Core_Computer Studies : Adobe Photoshop Toolbox

For Selection tools see notes on the Marquee, the Lasso, the crop and magic wand.

Move Tool

This is used to move the nontransparent areas of a layer as it allows you to click and drag an image on a layer to a new area of the image. It is a bit like moving a piece of transparent tracing paper around and repositioning it.

The crop tool enables you to select an area to be cropped.

Healing brush is similar to the clone tool as it paints with a sample of an image to repair odd imperfections such as dust on a slide.

Brush and pencil tool

Clone and pattern stamp tools both paint with part of an image.The pattern stamp tool lets you paint with a pattern.

To use the clone tool, select it set the options you want in the options bar. Specify the sampling point by placing the cursor over an open image and Option-clicking (Mac OS). Then draw with the clone stamp either on another layer or document. In the options bar if you check the Aligned box, you can release the mouse button without losing the current sampling point. In other words you can stop and start drawing. If Aligned is unchecked, the pixels are applied from the initial sampling point each time start drawing.

The eraser tool

Blur, sharpen and smudge tool

Dodge, burn and sponge tools

Pen tool used to create bezier curves in vector graphics. Next to is is the Shape tool used to create vector shapes. The arrow ave the pen tool is used to select vector graphics and shapes. It is a selection arrow used as you use the selection in Illustrator.

The Annotation Tool

The notes tool is an ideal way to take notes in class. When you create a note, a window for text appears into which you can type. These notes are attached to the image file. Click the top left hand box to collapse the note. Click to open. Just be sure to save the file as a Photoshop file.You can also make audio annotations with a microphone.

Type tool brings up the menu to create type either horizontally or vertically on an image. The type masks create a selections in the shape of type.

The Eyedropper:

This tool is used to sample or "pick up"a colour in an image enabling you to paint with that colour. The sampled colour appears in Photoshop’s foreground colour. always used to a colour or tonal value from within an active image window.

Zoom or magnify tool used to magnify or zoom out from an area of an image. Click to zoom in hold down the option key to zoom out.

Background and Foreground Colour Swatches or Colour Picker Boxes: These squares are used to specify foreground and background colours. Clicking on the overlapping colour swatches displays the Colour Picker. The switch icon (the curved arrow) next to the colour selection boxes exchanges foreground and background colour values.

The Brush options bar

The Tool Options Bar

Make sure you develop the habit of using the tool options bar. Most tools in Photoshop have options that are displayed in the tool options bar. If you can't see it on launching photoshop go to Window in the menu and click Options.

Most tools have options that are displayed in the tool options bar. This bar is context sensitive and changes as different tools are selected. Some tools have option settings that are common, and others have options that are specific to that one tool.

The eraser options bar

The Type options bar

Flyout Menus:

Also on many menus you will notice a small right-facing triangle, hold the cursor over this and click but don’t release the mouse button. The flyout menu offers other options.

Context menus

Context menus can be tricky when first learning Adobe Photoshop. I have seen them drive some students batty. This is because they change depending on the tool currently in use. Options also change on the depending on the colour mode (ie grayscale, index colour, RGB or CYMK etc) of the current image, and whether you have a selection active.

These notes are written for students who undertake the Core Computer course at School of Art, Australian National University. Students of the course should feel free to contact any member of staff with comments questions and general suggestions..

< Home Index > < Staff Contact > < Class groups > < Assessment >

< Basics Module > < Photoshop 1 Module> < Photoshop 2 Module> < Illustrator Module > <3D Module > < Web Design Module >

< Terms and Jargon > < Online Resources >