PhotoShop 5 and 6

Introduction

This study guide was written using Deke McClelland's Photoshop Bible, but you don't need to have the textbook to work through the lesson.

If you need a book that describes each of the features of Photoshop, and isn't dull to read either, I recommend Photoshop Bible. But there are lots of excellent Photoshop books, and if you already have one you like (or if you find one you think you like better) go ahead and use it.

Download a demo of PS6 at http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/tryreg.html
 

Lesson 1

1. Twice as often as its nearest competitor.
2. Three times as often as all other digital art programs combined.
3. Four times as often as its nearest competitor.
4. Four times as often as all its competitors combined.

2. What kind of program is PhotoShop? Choose all that apply.

1. Line art program
2. Bitmap program
3. Raster program
4. Vector program
5. Image editor
6. Drawing program
7. Painting program

To read about vector and raster programs, and to see an example, go to http://geocities.datacellar.net/doodelbug.geo/bit-vect.html

4. Describe the differences between vector and raster programs. Give examples of the most popular vector and the most popular raster programs. What is a natural media program?

5. Define resolution.

Z = Zoom tool, on the toolbox
Ctrl-+ (plus)  = Zoom closer
Ctrl-- (minus) = Zoom farther away
Ctrl-0 (zero) = Size the image to fit on the screen.
Ctrl-Alt-+ or Ctrl-Alt-minus = resize the frame of the image as you zoom
The Status bar - type any zoom factor you want into the status bar window.
Use the Zoom tool to zoom closer; hold down the Alt key to zoom out again.

Next week we will use Ctrl-Spacebar to toggle to the Zoom tool.

1. Click File > New to create a new canvas.

You can also use Ctrl-N, or Ctrl-double-click the background.


2. Name it Flowers if you want to. It's not necessary to name a new canvas.

3. Set the dimensions to 5" x 5"

4. Set the resolution to 72 dpi

5. Set the color mode to RGB.

6. Set the background to white






7. Choose the Paintbrush (B). Be sure the Options Palette is displayed.

8. Set the options to Normal mode, 100% opacity, no fade, no wet edges.

9. Version 5: Display the Brush palette (In version 5, use the F5 key, or Window > Show Brushes.)

Version 6: Your brush footprints are displayed on the Brush Options Bar.


Because you have the Paintbrush chosen, the Options display settings for the Brush.

10. Choose a small, hard edged brush.

11. Set the colors to Default by pressing D. (Or click the little black-white representation on the toolbox.)

12. Draw a flower.

13. Choose the Eraser (E)

14. Erase parts of your flower.

15. Choose the Brush again (B).

16. Change to a small, soft edged brush and draw another flower.

17. Change the opacity of the Paintbrush to 50% (just type a 5, and the setting will be changed.) Set the opacity to 70% by typing a 7.

18. Draw more petals.

19. Choose a medium sized hard edged brush.

20. Set the brush's opacity to 100% by typing a zero.

You can change the opacity of your drawing tools by typing a number. You don't need to click anyplace special to do this. In fact, you don't want to be in a dialog window if you are using this shortcut, because it won't work if you are. Just choose the drawing tool - the Brush, for example - and type 1 to change to 10%, 2 for 20%, etc.

Zero changes to 100%. If you want a specific number, say 25%, type 2 and 5, but you have to type fast.

21. Click Wet Edges and draw leaves.

22. Paint petals at 50% opacity, then choose a smaller brush and brush the edges at 25%.

23. Type E for Eraser, and erase parts of your drawing.

Notice the settings on the Options bar. When you change to the Eraser, the Options palette automatically displays the options for the new tool.

The Options will always change according to the tool you have chosen.


With the Eraser chosen, the Options for the Eraser are displayed.

24. When you are done, crop the image to about 4" square, depending on your design.

25. Press C for crop (or click-hold on the top-left tool on the toolbox and then choose the crop tool.)

26. Click-drag a marquee about 4" - 4.5".

27. Double-click inside the marquee or press Enter to execute the crop.

28. Press tab to hide your palettes.

29. Press F to see your flowers in different screen modes. Keep pressing F until you return to your flowers in a window.

Note: F is for Full Screen. When you press F, you toggle to a different way to view your image. Keep pressing F until you are back in a framed view of your image.

30. Press tab to display your palettes again.
 

1. Click File > Save as (in version 5, click File > Save a Copy.)
2. Choose the jpg format from the drop-down menu.
3. Be sure your image is being saved to the right place on your hard drive, and that it has a good name.
4. Copy the image to your floppy disk and bring it to class.

Remember, art isn't an issue in this course. Using the tools is what we are looking for this week.

The answer to question 1:
Photoshop is the Industry Standard program for photo restoration and manipulation. According to Deke, Photoshop is used four times as much as all its competitors combined.

Answer to question 2:
Photoshop is primarily an Image Manipulator, or Image Editor, but it has many features that let you work in all sorts of ways. With Photoshop, you can create line art and vector shapes. Photoshop is a Bitmap, or Raster program, but you can also use it to draw and paint. About the only choice that wouldn't be right is to say that Photoshop is a "Drawing Program." Drawing programs are the true Vector programs, like Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw and Freehand. It also is not a "natural media" painting program, like Corel's Painter.

Answer to question 3:
Photoshop is used to manipulate and edit images: Changing colors, adjusting contrast, compositing images, altering or adding backgrounds, repairing flaws in old photos, and lots more.

Answer to question 4:
Raster (bitmap) programs work in pixels. Images are composed of a gridwork of little square spots of color.
Vector programs work by defining geometric shapes, defined by nodes connected with pathways.

Vector programs include Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, and Freehand (which is becoming more popular.)

Popular Raster programs include Photoshop, Corel's Photopaint, PaintShop Pro.

Natural Media Painting programs include Corel's Painter (the choice of many on-line digital artists) and Deep Paint (which can also be used as a plug-in attachment with Photoshop!)

There are many other kinds of digital art programs, but all work with either pixels or vectors, and many work with both.

Answer to question 5:
Resolution means, "How many dots (pixels) are there in an inch?"
Pixels have no defined size. A pixel can be 1/100 of an inch, 1/300 of an inch, 1/72 of an inch, and any other size you decide to make it. Once defined, your canvas is divided into a gridwork, with that many squares in each inch, horizontally and vertically.

For on-line display, we use 72 ppi (pixels per inch.)
If your work needs to be printed at photo quality, you will want to use higher resolution - up to 300 ppi. Your printer's dpi (dots per inch) setting has nothing to do with the monitor's ppi. Don't try to mix them; they are apples and oranges.

Higher resolution is used when you need to increase the size of a scanned image.