Intro Adobe Photoshop Handout
Intro Adobe Photoshop Handout
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The Training Session:
Approaching the training. An ideal way to use the training is to think about how you use Photoshop (or think about
what you use it for in the workplace)… then pay attention to the capabilities of the software tool. Do not try to
memorize the sequences. Rather, try to remember the general name of the capability or the function. Remember that
there are 3-4 at least different ways to achieve a particular objective in Adobe Photoshop. As you use the tool more,
you will form your own memorization of the most common sequences, unique sequences, and relevant keyboard
shortcuts.
Interactions encouraged. Please ask questions or make comments as they arise…and are constructive for the group.
These sessions are interactive ones.
Post-training. Then, after the training, try to get as much practice as possible using the software. It helps to have actual
projects to work on as motivation. Use the context-sensitive help with the search query (top right of the Adobe
Photoshop workspace) to find where tools are. And if you have tougher challenges, go to the Google with questions.
Troubleshooting yourself makes you better at your work. If you have free time, watch some of the excellent videos on
YouTube featuring particular “tricks” with the software. Check out the trainings on Microsoft’s LinkedIn Learning’s
Linda.com, which has some excellent courses covering the tools in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite. [Manhattan Public
Library enables access to these online trainings with a library card!]
• Selecting a work space (to define toolbar and properties panels): Essentials (the simplest, often to start); 3D
(soon to be deprecated because of incompatibility with current operating systems / OSes…and no plans to
update, but many users are shifting to Adobe’s Substance); Graphic and Web; Motion; Painting; Photography;
and customized “New Workspace”
• Engaging digital images:
o Opening a digital image (and some types of digital image formats)
o Cropping an image
o Changing image resolution (to avoid pixelation and avoid aliasing and to enable scaling), through
upsampling (creation of pixels by machine) and pixel interpolation (but ideally would have the best
original image to work from for meaningful details)
o Resizing an image without affecting aspect ratio (or stretching the image); delinking height and width to
enable changing aspect ratio
o Setting color outputs (RGB or CMYK?... RGB color modes have more filter effects available to it than for
CMYK, and then the proper color model outputs can be adjusted later) (where color / tint = hue,
chroma/saturation, brightness/value)
o Changing a color image to b/w … or to grayscale (with midtones, for visual details, for visual textures)
o Changing the brightness and contrast of an image
o Erasing the background of an image (and creating an alpha channel)
o Differentiating between high opacity and various levels of transparency (and what these enable)
o Saving a still digital image for web applications
o Saving a still digital image for print applications
Changing the curves of an image for ink on paper production
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o Versioning digital image output files for different applications (web publishing, brochures, print book
publishing, and others)
Explore the artificial intelligence (AI) aspects of the new Adobe Photoshop…and its various content-aware image-editing
features! Content awareness seems to apply to objects, proxemic content, texturing, lighting, and some other features.
• Using the “beta” smart neural filters, such as Super Zoom, removal of JPEG artifacts (visual glitches), the transfer
of art styles (based on over 50 preset styles); mixing of landscapes, depth blur, color transfer, facial
“deformations” of emotions; colorizing of b/w images, and others
• Some of these neural filters are processed on the local machine; others are processed in the cloud.
o Style Transfer: The “art styles” are based on the “texture, color, and style” of known artists (with
features extracted using ANNs) and select image styles. These are “additive” edits in most cases instead
of “reductive.” [Reductive processes reduce aspects of the original seeding visual by removing lines,
combining or blending colors, and other processes.]
o Harmonize: The harmonization neural filter helps adjust a select layer with a background layer in a
project so that their lighting and saturation and other colors better match. (This enables stronger usage
of layers by helping them match.)
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o Colorize: The three images show an actual photo at the far left, the b/w version, and then the colorized
version. The re-colorization feature does not try to remake the original colors but offers a somewhat
dramatic other plausible version.
What’s “on deck” for more neural filters? Portrait Generator, Water Long Exposure,
Shadow Regenerator, Latent Visions, Noise Reduction, and others
• Edit digital images (photos, screenshots, digital drawings, diagrams, screen grabs / stills, scanned files, and
others)
• Create raster images in 2D (x and y axes)
• Create raster images in 3D (x, y, and z axes) (deprecated in August 2021)
• Create raster images in 4D (with motion, changes over time), and others
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The visuals can be used in both static and dynamic applications, still images and dynamic ones.
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The process may include messages like the Script
Alert. For images that cannot be processed, just
close them, and keep processing. One can return
to the unprocessed images and open only those
and run the script again…or perhaps go to manual
processes if these are few.
Vector vs. Raster: Photoshop enables the drawing of shapes as Bezier paths and combinations of curves; these export
as vector graphics (which are resolution independent and therefore can scale since the computer is drawing the image
from mathematical equations, not pixels). [When editing shapes, go to the options bar at the top of the workspace
(with activated objects in the workspace) or the properties panels at the right]. Also: Photoshop can ingest vector
images but has to first convert them into raster format to edit. Many projects involve moving between Adobe
Photoshop (raster image editor) and Adobe Illustrator (a drawing software in the Adobe Creative Cloud family that
enables creation and output in vector, which enables mass scalability).
Conversion from raster to vector in Photoshop takes a fair number of steps. (https://we.graphics/blog/how-to-convert-
a-raster-image-into-vector-in-photoshop/)
There is a simple solution for one-color images (https://digitalsynopsis.com/design/how-to-convert-raster-to-vector-in-
photoshop/).
You can open an .ai vector file in Photoshop directly. PDFs also open directly. Ditto .svgs.
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Dynamic Enablements: The format of a digital image affects how flexible it can be for dynamic applications of color
palettes and dark mode effects and other fast applications.
Work Pipelines: Adobe Photoshop is often part of a work “pipeline,” with various imports and exports…across a range
of file types and online destinations. Artworks like diagrams and photos may be created outside Photoshop first and
then edited there. Analog contents may be digitally scanned and then edited in Adobe Photoshop. [For mass media
organizations, virtually all print images have had color “jumped” to
translate in-world color to print to digital. (Fidelity rules mean that digital
photos cannot be edited further in journalism. Similar rules apply to
digital images captured as part of research because these images are data.
There are differing rules for proper digital image handling in various
disciplines and domains, so professionals and students should review the
professional ethics in their respective fields.)]
A Pristine Master Set of Images (as a Safety Net): If you will be processing images in a batch fashion or manually editing
images, do save a pristine master set of images first. These are the most high-resolution and high quality images fresh
from the digital camera, the scanner, or other device. These are the “least lossy” versions of the images. (Remember
each iteration of digital image editing furthers lossiness and may introduce digital artifacts like “noise”.) The image files
in the pristine master set are untouchable…and are kept in original format. Copies of these images may be edited for
analysis, presentation, and other purposes. This gives you a safety net to explore and edit. (And you always have
CTRL+Z to undo.)
Export to:
Web-formatted imagery for legacy sites (GIFs)
Artboards to files
Artboards to PDF
Export for Aero
Layer comps for files
Layer comps to PDF
Layers to files
Color lookup tables
Datasets as files
Paths to illustrator
Render video
Zoomify
Generate:
Image asset set
Share to:
Contacts (your social network)
Lightroom (a cloud image storage site)
Behance (online portfolio in an art social network hosted by
Adobe)
* Content-Aware Image Editing: Adobe Photoshop enables moving objects, spot healing, facial smoothing, art look-and-
feel transfer to another image, wrapping visuals to 3D structures, contours, and other AI-enabled…work. Context-aware
fill uses smart awareness of the surroundings of an object if it is removed.
Quick Brief History Note: Adobe Photoshop was rolled out to the public in Feb. 19, 1990, and it has been the foremost
raster image editing tool since on both Windows and Mac operating systems. Now, it is part of the Adobe Creative
Cloud suite of tools.
Digital Image Resolution (as in Numbers of Pixels per Defined Unit Area)
Generally, the basic standards for digital imagery for various “use cases” are as follows:
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To get to the # of pixels in a
square inch, you take
height x width
Publishing .tif or .tiff CMYK 350 dpi or higher as
needed
Website (and some social .jpg (small image size), gif, RGB (red, green, blue) 72 – 96
media platforms) and .png
If resolution is too low, pixellation of the image occurs along with poor sharpness (blur, lack of focus), and text tends to
appear stair-stepped or to “alias.” Low resolution means the edges of the text become blurry and rough. (For larger size
images, at 100 MB, computer systems may start slowing down a little when editing in Photoshop.) The tradeoff is that
higher-res images are larger and take up more memory for storage on a computer, and they take longer to upload or
download…
For those in design, color on-screen is very different with color on print paper (with various ink combinations, ink bleeds,
a lack of screen reflectance, and differing interactions between inks and papers). [Color is also subjectively perceived
based on people’s retinas and color processing in the brain.] Some of the color effects on-screen, like neon colors, do
not carry over as well in print, etc., because of the lack of screen brightness in terms of synthetic and non-synthetic
papers.
However, please consult with the faculty advisor, publisher, or whomever will be receiving the visuals. The in-between
states of visual processing may result in different color applications, like HSB / HSL (hue,
saturation, brightness; hue, saturation, lightness), and others. Ideally, one would start with a
visual at the highest resolution practical, keep a master file, and edit the image carefully and
with the least “lossiness” of image information. (Each edit can introduce more “artifacts” and
noise and the loss of visual information.)
Screenshots and Digital Image Downloads from the Web and Internet: Because of the varying resolutions in various
contexts, there are implications for screenshotting…the capture of video/film stills, and other types of image captures.
Generally, since websites have low resolution (72 ppi to 96 ppi usually), and since most online images are thumbnails or
lightweight images, it is better to enlarge the image before doing a screen capture. It may also help to download a
version of the image to see which one is bigger. (Generally, scraped social imagery are thumbnails only and very small.)
Screenshots of websites may be captured as part of research and so needs to be shared in a relatively high-resolution
published form.
Drawing Diagrams in PowerPoint (to turn into a digital image): There are also implications for using PowerPoint to
draw diagrams. (Basically, draw the diagrams and then CTRL + A to highlight all the shapes and text, and expand the
visual to fit the full slide. Then save the slides as .pngs or whatever you need. Edit in an image editor before deploying,
optimally.)
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Figure 3. A Series of Six Images Created with Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop (esp. fx)
• Adjusting selections
o Can adjust selection by clicking on the lasso tool and using the options bar (above) to expand selection
by various pixel counts
• Creating layers (basic dynamics of layers; trace layers; adjustment layers; cutouts; silhouettes; masking; non-
destructive global and local visual edits)
• White color balance (for true colors without excess “warmth” or “cold” in the colors in the work)
• Color palettes (some pre-loaded, others that can be created by the user on the fly from a seeding digital
image)
• Scripts in Adobe Photoshop (and Adobe Illustrator) / macros can run in either software for batch processing of
visuals
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Figure 4. A 3D Editing Window
(showing the x, y, and z axes)
• Removing watermarks from images [a simple workaround to remove hidden
digital ones; erasure and cropping and background removal to remove found
visual ones…based on real-world and legit “use cases”]
• Fun and communicative visual filter effects (explore textures / fill effects, distortions, lighting effects, and
others)
• Creating particulate effects using “noise” filters and specialty paintbrushes
• 3D (x, y, and z axes) (and how not to break the z-dimensionality illusion) (deprecated)
• Using a clipping mask (in layers) (image a layer up above the shape or letters below; alt
key + click between the layers)
• .csh (custom shapes and vector graphics) that may be used for
clipping and other such effects
• Creating custom .csh files [Draw vector shape in Illustrator. Copy
vector object. Open Photoshop 2023. Paste as path. Go to Edit -> Define Custom Shape….
Save with select name. Find in Custom Shapes folder at bottom.]
o Or draw the shape (think silhouette) in Photoshop using the Pen tool…and Edit >
Define Custom Shape…and voila!
[Of course, regular primitive geometric shapes may just be inserted from the left toolbar.]
1. Open a photo.
2. In the menu, Select, and choose the shape (for the
selection).
3. Remove the extras along edges using the lasso tool and
the alt key (to deselect). To add more, use the lasso tool,
and select (without holding the alt key).
4. Turn the shape into a path.
5. Go to Select -> Modify -> Smooth (sample radius 5), to
reduce the jaggedness of the edges if there are jags.
6. Click on circular button at bottom right in the panel (to
load path as a selection).
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7. Define custom shape in the dropdown Edit menu. (Give
the shape a name that is indicative of what the shape
represents.)
8. Go to the Shapes tool…and the shape is there ready to
use.
9. If the Shape is not desirable, right-click on the image
icon, and delete. (See left.)
• Lasso object (to be removed) -> Edit -> Content aware fill
• Turning a layer into a smart object (by right-clicking layer and selecting “Convert to Smart Object”) so as to be
able to edit non-destructively (even while engaging transforms and re-sizings) and enabling other types of
edits to be applied;
o have to go to Layer-> Smart Objects -> Edit Contents to create a .psd layer to enable pixel-based
painting and editing for retouching (can convert back to a raster image from a smart object by going
to Layer – Smart Objects – Convert to Layers
• There are other types of blurs, such as path ones…which able closer-in
controls for blurs, such as speed of the blur, the direction, and tapering…
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• There can be strobe blur effects (which read like jitter, or implied motion by showing multiple blurry versions
of a thing)
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• Accessibility for digital imagery (based on color use, data labeling, data visualization labeling, sufficient
contrast, mitigations for color blindness, alt texting, , lead-up and lead-away text, and others)
o There is AI-informed automatic alt-texting…which has varied accuracy and results (but almost always
amusing).
• Do remember that intellectual property (IP) and copyright should be adhered to in all work?
• Explore TinEye Reverse Image Search and its database of some 44 billion images and counting. Or explore
other reverse image searches.
o Images shared in public are noted and archived, and their original share URLs and such are public
knowledge.
o The searches are getting smarter by the day, and they are somewhat harder now to throw off.
• It is possible to use various blend modes to mix different images on different layers. One simple way to use
this is to have a base image layer. Then, go to the File tab -> Place Embedded (image) on a new layer.
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Click on the placed image in the Layers Panel to activate it. Then, in the Layers panel, select what sort of visual blend
is wanted.
• Want to use an image to make a pattern? Be sure first to have the Libraries turned on in the Windows tab.
Load an image in Photoshop. Click on the plus sign in the Libraries window to “Extract from image.”
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Click on the various pattern options, the scale, and the rotation to get different effects.
Once there is a visual that might be usable, save to the Creative Cloud (CC) Libraries.
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To access the visual from the CC Libraries, it is necessary to have an image loaded in order to have the patterns open.
The underlying image does not have to be the original image, though.
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Want to see the metadata riding on a photo? Go to File -> File Info
Look down the left menu to see what data is available about the image. Also, this is a place to emplace information
about your image, should the image travel.
This is a good place to check to see if you’re leaking data unintentionally, such as locational GPS data, and others.
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Figure 5. View -> Snap To -> Slices • Alternate texting / Slice Tool / View -> Snap-To -
> Slices Tool -> Edit Slice Options -> Text Fields
for Alt Text [The alt-text can be read by screen
readers when they come to the image hosted on
the Web or emplaced in a document. Such text is
needed for Section 508 compliance and other
forms of web accessibility for contents for public
use.]
Adobe Illustrator (also in the Adobe Creative Cloud) with a focus on vector graphics
Figure 7. Adobe Illustrator Work
Space (available on Adobe
Creative Cloud)
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To extract a color table from an image to use in the palettes, first, load an image into Photoshop.
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To load the full .ACT file into the Swatches panel, open the Swatches panel. Go to the parallel lines at the top right of
this section. Left-click the three lines, and choose “Import Swatches.”
Make sure the dropdown is for the proper format that you want to import.
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Using luminosity (dark – light) and RGB (red, green, blue) histograms
(with an indication of the dynamic range from dark to light also; high range includes the spectrum; low dynamic range
involves just some segments of the potential light range)
Figure 8. About histograms in Adobe Photoshop
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Changing the workspace look-and-feel
Edit tab -> Preferences -> Interface
Figure 9. Changing the Interface Look and Feel
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Heard about deepfakes? Various companies, including Adobe, are collaborating around the Content Authenticity
Initiative. Adobe enables the capturing of content credentials, from creators to edit histories and other metadata, to
ride along with the images to provide authenticated digital imagery. To turn on this beta capability, go to Edit tab ->
Preferences -> Technology Preview. In the window, you can check on “Enable Content-Aware Tracing Tool.” See the
screenshot below.
This feature is also mentioned in the context of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). This feature enables a review of the history
of edits to the content before the NFT is included in a blockchain (optimally).
This addition slows the opening of the software and the processing of images by a few seconds, it feels like.
It’s worth it for high-value image processing…but perhaps not as much for everyday work.
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Additional Informational Resources
Adobe Creative Cloud (Adobe space for application downloads, for font family set downloads, templates, and other
tools):
https://helpx.adobe.com/support.html#/all_products
Behance (art portfolios, live training events, social networking, and others):
https://www.behance.net/
URLs for Updated Adobe Photoshop Presentation Handout (in .docx and .pdf formats)
PDF:
http://www.k-state.edu/ID/IntroAdobePhotoshopHandout.pdf
Professional Training on Adobe Photoshop via MPL’s Online Resources: For those with a library card to the Manhattan
Public Library, you have access to the LinkedIn Training / Lynda.com trainings. There is an excellent training called
“Photoshop 2021 Essential Training: The Basics” taught by Julieanne Kost, Principal Evangelist at Adobe Systems… This is
a free training for those with a library card. A library card may be applied for both locally and from a distance. The
library serves multiple counties, not just Riley.
Another colleague let me know that O’Reilly resources through the K-State Libraries also has some resources on Adobe
Photoshop!
https://support.ksu.edu/TDClient/30/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=64
Presenter
Note: Photoshop “beta” is a version of Photoshop that works through web browsers (not via the app installed on the
local machine).
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