GD Toolkit Summary Notes - Lesson 3

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shawacademy
Graphic
Design
LESSON 3
INTRODUCTION TO ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
summarynotes
The Diploma in Graphic Design Toolkit
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S Lesson 3
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shawacademy

S Lesson 3
WE BEGIN WITH THE
“WHAT IS” OF GRAPHIC
DESIGN AND HOW
GRAPHIC DESIGN IS ALL
ABOUT VISUALLY COM-
MUNICATING AN IDEA,
THOUGHT, MESSAGE OR
MEANING BY COMBINING
SYMBOLS, IMAGES AND/
OR WORDS. WE ALSO
GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF
THE “HOLY TRINITY”
OF GRAPHIC DESIGN
APPLICATIONS -
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP,
ILLUSTRATOR &
INDESIGN AND HOW
DESIGNERS BEST USE
THESE TOOLS.
1.01 What Is Photoshop 2
1.02 Tools & Shortcuts 4
1.03 Photoshop Tools 6
1.04 Layer Styles 8

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Introduction to Adobe Photoshop
“While
daunting at
first,
Photoshop is
surprisingly
easy to
get to grips
with”

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Introduction to Adobe Photoshop
Graphic Design is
“the art or
profession of visual
communication that
combines images,
words and ideas to
convey information
to an audience”
Design must
be interpreted
the same way
by everyone
to function.
Photoshop is a widely held image editing software
program, which is a product of Adobe Systems
Incorporated. It is a graphic design tool, color
painting program, image editing and a photo
retouching tool.
It is like a digital dark room, which can be viewed
as a creative editor, a scanning package and
translator of different characteristics.
It does manipulate your original artwork, slides
and scanned images. However, Photoshop is not
an internet tool, a drawing package, a web page
development tool, a movie making program or a
slide forming package.
Photoshop is a Raster Graphics (pixel-based)
editing tool. It can create images in multiple Layers.
Photoshop files have default file extension as .PSD,
which stands for “Photoshop Document.”

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Photoshop Tools & Shortcuts
The Tool Bar (or Tool Panel) is located by
default on the left hand side of the work
area. It contains mouse based tools that
are used for editing and navigating in
Photoshop. Most of the tool icons have
a small black down-pointing arrowhead
in the bottom corner. This indicates that
there are more tools that can be accessed
bly clicking and holding down the mouse
button. Once the extended tools have
appeared, you may release the mouse
button and the tools will remain.

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Photoshop Tools & Shortcuts

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Photoshop
Menu Bar
The menu bar contains all of the basic options of a
Photoshop workspace. It contains the files bar, which is
used to open and save photos. Other than the file menu,
the menu bar contains the image and filter menus. Image
menu is used to resize the current image and alter its
settings. Whereas, the filter menu is used to add various
inbuilt filters.
Control Panel
Control panel is used to alter all of the settings of the
selected tool. For instance, if you want to change the size
of the selected brush, you can change it using the control
panel.

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Photoshop
1.03
Photoshop Tools
The tools that you will be using very often are the basic tools, which include but are not
limited to the following:
Move Tool (V): It allows you to move things around the canvas. You can activate this tool by clicking and
dragging at any point on the canvas.
Lasso Tool (L): Allows you to drag as well as select items within the Lasso area. It also provides you access
to polygonal lasso.
Marquee Tool (M): This tool allows you to choose a particular section of the canvas in a particular shape.
Magic Wand Tool (W): This tool allows you to select a specific spot as well as anything in the proximity of
the spot.
Eyedropper Tool (I): This tool allows you to sample color at a specific point on the canvas that you click.
Crop Tool (C): This tool works in a similar way as other cropping tools, since it allows you to resize your
image accordingly.
Healing Brush Tool (J): This tool allows you to sample a section of your image as well as use that section to
paint over a different section. Usually Photoshop will go ahead and attempt to blend the painted section
with the rest of the image.
Clone Stamp Tool (S): This tool allows you to sample a section and paint it over a new section, but with no
extra effects as it is with healing brush tool.
Paintbrush and Pencil Tool (B): This tool is in two parts; the first part emulates a paintbrush while the
second part emulates a pencil. There are various paintbrushes that you can use, including airbrush and
standard paintbrushes.
History Brush Tool (Y): This tool allows you to paint back in time. What happens is that Photoshop tracks 50
of your past moves, which you can paint in your present photo.
Paint Can Tool (G): This tool allows you to fill in a particular section with the existing foreground color.

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Photoshop Tools
Gradient Tool (G): This tool lets you generate a gradient that allows you to blend the background and
the foreground.
Eraser Tool (E): This tool functions in the same manner as the paintbrush, but it does not paint,
instead it erases.
Smudge, Sharpen and Blur Tools: These tools function like paintbrushes; however, the individual tools
have unrelated effects on your image.
Pen Tool (P): This tool allows you to generate vector graphics and it also allows you to generate paths.
Path Tool (A): This tool allows you to move around any generated paths, it resembles the Move Tool
functionality.
Type Tool (T): This tool allows you to type content horizontally. You can type vertically by using the
tools hidden below the horizontal type tool. You can also use the hidden tools to generate vertical and
horizontal text masks.
Shape Tool (U): This tool allows you to generate custom shapes, lines, polygons, circles, rounded
rectangles, and vector rectangles. These tools are highly resourceful when crafting shape masks.
Hand Tool (H): This tool lets you click as well as drag within the canvas conveniently. However, the tool
is inactive when the canvas’ resolution is the same as that of the screen.
3D Tools: What these tools do is tap the control of your graphics card in order to provide you with unbelievably
fast performance.
Zoom Tool (Z): This tool allows you to zoom out as well as in of the canvas, all you have to do is click
on a particular section. Usually, this tool will allow you to zoom in, but you can zoom out by holding
down the option key along with the zoom tool.
Sponge, Dodge and Burn Tools: What the sponge tool does is saturate/de-saturates color; what the
dodge tool does is lighten up sections of your image; and what the burn tool does is darken parts of
your image.
Color Selection Tools (D & X): These tools allow you to regulate the colors that are in use.

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Photoshop Tools
1.04
Photoshop Layer Styles
You can enhance a layer by adding a shadow, stroke, satin sheen, or
other special effect from a collection of automated and editable layer
styles. These styles are easy to apply, and they link directly to the
layer you specify.
Like layers, layer styles can be hidden by clicking eye icons in the Layers
panel. Layer styles are non-destructive, so you can edit or remove them
at any time. You can apply a copy of a layer style to a different layer by
dragging the effect onto the destination layer.
You can apply a layer style to a layer by double-clicking
the layer, going to “Layer-Layer Style” in the Main
Menu, or clicking the FX icon in the layers panel.
Drop Shadow - Adds a shadow that falls behind the contents on the
layer.
Inner Shadow - Adds a shadow that falls just inside the edges of the
layer’s content, giving the layer a recessed appearance.
Outer Glow and Inner Glow - Add glows that emanate from the outside
or inside edges of the layer’s content.
Bevel and Emboss - Add various combinations of highlights and
shadows to a layer.
Satin - Applies interior shading that creates a satiny finish.
Color, Gradient, and Pattern Overlay - Fills the layer’s content with a
color, gradient, or pattern.
Stroke - Outlines the object on the current layer using color, a gradient,
or a pattern. It is particularly useful on hard-edged shapes such as type.

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