MODULE
OBJECTIVE
To understand the basics concepts of MS- Office and Adobe Photoshop and explain each topic in a detailed manner with specific Paths, examples and steps to create a wider understanding amongst the students.
Also, research into the given topic and come out with easier/innovative ideas of dwelling with a particular topic.
COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS
By:
Mamta Pai 42
RAM
Random Access Memory (RAM) provides space for your computer to read and write data to be accessed by the CPU (central processing unit). When people refer to a computer's memory, they usually mean its RAM.
If you add more RAM to your computer, you reduce the number of times your CPU must read data from your hard disk. This usually allows your computer to work considerably faster, as RAM is many times faster than a hard disk.
RAM is volatile, so data stored in RAM stays there only as long as your computer is running. As soon as you turn the computer off, the data stored in RAM disappears.
When you turn your computer on again, your computer's boot firmware (called BIOS on a PC) uses instructions stored semi-permanently in ROM chips to read your operating system and related files from the disk and load them back into RAM.
Note: On a PC, different parts of RAM may be more or less easily accessible to programs. For example, cache RAM is made up of very high-speed RAM chips which sit between the CPU and main RAM, storing (i.e., caching) memory accesses by the CPU. Cache RAM helps to alleviate the gap between the speed of a CPU's megahertz rating and the ability of RAM to respond and deliver data. It reduces how often the CPU must wait for data from main memory.
Difference between memory and disk storage
Memory and disk storage both refer to internal storage space in a computer.
The term memory usually means RAM (Random Access Memory). To refer to hard drive storage, the terms disk space or storage are usually used.
Typically, computers have much less memory than disk space, because RAM is much more expensive per megabyte than a hard disk. Today, a typical desktop computer might come with 512MB of RAM, and a 40 gigabyte hard disk.
Virtual memory is disk space that has been designated to act like RAM.
Computers also contain a small amount of ROM, or read-only memory, containing permanent or semi-permanent (firmware) instructions for checking hardware and starting up the computer. On a PC, this is called the BIOS.
Difference between a processor, a chip, a socket, and a core
Following are brief definitions for common terms related to supercomputers:
Cores
Recent developments in computational architecture can lead to confusion concerning what a microprocessor is. Since the advent of multi-core technology such as dual-cores and quad-cores, the term "processor" has been used to describe a logical execution unit or a physical chip. A multi-core chip may have several cores. With the advent of multi-core technology, the term "processor" has become context sensitive and is largely ambiguous when describing large multi-core systems. Essentially a core comprises a logical execution unit containing an L1 cache and functional units. Cores are able to independently execute programs or threads. Supercomputers in the TeraGrid are listed as having thousands of cores.
Chips
A chip refers to a physical integrated circuit (IC) on a computer. A chip in the context of this document refers to an execution unit that can be single- or multi-core technology.
Sockets
The socket refers to a physical connector on a computer motherboard that accepts a single physical chip. Many motherboards can have multiple sockets that can in turn accept multi-core chips.
Processes
A process is an independent program running on a computer. A process has a full stack of memory associated for its own use and does not depend on another process for execution. MPI processes are true processes because they can run on independent machines or the same machine.
Thread
A thread is essentially a process that does not have a full stack of memory associated for it. The thread is tied to a parent process and is merely an offshoot of execution. Typically thread processes must run on the same computer, but can execute simultaneously on separate cores of the same node. OpenMP parallelism uses threads for child processes.
Hyperthreading
Hyperthreading is a technology that preceded multi-core systems in which a single core would logically appear as multiple cores on the same chip. The "false cores" would gain some speed over a single core depending on the application. Most systems currently do not use hyperthreading technology, as this has been outdated by multi-core systems.
N-ways
Multi-core compute nodes can be described by the number of execution units, or cores. A computer with 8 cores would be described as an 8-way node. This machine can have 8 independent processes running simultaneously. A 32-core system would be called a 32-way node.
Processor
As explained above, a processor could describe either a single execution core or a single physical multi-core chip. The context of use will define the meaning of the term
WIRELESS LAN
A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a local area network (LAN) that doesn't rely on wired Ethernet connections. A WLAN can be either an extension to a current wired network or an alternative to it. Use of a WLAN adds flexibility to networking. A WLAN allows users to move around while keeping their computers connected, without having to depend on Ethernet cables.
WLANs have data transfer speeds ranging from 1 to 54Mbps, with some manufacturers offering proprietary 108Mbps solutions. The 802.11n standard can reach 300 to 600 Mbps.
Because the wireless signal is broadcast so everybody nearby can share it, several security precautions are necessary to ensure only authorized users can access your WLAN.
A WLAN signal can be broadcast to cover an area ranging in size from a small office to a large campus. Most commonly, a WLAN access point provides access within a radius of 65 to 300 feet.
DSL Internet service
DSL (digital subscriber line) technologies, often grouped under the term DSL, connect a computer to the Internet. DSL uses existing copper pair phone line wiring in conjunction with special hardware on the switch and user ends of the line. This special hardware allows for a continuous digital connection over the phone lines.
Since the connection is digital, DSL technology doesn't have a digital-to-analog conversion like traditional modems. It eludes voice audio spectrum frequency boundaries because it can use frequencies above the voice audio spectrum. This means you can use your phone while maintaining your Internet connection.
These different frequencies allow DSL to encode more data, and allow Internet connection speeds of up to 50 times faster than standard modems, and up to 12 times faster than an ISDN connection. Additionally, since DSL is not a bus technology, it offers more consistent bandwidth than cable modems in which multiple users share very high bandwidth media. However, distance limitations can affect the transmission rates or can be too great, rendering DSL infeasible. Also, the condition of your existing wiring can affect transmission rates.
The most commonly available DSL technology is ADSL, or asymmetric DSL. It is asymmetric in that it is designed to accommodate typical consumer Internet use, with much more data flowing toward the user (multimedia and text) than from the user (mostly keystrokes and mouse behavior). The downstream rate (receiving rate) varies from 1.5 to 9Mbps; the upstream rate (sending rate) varies from 16 to 640Kbps. These speeds depend greatly on the distance to the telephone company's central office.
Router
A router is a common piece of networking equipment that transmits information between two networks. The term is commonly used to describe home networking equipment that connects computers on a local area network (LAN) and other devices to the Internet using a single Internet connection. Some common manufacturers of home routers are Linksys, Netgear, and D-Link.
Wired routers and wireless access points
Routers used in home networking usually include an Ethernet hub for wired networking, and may also include equipment for wireless networking. Wired routers are often known as cable or DSL routers, and wireless routers are commonly known as wireless access points.
Software routers
A computer can perform the function of a router by using specialized routing software such as Internet Connection Sharing in Windows. These configurations use a computer connected to both an outside network (usually the Internet) and an internal network, with the routing software acting as a bridge between the networks.
Firewall
A firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. You can implement a firewall in either hardware or software form, or a combination of both. Firewalls prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets. All messages entering or leaving the intranet (i.e., the local network to which you are connected) must pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria.
There are several types of firewall techniques:
• Packet filtering: The system examines each packet entering or leaving the network and accepts or rejects it based on user-defined rules. Packet filtering is fairly effective and transparent to users, but it is difficult to configure. In addition, it is susceptible to IP spoofing.
• Circuit-level gateway implementation: This process applies security mechanisms when a TCP or UDP connection is established. Once the connection has been made, packets can flow between the hosts without further checking.
• Acting as a proxy server: A proxy server is a type of gateway that hides the true network address of the computer(s) connecting through it. A proxy server connects to the Internet, makes the requests for pages, connections to servers, etc., and receives the data on behalf of the computer(s) behind it. The firewalling capabilities lie in the fact that a proxy can be configured to only allow certain types of traffic (e.g., HTTP files, or web pages) through. A proxy server has the potential drawback of slowing network performance, since it has to actively analyze and manipulate traffic passing through it.
In practice, many firewalls use two or more of these techniques in concert.
A firewall is considered a first line of defense in protecting private information. It cannot be considered the only line, however, since firewalls are mostly designed to protect network traffic and connections, and therefore do not attempt to authenticate users (i.e., determine who is and who isn't allowed to use the computer the firewall is protecting, or see the traffic coming to it).
The most common of free software firewalls for Windows is the one built into Windows XP. Windows 2000 had packet filtering abilities, but it wasn't a true firewall; it was not intended to block traffic and protect the computer, but rather to classify certain packets and treat them differently. Earlier versions of Windows did not have firewalls built in at all.
Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.2 and later are also equipped with a built-in firewall.
Third-party packages exist, such as Zone Alarm, Norton Personal Firewall, Tiny, Black Ice Protection, and McAfee Personal Firewall. Many offer free versions, or at least free trials of their commercial versions.
Many home and small office broadband routers have at least rudimentary firewalling capabilities built in. These tend to be simply port/protocol filters,
Proxy Server
A proxy server, also known as a "proxy" or "application level gateway", is a computer that acts as a gateway between a local network (e.g., all the computers at one company or in one building) and a larger-scale network such as the Internet. Proxy servers provide increased performance and security. In some cases, they monitor employees' use of outside resources.
A proxy server works by intercepting connections between sender and receiver. All incoming data enters through one port and is forwarded to the rest of the network via another port. By blocking direct access between two networks, proxy servers make it much more difficult for hackers to get internal addresses and details of a private network.
Some proxy servers are a group of applications or servers that block common Internet services. For example, an HTTP proxy intercepts web access, and an SMTP proxy intercepts email. A proxy server uses a network addressing scheme to present one organization-wide IP address to the Internet. The server funnels all user requests to the Internet and returns responses to the appropriate users. In addition to restricting access from outside, this mechanism can prevent inside users from reaching specific Internet resources (e.g., certain web sites). A proxy server can also be one of the components of a firewall.
Proxies may also cache web pages. Each time an internal user requests a URL from outside, a temporary copy is stored locally. The next time an internal user requests the same URL, the proxy can serve the local copy instead of retrieving the original across the network, improving performance.
Top three things you can do to protect your computer
o Use security software
o Practice the principle of least privilege (PoLP)
o Maintain current software and updates
• Avoid threats to your computer
o Never share passwords or passphrases
o Do not click random links
o Beware unknown email and attachments
o Don't download unknown software off the Internet
o Don't propagate hoaxes or chain mail
o Log out/lock your computer
o Shut down lab/test computers
o Remove unnecessary programs
o Restrict remote access
o Frequently back up important files
o Treat sensitive data carefully
o Remove data securely
o Deploy encryption when possible
• Securing your home network
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
TOOLS
By:
Shifi varkey 201
Debishree saha 175
TOOLS
Tools in Photoshop are the most important thing as we use tools for any and every aspect of designing in Photoshop. When we open Photoshop by clicking into the icon, a box comes at the left side of the page. This is the tool box and it contains several tools which are used for designing.
The various tools include-
1) Marquee tool (Rectangular, elliptical, single row, single column marquee tool
2) Move tool
3) Lasso tool( Polygonal , Magnetic lasso tool)
4) Magic wand tool
5) Crop tool
6) Slice tool, Slice select tool
7) Healing brush tool, patch tool
8) Brush tool, Pencil tool
9) Clone stamp tool, Pattern stamp tool
10) History brush tool, Art history brush
11) Eraser tool (Background ,Magic eraser tool)
12) Gradient tool, Paint Bucket tool)
13) Blur tool
14) Sharpen tool
15) Smudge tool
16) Dodge tool
17) Burn tool
18) Sponge tool
19) Direct selection tool
20) Path selection tool
21) Horizontal type tool
22) Vertical type tool
23) Horizontal type mask tool
24) Vertical type mask tool
25) Pen tool
26) Freedom pen tool
27) Add anchor point tool
28) Delete anchor point tool
29) Convert point tool
30) Rectangle tool
31) Rounded rectangle tool
32) Ellipse tool
33) Polygon tool
34) Line tool
35) Custom shape tool
36) Notes tool
37) Eye dropper tool
38) Hand tool
39) Zoom tool
The Photoshop CS2 Default Workspace
These are the main counterparts of the Photoshop workspace:
1. Menu Bar
2. Tool options bar
3. Adobe Bridge shortcut button
4. Palette Well
5. Toolbox
6. Floating palettes
The Photoshop Menu Bar
The menu bar consists of nine menus: File, Edit, Image, Layer, Select, Filter, View, Window, and Help. Some menu commands are followed by ellipses (...). This indicates a command that is followed by a 'dialog box' where you can enter additional settings. Anytime input is needed from the user, it is presented in a dialog box. For instance, if you click File in the Menu Bar and then the New command, you will see the new document dialog box. The following syntax will be followed for instructions which involve navigating menus in Photoshop: File > New
Some menu commands are followed by a right pointing arrow. This indicates a submenu of related commands. Many commands are followed by keyboard shortcuts (incredible time savers).
The Photoshop Tool Options Bar
Below Photoshop's menu bar is the tool options bar. The Options Bar is where you would go to adjust settings for the currently active tool. This toolbar is context-sensitive, meaning that it changes according to which tool you have selected.
The options bar can be pulled away from the top of the window and moved around in the workspace, or docked to the bottom of the workspace, if you prefer. If you'd like to move the options bar, click on the small line on the far left of the toolbar and drag it to a new position. Most likely, you'll want to leave it right where it is.
Adobe Bridge Button
To the right of the palette well, is the Adobe Bridge shortcut button. This launches the Adobe Bridge, which is a separate application for visually browsing and organizing your images.
The Photoshop Toolbox
Photoshop's toolbox is the tall, narrow palette that sits along the left edge of the workspace. The toolbox contains many of the tools you will be working with in Photoshop. That makes it pretty important!
When you look at the toolbox, notice how some of the buttons have a tiny arrow in the lower right corner. This arrow indicates that other tools are hidden under that tool. To access the other tools, click and hold down on a button and the other tools will pop out. Try this now by clicking on the rectangle marquee tool and changing to the elliptical marquee tool.
Now hold your cursor over one of the buttons and you should see a tooltip appear that tells you the name of the tool and its keyboard shortcut. The rectangle and elliptical marquee tools have a shortcut of M. An easier way to switch between the different hidden tools is to use the keyboard shortcut along with the Shift key modifier. For the marquee tools, the Shift-M combination toggles between the rectangular and elliptical marquee tools. The single row marquee tools are used less often and must be selected from the toolbox flyout. Another shortcut for cycling through the hidden tools is to Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) click on the toolbox button.
About tools and the toolbox
The first time you start the application, the toolbox appears at the left side of the screen. You can move the toolbox by dragging its title bar. You can also show or hide the toolbox by choosing Window > Tools.
Some tools in the toolbox have options that appear in the context-sensitive tool options bar. These include the tools that let you use type, select, paint, draw, sample, edit, move, annotate, and view images. Other tools in the toolbox allow you to change foreground/background colors, go to Adobe Online, work in different modes, and jump between Photoshop and ImageReady applications.
You can expand some tools to show hidden tools beneath them. A small triangle at the lower right of the tool icon signals the presence of hidden tools.
You can view information about any tool by positioning the pointer over it. The name of the tool appears in a tool tip below the pointer. Some tool tips contain links leading to additional information about the tool.
TOOLBOX OVERVIEW
Indicates default tool * KeyBoard shortcuts appear in paranthesis
In the lower part of the toolbox we have the Color Well, Edit Mode Buttons, and Screen Mode Buttons.
Photoshop's color well is where the foreground and background colors are chosen and displayed.
The Color Well
Moving down in the toolbox, we come to the color well. This is where the foreground and background colors are displayed.
• The foreground color is used when you paint, fill, and stroke selections.
• The background color is used when you make gradient fills, to fill in the erased areas of an image, and when you expand the canvas.
• Foreground and background colors are also used by some special effects filters.
The small double arrow at the top right of the color well allows you to swap foreground and background colors. The tiny black and white swatch symbol to the lower left allows you to reset the colors to the default colors of black foreground and white background. Hold your cursor over those two areas to learn the keyboard shortcuts. To change a color, simply click on either the foreground or background color swatch and select a new color in the color picker.
Editing Mode Buttons: Selection Mode and Quick Mask Mode
The next two buttons on the toolbox allow you to toggle between two editing modes: selection mode and quick mask mode.
Screen Mode Buttons
Below that you have a set of three buttons that allow you to change the appearance of the workspace. Hold your cursor over each button to see what it does. Keyboard shortcut for all three is F. Hitting F repeatedly toggles between all three modes.
When in either of the full screen modes, you can toggle the menu bar on and off with the Shift-F key combination. In any screen mode you can toggle the toolbox, status bar, and palettes on and off with the Tab key. To hide only palettes and leave the toolbox visible, use Shift-Tab.
Tip: If you want to see the image you're working on with no distractions, just do: F, F, Shift-F, Tab and you'll have your image on a plain black background with no other interface elements in the way. To get back to normal, press F, then Tab.
The last button on the toolbox is for moving your document to ImageReady.
The Photoshop Palette Well
Next to the Bridge button is the palette well. This is a space where you can keep palettes that you don't use as frequently or don't want occupying your workspace. It keeps them easily accessible, but hidden from view until you need them.
In the default workspace, you should have title tabs for the Brushes, Tool Presets, and Layer Comps palettes in the palette well. You can drag other palettes to this area and they will remain hidden there until you click on the palette tab to reveal it. When you need access to one of these palettes, just click on the title tab and the full palette will expand below its tab.
Tip: If you cannot see the palette well on the options bar, you will need to adjust your screen resolution to at least 1024x768 pixels.
Photoshop's Floating Palettes
Collapsing and Expanding the Floating Palettes
When you first open Photoshop, several additional floating palettes are stacked along the right edge of your screen in 4 separate palette groups. The first group contains the Navigator, Info, and Histogram palettes. Next is the Color, Swatches, and Styles palettes. Below that are the History and Actions Palettes. Finally, you have the Layers, Channels, and Paths Palettes.
Palette groups can be moved around in the workspace by clicking on the title bar and dragging. Each palette group has a collapse and a close button in the title bar area. Try the collapse button for each of the palette groups now. You'll notice the button works as a toggle, clicking the button a second time after the palette is collapsed will expand the palette again. You may also notice that some palettes do not completely collapse when you click this button. Try collapsing the color palette and you'll see that the color ramp is still visible.
For palettes that partially collapse, you can completely collapse them by holding down the Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) key as you press the collapse button. You can also collapse a group by double clicking on any of the palette tabs. To display a collapsed palette, just click once on the palette tab if it's in the back of the group, or double click if it's in the front of the group.
Panning (Hand Tool)
You can use the Spacebar on your keyboard to temporarily switch to the hand tool at any time. To practice this:
• Open an image and drag the borders of the document window so it is smaller than the image.
• Press the Spacebar and click on the image.
• While holding the Spacebar down, move the mouse around to move the image around within the window.
Another handy shortcut is to double-click on the hand tool in the toolbox to quickly fill the available workspace with your image. This will set the magnification level to whatever size it needs to be to make the image fill the screen. Check the title bar or the status bar to see what the actual magnification level is.
While you have the hand tool active, take a look at the options bar for the hand tool. You'll notice three buttons there for Actual Pixels, Fit Screen, and Print Size.
Actual Pixels shows the image at 100% magnification.
Fit Screen scales the image to fit inside your workspace. This may make the magnification higher or lower than 100% depending on the size of the image and your screen resolution and workspace layout.
Print Size approximates the size that the image will be when printed, taking resolution into account. Since all monitors vary, this should only be considered an approximation. Well learn more about resolution later.
Zooming (Zoom Tool)
Now select the Zoom tool in the toolbox. Notice the same three "fit" buttons in the options bar, just like the hand tool. If you want the document window to resize as you zoom in and out, check the "Resize Windows to Fit" box on the options bar.
When the zoom tool is selected, the cursor becomes a magnifying glass with a plus sign. The plus sign indicates that you're all set to zoom in. All you need to do is click to increase magnification. If you want to zoom in on a specific are of the image click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to magnify. This will enlarge the selected area to fill the workspace. To return to 100% magnification, use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl-Alt-0 (Win) or Cmd-Option-0 (Mac). To zoom in without switching to the zoom tool, use Ctrl-+ (plus sign) on Windows or Command-+ (plus sign) on Macintosh.
To switch to zoom out mode, you can click the zoom out button on the options bar. However, it is much easier to use the keyboard shortcuts. When you hold down the Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) key, the zoom cursor will change to a minus sign in the magnifying glass, and you can click to zoom out. To zoom out without switching to the zoom tool, use Ctrl-- (minus sign) on Windows or Cmd -- (minus sign) on Macintosh.
Reviewing each of the zoom tool options:
No modifier key = click to zoom in; click and drag to zoom into a specific area
Double click zoom tool button = zoom to 100% magnification
Ctrl-Alt-0 (Win) / Cmd-Option-0 (Mac) = zoom to 100% magnification
Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) = click to zoom out
Here are a few more zoom shortcuts we have not yet covered:
Ctrl-0 (Win) / Cmd-0 (Mac) = zoom to fit the screen
Ctrl (Win) / Cmd (Mac) = temporarily toggles to the move tool
Quick Review of the keyboard shortcuts and commands above:
Zoom shortcuts:
• No modifier key = click to zoom in; click and drag to zoom into a specific area
• Ctrl-+ (plus sign) (Win) / Cmd-+ (plus sign) (Mac) = zoom in
• Double click the Zoom tool = zoom to 100% magnification
• Ctrl-Alt-0 (Win) / Cmd-Option-0 (Mac) = zoom to 100% magnification
• Double click the Hand tool = zoom to fit the screen
• Ctrl-0 (Win) / Cmd-0 (Mac) = zoom to fit the screen
• Alt (Win) /Option with zoom tool = click to zoom out
• Ctrl-- (minus sign) (Win)/ Cmd-- (minus sign) (Mac) = zoom out
• Type any number into the status bar magnification level display.
Opening a File:
• File > Open
• Ctrl-O (Win) / Cmd-O (Mac)
• Double click the application background (Windows Only)
Screen Mode and Display:
• F = toggles screen modes
• Shift-F = Turns menu bar on and off in full screen modes
• Tab = toggles the toolbox, status bar, and palettes on and off
• Shift-Tab = toggle only the palettes on and off
Other Shortcuts:
• D = resets the foreground color to black and background color to white.
• X = swap foreground and background colors.
• M = marquee tool
• Shift-M = toggle rectangular and elliptical marquee tools
Selection tools gallery
Tools marked with an asterisk are available in Photoshop only.
Crop and slice tools gallery
Retouching tools gallery
Painting tools gallery
Drawing and type tools gallery
Annotation, measuring, and navigation tools gallery
To use a tool
Do one of the following:
Click a tool in the toolbox. If there is a small triangle at a tool’s lower right corner, hold down the mouse button to view the hidden tools. Then click the tool you want to select.
Press the tool’s keyboard shortcut. The keyboard shortcut is displayed in its tool tip. For example, you can select the Move tool by pressing the V key.
Using the selecting tools
A. Toolbox B. Active tool C. Hidden tools D. Tool name E. Tool shortcut F. Hidden tool triangle
Note: In ImageReady, click the downward-pointing triangle at the bottom of the hidden tools list to tear off a floating tool palette. Click the button at the top right (Windows) or top left (Mac OS) of the floating tool palette to close it.
To cycle through hidden tools
You can select a preference that allows you to cycle through a set of hidden tools by holding down the Shift key. When this preference is not selected, you can cycle through a set of hidden tools by pressing the shortcut key (without holding down Shift).
Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > General (Mac OS).
Select Use Shift Key For Tool Switch.
To display or hide tool tips
Do one of the following:
(Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences > General.
(Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > Preferences > General or choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.
Select or deselect Show Tool Tips.
Note: Tool tips may not be available in some dialog boxes.
About tool pointers
In most cases, the pointer for a tool is the same as the icon for that tool; you see that pointer when you select the tool. The default pointer for the marquee tools is the cross-hair pointer ; for the text tool, the default pointer is the I-beam ; and for the painting tools the default pointer is the Brush Size icon.
Each default pointer has a different hotspot, where an effect or action in the image begins. With most tools, you can switch to precise cursors, which appear as cross hairs centered around the hotspot.
To change tool pointers
1. Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Choose Edit > Preferences > Display & Cursors (Windows) or choose Photoshop > Preferences > Display & Cursors (Mac OS).
• (ImageReady) Choose Edit > Preferences > Cursors (Windows) or choose ImageReady > Preferences > Cursors (Mac OS).
2. Choose a tool pointer setting under Painting Cursors and/or Other Cursors:
Standard Displays pointers as tool icons.
Precise Displays pointers as cross hairs.
Brush Size (painting cursors only) Displays the painting tool cursors as brush shapes representing the size of the current brush. Brush Size cursors may not appear for very large brushes.
3. (Photoshop) Select Brush Cursor options if you selected Brush Size as the tool pointer setting:
Normal The pointer outline corresponds to approximately 50% of the area that the tool will affect. This option shows the pixels that would be most visibly affected.
Full Size The pointer outline corresponds to nearly 100% of the area that the tool will affect, or nearly all the pixels that would be affected.
Always Show Crosshair Displays cross hairs in the center of the brush shape.
4. Click OK.
The Painting Cursors options control the pointers for the following tools:
• (Photoshop) Eraser, Pencil, Paintbrush, Healing Brush, Rubber Stamp, Pattern Stamp, Smudge, Blur, Sharpen, Dodge, Burn, and Sponge tools
• (ImageReady) Paintbrush, Pencil, and Eraser tools
The Other Cursors options control the pointers for the following tools:
• (Photoshop) Marquee, Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magic Wand, Crop, Slice, Patch, Eyedropper, Pen, Gradient, Line, Paint Bucket, Magnetic Lasso, Magnetic Pen, Freeform Pen, Measure, and Color Sampler tools
• (ImageReady) Marquee, Lasso, Magic Wand, Eyedropper, Paint Bucket, and Slice tools
To toggle between standard and precise cursors in some tool pointers, press Caps Lock.
Using the options bar
The options bar appears below the menu bar at the top of the work area. The options bar is context sensitive—it changes as you select different tools. Some settings in the options bar (such as painting modes and opacity) are common to several tools, and some (such as the Auto Erase setting for the Pencil tool) are specific to one tool.
You can move the options bar in the work area by using the gripper bar, and you can dock it at the top or bottom of the screen. Tool tips appear when you position the pointer over a tool. To show or hide the options bar, choose Window > Options.
(Photoshop) To return tools to their default settings, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the tool icon in the options bar, and then choose Reset Tool or Reset All Tools from the context menu.
(ImageReady) To return tools to their default settings, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows), or choose ImageReady > Preferences > General (Mac OS) and then click Reset All Tools.
Using tool presets
Tool presets let you save and reuse tool settings. You can load, edit, and create libraries of tool presets using the Tool Preset picker in the options bar, the Tool Presets palette, and the Preset Manager.
To choose a tool preset, click the Tool Preset picker in the options bar, and select a preset from the pop‑up palette. You can also choose Window > Tool Presets and select a preset in the Tools Presets palette.
A. Click the Tool Preset picker in the options bar to show the Tool Preset pop‑up palette.
B. Select a preset to change the tool’s options to the preset, which applies each time you select the tool until you choose Reset Tool from the palette menu.
C. Deselect to show all tool presets; select to show presets for only the tool selected in the toolbox.
To create a tool preset
1. Choose a tool, and set the options you want to save as a tool preset in the options bar.
2. Do one of the following:
• Click the Tool Preset button next to the tool at the left of the options bar.
• Choose Window > Tool Presets to display the Tool Presets palette.
3. Do one of the following:
• Click the Create New Tool Preset button .
• Choose New Tool Preset from the palette menu.
•
4. Enter a name for the tool preset, and click OK.
To change the list of tool presets
Click the triangle to open the Tool Presets pop‑up palette menu and choose one of the following:
Show All Tool Presets Shows all loaded presets.
Sort By Tool Sorts the presets by tool.
Show Current Tool Presets Shows only the loaded presets for the active tool. You can also select the Current Tool Only option in the Tool Presets pop‑up palette.
Text Only, Small Text, or Large Text Determines how presets are displayed in the pop‑up palette.
To change the screen mode
You can use the screen mode options to view your images on your entire screen. You can show or hide the menu bar, title bar, and scroll bars. You can choose from the following:
• The Standard screen mode is the default view, with menu bars, scroll bars, and other screen elements visible.
• Full Screen With Menu Bar view enlarges your view of an image but keeps the menu bar visible.
• (Photoshop) Full Screen mode lets you move the image around the screen to view different areas.
Do one of the following:
• To display the default window, with the menu bar at the top and scroll bars on the side, choose View > Screen Mode > Standard, or click the Standard button in the toolbox.
• To display a full-screen window with a menu bar and a 50% gray background, but no title bar or scroll bars, choose View > Screen Mode > Full Screen With Menu Bar, or click the Full Screen With Menu Bar button in the toolbox.
• To display a full-screen window with only a black background (no title bar, menu bar, or scroll bars), choose View > Screen Mode > Full Screen, or click the Full Screen button in the toolbox.
Measure tool
The Measure tool helps you position images or elements precisely. The Measure tool calculates the distance between any two points in the work area. When you measure from one point to another, a nonprinting line is drawn, and the options bar and Info palette show the following information:
• The starting location (X and Y)
• The horizontal (W) and vertical (H) distances traveled from the x and y axes
• The angle measured relative to the axis (A)
• The total distance traveled (D1)
• The two distances traveled (D1 and D2), when you use a protractor
• All measurements except the angle are calculated in the unit of measure currently set in the Units & Rulers preference dialog box.
• If your document has an existing measuring line, selecting the Measure tool causes it to be displayed.
To measure between two points
1. Select the Measure tool .
2. Drag from the starting point to the ending point. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to 45° increments.
3. To create a protractor from an existing measuring line, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) at an angle from one end of the measuring line, or double-click the line and drag. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45°.
To edit a measuring line or protractor
1. Select the Measure tool .
2. Do one of the following:
• To resize the line, drag one end of an existing measuring line.
• To move the line, place the pointer on the line away from either endpoint, and drag the line.
• To remove the line, place the pointer on the line away from either endpoint, and drag the line out of the image.
Note: You can drag out a measure line on an image feature that should be horizontal or vertical, and then choose Image > Rotate Canvas > Arbitrary. The correct angle of rotation required to straighten the image is automatically entered into the Rotate Canvas dialog box.
LAYERS
By
Rahul Kumar 212
Dipika Bengani 106
LAYERS
A layer is simply one image stacked on top of another. Imagine I have a piece of paper and I paint it red. Then I take a piece of clear cellophane and paint a yellow circle, and lay it over the paper. Now I take another piece of cellophane and paint some blue type and lay that on top of the yellow circle. I now have a background (red) and 2 layers (yellow and blue.) Just like in the above picture
The Layer Window
Normal Layer: Where your image layer is stored
Layer Effects (Styles): Special effects applied to your image layer. Noted by the little f. Each effect will be listed. Here only the drop shadow is used, multiple effects may be used at once.
Type Layer: The same as an image layer, except this layer contains type that can be edited; (Change character, color, font or size)
Background: Always locked, cannot be moved or have layer effects applied to it. The little icon of the padlock on the right, indicates it is locked. Can be changed into a regular layer by simply double clicking on the thumbnail.
Thumbnail: A small picture of the layers contents.
Show/Hide Icon: If the eye is showing that layer is visible. Click on the eye and the layer will still be there but invisible until you click on the eye again.
Layer Features
Blending mode: Changes the way the layers interact with each other. Experiment with the different modes.
Layer opacity: Adjusts how transparent each layer is. 0 is completely transparent, 100 is completely opaque.
Lock all: If the box is checked the layer is totally protected from any editing.
Lock Position: You can make any changes except for moving the image.
Lock Image pixels: You cannot draw on this layer if checked.
Lock transparent: You can paint on this layer but not where it is transparent.
Delete: Will delete an entire layer. Either Drag the thumbnail to the icon or select the layer* and click on the trash can (delete icon).
*Selected layer highlighted -Type layer is currently selected
New Layer: Click to add a new blank layer. Or drag an existing layer thumbnail to create a duplicate.
New Adjustment layer: Allows non-destructive adjustment of colors to a layer. (Can be undone anytime, even after closing document)
Create a new set: Allows you to organize your layers into folders. This new feature was on my wish list.
Layer mask: Allows you to paint away parts of your layer without damaging your original image.
Layer styles: Special effects for your layers. Beefed up version of the old layer effects. (Allows you to do cool things with no effort)
What are layer styles? Layer styles are special effects that can be applied to an entire layer overall. Layer styles include a variety of lighting effects, textures and overlays. To give you a better idea of what a style is, here is an original graphic, and then the same graphic with some various styles applied:
Original Graphic
(note that the computer
and grey background are
two different layers)
Outer Shadow
Inner Shadow
Inner Bevel
Pillow Emboss
Outer Glow
Inner Glow
Stroke
Color Overlay
How do I use layer styles?
To see the layer styles available to you, either pull down the Layer menu and select Layer Style, or click the small button located at the bottom of the Layers palette. In either case, you will be presented with a menu. Selecting a style will apply it to whichever layer is currently selected.
After you have made your selection, the Layer Style dialog box will appear:
This dialog lets you modify specific settings, or characteristics, for the selected style. The options available in the dialog box vary depending up on which style was chosen.
Once the Layer Style dialog box is open, you can add additional styles to the same layer by checking them on the left.
To make changes to the default settings for a style, click the style name on the left and the settings for that style will appear on the right. You can then make modifications as you wish. Click OK when you are finished.
Looking at the Layers palette, you can now see that the selected styles appear attached to the layer they affect:
If you want to make changes to the style later, just double click its name in the Layers palette and the Layers Style dialog box will appear.
Tip: Remember that layer styles affect an entire layer. If you have a part of an image that you want to set off from the rest by using a layer style, you must separate that part and put it on its own layer. Here’s what happens when we apply a drop shadow and inner bevel to a “flat” image, and to an image on a separate layer:
computer and background
on one layer
computer on
separate layer
Some examples
Click on a style to the left to see the options available for each style, and to see an example of the selected layer style when applied to a text layer.
The final example below shows how you can combine layer styles on a single layer to create a unique effect. The text layer below has the Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Stroke, and Bevel and Emboss styles applied:
It is impossible to describe all of the different features and combinations of layer styles. At this point you should practice applying some yourself! Don’t forget to try some of the special settings for each style. Experimenting is the best way to begin to really understand the possibilities of layer styles.
EXAMPLE
It will be easy to explain it with the help of an eample. The following image shows a Photoshop document containing two layers, a background layer and a text layer:
Each layer can be manipulated, drawn on, and moved around independently of any other layer. Imagine that each layer is actually a physical sheet of clear plastic, with the graphic imprinted on the plastic:
Creating a layered document
Layers are controlled through the Layers palette in Photoshop. In this palette, we can see each layer along with a thumbnail showing the contents of the layer.
At the bottom of the palette we'll see a little "New" icon. Click on this icon to add a layer to our document:
We can now draw on our new layer, and it will not affect the layers below it, just as if it was a separate sheet of plastic on top of the image.
Before working on a layer, make sure we click on the layer we want to work with in the Layers palette first, so that it becomes active. The currently active layer is shown highlighted in blue above (Layer 1).
Naming layers
"Layer 1" isn't a very memorable name, but luckily you can change the name of your new layer easily! Double-click on the Layer 1 layer in the Layers palette and you will see the Layer Options dialog appear. You can then enter a new name for your layer in the "Name:" box, and click OK to rename the layer.
Moving layers around
Just like a real sheet of plastic, you can "slide"our layer around on the page. To do this, select the Move tool (the arrow with the crosshair next to it, at the top of the Tools palette), or press the V key. Select the layer you want to work with in the Layers palette (e.g. the "Stonehenge" layer in our example), then we can move the layer around by clicking with the mouse in the document window and dragging:
A nice shortcut is to just hold down the Control key and drag to move your layer around. This has the advantage that we don't have to switch to the Move tool and back again - the current tool remains active while you move the layer.
We can also move layers above or below other layers in the document. To do this, click on the layer in the Layers palette and drag it so that it's where you want it to be:
Another quick shortcut here is to use the Control + [ key and Control + ] key to move the current layer down and up respectively.
Showing and hiding layers
Often it's useful to be able to hide a layer so we can work on the layers underneath it, or hide all other layers so we can concentrate on the current layer. We can do all this using the little "eye" icons next to each layer in the Layers palette:
To hide a layer, click once on the eye icon. The eye will disappear and the layer will become invisible.
To show the layer again, click again on the eye icon. The layer will reappear.
To hide all layers except one, Alt+click on the eye icon for the layer you want to keep. Alt+click on the eye again to reveal all the layers.
Copying layers
We’ll often want to duplicate an existing layer so that we can work on a copy of it. To make a copy of a layer, either drag the layer in the Layers palette to the New icon at the bottom of the palette, or select the layer and then select Layer > Duplicate Layer (this method allows us to name the new layer too!).
Deleting layers
If we get carried away with our layers(!) and we want to delete one, find the layer in the Layers palette and drag it down to the little trash can icon. Or select Delete Layer from the Layer menu.
Preserving layer transparency
Often, not every part of a layer will be covered with graphics. For example, with our Stonehenge example, the text layer only has pixels for the word "Stonehenge" at the bottom; the rest of the layer is empty. These empty pixels are transparent.
If we check the Preserve Transparency box in the Layers palette, all the transparent pixels in the currently selected layer will remain transparent, even if you try to paint over them or fill them.
This is often very useful, as it allows you to work with just the stuff in the layer, rather than the whole layer. For example, here we've drawn a black like with the Paintbrush tool right through the word "Stonehenge", both with and without Preserve Transparency checked:
Without Preserve Transparency checked
With Preserve Transparency checked
Changing the opacity of layers
We can change how opaque a layer is, in other words, how much of the underlying image shows through the layer, with the Opacity option in the Layers palette:
We can enter a value by clicking on the number in the box and entering a new number, or by clicking on the arrow next to the number and then dragging the slider that pops up. You can also use the keyboard number keys 1, 2, 3, etc to quickly enter values of 10%, 20%, 30% etc, but this only works if you're using a tool that doesn't have an opacity option (for example the Marquee tool).
This option allows you to blend layers together subtly, with the topmost layers being slightly transparent, allowing the bottom layers to show through. For example:
Stonehenge layer with 60% opacity
Blending options
If we click the Normal drop-down box in the Layers palette, we will see a long list of blending modes that we can choose for the current layer.
The best way to understand these modes is just to play around with them and see what they do! Some of them, such as Overlay and Soft Light, are good for creating realistic light effects, while others such as Difference and Exclusion produce some quite wacky effects!
Layer Menu
Key Action
CTRL + SHIFT + N New > Layer
CTRL + J New > Layer Via Copy
CTRL + SHIFT + J New > Layer Via Cut
CTRL + G Group with Previous
CTRL + SHIFT + G Ungroup
CTRL + SHIFT + ] Arrange > Bring to Front
CTRL + ] Arrange > Bring Forward
CTRL + [ Arrange > Send Backward
CTRL + SHIFT + [ Arrange > Send to Back
CTRL + E Merge Down
CTRL + SHIFT + E Merge Visible
SELECTIONS
By:
Shilpa Yalamanchili 140
Nitin Karnekar 187
SELECTIONS
Selection is nothing but selecting a particular area from the large available area or we can define selection in other words as an isolation of area from available large area. The area selected is then can be edited.
Now there are different types of tools available for selection on the basis of Pixel form or Vector form. To select pixels, we can use the marquee tools or the lasso tools from the select menu.
To select vector data, we can use the pen or shape tools, which produce precise outlines called paths.
Basically there are 17 selection tools in all in Photoshop. The tools can be named/ divided as follows:
i. Marquee Tools:
a. Rectangular Marquee Tool
b. Elliptical Marquee Tool
c. Side Row
d. Side Column Marquee Tool
ii. Lasso Tools
e. Lasso Tool
f. Polygon Lasso Tool
g. Magnetic Lasso Tool
iii. Magic Wand Tool
iv. Slice Tool
v. Path Selection Tool
vi. Direct Selection Tool
vii. Corp Tool
viii. Patch Tool
Use of Some Selection Tools:
These tools are used in various forms such as Vector form or Pixels Form. The Tools mentioned above are the selections tools used in Photoshop, using which we can use any kind of selections and can be edited the way we want.
a. Rectangle Marquee Tool: Short key: M
This tool is used to select any area in rectangular or square form. The method is to left click on the image and then drag it to the required selection. Pressing Shift and then dragging simultaneously will allow us to select the area in the Square form.
b. Elliptical Marquee Tool: Short key: M
It is also used in the same manner as the Rectangular Marquee Tool.
c. Side Row Tool:
It defines or selects the border as a 1-pixel-wide row.
d. Side Column Tool:
It defines the border as a 1-pixel-widecolumn.
e. Lasso Tool: Short key: L
• Drag to draw a freehand selection border.
• To draw a straight-edged selection border, hold down Alt (Windows) and click where segments should begin and end. You can switch between drawing freehand and straight-edged segments.
• To erase recently drawn segments, hold down the Delete key until you’ve erased the fastening points for the desired segment.
• To close the selection border, release the mouse without holding down Alt (Windows).
f. Polygon Lasso Tool: Short key: L
• To draw a straight segment, position the pointer where you want the first straight segment to end, and click. Continue clicking to set endpoints for subsequent segments.
• To draw straight lines in 45° segments, hold down Shift as you move to click the next segment.
• To draw a freehand segment, hold down Alt (Windows) and drag. When you finish, release Alt or Option and the mouse button.
• To erase recently drawn straight segments, press the Delete key.
g. Magnetic Lasso Tool: Short key: L
• Select the Magnetic Lasso tool and, if necessary, set options in the options bar.
• Click in the image to set the first fastening point. Fastening points anchor the selection border in place.
• To draw a freehand segment, either release or keep the mouse button depressed, and then move the pointer along the edge you want to trace.
• If the border doesn’t snap to the desired edge, click once to add a fastening point manually. Continue to trace the edge, and add fastening points as needed.
h. Magic Wand Tool: Short key: W
• Select the Magic Wand tool.
• Specify one of the selection options in the options bar. The Magic Wand tool’s pointer changes depending on which option is selected.
• In the options bar, specify any of the following:
Tolerance determines the similarity or difference of the pixels selected. Enter a value in pixels, ranging from 0 to 255. A low value selects the few colors very similar to the pixel you click. A higher value selects a broader range of colors.
Anti-aliased defines a smooth edge.
Contiguous selects only adjacent areas using the same colors. Otherwise, all pixels in the entire image using the same colors are selected.
Sample All Layers Selects colors using data from all the visible layers. Otherwise, the Magic Wand tool selects colors from the active layer only.
• In the image, click the color you want to select. If Contiguous is selected, all adjacent pixels within the tolerance range are selected. Otherwise, all pixels in the tolerance range are selected.
i. Slice Tool: Short key: K
It works same as the rectangular tool.
j. Path Selection Tool: Short key: A
k. Direct Selection Tool: Short key: A
l. Corp Tool: Short key: C
Corp tool is basically used to select the particular area you want and then it deletes the unwanted region of that image. It basically works in rectangular form.
Brush:
The brush is a form of a user define image which is then saved in the form of brush and then the same image once saved is used as a regular brush. Now, the brush that we draw is to be filled with black colour before saving. The reason behind using the black colour is that the value of black colour with compared to RGB format is 0,0,0. So when we used the brush, after saving and reloading, we can feel in any colour and the colour is appeared as original.
If we don’t feel the black colour and feel any other colour except black and saved, then the colour we choose for brushing will give different colour from original colour. The reason behind this is that the colour except black doesn’t have value as 0,0,0. So when we feel any colour, the value of that colour mixes with the saved brush colour and thus colour appears to be different.
For example, if the original colour is black, i.e., value is 0, 0, 0. And suppose we feel red colour with value say 246, 74, 28. So what we will get after feel the red colour is the same value i.e., 246, 74, 28. So it will appear as the original red that we wanted.
The procedure to create a brush is as followed:-
i. Take new file short key: Ctrl+N
ii. Take new layer (optional) short key: Ctrl+Shift+N
iii. Draw any figure
iv. Feel Black colour short key: Alt+Backspace
v. Deselect the figure short key: Ctrl+D
vi. Go to Edit and select Define Brush Preset
vii. Enter the Brush name and click OK
Now your Brush is saved. So to use your brush follow the following instructions:
i. Take new file.
ii. Take new layer
iii. Select brush from the Tools pallet short key: B
iv. Go to the brush option on the top right of the window
Select the brush from the brush pallet. Yoursaved brush
Will appear at the bottom of the list.
v. Now select your saved brush and paint it on the new file.
vi. Change the colour of your brush by selecting different
Colours from the colour tool and again paint.
We can also increase the brush size by increasing the size from the brush tool window appearing on the right hand top of the window.
Patterns:
A pattern is again the user defined patter which can be modified as the user want. The patter is generally made from any image. Patter is the ready made available templates which are used to draw different kinds of design called pattern.
The procedure to draw or make pattern is as follows:
i. Go to file and open any image short key: Ctrl+O
ii. Now zoom in the image as per the requirement short key: Ctrl+Spacebar
iii. Draw a Perfect Square* on the selected area
Using rectangular Marque tool short key: M
iv. Now go to edit and select define Pattern
v. Enter the name you want and click OK.
To use your pattern, follow the following instructions:
i. Take new file short key: Ctrl+N
ii. Take new layer(optional) short key: Ctrl+Shift+N
iii. Now select the Patten Stamp tool from the
Tool pallet short key: S
iv. You will see a pattern window appearing on
Top of the main window and select your pattern.
Again the pattern will appear at the last.
v. Select your defined pattern and the draw your pattern.
We can also increase the pattern tool size by increasing the size from the pattern tool window appearing on the right hand top of the window.
Feathering
• Feathering a selection is somewhat similar to smoothing.
• It doesn’t straighten the selection border but blurs it.
• With feathering, we will get a smooth transition between selected and non selected areas. The transition gradually blends the edges of the selection.
• This smoothing can cause some loss of detail at the edge of the selection.
We can define a feathered edge for selections we make with the lasso tool, polygon lasso tool or marquee tool, or we can add feathering to the edges of an existing selection using Select>Feather.
Below, the first sphere has no feathering, the second one has a 2 pixel feather and the third one below has a 15 pixel feather applied to it.
Anti-aliasing
• Anti-aliasing allows us to produce smooth edged type by partially filling the opacity of the edge pixels.
• It is the process of blurring sharp edges in pictures to get rid of the jagged edges on lines.
• The effect causes the edges of the type to blend into the background.
To use anti-aliasing, select the lasso, polygonal lasso, magnetic lasso, rounded rectangle marquee, elliptical marquee, or magic wand tool. Then select Anti-aliased in the options bar.
To define a feathered edge for a selection tool:
Select any of the lasso or marquee tools. Enter a feather value in the options bar. This value defines the width of the feathered edge and can range from 1 to 250 pixels.
To define a feathered edge for an existing selection:
Choose select>feather. Enter a value for the feather radius and click ok.
To save a selection:
Choose select>Save selection.
To load a saved selection:
Choose Select>Load selection, and then enter the options in the Load Selection dialog window. Click ok to load selection.
To load a saved selection:
Choose Select>Load selection, and then choose an option from the submenu.
Selection menu:
In addition to the selection tools, there’s also a select menu.
Select All (Ctrl+A): Select All does exactly what the name implies — it makes a selection of all the pixels in your image on the active layer (or in an active layer mask).
Deselect (Ctrl+D): Use the Deselect command to make sure that no pixels are selected.
Reselect (Ctrl+Shift+D): This is a great little command for those times when you’re making a complex selection, and a little slip accidentally deselects. Just use Reselect to restore the most recent selection.
Inverse (Ctrl+Shift+I): The Inverse command reverses the selection. What was selected is eselected, and what wasn’t selected becomes selected.
Color range : The color range command selects a specified color or color subset within an existing selection or an entire image. If we want to replace a selection, be sure to deselect everything before applying this command. To refine an existing selection, use the color range command repeatedly to select a subset of colors. For example, to select the green areas in a cyan selection, select cyans in the color range box, and then click ok. Then reopen the color range dialog box, and select greens
MASKING
By:
Bhargavi Swami 52
Sridutta B. 146
Masking layers
You can add a mask to a layer and use the mask to hide portions of the layer and reveal the layers below. Masking layers is a valuable compositing technique for combining multiple photos into a single image or for making local color and tonal corrections.
About layer and vector masks
You can use masks to hide portions of a layer and reveal portions of the layers below. You can create two types of masks:
• Layer masks are resolution-dependent bitmap images that are edited with the painting or selection tools.
• Vector masks are resolution independent and are created with a pen or shape tool.
Layer and vector masks are non-destructive, which means you can go back and re‑edit the masks later without losing the pixels they hide.
In the Layers palette, both the layer and vector masks appear as an additional thumbnail to the right of the layer thumbnail. For the layer mask, this thumbnail represents the grayscale channel that is created when you add the layer mask. The vector mask thumbnail represents a path that clips out the contents of the layer.
Note: To create a layer or vector mask on the Background layer, first convert it to a regular layer (Layer > New > Layer from Background).
You can edit a layer mask to add or subtract from the masked region. A layer mask is a grayscale image, so areas you paint in black are hidden, areas you paint in white are visible, and areas you paint in shades of gray appear in various levels of transparency.
A vector mask creates a sharp-edged shape on a layer and is useful anytime you want to add a design element with clean, defined edges. After you create a layer with a vector mask, you can apply one or more layer styles to it, edit them if needed, and instantly have a usable button, panel, or other web-design element.
Add layer masks
When you add a layer mask, you need to decide if you want to hide or show all of the layer. Later, you’ll paint on the mask to hide portions of that layer and reveal the layers beneath. Or, you can create a layer mask that automatically hides a portion of the layer by making a selection before creating the mask.
Add a mask that shows or hides the entire layer
1. Make sure that no part of your image is selected. Choose Select > Deselect.
2. In the Layers palette, select the layer or group.
3. Do one of the following:
a) To create a mask that reveals the entire layer, click the New Layer Mask button in the Layers palette, or choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All.
b) To create a mask that hides the entire layer, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the New Layer Mask button, or choose Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All.
Add a layer mask that hides part of a layer
In the Layers palette, select the layer or group.
1. Select the area in the image, and do one of the following:
2. Click the New Layer Mask button in the Layers palette to create a mask that reveals the selection.
3. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the New Layer Mask button to create a mask that hides the selection.
Choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection or Hide Selection.
Apply a layer mask from another layer
Do one of the following:
To move the mask to another layer, drag the mask to the other layer.
To duplicate the mask, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the mask to other layer.
Edit a layer mask
1. Click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette to make it active. A border appears around the mask thumbnail.
2. Select any of the editing or painting tools.
Note: The foreground and background colors assume default grayscale values when the mask is active.
3. Do one of the following:
• To subtract from the mask and reveal the layer, paint the mask with white.
• To make the layer partially visible, paint the mask with gray. Darker grays make the level more transparent, lighter grays make it more opaque.
• To add to the mask and hide the layer or group, paint the mask with black. The layers below become visible.
To edit the layer instead of the layer mask, select it by clicking its thumbnail in the Layers palette. A border appears around the layer thumbnail.
To paste a copied selection into a layer mask, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette to select and display the mask channel. Choose Edit > Paste, then Select > Deselect. The selection is converted to grayscale and added to the mask. Click the layer thumbnail in the Layers palette to deselect the mask channel.
Select and display the layer mask channel
For easier editing of a layer mask, you can display the grayscale mask by itself or as a rubylith overlay on the layer.
Do one of the following:
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the layer mask thumbnail to view only the grayscale mask. To redisplay the layers, Alt-click or Option-click the layer mask thumbnail, or click an eye icon.
• Hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS), and click the layer mask thumbnail to view the mask on top of the layer in a rubylith masking color. Hold down Alt+Shift or Option+Shift, and click the thumbnail again to turn off the color display.
Disable or enable a layer mask
Do one of the following:
• Shift-click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• Select the layer containing the layer mask you want to disable or enable, and choose Layer > Layer Mask > Disable or Layer > Layer Mask > Enable.
A red X appears over the mask thumbnail in the Layers palette when the mask is disabled, and the layer’s content appears without masking effects.
Change the layer mask rubylith color or opacity
1. Do one of the following:
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the layer mask thumbnail to select the layer mask channel; then double-click the layer mask thumbnail.
• Double-click the layer mask channel in the Channels palette.
2. To choose a new mask color, in the Layer Mask Display Options dialog box, click the color swatch and choose a new color.
3. To change the opacity, enter a value between 0% and 100%.
Both the color and opacity settings affect only the appearance of the mask and have no effect on how underlying areas are protected. For example, you may want to change these settings to make the mask more easily visible against the colors in the image. Click OK.
Add and edit vector masks
You create vector masks with the pen or shapes tools.
Add a vector mask that shows or hides the entire layer
1. In the Layers palette, select the layer you want to add the vector mask to.
2. Do one of the following:
• To create a vector mask that reveals the entire layer, choose Layer > Vector Mask > Reveal All.
• To create a vector mask that hides the entire layer, choose Layer > Vector Mask > Hide All.
Add a vector mask that shows the contents of a shape
1. In the Layers palette, select the layer to which to add a vector mask.
2. Select a path, or use one of the shape or pen tools to draw a work path.
Note: To create a path with a shape tool, click the Paths icon in the shape tool options bar.
3. Choose Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path.
Edit a vector mask
Click the vector mask thumbnail in the Layers palette or the thumbnail in the Paths palette. Then change the shape using the shape, pen, or Direct Selection tools.
Remove a vector mask
Do one of the following in the Layers palette:
Drag the vector mask thumbnail to the Delete icon .
Select the layer containing the vector mask you want to delete, and choose Layer > Vector Mask > Delete.
Disable or enable a vector mask
Do one of the following:
• Shift-click the vector mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• Select the layer containing the vector mask you want to disable or enable, and choose Layer > Vector Mask > Disable or Layer > Vector Mask > Enable.
A red X appears over the mask thumbnail in the Layers palette when the mask is disabled, and the layer’s content appears without masking effects.
Convert a vector mask to a layer mask
Select the layer containing the vector mask you want to convert, and choose Layer > Rasterize > Vector Mask.
Important: After you rasterize a vector mask, you can’t change it back into a vector object.
Unlinking layers and masks
By default, a layer or group is linked to its layer mask or vector mask, as indicated by the link icon between the thumbnails in the Layers palette. The layer and its mask move together in the image when you move either one with the Move tool. Unlinking them lets you move them independently and shift the mask’s boundaries separately from the layer.
Note: By default, masks applied to Smart Objects aren’t linked to Smart Object layers.
• To unlink a layer from its mask, click the link icon in the Layers palette.
• To reestablish the link between a layer and its mask, click between the layer and mask path thumbnails in the Layers palette.
Apply or delete a layer mask
You can apply a layer mask to permanently delete the hidden portions of a layer. Layer masks are stored as alpha channels, so applying and deleting layer masks can help reduce file size. You can also delete a layer mask without applying the changes.
1. Click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
2. To remove the layer mask after applying it permanently to the layer, click the Delete icon at the bottom of the Layers palette, and then click Apply.
3. To remove the layer mask without applying it to the layer, click the Delete icon at the bottom of the Layers palette, and then click Delete.
You can also apply or delete layer masks using the Layer menu.
Note: You cannot apply a layer mask permanently to a Smart Object layer when deleting the layer mask.
Load a layer or layer mask’s boundaries as a selection
You can select all the non-transparent areas on a layer, or, if a layer mask exists, all the unmasked areas. This is useful when you want to select text or image content that is surrounded by or contains transparent areas, or to create a selection that excludes masked areas on a layer.
1. Do one of the following:
• To select only the non-transparent areas on an unmasked layer, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the layer thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• To select the unmasked areas on a layer that has a layer mask, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
2. If a selection already exists, you can do any of the following:
• To add the pixels to an existing selection, press Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS), and click the layer thumbnail or layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• To subtract the pixels from an existing selection, press Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Command+Option (Mac OS), and click the layer thumbnail or layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• To load the intersection of the pixels and an existing selection, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS), and click the layer thumbnail or layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
If you want to move all the contents of a layer, use the Move tool without loading a transparency mask.
Mask layers with clipping masks
A clipping mask lets you use the content of a layer to mask the layers above it. The masking is determined by the content of the bottom or base layer. The non-transparent content of the base layer clips (reveals), the content of the layers above it in the clipping mask. All other content in the clipped layers is masked out.
You can use multiple layers in a clipping mask, but they must be successive layers. The name of the base layer in the mask is underlined, and the thumbnails for the overlying layers are indented. The overlying layers display a clipping mask icon .
The Blend Clipped Layers As Group option in the Layer Style dialog box determines whether the blending mode of the base affects the whole group or just the base.
Create a clipping mask
1. Arrange the layers in the Layers palette so that the base layer with the mask is below the layers that you want to mask.
2. Do one of the following:
• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), position the pointer over the line in the Layers palette dividing the base layer and the first layer above it that you want to include in the clipping mask (the pointer changes to two overlapping circles ), and click.
• Select the first layer above the base layer in the Layers palette, and choose Layer > Create Clipping Mask.
3. To add additional layers to the clipping mask, use either method in step 2, and work your way upward one level at a time in the Layers palette.
Note: If you create a new layer between layers in a clipping mask, or drag an unclipped layer between layers in a clipping mask, the layer becomes part of the clipping mask.
Layers in the clipping mask are assigned the opacity and mode attributes of the base layer.
Remove a layer from a clipping mask
Do one of the following:
• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), position the pointer over the line separating two grouped layers in the Layers palette (the pointer changes to two overlapping circles ), and click.
• In the Layers palette, select a layer in the clipping mask, and choose Layer > Release Clipping Mask. This command removes the selected layer and any layers above it from the clipping mask.
Release all layers in a clipping mask
1. In the Layers palette, select the base layer in the clipping mask.
2. Choose Layer > Release Clipping Mask.
Combine multiple images into a group portrait
You can use the Auto-Align Layers command from the Edit menu to make a composite photo from a pair of nearly identical images that may contain some unwanted areas. For example, one shot of a group portrait is ideal except that one of the subjects has her eyes closed. In another shot her eyes are open. Using Auto-Align Layers and layer masking, you can combine these shots and eliminate the flaw in the final image.
1. Open the two images you want to combine.
2. Create a new image (File > New) with the same dimensions as the two source images.
3. In the Layers palette for each source image, select the layer that contains the image content, and drag it to the new image window. The Layers palette for the new image now contains two new layers, one for each source image.
4. In the Layers palette of the new image, arrange the new layers so the layer that contains the content you want to correct (portrait with eyes closed) is on top of the layer that contains the correct content (portrait with eyes open).
5. Select the two new layers, and choose Edit > Auto-Align Layers.
6. Select Reposition Only, then click OK. Photoshop finds the common areas in each layer and aligns them so that identical areas overlap.
7. Click the top layer to select only that layer.
8. Add a blank layer mask to the layer:
• Click Add Layer Mask in the Layers palette.
• Choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All.
9. Set the foreground color to black, choose a brush tip and size, and zoom in if necessary to focus on the part of the image you want to correct.
10. Using the brush tool, add to the layer mask by painting over the top layer. Painting with black completely masks out the top layer, while grayscale creates partial transparency to the layer below, and white restores the top layer. See Edit a layer mask. Continue editing the layer mask until you successfully blend the two layers to create one unified image.
Note: Make sure that the layer mask thumbnail, not the image thumbnail, is selected in the Layers palette during the masking operation.
11. To allow further editing, save the layered and masked version of the image, and make another copy that you can flatten to produce a single-layer version with a smaller file size.
MASKING
Using Masks To Improve Landscape Images
Original Venice image by Craig Shell (sky by Mark Galer)
Step 1
Select the Magic Wand Tool from the Tools palette and set the tolerance to 20 in the Options bar. Select the Add to Selection icon in the Options bar or hold down the Shift key as you click multiple times to select all of the sky. Zoom in to 100% or ‘Actual Pixels’ and select Quick Mask mode from the Tools palette.
Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to select the tops of the buildings that were not included in the mask because the Magic Wand may have become over zealous. Fill this selection with black (if Black is the foreground color in the Tools palette you may use the keyboard shortcut Alt/Option+backspace/delete). Exit Quick mask Mode when this work is finished (keyboard shortcut is to press the letter Q).
Step 2
Open the Sky image used in this project and from the Select menu choose All. From the Edit menu choose Copy. Return to the Venice image and from the Edit menu choose Paste Into. Don’t be alarmed at how bad it looks at the moment, we have several more steps to go before things start to look OK. For the moment we must be content that the sky was captured at a similar time of day to the Venice image and the direction of light is also similar. From the Select menu choose Deselect.
Step 3
Make sure the Image rather than the mask is the active component of the layer and then choose Free Transform from the Edit menu (Ctrl/Command+T). Click and drag inside the Transform bounding box to raise the sky into position. Click and drag on the top-center handle to further enhance the location and shape of the sky to fit the host image. Press the Enter/Return key to commit the transformation.
Step 4
Click on the layer mask to make it active and then go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Choose a 1-pixel Radius in the Gaussian Blur dialog box and select OK. Go to Filter > Other > Maximum and enter a Radius of 2-pixels. This should be sufficient to remove any light halo from around the edges of the buildings. Select OK to apply these changes to the mask.
Step 5
Hold down the Alt/Option key and select a Curves adjustment layer from the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon in the Layers palette. In the New Layer dialog box check the Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask option. Select OK to open the Curves dialog box. Create a curve that renders both the highlights and midtones of the sky very bright so that they match the tones of the distant buildings. Skies that have been captured in less humid conditions will always require this adjustment if they are look at home in a location where there is reduced contrast together with lighter tones in the distant subject matter. Select OK to apply the changes.
Step 6
Select the Gradient Tool from the Tools palette. In the Options bar choose the Black, White and Linear gradient options and an Opacity setting of 100%. Click and drag a gradient from the top of the image to a position just above the horizon line. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the gradient. This will give the sky depth and ensure the sky retains it drama above the buildings in the foreground.
Step 7
Create a second Curves adjustment layer by holding down the Alt/Option key and adding this layer to the Clipping mask. The purpose of this second adjustment layer is to increase the intensity of the light on the left side of the image. This will help establish the light source that is bathing the buildings on the right side of the image in a warm afternoon glow and help establish a realistic effect.
Raise the overall brightness using the RGB channel and increase the warmth using the individual Red and Blue channels. Observe the effect above the foreground buildings on the left side of the image. When you have achieved a warm glow select OK.
Step 8
Fill the layer mask with Black (Edit > Fill > Black). Select the Gradient Tool from the Tools palette. Select the Black, White and Radial options. Set the mode to Screen and select the Reverse checkbox in the Options bar. Drag a short gradient from behind the buildings on the left side of the image to the top-center of the image.
Step 9
Select the top layer in the layers palette and then stamp the visible layers to a new layer (Select > Select all, Edit > Copy Merged and Edit > Paste). Go to Filter > Distort > Lens Correction. Go to the Vignette section of the dialog box and lower the Amount slider to -100. Raise the Midpoint slider slightly so that the vignette does not encroach too heavily on the buildings on the extreme right-hand side of the image.
Select OK to apply these changes. Go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen. Be generous with the amount and keep the radius small (under 1 pixel). The project is now complete and the scene carries all the mood of an old Venetian painting courtesy of a dramatic sky.
5 Great Background Masking Techniques in Photoshop
Isolate objects. Extract objects. Cut out an image. Remove a background.
In this article, we'll explore five different methods to isolate objects in Photoshop. As you follow this tutorial, you'll gain a how-to explanation for each technique. You'll also get the stats on how long each method takes, and my opinions as to when each method is most appropriate.
The methods demonstrated include:
• Using Photoshop's Magic Eraser tool
• Using Photoshop's Background Eraser tool
• Using the Extract command
• Using Quick Mask mode to make a selection and layer mask
• Using the Pen Tool to make a selection and layer mask
Here's the image I'll be working with (the actual document is 800x600 pixels):
I found a slightly wrinkled piece of white silky cloth and placed a stuffed animal on it. If you have control over the photography, a good rule of thumb is to try to provide a solid-colored background that contrasts with your object. (If I had a white object, I'd probably use a darker piece of cloth.) Of course, sometimes you just have to work with what you have. Don't worry, though: some of the techniques we'll discuss will work for any kind of photograph!
Do you have a photograph ready,and Photoshop open? Then, let's get started with the Magic Eraser technique…
Technique 1: The Magic Eraser Technique
The Magic Eraser tool (hold down the Eraser icon in the toolbar to access it) allows you to erase pixels that are all the same color (or are a similar color). If you used the Magic Eraser tool at its strictest setting, and clicked on a part of the picture that was orange, every other pixel in the picture of that exact shade of orange would be erased. We'll use the Magic Eraser tool to erase the whites and greys in this photo.
First, we'll change a few of the tool settings. By increasing the Tolerance, the Magic Eraser tool will erase "similar" colors as well (whites/greys). By checking the "Contiguous" box, the Eraser tool will only grab pixels of similar colors that are next to each other -- that way, I won't accidentally erase the whites of the bee's eyes.
My first pass is set to a Tolerance of 72. I click outside of the bee, in the "white" area. After only one click, Photoshop erases most of the background in the picture – not bad! If the Tolerance is too high, you might inadvertently grab some bits of the object as well. If that's the case, just Undo and try a slightly lower Tolerance level.
For my next few passes, I set the Tolerance to 32, and use the Magic Eraser tool a few more times in the grey "shadow" areas. In the diagram below, the left image shows the shadow before I used the Magic Eraser. The right image shows how a bit more of the shadow is erased with a single click of the Magic Eraser!
Unfortunately parts of the shadows are so dark that trying to use the Magic Eraser would end up erasing some of the black parts of the bee as well. So I stop using the Magic Eraser at about this point:
From this point on, I switch to the "normal" Eraser tool and set it to Brush mode. I zoom in and erase the shadow portions by hand. I also create a new layer underneath this one, and fill it with red (or any other contrasting color) so that I can see the "smudges" that were missed by the Magic Eraser. Then, I use the Eraser tool to wipe those out as well.
For the final touch, I add a drop shadow just to make the bee "pop out."
Here's the summary:
Magic Eraser Technique:
1. First pass using Magic Eraser Tool: 72 tolerance, contiguous, anti-aliased.
2. Second pass using Magic Eraser Tool: 32 tolerance, other settings same.
3. Used Eraser tool (brush mode) to clean up edges, stray pixels, and shadow area.
Total time: 4:08 minutes
My take: This technique makes it easy to isolate objects that are on solid-colored backgrounds, although you may need to spend some time with touch-up. Beware of stray pixels and forget about using this technique if you have a multi-colored background!
Technique 2: The Background Eraser Technique
The Background Eraser Tool (again, hold down the Eraser tool to access this option) is meant to be used along the edges of an object. The center of the brush determines which similar colors to erase. The Background Eraser Tool will also change the edges of an object slightly so that you don't get a "color halo." We'll use the Background Eraser Tool to isolate and define the edges of the object, then erase the other pixels on the "outside."
Before you progress very far with this procedure, open the History Palette and, in the left column, click on the state to which you'd want to revert if you needed to "clean up" later on. If you're starting from scratch, this might be the only stage in the History Palette. In my case, I clicked on the state immediately before I started to use the Background Eraser (I got a little ahead of myself). We'll refer to the state you choose as the "source" for the History Brush.
The next step is to select the Background Eraser tool and choose a brush size that isn't too big, but will comfortably allow you to outline the image.
You'll see a round cursor with a crosshair in the center. The important thing is to keep the crosshair from touching the actual object (if it does, the object will be erased). So, as you draw along the outside of the object, keep the crosshair just outside the object. You'll see that the outside's "similar colors" start to be erased.
Continue around the entire object. You may notice that parts of the image get "eaten away." Don't worry – we'll use the History Brush later to bring those parts back.
Here's the bee after I outlined it completely with the Background Eraser Tool:
Now, let's get rid of the rest of the background. Select the Magic Wand tool, set the Tolerance to 100, check the Contiguous box, and then click on the background.
Most of the background should be selected:
Go ahead and hit the Backspace key to delete the background. Use the Eraser tool to clean up any obvious stray pixels.
Now, select the History Brush tool. The History Brush allows you to paint over the image and "restore" the parts you paint to the "original state" that you selected in the History Palette.
Adjust the brush size of the History Brush as necessary for detail work. Then, start to clean up the inside edges of the object, being careful not to go outside those edges.
Finally, I use my red background trick again to catch some of the stray background pixels, then use the Eraser tool to get rid of them.
My final image, with drop shadow applied, looks like this:
Here's the summary:
Background Eraser Technique:
1. Set source for the History Brush in the History Palette.
2. Used Background Eraser Tool to outline the edge (2 minutes).
3. Used the History Brush Tool to touch up parts of the object that had been erased (1:30 minutes).
4. Used the Eraser Tool to clean up the stray background pixels (2:23 minutes).
Total time: 5:53 minutes
My take: This is my least favorite of the techniques because I had to zoom in a lot and use the History Brush Tool and Eraser Tool extensively. This technique would have worked better with an object that had solid edges (as opposed to the fuzziness of a plush animal), as well as a more-solid background color. A situation in which this technique might work well would be one in which you had a photo object that was already "isolated" on a white background, and you wanted to use it as a floating object in a layered composition.
Technique 3: The Extract Technique
As with the Background Eraser technique, it's a smart idea to set the source for the History Brush early in the procedure, in case you need to do some touch-up later on.
Now, let's run the Filter > Extract command. (In earlier versions of Photoshop, this was located under the Image menu.)
The Extract dialog box will appear. With the Brush tool selected, draw an outline around the object you wish to extract. The outline should overlap both the object and the background. Use a Brush size that is big enough for you to outline comfortably, but small enough to outline any details of the picture. (You may switch Brush sizes while you're outlining.) The outline will be highlighted in the window.
If you need to zoom in while you're outlining, hold down the Space Bar to change the cursor temporarily to the "hand" icon. You can then click and drag to move around in the picture. Let go of the Space Bar when you're ready to go back to drawing.
When you've completed the outline, change to the Paint Bucket tool.
Fill the areas that you wish to "keep" with the paint bucket tool.
Click the Preview button to see how the object appears when extracted.
Here's what my preview looks like. It's good enough for my purposes, so I click "OK" to apply the Filter.
Again, I use the History Brush to restore parts of the object that were erased or partially erased.
And again, I use the Eraser Tool to get rid of stray pixels around the edges.
Here's the final picture (with drop-shadow applied):
Extract Filter Technique:
1. Set source for the History Brush in the History Palette.
2. Use Filter > Extract command to outline, fill, and Extract object (1:45 minutes).
3. Use the History Brush to restore parts of object (1:45 minutes).
4. Use the Eraser Tool to clean up the edges (1:30 minutes).
Total time: 5 minutes
My take: This method, while a little faster, didn't seem much different from the Background Eraser technique. However, I have found that the Extract Filter works quite nicely when you have objects with a lot of fine details (like hair blowing in the wind, tree branches, etc.) that would be a pain to try to isolate. The Extract Filter works best with objects on solid-colored backgrounds.
Technique 4: The Quick Mask Technique
If you've never used Quick Mask mode in Photoshop, you're missing out on a huge time-saver! Quick Mask mode lets you use brush, pencil, paint bucket, etc. tools to paint an "inverse selection" using shades of grey and black. (Black identifies parts that won't be selected; grey identifies parts that, when selected, will have some level of transparency.) When you switch back to Normal mode, the "clear" parts of your Quick Mask are selected so that you can apply changes. We'll use Quick Mask mode to paint the background of the image, then apply a Layer Mask to hide the background.
Click the Quick Mask icon in the tool palette to switch to Quick Mask mode.
Using a fairly large brush, with the foreground color set to black, I'll start to block out the background. You'll notice that the masked areas in which you paint will turn pink.
The large brush size allows me to color in the main areas of the background fairly quickly.
I can then use smaller brushes to fill in the details around the edges.
Eventually, I have the entire background colored in pink:
Tip: You may change the foreground color to white if you want to "paint back" parts of the object.
Switch back to Normal Mode, and you'll see the selection. Because everything that's painted in is not selected, the final result is that the bee is selected.
At this point, I click the Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette to create a layer mask, which essentially isolates the bee from the background.
So, here's the final picture:
And in summary:
Quick Mask Technique:
1. Switch to Quick Mask mode and paint everything you want to get rid of.
2. Switch back to normal mode and use the resultant selection to make a Layer Mask.
Total time: 6 minutes
My take: A great method, because it gives you precision-control over what gets selected. This method works well for any picture -- solid background color or not. The only unfortunate aspect of this method is that, for some objects, you may see a "color halo" where the edges have picked up on some of the background color. (One way to get around this is to take a little more time and paint around the edges with a grey airbrush to make the edges a little transparent.)
Note: This same type of effect can be achieved by creating a Layer Mask, then painting on the layer mask with black paint to hide the background. The two techniques are virtually identical -- I just chose to write about Quick Mask because I've already covered the concept of Layer Masks in another article!
Pen Tool Technique
My final technique will be to use the Pen Tool to create a path that outlines the object, then use the path to create a selection for a Layer Mask.
Choose the Pen Tool. In the horizontal options bar, make sure that "Paths," not "Shape layer," is selected. Then, start using the Pen Tool to create a path around the object. I find that it's helpful to zoom in for greater detail.
Here's my completely outlined bee. You can see all the different points that I created using the Pen Tool, as well as the resultant path.
Open the Paths palette and Ctrl-click (Command-click for Mac) on the path layer. This creates a selection from the path. In the diagram, you can see the dotted line that shows the selection.
If you have a pretty solid-shaped object, you can skip the next step. Because I have a fuzzy, plush object, I'm going to feather my selection slightly so that the edges will be a little blurred. I choose Select > Feather and make a Feather Radius of 1 pixel.
Finally, I click the Layer Mask icon in the Layers palette to create a layer mask from my selection. This hides the background and isolates the bee.
Here's the final picture:
In summary:
Pen Tool Technique:
1. Use the Pen Tool (set to "Paths," not "Shape Layer") to create an outline of the object.
2. Ctrl-click (Command-click for Mac) the path layer to make a selection.
3. Use the selection to create a layer mask.
Total time: 3 minutes
My take: This method works for any object, regardless of the background, and is also quite precise. It's reasonably fast if you're comfortable with using the Pen Tool; otherwise, this method might take a long time! This method is probably better for objects that have crisp, hard edges, and, similar to Quick Mask mode, you may have a slight color halo if the object has picked up some of the background colors.
Goodbye, Tension Headaches!
So, there you have it: five different ways to isolate an object from a background! Here's a quick summary of the different methods and when I think they're best used.
1. The Magic Eraser Technique
Great for erasing backgrounds that are mostly all the same color that contrast with the object (set a high tolerance and use one click!), but may involve a bit of touch-up work at the end. No good for objects that are on multi-colored backgrounds.
2. The Background Eraser Technique
This technique would be great on a photo object that is already "isolated" but has a solid, contrasting background color. Even still, I might pass up this technique for the next method, as they're essentially the same and I think the Extract method goes a little faster.
3. The Extract Filter Technique
Works best for erasing mostly solid-colored, contrasting backgrounds. Photoshop also does a nice job of getting rid of the color halo problem – but you may have to do some additional touch-up work at the end.
4. The Quick Mask Technique
Almost the ideal solution: relatively quick, pixel-perfect control over edges, and works with any kind of background. Plus, by using a layer mask, you don't actually delete any part of the background. The only complaint I have with this method is that you may get a color halo.
5. The Pen Tool Technique
Fantastic technique for objects with hard edges, and it works with any kind of background. You can be as detailed as you want to get a perfect outline, and you can always go back and modify the path if you need to. Plus, you get lots of practice using the Pen Tool.
COLOURS
By:
Renuka Sanji 020
Sandip Janee 065
COLOURS
PRIMARY COLOURS
Primary colours are blue, red, and yellow. Cannot be mixed to create them.
SECONDARY COLOURS
The corresponding secondary colours are green, orange & violet. Mixed from two primaries.
TERTIARY COLOURS
The tertiary colours are red–orange, red–violet, yellow–orange, yellow–green, blue–violet and blue–green. Can be produced my mixing primary and secondary hues.
RGB COLOUR MODEL
The RGB colour model is an additive color model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additive primary colors, red, green, and blue.
The main purpose of the RGB color model is for the sensing, representation, and display of images in electronic systems, such as televisions and computers, though it has also been used in conventional photography. Before the electronic age, the RGB color model already had a solid theory behind it, based in human perception of colors.
RGB is a device-dependent color space: different devices detect or reproduce a given RGB value differently, since the color elements (such as phosphors or dyes) and their response to the individual R, G, and B levels vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, or even in the same device over time. Thus an RGB value does not define the same color across devices without some kind of color management.
RGB COLOUR MODE IN PHOTOSHOP:
Photoshop RGB Colour mode uses the RGB model, assigning an intensity value to each pixel. In 8 bits-per-channel images, the intensity values range from 0 (black) to 255 (white) for each of the RGB (red, green, blue) components in a colour image. For example, a bright red colour might have an R value of 246, a G value of 20, and a B value of 50. When the values of all three components are equal, the result is a shade of neutral gray. When the values of all components are 255, the result is pure white; when the values are 0, pure black.
RGB images use three colours, or channels, to reproduce colours on-screen. In 8 bits-per-channel images, the three channels translate to 24 (8 bits x 3 channels) bits of colour information per pixel. With 24 bit images, the three channels can reproduce up to 16.7 million colours per pixel. With 48 bit (16 bits-per-channel) and 96 bit (32 bits-per-channel) images, even more colours can be reproduced per pixel. In addition to being the default mode for new Photoshop images, the RGB model is used by computer monitors to display colours. This means that when working in colour modes other than RGB, such as CMYK, Photoshop interpolates the CMYK image to RGB for display on-screen.
Although RGB is a standard colour model, the exact range of colours represented can vary, depending on the application or display device. The RGB Colour mode in Photoshop varies according to the working space setting that you specify in the Colour Settings dialog box.
CMYK COLOUR MODEL
CMYK (short for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black), and often referred to as process colour or four colour) is a subtractivecolor model, used in color printing, also used to describe the printing process itself. Though it varies by print house, press operator, press manufacturer and press run, ink is typically applied in the order of the abbreviation.[2]
The CMYK model works by partially or entirely masking certain colors on the typically white background (that is, absorbing particular wavelengths of light). Such a model is called subtractive because inks “subtract” brightness from white.
In additive colour models such as RGB, white is the “additive” combination of all primary coloured lights, while black is the absence of light. In the CMYK model, it is just the opposite: white is the natural colour of the paper or other background, while black results from a full combination of coloured inks. To save money on ink, and to produce deeper black tones, unsaturated and dark colours are produced by substituting black ink for the combination of cyan, magenta and yellow.
CMYK COLOUR MODE IN PHOTOSHOP
In the CMYK mode, each pixel is assigned a percentage value for each of the process inks. The lightest (highlight) colours are assigned small percentages of process ink colours; the darker (shadow) colours higher percentages. For example, a bright red might contain 2% cyan, 93% magenta, 90% yellow, and 0% black. In CMYK images, pure white is generated when all four components have values of 0%.
Use the CMYK mode when preparing an image to be printed using process colours. Converting an RGB image into CMYK creates a colour separation. If you start with an RGB image, it’s best to edit first in RGB and then convert to CMYK at the end of your process. In RGB mode, you can use the Proof Setup commands to simulate the effects of a CMYK conversion without changing the actual image data. You can also use CMYK mode to work directly with CMYK images scanned or imported from high-end systems.
Although CMYK is a standard colour model, the exact range of colours represented can vary, depending on the press and printing conditions. The CMYK Colour mode in Photoshop varies according to the working space setting that you specify in the Colour Settings dialog box.
GRAYSCALE MODEL
In computing, a grayscale or greyscaledigital image is an image in which the value of each pixel is a single sample, that is, it carries the full (and only) information about its intensity. Images of this sort are composed exclusively of shades of neutral gray, varying from black at the weakest intensity to white at the strongest.
Grayscale images are distinct from black-and-white images, which in the context of computer imaging are images with only two colors, black and white (also called bilevel, binary images); grayscale images have many shades of gray in between. In most contexts other than digital imaging, however, the term "black and white" is used in place of "grayscale"; for example, photography in shades of gray is typically called "black-and-white photography". The term monochromatic in some digital imaging contexts is synonymous with grayscale (as it denotes absence of any concrete hue), and in some contexts synonymous with black-and-white.
Grayscale images are often the result of measuring the intensity of light at each pixel in a single band of the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g. infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, etc.), and in such cases they are monochromatic proper when only a given frequency is captured. But also they can be synthesized from a full color image; see the section about converting to grayscale.
GRAYSCALE MODE IN PHOTOSHOP
Grayscale mode uses different shades of gray in an image. In 8 bit images, there can be up to 256 shades of gray. Every pixel of a grayscale image has a brightness value ranging from 0 (black) to 255 (white). In 16 and 32 bit images, the number of shades in an image is much greater than in 8 bit images.
Grayscale values can also be measured as percentages of black ink coverage (0% is equal to white, 100% to black).
Grayscale mode uses the range defined by the working space setting that you specify in the Colour Settings dialog box.
BITMAP COLOUR MODE IN PHOTOSHOP
Generally perceived as a less versatile alternative to vector graphic artwork, a Photoshop raster image saved in the Bitmap colour mode is effectively hard-edged line art. It removes anti-aliasing from artwork, leaving a rough, jagged edge. Anti-aliasing is best explained visually, so I have included a small demonstration below. The image on the left has no anti-aliasing, which means there is no softening of the image edge. The image on the right is anti-aliased, which means that the computer has blended the hard edge by using an average of the object colour and background colour in order to soften the difference between the foreground and background colours.
When you create a bitmap image (not to be confused with the Windows BMP file format) you are creating a sharp, press-ready image, but with severe restrictions. It can only ever appear as single colour in a document, and it has to be extremely high resolution (1200DPI, actual size) in order to appear smooth in print. If the image is lower resolution, the edge will start to appear jagged.
The Bitmap colour mode is often used in the absence of a vector graphic alternative. If you've been given a single colour logo on a letterhead, for example, it might be quicker for you to scan it and create a Bitmap TIFF file rather than recreate the graphic in Adobe Illustrator. Because an image converted to Bitmap colour mode has no anti-aliasing, it retains a transparent background.
DUOTONE COLOUR MODE IN PHOTOSHOP
Duotoneis the generic name for multitone printing, which can be done with two, three or four inks.
Duotone is also a generic term for images using a color-separation printing scheme. Normally CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (blacK)) separations, whereas a duotone would be two separations, and can be of any ink color (in offset printing).
Duotone color mode in Photoshop supports between one and four colors of ink. Because home inkjet printers are far better at printing full-color images than black-and-white, many photographers use Photoshop Duotone processing to improve their grayscale prints.
Photoshop's Duotone mode is also commonly used for creating sepia toned prints, using black and yellow inks, sometimes with a third colour.
INDEXED COLOUR MODE IN PHOTOSHOP
Indexed Colour mode produces 8‑bit image files with up to 256 colours. When converting to indexed colour, Photoshop builds a colour lookup table (CLUT), which stores and indexes the colours in the image. If a colour in the original image does not appear in the table, the program chooses the closest one or uses dithering to simulate the colour using available colours.
Although its palette of colours is limited, indexed colour can reduce file size yet maintain the visual quality needed for multimedia presentations, web pages, and the like. Limited editing is available in this mode. For extensive editing, you should convert temporarily to RGB mode. Indexed colour files can be saved in Photoshop, BMP, DICOM, GIF, Photoshop EPS, Large Document Format (PSB), PCX, Photoshop PDF, Photoshop Raw, Photoshop 2.0, PICT, PNG, Targa, or TIFF formats.
LAB COLOUR MODE IN PHOTOSHOP
The CIE L*a*b* colour model (Lab) is based on the human perception of colour. The numeric values in Lab describe all the colours that a person with normal vision sees. Because Lab describes how a colour looks rather than how much of a particular colorant is needed for a device (such as a monitor, desktop printer, or digital camera) to produce colours, Lab is considered to be a device-independent colour model. Colour management systems use Lab as a colour reference to predictably transform a colour from one colour space to another colour space.
The Lab Colour mode has a lightness component (L) that can range from 0 to 100. In the Adobe Colour Picker and Colour palette, the ‘a’ component (green-red axis) and the ‘b’ component (blue-yellow axis) can range from +127 to –128.
Lab images can be saved in Photoshop, Photoshop EPS, Large Document Format (PSB), Photoshop PDF, Photoshop Raw, TIFF, Photoshop DCS 1.0, or Photoshop DCS 2.0 formats. You can save 48‑bit (16‑bits-per-channel) Lab images in Photoshop, Large Document Format (PSB), Photoshop PDF, Photoshop Raw, or TIFF formats.
MULTICHANNEL MODE IN PHOTOSHOP
Multichannel mode images contain 256 levels of gray in each channel and are useful for specialized printing. Multichannel mode images can be saved in Photoshop, Large Document Format (PSB), Photoshop 2.0, Photoshop Raw, or Photoshop DCS 2.0 formats.
These guidelines apply when converting images to Multichannel mode:
Colour channels in the original image become spot colour channels in the converted image.
Converting a CMYK image to Multichannel mode creates cyan, magenta, yellow, and black spot channels.
Converting an RGB image to Multichannel mode creates cyan, magenta, and yellow spot channels.
Deleting a channel from an RGB, CMYK, or Lab image automatically converts the image to multichannel mode.
COLOUR CHANNEL
Photoshop approaches every full-color image not as a single collection of 24-bit pixels, but as three or four bands of 8-bit (grayscale) pixels. An RGB file contains a band of red, a band of green, and a band of blue, each of which functions as a separate grayscale image. A Lab image likewise contains three bands, one corresponding to luminosity and the others to the variables a and b. A CMYK file contains four bands, one for each of the process-color inks. These bands are known as channels. Channels frequently correspond to the structure of an input or output device. Each channel in a CMYK image, for example, corresponds to a different printer’s plate when the document goes to press. Each channel in an RGB image corresponds to a pass of the red, green, or blue scanner sensor over the original photograph or artwork. Only the Lab mode is device independent, so its channels don’t correspond to any piece of hardware.
• How channels work:
Photoshop devotes 8 bits of data to each pixel in each channel, thus permitting 256 brightness values, from 0 (black) to 255 (white). Therefore, each channel is actually an independent grayscale image. If an RGB image is made up of red, green, and blue channels, why do all the channels look gray? Photoshop provides an option in the Display & Cursors panel of the Preferences dialog box (Ctrl+K) called Color Channels in Color. When selected, this function displays each channel in its corresponding primary color.
• How to switch and view channels:
To access channels in Photoshop, display the Channels palette by choosing Window.Show Channels. Every channel in the image appears in the palette, including any mask channels. To switch to a different channel, click a channel name in the Channels palette. The channel name becomes gray, showing that you can now edit it independently of other channels in the image. To edit more than one channel at a time, click one channel name and then Shiftclick another. You can also Shift-click an active channel to deactivate it independently of any others. To specify which channels appear and which remain invisible, click in the farleft column of the Channels palette. Click an eyeball icon to make it disappear and hence hide that channel. Click where there is no eyeball to create one and thus display the channel.
• Using multichannel techniques:
Here Photoshop changes your image so that channels no longer have a specific relationship to one another. They don’t mix to create a fullcolor image; instead, they exist independently within the confines of a single image. The multichannel mode is generally an intermediary step for converting between different color modes without recalculating the contents of the channels.
STEPS: Using the Multichannel Mode as an Intermediary Step:
1. Open an RGB image. If the image is already open, make sure that it is saved to disk.
2. Choose Image.Mode.Multichannel. This eliminates any relationship between the formerly red, green, and blue color channels.
3. Click the new channel icon at the bottom of the Channels palette. Or choose the New Channel command from the palette menu and press Return to accept the default settings. Either way, you add a mask channel to the image. This empty channel will serve as the black channel in the CMYK image. (Photoshop won’t let you convert from the multichannel mode to CMYK with less than four channels.)
4. Press Ctrl+I. The new channel comes up black, which would make the entire image black. To change it to white, press Ctrl+I or choose Image.Adjust.Invert.
5. Choose Image.Mode.CMYK. The image looks washed out and a tad bit dark compared to its original RGB counterpart, but the overall color scheme of the image remains more or less intact. This is because the red, green, and blue color channels each have a respective opposite in the cyan, magenta, and yellow channels.
6. Press Ctrl+Shift+L. Or choose Image.Adjust.Auto Levels. This punches up the color a bit by automatically correcting the brightness and contrast.
7. Convert the image to RGB, and then back to CMYK again. The problem with the image is that it lacks any information in the black channel. So although it may look okay on-screen, it will lose much of its definition when printed. To fill in the black channel, choose Image.Mode.RGB Color, and then choose Image.Mode.CMYK Color. Photoshop automatically generates an image in the black channel in keeping with the standards of color separations.
Retouching and Restoring
( The stamps, healing and patching tools)_
• Clone Stamp and Pattern Stamp.
Use the Clone Stamp tool to replicate pixels from one area in an image to another. This one feature makes the Clone Stamp ideally suited to removing dust, repairing minor defects, and eliminating distracting background elements.
Alt-Click the Clone Stamp icon in the toolbox or press S or Shift+S to switch to the Pattern stamp tool. This tool paints with a repeating image tile selected from Photoshop’s library of predefined patterns or defined using Edit -> Define Pattern or Filter -> Pattern Maker.
• Healing Brush, Spot Healing Brush, and Patch tools
The Brush tool is an expanded version of the Clone Stamp tool is an expanded version of the Clone Stamp tool that merges texture detail from one portion of an image with color and brightness values from another. This permits you more flexibility when retouching imperfections, particularly when repairing tricky defects, such as scratches and wrinkles. Click the Healing Brush icon to display the flyout menu, or press J or Shift+J to switch to the patch tool, which allows you to repair entire selections at a time. Like the stamp tool, the Healing Brush and Patch tools alternatively let you retouch with a pattern.
CLONING AND HEALING
Clone Stamp tool works by duplicating specified portions of an image and placing those cloned portions on top of existing content. Unlike a copy and paste that creates a new layer with the obscuring content, the clone Stamp covers up things you don’t want and places the obscuring content on the active layer.
Closely related to the Clone Stamp tool is the Healing Brush tool, which clones multiple attributes of an image at a time.
The Clone Stamp Tool
The clone Stamp tool is the simpler of the two tools. Although easy to use, there are a few options that you can use to control the tool and achieve different results. If you click the clone stamp and start dragging. Photoshop will balk and throw a prompt in your face warning you that you must first define a source point. This is done by pressing Alt(Windows) or Option(Mac) and requires only that you choose the source point in your mind before you click it.
How Cloning Works
To clone part of an image, Alt-click in the image
window to specify a point of reference in the portion of the image you want to clone. Then click or drag with the tool in some other region of the image to paint a cloned spot or line. You’ll click if you want to place a single clone of the source point on some other place in the image, or drag if you want to create a series of clones in one continuous stretch.
PATHS
By:
Mitali Kumar 157
Siddharth sharma 225
PATHS
Paths are vector-based (line) drawings. This means that you can stretch and re-shape a path and it will not lose detail. Compare this with a standard raster image such as a photograph, which will become blocky when it's stretched, and will lose detail when it's reduced in size.
Paths are really useful. Once you understand the use of the Pen tool and the other path tools, you can create really complex freehand shapes such as symbols, drawings and icons. You can then turn these shapes into raster images at any resolution!
Paths are also great for selecting irregular objects. Because you can easily edit the shape of a path after it's created, you can fine-tune it to exactly match an irregular border. Being a vector object, a path can be stretched, scaled or distorted without losing its basic quality.
Photoshop comes with a range of shapes that you can create, using the Shape tool. These shapes are also paths. However, once you learn how to use the path tools, you'll be able to play with and modify these built-in shapes, as well as create your own shapes from scratch.
An example of path
You'll see that the path is composed of a number of line segments and anchor points. Line segments are the lines and curves that actually make up the path. Anchor points are movable points at the ends of the line segments that let you adjust the position and shape of the lines.
Types of line segments
There are two types of line segments:
Straight line segments. These are the easiest to draw and understand. You'll see that straight line segments do not have direction lines or direction points.
Curved line segments. The shape of each curve is controlled by the direction lines and direction points that you can see on the diagram above.
After putting up nodes, handles are
Different modes of a node
1. Symmetrical: If a single handle is stretched, both handles move in opposite direction at the same time.
Generally, the 1st time any node is modified, the 1st mode is symmetrical mode.
2. Smooth: If a handle at one side is stretched, the opposite handle does not respond with any action. But if one handle is pulled, the opposite gets pulled in the opposite direction.
X
3. Cusp: If a single handle is pulled or stretched, the opposite handle does not respond in any way.
X
X
4. Linear: The convert point tool is supposed to be used for this mode. When any node is clicked using this tool, all the modifications on this node is cleared.
Types of anchor points
Also, there are two types of anchor points:
1. Smooth anchor points. When the curves on each side of an anchor point enter and leave the point at the same angle, you have a smooth anchor point. In other words, there is a smooth transition through the point from one curve to the next.
2. Corner anchor points. This type of point marks a sharp change of direction between one curve and the next. It is also used when connected to one or two straight lines.
About path components
Let's also take a quick look at path components. A path can consist of one or more path components. Each component is a series of segments and anchor points. Furthermore, each component is distinct and separate from all other components - that is, they don't join up. Here's an example of a path with 3 distinct path components:
Note that path components don't have to be closed paths; they can have endpoints, like the wavy line above. Note also that although the wavy line and triangle overlap each other, they are not joined, so they are still separate path components.
Most of the drawing and editing of paths can be done via the tools under the Pen tool icon in the Tools palette. Click and hold the mouse button on this icon to bring up all the other tools:
Let's briefly go over these tools now, and what you can use them for.
The Pen tool is probably the tool you'll use most. With this tool you can create the straight lines and curves that make up your paths.
The Freeform Pen tool is designed to let you create paths quickly by just drawing freehand with the mouse. It's not very good for creating precise paths though.
The Add Anchor Point tool allows you to insert additional anchor points into your path, effectively splitting a line segment into two. This is useful if, say, you've created a curve already but you want to turn the curve into a more complex shape. You can also add anchor points using the Pen Tool, provided you have the Auto Add/Delete option set - just move the mouse over the line segment you'd like to add a point to, and click!
The Delete Anchor Point tool removes anchor points from your path. As it removes a point, it joins up the two line segments either side of the removed point into one long line segment. This is good if you've accidentally created too many segments (it's best to create as few as possible!) or if the Freeform Pen tool has created too many for you! You can also delete anchor points using the Pen tool if Auto Add/Delete is set - move the mouse over the point you'd like to delete, and click.
The Convert Point tool allows you to convert a smooth anchor point to a corner anchor point, and vice-versa.
Drawing straight lines
Let's start with the easiest technique. First create a new document of, say, 500 x 500 pixels to give yourself plenty of space to work in. Then select the Pen tool in the Tools palette.
Now click with the mouse in your document. You'll see that you've placed your first anchor point. Move the mouse and click again. You've now created your first line segment, with two anchor points at each end.
Click in a few more places in your document. You'll see that each click adds a new anchor point, and a new straight line segment.
So far, your path is an open path. This means it has a start point and an end point, and doesn't join up. To make a closed path, move the mouse over the first point you created - you'll see the Pen tool cursor changes, with a little 'o' appearing beside it:
Now click with the mouse, and you'll see that you have now created a complete shape - a closed path.
Deleting your path
The path you just created is stored in a temporary path called the Work Path. Let's delete this path so we can start again with a clean slate.
Click on the "Paths" tab in the Layers palette to bring up the list of available paths:
Now drag the "Work Path" to the trash can icon:
You can now modify the curves.
Drawing curved lines
To start a curve, select the Pen tool, click in your document and drag the mouse in the rough direction you want the curve to head - in this example, try dragging vertically up the page:
You'll see that as you drag, two direction lines and direction points are created. This control the shape of the curve you're about to produce:
The direction of the lines determines the direction in which the new curve will head.
The length of the lines determines how much influence this anchor point will have over the curve. The longer the line, the more the curve will be "pulled" towards this line.
Now try creating a new anchor point by clicking the mouse to the right of your original anchor point, and dragging downwards:
You've now placed a second anchor point, and created a curve between the two points!
Notice that you dragged upwards from the first anchor point, and downwards from the second. This follows the path of the curve - it goes up from the first point, and down as it reaches the second.
This time, you can see that the curve moves upwards towards the second point, flipping direction as it does so. So the curve will always try to head in the direction you drag!
Note that when we're creating these curves we're always making smooth anchor points.
Switching between curves and lines
Often you'll want to create a path that contains both straight lines and curved lines. It's easy to switch between the two.
Start off drawing some straight lines by just clicking with the mouse:
To switch to drawing a curve, click and drag with the mouse where you want the curve to end:
To switch back to drawing a straight line, create the anchor point of your last curve by clicking rather than clicking and dragging (in other words, make a corner point). Then click with the mouse where you would like the straight line to end:
Continuing paths
If you've previously left an incomplete path and you come back to it later, you can continue adding to the path by moving the Pen tool over either end of the path until it turns into the "Pick Up Path" cursor:
Note that you can't pick up a closed path in this way; however you can add and delete points on the closed path, and drag points around to achieve the new shape you need.
The Freeform Pen tool
You can use the Freeform Pen tool to quickly sketch out your path. It's not very accurate and often doesn't place anchor points where you'd ideally like them, but it is easy to use, which is a plus for beginners!
To use this tool, first select it from the Pen Tool icon in the Tools palette:
Then just click with the mouse and drag to draw your path:
When you release the mouse button, the path is created:
You can adjust the frequency of the anchor points created by the Freeform Pen tool by altering the value in the Curve Fit box in the options bar. The higher the value, the less anchor points and segments will be created.
You can also make the Freeform Pen tool behave like the Magnetic Lasso tool by clicking the Magnetic checkbox in the options bar. The tool will then snap to the shape you're drawing around. See the Selecting with the marquee and lasso tools tutorial for more info on the Magnetic Lasso
Basically, Magnetic lasso tool is used selection and Freeform magnetic tool is used for paths.
MICROSOFT OFFICE
MS- WORD
By:
Supreeme Ekka 178
Aakash sharma 219
EDITING OPERATIONS
1. Copy some part of the text from one place to other place (Ctrl + C)
2. Cut some part of text (Ctrl + X)
3. Paste the text (Ctrl+V)
In order to perform the above activities you need to select the text (Ctrl + A) to select all the text. Drag over the text in order to select the text.
ALIGNMENT & JUSTIFICATION OF PARAGRAPH
Try out the following alignment by using the following short cut keys
To align text Press
Left Ctrl +L
Right Ctrl + R
Centre Ctrl + E
Justify Ctrl + J
You can align the text even by using the alignment tabs on the formatting tool bar.
SHORT CUT KEYS (TOGGLING)
Bold Ctrl + B
Italic Ctrl + I
Underline Ctrl + U
Word Underline Ctrl+ Shift + U
Double Underline Ctrl + Shift + D
Subscript (e.g. H20) Ctrl + equal sign
Superscript (e.g. X2) Ctrl + Shift + equal sign
Small caps Ctrl + Shift+ K
All Caps Ctrl + Shift + A
Change case of letter Shift + F3
Font Ctrl + Shift + F
Point size Ctrl + Shift + P
Next Larger Size Ctrl + >
Next Smaller Size Ctrl + <
Up one point Ctrl + ]
Down one point Ctrl + [
DROP CAP
To create drop caps, perform the following steps
1. Select the character you want to drop, mostly the first character and choose Drop cap option from the format menu.
2. You can change the font for the drop cap and the ‘lines to drop’ box proposes the number of lines the cap will drop.
A
s far as we know, there are nine planets locked in orbit around the sun. Only one, our own earth, supports life. But there are countless other suns throughout countless galaxies scattered across the universe. We still don’t know if life exists on another planet in some other galaxy.
LINE SPACING
Single line spacing is Word’s default line spacing. To change it, select the paragraph and press Ctrl +2 or Ctrl +3 to double or triple space each line of text.
ENHANCING
Border & Shading
On the Format menu, click Borders and Shading, and then click the Page Border tab.
Select the style, width and color of your choice. To specify a particular page or section for the border to appear in, click the option you want under Apply to. You can add page borders in many line styles and colors, as well as a variety of graphical borders. You can set apart paragraphs or selected text from the rest of a document by adding borders. You can also highlight text by applying shading.
Quickly create a simple table
1. Click where you want to create a table.
2. Click Insert Table, specify number of rows & columns
3. You can use the Table AutoFormat command to quickly give a table a polished look by using a variety of borders, fonts, and shading.
Jan Feb March Total
Delhi 500 1000 1500 3000
Mumbai 5000 7000 9000 21000
Kolkata 500 3500 8000 12000
Perform calculations in a table
1. Click the cell in which you want the result to appear.
2. On the Table menu, click Formula.
3. If Word proposes a formula that you do not want to use, delete it from the Formula box.
4. In the Paste function box, click a function. For instance, to add numbers, click SUM.
To reference the contents of a table cell, type the cell references in the parentheses in the formula. For instance, to add the numbers in cells b2,c2, and d2, the formula would read =SUM(b2:d2)
Break a table across pages:
1. Click the row you want to appear on the next page.
2. Press CTRL+ENTER
Delete cells, rows, or columns from a table
1. Select the cells, rows, or columns you want to delete.
2. On the Table menu, point to Delete, and then click Columns, Rows, or Cells.
3. If you are deleting cells, click the option you want.
Create a header or footer
1. On the View menu, click Header and Footer.
2. To create a header, enter text or graphics in the header area. Or click a button on the Header and Footer toolbar.
To insert Click
Page numbers Insert Page Number .
The current date Insert Date .
The current time Insert Time .
Common header or footer items, such as running total page numbers (Page 1 of 10), the file name, or the author's name Insert AutoText and then click the item you want.
Insert the picture and Change the text-wrapping style for a picture or drawing object
To insert a picture, click on Insert, Click Picture. To wrap the text around the picture, do the following
1. Click the picture or drawing object.
2. On the Format menu, click the command for the type of object you selected — for example, AutoShape or Picture, and then click the Layout tab.
3. Click the text-wrapping style you want.
4. For more text-wrapping options, click Advanced, and then click the Text Wrapping tab.
Try out the following tools to make the document error-free.
Autocorrect: On the Tools menu, click AutoCorrect.
1. Do one or more of the following:
o To set the capitalization options, select or clear the first four check boxes in the dialog box.
o To turn on or off the AutoCorrect entries, select or clear the Replace text as you type check box.
o To turn on the spelling checker corrections, select the Replace text as you type check box, and then select the Automatically use suggestions from the spelling checker check box. To turn off the spelling checker corrections, clear the Automatically use suggestions from the spelling checker check box.
2. Find & Replace: In the Find what box, enter the text that you want to search for.
1. In the Replace with box, enter the replacement text.
2. Select any other options that you want.
4. Click Find Next, Replace, or Replace All
To cancel a search in progress, press ESC
Try Spell check and grammar check
MAIL MERGE
To
Dear ,
You are requested to appear for the interview on
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