Summary:

The following tutorial will walk you through from launching the program to the work area of Photoshop, including palette information and other important areas of this program. By the time you are done with this exercise, you will understand the layout and some important terms used in this graphics program. When you are finished with the tutorial, please complete the quiz. Let’s get started!

Version Information:

Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended & Windows XP SP3

Detail:

Launching Photoshop

Locate the Adobe Photoshop Icon on your desktop and double Left Click on the picture.

Or find the program in the Start menu of Windows and single Left Click the text.

Work Area

You should now see a similar screen to the one below. Your screen may look a bit different, due to the fact that you are using a different version of the Photoshop program.

Menus

At the top of the screen you will find the menus. To access the menu, Left Click on the menu name. On this example, Left Click on the “File” menu which is located at the top left hand side of the screen. Left Click on the command in the menu (commands are options within the menu). The results will differ depending on the nature of the function you clicked.

	(A) If the command name is followed by … then a dialog box (see below for dialog box information) will open.
	(B) If the command is grayed out, then that means you cannot use that option at this time. Most commands can be used once an image is actually open.
	(C) Most of the keyboard shortcuts will be located to the right of the command.
	(D) If the command is followed by a right arrow, then that means when you highlight that option it will open a new sub-menu.

Using Dialog Boxes

A dialog box is a window which will allow you to provide Photoshop with information for that particular task. On the example below, let’s click on the “Open” command in the “File” menu. Tip – You can also use the shortcut key for “Open” by holding down the CTRL key on your keyboard and pressing “O” (CTRL-O).

	(A) Text Box – Drag your mouse over the text box area and single Left Click the box to type in an entry.
	(B) Check Box - Some dialog boxes will have checkboxes. Left Click the box to select it (check) or deselect (uncheck) it.
	(C) Drop-down List Box – Left Click on the down arrow to display options.

Understanding Palettes

A palette in Photoshop is a floating window that can be opened or closed or even repositioned anywhere on the screen and it supports additional tools. On the right hand side of the screen (default setting), you will notice some boxes similar to the one below. This is the palette window.

All of the palettes can be opened by clicking on the “Window” menu option located at the top of the screen in the Photoshop program. On this example, go ahead and move your mouse pointer to the “History” option and Left Click on the command.

You should now see the “History” palette displayed on the screen. By default in Photoshop CS4 Extended, it will add your palette into an existing window as a tabbed item. You will notice in this screen shot a “Styles” tab. Left Click the “Styles” tab and you will see it switch to that palette.

You can move that window by holding down the Left Click button and dragging it to another area and releasing the Left mouse button. On this example, let’s Left Click and hold down the button for “History”. Drag your mouse to the gray area on the left side of this screen and release the Left mouse button.

Now you should see the palette is moved. You can move a palette to any location on the screen. If you prefer the palette to be back to a tabbed view, then drag the window back to the other palette. On this example, you would drag it to the right of the word “Actions”.

	(A) You can even close this palette by clicking the “X” in the top right hand corner of the palette. The window also can be closed by clicking on the “Window” menu and selecting the palette command again.
	(B) Resize the palette window by dragging (Left Click and hold down the button) the bottom right hand corner of the window down or up and to either the left or right.

To reset your palette back to the default windows, Left Click the “Window” menu and select the “Workspace” command and then Left Click in the sub-menu the “Essentials (Default)” option.

The Toolbox

Most of the common features of this graphics program can be located in the Toolbox. By default this is located on the left hand side of the screen. To move the toolbox, hold down the Left mouse button in (A) and drag the mouse. Now release the Left mouse button.

	(A) In Photoshop CS4 Extended, you can make the toolbox one column or 2 columns (shown below) by Left Clicking the <<.
	(B) Left Click the toolbox button to select the item.

Some buttons you will notice an arrow in the bottom right hand corner of the button. If you Right Click (not Left Click), you will notice additional features will be displayed. Move your mouse to the feature on this sub-menu and Left Click on the option to use it.

Options Bar

On some tools an option bar will be displayed at the top of the screen underneath the “Menu”. The options bar allows you to select corresponding elements to the particular tool you have selected. The example below is showing the “Text” tool options.

Exiting The Program

To exit Photoshop, there are 3 common ways to exit the program.

	(A) Hold down the CTRL key and press the “Q” key (CTRL-Q).
	(B) In the top right hand corner of the program, Left Click on the “X”.
	(C) Click the “File” menu and Left Click the “Exit” option.

“The Work Area”

Quiz

1). You can find the “Menu” in this location in the program?

	A). Located at the bottom of the screen.
	B). This is the box located on the left hand side of the screen.
	C). Located at the top of the screen.
	D). By Left Clicking the PS logo button located on the top left hand side of the screen.

2). If you see … after a command in a menu, what does that mean?

	A). When you move your mouse over the command, it will open a sub-menu located to the right of the command.
	B). When you click this command, it will open a dialog box.
	C). It means that the command name is longer than the width of the menu and if you move your mouse over the name, it will display the full name.
	D). This identifies to the user that you can move this command to any location.

3). The keyboard shortcut to open a file is?

	A). ALT-O
	B). CTRL-SHIFT-O
	C). SHIFT-O
	D). CTRL-O

4). What is the keyboard shortcut to exit the program?

	A). CTRL-Q
	B). CTRL-X
	C). ALT-Q
	D). ALT-X

5). A palette within the Photoshop program is?

	A). It is a screen which shows a wide range of colors.
	B). A file type that is only used within Photoshop CS4.
	C). A floating window which supports additional tools.
	D). The logo which is located in the top left hand corner.

6). What initial menu do you click to reset your palette back to its default setting?

	A). Window
	B). Palette
	C). Help
	D). Preferences

7). A palette window is located in what area of the screen?

	A). It is always located on the far left of the screen.
	B). You can move this window, so it could be anywhere on the screen.
	C). It is always to the right hand side of the screen.
	D). It is located on the bottom of the screen.

8). One way to find the keyboard shortcut easily is by?

	A). Guess the keyboard shortcut.
	B). If you go into the help menu and search for the shortcut list and then search for the shortcut, you will find it quickly.
	C). Open the item in the menu and Left Click on the command and within the dialog box it will show you the keyboard shortcut.
	D). Next to the command in the menu, you will usually find the keyboard shortcuts.

9). How do you use a Drop-down List box in a dialog box?

	A). Left Click the down arrow to open the list.
	B). Move your mouse cursor to the check box and press the “Space” key.
	C). Left Click the right arrow to expand the list.
	D). Move your mouse cursor to the Drop-down List Box and press <F2>.

10). What is a dialog box?

	A). It is a window that allows you to talk to a Photoshop expert.
	B). The dialog box is located by default on the left hand side of the screen.
	C). This is a window which will allow you to provide Photoshop with information for that particular task.
	D). This is an option off of the “File” menu.

Answers: 1). C, 2). B, 3). D, 4). A, 5). C, 6).A, 7). B, 8). D, 9). A, 10). C

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