Project Setup & Interface

1. Opening Images and Creating New Images

You can open or create a new file straight from the Home screen. Other ways include:

• In the menu bar, choose File > Open to open existing images. The shortcut is Ctrl+O (Windows) or CMD+O (MacOS);
• In the menu bar, choose File > New to create a new image from scratch. Select a document preset. You can customize the preset by typing in your own values, like width and height. The shortcut is Ctrl+N (Windows) or CMD+N (MacOS).

2. Getting Familiar With the Interface

That was a quick look at the major features of the Photoshop interface that you're going to use over and over as you work in Photoshop.

• Document window (in the middle): displays the file you're currently working on. Multiple open documents show up in tabs in the Document window;
• Panels (on the right): include Color, Layers, Properties, and other panels that contain a variety of controls for working with images. You can find the full list of panels under the Window menu;
• Tools panel (on the left): contains tools for editing images and creating artwork. Similar tools are grouped together. You can access related tools in a group by clicking and holding a tool in the panel;
• Options bar (underneath the menu bar): displays options for the tool you are currently working with;
• Menu bar (at the very top): shows the File, Edit, Image, and other menus that give you access to a variety of commands, adjustments, and panels.

Remember, to undo you click Ctrl+Z (Windows) or CMD+Z (MacOS). We're going to explore this later in the chapter.

3. Zooming & Panning

The Zoom tool is located in the Tools panel. Change from Zoom In to Zoom Out in the options bar. The shortcut for using the Zoom tool while using any other tool is holding Alt / Option + Mouse Wheel Up/Down + zooming In/Out (Depending on whether you're a Mac or a Windows user).

The Hand tool, also located in the Tools panel, allows you to pan around a large or zoomed-in image. The shortcut for using the Hand tool while using any other tool is holding Space Bar + Clicking & Dragging + pan in any direction you want.

4. Undo & Saving

• To undo the last things you did, choose Edit > Undo or press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or CMD+Z (macOS);
• To redo the last things you did, choose Edit > Redo or press Ctrl+Shift+Z (Windows) or CMD+Shift+Z (macOS).

Whether you choose to use the History panel or the simple commands, you have lots of flexibility to correct any mistakes or try new approaches as you edit an image.

• To save: choose File > Save or File > Save As;
• Saving in Photoshop format (.psd) will retain layers, type, and other editable Photoshop properties. It's best to save your image in PSD format while you're still working on it;
• Saving in JPEG (.jpg) or PNG (.png) format will save as a standard image file that can be shared, opened by other programs, and posted online. When you're finished editing, save a copy in one of these formats too.

Some tips for saving:

• Save often: don't wait until you're done to save the file you're working on;
• Save early: this is especially important if you've created a new file from scratch. Because until you do save, that file hasn't been permanently saved to your system and could be lost if your computer crashes;
• You can't see the ".psd" file on the web, and if you're sharing it with someone who doesn't have Photoshop, they might not be able to open the file.