Unit 2

Photoshop is photo-editing software. It was developed in 1987 by the American brothers

Thomas and John Knoll. There are two types of graphic software – Vector Graphic and Raster
Graphic. This software provides many image editing features for raster (pixel-based) images as
well as vector graphics. In technical language, Photoshop is RASTER graphic software, which
means it is used to edit the raster graphics. In this article, we will learn how to create a new
file, opening an existing file, and saving the existing file.

Exploring file types in photoshop

Creating a new file

In Photoshop, we can create a new file using the following steps:

Step 1: Open Photoshop.
Step 2: Go to the menu bar and click on the file
Step 3: When we click on the file option a drop down menu will appear on the screen. So, in
this menu select New option.

Step 4: When we click on the New option a popup window will appear, as shown in the below
image. It will contain different options/settings for the new document, like we can set the
name, height, width of the document, etc. according to our requirements.
Step 5: After completing the setting for the new document click on the create button.

When we click on create button new file is created.

Opening an existing file

To open the existing file in Photoshop, follow the following steps:

Step 1: Go to the menu bar and click on the file
Step 2: When we click on the file option, a drop down menu will appear on the screen. So, in
this menu select Open option.

Step 3: When you click on the Open option a popup window will appear, as shown in the
below image. It will contain all the files present in the specified folder on your computer.
Step 4: Choose the desired file from the window and then click open.

Then file is opened.

Saving a file

In Photoshop, we can also save our documents in different types of file formats. Photoshop
supports 15+ file formats and some of the commonly used file formats are:
 .PSD: It stands for Photoshop Document. It is the native file format of Photoshop and
preserves layers, colors of the image, etc. You can use this format when you want to share
the document with other Photoshop users or you want to save your document in the native
format.
 .JPG or .JPEG: It stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is the most commonly
used file format. Such types of files are generally used by the photo labs to print and view
images or you can attach JPEG files with the emails. Almost every browser or software
supports this format.
 .PNG: It stands for Portable Network Graphics. It is also a commonly used file format. It
supports all color modes, 24-bit images, and transparency.
 .BMP: It stands for bitmap. this format is generally used when you want to add images to
system resources, such as wallpaper, etc.
 .GIF: It stands for CompuServe GIF. It is also a popular file format. It indexed color,
animated images, and supports the smallest file sizes.

In Photoshop, we can save files using two options:

1. Using the Save As option:
So to save a file using Save As option follows the steps:
Step 1: Go to the menu bar and click on the file
Step 2: When you click on the file option, a drop down menu will appear on the screen. So, in
this menu select Save As option.

Step 3: When we click on Save As option a pop-up window will appear like as shown in the
below image. In this window, you can change the file name, file format, location, etc.

Step 4: Now click on the Save button. Then file is saved/stored in priscribed location.

2. Using the Save option:

So, to save a file using the Save option, follow the following steps:
Step 1: Go to the menu bar and click on the file.
Step 2: When you click on the file option, a drop down menu will appear on the screen. So, in
this menu select the Save option.
When we select the save option the changes that we made in the file is saved/stored.

Creating and opening images:

Create an image
1. Choose File > New.
2. In the New dialog box, type a name for the image.
3. (Optional) Choose a document size from the Document Type menu.

4. Set the width and height by choosing a preset from the Size menu or entering values in
the Width and Height text boxes.
5. Set the Resolution, Color Mode, and bit depth. If you’ve copied a selection to the
clipboard, the image dimensions and resolution are automatically based on that image
data.
6. Select a Background Contents option:
White
Fills the background layer with white, the default background color.
Background Color
Fills the background layer with the current background color.
Transparent
Makes the first layer transparent, with no color values. The resulting document has a
single, transparent layer as its contents.
Other Opens the Color Picker dialog box to select a background color.
7. (Optional) If necessary, click the advanced button to display more options.
8. (Optional) Under Advanced, choose a color profile, or choose Don’t Color Manage This
Document. For Pixel Aspect Ratio, choose Square unless you’re using the image for
video. In that case, choose another option to use non-square pixels.
9. When you finish, you can save the settings as a preset by clicking Save Preset, or you can
click OK to open the new file.
Open a file using the Open command
1. Choose File > Open.
2. Select the name of the file you want to open. If the file does not appear, select the option
for showing all files from the Files Of Type (Windows) or Enable (Mac OS) pop-up
menu.
3. Click Open. In some cases, a dialog box appears, letting you set format-specific options.
Resize an image
1. Choose Image > Image Size.
2. Measure width and height in pixels for images you plan to use online or in inches (or
centimeters) for images to print. Keep the link icon highlighted to preserve proportions.
This automatically adjusts the height when you change the width and vice versa.
3. Select Resample to change the number of pixels in the image. This changes the image
size.
4. Click OK.

Change image resolution

1. Choose Image > Image Size. Resolution in this dialog box means the number of image
pixels that will be assigned to each inch when the image is printed.
2. Leave width and height set to inches for printing.
3. Deselect Resample to preserve the original number of image pixels.
4. In the Resolution field, set the number of pixels per inch to 300 for printing to a typical
desktop inkjet printer. This changes the number of inches in the width and height fields.
5. Click OK.

Crop and straighten an image

1. Select the Crop tool in the Tools panel. A crop border appears.
2. Drag any edge or corner to adjust the size and shape of the crop border.
3. Drag inside the crop border to position the image inside the crop border.
4. Drag outside a corner of the crop border to rotate or straighten.
5. Click the check mark in the options bar or press Enter (Windows) or Return (macOS) to
complete the crop.
Histograms:
A histogram illustrates how pixels in an image are distributed by graphing the number of pixels
at each color intensity level. The histogram shows detail in the shadows (shown in the left part of
the histogram), midtones (shown in the middle), and highlights (shown in the right part) A
histogram can helps to determine whether an image has enough detail to make a good correction.

The histogram also gives a quick picture of the tonal range of the image, or the image key type. A
low-key image has detail concentrated in the shadows. A high-key image has detail concentrated
in the highlights. And, an average-key image has detail concentrated in the midtones. An image
with full tonal range has some pixels in all areas. Identifying the tonal range helps determine
appropriate tonal corrections.

Histogram Panel view

Choose Window > Histogram or click the Histogram tab to open the Histogram panel. By
default, the Histogram panel opens in Compact View with no controls or statistics, but you can
adjust the view.

Adjust the view of the Histogram panel

Choose a view from the Histogram panel menu.
Expanded View
Displays the histogram with statistics. It also displays: controls for choosing the channel
represented by the histogram, viewing options in the Histogram panel, refreshing the histogram
to display uncached data, and choosing a specific layer in a multilayered document.
Compact View
Displays a histogram with no controls or statistics. The histogram represents the entire image.
All Channels View
Displays individual histograms of the channels in addition to all the options of the Expanded
View. The individual histograms do not include alpha channels, spot channels, or masks.

Basic color tools

In Adobe Photoshop Elements, we use two color models to manipulate color. One model is
based on the way the human eye sees color—hue, saturation, and brightness (HSB), while the
other model is based on the way computer monitors display color (in amounts of red, green, and
blue or RGB). The color wheel is another tool that helps you understand the relationships
between colors. Photoshop Elements provides four image modes that determine the number of
colors displayed in an image: RGB, bitmap, grayscale, and indexed color.

About color

The human eye perceives color in terms of three characteristics—hue, saturation, and brightness
(HSB)—whereas computer monitors display colors by generating varying amounts of red, green,
and blue (RGB) light. In Photoshop Elements, you use the HSB and RGB color models to select
and manipulate color. The color wheel can help you understand the relationships between colors.

HSB Model

Based on the human perception of color, the HSB model describes three fundamental
characteristics of color:
Hue

The color reflected from or transmitted through an object. It is measured as a location on the
standard color wheel, expressed as a degree between 0 and 360. In common use, hue is identified
by the name of the color, such as red, orange, or green.

Saturation

The strength or purity of the color. Saturation, which is sometimes called chroma, represents the
amount of gray in proportion to the hue, measured as a percentage from 0 (gray) to 100 (fully
saturated). On the standard color wheel, saturation increases from the center to the edge.

Brightness

The relative lightness or darkness of the color, usually measured as a percentage from 0 (black)
to 100 (white).

Although you can use the HSB model in Photoshop Elements to define a color in the Color
Picker dialog box, you cannot use the HSB mode to create or edit images.

RGB Model
A large percentage of the visible spectrum can be represented by mixing red, green, and blue
(RGB) light in various proportions and intensities. These three colors are called the additive
primaries. Added together, red, green, and blue light make white light. Where two colors
overlap, they create cyan, magenta, or yellow.

The additive primary colors are used for lighting, video, and monitors. Your monitor, for
example, creates color by emitting light through red, green, and blue phosphors.

Color wheel

The color wheel is a convenient way to understand and remember the relationship between
colors. Red, green, and blue are the additive primaries. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the
subtractive primaries. Directly across from each additive primary is its complement: red-cyan,
green-magenta, and blue-yellow.

Each subtractive primary is made up of two additive primaries, but not its complement. So, if
you increase the amount of a primary color in your image, you reduce the amount of its
complement. For example, yellow is composed of green and red light, but there is no blue light
in yellow. When adjusting yellow in Photoshop Elements, you change the color values in the
blue color channel. By adding blue to your image, you subtract yellow from it.