Introduction To Photoshop

• Photoshop is a tool used for editing images or videos and allows you to join certain images together and edit them so that they fit to the style that you want them to be. 

• In this introduction, we only used a few of the many tools available on Photoshop. Many of them are simple to use and self-explanatory, I have labelled some of them below:

"It's a skill not a program"

Photoshop is more commonly described as a skill because the basic skills involved in Photoshop are relatively simple, however the way you are able to use the software and manipulate your image require a certain amount of skill. The more skilled you are at Photoshop, the better the outcome of your product is likely to be. 

• The basic tools on Photoshop are; 

1. The Move Tool: This tool is simply used for moving images around. Once you have edited an image, it is important to use the move tool because otherwise you end up selecting or editing something else when you're done. The move tool is essentially a safety net. You can click on it to stop selecting something if it goes wrong. 
2. The Rectangular Marquee Tool: This tool can be useful if you need to select a certain patch of colour, but it is only useful for working in boxes. For example, if you wanted to select somebody's head, this tool would only allow you to select a rectangle which would be the wrong shape. 
3. The Lasso Tool:This tool is similar to the rectangular marquee tool accept you are able to select much more detailed shapes with it. This tool offers three different options; the lasso, th polygonal lasso and the magnetic lasso:

    4.The Crop Tool: This is used like any other crop tool, simply to crop an image and get rid of the            parts of it that you don't want to use.
    5.The Eraser Tool: Again, this is simply used to erase anything that you made a mistake on or don't        want. This has to be used carefully because Photoshop only has one undo button.
    6.The Horizontal Type Tool: This tool is used for any text that you what to include in your                      Photoshop piece.

• Often when you're unable to edit an image on Photoshop, it is because you are on the wrong layer. Photoshop has different layers; the first image that you upload becomes the background layer and any subsequent images become layer on top of that. 

• It is good to sketch your ideas before you actually go on to create them. Sketching your ideas means that you are able to easily develop them and see the progression. It is also an easy way to change your ideas because there is no restriction. Often, sketching your ideas can give you more inspiration and also means that you get less confused when it comes to creating he final product. 

TIPS FOR USING PHOTOSHOP:

1. If you are unable to edit an image- check which layer you are working on, you may be on the wrong one.
2. Always hold down the shift key when changing the size of an image because it ensures that the dimensions of it stay the same so it doesn't become distorted.
3. If you can, always make plans on paper before you begin creating on Photoshop- it is the easiest way to ensure that you don't get confused or lost in what you're doing.