How to Make a Clipping Mask with Shapes in Photoshop

I explained a way to make a clipping mask with text last time. This time, I'd like to show you how to make a clipping mask with shapes in Photoshop. Actually, it goes through the same process as making a clipping mask with text. Only the different thing is to use shapes.

1. Go to the File drop-down menu, and select Open. Choose an image you want to use a clipping mask.

I chose this image below.

2. Go to Rectangle Tool in the toolbox, click right mouse on Rectangle Tool, and then select the tool you want in the drop-down menu. I chose Ellipse Tool here.

3. Bring and drag it on the canvas like a image below. If you do that, another layer in Layers panel will be created.

4. Go to the Layers panel, choose Background layer, and then double click it.

5. A popup window of New Layer appears. If you click OK, The Background layer in the Layers panel will change to Layer 0.

6. After then, place Layer 0 top on Ellipse 1 layer.

7. With highlighting Layer 0 in the Layers panel, go to the Layer drop-down menu, and then select Create Clipping Mask.

8. You can see the image placed in ellipse.

 9. Go to the Image drop-down menu, and select Trim.

If a popup window of Trim appears, just click OK.

10. After then, you can see a needless space removed.

11. Here is an output below.

Here is another result using Heart Card shape in Custom Shape Tool. If you try to make a clipping mask, choosing various shapes, you will have different outputs like this below. 

How to Put an Image inside Text by a Clipping Mask in Photoshop

You can see an image inside text in a book, magazine, or on TV. It is made by a clipping mask, so I'd like to introduce how to make it in Photoshop. I used Adobe Photoshop CS 6 here. Here are steps below.

1. Go to the File drop-down menu < New in order to make a new canvas.

Any size is okay, but choose Transparent in Background Contents because you can easily edit with any other images later.

 2. Choose Horizontal Type Tool in the toolbox, bring it on the new canvas, and then write any text. I wrote New York. Choose any text color because it doesn't effect on this work.

3. Go to the File drop-down menu, select Place, and then choose the image that you want. 

4. You can see the image placed. If you want to change the image size, adjust it. However, if not, just press Enter.   

5. Go to the Layer drop-down menu, and select Create Clipping Mask. Doing this, pay attention to the Layers panel. The image layer has to be placed top on the text layer. 

6. After then, you can see the image placed only inside text. 

Using Move Tool in the toolbox, you can choose some part of the image that you want to show. 

7. Go to the File drop down menu, choose Save for Web, select PNG-24 with checking Transparency in Preset, and then click Save. 

8. This is an output made by a clipping mask. 

How to Reformat a Toshiba laptop to Factory Defaults without a Recovery CD

I habitually reformat my laptop once a year. Doing that is annoying. However, after reformatting, I feel like using new one. I actually need to back up my data. If I don't reformat, I tend not to back it up. In fact, when I neglected to back up my data, I lost all my important data. I have regularly tried to back up data since then.

Nowadays, reformatting your computer is not difficult because most of computer manufacturers make easy recovering laptops. After you set up few steps, most of laptops automatically reformat. Only the problem is that it takes a long time to recover your laptop and to install all software programs you use in the optimum condition.

Here are the steps to reformat a window 7 based Toshiba laptop to factory defaults without a recovery CD.

1. Turn on your laptop holding number zero. If you see a Toshiba logo, release number 0.

2. You can see a unusual screen, Toshiba Recovery Warning Screen. Click yes, but you should back up your data before restoring.

3. After then, if you see this screen below, select Recovery of Factory Default Software. If you select the second radio button, it takes much longer time. I recommend you to select the first one. 

4. Select "Recovery to out-of-box-state (System Recovery Options are included)." However, if you have partitions, you can choose the second radio button, Recovery without changing the hard drive partitions. Moreover, if you want to make partitions, you can select the third one, Recovery to a custom size partition.

5. After then, if you see the screen below, press Next. 

6. You can see the screen below; it's preparing for recovery and then starts to recover. 

7. After then, you just wait for finishing this process. You don't need to do anything. After Recovery of Factory Default Software process finishes, click Finish. I didn't take pictures of the following screens, so I can't show you. After finishing the process, your laptop automatically turns on and off; you should not touch anything during the process. 

8. After finishing such a process, you should set up Windows such as country, currency, time, keyboard, and so on.   

9. After recovery, you should install a security program at first because you need to protect your computer and then perform Windows Update. Finally, install all software programs you want. That's it. 

Here are a recover key of other brand laptops. However, they apply to only the models included Recovery of Factory Default Software.

Dell:  F8

HP:  F11

Samsung: F4

LG: F11

SONY: F10

ASUS: F9

How to Fix a Twisted Photo in Photoshop

We sometimes take a twisted picture unconsciously. Otherwise, when scanning a photo or document, we can often get a twisted image. I'd like to let you know how to fix it with Adobe Photoshop CS 6.

1. Open a photo you want to retouch. I used the picture of Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy here.

2. Click right mouse on Eyedropper Tool in the toolbox, and then select Ruler Tool in the drop-down menu.  

3. Using Ruler Tool, draw a line on the photo like a image below. 

4. Go to the File drop-down menu, and then select Automate < Crop and Straighten Photos.

5. After then, you can see an modified photo below; this is an output. 

6. You can compare before and after below. 

How to Remove Red Eyes with Photshop

When taking a personal picture at night, you can sometimes see red eyes on it. One day, one of my friends told me that she did not know how to remove the red eyes; she is not interested in information technology. Like my friend, some people may have the same idea. However, removing red eyes is much easier than you think. If you have graphics software such as Photoshop, it is easy to retouch the eyes. Here are some steps.

 1. Open your photo with red eyes in Adobe Photoshop.

2. If you click right mouse on Spot Healing Brush Tool in the toolbox, you can see Red Eye Tool in the drop-down menu. Click the tool; I used Adobe Photoshop CS 6 here.

 3. After then, bring it on the photo and click pupil that you want to retouch.

4. Like a image below, you can see the red eyes removed.

Hallelujah Performed by Matthew Schuler and by Rufus Wainwright

I believe that music gives people energy and makes them happy and comfortable. For the reason, one of TV programs that I like is “The Voice.”

This past Monday, in the Voice Live Top 12 Performances(Season 5), Matthew Schuler sang “Hallelujah,” one of my favorite songs. Watching him singing, I was so impressed that I have listened to the song again and again. Many viewers might feel like me. While he was sing Hallelujah, his voice was so soft and beautiful that most audiences on the spot seemed to be deeply moved. Finally, he got a ticket being able to perform in Top 10 Performances next Monday. That’s why I want to post Hallelujah Matthew Schuler sang. Here it is.

 There is another version of Hallelujah performed by Rufus Wainwright whose cover of the Leonard Cohen song is on the soundtrack album of Shrek in 2001.

Listen to two different versions of Hallelujah, and feel how different they are.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Funny Book

Searching something on Google, I accidentally started to read “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by Jeff Kinney a few days ago. The book has been published in a serial form. It is a popular fiction book for children.

It is so funny that I cannot stop reading it. Reading the book, I’m giggling alone even though I’m an adult. :) If somebody looks at me giggling, he or she might feel that I'm like a silly person. If you read it, you may be the same as me. :)

I have been reading its first book on this website: http://www.funbrain.com/journal/Journal.html?ThisJournalDay=1&ThisPage=1. The website is that I visited by accident and then that I started to read “Diary of a Wimpy kid”.

Reading this book, I wondered how many volumes it has completed, so I visited Amazon.com. I figured out that its eighth book came out last week and becomes #1 bestseller on Amazon.com. 

After book 1, I’d like to read until the latest book 8 as soon as possible.