Introduction to Photoshop

Introduction to Photoshop

Please watch this quick beginner's overview tutorial before we start working in Photoshop.  It will help you in becoming familiar with the basics of the workspace and the potential functionality of the application.

SHORTCUTS:

Here is a list of shortcuts for reference.  Many of the shortcuts used in Illustrator will transfer to Photoshop, but there are also many different tools used in Photoshop.  So, this is being placed here as a reference. 

THE WORKSPACE:

The Photoshop work area appears as shown in the following illustration.
Image from Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a book.   

A. Menu bar
B. Options bar
C. Tools panel
D. Mini Bridge tab
E. Timeline tab
F. Workspaces menu
G. Panels

The Photoshop user interface is very similar to the one in Adobe Illustrator^®, Adobe InDesign^®, and Adobe Flash^®—so learning how to use the tools and panels in one application means that you’ll be familiar with them when you work in the others.  (Photoshop Classroom CC)  There are a few minor differences between what you have learned in Illustrator and Photoshop.  The selection tool in Illustrator is usually called the move tool in photoshop.  You will be making selections with the Magic Wand tool, and the selection tool in Photoshop. Although the Magic Wand looks exactly the same.   It is much different. 

For our first exercise we will be straightening and cropping.  Download the following image to your desktop. 

Before we begin, and to make sure we are all looking at the same version of photoshop.  We will restore settings to the default settings.  Later on, you might want to create custom settings to your liking, but for now.  Let's use the factory default. :) 

To restore preferences quickly using a keyboard shortcut: Press and holdOption+Command+Shift (Mac OS) as you start Photoshop. 

In class exercise.   Straightening and touching up a photo. 

1. In the Tools panel, select the Crop tool 

2. In the options bar, choose W x H x Resolution from the Preset Aspect Ratio menu. (Ratio is its default value.)

3. In the options bar, type 7 in for the width, 7 in for the height, and 200 px/in for the resolution.

4. Click Straighten in the options bar. The pointer changes to the Straighten tool.

5. Click at the top corner of the photo, and drag a straight line across the top edge of the photo.

Adjusting the color and tone

You’ll use Curves and Levels adjustment layers to remove the color cast and adjust the color and tone in the image.

1. Click Curves in the Adjustments panel to add a Curves adjustment layer.

2. Select the White Point tool on the left side of the Properties panel.

Specifying a white point changes all the colors in the image. To set an accurate white point, select a white area in the image.

3. Click a white stripe on the girl’s dress.

1. The color tone of the image changes dramatically!

4. Click Levels in the Adjustments panel to add a Levels adjustment layer.

The Levels histogram in the Properties panel displays the range of dark and light values in the image. You’ll learn more about working with levels in Lesson 5. Right now, you just need to know that the left triangle represents the black point, the right triangle represents the white point, and the middle triangle represents the midtones.

5. Drag the left triangle (blacks) under the histogram to the right, where the blacks are more pronounced. somewhere around .15? 

6. Drag the middle triangle a little to the right to adjust the midtones. The value should be about .90.

Creating a still life using Photoshop

Assets to create a still life are located on the server in our classroom folder.  using the

images you will create a still life.

Example:

Outside Assignment:

Create your own still life in photoshop.   Format is up to you.  Can be in landscape or portrait mode. 

You must:

- use at least five sources--several of which you can obtain from the internet and (at least) two of which are "authored" by you--meaning you will use your camera, a friend's camera, or take photos using a good quality cell phone camera (6 megapixels or better is highly recommended).   

- have at least one reflective surface.  Remember using the warp, distort, or skew tools under "edit" and adjusting  opacity of these layers to create a visually convincing reflection. 

you will be turning in the still life, AND the assets (images) you used to composite your final still life.  So, begin by creating a folder with all your image assets.  Then place your finished file in this folder.

*pay attention to shadows, light contrast/values, and overall composition. Do you need to repeat objects, colors, shapes to have better unity/harmony? Is there enough variety to keep the composition interesting?  How is the relationship between positive/negative space.  Does the composition seem empty, or is it engaging? 

NOTE:  When downloading images from the internet, look for higher quality, larger pixel dimensions in the photos.    This will prevent any pixellation in your final file. Remember back to week one and two when we discussed how to use "search tools" to find higher resolution images.   See image below. 

Sample Student Work.  Note the reflective surfaces.   Which objects are real, and which have been added?