Frosty Text in Photoshop

Start by filling the background with a solid color or gradient of your choosing, using either the paint bucket or gradient tool.

Next type in the text you want to make look frosty using the Text tool. (This works best if the font is really large and bold mine here is around 240px)

With the text layer selected click on the “fx” button at the bottom of the layers panel to open the Layer Style dialogue box.  First thing you’ll want to do is turn the “fill opacity” in “advanced blending” down to 0%.  This allows the text to be see through while the layer styles we will add can be seen.

Next select the “Bevel and Emboss” option. Set Style: Inner Bevel, Technique: Smooth, Depth: 75%, Direction: Up, Size: 13 px, Highlight Mode: Normal and color white, Shadow Mode: Lighten and color white with opacity 90%.

Select the Contour Make sure the Range is set to 50%.

Finally Select the Texture Option.  Change the Texture to “Clouds,” Scale: 27%, and Depth: +15%.

Ok we are halfway there as you can see it’s starting to look a bit frosty:

Duplicate the text layer (Command + J), and open up the Layer Style dialogue box again.  Leave everything the same except this time from the texture option select “Satin,” Scale: 125%, and leave Depth at +15%.

And there you have it, some awesome frosty text to use!

-Kat

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Track Creation Short Cuts

Taking too long to make tracks in Pro Tools? Here are a few short cuts to get your sessions up and running a little more better:

1. Instead of going to the toolbar and clicking “Track + New,” try pressing Command+Shift+N to open up the track window.

2. Need to add another track? Just press Command+Shift+N again and the track window will extend.

3. If you need something other than a Mono Audio track, use Command+The Arrow keys to change what type of track you will be using.
a. Command+Left/ Right Arrow toggles between Stereo and Mono tracks
b. Command+Up/ Down Arrow will toggle between the different track types (Audio,    Auxillary, Master, MIDI, and Instrument)

4. If you need more than one of the various track types, simply use the “TAB” key to scroll through your New Track window and type in the number of tracks you would like to create, or use the up and down arrows to manipulate the number of tracks.

by Taylor Hatty

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Digital Performer- How do I get sound?!

In Digital Performer, midi tracks simply record information: the keys you play, the velocity, and so on. In order to "get sound" out of DP, you need to send that information to a sound source- typically, an "instrument track."
Instrument tracks host virtual instruments that generate the sound. Let's set up an instrument track by going to Project -> Add Track -> Instrument Track -> BassLine. We'll use BassLine as an example, or you can pick your own.

Notice in this example, the "output" of the instrument track is set to "Built-in Output 1-2" (computer speakers). Next, let's add a midi track: Project -> Add Track -> MIDI Track. Make sure the the output of the MIDI track is set to "BassLine-1-in."

There you have it. Now you've got sound working!

At the Learning Center, our work-stations have many different virtual instruments for you to use, including: Absynth, Akoustik Piano, Battery, Guitar Rig, Kontakt, Reaktor, and many more.

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Finale-Piano Fingering

One of the great strengths of Finale is found in its flexibility. You can put any mark anywhere you want in the score. Although the names of the tools tell you their intended use, there are other creative ways of using them to get the results you want. Let's considering piano fingering in finale.

We want to put little numbers above the notes-- but how? Furthermore, how could we do this quickly? One way is to use the Lyrics tool, above the "backward repeat sign" in the tools window. Suppose we have a simple piano exercise:


The lyrics tool lets us put text underneath the notes. When selecting lyrics tools, notice the 4 triangles that appear on the left:


By clicking & sliding the left-most triangle, we can vertically position this text so it appears above the notes. Now, we can simply type "1 space 2 space 3 space 1 ", and so on, for the fingering.


If you want to get rid of the red extension line at the end, you can go to the Finale menu, Preferences, and Document Options. Select "Lyrics" on the left, and click on the "Word Extensions..." button. By un-checking "Use Smart Word Extension," we can remove the automatic red line that appears when there are more notes than lyrics (or in this case, more notes than "numbers"). Make sure to click "Apply" after changing this setting.

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Setting up your “Work-Space” in Sibelius

Making your work environment comfortable is one of the most important thing to keep in mind. Often times, Sibelius’s bright sky-blue default desk color makes people tired.
Check out this simple, but very useful (and fun!) feature here.Go to the Sibelius Preferences panel, then choose textures.
You can set up desk color/texture, also for the paper. There are tons to choose from, or solid color if you are “Simple is the best” kind of person.

Note that this is only for the computer display and won’t get printed out. I guess that’s good thing, right?

My favorite is Paper, coffee-stained. Yes, I’m a coffee addict!

-Sohta

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Finale Basic Tips

The end of the semester is fast approaching, which unfortunately also means the due dates for final projects are coming up.  To help you get through your projects maybe a little less painfully, here on the LC tech blog we'll be releasing a series of quick tips to help you troubleshoot some very common questions on many of the programs you'll be using.  Up first is everyone's "favorite" Finale.

1.  How do I change the page size of my Document?

• Select the "Page Layout" tool
• Under the "Page Layout" menu select "Page Size" and choose the size and orientation you want
• Also be sure that under the “File” menu then “Printer Page Setup” the proper page size and orientation are selected
• If you are printing here at the LC the page sizes available are:
• US Letter (8.5x11) This is the standard size
• US Legal (8.5x14) This is longer than the standard size
• Tabloid (11x17) This is the big paper, which you may need for score

2.  How do I get a certain number of measures per system?

• In the “Utilities” menu select “Fit Measures”
• The “Fit Measures” window will open
• (You can also get to this window by pressing Shift+Command+M)
• Input the number of measures you would like per system then decide if you want this number for the whole piece or a specific range of measures

3.  How do I change the stem directions?

• While in speedy entry or simple entry mode just hit “L”

4.  How do I write in rehearsal letters?

• Select the expression tool
• Double Click the beginning of the Measure
• Chose “Rehearsal Marks” in the left hand menu of the Expression window
• Select the style of rehearsal mark you want then click OK

5.  How do I change the size of my staffs in Finale?

• Select “Resize Tool” (Percent “%” tool)
• Click the staff, the resize window will open
• Specify the percentage.

6.  How do I display measure numbers on every measure?

• Select the “Measure Tool”
• In the “Measure Menu” select “Edit Measure Number Regions”
• Click the box next to “Show on every 1 measures beginning on measure 1” hit OK

7.  How do I add more staves after I’ve already opened a document?

• Click on the “Staff Tool”
• Click on either “Add New Staves” and selected the number of Staves you wish to add
• Or Click on “Add New Staves (with Setup Wizard)” to bring back the Document Setup-Add or Delete Instruments Window and select the instrument(s) you wish to add

For information about how to do slash notation and kicks over please see our past blog post about “Kicks Over Time in Finale”  here.

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Create a Thanksgiving Turkey in Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is Adobe Creative Suite's vector graphics program.  Vector graphics instead of creating images from pixels create images from a series of points connected with straight lines or curves.  The advantage of this is they can be enlarged and reduced and still retain a perfect line, unlike bitmap images which get a fuzzy pixelated edge when resized.  So if you are thinking of creating a design that you may need in a variety of sizes (say CD cover to Poster), Illustrator might be the way to go.  Get started learning the basics of Illustrator over this long weekend (you can download a trial version of the program from Adobe's site) by creating a cute Thanksgiving Turkey.

click here to view the video tutorial

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Flex Time

 

One of the best additions to Logic 9 was “Flexible Audio.” Much like ProTools’ “Elastic Audio,” users can now zoom in and fix any audio they want to get that performance just right. And with Logic’s user-friendly design, this feature has been made easier than ever.

There are two approaches to using Flexible Audio. If you press ESC, Logic will open up a tool pop-up window listing several features. At the bottom, you will find Flex Tool (shortcut R). This approach to using Flex Time is the most easy and straightforward. When you click on the audio region you wish to edit, you will be shown a popup asking you how you wish to analyze the audio. These different options will analyze the audio differently according to its transients, depending on which one you do.

There are 4 options:

• Slicing: Will separate the audio region into many different regions, useful for drum programming and editing.
• Rhythmic: Meant for drums or percussion. Will NOT slice the audio, but allow you to make major transient adjustments. (Low CPU load)
• Monophonic: Good for one voiced instruments and voice. (Medium CPU load)
• Polyphonic: Best used for chorded instruments like guitar, piano, etc. (High CPU load)                                            

Using the best fit for your instrument, you will be able to make your adjustments with ease.

If you are looking to get more in depth with Flex Time, there is an option at the top of the Logic window labeled “Flex.” This will display a button on all of your tracks. Pressing the button, you’ll find that you’re offered the same options as before. However, when you enable one of the options, you’ll see the region go dark and become outlined with markers (see above). These markers mark the starts of the transients that Logic has recognized based on your selection (Monophonic, Rhythmic, etc.). This will enable you to manipulate the audio much further than you could with the previous option. As you alter your audio, the regions that you are stretching become Red, while the regions you are compressing become Green. To minimalize the audio effects of stretching the transients like this, be sure to find the place with least coloration. 

by Peter Brown

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Adobe Bridge

Today's Blog post by lab monitor Peter B. is about a little used but very useful part of the Adobe Suite-Adobe Bridge.

Have you heard of it? Most people have, but nearly all are somewhat confused and ignorant at its purpose in existence. “What could I possibly use Bridge for? All I’m trying to do is to edit some pictures for my website/facebook/tumblr/blog!” As a result, it sits and waits, unused, jealous that Photoshop keeps getting all the clicks (see right).

Truth be told, it seems like an unnecessary step in editing pictures for whatever purpose you may have. However, if you were to open said program, you would be baffled and wondered at what its functions are, and how valuable Bridge becomes in organizing and viewing your photos.

The first thing you notice after selecting your folders (on the left hand side of the screen) is the sheer volume of information that becomes available to you about your photos. On the bottom left, you’ll see information regarding all of the photos inside the folder. In the folder that I have selected, I can see immediately that there 15 JPEG’s, 13 Photoshop doc’s, and 2 TIFF images. On the bottom right, you’ll see specific information regarding the file that you’ve selected in the content window. Literally EVERYTHING you need to know about said picture will be in this window.

The way you view your files can be customized as well. Looking at the top of the screen, you’ll notice this menu bar here: If you are partial to the “film reel” feel of things that is featured on Mac OSX, you may choose that option here by selecting the “filmstrip” option. The drop down arrow offers even more ways to look at your files. Almost every aspect of all of these options is customizable as well – from the size of the thumbnails to organizing them alphabetically.

       

Looking at a folder full of files in OSX’s Finder can be somewhat daunting. As a result, poor data management and overlooked problems can occur; whether it’s trying to import an incompatible file type, or accidentally uploading that embarrassing picture of you onto Facebook. In a world where file management is becoming increasingly valuable, Adobe’s Bridge offers an easy to use solution for all of your management concerns. So next time you see it sitting next to Photoshop, give it a click! You won’t be disappointed.

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Make Your Photo’s Pop In Photoshop

We are kicking Multimedia Week off with a Photoshop post by Leah one of our fine Lab Monitor Supervisors here at the LC.

While we would all love to have our pictures taken, brushed up, and beautified in a professional photography studio, not many of us can afford the cost of catalogue worthy photos and must make do with our Cannons, Kodaks, and iPhones.

I'm going to show you a little tip or two that you can use in Photoshop (or Gimp!) to give your portraits a little extra pop with no extra expense.

*This is beginner level, but it does assume that you can find your way around the main menus of Photoshop and are familiar with the general layout. I will provide pictures to help explain the process.

Ok, the first step is choosing your photo. For this example I will be using this guy:

Now, George has a pretty decent picture already, but it could be more interesting so we're going to help him out. Let's get started:

1. Open your picture in Photoshop;  You can go to File --> Open… or copy and paste it in, it's up to you.

2. Save As! There's nothing worse than making a mistake on a file and not having a backup of the original.

3. Right click on your photo layer and duplicate it so there are now two copies of the same layer.

4. Desaturate the copy layer by going to the Image menu --> Adjustments --> Desaturate. Or use the shortcut of Shift-Command-U.

5. Now we are going to blur it. Go to the Filter menu --> Blur --> Gaussian Blur… Apply a blur of about 5 points; you can add more or less depending on the picture and the effect you want, but 5 points works pretty well as a basis.

*The next two steps will have two different versions a and b. Try both paths!

6a. Go to the layer blend drop down box (this is usually right under the Layer Tab and is default set to normal). Change the layer blend style to Overlay.

7a. Marvel at the transformation! The resulting affect is that shadows are deepened and the contrast between light and dark is increased, giving the picture a more intense look and feel to it.  This effect can sometimes make the picture too bright. Lower the opacity on the copy layer to mitigate this.

 

Before:

After:

OR

6b. Go to the layer blend drop down box (this is usually right under the Layer Tab and is default set to normal). Change the layer blend style to Multiply.

7b. Great! Unlike the first effect, this makes the picture darker and gives it a more somber and grittier look. This effect can often make a photo look too dark. Lower the opacity on the copy layer to your satisfaction.

Before:

After:

8. Yay, George is beautiful! Both effects are simple, but can make a significant difference on the impression your photos make on others. Adjust and mess around with the settings until you get a look you are satisfied with.

*CAUTION: While both effects look cool, they can be easily overdone and dramatized—just like reverb. Please use artistic forethought.

*All the steps used here can be reproduced in GIMP, a program similar to Photoshop (but completely free!). Be warned that there are some differences in the menus.

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