Excerpt from Adobe Photoshop CS4
Digital Classroom

• Page 1
• Page 2

Links

• Additional Resources for Learning Photoshop

What you’ll learn in this lesson

• How to work with multiple documents
• Creating a simple composition
• New masking features
• Introduction to 3D feature

Exploring Photoshop

In this lesson, you are offered the opportunity to dive right into Adobe Photoshop CS4 and put together an exciting composition. This lesson was created to help current users (or fast learners) quickly discover some of the hottest new features in Photoshop CS4.

Starting up

Before starting, make sure that your tools and panels are consistent by resetting your preferences. See “Resetting Adobe Photoshop CS4 preferences” on page 3.

Note that users of all levels can follow this step-by-step exercise, but if you are a new user, it is recommended that you start with Lesson 2, “Getting to Know the Workspace,” and return to this lesson when you have completed the remaining lessons.

You will work with several files from the ps01lessons folder in this lesson. Make sure that you have loaded the pslessons folder onto your hard drive from the supplied DVD. See “Loading lesson files” on page 5. Now, let’s take a look at what’s new in Photoshop CS4.

See Lesson 1 in action! Use the accompanying video to gain a better understanding of how to use some of the features shown in this lesson. Click here to view this lessonls sample video.

Taking a look at the final project

In this lesson, you’ll create a 3D postcard. The composition for the postcard will come from several different sources, allowing you to use some of the new cloning tools, mask features, and adjustments in Adobe Photoshop CS4.

1 Choose File > Browse in Bridge, or click on the Launch Bridge button () in the Application bar. You will be using Adobe Bridge to locate your images for this lesson, but it can also help you to search, organize, and manage your documents. Refer to Lesson 3, “Using Adobe Bridge,” to find out more about Adobe Bridge.

2 In Bridge choose Window > Workspace > Essentials to see the entire workspace.

If you are unfamiliar with Adobe Bridge, simply click on the Folders tab in the
upper-left corner of the workspace to navigate from one folder to another. If you saved your lesson files on the desktop, use the slider and click on Desktop; all the folders on your desktop appear in the Content panel.

3 Navigate to the ps01lessons folder and double-click to open the file named ps0101_done.psd. A 3D image of a postcard appears. If you receive a warning dialog box about your video card, click OK.

The completed 3D postcard.

It may not look 3D, but this image can be rotated, repositioned, and even have its light source edited.

4 Click on the 3D Rotate tool () and click and drag to reposition the artwork. You will find out more about the new and improved 3D features in Photoshop in Lesson 13, “Introducing 3D.”

5 Now that you have seen the final image that you will create, choose File > Close. When the Warning dialog box appears, click No, you do not want to save the file.

Starting the composition

The finished postcard composition was created from three different source images. In this part of the lesson, you will start to pull those images together.

1 Choose File > Browse in Bridge, or click on the Launch Bridge button () in the Application bar.

2 Navigate to the ps01lessons folder and click once on the file named ps0101.psd; then Ctrl+click (Windows) or Command+click (Mac OS) on the file named ps0102.psd. Both thumbnails are selected in Bridge.

3 Choose File > Open to open both the images at once in Photoshop CS4. If your preferences were not reset you might receive a Color Profile warning dialog box. Press OK.

If files do not open in Photoshop CS4, choose File > Open With, and then select Adobe Photoshop CS4.

In order to see both images at once, you will use the new Arrange Documents button () in the Application bar in Photoshop.

The Application bar runs across the top of your Photoshop work area, and is discussed in more detail in Lesson 2, “Getting to Know the Workspace.”

4 Click and hold on the Arrange Documents button in the Application bar and select 2 Up from the drop-down menu; both images appear side-by-side.

View both images by using the Arrange Documents button.

If you used previous versions of Photoshop, you might find the new system of docking image windows different than what you are used to. If you would rather have your image windows “float” as in previous versions, choose Float All in Windows from the Arrange Documents drop-down menu.

5 Select the Move tool () and then click on the ps0102.psd image. Click and drag the ps0102.psd image on top of the ps0101.psd image window. Release the mouse when the cursor changes to a plus sign (+), or when you see a grey outline of the ps0102.psd image on top of the ps0101.psd image. If you receive a message that the layer is locked, try again, as you did not drag the file over far enough.

Click and drag the ps0102.psd image on top of the ps0101.psd image.

6 Choose Window > Layers to see that the ps0101.psd image now has two layers.

7 Double-click on the text Layer 1 in the Layers panel to the right of the layer thumbnail and type boy to give the new layer an appropriate name.

8 Click once on the ps0102.psd image to make it the active window, and then choose File > Close to close the file. If you are asked to save changes, click No.

9 If you can not see the entire window press Ctrl+0 (zero) or Command+0 (zero) to fit the window into the screen.

10 With the Move tool still selected, click on the newly placed ps0102 layer and drag, repositioning the child’s head to be closer to the lower-left corner. If his hand on the right is not visible, click and drag the image up slightly, as shown in the figure.

Reposition the new layer so that the child’s head is in the lower-left corner of the image.

You will now take a moment to save this as a work file.

11 Choose File > Save As, to open the Save As dialog box. Using the Save In drop-down menu, navigate to the ps01lessons folder. Type ps0101_work in the File Name text box and choose Photoshop (PSD, PDD) from the Format drop-down menu. Then click Save. Leave the file open for the next part of this lesson. If the Photoshop Format Options dialog box appears, press OK.

Using the new Mask panel

Adding masks in Photoshop has been an available feature since the use of channels in the very first version of Photoshop. Over time, both the creation and editing of masks have been improved to make these features more accessible and easier to use, as is apparent with the addition of the Masks panel in Photoshop CS4.

1 Select the Lasso tool () from the Tools panel, and click and drag a rough selection around the boy’s head and visible body. The selection does not have to be perfect, as you will refine the edge in the next part of this lesson.

Because you want to select the image to the bottom edge of the window, you should drag outside of the image area.

2 Choose Window > Masks, if the Masks panel is not visible. With the selection still active, click on the Add a Pixel Mask button () in the upper-right corner of the Masks panel.

A very rough mask is created, eliminating the area outside of your selection; you will now refine that selection.

With an active selection, click on the The selection is converted into a mask. Add a Pixel Mask button.

In the Masks panel, you can choose to set the Density (opaqueness of the mask) or the Feather (softness of the edge), using the sliders. To achieve even more control, you can select the Mask Edge button. In this lesson, you are briefly introduced to the Refine Edge dialog box; you can find more details about selections in Lesson 5, “Making the Best Selections.”

3 Click once on the Mask Edge button to open the Refine Edge dialog box. The selection appears with a white background, to help you see your selection. Now use the sliders, or enter values in the appropriate text box, to make the following adjustments.

• Change the Radius to 5. The Radius determines how much of an area will be affected by the adjustments you are making.
• Make sure the Contrast is set to 0 (zero).
• Set Smooth to 3.
• Change Feather to 10. This softens the hard edge.
• Use the Contract/Expand slider to adjust your selection so that it is as close to the edge of the boy as possible. Make this a visual change based upon your selection. In this example, the selection had to be contracted to –25 pixels to bring it closer to the boy.

4 Press OK to close the Refine Mask dialog box.

You have added a layer mask that can be disabled or edited at any time.

Refine the selection (mask). The selection edge is softened with feathering.

Disable and re-enable a layer mask by Shift+clicking on the mask thumbnail in the Layer’s panel.

5 Using the Move tool (), click and drag the boy layer down slightly so as not to see the feathered edge along the bottom.

You can find out in Lesson 9, “Taking Layers to the Max,” how you can paint on a layer mask to fine-tune selections.

6 Choose File > Save to save this file. Keep it open for the next part of this lesson.

Adding a graphic image with the Clone tool

In this next part of the lesson, you will add a graphic element as a new layer and change the blending mode. This will add a subtle texture to the image.

1 When a new layer is added, it appears by default on top of the active layer. Because this graphic is going to be positioned between the Background layer and the boy layer, you should select the Background layer. Do this by clicking on Background in the Layers panel.

2 Hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key and press the Create a New Layer button in the Layers panel. By holding down the Alt/Option key, you are offered the opportunity to name a layer before it is created. In the New Layer dialog box, type graphic in the Name text box, then press OK.

3 Choose File > Browse in Bridge or click on the Launch Bridge button () in the Application bar.

4 If you are not already in the ps01lessons folder, navigate to it now. Then double-click to open the file named ps0103.psd. An image of a circular graphic appears.

5 Click and hold on the Arrange Documents button () in the Application bar and select 2 Up from the drop-down menu; both images appear side-by-side.

6 Click on the tab (at the top of the image window) for the ps0103.psd image, and then select the Clone Stamp tool () from the Tools panel. Alt+click (Windows) or Option+click (Mac OS) on the center of the circle graphic ps0103.psd. This sets the source for the Clone tool.

7 Now click on the tab for the ps0101_work.psd image to make it the active image, and position the cursor just above the boy’s head. Note that in CS4 you see a pixel preview of the clone source before you start painting. You can make adjustments to the preview using the Clone Source panel, available under the Window menu item. In this lesson, you will keep the preview at its default. You can find out more about the Clone Source panel in Lesson 6, “Painting and Retouching.” Before you start cloning, you will change the blending mode. The blending mode affects how the underlying image interacts with the cloned pixels that you will be creating.

8 With the Clone Stamp tool selected, choose Overlay from the Mode drop-down menu in the Application bar. Then type 20 in the Opacity text box. The cloning that you do will now be overlaid on top of the Background layer at a light opacity.

In order to get a nice, painterly feel to the text that you apply, you will make your brush a little softer.

9 With the Clone tool selected, click on the Brush Preset arrow. It is to the right of the Brush preview in the Application bar. Then double-click on the Soft Round 200 pixel brush.

By double-clicking on a brush, you select it and simultaneously close the Brush panel.

Select the Soft Round 200 pixel brush.

10 Using the Clone Stamp tool, lightly start brushing above the boy’s head.

Because of the pixel preview (on the cursor), it may appear that you are painting on top of the boy’s head, but the pixels are actually being painted on the graphic layer, which is under the layer with the image of the boy.

You see a light copy of the graphic appearing. The benefit of using a light opacity is that you can brush (by clicking, dragging, and releasing the mouse) lightly in some areas, or repeatedly in other areas to increase the opacity of the cloned pixels. Using the Clone Stamp tool, paint the outside edges of the graphics lightly, but paint repeatedly over the center part of the image to make those clone pixels more opaque.

Paint repeatedly in the center area, above the boy’s head, to build up the opacity.

11 When you have cloned the graphic to your satisfaction, click on the image tab for ps0103.psd to activate that window, and then choose File > Close. If you are prompted to save changes, choose No.

12 Choose File > Save. Keep the file open for the next part of this lesson.

Don’t like what you created with the Clone Stamp tool and want to try it again? The benefit of working on a new blank layer is that you can choose Select > All and then press the Delete key to delete the cloned pixels, and start cloning again.

Adobe Photoshop Training Class Locations

AGI offers regularly scheduled and private Photoshop classes at our training centers. Adobe Photoshop Training in or near Boston, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Orlando, and London, England. Visit our Adobe Photoshop training class locations page.