Cool things to do in PhotoShop?

New to Photoshop and am wondering what are some cool effects you can apply to your pictures? Besides the normal editing sharpness, contrast, saturation etc etc. It looks so varied with the different techniques, just wondering what your favorite things to use are to make your pictures stand out?

BTW, this is PhotoShop Elements if that makes a difference, not the full on PhotoShop

I like to play with the filters when I have a bad pic.
Converting ti black and white is challenging but fascinating to try to get it right.

I'm afraid that I have enough trouble not applying 'cool effects'. - TF

I like to make things look evil. :devil: :devil: :devil:

On this I applied a black paint overlay, dark red paint overlay, then a fire image overlay. Topped it off by using a specifically different red and black paint overlay for the eyes, and finally the pentagram in the final layer.

I find that I can only ever do 'cool stuff' when I work in layers, anything outside of layers are just rudimentary adjustment.

learn about the different ways to use layers, selections, masking and adjustment layers and the sky becomes the limit!

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Originally Posted by Frog

I like to play with the filters when I have a bad pic.
Converting ti black and white is challenging but fascinating to try to get it right.

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Frog excuse the obvious answer from the newbie, but isn't converting to black and white a simple click of the button? Or are you talking about in more detail, getting it how you like?

Getting it how you like it.
I shoot in raw and then de-saturate and when I open it in 'editor' I play with hue and saturation and then levels. However, there is much more I need to learn, especially with layers.
See this thread http://forums.photographyreview.com/...ad.php?t=57228.
Erikzen was able to use what he learned there to adjust one of his photos and get it in one of the your shot in National Geographic. http://forums.photographyreview.com/...nal+geographic

adjusting tones and the color channels to achieve a bw conversion that looks good is actually pretty hard. Usually a simple clicked bw conversion looks somewhat flat and bland.

A bit late in the reply, but here's the thing... i been using photoshop (the full Photoshop) for over 10 years now, as a design tool and the later years as my digital dark room.

Photographically speaking, the possibilities are endless... the coolest effects are the ones that are not seen. this is the true power of photoshop.
for the most part I would have to agree with skyman:

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learn about the different ways to use layers, selections, masking and adjustment layers and the sky becomes the limit!

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If you shoot people, these will help you retouch skin to give your photos that special quality you usually see in magz...

There are quite a few books that contain a lot of nifty tips on how to improve your workflow in Photoshop.

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Originally Posted by MarcusK

the coolest effects are the ones that are not seen. this is the true power of photoshop.

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Absolutely spot on. Do it right, and you'll get no credit whatsoever. I recently made a 20x30 print of the Thunderbirds, from a shot taken with my 8mp Rebel XT. I must admit that I was incredibly happy with the way the print turned out after being enlarged, sharpened for print, etc. I was also a little proud of the shot that was captured.

The most common compliment (by far) that I recieve(d) on the print?

"Your camera takes good pictures."

I just smile and thank them.

- Joe U.

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"Your camera takes good pictures."

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Funny how it's always the camera... :)

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Originally Posted by Anbesol

I like to make things look evil. :devil: :devil: :devil:

On this I applied a black paint overlay, dark red paint overlay, then a fire image overlay. Topped it off by using a specifically different red and black paint overlay for the eyes, and finally the pentagram in the final layer.

I find that I can only ever do 'cool stuff' when I work in layers, anything outside of layers are just rudimentary adjustment.

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Wow.. I really like this one.. It's a great work of art. I really want to learn about this. Kindly suggest any tutorial please? this will going to be a big help for me. Thanks.

[QUOTE=Skyman]learn about the different ways to use layers, selections, masking and adjustment layers and the sky becomes the limit![/QUOT

Do you know how to use the hand tool ing photoshop? I was actually doing it right now but i think this is the very hard tool in photoshop. Any help please. thanks.

The hand tool? as in the one that looks like a hand, and appears when you hold the space bar?

In full screen mode it moves the photo or rather the canvas around the screen. Basically, when you are using any tool, and you are in full screen mode (either with black all around or grey... i prefer grey) hold the space bar, and you will be in hand tool... click and move the canvas anywhere, then when you release the space bar, you will be taken back to using whichever tool you were initially.

That's it... :S

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Originally Posted by hdvideoreviews

Wow.. I really like this one.. It's a great work of art. I really want to learn about this. Kindly suggest any tutorial please? this will going to be a big help for me. Thanks.

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Thank you, I really liked working on it, and I learned a lot just doing it. The photoshop manual can be good sometimes, but most of what I did here I just learned by trial and error and working with multiple layers, applying different layer types (overlay, hard light, soft light, etc), adjusting layer opacities, and primarily using a paintbrush. There were several layers involved, most of them being dark red or black paint with very soft edge graduations. Heres a composite of the progress of the work, though there ended up being several different variations of the would be final product.