Photoshop isn't the only program that lets you create interesting image effects. There is a clever way to import a single photo into multiple picture frames in InDesign that will give you a really cool look.

In Indesign, you have the ability to lock consistent page elements into place, instead of repositioning them over and over again as pages are added. This process is done through creating a master page. Master pages are an important, time-saving tool in booklet creation to maintain consistency.

Panels have their purpose, but they can also obstruct the view of your Photoshop canvas. Oftentimes, you don't actually need to show a panel in order to use it. That's right, you can select normal layers without ever touching the Layers panel.

When you use the Magic Wand tool you have the option to set the tolerance, which determines the range of pixels selected when you use the tool. But did you know that the tolerance setting for the Magic Wand tool can produce different results depending on how you have the Eyedropper tool's Sample Size option set? This option determines the number of pixels both tools sample.

As you work on a project that contains a number of layers, you many times apply effects to various layers that add visual interest to your image. Each of the effects, such as the Drop Shadow or Outer Glow effect, have a variety of options that you can use to control the appearance of the effect. For example, you can set the distance of a drop shadow effect or the spread of an outer glow effect.

You create a PDF from InDesign and set the Initial View Settings for the document in Acrobat 9 Professional. When you reopen the PDF in Acrobat 9, however, the Initial View settings are ignored. Annoying isn't it?

Have you ever noticed that all of a sudden Photoshop is just acting wacky? Maybe the application is crashing frequently or fonts are missing. If you're suddenly experiencing performance issues within Photoshop, it might be due to a corrupt preference file. Luckily, even though preference files corrupt often, they're simple to delete, and will rebuild themselves the next time you launch the application.

Have you ever tried to merge a layer with the layer below it and lost all of the effects applied to that upper layer? This is because when you choose Merge Down from the Layers palette's pop-up menu, Photoshop only applies the blending mode of the bottom to layer to the merged version. However, if you select Merge Visible, and hide any layers that you don't want combined, all of your blending modes will be preserved and your merged layer will look exactly as is does onscreen.

When you use the Magic Wand tool you have the option to set the tolerance, which determines the range of pixels selected when you use the tool. But did you know that the tolerance setting for the Magic Wand tool can produce different results depending on how you have the Eyedropper tool's Sample Size option set? This option determines the number of pixels both tools sample.

If you took some time to create a complex selection, it's a good idea to save that selection in case you need to reference it again. The common technique is to choose Select > Save Selection, and save and name your selection through the Save Selection dialog box. This adds a new channel to your image masking out everything but the area you defined as a selection.