Photoshop CS5 Basics: Getting Started
Photoshop CS5 Basics: Getting Started
Photoshop CS5 Basics: Getting Started
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Getting Started
To start a new project in Photoshop, Select File >
New.... If you want to work from a scratch, adjust the
size of your canvas and choose a background color (or
You can paste an image onto your canvas with File >
Place.
The Magic Wand selects all areas of a single color. Just click on an area of color to watch it work.
The Text Tool puts text wherever you click. Choose a font, color, size, and just start typing.
The Move Tool helps you drag things around. If you have a selection, it will drag the contents of the
selection. If not, it will drag the contents of the layer you’re on.
These two tools share a button on the toolbar. To select one, click and hold.
On a new layer, click the Paint Bucket inside your selected area to fill it with the color you chose.
Click and drag from one area to another with the Gradient Tool. The point where you started to click
will be the color of your foreground color, and the point where you took your finger off the mouse
button will be the color of your background color. The area in between will gradually change from one
color to the other (like in the example to the left).
Other Tips
Saving an Image for Web Function: Choose File > Save for Web & Devices.
This saves optimized images for the web and devices. The automatic setting is to save it as a GIF file, but you
should save it as a JPEG. Then you can resize it under Percent and then Preview it on Safari.
Change Print Dimensions and Resolution of an Image:
To maintain the current ratio of image width to image height, select Constrain Proportions. This option will
change the width as you change the height, and vice versa.
Under Document Size and Resolution, enter new values for the heights and widths. You can also choose new
units if that will help you.
Scale the Print Size of an Image: Choose File > Print, and do one of the following:
To fit the image within the printable area of the selected paper, click Scale To Fit Media.
To rescale the image numerically, deselect Scale To Fit Media, then enter values for Height and Width.
To achieve the desired scale, select Bounding Box, and drag a bounding box handle in the preview area.