Adobe Photoshop Tools and Tips

Marquee Tool - makes selections, rectangular

or circular

Move Tool - moves the object on the layer

Polygonal Lasso Tool - creates polygonal

selections

Magic Wand - makes a selection based on the

selected color

Crop Tool - crops Photoshop file

Slice Tool - creates slices

Healing Brush - used to fix or delete unwanted

objects

Brush Tool - brush

Clone Stamp - used to duplicate/clone objects

History Brush - draw with history snapshots

Eraser - erase Photoshop objects

Gradient - createa gradient

Blur Tool - create blurry image

Dodge Tool - add dodge effect

Path Selection - select the whole path drawn by pen tool

Text tool - type text

Pen tool - draw vector path

Custom Shape tool - create shapes

Notes tool - create notes

Eyedropper tool - select color

Hand tool - move objects

Zoom tool - zoom in and zoom out on the image

Photoshop CS Tools | Shortcut Keys

Text on a Path
Use the Vector tools, such as the Pen tool, to create working paths (Window>Paths).
Use the Test tool, position the baseline indicator over the path and click, start
typing. The flow of the text will be in the direction the points were created. But

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using the Direct Selection tool or the Path Selection tool the Designer can move the
typed text along the path created or even flip the text.

Blur Tool
This tool is invaluable for smoothing out detail or softening the edges of your
graphics. Graphic designers can make adjustments to the brush sizes and strength.
The Designer can make specific selections on parts of an image and “blur focus”
these areas if this effect is desired.

Replacing Colors
New to Photoshop CS is the Color Replacement tool. It allows the Designer another
tool to quickly change the color of any part of the graphic – without making a
selection and using the color-correction tools. This tool does automatically detect
“boundaries” with optional setting for tweaking.

Layer Comps
New to Photoshop CS the Layer Comp is a snapshot of the current state of the Layer
palette. Its very useful for saving various combinations of layers within the
Photoshop CS designs – the ability to save and to recall these states is very useful
when showing multiple concepts with the same document quickly and
efficiently.

Sponge Tool
The Sponge Tool is very useful in applying local adjustments of saturation of colors
in any graphic image. The tool allows the increase or decrees of the saturation of
color through the Options bar. Note that in grayscale mode the tool increases or
decrease contrast. Use this tool to intensify color – as in the green eyes of a subject
or to remove the color in the cheeks of a model.

The Liquify Tool

The Liguify Tool (Filter>Liguify) is a “quirky” fun tool that allows the Designer to
push and pull any parts of an image around. Used subtly it can give a photograph a
watery surface in appearance, use it to create abstract images or use it to create a
glossy metallic reflections effect.

The Magic Wand Tool

The Magic Wand Tool has setting (they are not apparent) that does affect the
manner it samples pixels in a graphic image. One of these parameters is hidden. If
the Designer selects the Eyedropper tool – one Point Sample option by default is
selected; however, you can make a change to 3x3 or 5x5 areas. Selecting which
Point Sample is selected will affect the manner in which the Magic Wand will work.

The Dodge and Burn Tools

These are often forgotten tools but they can be very useful. The dodge Tool
reproduces an effect of underexposing portions of the image applied too; while, the
Burn Tool reproduces overexposure. Basically they either lighten or darken areas of
an image applied too, while still retaining important detail.

Image editor features

Selection

One of the prerequisites for many of the applications is a method of selecting

part(s) of an image, thus applying a change selectively without affecting the
entire picture. Most graphics programs have several means of accomplishing
this, such as a marquee tool, lasso, vector-based pen tools as well as more

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 advanced facilities such as edge detection, masking, alpha compositing, and
color and channel-based extraction.

Layers

What is a Layer?

A layer is simply one image stacked on top of another, is analogous to

sheets of transparent acetate, stacked on top of each other, each capable of
being individually positioned, altered and blended with the layers below,
without affecting any of the elements on the other layers.

Layers were introduced in Photoshop 3.0. This totally revolutionized

Photoshop. Photoshop's layers Pallete is a powerful tool that allows you
do many special things to your layed compositions.

The Layer Window

Normal Layer: Where your image

layer is stored

Layer Effects (Styles): Special

effects applied to your image layer.
Each effect will be listed. Here only
the drop shadow is used, multiple
effects may be used at once.

Type Layer: The same as an image

layer, except this layer contains type
that can be edited; (Change
character, color, font or size)

Background: Always locked, cannot

be moved or have layer effects
applied to it. The little icon of the
padlock on the right, indicates it is
locked. Can be changed into a
regular layer by simply double
clicking on the thumbnail.

Thumbnail: A small picture of the layers contents.

Show/Hide Icon: If the eye is showing that layer is visible. Click on the eye and the
layer will still be there but invisible until you click on the eye again.

Layer Features

Blending mode: Changes the way the layers interact with each other. Experiment
with the different modes.

Layer opacity: Adjusts how transparent each layer is. 0 is completely transparent,
100 is completely opaque.

Lock all: If the box is checked the layer is totally protected from any editing.

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Lock Position: You can make any changes except for moving the image.

Lock Image pixels: You cannot

draw on this layer if checked.

Lock transparent: You can paint

on this layer but not where it is
transparent.

Delete: Will delete an entire layer.

Either Drag the thumbnail to the
icon or select the layer* and click
on the trash can (delete icon).
*Selected layer highlighted -Type
layer is currently selected

New Layer: Click to add a new

blank layer. Or drag an existing
layer thumbnail to create a
duplicate.

New Adjustment layer: Allows

non-destructive adjustment of
colors to a layer. (Can be undone
anytime, even after closing
document)

Create a new set: Allows you to organize your layers into folders. This new feature
was on my wish list.

Layer mask: Allows you to paint away parts of your layer without damaging your
original image.

Layer styles: Special effects for your layers. Beefed up version of the old layer
effects. (Allows you to do cool things with no effort)

Image size alteration

Image editors can resize images in a process often called image scaling, making
them larger, or smaller. High image resolution cameras can produce large images
which are often reduced in size for Internet use. Image editor programs use a
mathematical process called resampling to calculate new pixel values whose
spacing is larger or smaller than the original pixel values. Images for Internet use
are kept small, say 640 x 480 pixels which would equal 0.3 megapixels.

Cropping an image

Digital editors are used to crop images. Cropping creates a new image by
selecting a desired rectangular portion from the image being cropped. The
unwanted part of the image is discarded. Image cropping does not reduce the
resolution of the area cropped. Best results are obtained when the original image
has a high resolution. A primary reason for cropping is to improve the image
composition in the new image.

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