THE INTERFACE MyGraphicsLab: Adobe … Adobe Photoshop CS6 ... Copyright © 2013 MyGraphicsLab/Pearson Education . ... Adobe Camera Raw plug-in

THE INTERFACE

MyGraphicsLab: Adobe Photoshop CS6 ACA Certification Preparation for Visual Communication

Copyright © 2013 MyGraphicsLab/Pearson Education

OBJECTIVES

3.1 Identify elements of the Photoshop CS6 user interface and demonstrate knowledge of their functions.


This presentation covers the following ACA Exam objective:

THE PHOTOSHOP INTERFACE

The Photoshop interface is very powerful once you get used to it. See Adobe Photoshop CS6 Classroom in a Book, pages 10–26, for

a good introduction.


TOOLS PANEL: ALL TOOLS

Two important panels in Photoshop are the Tools panel and the Options bar.

Photoshop tools are accessed from the Tools panel.

Hover your mouse over each tool to see the tool name and its keyboard shortcut.

The first tools to learn are: Move tool Hand tool Zoom tool

Time you invest in learning the Tools panel will save time later.


TOOLS PANEL: HIDDEN TOOLS

Some icons in the Tools panel have more tools hidden behind them. These icons have a tiny arrowhead in the corner.

To see the hidden tools, click and hold a tool icon with an arrowhead to display a fly-out menu of related tools.

Click a tool from the submenu to select it.


OTHER IMPORTANT TOOLS

The following are Photoshop tools you will use often: The Marquee tools make

geometric selections (elliptical, rectangular, and single columns or single rows of pixels).

The Move tool allows you to move selections, or move content on a selected layer.

With the Type tools, you can add horizontal or vertical type, or create horizontal or vertical type masks.

The Brush tool is the primary drawing tool; use one of the presets, or create your own.


TOOL PREFERENCES

Default cursors for most tools are the same as the tool icon.

Change the look of tool cursors in Preferences > Cursors.

Painting cursors affect: Eraser, Pencil, Paintbrush, Healing Brush, Rubber Stamp, Pattern Stamp, Quick Selection, Smudge, Blur, Sharpen, Dodge, Burn, and Sponge tools

Other cursors affect: Marquee, Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magnetic Lasso, Magic Wand, Crop, Slice, Patch, Eyedropper, Pen, Gradient, Line, Paint Bucket, Magnetic Pen, Freeform Pen, Measure, and Color Sampler tools


TOOL PRESETS

Tool presets let you save and reuse tool settings.

You can load, edit, and create libraries of tool presets using the Tool Preset picker in the Options bar, the Tool Presets panel, and the Preset Manager.

To create a tool preset: 1. Choose a tool, and set the

options you want to save as a tool preset in the Options bar.

2. Choose Window > Tool Presets to display the panel.

3. Click the Create New Tool Preset button.

4. Enter a name for the tool preset, and click OK.


OPTIONS BAR: SELECT TOOL SETTINGS

The Options bar is where you can select options for a chosen tool. It is context sensitive; that is, the options change according to the tool you select.

Brush or Pencil tool size

To change the tool size for the Brush or Pencil tool, click the Brush Preset picker thumbnail on the Options bar; then click a preset in the picker or move the Size slider.

Opacity

To change the Opacity setting for the Brush or Pencil tool, click the Opacity arrowhead, and then move the slider.

If the Blur, Sharpen, or Smudge tool is selected, a Strength option displays instead of an Opacity option.

If the Dodge or Burn tool is selected, an Exposure option displays.


PANELS AND WORKSPACES

Panels are small windows of grouped elements, such as tools, color swatches, or layers.

Panels can float or dock, expand or collapse.

Workspaces are customized arrangements of panels for specific uses. Photoshop comes with several preset workspaces.

The default workspace is Essentials. It is the best starting point for this course.

From the Workspaces menu on the Options bar, choose Essentials.


IMPORTANT PANELS: LAYERS AND ADJUSTMENTS

Every Photoshop file contains layers, starting with the Background layer.

Each layer’s contents can be edited and moved separately from other layers.

The Layers panel is where you select and manage layers.

A special type of layer is an adjustment layer.

When you choose an adjustment from the Adjustments panel, a new adjustment layer is created, allowing nondestructive edits.


IMPORTANT PANELS: PROPERTIES

The Properties panel allows you to set properties for special kinds of layers such as: Adjustment layers Layer masks Video layers

Like the Options bar, the Properties panel is context sensitive: its content changes depending on what kind of layer is selected.


EXPAND OR COLLAPSE PANEL DOCKS

A dock of panels can be expanded to full width or collapsed to icons.

To collapse or expand a dock, at the top of the dock, either double-click the top bar or click the double arrowhead.

In an expanded dock, click a tab in a panel group to display that panel in front.

In a collapsed dock, click an icon to expand that panel; click the icon again to collapse the panel.


REARRANGING PANELS AND DOCKS (1 OF 3)

To move an individual panel to a different group in an expanded dock, drag the panel tab into another panel group, and release the mouse when a blue drop-zone rectangle appears.

To move a panel group to a new location in an expanded dock, drag the bar of the panel group upward or downward in the dock, and release the mouse when a horizontal blue drop-zone line appears.



To move an individual panel to a different group in a collapsed dock, drag the panel icon into a group of icons.

Release the mouse when a blue drop-zone rectangle appears.



To move a panel or panel group out of one dock to create a new dock, drag the panel tab or the bar of the panel group outside the current dock.

Release the mouse when a blue vertical drop-zone line appears.


SHOW A HIDDEN PANEL

All panels are listed in the Window menu, including the Options bar and the Tools panel.

When you select a hidden panel from the Window menu, the panel will display either in its default group and dock or in its last-opened location.


CLOSE A PANEL

To close a panel or panel group, right-click the panel tab.

To close a panel that is collapsed as an icon, right-click the panel icon.

From the context menu that appears, choose Close to close only the one panel, or choose Close Tab Group to close the whole panel group.


SAVE A CUSTOMIZED PANEL AS A WORKSPACE

You can save customized keyboard shortcuts and menus in the same step.

Click on the Workspaces menu in the Options bar, and then choose New Workspace.

Enter a workspace name in the dialog box, check any options you want, and then click Save.


RESTORE A WORKSPACE TO ITS SAVED CONFIGURATION

Once you move panels around, you are no longer working in the saved workspace you selected.

Sometimes you might want to return to the saved workspace.

If so, from the Workspaces menu on the Options bar, choose Reset [workspace name].


DISPLAY MULTIPLE TABBED WINDOWS

Choose Window > Arrange, and make a selection from the submenu. (Do not select Consolidate All to Tabs.)


CONSOLIDATE MULTIPLE TABBED WINDOWS

To collapse multiple-tabbed windows into a single display area, choose Window > Arrange > Consolidate All to Tabs.


PANNING AND ZOOMING: HAND TOOL

Select the Hand tool. Click and drag the Hand tool to move an image that is larger than the

screen. When using any other tool, access the Hand tool by holding down the

spacebar. See the videos Zooming and Navigating and Advanced Zooming

and Navigating for great introductions to zooming and navigating tools.


PANNING AND ZOOMING: ZOOM TOOL

When you use the Zoom tool, each click magnifies or (holding the Option key) reduces the image to the next preset percentage.

Keyboard shortcuts are Command+ (zoom in) and Command– (zoom out).

Double-click to display at 100%. Change zoom settings in Photoshop > Preferences > General.


PANNING AND ZOOMING: NAVIGATOR PANEL

The Navigator panel allows you to move easily to different parts of your image.

Choose Window > Navigator. Use the slider below the image

to zoom in or out, or click the percentage box and type a specific percentage zoom.

Click anywhere in the Navigator window.

The red outline shows you where you are in relation to the entire image.

Click and drag the red outline to change the zoom position.


ROTATE THE CANVAS VIEW

In Preferences > Performance, if Use Graphics Processor is deselected, select it, and then re-launch Photoshop.

Choose the Rotate View tool (hidden behind the Hand tool), or press R.

Drag in a circular direction in the image, or move the Rotation Angle dial on the Options bar.

To reset the canvas view, click Reset View on the Options bar, or press the Escape key.


NONDESTRUCTIVE EDITING

Nondestructive editing means you can try out different settings without changing or damaging the original image.

Photoshop gives you many ways to edit nondestructively: Adjustment layers Smart Objects Smart Filters Layer masks Adobe Camera Raw plug-in

Use nondestructive editing whenever possible.


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THE INTERFACE MyGraphicsLab: Adobe … Adobe Photoshop CS6 ... Copyright © 2013 MyGraphicsLab/Pearson Education . ... Adobe Camera Raw plug-in