Menu Bar
If you look at the top of the screen you will see the Menu bar which contains all the main
functions of Photoshop, such as File, Edit, Image, Layer, Select, Filter, View,
Window, and Help.
Tool Bar
Most of the major tools are located in the Tool bar for easy access.
The Image
The image will appear in its own window once you open a file.
Image Name
The name of any image that you open will be at the top of the image window as shown
above.
Palettes
Palettes contain functions that help you monitor and modify images. By default, palettes
are stacked together in groups. These are the palettes that are usually visible:
Navigator, Color, Histogram, Layer. If none of the palettes are visible, go to Window
in the Menu bar and choose palettes you need to work with.
LAYERS
Layers let you organize your work into distinct levels that can be edited and viewed as
individual units. Every Photoshop CS3 document contains at least one layer. Creating
multiple layers lets you easily control how your artwork is printed, displayed, and edited.
You will use the Layers palette (Fig. 6) often while creating a document, so it is crucial
to understand what it does and how to use it.
A) Layer Visibility - The eye shows that the
selected layer is visible. Click on or off to see or
to hide a layer.
B) Layer Locking Options - Click the
checkered square icon to lock Transparency;
click the brush icon to lock the Image; click the
arrow icon to lock the Position; click the lock
icon to lock all options.
C) Layer Blending Mode - Defines how the
layer's pixels blend with underlying pixels in the
image. By choosing a particular blending mode
from the dropdown menu you can create a
variety of special effects.
D) Fill - By typing in a value or dragging the
slider you can specify the transparency of the
Fig. 6. Layers Palette color of the image or object.
E) Opacity - By typing in a value or dragging a
slider you can specify the transparency of the
entire layer.
F) Layer Lock - The icon shows when the layer
is locked and disappears when it is unlocked.
Double-click the icon to unlock the layer.
G) Layer Options Menu - Click the black
triangle to see the following options: New Layer,
Duplicate Layer, Delete Layer, Layer
Properties, etc. Some of the options are
presented as icons at the bottom of the Layers
palette.
H) Link Layers – Can be used to link layers
together.
I) Layer Styles - If a layer has a style, an "F"
icon shows at the bottom of the Layers palette.
Click the little black triangle to see style options.
J) Layer Mask - A grayscale image, with parts
painted in black hidden, parts painted in white
showing, and parts painted in gray shades
showing in various levels of transparency.
K) Layer Set - This option helps to organize
images with multiple layers. Click the icon to
create a folder for several layers.
L) Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer - Have
the same opacity and blending mode options as
image layers and can be rearranged, deleted,
hidden, and duplicated in the same manner as
image layers. Click the icon and select an option
to create a new fill or adjustment layer.
M) Create New Layer - Click this icon to create
a new layer.
N) Delete Layer - To delete a layer, select a
layer in the Layers palette and drag it to the
trash can icon; or, select a layer and click the
icon.
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