8 Powerful Photoshop Tips That Architects Need To Know

Photoshop is such incredible software that, knowing how to use it correctly and efficiently, can turn a medium-sized image into a sensational resource for projects. So there are some Photoshop tips that make all the difference. The trick, then, is to learn how to use some of your best features and optimize the workflow for maximum efficiency.

Over the years, Photoshop has become one of the essential tools in everyday architects. With versatile features, software is essential, but many students or architecture professionals do not know how to work well with it. The program allows you to work from photo-realistic rendering to embellishment and photo editing of built projects. So Photoshop can be architects' best friend. So select powerful Photoshop tips that, if followed, can make a lot of difference in your work.

1 - NON-DESTRUCTIVE WORKFLOW

As with any type of software, you need to keep track of a project. It is important for the designer to go back and forth between stages without losing work. Therefore, a nondestructive workflow can save you a lot of headaches. But how to do this? Use masks and layers so you can experiment and adjust to specific things by analyzing the interaction between them. Masks also allow you to crop parts of different layers and apply adjustments to specific areas of the image. Group layers and give specific names to avoid confusion. When duplicating a layer, for example, and naming it as "Layer 1 Copy", it may become confusing later on.

2 - INTELLIGENT OBJECTS

Do you know when you put an image on the screen and when you scale it you notice the loss of quality? For this is precisely what Intelligent Objects can attenuate. Therefore, images can be reduced to the original size or rotated in any direction without losing quality. Including, one of the great advantages of Intelligent Objects is how they save the Free Transformation options that you apply to them. When you skew a Smart Object, for example, your original transformation is still available if you need to adjust it later. Therefore, it is possible to duplicate the Smart Objects and to be able to work on them separately. Simply choose the New Smart Object via Copy option.

 

3 - SHORTCUT KEYS

One of the most important Photoshop tips is to use shortcut commands in Photoshop || Image: RenderPlan

I think one of the coolest Photoshop tips is the shortcut keys. They can significantly accelerate your workflow. Learn how to use the keyboard to quickly access specific features and options. Below, you check out some of the most requested shortcut keys:

Create Layer

MAC: Shift + Cmd + N

WINDOWS: Shift + Ctrl + N

Flat layers:

MAC: Cmd + Alt + Shift + E

WINDOWS: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E

Inverted selection:

MAC: Cmd + Shift + I

WINDOWS: Ctrl + Shift + I

Uncheck the entire image:

MAC: Cmd + D

WINDOWS: Ctrl + D

New layer via copy:

MAC: Cmd + J

WINDOWS: Ctrl + J

New layer via cut:

MAC: Cmd + Shift + J

WINDOWS: Ctrl + Shift + J

Increase / decrease brush size:

MAC:] / [

WINDOWS:] / [

Free Transformation:

MAC: Cmd + T

WINDOWS: Cmd + T

Mixing modes:

MAC: Shift + plus (+) or less (-)

WINDOWS: Shift + more (+) or less (-)

Change image size:

MAC: Cmd + Opt + i

WINDOWS: Ctrl + Alt + i

Change the screen size:

MAC: Cmd + Opt + c

WINDOWS: Ctrl + Alt + c

4 - SAMPLE COLORS OUTSIDE PHOTOSHOP

Instead of importing an image into Photoshop for the purpose of obtaining a specific color, you can select the Droplet tool. After that, left-click and drag the cursor anywhere outside Photoshop (desktop, other folders, images, browser, etc.).

5 - PROTECT YOUR IMAGES

As a professional, architects should send Photoshop files to clients. Therefore, it is very important to protect your work and to ensure that clients do not use it without your permission or involvement. You can encrypt the file so that it requires a password to print or edit. You can also save it in PDF format, choose Security, Permissions, and enter a password to avoid printing and / or editing.

6 - REVEAL EVERYTHING

I work with the use of Photoshop tools by Alex Hogrefe. || Image: Vizualizing Architecture

When working with different layers and inserting the images, you might ignore the fact that there are hidden pixels off the screen. This is where the Reveal All function becomes important. Go to Images> Reveal Everything. In this way, the screen is large enough to fit all pixels in all layers.

7 - TESTING FILTERS

Applying filters to images can be a task that requires a lot of memory. And when the image is relatively large, it can become a time consuming process. So it's cool to select a smaller area of ​​the image and apply a filter as a test to it. This way, it is already valid to know if the filter will have a pleasant result at work without wasting time or occupying memory.

8 - CORRESPONDING IMAGE COLOR

To maintain color consistency between multiple images in the same project, use the Match Color command. It will save you a lot of time. Therefore, the steps are as follows: you can open two images - the source image and the destination image - as two separate images or layers. Then choose Image> Adjustments> Match Color. Select the source image from the Source drop-down menu. This will read the color statistics of an image and apply them to the other. With this command, you can even adjust the brightness, color intensity and fade.