that happen in this video by using a clipping mask and a Levels adjustment with the Multiply blend mode and a Gaussian Blur filter.
The magnifying glass in this composition shows a magnified area on the planet's surface. In this chapter we'll create its structure – including the handle, base, and frame – from scratch using Photoshop tools.
Creating the Structure of the Magnifying Glass
In this video we'll begin the process of adding the magnifying glass by creating the handle. We'll start with a simple black rectangle, then paint a reflection on it to make it look more realistic.
A small but important detail is the base that connects the handle of the magnifying glass and the glass itself. In this video we'll add this piece and paint a reflection on it.
The last step in creating the structure of the magnifying glass is to add the round frame. We'll do so in this video by adding a black circle and masking out the parts we don't want.
In this chapter we'll add the part of the image that appears inside the magnifying glass. This includes a background and one or more windmill-style generators.
Creating the Image Inside the Magnifying Glass
In this video we'll create the background of the image that will appear within the magnifying glass, using two adjustment layers to add color and contrast.
The generator that will appear in the magnifying glass is constructed from three different source images. In this video we'll bring those images into the composition, assemble them to create the generator, and add a shadow.
To make the image inside the magnifying glass look as realistic as possible, we need to add some lens distortion. We'll accomplish that in this video by using a layer group mask with a Radial Blur filter.
To create a connection between the magnifying glass and the landscape underneath, in this video we will add some light from the glass and a shadow of the frame.
To put the finishing touches on our composition, in this video we'll use a Black & White adjustment layer to make it look less like a photograph and more like an illustration.
This workshop is devoted to working with the Wacom tablet in Illustrator. You'll learn lots of techniques for working with shapes, symbols, brushes, and pens.
Drawing in Illustrator
In this chapter you'll learn how to construct a human figure by creating, joining, customizing, and carving shapes using a variety of Illustrator tools in conjunction with the Wacom pen.
Building the Human Form
In this video you'll see how to best set up the Wacom control panel in Adobe Illustrator.
Symbols are a powerful tool in Illustrator, and you can use the free symbols included with the application as a starting point for your designs. In this video we'll start to build a human figure from these free symbols.
In this video we'll look at the Shape Builder tool. This tool lets you construct basic shapes using primitive circles, ellipses, and rectangles and then join them together by dragging your pen across them.
The Reshape tools can be used to reshape paths and customize shapes with your Wacom pen. In this video you'll try them out, using the Warp, Pucker, Bloat, and Wrinkle tools to give your artwork your own unique style.
The Eraser tool can be used with your Wacom pen to literally sculpt shapes, as you'll see in this video. You can also customize artwork by erasing portions of it with the eraser on your Wacom pen and use the Smooth tool to tidy up any bumps left behind.
This chapter looks at some tools that can help you do precise, detailed work on an image, including the Path Eraser, Blob Brush, and Symbol Sprayer tools as well as Isolation mode.
Editing Shapes and Adding Detail
There's no need to reinvent the wheel; you can often save time by copying and pasting elements from another image. This video shows you how, and also how to separate out just the elements you want.
This video looks at the amazing Blob Brush tool, which you can use to extend shapes, sculpt shapes, and intersect shapes with other shapes of the same color.
Isolation mode allows you to isolate objects so that you can easily select and edit particular objects or parts of objects, while automatically locking all other objects so that they are not affected by your changes. You'll see how it works in this video.
This video looks at the Symbol Sprayer, which you can use to add a large number of identical objects to the artwork at one time. Once they are created you can update them as a group or break them apart so they behave like ordinary objects.
Illustrator includes many different types of brushes that let you create a wide variety of effects in your images. You'll learn all about them in this chapter.
Outlining and Shading with Brushes
Calligraphic brushes make strokes like those drawn with the angled point of a calligraphic pen and are drawn along the center of the path. You can use the pressure and tilt sensitivity of your pen to adjust the brush's angle. This video shows you how.
Art brushes can be used to apply textured lines (such as inky lines) evenly along a path. They can give your artwork a more hand-drawn appearance, as shown in this video.
The Bristle brushes are a great addition and add a real natural media feel to your artwork in Illustrator. In this video you'll see how to create the look and feel of painting with a real paintbrush.