Adobe Adobe Creative Suite (CS) is collection of video editing, graphic design, and web developing applications made by Adobe Systems. It includes Photoshop, InDesign, and Acrobat among other programs. Photoshop allows you to manipulate graphics and photographs. Key Terms Where is it Located Start > All Programs > Adobe Design Premium CS5> Adobe Term Layers Raster Canvas size DPI Fill Filters Opacity Tolerance Paint Bucket Pixel Similar Stroke Description Layers act as separate films, much like transparency sheets. Each layer contains objects which, together, create a composite image. Also known as bitmapped graphics, a raster image has a set number of pixels and uses a grid with colored pixels to create an image. The height and width dimensions of the the area in which your image is created. You can add white space behind your image, which will appear as a border of blank canvas around the image. Dots per inch. These are resolution measurements used by scanners, printers, and Photoshop. The resolution of computer monitors is 72 dpi/ppi. GIF and JPEG images should be adjusted to this resolution for final saving and display. Fills an area with color or a percentage of color (opacity) Special effects that are applied to all areas, selected areas, or layers of the image. You can choose from a variety of effects, from adding artistic rendering to sharpening and blurring images. The transparency that you affix to a tool, layer, or color. The lower the percentage is, the more transparent the effect; the higher the percentage, the more opaque the effect. A value range from 0-255. The lower the value, the more similar the color that will be selected. The higher the value, the broader the color range that will be selected. Applies color to an area within the tolerance setting of the pixel addressed. This differs from Fill because it affects those pixels within the tolerance, whereas Fill affects all pixels within the selection. A grid square that consists of one color. In combination with all of the other pixels, it makes up the image that we see on screen. All Photoshop images are bitmapped into pixels. Selects like-color pixels throughout the image. A border applied using the foreground color to selected portions of an image. Stroke is measured in pixels and can be placed on the outside, center, or inside of the selection. UA Training Page 1
Basics Creating Images Go to the File tab. Select New (or type Ctrl+N.) When the New dialog box appears, edit the preferences to your desire. Under the Preset section you can change the units of measurement for the Width and Height. - Units include pixels, inches, centimeters, millimeters, points, picas, and columns. In the Resolution box, type a value. NOTE: Resolution should be determined according to how the image will be used. You have two unit choices: pixels/inch and pixels/cm. HINT: In the lower right corner of the dialog box is the Image Size; it adjusts according to the image specifications. In the Color Mode box you have 2 choices: 8 bit and 16 bit. In the Background Contents box you can choose White, Background Color, or Transparent. Saving Images NOTE: Different image file types allow you to save an image with a variety of options. Got to the File tab. Select Save (Ctrl+S) or Save As (Shift+Ctrl+S) Select *.PSD to save file as a Photoshop document. -It has a large file size and it allows you to make changes to your graphic. With this file type no information is lost, thus it is the highest image quality. This format can be saved with layers. Select *.GIF to save as a CompuServe GIF. - The Indexed Color box appears. Under Options change the Dither list to None. - Click OK. - When the GIF Options box appears select: 1. Normal if you want the image to load section by section. 2. Interlaced if you want the image to load by fading in. Select *.JPEG to save as a JPEG file. It has a good balance between file size and image quality. The format cannon be saved with layers. - The JPEG Options box will appear. - In the Image Options section, move the slider to adjust the image quality and file size. NOTE: A quality rating of 8 results in a good balance between image quality and file size. - Under Format Options, select Baseline ( Standard ) UA Training Page 2
Printing Printing in Photoshop is simple and easy. There are options though, that allow you to customize how your image is printed. To print select File tab >> Print. To center the printed image on the page, in the Position section verify that Center Image checkbox is selected. To position the printed image on the page manually, click the Show Bounding Box checkbox and deselct Center Image. On the page preview at the right, click on the image. Drag it to desired location. In the Position section enter values for Top and Left margins. To make the image the size of your page, in the Scaled Print Size section select the Scale to Fit Media box. To select the print size of your image by percentage, in the Scale text box type a percentage. To select the print size manually, in the Height and Width text boxes, type the desired size. To change the layout of the page, use the PTRAIT or LANDSCAPE buttons. Undoing Actions If you have mistakenly deleted an element or added an unwanted element to an image, you can use one of Photoshop s undo features to correct the mistake. Undo Command Edit tab >> Undo [Ctrl + Z.] Step Backward Edit tab, >> select Step Backward [Alt] + [Ctrl] + [Z] History Palette Every action or change in an image constitutes a new image state. By default, the History palette records and displays the 20 most recent image states. By selecting a previous image state from the History palette you can begin working from that point, erasing all states that followed it. If you don t see it, click the Window tab, select History. Snapshots This command lets you make a temporary copy of any image state. The new snapshot is added to the list of snapshots at the top of the History palette. Selecting a snapshot lets you work from that version of the image. At the bottom of the History palette, click Create New Snapshot. The new snapshot is created in the snapshot section of the History palette. UA Training Page 3
Image and Text Basics Selecting Areas Marquee Tools Marquee tools make rectangular, elliptical, and single row or single column selections. The Marquee tools are found in the uppermost left corner of the Toolbox. From the Toolbox, select and hold the Marquee Tool. The hidden Marquee tools appear. 1. Select one of the tools. 2. To select an area, click and drag the the crosshair pointer to surround your desired selection. NOTE: To obtain a perfect square or circle, press and hold Shift before clicking and dragging. 3. Complete the desired action (e.g., copy, add color.) Lasso Tools Lasso tools make free hand selections of irregularly shaped areas, with or without straight edges. When working with these tools, the pointer takes the shape of the tool. To make the selection process more precise, you can convert it to a crosshair pointer by pressing Caps Lock. Free Hand Selections 1. From the Toolbox, select the Lasso Tool. 2. Click and drag around the contours/border of the area you want to select. 3. Release the mouse button. The point at which you release will be connected with the beginning point to enclose the area. 4. Complete the desired action (e.g., copy, add color) Straight Edge Selections 1. From the Toolbox, select the Polygonal Lasso Tool. NOTE: The icon is normally hidden. Click and hold the Lasso Tool to select the Lasso tool of your choice. 2. Position the polygonal lasso pointer click the mouse. Move to and click the next corner of the area. NOTE: To ensure a straight line selection, press Shift before clicking. 3. Repeat step 3 until the desired area is selected. 4. To finish the selection, double click on the last point. Complete the desired action. Irregularly-Shaped Selections The Magnetic Lasso Tool allows you to select particular objects out of your image without having to free hand it. It works by detecting differences in color pixels between the area that is being selected and what surrounds it. Therefore, it works best when the color difference is significant. 1. From the Toolbox, select the Magnetic Lasso Tool 2. Position the lasso pointer where you want to start selecting and click to set the first Fastening Point. NOTE: Fastening Points anchor your selection border in place. 3. Move the mouse along the edge of the area you want to select. (It automatically draws a moveable line that clings to areas of similar color between Fastening Points.) 4. If the border does not automatically snap to the desired edge, click the mouse button once to add a Fastening Point manually. 5. To erase recently drawn segments and Fastening Points, press Delete. 6. To finish the selection, double click on the last point. Move the pointer to the starting point of the selection and click. The last point you double clicked will connect to the first point you created. Complete action. Magic Wand Tool The Magic Wand Tool selects areas of similar color. 1. From the Toolbox, select the Magic Wand Tool. 2. From the Objects toolbar, in the Tolerance text box, specify a value NOTE: Low levels of Tolerance result in a smaller selection area and vice versa. UA Training Page 4
Image and Text Basics (continued) 3. To select only like-colored pixels that are next to each other, select Contiguous. To select all like-colored pixels in the image, de-select Contiguous 4. In your image, click a spot within the area that you want to select. - To add to the selected area, press [Shift] while clicking areas not included in the original selection - To subtract from the selected area, press [Alt] while clicking areas you want to exclude 5. Complete desired action. NOTE: To save a selection click the Selection tab >> Save Selection... Vice versa for loading a selection. Text Adding Text You can add text to an existing selected layer, or if no layer is selected, you may add text to the image and a new layer will be automatically created. 1. From the Toolbox, click and hold the mouse over the Type Tool icon. 2. Select Horizontal Type Tool or Vertical Type Tool. 3. From the Text Toolbar, click set the color select from the Swatches palette. 4. Click within the image where you want your text to begin. 5. From the Options toolbar, make selections for Font, Size, Style, and Alignment Enhancing Text You can fix up text using a variety of artistic effects including shadowing. In the Layers palette, double click the layer you would like to enhance. NOTE: Click an empty area of the layer. Do not click on the name of the layer. From the Layer tab, select Layer Style» Blending Options... The Layer Style dialog box appears. Under Styles, select the desired option. NOTE: More options for enhancement corresponding to your selection appear under Blending Options on the right of the dialog box. Make the desired selections and adjustments. UA Training Page 5
Image and Text Basics (continued) These terms are used when referring to text enhancement: Term Drop Shadow Inner Shadow Outer Glow Inner Glow Bevel and Emboss Satin Color Overlay Gradient Overlay Pattern Overlay Stroke Description Gives the impression that the text is raised above the background Gives the appearance that the background is raised above the text Produces text with the image of soft light emanating from under the words and extending around them Produces text that appears semi-transparent and internally lit up Produces text that has a realistic, 3D look Gives the text s surface a shiny, smooth appearance Overlays the text with color while preserving the highlights and shadows of the text Overlays the text with a gradient color pattern while preserving the highlights and shadows of the text Overlays the text with a pattern while preserving the highlights and shadows of the text Adds the appearance of a line drawn on the edge of your text Cropping Images The Crop Tool in Photoshop allows you to remove portions of an image and focus on the remaining components within an image. 1. From the Tool- box, select the Crop Tool. 2. Click and drag the mouse over the part of the image you would like to keep. 3. Release the mouse button. -A dotted line appears around your selection and the rest of the image becomes dim. -The selection area can later be moved and resized. -To cancel the crop press [Esc]. To move the selection area place the cursor inside the box. Click and hold the mouse to the desired position. To resize the selection area place the pointer on one of the handles that appear on the edge of the selection area. Click and drag the selection area to the desired size. To rotate the selection area place the pointer outside of the selection area. Click and hold the mouse button. Rotate the selection area to the desired position. 4. Press [Enter] when done cropping. UA Training Page 6
Image and Text Basics (continued) Color Swatches The Swatches Palette consists of small color squares called swatches. When selected, a swatch-color becomes the active foreground color for the image you are working with. It provides over 130 of the most used colors for easy color selection. If you are working with a specific color scheme, you can customize the Swatches palette to display your choice of colors and color names in addition to the pre-selected colors. The Swatches Palette shares a window with the Color and Styles palettes. If the Swatches palette is not visible select the Window tab and click Swatches. Make sure the Swatches tab is selected in the palette. To select a color, position the mouse over the palette. The cursor becomes the Eye Dropper Tool. Select a color. That color becomes the foreground color. Layers As mentioned before, layers are like transparency sheets. Only one layer can be active at a time and changes that you make only affect the active layer. The Layers Palette is your essential tool for working with layers. It contains a list of all the layers, starting with the topmost layer. To the left of the name is a thumbnail of the contents of each layer. You can use the Layers palette to perform many tasks (e.g., create, delete, hide, merge, and flatten layers). If it is not visible, click the Window tab and click layers. Hiding/Displaying Layers You may find it useful to hide layers while working in Photoshop. For example, when merging layers, you can hide some layers so that they will not be merged. Visible layers have a Visibility Icon next to them; hidden layers do not. To toggle visibility, simply click the icon next to the layer. Creating Layers Each new layer is assigned a default name, and the default opacity is set to 100%. You can rename layers or change the opacity while you create the layer or at a later time. You can create layers using the New Layer dialog box or the Layers Palette: -Select the Layer tab at the top and New» Layer -Select the button in the Layers Palette. UA Training Page 7
Layers (continued) If you no longer need a layer, or wish to replace a layer, you can delete it. If you delete a layer in error, you can retrieve the layer by using either the Undo or Step Backward functions. Deleting Layers 1. From the Layer tab, select the layer you want to delete. -From the Layer menu, select Delete Layer. -A confirmation dialog box appears. -Click YES. The layer is deleted. 2. From the Layers Palette, right click the layer you want to delete» select Delete Layer -Click YES when the confirmation dialog box appears. 3. From the Layers palette, select the layer you want to delete. - Click the Delete Layer button. NOTE: If you accidentally delete a layer click the Edit tab and select Step Backward, Undo Option, or [Ctrl] + [Z] Advanced Layer Options Rearanging Layers 1. From the Layers Palette, select the layer you wish to move. 2. Click and drag the layer to the desired position. 3. Release the layer. -The layer is now in the new position. Linking Layers If you want multiple layers to move as a single unit within the image window, you should link them. You must link a minimum of two layers, but there is no limit to the number of layers that can be linked together. Layers do not need to be contiguous in order to be linked. link 1. On the Layers Palette, press [Ctrl] + select the layer(s) you want to 2. From the Layer Palette, click Link Layers. The Link icon appears next to the layer in the palette. *To unlink: 1. From the Layers Palette, select the layer you want to unlink. 2. From the Layers tab, select Unlink Layers. The Link icon disappears and the layer is no longer linked. Merging Layers Merging layers fuses layers together so they no longer function individually. Images saved with individual layers occupy a lot of file space; merging layers compresses your image so it takes up less file space. Additionally, if you want to apply an effect to your entire picture at once, you will need to merge layers; otherwise, the effect will only be added to one layer at a time. In Photoshop, you can merge linked layers, visible layers, or merge down. To merge all layers into one, you can also flatten the image. From the Layer tab, select Merge Visible. All of the visible layers on the Layers palette are merged into a single layer. The hidden layers are preserved as independent layers. UA Training Page 8
Layers (continued) Flattening Layers Although flattening layers will compress your image so that it takes up less file space, it is different from merging in that it discards hidden layers, combines visible layers into a single layer, and removes transparent areas from an image. 1. Make sure that all the layers you wish to flatten are visible on the Layers palette 2. From the Layer tab, select Flatten Image. -If there are hidden layers in the image, a dialog box appears. 3. Click OK. -The visible layers are now flattened and hidden layers have been discarded. UA Training Page 9