Acorn: Tutorials

Video Tutorials

Locking Layer Transparency	Using a layer mask to preserve layer transparency.
Selections 101	An introduction to the selection tools.
Making a Specific Selection Size	How to set a selection with specific dimensions.
Quick Masking 101	A video introduction to quick mask mode.
Brush Tool 101	A basic introduction to using Acorn's brush tool.
Creating an Eraser Brush	Learn how to make your own eraser tool.

Photo Touchup Tutorials

Red Eye Removal	Get the daemons out.
Changing Colors	How to change eye and hair colors.
Clone Tool	Learn how to efficiently use the clone tool.
Retouching a Portrait	How to adjust skin tone, skin texture, whiten teeth, and apply makeup.
Restoring and Coloring Old Photos	Learn how to make an old black and white photo a color photo.
Rainbow Color Effect	How to add a creative color effect to black and white photos.
Straightening a Crooked Photo	Straighten up scanned images that turned out a bit crooked.
Black & White	A few different ways of converting a color photo into black & white.
Sepia Tone	How to give your photo a classic look.
Color Correction	Too dark? Too blue? Learn how to fix it using levels and filters.
Color Correcting Part 2	Fix poor contrast and washed out images with blend modes.
Lighten or Darken	How to lighten and darken specific areas of your image.
Soft Lighting	How to create soft lighting using filters and gradients.

General Acorn Tutorials

How to Remove a Background	Learn a few different ways to get rid of that pesky background
Applying Texture	How to apply texture using blending modes.
Creating Seamless Textures	Removing the line of demarcation from tiled textures.
Fun with Layer Masks	Different ways to use layer masks.
Shapes in Layer Masks	Do you want to use a shape layer as a mask? Here's how.
Automating Watermarking	Use Automator to add a custom watermark to multiple images.
Watermarking a Single Image	How to watermark an image.
Inserting Images	How to insert and resize images.
Quick Mask	Introduction to Quick Mask mode (see also the companion video).
Filter Examples	Single filters applied to an image of the Space Needle and a plain rectangle.
Shape Brushes	Create your own shape brush.
How to Fade Out Your Image	And other interesting techniques using a duck.
Making Seamless Tiles	How to make a tile that can be repeated seamlessly.
Drop Shadow Variations	Ways to create a custom drop shadow.

Photo and Design Tutorials

Photo Inside a Photo	Take a photo and embed another photo inside of it with a nice border.
Color Highlight Tutorial	How to colorize a single object in a black and white photo.
Photo Booth Layout	Create the layout of a photo booth strip.
Scrapbooking	How to create digital scrapbook pages.
Compositing Photos Tutorial	How to mix separate photos fluidly into one.
Image to Illustration	Turning a photograph into an outline illustration.
Create Invitations	How to create your own invitation.
Depth of Field	Create depth of field to focus on a subject, or to give the appearance of a miniature model.
Digital Postcard	How to create your own digital postcards.
Light Designs	Creating neato light effects.
Photo Cutout	A neat way to create depth in an image.
Vintage Photo Effect	How to give your photographs an older look.
Photo Manipulation	Making bizarre images in Acorn.
Holiday Card	Make your own greeting card!
Stitching	Creating the appearance of stitching on an image.
Creating Weather	How to make snow or rain fall in your image.
Fog and Clouds	Add fog to your image or create custom clouds.
Frame Your Image	How to create a custom frame.
Creating Creases	How to create fold creases in your image.
Mounting Corners	Add mounting corners to your image.
Making Your Own Texture	Make brushed metal and leather textures.
Lightning and Electricity	Customize and create lightning or electricity.
Making a Custom Web Button	How to make a custom web button using gradients, shapes, and text.
Aurora Borealis	How to create a starry night with an aurora borealis effect.
Pop Art Effect	How to create the look of pop art with your image.
Panorama	How to combine image to create a panorama.
Lifted Image Edges	How to create the effect of lifted image edges.
Vignette Effect	Add interest to your image with this soft effect.
Add a Border	How to give your image a simple border.
Create a Book	How to create the appearance of a 3 dimensional book.
Coloring a Sketch	Color in a sketch just like the kids do!
Aging a Face	Use layer masks to add wrinkles and texture to a face.
Give Yourself a Tattoo	How to freak out your parents.
Create a Sphere	Create a sphere using the shape tool, gradients, and layer styles.
Make a Puzzle	Give your image the appearance of a puzzle.

Text Tutorials

Gradient Text	Learn how to apply a gradient to your text.
Drop Shadows	How to apply a drop shadow to text and shapes.
Cutout Type	How to create type that looks cut out from the background.
Giving Text Shadows and Reflection	Give text a shadow and reflection to create depth.
Filling Text	How to fill text with an image or pattern using 'paste into' and 'fill'.
Placing a Photo Into Text	How to make it appear as if a photo is inside text using selections and rasterization.
Leaves on Text	Making it appear as if leaves are covering text.
Creating Pressed Text	How to create the look of pressed text.
Gold Text	Creating text that looks like gold.
Weathered Text	Create the appearance of weathered or scratched text.
Wood Text	Making text that appears to be cut from wood.
Outer and Inner Glow	How to give your text a glow effect.
Comic Text	Create the look of action text seen in comics.

Video Tutorials: Photo Touchup & General Editing Principles

Note: the videos below were recorded with Acorn 1.0 - but all the same basic principles apply to Acorn 2.0 and 3.0

In this series of tutorials, a poorly taken image from a digital camera will be fixed using various methods linked to below. A broad range of topics is covered from removing reflections to making someone look more tan. If you are interested in getting more involved in editing images, this is the place to start.

The important thing to take away from these tutorials is not a "set in stone" way of doing things, but rather the inspiration to play around with different techniques to achieve the desired end result.

Removing Color Noise	Some noise is good, but color noise just means a cheap camera.
Removing Lens Reflections	Changing colors with layers to remove a lens reflection.
Intro to Selections	How selections work, and what options you have to control them.
Covering Things with Selections	Removing objects from an image.
Changing Colors	Using selections to change colors of specific areas of the image.
Intro to Blend Modes	What blending modes are, and how to use them.
Changing Skin Color	Using blending modes and colors, you can make your subject look more tan, and give him some lipstick.