Basics of Photoshop

1. Introduction

What is Photoshop?

Adobe Photoshop is a widely used graphics editing software designed for professional image editing,
graphic design, and digital art. It enables users to create, manipulate, and enhance images in various
formats.
Photoshop is an exceptional raster-based photo editing software used for graphical work. It is
primarily used to create, edit, and manipulate several graphical as well as digital artworks.
Photoshop is developed by Adobe Systems and provides support for Windows and Mac OS operating
systems.
We can create images with layers and save them in a different image format such as jpg, png, gif, tiff,
etc. The default file format for Photoshop files is PSD. The PSD stands for Photoshop Document,
which is a native file format for Photoshop.

Creating a new file

In Photoshop, we can create a new file using the following steps:
Step 1: Open Photoshop.
Step 2: Go to the menu bar and click on the file
Step 3: When you click on the file option a drop down menu will appear on the screen. So, in this
menu select New option.
Step 4: When you click on the New option a popup window will appear, as shown in the below
image. It will contain different options/settings for the new document, like you can set the name,
height, width of the document, etc. according to your requirements.
Step 5: After completing the setting for the new document click on the create button.

Opening an existing file

To open the existing file in Photoshop, follow the following steps:
Step 1: Go to the menu bar and click on the file
Step 2: When you click on the file option, a drop down menu will appear on the screen. So, in this
menu select Open option.
Step 3: When you click on the Open option a popup window will appear, as shown in the below
image. It will contain all the files present in the specified folder on your computer.
Step 4: Choose the desired file from the window and then click open.

Saving a file
In Photoshop, we can also save our documents in different types of file formats. Photoshop supports
15+ file formats and some of the commonly used file formats are:
.PSD: It stands for Photoshop Document. It is the native file format of Photoshop and preserves
layers, colors of the image, etc. You can use this format when you want to share the document with
other Photoshop users or you want to save your document in the native format.
.JPG or .JPEG: It stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is the most commonly used file
format. Such types of files are generally used by the photo labs to print and view images or you can
attach JPEG files with the emails. Almost every browser or software supports this format.
.PNG: It stands for Portable Network Graphics. It is also a commonly used file format. It supports all
color modes, 24-bit images, and transparency.
.BMP: It stands for bitmap. this format is generally used when you want to add images to system
resources, such as wallpaper, etc.
.GIF: It stands for CompuServe GIF. It is also a popular file format. It indexed color, animated images,
and supports the smallest file sizes.
Now we will learn how to save files or documents in Photoshop. In Photoshop, we can save files
using two options:

1. Using the Save As option:

So to save a file using Save As option follow the following steps:
Step 1: Go to the menu bar and click on the file
Step 2: When you click on the file option, a drop down menu will appear on the screen. So, in this
menu select Save As option.
Step 3: When you click on Save As option a pop-up window will appear like as shown in the below
image. In this window, you can change the file name, file format, location, etc.
Step 4: Now click on the Save button.

2. Using the Save option:

So, to save a file using the Save option, follow the following steps:
Step 1: Go to the menu bar and click on the file.
Step 2: When you click on the file option, a drop down menu will appear on the screen. So, in this
menu select the Save option.

Features of Photoshop

Over the years, Photoshop has become the leading photo editing software from a small editing tool.
The beauty of the Photoshop tool is its unmatched features. It offers several editing features, which
are Photoshop exclusive features. None other photo editing software is much capable than
Photoshop.

Layers
Layers are one of the best features of Photoshop. Layers allow you to work like a separate piece of
paper that you can edit independently and later add to your work. The main advantage of using
layers is we can edit a specific component of our image or work without affecting the other
components.
Types of Masks
You can make two different kinds of masks:
Layer Masks: Bitmap images with varying resolutions known as layer masks can be modified using
painting or selection tools.
Vector Masks: Vector masks can be made with a pen or a shape tool that is independent of
resolution.
Photoshop provides an easy-to-manage Layer Palette with some extensive features to manage them,
such as opacity (Transparency), layer mask, blending modes, lock, etc. We can also manage our layer
stack, such as keep a particular layer up and down by just dragging.
Selection Tools

Photoshop selection tools are very handy to use that designers are additive to work with. Photoshop
selection tools are improved over the years; nowadays, it provides several advanced selection tools
such as marquee tool, magic wand tool, lasso tools, etc., to deal with objects.

The Magic Wand tool is very advanced. It automatically selects similar color pixels and controls the
range of colors through tolerance.

Lasso tools let us manually select the required objects. It provides a hands-free selection process to
select the required region of the image.

Marquee tool allows us to draw different types of selections easily.

Pen Tool

The Pen Tool is a very dominating tool of Photoshop. Nowadays, we cannot assume Photoshop
without a pen tool. Before the pen tool, the software was nothing but a just editing tool. But, the
pen tools make it an advanced designing software. However, the pen tool is not so easy as other
tools. It takes time to set the hand on the pen tool, but you can draw anything that you assume once
you are familiar with it. It takes the design to the next level.

The pen tool's basic task is to draw a path along with anchor points, but the creative stack of this
tool is limitless. It provides three types of anchor points to draw and reshape the shapes.

Shapes

It is an essential task for graphic designers to keep the original quality of the object. Photoshop's
shape layer feature allows us to keep the original quality of the object while manipulating it.

However, the shape layer's outlook is limited, but the capabilities of this layer are extremely good.

A Shape layer can be easily edited using the pen tool or a selection tool and will retain its original
quality.

Slice Tool

The Slice tool is also a fascinating tool of Photoshop. It is a useful tool for web designers. We can
easily slice any images into different sections to provide an image a web look.

Retouching Tools

Photoshop provides several retouching tools to provide a new look to the images. It contains few
retouching tools such as the Stamp tool, Pattern Stamp tool, Spot Healing tool, Healing tool, Patch
tool, and many more. Every tool has its unique functionality. Adobe has developed its retouching
tools over the years.

Smart Objects

Smart objects are also a very useful feature of Photoshop. They are a kind of layer that holds image
data. The smart object preserves the original data of an image by making it a non-destructive layer.
We can embed the content of an image into a new document. Also, we can create linked smart
objects in reference to another image.

The key advantage of a smart object is that we can freely perform the non-destructive transform.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Create Cloud provides cloud storage to save your work to the cloud straight from your
Photoshop. You can easily access your images from any device using the creative cloud.

CSS from Layers

It is a handy feature for web designers. This feature allows us to generate the CSS code for specific
design elements. For example, if we have drawn a rounded corner rectangle on a layer, if we want
the CSS code for this rectangle, we can do so by right-clicking on that layer and select the Copy CSS
option from the context menu. So it makes it easy to create a web template from a Photoshop file.

Photoshop Versions

Photoshop was originally developed in 1998 by Thomas and John knoll. Since then, Photoshop has
been updating itself not only in raster-based graphics editing but also in digital arts. It releases
almost every year a new version with some enhancement and improvements.

2. Selecting a Workspace

Photoshop offers different workspaces tailored for specific tasks, including:

Essentials: Default workspace with commonly used tools.

Photography: Optimized for photo editing with relevant panels.

Graphic and Web: Focused on web design and graphics.

Selecting a Workspace:

Go to Window > Workspace and select your desired workspace.

You can also create a custom workspace that fits your workflow and reset any workspace to its
default settings.

3. Managing Palettes

Understanding Palettes:

Palettes (or panels) are collections of tools and settings (e.g., Layers, Color, Tools).

Opening/Closing Palettes:

Access palettes through the Window menu. Commonly used ones include:
Layers: Manage image layers.

Color: Adjust and select colors.

Brushes: Select and customize brushes.

Docking and Organizing:

Click and drag a palette to dock it or rearrange it as needed.

4. Changing the Position of a Palette Group

Moving Palettes:

Drag the title bar of a palette group to reposition it.

To dock a palette, move it to the edge of the workspace until you see a blue highlight, then release
it.

5. Working with Keyboard Shortcuts and Menu Settings

Importance of Shortcuts:

Keyboard shortcuts improve workflow efficiency by reducing the time spent navigating menus.

Common Shortcuts:

Ctrl + N: New document

Ctrl + O: Open file

Ctrl + S: Save file

Ctrl + Z: Undo

Customizing Shortcuts:

Go to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts to view and customize existing shortcuts based on your preferences.

6. Working with Images

a. Types of Image Formats

Common Formats:

JPEG: Compressed format suitable for photographs; good balance of quality and file size.

PNG: Supports transparency and lossless compression; ideal for web graphics.

GIF: Limited to 256 colors; supports animations.

TIFF: High-quality format often used in printing; supports layers.

PSD: Photoshop’s native format that preserves layers and settings.

b. Bitmap and Vector Images

Bitmap Images (Raster):

Composed of pixels; quality degrades when resized.

Best for photographs and complex images.

Vector Images:

Made of paths defined by mathematical equations; scalable without loss of quality.

Ideal for logos, icons, and illustrations.

c. Understanding Image Resolution

Resolution Definition:

Measured in DPI (dots per inch); higher DPI means more detail.

Optimal Resolutions:

72 DPI for web images.

300 DPI for print images.

d. About the Pixel Logic

Pixels Explained:

The smallest unit of a digital image; more pixels result in higher detail.

Image Quality:

Pixel density affects quality; high-resolution images have more pixels.

e. Understanding Image Size

Dimensions:

Size is expressed in pixels (width x height).

Adjusting Size:

Image size can be changed without affecting resolution in the Image Size dialog.

7. Editing Images

a. Rotating an Image

How to Rotate:

Go to Image > Image Rotation to rotate by set degrees or freely.

b. Cropping an Image

Using the Crop Tool:

Select the Crop Tool (C), adjust the cropping frame, and press Enter to apply.

Aspect Ratio:

Maintain aspect ratio by holding the Shift key while cropping.

c. Hiding Instead of Cropping

Layer Masks:

Use masks to hide parts of an image non-destructively; this allows for easy adjustments later.

d. Working with Canvas Size

Canvas Size Adjustment:

Go to Image > Canvas Size to add or reduce space around your image without changing the image
size itself.

e. Duplicating an Image

Duplication Method:

Right-click the layer and select "Duplicate Layer" or hold Alt (Option on Mac) while dragging.

8. Color Modes

Different Color Modes:

RGB Mode: Best for digital displays (Red, Green, Blue).

CMYK Mode: Used for printing (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black).

Grayscale Mode: Uses shades of gray; for black-and-white images.

HSB Mode: Describes colors using Hue, Saturation, and Brightness.

Lab Mode: Represents colors as lightness and two color channels.

Changing Modes

How to Change Color Modes:

Navigate to Image > Mode and select the desired color mode.

9. Making Color Adjustments

Adjustment Tools:

Levels: Adjust overall brightness and contrast by manipulating shadows, midtones, and highlights.
Curves: Provides fine control over tonal adjustments with a graph.

Brightness/Contrast: Quickly change image brightness and contrast levels.

Hue/Saturation: Modify the color balance; adjust the hue and saturation levels for enhanced colors.

Variations: Offers preset adjustments to quickly enhance or alter color settings.

10. File Formats

Choosing the Right Format:

Save files in the appropriate format based on usage:

PSD: Best for ongoing editing (preserves layers).

JPEG: Good for sharing photos (compressed).

PNG: Preferred for web graphics (supports transparency).

TIFF: High-quality for print use (non-compressed).