Photoshop CC The Missing Manual
Photoshop CC Lesa Snider
The book that should have been in the box®
Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual by Lesa Snider Copyright © 2013 Lesa Snider. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America. Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472.
O’Reilly books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions are also available for mos). For more information, contact our corporate/institutional sales department: (800) 998-9938 or
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Revision History for the First Edition:
2013-05-31 First release or release details.
The Missing Manual is a registered trademark of O’Reilly Media, Inc. The Missing Manual logo, and “The book that should have been in the box” are trademarks of O’Reilly Media, Inc. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and O’Reilly Media is aware of a trademark claim, the designations are capitalized.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained in it.
ISBN-13: 978-1-449-34241-8
Contents
NOTE
You can download four online-only appendixes from this book’s Missing CD page a
es cover installing Photoshop, troubleshooting problems, all the tools in the Tools panel, and the program’s menu items.
The Missing Credits
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lesa Snider is on a mission to teach the world to create—and
use!—better graphics. She’s an internationally acclaimed speaker, a stock photographer, and the founder of the creative tutorial site PhotoLesa.com. Lesa is the author of many video-
training workshopsnd the coauthor
iPhoto ’11: The Missing Manual
of . She writes a regular column
Photoshop User Macworld
for and magazines, and contributes
Lesa is also a long-time member of the Photoshop World Dream Team of instructors and can be spotted teaching at many other conferences around the globe. You can
connect with her online on Faceboo ), YouTube
, Twitter (@PhotoLesa), and PhotoLesa.com.
During her free time, you’ll find Lesa carving the twisties on her sportbike, dressed up in her Star Trek best at a sci-fi convention with her husband, or hanging with fellow Apple Mac enthusiasts. Lesa is a proud member of the BMWMOA and the
First Lady of the Colorado Mac User Grou, a.k.a. the Boulder Mac
Maniacs. Email: .
ABOUT THE CREATivE TEAM Dawn Mann (editor) is associate editor for the Missing Manual series. When not
Kara Ebrahim (production editor) lives, works, and plays in Cambridge, MA. She .
Carla Spoon (proofreader) is a freelance writer and copy editor. An avid runner, she
works and feeds her tech gadget addiction from her home office in the shadow of
Ron Strauss (indexer) specializes in the indexing of information technology publica-
tions of all kinds. Ron is also an accomplished classical violist and lives in northern California with his wife and fellow indexer, Annie, and his miniature pinscher, Kanga.
Email: .
Shangara Singh (technical reviewer) is the author of the popular exam aids for
Photoshop and Lightroom—study guides for people who want to become an Adobe
Certified Expert—published by e has also authored a keyword
hierarchy for stock photographersnd has his own stock
David Creamer (technical reviewer) is an Adobe Certified Instructor for over 10 pro-
grams, and has been an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop since 1995. Creamer is
), a training and consultation company.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book is dedicated to my husband, Jay Nelson, for making everyday life incredibly fun and for learning to appreciate heavy metal music, namely Ozzy Osbourne. J I’d like to express galactic thanks to iStockphoto.com for providing some of the imagery in this book: An image really is worth a thousand words (if you ever need
high-quality, affordable graphics, vis ). (Full disclosure: I was their chief evangelist for over six years.) A big hug and thanks to David Pogue who so graciously wrote the foreword for this book. To Jeff and Scott Kelby for believing in me and nurturing my career in immeasurable ways. To Derrick Story for his wisdom before I got started on this project, and a great big jug of Umbrian vino rosso to Dawn Mann for editing this book and keeping me on track. Her input makes me a better writer and I’m lucky to have her on our team. To my brilliant and long-time tech editor, Shangara Singh, whose expertise has helped create the best Photoshop book yet and whose humorous comments always made me giggle.
Special thanks to Marcus Conge and Jay Nelson for writing the new 3D chapter, to Rod Harlan for consulting on video editing, to Richard Harrington
) for helping with the print chapter, as well as Bert Monro Veronica Hanley for guidance on all things vector-related. To Deborah Fox
) for the beautiful art in the painting chapter, to Tanya and Richard Horie for their expert advice on the painting chapter and brush customization options (as well as
creating my logo), to Karen Nace Willmoror her HDR and wide-angle
photography, and to Jeff Gametor keeping me sane and helping with the first edition of this book. To my esteemed colleagues—and good friends—Jack Davis, Ben Willmore, Eddie Tapp, Judy Host, Peter Cohen, Gary-Paul Prince, Larry Becker, Kevin Ames, Terry White, Dave Moser, and Andy Ihnatko, who all expressed their pride and confidence in
me. I’d also like to thank ou family for promoting this book and for
being so fun to play with, as well a for supplying me with incred- ible Canon gear to shoot with (if you need to rent camera gear, they’re the best!). Last but not least, buckets of appreciation to my friends who gave their support—or a cocktail!—when I needed it most: Carol Morphew, Kathryn Kroll, Leslie Fishlock, Lorene Romero, and most importantly, Fran Snider, the best mama a girl could have (wish Daddy could’ve held this book!). To our beautiful kitties, Samantha and Baby Sherlock, who forced me to get out of my pretty purple Aeron chair and play The Laser Pointer Game with them at exactly 5:15 pm each day. May the creative force be with you all!
Lesa Snider
—
THE MiSSiNG MANUAL SERiES
Missing Manuals are witty, superbly written guides to computer products that don’t come with printed manuals (which is just about all of them). Each book features a handcrafted index and cross-references to specific pages (not just chapters). Recent and upcoming titles include:
Excel 2013: The Missing Manual by Matthew MacDonald Microsoft Project 2013: The Missing Manual by Bonnie Biafore Access 2013: The Missing Manual by Matthew MacDonald Windows 8: The Missing Manual by David Pogue NOOK HD: The Missing Manual, Second Edition by Preston Gralla Kindle Fire HD: The Missing Manual, Second Edition by Peter Meyers iPod: The Missing Manual, Eleventh Edition by J.D. Biersdorfer CSS3: The Missing Manual, Third Edition by David Sawyer McFarland iPad: The Missing Manual, Fifth Edition by J.D. Biersdorfer PHP & MySQL: The Missing Manual, Second Edition by Brett McLaughlin Adobe Edge Animate: The Missing Manual by Chris Grover iPhone: The Missing Manual, Sixth Edition by David Pogue QuickBooks 2013: The Missing Manual by Bonnie Biafore WordPress: The Missing Manual by Matthew MacDonald Photoshop Elements 11: The Missing Manual by Barbara Brundage
Go to or a full list of all Missing Manuals in print.
Foreword
n the short but crowded history of consumer technology, only two products ever became so common, influential, and powerful that their names become verbs . Google is one.
I Photoshop is the other.
(“Did you Google that guy who asked you out?” “Yeah—he’s crazy. He Photoshopped his last girlfriend out of all his pictures!”) It’s safe to say that these days, not a single photograph gets published, in print or online, without having been processed in Photoshop first. It’s usually perfectly in- nocent stuff: a little color adjustment, contrast boosting, or cropping. But not always. Sometimes, the editing actually changes the photo so that it no longer represents the original, and all kinds of ethical questions arise. Remember when TV Guide Photoshopped Oprah’s head onto Ann-Margaret’s body? When Time magazine darkened O.J. Simpson’s skin to make him look more menacing on the cover? Or when National Geographic moved two of the pyramids closer together to improve the composition? Well, you get the point: Photoshop is magic. Thanks to Photoshop, photography is no longer a reliable record of reality. And now, all that magic is in your hands. Use it wisely. Trouble is, Photoshop is a monster . It’s huge . Just opening it is like watching a slumbering beast heave into consciousness. Dudes: Photoshop has over 500 menu
commands .
In short, installing Photoshop is like being told that you’ve just won a 747 jumbo jet. You sit down in the cockpit and survey the endless panels of controls and switches.
Now what?
You don’t even get a printed manual anymore. If there were ever a piece of software that needed the Missing Manual treatment, it was Photoshop.
In 2009, the beast was tamed at last by its new master, Lesa Snider: a natural-born Missing Manual author with Photoshop credentials as long as your arm. She had worked on Missing Manuals, side by side with me in my office, for four years, in all kinds of editorial and production capacities. Today, when she’s not writing the bestselling Photoshop book (you’re reading it), she’s out in the real world, teaching Photoshop seminars, writing Photoshop articles, reviewing Photoshop for magazines, and generally serving as Photoshop guru to the masses. The Missing Manual mantra runs through her blood: Make it clear, make it entertain- ing, make it complete (hence the thickness of this book). And above all, don’t just
what it’s for
identify a feature: Tell us . Tell us when to use it. (And if the answer is, “You’ll never use it,” tell us that, too.) Now, I’ll be the first to admit that this book isn’t for everybody. In fact, it’s aimed primarily at two kinds of people: people who have never used Photoshop, and people who have.
But seriously, folks. If you’re new to Photoshop, you’ll find patient, friendly intro- ductions to all those nutty Photoshoppy concepts like layers, color spaces, image resolution, and so on. And, mercifully, you’ll find a lot of loving attention to a time- honored Missing Manual specialty—tips and shortcuts. As Photoshop pros can tell you, you pretty much have to learn some of Photoshop’s shortcuts or it will crush you like a bug.
On the other hand, if you already have some Photoshop experience, you’ll appreci- ate this book’s coverage of Photoshop CC’s new features. Some of them are pretty sweet indeed. For example, all the 3D features are built into the standard version of Photoshop; you don’t need some expensive Extended Edition to get them. The Camera Raw plug-in is available as a filter, and the Image Size dialog box sports a preview and new techniques for enlargements. And Shake Reduction—unbelievable. Its ability to de-blur a picture you took with an unsteady hand is nearly miraculous. In any case, get psyched. You now have both the most famous, powerful, magical piece of software on earth—and a 900+-page treasure map to help you find your way.
The only missing ingredients are time, some photos to work on, and a little good taste. You’ll have to supply those yourself. Good luck! — David Pogue
David Pogue is the tech columnist for the New York Times and Scientific American , an Emmy-winning TV correspondent (CBS News and NOVA on PBS), and the creator of the Missing Manual series. Introduction
ongratulations on buying one of the most complicated pieces of software ever created. Fortunately, it’s also one of the most rewarding. No other program on the market lets you massage, beautify, and transform images like Photoshop.
C
It’s so popular that people use its name as a verb: “Dude, you Photoshopped the
heck out of her!” You’d be hard-pressed to find a published image that hasn’t spent some quality time in this program, and those that didn’t probably should have.
The bad news is that it’s a tough program to learn; you won’t become a Photoshop guru overnight. Luckily, you hold in your hot little hands a book that covers the program from a practical standpoint, so you’ll learn the kinds of techniques you can use every day. It’s written in plain English for normal people, so you don’t have to be any kind of expert to understand it. You’ll also learn just enough theory (where appropriate) to help you understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.
NOTE
Adobe used to offer two versions of the program: Photoshop Standard and Photoshop Extended, which included extra features such as 3D tools. However, they combined the two versions in CC.
What’s New in Photoshop CC
Adobe has added some nice new features to Photoshop CC and, as noted above, they rolled all of the features that used to be in Photoshop Extended into the CC version. The inclusion of 3D tools aside, Photoshop CC isn’t the most feature-packed upgrade the program has seen, but it’s still got some good stuff in it, especially in the realm of actions and filters. Here’s an overview of the new goodies (don’t worry WHAT’S NEW
IN PHOTOSHOP
if you don’t yet understand some of the terms used here—you’ll learn what they
CC
mean as you read through this book):
- Retina ready. Both Photoshop and Bridge now support Retina displays, Apple’s super-high resolution monitors (called HiDPI on PCs) and as such, you’ll spot a new 200 percent option in the View menu (which lets you see web graphics at the size they’ll appear in a browser). Several plug-ins also support these mind- bogglingly crystal-clear displays including Liquify, “Save for Web,” “Merge to HDR,” Vanishing Point, Adaptive Wide Angle, Lens Correction, and the Filter
yet
Gallery. While the new Adobe Camera Raw 8 isn’t Retina-happy, it should be soon (probably in version 8.1).
conditional
- Conditional actions. This super useful new feature lets you record a
previously
action (see Chapter 18) that chooses among several recorded ac- tions in order to meet criteria that you set. You’ll learn all about it on page 768.
- Field Blur, Iris Blur, and Tilt-Shift filters now work with Smart Filters. Some of the most useful new features in Photoshop CS6 were the Field Blur, Iris Blur, and Tilt-Shift filters, which make creating blurry backgrounds easier than ever. Here in CC, those filters now work with Smart Filters, so you can run ’em non-
without
destructively having to duplicate your Image layer. These filters also take advantage of OpenCL, a technology found in newer graphics cards that lets Photoshop tap into the card’s processing power. As a result, previewing and applying these filters to your images is noticeably faster.
- Camera Raw filter and other Camera Raw enhancements. One of the most useful changes in Photoshop CC is that the Camera Raw plug-in is available as
filter
a Photoshop (it works as a Smart Filter, too). Camera Raw also has a new
circular
Radial filter that lets you apply adjustments in a fashion either from the inside of your image to its edges or vice-versa (it’s like a circular Gradient
aren’t
Filter). You can now heal areas that round using Camera Raw’s Spot Re- moval tool, and the new Upright feature lets you correct perspective problems. Last but not least, when merging multiple 32-bit image exposures using the
automatically
“Merge to HDR Pro” dialog box, you can have Photoshop create a Smart Object out of the result and then open it in the Camera Raw filter for fine-tuning. (Camera Raw is discussed throughout this book, but the bulk of the coverage is in Chapter 9.)
- Shake Reduction filter. In previous versions of Photoshop, there wasn’t much hope of making a blurry image look sharp (aside from using the Emboss filter). However, Photoshop CC’s new Shake Reduction filter analyzes your image and
traces incred-
the pattern of the blurry parts in order to eradicate it. It does an
ible job on images that are slightly blurry due to camera shake. You’ll learn all about it starting on page 462.
- Redesigned Smart Sharpen filter. Rounding out the improvements in the sharpening realm is the completely redesigned Smart Sharpen filter. It sports a new and improved sharpening method that keeps from introducing halos around high-contrast edges, a new noise-reduction slider, as well as a simpli- fied, resizable dialog box.
WHAT’S NEW
IN PHOTOSHOP
- Faster Liquify filter that works with Smart Filters. The Liquify filter also takes
CC
advantage of your graphics card’s processing power, so it runs up to 16 times faster than it used to (especially when you’re working with big files). It now works with Smart Filters (page 632), too, which lets you use it nondestructively on
any kind of layer including Shape, Type, and Video layers. Its masking controls
were also simplified, it sports a new Smooth tool, and the new Load Last Mesh button lets you summon the last mesh you made.
- Minimum and Maximum filter improvements. Both of these filters were notori- ous for making round things appear square, though by choosing Roundness from the new Preserve drop-down menu, that won’t happen. And when you choose Roundness, you can enter decimals into the filters’ Radius fields, letting you be a lot more precise when you’re using ’em to fine-tune a layer mask.
- Brand-new Image Size dialog box and interpolation method. The Image Size dialog box has been simplified and redesigned to include a resizable image preview that helps you see the results of your settings before applying ’em, which is incredibly helpful in choosing the right interpolation method. The new Preserve Details interpolation method sharpens areas of fine detail in your image in order to produce higher quality enlargements (this new method includes a noise-reduction slider, too). All interpolation methods now have keyboard short- cuts , and there’s a handy list of size presets in the new Fit To drop-down menu.
- Rounded Rectangle tool has editable properties. One of the problems with using the Rounded Rectangle tool was that you had to guess at the Radius set- ting in order to produce the corner roundness that you want. That’s all changed now. When you use the Rounded Rectangle tool (or the plain ol’ Rectangle tool) in Photoshop CC, the Properties panel that opens includes four fields that you can use to alter the roundness of each corner individually, after you’ve drawn the shape.
multiple paths in the Paths panel by
- Path improvements. You can now activate
Shift- or ⌘-clicking (Ctrl-clicking on a PC) them, which lets you delete, duplicate, and change their stacking order en masse (you can also Shift-click to activate
’em in your document). And speaking of paths, Photoshop CC also lets you use the space bar to reposition an anchor point while you’re drawing a path.
- Selective layer filtering. This option lets you view only the layers that are currently active in the Layers panel. It’s really handy when your Layers panel is long and you’re editing layers that don’t necessarily match any of the other layer-filtering criteria, as well as when you’re editing vector shapes. Page 73 has details.
- Default character and paragraph styles. Once you’ve saved frequently-used text formatting as character or paragraph styles, you can use the new Save As Defaults option to make Photoshop automatically add them to new documents, as well as to existing documents that didn’t previously contain any styles. You can also activate multiple styles in the Character or Paragraphs panel and delete ’em all at once.
ABOUT THIS
- CSS support. To the delight of web designers worldwide, the new Copy CSS
BOOK
command lets you copy color and formatting info into your computer’s memory as fully functional CSS code, so you can then paste it into your favorite HTML editor. You’ll spot the new command in the shortcut menus you get when you Control-click (right click) Type and Shape layers. Also new is the ability to point the Swatches panel to an HTML, CSS, or SVG file and have it automatically generate swatches from the color info inside those files (the Tip on page 494 tells you how to accomplish this).
- 3D. The experience of painting 3D objects in Photoshop has been improved and live previews are up to a hundred times faster than in previous versions of the program. To help you get a grip on 3D, this book sports a brand-new chapter (Chapter 21) that shows you how to start creating and working with 3D text and objects.
There are also tons of little changes in Photoshop CC, too, that are the direct result of Adobe’s customer feedback initiative called Just Do It (JDI). Here’s a partial list: the Crop tool now includes a setting that brings back the resolution field in the Options bar, you can save more than one Photoshop document at the same time, the Color Range command is better at detecting faces, a new anti-aliasing option makes text look like it will in popular web browsers, the Type tool new supports Indic languages, the Migrate Presets feature now copies over presets that aren’t currently loaded in Photoshop and doesn’t require a restart, metadata and ICC profiles are now saved with PNG files, Shape layer thumbnails now accurately preview the whole document, the Color Picker’s hex field is automatically highlighted when you open the dialog box, and last but not least, the Brush Preset picker now includes a brush tip preview as well as angle and roundness controls (which are also accessible from the Brush tool’s shortcut menu).
About This Book
Adobe has pulled together an amazing amount of information in its online help system (see online Appendix B, available from this book’s Missing CD page at
, but despite all these efforts, it’s geared toward seasoned
Photoshop jockeys and assumes a level of skill that you may not have. The explana- tions are very clipped and to the point, which makes it difficult to get a real feel for the tool or technique you need help with. That’s where this book comes in. It’s intended to make learning Photoshop CC tolerable—and even enjoyable—by avoiding technical jargon as much as possible and explaining why and when you’ll want to use (or avoid) certain features of the program. It’s a conversational and friendly approach intended to speak to beginners and seasoned pixel pushers alike.
ABOUT THIS BOOK FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION Meet the Creative Cloud Dude, what the heck happened to Photoshop CS7? What on earth does “CC” mean?
Great question. For the first time ever, Adobe isn’t shipping perpetually licensed, boxed versions of their products; instead, your only option is to subscribe to—and then download—the software.
Using a service called the Adobe Creative Cloud, you can sub- scribe on an annual or monthly basis to one or all of Adobe’s products. For example, a Single App Creative Cloud subscription for Photoshop CC costs about $20 a month and gives you access to both Mac and PC versions of the program that you can install on up to two machines (say, a desktop and laptop). If you use two or more Adobe programs (say, Photoshop and InDesign), you might want to subscribe to all of their products which, as of this writing, includes 24 programs and services (both Mac and PC versions)—including the entire Adobe web font collection and the ability to share your projects with the collaborative Behance community (see the Note on page 2)—for about $50 a month. (Of course, these prices could change; check with Adobe for current pricing.) Whichever option you choose, you simply download the software to your machine and install it, just like you normally would. However, once a month your Adobe software phones home via the Internet to validate your Creative Cloud account; if Adobe can’t validate your account, your software stops working (along with your fonts). In other words, if you don’t pay, you don’t get to play with the software (though there is a 30-day grace period if, for whatever reason, your computer can’t connect to the Internet). Once you’re a Creative Cloud subscriber, you get 20 GB of storage space, which you can use to hosts websites and sync documents between computers and tablets (think iPads), and to back up documents or share them with others (regardless of whether or not those folks have Creative Cloud subscriptions). You also get the ability to sync custom settings to the Cloud so they’re accessible on other machines, such as actions, prefer- ences, brushes, styles, and so on. For example, when you subscribe to the Creative Cloud (even if it’s just for Photoshop) and then install the program, your Adobe ID appears in the Photoshop menu (the Edit menu on a PC) with a submenu that contains Sync Settings Now and Manage Sync Settings options. Choosing the latter opens the Sync Settings preferences (page 21) so you can decide which presets to sync. You’ll also see a new sync icon near the status bar at the bottom left of an open document (it’s labeled i on page 2); give it a click to sync your goodies.
You can also sync documents between devices. For example, you can designate a folder on your hard drive for syncing, and then any items you put into it automatically sync to the Creative Cloud for access elsewhere (say, home or work). Subscribers also get their hands on new features as soon as Adobe rolls ’em out. (To learn the current version number of your copy of Photoshop CC, choose Help→System Info.) You might ask, “Is this a good deal?” Well, if you typically upgrade your copy of Photoshop every other year, then sub- scribing to it costs more than twice as much as you’d pay to upgrade it over that period of time (though doing so is no longer an option). However, if you upgrade yearly, then you’ll pay a mere $40 more per year for Creative Cloud but gain access to new features as soon as they’re released, as well as the syncing and sharing services mentioned above. The bottom line is that now the only way to get Photoshop CC is to subscribe to it. Adobe will continue to sell and support Photoshop CS6 for a while; however, that’s the last licensed copy you’ll ever get (and there’s nothing wrong with keeping it on your machine if you already own it). Like it or not, we’re in the realm of rental software now.
If you’re in North America, you can purchase a Creative Cloud subscription through Adobe.com, Amazon.com, or Staples. com. Folks in other countries should go through Adobe.com. And that, dear friends, is why the program is now called Photoshop Creative Cloud (a.k.a. Photoshop CC).
ABOUT THIS
Some of the tutorials in this book refer to files you can download from this book’s
BOOK
Missing CD page on the Missing Manuals websit ) so you can practice the techniques you’re reading about. And throughout the book, you’ll find several kinds of sidebar articles. The ones labeled “Up to Speed” help newcomers to Photoshop do things or explain concepts that veterans are probably already familiar with. Those labeled “Power Users’ Clinic” cover more advanced topics for the brave of heart.
NOTE
Photoshop CC functions almost identically on Mac and Windows computers, but the screenshots in this book were all taken on a Mac for the sake of consistency. However, the keyboard shortcuts for the two operating systems are different, so you’ll find both included here—Mac shortcuts first, followed by Windows shortcuts in parentheses. In a few instances, the locations of certain folders differ, and in those cases, you get the directions for both operating systems.
UP TO SPEED
What Does “64-bit” Mean?
The cool phrase in computing circles for the past few years machine’s memory is allotted by tweaking Photoshop’s prefer- has been “64-bit.” While that term may sound pretty geeky, ences as described on pages 22–23.) it’s actually not that intimidating. 64-bit programs (a.k.a.
The bottom line is that, if you work with gigantic files, you’ll “applications” or “apps”) simply know how to count higher want to use the 64-bit version of Photoshop. And since most than 32-bit programs. third-party plug-ins (Chapter 19) and filters (Chapter 15) have
So what does that mean in practice? 32-bit programs can open now been upgraded to work in 64-bit mode, there’s little and work with files that are up to 4 gigabytes in size—which is reason to cast a single glance backward. In Photoshop CC, the already huge. 64-bit programs, on the other hand, can open 64-bit version is all you get on a Mac; however, when you install files that are way bigger than that, as long as your computer’s Photoshop on a PC, you get two full versions of the program operating system can handle 64-bit apps. (Mac OS X 10.5 [Leop- in two separate folders: one for 32-bit mode and another for ard] and Microsoft Windows Vista [the 64-bit version, anyway] 64-bit mode (located in Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop CC and later are up to the task.) 64-bit programs can also make and Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Photoshop CC , respectively). use of more memory than their 32-bit counterparts, which is Simply quit one program and then launch the other. crucial when you’re working with big honkin’ files. For example,
You can still share Photoshop files with both Mac and PC folks, the 64-bit version of Photoshop lets you use more than 4 gigs just like you always have. of RAM, which makes it run faster. (You can change how your
ABOUT THIS
About the Outline BOOK
This hefty book is divided into six parts, each devoted to the type of things you’ll do in Photoshop CC:
- Part One: The Basics. Here’s where you’ll learn the essential skills you need to know before moving forward. Chapter 1 gives you the lay of the land and teaches you how to work with panels and make the Photoshop workspace your own. You’ll also find out the many ways of undoing what you’ve done, which is crucial when you’re still learning. Chapter 2 covers how to open and view documents efficiently, and how to set up new documents so you have a solid foundation on which to build your masterpieces.
Chapter 3 dives into the most powerful Photoshop feature of all: layers. You’ll learn about the different kinds of layers and how to manage them, the power of layer masks, and how to use layer styles for special effects. Chapter 4 explains how to select part of an image so you can edit just that area. In Chapter 5, you’ll dive headfirst into the science of color as you explore channels (Photoshop’s way of storing the colors that make up your image) and learn how to use chan- nels to create selections; you’ll also pick up some channel-specific editing tips along the way.
NOTE
In this book, the word “select” is used only to refer to the act of creating selections. In most other instances, the word “activate” is used instead, as in “activate the layer” or “activate the Crop tool.”
- Part Two: Editing Images. Chapter 6 starts off by explaining a variety of ways you can crop images, both in Photoshop and in Camera Raw. The chapter then demystifies resolution once and for all so you’ll understand how to resize images without reducing their quality. In Chapter 7, you’ll learn how to combine images in a variety of ways, from simple techniques to more complex ones. Chapter 8 covers draining, changing, and adding color, arming you with several techniques for creating gorgeous black-and-white images, delicious duotones, partial-color effects, and more. You’ll also learn how to change the color of almost anything.
Chapter 9 focuses on color-correcting images, beginning with auto fixer-uppers, and then moving on to the wonderfully simple world of Camera Raw and the more complicated realm of Levels and Curves. Chapter 10 is all about retouch- ing images and is packed with practical techniques for slimming and trimming, and explains how to use the Dodge and Burn tools in ways that won’t harm your images. This chapter also covers using the various Content-Aware tools to remove objects from images or scoot an object from one spot to another, as well as how to use the Puppet Warp command to move just your subject’s arms and legs. Chapter 11 covers numerous ways to sharpen your images in order to make ’em look especially crisp.
ABOUT THIS
- Part Three: The Artistic Side of Photoshop. This part of the book is all about
BOOK
creativity. Chapter 12 explains the many ways of choosing colors for your docu- ments, and teaches you how to create a painting from scratch. Chapter 13 focuses on using the mighty Pen tool to create complex illustrations and selections, along with how to use Photoshop’s various shape tools. Chapter 14 teaches you the basics of typography and then moves on to creating and formatting text in Photoshop. You’ll find out how to outline, texturize, and place photos inside text, among other fun yet practical techniques. Chapter 15 covers the wide world of filters including how to use Smart Filters; you’ll come away with at least one practical use for one or more of the filters in every category.
- Part Four: Printing and the Web. In Chapter 16, you’ll learn about printing images, beginning with why it’s so darn hard to make what comes out of your printer match what you see onscreen. You’ll learn about the different color modes and how to prepare images for printing, whether you’re using an inkjet printer or sending your files to a commercial printing press. Chapter 17 focuses on preparing images for the Web, walks you through the various file formats you can use, explains how to protect your images online, and shows you how to use Bridge to create web galleries. Rounding out the chapter is info on using the Slice tool on a web page design, and step-by-step instructions for creating an animated GIF.
- Part Five: Photoshop Power. This part is all about working smarter and faster.
It starts with an entire chapter devoted to using actions (Chapter 18), which help you automate tasks you perform regularly. Chapter 19 covers installing and using plug-ins (small programs you can add on to Photoshop) and recom- mends some of the best on the market. Chapter 20 teaches you how to edit videos in Photoshop, Chapter 21 gets you started creating and working with 3D objects and text, and Chapter 22 explains how to use both Adobe Bridge and Photoshop’s Mini Bridge panel.
- Part Six: Appendixes. Appendix A covers installing and uninstalling Photo- shop. Appendix B gives you some troubleshooting tips, explains Photoshop’s help system, and points you to resources other than this book. Appendix C gives you a tour of the mighty Tools panel. And finally, Appendix D walks you through Photoshop CC’s 200+ menu items. All the appendixes are available on this book’s Missing CD page at
For Photographers
If you’re relatively new to digital-image editing or you’ve always shot film and are taking your first brave steps into the world of digital cameras, you’ll be amazed at what you can do in Photoshop, but there’s a lot to learn. By breaking Photoshop down into digestible chunks that are most important to you , the learning process will feel less overwhelming. (There’s no sense in tackling the whole program when you’ll only use a quarter of it—if that much.) The most important thing to remember is to be patient and try not to get frustrated. With time and practice, you can master the bits of Photoshop that you need to do
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your job better. And with the help of this book, you’ll conquer everything faster
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than you might think. As you gain confidence, you can start branching out into other parts of the program to broaden your skills. Here’s a suggested roadmap for quickly learning the most useful aspects of the program: 1. Read all of Chapters 1 and 2 (or at the very least skim them).
These two chapters show you where to find all of Photoshop’s tools and features, and explain how the program is organized. You’ll learn how to open, view, and save images, which is vital stuff to know.
2. If your photos aren’t on your computer already, read Chapter 22 about Adobe Bridge.
Bridge is an amazingly powerful image organizer and browser that can help get your images onto your computer. It takes care of importing, renaming, and even backing up your precious photos.
3. If you shoot in raw format (see the box on page 366) and need to color-
correct your images in a hurry, skip ahead to the section on editing in Camera Raw in Chapter 9 (page 361).
This chapter includes an entire section on practical editing techniques you can use in Camera Raw, and a quick reference that points you to where you’ll find other Camera-Raw techniques throughout this book.
4. If you don’t shoot in raw and you need to resize your images before editing them, read Chapter 6.
This chapter explains resolution and how to resize images without reducing their quality.
5. Proceed with Chapters 8, 9, and 10 to learn about color effects, color- correcting, and retouching people, respectively.
6. When you’re ready to sharpen your images, read Chapter 11.
7. Finally, when you want to print your photos, read the section on printing with an inkjet printer in Chapter 16 (page 685).
This chapter walks you through printing photos and includes advice on how to print borderless images. That’s all you need to get started. When you’re ready to dive more fully into Pho- toshop, pick back up at Chapter 3, which covers layers, and then move on through the book as time permits.
The Very Basics
This book assumes that you know how to use a computer and that, to some extent, you’re an expert double-clicker and menu opener. If not, here’s a quick refresher: To click means to move the point of your cursor over an object onscreen and then press the left mouse or trackpad button once. To right-click means to press the right
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mouse button once, which produces a menu of special features called a shortcut
BOOK menu . (If you’re on a Mac and have a mouse with only one button, hold down the
Control key while you click to simulate right-clicking.) To double-click means to press the left button twice, quickly, without moving the cursor between clicks. To
drag means to click an object and then use the mouse to move it while still holding down the left mouse button.
Most selection buttons onscreen are pretty obvious, but you may not be familiar with radio buttons : To choose an option, you click one of these little empty circles that are arranged in a list. You’ll find tons of keyboard shortcuts throughout this book, and they’re huge time- savers. If you see a sentence like, “Press
⌘-S (Ctrl+S) to save your file,” that means to hold down the ⌘ key (or Ctrl key, if you’re using a PC), and then press the S key, too; then let go of both keys. (This book lists Mac keyboard shortcuts first, followed by Windows shortcuts in parentheses.) Other keyboard shortcuts are so complex that you’ll need to use multiple fingers, both hands, and a well-placed elbow.
If you’re comfortable with basic concepts like these, you’re ready to get started with this book.
About→These→Arrows
In Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual (and in all Missing Manuals, for that matter), you’ll see arrows sprinkled throughout each chapter in sentences like this: “Choose Filter→Blur→Tilt-Shift.” This is a shorthand way of helping you find files, folders, and menu items without having to read through painfully long and boring instructions. For example, the sentence quoted above is a short way of saying: “At the top of the Photoshop window, locate the Filter menu. Click it and, in the list that appears, look for the Blur category. Point to the word Blur without clicking and, in the resulting submenu, click Tilt-Shift” (se ).
FiGURE i-1 Choosing Filter→Blur→Tilt-Shift takes you to the menu item shown here.
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About MissingManuals.com BOOK
On the Missing Manuals websit, you’ll find this book’s Missing CD page, which includes links to downloadable images mentioned in this book’s tutorials, in case you want to practice techniques without using your own photos.
A word about the image files for the tutorials: To make life easier for people with dial-up Internet connections, the file sizes have been kept pretty small. This means you probably won’t want to print the results of what you create (you’ll end up with a print about the size of a matchbook). But that doesn’t really matter because the files are only meant for onscreen use. You’ll see notes throughout the book about which practice images are available for any given chapter.
On the website, you can also find articles, tips, and updates to this book. If you click the Errata link, you’ll see any corrections we’ve made to the book, too; if you find something in these pages that you think is wrong, feel free to report it by clicking that link. Each time the book is printed, we’ll update it with any confirmed corrections. If you want to be certain that your own copy is up to the minute, this is where to check for any changes. And thanks for reporting any errors or suggesting corrections.