[FAQ] Tools of the Trade

[Chibi Altaria]

Tools of the Trade
FAQ & discussion thread for artist's tools / programs


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Welcome, guys, to Tools of the Trade! This thread is where artists of all kinds can gather and share tips, tricks and knowledge about the tools we use. What kinds of tools? There's traditional mediums, such as pencils, paint, or maybe chalk. And then there are also tools for specific art programs such as Photoshop, GIMP, Paint Tool Sai and many more. If you're into photography, you might want to also learn about lenses, shutter speeds and cool effects.

So that's where you guys come in. If you've got lots of artistic knowledge, it'd be awesome if you'd share it with us! Maybe take a few screenshots, show your settings, or do a quick tutorial around a certain tool. Have a graphics tablet? How do you use it? You can even just explain a few tips and tricks if you'd like. If you're just starting out in Photoshop and not sure which way is up, feel free to ask a question here! That goes for any kind of artistic tool. If you're curious and want to know, just ask away! We'll all try our best to help get you started with whatever tool of the trade you need. :D As questions and answers pop up, they'll be added into the FAQ below.

This is also a general thread for the discussion of art tools and/or programs. So feel free to ask around if you just need a little help, or have something to share. c:

Happy creating!

TOOL FAQ

TRADITIONAL ART
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DIGITAL ART

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

Spoiler:

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
(note that this must be activated in the preferences menu -- it is on by default)
Alternatively, a full list of keyboard shortcuts can be found here.

Hitting the "A" key will select the Path Selection Tool Hitting the "B" key will select the Brush Tool Hitting the "C" key will select the Crop Tool Hitting the "D" key will switch the two primary colours back to the default (black & white) Hitting the "E" key will select the Eraser Tool Hitting the "F" key will switch the Screen Mode Hitting the "G" key will select the Paint Bucket / Gradient Tool Hitting the "H" key will select the Hand Tool Hitting the "I" key will select the Eyedropper Tool Hitting the "J" key will select the Spot Healing Brush Tool Hitting the "K" key will select the 3D Object Rotate Tool (PS Extended only) Hitting the "L" key will select the Lasso Tool Hitting the "M" key will select the Marquee Tool Hitting the "N" key will select the 3D Camera Rotate tool (PS Extended only) Hitting the "O" key will select the Dodge / Burn / Sponge Tool Hitting the "P" key will select the Pen Tool Hitting the "Q" key will switch the mode to Quick Mask Hitting the "R" key will select the Rotate Tool Hitting the "S" key will select the Clone Stamp Tool Hitting the "T" key will select the Type Tool Hitting the "U" key will select the Rectangle (Shape) Tool Hitting the "V" key will select the Move Tool Hitting the "W" key will select the Magic Wand Tool Hitting the "X" key will switch your two primary colours Hitting the "Z" key will select the Zoom Tool

PHOTOGRAPHY
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RESOURCES

FREE ART PROGRAMS

Spoiler:

• Corel Painter Essentials 30 Day Trial • Open Canvas • GIMP • Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended • Paint.NET • Pixlr • Inkscape • Pencil Animation • Fire Alpaca • MediBang Paint