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3
USING THE PHOTOSHOP
TOOLBOX
IN THIS CHAPTER

Using the Options Bar 44

Using the Selection Tools 45

Using the Crop and Slice Tools 46

Using the Retouching Tools 46

Using the Painting Tools 49

Using the Drawing and Type Tools 51

Using the Shape Tools 53

Using the Annotation, Measuring, and Navigation Tools 54

Selecting Foreground and Background Colors 56

Changing View Modes 56

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44 C h a p t e r 3 : U s i n g t h e P h o t o s h o p To o l b o x

The toolbox has gone through many incarnations since Photoshop was first introduced. More tools
have been added and some modified and combined. Photoshop also shares most of the same tools as
ImageReady, with a few differences that you’ll see later. This chapter is a reference on each of the
tools. Skim over it for just the tools you are trying to learn or read it straight through. Many tools
have a keyboard shortcut assigned to them to access them immediately without having to locate
them on the toolbox. When you hover your mouse over tools in the toolbox, a ToolTip gives you the
name of the tool and the keyboard shortcut bound to it (see Figure 3.1). Some tools actually have
groups of tools hidden underneath them. You can tell whether there are hidden tools if an arrow is
fixed in the lower-right corner of the tool’s button.

Figure 3.1
A ToolTip appears when the
mouse pointer hovers over a tool
in the toolbox.

USING THE OPTIONS BAR

When you have chosen a tool from the Toolbox, look in the Options bar for ways to apply settings to
the tool. As you select a particular tool, the Options bar shows the settings for that tool in that con-
text. So the Options bar always has different options available depending on the tool selected. Not all
tools have options you can change, but most of them have some options you can change in the
Options bar.

Understanding Paint Options

There are painting options available when one of the paint tools is selected. Paint tools include the
Brush, the Pencil, the Gradient, and the Paint Bucket tools. Options you can change for these tools
are the mode (which is the blending overlay effect as the tool paints), the opacity, and the flow, to
name a few. Opacity settings for painting with these tools enable you to paint with a transparent ink,
with one that is completely opaque, and with every percentage between.
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Understanding Type Options

After you select one of the type tools, many options are available in the Options bar. Choose a font
family from the font family menu. In Photoshop CS2, a preview of your font families shows up in the
menu. If different font styles like Bold and Italic or Oblique are built into the font, those are available
under the font style menu in the Options bar. Change the point size of the font from the Font Size
menu. You can select one of the sizes in the menu or type your own value in the box. The high-
lighted text in the type layer is updated; if no type was selected, the next characters typed use
these settings. When you use the Character and Paragraph palettes, these options and more are
available, but the convenience of the Options bar is what makes it so valuable.
Many other options are available, depending on the tool selected. Although this book cannot cover
all these options in detail, you will explore some of them as the tools are covered in the following
pages.

USING THE SELECTION TOOLS 3

The Selection tools are used to designate areas that you will be cutting out, cropping, painting within,
or applying filters to. The area not selected is usually unaffected when you manipulate the image in
any of these ways. When a selection is made around an area of the image, you will see what is often
referred to as marching ants or the selection marquee running around the edge (see Figure 3.2).

Figure 3.2
A rectangular marquee drawn
in the canvas.

The following is a summary of the Selection tools:

• Rectangular Marquee (M): This tool creates a rectangle-shaped selection area. Holding the Shift
key while drawing constrains your rectangle to a square shape.

• Elliptical Marquee (M): This tool makes an oval or ellipse-shaped selection. Hold the Shift key
to constrain your selection to a circle.

• Single Column Marquee (M): This tool selects a one-pixel–wide line that runs the height of the
canvas.

• Single Row Marquee (M): This tool selects a one-pixel–tall line that runs the width of the
canvas.
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• Move (V): This tool moves the content of the layer you
are working with.
Like the marquee tools, many
• Lasso (L): Use this tool to draw a freeform selection. other tools share the same key-
board shortcut. To alternate
• Polygonal Lasso (L): After you select this tool, click,
between the different tools when
release, and drag the image to mark the corners (and
this situation exists, hold down
draw the edges) of a polygonal selection.
the Shift key when pressing the
• Magnetic Lasso (L): With an image on screen, this tool shortcut key on the keyboard.
follows the contours of part of an image as it creates a Pressing this key combination
selection marquee. It’s one useful way to cut out a sub- several times drills down through
the tools nested together; the
ject from its background.
selected tool’s icon shows up in
• Magic Wand (W): This tool selects parts of the image by the toolbox.
color similarity. Adjust the Tolerance setting in the
Options bar to select more or fewer of the surrounding similar colors.
3

USING THE CROP AND SLICE TOOLS

The Crop and Slice tools are used to separate and eventually extract or use part of the image that is
most important. Cropping takes out everything outside your cropping area. Slicing an image into
multiple areas makes smaller image tiles from the main image.

• Crop (C): Click and drag with this tool to create an adjustable crop area of your image. Press
Enter to crop the canvas to your rectangular area. Press Esc to cancel the crop. After you crop
your image, part of the image is gone; make sure that if you save over the original image, you
won’t need the content you have cropped out.

• Slice (K): Used for creating web images, the slice tool creates rectangular slices from which you
can export individual graphics. Build web button interfaces in one canvas and save to sliced
areas for your web page.

• Slice Select (K): Select your image slices and adjust the size of the slices by moving the handles.
Hold down the Shift key to select multiple slices at once.

USING THE RETOUCHING TOOLS

One of the most important benefits of Photoshop is your ability to retouch images to improve or per-
fect them. Frankly, the trickery and deception is quite fun. These tools help you patch and heal tears,
scratches, and even red eyes from erratic camera flashbulbs:

• Spot Healing Brush (J): Click on a blemish in a photograph and this tool samples pixels in the
area around the blemish to blend it out. This is similar to the Healing Brush tool, but with the
Spot Healing Brush you do not need to select a source area.
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• Healing Brush (J): Select this tool and hold the Alt key (in Windows) or the Option key (on the
Mac) as you click to select a source area; then click on a blemish in a photo, such as a wrinkle
on someone’s face. The Healing Brush blends out the blemish by sampling pixels from the
selected source area.

• Patch (J): Draw a marquee with the Patch tool or other marquee tools. Then click in the selected
area with the Patch tool and drag the selection around the canvas. Wherever you drag will be
visible through the selected area, enabling you to patch and blend that area with another part
of the image.

• Red Eye (J): New in CS2, the Red Eye tool enables you to remove red eye with one click. Red
eye is common in photos taken with a flash. This unfortunate red reflection from your eye can
be scary, and removing it used to take a few steps in previous versions of Photoshop. Now, sim-
ply click in the middle of the subject’s red eye with the Red Eye tool for a quick removal; click
anywhere in the image to search the image for redness to remove. Because this tool couldn’t
possibly have knowledge of the original color of your subject’s eyes, the color change is really a
desaturation of the red color and a slight darkening. The effect looks natural, but that doesn’t 3
prevent you from altering the eye further using the Burn tool or some other paint tools. In the
Options bar, set the percentage of Pupil Size and Darken Amount.

• Clone Stamp (S): Clone areas of an image into another part of an image with this tool. Press
and hold the Alt key (in Windows) or the Option key (on a Mac) and click a source area. Then
paint within another area of the image and watch the tool blend the source area into the desti-
nation area (see Figure 3.3). Works best with a soft-edged brush.

Figure 3.3
Cloning part of an image with
the Clone Stamp tool.

• Pattern Stamp (S): Paints a pattern into your image where you paint with this tool. Choose a
different pattern to clone in the Options bar using the pattern picker. Adjust the brush size and
hardness, opacity, and flow, and the pattern is painted using those options. Enabling the
Impressionist check box distorts the pattern as it is painted.
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• Eraser (E): This tool erases the content on the layer you are working (see Figure 3.4) and reveals
the background color underneath when erasing in the Background layer.

Figure 3.4
The Eraser tools.

• Background Eraser (E): This tool erases to transparency even on the Background layer of your
image.

• Magic Eraser (E): This tool detects and erases areas in a similar color range. Adjust the
Tolerance setting in the Options bar to select more or fewer of the adjacent areas.

• Blur (R): This tool enables you to brush areas (see Figure 3.5) and blur only those areas. It aver-
ages the pixel color and contrast of surrounding pixels to create a “softer” transition between
the pixels and, consequently, the blur effect.

Figure 3.5
The Blur, Sharpen, and Smudge
tools.
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U s i n g t h e P a i n t i n g To o l s 49

• Sharpen (R): This tool sharpens edges by creating more contrast between the pixels you brush
over. This increased contrast creates the effect of a sharper edge.

• Smudge (R): Click on the image, hold the mouse button, and drag to smudge pixels. Like paint
or pastels, this tool creates a realistic smearing of the pixels.

• Dodge (O): This tool mimics a photographic technique that underexposes or lightens parts of
the image you brush over.

• Burn (O): This tool mimics the photographic technique that overexposes or darkens the parts of
the image you brush over.

• Sponge (O): This tool saturates or desaturates areas of the image you brush over. Adjust the
Flow percentage in the Options bar to weaken or strengthen the sponge effect.

USING THE PAINTING TOOLS 3

The Painting tools in the toolbox are used to paint pixels in the canvas. You can paint in an empty
canvas and onto existing image layers. Using the Options bar, choose a brush size and adjust the
hardness of the brush edge.

• Brush (B): Paint into your picture using this tool (see Figure 3.6). Adjust the Flow and Opacity
settings in the Options bar to weaken or strengthen the effect of the brush. Select different
brush styles from the Brushes palette. Hold down the Shift key and click in parts of your image
to create straight, connected strokes.

Figure 3.6
The Brush, Pencil, and Color
Replacement tools.

• Pencil (B): Draw pencil strokes in your image with this tool. Similar to the Brush tool, the Pencil
tool maintains a hard edge and has no flow adjustments. Hold down the Shift key and click in
parts of your image to create straight, connected strokes.
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• Color Replacement (B): Select a foreground color and

replace colors by painting in the canvas with this new-to-
The History Brush cannot paint
CS2 tool. Colors similar to where the crosshairs are posi-
back portions of an image after
tioned are replaced with the foreground color. Adjust the
you close and reopen the image
Tolerance levels and Limits in the Options bar.
file.
• History Brush (Y): This tool paints back the portions of
your image to the selected history state in the history palette (see Figure 3.7).

Figure 3.7
The History Brush tools.

• Art History Brush (Y): Use this tool to paint your image back to any selected history state using
one of ten paint styles that you can select from the Options bar. Adjust the brush size and
shape, tolerance, and mode for different artistic effects.

• Gradient (G): Select this tool (shown in Figure 3.8) and click and drag in your image to create a
gradient ramp across the canvas or selection area. In the Options bar, select from five gradient
types and choose from several premade gradient libraries, or create your own custom gradient
color ramp.

• Paint Bucket (G): Use this tool to click and fill areas of your image with the foreground color.
Adjust the Tolerance level in the Options bar to fill more or fewer adjacent pixels of similar color
with the Paint Bucket tool. In the Options bar, if the Contiguous check box is disabled, even non-
adjacent pixels of similar color are filled.
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U s i n g t h e D r a w i n g a n d Ty p e To o l s 51

Figure 3.8
The Gradient and Paint Bucket
tools.

USING THE DRAWING AND TYPE TOOLS

The Drawing and Type tools create and alter vector objects. Drawing tools work on vector paths,
which are vector-based outlines you can turn into selections. Using the Options bar, choose whether
to draw paths or shape layers. Type is created in type layers that can be transformed and warped
and even set along paths.

• Path Selection (A): Use this tool to move entire paths around the canvas as a single object. The
path or shape layer retains its shape.

• Direct Selection (A): Use this tool to select and move individual points and Bézier handles of a
path or shape layer.

• Pen (P): Create paths with the Pen tool (shown in Figure 3.9). Single-click to create individual
points to form the path. Click, hold, and drag to create a Bézier curve when drawing a path.

• Freeform Pen (P): With this tool, click, hold, and draw a path. Points of the path are created
automatically.

• Add Anchor Point (P): Use this tool to click part of a path to add a point to the path. Adding an
anchor point to your path or shape layer allows for more detail in the path or shape.

• Delete Anchor Point (P): Use this tool to click a point of a path to remove that point from the
path.

• Convert Anchor Point (P): Single-click a point of a path to convert it to a corner point. Or click
and drag to convert it to a curve point. Or Option-click (Mac users) or Alt-click (Windows users)
and drag to convert it to a combination point.
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Figure 3.9
The Path tools.

• Horizontal Type (T): The Horizontal Type tool (shown in Figure 3.10) is the default Type tool.
Click and drag to make a text box. Type your text with the keyboard to create text in the fore-
ground color. Use the Options bar to set the font, size, and other text properties. Open the
Character and or Paragraph palettes for more typography options.

Figure 3.10
The Type tools.

• Vertical Type (T): This tool is similar to the Horizontal Type tool except that the type stacks ver-
tically, and the text direction goes from right to left for Asian languages.
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• Horizontal Type Mask (T): This tool is similar to the Horizontal Type tool, but a selection area is
created rather than actual type. Although you can paint within the type selection area, adjust-
ing the type options is not allowed after type is created.

• Vertical Type Mask (T): This tool is similar to the Vertical Type tool, but a selection area is cre-
ated rather than actual type. Although you can paint within the type selection area, adjusting
the type options is not allowed after type is created.

USING THE SHAPE TOOLS

Shape tools work in three ways (see Figure 3.11): In the Options bar you can choose to create a
shape layer, a path, or a Fill Pixels shape.
A shape layer is a fill layer linked to a vector mask. This means you can double-click the fill layer in
the Layers palette and change the fill color of the shape. A shape layer can also be resized infinitely
because of its vector properties.
3
Selecting Paths in the Options bar before drawing your shape creates a path from the shape you
draw. This creates a colorless vector shape that can be resized later without losing quality. You have
all options available from the Paths palette when creating a Paths shape.
A Fill Pixels shape uses the foreground color and creates a bitmap shape on the current layer. This is
a raster shape and if used in an image layer, is flattened over the image contents.

Figure 3.11
The Shape tools.

The following is a summary of the Shape tools:

• Rectangle (U): Creates a rectangle shape using one of the three options from the Options bar.
Hold down the Shift key to constrain it to a square when drawing the shape.
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• Rounded Rectangle (U): Creates a rectangle with rounded corners. In the Options bar adjust the
corner radius options to suit your needs. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the shape to a
square.

• Ellipse (U): Creates an ellipse or oval shape. Hold down the Shift key when drawing to create a
perfect circle.

• Polygon (U): Creates a polygon shape. Choose the number of sides in the Options bar to draw
the polygon of your choice.

• Line (U): Click, hold, and drag to create a straight line. Hold down the Shift key to constrain your
line to a perfect horizontal, vertical, or 45-degree angle. Adjust the weight of the line in the
Options bar.

• Custom Shape (U): Choose the Custom Shape tool; in the Options bar, click the Shape pop-up
menu and choose from one of the shape icons. Click the fly-out menu to load a new shape
library into the options. To create your own custom shape, draw a vector path in your image.
3 Select the path from the Paths palette, and then choose Edit, Define Custom Shape. Name your
shape; it will appear in the Shapes library for later use.

USING THE ANNOTATION, MEASURING,

AND NAVIGATION TOOLS
The following list details the Annotation, Measuring, and Navigation tools:

• Notes (N): Click and drag with this tool to create a virtual sticky note for the image (see Figure
3.12). When you’re finished typing the text of the annotation, click the close button on the note.
Drag the note around by clicking and dragging the note’s icon. Open the note by double-clicking
it. Change the note’s color in the Options bar. Notes are nonprinting elements.

Figure 3.12
The Notes and Audio
Annotation tools.
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U s i n g t h e A n n o t a t i o n , M e a s u r i n g , a n d N a v i g a t i o n To o l s 55

• Audio Annotation (N): Select this tool and click in the canvas to create an audio recording.
Speak into the computer’s microphone to record your comments about the design and when fin-
ished, click Stop to finish recording. Drag the speaker icon to position your annotation anywhere
in the canvas.

• Eyedropper (I): Use the Eyedropper tool (see Figure 3.13) to click and add a color from an image
into the foreground color swatch in the toolbox. Open the Color and Info palettes to see the
CMYK or RGB color values live as you click and drag across the canvas.

Figure 3.13
The Eyedropper, Color Sampler,
and Measure tools.

• Color Sampler (I): Click in the image with the Color Sampler tool and get up to four separate
color values. A crosshairs icon is placed on the image wherever the Color Sampler is used. Click
and drag the crosshairs icon to reposition them elsewhere in the canvas. Open the Info palette
to see the four sampled color values.

• Measure (H): Click, hold, and drag this tool across the canvas to create a measurement line.
Hold down the Shift key to draw a straight horizontal, vertical, or 45-degree–angle line. Open
the Info palette for line distances.

• Hand (H): Use the Hand tool to move your view of the canvas when you have zoomed in on the
canvas. This is helpful when you are working on tiny areas across most of your entire image. To
access the Hand tool quickly, press and hold the space bar; the Hand tool remains accessible
until you let go of the space bar.

• Zoom (Z): Use the Zoom tool to zoom in and out of the canvas. Hold down the Alt key (in
Windows) or the Option key (on the Mac) to zoom out. For zooming using only the keyboard,
press Ctrl++ to zoom in in Windows („-+ on the Mac) or Ctrl+- to zoom out in Windows
(„— on the Mac). Use the Navigator palette for more controls for zooming your image.
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SELECTING FOREGROUND AND BACKGROUND

COLORS
Click the foreground and background color swatches in the toolbox to choose a color for working in
your images (see Figure 3.14). Use the foreground color when you’re painting with Brush tools or cre-
ating type on your page. Use the background color when you’re deleting or erasing portions of the
Background layer. The background color will be revealed underneath the portions you erase. Swap
the foreground with the background color by clicking the Switch arrow just above and to the right of
the color watches, or by pressing X on the keyboard. To set your colors to default black and white,
click the Default Foreground and Background colors button just below and to the left of the color
swatches or press the D key on the keyboard.

Figure 3.14
Click the foreground or back-
ground color swatch to display
3 the Color Picker, from which you
select colors. Click in the color
ramp and your color appears in
either color swatch on the
toolbox.

CHANGING VIEW MODES

Change the way Photoshop views the canvas area by selecting one of the three view modes
(press the keyboard shortcut F):

• The default view mode is Standard Screen Mode. Photoshop appears in a window, and any
open images appear in windows, too. This is the most common mode in which people use the
program.

• Full Screen Mode with Menu Bar maximizes Photoshop, and also maximizes the image you
have opened in your monitor. The Menu Bar is still available at the top of your screen, but the
Photoshop title bar is hidden.
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• Full Screen Mode also maximizes Photoshop and the active canvas. The only items visible are
the palettes and the Options bar. This is a useful mode when you want to display your work to
someone without any clutter. Press the Tab key on the keyboard and hide all palettes and the
Options bar to get them out of the way of your masterpiece.

Click the Edit in ImageReady button at the bottom of the toolbox (see Figure 3.15) to close the file in
Photoshop and reopen it in ImageReady. Closing and reopening the file in this way prevents loss of
changes and creates two open versions of the same file.

Figure 3.15
The Edit in ImageReady button.