DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr.

Syed Kumail Shah

Graphics Design
Technical Board
Course Title: Graphics Design

Objectives
To give the solid information about Graphics Design as it is the basis of modern tools and
technology. The course outline has been described in detail and in appropriate way covering
different areas of Graphics Design in the field of IT. Some topics have been restructured and
added to the course outline which is needed for computer applications.

Course Theory 50 hours 2 hours per week

Duration
Practical 50 hours 1 hours per week

Assessment Approach: Total assessment based on final examination and practical

Theory 100 Marks

Practical 100 Marks

Reference Books
Any reference book that covered the related topics
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS3

Adobe Photoshop CS3 is a popular image editing software that provides a work
environment consistent with Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe
ImageReady, and other products in the Adobe Creative Suite. This tutorial is an
introduction to using Adobe Photoshop. Here you will learn how to get started, how
to use the interface, and how to modify images with basic Photoshop tools.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1: Getting Started Pg. 3

Section 2: Interface Layout Pg. 6

Section 3: Palettes Pg. 7

Section 4: Toolbox Pg. 11

Section 5: Selection Tools Pg. 13

Section 6: Alteration Tools Pg. 15

Section 7: Drawing and Selection Tools Pg. 17

Section 8: Assisting Tools Pg. 18

Section 9: Color Boxes and Modes Pg. 19

Section 10: Basic Image Editing Pg. 20

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Section 11: Cropping Pg. 21

Section 12: Resizing Pg. 25

Section 13: Correcting Pg. 29

Section 14: Sharpening/Softening Pg. 35

Section 15: Saving Pg. 37 G E T

TINGSTARTED

DCL OPENING
Begin by opening Adobe Photoshop CS3.

On a PC, click Start > Programs > Adobe > Photoshop CS3, or click on the
shortcut on the desktop.

On a Mac, click Macintosh HD > Applications > Adobe Photoshop CS3 >
Photoshop CS3 shown in Figure 1, or click the icon in the Dock.

Fig. 1. Navigation to Photoshop CS3 on a Mac

DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

DCLI SETTING UP THE DOCUMENT

Setting up your document correctly from the start will make your job much easier as
you work through your project. This will require some advanced planning. For
example, if your final output will be a brochure, you may need to set up your
document to be horizontal and double-sided.

To create a new document, click File > New. This will open the Document
Setup dialog box (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Document Setup dialog box

Here you will be able to name your file, set up the correct page size, and orientation
for your document. Options include, but are not limited to:

Page Size and Orientation

Change the page size by typing in new values for width and height. Page size
represents the final size you want after bleeds or trimming other marks outside the
page. In the Preset dropdown menu you can find such common sizes as letter, legal,
tabloid, etc. Typing in exact values for Height and Width gives you more control
over the size and orientation of your page.

Resolution
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Resolution is a number of pixels on a printed area of an image. The higher the

resolution, the more pixels there are on the page, the better is the quality of the
image. However, high resolution increases the size of the file. The standard
recommended resolution for printed images is 150 - 300, for Web images - 72.

Color Mode

Choose a color mode that will best fit your project. For example, when making a
graphic for a web site, choose RGB. When making an image for print, choose
CMYK.

Background Contents

Choose the background: white, color, or transparent.

When you have entered all of your document settings, click OK.

DCLII OPENING AN IMAGE FROM A DISK

If the image you have is saved on a disk, select File > Open, and then navigate to
the disk drive where your image is saved. Choose the image file and click Open. At
this point, you may want to save your image under a different name so that you can
always have the original to fall back on in case of a mistake. To save you r file,
select File > Save As and type in the new name of the file in the dialogue box.
Now you should be ready to go.
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

INTERFACELAYOUT

This is the layout of Adobe Photoshop interface.

Menu Bar
If you look at the top of the screen you will see the Menu bar which contains all the
main functions of Photoshop, such as File, Edit, Image, Layer, Select, Filter,
View, Window, and Help.

Tool Bar
Most of the major tools are located in the Tool bar for easy access.

The Image
The image will appear in its own window once you open a file.

Image Name
The name of any image that you open will be at the top of the image window as
shown above.
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

Palettes
Palettes contain functions that help you monitor and modify images. By default,
palettes are stacked together in groups. These are the palettes that are usually
visible: Navigator, Color, Histogram, Layer. If none of the palettes are visible,
go to Window in the Menu bar and choose palettes you need to work with.

PALETTES

Below is the description of the most commonly used palettes in Adobe Photoshop
CS3. Palettes used for more advanced image editing will be covered in the Adobe
Photoshop CS3 Tutorial - Intermediate.

DCLIII NAVIGATOR
The Navigator palette (Fig. 1) allows you to resize and move around within the
image. Drag the slider, click on the Zoom In and Zoom Out icons, or specify the
percentage to navigate in the image.

Fig. 1. Navigator palette

DCLIV COLOR, SWATCHES, STYLE

The Color palette (Fig. 2) displays the current foreground and background colors
and RGB values for these colors. You can use the sliders to change the foreground
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

and background colors in different color modes. You can also choose a color from
the spectrum of colors displayed in the color ramp at the bottom of the palette.

Fig. 2. Color palette

In the Swatches palette (Fig. 3) you can choose a foreground or background color
or add a customized color to the library.

Fig. 3. Swatches palette

The Styles palette (Fig. 4) allows you to view, select, and apply preset layer styles.
By default, a preset style replaces the current layer style. You can use the styles in
the palette or add your own using the Create New Style icon.

Figure 4. Styles palette

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DCLV HISTORY
The History palette (Fig. 5) stores and displays each action performed allowing you
jump to any recent stage of the image alteration. The alterations should be created
during the current working session; after saving or closing the document the
History palette clears all the contents. Each time you apply a change to an image,
the new state of that image is added to the palette. The History palette can store up
to 20 stages. However, you can always go back to the first stage, for example
opening the document. It is important to know that once you click on any of the
previous stages, all the changes that were made after it will be lost.

Fig. 5. History palette

DCLVI LAYERS
Layers let you organize your work into distinct levels that can be edited and viewed
as individual units. Every Photoshop CS3 document contains at least one layer.
Creating multiple layers lets you easily control how your artwork is printed,
displayed, and edited. You will use the Layers palette (Fig. 6) often while creating
a document, so it is crucial to understand what it does and how to use it.
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A) Layer Visibility - The eye shows that

the selected layer is visible. Click on or off
to see or to hide a layer.

B) Layer Locking Options - Click the

checkered square icon to lock
Transparency; click the brush icon to
lock the Image; click the arrow icon to lock
the Position; click the lock icon to lock all
options.

C) Layer Blending Mode - Defines

how the layer's pixels blend with underlying
pixels in the image. By choosing a particular
blending mode from the dropdown menu
you can create a variety of special effects.

D) Fill - By typing in a value or dragging the slider you can specify the
transparency of the
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Fig. 6. Layers Palette color of the image or object.

E) Opacity - By typing in a value or

dragging a slider you can specify the
transparency of the entire layer.

F) Layer Lock - The icon shows when the

layer is locked and disappears when it is
unlocked. Double-click the icon to unlock the
layer.

G) Layer Options Menu - Click the black

triangle to see the following options: New
Layer,
Duplicate Layer, Delete Layer, Layer
Properties, etc. Some of the options are
presented as icons at the bottom of the Layers
palette.

H) Link Layers – Can be used to link layers

together.

I) Layer Styles - If a layer has a style, an

"F" icon shows at the bottom of the Layers
palette.
Click the little black triangle to see style options.

J) Layer Mask - A grayscale image, with

parts painted in black hidden, parts painted in
white showing, and parts painted in gray shades
showing in various levels of transparency.

K) Layer Set - This option helps to organize

images with multiple layers. Click the icon to
create a folder for several layers.

L) Create New Fill or Adjustment

Layer - Have the same opacity and blending
mode options as image layers and can be
rearranged, deleted, hidden, and duplicated in the
same manner as image layers. Click the icon and
select an option to create a new fill or adjustment
layer.
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

M) Create New Layer - Click this icon to

create a new layer.

N) Delete Layer - To delete a layer, select a

layer in the Layers palette and drag it to
the trash can icon; or, select a layer and
click the icon.

TOOLBOX
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

If you used other Adobe products, such as Illustrator or InDesign, you should be
familiar with the toolbox in Photoshop CS3 as it shares some of the tools from these
applications. If you are a novice user of Adobe products, you should keep in mind
that you might not need to use all of the tools. In this tutorial, only the basic tools
will be discussed in depth.
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

Some tools in the toolbar have additional "hidden" tools. These tools have small
black triangles in the right-hand corner. To view the "hidden" tools, click and hold
down on any tool that has a black triangle in the corner (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. "Hidden" tools

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SELECTIONTOOLS

BUTTON TOOL DESCRIPTION

Marquee Selects an object by drawing a rectangle or an ellipse

around it.

Click the tool button, choose a rectangular or an elliptical

marquee. Drag the marquee over the area of the image you
wish to select.

Move Used to select and move objects on the page.

Click the tool button, then click on any object on the page
you wish to move.

Lasso Selects an object by drawing a freehand border around it.

Click the tool button, drag to draw a freehand border

around the are of the image you wish to select.

Polygonal Selects an object by drawing a straight-edge border around it.

Lasso
Click the tool button, click on the starting point on the image,
drag to draw a straight-edge border, click and drag again to
select the are of the image you wish to select. Double-click to
finish.
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Magnetic Selects an object by drawing a border that snaps to the

edges Lasso of the defined area of the object.

Click on the starting point on the image, drag around the

are of the image. The tool will make fastening points at the
edges. To finish selecting, drag the border to the starting
point and click precisely in the point.

Magic Selects all objects in a document with the same or similar fill
Wand color, stroke weight, stroke color, opacity, or blending
mode. By specifying the color range, or tolerance, you can
control what the Magic Wand tool selects.

Click the tool button, then click on the area of the image
you wish to select.

Crop Tool Selects and cuts parts of an image.

Click the tool button, then click and drag the tool over the
part of the image that you want to keep. Resize the
selected area dragging the squares at the sides and corners.
Click the RETURN key when your crop box is sized
correctly.

Slice Tool Used to cut images into slices, which can be exported to a
web page.
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DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

ALTERATIONTOOLS

BUTTON TOOL DESCRIPTION

Healing Corrects small blemishes in scanned photos.

Brush
Select the tool, hold down the ALT key and left-click
on the base color you need to heal. Then left-click
over the blemish.

Brush Tool Draws lines of different thicknesses and colors.

Select the tool. Then click on the selected area, drag to

draw lines. Use the Options bar to change the
Brush, Mode, Opacity, and Flow.

Clone Stamp Takes a sample of an image and applies over

another image, or a part of the same image.

Select the tool. Hold down the ALT key and left-click
on a certain point of the document where you want to
start your copy point. Then, put your mouse over
whatever part of the new document you want the
picture to go to. Hold down the left mouse button and
drag the mouse across the page to copy the picture.

Art History Paints over an image using the source data from a
Brush specified history state or snapshot.

Select the tool, specify the Brush, Blending Mode,

Opacity, Style, Area, and Tolerance.

Erase Tool Removes part of an existing path or stroke. You can

use the Erase tool on paths, but not on text.

Select the tool, click on the part of the image you wish
to erase. Drag to erase pixels.
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Paint Bucket Fills and entire area with a specific color of your choice.

Tool
Select the tool. Choose a foreground color in the Color

Box. Select an area you wish to apply the color to.

Click the tool button, then click on the selected area.

Gradient Tool Applies a gradient fill to a selected part of the image

or to an entire layer.

Select an area you wish to apply gradient to, click the

tool button, choose a fill in the Options bar, click on
the starting point, hold the mouse down and drag to
the end point.

Blur Tool Blurs the sharp edges of an image.

Select an area where you wish to apply the tool. Click the
tool button, choose the Brush, Mode, and Strength. Drag
the brush along the edges.

Dodge Tool Lightens areas in an image.

Select the area where you wish to apply the tool.

Choose the Brush, Range, and Exposure. Click on
the spots you wish to highlight.
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DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

DRAWINGANDSELECTIONTOOLS

BUTTON TOOL DESCRIPTION

Direct Selects paths and path segments.

Selection
Tool Select the tool, click anywhere on the path.

Type Tool Types text on a page. Every time you click the Type
Tool on a new portion of the page a new layer will be created.

Select the tool, click on the page and begin to type.

You can specify the font and size in the Options bar.
You can also resize and transform the text box by
dragging the squares at the sides and corners. Use the
Move Tool to move the text on the page.

Pen Tool Draws smooth-edged paths.

Select the tool, click on the page, drag to draw a path.

Click and drag the anchor points to modify the path.

Rectangle Draws a rectangle shape. Other shapes that are hidden in

Tool this tool are: Rounded Rectangle Tool,
Ellipse Tool, Polygon Tool, Line Tool, and Custom
Shape Tool.

Select the tool, click and drag on the page to draw a

shape. The shape will be automatically filled with the
current foreground color.
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ASSISTINGTOOLS

BUTTON TOOL DESCRIPTION

Notes Tool Serves as a comment feature. Usually used for

electronic text edits.

Select the tool, click on the spot on the page where you
wish to make a comment. Type in the text box.

Eyedropper Takes color samples from colors on the page and displays
Tool them in the Color Boxes.

Select the tool, click on the color in the image you

wish to sample. The Color Box will display this
color.

Hand Tool Allows you to move around within the image.

Select the tool, click on the spot on the page, hold the
mouse button down, drag to move in the area.

Magnifying Magnifies or reduces the display of any area in your image

Glass Tool window.

Select the tool, choose Zoom In or Zoom Out in the

Options bar, click on the area of the image you wish
to magnify or reduce.
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COLORBOXESANDMODES

BUTTON TOOL DESCRIPTION

Color Boxes The foreground color appears in the upper

color selection box and represents a color that is currently active. The
background color appears in the lower box and represents an
inactive color.

To change the foreground color, click the upper color

selection box in the toolbox.

To change the background color, click the lower color

selection box in the toolbox.

To reverse the foreground and background colors,

click the Switch Colors icon (the arrow) in the
toolbox.

To restore the default foreground and background

colors, click the Default Colors icon (the little black
and white boxes) in the toolbox.

NOTE: If you are using the Gradient Tool, the

currently selected foreground and background colors
will be the default colors of the gradient.

Modes Edit in Standard Mode and Edit in Quick Mask

Mode are used for modifying images in the unmasked or masked
area.

Standard Screen, Full Screen with Menu Bar, Full

Screen are used for viewing larger or smaller are of
the image.

Edit in ImageReady is used to transfer the file for

editing in Adobe ImageReady.
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BA S I C I M AG E E D I T I N G

Now that you know how to find your way around in the Photoshop interface and are
familiar with the most common commands, pallets, and tools, you can start doing
some basic image editing. In the next few chapters of this tutorial you will learn
how to crop, resize, correct, and sharp/blur your images.
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

CR O P P I N G

Cropping is one of the most basic editing techniques that can improve your images.
Cropping helps to bring out the most important features in your image and focus the
viewers' attention on these features. Cropping also allows you to make your image a
standard photo size.

There are several ways to crop images in Adobe Photoshop:

1. Cropping with the Crop Tool

2. Cropping to a specific size

3. Cropping with the Marquee Tool

DCLVII CROPPING WITH THE CROP TOOL

The Crop Tool allows you to make a precise selection of an image you wish to
edit. To crop with the Crop Tool, follow these steps:

1. Open the image you wish to crop (see Getting Started for detailed
instructions).

2. Select the Crop Tool from the Toolbox (see Selection Tools for location and
description).

3. Click on your image once and drag the mouse out to make a cropping border (Fig.
1).
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Fig. 1. Cropping border

4. Resize the border by dragging the squares at the sides and corners till you are
satisfied with the way your image looks.

NOTE: You can also rotate your cropping border. Move the cursor outside the
border, you will see how it turns into a double-headed arrow (Fig. 2). Drag the
arrows in the directions you wish to rotate your selection.
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Fig. 2. Rotating the cropping border

5. Once you are completely satisfied with your cropped image, press ENTER.

DCLVIII CROPPING TO A SPECIFIC SIZE

If you wish to print your digital photos or other images on standard size photo
paper, you will have to crop your images to a specific size, such as 8x10. To crop an
image to a specific size, do the following:

1. Open the image you wish to crop.

2. Select the Crop Tool from the Toolbox.

3. In the Options bar, specify the values for Width and Height (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Crop Tool Options bar

4. Click in your image and drag the cropping border. Notice that the border is
constrained - you cannot make it wider or longer than the specified values (Figure
4). For example, if you entered 8 for Width and 10 for Height, whatever size
you make the border, the area within it will fit on an 8x10 photo.
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Fig. 4. Cropping to a specific size

5. Once you are completely satisfied with your cropped image, press ENTER.

DCLIX CROPPING WITH THE MARQUEE TOOL

If you are in a hurry and need just a simple crop, you can use the Marquee Tool
and a menu command. To crop with the Marquee Tool, follow the steps below:

1. Open the image you wish to crop.

2. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the Toolbox (see Selection
Tools).

3. Click in your image and drag the mouse to draw a marquee around the area you
wish to crop (Figure 5).
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Fig. 5. Drawing a marquee

4. In the main menu, go to Image > Crop (Fig. 6). The image will be immediately
cropped.

Fig. 5. Image > Crop menu

DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

RESIZING

Resizing in Photoshop can help you print your images in standard photo sizes, resize
and preserve the high quality of digital photos, and enlarge small images to a poster
size.

DCLX RESIZING TO A SPECIFIC SIZE

To resize your image to a preset size, follow the steps below:

1. In the main menu, go to File > New.

2. In the New dialog box, click on the Preset dropdown menu. You will see
several preset sizes, such as 2x3, 4x6, 5x7, 8x10 with the preset resolution of 300
ppi (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Preset size in the New dialog box

3. Choose the size that you wish and click OK.

NOTE: All the preset sizes are in portrait orientation. If you wish to resize an image
with the landscape orientation, you need to create your own preset. To create your
own size, do the following:

1. Type in the values for Width and Height, for example 7x5.
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

2. Type in your desired resolution (150 ppi is enough for high quality printing, and
72 ppi is good for the web images).

3. Click the Save Preset button

DCLXI RESIZING DIGITAL PHOTOS

Digital photos usually have large dimensions but low resolution, 72 ppi, which
effects their quality when their size is decreased or increased. When printed, the
photos with the changed size will look pixilated. To resize the digital photos without
loosing the quality, follow these steps:

1. Open the digital photo you wish to resize.

2. In the main menu, go to View > Rulers. You will be able to see the dimension
of your photo (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Dimensions of a digital photo - 11.111 x 8.333

DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

3. In the main menu, go to Image > Image Size.

4. In the Image Size dialog box, check the Resample Image box off (Fig. 4).
Type in your desired resolution (anything between 150 and 300 ppi). The photo is
now 6.667 x 5 inches.

Fig. 4. Changing resolution.

DCLXII ENLARGING
If you want to make your digital photo into a poster size image, you can do it in the
Image Size dialog box. However, just increasing the dimensions will make the
image appear blurry and pixilated. To enlarge the image without loosing the quality,
follow these steps:

1. Open the digital image you wish to enlarge.

2. In the main menu, go to Image > Image Size.

3. In the Image Size dialog box, make sure the Resample Image box is checked
off and choose Bicubic Smoother from the dropdown box (Fig. 5).
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Fig. 5. Increasing the size by 10 percent

4. Change the Document Size measurements to Percent. Type in 110; this will
increase the size of the image by 10 percent (Fig. 5).

5. Continue enlarging by 10 percent till you are satisfied with the size.
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CORRECTING

Digital cameras tend to cause various problems, such as "red eye" or "hot spots", if
you use flash, or underexposure, if you don't. In Photoshop, you can correct these
problems, as well as adjust the overall color of your digital photo.

DCLXIII RED EYE REMOVAL

The digital camera flash is located right above the lens, which causes the "red-eye";
however, you can fix your photos easily in Photoshop. To remove the "red eye",
follow the steps below:

1. Open a photo you wish to correct.

2. Select the Zoom Tool from the Toolbox. Click and drag to draw a rectangle
around the eye (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Red eye zoomed in

3. Make sure your default Foreground and Background colors are black and
white
(Fig. 2).
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

Fig. 2. Foreground and Background colors set to black and white

4. Click on the little black triangle of the Healing Brush Tool button and select
the Red Eye Tool.

5. Click on the red and paint, holding down the mouse button. You will see how the
red will disappear (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Red eye corrected

6. Repeat the steps for the other eye.

DCLXIV HOT SPOT REMOVAL

Using a flash can also cause another problem - shiny areas on people's faces or the
flash reflection in the shiny surfaces. To correct this problem, follow the steps
below:
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1. Open the photo you wish to correct.

2. Select the Clone Stamp Tool from the Toolbox.

3. In the Options bar, change the Blend Mode from Normal to Darken (Figure
4).

Fig. 4. Setting the options for the Clone Stamp Tool

4. Set the Opacity to 50 percent.

5. Choose a soft-edged brush, set the diameter to 40 or 50 (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5. Brush settings

6. Hold down the SHIFT key and click in the clean area (without "hot spots") to get
a sample of color (Fig. 6).
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Fig. 6. Clone Stamp selection

7. Paint over the "hot spot", the light area will gradually darken (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7. Corrected image

DCLXV ADDING FLASH

If you took pictures indoors without a flash they will turn out underexposed and
dark; in Photoshop, you can make your photos lighter. To fix underexposed photos,
follow these steps:

1. Open a digital photo you wish to correct (Fig. 8).

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Fig. 8. Underexposed photo

2. In the main menu, go to Layers > Duplicate. In the Duplicate Layer dialog
box, name the layer Layer 1.

3. Make sure Layer 1 is selected in the Layers palette. In the Blending Mode
dropdown box, change the Blending Mode to Screen (Fig. 9). The whole
image will lighten.

Fig. 9. Changing the Blending Mode

4. Keep duplicating Layer 1 till you are satisfied with the quality of your image (Fig.
10).

Fig. 10. Corrected photo

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DCLXVI COLOR ADJUSTMENT

Color adjustment options in Photoshop CS3 can help you to make your digital
photos look more natural. To color correct your images, follow these steps:

1. Open the image you wish to correct.

2. In the main menu, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels. You will see a
dialog box displaying a diagram of the colors in your image (Fig. 11). The black
triangle is for shadows, the gray is for midtones, the white is for highlights. In the
Channels dropdown menu, you can choose between RGB, Red, Green, or Blue.
These indicate whether your changes effect all the colors, or just one (red, green,
or blue).

Fig. 11. Levels dialog box

3.Make sure the Preview box is checked off. Choose the channel you wish to
change and drag the triangles. Dragging the black triangle to the right will make the
shadows in your photo darker; dragging the white triangle to the left will make the
highlights in your photo lighter; dragging the gray triangle to the left will make the
midtones in your photo lighter, dragging it to the right will make the midtones
darker. You will be able to see the changes in your image (Fig. 12 a and b).
Selecting just one color channel can alter the color of your photo completely.
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Fig. 12 a. Initial image Fig. 12 b. Corrected image

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SHARPENING/SOFTENING

DCLXVII SHARPENING
If your digital photos are slightly out of focus, you can use the basic sharpening
technique to make your images look crisper. To sharpen your photo, follow the
steps below:

1. Open an image you wish to sharpen. Note that this technique can sharpen images
that are only slightly blurry.

2. Use the Zoom Tool to make sure you are viewing your image in its full size, that
is, at 100%.

3. In the main menu, go to Filter> Sharpen> Unsharp Mask. You will see the
Unsharp Mask dialog box (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Unsharp Mask dialog box

4. Enter 125 for the Amount, 1 for the Radius, and 3 for the Threshold.

5. Click OK. You will see how the image has become more in focus.
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DCLXVIII SOFTENING
Sometimes you might not want objects or people in your photos look too sharp, in
this case you can use a softening technique. To soften am image, follow these steps:

1. Open the image you wish to soften.

2. In the main menu, choose Layer > Duplicate Layer. You will have a new layer
called Background Copy.

3. In the main menu, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. In the Gaussian
Blur dialog box, type in 4.0 for Radius, or drag the slider to this position (Fig.
2).

Fig. 2. Gaussian Blur

4. Make sure the Background Copy layer is selected and change its opacity to
50% (Fig. 3). The objects or people in your image will have a soft, glowing
effect.

Fig. 3. Opacity
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

5. Select the Eraser Tool from the Toolbox, choose a soft-edged brush, and erase
over the areas in the face that are supposed to be sharp, such as eyes, eyebrows,
lips, and teeth (Fig. 4a and b).

Fig. 4a. Before

Fig. 4b. After

SAVING

Remember to save your work often. Saving frequently lessens the risk of losing the
work you have been doing. To save your Photoshop document, do the following:

1. Click File > Save.

2. Navigate to the place you would like your document to be saved by using the
dropdown menu and the navigation window.
3. Enter the name of your document in the Save As text field.
4. Choose a format to save your project in from the Format dropdown menu. (Fig.
1)
5. Click the Save button in the bottom right corner of the dialogue box.
6. Check to make sure that your document is saved in the place you intended.

NOTE: If you save your file as PSD (default Photoshop saving format) your layers
will be preserved, but the file size will be large. If you save your file as JPEG (a
common image format) your layers will be flattened and become one layer. The file
size though will be significantly smaller.
DIT Notes Graphics Design Engr. Syed Kumail Shah

Fig. 1 Saving a document