Category Archives: Online Tutorial

How I create my watermark

By Jamal Rahman | Published July 10, 2010

I am using Adobe Illustrator & Adobe Photoshop for my watermark.

For example this one is made by writing on my Wacom Bamboo using Illustrator, add some more text & save it in .ai format. Then I created an Action File using Photoshop. I’ll try to outline the steps (I’ll add in some screenshots when I have more time):

  1. Open the photo I want to edit in Photoshop, whatever format.
  2. Start to record an action file (Go to Windows > Action and file an icon to ‘Create New Action”)
  3. I normally set the image size by using File > Automate > Fit Image (set to 1200 pix for both dimensions) & also Image > Image Size & reduce the Resolution to 72 dpi without Resample Image (i.e. keeping it at 1200 pix at longest dimension). This step is to ensure that the size of image will be standardized so that our watermark won’t appear too big or too small.
  4. Then I pause the recording of my action because I have to transfer & create path for the watermark.
  5. I open my .ai watermark file in Photoshop. I just click continue/OK to whatever default steps after that. And by using Move tool I move my watermark to the photo I just resized.
  6. Once my watermark is on the photo, I moved it the upper left corner of the picture & resize it as appropriate. But don’t make it too small because it will cause problem when we select later.
  7. Then on the Layer panel (please don’t tell me you do not know where Layer panel is if you are using Photoshop!!), I select the watermark by pressing CTRL & click on the layer that has the watermark.
  8. I then adjust the selection by going to Select > Refine Edge. I normally use ‘Shift Edge’ to make the selection bigger (in CS5).
  9. Then I go to Path panel (next to Layer & Channel) & click icon Make New Path From Selection.
  10. I highlight the path layer & then I go back to my Action panel & Insert Path (I can’t describe the icon to access this Insert Path – later I add screenshot). No worry even though we pause recording…..Photoshop will still record the path.
  11. Then run action record again, add a new layer, select the path on the path panel.
  12. Then using whatever colour you like, Pain Bucket the selection. Walla!! You got your watermark ready.
  13. The next things to do are just to resize & reposition the watermark to the place you like. Please use Select, Layers>Align for this purpose. Do not use you mouse to move the watermark. The action you are recording must make every steps accommodating both portrait & landscape layout.
  14. Then you can stop recording your watermark action.
  15. Use the action to whatever photo you want after that.
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How I create my child’s passport size photo

By Jamal Rahman | Published January 3, 2010

Recently I need to bring 4 passport size photos for my daughter’s school registration. Instead of paying RM12 for 4 photos from the usual photo shop, I decided to do it myself. I grab my camera with 85mm lens, a tripod, a light stand with reflective umbrella & 2 flash guns. I don’t have any commercial backdrop so I made sure the wall I chose for the background is homogeneous in colour. I also made sure my child didn’t sit to close to the wall to avoid the shadow.

Once the picture has been taken, I transferred them to my computer. I used Adobe Photoshop as my only tool. Just follow the pictures below, one-by-one & you should be able to do it yourself. Just one note, there are many ways of doing this thing. Google & you’ll find it.

To summarise every thing:

  1. Take a good portrait with clean same colour backgroud.
  2. Transfer the picture to Photoshop.
  3. Crop the picture 3.5cm W x 5cm H at 300 dpi.
  4. Select only the subject (I used Magic Wand & fine tune with Quick Selection Tool & Define Select) – Please do it till ‘pixel’ level.
  5. Copy the subject (save in the clipboard)
  6. Then create  3.5cm x 5cm empty white background file
  7. Create whatever ‘digital backdrop’ you like (in my example I used gradient tool)
  8. Paste the picture.
  9. Position the subject properly using Move tool.
  10. Merge all the layer. At this stage you already have a 3.5cm x 5cm photo.
  11. To print 4  3.5cm x 5cm photos in one 6 in x 4 photo paper, you must arrange 4 of photo you created on a new 4 in x 6 in photoshop document.
  12. Many ways to do that. Simplest method is copy once & paste 4 time & then arrange them.

Good luck.

Also posted in Graphic, Photography | Tagged , | 3 Comments

How to create a digital ID using Adobe Acrobat

By Jamal Rahman | Published September 4, 2008

I got a request to produce an online tutorial on the creation for digital ID using Adobe Acrobat & the ability to sign documents.

First of all I hope you guys know that what we are doing is to create a ‘digitized signature’ as compare to a digital signature. A true digital signature or ID requires no scribble on a paper. That’s the current trend & I assume the only official way to sign any legal document.

So here goes…

1. Make sure you already scanned your signature. Preferably using a black ink on a clean white paper. Scan hi-res, at least at 300 dpi. Save it to either in JPEG or PNG format. I prefer the later as it accomodate transparent background.

2. Open your Adobe Acrobat Professional. Not Adobe Reader OK!

3. Go to Advanced>Security Setting

4. Then click ‘Add ID”

5. Choose to create a new ID. If you already have the ID, just upload it here. Then click Next.

6. Then choose the first option….”New PKCS#12…”. Then click Next.

7. Then fill in the relevant details. Don’t forget the email address. Then click Next.

8. Then save the ID to someplace save. Create a password that you will remember!

9. That’s it you had just created a digital ID.

10. Now we have to create the ‘skin’ or appearance of the ID. So don’t close you Acrobat as yet.

11. Go to Edit>Preferences…

12. Under ‘Appearnces”, click “New”. Then click OK.

13. Give the appearance a name. Could be anything. Doesn’t have to be your name. For the graphic, select “Imported graphic” and browse the signature you have scanned.

14. Then un-check all items in “Configure Text”. Then click OK. That’s it. You have done. Now you can sign any PDF document using your Acobat Professional.

Also posted in Computer, IT | Tagged , , | 7 Comments