INTRODUCTION
Photoshop, now up to version 7.0, is the leading professional image-editing program, released by Adobe. Photoshop is useful for both creating and editing images to be used in print or online. Easy to use, but full of high-quality features, Photoshop is the best choice for any image manipulation job.
OPENING
PHOTOSHOP IN A COMPUTER
Click at START à All Programs à Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Or,
Press Windows Key +R à Type “photoshop”àPress Enter
OR, 
THE
MAIN MENU
File – create new
images, open pre-existing images, print, exit the program, etc.
Edit – undo, copy,
paste, cut, preferences, basic image manipulation, etc.
Image – change the
image or canvas size, rotate, adjust brightness & contrast, etc.
Layer – Create /
delete layers, merge layers together, layer effects, etc.
Select – Adjust the
selected area of your image
Filter – Apply filters
and effects to your images
View – Zoom in and
out of your images
Window – Open or close
different windows within Photoshop
CREATING
A NEW CANVAS / IMAGE
Go to the “File”
menu and select “New” (or press Ctrl + N)
A window will
appear asking how large you would like your canvas (or working area) to be.
Pick a size large enough to work with. Make your decision, and click “OK.”
OPENING
A PRE-EXISTING IMAGE
Go to the “File”
menu and select “Open” (or press Ctrl + O).
Find the image
on your computer that you wish to edit, and click “Open.”
EDITING AN IMAGE
1. Marquee
Tool – used for selecting areas of an image
2. Move Tool –
used for moving an image to a different area of the canvas
3. Lasso Tool
– used for selecting areas of an image that may not necessarily be comprised
of straight lines
4. Magic Wand
Tool – used for auto selecting large areas of an image that are similar in
color
5. Crop Tool –
used for reducing the image to a certain area (“cropping”)
6. Slice Tool
– used to “slice” an image into different sections; generally used for the
creation of images for a web
page design
7. Healing
Brush Tool – used to fix imperfections in an image by copying other pixels
from the image. The Healing Brush tool will also match the texture, lighting,
and shading to perfectly match the are you are fixing
8. Brush Tool
– used with the mouse to simply draw lines on your image
9. Clone
Stamp Tool – used to “clone” or copy one area of an image to another; first
hold “Alt” and click an area of the image to copy, then click on a different area
to copy it there
10. History
Brush Tool – used to copy and draw a pre-existing image in different artistic
styles
11. Eraser
Tool – used to erase certain areas of an image
12. Gradient
Tool – used to create gradient fills for an image, of any color
13. Blur Tool
– used to blur or blend areas of an image
14. Dodge
Tool – used to uniquely adjust the brightness and contrast of an image
15. Path
Selection Tool – used merge overlapping components into a single component
16. Type Tool
– used to place text on an image
17. Pen Tool –
used to draw lines and curves with better precision
18. Rectangle
Tool – used to draw rectangles and other polygons
19. Notes
Tool – used to leave notes for yourself on your image
20. Eyedropper
Tool – used to select and match specific colors
21. Hand Tool
– used to quickly view different areas of an image
22. Zoom Tool
– used to zoom in and out of an image
23. Set
Foreground / Background Color – used to set the foreground (front) and background
(back) colors of an image; can also be used to change the colors of text, etc.
Click on the boxes to change the colors (a new window will appear).
24. Edit
Modes – used to switch back and forth between modes
25. Switch
Screen Modes – used to switch between full screen and standard screen modes
26. Jump to
Image Ready – used to easily launch the Image Ready program
UNDERSTANDING LAYERS
One of
Photoshop’s most powerful features is the ability to create and use multiple layers
within the same image. A layer is literally what it sounds like: one layer on top
of another, all of which can be edited independently of each other and laid on
top of or beneath one another, and then later combined to form a single, flat
image. When you first create an image, you will be working with the
“Background” layer. You cannot always use all effects on a background layer, so
you may wish to start working directly with normal layers. To create a new
layer, click the “Layer” menu, and pick “Layer” from the “New” menu (or click
Shift + Ctrl + N).
THE LAYERS WINDOW
1. Paintbrush
Symbol – This symbol (and the blue shading of the layer) notes the currently
active layer
2. Show /
Hide Layer – When the eye icon is visible, the layer is displayed in your project.
If the eye is clicked, then the layer is hidden but not deleted.
3. Link Icon –
Indicates if the layer is currently linked to another layer. When linked, layers
act “locked” together
(and will move
with each other, accordingly), but still remain separate layers. Layers can be
linked together by selecting one layer, and then clicking the boxes in the
other layers to display the “Link” icon (number three on the above list and
image).
4. Background
– The Background is technically not a layer, however, it can be edited. It
is the bottom-most portion of the image.
5. Layer –
Each layer has its own name (default is by numbering). Click a layer’s name to
edit on that layer.
6. Text Layer
– Adding text creates a new text-specific layer.
7. Effects –
When you add effects to a layer, a sub-menu appears with that layer listing the
effect applied to it. Double-click an effect’s name to bring up that effect’s
menu to make adjustments.
8. Add a
Layer Style – By picking an option from this menu (such as Drop Shadow,
Inner Glow, or Bevel and Emboss), you can apply special effects to a layer.
9. Add a Mask
– Masks are used to hide pixels on a layer in order to view the rest of the
image. Layer masks are either a black or white background color. The default
color is white, which lets pixels be seen, while black hides pixels.
10. Create a
New Set – By making a new set, you can create a separate folder for layer
storage.
11. Create
New Fill or Adjustment Layer – The options in this menu allow you to change
the color properties and dimensions of a layer. For example, you can make a
layer lighter or darker, add a gradient (a blending of two colors), or
invert the
entire layer.
12. Create a
New Layer – Clicking on this icon creates a new layer. You can name your
layer in the text box that appears and position it in the palette.
13. Delete a
Layer – Deletes the currently selected layer. You can also drag a layer to
the trash.
14. Opacity –
Use this to adjust a layer’s opacity (its transparency).
SOME NOTES ABOUT LAYERS
• Layers can be
repositioned in different orders in the Layers palette by clicking on a layer
and dragging it to a new position in the palette. To make a layer appear on the
top-most part of the image, drag it higher up on the list. Do
the opposite to
position a layer at the bottom-most area of an image.
• Only a
selected layer can be edited. To select a layer, click on the layer name in the
palette.
• You can only
work with layers in a *.psd file (Photoshop’s native format). If you want to
modify a *.gif or *.jpg file (or any other type of image file) with layers,
copy and paste that image into a new, blank Photoshop canvas.
CROPPING AN IMAGE
If an image is
too large and you would like to cut it to just focus on one section of the
image, you can “crop” it to that size and area. Select the “Crop” tool, and
click and drag around the area you want. You can resize the area (or rotate it)
with the mouse by clicking any of the corners. When you’re done, just click
over to any other tool and a window will appear asking you if you’d like to
crop the image. Click yes, and the image will be reduced to the area you’ve
specified.
RESIZING AN IMAGE
If you don’t
want to crop your image (meaning you want the ENTIRE image, just at a smaller
size), you can resize your image to any dimensions you wish. Select “Image Size”
from the “Image” menu. The default in Photoshop is to keep image resizing at
“Constrain Proportions.” This means that if the height is changed, the width
will be changed at the same ratio. This keeps your image looking approximately
the same, only at different sizes. If you wish to change this, just un-click
the “Constrain Proportions” check box at the bottom of the “Image Size” window.
You can change the image size either by pixels or percentages.
MOVING AN IMAGE
You can move an
image to any area of the canvas you wish. Select the “Move” tool, and click and
drag the image to any area of the canvas you wish.
SELECTING / DELETING A PART OF AN IMAGE
Choose the
“Marquee” tool, and click and drag around a part of an image. A rotating,
dotted line will surround that area. To delete this section that you’ve selected,
hit the “Delete” key on your keyboard.
ADDING TEXT
Click the “Text”
tool on the tool bar and click in your image where you’d like to add text. The
text will appear on top of the image, and it will be on its own new layer. You can
change the font, style, size, anti-aliasing, and color of your text on the menu
directly below the main Photoshop menu.
ALTERING YOUR IMAGES
Photoshop’s most
powerful aspect is its ability to edit and manipulate images easily and with
professional quality. The second section of the tool menu contains tools that
specifically help you to edit your images. When you click any of these tools, Photoshop’s
sub-main menu will change to reflect new options available to you. Most will
look something like this, or very similar:
1. Name –
The name of the tool you’re using.
2. Brush
Picker – Here you can select the diameter, hardness, and spacing of the brush
/ tool you are using.
3. Mode –
Effect mode
4. Opacity –
The transparency of the tool’s effects.
5. Flow –
The flow rate of the stroke.
6. Airbrush – Click to
enable airbrush capabilities with the tool.
BRUSH / PENCIL TOOL
The Brush tool
can be right-clicked to also show the Pencil tool as an option. Both are very
simple tools that allow you to directly draw on top of an image. Select a color
with the Foreground Color option on the tool bar, and select a brush size from the
tool’s sub-main menu, above. Click and drag across an image to draw on top of it.
CLONE TOOL
The Clone tool
will copy pixels from one part of an image and copy them to a new part of the
image. The Clone tool is most useful in situations such as removing blemishes
from a face in a photograph, clearing a few clouds out of a bright blue sky, etc.
Choose the Clone tool. Hold the “Alt” button on your keyboard, and click in an
area of the image that you’d like to copy. Now click elsewhere in the image,
and move the cursor around. The image will “clone” itself to that second area.
ERASER TOOL
The eraser
simply deletes sections of an image. Click the Eraser tool, and click and drag
around your image. The eraser will “erase” the image to what’s set as the Background
color.
GRADIENT / PAINT BUCKET TOOL
The Gradient
tool can be used on its own, or right-clicked to also select the Paint Bucket
tool. A gradient is a horizontal fading of colors, most commonly used in the
creation of banners for web pages. Select the Gradient tool, and go to the
sub-main menu for a drop-down of available gradients. The default is the most
common. Once you’ve selected which gradient you wish (and a color in the
Foreground color tool), just click and drag across your image. The direction
you drag (left to right, right to left, etc.) determines the flow of the
gradient. The Paint Bucket lets you fill in a large section with the same
color. Select the Paint Bucket by right-clicking the Gradient tool, and click
in an area of your image. It will fill with the color selected as the
Foreground color.
BLUR TOOL
The Blur tool is
useful for covering up small distortions in an image by blending the surrounding
pixels together. To blur something, select the Blur tool, and click and drag
around the area you wish to blur.
ROTATING AN IMAGE
You can rotate
and flip your image in any direction you wish. In the “Rotate Canvas” list
under the “Image” menu, there’s a wide variety of options to choose from. If
you select “Arbitrary” for a rotation, a new window will appear asking you for
the direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise) and the degree of the rotation.
DRAWING SHAPES
While
Photoshop’s main power is in manipulation of images, it’s also possible to draw
your own (as seen with the pencil and pen tools). The Rectangle tool (and all
of its sub-tools) allows you to draw shapes on a canvas. To draw a simple
rectangle, pick a Foreground color (which will be the fill color for the
shape), select the Rectangle tool, and click and drag on the canvas until it’s
the size you wish. You can draw a wide variety of shapes with the Rectangle
tool and its sub-tools, including the Custom Shape Tool, which gives you even
more options. Select the Custom Shapes Tool (by right-clicking the Rectangle
tool), and look through your options in the drop-down box from the sub-main
menu. You can draw a wide variety of shapes with the Rectangle tool and its
sub-tools, including the Custom Shape Tool, which gives you even more options.
Select the Custom Shapes Tool (by right-clicking the Rectangle tool), and look
through your options in the drop-down box from the sub-main menu.
EYEDROPPER TOOL
When working
with images, you may find that you want to reselect a color you’ve used, but
aren’t sure exactly what color it is. You can use the Eyedropper tool to reselect
that exact color for you. Select the Eyedropper tool, and click anywhere on an
image that has the color you want to select. The Foreground color will change
itself to the color you’ve selected.
ZOOM TOOL
If you find that
you need to zoom in or out of your image for any reason (for example, to be
more precise in deleting areas), you can use the Zoom tool. Click the Zoom tool
(it looks like a magnifying glass). If you click once on your image, it will zoom
to double its size (100% to 200%, and so on). If you right-click, you can
select the “Zoom Out,” which will reduce its size. Note that this doesn’t
actually change the size of the image. It simply changes your view of the image
on the canvas.
BRIGHTNESS & CONTRAST
Sometimes when
working with images, you may need to adjust the brightness and/or contrast
(especially with scanned images). Photoshop makes this very easy. Select
“Brightness/Contrast” from the “Adjustments” >> “Image” menu. A new window
will appear allowing you to slide the brightness and contrast any way you wish.
The Brightness/Contrast command lets you make adjustments to the overall tonal range
of an image. Adjustments made in here will affect every pixel in your image, unless
a selection is made beforehand.
LAYER STYLES
You can do much
more with layers other than piling images on top of each other. Once you have
added images or text to a layer, you can add distinctive styles to them, making
them stand out even more. Once you’ve added an item to a layer (such as text),
click the “Add a layer style” button in the “Layers” window. A list of styles
will appear which you can add to your layer.
FILTERS
Photoshop has a
wide variety of filters you can apply to your images. They include obvious ones
such as blurring and sharpening, but also very advanced ones such as ripples,
distortions, and rendering clouds. You can browse through the available filters
by selecting the Filters menu.
SAVING IMAGES – PSD FORMAT
To save your
image as a PSD, just select “Save” from the “File” menu, and select a place on
your hard drive or disk to save it.
To save your
image as web format just select “Save for the Web” from the “File” menu and
select a place on your hard drive or disk to save it.
To save your
image as JPEG format just select “Save for the Web” from the “File” menu and
select a place on your hard drive or disk to save it.
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