okay try this...

see if there is an option to "Transfer Activation" in the Help menu

scott

1. select the layer you want to blend through
2. click on the "add layer mask" icon at the bottom of the layers palette
3. select the gradient tool from the tool menu
4. drag in the direction you want the fade to go...
   5 if you mess up the fade you can toss the mask and "do over"

REMEMBER:
Black makes the underlying image show through and White brings back the image on the masked layer.

the best thing about this method is it is non-destructive!! you don't remove any pixels

retrocity

add a mask with a gradient (white to black) to the layer above the one you want the backing image to show through....

will post a quick screen cap in a minute.

retrocity

under the "Help" menu you should see the Deactivate option.

if it's greyed out, wait a little bit and try the menu again (it's sometimes slow to acknowledge)

scott

not sure what page layout app you'll be using  but, 48Hourprint.com has a bunch of  "Guideline Templates" available... (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, QuarkXpress, CorelDraw, Publisher, Freehand)

take a look, maybe they'll have the correct template size you need.

http://www.48hourprint.com/photoshop-templates.html

retrocity

 Thanks for the link!

Looks like it could be an interesting one to enter.

scott

i agree with Lew, bridge is HUGE memory hog. if you don't plan on using it much, don't launch it.

also, not sure if it's part of the normal install or not, but if you're prompted to install Version Cue, and you're NOT running a network environment (where a bunch of you work on the same project and need the same PS files...), DON'T install it! 

it'll just waste hard drive space and a chunk of memory. i've found it only useful for version control and even then, at the office it's easier for me to shout over to a co-worker for a file than drill down through Bridge and Cue...

have fun with the upgrade (and i'm using brushes i made back in ver5)

:)
retrocity

steve, i second the rec! 

great book
:)
retrocity

keep in mind, if you install the fonts (as previously instructed...) while you have Photoshop open, the newly installed fonts WON'T appear. 

This is because the Font Table is created when you launch PS and is not automaticlly updated.

if you find that fonts stop appearing in your font list while working in PS, you can delete the font table and have PS create a fresh on launch (look around your system for "Adobefnt.lst", and delete all found files, then restart the application.* )

from a major "font-a-holic",
retrocity

take a look at morguefile,  they have quite a large selection in that category

retrocity

Hey Trepz,
i was gonna say,  "any" probs with Vista and Adobe can usually be fixed by running it in "compatibility" mode. (at least til they work out Vista's bugs)

scott

gif and png support transparancy (if you gonna use it webwise)

tif only ignores the white (or any background) IF you have made an Alpha Channel and save it with it.

you can also create and export a Path (if you're gonna use it in Illustrator) 

it really depends on "what" you want to use the image for.

:}
retrocity

but some of the things to keep in mind are:

1. the fluid will travel in an arc and not a straight line
2. you can't have more fluid than what would fit in the container
3. fluid is NOT flat, there are shadows and highlights
4. don't forget the droplets

my 2cents
retrocity

CS3 does have the "Animation" (timeline) palette from ImageReady as part of the program so could still do the GIF anim within PS. i use it for quick "avitar" type icon stuff...

retrocity

are you looking for the "just before impact"? or full face wet on sputter'n "what are crazy woman!!"?

retrocity