Photoshop Notes - IAM

RESOLUTION
Resolution is defined in pixels per inch
Resolution options -
300 – high quality print
150 – desk-top printers
96 – power point presentations and web sites on a PC
72 – TV and web sites for Mac
Digital Image Development
NAVIGATING THE WORKSPACE
There are four main parts to the Photoshop workspace: the menu bar, the status bar, the toolbox with its options, and
the palettes/panels.
Open New Document
File Menu > New (opens a dialog box)
Arrange Documents Menu
The Menu Bar
• 9 menus - File, Edit, Image, Layer, Select, Filter, View, Window, and Help (Macs have the Photoshop menu
too)
• Right pointing arrows - This indicates a submenu of related commands.
• Keyboard shortcuts - get to know, incredible time savers.
The Status Bar - Bottom edge of the open document
• The magnification level of the active document
• Displays information such as document size, scratch disk size needed, etc.
The Tools Panel (used to be called the Toolbox)
• Tools are used to paint, draw and modify the artwork.
• Tiny arrow in the lower right corner of some tools = other tools are hidden under that tool.
Tool Options Bar
• Displays tool options for each individual tool
The Panels and their Icons (used to be called palettes)
• The colors and textures that monitor, modify, and enhance the artwork.
• These can be stacked, minimized, or joined together to occupy the same palette window
Zoom (maximum zoom level = 1600%)
• Type the magnification number (percentage) in the Navigation Palette or the Status Bar
• Slider or mountain icons on the Navigator Palette
• The Zoom Tool on the Tool Box
• View Menu > Zoom In, Zoom Out, Fit on Screen, etc.
• Keyboard shortcuts listed in right column of the View Menu
Pan
• Click and drag inside the red box of the Navigation Palette
• Hand Tool on the Tool Box
• Keyboard shortcut is to hold down the space bar at any time
RULERS, GUIDES AND GRID
View > Rulers
View > Show > Grid
• Grid can be used for alignment of objects
• Objects can be snapped to the grid lines
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Guides
View Menu > Show > Guides
• Drag from the horizontal or vertical ruler to create guides
• Move the guides with the move tool or Ctrl key
• Lock guides – View > Lock Guides
• Delete guides – View > Clear Guides
Snap To –
View Menu > Snap (either checked or not for on/off)
View Menu > Snap to (select what to snap to)
UNDOING AND REDOING STEPS
Edit Menu > Undo (keyboard shortcut = control/command + Z)
Capable of multiple undos and redos
History Palette
The small thumbnail icon at the very top = revert to last saved version
Under that are all the recent changes (only the last 20 actions)
• Click the last change you want to revert to
OR
• Drag the tiny arrow slider that appears next to each state
MARK MAKING AND FILL
Marks are made with the Paint Brush Tool. There are several brush libraries to choose from including faux finish
brushes that mimic the look of glazing, sponging, etc. on walls and/or furnishings.
Paint Brush Tool
Click and drag to make paint-like marks
The option bar offers
• A drop-down menu for brush diameter and hardness settings
• Blending modes (advanced)
• Opacity modification to change the transparency of the mark as it is being made
• An airbrush tool (advanced)
Paint Bucket Tool
Click to fill a layer or a selected portion of a layer
The option bar offers:
• The ability to fill with the foreground color on the color picker in the tool box or the ability to fill with a pattern
• Blending modes (advanced)
• Opacity modification to change the transparency of the mark as it is being made
• Keep the tolerance at the default setting
• Keep contiguous checked
Fill
Edit Menu > Fill
Used to fill the contents of a layer or a selected part of a layer
This opens the fill dialog box
• The contents drop-down gives you several different options including patterns
• Keep the blending mode normal and the opacity at 100% (better to change the opacity in the layer palette)
Stroke
Edit Menu > Stroke
Used to outline a selection
This opens a dialog box
• The Stroke area has the width option (usually in pixels – px) and the color option, which when checked will
open the color picker dialog box
• The Location area allows you to select whether you want the stroke/outline to appear inside, center or outside
the selection
• Keep the blending mode normal and the opacity at 100% (better to change the opacity in the layer palette
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SELECTION TOOLS
For editing specific areas of an image, or for cutting out portions of an image
Move Tool
• Click and drag to move selected areas, contents of a whole layers, or guide lines
• Click inside selected area and drag while holding the Alt key to duplicate selection
Marquee Tool – (rectangular and elliptical)
• Click and drag to makes rectangular or elliptical selections
• Pay attention to the Option Bar for modification options
Lasso Tool
• Click and drag to makes freehand selections; click to define the points of a polygonal selection; and click and
follow the parameter of an object for magnetic selections
Crop Tool
• Click and drag a rectangular selection and use toggles to modify. Alter the opacity of the cropped area as
needed.
• Prior to the selection – height, width and resolution can be defined
• After the selection – options for opacity of the crop area
Options Bar
Each tool has its own set of options. Many of these options are repeated for the various selection tools.
• Modifier buttons – choose (depress) the new/add/subtract/intersect
• Feathering - fades the edge of the selection (must be set prior to the selection)
• Constrained aspect - choose the ratio of width to height.
• Tolerance (magic wand tool) can be modified to constrain the tints or shades of the color selected
• Contiguous, when checked will only select pixels that are continuously attached to the pixel color selected
Select Menu
Select All = Ctrl/Command-A
Deselect = Ctrl/Command-D
Reselect = Shift-Ctrl/Command-D
Inverse = Shift-Ctrl/Command-I
Color Range –
Makes selections based on color similarity, like the magic wand tool, but you have a bit more control and can refine
your selection visually.
Transform Selection
A bounding box will appear
The box has handles that allow you to drag and stretch
Load selection
Loads any selection that has already been saved or the contents of a layer
Save selection
Anytime you think you may need to reuse a selection (saves it permanently in an Alpha Channel)
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