Introduction to Photoshop



Introduction to Photoshop

Part 1 - Opening, Selecting and Transforming Images

1) OPENING, CREATING AND VIEWING IMAGES

a. Opening a Pre-Existing Image

Use this to access digital images you have downloaded either from a camera, copied from the internet or scanned in.

i. Access the top menu and go File>Open

b. Creating a New Image

Use this to create a brand new image suitable for copying other graphics into or for creating your own graphics.

i. Access the top menu and go File>New

ii. Either select a Preset Size, or manually enter the dimensions of your document. You may adjust the measurement unit to your preference (ie: cm, inches, Pixels, etc).

iii. Resolution deals with quality of the image. Until your experience grows, leave this at the default setting unless otherwise directed.

iv. Select from the Mode drop menu what colour scheme you wish to use (the two most common are Grayscale and RGB)

v. Finally select what you wish your background colour or Contents to be (transparent is usually the safest bet).

c. Changing Views and Perspectives.

In order to aid viewing your are able to change the orientation of your document, or zoom in/out to change perspective.

i. To change the orientation, access the top menu and select Image>Rotate Canvas, and select the way your wish to rotate your entire image.

ii. To zoom in, select the Zoom Tool from the lower right hand side of the tool bar, and the left click on the image. To zoom out, repeat the process, but hold the Alt key down.

d. A Note on Layers

All objects in Photoshop are located on layers. Whenever an object is created or a graphic is added, a new layer is usually created in the process. Objects that are stacked on each other, will appear in the order of their layers.

i. Your layers are displayed in the layer window usually located in the bottom right of the Photoshop Desktop.

ii. New Layers can be manually added by access the top menu and selecting Layer>New>Layer

iii. Layers can be named either during the creation process, or by right clicking on the particular layer in the layer window and selecting Layer Properties.

iv. The order in which layers appear can be changed, by left clicking and holding on the particular layer in the layer window, and dragging the layer to a new position.

e. A Note on Copying and Pasting

This is the usual way of introducing a pre-existing graphic to a new image.

i. Using one of the selection tools mentioned below, select an area to copy from an opened image.

ii. Access the top menu and select Edit>Copy.

iii. In a new layer or in a new image, select Edit>Paste.

2) SELECTION TOOLS

These tools allow you to select part of or an entire image, which can then be modified or copied into a new image. All the edges created during this process are quite sharp. If you wish to soften the selection and better blend the edges, you can access Select>Feather from the top menu. The higher the feather radius, the greater the transparency area and the softer the look.

a. The Marquee

This tool allows you to select an area using a pre-determined shape.

i. Right click on the marquee tool and in the window that opens left click on the shape you wish to use.

ii. Position your curser over the corner of the area you wish to select.

iii. Left click and hold your mouse button down.

iv. Drag your mouse in a diagonal motion until the area is entirely selected, and then release your mouse.

v. To deselect an area, simply left click one outside the previously selected area.

b. The Lasso

This tool allows you to manually select an area, by using your mouse to create a closed loop around your selection.

i. Right click on the lasso tool and in the window that opens left click on the lasso you wish to use. Note: you must always return to your start point to complete the selection.

1. Lasso

a. A simple free hand tool, that allows you to draw an area to select.

b. Left click and hold to begin and release when complete.

2. Polygonal Lasso

a. By left clicking, you can designate a series of points that will be joined with straight lines, to create a selection area.

b. To complete the selection, left click on the start point.

3. Magnetic Lasso

a. This acts as an edge finder, and creates a selection area, that follows clearly defined boundaries between colours and objects.

b. Left click on the boundary area to begin, and return back to and left click on the start point to finish.

c. Magic Wand

This tool allows you to select an area by colour. It is only useful if you are able to select a fully solid uninterrupted colour.

i. Left click on a solid colour to select it.

ii. Multiple areas can be selected by holding down the shift key while left clicking on the area.

d. Crop Tool

The crop tool allows you to designate an area in manner similar to the Rectangular Marquee, but upon completion those areas not selected are deleted or “cropped”.

i. Position your curser over the corner of the area you wish to select.

ii. Left click and hold your mouse button down.

iii. Drag your mouse in a diagonal motion until the area is entirely selected, and then release your mouse.

iv. Confirm you wish to crop by selecting the newly appeared check mark near the top right of the menu.

e. Inverting

i. Often it is easier to initially select a surrounding area rather than the specific area (such as a mutli-colour object placed on a solid colour background).

ii. You can invert your selection by first selecting the surrounding area with the tool of your choice and then accessing the top menu and clicking on Select>Inverse

3) TRANSFORMATIONS

An area that has been selected, copied and pasted onto a new layer or in a new image can be modified in several ways. Here are the first basic changes:

a. Moving

This allows you to freely move your selected object around your document.

i. Select the Move Tool from the tool bar on the left.

ii. Left click on the Bounding Box check-box, to add a visible border to your object aid transformations.

iii. Left click and hold anywhere within the borders of the selected object, and drag the mouse to position it within the image.

b. Resizing

This changes the dimensions of the object in the image but not the image itself.

i. Place your mouse curser over one of the corner bounding boxes, until your curser becomes a diagonal doubled-ended arrow.

ii. Left-click and hold, while dragging your mouse in a diagonal manner to either enlarge or shrink your object.

iii. To keep the object proportional, hold the shift key down while resizing.

iv. Once resizing is complete, select the check mark from the top right of the screen to confirm your transformation.

c. Rotating and Flipping

i. To rotate or flip your object, access the top menu and select Edit>Transform, and select one of the preset rotations or flips.

ii. Alternately, you can select Edit>Transform>Rotate, and using your mouse, freely rotate your object until it has reached the desired position.

iii. Again, select the check mark from the top right of the screen to confirm your transformation.

d. Skew, Distort, Perspective

These transformations allow the dimensions of the object to be changed creating a greater sense of three-dimensionality and changing the perceived viewing position.

i. As before, each of these transformations are accessed by going Edit>Transform, and must be confirmed by selecting the checkmark at the end.

e. Erasing

Although not actually a transformation, erasing allows you to alter the shape of the object, through the use of a variety of brush styles.

i. Once your select the eraser tool, you can adjust the brush size of the eraser, or rather what pattern will disappear with each click of the mouse.

ii. Left click on the Brush palette or picker on the top tool bar to open the style window.

iii. Use the scroll bar to browse through all the preset brush styles and sizes, or set your own specific size, by using the Master Diameter slide bar.

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Photoshop Practice – Part 1a

• Create a new image, W= 500 pixel & H=700px, resolution=300, with RGB colour and a transparent background.

Photoshop Practice – Part 1b

• From the classroom website select Granville Island Picture

• Using the marquee tool of your choice, select the central part of the image which shows the Granville Island sign.

• Copy the selected area.

• Go to your newly created image.

• Create a new layer and title it TPI1.

• Paste your selection in to the new layer.

Photoshop Practice – Part 1c

• From the classroom website, select the other 3 images (other than the Granville Island picture

• Using a different lasso tool for, select what you think are the relevant objects from the images

• Copy and paste each of the selected areas to new layers within the image you created.

• Rename each of the layers with the relevant image name.

Photoshop Practice – Part 1d

• From the classroom website, select TPI 5

• Using the magic wand, select the blue area around the Harbour Centre building.

• Invert your selection

• Copy and paste the selected area into a new layer within the image you created.

• Rename the layer TPI5

Photoshop Practice – Part 1e

• Move, resize and rotate each of the pasted objects, until you have created a collage of all the images – save this final image and Label it: OpeningSelectingTransformingFirstLastName1

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