[Keith Carmichael]

If you go into the blending options (right click the layer name) you can set the “fill opacity” of the layer separate from the opacity of the layer, so the content of the layer will be transparent but the layer effects (borders) can have a different opacity.
You can also go into layer styles an individually adjust the opacity of each effect.

[Keith Carmichael]

You can print at 200 dpi and get decent results, but I’m confused as to why 300 dpi is so unmanageable…

If your AE project is SD it certainly won’t fill up your DVD cover, but should scale up decently in Photoshop. One of the reasons to work at 300dpi in Photoshop is that the crisper text will make the blurrier graphics look more legitimate and intentional. (this BTW is why there are still photographers who take pictures for promotional material…)

So you can always export a smaller size from AE and scale up, but if you want your effects rendered at a higher resolution you should be able to make your comp larger without anything “falling off” (not sure what that means…)

Here are the dimensions I use for DVD covers. They vary slightly depending on who’s printing them, etc…

[Keith Carmichael]

Oh, this happens to me a lot.

Occasionally it is just a product of viewing size–the gap appears when viewed at some scales but not others, and won’t appear in the final image.

However it may be an anti-aliasing issue–when photoshop turns your path into a selection (Which it does to accomplish the layer via cut) it makes two nice soft edges which might not add up to full opacity at the seam where they overlap.

Instead of doing layer via cut, you can duplicate the WHOLE layer, and use different layer masks on the copies to isolate different regions–this way you can fill the gaps by finessing the layer masks.

Or just do the masking in After Effects–not sure if that will slow down your animating, though.

[Keith Carmichael]

I see your problem, Ted.

I think the idea is that the new masks panel allows enough non-destructive editing for masks, since you can non-destructively feather and use all those “refine edge” sliders. So you might want to start playing with those. CS4 has them, I THINK CS3 does too?

The only other thing I can suggest is copying your original mask so you can go back to it if you like…

[Keith Carmichael]

Daniel, if for one of many reasons you can’t use the history brush, try this:

-Duplicate your layer many times and merge all the duplicates into one layer (but don’t flatten them onto your original layer if you’d like maximum adjustability.)
-Put a “hide all” layer mask on the NEW layer, the one made from all the duplicates
-Grab a white brush and paint on that layer mask–voila! You have made your own opacity brush.

I do this often when I have made transparent brush strokes I later wish to emphasize–in this case there is no history to go back to.

I think, and John may disagree, this suggests that an opacity brush is theoretically very possible. Even if photoshop doesn’t know the hue/lum/sat of a transparent pixel (and I suspect it does, alpha information should be separate from other channels) it can obviously calculate the result if the pixel is stacked many times on itself.

[Keith Carmichael]

Pixel Aspect ratio in Photoshop is for display purposes only. (In fact, there is a dialogue box reminding you of exactly this fact–did you disable it?) You have to go to Image Size and resize the image by the appropriate percentage (uncheck the “constrain proportions” box) if you want to post your freeze frames to the web.

[Keith Carmichael]

LOL

No but seriously. Do you not know how to use the pen tool? I’m not trying to make fun of you here. And if I am it’s only in a nice way. Because you’re all like, “no s***, sherlock, of COURSE I use the can opener to open cans” and then you’re like “I’ve tried all sorts of kitchen tools and none of them seem to work to open all these cans.”

How to use the can opener:
https://help.adobe.com/en_US/Photoshop/11.0/WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-73ada.html
if you just start at the beginning you’ll get the whole story.

(And to answer your original question: No, no there are no tutorials online for this kind of drawing. Certainly not if you google “photoshop vector tutorial,” or “vector hair” and absolutely not if you click on the links below.

https://www.createblog.com/photoshop-tutorials/105-vexelingvectoring-hair/
https://www.idigitalemotion.com/tutorials/guest/vector_hair/vector_hair.html

these examples are mostly more complicated than what you’re trying to do, because for that you JUST USE THE PEN TOOL.)

[Keith Carmichael]

Hi Michael. Did you ever resolve this? I’m having similar issues.

[Keith Carmichael]

yeah I would go with warp.

You might want to rotate the duplicated layer so her arm is vertical or horizontal, that way the warp gridlines line up with the dimensions you want to reduce.

[Keith Carmichael]

yes:

pen tool!!!