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PHOTOSHOP 101
1. New File
To create a new file,
select File > New
and a dialog box
will open.
Here you’re presented with a lot of options to
choose from.
You can change the type of file you’ll work with.
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If you need to customize the size of
the document, you can change the
measure and type in your dimensions
manually.
You can even change the color type!
And the aspect ratio (pixel dimensions)
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If you don’t
need to create
a new
document, you
can just exit
the dialog box
and you’ll be
brought to the
normal user
interface.
There are right and left hand tool bars. The left toolbar houses all the drawing/manipulation tools while
the right toolbar houses all the effects.
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2. Drag and Drop
Next just drag and drop your file or image into Photoshop
Remember to back up your files. Create a duplicate layer of your original file by right clicking the layer,
and clicking Duplicate Layer.
3. Duplicate Layer
The dialog box will
appear, and you can
rename your duplicate
layer.
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4. Make/Save/Load/Move Selection
Click the Quick Selection Tool (shortcut ‘w’ key). Left click and drag your mouse across your area of
selection.
Now you’ll see the “marching ants” around your selection.
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To save your selection, go to Select > Save Selection and the
dialog box will come up.
Name your selection so it’s east to remember!
You can move your
selection around!
With the marching
ants around your
selection, click on the
move tool (shortcut
‘v’ key) and drag your
mouse.
The checkerboard
pattern in the
background indicates
that there is no image
behind your current
one.
Undo changes by hitting Ctrl + z. If you want to keep undoing, click
Ctrl + Alt + z.
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If you’ve lost
your marching
ants, and you
want to recall
your selection,
click Select >
Load Selection.
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5. Make Selection Own Layer
Once you have your
selection, you can
make it its own
layer. With the
marching ants
around your
selection, right click
and click on Make
New Layer via Cut.
This will create a
whole new layer
with just your
selection.
Drag and drop another image. Click on the eyeball next to the other layers to make them invisible. Make
a selection around your image by clicking the Quick Selection Tool (shortcut ‘w’ key) and dragging your
mouse around the desired area.
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Click Select > Save Selection
With the new selection, right click and create a
new layer via cut. Right click (shortcut Ctrl +
Shift + c and then Ctrl + v).
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To make the
image invisible
behind
another layer,
you could click
on the eraser
button
(shortcut ‘e’
key) and drag
your mouse.
But this destroys pixels!
6. Mask Layer
A better way to get rid of part of a layer is to create a
mask layer.
Click on the mask icon on the lower right hand panel.
With the new mask, you can
paint over it and not
destroy pixels. Make
sure your mask is
selected and click on
the paintbrush
(shortcut ‘b’ key).
With the black color in
the forefront of the
color icon on the left,
you can drag your
mouse over your
image and make part of your
image disappear.
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You can do the same with
the eraser tool!
Make the image reappear by changing the color selected (shortcut ‘x’ key).
7. Transform
If you want to
move, resize
or rescale
your layer
selection.
Click on Edit >
Transform.
This will give
you several
options to
change the
size or
rotation of
your image.
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8. Color
To color your image, click on the Swatches palette on the right toolbar and choose a color. Then recall
your selection and use the paintbrush to paint within your selection.
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You can also change the color balance of your entire image by clicking on the Create New Fill icon on the
lower right hand toolbar.
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Change the brightness and contrast with the same process. Click Create New Fill > Brightness/Contrast.
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And the gradient! Create New Fill > Gradient. Double click on the range to bring up a dialog box where
you can choose the colors!
9. History
If you should ever have to recall an action you’ve
done, just to see where in the process you
changed something, you can click on the History
icon on the right toolbar.
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10. Saving
Finally, saving. Click File > Save As and a dialog box will appear. You can save your file as anything. Jpeg,
tiff, png, pdf, it all depends on your Photoshop needs!
Thanks and Happy Photoshopping!