Index (this will be updated as the series unfolds)
Importing files into PhotoShop:
From camera or card
Scanning
File types
PSD (.psd)
JPEG (.jpg)
TIFF (.tif)
Part 1b: Camera Raw
Part 2: Colour
Part 3a: The Workspace
Part 3a: Working Layers Example
Part 3c: Adjustment Layers
Part 4: Grouping, Masks & History
Part 5: Selection and Paths (Pen Tool)
Part 5b: Healing Brush, Patch or Clone Stamp Tool?
The Complete guide to Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a daunting prospect for many photographers, but it needn't be. The program is designed to manipulate images to beyond the dreams of most people, but this means we often only need to know a fraction of what makes up the program. So, our goal is to simplify the program into a series of step-by-step, er, steps that most photographers would find useful. Starting with the basics, in the coming weeks, we will lay the groundwork to progress through to the more 'standard' features associated with Adobe Photoshop and eventually approach advanced image manipulation, plugins and advanced editing without needing to hide in a corner and cry.
Along the way we'll pack in not just the how, but a whole chunk of the why and a dash of the downright absurd just for good measure.
We'll work predominantly with the latest version - Adobe Photoshop CS3 - but much of what applies to this version can work with any flavour of Photoshop of the last 12 years or so. Bear in mind though, that key functions like Camera RAW do require an up-to-date version of Photoshop to keep up with current image files from cameras.
Importing Files in PhotoShop:
It might not sound like rocket science, but importing files has become a lot more multi-layered and complex in recent times. Part of this is because images can arrive from a wealth of different sources, including online, scans and camera cards and more. You may be sourcing jpg or tif images from an image library, raw digital camera data, working with an Adobe PhotoShop psd, or an imported scan - and each requires its own distinct attention.
From a camera or card:
Whether you simply drag and drop files, or use a dedicated downloader or file ingesting program to copy files from your camera or card, remember to always work on copies of the files saved on your computer. The latest versions of Photoshop allow for non-destructive editing (meaning the program works on a version of a file, never the original), but digital storage space is cheap and it's worth making sure you make a copy of your master files before working on them.
A good practice is to make sure you have no cameras or cards connected before opening Photoshop. It's easy to accidentally browse your way onto one of these and end up working on the original file. Potentially, this also means you could end up saving your Photoshop file to the removable disk, then slotting it into a camera and formatting it before you realised the error of your ways.
Scanning:
In the digital age scanning has become less and less popular. It's just not required in a straight digital-only workflow. But, it's certainly not something to be overlooked though - shooting on film and scanning for post-production and/or output is a great (albeit expensive) way of working for many current professionals. Art photographers also use scanners to create esoteric mixed media productions, too.
It stands to reason that the better your scanner, the better the results will be. However, not everyone needs access to a hugely expensive drum scanner, nor necessarily needs to scan from film using a specialist device for the job. It's quite plausible to work from printed photographs, found materials, even non-photographic material and work up some great imaging too (see Compact Close Ups article for further info).
As far as Photoshop goes you have a number of options - from Photoshop's own importing, plugin to third party software (best known pro-standard programme is Silverfast), or simply read the scanned files (file type depending) of files already scanned and directly saved elsewhere.
Within Photoshop go to File > Import and select the device (will depend what you have installed).
Technophobes among you may spot certain 'oddities' such as 'TWAIN', but this is nothing to panic about. TWAIN is the standardised interface for both Windows and Mac that allows hardware devices (that'll be your scanner in this case) to communicate with image processing software (that'll be your copy of Photoshop). Like DVD, TWAIN is an acronym without portfolio, in that it refers to nothing specifically, so a fabulous prize (subject to non-availability) awaits the most creative - and yet not libellous or grotesquely offensive - acronym.
Windows users may spot WIA, too - that's Windows Image Acquisition support, which your PC can use to pull images from hardware (such as a scanner) directly into PhotoShop.
Rembember that your scan needs to be good - well exposed, correct white balance, and utilising the highest amount information available (you may be able to scan at, say, 48bit - the bigger number the more information that will be collected). Consult your scanner manual for full details.
Your scan also needs to be the correct physical size and at the correct resolution for output. There's just no point in scanning something smaller than you want it to be later, as upscaling an image to print it out will end up with distortion, artefacts and will just look, for a better word, crap. Remember though that a a 10x20” @150dpi image is the same as a 5x10” image @300dpi in terms of detail.
If you're not sure how large your output will be, then make your initial scan as big as you think you will ever need - treat this as a master copy that you can save in a digital format and refer to or duplicate whenever required.
Which file types:
File > Open (Ctrl+O) is the process to engage Photoshop to open files - much like most other programmes these days. Of course, there's limitations to how many file types can be read, so it's important to work with the correct types for the right reasons.
When any file is pulled into Photoshop it essentially becomes a working PhotoShop Document (.psd) - where all the wonderful functions of the programme are bestowed to your (evil) fingers, where you can spend 14hours painting a ginger moustache on the Mona Lisa (more on that later, sort of) and still not have to finalise the file.
If working on a file that you wish to come back to then the file should be saved as a PSD. This applies even if the original files sourced were of different types, as the PSD format saves all the processes that you have performed and may later wish to come back and add to or change (more on that later too).
Jpeg (pronounced “jay-peg”, the Joint Photographic Experts Group) is a standardised image compression mechanism. It's designed to lose an amount of image information (known as “lossy”), so that whilst it may not look as crisp, colourful or detailed as other file types, it benefits from having a much smaller file size.
It's an ideal web format, and perfect for squeezing that many more images onto a storage device - like the card in your digital camera for example. High quality jpeg is more than good enough to print from, which adds to the reason most compact cameras utilise the format.
Tiff (Tagged Image File Format) was an attempt to standardise scanner file types waaaay back in the 80s - it's since been taken under Adobe's wing, the mullet's been chopped, and is now an integral file type - ideal for print outs.
As TIFFs are uncompressed, they hold a lot of information (big file size!) - meaning full range of colours pixel by pixel can be transmitted to a printer.
If you open any imaging file type for print, then it should always be converted to a flattened TIFF (we will get to this when addressing layers later) for print purposes.
File > Save As > select .tif from drop menu
Do tests for yourself and you will notice the difference.
And then, there's handling raw files from individual cameras. This is a convoluted subject in its own right - and even has its own program within Photoshop. We'll come on to that next time...
Continue to 'Camera Raw' and Part 1b
