How To Load: SCRIPTS - ACTIONS - STYLES

How to load and use Photoshop Scripts.

Pencil Pixels Scripts are as easy to use as Actions. One click and the effect is generated.
There are a number of Free Photoshop Scripts on the Pencil Pixels' site.

Download and unzip the file into a folder and put the folder where you can easily find it.

Open an image in Photoshop, then you can select the script through the
File menu >> Scripts >> Browse...  menu (as illustrated below)

Select the script from the folder you've stored it in.

or

The script can appear directly in your Photoshop script list
File >> Scripts
To do this, you just place all your scripts in the Photoshop scripts folder.

The typical location of the scripts folder is;
For Windows :    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop (CS2, 3, 4, 5)\Presets\Scripts\ 
For a MAC :   On your hard drive> Applications> Photoshop (CS2, 3, 4, 5,)> Presets> Scripts.

The Pencil Pixels Scripts are compatible with Mac and Windows Versions of Photoshop versions CS through the latest CS6.

How to load Actions into Photoshop.


Here are some easy steps to load new actions into Photoshop.

If your version of Photoshop is CS3 or later, with the Photoshop application running,
simply double click on the Action file. The new actions will appear at the end of the list of actions in the Actions Palette.

If the Actions palette is not open, select 'Actions' from the 'Window' drop down menu.

Another way of loading actions is through the Actions palette.
Click and hold the arrow button in the upper right hand corner of the palette.

From this drop down menu, select
'Load Actions... '.

Find the Actions file on your computer that you wish to load. The file will have a '.atn' extension.

Depending on the version of Photoshop that you have, you may be able to simply drag and drop the Action file into the open 'Actions' Palette.

The new Actions will appear at the bottom of the list in your Actions palette

* Do not select 'Replace Actions ...' or
'Clear All Actions' or 'Reset Actions...'
These selections will erase actions instead.




When you want to apply an action to an image:
1) Click the small triangle to the left of the Action-set that you've just loaded.
2) From the list, select the Action you want to apply. 
3) Press the triangle 'play' button at the bottom of the palette.

How to load Styles into Photoshop.

Pencil Pixels offers both free and for purchase Photoshop styles. There are styles for Shapes, Styles for Fonts and Frame Styles. Most are free to download.

If your version of Photoshop is CS3 or later, with the Photoshop application running,

simply double click on the Style file. The new styles will appear at the end of the other styles in your Styles Palette.

If the Styles palette is not open, select 'Styles' from the 'Window' dropdown menu.

From the Styles palette, click and hold the arrow button in the upper right corner of the palette. 

From the drop down menu select 'Load Styles...'

Locate the style file [.asl] on your computer to load.

Please note: if you select 'Replace Styles', all of the existing styles that you had will be erased. You would have to reload them from the original source files.

Using Pencil Pixels Free Glitter Styles

Pencil Pixels' Glitter Styles are a great way of adding bits of glitter to images.

Not just for the holidays, the styles can be applied to Fonts and Shapes as well.

Best Part, they are Free and this tutorial will provide you with tips for using them in a number of ways.

First things first, they can be downloaded from the Pencil Pixels site.

Like any style files, they can be loaded into Photoshop (when open) by double clicking on the .atn file, or you can load them from the styles pallet 'Load Styles ...' selection.

There are ten styles of glitter.

Like all styles, you can alter the color, the shadow intensity and the opacity to suit your specific needs.

First open an image.
Add a new layer (Styles can't be applied to the Background layer).
Select a Glitter Style to use.

Using the Paint Brush, simply draw on this layer and ... instant glitter and tinsel!

The brush you select can dramatically change the glitter style appearance.

The examples that follow use some of the standard Photoshop brushes. A brush with 100% hardness (13) is very useful for accenting smaller areas of your image.
Using a softer edge brush, like (45) will soften the edges of the effect. This is beneficial when you want to retain a dithered outline.
The numbers in the brushes' pallet represent the size of the brush. I refer to the numbers here as a 'name' to call the brush I'm referring to.

The effect of the Glitter style is pronounced when you use a brush that has dynamic properties associated with it.

You can set the dynamics yourself or use some of the preset Photoshop brushes.

(29) and (112) are brushes that are preset with dynamics that varies as the stroke progresses. The variance can be in opacity, rotation, color, size and softness.

As you see in the example, the bottom two brushes create a complex 'paint pattern' with very little effort on the part of the user.

Since the glitter styles are ... styles, they can be applied to text, to shapes, to frames or on corner deceratives. I like the look when it is applied to a thin line and used to separate content on a page.

The effect doesn't have to be overt. In the example above, I used 3 different styles to play with the image. Spot them?

With a little imagination you can start to see the possibilities. Below, I painted on different layers with different styles and brush shapes. I then reduced the opacity of the image to almost 0%, leaving the form of the tree made up of glitter. Next year I may even put a Saturation Adjustment layer on top and let the image explode with color.

In this example, I used multiple styles and brush shapes on layers that were on top of each other.  Hay, it's your imagination - I'm just giving you he tools.

Get the Free Glitter Styles at Pencil Pixels and enjoy the holidays. While your there, we have a large number of other Free scripts, fonts and styles to take an image from the ordinary to the extraordinary.