Review
Spacebar = Hand tool [review]Window > Arrange > New Window... to view the same image at different magnification. [review]
Right click (Macintosh control click) on the title bar for easy access to common document editing functions including Duplicate, Image Size, and Canvas Size. [review]
As you increase the print dimensions, your resolution decreases (thus, print quality decreases). [review]
As you increase resolution, the print size must decrease based on the amount of pixel data available. [review]
If you do not have enough pixel data to get the print size and resolution you need, then you'll have to resample the image. [review]
Resampling with Bicubic Smoother should give you better results when increasing image size. [review]
Resampling with Bicubic Sharper should give better results when reducing image size. [review]
Edit > Undo = Ctrl-Z (Win) / Command-Z (Mac) [review]
Undo multiple editing steps with the History palette. [review]
Create snapshots to save an image editing state. [review]
Hold down the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key in any dialog box and the Cancel button will change to a Reset button which you can then press to restore your original values. [review]
Crop Tool = C [review]
The Caps Lock key toggles between standard and precise cursors. [review]
Shift key constrains movements when dragging selection border. [review]
Prevent the crop border from snapping to the edge of your canvas by holding down the Ctrl key (Windows) / Command key (Mac) or pressing Ctrl-; (Win) / Command-; (Mac). [review]
Crop and straighten a crooked image at the same time by rotating the crop selection. [review]
Correct perspective distortion with the crop tool. [review]
File > Save = Ctrl-S (Win) / Command-S (Mac) [review]
File > Save As = Shift-Ctrl-S (Win) / Shift-Command-S (Mac) [review]
Save for Web = Alt-Shift-Ctrl-S (Win) / Option-Shift-Command-S (Mac) [review]
Homework Assignment
Your assignment for Lesson 2 incorporates most of the commands and tools you have learned so far. First find an image of yourself, a pet, a child or grandchild, etc. If you don't have any digital images of your own you can use, find one on the Web or in a CD image collection.Open this image in Photoshop and crop away any unnecessary portions of the image. You want to give the image a clear focal point and eliminate the distractions. If the image needs straightening, do that also when you crop it.
Next resize your image so that neither the height or width is more than 200 pixels in dimension.
Pick a background color other than black or white and add a narrow border to the image either with the canvas size command or the crop tool.
Save the image as a JPEG using the Save for Web command. Experiment with the JPEG quality settings and observe the file size as you do. Try to find the best compromise between file size and image quality.
After you export the image as a JPEG, return to the Save for Web dialog and this time choose the GIF option. Experiment with the color depth and dithering settings and observe the file size as you do. Try to find the best compromise between file size and image quality.
Post both images in the Lesson 2 discussion thread of the forum.
How to Post Attachments in the Forum
Optionally, you may practice cropping, resizing and rotating other images and post them as well. Post as many images as you like! Use this assignment as an opportunity to get to know your fellow students.
Bonus Assignment: Use the Fixed Width options for the crop tool to resample a photo of yourself to 100 by 150 pixels at 72 ppi. Go to your forum profile and include this image in your profile. To edit your profile, log into the class forum, click on "My Profile" in the top of the right column, click "change profile" and then click "change picture" to add your photo. All other info is optional... so you only have to include what you're comfortable with. To see someone else's profile, just click on their name!
