Photoshop CS4 In Simple Steps

Description

Use Photoshop CS4 with confidence

Discover everything you want to know about Adobe Photoshop CS4 in this easy to use guide; from the most essential tasks that you'll want to perform, to solving the most common problems you'll encounter.

This practical book will have you achieving immediate results using:

* a friendly, visual approach
* simple language
* practical, task-based examples
* large, full-colour screenshots.

Build your confidence and get the most out of your computer with practical hints, tips and shortcuts on every page:

· ALERT! - Explains and provides practical solutions to the most

                                                                    commonly encountered problems

· HOT TIPS - Time and effort saving shortcuts

· SEE ALSO... - Points you to other related tasks and information

· DID YOU KNOW? - Additional features to explore

· WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? - Jargon and technical terms explained in plain English

CONTENTS:

Top 10 Photoshop CS4 Tips

Chapter 1 - Getting Started with Photoshop CS4

* • Preferences: set Photoshop history states

* • Preferences: set Photoshop cursors

* • Set and save Photoshop colour settings

* • Arrange panels in the Photoshop workspace

* • Save your custom Photoshop workspace

* • Launch Adobe Bridge from Photoshop

* • Arrange panels in Adobe Bridge

* • Save a new workspace in Adobe Bridge

* • Browse files in Adobe Bridge

* • Open a JPEG file in Photoshop

* • Open a JPEG file in Camera Raw

* • Open a raw file

* • Boxout: keys and keystrokes

Chapter 2 - Set Up Adobe Bridge

§ LaunchAdobe Bridgefrom Photoshop

§ Arrange Panels in Adobe Bridge

§ Set the Preview layout as your main layout

§ Expand the thumbnail view and save the new workspace

§ SetBridgepreferences

§ Download files from your camera

Chapter 3 - Work with the Brush Tool

§ Create a new document

§ Use the brush tool

§ Use the brushes panel

§ Use default foreground and backgroundcolours

§ Pick foreground and backgroundcolours

§ Use the Brush tool w/opacity

§ Boxout: Resize the Brush tool and change opacity with the keyboard

§ Use the Airbrush

§ Shift-click to paint connecting lines between two points

§ Constrain verticals & horizontals with the shift key § Show rulers

§ Add guides

§ Reposition guides

§ Use snap

§ Hide guides

§ Clear guides

Chapter 4 - Work with Layers and Groups

§ Choose a marquee tool

§ Fill all or part of a layer

§ Change layer transparency

§ Duplicate the background layer

§ Reorder layers

§ Toggle a layer's visibility

§ Nudge a single layer

§ Nudge two layers together

§ Link layers

§ Unlink layers

§ Group layers

§ Expand or collapse a group

§ Add a layer to a group

§ Remove or delete a layer from a group

§ Toggle a group's visibility

§ Changethe blending mode of a layer or group

§ Rename layers and groups

Chapter 5 - Erase, Move. Crop and Undo

§ Use the eraser tool

§ Select an areawith the Marquee tool and clear it

§ Choose a lasso tool

§ Select and move a section using the Polygonal Lasso

§ Select and copy part of a layer

§ Use the crop tool

§ Use Undo (command-z)

§ Use the History Panel

Chapter 6 - Work with Type

§ Choose a Type tool

§ Use the Type tool to make straight-line text

§ Use Type tool to make wrapping text

§ Edit and reshape wrapping text

§ Alter type with the Options and character panels

Chapter 7 - View your Document in Different Ways

§ Switch screen modes

§ Show or hide all panels

§ Rotate and reset the view

§ Zoom in or out

§ Reposition with the hand tool

§ Use Bird's Eye View

§ Use the Navigator panel

Chapter 8 - Pre-edit in Camera RAW

§ Open a RAW file from Adobe Bridge

§ Set Camera RAW preferences

§ Set workflow options

§ Toggle full-screen mode

§ Zoom in or out

§ Move with the Hand tool

§ Rotate the image

§ Crop an image

§ Remove cropping from an image

§ Straighten an image

§ Use a pre-set white balance

§ Use the White Balance tool

§ Manually adjust colour temperature & tint § Use clipping warnings

§ Adjust Exposure, Recovery, Fill light, Blacks, Brightness, and Contrast

§ Adjust Clarity, Vibrance, Saturation

§ Use the Parametric Tone Curve

§ Use the Point Tone Curve

§ Use Noise Reduction

§ Toggle your preview

§ Convert to grayscale

§ Use Auto, Default, Reset and Undo

§ Open in Photoshop or Open a copy in Photoshop

§ Save edits without opening

Chapter 9 - Basic Retouching

§ Duplicate the background layer

§ Reshape with the Liquify tool

§ Use the Patch tool

§ Add a blank layer for retouching and rename it

§ Use the Healing Brush

§ Use the Spot Healing Brush

§ Boxout: Watch out for Healing Brush bleed

§ Use the Clone Stamp

§ Boxout: Using Aligned

Chapter 10 - Adjust Tones and Colours in Photoshop

· Adjust contrast with a preset curves adjustment layer

· Adjust the black point and white point of an image

· Make a curves adjustment layer from scratch

· Review and adjust an existing curves adjustment layer

· Adjust saturation

· Target a colour and adjust hue and saturation

· Adjust vibrance

· Adjust colour with curves using the Auto button

· Convert a colour image to black and white

· Colourize a black and white image

Chapter 11 - Make Selections

§ Select using the rectangular Marquee and use Deselect

§ Select using the Elliptical Marquee

§ Select with the Lasso

§ Select with the Polygonal Lasso and reposition a selection

§ Select with the Magnetic Lasso

§ Use Select Inverse

§ Add to or subtract from selection

§ Use the Refine Edge command

§ Modify Quick Mask preferences

§ Modify a selection with Quick Mask

§ Create a new selection with Quick Mask

§ Select by Colour Range

§ Save a selection

§ Load a selection

Chapter 12 - Advanced Techniques with Selections, Layers and Masks

§ Hide a selection

§ Use a selection to constrain painting

§ Black and White & Colour in the same image § Adjust contrast in one part of an image

§ Add a layer mask to hide pixels instead of erasing

§ Use a selection to make a layer mask

§ View and edit a mask directly

§ View the mask as an overlay

§ Use the Masks panel

§ Add "pop" to eyes and jewellery

§ Soften wrinkles

§ Whiten teeth

§ Brighten eyes

§ Add grain or noise for a film-like look

§ Use layer comps

§ Selectively merge layers

Chapter 13 - Sharpening

§ Use zoom to view the image at output size

§ Add a sharpening layer

§ Use Smart Sharpen

§ Use a layer mask to hide some of the sharpening

§ Sharpen with the high-pass filter

Chapter 14 - Saving and Exporting Files from Photoshop and Adobe Bridge

§ Open a file from Adobe Bridge

§ Save a file as a Photoshop file

§ Save a file as a TIFF file

§ Save a file as a copy

§ Save a file as JPEG

§ Resample an image using Fit Image

§ Resample an image using Image Size

§ Save a file using Save for Web and Devices

§ Make a PDF in Adobe Bridge

§ Make a web gallery in Adobe Bridge

Chapter 15 - Print

§ Flatten for printing only Tip: Flattening is a problem. Don't forget to restore layers.

§ Resize for printing

§ Resample for printing

§ Print with Photoshop colour management

§ Set page layout parameters

§ Set colour management parameters

§ Boxout: About printer profiles and rendering intent

§ Specify printer

§ Select media type, colour mode and bits/channel

§ Turn off colour adjustment and set print quality

§ Print in Black and White

§ Use the History panel to undo flattening

Chapter 16 - Use Workflow Tools

§ Compare images

§ Use the Loupe tool to inspect fine details

§ Use Review Mode

§ Use collections

§ Use ratings &labels § Work with metadata

§ Use File Info to embed your copyright

§ Export a File Info template

§ Use a File Info template

§ Boxout: Backup is crucial

§ Open RAW, JPEG or TIFF in Camera RAWfrom Adobe Bridge

§ Create an action

§ Use an action

§ Process batches from Photoshop with Image Processor

§ Process batches from Adobe Bridge with Image Processor

Top 10 Photoshop CS4 Problems Solved

§ I can't see changes when painting, retouching, etc.

§ I'm getting a message about a missing colour profile

§ I'm getting a message about an embedded profile mismatch

§ How come I can't Save As JPEG?

§ Changes are getting saved even when I don't want them

§ Help! All my tools and panels just disappeared!

§ My cursor suddenly just looks like a crosshair

§ My layers suddenly went out of alignment

§ Accidentally falling into Quick-mask

§ My prints are coming out very magenta

§ My matte paper prints look odd