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Course Reference Handout

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP -
HANDOUTS
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DAY 1
 ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
Module 01
Navigation Shortcuts: Suggested resolutions:
100% view: Web or monitor images:
Double-click the Zoom tool. 72 ppi

Fit in Window view: Laser printing, inkjet printing:

Double-click the Hand tool. 150-225 ppi

Hand tool: Commercial offset printing

Hold the Spacebar and drag. 300 ppi

Zoom in:
Ctrl + Suggested resolutions:
To check image size, click and hold on the status bar (bottom
Zoom out:
of the window) where the file size appears. The box that pops
Ctrl -
up will show your image width and height in pixels and inches,
resolution, and the color mode.
Using Panels:
Change image size or resolution
All panels are stored in the Window menu. Go to the Image menu and choose Image Size. This is a
■■ Separate panels by dragging the tab of the panel. permanent change to your image.
■■ Group panels together by dragging the tab of the panel to
File Size
the tab of any other panel.
View file size by clicking on the arrow in the Status bar and
■■ Stack panels by dragging one panel to the bottom of choose Document Sizes.
another panel.
■■ Save Workspace: Saves panels in custom arrangements
by name. Go to the Window menu > Workspace> Save File Formats:
Workspace. .PSD; Photoshop Document:
■■ Tab: Allows you to hide/show all panels Native format to Photoshop.
■■ Shift + Tab: Hide all panels except Tools and Tool Options.
.TIF; Non-compression Format:
Good for printing.
Using the Tools Panel:
To learn a shortcut or to view the name of a tool, just hover your .EPS; Non-compression Format:
cursor over a tool until a tool tip appears. The letter displayed Good for printing, supports vectors and pixels.
in parenthesis is a keyboard shortcut that can be pressed to
quickly choose a tool. Use .EPS if you used any vector-based features
in Photoshop such as Text layers or Vector
Hidden Tools Shape layers.
To access tools hidden below other tools, click and hold down
(or right-click) on any tool that has a triangle in the bottom right
corner. .JPG; Compression Format:
Good for web use and on screen use, compression for
Tool Options photography, supports using millions of colors, does not support
After choosing a tool, look above your workspace for the Tool transparency.
Options bar. Every tool has settings and options which will
appear in this panel when the tool is selected. .PNG:
Good for high resolution photos, web use, supports, transparency.
Key Concepts: Can be compressed slightly, but not as much as JPGs.

Pixels .GIF; Compression Format:

Pixels are tiny squares, which make up photos and scans. Good for web use and on screen use, compression for flat solid
colors, supports up to 256 colors, supports transparency.
Resolution
Resolution refers to the size of pixels, measured as how many
.PDF; Portable Document Format:
pixels fit into an inch (dpi or ppi). Can be viewed or printed with Acrobat Reader.

02
 ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
Selection Tools Free Transform to Rotate or Scale:
To rotate or scale areas of your image, select the area, then choose
Magic Wand Tool: Free Transform from the Edit menu, or use Ctrl-T. Choose Enter
Selects by color. Tolerance affects how many colors are actually or double-click on the selection to apply the transformation.
selected. Increase tolerance on the Options bar across the top
to make the Magic Wand select a broader range of colors with Deselect:
each click. Ctrl/Command-D.

Quick Selection Tool: Move a selection:

Selects objects by looking for “contrasting” elements such as Click on your selection (surrounded by the marching ants) with
color and shape. Good for selecting larger areas. any selection marquee tool to move it to another place on the
image.
Lasso Tool:
Drag around the area you wish to select. Feathered Selections:
To create selection with soft edges, make your selection, then go
Magnetic Lasso Tool: Select > Modify > Feather. The number you enter in the Feather
Selects by clinging to an edge. window is how faded the edges of your selection will be.

Polygonal Lasso Tool: Inverse Selection:

Click and let go on corners to select areas with straight edges. To select exactly the opposite area of an image, make your
selection and then choose Select > Inverse. The opposite of your
Rectangular and Ellipse Marquee Tools: original selection will become selected.
Drag to select rectangular or circular areas. Hold Shift to create
perfect circles or squares. Hold Alt while dragging to drag out
from the center of a circle or rectangle. Cropping Tool
Drag with the cropping tool around the area you wish to retain.
Working with Selections Use the corner or side handles to adjust the cropping area. In
tool options, uncheck shield color if the grey color is difficult to
Add or Subtract from a Selection Area: view. Double-click on the image or choose Enter to apply the
■■ Hold Shift while using any selection tool to add to an crop.
existing selection, or click the Add to Selection button in
tool options.
■■ Hold Alt/Option while using any selection tool to subtract
from a selection, or click the Subtract from Selection button
in tool options.

Module 02
Using Layers
Open the Layers panel from the Window menu. Working with Layer Effects
Click the eyeball icon to Hide or Show layers. To add a special effect to a layer, such as a drop shadow or outer
glow, select your layer, then click the Layer Effects button at the
Create New Layers by doing any of the following:
bottom of the Layers panel. Choose your effect from the pop-up
■■ Click the New Layer button to create a new blank layer. menu. Choose options and click OK to apply the effect.
■■ Select an area of a photo, and Copy and Paste a selection.
To edit the effect, Double-click the effect name listed below its
Pasting always creates a new layer. layer.
■■ Select part of an image, and choose Ctrl/Cmd-J.
■■ Draw out a text box and it will automatically create a new Layer Opacity
layer. To create transparent effects, select a layer, then vary the
Opacity setting at the top of the Layers panel from 0 to 100%
To Link layers: Opacity. You can also choose Blending Modes, such as Multiply,
Select a layer, then click in the column to the right of the eyeball Screen, or Soft Light, in the list at the top of the panel to create
icon next a layer to link it to the selected layer. Linked layers will transparent effects. Choose Normal to remove any blending
be moved or transformed together. modes from a layer.

Text Layers Gradient Tool

Using the Text tool produces text in a special kind of layer that Choose the Gradient tool (note: it may be hidden inside of
supports vectors. The Text Layers are made up of vectors so that another tool icon), and choose a gradient type and gradient
they can print with crisp edges, rather than being pixilated. colors from Tool Options bar across the top, and drag across the
Choose the Text tool and click in the document area to create image to create a gradient on top of the image.
a text layer. Type text, and select your text to format it. Choose
fonts, text sizes, alignment and color in Tool Options across the
top.

03