Week #4
April 19 - 24
Last updated
April 19 - 24
Last updated
When you open a new document, it gives you options for the size, color mode, and resolution to choose. If you check the top bar you will see there are also some available presets to use.
After you create a new document, you will see the main PS interface!
Through the Window Menu on top, you can choose different workspaces relevant to your preference. So, if you don't see a panel or you don't see a tool in PS, you can find them from Window or change the Workspace. Also, keep in mind that Menu Bar options change based on the tool you select.
In this image, you can get a sense of what every tool in the Tool Bar does.
Photoshop’s layers Panel is a powerful tool that allows you to do many special things to your layered compositions. A layer is simply one image stacked on top of another. You can see through transparent areas of a layer to the layers below. You move a layer to position the content on the layer, like sliding a sheet of acetate in a stack. You can also change the opacity of a layer to make content partially transparent. In future tutorials, you will learn more about the different components of the layer panel.
Also, you can right click on a layer and see many available commands including the Duplicate option!
In Photoshop there are a number of different types of layers. They are usually indicated by icons, here is what they all do.
Layer Group (Select layers then Command/Ctrl + "G"): This puts layers into a folder. Layers can be dragged in or out of groups in the Layers panel.
Type Layer (Hit the letter “T” and click on the workspace): This layer contains type that can be edited; (Change character, color, font or size)
Adjustment Layer: An adjustment layer is changing the color or tone of all the layers underneath it.
Layer Style: When an effect has been applied, click the eye to turn it on or off. Double click “effects” to open the Layer Styles options.
Layer Mask: Allows you to paint on the mask to show and reveal portions of the image.
Smart Object: A special type of layer that is actually a container that can hold multiple (or 1) layers.
Blending mode determines how two or more layers are blended with each other. Experimenting with them is fun and gives you so many interesting results! Remember that default blending mode is Normal which uses the top layer alone without mixing its colors with the layer beneath it! this grouping gives you a simple guideline for the blending result!
Tip: Hover your mouse over the toolbar and wait to reveal the keyboard shortcut for the tool you want!
Here is a shortlist of essential hot keys and I ask you to remember them as they make your life much easier! Otherwise, you have to look among many options in the menu to find the one you are looking for!
Zoom in - Command/Ctrl + "+" on your keyboard
Zoom out - Command/Ctrl + "-"
Move tool - Hit the letter “V”
Copy - Command/Ctrl + "C" or Select the shape with the Move tool, hold the Alt key, and drag
Paste - Command/Ctrl + "V"
Select All - Command/Ctrl + "A"
Deselect All - Command/Ctrl + "D"
Undo - Command/Ctrl + "Z"
Select multiple shapes - Shift + click to
Brush - Hit the letter “B”
Eyedropper Tool - Hit the letter “I”
Crop Tool - Hit the letter “C”
Free Transform - Command/Ctrl + "T"
Pen Tool - Hit the letter “P”
There is a long list of keyboard shortcuts available in PS and you can find the list easily by googling!
when you open a document, save it right away then if something happens or your software crashes you won't lose any of your work! to save a file, go to File > Save as
There are different formats that you can save your file! Let's be familiar with formats that we use in this class:
PSD: This is the Photoshop format that saves all layers in it, so this is the format that you need for your works in progress. Otherwise, you can't make changes if you change your mind! Also, I need you to upload your projects in this format in order for me to look at your process. Since it keeps all the layer's info, its saved size is bigger than other formats.
PNG: This is a good quality compressed format where you can't have access to the multiple layers but you can save your images with transparency as well. PNG is a lossless file format, meaning that even though it still compresses images to reduce file size, the compression method it uses does not result in a loss of image quality.
Jpeg: JPEG is what's called a lossy file format because it compresses the images, which essentially means it takes some of your image information. However, this format is a simple and popular format! The biggest strength of JPEG files is convenience. They're usually small enough that they can easily be uploaded and displayed on web pages. The downside to JPEGs is that the reduced quality caused by image compression means they're not a good choice for printing when image quality is your primary concern, and they're also not a good choice for archiving your originals.
Paint Bucket tool (G) Fills an area that is similar in color value to the pixels you click.
Gradient tool (G) Fills in an area of an image by a gradient.
EyeDropper tool (I) Copies or samples the color of an area in your photo to set a new foreground or background color. The top box indicated the foreground and the bottom box indicates the background color.
Foreground and background boxes click the color box in the toolbox and then choose a color from the Color Picker.
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