7

A SENSE OF HISTORY

A true test of how powerful a computer application is lies not in the ability to “do,” but rather to “undo.” Having the ability to create with a safety net is a liberating experience. By harnessing the power of the History palette, an editor or designer can manage to try new things without having the pressure of a missed deadline.

Configuring History States

By default, Photoshop has 20 history states. A history state is simply a level of undo. If 20 is not enough for you, then you can increase this number. To do so, activate Photoshop’s Preferences by pressing . In Photoshop CS3 you’ll find History States under the Performance group (in earlier versions it can be found in the General group).

When adjusting history states, you should keep in mind that you are tying up your computer’s RAM for each level of undo. Fortunately, Photoshop is very efficient in tracking changes. History states are stored in RAM, where you can access them quickly. If you run out of RAM, they are written to the available scratch disk.

Photoshop currently supports up to 1000 levels of undo. It would take some very fast mouse clicks to use those up. Since you are generally working with small file sizes, RAM requirements are low. I recommend 100 history states as a starting point. Go up or down as needed based on your workflow.

Accessing History States

To make undos a little easier, you may want to change your Redo key settings. Most nonlinear editing systems will “walk backwards” when the Undo key is pressed. By default, Photoshop will dance a two-step: undo/redo, undo/redo. To change this requires you to access your Keyboard Shortcuts.

The History palette is not the most visible window. Most users have it shrunk down to just a few lines; some have it hidden completely. To make this wonderful palette more accessible, dock it in the palette well. Drag the tab to the upper right corner of your screen. The History palette will dock itself in the Options bar, always ready, never in the way.

Think of the History palette as an edit assistant that tracks your every move. As you move forward through your project, you can instantly jump back as many steps as you need. If you are decisive, set your history state number lower. If you are experimental, leave this number high. Every time you click and make a change that affects your canvas, that change is recorded. You can now access this list visually with the mouse, or through keyboard shortcuts. Take a deep breath, and jump in the pool of creative thinking.

Performing Multiple Undos

The best way to understand the History palette is to simply try it out. For this exercise you will regress a little and finger paint. This is a great opportunity to try out the flexibility of Photoshop’s Brushes.

In the History palette you will see a comprehensive list of every step you took (up to your number of history states limit). Your final step is highlighted at the bottom of the list. To go backwards, click on the state you wish to return to. The change is instant.

The speed and flexibility of the History palette will let you explore different approaches without having to keep multiple copies of an image open. For those who prefer keyboard shortcuts, cycling through your undos will take you backwards through the History palette. Earlier you changed the Redo key to under the Keyboard Shortcuts window,; this is a faster way to access previous history states.

By default, you should be working with history states using the linear mode. This is the standard mode for the History palette; it can be accessed by going to the palette’s submenu. Click on the small triangle on the right corner of the palette’s tab. Choose History Options and make certain the Allow Nonlinear History box is unchecked.

As you step backwards through each state, you should notice how states become grayed out and italicized. This lets you know that you are working in the linear mode. As you move backwards, Photoshop is alerting you that these steps are undone. Moving forward, by applying a change to the image, will result in these grayed items being dropped off the list. Once an item has been removed from the History palette, it is gone.

It is very important to remember that the History palette is tied to RAM. Power failures, computer crashes, or kicked power strips will all interrupt your computer’s power supply and, therefore, your RAM data. Do not think of the History palette as a replacement for saving your work. It’s also important to note that the history information is not stored with the document when you save it.

The History palette for a specific document resets each time you open that document. However, you can toggle between open documents, and each will retain its own history states and levels of undo. Program-wide changes to palettes, user preferences, actions, or color settings are not recorded to the History palette.

It is possible to create your own time-stamped backups. Photoshop can automatically create a snapshot each time you save. Snapshots are useful, but are only temporary, because they are stored in RAM.

Using Snapshots

A snapshot is exactly as its name implies, a captured moment in time. Making a snapshot creates a point that you can quickly jump to (think of them as digital breadcrumbs). Proper use of snapshots will expand flexibility. Since the changes are stored in RAM, you can jump from one point to another very quickly.

Making a snapshot is easy. At the bottom of the History palette, click on the Create New Snapshot icon (the icon looks like a camera icon). If you want more advanced options hold down the key when clicking. This will give you advanced options, including the ability to name the state when you create it.

Snapshots appear at the top of the History palette. Photoshop will create the first snapshot by default when you open the document. This gives you a very quick return path to revert to the original document, and is significantly faster than reloading the file back from disk. You can add new snapshots whenever you want a milestone to return to. Photoshop supports more than 1000 snapshots, depending upon available RAM and scratch disk space.

One particularly helpful option for snapshots is to have Photoshop create a new snapshot every time you save. This is similar to the “attic” or “vault” features of many nonlinear editing systems. To access this feature, access the triangular submenu in the History palette. Choose History Options and enable the Automatically Create New Snapshot When Saving check box.

Revert is slow and painful. Your computer has to reload the original file into memory. Instead, use the first snapshot for an instant “go back to start” jump.

Now each time you save your document, a new snapshot will be generated. Jumping between different versions is as simple as clicking on the icon for each in the History palette. Photoshop names the new state with the exact time it was created. This feature is invaluable when the client or producer is sitting next to you and wants to make “just a few” changes. It now becomes possible to jump through numerous hoops, yet always return to any given point in a near instant.

On the subject of frequent changes, you can generate a new document from any history point by clicking the Create New Document icon at the bottom of the palette. This will open a new document (with its own History palette) based upon your current history state. Dragging a snapshot on the Create New Document icon will create a new document based on that state. This is identical to a common editing practice of making a duplicate sequence before undertaking significant revisions.

Linear versus Nonlinear Mode

While nonlinear video editing saves time and adds flexibility, the nonlinear mode of the History palette is not as useful. By default, the nonlinear option is disabled, for good reason. The nonlinear mode opens up an incredible amount of increased flexibility, but making sense of that flexibility often becomes a brainteaser not worth solving.

The Nonlinear History mode can be accessed from the History palette submenu. When enabled, a user can go back in time and make changes without losing the subsequent history states. In practice, this can be seen as branching. You can jump back to step 3 and design in a new direction. Your old steps (which are currently unused) still appear at the bottom of your list; they do not drop off.

While editing video in a nonlinear fashion may seem natural, most users (rightfully) avoid this option in the History palette.

The designer eventually needs to make a choice: return to the bottom of the list, thus abandoning the sidetracked design, or manually remove the unwanted items at the bottom of the list by dragging them onto the Delete (trash can) icon. Sound confusing? It is. A more logical approach that does not involve organizing “alternative realties” would be employing the previously mentioned Create New Document feature. Other users prefer using multiple snapshots to simplify this process.

Using the Edit History Log

Have you ever wished that you had someone to take notes while you worked? Well now you can. … Photoshop can help keep careful track of what’s been modified or done to a file. This can be useful for several reasons:

To use the History Log, you must enable it in your General Preferences group by pressing .

If storing the information as metadata, keep in mind that it adds to your file size. This can slow down the opening, saving, and closing of a document. However embedding the information is convenient, as it is stored with the file. To view the metadata, look in the Metadata window of Adobe Bridge.

What are Those Weird Brushes?

Your toolbox contains two tools with the word history in their titles: the History Brush tool and the Art History Brush tool. Both of these tools require you to use snapshots to define the source of the brush. The first tool lets you paint backward in time. The second tool is used to create impressionistic painting effects. The best way to understand these tools is to see them in action.

History Brush

Let’s give the History Brush tool a try. You can open any source photo with a single subject. You may use the photo called Ch07_ Fish.tif, which can be found in the Chapter 7 folder on the DVD. Ensure that Photoshop created a new snapshot when the document was opened.

These two brushes have very little to do with multiple undos. But you can paint back in time or create a painterly look with them.

Using the History Brush tool, it is possible to “paint backwards in time.” The first image is the original, the second is filtered, and the third has details painted back into the face and mouth area.

Before the History Brush tool, designers would often duplicate the photo, filter the top copy, and then erase back down to the unfiltered version below. The History Brush is essentially giving you the same results without the need for extraneous layers.

Art History Brush

So the History Brush can be truly useful. But what about that other one? The Art History Brush is an attempt to simulate natural media effects. You deploy it in an identical way to the History Brush. You will also notice advanced features in the Options bar that affect the shape of the strokes, as well as tolerance and style.

These two images were created using the Art History Brush tool.

The end result will vary, but the official stance is that you can create paintings from photos. This is often useful for backgrounds, but the Art History Brush toolis not always a practical tool for a deadline-focused environment. Getting good results will often take a lot of time. Other alternatives would include filters or third-party applications like Syn-thetik Software’s Studio Artist or Procreate’s Painter. This is an interesting area to explore, but not an essential skill for use in digital video.

Hands On | 07

Creating a DVD Overlay for Motion Menu Design

The art of DVD menu design is an evolving practice. One of its most enjoyable aspects is the creation of motion menus. These can give your DVD a truly polished look. Motion menus will often use a black & white (or subpicture) highlight layer. This layer is used to signify overlays that will be placed over the motion background when a button is highlighted.

Creating buttons for a motion menu can be a time consuming task, figuring out the highlights, complex selection techniques, and getting the perfect edge. Unless you do it the east way! This tutorial will show you two approaches that work very well for both Adobe After Effects and Apple’s LiveType. You can adapt the techniques to work with other motion graphics software as well.

You’ll find Exercise 07 on the DVD-ROM.