How to maximise the number of times you can undo edits in Photoshop
Mask a texture over objects, and set its blend mode to Overlay
It’s a good idea to build up a library of stock photos on your PC, whether you plan to use them now or sometime in the future. Categorise them by content in separate folders, and if you find this library taking up too much space, get yourself an external hard drive!
Be careful when using stock photos created by other artists, as some may require attribution. Always check before using a stock image to see if the artist requires a credit. This is either stated under the Creative Commons rule; whether it’s available for distribution, for use in personal or commercial works.
Stock photos also include textures. Textures are perfect for adding to, or emphasising, the tactile nature of an image. Keep an eye on the natural and everyday man-made objects around you, and photograph them using the Macro Mode on your compact, or DSLR camera.
It’s not uncommon to come across stock photos with different resolutions. Usually this is because one is set to 72dpi from a camera and the other is at 300dpi (already converted in Photoshop). Before using stock photos, go to Image>Image Size and check that the resolutions match up.
It’s second nature to copy and paste a photo into Photoshop. But instead of using Paste under Edit, use File>Place. This makes sure that the photo sits neatly inside the frame, and makes resizing it much easier.
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