Adobe Photoshop CS4 Essentials welcome & course outline (2010)

Adobe Photoshop CS4digital image editing essentials

your instructor: matteo wyllyamz

[email protected]://mouselink.info

mailto:[email protected]

http://mouselink.info/

Adobe Photoshop CS4 2

Getting started today

Quick introductionsQuick introductions

» customizing this coursecustomizing this course

AdministriviaAdministrivia

How to have a great classHow to have a great class

Menu of possible topicsMenu of possible topics


Quick introductions» customizing this course» customizing this course

Who are you and what do you do?Who are you and what do you do?

What is your experience with …What is your experience with …

» Digital images/photographyDigital images/photography

» Raster-based image editingRaster-based image editing

» Adobe PhotoshopAdobe Photoshop

What is something interesting about What is something interesting about you?you?


» matteo wyllyamzSoftware instructor since 1993, with an emphasis on multimedia,

graphic design, and Internet development.

Have created courses for Jefferson County Adult Ed,Colorado Christian University, Productivity Point,Colorado Free University, and the Department of Defense.

Taught Apple Macintosh classes exclusively for five years,and have been active on the Internet since 1994.

Corporate graphic designer / webmaster for two years ('97-'99),

Have been using Adobe Photoshop for digital art & photography since 1993.

Produced a Photoshop art blog for seven years. ('99-'05)

TODAY: Managing Partner of Mouselink Media Group, technical and creative instructor and consultant, designer, project manager, artist, amateur photographer, and author. BA in English writing, and have sold three books.

» http://www.mouselink.biz

http://www.mouselink.biz/


Administrivia

Workshop scheduleWorkshop schedule

» Six workshopsSix workshops

» 1pm – 4pm1pm – 4pm

» Two sessions per afternoon Two sessions per afternoon

» Short break (15 mins)Short break (15 mins)around 2:30pmaround 2:30pm

Facilities …Facilities …

» Bathrooms, vending, Bathrooms, vending, Starbucks …Starbucks …


Please set cell phones to silent or turn off.Please set cell phones to silent or turn off.

Understand Understand concentrated computer training:concentrated computer training:

» Please sit at the front of the classroom and don’t sit alone.

» Class is part discussion, part lecture, part hands-on.

» PARTICIPATE! Ask questions. Answer questions. Take notes.

» Watch the screen, then try it yourself.

» Be mindful of others’ ability levels.

» This is a cooperative learning environment:

We are here to learn from each other.

Keep in mind that this class was designed for aKeep in mind that this class was designed for aspecific level of student:specific level of student:

How to have a great class


Keep in mind that this course was designed for a Keep in mind that this course was designed for a specific level of student:specific level of student:

Created for

» A semi-experienced computer user with a comfortable working knowledge of the Windows environment.

» The beginning Adobe Photoshop user who has never or rarely used this specific software.

NOT created for

» The beginning computer user.

» The more intermediate or advanced Photoshop user.

most importantly …most importantly …



Make it fun! Make it fun!

most importantly …most importantly …



Menu of possible topics

What is Photoshop?

Specific features of CS2

Specific features of CS3

The Photoshop interface

Viewing and navigation

Toolbox overview

Making and modifying selections

Transformations

Image adjustments

Raster pixels vs. vector objects

Image size and resolution

Common image file formats

Working with documents

Painting

Working with colors

Color modes or “spaces”

Working with layers

Filters

Retouching

Working with type

Misc. topics & issues

… and a word about your materials


Moving on …Moving on …

DAY1

Adobe Photoshop CS4Level I workshop emphases & objectives

Learning jargonLearning jargon

Mastering core conceptsMastering core concepts

Becoming more comfortableBecoming more comfortable

Understanding more advanced techniquesUnderstanding more advanced techniques

Gaining confidence through immersionGaining confidence through immersion

Increasing speed & efficiencyIncreasing speed & efficiency


What is Photoshop?For what can this software application be used?

Adobe Photoshop is the industry-standard,market-leader, image editing application.

» Editing / enhancing / retouchingdigital photography

» Restoring old photographs

» Creating graphics/logos from scratch for either print projects or web design

» Digital paintings/art utilizing photographs and/or pressure sensitive graphics tablets

» Organizing all your images withAdobe Bridge


» Crop, resize, or “resample”

» Adjust brightness, contrast, hue, and saturation

» Rotate, scale, and flip images

» Work on multiple transparent layers

» Isolate and modify selected parts of an image

» Process images with artistic filters and other enhancement techniques

» Import and export files, using various standard image formats

» Compress images for use on the web

What is Photoshop?For what can this software application be used?

Specific features of Photoshop CS2Some product enhancements introduced in this version

Adobe Bridge advanced file browser

Vanishing Point tools

Image Warp

Spot Healing Brush

One-Click Red-Eye Correction

Multiple Layer Control

Support for RAW and DNG formats

WYSIWYG Font Menu

And much much more …

Adobe Photoshop CS4 15Specific features of Photoshop CS3*

Some product enhancements introduced in this version

A.K.A. Photoshop 10

Changes to interface

One-column tool palette

Palette well changed to palette docks

Non-destructive image filtering

Quick selection tool

Refine Edge command

More advanced Camera RAW controls

Adobe Bridge 2.0

And much much more …

* Adobe Creative Suite 3 was announcedon March 27, 2007.

Adobe Photoshop CS4 16Specific features of Photoshop CS4*

Some product enhancements introduced in this version

A.K.A. Photoshop 11.0

New file display options (tabbed document display)

Smoother panning and zooming and fluid canvas rotation

OpenGL display acceleration in Photoshop

Native support for 64-bit on Windows Vista x64

New file management and workspaces

Adjustments and Masks panels

Content-aware scaling

Better raw image processing

Extended depth of field

Dramatically enhanced color correction

Auto-alignment of layers

* Adobe Creative Suite 4 was announcedon October 15, 2008.


Overview of the Photoshop interface

Welcome Screen

Title bars

Status area

MenusPrimary, contextual,

and shortcut

Keyboard shortcuts

Toolbars & Panelsand Docks

Changing viewsand hiding tools

Customizationand Workspaces


Viewing and navigation controls

Changing magnification

» View menu

» Keyboard

» Magnify tool

» Bird’s Eye View / Navigator

» Shortcuts

Scrolling vs. Panning

» Tools vs. Shortcuts

Changing the Screen Modeand hiding panels

Switching between documents


Toolbox overview

Tool sets

Hover or mouse-over

Nested tools

Keyboard shortcuts

Tool options bar


Selection & Move toolsMarquee, Lasso, and Magic Wand

Editing toolsBrush & Pencil, Clone stamps, Erasers, Gradient,

Paint Bucket, Blur, Sharpen, Smudge and Sponge

Vector-based

Type, Polygons, and Pens

Utilities

Annotation, Eyedropper, and Navigation

Additional toolsWeb Slice, Healing, History, Dodge & Burn, Etc. …

Toolbox overview

Adobe Photoshop CS4 21Raster or pixel-based graphics vs.Vector or object-oriented graphics


DAY2

HOMEWORK DUE

Axzo workbook Unit 1: “Getting Started” Time: 50 minutes.



Making and modifying selectionsThe “marching ants” surround the selected pixels.

You may only modify the pixels inside a selection!

Move selection vs. moving what’s selected

Marquees and Select All

Lassos

Magic Wands and Quick Selections

Hiding, Deselect, and Inverse

Adding to and subtracting from

Using Undo for selections

Feathering or “softening” your selection

Refine Edges

Saving & loading selections

Modify, Grow, and Similar


Transformations

Canvas vs. selection

Constraining

Move

Rotate

Flip

Scale

Skew

Etc.


Simple image adjustments

Brightness / Contrast

Hue / Saturation

Vibrancy

Shadow / Highlight

Levels and Curves

Adjustment Layers

The Adjustment Panel


Undo, Step, History, and Revert

Undo vs. Steps

Undo keyboard shortcuts

History panel and Step slider

Revert

Memory and scratch disk concerns

» Setting the number of history states


DAY3

HOMEWORK DUE

Axzo workbook Unit 2: “Image Selections” Time: 75 minutes.

Axzo workbook Unit 4: “Adjusting Images” Time: 50 minutes.



Skills Review» Making selections and image adjustments

Average time to complete: 30-45 minutes.

Utilizes essential skills sets: Making complex selections, saving & loading selections, and executing image adjustments to selected parts of an image.

Instructions:

1) Use Adobe Bridge to open the file: classroom example files \ Island Girl.jpg

2) Using the selection tools you’ve learned about, select only the darkened girl and boat in the foreground. Soften your selection by 4px. Once complete, save your selection.

3) Use the Brightness/Contrast adjustment to create a more balanced image, by adjusting the foreground but not the background.

4) Inverse as necessary, and adjust the Hue/Saturation to improve the photo.

5) Make sure your final image looks natural and unmanipulated.

6) Save the image as a .jpg into the “my saved work” folder.

7) Show the completed exercise to your instructor.

8) Extra credit: Experiment with the Dodge and Burn tools to further enhance your image adjustments.

Adobe Photoshop CS4 29Understanding Image Size and resolution

Changing and managing the number of pixels inside an image

What does “pixel dimensions” mean?

What does “resolution” mean?

How does resolution affect file size?

Screen magnification vs. actual size. What is 100%?

Screen pixels (ppi) vs. Print dots (dpi)

Cropping and Straightening

Image Size dialog box (and Document Size)

Image Size vs. Canvas Size

Resizing vs. Resampling

Optimal web rez: 72-96 ppi

Optimal print rez: 300-600 dpi and up

http://www.jnevins.com/resolutiontutorial2.htm http://www.photoshopessentials.com/essentials/resizing-vs-resampling.php


DAY4

HOMEWORK DUE

Axzo workbook Unit 6: “Resizing Images” Time: 30 minutes.



Working with documents

New document settings

Creating new from clipboard

Image Mode

Save vs. Save As

Save for Web

Creating multiple back-ups

Flattening vs. retaining layers


Common image file formats

BMP and PCT: simple, older formats, not recommended for use in production work

PSD, AI, INDD, FLA: Adobe proprietary “native” formats

TIF and EPS: best formats to place images intoprint documents

JPG: most common file type for photography, including use on the web, with lossy compressionin millions of colors

GIF: transparencies and animation for web in 256 colors

PDF: perhaps the most universally exchanged format today

PNG: lossless compression with variable transparency

RAW or DNG: up-and-coming, unprocessed camera data

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_file_format http://www.fileformat.info/format/cloud.htm


Painting

In Photoshop, what does “painting” mean?

Paint brush and pencil

Changing brushes

Opacity, flow, and blending mode

Brush options & presets

Paint Bucket, Gradient Tool, History Brush

Blur, sharpen, smudge

Dodge, burn, sponge

Erasers


Working with colors

Foreground / background

Swatches

Color sliders

Color picker

“Web safe” colors

The eyedropper

Saving new swatches

Adobe Kuler


Understanding color modes or “spaces”

RGB light: The more, the brighter (additive).» For on-screen output

CMYK ink: The more, the darker (subtractive).» For four-color printing

HSB approach

HTML hexidecimals

Grayscale

Black & White “bitmap”

Bit depth: number of bits per pixel» 8 bit = 256 values of color

» 16 bit = 65,536 “high colors”

» 32 bit = 4,294,967,296 “true colors”


Understanding Color Modes or “Spaces”

Additive Subtractive

Adobe Photoshop CS4 37Understanding Color Modes or “Spaces”

C R

G Y

MB


DAY5

HOMEWORK DUE

Axzo workbook Unit 3: “Working with Layers” Time: 75 minutes.

Axzo workbook Unit 5, Topic B: “Painting” Time: 15 minutes.


Adobe Photoshop CS4 39Skills Review

» Resizing, resampling, and saving images

A

B

C

Average time to complete: 20-30 minutes.

Utilizes essential skills sets: Manipulating image size & resolution, resampling, and saving multiple versions of the same image.

Instructions: Follow these steps, writing down answers to the questions.

1) Use Adobe Bridge to open the file: classroom example files / sunflower.psd

2) Use the Image Size command and resample down 50%. What is the resulting file size and pixel dimensions of the image?

3) Use the Save for Web command. Create a JPEG set to High-60 quality, and save the image to your “my saved work” folder.

4) Use the command File: Revert to restore the .psd file to its original size.

5) Use Image Size again. Resize (not resample) the image so that it may be printed at 300dpi. How large will the image appear on a printed page?

6) Use Save As to create a TIFF image and save it to your folder.

7) Extra credit: Crop the image tightly to show only the sunflower’s petals.Save another version of the image: Sunflower cropped.psd


Working with layers

How do layers work?

The active layer(s)

Selecting

Shift-click to make selections across multiple layers

Naming and organizing

Add, delete, lock

Show, hide, move, link

“Jumping” layers

Opacity

Defringing

Fill layers

Align & distribute

Adjustments & masks

Blending options

Layer styleshttp://www.photoshopessentials.com/basics/layer-shortcuts


DAY6

HOMEWORK DUE

Axzo workbook Unit 5, Topic A: “Retouching” Time: 15 minutes.

Axzo workbook Unit 5, Topic D: “Using Filters”Time: 15 minutes.

Axzo workbook Unit 7, “Outputting Images”Time: 30 minutes.



Retouching

Patch tool

Spot Healing Brush

Healing Brush

Cloning: aligned and unaligned

» Clone across layers or documents

Dust & Scratches filter

Removing red eye

http://www.dl-c.com/pwig.html


Understanding filters

“Destruction”

Undo and redo filter results

The Filter Gallery

Filters on selections

Filters on layers

Methods to combine filters

Smart Filters

http://tracymar.smugmug.com/gallery/869423#39246024


Working with type

Type tools

Bounding boxes

Type as a layer

Point text vs. Area text

Character and Paragraph panels

Editable type vs. rasterized pixels

How not to go crazy …


Conclusions …Sincere thanks!

You cannot learn the violin in a day or two.

Digital image manipulation is a skill – like any other – that requires gradual & continual practice & improvement.

Approach everything on a need-to-know basis, and don't worry about that which you do not yet understand.

Stay upbeat!… but if you get frustrated, remember:

You can always turn off the machine and walk away. :)

Good luck. Best wishes.And get in touch if you need more help!


© 2010 by m.wyllyamz© 2010 by m.wyllyamz


Ethical concerns of “Photoshopping”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photomanipulation

http://blogs.photopreneur.com/the-worlds-most-famous-photoshop-fakes


Most popular online resources

smugmug.com fotki.comzenfolio.comflickr.com dotphoto.comphotobucket.com

tabblo.comphanfare.comwebshots.comfuntigo.comphanfare.com

dazzle.com cafepress.com printfection.comvistaprint.com

http://photo-sharing-services-review.toptenreviews.com/

Art & Photos

Adobe Photoshop CS4 Essentials welcome & course outline (2010)