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MAKING DIGITAL FORECAST GRAPHICS USING PHOTOSHOP CC

PHOTOSHOP CC (UMD GRAPHICS)

This serves as a guide to altering the forecast graphics in the UMD Forecast Template Drive. Once you master these steps, you can even create additional UMD graphics at your own convenience.

Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B17R0UyK-v39cWhxOHBtX1JCZXc (You must install Photoshop CC from Terpware.umd.edu to view/edit the UMD GRAPHICS FILE in the link above)

Contents inside the Google link:

  • Day planner
  • 3 Day Terpcast
  • Evening Forecast
  • Weekend Forecast
  • Game Day Forecast

How can I edit the files above to create my own personal forecast? Read the instructions below:

  1. Open Photoshop CC 2017 or open a file from the drive/link above. You must download Photoshop CC from Terpware.umd.edu to view/edit the UMD GRAPHICS FILE
  1. Within the Photoshop browser, go to “File” and then “Open” one of the UMD Weather Templates.
  1. Photoshop has a “side toolbar” on the very left of the screen which displays many different icons. Click the very first icon (with the perpendicular arrows). This selection tool will allow you to click and move or drag different images within the template. (For example, try moving the “weather icon cloud with the sun/rain/snow” after you select the tool). Also, you can move any text or wording with this tool.
  1. How do you change text? Go back to the “side toolbar” and click on the “T” (the 10th tool down the toolbar). With this tool, you can double click any text on your template (temperatures, weather description, etc) and change the text.
  1. Now, let’s say you want to delete the weather icon that’s displayed on the template (the cloud with the snow or sun or etc). Using the “selection tool” click on the weather cloud…notice that when you click the cloud (or text), the right side of the screen will display the LAYER. You can click and reorder different layers to bring objects in front or behind other objects. Once you click on the “weather icon cloud” picture/layer(s) you can delete it by selecting the trashcan icon in the bottom right corner of the photoshop window. *Try to remember the exact position of the weather icon cloud layer so that you can replace it with a new icon in the exact layer position.
  1. Open the “weather icons template” file in photoshop. Once you open it, you will notice that you now have two separate windows/tabs opened in photoshop. Click on the weather icon template tab and drag it outside of the photoshop window (so you can see both templates simultaneously.
  1. In the “Weather icons template” tab, you need to select which weather icon will be suitable for your forecast template (whether you are doing a 3-day forecast, day planner, or etc). Let’s say you want to use the “rainbow weather icon”. In the weather icons template, go to the left side toolbar and click on the eraser tool (the 8th tool down the toolbar). You can now completely erase all of the other weather icons “EXCEPT” for the one you want to use. (Make sure you completely erase everything). You can make your eraser bigger or smaller by clicking the second icon from the left..at the topmost toolbar.  Then move the cursor to change the size of your eraser under “size”.
  1. After erasing all of the weather icons, you need to use the “selection tool” to click on the weather icon and drag it to the other weather forecast template window. Reorder the layer so that it isn’t behind the background layer.
  1. To RESIZE your weather icon so that it fits in the weather template, use the selection tool to select the weather icon. Then, go to the very top of the Photoshop window and click on “Edit”. Scroll down and click “Free Transform”. Then resize your image so that it fits perfectly and proportionally. You can copy layers if you want to use the same weather icon for a different day on the forecast template. (MAC users can simply click “COMMAND + J” )
  1. To use a new separate weather icon, repeat steps 6-9. Unless you have an easier way of grabbing different weather icons!
  1. Use the “text T” tool to change any text (temperatures, days, time, etc).
  2. To add a new background and resize: Very important to make sure the image size of background image has the same dimensions as preset background image
    1. Save an image from google to your computer.
    2. In Photoshop CC, open the image. This image will open in a separate photoshop cc window.
    3. Simultaneously, make sure you still have the other photoshop window open for the weather graphic that you are editing. In the weather graphic template window, click the “background” layer. Then, click on “image size” in the toolbar at the top of the screen. Copy and paste the size dimensions into the “image size box” within the photoshop cc image (from Step 2).
  1. Save the template as a PNG (SAVE AS A COPY!!!!!!) *If you accidentally overwrite the photoshop psd file as an image or new psd, then feel free to download the original photoshop template from the google drive
  1. Practice and play around with Photoshop to get used to things. Google a few “Photoshop CC 2017” questions if you have any!