Photoshop is a very powerful editing program with an incredible array of tools. You will often need to use several different Photoshop tools to create a desired effect, and because of the program's artistic nature, many of the tools require practice and a little imagination to use them effectively.

At first glance the Photoshop interface, the tools and the palettes may seem a bit intimidating but once you get a hang of one palette you will find it easier to conquer all palettes.

In This Chapter:

Working with Palettes

Photoshop is a palette driven program. Almost everything you do will involve palettes in one way or another. Particular options are available for each palette

Adding a Palette to a Group

You can add palettes to a particular group. This will help you organise similar types of palettes in a group required for completing a task and organise screen space

Expanding and Contracting Palettes

You can change the size of the palettes to selectively show of the contents in four different ways. The palette will keep cycling through these views

Palette Well

The palette well is the place where you can organise your palettes to free up screen space and is available only if you are using a screen resolution larger than 800 x 600

Options Fly-out Menu

The options fly out menu provides a quick way to access the most common tasks you will perform with the palette. Particular options are available for each palette

Reset Palette

Resetting palettes help you clear up the screen space and remove the clutter of the various palettes

Toolbar

Photoshop has a wide and incredible array of tools. Using these tools requires practice and imagination to create the desired effect. The options bar helps in avoiding clutter and maximising the workspace

Options Bar

It is a context sensitive menu to save clutter and allow only the options that you need. The options bar helps in maximising workspace.

Rulers

The rulers, guides and grids help in achieving accuracy when it comes to laying out objects on page to give a sense of balance and order to page. The rulers help take measure of a layout.

Guides

The guides help in measuring and laying out pages. It is a nonprinting line that can be positioned on the page to assist in aligning objects.

Guides - Important Tips

Some of the important tips to be kept in mind while using guides.

Grids

A visual system that helps you measure, align and keep things in proportion.

Working with Windows

A new image will open in a window. You can zoom in or out, navigate and arrange all the windows on the screen to make it easier to work. The workspace window can be maximised to fill up the screen

Arranging Windows

Photoshop helps you not limit to opening of a single image when you need to work on multiple images at the same time.

Preset Workspaces

After having gone through all the trouble to customize your palette locations and set up the workspace exactly the way you like it you can save the workspace and recall it anytime. These are called preset workspaces. Preset Workspaces is useful when you are executing various tasks simultaneously in Photoshop.

Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are handy when you are working in Photoshop. You don't have to wait for the screen to redraw before pressing the next shortcut key.

Common Color Modes and File Types

A color mode determines the way that Photoshop will process an image. In Photoshop you can choose different color modes for different tasks. Similarly when you save a file you can choose from different file formats for the image.

Status Bar

You can view interesting information with the help of status bar pertaining to the Photoshop document.

Changing Views

You can view the images in Photoshop in three different views