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Categories

Navigation:

Hand | Zoom
Use with Navigator Palette. Go to Window > Navigator.

Selection: Marquee | Lasso | Magic Wand
Selection is indicated by 'marching ants' lines
Drawing: Paintbrush | Clone | History | Gradient | Text | Pen | Rectangle
Editing: Move | Crop | Eraser
Adjustments: Blur | Dodge | Eyedropper

 


Tools

Marquee Tool

 


Selection tool. Click and drag to make selection. Whatever is within the selection lines will be affected when a change is made.

Other Types
Elliptical - Circular, round selection
Single Column -1 pixel vertical selection
Single Row - 1 pixel horizontal selection

Options
Feather - softer, rounded edges
Style - Pull down menu for other types of selections

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Move Tool

 


Editing tool. Click and drag to move selection.

Options
Auto Select Layer - If you are working with multiple layers. This will select the closest layer to your mouse wherever you click.
Show Bounding Box - Shows a box around the object you are editing. It will allow you to change scale, rotate, etc.

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Lasso Tool

 


Selection tool for irregular shapes.

Quick Keys
Alt -hold down while selecting to subtract pieces
Shift-hold down while selecting to add pieces

Other Types
Polygonal Selection - Allows straight-egde selection. Double Click to end selecting
Magnetic Selection - Follows outlines for selection. Double Click to end selecting

Options
Feather - soft effect around edges
Anti-Alias - smoother edge

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Magic Wand

 


Selection tool for areas of similar colors

Options
Tolerance - Adjusts range of colors being selected.
Anti-Alias - Smoother Edge
Contiguous - When the option is checked, it allows for spot selection. When unchecked, similiar colors in the entire image is selected.
Use All Layers - Select similiar colors on all layers

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Crop

 


Editing tool. Click and drag to create a bounding box, which you can resize and rotate until you are ready to crop. Cropping removes the rest of the image except what is selected inside the bounding box. Double-click in the center of the box to crop.

Options
Shield Color - Colors part of the image you are not keeping when you crop
Opacity - Transparency of the Color Shield
Perspective - Changes the center of the bounding box to the Center of the Image.

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Paintbrush

 


Drawing tool. Allows you to draw with paint strokes

Similiar Tool
Pencil Tool - Creates sharper edges than the paintbrush.

Options
Brush - Pull down menu of different brush sizes in various brush styles
Mode
- Pull down menu of different blending effects
Opacity -Transparency
Flow - Controls Fluidity of Brush. Affects softness of edges and transparency.

Drawing Straight Lines
Click once for your starting point. Hold down the Shift key as you drag to an ending point.

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Clone Tool

 


Drawing tool. This is a two step-process.
Hold down the Alt key and select your source, what you want to clone, and click on the mouse. Then move your mouse to the area that you wish to start cloning the source imge. Click and drag to begin cloning.

Similiar Tool
Pattern Stamp - Allows you to create patterns

Options
Mode - Pull down menu of different blending effects
Opacity -Transparency
Aligned - Cloning area is always the same distance away from the source
Use All Layers - Clone from all Layers
Flow - Controls Fluidity of Brush. Affects softness of edges and transparency.

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History Brush

 


Drawing tool. Allows you to paint areas that you would like to return to the orignal image or a snapshot of the image in its history.

Note: The canvas size must remain the same. If you have changed your canvas size. The history brush will not work.

Similiar Tool
Art History Brush- Allows you to creates Swirls using colors in the image.

Options
Mode - Pull down menu of different blending effects
Opacity - Transparency
Impressionist - blurry

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Eraser Tool

 


Editing tool. Click and drag to erase.

Options
Mode - Pull down menu of different types of erasers
Opacity - Transparency of eraser
Flow - Fluidity of eraser. Affects softness of edges and transparency.
Erase to History - returns original image where you erase. Note, this only works when the canvas size has not been changed.

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Gradient Tool

 


Drawing tool. Used for shading effects

Similiar Tools
Paint Bucket - Fills selected area with Foreground or Pattern

Options
Styles -Regular, Radial, Angle, Reflected, Diamond
Mode - Pull down menu of different blending effects
Opacity - Transaparency of gradient fill
Reverse - Reverses foreground and background colors

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Blur Tool

 


Adjustment tool. Softens pixels

Similar Tools
Sharpen
Smudge

Options
Mode - Pull down menu of different blending effects
Strength - Degree of effect

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Dodge

 


Adjustment tool. Lightens pixels

Silmiliar Tools
Burn - Darkens area
Sponge - Saturates/Desaturates Area

Options
Range - Shadows, Midtones, Highlights
Exposure - Degree of effect

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Text Tool

 


Drawing tool. Type in your text. To adjust spacing of text, use the Character palette. Go to Window > Character. Make sure text is selected to have spacing adjustment apply.

Other Types
Veritcal - Lets you typ vertically
Horizontal Type Mask - Creates a horizontal selection out of your type that you can fill or adjust with effects.
Vertical Type Mask - Create a vertical selection our of your type that you can fill or adjust with effects

Options
Font , Style, Size, Alignment, Color, Special Effects

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Pen Tool

 


Drawing tool. Draws paths.

Other Types
Free Form - Draw as if using a pencil or brush. Anchor points will be created along path.
Add Anchor Points - adds an anchor to a path
Delete Anchor Points - removes an anchor point on the path
Convert Points - allow you to adjust and move the points

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Rectangle Tool

 


Drawing tool. Draws rectangles.

Other Shapes
Rounded Rectange
Ellipse
Polygon
Line
Custom Shape

Options
New Shape Layer - Creates a new layer
Adds to Shape Area - Merges with previous shape
Substracts from Shape Area - Removes from previous shape
Intersects Shape Area - Keeps intersection of shape
Excludes Overlapping Shape Areas - Subtracts intersection of shape

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Eyedropper Tool

 


Adjustment tool. Allows you to adjust the foreground or background color to the color of any pixel in your image.. To use, click on the image to get the color of that particular pixel. To adjust the color you just picked, use the Color Palette. Go to Window > Color.

Other Tools
Color Sample Tool - Allows you to take up to four different color samples. Shows you the color information in the Info window. To see Info Palette go to Window >Info.
Measure Tool - Measures distances through co-ordinates, width, height, and angle line. To see measurement info, go to Window > Info.

Options
Sample Size : Point Sample, 3 x 3 average, 5 x 5 average

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Hand Tool

 


Navigation tool. Used with the Navigator Window to move around your work area. To see Navigator window . Go to Window > Navigator.

Options
Actual Pixels, Fit On Screen, Print Size

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Zoom Tool

 


Navigation tool. . Used with the Navigator Window to zoom in and out. To see Navigator window. Go to Window > Navigator.

Quick Keys
Double-click on Tool to zoom to 100% viewing
Option - Hold down. Zoom tool will change to minus '-' symbol. for Zooming out

Options

Actual Pixels, Fit On Screen, Print Size

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Links

Digital-Tutors Photoshop Tools Video Tutorials
Digital-Tutors Photoshop Palettes Video Tutorials
Planet Photoshop Advanced Tutorials

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  • Information Services
  • Date Created: August 18, 2000
  • Last Modified: July 7, 2004
  • Expires: August 31, 2004