Styles for use in Adobe 速 Photoshop 速 & Photoshop 速 Elements Installation of styles Zip: Please extract the style files (*.asl) from the zip file and place in the required styles folder CD: Please select the styles files and copy / drag the files from the CD to the required styles folder
Styles installation folder c:\program files\adobe\Photoshop ... \presets\styles HD:applications:adobe photoshop ...:presets:styles or CS3 etc equivalent or elements equivalent.
Serial number Please keep any serial number for reference, you will need these for any future updates or replacement CDs. Also please make a backup to a CD
Loading styles The styles are loaded via the styles palette (windows menu) or the preset manager/styles (edit menu). Select the right arrow and you will see a dropdown with all the current styles files in the presets folder. Either select one of the preset files or use the load or replace commands to open a file and fill the palette with styles from
the graphicxtras.com collection.
Accessing styles You can access the styles by selecting a shape or text and then selecting a style to apply. Or create a new layer and then apply a style to that layer. Or duplicate a layer and then apply a style to that
Styles palette can be accessed via the windows menu
How to use styles Please consult the documentation that comes with Photoshop or various articles on styles or tutorials on the web. There have been many excellent articles in magazines such as Computer Arts and macDesign (now layers magazine) and Digit UK. There is a small selection of hints and tips below.
Number of styles in styles palette Please note that there are limits on the number of styles that can be displayed / loaded at any one time. This was at one time set at 500 styles.
Royalty-free The styles are royalty-free. Please feel free to apply to any text or image as required. The styles are still copyright Andrew Buckle and Abneil Software Ltd though, so please don't just collect them together and place them on a CD and then release that.. which is stretching royalty-free a little too far.
Backup Please take a backup of the styles before any use (you might overwrite them or the files might get corrupted)
Quick start using the styles 1. Place the styles in the Photoshop presets styles folder 2. Create a shape (using the layer option / shapes palette) either a custom shape or square etc 3. Access styles palette via the windows menu 4. Select the small arrow at the right of the palette and load/replace styles presets 5. Select a style to apply to the shape 6. Use the layers menu - layer scaling option to further tweak the layer styles setting
Installation issues with the styles If you have any questions, please leave a message on the graphicxtras.com forum or e-mail me on support@graphicxtras.com
Comments about the styles If you have any suggestions to how we can improve our products or manual, or if there is something that is hard to understand or badly stated, please contact us and we will try to correct any errors or misunderstandings in the next release of the manual. It is always great to hear your feedback.
System requirements Applications supported - Photoshop ® 6 and 7 and CS 1 and CS2 CS3 (and elements 1 2 3 4 5, though not all features are supported in its implementation of styles) as well as ImageReady Windows 98, XP, and NT, ME, 2000 Vista & MAC OS X
Minimum requirements At least 128MB of memory, though some operations might require a lot more.
Styles version format All the styles are saved in Photoshop ® 6 format for maximum compatibility.
Trademarks The styles were created by Andrew Buckle, and copyright 2001-2007 Andrew Buckle and Abneil Software Ltd. All products mentioned in this manual are trademarked or probably trademarked by their respective owners. Illustrator and Photoshop and Adobe and After Effects are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. We have connection whatsoever with Adobe
Company address Telephone/FAX: UK 01622 688 375 http://www.graphicxtras.com support (@at) graphicxtras.com
Styles samplers If you haven't purchased the styles but would like to, please check out our 1) Styles 1 (3000 styles) 2) Styles 2 (4000 styles) The styles samplers contain only a few variant styles...
Other related items We have a number of other items for Photoshop such as brushes and shapes and styles and gradients, as well as Photoshop plugins on the graphicxtras.com site
Hints and tips for styles Experimentation The styles in this set were created in the spirit of experimentation. Perhaps a Frankenstein monster in a kind of out of control experimentation, but that's styles for you. Don’t expect just to click and select an effect (though, of course, if you wish to just go with the created effect, that is your option). The layer effects/styles never
could be that (they could if everyone used exactly the same shape/background/start color /size of document but that won’t happen.
Layer scaling The shapes used for the development of this set of styles were in the most part circular or rectangular, a small document size of 500 x 500. This is where the slightly tucked away command ‘Scale Layer effects’ comes in handy. Once you have created your shape and selected the style you want, use the scale to, in effect, create 100s of variant styles with a single style. A smooth button suddenly can become wrinkled or distorted by a contour or a color or a gradient or effect can suddenly spring into focus as you change the slider. The scale can be used repeatedly, so scale to 30% then re-scale again.. Or go in the other direction.
The above are the same but using different scaling
Pattern and styles The style can be used to create colorful pattern designs. Create a new layer, apply a fill to the layer, apply a style and then flatten, use tilemaker plug-in (or another pattern design plug-in, tilemaker comes with ImageReady) and then use the define pattern command via the edit menu. Use the style pattern in fill layer or even in a new layer effect
Background color In some cases the styles will change depending on the current color in the color palette, change that and you will have a different color effect. Same with the background, some of the styles are set to difference blend and will react in different ways to the background. Awesome color effects can be achieved or zilch, depending on the background. There is no instant effect though in a lot of cases the instant effect can be stunning but it can also be nothing like the palette small icon
Effects and layer effects Applying a normal effect to the layer effect applied shape will force a 'rasterize' prompt. You can then blur, etc the layer effect or apply other effects.
Unless flattened, additional 'layer effects' additions can be added to the still styled layer
Additional tweaks to the styles To further modify the layer effects, go into the layer effect panel and say add a drop shadow or shift the gradient or perhaps change a radial to angular or shape burst, or perhaps remove the gradient and replace with a patterns. Patterns were not included in this set as patterns are added into the layer styles file and this just increases the size of the files (patterns might be included in future releases and allow for texture effects to be added to buttons or used in pattern overlays)
Custom shapes Styles can be used in combination with shapes (brilliant with custom shapes collection) but they can also be applied to a normal layer. So if you want a quick frame, use one of the styles (say a stroke effect) or use a shape and then exclude and then apply a style. Paths/shapes can also be modified so once you have added a style to the shape you can always then modify the shape and drag the anchor points to create perhaps an oozing shape/style filled shape or use styles on multiple shapes combined by intersect or subtract.
Web buttons / text and styles applied Styles can be used for web buttons or text.. In some cases further modification will be needed for text effects, the precise setting is probably best (most of the styles don’t have the precise setting to on as default). Text can then be modified or turned into a shape, distorted with the style applied. Or combine layers or change blending modes or gray scale settings.
Starting point Styles can also be the starting point of more styles.. Be warned, like me, you will end up with a mountain of styles filling your disk
Styles file Size Styles files can be zipped up to a very small size, but if they contain patterns or textures the size will dramatically increase.
Layers and brushes and styles Styles can also be used with the brushes (ok in 6 but much better in 7 and CS/2/3) Create a new layer and apply a style to that totally blank white layer, and paint with the brush tool (or perhaps others). The brushes in the brushes collection can be used effectively this way. As you paint with a color (white removes...) you will see more of the layer style coming through.. The brush layer can then be tweaked or transformed or spread over layers and perhaps you can then paint with the 'glow' part of the style and leave the rest of the gradient or pattern part of the brush stroke untouched (the main layer also has to be filled or you won't see the glow or the gradient brush stroke.
Another way here would be to just fill the 'top' layer with black and then just paint on the layers with another
color. Brushes and styles are great ways to create layer effect nozzles and tubes for other applications or basic 'floater' layers that can be used in other projects The brush strokes can also be further manipulated by various plugins. I have had hours of fun (as well as serious designs) with the brush strokes and layer effects.
Styles files format / save styles Photoshop keeps the current styles in its own internal styles file, styles can be deleted or added to this palette without affecting the original loaded styles file. This does have one drawback, if you replace the current styles or set back to the default set, unless you save your styles, you will lose them. Always remember to use the save styles command (perhaps just as a backup in case something happens, such as Photoshop failing). Photoshop now reminds you (in the latest version) that you have unsaved styles and will prompt you to save the style file. If you say no, the styles will be lost. If you save the styles in 7 then they are saved in 7 format and cannot be read in 6 (the same for CS, all backward compatibility is lost)
Moving styles The styles can be moved from one styles library to another, but there is no particular easy way to do it. One way would be to create a number of documents and create a shape via the shapes tools, apply a favorite style to each shape, and then replace all the current styles back to a near empty set, then save each of the styles (still associated with the shapes) using the new style option, then saving the styles file (as an ASL file) with all your favorite styles.
Scripting and styles You can also use styles in scripts so perhaps try your hand at Javascript and tweak styles in totally unusual ways.
Preset manager A great way to manipulate the styles is via the preset manager (which doesn't appear to exist in ImageReady). The preset manager (in CS) can be used to move the order of the styles so if you want all the blue styles to be together in a styles set, use the preset manager. Just remember to save the styles or the styles will be lost when you replace the styles set
Empty styles set A good idea perhaps is to have an empty styles file at hand, so just delete all the styles in the current styles palette and save the 'empty' styles palette file, this can then be used as a base for your own favorite styles collections.
Illustrator path It isn't just shapes or text that can have a style, it is any layer. So importing an illustrator path or just creating a basic layer, and the styles can be used on those as well to great effect. The styles work best when the layer has some level of transparency
Frames and styles Some, but not all, of the styles are great for adding a frame to an image. Select a region of the image, invert selection to select everything from the original selection to the edge of the image, copy, and then apply the style to the new layer. Use layer scaling to modify the frame or modify further via the layers dialog
Overlays and styles Some of the styles can be used as a basic overlay. Create a new layer above original image, fill layer with black or solid color or perhaps paint a particular region with a color and then apply layer style. Set the opacity to 40% or 50% to create a colorful overlay. Some of the styles will work fine even at 100% opacity. Some styles work better than others as a colorful overlay
Selection and styles A good application of layer style is just by selecting a part of picture or perhaps use the selection masking tools
(such as color range) to select areas of a picture and then apply layer styles to that. Some truly weird and wonderful background effects can be created or surreal masked (if inverted) object styles can be had.
Changing center of effect and mode Once the layer effect dialog is open, you can tweak the layer style in many different ways. Sometimes the best effects can be achieved without tweaking a single setting, just select the tab (pattern overlay) that you want change and then apply the cursor to drag the origin point etc. The styles use a lot of gradients, the gradient overlay tab is probably the best place to tweak the gradient origin points, just by dragging the cursor, many different 'styles' can be generated
Blending modes and styles Blending modes can also be used in combo with the styles. Many styles can be radically changed by just changing the blending mode of the layer or in some cases, the blending mode of the mode for the layer
Also the fill opacity and channels used can be modified
Create layer command The layer style->create layer command can be useful. This splits all the individual styles into their own layer. The overall effect visually probably will be no change but now you can tweak the styles individual layers, perhaps apply a gradient to the gradient layer or to the satin or a satin style to the gradient layer or perhaps use the transform commands to distort the layer and effect. Using the create layer command, you can also apply effects to the individual layers, so filters can also play a part in the 'layer style'. The original shape of the layer is still preserved so if you have a circular button, the circular button is still there but instead of having just a basic gradient effect for the button, the button can also be twirled.