The Photoshop Workspace

Transcription

1 Adobe Photoshop: Chapter 2: The Photoshop Workspace When you first open or start Photoshop the work area is made up of a set of default or standard Tools, Palettes and menus. Photoshop s Tools are contained in the Toolbox. Each Tool has a set of properties or features that you can modify. These properties are contained in what are called Palettes. For instance, when you select the Paintbrush tool you use the Brushes Palette to select the size of the brush and the Options Palette to modify or affect how the brush operates. Palettes also contain other functions unrelated to Photoshop s tools, such as advanced image manipulation tools. Photoshop s menus, like most standard applications, run along the top of the workspace. [3/19/2001 1:29:23 PM]

2 Adobe Photoshop: Chapter 2: Photoshop Menu Photoshop s Menus {Clicking} on a menu item activates a pull-down box containing a list of available items. Move the mouse over the desired option and {Click} to choose it. The menus are File, Edit, Image, Layer, Select, Filter, View, Window, and Help. Many of the options or items in the menus are covered in depth in later chapters. In this chapter, we summarize their functions. File The File menu contains options to create new images, load existing images, save images, acquire images from scanners, print images, set preferences and color settings, and exit the program. Edit The Edit menu contains options to copy, cut, and paste entire images or parts of images, fill areas of an image, stroke selections or paths (covered in depth in later chapters) and transform or modify images. Image The Image menu contains options to modify color depth or mode, manipulate or adjust color and other image properties, modify image size, canvas size and orientation, examine color information and extract areas of an image from backgrounds. Layer The Layer menu contains options to modify and manipulate layers. Layers are covered in depth in later chapters. To summarize, a Photoshop image can contain a number of separate levels or layers that contain image information. Much like a high-rise building with glass floors, looking from above, people and objects on the higher floors might obscure or block out people and objects below them. Similarly, image information contained in higher layers will appear above image information on lower layers. Select The Select menu contains options to create, modify and manipulate Photoshop s selections. Selections are areas of an image that you choose to isolate from the rest of the image. For instance, you might want to isolate a person s hair to change the color without affecting the rest of the image. (1 of 2) [3/19/2001 1:30:14 PM]

3 Adobe Photoshop: Chapter 2: The Toolbox The Toolbox contains a wide range of Tools used to create and manipulate images. The Toolbox can be moved anywhere within Photoshop s work space by {Clicking} and holding the top of the Toolbox. Drag or move to the location of your choice and {Release} the mouse button. To hide the Toolbox select Window/Hide Tools. Select Window/Show Tools to get the Toolbox back. By default the Toolbox sits at the left side of the workspace. Select a Tool by {Clicking} on it. Some Tools have a small triangle at the bottom right corner of the Tool Icon. {Click}, hold and drag to select other varieties of these Tools from a flyout window. [3/19/2001 1:30:54 PM]

4 Adobe Photoshop: Chapter 2: Adobe Online The Adobe Online button connects you to product support, updates and tips for Photoshop. An Internet connection is required. Selection Tools Marquee Move Lasso Magic Wand Pen The Marquee, the Move, the Lasso, the Magic Wand, and the Pen Tool make up Photoshop s Selection Tools. Selections are areas of an image you wish to isolate in order to modify it, such as changing the color of someone s hair. A Marquee, a dotted line in constant motion, represents the shape of your selection. The Marquee is also known as a selection path. [3/19/2001 1:31:47 PM]

5 Adobe Photoshop: Chapter 2: Paintbrush Tools Painting Tools Airbrush Paintbrush Rubber Stamp Art History Eraser Pencil Blur Dodge The Airbrush, Paintbrush, Rubber Stamp, Art History Brush, Eraser, Pencil, Blur, and Dodge Tools make up Photoshop s Painting Tools. Use the Painting Tools to create or modify images, recolor images, clone parts of images and other paint and drawing effects. Type Tool The Type Tool is used to create text for your images. [3/19/2001 1:32:39 PM]

6 Adobe Photoshop: Chapter 2: Tools Measure Tool The Measure Tool is used to measure the distance between two points. Gradient Tool The Gradient Tool is used to create gradient fills. Gradients are gradual shifts from at least one color to another or one color to transparency. The effect is similar to the way the sky shifts from dark blue to a lighter blue as you look toward the horizon. Paint Bucket Tool The Paint Bucket Tool effectively pours a solid color of your choice into a designated area of an image. The Paint Bucket replaces or paints over the color you {Click} on. You can also set the Paint Bucket to paint over colors within a certain range, such as pink to red. Eyedropper Tool The Eyedropper Tool is used to sample color from an image. {Click} the Eyedropper over the color you wish to select. The color you choose to sample becomes the current Foreground color. Hand Tool The Hand Tool is used to move areas of a magnified image around. For instance, Photoshop allows you to zoom in to specific areas of an image. However, when you do that, other areas of the image are no longer visible. By using the Hand Tool, you can grab and shift the image to bring other sections under the magnified area. Zoom Tool The Zoom Tool is used to get closer too or magnify particular areas of the image, useful for precise image editing and manipulation. (1 of 2) [3/19/2001 1:37:27 PM]

7 Adobe Photoshop: Chapter 2: Mode Foreground/Background Colors The currently selected Foreground color, or color you are currently painting with is displayed in the Foreground Color box. By default, the Foreground Color is black. The currently selected Background color is displayed in the Background color box. By default, the Background color is white. {Click} the Default Colors icon to restore or return the Foreground and Background colors to default black and white. To switch the Foreground and Background colors {Click} the Swap Arrow. Edit Mode Photoshop works in Standard Edit Mode and Quick Mask Edit Mode. To work in either mode {Click} the Standard or Quick Mask button. Editing modes are covered in depth in later chapters. Screen Mode Photoshop has three primary Screen Modes, Standard Screen Mode, Full Screen Mode with Menu Bar, and Full Screen Mode. By default, Photoshop starts in Standard Screen Mode. Selecting Screen Mode with Menu Bar pushes Photoshop s Main Menu to the top of the screen. Selecting Full Screen Mode eliminates the Main Menu entirely. Jump (to Default Graphics Editor Application) Clicking this button transfers the currently edited image into another graphics program of your choice. The default application is Adobe ImageReady 2.0, an integral part of Photoshop [3/19/2001 1:38:07 PM]

8 Adobe Photoshop: Chapter 2: Palettes Palettes Photoshop stores many of the modifiers or options for Tools and image manipulation in Palettes. Palettes are a collection of commonly used options and functions made available by a mouse-click or two away. Essentially even the Toolbox is a Palette. By default, Photoshop starts with 11 Palettes organized or grouped into four Palette sets. Palette Set 1 consists of the Navigator, Info, and Options Palettes Palette Set 2 consists of the Color, Brushes, and Swatches Palettes Palette Set 3 consists of the History and Actions Palettes Palette Set 4 consists of the Layers, Channels, and Paths Palettes Palettes are said to be floating because, like the Toolbox, you can {Click} and drag them to any location on screen. Furthermore, Palettes can be grouped together or pulled apart by {Clicking} on the Tabs and dragging them out of or into any Palette Set you desire. For instance, you can {Click}, hold and drag the Navigator Palette out of Set 1 and drop it into Set 2. Alternately you can simply drag the Navigator Palette out of its default group and drop it on screen to make a Palette Set of one. To close a Palette or Palette Set {Click} on the close icon at the top right corner. To restore a Palette you have closed select the desired Palette from the Window pull-down menu. Many of the functions Palettes feature are covered in depth in later chapters. What follows is a summary of the default Palettes to familiarize you with Photoshop s environment [3/19/2001 1:38:39 PM]

9 Adobe Photoshop: Chapter 2: Photoshop Menu Filter The Filter menu contains a variety of different special effects, called Filters that you apply to an image or parts of an image. For instance, you might have an image of a runner. By applying the Motion Blur filter to the image, you create a greater sense of speed. View The View menu contains options to modify viewing your image, including zooming in and out and how images might look when printed or viewed on another computer. In addition, options to view rulers and guides are available to aid in editing your images. Window The Window menu contains options to view and/or hide the Toolbox and Palettes as well as options to organize images within Photoshop s workspace. Help The Help menu contains options for online help, information about plugins and information about the version of Photoshop you are using. Use Help Topics for reference or finding out how to accomplish objectives you might be having problems with. (2 of 2) [3/19/2001 1:30:14 PM]