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Photoshop Tutorials

Glow Effects

Easy Glow Effect

Creating a glow effect can look complicated, but in fact it is quite easy and fast. You can add a glow effect to any object or text you create. Photoshop has a lot of layering tools that you can experiment with to get that perfect glow that you are looking for.

In this tutorial we are going to create a glow effect using the the built in ‘outer glow effect’, filter and the brush tool.

USING GLOW EFFECTS IN PHOTOSHOP

Glow Effect using the PEN tool

1. Create a new file by pressing FILE -> NEW. Supply your desired dimensions and press OK. For glow effects, a black background is always nicer in order to enhance the brightness and make the light pop out. Click on the FILL tool and select BLACK to change your background color to black. Alternatively, you can use COLOR OVERLAY by right clicking on the background layer and then select BLENDING OPTIONS.

2. Select the PEN Tool and make sure that PATHS and PEN are selected.

3. Create a NEW LAYER and on your canvas, start drawing curves or lines using the pen tool. PATHS PEN

4. Click on the BRUSH TOOL and select a brush size, color, etc. This will be the stroke settings for the path that you just created with the PEN tool. For this sample, we are going to choose a brush size of 12, hardness of 0 and a bright yellow color.

5. Select the Layer that you used to draw a PATH with the PEN Tool and then go to the PATHS panel. Right click on the WORK PATH -> STROKE PATH.

6. Select BRUSH in the drop down menu and check Simulate Pressure then click OK.

7. Your PATH has now been filled with the bright yellow color that you chose earlier. To remove the PATH Line. Go back to the PATH Panel then right click on the WORK PATH tab and select REMOVE PATH.

8. Right click on the newly stroked PATH layer and select BLENDING OPTION -> OUTER GLOW. Adjust the Outer Glow settings according to your preference and once satisfied with the glow, hit OK.

9. You have now placed a GLOW EFFECT to an object that you created. You can add more glowing PATHS by repeating STEPS 2-8.

Applying a Glow Effect using FILTER

Sometimes we just want part of a picture to have a glow, like for example a light with a lens flare effect. Check below on how to place a LENS FLARE filter on an object to create a GLOW EFFECT.

1. OPEN the object/photo that you would like to use and resize according to your preference.

2. Click on FILTER -> RENDER -> LENS FLARE.

3. In the panel that will pop up, select the LENS type that you like. In this example we are using a 105mm lens. Drag the “+” on the preview window to where you would like the lens flare to be, then hit OK. You can add as much flare as you’d like.

4. You have now created a glow effect using a FILTER called LENS FLARE.

Glow Effect on Text

To make your text glow easily, follow these steps:

1. Select the TYPE TOOL and supply the text that you want - change the font type, color, size, according to your preference.

2. If you want to put a GRADIENT effect on your text, right click on your text layer and select RASTERIZE LAYER.

3. Select the GRADIENT tool and edit the Gradient Colors. For this example, we are using a yellowish-gold gradient combination.

4. Once done editing the colors, HOLD the COMMAND/CONTROL key while selecting the FONT Layer. This is going to select the Rasterized fonts instead of the entire layer.

5. Click on the Gradient Tool again and drag on to the Rasterized fonts.

6. To add a glow, right click on the TEXT LAYER and select BLENDING OPTIONS -> OUTER GLOW.

7. Experiment with the Outer Glow settings until you find your desired look, then click OK.

8. You have now created a TEXT GLOW Effect.

You can combine all of the glow effect techniques to create an entirely new photo or project like this one:

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Introduction

Facebook video ads are taking over the social media sphere today. There is presently an estimated one billion people using Facebook and over 100 million hours of video being consumed daily. Among these users are businesses that leverage Facebook video ads to capture the attention of their target customers.

Video ads are among the most powerful Facebook ad formats for generating user engagement. From this eBook, you will learn how to create such relevant and actionable videos ads on Facebook. As a marketer, you will learn why you should be running Facebook video ads as well. You will also learn how to use it to drive traffic and increase sales by planning your strategies using our top tips and best practice suggestions.

What are Facebook video Ads?

Facebook video ads are exactly what they sound like—Facebook advertisements in the format of videos. They can be used to reach a wide range of audience on a diverse range of topics. With Facebook video ads you can give your business personality, showcase different features of your products, or simply let people know who you are and what you do.

The effect of Facebook video ads in getting customer engagement is staggering. According to Nielsen, the body commissioned by the Facebook Marketing Science team to analyze data on how video ads affect brand metrics, a recent measure of 300 video campaigns showed that 73% of them had a significant lift in ad recall. Also, the average lift between test and control groups measured was a whopping 86%

Video ads are usually uploaded using Facebook’s recommended specs to ensure the highest quality viewer experience. The recommended Facebook video specs include the following:

• Format: .MOV or .MP4 files

• Resolution: minimum 720p

• Aspect ratio: widescreen (16.9)

• Duration: 60 minutes max (2.3 GB)

Videos allow you to deliver complex messages in a simple and easy to understand manner. Their effectiveness far surpasses the use of static images in promotional campaigns. Just as a picture is worth a thousand words, James McQuivey, Ph.D. of Forrester research aptly puts it that “a one-minute video is worth 1.8 million words.”

The common Facebook video ad types being used today are most likely to have a positive impact on Return on Investment (ROI) are:

• How-to or instructional videos: This type of Facebook video ads are employed to reassure your customer/client that he or she will be able to successfully use or install your product.

• Product demonstration videos: These are similarly employed to convince your customer of being able to successfully use your product.

• Explainer videos: These video ad types are aimed at explaining a concept, product or service in an interesting way. It makes use of diverse styles like animation or live action.

• Interviews with experts: These are employed to help validate your authenticity and authority in your area of business The above Facebook video ad types are effective at increasing confidence in making a purchase.

• Conference and presentation videos: These video types are instrumental for B2B, educational organizations, and not-for-profits. When employed, they help establish your credibility and authority in your field.

You stand a better chance of attracting new business with this video ad type above. It all depends on the overall objective of your organization. It is effective whether used for paid conferences, boosting donations for charities, educational institutions or not-for-profits.

Why Marketers Should Use Facebook Video Ads

Marketers who want to get the most out of their online advertising campaigns need to start using Facebook video ads. They help you to stand out from your competitors and grab people’s attention with motion. They also show people what your business does or offers and connects and brings your message to life.

Video is increasingly becoming a very important component of several marketing strategies. According to Cisco, video currently makes up 69% of all consumer internet traffic. As a marketer, it is catastrophic not to get on board the Facebook video ads train.

A 2014 video statistics released by Invodo revealed that shoppers who viewed video ads are more likely to make a purchase than non-viewers. Also, 51.9% of marketing professionals worldwide picked video as the type of content with the best ROI.

Video is taking over social media, and Facebook is the platform where it reaches the most audiences and gets the most engagement. Boasting about 1.5 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the world’s largest social media network.

According to Facebook CEO, Sheryl Sandberg, a record 1.5 million small and medium-sized businesses shared videos on Facebook in September of 2015.

TechCrunch also noted that that same year experienced a 50% increase in the average ad revenue per user in the U.S. This goes to show that the video ad strategy is working.

I n the same vein, Facebook videos are making a tremendous impact in the ad space than any other post on the network. It provides visual storytelling which does a great job of captivating its audience. Videos also serve as a marketing vehicle, and Facebook provides the largest possible platform where you can share your story to target audiences worldwide.

Marketers that are not leveraging the power of Facebook video ads will only have themselves to blame. Facebook video ads convert faster than all other marketing vehicles, and they also let you reach audiences that are difficult or expensive to reach on TV.

According to a 2016 social media survey carried out by Buffer, which collected data from over 1,200 marketers, 83% said they’d like to create more video content if they didn’t have restrains like time and resources.

Thirty percent claim to be enthusiastic about spending more time focused on Facebook video in 2017. Sixty percent of marketers employed video as part of their social media marketing in 2016, while 14% of marketers used live videos in their social media marketing in 2016.

Facebook video ads are the most captivating marketing strategy as they leave a positive, lasting impression of your brand on the minds of your site/page visitors. It is a strategy that synchronizes all other marketing efforts, propelling them as a whole to be more productive. Video ads engage and convert website visitors, push leads down a funnel in email marketing campaigns and increase engagement across multiple social channels.

Need more convincing? Here are more specific reasons why marketers of all sizes and all niches should consider using Facebook video ads:

Facebook Video Ads Helps Boost Conversions and Sales

Making use of videos in your Facebook ad campaigns is a guaranteed way of earning yourself some serious money. Also, embedding videos in your landing pages can help increase conversions by 80%. If your video is creative and captivating enough, it can lead directly to sales.

A 2016 video marketing report by wyzowl states that 74% of users who watched an explainer-video regarding a product eventually went ahead to purchase the product. Regardless of the category in which your video is positioned, these types of ads provide consistently higher conversions and sales.

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Photoshop Tutorials

Actions

Photoshop Actions in a nutshell

Whether you are a beginner, amateur or a professional, editing multiple photos to have the exact same effect and look of another photo can be a tedious task. You end up spending hours or even days to complete editing a batch of photos and that also means wasting a good amount of time that you can use to work on another project or even enjoying time for yourself.

Luckily, if you are using Adobe Photoshop, there’s a little task savior called “ACTIONS”. Photoshop Actions is a series of tasks that you perform while editing a single project. Essentially what it does is it records everything and every step you make or click during the editing process into a single file (.atn). Once you are done recording, all you have to do is open another photo or a batch of photos, execute the action file you want and voila! every effect or action you’ve created on your previous photo will be done the exact same way to the new one you’ve just opened.

Photoshop Actions save you time by simply clicking on a single button.

WHAT ARE ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ACTIONS?

Why use “Actions”?

Whether you want to add a certain photo filter, enhance an image, resize it, change the mode from CMYK to RGB, sharpen or blur, anything you do to get a certain texture or effect in a single photo, Photoshop Actions will store the ‘step-bystep’ of your edits for you to be able to repeat and use those multiple processes again and again. From the most simple to very complex series of tasks, Photoshop Actions is the answer to a fast, efficient and the most convenient way to edit your photos.

Countless websites offer downloadable Photoshop Action files, either paid or free that you can just load into Adobe Photoshop. But you can always customize an ‘action’ for more detailed and spot on editing in a flash.

ACTIONS are particularly good if you are an amateur photographer or editor and you’d like your photos to have a distinct look without the hassles of sitting for long hours editing photos. By using Actions, you’ll save a lot of time simply by clicking on a single button, as you watch all of your work get transformed and edited using your trademark effect.

How to create custom “Actions” ?

Below is a simple step-by-step guide to making your own custom Photoshop Actions using a CS3 interface on a Mac OSX. This sample will show how to place the same text and effect on multiple photos.

Our objectives for this tutorial are the following:

a) save a new action (.atn file);

b) place the text “Vector Toons” on the images;

The Adobe Photoshop Actions panel features a list of preset actions. You may also download .atn files that you can load in Photoshop or record your own actions.

c) apply a poster effect;

d) apply the action to another photo

For us to be able to achieve the objectives above, we will have to do the following steps:

1. Open the photo of your choice on Adobe Photoshop.

2. Bring up the “Actions” window by clicking on WINDOWS -> ACTIONS

3. Click on the “Create New Action” icon near the bottom right corner of the Actions Panel (it is the Folded Paper icon beside the Trash Bin icon).

4. Supply the Action name, Set (Folder location) you prefer and hit RECORD. From this point onwards, any action you make in photoshop will be recorded.

5. Since we would like to expand the image size of our photo to accommodate the text that we will be placing in it, we have to adjust the CANVAS size. So we click on IMAGE -> CANVAS SIZE. Then supply / adjust according to the size that you like. Click OK.

6. As you can see, after clicking OK on the Canvas Size dialogue box, the canvas adjustment action has been recorded and now appears under the “Text-Poster” action that we created earlier.

7. Now that we have ample space to place our text, we need to click the Text Horizontal Tool and type in the text that you like - in this case we are using “VECTOR TOONS”

8. You will now see that a new action has been recorded called “Make text layer”. In this case, we will be adding text effects like ‘Stroke’ - this will also be recorded into the Action file we are creating

9. For the poster effect, we would have to click on FILTER -> ARTISTIC -> POSTER EDGES

10.Now that we have recorded the POSTER EDGES filter in our action, it is time to stop our recording by clicking the STOP RECORDING button beside the RED RECORD button at the bottom of the Actions Panel and save your photo file.

You have now successfully created and saved a custom PHOTOSHOP ACTIONS called “TEXT-POSTER”.

It is time to put the new action we have created to the test.

How to load custom “Actions”

You now have a basic knowledge in creating a custom Photoshop Action, now it is time to learn how to load custom Actions and apply it to another photo.

1. Choose a different photo that you’d like to edit.

2. Click on the ACTION Panel and highlight the ACTION that you’d like to use (in our case we are going to use our custom “TEXT-POSTER” action, then hit the PLAY button. If you can't see the actions, you can manually load it by clicking on the panel menu -> LOAD ACTIONS.

3. Double check after the ACTION has been processed and save your photo.