🎨Intro to Photoshop and Illustrator Unit 3 – Selection and Image Manipulation Techniques

Key Selection Tools

• Marquee Tools (Rectangular and Elliptical) create selections based on geometric shapes
  • Rectangular Marquee Tool selects rectangular or square areas
  • Elliptical Marquee Tool selects circular or elliptical areas
• Lasso Tools (Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, and Magnetic Lasso) create freehand or semi-automated selections
  • Lasso Tool allows freehand drawing of selection borders
  • Polygonal Lasso Tool creates selections with straight-line segments
  • Magnetic Lasso Tool automatically snaps to edges based on contrast
• Magic Wand Tool selects pixels based on color similarity and tolerance settings
• Quick Selection Tool automatically selects areas based on color and texture similarities
• Object Selection Tool (Photoshop 2020+) uses AI to quickly select objects in an image
• Select and Mask workspace provides a dedicated environment for refining selections

Basic Image Manipulation Techniques

• Cropping removes unwanted areas from the edges of an image
• Resizing changes the dimensions and resolution of an image
  • Resampling adds or removes pixels when resizing
  • Constraining proportions maintains the original aspect ratio
• Rotating turns an image clockwise or counterclockwise by a specified angle
• Flipping creates a mirror image horizontally or vertically
• Skewing distorts an image along one or two axes
• Adjusting brightness and contrast changes the overall lightness and tonal range
• Adjusting color balance alters the mix of colors in an image
  • Hue shifts the overall color
  • Saturation affects the intensity of colors

Advanced Selection Methods

• Color Range selects areas based on specific colors or color ranges
  • Selects by sampling colors directly from the image
  • Adjusts fuzziness to control the range of colors selected
• Focus Area automatically selects in-focus areas of an image (Photoshop CC 2014+)
• Channel-based selections use color channels (Red, Green, Blue) to create precise selections
  • Load a channel as a selection to isolate specific color ranges
  • Combine multiple channels using calculations (Add, Subtract, Intersect)
• Pen Tool creates precise vector paths for selections
  • Clicking creates anchor points connected by straight path segments
  • Clicking and dragging creates smooth curved path segments
• Paths can be converted to selections and vice versa
• Selections can be saved and loaded for future use

Layer Masking and Refinement

• Layer masks control the visibility of layer content using black, white, and grayscale values
  • Black conceals, white reveals, and gray partially reveals
  • Painting on a layer mask with black, white, or gray modifies the mask
• Vector masks use vector paths to create non-destructive, resolution-independent masks
• Refine Edge (Photoshop CS3-CS6) and Select and Mask (Photoshop CC+) provide tools for improving selection edges
  • Smooth removes jagged edges and softens transitions
  • Feather blurs the selection edge by a specified amount
  • Contrast increases or decreases edge contrast
  • Shift Edge expands or contracts the selection boundary
• Decontaminate Colors removes color fringing from selection edges (Select and Mask)
• Output options include selection, layer mask, new layer, and new layer with layer mask

Transforming and Warping Selections

• Free Transform allows scaling, rotating, skewing, and distorting selections
  • Holding Shift constrains proportions when scaling
  • Holding Alt/Option scales from the center point
• Transform Warp distorts selections using predefined or custom warp meshes
  • Predefined options include Arc, Flag, Wave, and Twist
  • Custom meshes allow precise control over distortion
• Puppet Warp (Photoshop CS5+) allows non-linear distortions using pins and a mesh overlay
  • Placing pins defines control points for the distortion
  • Moving pins warps the image based on their relative positions
• Content-Aware Scale (Photoshop CS4+) resizes images while preserving key content
  • Automatically detects and protects important areas during scaling
  • Squishes or stretches less important areas to maintain overall composition

Color Adjustments and Filters

• Adjustment Layers apply color and tonal adjustments non-destructively
  • Common adjustments include Levels, Curves, Hue/Saturation, and Color Balance
  • Adjustments can be edited, masked, or removed at any time
• Filters apply special effects or enhance specific aspects of an image
  • Blur filters (Gaussian Blur, Motion Blur) soften edges and reduce detail
  • Sharpen filters (Unsharp Mask, Smart Sharpen) enhance edge contrast and clarity
  • Noise filters (Add Noise, Reduce Noise) introduce or remove grain and speckling
  • Artistic filters (Palette Knife, Rough Pastels) mimic traditional media effects
• Smart Filters apply filters non-destructively to Smart Objects
  • Filter settings can be adjusted, masked, or removed at any time
  • Multiple Smart Filters can be stacked and reordered for creative effects

Non-Destructive Editing Workflows

• Smart Objects preserve original image data and allow non-destructive transformations
  • Embedded Smart Objects contain raster or vector content
  • Linked Smart Objects reference external files and update when the source changes
• Adjustment Layers and Smart Filters work with Smart Objects for maximum flexibility
• Layer Comps (Photoshop CS2+) store multiple variations of a layout within a single file
  • Capture different layer visibility, position, and appearance states
  • Quickly switch between comps for client reviews or design iterations
• History panel records and allows navigation through edit steps
  • Create snapshots to save specific states for later access
  • Use History Brush to selectively paint back previous states

Practical Applications and Projects

• Compositing combines multiple images into a seamless final result
  • Use selection tools to isolate and extract elements from different sources
  • Arrange and blend layers using masks, opacity, and blending modes
• Photo retouching enhances and corrects images
  • Remove blemishes, wrinkles, or unwanted objects with Healing Brush and Clone Stamp
  • Adjust skin tones, whiten teeth, or enhance eyes with Adjustment Layers
• Digital painting creates artistic illustrations and concept art
  • Use brush tools and libraries to paint with various textures and styles
  • Incorporate photographs as references or texture sources
• Web and UI design creates visual assets for digital interfaces
  • Design logos, icons, and buttons using shape tools and layer styles
  • Export assets at specific sizes and resolutions for different devices
• Print design prepares files for physical output
  • Set up documents with proper color mode (CMYK), resolution, and bleed
  • Use vector tools (Pen Tool, Shape Tools) for crisp edges and scalability