Handy Keyboard Shortcuts For Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox

While the mouse is considered one of the greatest and most useful computing technologies ever made, sometimes the redundant point-and-click actions can slow you down. Keyboard shortcuts save time and help you get exactly where you want to be in seconds. Here are some useful keyboard shortcuts you can use while surfing the Web with the Internet Explorer

, Mozilla Firefox or Google's Chrome browser. More Shortcuts>>

Mozilla Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts

Targeting Adjustments in Photoshop Using a Layer Mask

Making overall adjustments to bring out the maximum amount of detail in your images is a common goal, but one of the reasons for using the tonal adjustments within Photoshop in addition to those you already made in ACR is so that you can apply the changes to only certain areas of the image. You may want to do this to help emphasize your subject or to reveal detail in areas of your picture that have different lighting. Doing so requires the use of a layer mask to target the adjustment to a particular area of the image.
 
Every adjustment layer comes with a layer mask. It’s the white box that appears in the adjustment layer next to the icon for the type of adjustment. The shape of the mask matches the shape of your image, as shown below. Try it now>>

Create a Natural Media Brush in Photoshop

Begin By Painting a Brush Tip

There are two types of brushes you can build and use in Photoshop:

• One based on math, i.e., geometry. This sort of brush is created by duplicating a Photoshop preset labeled “Soft Round” or “Hard Round”, and then customizing it as shown in the following sections; you click a brush, click New Brush Preset on the pop-up menu, name the brush in the Brush Name dialog box, and you’re all set to modify it. The limitation to building this type of brush is that it’s always elliptical in shape—you cannot give it an irregular outline as a stroke with a physical paintbrush can produce.
• One based on a bitmap. This is the type of brush you’ll learn to create in this chapter. It’s a mental, not a physical challenge; and the payoff is that a saved bitmap-type brush can be used in scores of design and retouching situations. The strokes it produces can look quite natural and photographic; additionally, all the options on the Brushes Panel are available for customizing the bitmap brush tip. Try it Now>>
  

Five Windows command prompt tips every IT pro should know

The Windows GUI may be easy for the average user to navigate, but power users and IT pros alike still recognize the usefulness of the command prompt. Bill Detwiler shows you five tricks that will help you become a command-prompt ninja.

In the video, I mention a tip from TechRepublic member Kiwi.Dusty and mytmous about using the Function keys from the command prompt. Here’s the complete list Function Key actions as posted in the original article’s discussion post: Read More>>