Device Central is a new workspace included in the various components of Adobe’s Creative Suite 3, including Photoshop and Bridge.

The feature is designed to help with the creation of content for mobile devices such as phone or personal digital assistants (PDAs) and provides a full emulation environment for testing such mobile content. The feature provides options for testing memory, cache, display and reception on a range of mobile devices.

The Test in Device Central option is located in both the File and right-click menus in Bridge. This command provides quick access to the Device Central workspace and the previewing of the selected file.

‘Text’ is often used interchangeably with ‘Type’ to indicate the Photoshop tool used for combining letters, words, sentences and phrases with your photos and illustrations (2).

Blocks of text can be selected in other programs, such as Microsoft Word (1), copied and then pasted into a Photoshop picture as a new type layer.

Adding type to a path is a new feature for Photoshop but it is one that should be familiar to users of DTP or illustration packages.

Start by creating a path in the shape that you want the text to follow. Make sure that the path is active in the Paths palette. Next, select the Type tool from the Photoshop toolbar and position the tool’s pointer so that it is over the path. The pointer (cursor) will change to the Type on a Path pointer. Click to set a starting point and then input your text.

If you have selected the Horizontal Type tool the letter shapes will be placed at right angels to the path. Using the Vertical Type tool will straddle the letter shapes along the path.

The Texture Fill filter, as one of the group of Render filters, fills a layer or picture by seamlessly repeating a selected grayscale picture.

The filter contains no controls for altering the strength or look and feel of the effect. After selecting the Texture Fill option a file browser window is displayed. It is here that you locate the picture to be used for the effect. Clicking OK fills the current picture with a repeating pattern of the selected texture picture.

To make a color photo suitable for use as a Texture Fill file you must first change its color mode to grayscale (Image > Mode > Grayscale) and then save the image in the PSD format (File > Save As).

The Texturizer filter, as one of the group of Texture filters, recreates the picture to give the appearance that the photo has been printed onto the surface of a particular texture.

The Scaling (2) and Relief (3) sliders control the strength and visual dominance of the texture, whilst the Light direction (4) menu alters the position of the highlight and shadow areas. Different surface types are available from the Texture drop-down menu (1).

The filter also contains the option to add your own files and have these used as the texture that is applied by the filter to the image. Use the steps below to create your own texture for use with the filter.

In Photoshop CS2 Adobe introduced the ability to perform basic operations on 32 bits per channel files. Though the operations that you could perform on these documents were a little limited in CS2, the introduction of the High Dynami c Range technology really helped photographers capture and manipulate the full tonal range that exists in high contrast scenes.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) images contain 32 bits per color channel, which is substantially more information levels of tone per color channel than what is contained in a standard 8 bits per channel file and is more than capable of storing a contrast range of 100,000:1.

The HDR editing and enhancement options available in CS3 Extended have been greatly increased to now include multi-layer functionality and painting options.

The Extended version of Photoshop CS3 includes the ability to use multiple layers with 32-bits per channel High Dynamic Range fi les

This opens the way to add adjustment layers to HDR photos (Levels, Hue/Saturation, Channel Mixer, Photo Filter and Exposure), use non-destructive retouching techniques with Clone Stamp corrections stored in a separate retouching layer, and the option to use such features as the new Auto-Align and Auto-Blend features with two or more HDR layers.

In CS3 the editing and enhancement abilities possible with 32-bits per channel files has been dramatically increased.

It is now possible to use the following tools with these files: Brush, Pencil, Pen, Shape, Clone Stamp, Pattern Stamp, Eraser, Gradient, Blur, Sharpen, Smudge, History Brush and Text tool.

As it is not possible to see the complete brightness range of an HDR file on a standard monitor you can view the effects of the enhancements at a range of different HDR exposures using the View > 32-bit Preview options.

As the brightness range stored in a High Dynamic Range (HDR) file is beyond the display abilities of current monitor technology, Photoshop CS2 and CS3 include an interactive feature that allows users to alter the way that these files are displayed.

When displayed the 32-bit Exposure option

(1) is located at the bottom of the document window and contains a single slider that can be used to control the way the HDR preview image is displayed on screen.

To display the feature select the Show > 32-bit Exposure item from the pop-up menu

(2) in the documents status bar.

The Extended edition of Photoshop CS3 has the ability to open and work with three dimensional architectural or design files.

When Photoshop opens a 3D file (File > Open) it is placed on a separate layer where you can move, scale and change the lighting and rendering of the 3D model. Double-clicking the 3D Layer entry in the Layers palette allows you to transform the 3D model. A horizontal toolbar contain 3D transform tools is added to the top of the workspace. The bar contains the following tools:

• 1. Edit the 3D object mode.
• 2. Edit the 3D camera mode.
• 3. Return to initial position.
• 4. Rotate the 3D object.
• 5. Roll the 3D object.
• 6. Drag the 3D object.
• 7. Slide the 3D object.
• 8. Scale the 3D object.
• 9. View menu
• 10. Delete currently selected view.
• 11. Save current view.
• 12. Lighting and Appearance settings. Actual editing of the 3D model can only occur in a 3D authoring program.

The 3D file formats supported in Photoshop CS3 include.u3d,.3ds,.obj,.kmz, and Collada.

To coincide with the 3D support found in the extended version of Photoshop, Adobe introduced a new 3D layer (1).

The layer is a special form of Smart Object which houses the three-dimensional content and is created automatically when a supported 3D file is opened (File > Open) or when the content is placed as a new layer ( Layer > 3D Layers > New Layer From 3D files).

A small Cube icon (2) is placed at the bottom right of the layer thumbnail to indicate that the content is a three-dimensional model. The content can then be moved, scaled, and the lighting and rendering changed. Any textures contained in the model are listed below the main Layer entry (3) and can be hidden or revealed by clicking on the Eye icon to the left of each entry.

The 3D Transform filter, as one of the group of Render filters, projects the photo onto either a cube, sphere or cylinder and then lets you move and rotate the object in three dimensions.

To the left of the filter’s dialog there is a toolbar (1) containing features used for defining and manipulating the threedimensional objects that the picture is projected upon.

The middle of the dialog is taken up with an interactive preview (2) that displays the original picture and the superimposed 3D object.

The filter tools can be used to place, size and rotate the object within the boundaries of the preview window. Clicking OK applies the transformation.

Since the CS version of Photoshop the 3D Transform filter has been included as an optional plug-in on the CD but is not automatically installed. To use this filter copy the plug-in to the Photoshop Filters folder and then restart the program.

The Threshold filter, as one of the group of Adjustment filters, converts the picture to pure black and white, removing any tonal detail in the process. Tones darker than a selected point in the tonal scale are converted to black and those lighter than the selected value are converted to white.

The filter dialog contains a single slider control that selects the precise tonal level, which marks the change point (1) between black and white. A histogram of the distribution of the pixels in the picture is also included.

TIFF, or Tagged Image File Format, is generally considered the industry standard for images destined for publishing (magazines and books, etc.). In its most basic form TIFF uses a ‘lossless’ compression (no loss of image data or quality) called LZW compression. Although preserving the quality of the image, LZW compression is only capable of compressing images a small amount.

Photoshop, as well as the most recent edition of Photoshop Elements, has included the ability to save in an upgraded TIFF format that contains a host of new options. These include the ability to include layers, save with a compression system other than LZW and the chance to specify how the content for individual layers is compressed.

Care should be taken when saving TIFF files using these new options as not all nonAdobe programs are completely ‘savvy’ with the changes in the new format. If in doubt, stick to TIFF with LZW compression and no layers.

The Tile mode is one of the many ways that open pictures can be viewed in Photoshop. Selecting this option from the Window > Arrange menu will adjust the size of the pictures currently open in the workspace so that they can all fit on screen (with no overlapping).

In Photoshop CS2 this option has been replaced with the more useful Tile Horizontally and Tile Vertically commands.

The Tile Horizontally option introduced in Photoshop CS2 was in the Window > Arrange menu.

Like the standard tile feature, this selection resizes the pictures that are currently open in the Photoshop workspace and arranges them so that all document windows are positioned edge to edge. But unlike the tile option, Tile Horizontally resizes the document windows so that they all form horizontal rectangles.

An alternative to the Tile Horizontally option is the new Tile Vertically option that is also included in the Window > Arrange menu.

Like the standard tile feature, this selection resizes the pictures that are currently open in the Photoshop workspace and arranges them so that all document windows are positioned edge to edge. But unlike the tile option, Tile Vertically resizes the document windows so that they all form vertical rectangles.

The Tiles filter, as one of the group of Stylize filters, breaks the photo into a series of same-size tiles that are then randomly offset.

The filter dialog contains two main control areas. The number of tiles and the Maximum Offset setting that is used in the filter are set in the first section of the dialog

(1). Start with low values and then adjust if necessary.

The second area contains four options that determine what will be used to fill the vacant areas in the image that are created between the offset tiles (2).

The Tolerance setting (1) is found in the options bar of tools that make selections or picture changes based on the color and brightness of a group of pixels.

Essentially it is a setting that determines how identical a pixel has to be to the original to be included in the selection (2) or pixels that are changed. The higher the Tolerance value, the less alike the two pixels need to be, whereas a lower setting will require a more exact match before a pixel is added to the selection or pixel group to be changed.

Tools that have a Tolerance setting in their options bar include Magic Wand, Paint Bucket, Color Replacement, Magic Eraser, Background Eraser, Impressionist Brush and Replace Color (Fuzziness slider).

Specific tool settings can be saved, edited and reused by adding them to the Tool Presets palette (1) (Window > Tool Presets) or the Tool Presets Picker in the options bar (2).

Storing your most used tools and their setup here can speed up regular tasks.

Tools interact directly with the image and require the user to manipulate the mouse to define the area or extent of the tool’s effect. The tools in Photoshop are all stored in a common toolbox (1 - see left), which is positioned on the left-hand side of the workspace.

Some tools contain extra options which can be viewed by clicking and holding the mouse key over the small triangle in the bottom right-hand corner of the tool button (2).

Alternatively, the submenu may list a variety of tools related to the one currently selected. Selecting a new option from those listed will replace the current icon in the toolbox with your new choice. To switch back simply reselect the original tool.

The toolbox can be moved around the screen by click-dragging its title bar. In CS3 the toolbox can be docked to the side of the screen by dragging the title bar to the screen’s edge or converted to a single column form by clicking the sideways arrows at the top left.

In CS3 clicking the Tab key will hide the Toolbar and Palettes and then auto disclose them when the mouse reaches the screen’s edges.

Although no real editing or enhancement options are available in the Bridge feature it is possible to use the browser as a starting point for many of the operations normally carried out in Photoshop.

For instance, photos selected in the workspace can be batch renamed, printed online, used to create a Photomerge panorama, compiled into a contact sheet or combined into a PDF-based presentation, all via options under the Tools menu.

Some of these choices will open Photoshop before completing the requested task whereas others are completed without leaving the Bridge workspace.

The precise options that are available in the Tools menu will depend on which components of Creative Suite 2 are installed on your machine.

The Torn Edges filter, as one of the group of Sketch filters, converts the picture to pure black and white shapes like the Threshold filter. Unlike this option though, the edges of the shapes are coarse and feathered and the dark and light tones contain a slight texture.

The filter dialog contains three sliders to alter the look of the end result.

The Image Balance slider (1) selects a tonal level to act as a turning point between black and white. High values create large dark areas as more tones are converted to black. The Smoothness option (2) adjusts how rough the edge areas are. High values produce a sharp demarcation between black and white; low values create a more textured, ‘torn’ look.

The Contrast control (3) adjusts the starkness of the final result. High values produce a more contrasty result.

The Trace Contour fi lter, as one of the group of Stylize fi lters, locates picture parts where there is a big change in brightness and then outlines these with a thin colored line against a white background

The Level slider (1) in the fi lter dialog sets the level of difference necessary to be outlined. The Lower and Upper options (2) nominate whether pixels with lighter values (upper) or darker values (lower) will be examined.

The end result is like a contour map of the contrast of the picture in a select tonal range.

Remembers the last transformation that you applied and repeats the action.

This is a useful option if you’re creating a composite picture and are pasting in and adjusting several elements.

The Edit > Transform menu (1) contains four options that allow you to change the shape of your pictures from their standard rectangle format.

The Scale option is used for altering the size of the layer content.

Rotate provides a way to pivot the layer contents around a single point arbitrarily.

The Skew feature allows you to push and pull the sides of the rectangle to form diamond shapes.

The Distort option allows you to move the corner handles of the picture totally independently.

You can correct or create converging verticals and other shape changes using the Perspective option.

Warp is a new addition to the Transformations menu and provides a set of tools for twisting and distorting layer content in much the same way as the Warp Text feature and the Liquify filter.

After selecting the feature that you wish to use you may be prompted to change the background to a standard layer ready for transformation. Click Yes in this dialog.

When completed either double-click on the transformed layer or press the Enter/ Return key to ‘commit’ the changes. To cancel press the Esc key.

The Free Transform (Edit > Free Transform) feature combines all the above (except Warp) and can be used to scale, rotate, distort, skew or even apply perspective changes to your picture.

The GIF (1) and PNG (2) formats are unique among file types that are suitable for web use in that they both contain an option for transparency.

To ensure that the transparent component in your picture is maintained when saved select the Transparency box in the Save for Web feature.

The Transparency option is good when you are working with graphics that are meant to sit upon a textured background and blend in seamlessly.

A trap is a tiny overlap of picture parts that prevents small gaps appearing when printed using print technology based on several plates. Gaps occur if there’s a slight misalignment or movement of the printing plates.

Photoshop can automatically apply trapping to CMYK-based pictures using the Image > Trap command.

Your printer will tell you when you need to use this feature and what values to enter in the Trap dialog box (1).

The Trap item (2) only appears on the Image menu when you are working with a picture that is in CMYK mode.

The Image > Trim command locates and removes unwanted background areas from a picture.

The feature can be set to base the trimmed area on the top left pixel, transparency or the bottom right pixel.

You can also choose which sides of the image you want trimmed.

Just like its color brother, Duotones, Tritones are a way of extending the tonal range of grayscale pictures by adding two other colors to the standard black ink.

Designed to help produce better black and white prints from offset printers, Tritones are also frequently used to add subtle toning to black and white images.

You can Tritone preset by clicking on the Load button (1) and locating a suitable recipe in the Presets folder, or create your own color by clicking on the colored ink squares to call up the color wheel.

The TWAIN interface provides a link between Photoshop and your camera and scanners. After installing a new camera or scanner, Photoshop must be restarted to register the device on the File > Import menu.

If more than one scanner or camera is installed then each device will be listed on this menu.

Selecting a TWAIN entry from the Import menu opens a separate driver window that either controls your scanner or provides download options for your camera. Input your scan settings and start the scanning process or select the picture to be downloaded from your camera. Once the download or scanning process is completed the image appears in Photoshop as a new document named Untitled.

It’s wise to save this Untitled file straight away, because if the computer crashes you’ll lose the file and will have to scan or download the photograph again.

In the Windows work environment many scanners and cameras are now connected using the WIA interface instead of the TWAIN technology detailed here.

The Twirl filter, as one of the group of Distort filters, twists the picture around a central point, creating a spiral effect.

The filter dialog contains a single slider that controls the Angle of the effect (1). Movements to the right (positive values) create a clockwise rotation of the picture. Sliding the control to the left produces an anti-clockwise spiral (negative values). The wire frame (2) and standard previews indicate the strength at the settings selected and predict the look and feel of the end results.

The Twirl tools are two of the several tools in the Liquify filter that allow you to stretch, twist, push and pull your pictures. They spiral the pixels in a pivot around the center of the brush. The result is similar to that obtained with the Twirl filter.

To twirl your pictures, select either tool (Clockwise or Counter Clockwise) then adjust the brush size so that it is the same dimensions as the area to be changed and then hold down the mouse button until the picture has changed the required amount. You can drag the mouse across the canvas, twirling the pixels as you go.

To reverse the tool’s effect either select the Revert button (top right) or paint over the surface with the Reconstruct tool.

Photoshop contains four different Type tools - two standard tools and two mask tools (1).

Of the standard Type tools (non-mask varieties), one is used for entering text that runs horizontally across the canvas and the other is for entering vertical type.

To place text onto your picture, select the Type tool from the toolbox. Next, click onto the canvas in the area where you want the text to appear.

Do not be too concerned if the letters are not positioned exactly, as the layer and text can be moved later. Once you have finished entering text you need to commit the type to a layer. Until this is done you will be unable to access most other Photoshop functions.

To exit the text editor, either click the ‘tick’ button in the options bar or press the Control + Enter keys in Windows or Command + Return for a Macintosh system.

All the usual text change options that you would expect to find in word processors are available in Photoshop.

It is possible to alter the size, style, color and font of your type using the settings in the options bar (2).

You can either make the setting selections before you input your text or later by highlighting (clicking and dragging the mouse across the text) the portion of type that you want to change and then altering the settings (1).

In addition to these adjustments, you can also alter the justification or alignment of a line or paragraph of type.

After selecting the type to be aligned, click one of the justification buttons on the options bar. Your text will realign automatically on screen.

After making a few changes, you may wish to alter the position of the text; simply click and drag outside of the type area to move it around. If you have already committed the changes to a text layer then select the Move tool from the toolbox, making sure that the text layer is selected, then click and drag to move the whole layer (3).

The Type Mask tools are used to provide precise masks or selections in the shape and size of the text you input.

Rather than creating a new text layer containing solid colored text, the mask tools produce a selection outline. From this point on, the text mask can be used as you would use any other selection.

Adding text to Indexed Color or Bitmap mode files (which don’t support layers) automatically creates Type Mask text.