General Knowledge

Workspaces enable you to set the panel locations and their grouping, menu options and keyboard shortcuts. Workspaces can be customized for specific tasks, such as retouching, painting or Web related work. You can save the current workspace as a named workspace. You can do this by choosing the New Workspace command either from the Window Workspace submenu, or by clicking on the Workspace button on the Application bar and then choosing it from the pop-up menu. You can include custom settings for menu items, keyboard shortcuts and panel locations in a workspace. Photoshop ships with a number of preset workspaces plus an Essentials (Default) workspace that you can apply to revert menu items, keyboard shortcuts and panel locations to factory settings. You can rearrange panel groups or columns by dragging individual panels by their tabs, or groups by their title bars, and releasing the mouse button when a narrow, blue drop zone appears. The zone indicates where the panel will be docked. To prevet a panel docking while its being moved around, hold down Ctrl (Windows and Mac OS). To collapse docked panels to icons, right-click, Ctrl-click on a panel tab, or the panel title bar, and choose Collapse to Icons from the context menu; you can also click the double arrow on the dock bar located at the top of the panel column, or the dock bar itself. To expand icons to panels, either click the double arrow, or the dock bar itself, or right-click, Ctrl-click on it, or one of the iconized panels, and choose Expand Panels. You can reconfigure the Tools panel (Toolbar) into a single or a double-column by clicking on the double arrow at the top, or the title bar itself. You can also dock it with the panels but, unlike other panels, you cannot collapse it to an icon. You can assign keyboard shortcuts to application menu items (commands found in the drop down menus), panel menus and tools. You can open the Keyboard Shortcuts & Menus dialog by choosing Edit Keyboard Shortcuts, or Window Workspace Keyboard Shortcuts & Menus, or pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K, Cmd+Opt+Shift+K. To assign a keyboard shortcut, open the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog from the Edit menu, or press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K, Cmd+Opt+Shift+K. In the ensuing dialog, choose an item from the Shortcuts for pop-up menu. Expand the target menu and then click an item (this will open a text box). Type a shortcut. If there is a conflict with an existing shortcut, you can accept or reject or go to the conflict and change the shortcut for the conflicting command or tool. Once you are happy with a shortcut, you can click Accept and then click one of the Save buttons to save the changes in a new set (you cannot save changes in the default set).

In the Menus tab of the Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus dialog (Edit Menus or, alternatively, Window Workspace Keyboard Shortcuts & Menus), you can show, hide or color items found in the application menus and the panel menus. When you hide menu items by clicking on the eye icon, Show All Menu Items is appended to the bottom of the menu that contains hidden items. You can assign a preset color to application and panel menu items in the Menus tab of the Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus dialog (Edit Menus or, alternatively, Window Workspace Keyboard Shortcuts & Menus). You can turn off menu colors globally by unchecking Show Menu Colors in Interface preferences. By default, document windows are tabbed when you open more than one file. You can float the documents as independent windows by choosing Window Arrange Float in Window (floats current document as a window), or Float All in Windows (floats all documents as windows). When document windows are tabbed, you can drag the window tab out of a group to undock a document from a group. You can also rearrange the order of tabbed documents by dragging a tab to a new location. When document windows arent tabbed, you can consolidate all floating document windows into one tabbed window by choosing Window Arrange Consolidate All to Tabs. To create tabbed documents when the setting Open Documents as Tabs in Interface preferences is deselected, or when you have created floating windows from tabbed windows, drag the source document by its title bar to the target document, position the pointer over the foot of the target documents title bar and let go when the target document acquires a blue border (AKA drop zone). Repeat as required. The Arrange Documents button (AKA Layout button) in the Application bar allows you to arrange open documents in a number of N-Up configurations from 2-Up to 6-Up. You can also use it to consolidate all (create tabbed windows), tile or float document windows, change zoom views (Actual Pixels or Fit on Screen), match zoom and location. The View Screen Mode submenu has options for viewing a document in the following modes: Standard Screen (includes panels, title, menu and scroll bars) Full Screen With Menu Bar (includes panels, 50% gray background, and menu bar, no title or scroll bars) Full Screen (includes black background, no panels, title, menu or scroll bars) You can also use the Screen Mode button in the Application bar to switch between modes. To view Application bar, choose Window Application Bar (Mac OS). There are a number of ways of changing the background color when viewing images. You can right-click, Ctrl-click on the background (not to be confused with the background layer) and either select a preset color from the pop-up menu or define a custom color; likewise from the Interface preferences dialog. If using the Paint Bucket, you need to hold down Shift while you click on the background. You can also choose to set the border in the Interface preferences dialog. You can choose between Line, Drop Shadow or None.

You use the Rotate View tool to rotate the canvas non-destructively. When you use the tool, the canvas is rotated without affecting the image. This can be useful, for example, when painting, drawing a path or creating a mask. After using the Rotate View tool to rotate a canvas, you can restore the canvas to the original angle by double-clicking the Rotate View tool in the Tools panel or clicking the Reset View button on the Options bar. With Enable OpenGL Drawing selected in Interface preferences, the pixel grid becomes visible when a zoom level over 500% is applied to an image. You can zoom in/out in a continuous-motion by click-holding in an image with the Zoom tool. The feature requires OpenGL to be enabled in Performance preferences. OpenGL is disabled if your graphics card does not meet the minimum requirements. You can zoom out temporarily from a high magnification by selecting the Zoom tool, holding down the H key, clicking in the image and holding down the mouse button. Letting go of the mouse button will return you to the previous magnification or you can drag the marquee around the Hand tool to another area and then release the mouse button if you wish to zoom into another area. Releasing the H key will return you back to the Zoom tool. By default, the Resize Windows to Fit setting for the Zoom tool is deselected. However, if windows are resizing when you change image magnification and you want to maintain a constant size regardless of the image magnification, you need to deselect the setting. You can set the zoom level in a number of areas of the Photoshop user interface. You can set it in the Navigator panel, the Application bar or the lower-left corner of the document window. You can set incremental zoom levels between 0.05% and 3200.00%. You can pan several open documents simultaneously using the Hand tool by holding down the Shift key as you drag in the image. Provided your computer has a video card that supports OpenGL 2.0 and Shader Model 3.0 and 128 MB of RAM or more, you can use the Hand tool to flick pan or hand toss an image. When the feature is enabled and supported, you can flick the image with a mouse gesture and it will continue to pan smoothly of its own accord when you release the mouse button. It will come to rest by itself, without any intervention. To use the feature, select Enable Flick Panning in General preferences.

E
D C B

A L

A: Tools panel B: Options bar C: Menu bar D: Application bar E: Adobe Bridge button

G: View extras button H: Zoom level I: Arrange Documents button J: Screen Mode button K: Workspaces button

F: Mini Bridge button

L: Panels

Image Resolution, Correcting, Painting and Retouching

You can use the Canvas Size feature to add space around an existing image, or to contract the existing image by adding negative values. You can add the space to one, two, three or all four sides by anchoring. Before adding extra space, you can choose the color for the extra space from the Canvas extension color pop-up menu in the dialog. The Canvas Extension Color menu is not available unless the image contains a background layer. When you select the Relative option in the Canvas Size dialog, zeros replace the current canvas width and height amounts. This can make it easier to add/subtract a set amount of pixels without having to do any calculations. For example, to add 20 pixels all around, select pixels as the unit measurement, click the middle anchor, add 20 in both boxes and click OK. To change the pixel dimensions of an image, choose Image Image Size and then enter the desired value in the Pixel Dimensions section of the Image Size dialog. Select Constrain Proportions in order to maintain current height to width ratio and Resample Image to downsample or upsample the image. Choose an interpolation method from the Resample Image pop-up menu and click OK. To change document dimensions without changing its resolution, open the Image Size dialog (Image Image Size), select Resample Image, enter desired values in the Document Size: Width or Height box and then click OK. When Resample Image is selected, document dimensions and resolution change independently of each other. When Resample Image is deselected, in order to preserve the total pixel count, Photoshop automatically adjusts the other setting when you alter either one. The Bicubic Smoother interpolation method is recommended for enlarging continuous tone images, such as photographs. Bicubic is recommended for resizing images containing gradients but can be used on photographs. Bilinear adds pixels by averaging color values of surrounding pixels but is rarely used. Nearest Neighbor is good for enlarging images that do not contain anti-aliased edges. Bicubic Sharper is recommended for reducing (downsampling) image size. When used, it automatically adds some sharpening and, therefore, appears to maintain more detail. However, it may over-sharpen some areas of an image. In which case, Bicubic is the alternative recommended method. Once an object is selected, you can skew it. To do so, choose Edit Free Transform (Ctrl+T, Cmd+T), hold down Ctrl+Shift, Cmd+Shift and apply the transform to the object by dragging a side handle. Alternatively, you can choose Edit Transform Skew, and then apply the transform.

Once an object is selected, you can alter its perspective. To do so, choose Edit Free Transform (Ctrl+T, Cmd+T), hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift, Cmd+Opt+Shift and apply the transform to the object by dragging a corner handle. Alternatively, you can choose Edit Transform Perspective, and then apply the transform. When you use the transform command, you can change the objects reference point by clicking on one of the squares in the reference point locator in the Options bar. By default, it is set to center. Each square represents a handle found on the transform bounding box. You can also drag the reference point in the image (shaped like a color sampler icon) to a new location while the transform is active. You can control the position of an object precisely by entering values in the X (horizontal) or the Y (vertical) text box in the Options bar when you use the Free Transform command. You can also control the width, height, angle, and the horizontal and vertical skew using the respective text boxes. Values can be entered as pixels, inches, centimetres, millimetres, points or picas by right-clicking, Ctrl-clicking in the text box and then choosing an item from the context menu. When you transform an object, you can click the icon located between the X and Y text boxes in the Options bar to enable relative positioning of the reference point. In order to create a good quality print, the resolution needs to be higher than 72 ppi. If your image doesnt contain enough pixels to fill an 8x10 inch area at a resolution higher than the camera default of 72 ppi, then you either need to decrease the print size or increase the pixel count. A 10x8 print at 240 ppi will require 2400 x 1920 pixels. If your camera has captured 1,600 by 1,200 pixels at 72 ppi, then you will need to increase the pixel dimensions and the resolution using the Image Size dialog. How large an image appears on-screen depends on a combination of factors: Image pixel dimensions, monitor size, and monitor resolution. When your monitor display is set to 1024 x 768 and you open an image whose pixel dimensions are 1280 x 960, the image will not fit on your screen when you view it using the Actual Pixels (100% magnification) command. The reason it wont is because, at 100% magnification, one image pixel displays as one monitor pixel. In order to fit the screen, the images pixel dimensions need to be the same as the monitors display resolution setting, or the pixels stretched to fit the screen. The images resolution setting (72 ppi) has no impact on how it is viewed on a monitor because the video card driver determines how many pixels per inch are displayed. In Photoshop, the File Info dialog (File File Info) can be used to apply metadata to the currently opened document. The metadata travels with the image and can be read by metadata compliant applications.

You can use the File Info dialog while in Photoshop to add, replace or append metadata, such as author (called creator under the IPTC tab), contact info, copyright, or keywords. You can do this by selecting an appropriate tab and then either typing into a text field, or selecting from the pop-up menu, located at the foot of the dialog, a previously created metadata template. Note: you can open the File Info dialog from Bridge too by selecting a file and then choosing File Info from the File menu or the context menu. The Radiance file format supports 32-bits/channel. Its used to store high dynamic range images (HDR). Because a 32-bits/channel image can use floating-point representation, it can result in greater fidelity and numerical accuracy than is possible with conventional 8-bits/channel or 16-bits/channel images that use non-floating point representation. For the most part, working with 8-bits/channel images is to be preferred unless you are editing computer-generated graphics, especially if they include gradients, or working in a wide gamut color space, such as ProPhoto RGB. Some grayscale images can also benefit if large corrections are applied to smooth areas, for example, a gradated sky. Two key benefits of working on 16-bits/channel images are, one, you can take advantage of wider gamut color spaces, such as ProPhoto RGB, two, rescue borderline tonality more successfully by applying more extreme edits. To take advantage of a 16-bits/channel workflow over an 8-bits/channel workflow, digital captures and scans should be imported into Photoshop in 16-bits/channel and then tone and color adjustments applied before converting to 8-bits/channel. An image in 16-bits/channel mode is not generally used on the World Wide Web. The common file formats being JPEG, GIF and PNG-8; all of which only support 8-bits/channel. Some of the advantages of working with 8-bits/channel images are: File size is smaller, so requires fewer resources You can choose from a wider selection of filters You can use the Art History Brush tool You can use the Variations feature The JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) file format supports millions of colors, so is an ideal candidate for saving continuous-tone images, such as photographs, for displaying on the World Wide Web. The JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) file format does not support layers, alpha channels, 16-bits per channel, transparency, or Notes. It does support the RGB, CMYK, Grayscale Color modes and clipping paths. The JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) file format selectively discards data and, therefore, is considered as a lossy file format. However, when saved with the Maximum quality option (setting #12), the resulting file may be indistinguishable from the original.

The TIFF (Tagged-Image File Format) file format supports 3 types of compression: LZW (Lemple-Zif-Welch), JPEG and Zip. It can accommodate file sizes up to 4 GB, which can be opened in Photoshop CS and later, though most other applications cannot read files larger than 2 GB. LZW (Lemple-Zif-Welch) is a universal, lossless form of compression. It does not affect image quality. The compression scheme is supported by TIFF, PDF, GIF and PostScript language file formats. Graphics that contain text, flat color or transparency and destined for output to the World Wide Web should be saved in the CompuServe GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) file format. When continuous tone images, such as photographs, are output to the web, they should be saved in the RGB Color mode. Note: sRGB in not a color mode. It is a color space. For a fuller explanation, click theRGB Color mode hyperlink below. Bitmap images are made up of pixels (picture elements), whereas vector images are made up of mathematically defined objects and shapes. Each pixel is assigned a position on a grid and a color. Because bitmap images can represent subtle shades of color and tone, they are ideally suited to creating and acquiring continuous-tone images, such as photographs. Bitmap images can consume more storage space than vector graphics because more bits are required to describe the color information. Each bitmap image contains a fixed number of pixels. In order to scale up an image, Photoshop has to interpolate the existing data. That entails adding pixels, which in turn can result in loss of fine detail. Vector graphics are composed of mathematically defined objects called vectors. These objects may consist of scalable, straight lines or curves that contain editable attributes, such as color, outline and location. Because the objects are mathematically defined, they can be scaled to any size without losing image quality. Whereas all available file formats preserve paths in Mac OS, only JPEG, JPEG 2000, DCS, EPS, PDF, TIFF and PSD support paths in Windows. The PDF file format allows you to set security, so that a file can be viewed by a recipient but not printed. Furthermore, changing the document, content copying, content extracting, changing comments and form fields can also be disallowed. In addition to the recommended DCS 2.0 (Desktop Color Separations) file format, spot channels can also be saved in the commonly used PDF, PSD and TIFF file formats. The DCS file format is a version of the standard EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file format. Note: to print DCS files, a PostScript printer is required.

The following popular file formats can preserve alpha channels: BMP, Large Document Format (PBS), Photoshop PDF, Photoshop (PSD), PICT, Pixar, Targa, TIFF. The Photoshop DCS 2.0 file format preserves only spot channels. When a file is saved in the Photoshop EPS format and Include Vector Data is selected, any vector data in the file (such as shapes and type) is preserved. However, the vector data is only available to other applications, Photoshop rasterizes the vector data when the file is opened. The Photoshop EPS file format supports four encoding options: ASCII or ASCII85: recommended if printing from Windows or experiencing printing difficulties; Binary: produces a smaller file but not supported universally; and JPEG: discards some image data and requires Level 2 or later PostScript printers and may not separate into individual printing plates. You can create documents containing up to 300,000 pixels in either direction in Photoshop. These large documents can be saved in the PSB (Large Document Format) file format. All Photoshop features are preserved when a document is saved in the PSB file format. However, only Photoshop CS, or later versions, can open the file. All images in Duotone mode (Photoshop documentation refers to duotones, tritones and quadtones as duotones) are 8-bits per channel, single-channel grayscale images. To specify how inks are laid down, you have to use the Duotone Options dialog instead of using individual channels. You can use duotones to increase the tonal range of a grayscale image by using black ink for the shadows and gray ink for the midtones and the highlights, or to create an accent by using a spot color. An image must be in 8-bits per channel and Grayscale mode before you can convert it to a duotone (Image Mode Duotone). Ink density increases, not decreases, as you move up the vertical axis in the curve graph in the Duotone Curve dialog; the horizontal axis moves from highlights (at the left) to shadows (at the right). In Duotone Options dialog, you must specify all ink colors before you can overprint colors. Duotone images need to be saved in Photoshop EPS, Photoshop PDF or Photoshop (PSD) file format when exporting to a page-layout application. Custom colors must be named with an appropriate suffix, otherwise they may not print correctly. The EPS, DCS 2.0, JPEG, PDF, PICT, PSB, TIFF and, of course, the native Photoshop PSD file format all allow you to embed a color profile. The EPS and the PDF file formats both allow you to embed the profile selected in Proof Setup. When you select the Use Proof Setup option in the Save dialog, Photoshop converts the documents colors to the proof profile space. You can use Curves or Levels to adjust the tonal range in an image. However, to make precise adjustments to individual color channels in an image, you need to use Curves because Levels only allow you to make three adjustments: shadow (black point), midtone (gamma), or highlights (white point).

The Adjustments panel contains color and tonal adjustment tools in one convenient place. It also contains presets that you can use to correct common image faults. Clicking one of the icons, or selecting an item from the panel menu, creates a non-destructive adjustment layer. Opening one of the presets by clicking the arrow and then clicking on a preset name creates a non-destructive layer and applies the preset settings to the image. Use the icon located next to the Trash in the Adjustments panel to reset adjustments to the default setting. It will return the curve to the default 45 (degree) angle. The On-image tool found in the Curves Adjustment panel and in the modal Curves dialog allows you to make adjustments by clicking in the image and dragging the pointer. The curve adjusts automatically as you drag. To preview clipping as you adjust the black and white points in the Curves Adjustments panel, hold down Alt/Opt as you drag the black and white sliders. Alternatively, enable Show Clipping For Black/White Points from the Adjustments panel menu, or Show Clipping in the Curves dialog if using the latter. With the option enabled, clipping will show without the need for a modifier key. When using an adjustment layer, you can toggle between the current and previous state by pressing and holding down the Backslash key (\), or clicking the third icon from the right in the foot of the Adjustments panel. When you use the eyedropper tools in the Curves Adjustments panel, you can identify areas that are being clipped (black or white) by holding down Alt/Opt and then hovering over the image with the tool. In order to adjust color and tonality using Curves, you can set anchor points on the curve by clicking on it or, if the anchor points need to correspond with specific detail in the image, by selecting the On-image tool then clicking in the image (when using a Curves adjustment layer), or Ctrl-clicking, Cmd-clicking on the detail in the image (when using the Curves dialog). You can set the shadow and highlight target values by using Curves or Levels when you need to prepare images for an offset printer. To do so, open either dialog, double-click on the Set Black Point or Set White Point Eyedropper tool button to open the Color Picker, set the required values in the Brightness (B) text box under HSB, exit and then drag the appropriate tool over a shadow or highlight in the image. You can set the sample size of the Eyedropper tool, which also affects the Set Black Point and Set White Point Eyedropper tools, before you enter the dialogs or by right-clicking, Ctrl-clicking in the image once you are in a dialog; a 3 x 3 Average is normally used for this purpose. In the Curves dialog and Curves Adjustment panel, you can place up to 14 points on the curve and move them up, down, left, or right in order to adjust the color and tonality of a given image. Moving the curve left or right in a straight line modifies input levels; moving it up or down in a straight line modifies output levels.

In the default view, a straight diagonal line represents original intensity values, with highlight at the top right corner and shadow at the bottom left corner. In the Pigment/Ink view, this behavior is reversed with highlight at the bottom left corner and shadow at the top right corner (click radio buttons to change views). You can access the Auto Color Corrections Options dialog to define behavior of the Auto command. In the Curves or Levels Adjustment panel, choose Auto Options from the panel menu, or Alt-click, Opt-click the Auto button. In the Curves or Levels dialog, click the Options button. The Auto Color Correction Options dialog lets you control tonal and color corrections, as applied by the Auto button in both Levels and Curves. The options also let you specify shadow and highlight clipping percentages (by default set to 0.5%), as well as assign color values to shadows, midtones and highlights. To access the dialog, Alt-click, Opt click the Auto button in Curves/Levels Adjustments panel, or the Options button in the corresponding modal dialogs. To use the Auto button to remove a color cast, select the options Find Dark & Light Colors, and Snap Neutral Midtones under Algorithms in the Auto Color Correction Options dialog. Click OK to exit and then Auto to apply. To access the dialog, Alt-click, Opt-click the Auto button in Curves/Levels Adjustments panel, or the Options button in the corresponding modal dialogs. Moving the gray Input slider to the left lightens the shadows by expanding the levels. It also has the effect of compressing the highlights. When you move the gray Input slider to the right, it has the opposite effect on the image: highlights are expanded while shadows are compressed. You can use the Levels command to expand levels if the full range from 0-255 is not being used. For example, if there are empty levels either side of a histogram, you can move the black Input slider to the right till it touches the histogram and, likewise, the white Input slider to the left. Once the values of the extreme shadow and highlight pixels have been properly set by using the black and white Input sliders, all the tonal values can expand across the full 256 available levels. To see the histogram update as you move the Input sliders, have the Histogram panel in view. Note: The two Input sliders map the black and white points in the image to the values set by the Output sliders, which by default are set to 0 (shadows) and 255 (highlights).

The Output Levels sliders in the Levels dialog can be used to compress image detail into a range less than 0 to 255, so that it can print on a press without clogging the shadows or blowing out the highlights. For example, if a press cannot print above level 242 and you have important detail at level 248, you can move the highlight slider to level 242. Doing so will ensure the highlight detail prints safely. The same principal principle applies to the shadow slider. The icons at the bottom of the Adjustments panel read from left to right: 1. Return to adjustment list 2. Switch panel to Expanded View 3. Clip to layer below 4. Toggle layer visibility 5. View previous state 6. Cancel current changes and reset to previous state (when icon looks like a half circle anti-clockwise arrow). Reset to adjustment defaults (when icon looks like a three quarter anti-clockwise arrow). 7. Delete current adjustment layer The Vibrance command increases saturation without clipping colors as they approach full saturation. It does this by increasing the saturation of less saturated colors more than the colors that are already saturated. Its also an ideal tool for increasing saturation without over-saturating skin tones. Selective Color can be used on RGB images, even though it uses CMYK colors to correct an image. Its used to selectively alter the amount of color in a primary color without affecting the other primary colors in the image. You can adjust colors in absolute values (adding 10% to a pixel that is 50% blue will add 10% blue), or in relative values (adding 10% to a pixel that is 50% blue will add 5% blue, which is 10% of 50%). When using the Brush tool on an image, you can sample a color quickly by switching temporarily to the Eyedropper tool. To do so, hold down the Alt/Opt key and then click anywhere in the image. Let go of the Alt/Opt key to return to the Brush tool again. You can also hold down the I key to temporarily access the Eyedropper tool provided its icon is showing in the Tools panel. To change the brush tip size on the fly, Alt+right-click, Opt+Ctrl-click in the image and then drag left to decrease or right to increase. To change the brush tip hardness on the fly, hold down Alt+Shift+right-click, Cmd+Opt+Ctrl, click in the image and then drag left to decrease or right to increase. To clear the brush dynamics quickly for a selected brush, choose Clear Brush Controls from the Brushes panel menu. The command will clear all brush controls bar Smoothing and brush shape settings that you have applied. To paint a single, straight line with the Brush tool, click to define a start point, hold down the Shift key and then click to define an end point. When you define the end point, the Brush tool automatically connects the two points. You can also paint a horizontal or vertical straight line by Shift-dragging in said direction.

When painting, you can elect to paint only on the transparent pixels on a layer, without encroaching on any solid pixels the layer may contain, by setting the tools blend mode to Behind. You can also select the object, inverse the selection to protect the object and then paint on the transparent areas. You can use the Pattern Stamp tool to paint in freeform style using predefined brushes and patterns, accessible from the Options bar. It supports all the brush tool options plus Aligned and Impressionist. The Airbrush option for the Brush tool mimics traditional airbrush techniques. It allows you to build paint gradually while you hold down the mouse button. The option is available for the following tools: Brush, History Brush, Clone Stamp, Pattern Stamp, and Eraser. To restart the pattern each time you stop and start painting with the Pattern Stamp tool, deselect Aligned in the Options bar. The Pencil tool is useful for drawing hard-edged lines that arent anti-aliased. You can use the Pencil tool to erase strokes automatically by selecting Auto Erase in the Options bar. When the option is selected, drawing over the foreground color replaces it with the background color. You can erase pixels with the Eraser tool set to Brush, Pencil, Block or Airbrush mode. You can also use it to erase to a history state by selecting one as the source in the History panel and then the option Erase to History in the Options bar. Furthermore, you can control the opacity and flow of the strokes from the Options bar when the tool is in Brush mode. Flow isnt available in Pencil mode, while only Erase to History is available in Block mode. When you use the Eraser tool on the background layer or when transparency is locked, pixels under the tool change to the background color. To remove a red eye effect caused by a camera flash, click with the Red Eye tool on or near a pupil. The tool does not need a selection in order to function. You can draw a marquee around the pupil with the tool to confine the sampled area but its not a requirement. For difficult images, you can alter the default Pupil Size and Darken Pupil settings in the Options bar, which can help to improve results. When you use the Smudge tool, it uses the foreground color at the start of each stroke if you have Finger Painting selected in the Options bar. If you dont have the option selected, the Smudge tool picks up the colors under the pointer. Applied judiciously, the Smudge tool can help blend edges when compositing images. You can switch quickly from the Burn tool to the Dodge tool, or vice versa, by pressing and holding down Alt/Opt. Once you let go of the key, the tool reverts to the one selected in the Tools panel.

Having sharpened an image with the Smart Sharpen filter and created a snapshot, you can paint back selected, sharpened details by undoing, setting the snapshot as source and painting with the History Brush tool. The History Brush tool can be used to paint from any useable state or snapshot shown in the History panel. When you use the Color Replacement tool, select the Background Swatch sample option to force Photoshop to replace only the current background swatch color, regardless of the color under the tool. The other sampling options are Continuous and Once, which are self-explanatory. The foreground swatch is used to define the replacement color and is not an available option. You can control how the Dodge and Burn tools behave by limiting their affect to the shadows, midtones or highlights in the image and by specifying an exposure level in the Options bar. Blending modes are not available for the Dodge or the Burn tool. The Sharpen tool is ideal for applying local sharpening. For fine control, you can use a suitable brush tip and also set the tools strength and blend mode in the Options bar. The Sharpen tool supports the following blend modes: Normal, Darken, Lighten, Hue, Saturation, Color and Luminosity. When an image is in Grayscale mode, the Sponge tool increases and decreases contrast by moving levels away from or towards mid-gray, depending on the blend mode chosen in the Options bar. For example, Saturate increases contrast while Desaturate decreases it. The Sponge tool supports only two blend modes: Saturate and Desaturate. By using the Fade command from the Edit menu straight after a filter has been applied to a layer, you can apply the filter through a blend mode and lower its opacity. Not only filter effects can be faded this way, many adjustment and painting moves can also be faded. Unlike the Darken and Lighten blend modes, Darker Color and Lighter Color do not produce a third color. Instead, they compare the total values of all the channels for the source and target and then display the lowest or the highest values, respectively. So, for example, painting in Darker Color blend mode displays the lowest values and Lighter Color the highest values. To create a custom brush tip from an image, select an image or part of it with any one of the selection tools, choose Edit Define Brush Preset, name the brush in the Brush Name dialog and click OK. When you define a new custom brush tip from an image: The maximum supported size for a custom brush tip is 2500 by 2500 pixels Feathering must be set to 0 pixels to create a sharp-edged brush You can use any of the selection tools to define the brush tip shape Color brush shapes appear as gray values

In order to create a custom brush, select a painting, erasing, toning or focus tool. This will enable the Brushes panel. Then select an existing brush tip from Brush Tip Shapes in the Brushes panel, or an existing brush preset from Brush Presets in the Brushes panel. Click the Create new brush icon at the bottom of the panel or select New Brush Preset from the panel menu, name it, click OK and then customize it. Note, to save a brush permanently, you must save it as part of a brush set. You can do this by choosing Save Brushes from the panel menu. You can increase/decrease a brushs purity by selecting Color Dynamics from the list in the Brushes panel and then using the Purity slider. Likewise, you can edit shape dynamics, brush scattering, texture, dual brushes, other dynamics, other brush options include noise, wet edges, turning on airbrush, smoothing and protecting texture. Once you are happy with a preset, you can click the lock icon to prevent changes, or the brush reverting to its default setting when its deselected. Like the cloning tools, you must sample an area by Alt-clicking, Opt-clicking on a source before you can use the Healing Brush tool; not required if healing by using a pattern as the source, which you can do by setting the tools mode to Pattern in the Options bar and then selecting pattern from the Pattern Picker pop-up panel. The Healing Brush tool can heal an area by matching the texture, shading, lighting and transparency of the source sampled pixels with the destination pixels being healed. When using a pressure-sensitive digitizing tablet or a stylus wheel, you can vary the size of the healing brush over the course of a stroke using pen pressure. To vary the size, select the Healing Brush tool, click on its brush tip icon in the Options bar and then choose an option from the Size pop-up menu. When you use the Healing Brush or Clone Stamp tool and select the Current & Below or All Layers option in the Options bar, you can ignore adjustment layers by clicking the Ignore Adjustment Layers button, located to the right of the Sample pop-up menu. The Spot Healing Brush tool can be used to quickly repair small areas of an image, such as black spots created by dust on the camera sensor. There is no need to define a source point in the image, unlike the Healing Brush tool or Clone Stamp tool. This makes it the better tool for repairing small areas quickly and efficiently. The Spot Healing Brush tool works in a similar fashion to the Healing Brush tool, except it doesnt require you to specify a sample point. Its designed to quickly remove small blemishes, dust spots, and so forth, by clicking on or dragging next to the area you want to heal. If using a soft edged brush, select Mode: Replace to preserve noise, film grain and texture at the edges of the brush stroke.

When using the Patch tool to heal a damaged area of an image, you can either heal the selected area by dragging the selection to find a suitable source or select the source first and then drag the selection to the damaged area. To do the former, select Source in the Options bar, draw a selection with the Patch tool around the damaged area, and then drag the selection to a suitable source area. To do the latter, select Destination in the Options bar, draw a selection around a suitable source area, and then drag-n-drop the selection over the damaged area. When using the Patch tool, a marquee can be predefined using any of the selection tools before the Patch tool is selected, or with the Patch tool. Furthermore, you can use the Shift or Alt/Opt keys to modify the marquee as you create it with the Patch tool. Marquee can also be modified subsequently as required using Quick Mask mode, commands available in the Select menu, or the Refine Edge command. If you are cloning from another open document, the color modes must be identical before a clone can take place. In addition, the bit depths of the source and target documents must be the same. If the option Aligned for the Clone Stamp, Healing Brush, or the Pattern Stamp tool isnt selected, each time you paint a new stroke, the tools sample from the same spot that was initially defined as a sample point. However, if the option Aligned is selected, a new sample point is selected each time you paint a new stroke while the original relative position between sample point and target is maintained. When you use the Clone Stamp or Healing Brush tool, you can elect to view a sample source overlay by selecting Show Overlay in the Clone Source panel or choosing Show Overlay from the panel menu. You can set its opacity and blend mode to help with the visualization. You can also set the X, Y co-ordinates of the sample source or transform the overlay using the W, H and rotation values. The Clone Source panel allows you to transform the sample source overlay by specifying values in the W, H and rotation text fields. You can return the sample source overlay to its default size and horizontal angle by clicking the Reset Transformation button, located to the right of the rotation text field. If you do not have Show Overlay selected in the Clone Source panel, you can hold down Alt+Shift, Opt+Shift to show the sample source overlay temporarily. While you hold down the shortcut keys, the brush tool changes to the Move Source Overly tool, which can be used to drag the source overlay to a new location.

When the opacity is set to 50%, Invert selected and Clipped deselected in the Clone Source panel, any identical areas in the clone source overlay and the underlying image appear solid gray, which can be used to align matching areas. Alternatively, the opacity can be set to 100% and the Difference blend mode selected; in which case, any identical areas will appear solid black when aligned. In the Clone Source panel, you can: Auto hide the overlay Clip the overlay to the brush size Set the appearance of the overlay Invert the colors in the overlay Use scrubby sliders to specify values Scale the sample source while maintaining its aspect ratio Set a maximum of five different sampling points The Gradient tool can be used to apply custom gradients or a gradient based on the foreground and background colors. When you use the Gradient tool, you can choose to paint with five different patterns: Linear, for a straight-line gradient Radial, for a circular gradient Angle, for a counter clockwise sweep Reflected, for symmetrical linear gradients Diamond, for a diamond shape When painting with the Gradient tool, you can create a smoother blend by selecting the Dither option for the tool. Dither adds random noise in order to smooth the transition from one color to another, which otherwise can result in banding. To open the Gradient Editor, select the Gradient tool and then click on the gradient sample in the Options bar. The Gradient Editor lets you modify the current gradient or create a new one from a copy of an existing gradient. Additionally, the Gradient Editor lets you create a new noise gradient. A noise gradient differs from a smooth gradient in as much as its composed of a specified range of colors that can be distributed randomly. To add custom colors to a new gradient in the Gradient Editor, so that a gradient can be composed of a blend of colors, double-click below the gradient bar to add a color stop and launch the Color Picker dialog at the same time. Choose a color and click OK to close the Color Picker. To change an existing color, double-click on a stop to launch the Color Picker or choose from the Color pop-up menu. Color stops are added below the gradient bar and transparency stops above the bar. You can reposition the stops by dragging or entering a value in the Location text field. You can delete stops by dragging them off the gradient bar or by selecting them and then pressing the Backspace/Delete key.

When you create a gradient in the Gradient Editor, you can choose between two types of gradients: Solid or Noise. A noise gradient is made up of arbitrarily distributed colors within the range of colors that you have specified when you created the gradient. To create a noise gradient: Select the Gradient tool Open the Gradient Editor (click the gradient icon in the Options bar) Choose Gradient Type: Noise from the pop-up menu Choose roughness value, color model, options Name gradient Click New to create the gradient To define a pattern from an image by using the Define Pattern command (Edit Define Pattern), the image must be in RGB Color mode, 8-bits or 16-bits per channel mode, and feather must be set to 0 pixels. If you do not want the current layer to be filled with a new pattern when you use the optional Pattern Maker filter, you can duplicate the layer, which will leave the original untouched. Alternatively, select an area, copy it onto the clipboard, create a new layer, select Use Clipboard as Sample in the Pattern Maker dialog and click OK. Once a pattern has been saved as a preset, the Clone Stamp tool, and the fill, pattern overlay and pattern adjustment layer commands can all access it. In the Pattern Maker dialog (optional plug-in), the Smoothness and Sample Detail settings control the parameters for new patterns generated. Increasing the Smoothness value (1 to 3) decreases the contrast of the edges of the tiles that go to make up a pattern. Increasing Sample Detail (321) forces the Pattern Maker filter to show more detail and less cutoff. In the Pattern Maker dialog (optional plug-in), a low value in the Sample Detail setting uses smaller slices in the tile. A high value maintains more of the original detail in the pattern and tiles take more time to generate. You can use the Reduce Noise filter not only to reduce luminous and chromatic noise but also JPEG artefacts, and to restore sharpening. Furthermore, you can apply noise reduction globally or to individual channels in advanced mode. By default, Reduce Noise affects all the channels but high ISO images tend to have more noise in the blue channel. You can reduce noise on a per-channel-basis by setting Strength and Reduce Color Noise to zero in the Basic mode, selecting Advanced mode, then an individual channel from the Per Channel tab and balancing the Strength and Preserve Details values. You can use the Surface Blur filter for creating special effects and for removing noise and graininess from images. The filter preserves edges while applying a blur to the image. The Lens Blur filter can be used to blur some areas of an image while keeping others in focus. Its used to create a shallow depth-of-field; similar to the effect you get when you shoot with a wide aperture.

To apply a shallow depth of field effect with the Lens Blur filter, you can use an alpha channel as the source for a Depth Map. The filter can determine how much each region of the image should be blurred by reading the grayscale values of the alpha channel. It treats black areas as if they are in the near distance and white areas as if in the far distance. You can also use transparency and layer masks as the source. Furthermore, you can apply the filter to a selection or uniformly to an entire document. You can use the Smart Sharpen filter to reduce motion blur caused by camera or subject movement. To do so, select Motion Blur from the Remove pop-up menu and then set the angle of the motion blur with the dial or the text field. You can also remove Gaussian Blur and Lens Blur. When sharpening, you can reduce shadow or highlight halos, and select More Accurate for multiple iterations. Because images shot with a high ISO setting tend to exhibit more noise in the shadows, you can use the controls in the Shadow tab of the Smart Sharpen filter to limit the sharpening in the shadow areas. To do so, increase the Fade Amount, which will fade the amount of sharpening applied. In the Unsharp Mask dialog, the Threshold slider determines how different the pixels values should be before they are acted upon. The higher the setting, the lower the apparent sharpness. Additionally, the Amount slider determines the intensity of the sharpening halo and the Radius slider determines the width of the halos created around the edges in the image. Lens Correction can compensate for darkened edges around an image (vignetting) caused by a lens or improper use of a lens shade or filter. You can use the Lens Correction filter to minimize chromatic aberration. The Fix Red/ Cyan Fringe slider compensates for red/cyan color fringing by adjusting the size of the red channel relative to the green channel. The Fix Blue/Yellow Fringe slider compensates for red/cyan color fringing by adjusting the size of the blue channel relative to the green channel. The Filter Gallery allows you to experiment with different filters without applying them to the actual image until you click the OK button. You can create multiple filter effects and preview the effect; reorder the filter effects; turn filter effects on/off; choose a filter by clicking its thumbnail or from a pop-up menu. Furthermore, you can see a larger preview by hiding the filter thumbnails by clicking the button located to the left of the OK button. To stack filter effects in the Filter Gallery, create a new effect layer and then select a filter, either by clicking on a thumbnail or by choosing from the filter pop-up menu. To create a new effect layer, click the New effect layer button at the bottom of the dialog. The Liquify filter supports 8-bits and 16-bits per channel images but doesnt support images in 32-bits per channel. It also works in RGB, Lab, CMYK and Grayscale Color modes but not Indexed Color mode.

The Reconstruction tool in the Liquify filter works on specific areas of the preview image without disturbing the frozen areas. Note: the Liquify filter cannot be used on type unless it is rasterized first. To distort type, use the Create warped text command. In the Liquify filter, when you hold down the mouse button or drag: The Pucker tool moves pixels inwards towards the centre of the brush tip The Bloat tool moves pixels outwards and away from the centre of the brush tip The Mirror tool copies pixels to the brush area The Push Left tool pushes pixels to the left when you drag upwards and to the right when you drag downwards The Forward Warp tool pushes pixels in the direction of the drag The Turbulence tool smoothly scrambles pixels it encounters The Twirl Clockwise tool rotates pixels clockwise, or anti-clockwise when you hold down the Alt/Opt key When you elect to show a mesh in the Liquify filter, you can change its color, grid size, save it and reload it. In the Liquify filter, you can save a distortion mesh after distorting the preview image. When you load a mesh, the mesh is scaled to fit the image if the image and distortion mesh arent the same size. Adding a mesh helps to see and keep track of the distortions.

Selections, working with

When you create a selection, you can add to, subtract from or interact with an existing selection. The options become available in the Options bar once you select one of the selection tools (bar the Quick Selection tool). When you create a selection with one of the marquee tools, you can set its style from the pop-up menu in the Options bar. Available styles are Normal, Fixed Ratio, and Fixed Size. You can also specify a feather and have it snap to Photoshop Extras (latter from the View Snap To submenu). To draw a selection marquee from its center outwards, hold down Alt/Opt, click in the document window, hold down the mouse button and then drag outwards with the mouse. You can also center the marquee after you have drawn it, as long as you havent released the mouse button, by pressing Alt/Opt. You can use the Rectangular Marquee and the Elliptical Marquee tool to create selections that either scale as you create (Style: Normal), fixed in size (Style: Fixed), or have a fixed aspect ratio (Style: Fixed Ratio). For example, you can specify a 1:1 aspect ratio for width and height in the Style: Fixed Ratio option and create squares with the Rectangular Marquee tool or circles with the Elliptical Marquee tool. When drawing selection border, you can use the Polygonal Lasso tool to draw straightedged segments. When you draw a border with the Polygonal Lasso tool, you can switch temporarily to the Lasso tool by holding down Alt/Opt and then click and draw freehand. Letting go of Alt/ Opt will revert the tool back to the Polygonal Lasso tool. The same principle applies to the Lasso tool. When you work with the Magnetic Lasso tool, press Backspace/Delete to erase the last fastening point put down by the tool. If you want to erase more than one segment, continue to hold down the Backspace/Delete key. When you use the Magnetic Lasso tool to draw a selection border, press Enter/Return to close it, or double-click in the document window. To close a border with a straight segment, hold down Alt/Opt and then double-click in the document window. To create a selection based on an images luminosity, press Ctrl+Alt+2, Cmd+Opt+2. When you use the keyboard shortcut, Photoshop loads a luminosity mask based on the grayscale values for the current layer. White areas are selected, black unselected and gray partially selected. The Color Range command (Select Color Range) can be used to create a selection based on a color or tonal range chosen from the Select menu in the dialog, or on color sampled in the image and limited with the Localized Color Clusters command.

In the Color Range dialog, you can press Ctrl/Cmd to toggle between the Image and Selection previews. To limit the selection when using Localized Color Clusters option in the Color Range dialog (Select Color Range), decrease the Range setting. For example, if there are two objects on either side of an image and you wish to select just one of them, select object and then decrease the Range setting. You can use the Color Range command to create a selection from colors that are out of the color gamut of your default CMYK working space. However, the document needs to be in RGB or Lab Color mode before its color gamut can be measured against a CMYK color gamut and a color range defined. Hence, the Out of Gamut command is not available in the Color Range dialog if the document is in CMYK mode, or Grayscale mode. The Magic Wand tool works by selecting pixels that are similar in color to the targeted pixels. Increasing or decreasing the tolerance value in the Options bar before you sample an area affects the range of color values used to create a selection. You can also tell the tool to anti-alias the selection, which will create a smooth edged selection, or sample from a single layer, or all layers. When the Contiguous option for the Magic Wand tool is selected, all adjacent pixels within the set tolerance range are selected. When the option isnt selected, all pixels within the set tolerance range are selected. You can use the Quick Selection tool to paint selections using an adjustable round brush tip. As you drag in the image with the tool, it finds edges automatically and expands the selection. When you create a selection with the Quick Selection tool, it automatically enters add mode once you have laid down the first stroke. To temporarily switch to subtract mode, you can hold down Alt/Opt and then drag over an existing selection. Alternatively, you can click the Subtract from selection and then the Add to selection buttons in the Options bar. Feathering creates a transitional boundary between the selection edges and the surrounding pixels. The effects of feathering become apparent when the selection is filled or the selected pixels moved, cut or copied. Feathering is available for all the marquee and lasso tools. Once a selection has been created, you can apply a feather in the Feather Selection dialog. To access the dialog, press Shift+F6, or choose Select Modify Feather, or choose Feather from the context menu. If you require more control, you can use the Select Refine Edge command.

Anti-aliasing is used to smooth the stair-stepping, or jagged appearance of selection edges. The anti-alias option is available for the following tools: Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magnetic Lasso, Elliptical Marquee and the Magic Wand. The option must be turned on before a selection is made.

To subtract from an existing selection, you can either press the Subtract from selection button in the Options bar or hold down Alt/Opt while you draw over an existing selection. To intersect with an existing selection, you can either press the Intersect with selection button in the Options bar or hold down Alt+Shift, Opt+Shift while you draw over the original selection. To add to an existing selection, you can either press the Add to selection button in the Options bar or hold down Shift while you draw a new selection. By pressing Ctrl+Shift+I, Cmd+Shift+I or choosing Inverse from the Select menu, you can inverse a selection, so that the unselected parts of the image are selected and the selected parts are deselected. If an image has a solid colored background, the Inverse command can be used to speed up the selection process. This can be achieved by using the Magic Wand tool or Color Range to select the solid color and then the selection inversed by using the Inverse command. To save an active selection, choose Select Save Selection, or right-click, Ctrl-click in the selection border and choose Save Selection. You can also click the Save selection as channel icon in the Channels panel and save a selection as an alpha channel. When you save a selection using the Save Selection command from either the Select menu or the context menu, you can elect to save it as a new document or as a channel in the current document. You can store a selection mask permanently in an alpha channel as an 8-bit, grayscale image. Masks stored in alpha channels are resolution dependent. To load a selection from another open document that has the same pixel dimensions, choose Select Load Selection, then choose the source document title in the Load Selection dialog and click OK. If a selection is active in the document receiving the selection, you can choose to Add, Subtract, or Intersect the two in the Load Selection dialog. A selection must be saved first as an alpha channel before it can be loaded into another document via the Load Selection command (Select Load Selection). You can do this by choosing Save Selection from the Select menu or from the context menu, or by clicking on the Save selection as channel button in the Channels panel. You can reselect the most recent selection by choosing Select Reselect. However, The command is not available if the document dimensions have changed since the selection was deselected; also once the Type tool has been used and the type committed. To load an active path as a selection whilst using the current settings, click the Make Selection button, or Ctrl-click, Cmd-click on the path in the Paths panel, or press Ctrl+Enter, Cmd+Return. To specify selection settings, Alt-click, Opt-click the Make Selection button or Alt-drag, Opt-drag the path and drop on the button. You can also choose Make Selection from the Paths panel menu.

Layers, creating and using

You can create a new layer below the active layer by holding down Ctrl/Cmd as you click the Create a new layer icon in the Layers panel. When creating new layers, if the only layer in the document is a background layer, then the new layer will be created above it. You can set a new layers properties in the New Layer dialog by holding down Alt/Opt as you click the Create a new layer icon in the Layers panel. If the layer is created from the panel menu or the Layer menu, the New Layer dialog shows by default and can be hidden by holding down Alt/Opt. You can create a solid color shape layer from an active path by choosing Layer New Fill Layer Solid Color. A gradient or pattern shape layer can also be created by drawing or activating a path and then selecting Layer New Fill Layer Gradient, or Pattern. To convert a background layer into a normal layer, choose Layer New Layer from Background, or double-click on the layer and click the OK button in the New Layer dialog when it appears, or choose Layer from Background from the layer context menu. To convert a normal layer into a background layer, select the layer and then choose Layer New Background from Layer. To group multiple layers in the Layers panel, select them and then Alt-drag, Opt-drag to the folder icon in the Layers panel. This will open the New Group from Layers dialog where you can define properties such as name, color, mode and opacity. Other methods include choosing Layer New Group from Layers, or New Group from Layers from the Layers panel menu. If you choose Layer Group Layers, or press Ctrl+G, Cmd+G, it will group selected layers but wont show the layer properties dialog in the process. To duplicate a selected layer group, choose Duplicate Group from the Layers panel menu. You can also choose Layer Duplicate Group; the group to be duplicated must be active in the Layers panel before the command becomes available. Alternatively, the group can be dragged to the Create a new layer icon in the Layers panel, not the Create a new group icon, as that will nestle it under a new group. To duplicate a layer group between tabbed documents, choose the Duplicate Group command from the Layer menu and then choose the destination document from the pop-up menu in the ensuing dialog. There are several places where you can choose the command: Layer menu, Layers panel menu, or the context menu. To select a layer from within the document window, without having to go to the Layers panel, select the Move tool and then right-click, Ctrl-click in the image on corresponding pixels and choose a layer from the context menu (add Ctrl/Cmd to the shortcut if you do not wish to change your current tool to the Move tool). You can also select Auto Select: Layer for the Move tool in the Options bar, then click in the image on corresponding pixels and choose a layer from the context menu. Furthermore, you can select layer groups this way, instead of the layers in the group, provided you select the Auto Select: Group option

for the Move tool. To select all similar layers in the Layers panel, select one layer of the type you wish to select, then choose Select Similar Layers. To move multiple layers up and down the layer stack, select them and then drag to a new position. Alternatively, hold down Ctrl/Cmd and then use the ] or [ square bracket keys. Layers can also be grouped and then the group dragged up and down the stack. To move to the top or bottom of the stack, add Shift to the above keyboard shortcut. You can Ctrl-click, Cmd-click on layers to select multiple, discontinuous layers, or you can Shift-click to select a range of layers. If you need to select similar layers, you can select a layer and then choose Select Similar Layers; for example, select all type layers or all shape layers. The stacking order of layers can be changed (and consequently the view of the image) either by dragging the layer tiles up and down in the layer stack, by using keyboard shortcuts, Ctrl+Shift+] or [, Cmd+Shift+] or [, or by using the commands found in the Layer Arrange submenu. Once you have selected two or more layers, you can select the Move tool and then use icons in the Options bar to align content. To see icons for distributing content, select three or more layers. You can align or distribute layer content using either the commands found in the Layer Align or Distribute submenus, or the buttons in the Options bar. To view buttons, select layers and then the Move tool. When a selection is active, the Layer Align command changes to Align Layers To Selection, allowing you to align layers to a selection border. You can align objects to the canvas border by making a selection and then choosing an item from the Layers Align Layers To Selection submenu, or select the Move tool and then click on the appropriate align button in the Options bar. You can align an object to the top, bottom, left, or right edges, and vertical or horizontal centers. You can also select multiple layers, include the background layer and then align the content to the document bounds. The Auto-Align command can be used to insert new elements or to replace or delete unwanted elements in images that have the same background. Once layers are autoaligned, you can use masks to hide/show elements or you can blend layers to combine the elements into one image. When using the Auto-Align Layer command, you can tell Photoshop which layer it should use as the reference layer by locking it. If you do not specify a reference layer, Photoshop picks one automatically, typically, the one at the centre of the final composition. Layer comps allow you to create different versions of your composition and to store them for easy retrieval in a single Photoshop file.

By using layer comps, you can create multiple views of a layout in a single file. When you save a layer comp, you can include the following layer options: 1. Layer visibility (hidden or visible) 2. Layer position (where the layer is positioned in the document) 3. Layer appearance (layer style, opacity and blend mode) When a layer comp cannot be restored to its saved state, a caution icon appears next to the layer comp name in the Layer Comps panel. The warning is triggered when you merge, delete or convert a layer to a background layer (changing mode to Indexed Color will also trigger the warning since the mode doesnt support layers). To clear the caution icon, update the layer comp(s) or right-click, Ctrl-click and choose Clear Layer Comp Warning, or Clear All Layer Comp Warnings, from the context menu. Because the default blend mode for a layer group is set to Pass Through, it has no blending properties of its own. If a blend mode other than Pass Through is chosen for the layer group, none of the adjustment layers or layer blend modes inside the layer group can apply to layers outside the of the layer group. To prevent the blend mode of layers in a layer group affecting the layers outside and below the layer group, change the blend mode of the layer group to Normal. This will confine the blend to the layers in the layer group. You can set the blend modes for layers and layer groups in the Layers panel or the Layer Style dialog. The latter also contains Advanced Blending options and Blend If options. The sliders in the Blend If section of the Blending Options (Layer Style) dialog control how many levels of the current layer or underlying layer are going to be blended together. By splitting the sliders apart, you can specify how many levels will blend gradually, thus creating a smooth transition. To split the sliders, hold down the Alt/Opt key, click the slider, keep the mouse button pressed and then drag left or right. To open the Blending Options (Layer Style) dialog, double click the layer thumbnail or choose Blending Options from the Layers panel menu. Adding a layer effect to an object is quick and easy and gives you the ability to change the effect settings or turn the effect off completely. For example, you can apply a drop shadow with a 90 angle and easily change it to a 135 angle later on. You can also add several layer effects. Note: a layer effect is linked to the layer content; when the content changes, the effect also changes to stay in step. You can save effects applied to a layer as a style preset. Once saved, you can apply the style preset to other layers or images. You can use the Styles panel (Window Styles) or the Layer Style dialog (double-click layer thumbnail or an empty part of a layer to launch it) to save your preset style. Once in the New Style dialog, choose options, name style and then click OK. You can create a library from the custom styles by using the Preset Manager (Edit Preset Manager). You can load or unload a library using the Styles panel menu or the Style Picker menu.

You cannot apply an effect or layer style to a background layer, a locked layer (not the same as locked pixels) or a group. To apply an effect or layer style to a background layer, you must first convert it to a normal layer. To convert a background layer to a normal layer, double-click it, set properties and click OK. If you dont wish to set properties, Altdoubleclick, Opt-double-click it. There is no need to make layers visible before applying a layer style. Groups do not accept layer styles. A pasted layer style will replace the existing layer style on the destination layer(s). You can move effects to other layers by dragging the Effects tile, or the FX icon, or single effects to the target layer(s). You can also use the drag-n-drop method to copy effects by holding down Alt/Opt while you drag effects from one layer to another. A layer style cannot be applied to an image in Indexed Color mode because it supports only a background layer (named Index) and you cannot apply a layer style to a background layer, a locked layer or a layer group. By using the Scale Effects command from Layer Layer Style submenu, or the context menu, effects can be scaled without scaling the object to which they are applied. When you drag a layer effect or style from one document to another and the option Use Global Light is selected in the Layer Style dialog for the effect, the style inherits the default global light setting of the target document. Choose Layer Layer Style Global Light to change document global light and altitude values; if no document is open, values apply to all documents. You can covert a layer style to regular layers should you wish to modify it by applying a filter or by painting on it. To convert a layer style, select the layer and then choose Layer Layer Style Create Layers, or call the context menu from the FX icon or the layer effects names in the Layers panel and then choose Create Layers. You can use preset or custom contours in the Layer Style dialog to create unique effects. To edit a contour: 1. Click on an effect name in the Layer Style dialog 2. Click on the Contour thumbnail under Quality 3. Modify the mapping in the Contour Editor and click OK or 4. Click New to create a custom contour, modify and click OK 5. Save contour or click OK to exit Contour Editor If you do not see the Quality section when you select an effect, it means the effect does not support contour modeling. A Black & White adjustment layer gives you full control over how individual colors are converted. The On-image tool in the Black & White Adjustment panel can be used to click on a color component and then dragged left to darken or right to lighten.

Camera raw and bridge, using

Camera raw files are grayscale images containing unprocessed raw data captured by the camera sensor. You can use Camera Raw to process the file with greater control over white balance, exposure, contrast, color saturation, sharpening, and noise reduction. Additionally, you can output the processed image in 16-bits/channel. When you edit a raw file in Camera Raw, the raw file is not modified. Therefore, it can be opened in another raw processor without fear of rejection, and modifications applied in Camera Raw saved without fear of corruption. Unlike proprietary raw processors, Camera Raw can process raw files from a variety of camera vendors. Camera raw files are grayscale images containing unprocessed raw data captured by the camera sensor. You can use Camera Raw to process the raw file with greater control over white balance, exposure, contrast, color saturation, sharpening, and noise reduction (the same control cannot be had if the file has been output from the digital camera as a JPEG). Additionally, you can output the processed image in 16-Bits/Channel mode. Because the original raw file is not modified, you can also create multiple unique copies of the processed image by using the Open Copy command (press Alt/Opt to change Open Image to Open Copy). In Camera Raw, you can use the Targeted Adjustment tool to adjust tonal and color values intuitively by clicking on an area of the image and then dragging the pointer. To access the tool, click the fifth icon from the left in the toolbar. When you use the Targeted Adjustment tool in Camera Raw, dragging the tool left or down in the image reduces values, while dragging right or up increases values. In Camera Raw, the Targeted Adjustment tool supports the following adjustments: Hue, saturation, luminance, parametric curve, and grayscale mix. To use the tool, click on the tool icon and hold down the mouse button, and then select an option from the popup menu (Parametric Curve is selected by default). Click in the image on a target area and then drag left or down to decrease values underneath the pointer, or up or right to increase values. The Adjustment Brush tool in Camera Raw allows you to apply non-destructive localised corrections to exposure, brightness, contrast, saturation, clarity, sharpness and color. To quickly resize the Adjustment Brush tool in Camera Raw, right-click (Windows), hold down Ctrl (Mac OS) and then drag pointer left to decrease and right to increase; add Shift to alter the feather size: Shift+right-click (Windows), Ctrl+Shift (Mac OS). To partially erase an adjustment applied with the Adjustment Brush tool in Camera Raw, make sure the appropriate pin is selected, select Erase in the Adjustment Brush tool options, or hold down Alt/Opt, and then paint over the unwanted adjustment.

To toggle the visibility of the mask overlay for the Adjustment Brush tool in Camera Raw, press Y, or position pointer over a pin, or deselect/select the Show Mask checkbox. To toggle the visibility of the pin icon for the Adjustment Brush tool in Camera Raw, press V. To remove an adjustment completely, select a pin and then press Delete. The Graduated Filter tool in Camera Raw mimics traditional graduated neutral density and graduated color filter effects, or combinations of the two. You can use it, for example, to decrease/increase exposure gradually in one region of the image without seeming to affect other regions. To apply, select tool from the toolbar (fourth from right), set options in the Graduated Filter tool options, click-drag in the image (hold down Shift to constrain effect). Once applied, you can either refine it or apply a new filter effect. The Synchronize command in Camera Raw allows you to select which settings you wish to apply to multiple selected files in the filmstrip. Alternatively, multiple files can be selected before settings are applied. If you want to process your raw images extensively in Photoshop, you can avoid degrading the image unnecessarily by turning off sharpening in Camera Raw. You can do this in Camera Raw preferences by electing to apply sharpening to preview images only. You can then use the sharpening filters in Photoshop as the last step in your editing workflow. You can use the Detail control in the Detail tab in Camera Raw to either suppress or express the halos around edge detail. Use a low value to reduce halos (apply high halo suppression), or a high value to accentuate halos (apply low halo suppression). The Masking control in the Detail tab in Camera Raw applies an edge mask. When the Masking value is set to zero, sharpening is applied to all areas of the image (no masking). As the value is increased, the sharpening is restricted more and more to the areas near the strongest edges (increased masking). Chromatic Aberration results when the camera lens fails to focus different wavelengths of light onto the exact same focal plane. The end result is the image is made up of slightly different sizes in each channel, causing visible fringing. This complementary color fringing can be minimized using the controls found under the Lens Corrections tab in the Camera Raw dialog. An image acquiring unwanted dark corners is a by-product of lens distortion and can be countered by using the Lens Vignetting controls in the Lens Corrections tab in Camera Raw. In Camera Raw, the Amount and Midpoint controls, found under Lens Vignetting in the Lens Corrections tab, are used to compensate for the dark outer edges that can appear with some lenses and focal length combinations. The Amount slider lightens the outer edges when it is increased and darkens them when decreased. The Midpoint control applies the adjustment to a larger region when it is decreased and confines it to the outer edges when increased.

You can specify the following image settings in the Workflow Options dialog in Camera Raw: Space: the color space profile Depth: the bit depth Size: a preset image dimension Resolution: the image resolution Sharpening: preset sharpening for screen or print You can also elect to open all images as Smart Objects by default (instead of individually). These settings apply only to the processed image. The default Camera Raw settings can apply to a specific camera model, a specific camera serial number, or a specific ISO setting. The settings are set in the Default Image Settings area of the Camera Raw preferences. When using Camera Raw, if the items in the Basic tab in the White Balance pop-up menu do not provide satisfactory results, you can use the Temperature slider to make the image cooler or warmer. If the image exhibits a green or magenta tint after being white balanced, you can use the Tint slider to compensate for any bias. Camera Raw overlays the preview with a blue color to indicate shadow clipping and a red color to indicate highlight clipping when you turn the corresponding options on with the buttons located above the histogram. While adjusting the Exposure, Recovery, or Black slider in the Camera Raw dialog, you can hold down Alt/Opt to view only the clipped pixels, sans preview. In the modified preview, black indicates all three RGB channels are clipped in the shadows while white indicates all three RGB color channels are clipped in the highlights. Clipping in one or two channels is indicated either by the primary colors or a mixture of primary and secondary colors. If you notice clipping while working on files in the Camera Raw dialog, it may be due to the fact that the gamut of the color space you are working in is too small to contain all the colors. Choose a larger color space than the current one, do your adjustments in it and then convert to a smaller color space in Photoshop if required. Note: if ProPhoto RGB is chosen, then 16-Bits/Channel should also be chosen to avoid possible posterization. If you would like to work in a color space other than the four available in Workflow Options in Camera Raw, the recommended workflow is to export in ProPhoto RGB and 16-Bits/Channel. It has the widest color gamut out of all the available color spaces and, therefore, can accommodate the colors without clipping. Once in Photoshop, you can convert to the working color space of your choice. You can use the Retouch tool in Camera Raw to heal or to clone non-destructively. After working on one image, you can use the Synchronize button to apply the healing/cloning to other selected images. You can expand/contract the dumbbells by hovering over the outlines with the Retouch tool and dragging when the pointer turns into a double-headed arrow. You can also reposition the dumbbells by hovering inside them and dragging to

a new position. Once you have used the controls under the Basic tab in Camera Raw to adjust an image, you can either use the Parametric curve or the Point curve to fine-tune the tonal range. The sliders located under the graph in the Parametric tab determine the range of the Highlights, Lights, Darks and Shadows sliders. You can use the Hue, Saturation and Luminance controls, nested under the HSL / Grayscale tab in Camera Raw, to fine-tune the color, saturation and luminance. For example, you can use the Reds and Oranges sliders in combination with Saturation to modify a portrait taken outdoors without affecting the sky or foliage that may be present in the background. The Vibrance control in Camera Raw lets you increase saturation without clipping colors that approach full saturation. It does this by applying a non-linear increase in saturation, so that the less saturated colors are affected more than the highly saturated colors. It also prevents skin tones from becoming oversaturated. The Clarity control in Camera Raw adds depth to an image by increasing local contrast, weighted more heavily in the midtones. It gives the image an added punch but should be used sparingly as too high a setting can introduce undesirable halos. To view the effect, magnify the preview by 100% or greater. After converting an image to Grayscale in Camera Raw, you can use the Split Toning feature to apply a color throughout the image, or a hue to the highlights and/or the shadows. You can also use Split Toning to create special effects, such as a cross-processed look obtained by deliberately processing photographic film in a chemical solution intended for a different type of film. Note: if you apply Split Toning after converting to Grayscale, the image remains in RGB. The Fill Light control in the Basic tab of Camera Raw can be used to recover detail in the shadows without unduly affecting the highlights or causing posterization. n If one or two channels in your image are clipped, you can use the Recovery control in the Basic tab to reconstruct details. Hold down Alt/Opt as you drag the Recovery slider to see where highlights are clipped. To adjust individual colors in Camera Raw, use the HSL / Grayscale tab. The controls in the HSL tabs (Hue, Saturation, and Luminance) provide targeted control. For example, to make a yellow color brighter without affecting other colors, move the Yellow slider in the Luminance tab to the right. The Open Image(s) button in the Camera Raw dialog saves the current settings of single, or multiple-selected files to a database or a sidecar XMP file (depending on how preferences are set) and opens the image(s) in Photoshop for further editing. To export an image from Camera Raw to Photoshop without modifying the saved settings, press Alt/Opt and then click the Open Copy button (pressing Alt/Opt turns the Open Image button into an Open Copy button).

Use the Save Image button in Camera Raw to save images without opening them in Photoshop. In the Save Image dialog, you can batch rename files and choose between the JPEG, Photoshop, TIFF, and DNG (Digital Negative) file formats. You can Alt-click, Optclick the Save Image button to bypass the Save Options dialog. If you do, Camera Raw defaults to the last remembered settings. The Done button closes the Camera Raw dialog and stores the current settings in the Camera Raw database file or in a sidecar XMP file, or in a DNG file, depending on how Camera Raw preferences are setup and whether or not the open file(s) reside on a read only disk. To import files directly into Bridge from a camera or a card reader, connect device to your computer and then choose File Get Photos from Camera, or click the Get Photos from Camera icon in the toolbar, choose options and then click Get Photos. The Photo Downloader command in Bridge will let you apply shot date, todays date, rename files, convert to DNG, delete original files, save copies, and apply metadata using a basic or custom template. When importing camera raw files via the Photo Downloader dialog (File Get Photos from Camera), you can add basic metadata (Creator and Copyright only), or apply a custom metadata template that you created before you launched Photo Downloader and include all of the IPTC Core values. Note: the apply metadata options are only available once you click the Advanced Dialog button. Once you have saved the current image settings as a preset in Camera Raw, they appear as an item in the Presets tab in Camera Raw and in the Develop Settings submenus in the Edit and the context menus in Bridge. Having applied custom settings to a raw file in Camera Raw, you can apply same settings to other similar files without opening them in Camera Raw. To do so, use copy and paste commands located in the Edit Develop Settings submenu (also available from the context menu) in Bridge, or use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Alt+C, Cmd+Opt+C to copy and then Ctrl+Alt+V, Cmd+Opt+V to paste. When the Paste Camera Raw Settings dialog opens, choose the setting(s) you want to apply and then click OK. You can use the Keywords panel, the Metadata panel or the File Info dialog to add keywords to single or multiple selected files. In the Keywords panel, use a hierarchy (keyword catalog) to apply keywords. In the Metadata panel, open the IPTC Core category, click in the Keywords text box and type. In the File Info dialog, type or paste in the Keywords text box in the IPTC or Description tab and click OK. The Keywords panel will let you add new keywords, new sub-keywords, edit existing keywords, make temporary keywords (Other Keywords) persistent, and organise existing keywords into sets by dragging and dropping.

You can use the Keywords panel to assign keywords from a commercial keyword catalog (AKA a hierarchy). To import a keyword catalog, choose Import from the Keywords panel menu. When adding keywords using a text box in the Metadata panel or the File Info dialog, you can use a semi-colon or a comma to separate keywords and phrases. n In the Keywords panel, to automatically add the parent keywords when adding a sub keyword, Shift-click sub keyword. To have parent keywords apply automatically when you click a sub keyword, select Automatically Apply Parent Keywords in Keywords preferences. When files are locked in Bridge, keywords and metadata cannot be added or removed. To unlock a file, right-click, Ctrl-click on its thumbnail in the Contents panel and then choose Unlock Item from the context menu. Once you have created a metadata template in Bridge, you can choose to replace the existing metadata or to append it by using the Append Metadata or Replace Metadata commands from the Tools menu, or from the Metadata panel menu. When you use the Create Metadata Template command in Bridge to create a new metadata template, if you check a property in the dialog and leave the text box blank, when you apply the template, it will clear the corresponding property. You can base a new metadata template either on the metadata contained in the selected file, or append/replace the existing metadata by selecting a metadata template from the dialog menu and then modify the metadata before saving the template. Alternatively, to start with a blank metadata template, deselect all files before you open the Create Metadata Template dialog. To filter files by rating in the current folder in Bridge, choose Window Path, click the star icon and choose Show 5 Stars from the pop-up menu. You can also press Ctrl+Alt+5, Cmd+Opt+5, or open the Ratings criteria in the Filter panel and then click on the five star icon. To find all files marked as Reject in the current folder and subfolders in Bridge and hide all others at the same time, do the following: 1. Choose View Show Items from Subfolders 2. View Show Reject Files 3. Window Path Bar 4. Click the star icon in the Path Bar 5. Choose Show Rejected Items Only from the pop-up menu You can also: 1. Choose View Show Items from Subfolders 2. View Show Reject Files 3. Open the Ratings criteria in the Folders panel 4. Select Reject

To find all files rated three stars and higher in the current folder in Bridge, Shift-click three stars under the Ratings criteria in the Filter panel, or press Ctrl+Alt+3, Cmd+Opt+3. To inverse media selection criteria in Bridge, Alt-click, Opt-click the criteria under File Type in the Filter panel. For example, if you have selected JPEG file and would like to see all other file types and hide all JPEGs at the same time, Alt-click, Opt-click JPEG file.

To reposition a rectangular, elliptical or circular marquee while its being drawn, hold down the Spacebar/Space and then drag the marquee to a new position. If you have finished drawing the marquee, then it can be repositioned by clicking inside the selection border and dragged to a new position. To be able to do this, a selection tool must be active and its option set to New selection. You can move a selection border up, down, left or right in 1 pixel increments by using the arrow keys while a selection tool is active. To move it in 10 pixel increments, hold down Shift while you use the arrow keys. When you draw a selection border with the rectangular or the elliptical marquee tools, you can hold down Shift in order to constrain the border to a square or a circle, respectively. Having made a selection with the Magic Wand tool, you can expand it by choosing the Grow or Similar commands from the Select menu. Choose Grow to include all adjacent pixels within the tolerance range. Choose Similar to include all pixels in the image that fall within the tolerance range. In the Refine Edge dialog, you can cycle through the preview modes by pressing F. Add Shift to cycle backwards. In the Refine Edge dialog, you can use the X key to temporarily view the image. The Radius option in the Refine Edge dialog can be used to improve the selection edges if the underlying areas contain soft transitions or fine details. The Contrast option in the Refine Edge dialog can be used to make soft edges crisper, while preserving transitions in larger areas. It can also be used to remove artifacts near the selection edges introduced by a high Radius setting.

MASKS AND CHANNELS, WORKING WITH

Layer masks are used to hide areas of a layer and to see the content from the layer(s) below. There are two types of masks used by Photoshop to hide layer content. One is called a layer mask and the other a vector mask. A layer mask is composed of grayscale pixels, can support soft edges and is resolution-dependent; a vector mask is composed of mathematically defined objects, supports hard edges and is resolution-independent. Layer masks can be applied to a layer or a layer group. If you need to mask several layers with the same mask, grouping the layers and then applying a mask to the group makes it possible to control the effect with just one mask. Channels are composed of grayscale images and used in Photoshop to store various types of information. The default channels can store color information and luminosity; alpha channels can store selections; spot channels can store additional plates for overlaying spot color inks when using process inks to print. In the New Channel and Channel Options dialogs, you can set color overlay to indicate masked or selected areas, and the color and opacity of the mask overlay. To access the options, choose New Channel from the Channels panel menu or Alt-click, Opt-click the Create new channel button located at the bottom of the panel, or double-click an existing alpha channel. Alpha channels, not spot channels, are generally used to produce bump maps. In addition to spot channels being used to lay down special premixed inks, they can also be used to create special effects, such as glossy varnish or metallic ink. The Pixel Mask button located at the top of the Masks panel is a two-function button. If a layer mask is detected on the current layer, it can be used to select it. If no layer mask is detected, it can be used to add one. The buttons located at the bottom of the Masks panel from left to right are: Load Selection from Mask, Apply Mask, and Disable/Enable Mask. A border around a mask thumbnail signifies that the mask is selected and not the layer. You must select a mask before you can edit it. When you select a vector mask thumbnail, though it acquires a border, the previously selected thumbnail doesnt lose its border. You can click the thumbnail to deselect it, unlike a layer or layer mask thumbnail. The Vector Mask button located at the top of the Masks panel is a two-function button. If a vector mask is detected on the current layer, it can be used to select it. If no vector mask is detected, it can be used to add one.

When you add a layer mask, you can choose between Reveal All (a white mask is applied and the layer content remains visible) and Hide All (a black mask is applied and the layer

content hidden from view). Both types of masks have their uses in a workflow. Masks can be easily reversed by selecting the mask thumbnail and then pressing Ctrl+I, Cmd+I or choosing Image Adjustments Invert, or clicking the Invert button in the Masks panel. With a layer mask active and a selection overlapping the masked areas, you can modify the selection by choosing options from the Masks panel menu. The options are: Add Mask To Selection, Subtract Mask From Selection, and Intersect Mask With Selection. By default, adjustment layers are accompanied by a reveal all mask. You can manipulate a layer mask by painting on it with black, white or shades of gray in order to negate the adjustment. To subtract from an existing layer mask and partially reveal the contents of the layer underneath, select the layer mask and then use the Brush tool to paint in the document window with a shade of gray. To totally reveal the contents, as opposed to partially, paint with white. To add to an existing layer mask in order to reveal more of the contents of the layer underneath, select the layer mask and then use the Brush tool to paint in the document window with black. If you make a mistake and hide an area unintentionally, paint with white to reveal the layer content and then with black again to conceal. To disable/enable a layer mask temporarily, do any of the following: Shift-click on the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel Choose Layer Layer Mask Disable, or Enable Click the Disable/Enable Mask button located at the bottom of the Masks panel Right-click, Ctrl-click on the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel and then choose Disable/Enable Layer Mask from the context menu Disabled layer mask thumbnails are marked with a red X for easy identification. The same methods can be used for vector masks in the panels, or the Vector Mask submenu in the Layer menu can be used. To create an alpha channel and set its properties, Alt-click, Opt-click the Create new channel button at the bottom of the Channels panel, or choose New Channel from the Channels panel menu. In the New Channel dialog, you can enter a name, choose whether color indicates masked or selected areas, and specify a color for the overlay and change its opacity value (defaults are red color at 50% opacity). By default, individual channels are displayed in grayscale. You can elect to view them in color by selecting Show Channels in Color in Interface preferences. In Windows, choose Edit Preferences Interface; in Mac OS, choose Photoshop Preferences Interface, then select Show Channels in Color in the General area of the dialog. To toggle the view between the composite channel and an alpha channel, Shift-click on the alpha channel thumbnail. To toggle the view between the composite channel and the individual color channels, press Ctrl+3, 4, 5, Cmd+3, 4, 5, for red, green, and blue respectively. Press Ctrl+2 to view

the composite channel. To edit a mask and to display the mask as a rubylith overlay on top of the layer content, hold down Alt+Shift, Opt+Shift and click on the layer mask thumbnail. To turn off the rubylith display, hold down the same keys and click on the layer mask thumbnail a second time. To edit a channel, select it and then use a painting tool to paint in the image. Painting with white adds the selected channels color at full strength Painting with black removes the selected channels color completely Painting with gray adds the channels color at a lower intensity Painting with shades of gray adds the channels color at varying intensities You can use the Apply Image command (Image Apply Image) to blend the layers and channels of the current document (the source) and another open document (the target). You can output the blend through a mask and choose a single layer, or merged layers, single channel, or merged channels, as the target. You can use the Calculations command (Image Calculations) to blend two individual channels from one or two source images and output the result as a new document, new channel, or a selection. You can also apply the blend through a mask and choose a channel or an existing mask as the source for the mask. Note: source images must have the same pixel dimensions. You can use the Channel Mixer command to blend color channels and create high-quality grayscale images, or apply effects such as sepia tone, hand-tint or infrared. Once a selection, sometimes also referred to as a mask, has been stored as an alpha channel, you can modify it by painting on it. Painting with white expands a selection while painting with black contracts it. You can also use lesser opacities than 100%, or use shades of gray, to create various levels of transparency. You can reverse the masked/ selected areas behaviour in the Channel Options dialog, so that masked areas become white (transparent) and selected areas black (opaque). To create a spot channel, Ctrl-click, Cmd-click on the Create new channel button in the Channels panel, or choose New Spot Channel from the Channels panel menu. You can choose a spot color from the Color Picker; however, if you need to match colors closely, its advisable to use a swatch book, preferably one that has not faded with time. To convert an existing alpha channel into a spot channel, double-click its thumbnail, select Spot Color in the Channel Options panel, click the color box then choose a color in the Color Picker or from the Color Libraries. To access the Spot Channel Options dialog, double-click a spot channel, or select it and then choose Spot Channel Options from the Channels panel menu. The solidity and color choice options chosen in the dialog affect only the on-screen preview and have no effect on the printed separations. However, when output to a composite color printer, the spot color will print at the opacity specified by the solidity setting.

Layer masks are composed of resolution-dependent grayscale images that can be edited using the painting or the selection tools. Vector masks are resolution-independent mathematically defined objects composed of lines and curves and created with a pen or shape tool. When you create a clipping mask, the non-transparent area of the source layer (the base layer) is used to generate a clipping mask. The content of the target layer (the layer above) is then enclosed inside the clipping mask and the content outside the clipping mask is hidden. When a clipping mask is created by holding down Alt/Opt and clicking on the dividing line between two adjacent layers, the transparency from the bottom layer is used to mask the layer above it; furthermore, the overlying layers name is underlined, the thumbnail indented and a clipping mask icon (a right-angled, downward pointing arrow) added for easier identification. Selections can be stored with a document as alpha channels. To store a selection, create an alpha channel by clicking the Save Selection button in the Channels panel while the selection is active. Note: not all file formats can support an alpha channel. File must be saved as a PSD, TIFF, PDF or PSB in order to preserve the alpha channel. To convert an active selection into a layer mask, choose Layer Layer Mask Reveal Selection, or Hide Selection. Alternatively, Alt-click, Opt-click the Add Layer Mask button in the Layers panel. To convert a selection to a vector mask, choose Make Work Path from the Paths panel menu, or click the Make Work Path button at the bottom of the panel, and then Layer Vector Mask Current Path while the path is still active.

Use Quick Mask mode (press Q, or choose Select Edit in Quick Mask Mode) to edit a selection manually with a painting tool or by applying a filter, such as Gaussian Blur, or Twirl, etc. To convert a layer mask to a selection, Ctrl-click, Cmd-click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel. You can also select the layer containing the mask or the mask itself and then choose Select Load Selection, and then choose the mask from the Channel popup menu. A third method is to select the layer and then Ctrl-click, Cmd-click the mask thumbnail in the Channels panel. To convert a channel to a selection, Ctrl-click, Cmd-click the channel thumbnail, or drag the channel to the Load channel as a selection button. To add a saved selection to an active selection, press Ctrl+Shift, Cmd+Shift and then click the channel. To subtract from a saved selection and an active selection, press Ctrl+Alt, Cmd+Opt and then click the channel. To intersect with a saved selection and an active selection, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift,

Cmd+Opt+Shift and then click the channel. By selecting a channel that has the most contrast between the object to be selected and its background, a mask can be extracted quickly and easily. Having created a temporary mask in Quick Mask mode, press Q or choose Select Edit in Quick Mask Mode in order to exit the mode and to load the mask as a selection. To stay in Quick Mask mode, choose Select Load Selection, and click OK.

Typographic design
To commit new type and switch out of the editing mode, press Ctrl+Enter, Cmd+Return or the numeric Enter key. You can also select another tool, click in any panel (barring the Character and Paragraph panels), or click on the Commit any current edits button (looks like a tick mark) in the Options bar. To change the color of several type layers simultaneously, select the Horizontal or Vertical Type tool and the type layers, click on the color selection box in the Options bar, choose a color from the Color Picker when it opens, and then click OK. You can also use this method in the Character panel. To change the type color for a single layer or a character, select it and then change the foreground color, or use a Color Overlay layer style (it will affect all characters in the selected layer, not just selected characters). You can also use the Color panel or the Swatches panel, instead of the foreground color selection box in the Tools panel. To change the font size of several type layers simultaneously, do following: 1. Select a type tool 2. Click in the Size text box in the Options bar 3. Use the up/down arrow keys to increase/decrease values 4. Click Enter/Return You can also use the following method: 1. Select a type tool 2. Use the Size text box scrubby sliders in the Options bar or the Character panel To find a suitable font for a selected type layer or multiple-selected type layers, click in the Font Family text box in the Options bar or the Character panel and then use the up/ down arrow keys to scroll through the font list. Having found a suitable font, press Enter/ Return, or Enter on the numeric pad to exit the text box. The Horizontal and the Vertical Type tools both need to add a new layer in order to create editable type. If an image turns rubylith color when you try to use either tool, its because the image is in Indexed Color, Bitmap or Multichannel mode, none of which support multiple layers, so the tool creates a type mask on the single, background layer. The mask can be filled with color to create non-editable type. To add editable type to an image in Indexed Color, convert it to RGB and then back to Indexed Color. When applied, superscript characters are reduced in size and shifted above the type baseline; subscript characters are reduced in size and shifted below the type baseline. Superscript and subscript are also sometimes referred to as superior and inferior, respectively. If a font does not include superscript or subscript characters, Photoshop substitutes faux characters. When you specify settings for paragraph text in the Paragraph panel, if a paragraph is selected, settings apply to that paragraph only; if a type layer is selected, settings apply to all paragraphs in that type layer; if neither is selected, settings apply to new text that you create.

Tracking values determine the amount of space between multiple characters. It is similar to kerning except the space is specified over a range of text, such as a line, sentence or paragraph. To adjust the tracking, select type and then use the Tracking option in the Character panel (AV underlined with a double-headed arrow). If text is not selected, tracking is applied to all the characters on the selected type layer. To adjust the tracking and kerning values of text, choose Justification from the Paragraph panel menu and then enter values for Letter Spacing. In the Justification dialog, Word Spacing values control the space between the words when you use the Spacebar/Space, whereas Letter Spacing values control the distance between letters, including adjacent characters or a group of characters or a block of text. Leading is the amount of space measured between two lines of type. You can set the leading in the Character panel by entering a value in the Leading text box or with the corresponding pop-up menu or by using a scrubby slider. You can define the Auto Leading percentage by choosing Justification from the Paragraph panel menu and then entering a value in the Auto Leading text box. Provided a font supports smart quotes, Photoshop replaces straight quotes with smart quotes by default. To use straight quotes instead of smart quotes (AKA curly quotes and typographers quotes), deselect Use Smart Quotes in Type preferences under Type Options. The language pop-up menu, located at the bottom left corner of the Character panel, lets you assign a hyphenation and spelling dictionary. You can assign a dictionary on a layerbylayer basis or mix dictionaries on a single layer by selecting text before you assign a dictionary. The Change Text Orientation command in the Character panel menu (Vertical and Horizontal in the Layer Type submenu) changes the type orientation from horizontal to vertical, and vice versa. In order to create vertically descending text with the Vertical or the Horizontal Type tool, the Standard Vertical Roman Alignment command has to be deselected (its on by default when you create type) in the Character panel menu after selecting the text. To specify the minimum number of characters for hyphenated words, open the Hyphenation settings dialog (choose Hyphenation from the Paragraph panel menu), and then enter a value in the Words Longer Than _ Letters text box. The Hyphen Limit setting controls the minimum/maximum number of hyphens that can appear on consecutive lines. You can specify the limit in the Hyphen Limit _ Letters text box by choosing Hyphenation from the Paragraph panel menu. You can drag type on a path to a new position by using the Path Selection or the Direct Selection tool. The tools can also be used to flip the text vertically on the path. While editing type on a path, you can access the Path Selection tool temporarily by holding down Ctrl/Cmd.

You can re-edit type that has had the warp effect applied to it by using the Edit Transform Warp command, or the Layer Type Warp Text command, or the Create warped text button in the Options bar. You can also convert the type layer into a Smart Object and then apply a filter. To create a work path from type, select a type layer and then choose Layer Type Create Work Path, or right-click, Ctrl-click on the type layer and choose Create Work Path from the context menu. The work path appears in the Paths panel. Creating a work path from a type layer does not affect the original type. It allows you to manipulate the outlines as vector shapes and edit them just as you would edit a path. For example, transform the shape, create a new layer and fill it with solid color, gradient or a pattern, or stroke it. You can convert point type to paragraph text and vice versa. To convert point type to paragraph text, select layer and then choose Convert to Paragraph Text from the Layer Type submenu, or the layer context menu. To convert paragraph type to point text, select layer and then choose Convert To Point Text from the Layer Type submenu, or the layer context menu. When converting point type to paragraph text, you have to manually remove all the unwanted carriage returns; otherwise the lines will not flow in the bounding box. To avoid text being deleted when paragraph type is converted to point text, adjust the bounding box until all of the text is displayed and then convert. You can tell if the bounding box is overflowing with text by looking at the bottom right-hand corner handle: it acquires a plus sign when the bounding box cannot show all of the text that it contains. The Single-line Composer method is to be preferred when composing one line at a time and manual control over line breaks is required. The composition rules are based on the settings for word spacing, letter spacing, glyph scaling, and hyphenation found in the Justification and Hyphenation dialogs, accessible from the Paragraph panel menu. The Adobe Every-line Composer method, accessible from the Paragraph panel menu, gives priority to evenness of letter and word spacing. It identifies possible line endings in paragraph text based on settings for word spacing, letter spacing, glyph scaling, and hyphenation in the Justification and Hyphenation dialogs, accessible from the Paragraph panel menu. The command is not available for point type. When Roman Hanging Punctuation is selected from the Paragraph panel menu, punctuation marks such as quote marks, periods, commas, etc., at the beginning of a line for left justified and the end of the line for right justified appear outside the text margins. When you anti-alias type, the edge pixels are partially filled in order to create smooth edges, which otherwise would appear jaggy or stair-stepped. You can choose between a Sharp, Crisp, Strong or Smooth setting from the Options bar, or the Layer Type submenu.

To specify a precise column width and height for paragraph text, select the Horizontal Type tool, hold down Alt/Opt and then click or drag in the canvas to open the Paragraph Text Size dialog, enter values and click OK. Alt-drag, Opt-drag opens the dialog with the bounding box values entered automatically, whereas clicking opens it with zeroed values. By default, the Check Spelling, and the Find and Replace Text commands search all visible and unlocked text layers. To exclude layers, either hide them by clicking on their eye icon or lock them by clicking on the lock icon in the Layers panel.