The File > Page Setup dialog, in conjunction with the Print and the Print Multiple Photos dialogs, controls all the printing options from Photoshop.

Here you can change the orientation of the paper that you are printing on - Portrait is vertical and Landscape is horizontal (1).

Page Setup also provides options to input values for the paper Size (2) and paper Source (3), which are both determined by the printer that is currently selected.

If you wish to change printers, then clicking the Printer button (4) will take you to a second dialog, where you can select another printer that is installed and connected to your computer.

In all versions but CS3 the Page Setup dialog can also be accessed via the button at the top right of the Print dialog (5) that is displayed when selecting File > Print with Preview. In the revised Print dialog in Photoshop CS3 the Page Setup button takes you directly to the Setup dialog for the printer driver.

The Paint Bucket tool is grouped with the Gradient tool in the Photoshop toolbar (4).

The feature combines the selecting prowess of the Magic Wand and the coloring abilities of the Fill command to create a tool that fills all pixels of a similar color (1) with the current foreground color (2).

If the Contiguous option is selected then the pixels that will be filled must be adjacent to one another. How similar in color and tone the pixels have to be before being filled is based on the Tolerance setting.

To ensure a realistic substitution of color try using the tool in the Color mode (3) as this will maintain the texture, shadow and details of the original picture.

The Paint Daubs filter, as one of the Artistic group of filters, applies a painterly effect to the whole of the picture surface. In the process the fine detail of the photo is eclipsed by large areas of painted color.

The filter contains two slider controls and a Brush Type menu. The Brush Size setting (1) adjusts the scale of the painted areas. Low values create smaller areas with finer detail. The Sharpness slider (2) determines how much of the original detail is maintained in the painting process. High settings create a greater level of detail and low values create broad areas of smooth color.

The Brush Type menu (3) contains a list of different styles of brushes. Changing brush types can alter the final filter result greatly.

The Paintbrush or Brush tool allows the user to draw onto the picture’s surface with the currently selected foreground color.

The basic characteristics of the brush such as size and hardness of edge can be adjusted with the slider controls in the Brush Preset Picker accessed via the down-arrow button in the tool’s option bar.

Many more characteristics can be altered with the controls in the Brushes palette (Window > Brushes).

Although many people will employ Photoshop to enhance images captured using a digital camera, some users make pictures from scratch using the program’s painting and drawing tools.

Illustrators, in particular, generate their images with the aid of tools such as the Brush, Paint Bucket, Airbrush and Pencil.

This is not to say that it is not possible to use drawing or painting tools on digital photographs. In fact, the judicious use of tools like the Brush can enhance detail and provide a real sense of drama in your images.

All the painting and drawing tools are grouped in the one section of the program’s toolbar for easy access.

Also new for Photoshop CS3 is the ability to automatically hide the palette dock when not in use. This provide more screen space for displaying your pictures when you are not using controls contained in palettes.

Clicking the two sideways arrows (1) in the top right of the dock collapses or expands the palette dock.

Hitting the Tab key turns on the AutoHide option for both the palette dock and toolbar. When you mouse over the edge of the Photoshop window the tools or palettes will be displayed.

In CS3 palettes can be stored in Palette Docks at either side of the main workspace. Like the Palette Well of previous editions, multiple palettes can be displayed in a dock and this is how they are positioned in the default workspace setup (Windows > Workspace > Default Workspace).

Grouping Palettes takes on a new level in CS3. For the first time we can choose between three different Dock displays -Full Palette view (1), List (icon + title) view (2) and Icon view (3). Dragging the three vertical lines (4) at the top left of the palette dock allows you to resize the width of the dock. Use this option to switch between Icon and List mode.

Also in Tabbed mode the Palette Docks Auto-Hide in a similar fashion to the panels in Photoshop Lightroom. Move the mouse off the palette or tool and these screen elements will collapse automatically.

To add a palette to a dock - Drag the palette by its tab to the dock.

To remove a palette from a dock - Drag the palette by its tab away from the dock.

Palette Docks are not the same as Palette Stacks. A stack is a single group of palettes that can be accessed via their Title tabs at the top of the stack.

The Palette Knife filter, as one of the Artistic group of filters, simulates the look of a picture created by applying thick broad areas of paint with a palette knife.

The filter contains three slider controls.

The Stroke Size setting (1) adjusts the strength of the effect and the size of the broad areas of paint. Low values retain more of the detail of the original picture.

The Stroke Detail slider (2) determines how coarsely the color is applied. Low values create a more broken-up result.

The Softness control (3) alters the sharpness of the stroke’s edge. A high setting produces strokes with a softer edge.

Palette Stacks are a set of palettes that have been grouped together. The palettes are layered on top of each other in the same window and are accessed via the tab titles ( 1 ) at the top of the window.

Stacks can be stored in a Palette Dock or dragged from their position in the dock onto the main workspace.

To add a palette to a stack -Drag the Palette by its tab to the highlighted zone at the top of the stack.

To remove a palette from a stack - Drag the palette by its tab away from the stack.

To move a palette stack - Drag the stack by the section above the tabs called the title bar.

To display a specific palette - Click onto the Palettes tab.

In Photoshop, until version CS3, open palettes could be dragged to, or ‘docked’ in the Palette Well space at the right end of the options bar to save workspace area. This action reduces the palette to a tab in the well. To view the full palette again click onto the Tab heading; to reinstate the palette to the workspace click and drag the tab out of the well. In CS3 the Palette Well has been replaced with Palette Docks.

A palette is a window that contains details and information that are used for the alteration of image characteristics. Photoshop contains the following palettes: Actions, Animation, Brushes, Channels, Character, Clone Source, Color, Histogram, History, Info, Layer Comps, Layers, Measurement Log (CS3 Extended only) Navigator, Paragraph, Paths, Styles, Swatches, Tool Presets and Tools.

The palettes are displayed and hidden by selecting them from the Window menu (1) or by pressing associated shortcut keys.

They can be hidden but kept active by dragging them into the Palette Well or Dock (2), or grouped together into a palette set or stack by dragging palettes onto other palettes (3).

The Clone Source palette is new to CS3 and the Measurement Log palette has been added to Photoshop CS3 Extended.

The process of creating a wide-angle picture, or panorama, using the Photoshop Photomerge feature is broken into three different stages:

• 1. Capturing the source photos Shoot a range of images whilst gradually rotating the camera so that each photograph overlaps the next.
• 2. Blend images using Photomerge Import the pictures into Photomerge and use its automated process to position, match and stitch the edge details of the separate image files to create a new single panoramic picture.
• 3. Producing the panorama Make final editing and enhancement changes on the finished panoramic photo before printing the picture.

The Edit > Paste command pastes the current contents of the computer’s clipboard as a new layer in the open Photoshop document. This menu option is grayed out (not available) if there is currently nothing copied to the Clipboard.

The Edit > Paste Into command pastes the contents of the Clipboard into the active selection of the current Photoshop document. The pasted picture part is inserted into the selected area and the boundaries of the inserted picture are highlighted by a selection marquee (marching ants). The selection can be moved and transformed within the boundaries of the insertion area whilst the selection remains active. This process creates a new layer that holds the pasted selection and uses a layer mask to shield it from areas that were not initially selected.

The Patch tool breaks the limitations of the Healing Brush by providing users with the ability to apply the repairing power of the tool to whole sections of their pictures in one step.

Using the tool involves a simple three-step process - ‘select, drag the selection and patch’. When first selected the Patch tool works like the Lasso tool, allowing you to draw a selection around a specific area of the picture. Just like Photoshop’s other selection tools you can add to, subtract from or even use the intersection of multiple selections to refine your selected picture part.

After making the selection the Patch tool provides you with two very different ways of using the feature to repair your pictures. If Source is selected, in the tool’s options bar, then you can drag the selection to the area that you want to use as a patch. Letting go of the mouse button will use this area to patch the original selection. If Destination is chosen, then the area you selected will become a patch that you can drag over the part of your picture that needs repairing.

The Patchwork filter, as one of the Texture group of filters, simulates the look of the surface of a patchwork quilt. In the process the picture is broken up into a series of squares.

The filter contains two slider controls. The Square Size setting (1) adjusts the size of each square. The Relief slider (2) determines the degree of shadow that is applied to the texture squares. Low values have less shadow and therefore the appearance of lower relief.

To edit a path you must first select it. Photoshop provides several options for this task.

To select a path component, choose the Path Selection tool and click on the path. To select several components or segments, choose the Direct Selection tool and drag a marquee over the area. To add extra path segments to those currently selected hold down the Shift key whilst using the Direct Select tool to pick more segments.

Paths are another way to select objects or parts of pictures in Photoshop (1). Unlike the selection tools which work on the pixels in the picture the Path tools are vector based.

The Shape tool uses paths technology to outline the shapes it draws. This means that no matter what size they are scaled to the edges will always remain sharp. Paths are made up of segments held in place by anchor points and are drawn and modified with the Pen tools.

Once created a thumbnail of the path can be viewed in the Paths palette (2), and from here you can select a number of options to apply to the active layer from a row of icons along the base or from the arrow’s dropdown menu (3). These options include: filling the path with the foreground color; producing a Stroke to add the foreground color along the selected path and making a Selection from the path.

A path can be moved to a new image by dragging the original Path icon from the palette and pulling it over a new image. You can also copy paths from one location and paste them into another using the normal Copy and Paste options.

Paths are also used by designers who turn the selection into a clipping path and import it into a page layout. The clipping path ensures everything outside the frame appears as transparent on the layout. This ensures text wraps around the subject and that the subject blends well with the layout.

To create a path quickly using the Pen tool use the Quick Mask mode to paint a mask around the subject. Magnify an area and use the Eraser and Airbrush to remove or add to the mask, then convert the masked selection into a path. Paths can be converted quickly into selections and

The Edit > Fill command is generally used for filling layers, or active selections, with solid colors, but the feature can also be used for applying patterns to layers or selections.

After selecting Edit > Fill, choose Pattern as the option from the Use menu (1) and then select a pattern from the Custom Pattern palette (2). To fill a layer, select the layer first and then choose Edit > Fill Layer. To restrict the pattern fill to the extent of a selection, create the selection first and then choose Edit > Fill.

Photoshop also contains a Pattern adjustment layer which can be used to fill individual layers with patterns. Create a Pattern adjustment layer by selecting the option from the Layer > New Fill layer menu or by pressing the Create a New Fill Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette.

Use the Define Pattern feature to produce custom patterns to use with the Fill command.

The Pattern Maker feature creates tiled patterns from selected image areas. The tiles are not just created from the repetition of the selected area but rather the sampled picture part is used as a basis for the tile.

The filter features a dialog with full preview and adjustment controls. The finished tiles can even be saved as a patterns preset for use later with tools like the Pattern Stamp tool.

The Pattern Stamp tool (1) is nestled in the toolbar with the Clone Stamp tool. The feature works like the Brush tool except that, instead of laying down color, the stamp paints with a pattern.

the tool’s options bar (2). A range of preset patterns is included with Elements or you can create your own from a selection with the Edit > Defi ne Pattern.

Bridge 2.0 not only provides large previews of PDF files, but also includes the ability to flip through the pages of a multi-page PDF file using the forward/back arrows and page number box (1). Clicking on the file in the Bridge preview panel also displays a magnified loupe view of the page content(2)

PDF or Portable Document Format (sometimes saved with a PDP extension) is an Adobe multi-use file format that can be read equally as well by Windows, Macintosh- and Linux-based machines. The format correctly displays images, text and formatting on the different systems and is fast becoming a standard for press-and web-based document delivery. Photoshop can read PDF files and also provides an option for output of image files in the format. When opened, multi-page PDF documents are displayed in the Import PDF dialog, where individual pages are previewed and can be selected for opening (1). The PDP extension associates pdf files with Photoshop while continuing to allow the documents to be read with Acrobat or the free Acrobat reader.

The PDF Presentation option creates a slideshow saved in the PDF format. The dialog for the feature provides controls for adding pictures (1), ordering their display (change the position in the file list) and applying transitions ( 2 ) and timing ( 3 ) between individual slides. With the options selected the whole sequence is then saved as a selfrunning slideshow. The Save Adobe PDF dialog is displayed as part of the process for creating the presentation. At this stage you can alter the quality of the pictures that are included in the slideshow and the compatibility of the PDF file. The resultant PDF file can be saved to disk or CD or even uploaded to the web ready for online viewing. The CS3 version contains extra Output options including the ability to add a variety of metadata to the presentation photos (4).

Pictures can be included in the presentation in three ways:

• 1. By multi-selecting their thumbnails in the Bridge and then choosing the feature from the Tools > Photoshop menu,
• 2. Opening the feature from the File > Automate menu in Photoshop and then Browsing for the images to be included, or
• 3. Opening all images to be included in the show in Photoshop first and then choosing the Add Open Files option in the feature.

CS3 includes a PDF engine that ships with a range of very usable generic PDF presets (1) and also includes the ability to create, customize and save your own specific PDF output styles or presets (2). A preset is essentially a collection of settings that determine the characteristics of the PDF file that you create.

The presets are used and managed through two dialogs:

Edit Adobe PDF (Edit > Adobe PDF Presets) - This dialog is used for managing your presets. Here you can copy existing, create new, load supplied, delete old and save modified PDF presets (3).

Save Adobe PDF (File > Save As) - The Save dialog is displayed any time that you have elected to output your current file as a PDF. The dialog lists the presets that are currently loaded in Photoshop and also provides the option to alter any specific characteristics via a series of settings tabs (4).

Photoshop ships with the following PDF presets: High Quality Print, Press Quality, Smallest File Size and the industry standard options of PDF/X-la and PDF/X-1.

Though saving a Photoshop document in the PDF format is nothing new from CS2 a new Save Adobe PDF dialog was introduced. It provides more choice and control than was previously offered.

Here you can select from one of range of preinstalled PDF Presets or even create, customize and save your own options.

Standard and Capatibility options ensure that the PDF files that you write will suit the requirements of your customers or coworkers and that the individual preference areas ( 1 ) allow you to customize the quality and security of your output.

The stylus, or pen, which is used in conjunction with a graphics tablet, has the ability to alter the way a tool functions according to the amount of pressure being applied to the stylus tip. The Brush tool is one such tool in Photoshop that is especially designed to take advantage of this function.

For example, the tool can be set to change the amount of color (opacity) laid down by the brush with the pressure applied to the pen. Light pressure produces lightly colored areas whereas heavy pressure paints with the full strength of the current foreground color.

Using a stylus and graphic tablet, along with Photoshop’s pen pressure features and some skillful manipulation of the pen, will enable users to produce very subtle hand-drawn gradient ( 1 ) and shading effects.

You can attribute which characteristics are controlled by pen pressure via the various settings in the Brushes palette (2).

Creates a path that can be turned into a selection. It’s unusual to use at first, but spend some time getting familiar with it and your drawing and selection skills will improve tenfold.

The Pen tool icon on the toolbar has several options. The first is Pen tool which you use to add points, known as anchor points, around the subject. Points are automatically linked to make a path. This is ideal when you want to draw straight lines and smooth curves. You can have as many anchor points as you like and they can be removed by clicking on them.

To draw a straight line, click at a start point then move to the finish point and click again. To complete a straight path click the Pen tool icon in the toolbox when you reach the end. To complete a round path click on the original start point to complete the shape.

The Freeform Pen tool is like the normal Lasso tool and creates a path wherever you draw. It’s like using a normal pen and is very accurate, providing you are! Anchor points are added along the path, and their positions can be changed when the path is complete. The Magnetic Pen tool works like the Magnetic Lasso and automatically locates high contrast differences between pixels and lays the path along the edge.

• 1. When using the Magnetic Pen tool move slowly so the Pen I I locates the edge you’re drawing along.
• 2. Hold down the Shift key to create a straight line running at a 45° angle.
• 3. Click the Rubber Band box in the Pen Options palette to see the curve of the path you’re about to create as you move the Pen tool.

The Pencil tool is a pixel-based tool that uses the foreground color to paint with. It works in much the same way as the Brush tool, with the one difference being that the pencil can only draw lines that have hard edges.

Freehand lines are drawn by click-dragging the mouse. Straight lines are drawn by holding down the Shift key whilst click-dragging.

The thickness or size (1), mode and opacity of the line can be altered via the tool’s options bar. Also, any brush that has a hard edge can be selected for use with the Pencil tool from the Brushes Preset palette section of the options bar (2).

At various points in the digital photography process it is necessary to change or alter the spread of colors in a picture so that they fit the characteristics of an output device, such as a screen or printer, more fully. Perceptual is one of the four different approaches that Photoshop can use in this conversion process. The other choices are Saturation, Relative Colorimetric and Absolute Colorimetric.

Each approach produces different results and is based on a specific conversion or ‘rendering intent’. The Perceptual setting puts conversion emphasis on ensuring that the adjusted picture, when viewed on the new output device, appears to the human eye to be very similar to the original photo. So this is a good choice for photo conversions.

The Saturation option tries to maintain the strength of colors during the conversion process (even if color accuracy is the cost). The Relative Colorimetric setting squashes or stretches the range of colors in the original so that they fit the range of possible colors that the new device can display. The Absolute Colorimetric option translates colors exactly from the original photo to the range of colors for the new device. Those colors that can’t be displayed are clipped.

Specific Intents can be selected as part of the printing process via the color management controls in the Show More Options section of the Print Preview dialog (1).

The Performance dialog is a new addition for Photoshop Preferences and brings together options from the Memory & Scratch Disks and Image Cache preferences dialogs found in previous versions.

The Performance dialog contains four different sections with settings that affect the speed and efficiency of Photoshop. The sections are:

• 1. The Memory Usage section provides a slider control for adjusting the amount of RAM used by Photoshop. Thankfully, suggested upper and lower limits are also supplied. The total amount of available RAM will be less than the total installed on your machine as this figure takes into account the memory used by the operating system as well as the Photoshop program itself.
• 2. All available local disks are listed in the Scratch Disks > section with settings to select each drive to use as extra disk-based memory. Options are also included for adjusting the order that they will be accessed. Wherever possible you should place Photoshop’s Scratch Disks on drives other than the one where Photoshop or the computer’s operating system resides.
• 3. The number of History States and Cache Levels both affect the performance of Photoshop. Selecting a high number of History States will provide more levels to undo but such a set up will also consume more memory and may slow Photoshop down as the program pushes more processing activity onto slower scratch disks. Cache Levels affect the speed and accuracy of screen redraws. Select more Cache Levels for better quality redraws and less for faster ones.
• 4. Photoshop can now take advantage of the power of modern video cards to help share the burden of pushing pixels to the screen. The options available here will vary according to the type and power of the card you have installed.

In addition to these specific performance controls, the fine-tuning undertaken CS3 around emerging multi-core technologies has resulted in general increased performance throughout Photoshop, Bridge and Camera Raw.

The Lens Correction filter in CS2 and CS3 doesn’t just correct Barrel and Pincushion distortion, the filter also contains controls for changing the perspective of the picture. This option is particularly useful for eliminating the problem of converging verticals that plagues pictures photographed with wide-angle lenses and the camera pointing upwards.

To correct the problem using the new filter move the Vertical Perspective slider (1) to the left to stretch the details at the top of the photo apart. This change also condenses the lower sections of the picture and in so doing corrects the image.

Switch on the Grid display and use these lines as a guide when adjusting the picture. Your aim is to align straight and parallel picture parts with the grid lines.

Prior to the all conquering Lens Correction filter released in Photoshop CS2 the perspective of a picture was manipulated in one of two ways.

When cropping with the crop tool. Simply select the Perspective option (1) in the Crop tool’s options bar and then drag the corner handles to make the adjustment. The option only appears after the cropping marquee has been drawn on the canvas surface.

The second method is to select the object or picture part to adjust and then use the Edit > Transform > Perspective command. Again adjustments are made by dragging the corner handles of the selection(2)

These options are still one of the best ways for altering the perspective of illustrations or web graphics but the Lens Correction filter offers more power and control when applying these changes to photographic images.

The Photo Filter is one of the enhancement options available from the Image > Adjustments menu. The feature simulates the color changes that are made to a picture when it is photographed through a color correction filter.

The filter contains three controls.

In the Use section (1) you can select the type of filter from the drop-down list provided or create your own by double-clicking the color swatch and selecting a new hue.

The Density slider (2) determines the strength of the filters and the Preserve Luminosity (3) option adjusts the filtered photo to account for the density of the filter with the aim of maintaining the picture’s original brightness.

The filter is also available as an adjustment layer.

The Photocopy filter, as one of the Sketch group of filters, simulates the look of a picture that has been photocopied several times. The main highlight and shadow areas are represented as light and dark but there is very little midtone retained in the filtered picture.

The filter contains two slider controls.

The Detail control (1) adjusts the level of original detail that is retained in the picture.

The Darkness slider (2) determines the overall brightness of the result.

The hues of the filtered picture are based on the current foreground and background colors.

Photomerge is Adobe’s panoramic stitching technology that enables photographers to join overlapping photos to create wide-angle pictures (1)

In this release of Photoshop Photomerge has been completely updated to include both automatic and manual stitching workflows.

The feature can be started from the File menu (File > Automate > Photomerge) or via the Tools > Photoshop > Photomerge option in the Bridge file browser.

The latter approach allows the user to select suitable source pictures from within the browser before activating the feature. Next you will be presented with a new Photomerge dialog (3) containing options for adding and removing source files as well as five different stitching and blending or Layout options (4). They are: Auto - aligns and blends source files automatically.

Perspective - deforms source files according to the perspective of the scene. This is a good option for panoramas containing 2 - 3 source files.

Cylindrical - designed for panoramas that cover a wide angle of view. This option automatically maps the results back to a cylindrical format rather than the bow tie shape that is typical of the Perspective option.

Reposition Only - aligns the source files without distorting the pictures.

Interactive Layout - transfers the files to the Photomerge workspace where individual source pictures can be manually adjusted within the Photomerge composition. This is the only non-auto option (2)

In most circumstances one of the auto options will easily position and stitch your pictures but there will be occasions where one or more images will not be stitched correctly. In these circumstances use the Interactive Layout option. This displays the Photomerge workspace (2) where individual pieces of the panorama can be moved or rotated using the tools from the toolbar on the left-hand side of the dialog. Reposition Only and Perspective options are set using the controls on the right. Photoshop constructs the panorama when the OK button is clicked.

The Photoshop file format (PSD) is the native format of both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements programs. The format is capable of supporting layers, editable text, adjustment layers and millions of colors.

You should choose this format for all manipulation ofyour photographic images. The format contains no compression features but should still be used to archive complex images with multiple layers and sophisticated selections or paths as other format options remove the ability to edit these characteristics later.

The PSB extension is used for Photoshop documents that are bigger then 2 Gb. In all other respects this file format is the same as PSD.

The PICT file format is an Apple-based picture format that can support both vector- and pixel-based graphics.

The format is widely employed by Mac operators for use in graphics and page layout programs, and is ideal for transferring between the two.

It supports RGB and allows a single Alpha channel, Index colors and Grayscale. Latest versions of the format can even support a color depth of up to 32 bits per pixel.

The feature allows you to select one of a series of pre-designed, multi-print layouts that have been carefully created to fit many images neatly onto a single sheet of standard paper.

You can select the images to include in the feature via the Bridge workspace, opt to use those images that are already open in Photoshop or browse for individual pictures (1). Double-clicking in the layout space will also allow you to choose the image to place in this part of the design and this approach is often the quickest way to work (2)

The preset layout designs for different page sizes can be selected from the Document section of the dialog (3). There are designs that place multiples ofthe same size pictures together and those that surround one or two larger images with many smaller versions.

The feature provides a preview of the pictures in the layout (2). In the bottom section of the dialog there is an option to add labels to the pictures included in the composition.

The Picture Package feature is a special layout tool that sizes, rotates and positions a series of images on a single page ready for printing. The pictures can be completely different or copies of the same original.

The CS version of the feature included a layout editor so that you can customize the preset layouts to suit your own needs.

To create your own layout templates press the Edit Layout button at the bottom of the Picture Package dialog. This displays a new dialog that contains a section for inputting the settings for the new layout ( 1 ), some input boxes and buttons used to add, size and delete picture zones or boxes ( 2 ) and an interactive preview of the zones as they appear on the page (3).

Zones are added by pressing the Add Zone button. They can be sized and positioned by either inputting the dimensions and location in the boxes provided or by click-dragging the boxes (and their sizing handles) in the preview.

Clicking the Save buttons adds the newly designed template to the list available in drop-down menu in the Picture Package dialog.

The Pin Light blending mode is one of the group of Overlay modes which replace colors based on the tone of the pixels in the top layer.

If the pixels in the top layer are lighter than 50% gray then all pixels in the bottom layer that are darker are replaced with the upper layer’s colors. Pixels lighter than the upper layer are not changed.

If the pixels in the top layer are darker than 50% gray then all pixels in the bottom layer that are lighter are replaced and those that are darker are left unchanged.

The Pinch filter, as one of the Distort group of filters, bloats or squeezes in a picture according to the setting selected.

The filter contains a single slider control, Amount (1), that varies both the strength of the effect and whether the filter bloats or squeezes the picture.

Also included in the dialog is a wire frame representation of the type and strength of the changes (2) and a preview window.

A feature that first appeared in CS that enables either DV or D1 video format files, which are composed of rectangular (nonsquare) pixels, to be viewed accurately on screen.

DV is a digital video standard with a 4:3 frame aspect ratio and a screen resolution of either 720 x 480 (NTSC) or 720 x 576 (PAL). D1 is also known as CCIR-601 and has a screen resolution of either 720 x 486 (NTSC) or 720 x 576 (PAL). If you were to view files created in these formats in a workspace that is based on square pixels the image would look squashed. By selecting the correct nonsquare format you can view the files as they will appear on a video display or in video editing software such as Premier or Premier Elements.

The range of choices of non-square pixel types has been increased in CS2 and now includes an option for customizing the pixel aspect ratio (1).

The pixel aspect ratio that is being used to view an open document can be changed by selecting a new option from those listed under the Image > Pixel Aspect Ratio menu (1). A similar option is also available in the Advanced section of the New document dialog where it is possible to create a new document with non-square pixels ( 2 ).

Digital files have no real physical dimensions (inches or cm) until they are printed.

The true dimensions of a digital file are based on the picture’s width and height in pixels. It is only when the file is printed or displayed on screen that a set number of pixels is used to print a square inch of the photograph, only then does the file has physical dimensions. The pixel dimensions of a photo can be viewed via the Image > Image Size dialog (1).

In previous versions of Photoshop you could also click on the document info area of the image window (Mac) or status bar (Windows) and get a quick glimpse of this info, plus channels and resolution. In CS2 this detail is displayed as one of the options in the Info palette (2).

Short for picture element, refers to the smallest image part of a digital photograph. From a distance, or with high resolution pictures, the pixel-based nature of digital photographs is not obvious, but when overly enlarged the blocky structure of the picture becomes noticeable.

The File > Place command is used for importing and creating a new layer for documents created in vector file formats.

In Photoshop you can place PDF (Acrobat files), AI (Illustrator files) and EPS (Encapsulated PostScript files).

After choosing the option (1), select the picture to place from the file browser dialog that appears and then size the graphic by click-dragging the corner handles of the bounding box (2). Complete the placement by double-clicking inside the bounding box, or clicking the tick mark in the options bar, or hitting Enter/Return keys.

During the placing process the vector information is converted to pixels (bitmap).

The Plaster filter, as one of the Sketch group of filters, colors and shadows broad areas of the photo in textureless shapes. Some picture parts are raised and flattened, the rest is made to look hollow and low lying. The colors in the filtered picture are based on the current foreground and background colors.

The filter contains two slider controls and a drop-down menu for selecting the direction of the light (3) used for creating depth, shadow and highlight effects.

The Image Balance control (1) adjusts the amount of the image that is converted to a raised flat surface and that which is changed to receding areas. The Smoothness slider (2) determines how much detail is retained in the raised areas.

The Plastic Wrap filter, as one of the Artistic group of filters, simulates the look of wrapping the photograph in a sheet of close-fitting plastic or cling film.

The filter contains three controls. The Highlight Strength (1) controls the size, amount and dominance of the highlight areas. The Detail slider (2) determines how broad the highlight areas are and the Smoothness (3) option adjusts the sharpness of the edge of the highlight.

Plaster

Ever since the early days of Photoshop Adobe has provided the opportunity for third party developers to create small pieces of specialist software that could plug into the program. These extra features extend the capabilities of the program and some of them have become so popular that they find themselves added into the program proper in the next release of the software. Most plug-ins register themselves as extra options in the Filter menu, where they can be accessed just like any other Elements feature. The Delta100 filter (1) from www. silveroxide.com is a great example of plugin technology. Designed to reproduce the look of particular types of black and white film stock, the installed filter can be selected from the Silver Oxide group (2) of products in the Filter menu.

Note: Mac users should note that nonnative plug-ins, will run in Rosetta on Intel Macs.

A comparatively new web graphics format that is very flexible and has a lot of great features. Like TIFF and GIF the format uses a lossless compression algorithm that ensures that what you put in is what you get out. It also supports partial transparency (unlike GIF’s transparency off/on system) and color depths ups to 64 bit. Add to this the built-in color and gamma correction features and you start to see why this format is a popular choice with web producers.

Images can be saved in this format using the File > Save As command or the File > Save for Web feature.

The terms pointers and mouse cursors are often used interchangeably to represent the shape or icon that is displayed on screen at the mouse position.

The default pointer styles for different tools can be selected from the Edit > Preferences > Displays & Cursors dialog (1).

The Pointillize filter, as one of the Pixelate group of filters, recreates the picture in a series of colored dots on a background the color of the current background color. The end result simulates the look of a pointillist painting.

The filter contains a single slider control, Cell Size (1), that varies the size of the dots used to create the effect.

The size of the text you place in your image files can be measured as pixels, millimeters or points.

Most photographers find the pixel setting most useful when working with digital files, as it indicates the precise size of the text in relationship to the whole image.

Millimeter and points values, on the other hand, vary depending on the resolution of the picture and the resolution of the output device.

It is true that there are approximately 72 points to 1 inch, but this only remains true if the picture’s resolution is 72 dpi. At higher resolutions the pixels are packed more closely together and therefore the same 72 point type is displayed smaller in size.

The default unit of measurement for type in Photoshop can be altered in the Edit > Preferences > Units & Rulers dialog (1).

The Polygonal Lasso is one of three Lasso tools available in Photoshop.

Lasso tools make selections by drawing a marquee around the picture part to be selected. Unlike the other options the Polygonal Lasso draws in straight lines and is particularly good at selecting regularshaped objects.

To start a new selection choose the tool from the toolbar and click on the canvas at the picture part that will mark the beginning of the selection marquee. Now move the tool to a new position and notice that the marquee line stretches out from the first click position to follow the cursor. Move the cursor around until the stretched marquee aligns itself with the edge of the picture you are selecting and then click again. This marks another anchor point for the lasso line. Continue around the area to be selected, clicking the mouse at points where you wish to change direction until you reach your starting point, where you can double-click the tool to join up the two ends of the selection.

Pop-up palettes are located in the options bar of selected tools in the Photoshop workspace. The palette is displayed or ‘popped up’ by clicking the down-arrow (1) on the right of the preview thumbnail of the current selected option. The example shows the Brush tool’s options bar with the pop-up palette displayed containing a library of preset brush shapes. Popup palettes are also available with the Gradient, Swatch, Patterns, Layer Styles and Custom Shapes tools.

Unlike normal palettes, they are not meant to persist and they disappear from view when you click off them or hit Enter/ Return.

The Poster Edges filter, as one of the Artistic group of filters, posterizes the colors in a picture whilst surrounding the edges with a dark border. The filter also adds some simple stippled shading to the picture.

The filter contains three controls. The Edge Thickness setting (1) adjusts the weight of the line and the heaviness of the shading.

The Edge Intensity slider (2) controls the darkness of the border and shading, and the Posterization setting (3) alters the number of colors used in the final result.

The Posterize adjustment layer produces the same effect as the Posterize filter but adds the benefits of maintaining the original picture and being able to edit the Posterize settings at a later date.

The Posterize filter, as one of the Adjustments group of fi lters, reduces the total number of colors in an image by letting you set the number of brightness levels per channel.

A setting of 3 will produce three levels of tone for each of the Red, Green and Blue channels, giving a nine-color result

The Preferences dialog for the Photoshop workspace contains a range of settings that control the way the program looks, the way it displays pictures and the way it processes your files. The settings are grouped in nine separate but housed together dialogs. When the Preferences option (1) is selected from the Edit menu the General dialog is displayed first with the other options accessed via the Next and Previous buttons (or by selecting the precise dialog from the Preferences menu). Each Preferences dialog is displayed below and on the facing page.

Changed from CS2:

The following Preference dialogs have changed from the CS2 version of Photoshop.

Memory & Image Cache Use the Memory Usage setting here to ensure that as much RAM as possible is allocated exclusively to Photoshop. In this example, other programs will be run alongside Photoshop so 55% of the total RAM is earmarked for the program, but more memory would mean faster processing.

Display & Cursors Use this dialog to alter the default cursor or tool pointers used for painting, drawing and selection tools. Selecting the Use Pixel Doubling option speeds up the display of the results of editing changes by temporarily halving the resolution of the photo.

Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks Sets the location of the virtual memory or scratch disks that Photoshop uses when it runs out of RAM memory whilst processing your files. Make sure that the system drive is not selected as a scratch disk location as most operating systems run their own disk-based memory system on these drives. Also included here is the ability to identify an additional plug-ins folder. This plug-ins location is separate and extra to the default/Photoshop/PlugIns/directory.

As the Bridge application is a completely separate entity and sits apart from Photoshop (and the other Creative Suite applications) it contains its own set of preferences that control the way the program behaves.

The default settings for the function of Adobe Camera Raw are located in the Edit > Camera Raw Preferences option in Bridge. Here the user can determine where the image settings are stored, either in separate sidecar files associated with each picture file or in a centralized Camera Raw database (1).

There are also options for applying auto image adjustment settings by default (2) and if these auto settings should be made camera and/or ISO specific (3).

The last two sections of the dialog adjust the size and location of the Camera Raw thumbnail cache (4) and how DNG files are handled by the program (5).

The Preserve Transparency option in features like Fill Layer (1) shields the transparent area of a layer from any editing or enhancement changes.

An alternative to selecting this option when using a tool is to lock the layer’s transparency in the Layers palette.

The Edit > Preset Manager is a central location for the organization, saving and loading of Photoshop resources (or Preset Libraries) such as brushes, swatches, gradients, styles, contours, custom shapes, tools and patterns (1) used in the Editor.

The side-arrow button (top right of the dialog) displays a pop-up palette with view choices and extra resource libraries.

The dialog also provides the ability to load, save, rename and delete individual resource items (e.g. brushes) or whole libraries (e.g. Faux Finish Brushes). Extra resources libraries downloaded from the web can be loaded and managed from this dialog.

The Preview panel in Bridge 2.0 has been revamped and is now capable of displaying a multitude of video files as well as still image and design and PDF document types. Clicking on a thumbnail in the Content area displays a larger version in the Preview panel. Multi-selecting thumbnails shows these images in Compare mode in the preview area.

Clicking onto an image in the Preview panel magnifies a portion of the photo in the new Loupe tool. The Loupe tool displays at 100% by default.

When multiple thumbnails are selected the new Preview panel displays all pictures in Compare mode. Bridge 2.0 maximizes the size of the pictures based on the number and the space available in the panel.

The new Loupe of magnification tool in the Preview panel of Bridge 2.0 provides a great way for photographers to check the sharpness of their photos without having to open the pictures fully into Photoshop or Adobe Camera Raw.

To use the tool simply click on the image in the Preview panel; Bridge will then display a magnified part of the photo (1). Click-drag the Loupe to move it to a new location or click a new area in the photo to switch the tool to this picture part. To close the Loupe click on the magnified area inside the tool.

The Loupe tool can be used on multiple images when they are displayed in the Preview panel in the Compare mode (2). Simply click onto each previewed photo in turn to display the Loupe for that photo. Holding down the Ctrl/Cmd key while moving the mouse will synchronize all instance of the tool (they will move in unison).

By default the tool shows a 100% magnification of the photo. Use the mouse scroll button to increase or decrease this magnification. The + or - keys can also be used to increase or decrease the magnification.

The File > Print One Copy option is a one-button express print feature that bypasses all Print dialogs and simply outputs the current picture to the default printer using the saved settings.

Photoshop CS2 contains the ability to print and share images online from inside Photoshop and Bridge.

These features are made possible by the new Photoshop Services technology which seamlessly links your desktop to an external online provider such as KodakGallery.com (formerly www.ofoto.com).

After an initial registration process is completed Photoshop users can upload copies of their favorite images to the company’s site and have them photographically printed in a range of sizes (3). The finished prints are sent to you via the mail.

This print option is available either from within Photoshop by selecting File > Print Online (1) or by choosing the Photoshop Services option from the Tools menu in Bridge (2).

When printing in Photoshop you have several choices that you can select (1) from the File menu.

Note: The Print Online option only appears in CS2 and the Print and Print with Preview options have been combined in CS3’s single Print option.

Print One Copy bypasses all Print settings dialogs and outputs a print using the current default settings for page and printer.

Print Online (CS2 only) links to an internet print provider giving the user the option of uploading and printing using this third party.

The other options contain all the Photoshop print settings.

The Print or Print with Preview (CS2 or earlier) dialog (2) is the first stop for most users. Here you can interactively scale your image to fit the page size currently selected for your printer. By deselecting the Center Image option and ticking the Show Bounding Box feature, it is possible to click and drag the image to a new position on the page surface. Pressing the More Options button (in CS2 or earlier releases) provides further settings for color management and output control. The same settings can be found in right-hand side of the new CS3 dialog. Users switch between Color Management and Output options by selecting the appropriate entry in the drop-down menu.

The Page Setup dialog contains the settings for the printer, such as paper type, size and orientation, printing resolution and color control, or enhancement.

In previous versions of Photoshop the Print option (3) takes you directly to the control for your printing hardware. Only use this command if you are sure that the paper orientation and print size are correctly set. If in doubt use the Print with Preview option instead.

The number of dots along the length and width of a print, measured in dots per inch.

Generally, the more dots per inch the higher the resolution. Most inkjet printers print out at between 600 dpi and 1440 dpi, but these are slightly misleading as the figures allow for between three and six ink color droplets, which are used to make up each dot.

A 1440 dpi printer that uses six individual ink colors actually means the print resolution is more like 240 dpi. The highest true resolution is around 400 dpi for dye-sub printers and most books and magazines print at around 300 dpi.

The Print Space refers to an ICC profile that has been specially created to characterize they way that your printer works.

Generally, printer companies supply profiles with their hardware. The installation programs that provide drivers for the printers also install the Print Space profiles into the main system color folder. From here the profiles can be accessed by a range of programs including Photoshop.

When Photoshop is aware of the Print Space it can more easily translate the picture’s tones and colors to suit the abilities of the printer.

To ensure that Photoshop uses your printer’s profile select the More Options button (1) in the Print with Preview dialog and then choose Color Management from the drop-down menu at the top of the newly displayed section (2).

From the Color Handling menu choose the Let Photoshop Determine Colors option and then select the profile from the Printer Profile drop-down menu (3).

Photoshop provides two different options for altering, removing or converting the color profiles that are attached to photographs - Assign Profile and Convert to Profile (1) located in the Edit menu.

Assign Profile - This option maps the color numbers (without changing them) directly to the newly selected color space. Using this approach you may notice a color shift in the picture as it changes from one profile to the other. The Assign Profile dialog provides three choices (2):

• 1. Don’t Color Manage This Document which removes the existing ICC profile and leaves the document untagged,
• 2. Working Space tags the photo with the current working space profile, and
• 3. Profile is used to tag the picture with the selected color space without converting the colors or the underlying numbers.

Convert to Profile - Changes the actual or original color numbers of the picture before mapping them to the new profile space. The Convert to Profile dialog (3) contains settings for selecting the destination space as well as the conversion options used in the mapping process.

Selecting the Progressive option (1) in the Save for Web dialog, or Save As JPEG feature, creates a JPEG file that downloads in several separate passes rather than line by line. The initial pass displays a coarse blurry image which sharpens and becomes clearer with each successive pass.

The View > Proof Colors command simulates how the current document will appear when output using the settings in the Proof Setup.

Using this feature you can preview how a picture will look after printing or displaying on a range of devices.

Lets you view the image on the monitor as it will appear when reproduced on a specific output device. This is known as soft-proofing and saves you printing a hard copy of your document to preview how the colors will look.

Select the space to be proofed from the menu (1) or create a specific proofing option via the Custom selection (2) and its associated dialog.

It is only any use when you have calibrated your monitor and also have an ICC profile installed for the device you are proofing.

PSB is a format for huge documents that was introduced in CS (1). It is designed to get around the file size limitations of Photoshop’s native PSD format.

In the same way that PSD stands for Photoshop Document format, PSB is short for Photoshop Big document. The format allows you to work on files with up to 300.000 pixels in any dimension.

When creating documents larger than 30.000 pixels in either dimension, or bigger than 2 Gb, Photoshop displays a Compatibility Warning dialog and automatically uses the PSB format.

The Purge command frees up Photoshop’s memory from storing temporary items such as copies of pictures stored on the Clipboard, the record of changes made to the image kept for use by the Edit > Undo command and the History palette.

You’d use the Purge command when the computer is starting to run slowly or can’t finish an action due to a lack of memory.

Several options are available from the Purge drop-down menu including Undo, Clipboard, History and All (all stored items).