Digging through an old server in the Creativetechs network closet, we unearthed copies of Photoshop Techniques — a newsletter we published years ago in the younger days of Adobe Photoshop.

With all the buzz in our office around Adobe’s upcoming launch of Creative Suite 3, we thought it would be fun to dust off the old files and publish the whole collection in PDF format.

Remember when a beveled edge took four pages of detailed steps?


001 – How to use Quick Mask to Create Special Photo Edges.

002 – How to Create a Neon Object.

003 – How to Build a Soft Shadow for Postscript Artwork.

004 – How to use Postscript Art as a Stencil in Photoshop.

005 – How to Create an Embossed Object.

006 – How to Create a Chiseled Object.

007 – How to Wrap a Texture Over an Object.

008 – How to Create Quick Textures.

009 – How to Cut Out an Object From It’s Background.

010 – How to Build Shadows for Cut Out Objects.

011 – How to Overprint a Shadow.

012 – How to Create Rough, Weathered Graphics.

013 – A visual overview: Combining Photos.

014 – How to Remove Objects From a Photo.

015 – How to Extend a Photo’s Background.

016 – How to Add New Objects to a Photo.

017 – How to Create a Hand Painted Illustration.

018 – How to Draw on a Textured Surface.

019 – How to use Photoshop’s New Lighting Effects.

020 – How to Create Complex Beveled Graphics.

021 – How to add Shadows or Glows to an Object.

022 – How to Fade One Image into Another.

023 – How to create a Montage of Images Using Layer Masks.

024 – How to Mask a Photo Using a Clipping Group.

025 – How to produce Quick, Clean Desktop Halftones.

026 – How to Evaluate and Use Desktop Scanners.

027 – How to Prepare a Photo for the Printed Page.

028 – Understanding and using the Unsharp Mask Filter.

029 – How to Colorize a Line Art Illustration.

033 – How to Create a Digital Fire.

034 – How to create Transparent Images for World Wide Web Pages.

038 – How to Calibrate Your Monitor Using Gamma.

Photoshop Techniques was published between 1993 and 1995 — back when “Photoshop 3” was the newest cool thing. While most of the techniques are entertainingly outdated, a few tutorials do stand as a testament to how consistent Photoshop’s core interface has remained over the years. For example, #29 – How to Colorize a Line Art Illustration shows a technique that remains largely unchanged for many illustrators today.

Other tutorials remind us what has changed. Remember the day when it took 4 pages of dense instruction using channels and masks to create a simple beveled edge to type? (See how we used to do it in #6 – How to Create a Chiseled Object.)

Enjoy a short walk back through the early days of digital imaging.

Source: This tip inspired by Adobe’s upcoming release of Photoshop CS3. On March 27, 2007, at 12:30 p.m. Seattle time, Adobe announces Adobe Creative Suite 3 at a special live webcast from New York. The next day, join us to talk about it (check out “Gratuitous Self Promotion” in this week’s QuickTips email).