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Adobe Photoshop is a program that allows detailed creation and editing of images.
Adobe Photoshop can be found on all SCIC-supported computers.
The two standard sizes of paper most often print from Photoshop are 8.5 x 11 (letter size, used for papers), and 11 x 17 (“tabloid” size, used for posters). To make things easy for yourself, you should select one of these sizes when you start a new image. To do this, go to File -> New. A menu will pop up asking you to provide an image size. Click on the drop-down menu labeled Preset Sizes and select either Letter or Tabloid. Notice that Photoshop sets the Resolution to 300 pixels/inch (also known as “dpi”) unless you tell it otherwise. For faster printouts with slightly lower print quality, change this number to 120.
If you are opening an already created image, or if you want to change the image size of an image you created, you can check the image size by going to Image->Image Size.
As Photoshop warns when you print the document, some clipping may occur. This means that the edges of your image will be cut off by the printer, which can’t print all the way to the edges of the paper. In order to prevent this, go to the Image Size menu again and decrease the height by 1 inch (thus also reducing the width). When printed, the image will be centered on the paper. You can also choose “Scale to Fit Media” In Page Setup.
Resolution refers to how many pixels per inch (ppi) the image contains. The standard for web graphics is 72 ppi, and 72-150 is fine for images that will be printed or placed in Word documents or PowerPoint presentations. If you can’t print from Photoshop, you should always check your image size and resolution. Carleton’s network printers have a hard time with files larger than ten MB.
Flattening the image’s layers and saving it as a JPEG or GIF should also reduce the size.
Saving as a JPEG or GIF automatically flattens the image.
If you already have an image created/opened but want to change its size, go to Image -> Image Size. Make sure the Resolution is less than 150 ppi. In the menu that appears, the checkbox next to Constrain Proportions ensures that the width:height ratio of your image does not change. If this box is not checked and you change the image size, the image may seem stretched. Now increase the size of the image until it fits the target paper size. There are three steps to doing this:
1) Change the width (under Document Size, not under Pixel Dimensions) to the width of the paper you are printing to. For letter size, this is 8.5 inches. For tabloid size, this is 11 inches.
2) Look at the height value (again under Document Size). If this value is more than the height of the paper you are printing to, then decrease it to the height of the paper you are printing to. For letter size, this is 11 inches. For tabloid size, this is 17 inches.
This ensures that the image will fill as much of the paper as possible. However, as Photoshop warns when you print the document, some clipping may occur. This means that the edges of your image will be cut off by the printer, which can’t print all the way to the edges of the paper. In order to prevent this, go to the Image Size menu again and decrease the height by 1 inch (thus also reducing the width). When printed, the image will be centered on the paper. You can also choose “Scale to Fit Media” In Page Setup.
The whole background is called the canvas. The size of the background (“canvas”) can be changed by going to Image -> Canvas Size. This will change the type of paper used by the printer without affecting the existing image.
When creating an image, it’s often easiest to work on it one piece at a time. Imagine a bunch of transparencies overlaying each other on a projector, or, better, stacked pieces of art covering a white canvas like a collage. You can work on each one of these stacked pieces and then layer them how you want on the canvas. This is how Photoshop works. These “stacked pieces” are called layers in Photoshop. A layer is an image that can be placed under or on top of another image. Layers normally have transparent areas, unless they are the background layer or as big as the background layer and fully opaque, so that the layers under them are visible. Each layer can be easily edited without affecting other layers, and effects can be applied to one layer at a time.
Any time you create a new text box or paste an item into a Photoshop image, a new layer is automatically created.
You can create a new layer at any time by going to the toolbar at the top and select Layer -> New -> Layer… A menu will pop up, asking you to give this layer a descriptive name. Pick a name that will help you remember what this new layer is, such as “President Oden’s Hat.” Ignore the rest of the options for now, and click OK.
There should be a toolbox open with a tab labeled Layers. (By default, this box is in the lower-right.) Select the Layers tab, and restore the window if it is minimized. There should be a list of all the layers in your image. The one you just created will be selected (highlighted blue), with a paintbrush icon next to it. When you edit the image, your changes will only be applied to the layer with the paintbrush icon.
To select another layer for editing, just click the name of the layer in the Layers list. To move the top-bottom order of the layers, click and drag their names in the list. The highest layer on the list is drawn on top.
Sometimes, you might want to combine layers. To do this, move the layers so that one is directly above the other, and go to Layer -> Merge Down. The two will now be combined into one layer.
To combine all layers, flatten the image. Only do this prior to printing. After you close the document, you cannot unflatten it.
Check the History tab on the right. Can you step back to a time when you didn’t flatten the image? If not, it’s probably impossible to unflatten. If you had flattened an image, or saved it as a non Photoshop file such as JPEG or GIF, and then closed it, upon re-opening it you will not be allowed to un-flatten the image.
Odds are it’s too large and the resolution should be changed. Resolution refers to how many pixels per inch (ppi) the image contains. The standard for web graphics is 72 ppi, and 72-150 is fine for images that will be printed or placed in Word documents or PowerPoint presentations. If you can’t print from Photoshop, you should always check your image size and resolution. Carleton’s network printers have a hard time with files larger than ten MB.
Flattening the image’s layers and saving it as a JPEG or GIF should also reduce the size.
Saving as a JPEG or GIF automatically flattens the image.
Are you working in the right layer?
If so, go to Image->Image Mode. Make sure the mode is RGB. This is a common problem with GIF’s.
Is there a box with text in its own layer? If so, you must flatten the image.
Have you deselected the item you have been working with? In order to do this, either hit Esc or choose the dashed-line rectangle marquee tool.
The image was flattened. Saving as a JPEG or GIF automatically flattens an image. If the file was closed and re-opened, the image cannot be unflattened and the layers are gone. If this is not the case, check the History tab and see if you can go to a time when prior to the flattening.
You can change the order of the layers by clicking on a layer and dragging it elsewhere in the palette.
Go to Filters --> Liquefy. Experiment with the brush size and brush pressure.
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Edit menu
