How to Work With Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a complex program that allows the user to scan and adjust photographs, work with multiple layers and apply filters to images. Photoshop is used to create raster images, which are made up of thousands of tiny squares known as pixels. When enhancing or creating images using Adobe Photoshop, there are a few basic essentials that need to be followed in order to produce a successful piece. These basics include choosing the image resolution, scanning images and color correction.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Adobe Photoshop

Instructions

Creating a Document

1. Open a new document in Photoshop by hitting Ctrl-N or going to File > New. A dialogue box will appear.

2. Type in the desired name of the document. This is optional, but it's a good reference for the user.

3. Enter the desired width and height of the document. Sizing increments include pixels, inches, centimeters, millimeters, points, picas or columns. Choose whatever increment you feel comfortable with.

4. Enter the resolution of the document. If you are printing the document, a resolution of 300 pixels per inch (ppi) is recommended. If the image will only be shown on a computer screen, refer to the computer's monitor resolution in dots per inch (dpi). Most computers are 72 dpi or 96 dpi.

5. Choose the color mode. RGB is the default color mode for Photoshop, using three color channels (red, green and blue) to translate information on the computer screen. CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) color mode is used when you want to print images. Grayscale makes the image black and white.

6. Choose the background contents. Transparent has nothing in the background and white has a white fill background.

Scanning an Image

1. Place the photograph or drawing face down onto the scanner bed. Close the top.

2. Go to File > Import and choose the name of your scanner. A scan preview box will appear.

3. Choose the resolution of the scan. The resolution should be the same as the new document you created earlier. For the best printing results, choose a resolution that is at least twice the screen frequency (resolution).

4. Hit the Preview button to view a preview of the scan.

5. Click the Scan button if you are satisfied with the preview. This will scan the photograph or drawing and open it as a new document in Photoshop.

6. Go to Select > All and hit Ctrl-A to copy the image.

7. Go into the blank document and hit Ctrl-V to paste the image onto the canvas.

8. Hit Ctrl-T to resize the image to fit the height and width of the blank document. Hold down the Shift key when adjusting size; this will keep the image in proportion. Do not increase the size more than an inch or so because this will make the image pixelated when printing.

Color Correction

1. Go to Image > Adjustments > Color Balance.

2. Adjust the color channels until the desired image color is achieved. Cyan, blue and green make the image cooler, removing red and pink tones. Red, yellow and magenta give the image warmer tones.

3. Under tones, choose whether you want to preserve the luminosity of shadows, midtones or highlights. Make sure Preserve Luminosity is checked.

Adjusting Levels

1. Go to Image > Adjustments > Levels, where you will be able to adjust the contrast of the image.

2. Move the far left tab to adjust shadows, the middle tab to adjust midtones and the far right tab to adjust the whites in the image until the desired contrast is achieved.

3. Adjust the Output Levels. By moving the far left tab closer to the right, the image will lighten. By moving the far right tab closer to the left, the image will darken.

Tips & Warnings

• Refer to the Adobe Photoshop manual for information, or visit the Adobe Web site for tutorials on how to use Tools in Photoshop.

References

• Adobe Photoshop User Guide for Beginners
• Adobe Help Resource Center: RGB Color Mode

Resources

• Adobe Help Resource Center: CMYK Color Mode