Photoshop Guides and Smart Guides are tools which allow us to easily align shapes and/or selections. I use them quite a bit, but last week I discovered something new about them!
I did a search on our Studio blog to see if previous authors have written about Smart Guides. I found a tutorial written by Steph (October, 2012), ” Do you Smart Guide?”, which beautifully explains why we would want to use Smart Guides and how to do so.
I found another tutorial by written by Toiny (March 2012) on “Using Guides to Align an Alpha.” Her tutorial shows one of the ways that Guides can assist us in digital scrapbooking. Imagine my surprise when I saw that this tutorial also included the “new-to-me” thing that I learned this week!
I actually remember reading Toiny’s tutorial in 2012. I didn’t remember the little nugget of information about how to place a New Guide.
I invite you to read the tutorials by Steph and Toiny to learn something new, or refresh your memory of things perhaps forgotten (like me!).
For today, here are 7 additional tips to help you when working with Guides or Smart Guides.
1. Guides and Smart Guide colors are preset by Adobe. If you prefer them to be a different color, you can easily change them by going to: Edit > Preferences > Guides
Then use the drop-down Box to choose the color of your choice. Click OK on the far right. (Not visible in the image below). Now your Guides and/or Smart Guides will be tailored exactly to your taste and visual preference.
2. Steph shared with us how to turn Smart Guides on. Toiny shared with us how to turn Guides on and off, and how to insert a guide precisely where you want it by using the New Guide Tool. Here’s another way to access Guides.
Follow the path: View > Rulers to turn the Rulers on. This will place Rulers along the top and left hand edges of your document.
Click on the Move tool in the Toolbox on the left. Next place your cursor right along the edge of either ruler; left click and holding your mouse button down, drag into the document. A guide will follow your mouse. Drag the Guide into position, then let go of your mouse. If you decide you would like to reposition it, click on the Guide and drag it where you would like it to be.
3. If you would like to view your page without the Guide, you can hide it by using the keyboard shortcut: Control + H. If you want to see the Guide again, click Control + H a second time to make the Guide visible once more.
4. Once you get all of the Guides in place that you would like to use, you may lock their placement by following this path: View > Lock Guides. This will prevent you from accidentally selecting a Guide, instead of an element, that you wish to move.
5. Once you are finished working, you can go to View > Clear Guides to remove all the Guides at once.
6. If you would like to remove just one Guide (as long as they are not yet locked into position), click on the Move Tool in the toolbox and drag the Guide back to the Ruler.
7. And finally, if you are dragging a vertical or horizontal Guide and decide you would like it in the opposite position (a vertical Guide to be a horizontal Guide, or vice-versa), press Alt while still dragging the Guide. Vertical Guides will become horizontal and horizontal Guides will become vertical. Now THAT is pretty cool!
Photoshop Elements Users: All of these options are also available to you with the exception of: (1) You cannot change the color of your Smart Guides, only your Guides, (2) the keyboard shortcut Control + H is not available to you. (EDIT: Oct 27, 2014: Thanks to Renee for sharing the keyboard shortcut: Control + ; (Control + semi-colon), which will hide Smart Guides in PSE.)
That’s it for today! I hope you enjoy working with Guides and Smart Guides and find multiple ways to use them as you scrapbook!
The beautiful cluster pictured in this tutorial was created by Pierrette (Fancy Bird Design). It coordinates with the newly released “Misty Autumn,” a collaboration between Fancy Bird Design and myself, SnickerdoodleDesigns. Enjoy introductory pricing through October 26th.
Start scrapping your Fall photos with our gift to you! Download HERE or by clicking on the image below.
I’ll see you next week!
This just makes perfect placement and beautiful compositions possible. What a GREAT tutorial. I use guides ALL the time. Sometimes the snap-to feature drives me wild, though, and I have to remember to turn it off if I don’t want absolute positioning. Thanks Karen for all these tips.
Thanks Karen, for a few more great tips. I do like to use the guides and find the rulers very handy too!
I remember the first time I accidentally pulled a guide from the ruler onto my page. I didn’t know what it was or how to get rid of it. I tried to find out. In frustration, I grabbed the guide with my cursor and ‘tossed’ it off the page. That got rid of it! LOL As long as you move it on the rulers or further, it goes away.
Great tut, Karen! Thank you!
Su