Filters, selected from the filter menu and applied to either the visible layer or selection, can be used to achieve a wide variety of effects. When each filter is chosen, a menu with a number of options will be brought up. You can experiment or look online for more details for each filter. For example, you can use the "gaussian blur" to significantly diffuse the pixel on a layer. The "add noise", "clouds", and "texture" filters can give texture to your image. Other filters can be used to give dimension or distort images. You will simply have to experiment to find which is right for your project. Levels allows you control of an image's brightness, color balance and contrast by specifically defining absolute white and absolute black for a given image. This is complex and will require experimentation and practice to execute perfectly. Many tutorials can be found online. Open the levels window by clicking command/control+L. The curves menu allows you to adjust the tones within your image. Bring up this menu by clicking Image -> Adjustments -> Curves. You will see a line going diagonally across a box. The horizontal scale represents the input image and the vertical scale represents the output image. Click on the line to create anchor points and then drag those points to alter the tones in your image. This will give you more control over contrast than the contrast menu will. You can use the transform tools to scale, rotate, skew, stretch, or warp an image. This can be done to a selected area, an entire layer, or a series of layers. Access these tools by clicking Edit -> Transform. This will give you a submenu with a variety of options. Choose which is best for you. Experiment or look up tutorials on the web. Remember to press shift if you wish to keep proportions constrained while using transform tools.

Summary: Use filters. Use levels. Use curves. Use transform tools.

first. Trees are the largest parts of your landscape and should be prioritized so you can plan around them. Choose a place in your yard where your tree will fit once it's reached its full size. Pick up a young tree from your local nursery so it's easier to transport and plant. Dig a hole slightly wider and deeper than the tree's root system and put your tree in the ground. Water the tree every day for the first 3-4 weeks so it can establish roots. Tie the tree trunk to stakes to help it grow straight and prevent wind from blowing it over. Choose evergreen trees if you want shade in your yard throughout the entire year. Pick deciduous trees that lose their leaves yearly if you just need shade in the summer. across your lawn if you don't want to grow grass. Sod is pre-grown grass that's rolled up and easy to lay in your yard. After measuring your yard and determining how much sod you need, lay it down along the edges of your yard first. Work in a brick-like pattern until your entire yard is covered. You may need to cut pieces of sod to fit around curves or obstacles already present in your yard. Look at the nearest landscaping store to see what types of grasses they offer. Color themes create a mood for your yard. Use warm-colored plants, like those that are red or orange, to add warmth and excitement to your yard. If you want a more relaxing space, choose plants with cool colors, like blue, white, and pink. Make sure to choose similarly colored plants for your entire yard so it's completely cohesive. For example, you may plant sunflowers, zinnias, and petunias to create a warm color scheme. Go to a plant nursery or landscaping store and ask them what plants are native to your local climate. That way, all you have to do is plant them in your yard and provide minimal watering and upkeep. If you're working on a budget, native plants tend to be cheaper to maintain than other plants. For example, if you live in a hot, arid climate, avoid planting anything that requires a lot of water. Instead, look for succulents or cacti for your yard. Native plants require less watering since they're already used to their climate. Use shorter flowering plants around the inner edges of your landscaping. Plant tall decorative shrubs or grasses behind them so they don't block your view of your shorter plants. Put tall plants in corners to add another visual pop! Mix decorative grasses, like fountaingrass or feather reedgrass, with ground cover plants, like lamb's ear or impatiens. Combine beds of smaller, flowering plants with leafier, upright plants to create visual interest. Put plants with different leaf shapes next to one another so they contrast and stand out. Even if they have different leaf shapes and textures, avoid putting plants that are the same color next to one another. Otherwise, you won't be able to easily tell them apart. For example, you may put lamb's ear, which has smooth round leaves, next to more textured plants like ferns, that have large, textured leaves.

Summary: Plant trees Roll sod Choose a color theme for your plants to create a specific mood in your yard. Put in plants that naturally grow in your area if you want a low maintenance yard. Vary the heights of your plants to add visual interest. Use plants with different leaf shapes and textures to add variety to your yard.

When the dahlia first starts growing, it will develop 4 sets of leaves. Pinching off the top of the plant above the fourth set of leaves will encourage branching, resulting in a fuller plant and therefore more flowers. At this point in their growing cycle, the dahlias are sprouting rapidly, so they'll recover quickly. You can continue to remove new growth throughout the growing season to encourage even more flower production. New growth is easy to remove with just your forefinger and thumb, although you can use a sharp tool if you prefer. More flowers take up more of the dahlia's energy, resulting in smaller flowers. To get the biggest dahlia blooms, restrict the number of flowers on each plant, so the energy can be directed towards growing just a few large flowers. If you prefer to have more flowers and you aren't as worried about size, just focus on cutting back new growth occasionally. As the dahlia branches out, you may see as many as 10 flowers on a single plant. The practice of removing faded flowers, also called deadheading, encourages more blooms. You may even see your dahlia bloom all the way through the fall if you remove faded flowers through the season. Since dahlias have tough, stringy stems, it's easiest to remove the flowers with sharp scissors, pruning shears, or a knife. Cut back the flower stem to where it meets a main stem. When all the petals have completely fallen off the flower, it can be hard to tell the difference between a new flower bud and the closed calyx left behind from the flower, also known as the dead head. However, the dead head is cone-shaped, whereas a bud is rounded. While removing dead heads will encourage new buds to begin blooming, removing the buds will delay flower development.
Summary: Pinch the tips off of dahlias once they reach 16in (41cm). Limit each plant to 3 to 5 flowering stems if you want giant blooms. Allow up to 10 flower stems if you don't mind smaller blooms. Cut off flowers with scissors once they have started to fade. Do not remove rounded buds when you're deadheading.