Tag Archives: Alt

Sketchup – Move on specific axis

There are times when you want to move a selection in a specific direction – and there are ways to do that with:

1. Shift key –  Press and hold the Shift key, while the move you are performing is the specific color of an axis, to lock move operation to that axis (the inference line will bold).

2. Arrow keys – You can force SketchUp to infer parallel to a specific axis by pressing one of the following keys while using the Line tool, Move tool, or Tape Measure tool:

  • → Right arrow key = red axis
  • ← Left arrow key = green axis
  •  ↑  Up or down arrow keys = blue axis

3. Alt key – use it to force a free movement of an element constrain by the geometry it is a part of. You can combine it with a Shift key.

Additional info on Sketchup Sage

4. Entering a 3D CoordinateSketchUp can move your entities to exact (using [x, y, z ]) or relative (using <x, y, z >) coordinates in 3D space. Type it in and you will see it in The Measurements Toolbar at the bottom right corner of the SketchUp window.

How to replace gradient background with transparency in PS.

Photoshop Tip1 – Blend with Altphotoshop tip 1

Recently in my work for a different graphic designer I needed to remove from my B&W render with lights only (Vray Raw Lightning channel) all black color leaving only white light with a transparent background. I couldn’t render it but after some search I have found a way how to do it in Photoshop. This is how to:

1.Copy your image to a new layer. Optionally, place empty layer below.

2.Double-click the new layer thumbnail to open the Blending Options dialog.

3.In the “Blend If” section, drag the “This Layer” black slider to the right to remove the completely black background, then hold down Alt (Option on Mac) and drag the right half of that slider further to the right until you see the effect you’re looking for. (See the attached image)

4.Select All (Ctl/Cmd-A) and Copy Merged (Ctl/Cmd-Shift-C) then paste wherever you need the new layer with transparent background. (NOTE: If you have other layers below this layer, turn them off before copying so that all you retain the is transparency.) Optionally, Merge Down with empty layer.

5. At the end with Levels (Ctr-L) shift all grays to white.

I did it for shadows also (Vray Raw Shadows channel) I hope my readers will find application for this trick.

(SOURCE: “http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/4056/replace-black-background-with-a-transparent-background“)