Using the Tools

Photoshop provides an integrated set of tools for producing sophisticated graphics for print, Web, and mobile viewing. We could easily fill an entire book with details on the wealth of Photoshop tools and tool configurations. While that would certainly be a useful reference, it's not the goal of this book. Instead, you'll start gaining experience by configuring and using a few tools on a sample project. Every lesson will introduce you to more tools and ways to use them. By the time you finish all the lessons in this book, you'll have a solid foundation for further explorations of the Photoshop tool set.

Selecting and Using a Tool from the Toolbox

The toolbox—the long, narrow palette on the far left side of the work area—contains selection tools, painting and editing tools, foreground- and background-color selection boxes, and viewing tools.

Let's start by using the Zoom tool, which appears in many other Adobe applications, including Illustrator, InDesign, and Acrobat.

Note

For a complete list of the tools in the toolbox, see the toolbox overview on page 50.

1.	Notice the toolbar that appears to the left of the image window as a single column. Click the double-arrow button just above the toolbox to toggle to a double-column view. Click the arrow again to return to a single-column toolbox and use your screen space more efficiently.

2.

Examine the status bar at the bottom of the image window and notice the percentage listed on the far left end. This represents the current enlargement view of the image, or zoom level. A. Zoom level B. Status bar 3. Move the pointer over the toolbox and hover it over the magnifying-glass icon until a tooltip appears, identifying the tool by name and providing its keyboard shortcut. 4. Select the Zoom tool by either clicking the Zoom tool button in the toolbox or by pressing Z, the keyboard shortcut for the Zoom tool. 5. Move the pointer over the image window. Notice that it now looks like a tiny magnifying glass with a plus sign (+) in the center of the glass. 6. Click anywhere in the image window. The image enlarges to a preset percentage level, which replaces the previous value in the status bar. The location you clicked when you used the Zoom tool becomes the center of the enlarged view. If you click again, the zoom advances to the next preset level, up to a maximum of 3200% on Windows and 1600% on the Macintosh. 7. Hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Mac OS) so that the Zoom tool pointer appears with a minus sign (–) in the center of the magnifying glass, and then click anywhere in the image. Then release the Alt or Option key. Now the view zooms out to a lower preset magnification. Examine the photograph and the coins in the center. Note You can zoom out other ways. For example, you can select the Zoom In or Zoom Out mode on the Zoom tool options bar. You can choose View > Zoom In or View > Zoom Out. Or, you can type a lower percentage in the status bar and press Enter or Return. 8. Using the Zoom tool, drag a rectangle to enclose the area of the image that includes the French coin that you will spotlight. The image enlarges so that the area you enclosed in your rectangle now fills the entire image window. You have now tried three ways of using the Zoom tool to change the magnification in the image window: clicking, holding down a keyboard modifier while clicking, and dragging to define a magnification area. Many of the other tools in the toolbox can be used with keyboard combinations. You'll have opportunities to use these techniques in various lessons in this book. Selecting and Using a Hidden Tool Photoshop has many tools you can use to edit image files, but you will probably work with only a few of them at a time. The toolbox arranges some of the tools in groups, with only one tool shown for each group. The other tools in the group are hidden behind that tool. A small triangle in the lower right corner of a button is your clue that other tools are available but hidden under that tool. 1. Position the pointer over second tool from the top in the toolbox column until the tooltip appears, identifying it as the Rectangular Marquee tool with the keyboard shortcut M. Then select that tool. 2. Select the Elliptical Marquee tool , which is hidden behind the Rectangular Marquee tool, using one of the following methods: Press and hold the mouse button over the Rectangular Marquee tool to open the pop-up list of hidden tools, and select the Elliptical Marquee tool. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the tool button in the toolbox to cycle through the hidden marquee tools until the Elliptical Marquee tool is selected Press Shift+M, which switches between the Rectangular and Elliptical Marquee tools. 3. Move the pointer over the image window so that it appears as cross hairs ( ) and move it to the upper left side of the French coin. 4. Drag the pointer down and to the right to draw an ellipse around the coin and then release the mouse button. An animated dashed line indicates that the area inside it is selected. When you select an area, it becomes the only editable area of the image. The area outside the selection is protected. 5. Move the pointer inside your elliptical selection so that the pointer appears as an arrow with a small rectangle . 6. Drag the selection so that it is accurately centered over the French coin. When you drag the selection, only the selection border moves, not pixels in the image. When you want to move the pixels in the image, you'll need to use a different technique, which you'll learn a little later. Using Keyboard Combinations with Tool Actions Many tools can operate under certain constraints. You usually activate these modes by holding down specific keyboard keys as you move the tool with the mouse. Some tools have modes that you choose in the tool options bar. The next task is to make a fresh start at selecting the French coin. This time, you'll use a keyboard combination that constrains the elliptical selection to a circle that you'll draw from the center outward instead of from the outside inward. 1. Make sure that the Elliptical Marquee tool ( ) is still selected in the toolbox, and deactivate the current selection by doing one of the following: In the image window, click anywhere outside the selected area. Choose Select > Deselect. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+D (Windows) or Command+D (Mac OS). 2. Position the pointer in the center of the French coin. 3. Press Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS) and drag outward from the center of the coin until the circle completely encloses the coin. 4. Carefully release first the mouse button and then the keyboard keys. If you are not satisfied with the selection circle, you can move it: Place the pointer inside the circle and drag, or click outside the selection circle to deselect it and then try again. Note If you accidentally release one or both of the keys prematurely, the tool reverts to its normal behavior (unconstrained and drawing from the edge). If, however, you haven't yet released the mouse button, you can just press the keys down again, and the selection changes back. If you have released the mouse button, simply start again at Step 1. 5. In the toolbox, double-click the Zoom tool to return to 100% view. If the entire image doesn't fit in the image window, then click the Fit Screen button in the tool options bar. Notice that the selection remains active, even after you use the Zoom tool. Applying a Change to a Selected Area In order to spotlight the selected coin, you'll want to darken the rest of the image, not the area inside the current selection. Normally, you change the area within the selection. To protect that area, you'll invert the selection, making the rest of the image active and preventing the change from affecting the one center coin. 1. Choose Select > Inverse. Although the animated selection border around the French coin looks the same, notice that a similar border appears all around the edges of the image. Now the rest of the image is selected and can be edited, while the area within the circle is not selected and cannot be changed while the selection is active. A. Selected (editable) area B. Unselected (protected) area 2. Choose Image > Adjustments > Curves. The keyboard shortcut for this command, Ctrl+M (Windows) or Command+M (Mac OS) appears by the command name in the Adjustments submenu. In the future, you can just press that keyboard combination to open the Curves dialog box. 3. In the Curves dialog box, make sure that the Preview option is selected. If necessary, drag the dialog box to one side so that you can see most of the image window. The Preview option shows the effect of your selections in the image window, so the picture changes as you adjust settings. This saves you from having to repeatedly open and close dialog boxes as you experiment with different options. 4. Drag the control point in the upper right corner of the graph straight down until the value shown in the Output option is approximately 150. (The Input value should remain unchanged.) As you drag, the highlights are reduced in the selected area of the image. 5. Examine the results in the image window and then adjust the Output value up or down until you are satisfied with the results. 6. Click OK to close the Curves dialog box. 7. Choose Select > Deselect to deselect your selection. The marquee disappears. 8. Do one of the following: If you want to save your changes, choose File > Save and then choose File > Close. If you want to revert to the unaltered version of the file, choose File > Close and click No when you are asked if you want to save your changes. If you want to do both of the above, choose File > Save As, and then either rename the file or save it to a different folder on your computer, and click OK. Then choose File > Close. You don't have to deselect, because closing the file cancels the selection. Congratulations! You've just finished your first Photoshop project. Although the Curves dialog box is actually one of the more sophisticated methods of altering an image, it isn't difficult to use, as you have seen.

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The Blending Mode

Normal
The default mode, this option displays every pixel in the active layer normally, regardless of the colors in the underlying layers. When you use opacity values (whether Opacity or Fill) of less than 100 percent, the color of each pixel in the active layer is averaged with the composite pixel in the layers behind it. Normal mode is called Threshold when you're working with a bitmapped or indexed-color image.

Dissolve
This option specifically affects feathered or softened edges. If the active layer is entirely opaque with hard edges, Dissolve has no effect. But when the edges of the layer is fade the result color is a random replacement of the pixels with the base color or the blend color, depending on the opacity at any pixel location. However, when you drop the Opacity value below 100 percent, Dissolve will dithers all pixels.
Note: Dissolve does not dither pixels in the drop shadow layer effects. Layer effects are governed by their own independent blend modes.

Darken Mode
Contain 4 modes in this group, all will darker image by using different methods. White Color will make no change with in this group of blending mode and lighter color will produce less effect than darker color.

Darken
Darken applies colors in the active layer only if they are darker than the corresponding pixels below for each channel and pixel-by-pixel. Pixels in underlying layer that lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color do not change.
For example in one corresponding pixels, in blue channel in the active layer darker than the blue pixel of underlying composite pixel and the red and green components lighter. In this case, Photoshop assigns the blue component but not the red or green.

Multiply
Looks at the color information in each channel and multiplies the base color by the blend color. The result color is always a darker color. Multiplying any color with black produces black. Multiplying any color with white leaves the color unchanged. When you're painting with a color other than black or white, successive strokes with a painting tool produce progressively darker colors. The effect is similar to drawing on the image with multiple magic markers.

Color Burn
Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the contrast. Blending with white produces no change. Color Burn results in crisp, often colorful, toasted edges.

Linear Burn
Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color by decreasing the brightness. Blending with white produces no change. Linear Burn creates a smoother, less vibrant effect than Color Burn.

Lighten Mode
Contain 4 modes in this group, all will lighten image by using different methods. Black Color will make no change with in this group of blending mode and lighter color will produce more effect than darker color.

Lighten
Opposite with Darken mode, Lighten applies colors in the active layer only if they are lighter than the corresponding pixels in the underlying image. As with Darken, Photoshop compares the brightness levels of all channels in a full-color image. Pixels of underlying layer that darker than active layer are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not change.

Screen
Screen is the opposite of Multiply. Rather than creating a darker image, you create a lighter image. Photoshop looks at each channel's color information and multiplies the inverse of the blend and base colors. The result color is always a lighter color. Screening with black leaves the color unchanged. Screening with white produces white.
Screen is useful for creating glows, retaining just the light colors in a gradient, and creating light noise effects such as snow and stars.

Color Dodge
Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by decreasing the contrast. Blending with black produces no change. When you apply the Color Dodge modes, each color in the layer becomes a brightness-value multiplier. Light colors such as white produce the greatest effect, and black drops away.

Linear Dodge
Create similar effect with Color Dodge. Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the brightness. Blending with black produces no change. Linear Dodge creates similar but smoother effect than Color Dodge.

Light Mode
Photoshop Light modes darken the darkest colors and lighten the lightest colors, thereby allowing the mid-tone to intermix, so that foreground and background remain independently identifiable.

Overlay, Soft Light and Hard Light alternatively multiplies the blacks and screens the whites, but in different degrees. Overlay favors the background layers, Hard Light emphasizes the active layer. In fact, the two are direct opposites. For example, if Layer A set to Overlay in front of Layer B produces the same effect as Layer B set to Hard Light in front of Layer A. Soft Light is a modified version of Hard Light that results in a more subtle effect than either Hard Light or Overlay.
Vivid Light and Linear Light combine Dodge and Burn instead of Multiply or Screen in Overlay family.

Overlay
Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the base color (underlying layer). Patterns or colors overlay the existing pixels while preserving the highlights and shadows of the base color. The base color is not replaced but is mixed with the blend color to reflect the lightness or darkness of the original color.

Soft Light
Darkens or lightens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a diffused spotlight on the image.
If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened as if it were dodged. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened as if it were burned in. Painting with pure black or white produces a distinctly darker or lighter area but does not result in pure black or white.

Hard Light
Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a harsh spotlight on the image.
If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened, as if it were screened. This is useful for adding highlights to an image. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened, as if it were multiplied. This is useful for adding shadows to an image. Painting with pure black or white results in pure black or white.

Vivid Light
Burns or dodges the colors by increasing or decreasing the contrast, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by decreasing the contrast. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by increasing the contrast.


Linear Light
Burns or dodges the colors by decreasing or increasing the brightness, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by increasing the brightness. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by decreasing the brightness.

Pin Light
Replaces the colors, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, pixels darker than the blend color are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not change. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, pixels lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color do not change. This is useful for adding special effects to an image.

Hard Mix
The Hard Mix blend mode combines the pixels in your layers using the Vivid Light blend mode and then performs a color threshold operation on them. Hard Mix mixes two layers and pushes the colors to their absolute extreme. All in all, Hard Mixed pixels come in only eight colors: black, white, red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow, the end result being quite similar to the Posterize command (Image » Adjustments » Posterize).

Invert Mode
This 2 mode will invert color of underlying layer depend on brightness of active layer.
Move cursor over sample picture to toggle to Normal Mode to see effect

Difference
Difference inverts lower layers according to the brightness values in the active layer. White inverts the composite pixels absolutely, black inverts them not at all, and the other brightness values invert them to some degree in between. Blending with white inverts the base color values; blending with black produces no change.

Exclusion
Creates an effect similar to Difference Mode but lower in contrast often smoother effect. Blending with white inverts the base color values. Blending with black produces no change. Exclusion sends mid-tone to gray, much as Pin Light sends mid-tone to transparent.

Color Mode
This group of blending mode play with color(hue), saturation and brightness - HSB color model - of active layer or paint tool to calculate its effects.
Move cursor over sample picture to toggle to Normal Mode to see effect

Hue
Creates a result color with the luminance and saturation of the underlying layer color with the hue of the blend color in active layer or painted color.

Saturation
Creates a result color with the luminance and hue of the base color and the saturation of the blend color. Painting with this mode in an area with no saturation (gray) causes no change.

Color
Creates a result color with the luminance of the base color and the hue and saturation of the blend color. This preserves the gray levels in the image and is useful for coloring monochrome images and for tinting color images.

Luminosity
Creates a result color with the hue and saturation of the base color and the luminance of the blend color. This mode creates an inverse effect from that of the Color mode.



Special Blending Mode for Tools only
There're two blending mode that available for tool only.

Behind
Edits or paints only on the transparent part of a layer. This mode works only in layers with Lock Transparency deselected and is analogous to painting on the back of transparent areas in a sheet of acetate.

Clear
When working on a layer other than Background, the Clear mode turns selected tool into an erasing tool, clearing away pixels. You can edits or paints each pixel and makes it transparent. Given that the eraser already emulates the behavior of both the Brush and Pencil tools, there's not a lot of reason to use Clear with either of these tools. However, it creates a unique effect when combined with the Paint Bucket Tool , thus permitting you to fill areas of colors with transparency. You must be in a layer with Lock Transparency deselected to use this mode.
This mode is available for Line tool (when fill region Fill is selected), Paint Bucket tool , Brush Tool , Pencil tool , the Fill command, and the Stroke command.


Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Blending Mode
Following 3 blending modes are for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool

Midtones
Selected by default, the Midtones mode applies the Dodge or Burn tool equally to all but the very lightest or darkest pixels in an image. Midtones enables you to adjust the brightness of colors without blowing out highlights or filling in shadows.

Shadows
When you select this mode, the Dodge or Burn tool affects dark pixels in an image more dramatically than light pixels. Medium values are likewise affected, so the Shadows option modifies a wider range of colors than Midtones.

Highlights
This option lets you lighten or darken the midtones and lightest colors in an image.

Note: Selecting Shadows when using the Dodge tool or Highlights when using the Burn tool has an equalizing effect on an image.

Sponge Tool Blending Mode
Desaturate:
When set to Desaturate, the tool reduces the saturation of the colors over which you drag. When you're editing a grayscale image, the tool reduces contrast.

Saturate
If you select Saturate, the Sponge tool increases the saturation of the colors over which you drag, or increases contrast in a grayscale image.

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