How to Use:

Adobe Photoshop CS3

Adobe Photoshop CS3 is a powerful program used for creating and editing graphics and
photographs. The program is used for professional image editing. These unique tools help all users
achieve satisfying results. Whether you’re experienced with Photoshop or not, this guide will help.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask a TLC staff consultant for assistance during staffed hours
at your center.

In this tutorial:
• Learn the basics of Photoshop
• What layers are
• Basic tools
• Basic image and photo editing
• Understanding filters
• Learn how to replace a color in an image

Updated by Matthew Straub (Fall 2007)

 Quick Tips for Using Adobe® Photoshop CS3

CONTENTS

Getting Started ............................................................................................................ 3 

Layers palette .............................................................................................................. 3 
Tool Palette .................................................................................................................. 4 
• Color Fills ......................................................................................................... 4 
• Image Cropping ............................................................................................... 5 
• Text Tools ........................................................................................................ 5 
• Shape Tools ..................................................................................................... 6 
• Eraser Tools..................................................................................................... 6 
Image Tool Options..................................................................................................... 6 
Undo & History Palette ............................................................................................... 7 
Brushes ........................................................................................................................ 7 
Photo Editing ............................................................................................................... 8 
Filters ........................................................................................................................... 8 
Replace Color .............................................................................................................. 8 
Saving a Nonrectangular Image ................................................................................ 9 
Saving a File .............................................................................................................. 10 
Other Resources ....................................................................................................... 10 

COPYRIGHTS

"Screen shot(s) reprinted by permission from Adobe Corporation. Adobe is a

registered trademark and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation".

2
 Quick Tips for Using Adobe® Photoshop CS3

GETTING To create a new document, go to File Æ New. A box will appear with options such as
STARTED width, height, resolution, color mode, etc. Select your preferences (typically “U.S. Paper”
in the Preset dropdown menu). After clicking “OK” you will see your new, blank
workspace.

You can also open an image with Photoshop (including .jpg files and many others) by
going to File Æ Open.

Take some time to familiarize yourself with the locations of various tool “palettes”
(windows). We will take a closer look at these various tool palettes on the next page.

In Photoshop, each new element (such as a picture or text box) is placed in its own
LAYERS “layer.” You work with layers individually by selecting them on the Layers Palette.
PALETTE
• Flattening a file’s layers merges them into a single background, which greatly
reduces the file size. However, you should not flatten layers until you are satisfied
with the arrangement and manipulations to the individual layers, as you cannot
“un-flatten” a file and edit individual layers again after you have saved and closed
the file. To flatten, go to Layer Æ Flatten Image.

(Layers Palette continued on next page)

3
 Quick Tips for Using Adobe® Photoshop CS3

(LAYERS NOTE: If you want to save your image with layers to work on later, save it as a
PALETTE Photoshop (.psd) file (p. 10).
CONT’D)
On the sample image to the left,
the layers are indicated by the
[imaginary] black squares
surrounding them. They can
each be manipulated
invididually when they are
selected in the layers menu
(right).

TOOL PALETTE (far right): Place your cursor over a tool to see its name pop up. These
TOOL are the primary tools for most digital manipulations of an image. You may need to
PALETTE hold and click over a particular tool to gain access to further, similar tools. Here is
a quick guide to the tools that will probably be the most useful.
Color Fills Color Fills: (This is sometimes
hidden under the gradient tool.) A very
simple way to change a color in an
image is the paint bucket tool. Simply
select this tool and double click on the
color squares at the bottom of the
toolbox. The color picker should
appear:

1. The large square on the

left mixes a hue with
varying degrees of black and white.
2. The adjacent hue slider (looks like a rainbow) allows you to choose
from various hues.
3. The color you will be
working with will
apear in the small
square to the right of the hue slider.

Click “OK,” and then click the top of the paint bucket anywhere within the area
that you want to change.

Using the opacity controls at the top of the screen in conjunction with the paint
bucket tool (or many other tools) will allow you to select the intensity of the colors
used. (100% will result in solid colors and anything else in varying shades of
colors.)

Changing tolerance values (between 0 and 255) adjusts how precisely the paint
bucket will pour over a color. A higher tolerance will result in more of the
surrounding area to be filled, including more of the nearby similar shades. Contrarily, a
low tolerance will result in less of the surrounding area being filled.

4
 Quick Tips for Using Adobe® Photoshop CS3

(TOOLS Image Cropping: In order to get rid of unwanted parts of pictures or to keep just one part
PALETTE of a picture, you need to crop. To crop a rectangular section of an image, use the crop
CONT’D) tool.

(Crop Tool)
Image There are two ways to do more specific cropping:
Cropping
The Magic Wand (sometimes under the quick selection tool)
1. Click on the area you would like to separate from the rest of the image.
2. You will have to play with the tolerance number (see tolerance values
under Color Fills for a definition, p. 4) until you are satisfied with your
selection.
3. Now you can cut out the area you’ve selected and either get rid of it or
the rest of the image. You can also create another layer with it.

The Magnetic Lasso (under the lasso tool)

1. Start at one point on the object’s outline by clicking the magnetic lasso on the
edge of the object you want separated from the rest. Then move the lasso
slowly around the object, being careful to stay close to its outline. Clicking
while you trace will create more points of reference for the lasso, allowing a
closer trace.
2. When you have traced back to where you began a small, open white circle
should appear. When you see this circle, click and the area you have traced
will be selected. From here you can copy the selection into another image,
delete the selection from the image, or get rid of the background. You can
also create another layer with it.
3. Use can use the Blur and Smudge tools lightly around the edges to make an
object look more natural in its new environment if you were adding it to
another image.

(Blur Tool) (Smudge Tool)

Insert Text: Use the text tool to manually insert a box of text. Once your text box is in
Text Tools place you can drag the edges of the box to adjust its height, width, and location
on the image.

Text Color: To change text color, highlight the text and double click on the color squares
at the bottom of the toolbox, the same way you would for changing colors in an image.
After making your selection, click “OK.”

Text Style: To give your text some pizazz, go to Layer Æ Layer Style Æ Blending
Options. Here you can toy with options such as Inner Shadow, Drop Shadow, Bevel and
Emboss, etc. Try different styles by selecting one and moving the sliders to change size,
distance, depth, and opacity. You can also manipulate these styles by typing different
pixel and percentage values.

Text Filters: To add even more flair to your text, try using the Filter Menu (p. 8). You
can also use these filters to manipulate images.

5
 Quick Tips for Using Adobe® Photoshop CS3

(TOOLS Shape Tool: The shape tool can make a variety of shapes in different sizes and colors.
PALETTE By right-clicking on this rectangle in the toolbar, you will see a variety of shapes
CONT’D) that you can use in your document.

Custom Shape Tool: (underneath the shape tool) Photoshop also has more complex
Shape Tools shapes to offer. Access these shapes by clicking on the “blob” shape, then go to
the shape control panel near the top of the screen and browse through custom
shapes by clicking the down arrow to the right of the word “Shape”. To access
more shapes, click on the small arrow on the right side of the shapes palette. Here you
will see shapes listed by category.

Eraser Tool: These tools allow you to erase certain parts of an image. They
Eraser Tools
function just like brushes (p. 7).

Magic Eraser Tool: The magic eraser tool can be used to erase parts of an
image that are all of a similar hue. It functions just like the color fill tool (p. 4)

IMAGE TOOL Image Adjustments: You can make artistic or realistic adjustments to digital images
using the Image menu, located near the File Menu. You can manipulate color using
OPTIONS
Image Menu options. Among many others are:

• Color Hue/Saturation: For

example, to manipulate color,
select Image Æ Adjustments Æ
Hue/Saturation (Right). Play with
the slides until you find an effect
that you like.
• Color Balance: To manipulate
color hues in a more specific way,
go to Image Æ Adjustments Æ
Color Balance. Use the three
color sliders in conjunction with the
Shadows/Midtones/Highlights options on the bottom of the window to change
hues on parts of the image.
• Black & White can be used to create a classic black and white look.
• Curves Adjustment: To manipulate the light levels of your image, you might try
the Curves Adjustments option, located under Image Æ Adjustments Æ Curves.
Moving the diagonal line up lightens an image; moving it down darkens it. The
curves grid represents your image. At sections where the line crosses the grid
with a steep curve, your image will have more contrast. At sections where the line
crosses with a lesser slope, your image will have less contrast.

Image Size: To change the size of an entire image, go to Image Æ Image Size. If you
want to change the size of your canvas (the white background space), use the canvas
size options in the Image Menu.

Image Transform: There are various transformations that can be made to layers on your
canvas. After selecting something on your canvas use. Transformations include Rotate,
Skew, Distort, and Flip. These can be found in Edit Æ Transform. Selecting Free
Transform will allow you to manually manipulate the image by stretching/shrinking it.
(Image Tool Options continued on next page.)

6
 Quick Tips for Using Adobe® Photoshop CS3

IMAGE TOOL
Image Filters: Filters (in the Filters dropdown menu) can give your images a variety of
OPTIONS artistic effects. Try these for starters:
(CONT’D)
1. Filters Æ Artistic Æ Cutout
2. Filters Æ Sketch Æ Chalk & Charcoal
3. Filters Æ Render Æ Lens Flare

UNDO & Photoshop has the “Undo/Redo” function under the “Edit” menu. However, there are
HISTORY also more advanced tools for moving along within the timeline of your work.
PALETTE
• Undo/Redo: This is the standard feature that undoes the last change you made
to an image, or re-applies it after a Redo command. There are some operations
that Photoshop is not able to undo.
• Revert to Saved: Go to File Æ Revert. This replaces the current state of your
image with your last saved image.
• History Palette: This pallet can be accessed via Window Æ History,
or by clicking on the icon pictured to the right next to the Photoshop
navigator. The History Palette shows the current state of your work as
a series of changes applied to an original. From here, you can look back in time
to undo all of the changes after any point that it has recognized.

Brush Tool: Paint brushes can be used to

BRUSHES achieve an extraordinarily wide variety of
effects. By clicking on the brush icon (seen left) in the
tool palette you gain access to a more detailed brush
menu (seen right), which can be found at the top left-
hand corner of the screen, underneath the File and Edit
dropdown menus.

Using the sliders, you can change the master diameter

(size) of the brush or its hardness (how solid they appear
as you use them).

For access to more types of brushes, click on the small

arrow on the right-hand side of the brush menu.

7
 Quick Tips for Using Adobe® Photoshop CS3

PHOTO Color Correction: Photoshop provides many tools to correct color problems in pictures.
EDITING The Image Æ Adjustments menu contains tools that can improve faded or washed out
digital images. When using these or other tools, always try to find and check an option
box for Preview so that you can see what any adjustments you make will look like on
your image without finalizing their application. The Preview checkbox is always located
underneath the “OK” and “Cancel” buttons.

Brightness and Contrast: The Brightness slider lightens the colors or darkens the
colors in an image. Contrast increases the differences in color by making brights brighter
and darks darker, which can help bring out details. Contrast almost always needs to be
increased when an image is artificially brightened.

Hue and Saturation: Hue helps adjust colors in an image, while Saturation makes
colors more or less intense.

Blemish Removal: The following technique can be used to remove unwanted elements
of an image such as skin blemishes or stains on clothing.

Clone Stamp: This replicates patterns. By holding Alt and clicking on part of an
image, Photoshop will use the pattern from that area over any other area of the
image you now click on. Using this repeatedly over small areas at a time can
effectively cover up almost any unwanted part of an image.

FILTERS Go the Filter dropdown menu

to access a list of creative
filters you can use to
manipulate your image. Here
are a couple of guidelines to
follow:

• Filters are applied to

the active, visible layer
or selection.
• Most filters can be
applied using the Filter
Gallery. All filters can
be applied individually.

REPLACE Replacing a Color: This tool can be used to exchange one hue in an image or layer for
COLOR another hue of your choice.

• In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the color you want to replace.
• Choose Image Æ Adjustments Æ Replace Color.
• In the Replace Color box that appears, make sure Selection is selected under the
preview window.
• In the image, click the color you want to change. The preview displays the areas
that match the color you selected.

(Replace Color continued on next page)

8
 Quick Tips for Using Adobe® Photoshop CS3

REPLACE
COLOR • If you need to expand or refine the areas to be replaced, click the Add to Sample
(CONT’D) button or the Subtract from Sample button, then click another area in the image.

(Add to Sample) (Subtract from Sample)

• In the Replacement area of the Replace Color dialog box, click the Result color
swatch.
• In the Select Target Color box that appears, indicate the color range you want
using the triangle sliders on the color spectrum bar, then click the desired
replacement color in the color field. The color you select appears in the top half of
the color swatch under “New.” The original color remains in the bottom half above
“Current.” Click OK. Photoshop displays the new color in the image.
• When you are satisfied with the color replacement, click OK.

If you would like to save an image that is nonrectangular, such as a specific piece of an
SAVING A image, follow these steps:
NONRECTAN- • Use a selection tool to select the part of the image you want saved, such as the
GULAR magic wand tool (p. 5) or magnetic lasso tool (p. 5), etc.
IMAGE • Go to Select Æ Inverse. This will select everything except the part of the image
you want to save.
• Go to Layer Æ New Æ Layer via Cut. This will separate the part of the image
youv’e selected from the background.
• Then, in the Layers Palette (p. 4), right-click on the background layer and select
“Delete Layer.” The gray and white checker pattern you see in place of the former
background indicates that there is nothing behind the layer you are working with.
• Now save the file as a “.png” in order to retain this transparent background (see
the next page on saving files).
• Now this image can be laid over or around graphics, text, etc. in other programs,
such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint.

9
 Quick Tips for Using Adobe® Photoshop CS3

SAVING A To save an image you’ve created, go to File Æ Save. Underneath the File Name menu
FILE will be a dropdown menu titled Format. Here you select the file type you want your
image saved as. Here is a brief description of the varying file types:

• .psd - This is the format that Adobe Photoshop uses. This saves the file as
you’ve been manipulating, with all of its layers. It can only be opened by Adobe
Photoshop.

• .jpg - JPEG is an industry standard for digital photography. It is also one of the
most commonly used formats, supported by nearly all applications that handle
images. JPEG is the default choice for digital images that don’t need professional
treatment.

• .gif - It is best suited for “flat” images of the graphic design type like web page
elements, logos, type, and other images that have few colors in them. It does a
decent job with normal photographs that don’t require high quality displays. It is
viewable by nearly all web browsers and image viewing programs.

• .png - The Portable Network Graphics format was designed as an alternative to

GIF and JPEG formats. There are two parts of PNG, the PNG-8 and PNG-24.
PNG-8 is best suited for flat images (like GIF excels at) and also provides the
same support for transparency in images. PNG-24 should only be used for full-
tone photographs and illustrations that produce very rich images. PNG-24 also
supports transparent image areas, which makes it an attractive alternative to
JPEG if this is important to your work. As a result, make sure that you have a bit
of extra disk storage space and that wide ranges of compatibility aren’t an issue.

• .tif - The Tagged Image File Format is like the native Photoshop “.psd”. The file
size of a TIFF image will be as large as the original. TIFF files preserve all of the
original image data, but do not save anything that is specific to Photoshop, like
layers or text effects.

OTHER • Photoshop Help Menu

RESOURCES • www.graphic-design.com/photoshop
• www.psworkshop.net
• www.absolutecross.com/tutorials/photoshop
• www.planetphotoshop.com

10