Manipulating Pictures in Photoshop

To crop a picture

1. Click on the square selection tool on the toolbar
2. Click and drag around the area you want to keep on your picture
3. From the Image menu, select Crop

1. From the Toolbar
2. Drag the marquee around the area you wish to keep
3. Double click inside the selected area to crop the picture

To resize a picture

1. From the Image menu, select Image Size
2. Change the width to the desired width (height will automatically change in proportion)
3. If desired, change the resolution (72 dpi for screen viewing, 200 dpi for printing)

To rotate a picture

1. From the Image menu, select Rotate Canvas
2. Keep the mouse depressed and drag across to select the type of rotation you desire

To sharpen a picture

1. From the Filter menu, choose Sharpen
2. If this does not improve your image, immediately choose Undo from the Edit menu

To change the brightness and contrast of a picture

1. From the Image menu, choose Adjustments, then Brightness/Contrast
2. Drag the arrows right or left to adjust brightness and contrast--you will be able to see the effect of your changes
3. When satisfied, click OK

To erase part of your picture

1. Click on the eraser on the toolbar (6th down on the left side)
2. An eraser menu will appear
3. Click on the arrow next to the Mode button on the toolbar across the top of the screen to select the shape of the eraser
4. If you selected Brush or Pencil, click on the arrow next to Brush to select the brush size
5. Click and drag on your picture over the parts you want to remove
6. Note: If you wish to simply lighten an area rather than completely erase it, reduce the opacity to less than 100%

To duplicate a part of your picture

1. Click on the Rubber Stamp tool on the toolbar (5th down on left)
2. Hold down the Option key and click once on the part you want to duplicate
3. Move the mouse to the location where you want the duplicate to appear
4. Click and drag and watch the duplicate picture emerge

To select a portion of the picture (for example, to cut out a face)

1. Click and hold on the lasso tool on the toolbar (2nd down on left)
2. From the drop-down menu, choose the Polynomial Lasso Tool
3. On the properties menu at the top of the the screen, put a number in the Feather box if you wish to feather the edge of the selection (3-5 is a good starting point; use a higher number for more of a fading effect)
4. Click on the edge of the part you want to trace3
5. Follow the edge of the element you are copying, clicking frequently to draw a selection line

...Or...

1. If you have a strong edge, you may wish to use the magnetic lasso
2. Click and hold on the lasso tool
3. From the drop-down menu, choose Magnetic Lasso Tool
4. Make changes, as appropriate, on the properties menu at the top of the screen
5. Click and drag the mouse around your image, as near to the edge of your selection as possible
6. The magnetic lasso will snap to the edge
7. When your selection is enclosed, release the mouse.

...Or...

1. If you have a mono-toned background, (sky, sand, etc.), you may wish to use the magic wand
2. Click on the Magic Wand (2nd tool from top in the right-hand column)
3. Make changes as appropriate, on the properties menu at the top of the screen<
   • Set the tolerance number lower to select a smaller range of colors
   • Set the tolerance number higher to select a broader range of colors
4. Click on the area you wish to select (generally the background)
5. If you selected the background, but actually want to copy the foreground, you will need to invert the selection
   •From the Select menu, choose Inverse
6. You have now selected everything except the background and can cut or copy as desired

To copy a selected portion of a picture to a new document

1. With the portion selection, from the Edit menu, select Copy
2. From the File menu, select New
3. Click OK to accept the default settings--it will automatically be the right size for your selection
4. From the Edit menu, choose Paste

...Or...

1. From the File menu, select New
2. Select the appropriate size settings
3. On the original picture, hold down the Apple key and click inside your selection
4. Drag you selection onto your new document
5. A copy will be placed on the new document (this method uses less memory)

To copy a selected portion of a picture to another existing Photoshop picture

1. Open both pictures into Photoshop
2. From the Window menu, select the picture you wish to cut from
3. With the portion selected that you wish to copy, from the Edit menu, select Copy
4. From the Window menu, drag down to Documents and across to the picture you wish to copy onto
5. From the Edit menu, select Paste
6. Your picture section will be pasted onto the existing picture
7. To move the added picture segment, click on the Move tool on the toolbar (top icon on right)
8. Click on the part you just pasted on and drag it to the location where you want it
9. Note: you can also use the drag and drop method described above.

To work with layers

1. Each time you paste a new piece into a Photoshop document, it forms a new layer
2. On the right side of the screen, a Layer box appears
3. To work with one layer, click on the layer in the Layer box and it will become active
4. The layer at the top of the list is the one on the top of your document
5. To move a layer backward or forward, simply highlight the layer in the Layer Palette and drag it up or down in the layer order (Note: you cannot move a layer behind the backgournd layer.)

To edit a layer (resize, rotate, etc.)

1. Click on the layer you wish to edit in the Layers Palette
2. From the Edit menu, choose Transform
3. From the drop-down menu that appears, choose the transformation you desire (scale, skew, etc.)
4. A box with handles will appear around your image
5. Click and drag the handles to achieve the effectg you desire
6. When satisfied, click on any tool on the toolbar
7. A dialog box will appear asking you if you wish to apply the transformation. To accpt your changes, click Apply.

To delete a layer

1. Click on the layer you wish to delelte in the Layers Palette
2. Drag the layer to the small trash can in the lower right corner on the Layers Palette

To distort a picture or add special effects

1. From lthe Filter menu, select the filter you wish to use
2. Select the options you want (you'll have to experiment)
3. The filter will affect only the layer you have selected
4. Click OK

To add text to a picture

1. Click on the text tool on the toolbar (T)\
2. Click on your picture where you wish to type
3. From the Properties menu at the top of the screen, select the desired font, size, style, etc
4. Type your ext on the screen
5. When satisfied, click on the checkmark in the upper right corner of the screen
6. Note that your text is on a separate layer
7. With the Move tool and your text layer selected, you can drag the text into a new position
8. To edit your text, select it with the Text tool and make changes as desired
9. To add effects to your text, click the effects button at the bottom of the layers box (looks like an f); select the effect you want; a dialog box will appear.
10. Make changes to fine tune your effect
11. Click OK

To select a color from your photograph to use elsewhere

1. Click on the Eyedropper tool on the toolbar (just above the magnifying glass on the right side)
2. Click on the color you want to select in your photograph
3. The top left color box on the toolbar will change to the color you selected
4. You can now use this color with the paintbrush, pencil tool, airbrush, etc.
5. To switch the color to a background color (for use with the eraser tool), simply click the curved double arrow next to the color boxes and the colors will reverse (background color becomes foreground color and vice versa)

To make a button

1. From the File menu, choose New
2. Give your file a name and change the height and width to the size button you want
3. From the Layer menu in the Layer Palette, choose Duplicate Layer
4. Using the Paintbucket tool, add color to the new layer
5. On your Layers Palette, double click on your new layer (avoid clicking right where the text is)
6. A dialog box will appear
7. Click on the Bevel and Emboss (don't just check it--make sure it highlights)
8. Change options as desired
9. To add text, use the Text tool and follow instructions under "To add text to a picture" above
10. When complete, choose, Save As from teh File menu
11. Save one copy as a Photoshop file so you can return to make changes later (see below)
12. Save another copy as a .jpg that you can use in websites and other documents (see below)jk

To save your work so that you can edit later

1. From the File menmu, choose Save
2. Make sure the file format is Photoshop
3. Give the document a name
4. Savie it to the Desktop
5. From the Desktop, drag the icon into your user network folder, or onto a disk

To save your work as an image that can be used in Powerpoint or other documents

1. From the File menuy, choose Save As
2. Change the Format to JPG
3. Give your file a name
4. Set the path to save to the Desktop or your network folder
5. Click OK