Part 1 Task 2 Recording Steps in the History Log s in photoshe might get carried away and for get what you did when you try to recreate an effect. Or make notes of how to recreate a certain effect in Photoshop for your coworkers so they can do it on their own(and stop pestering you for once). Photoshop CS enables you to keep a log of all your digital imaging movements. You can manage note your history log options in the General preferences dialog Having a history log saved 1. If you are a Macintosh user, select Photoshop s> Preferences 5> the file size. The more you General. If you are a Windows user, select Edit s Preferences s manipulate an image, the 2. To keep track of the steps you take in Photoshop CS, select the History Log checkbox(see Figure 2-1) Save Log items To MEtadata Toth Figure 2-1: Turning on the History Log option 3. Click the Metadata option if you want to save the history log infor- mation with the file you are working on. 4. If you want to save the information to a separate text file, select the Text File option. Figure 2-2 shows an example of a history log
Recording Steps in the History Log There are so many options in Photoshop, you might get carried away and forget what you did when you try to recreate an effect. Or you might need to make notes of how to recreate a certain effect in Photoshop for your coworkers so they can do it on their own (and stop pestering you for once). Photoshop CS enables you to keep a log of all your digital imaging movements. You can manage your history log options in the General preferences dialog box. 1. If you are a Macintosh user, select Photoshop ➪ Preferences ➪ General. If you are a Windows user, select Edit ➪ Preferences ➪ General. 2. To keep track of the steps you take in Photoshop CS, select the History Log checkbox (see Figure 2-1). Figure 2-1: Turning on the History Log option 3. Click the Metadata option if you want to save the history log information with the file you are working on. 4. If you want to save the information to a separate text file, select the Text File option. Figure 2-2 shows an example of a history log. note • Having a history log saved with your image can inflate the file size. The more you manipulate an image, the more actions get recorded. 4 Part 1 Task 2
Photoshop Basics 5. To determine the location of the history log text file, click the Choose button to bring up the Save dialog box. Select a location Task 2 here you want to store the text file and then click Save 6. If you want the history log to be saved both as metadata and as a sep- arate text file select Both 7. To specify the level detail stored in the history log, select Sessions Only, Concise, or Detailed in the Edit Log Items list box. Using the Detailed history g item is a good way to ffects are created. Instead of writing out instructions by hand, you can have Photoshop wrte them to a eparate text file. Then cut d paste the steps and email them to your Figure 2-2: An excerpt from the history log text file set to concise 8. When you are done, click OK to close the Preferences dialog box ross-peference ing track of information associating with your digi mages, check out Task audio annotations
tip • Using the Detailed history log item is a good way to keep notes on how certain effects are created. Instead of writing out instructions by hand, you can have Photoshop write them to a separate text file. Then cut and paste the steps and email them to your Photoshop friends. 5. To determine the location of the history log text file, click the Choose button to bring up the Save dialog box. Select a location where you want to store the text file and then click Save. 6. If you want the history log to be saved both as metadata and as a separate text file, select Both. 7. To specify the level detail stored in the history log, select Sessions Only, Concise, or Detailed in the Edit Log Items list box. Figure 2-2: An excerpt from the history log text file set to Concise 8. When you are done, click OK to close the Preferences dialog box. Photoshop Basics 5 Task 2 cross-reference • To learn more about keeping track of information associating with your digital images, check out Task 17 for attaching notes and audio annotations
Part 1 Task 3 Setting Display and Cursor Preferences cons are all over Photoshop. They enable you to quickly pick and choose from a wide array of editing options. In the Display Cursor preferences di ou can choose whether to show channels in color, double the pixels of your or use dithering. You can also specify what icons you would like to see notes The only real benefit of 1. For Macintosh users, go to the Photoshop menu and select changing the channels to Preferences s Display Cursors(see Figure 3-1). For Windows reflect the color is that it users, select Edit s Preferences and select Display Cursors. If might help you realize which channel you are are in the dialog box from the previous task, you may select Display operating in. Howeve Cursors from the drop-down menu at the top of the dialog box keeping the channels set to grayscale enables you to see the tone of the colo more easily: White areas represent portions of the image where the color is a full opacity and the area where it is black is the absence of that color. uni△Rule The only time you might need to select Use Diffusion Dither is when you have a cheap video c0myH时ytt Figure 3-1: Accessing the Display Cursor preferences dialog box will never happen to be you. While pixel doubling does 2. In the Display and Cursor preferences dialog box(see Figure 3-2), image, it might not be to under Display, you can colorize each channel component. To have a everyone's liking due to the hannel reflect the color it represents, select Color Channels in rring effect of having part Color, instead of the default grayscale representation in the color your image blurred out. Most computers powerful enough to run Photoshop erly, select Use Diffusion Dither. Diffusion dithering is a methodt 3. If you want to dither colors that your video card cannot render will have enough process- ing power to render the osition multicolored pixels in a scattering effect so as to simulate file nicely. modes or command tools, select Use Pixel Doubling. The image resolution is halved by doubling the pixels, giv ing the image a temporary blurry effect that lasts until the preview mode or commands are finished
Setting Display and Cursor Preferences I cons are all over Photoshop. They enable you to quickly pick and choose from a wide array of editing options. In the Display & Cursor preferences dialog box you can choose whether to show channels in color, double the pixels of your images, or use dithering. You can also specify what icons you would like to see while editing an image. 1. For Macintosh users, go to the Photoshop menu and select Preferences ➪ Display & Cursors (see Figure 3-1). For Windows users, select Edit ➪ Preferences and select Display & Cursors. If you are in the dialog box from the previous task, you may select Display & Cursors from the drop-down menu at the top of the dialog box. Figure 3-1: Accessing the Display & Cursor preferences dialog box 2. In the Display and Cursor preferences dialog box (see Figure 3-2), under Display, you can colorize each channel component. To have a channel reflect the color it represents, select Color Channels in Color, instead of the default grayscale representation in the color channels. 3. If you want to dither colors that your video card cannot render properly, select Use Diffusion Dither. Diffusion dithering is a method to position multicolored pixels in a scattering effect so as to simulate colors. 4. To speed up preview modes or command tools, select Use Pixel Doubling. The image resolution is halved by doubling the pixels, giving the image a temporary blurry effect that lasts until the preview mode or commands are finished. notes • The only real benefit of changing the channels to reflect the color is that it might help you realize which channel you are operating in. However, keeping the channels set to grayscale enables you to see the tone of the color more easily: White areas represent portions of the image where the color is at full opacity and the area where it is black is the absence of that color. • The only time you might need to select Use Diffusion Dither is when you have a cheap video card on your system or an old laptop. Hopefully that will never happen to be you. • While pixel doubling does speed up the preview of an image, it might not be to everyone’s liking due to the jarring effect of having part of your image blurred out. Most computers powerful enough to run Photoshop will have enough processing power to render the file nicely. 6 Part 1 Task 3
Photoshop Basics Display&Conser Task 3 e Bruth Size Select the Brush Size as ur painting cursor. The utline you get when paint- ing provides a visual indi- cator of the brush size you re using The other brush sizes do not give you this kind of helpful clue, which Figure 3-2: The Display Cursor preferences dialog box accidentally pick a 400- pixel-sized brush. 5. Under Painting Cursors you can specify the type of cursor While using a tool in Photoshop displays when you are using the painting tools. These otoshop, press Caps Lock and the precise cursor tools include the brush, pencil, art sprayer, color replacement brush, pears. Press Caps Lock history and art history brushes, eraser, healing brush, rubber stamp, again and pattern stamp, smudge, bh lur, s Ddge, burn, and sponge tools pops back. You have three options: Standard, which uses the icon of the current painting tool; Precise, which resembles a crosshair with a small target pixel at its center; and Brush Size, which indicates the size of the brush currently selected as shown in Figure 3-3 Figure 3-3: The paintbrush set at 100 pixels overlaps the image window. In 6. Under Other Cursors you have two options: Standard and Precise the right time in production work can make digital This option controls cursor appearance for the nonpainting tools, imaging go faster If you which include the marquee, lasso, polygon lasso, magic wand, crop, ant to see how shortcu slice, patch, eyedropper, pen, line, paint bucket, gradient, magnet keys can make your work lasso, magnetic pen, measure, and color sampler tools go faster, check out Task 21
tips • Select the Brush Size as your painting cursor. The outline you get when painting provides a visual indicator of the brush size you are using. The other brush sizes do not give you this kind of helpful clue, which may come in handy if you accidentally pick a 400- pixel-sized brush. • While using a tool in Photoshop, press Caps Lock and the precise cursor appears. Press Caps Lock again and the tool icon pops back. Figure 3-2: The Display & Cursor preferences dialog box 5. Under Painting Cursors you can specify the type of cursor Photoshop displays when you are using the painting tools. These tools include the brush, pencil, art sprayer, color replacement brush, history and art history brushes, eraser, healing brush, rubber stamp, pattern stamp, smudge, blur, sharpen, dodge, burn, and sponge tools. You have three options: Standard, which uses the icon of the current painting tool; Precise, which resembles a crosshair with a small target pixel at its center; and Brush Size, which indicates the size of the brush currently selected as shown in Figure 3-3. Figure 3-3: The paintbrush set at 100 pixels overlaps the image window. In this predicament, you should resize the window and continue painting. 6. Under Other Cursors you have two options: Standard and Precise. This option controls cursor appearance for the nonpainting tools, which include the marquee, lasso, polygon lasso, magic wand, crop, slice, patch, eyedropper, pen, line, paint bucket, gradient, magnetic lasso, magnetic pen, measure, and color sampler tools. Photoshop Basics 7 Task 3 cross-reference • Having the right cursor at the right time in production work can make digital imaging go faster. If you want to see how shortcut keys can make your work go faster, check out Task 21
Part 1 Task Setting Transparency and Gamut Preferences he grid has become somewhat of a culture icon to many Photoshop users. It's been a part of Photoshop for a long, long time to help users determi the level of transparency in their images. But now you get the chance to modify the appearance of this checkerboard-like grid to your own individual tastes In the Transparency gamut preferences dialog box, you not only get to define the color for the out-of-gamut warning, but also customize the size of he classic Photoshop grid 1. To bring up the Transparency and Gamut preferences dialog box on the Macintosh platform, go to the Photoshop menu and select Preferences s Transparency Gamut On the Windows platform, elect Edit s Preferences and select Transparency Gamut If you are in the dialog box from the previous task, select Transparency Gamut from the dropdown menu at the top of the dialog box. To adjust the size of the checkerboard pattern, select Small, Medium, or Large from the grid Size drop-down menu under Transparency Settings(see Figure 4-1). If you don't want to see a checkerboard pattern, select None. You will see a preview of the grid in the preview square that's off to the right under Transparency Settings Gamut warning Figure 4-1: The Transparency& Gamut dialog box
Setting Transparency and Gamut Preferences The grid has become somewhat of a culture icon to many Photoshop users. It’s been a part of Photoshop for a long, long time to help users determine the level of transparency in their images. But now you get the chance to modify the appearance of this checkerboard-like grid to your own individual tastes. In the Transparency & Gamut preferences dialog box, you not only get to define the color for the out-of-gamut warning, but also customize the size of the classic Photoshop grid. 1. To bring up the Transparency and Gamut preferences dialog box on the Macintosh platform, go to the Photoshop menu and select Preferences ➪ Transparency & Gamut. On the Windows platform, select Edit ➪ Preferences and select Transparency & Gamut. If you are in the dialog box from the previous task, select Transparency & Gamut from the dropdown menu at the top of the dialog box. 2. To adjust the size of the checkerboard pattern, select Small, Medium, or Large from the Grid Size drop-down menu under Transparency Settings (see Figure 4-1). If you don’t want to see a checkerboard pattern, select None. You will see a preview of the grid in the preview square that’s off to the right under Transparency Settings. Figure 4-1: The Transparency & Gamut dialog box 8 Part 1 Task 4