IntRoducinG AdoBe PhotosHop Cs3

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.