question: background all solid color

[garfield]

I have a question. I'm not good at layers so I'll ask this: how do you get the background to all be solid like the background color bec. as you noticed there are some blue under the background, how do I get rid of it and cover it up as an image of the background. I would like to get rid of the circles that are at the tile. how do i do it? ANd if I did delete it how will I cover the spot that is in there? IS there any suggestion so I could make this more beautiful?

[Doug Nelson]

Please keep threads to one topic. Feel free to post as many threads as you like, one for each topic.

[Mike Needham]

Garfield I have noticed that you seem to have a variety of Photoshop questions and problems. It is not because I dont want to help you, but rather that you may find that other forums are better equipped to answer your problems. One forum that I feel moved to mention is www.teamphotoshop.com/forum they are ALL about Photoshop and will have many more members who could answer your queries more effeciently (not to say we dont have some pretty darn hot Photoshoppers here )

Hope you stay and hope you feel tempted to try some of the challenges on the site - don't feel you have to be a master of any program to contribute - we are all on a learning trip, so you may as well pitch a tent and join us (cum-bi-ya at 10.30 every night )

[Mike Needham]

BTW this is not to say that I wont have a go at helping you, however a few things first - is this the actual size of the piece? and is it a flat layer or is it several layers? If it is in layers or you have a larger version feel free to email it to me.

To get the background one colour, make a new layer, choose the paintbucket tool and then click on the top of the two colour viewers in the tools pallette and then select the colour you want, finally click on the canvas with the colour you want (if you want to pick a colour from an existing image, press 'I' on the keyboard and then sample (copy) that colour by left clicking mouse once)

I am happy to help you complete this, but I fall short of doing it for you as you learn nothing from that, and I sense that you want to learn.

[garfield]

This image is composed of several layers. I created a new layer and then a gradient fill but I can't paste the whole new background to the current one. I don't know how I did this one but I just can't remember how. IF I would like to change background, then how do I do it? pls. teach me. also, I would like to delete the colored circles here but if I delete it checkerboard tiles replaced the currentcircle, so how will I do it so the white tile will only be the picture left?

[Mike Needham]

To copy and paste - select the layer you want and then press CTRL + A, this selects all then press CTRL + C, this copies it to your clipboard, finally press CTRL + V, this will paste it back into your picture as a new layer.

The easiest way to get rid of the background would be to use the circular marquee tool (top left of the main tool pallette, press 'M' on keyboard until you select it or for some it may be SHIFT + M. I would then draw my first square over one of the grey boxes, to be able to draw more than one square you will have to hold SHIFT after the first box and before you start the second box, otherwise you will be constaining it to a square (practise you will see what happens). What you are doing in effect is 'masking' (covering up areas that you want to leave intact), when all boxes are done, press CTRL + SHIFT + I, this will invert your selection, meaning now anything you do will only effect the areas outside of the grey box areas.

From here there are a number of ways to go, but for you I would say, create a new layer and fill that new layer with the colour you want your background to be, then just move it to where you want it to be.

If the circles that you want to delete are on the same layer as the grey tiles then I would sample (get same colour) from the grey box, press I on the keyboard and then click on your picture where you want to pick the colour from (you will see that it has changed the colour in the toolbar to the one you chose). Choose a smallish paintbrush and just paint over the circles.