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User Guide

Chapter 1:

© 2005 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Adobe® Photoshop® CS2 User Guide for Windows® and Macintosh
If this guide is distributed with software that includes an end user agreement, this guide, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under license and may be used or
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Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110, USA.

iii

Contents

Chapter 1: Getting started
Installation and registration
Adobe Help Center
Using Help

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Tips and training
What’s new

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 2: Tutorials
Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Chapter 3: Work area
Work area basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Palettes and menus
Tools

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Working with ﬁles
Viewing images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Rulers, the grid, and guides

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Customizing the work area

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Preferences

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Recovery and undo
Memory

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Chapter 4: Adobe Bridge
The basics of Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Files and folders in Bridge
Bridge Center

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Running automated tasks with Bridge
Metadata in Bridge

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Using Version Cue with Bridge

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Chapter 5: Adobe Stock Photos
Adobe Stock Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Comp images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Buying stock photos
Stock Photos accounts

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Chapter 6: Adobe Version Cue
Using Adobe Version Cue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Working with Version Cue projects
Working with ﬁles in Version Cue
Disconnecting from projects

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Deleting ﬁles, folders, and projects
Version Cue versions

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Version Cue alternates

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Editing and synchronizing ofﬂine ﬁles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

The Version Cue Administration utility

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Creating and editing projects in Version Cue Administration

. . . . . . . 160

Backing up and restoring from Version Cue Administration

. . . . . . . . 165

Working with users and privileges

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Viewing logs, reports, and workspace information
Version Cue PDF reviews

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Chapter 7: Getting images into Photoshop and ImageReady
Bitmap images and vector graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Image size and resolution

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Changing image size and resolution

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Getting images from digital cameras

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Scanning images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Creating, opening, and importing images
Placing ﬁles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

High Dynamic Range images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Chapter 8: Camera raw ﬁles
Camera raw ﬁles in Photoshop and Bridge

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Processing and opening camera raw ﬁles in Photoshop
Making tonal adjustments in Camera Raw
Transforming images in Camera Raw

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217

Calibrating color in camera raw images
Saving camera raw images
Camera Raw settings

. . . . . . . . . . . . 210

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Automating the Camera Raw workﬂow

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Chapter 9: Color
Color modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Adjusting the monitor display
Channels and bit depth

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Converting between color modes
Converting to indexed color
Choosing colors

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Chapter 10: Color management
Understanding color management
Keeping colors consistent

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Color-managing imported images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

Color-managing documents for online viewing
Prooﬁng colors

Color-managing documents when printing
Working with color proﬁles
Color settings

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Chapter 11: Making color and tonal adjustments
Color and tonal corrections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Viewing histograms and pixel values
Understanding color adjustments

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Adjusting images with Levels, Curves, and Exposure
Targeting images for press

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Making hue/saturation and color balance corrections

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Improving shadow and highlight detail

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Matching, replacing, and mixing colors

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Making quick overall adjustments to images
Applying special color effects to images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

Chapter 12: Selecting
Making selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Adjusting pixel selections

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Softening and reﬁning the edges of selections

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326

Moving, copying, and pasting selections and layers
Saving, loading, and deleting selections
Extracting selections
Using masks

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338

Chapter 13: Transforming and retouching
Changing the size of the work canvas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

Rotating and ﬂipping entire images
Cropping images

Correcting image distortion
Reducing image noise
Sharpening images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354

Transforming objects

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359

Retouching and repairing images
Vanishing Point

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374

Using the Liquify ﬁlter

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383

Creating panoramic images using Photomerge

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

Chapter 14: Layers
Layer Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

Selecting, grouping, and linking layers
Moving, copying, and locking layers
Managing layers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408

Setting opacity and blending options
Layer effects and styles
Adjustment and ﬁll layers
Smart Objects
Masking layers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406

Merging and stamping layers

Layer comps

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432

Chapter 15: Using channels and spot colors
Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438

Adding spot colors

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442

Channel calculations

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446

Chapter 16: Drawing
About vector graphics
Drawing shapes
Pen tools
Paths

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458

Editing paths

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460

Converting between paths and selection borders
Adding color to paths

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469

Chapter 17: Painting
Painting tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471

Selecting brush presets

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473

Creating brushes and setting options

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474

Creating and managing preset brushes
Blending modes
Erasing

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490

Gradients

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492

Filling and stroking selections and layers
Creating and managing patterns

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500

Choosing foreground and background colors

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503

Chapter 18: Applying ﬁlters for special effects
Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509

Applying ﬁlters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510

The Filter Gallery

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510

Blending ﬁlter effects and setting options
Tips for creating special effects
Filter effects

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515

The Lighting Effects ﬁlter

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527

Loading images and textures

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530

Improving ﬁlter performance

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530

Chapter 19: Type
Creating type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532

Type layers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535

Editing text

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537

Specifying a language for text
Warping type

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540

Creating type on a path

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541

Creating paths, shapes, and selections from type
Formatting characters
Special characters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554

vii

OpenType character features
Formatting paragraphs

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 558

Hyphenation and line breaks
Asian type

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563

Chapter 20: Designing web pages
Designing for the web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571

Creating slices

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573

Viewing slices

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575

Selecting and organizing slices
Modifying slices

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579

Converting slices to nested HTML tables
Slice output options
Image maps

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590

Previewing web graphics

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596

Creating web photo galleries

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597

Chapter 21: Rollovers and animations
Rollovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .604

Animations

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614

Opening and importing ﬁles as animations

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623

Chapter 22: Preparing Graphics for the Web
Optimizing images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 625

Web graphics formats and options
Using the color table

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 638

Using weighted optimization

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 644

Output settings for web images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647

Working with hexadecimal color values

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651

Chapter 23: Saving and exporting images
Saving images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653

Saving PDF ﬁles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656

Saving GIF, JPEG, and PNG ﬁles
Saving ﬁles in other formats
Exporting layers as ﬁles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674

Exporting animation frames as ﬁles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676

Exporting images in ZoomView format
File formats

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678

Displaying and adding ﬁle and image information

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686

Adding and viewing digital copyright information

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689

Preferences for saving ﬁles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 692

Creating multiple-image layouts
Creating a PDF presentation

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 693

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .698

Placing Photoshop images in other applications

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700

Saving images for use in video and motion graphics

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 704

viii

Chapter 24: Printing
Printing from Photoshop

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 710

Printing with color management

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714

Printing images to a commercial printing press
Printing duotones

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 718

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 725

Chapter 25: Automating Tasks
Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 729

Recording actions

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .731

Managing actions

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737

Processing a batch of ﬁles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 739

Droplets

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742

Scripting

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .746

Creating data-driven graphics

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 747

Chapter 26: Keyboard Shortcuts
Customizing keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754

Default keyboard shortcuts
Index

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 780

Chapter 1: Getting started

Installation and registration
To install

1 Close any Adobe® applications that are open.

2 Insert the product CD into your computer’s CD drive.

3 Double-click the CD icon, and then follow the on-screen instructions.

After the installation, you may be prompted to activate your copy of the product. (See “To activate” on page 1.)

For more detailed instructions about installing the product, see the How To Install file on the product CD. For

instructions about uninstalling the product, see the How To Uninstall file on the product CD.

To activate
Activation is a simple, anonymous process you must complete within 30 days of installing the product. Activation
allows you to continue using the product, and it helps prevent casual copying of the product onto more computers
than the license agreement allows. To learn more about activation, visit the Adobe website at
www.adobe.com/activation/main.html.
1 Start the product to access the Activation dialog box. (If you’ve just installed Adobe Creative Suite or Adobe
Photoshop®, the Activation dialog box appears automatically.)
2 Follow the on-screen instructions.

Important: If you intend to install the product on a different computer, you must first transfer the activation to that
computer. To transfer an activation, choose Help > Transfer Activation.
For more detailed instructions about activating the product and transferring an activation, see the How To Install file
on the product CD.

To register
Register your Adobe product to receive complimentary support on installation and product defects and notifications
about product updates. Registering your product also gives you access to the wealth of tips, tricks, and tutorials in
Adobe Studio® and access to Adobe Studio Exchange, an online community where users download and share
thousands of free actions, plug-ins, and other content for use with Adobe products. Adobe Studio is available in
English, French, German, and Japanese. Find it from the home page of the Adobe website.
❖ Do one of the following:

• Install and activate the software to access the Registration dialog box, and then follow the on-screen instructions.

An active Internet connection is required.
• Register at any time by choosing Help > Registration.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 2
User Guide

See also
“Adobe Studio” on page 7
“Extras” on page 9

Adobe Help Center
About Adobe Help Center
Adobe Help Center is a free, downloadable application that includes three primary features.
Product Help Provides Help topics for Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe CS2 products installed on your

system. (If none of these products are installed, Help topics for them aren’t available.) Help topics are updated period
ically and can be downloaded through Adobe Help Center preferences.
Expert Support Provides information about Adobe Expert Support plans and lets you store details about plans

you’ve purchased. If you have an active support plan, you can also use the Expert Support section to submit web
cases—questions sent to Adobe support professionals over the web. To access links in the Expert Support section,
you must have an active Internet connection.
More Resources Provides easy access to the extensive resources on Adobe.com, including support pages, user
forums, tips and tutorials, and training. You can also use this area to store contact information for friends, colleagues,
or support professionals, or even websites you turn to for inspiration or troubleshooting information.

Product Help, Expert Support, and More Resources in Adobe Help Center

See also
“Using Help” on page 3
“To search Help topics” on page 5
“To navigate Help” on page 4

To check for updates
Adobe periodically provides updates to software and to topics in Adobe Help Center. You can easily obtain these
updates through Adobe Help Center. An active Internet connection is required.
1 Click the Preferences button

2 In the Preferences dialog box, click Check For Updates. If updates are available, follow the on-screen directions to
download and save them.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 3
User Guide

To set Adobe Help Center preferences
1 Click the Preferences button

. Set any of the following options:

Region Specifies your geographical location. Changing this option may affect which services are available to you.

Language Specifies the language in which Expert Support content is displayed.
Display Renewal Reminders For Expert Support Contracts Displays reminder screens when your Expert Support
plan has almost expired. Deselect this option if you’d like to turn off these reminders.
Enable Auto Login For Web Case Submission Allows you to submit support questions over the web. This option is

available only if you have an active Expert Support plan.
User Interface Language Specifies the language in which Adobe Help Center interface text is displayed.
Check For Updates Searches for new updates to software and Help topics as they become available from Adobe.
Network Administrators Displays options for network administration.
2 Click OK.

To display More Resources
The More Resources section in Adobe Help Center provides easy access to some of the content and services available
from the Adobe website, including support, training, and tutorials.
❖ To display this section, click More Resources.

To add contact information in More Resources
1 Click More Resources, and then click Personal Contacts.
2 Do any of the following:
• To add a contact, click New, type the contact information you want to save, and click OK.
• To edit a contact, click a contact in the list, click Edit, make changes to the information, and click OK.
• To delete a contact, click a contact in the list, and then click Delete. To confirm the deletion, click Yes when

prompted, or click No to cancel.

Using Help
Using Help
The complete documentation for using your Adobe product is available in Help, a browser-based system you can
access through Adobe Help Center. Help topics are updated periodically, so you can always be sure to have the most
recent information available. For more information, see “To check for updates” on page 2.
Important: Adobe Help systems include all of the information in the printed user guides, plus additional information
not included in print. The Resources and Extras CD included with the software also includes a PDF version of the
complete Help content, optimized for printing.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 4
User Guide

Product Help section of Adobe Help Center
A. Returns you to Help home page B. Adds bookmark for current topic C. Prints contents of right pane
box E. Opens About Adobe Help Center window

D. Opens Preferences dialog

See also
“To navigate Help” on page 4
“To search Help topics” on page 5

To navigate Help
❖ Do any of the following:

• To view Help for a product, choose the product name from the Help For menu. (To view only topics that apply

across all Creative Suite products, choose Adobe Creative Suite.)
• To expand or collapse a section, click the blue triangle to the left of the section name.
• To display a topic , click its title.

See also
“To use bookmarks” on page 6

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 5
User Guide

To search Help topics
Search using words or phrases to quickly find topics. You can search Help for one product or for all Adobe products
you’ve installed. If you find a topic that you may want to view again, bookmark it for quick retrieval.
1 In Adobe Help Center, click Product Help.
2 Type one or more words in the Search box. To search across Help for all Adobe products you have installed, click
the black triangle to the left of the Search box and choose Search All Help.

Search Help for one product or for all products you’ve installed

3 Click Search. Topics matching the search words appear in the navigation pane.

4 To view a topic, click its title.

5 To return to the navigation pane, do one of the following:

• Click the Home button.
• Click the Back button.
• Click Next Topic or Previous Topic.

See also
“To print a topic from Help” on page 5
“To use bookmarks” on page 6

Search tips
Adobe Help search works by searching the entire Help text for topics that contain all of the words typed in the Search
box. These tips can help you improve your search results in Help:
• If you search using a phrase, such as “shape tool,” put quotation marks around the phrase. The search returns only

those topics containing all words in the phrase.
• Make sure that the search terms are spelled correctly.
• If a search term doesn’t yield results, try using a synonym, such as “web” instead of “Internet.”

To print a topic from Help

1 Select the topic you want to print, and click the Print button.

2 Choose the printer you’d like to use, and then click Print.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 6
User Guide

To change the view
By default, Adobe Help Center opens in Full view. Full view gives you access to the Product Help, Expert Support,
and More Resources sections. Switch to Compact view when you want to see only the selected Help topic and you
want to keep the Help window on top of your product workspace.
❖ Click the view icon

to switch between Full and Compact views.

To use bookmarks
You can bookmark especially helpful topics for easy access, just as you bookmark pages in a web browser, and reread
them at another time.
1 Click the Bookmarks tab in the navigation pane to view the bookmarks.
2 Do any of the following in the Bookmarks pane:
• To create a bookmark, select the topic you want to mark, and click the Bookmark button

. When the Bookmark

dialog box appears, type a new name in the text box if desired, and then click OK.
• To delete a bookmark, select it and click the Delete button. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
• To rename a bookmark, select it and then click the Rename button

. In the dialog box, type a new name for the

bookmark and then click OK.
• To move a bookmark, select it and then click the Move Up button

or the Move Down button

Tips and training
Learning resources
Adobe provides a wide range of resources to help you learn and use Adobe products.
• “Tutorials in Help” on page 7: Short step-by-step lessons through Adobe Help Center.
• “Total Training Video Workshop CD” on page 7: Professional training videos from experts.
• “Adobe Studio” on page 7: Videos, tips and tricks, and other learning material on Adobe products.
• Adobe Creative Suite Design Guide (Adobe Creative Suite only): A full-color printed book about using Adobe

Creative Suite 2 as a complete design and publishing toolbox, including five guided projects on print, web, and
mobile workflows.
• “Technical information” on page 8: Reference material, scripting guides, and other in-depth information.
• “Other resources” on page 9: Training, books, user forums, product certification, and more.
• Support: Complimentary and paid technical support options from Adobe.
• “Extras” on page 9: Downloadable content and software.

See also
“About Adobe Help Center” on page 2

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 7
User Guide

Tutorials in Help
The Help system for each Adobe CS2 product includes several step-by-step tutorials on key features and concepts.
These tutorials are also available in the complete, printable, PDF version of the Help contents, included on the
Resources and Extras CD.
To use these tutorials with the product, select the tutorial you want from the Contents pane in Adobe Help Center,
to switch to Compact view. Compact view keeps the Help window on top of the appli
and click the View icon
cation windows, regardless of what window or application is selected. Drag an edge or a corner of the Help window
to resize it.

See also
“Adobe Studio” on page 7
“Total Training Video Workshop CD” on page 7
“Other resources” on page 9

Total Training Video Workshop CD
Presented by experts in their fields, Total Training videos provide overviews, demos of key new features, and many
useful tips and techniques for beginning and advanced users. Look for accompanying step-by-step instructions to
selected Total Training videos in monthly updates to Adobe Studio.
Short Total Training web videos on a variety of products and topics are also available in Adobe Studio, and complete
Total Training courseware can be purchased online from the Adobe Store.

See also
“Adobe Studio” on page 7
“Other resources” on page 9

Adobe Studio
Adobe Studio provides a huge wealth of tips and tricks, tutorials, and instructional content in video, Adobe PDF, and
HTML, authored by experts from Adobe and its publishing partners. You can search the entire collection or sort by
product, topic, date, and type of content; new content is added monthly. Adobe Studio is available in English, French,
German, and Japanese. Find it from the home page of the Adobe website.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 8
User Guide

Tips and tutorials in Adobe Studio

See also
“Total Training Video Workshop CD” on page 7
“Other resources” on page 9

Technical information
The Technical information folder on the Resources and Extras CD included with your Adobe product includes
several useful documents in PDF, fully searchable and optimized for printing. These documents provide conceptual
and reference material on various in-depth topics, such as scripting, transparency, and high-end printing. For
complete developer documentation and resources, visit the Developers area of the Adobe website at
http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/main.html. For additional backgrounders and instructional content,
visit Adobe Studio.
The Resources and Extras CD also includes the entire Help content optimized for printing. Note that the Help
content includes everything in the printed Adobe user guides, plus much more.

See also
“Adobe Studio” on page 7
“Other resources” on page 9

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 9
User Guide

Other resources
Additional sources of information and help are available for Adobe products.
• Visit the Training area of the Adobe website for access to Adobe Press books; online, video, and instructor-led

training resources; Adobe software certification programs; and more.
• Visit the Adobe user forums, where users share tips, ask questions, and find out how others are getting the most

out of their software. User forums are available in English, French, German, and Japanese on the main Support
page of your local Adobe website.
• Visit the Support area of the Adobe website for additional information about free and paid technical support

options. Top issues are listed by product on the Adobe U.S. and Adobe Japan websites.
• Visit the Developers area of the Adobe website to find information for software and plug-in developers, including

SDKs, scripting guides, and technical resources.
• Click More Resources in Adobe Help Center to access many of the resources on the Adobe website and to create

your own list of frequently visited user groups and websites and valuable contacts.
• Look in Bridge Center for RSS feeds on the latest technical announcements, tutorials, and events. To access Bridge

Center, select it in the Favorites panel in Adobe Bridge. (Bridge Center is available with Adobe Creative Suite only.)

See also
“To display More Resources” on page 3
“Learning resources” on page 6

Extras
The Resources and Extras CD included with your CS2 product includes a Goodies folder that contains bonus content
and files for use with your Adobe product. For more free content and add-ons, visit Adobe Studio Exchange, an
online community where users download and share thousands of free actions, plug-ins, and other content for use
with Adobe products. To visit Adobe Studio Exchange, go to Adobe Studio from the home page of the Adobe website.
In addition, your CS2 product includes Adobe Stock Photos, an integrated service available within Adobe Bridge that
lets you search, view, try, and buy royalty-free stock photography from leading stock libraries. Because of the tight
integration between Stock Photos and CS2 products, you can download images directly into your Adobe Illustrator®,
Adobe InDesign®, and Adobe GoLive® projects. From Photoshop, you can open any downloaded image.

See also
“Adobe Studio” on page 7
“About Adobe Stock Photos” on page 103
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79

Other downloads
The Downloads area of the Adobe website includes free updates, tryouts, and other useful software. In addition, the
Plug-ins section of the Adobe Store provides access to thousands of plug-ins from third-party developers, helping
you automate tasks, customize workflows, create specialized professional effects, and more.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 10
User Guide

See also
“About Adobe Stock Photos” on page 103
“Other resources” on page 9

What’s new
New features
Workflow improvements
Adobe Bridge Simplify file handling in Photoshop and within Adobe Creative Suite with Adobe Bridge, the next

generation file browser. Efficiently browse, tag, search, and process your images. (See “About Adobe Bridge” on
page 79.)
Color management improvements Maintain common color settings throughout the Adobe Creative Suite compo
nents. Print with the simplified printing interface for color management. (See “To synchronize color settings across
Adobe applications” on page 254.)
Version Cue® 2.0 Manage files and versions as a single user or in a small workgroup. Integrate with Adobe Bridge

to manage files for your Photoshop and Adobe Creative Suite projects. (See “Version Cue managed projects” on
page 113.)
Enhanced photo capabilities
Multi-image Camera Raw Process an entire photo shoot in a fraction of the time. With support for a comprehensive

range of digital cameras, you can automatically adjust settings, convert to universal Digital Negative (DNG) format,
and apply nondestructive edits to batches of images. (See “The Camera Raw plug-in” on page 207.)
High Dynamic Range (HDR) Work with images in 32-bits-per-channel, extended dynamic range. Photographers

can capture the full dynamic range of a scene with multiple exposures and merge the files into a single image. (See
“About High Dynamic Range images” on page 201.)
Optical lens correction Correct for lens aberrations such as barrel and pincushion distortion, chromatic aberration,
and lens vignetting. Easily correct image perspective using the filter’s grid. (See “The Lens Correction filter” on
page 351.)
Noise reduction Reduce digital image noise, JPEG artifacts, and scanned film grain. (See “Reducing image noise”

on page 353.)
Smart Sharpen filter Sharpen images with new algorithms for better edge detection and reduced sharpening halos.

Control the amount of sharpening in the highlights and shadows. (See “To use the Smart Sharpen filter” on
page 355.)
Spot Healing tool Quickly heal spots and blemishes without selecting source content. (See “To use the Spot Healing

Brush tool” on page 369.)
One-click red-eye correction Fix red eyes with one click. Set options to adjust pupil size and darkening amount.

(See “To remove red eye” on page 371.)
Blur filters Apply blur effects using new blur filters: Box Blur, Shape Blur, and Surface Blur. (See “Blur filters” on

page 515.)

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 11
User Guide

Productivity boosters
Customizable menus Set up and save custom menus and workspaces, highlight new or commonly used menu

items, and reduce on-screen clutter for easier access to the tools you need. (See “To define a set of menus” on
page 65.)
Image Processor Process a batch of files to multiple file formats. (See “About the Image Processor” on page 739.)
All new PDF engine Comprehensive, customizable presets and PDF 1.6/Acrobat 7.0 compatibility. (See “Saving files

in Photoshop PDF format” on page 656.)
Script and action event manager Set JavaScripts and Photoshop actions to run automatically when a specified
Photoshop event occurs. (See “To set scripts and actions to run automatically” on page 747.)
UI font size customization Customize the size of text in the options bar, palettes, and the Layer Style dialog box.

(See “To change the font size in the work area” on page 64.)
Update Manager Automatically search for Photoshop updates.
Variables Create data-driven graphics in Photoshop as you now do in ImageReady. (See “About data-driven
graphics” on page 747.)
Video preview Display your document on a video monitor using a Firewire (IEEE1394) link. (See “To preview your
document on a video monitor” on page 708.)
WYSIWYG Font menu Preview font families and font styles directly in the Font menu. (See “To choose a font family
and style” on page 546.)
Designer enhancements
Vanishing Point Paste, clone, and paint image elements that automatically match the perspective planes in an

image. (See “About Vanishing Point” on page 374.)
Smart Objects Perform nondestructive transforms of embedded vector and of pixel data. Create multiple instances

of embedded data and easily update all instances at once. (See “Smart Objects” on page 427.)
Multiple layer control Work with layers as objects. Select multiple layers and move, group, align, and transform

them. (See “Selecting layers” on page 399 and “To group and ungroup layers” on page 400.)
Image Warp Easily create packaging mock-ups or other dimensional effects by wrapping an image around any
shape or stretching, curling, and bending an image using Image Warp. (See “The Warp command” on page 364.)
Animation Create animated GIF files in Photoshop much as you create animation in ImageReady. (See “Creating an
animation” on page 614.)
Japanese type features Format text with new character alignment (Mojisoroe) and more Kinsoku Shori types. (See

“About Asian type” on page 563.)
Smart Guides Align the content of layers as you move them using guidelines that appear only when you need them.
(See “About guides and the grid” on page 60.)
Integrated Adobe Online Services Access and download professional Adobe Stock Photos and share and print
online with Adobe Photoshop Services. (See “About Adobe Stock Photos” on page 103.)

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What’s changed
If you've worked with a previous version of Photoshop, you'll find that some things work a little differently in
Photoshop CS2.
Layer grouping You can group layers using the keyboard shortcut Control+G (Windows) or Command+G

(Mac OS). The shortcut for creating a clipping mask is now Control+Alt+G (Windows) or Command+Option+G
(Mac OS).
Layer linking and multiple layer selection Working with multiple layers is easier now because you can select

multiple layers in the Layers palette or in the document window using the Move tool. The layer linking column was
removed. To link layers, select multiple layers and click the link icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. Some menu
commands that work on linked layers have been changed to work on multiple layers.
To add or subtract layers from a selection in the Layers palette, Shift-click (or drag) in the document with the Move
tool, with the Auto Select Layer option selected. Previously, Shift-clicking linked and unlinked layers. For more infor
mation, see “To select layers in the Layers palette” on page 399.
Merging layers To merge all visible layers into a new layer, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and choose

Layer > Merge Visible. Previously you created a new layer and selected it before merging. To merge any two layers,
select them in the Layers palette and choose Layer > Merge Layers. You can still merge two adjacent layers in the
Layers palette by selecting the top layer and choosing Layer Merge Down.
Loading a selection To load a layer as a selection, Control-click (Windows) Command-click (Mac OS) the layer's
thumbnail in the Layers palette. Previously you could click anywhere in the layer.
Clipping mask visibility To hide all layers except the clipping mask layer and the layer it is clipped to, Alt-click

(Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the layer’s visibility icon. Previously, Alt-clicking or Option-clicking hid all
layers.
File Browser Adobe Bridge handles all the tasks that you previously did in the File Browser. Flagging is now handled

by the star ratings. Files previously flagged are now marked with one star. In Bridge, Control+D (Windows) or
Command+D (Mac OS) now duplicates an image rather than deselecting it in the thumbnail view.
Placing a file Files that you place into Photoshop with the Place command now become Smart Objects.

Chapter 2: Tutorials

Tutorials
Tutorials
Below you will find a list of tutorials that will help you get started using Adobe Photoshop quickly. Before going

through the tutorials, it’s helpful to know how to create and save documents. See “To create a new image” on page 191

and “To save changes to the current file” on page 654.

For more advanced tutorials, go to Adobe Studio at http://studio.adobe.com. (A one-time registration is required.)

See also
“Correct color and tone” on page 13

“Correct defects” on page 16

“Select areas in an image” on page 18

“Create an image using layers” on page 20

“Add shapes to an image” on page 24

“Print with color management” on page 28

Correct color and tone
You can fix photos that are dull, lack contrast, or have a color cast by adjusting the shadows, midtones, and highlights.
In this tutorial, you’ll see how to adjust tonality and color.

1. Evaluate your image.

Evaluate the image brightness, contrast, and color. This image is dark, has little contrast, and its overall color is shifted
toward blue. We can fix this image quickly using the Photoshop Levels dialog box.

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2. Create a new Levels adjustment layer.

Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels and click OK in the New Layer dialog box. Rather than working
directly on the image, we are going to make the tonal correction in an adjustment layer. Working in an adjustment
layer leaves the original image untouched so you can discard your changes and restore the original image at any time.
3. Evaluate the image histogram.

The histogram in the center of the Levels dialog box shows how pixels are distributed in an image by graphing the
number of pixels at each intensity level. It displays the relative number of pixels in the shadows (left part of the
histogram), midtones (middle), and highlights (right). You can see that this image is not using the entire tonal range.
Pixels don’t extend across the entire length of the histogram.

4. Set the shadows and highlights.

Move the black point input slider and the white point input slider (the black triangle and white triangle located
directly beneath the histogram) inward from the edges of the histogram. The black point input slider adjusts pixels
to value zero. All pixels at the level you set and any pixels below become black in the image. The white point input
slider maps values at its position or above to 255, or pure white. After you adjust the sliders, the image will have more
contrast.

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5. Adjust the midtones.

The middle input slider (the gray triangle below the histogram) adjusts the gamma, or contrast, of the midtone
values. It moves the midtone (level 128) and changes the intensity values of the middle range of gray tones without
significantly altering the highlights and shadows.
Move the middle input slider to the left to lighten the image or to the right to darken the image.

6. Remove the color cast.

Select the Set Gray Point Eyedropper tool in the Levels dialog box (the middle eyedropper). Click an area in the
image that should be gray. That area becomes neutral gray, and the color cast is removed.
The Set Gray Point Eyedropper tool works best on images with easily identified neutral tones. Advanced users often
use the Levels command to adjust individual channels and remove a color cast.

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7. Finish up.

When you’ve made all your adjustments, click OK to close the dialog box and accept your changes. Because you’ve
used an adjustment layer, you can reopen the dialog box and see the adjustments you made. You can readjust any of
the settings.
To reopen the Levels dialog box, in the Layers palette double-click the left thumbnail in the adjustment layer.
You’ve seen one way to adjust the color and tonal values in your image. Photoshop has many more tools to make these
adjustments. For more information see “Correcting images in Photoshop” on page 274 and “Color adjustment
commands” on page 274.

Correct defects
Some otherwise excellent photos are marred by blemishes or red eye (the reflection of the flash in the retina of the
subject). The Red Eye tool fixes red eye with a single click. The Spot Healing Brush easily removes blemishes,
unwanted objects from a uniform background, and other defects. In this tutorial, you’ll see how to correct red eye
and remove blemishes.

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1. Fix the red eye.

Zoom in so that you can easily see the problem area. Select the Red Eye tool in the toolbox and click in the red area
of the eye to correct it. If you aren’t satisfied with the result, choose Edit > Undo and try again using a different Pupil
Size and Darken Amount setting. You can change these settings in the option bar at the top of the application
window.

2. Fix spots and blemishes.

Select the Spot Healing Brush tool in the toolbox, and then set options for the tool. In the options bar at the top of
the application window, click the triangle next to Brush to open the Brush picker. Drag the Diameter slider to change
the brush size. Use a brush size that is about the size of the defect you want to fix.
To remove any unwanted spots, click on the spot or drag the pointer over it.

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Select areas in an image
Adobe Photoshop has selection tools tailored for different selection tasks. In this tutorial, you’ll learn some good uses
for these tools.

1. Use the Magic Wand tool to select the background.

If the object has a well-defined shape against a background that’s primarily one color, you can select the background
using the Magic Wand tool.
Select the Magic Wand tool, and then click anywhere in the background. The marquee around the background area
indicates that the background is now editable. Try dragging a paintbrush over the whole image to verify that only the
background, and not the object, is affected.

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2. Invert your selection.

Because the background is easy to select, inverting the selection is a simple way to select the object. Choose Select >
Inverse. Notice that the selection border changes to outline the object.
This technique is useful for selecting objects that are sharply delineated against a background. Now you can make
edits on the object, leaving the background intact. Choose Select > Deselect to try another selection tool.

3. Use the Elliptical Marquee tool to select a detail.

Select the Elliptical Marquee tool, and then drag to draw a selection border around a detail in the object. To
reposition the selection border as you draw it, hold down the spacebar and drag the selection border to a new
position. To move the selection border after it’s created, click anywhere inside the border and drag.

4. Use the Magnetic Lasso to select part of an object.

Select the Magnetic Lasso tool (hidden in the toolbox behind the Lasso tool), and then click and drag around part of
the object in your photo. As you drag, Photoshop “snaps” the selection to the edges of the object.
The Magnetic Lasso tool is especially suited for making freeform selections because it traces the edges of an object.
It works best on areas with clearly defined edges.
The tool places anchors as you drag (you can remove anchors by pressing the Delete key). To finish the selection
border, click the starting anchor point (or double-click). Try moving the selection using the Move tool. Choose Edit >
Undo to return the selection to its original position. Then choose Select > Deselect to deselect the object.

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5. Add to a selection.

Select the Marquee tool, and make a rough selection of the object in your photo. After you make the selection, you
can add to the selection border without having to start over. Select the Magnetic Lasso tool, and select the Add To
Selection option in the options bar. Refine your selection by dragging around the outside of the object (notice the
small plus sign below the tool pointer). Release the mouse. The selection border now includes the area you selected
with the Magnetic Lasso tool.

Create an image using layers
Layers give you complete creative control when you construct an image from different elements, such as a
background color, text, shapes, and selections from other photographs. In this tutorial, you’ll see how to create a
multilayered image, apply a layer mask, and then add a text layer.

1. Open an image in Photoshop.

Choose File > Open, or double-click a thumbnail in Adobe Bridge.
By default, the Layers palette should be visible. If not, choose Window > Layers. The Layers palette displays each layer
in the image, along with a thumbnail of the layer contents.

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2. Convert the background layer.

You need to convert the background to a regular layer if you want to use transparency in the layer.

In the Layers palette, double-click the background layer. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.

You can now show or hide the layer. Click the eye icon next to a layer. Notice that the icon disappears and the layer

is hidden. Click the empty icon box again. The eye icon and the layer contents reappear.

3. Apply a layer mask.

You can use a layer mask to select and display just the part of the image you want to use, without altering the image.
Here you’ll mask the entire image except for a circular area containing the flower.
Click and hold the Rectangular Marquee tool, and then select the Elliptical Marquee tool from the pop-up menu.
Hold down the Shift key to constrain the selection to a circle, and then drag an area of the image. In the Layers palette,
click Add Layer Mask.
Now only the area you selected is visible. You can change the visible area by moving the mask around the image. First
click the link icon to unlink the mask from the layer. Select the Move tool, click inside the mask, and drag to
reposition it. When the mask is correctly positioned, click the link icon to relink the mask and the layer. Where you
move the layer, the mask now moves with it.

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4. Add a stroke effect.

Click Add A Layer Style at the bottom of the Layers palette, and select Stroke from the menu. Select Stroke on the
left side of the Layer Style dialog box, and make changes to the color, size, position, opacity, and blend mode of the
stroke.

5. Create a fill and add a new layer.

Click Create A New Layer to add a new layer to the image. The new layer appears above the selected layer and
becomes the selected layer. Click the Foreground color swatch and select a color from the Color Picker. Select the
Paint Bucket tool (it’s hidden under the Gradient tool; click the triangle to show the hidden tools). Then click
anywhere in the image to create the fill.
6. Reorder the layers.

Drag the new layer below the other layers. Changing the stacking order of your layers makes certain parts of the
image appear in front of or behind other layers.

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7. Add a text layer.

In the Layers palette, click the top layer. Select the Text tool, and then click in the image. The I-beam cursor appears.
In the options bar, change text size, font, style, or color to your liking. When you add text, Photoshop automatically
places it on its own layer, where you can edit it separately from the rest of the image.
To edit the text, select it with the Text tool, and then change any of the settings in the options bar. To move the text,
select the Move tool and drag the text.

8. Add an effect to the text.

Click Add A Layer Style and select Drop Shadow from the menu. You can change the color or angle of the shadow
or make other adjustments in the Layer Style dialog box.
In the Layers palette, you can see which effects were used on any layer by clicking the black triangle next to the Layer
Style button. The eye icon next to each layer style acts like a toggle. Click it to apply that style or to remove it from
that layer.

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Add shapes to an image
Adobe Photoshop makes it easy to add shapes to an image: you can draw them using a variety of shape tools or select
from a large assortment of predrawn shapes. You can arrange vector shapes on separate layers for easy modification
and overlay effects. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to place background and foreground shapes in an image and add
some flair with gradient and layer effects.

1. Open an Image in Photoshop.

Choose File > Open or double-click a thumbnail in Adobe Bridge. You need to start with an image that has at least
two layers.
First you’ll add shapes to create a more interesting background.

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2. Select the Rectangle tool.

Select the Rectangle tool from the toolbox and then click the Shape Layers icon in the options bar. Now, the Rectangle
tool creates a vector shape on a new layer. (Adjacent options let you create a path or a rasterized shape on the current
layer.)

3. Create a rectangle shape.

In the Layers palette, select the bottom layer in your image. Click and drag to create a rectangle covering the right
half of the image. The rectangle uses the foreground color by default. To change the color, double-click the layer
thumbnail to display the Color Picker and select a new color.

4. Add gradients to a shape.

Now add two more rectangle shapes, this time with gradient effects. Using the Rectangle Shape tool, drag a new
rectangle to cover the top left quarter of the image. Click the foreground color swatch and select a new color for this
rectangle. Choose Layer > Change Layer Content > Gradient. Leave Gradient at the default setting, and set Style to
Linear, angle to –50, and scale to 100%. Repeat these steps to create a second rectangle, this time with an angle of 20.

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5. Load a complete set of custom shapes.

Select the Custom Shape tool in the tool options bar. Click the Shape pop-up menu to open the Custom Shapes
pop-up palette.
Before selecting a custom shape, let’s add more shapes to the Custom Shapes pop-up palette. Click the black triangle
and choose Preset Manager from the palette menu. In the Preset Manager dialog box, make sure that Custom Shapes
appears in the Preset Type pop-up menu, and then click Load. Navigate to the Custom Shapes folder (default path:
Adobe Photoshop CS2/Presets/Custom Shapes) and select All. Click Load to load the full set of custom shapes. This
loads all the predrawn shapes into the Custom Shapes palette.
Click Done to close the Preset Manager.

6. Draw a custom shape.

Now add a custom shape to the foreground for an overlay effect. Select the top layer of the image, and use the
foreground color swatch in the toolbox to select a color for the new shape. Select a custom shape from the Custom
Shapes pop-up palette in the options bar. (For our image, we chose the sunburst shape.) Hold down the Shift key to
constrain proportions, click and drag in the image to draw the shape.
Because the vector shape is on its own layer, it is easy to move or resize without affecting other elements of the image.
Select the layer and then use the Move tool to move the shape, or choose Edit > Free Transform to resize, rotate, flip,
or skew it.

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7. Fill the custom shape with a pattern.

Next apply one of the Photoshop pattern effects to make the shape more interesting. Select the new shape in the
Layers palette, and then choose Layer > Change Layer Content > Pattern. In the Pattern Fill dialog box, click the tiny
inverted triangle next to the pattern swatch to open the Patterns pop-up palette.
Before selecting a pattern, let’s load more patterns into the Patterns pop-up palette. Click the black triangle in the
upper right corner of the Patterns pop-up palette and choose Preset Manager from the palette menu. In the Preset
Manager dialog box, make sure that Patterns appears in the Preset Type pop-up menu, and then click Load. Navigate
to the Patterns folder (default path: Adobe Photoshop CS2 /Presets/Patterns) and select the patterns you want. Click
Load to add the selected patterns to the list of patterns in the Preset Manager, and then click Done to close the Preset
Manager dialog box.
In the Pattern Fill dialog box, select a pattern and then click OK to apply it to the custom shape. To change your shape
back to a solid color or to a gradient, choose Layer > Change Layer Content and then choose either Solid Color or
Gradient.

8. Add a layer effect to the shape.

To enhance your shape, you can add layer effects and then apply blending mode. With the shape layer selected, click
the Add A Layer Style icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose Stroke from the menu. In the Layer Style
dialog box, choose settings for the stroke style blending. You can also choose other options from the Styles menu on
the left. Click OK to apply the layer effect.
To blend the shape and layer effect with the other layers in the image, choose a blending mode from the Blending
Mode menu at the upper left of the Layers palette. To remove a layer effect, select the Layer Effect icon (a circle with
an “f ”) in the Layers palette and drag it to the Delete (trash can) icon at the bottom of the Layers palette.

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Print with color management
The Photoshop Print With Preview feature helps you achieve predictable results when you print your photos. In this
tutorial, you’ll learn how to adjust color management settings for the best possible prints. To follow these steps, you
must have an ICC profile for your printer and paper type. For more information, see “To have Photoshop manage
colors when printing” on page 715.
Note: For best results, make sure that your monitor is calibrated and profiled correctly.

1. Open the Print With Preview dialog box.

Open your image in Photoshop and choose File > Print With Preview. The Print (Print With Preview) dialog box
appears. Expand the dialog box by clicking the More Options button on the right side. If it is already expanded, the
Fewer Options button is visible.

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2. Set color management options.

Choose Color Management from the pop-up menu below the preview thumbnail.
Under Print, select the Document option. The image’s current profile is listed here.
You want Photoshop to handle the color conversion to the printer’s color space, so choose Let Photoshop Determine
Colors from the Color Handling pop-up menu under Options.
Note: Later, when the printer driver dialog box appears, make sure to turn off the printer’s color management so that the
printer driver settings don’t conflict with the Photoshop color management settings.
3. Select the printer profile.

Choose the profile for your output device from the Printer Profile pop-up menu. The profile must be installed in the
correct location to show up. See “To install a color profile” on page 266.
4. Choose a rendering intent from the menu.

The rendering intent specifies how Photoshop converts colors to the printers color space. Perceptual or Relative
Colormetric are good choices for most photographs.
5. Specify the printer driver settings and print the image.

Click Print. The Print dialog box for your printer driver appears. The options you see depend on the printer driver.
Make sure to turn off the printer driver’s color management because you chose to have Photoshop convert the colors
to the printer profile. In some printer drivers, you need to select the No Color Management option. If you don’t turn
off color management in the printer driver, you’ll get unpredictable results.

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In this tutorial you learned how to print your image using a printer profile. You’ll also want to learn how to preview
and adjust your image using softproofing to get the results you want from your printer. For more information, see
“Soft-proofing colors” on page 259.

Chapter 3: Work area

Work area basics
About the Welcome window
When you launch Photoshop or ImageReady, the Welcome window automatically appears. Select the options in this
window to learn about Photoshop or ImageReady by reading tutorials or by viewing a movie about new features. In
Photoshop, you can also learn how to set up a color management system.
Choose Help > Welcome Screen to display the window if it’s not already open.

About the work area
The Photoshop and ImageReady work area is arranged to help you focus on creating and editing images.
A

C
F

Photoshop work area
A. Menu bar B. Options bar

C. Toolbox D. Go to Bridge

E. Palette well

F. Palettes

G. Status bar

H. Active image area

The work area has these components:
Menu bar Contains menus organized by tasks. For example, the Layers menu contains commands for working with

layers. In Photoshop, you can customize the menu bar by showing, hiding, or adding color to menu items.

Options bar Provides options for using a tool.

Toolbox Contains tools for creating and editing images.

Active image area Displays the active open file. The window containing an open file is also called the document

window.

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Palette well Helps you organize the palettes in your work area.
Palettes Help you monitor and modify images. You can customize the palette locations in the workspace. In

Photoshop, you can also show, hide, or add color to items in palette menus.
In Photoshop, you can change the font size of the text in the options bar, palettes, and tool tips.

About the status bar
The status bar is located at the bottom of every document window and displays useful information—such as the
current magnification and file size of the active image, and brief instructions for using the active tool. The status bar
also displays Version Cue information if you have Version Cue enabled.
Note: In ImageReady, if the document window is wide enough, two image information boxes appear, enabling you to
view two different information options for the image at the same time. You can also view copyright and authorship infor
mation that has been added to the file. This information includes standard file information and Digimarc watermarks.
Photoshop automatically scans opened images for watermarks using the Digimarc Detect Watermark plug-in. If a
watermark is detected, Photoshop displays a copyright symbol in the image window’s title bar and updates the Copyright
& URL area of the File Info dialog box.

To display file information in the document window
1 Click the triangle in the bottom border of the document window.

File information view options in Photoshop

2 Choose a view option from the pop-up menu:

Note: If you have Version Cue enabled, choose from the Show submenu.
Version Cue Displays the Version Cue workgroup status of your document, such as open, unmanaged, unsaved, and
so forth. This option is available only if you have Version Cue enabled.
Document Sizes Information on the amount of data in the image. The number on the left represents the printing

size of the image—approximately the size of the saved, flattened file in Adobe Photoshop format. The number on the
right indicates the file’s approximate size, including layers and channels.
Document Profile The name of the color profile used by the image.
Document Dimensions The dimensions of the image.
Scratch Sizes Information on the amount of RAM and the scratch disk used to process the image. The number on
the left represents the amount of memory currently being used by the program to display all open images. The
number on the right represents the total amount of RAM available for processing images.
Efficiency The percentage of time actually spent performing an operation instead of reading or writing to the
scratch disk. If the value is below 100%, Photoshop is using the scratch disk and is therefore operating more slowly.

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Timing The time it took to complete the last operation.
Current Tool The name of the active tool.
32-bit Exposure Option for adjusting the preview image for viewing 32-bits-per-channel high dynamic range

(HDR) images on your computer monitor. The slider is available only when the document window displays an HDR
image.
Click anywhere in the file information area of the status bar to see a thumbnail preview showing how your document
(at its current image size) will be printed in the current page setup.

Click the file information area in the status bar to see a thumbnail preview of how the image will be printed.

See also
“Version Cue managed projects” on page 113

“To adjust HDR image viewing” on page 204

To display image information in ImageReady

1 Click an image information box at the bottom of the document window.

2 Select a view option:

Original/Optimized File Size The file size of the original and optimized images. The first value indicates the file size

of the original image. The second value (present if the original image has been optimized) indicates the file size and

file format of the optimized image based on the current settings in the Optimize palette.

Optimized Information The file format, file size, number of colors, and dither percentage of the optimized image.

Image Dimensions The pixel dimensions of the image.

Watermark Strength The strength of the Digimarc digital watermark, if present, in the optimized image.

Undo/Redo Status The number of undos and redos that are available for the image.

Original in Bytes The size, in bytes, of the original, flattened image.

Optimized in Bytes The size, in bytes, of the optimized image.

Optimized Savings The reduction percentage of the optimized image, followed by the difference in bytes between

the original and optimized sizes.

Output Settings Output settings that control how HTML files are formatted, how files and slices are named, and

how background images are handled when you save an optimized image.

Size/Download Time The file size of the optimized image and estimated download time using the selected modem

speed.

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Note: Download times may vary based on Internet traffic and modem compression schemes. The value displayed is an
approximation.

See also
“Adding digital copyright information” on page 689
“To set output options” on page 647

To jump between Photoshop and ImageReady
You can easily jump between Photoshop and ImageReady to use features in both applications when preparing
graphics for the web or other purposes. Jumping between the applications lets you use the full feature sets of both
applications while maintaining a streamlined workflow. Files and documents updated in one application can be
automatically updated in the other application. Jumping to an application eliminates the need to close the file in one
application and reopen it in another.
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click the Edit In Photoshop button at the bottom of the toolbox.

• Choose File > Edit In Photoshop or File > Edit in ImageReady.

When you jump between Photoshop and ImageReady, the applications use a temp file for transferring changes.

Jumping to other applications
In addition to jumping to current versions of Photoshop, you can jump to other graphics-editing applications and
HTML-editing applications from within Photoshop and ImageReady.
When you install Photoshop or ImageReady, Adobe graphics-editing and HTML-editing applications currently on
your system are added to the Jump To submenu. You can add more applications, including non-Adobe applications,
to the Jump To submenu.
When you jump to a graphics-editing application, the original file is opened in the destination application. When
you jump to an HTML editor, the optimized file and the HTML file are saved and opened in the destination appli
cation. If the image contains slices, all files for the full image are included. You can set a preference for automatically
updating files when you jump to Photoshop or ImageReady after editing files in another application.

To jump to another application from ImageReady
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose File > Jump To, and choose the desired application from the submenu.
• If the desired application doesn’t appear in the Jump To submenu, choose Other Graphics Editor or Other HTML

Editor to specify the application.
2 If the file has been modified since the last save, choose an option in ImageReady for saving the file:
• Click Save, and save the file with its current name and location.
• Click Save As, and save the file with a new name, in a new location, or both.

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To add an application to the Jump To submenu

1 Create a shortcut (Windows) or an alias (Mac OS) for the application you want to add to the menu.

2 Drag the icon for the shortcut or alias into the Jump To Graphics Editor folder or the Jump To HTML Editor folder,

located in the Helpers folder inside the Photoshop program folder.

3 Restart ImageReady to view the application in the Jump To submenu.

To enable automatic file updates in ImageReady
You can set a preference to automatically update a file when returning to ImageReady from another application.
1 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences > General.
• (Mac OS) ImageReady > Preferences > General.
2 Select Auto-Update Open Documents.

Palettes and menus
To use palettes
❖ Palettes help you monitor and modify your work. You can customize the default palette arrangement in the

following ways:
• To hide or show all palettes, including the toolbox and options bar, press Tab. To hide or show all palettes except

for the toolbox, press Shift+Tab.
• To display a palette menu, position the pointer on the triangle in the upper right corner of the palette, and press

the mouse button.
• To change the size of a palette, drag any corner of the palette (Windows) or drag the size box at its lower right

corner (Mac OS). Some palettes, such as the Color palette, cannot be resized by dragging.
• To collapse a group of palettes to their titles only, double-click the palette’s tab, or click the Minimize button

(Windows) or the Zoom box (Mac OS). You can open the palette menu even when the palette is collapsed.

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Using palettes
A. Click to collapse or expand a Mac OS palette

B. Click to collapse or expand a Windows palette

C. Click to display the palette menu

• To make a palette appear at the front of its group, click the palette’s tab.
• To move an entire palette group, drag its title bar.
• To rearrange or separate a palette group, drag a palette’s tab. Dragging a palette outside an existing group creates

a new palette window.
• To move a palette to another group, drag the palette’s tab to that group.
• To dock palettes so that they move together, drag a palette’s tab to the bottom of another palette.
• To move an entire docked palette group, drag its title bar.

Docking a palette in the palette well

• To return palettes to their default sizes and positions, choose Window > Workspace > Reset Palette Locations

(Photoshop) or Window > Workspace > Default Palette Locations (ImageReady).
• (ImageReady) To show or hide options for palettes that include hidden options (the Optimize, Layer Options, and

Slice palettes), click the double triangle icon in a palette tab to cycle through palette displays, or choose Show
Options or Hide Options from the palette menu.
A

ImageReady palette
A. Click to show options for the palette B. Click to show options for the option set

About the palette well
The Photoshop and ImageReady options bars include a palette well that helps you organize and manage palettes. The
palette well stores, or docks, palettes that you use frequently, so that you don’t have to keep them open on the work
area.
The palette well is available only when the screen resolution is greater than 800 pixels x 600 pixels (a setting of at least
1024 x 768 is recommended).

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Click a palette’s tab to use the palette in the palette well. The palette remains open until you click outside it or click
the palette’s tab again.

Docked palette in the palette well

To enter values in palettes, dialog boxes, and the tool options bar
❖ Do any of the following:

• Type a value in the text box, and press Enter or Return (Mac OS only).
• Drag the slider.
• (Photoshop) Move the pointer over the title of a slider or pop-up slider. When the pointer turns to a pointing

finger, drag the scrubby slider to the left or right. This feature is available only for selected sliders and pop-up
sliders.
• Drag the dial.
• Click the arrow buttons in the palette to increase or decrease the value.
• (Windows) Click the text box and then use the Up Arrow key and the Down Arrow key on the keyboard to

increase or decrease the value.
• Select a value from the menu associated with the text box.
A

Ways to enter values
A. Menu arrow B. Scrubby slider C. Text box

D. Dial

E. Slider

See also
“About scrubby sliders” on page 38

About pop-up sliders
Some palettes, dialog boxes, and options bars contain settings that use pop-up sliders (for example, the Opacity
option in the Layers palette). If there is a triangle next to the text box, you can activate the pop-up slider by clicking
the triangle. Position the pointer over the triangle next to the setting, hold down the mouse button, and drag the
slider or angle radius to the desired value. Click outside the slider box or press Enter to close the slider box. To cancel
changes, press the Esc key.
To increase or decrease values in 10% increments when the pop-up slider box is open, hold down Shift and press the
Up Arrow or Down Arrow key.

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User Guide

A
B

Using different kinds of pop-up sliders
A. Click to open pop-up slider box. B. Drag slider or angle radius.

(Photoshop) You can also “scrub” some pop-up sliders. For example, if you hold the pointer over the word “Fill” or
“Opacity” in the Layers palette, the pointer changes to the Hand icon. Then you can move the pointer left or right to
change the fill or opacity percentage.

About scrubby sliders
In some palettes, dialog boxes, and options bars, you can drag scrubby sliders to change option values. Scrubby
sliders are hidden until you position the pointer over the title of sliders and pop-up sliders. When the pointer changes
to a pointing finger, you drag to the left or right. Holding down the Shift key while dragging accelerates the scrubbing
by a factor of 10.

Hovering over the title of a slider or pop-up slider shows the scrubby slider

About pop-up palettes
Pop-up palettes provide easy access to available options for brushes, swatches, gradients, styles, patterns, contours,
and shapes. You can customize pop-up palettes by renaming and deleting items and by loading, saving, and replacing
libraries. You can also change the display of a pop-up palette to view items by their names, as thumbnail icons, or
with both names and icons.
Click a tool thumbnail in the options bar to show its pop-up palette. Click an item in the pop-up palette to select it.
A

Viewing the Brush pop-up palette in the options bar
A. Click to show the pop-up palette. B. Click to view the pop-up palette menu.

To rename or delete an item in a pop-up palette
❖ Select an item, click the triangle in the upper right corner of the pop-up palette, and choose one of the following:

Rename Lets you enter a new name for the item.
Delete Deletes an item in the pop-up palette.

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Note: You can also delete an item in a pop-up palette by holding down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and clicking
the item.

To customize the list of items in a pop-up palette

1 Click the triangle in the upper right corner of the pop-up palette to view the palette menu.

2 To return to the default library, choose the Reset command. You can either replace the current list or add the

default library to the current list.

3 To load a different library, do one of the following:

• Choose the Load command to add a library to the current list. Then select the library file you want to use, and

click Load.
• Choose the Replace command to replace the current list with a different library. Then select the library file you

want to use, and click Load.
• Choose a library file (displayed at the bottom of the palette menu). Then click OK to replace the current list, or

click Append to add the current list.
4 To save the current list as a library for later use, choose the Save command. Then enter a name for the library file,

and click Save.
(Mac OS) Include the extension of the library file name so that you can easily share the libraries across operating
systems. Select Append File Extension Always in the File Handling Preferences to append extensions to file names.

To change the display of items in a pop-up palette

1 Click the triangle in the upper right corner of the pop-up palette to view the palette menu.

2 Select a view option: Text Only, Small Thumbnail, Large Thumbnail, Small List, or Large List.

To display context menus
Context menus display commands relevant to the active tool, selection, or palette. They are distinct from the menus
across the top of the work area.

Viewing the context menu for the Eyedropper tool

1 Position the pointer over an image or palette item.
2 Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS).

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Tools
About tools and the toolbox
The first time you start the application, the toolbox appears at the left side of the screen. You can move the toolbox
by dragging its title bar. You can also show or hide the toolbox by choosing Window > Tools.
Some tools in the toolbox have options that appear in the context-sensitive tool options bar. These include the tools
that let you use type, select, paint, draw, sample, edit, move, annotate, and view images. Other tools in the toolbox
allow you to change foreground/background colors, go to Adobe Online, work in different modes, and jump between
Photoshop and ImageReady applications.
You can expand some tools to show hidden tools beneath them. A small triangle at the lower right of the tool icon
signals the presence of hidden tools.
You can view information about any tool by positioning the pointer over it. The name of the tool appears in a tool tip
below the pointer. Some tool tips contain links leading to additional information about the tool.

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Toolbox overview
A
A

B
C

Selection tools

Move (V)

Gradient (G)
Paint Bucket (G)

Magic Wand (W)

Crop and slice tools
Crop (C)
Slice (K)
Slice Select

Retouching tools
Spot Healing Brush (J)
Healing Brush (J)
Patch (J)
Red Eye (J)

Painting tools
Brush (B)
Pencil (B)
Color
Replacement (B)

Lasso (L)
Polygonal Lasso (L)
Magnetic Lasso (L)

Rectangular
Marquee (M)
Elliptical Marquee (M)
Single Column
Marquee (M)
Single Row
Marquee (M)

Clone Stamp (S)
Pattern Stamp (S)
Eraser (E)
Background Eraser (E)
Magic Eraser (E)
Blur (R)
Sharpen (R)
Smudge (R)
Dodge (O)
Burn (O)
Sponge (O)

Drawing and type
tools
Path Selection (A)
Direct Selection (A)
Pen (P)
Freeform Pen (P)
Add Anchor
Point (P)
Delete Anchor
Point (P)
Convert Anchor
Point (P)
Horizontal Type (T )
Vertical Type (T)
Horizontal Type
Mask (T)
Vertical Type
Mask (T)
Rectangle (U)
Rounded
Rectangle (U)
Ellipse (U)
Polygon (U)
Line (U)
Custom Shape (U)

See also
“Selection tools gallery” on page 42

“Crop and slice tools gallery” on page 42

“Retouching tools gallery” on page 42

“Painting tools gallery” on page 44

“Drawing and type tools gallery” on page 44

“Annotation, measuring, and navigation tools gallery” on page 45

Annotation,
measuring, and
navigation tools
Notes (N)
Audio Annotation (N)

History Brush (Y)
Art History Brush (Y)

Indicates default tool * Keyboard shortcuts appear in parenthesis

“ImageReady-only tools gallery” on page 45

Eyedropper (I)
Color Sampler (I)
Measure (I)
Hand (H)
Zoom (Z)
G

ImageReady only
tools
Rectangle Image
Map (P)
Circle Image Map (P)
Polygon Image Map (P)
Image Map Select (J)
Tab Rectangle (R)
Pill Rectangle (R)
Toggle Image Map
Visibility (A)
Toggle Slices
Visibility (Q)
Preview Document (Y)
Preview in Browser
(cmd+option+P)

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User Guide

Selection tools gallery
Tools marked with an asterisk are available in Photoshop only.

The marquee tools make
rectangular, elliptical, single
row, and single column selec
tions.

The Move tool moves selections, layers, and guides.

The lasso tools make freehand, polygonal (straight
edged), and magnetic* (snap
to) selections.

The Magic Wand tool selects
similarly colored areas.

Crop and slice tools gallery

The Crop tool trims images.

The Slice tool creates slices.

The Slice Select tool selects
slices.

Retouching tools gallery
Tools marked with an asterisk are available in Photoshop only.

The Spot Healing Brush
tool* removes blemishes and
objects

The Healing Brush tool*
paints with a sample or pattern to repair imperfections
in a image.

The Patch tool* repairs imperfections in a selected area
of an image using a sample or
pattern.

The Red Eye tool* removes
the red reflection caused by a
flash.

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User Guide

The Clone Stamp tool paints
with a sample of an image.

The Pattern Stamp tool*
paints with part of an image
as a pattern.

The Eraser tool erases pixels
and restores parts of an image to a previously saved
state.

The Background Eraser
tool* erases areas to trans
parency by dragging.

The Magic Eraser tool erases solid-colored areas to
transparency with a single
click.

The Blur tool* blurs hard
edges in an image.

The Sharpen tool* sharpens
soft edges in an image.

The Smudge tool* smudges
data in an image.

The Dodge tool* lightens areas in an image.

The Burn tool* darkens areas in an image.

The Sponge tool* changes
the color saturation of an ar
ea.

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User Guide

Painting tools gallery
Tools marked with an asterisk are available in Photoshop only.

The Brush tool paints brush
strokes.

The Pencil tool paints hardedged strokes.

The Color Replacement
tool* replaces a selected color
with a new color.

The Art History brush tool*
paints with stylized strokes
that simulate the look of different paint styles, using a selected state or snapshot.

The gradient tools* create
straight-line, radial, angle,
reflected, and diamond
blends between colors.

The Paint Bucket tool fills

similarly colored areas with

the foreground color.

The History Brush tool*
paints a copy of the selected
state or snapshot into the cur
rent image window.

Drawing and type tools gallery
Tools marked with an asterisk are available in Photoshop only.

The path selection tools*
make shape or segment selections showing anchor points,
direction lines, and direction

points.

The type tools create type on
an image.

The shape tools and Line
tool draw shapes and lines in
a normal layer or a shape
layer.

The Custom Shape tool*
makes customized shapes se
lected from a custom shape
list.

The type mask tools* create
a selection in the shape of
type.

The pen tools* let you draw

smooth-edged paths.

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User Guide

Annotation, measuring, and navigation tools gallery
Tools marked with an asterisk are available in Photoshop only.

The annotation tools* make
notes and audio annotations
that can be attached to an
image.

The Eyedropper tool samples colors in an image.

The Measure tool* measures
distances, locations, and an
gles.

The Hand tool moves an im
age within its window.

The Toggle Image Map Visibility tool toggles between
showing and hiding image
maps.

The Zoom tool magnifies
and reduces the view of an
image.

ImageReady-only tools gallery

The image map tools define
image map areas in an im
age.

The Image Map Select tool
selects image maps.

The Tab Rectangle tool
draws a long rectangle with
the top corners rounded.
The Pill Rectangle tool
draws a rectangle with
rounded corners.

The Toggle Slices Visibility
tool toggles between showing
and hiding slices in an image.

The Preview Document tool
previews rollover effects directly in ImageReady.

The Preview in Default
Browser tool previews ani
mations in a web browser.

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To use a tool
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click a tool in the toolbox. If there is a small triangle at a tool’s lower right corner, hold down the mouse button to

view the hidden tools. Then click the tool you want to select.
• Press the tool’s keyboard shortcut. The keyboard shortcut is displayed in its tool tip. For example, you can select

the Move tool by pressing the V key.
A

B
C

Using the selecting tools
A. Toolbox B. Active tool

C. Hidden tools

D. Tool name E. Tool shortcut

F. Hidden tool triangle

Note: In ImageReady, click the downward-pointing triangle at the bottom of the hidden tools list to tear off a floating
tool palette. Click the button at the top right (Windows) or top left (Mac OS) of the floating tool palette to close it.

Clicking the triangle to “tear off ” a floating tool palette

To cycle through hidden tools
You can select a preference that allows you to cycle through a set of hidden tools by holding down the Shift key. When
this preference is not selected, you can cycle through a set of hidden tools by pressing the shortcut key (without
holding down Shift).
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > General (Mac OS).
2 Select Use Shift Key For Tool Switch.

To display or hide tool tips
1 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences > General.
• (Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > Preferences > General or choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.
2 Select or deselect Show Tool Tips.

Note: Tool tips may not be available in some dialog boxes.

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About tool pointers
In most cases, the pointer for a tool is the same as the icon for that tool; you see that pointer when you select the tool.
The default pointer for the marquee tools is the cross-hair pointer ; for the text tool, the default pointer is the I
beam ; and for the painting tools the default pointer is the Brush Size icon.
Each default pointer has a different hotspot, where an effect or action in the image begins. With most tools, you can
switch to precise cursors, which appear as cross hairs centered around the hotspot.

To change tool pointers
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Choose Edit > Preferences > Display & Cursors (Windows) or choose Photoshop > Preferences >

Display & Cursors (Mac OS).
• (ImageReady) Choose Edit > Preferences > Cursors (Windows) or choose ImageReady > Preferences > Cursors

(Mac OS).
2 Choose a tool pointer setting under Painting Cursors and/or Other Cursors:
Standard Displays pointers as tool icons.
Precise Displays pointers as cross hairs.
Brush Size (painting cursors only) Displays the painting tool cursors as brush shapes representing the size of the

current brush. Brush Size cursors may not appear for very large brushes.

3 (Photoshop) Select Brush Cursor options if you selected Brush Size as the tool pointer setting:

Normal The pointer outline corresponds to approximately 50% of the area that the tool will affect. This option

shows the pixels that would be most visibly affected.

Full Size The pointer outline corresponds to nearly 100% of the area that the tool will affect, or nearly all the pixels

that would be affected.

Always Show Crosshair Displays cross hairs in the center of the brush shape.
4 Click OK.

The Painting Cursors options control the pointers for the following tools:

• (Photoshop) Eraser, Pencil, Paintbrush, Healing Brush, Rubber Stamp, Pattern Stamp, Smudge, Blur, Sharpen,

Dodge, Burn, and Sponge tools
• (ImageReady) Paintbrush, Pencil, and Eraser tools

The Other Cursors options control the pointers for the following tools:
• (Photoshop) Marquee, Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magic Wand, Crop, Slice, Patch, Eyedropper, Pen, Gradient, Line,

Paint Bucket, Magnetic Lasso, Magnetic Pen, Freeform Pen, Measure, and Color Sampler tools
• (ImageReady) Marquee, Lasso, Magic Wand, Eyedropper, Paint Bucket, and Slice tools

To toggle between standard and precise cursors in some tool pointers, press Caps Lock.

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Using the options bar
The options bar appears below the menu bar at the top of the work area. The options bar is context sensitive—it
changes as you select different tools. Some settings in the options bar (such as painting modes and opacity) are
common to several tools, and some (such as the Auto Erase setting for the Pencil tool) are specific to one tool.
You can move the options bar in the work area by using the gripper bar, and you can dock it at the top or bottom of
the screen. Tool tips appear when you position the pointer over a tool. To show or hide the options bar, choose
Window > Options.

Lasso options bar
A. Gripper bar B. Tool tip

(Photoshop) To return tools to their default settings, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the tool icon
in the options bar, and then choose Reset Tool or Reset All Tools from the context menu.
(ImageReady) To return tools to their default settings, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows), or choose
ImageReady > Preferences > General (Mac OS) and then click Reset All Tools.
For more information on setting options for a specific tool, search for the tool’s name in Photoshop Help.

Using tool presets
Tool presets let you save and reuse tool settings. You can load, edit, and create libraries of tool presets using the Tool
Preset picker in the options bar, the Tool Presets palette, and the Preset Manager.
To choose a tool preset, click the Tool Preset picker in the options bar, and select a preset from the pop-up palette.
You can also choose Window > Tool Presets and select a preset in the Tools Presets palette.
A

Viewing the Tool Preset picker
A. Click the Tool Preset picker in the options bar to show the Tool Preset pop-up palette. B. Select a preset to change the tool’s options to the
preset, which applies each time you select the tool until you choose Reset Tool from the palette menu. C. Deselect to show all tool presets; select
to show presets for only the tool selected in the toolbox.

To create a tool preset

1 Choose a tool, and set the options you want to save as a tool preset in the options bar.

2 Do one of the following:

• Click the Tool Preset button next to the tool at the left of the options bar.
• Choose Window > Tool Presets to display the Tool Presets palette.

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3 Do one of the following:
• Click the Create New Tool Preset button

• Choose New Tool Preset from the palette menu.
4 Enter a name for the tool preset, and click OK.

To change the list of tool presets
❖ Click the triangle to open the Tool Presets pop-up palette menu and choose one of the following:

Show All Tool Presets Shows all loaded presets.
Sort By Tool Sorts the presets by tool.
Show Current Tool Presets Shows only the loaded presets for the active tool. You can also select the Current Tool

Only option in the Tool Presets pop-up palette.
Text Only, Small Text, or Large Text Determines how presets are displayed in the pop-up palette.

Note: To create, load, and manage libraries of tool presets, see “About pop-up palettes” on page 38 and “About the Preset
Manager” on page 67.

Working with files
To close windows
❖ Do one of the following:

• Choose File > Close to close the active window.
• (Photoshop) Choose File > Close All to close all windows.
• (ImageReady and Windows) Choose Window > Arrange > Close All to close all windows.

To duplicate an image in Photoshop
You can duplicate an entire image (including all layers, layer masks, and channels) into available memory without

saving to disk.

1 Open the image you want to duplicate.

2 Choose Image > Duplicate.

3 Enter a name for the duplicated image.

4 If you want to duplicate the image and merge the layers, select Duplicate Merged Layers Only. To preserve the

layers, make sure this option is deselected.

5 Click OK.

To duplicate an image in Photoshop and automatically append the word “copy” to its file name, hold down Alt
(Windows) or Option (Mac OS) when you choose Image > Duplicate.

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To duplicate an image in ImageReady
Using duplicates in ImageReady lets you experiment and then compare several versions of the optimized image to the
original.
1 Open the image you want to duplicate.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select the Original tab at the top of the image window.

• Select the Optimized tab at the top of the image window.

3 Do one of the following:

• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag the Original or Optimized tab from the image window.

• Choose Image > Duplicate.

4 Name the duplicate, specify whether to flatten the layers, and click OK.

Note: When you duplicate an image in Optimized, 2-Up, or 4-Up view, the duplicate image appears in the Original view
in the duplicate image window. If you want a duplicate optimized image to appear in the Optimized, 2-Up, or 4-Up view,
duplicate the original image, and then select the Optimized, 2-Up, or 4-Up tab in the duplicate image window.

To close a file

1 Choose File > Close or File > Close All (Photoshop).

2 Choose whether or not to save the file:

• Click Yes (Windows) or Save (Mac OS) to save the file.
• Click No (Windows) or Don’t Save (Mac OS) to close the file without saving it.

To quit Photoshop or ImageReady
1 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) Choose File > Exit.
• (Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > Quit or ImageReady > Quit.
2 Choose whether or not to save any open files:
• Click Yes (Windows) or Save (Mac OS) to save a file.
• Click No (Windows) or Don’t Save (Mac OS) to close a file without saving it.

Viewing images
To change the screen mode
You can use the screen mode options to view your images on your entire screen. You can show or hide the menu bar,
title bar, and scroll bars. You can choose from the following:
• The Standard screen mode is the default view, with menu bars, scroll bars, and other screen elements visible.
• Full Screen With Menu Bar view enlarges your view of an image but keeps the menu bar visible.
• (Photoshop) Full Screen mode lets you move the image around the screen to view different areas.

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(Photoshop) Dragging an image in Full Screen mode

❖ Do one of the following:

• To display the default window, with the menu bar at the top and scroll bars on the side, choose View > Screen

Mode > Standard, or click the Standard button

in the toolbox.

• To display a full-screen window with a menu bar and a 50% gray background, but no title bar or scroll bars, choose

View > Screen Mode > Full Screen With Menu Bar, or click the Full Screen With Menu Bar button
toolbox.

in the

• To display a full-screen window with only a black background (no title bar, menu bar, or scroll bars), choose

View > Screen Mode > Full Screen, or click the Full Screen button

in the toolbox.

To view another area of an image
❖ Do one of the following:

• Use the window scroll bars.
• Select the Hand tool and drag to pan over the image.

Dragging the Hand tool to view another area of an image

• Drag the colored box (proxy view area) in the Navigator palette.

To use the Hand tool while another tool is selected, hold down the spacebar as you drag in the image.

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To use the Navigator palette
You use the Navigator palette to quickly change the view of your artwork using a thumbnail display. The colored box
in the Navigator (called the proxy view area) corresponds to the currently viewable area in the window.
❖ Do one or more of the following:

• To display the Navigator palette, select Window > Navigator.
• To change the magnification, type a value in the text box, click the Zoom Out or Zoom In button, or drag the zoom

slider.
• To move the view of an image, drag the proxy view area in the image thumbnail. You can also click the image

thumbnail to designate the viewable area.
• To change the color of the proxy view area, select Palette Options from the palette menu. Select a preset color from

the Color pop-up menu, or double-click the color box to choose a custom color.
A
B
C

Navigator palette
A. Palette menu button B. Thumbnail display of artwork
slider G. Zoom In button

C. Proxy preview area

D. Zoom text box

E. Zoom Out button

F. Zoom

To zoom in or out
❖ Do any of the following:

• (Photoshop) Select the Zoom tool

, and click either the Zoom In
bar. Click the area you want to magnify.

or Zoom Out button

in the options

• Select the Zoom tool. The pointer becomes a magnifying glass with a plus sign in its center. Click the center of the

area that you want to magnify, or hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click the center of the area
that you want to reduce. Each click magnifies or reduces the view to the previous preset percentage.
Note: When you use the Zoom or Zoom Out tool, each click magnifies or reduces the image to the next preset percentage
and centers the display around the point you click. When the image has reached its maximum magnification level of
1600% or minimum size of 1 pixel, the magnifying glass appears empty.
• Select the Zoom tool and drag a dotted rectangle, called a marquee, around the area you want to magnify. To move

the marquee around the artwork, hold down the spacebar and continue dragging until the marquee is in the
desired location.
• Choose View > Zoom In or View > Zoom Out. When the image reaches its maximum or minimum magnification,

the command is dimmed.
• Set the zoom level at the lower left corner of the document window or in the Navigator palette (Photoshop).
• To display a file at 100%, choose View > Actual Pixels (Photoshop) or View > Actual Size (ImageReady).
• To change the view to fit the document window, choose View > Fit In Window.

(Photoshop) If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can use it to zoom in or out after selecting the Zoom tool. Choose
Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > General (Mac OS) and select the Zoom With
Scroll Wheel option to enable this behavior.

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To magnify by dragging

1 Select the Zoom tool.

2 Drag over the part of the image that you want to magnify.

Dragging the Zoom tool to magnify the view of an image

The area inside the zoom marquee is displayed at the highest possible magnification. To move the marquee around
the artwork in Photoshop, begin dragging a marquee and then hold down the spacebar while dragging.

To display an image at 100%
❖ Do one of the following:

• Double-click the Zoom tool in the toolbox.
• Choose View > Actual Pixels (Photoshop) or View > Actual Size (ImageReady).
• Enter 100% in the Status Bar and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

Note: The 100% view of an image displays an image as it will appear in a browser (based on the monitor resolution and
the image resolution).

To fit an image to the screen
❖ Do one of the following:

• Double-click the Hand tool in the toolbox.
• Choose View > Fit On Screen.
• Select a zoom tool or the Hand tool, and click the Fit On Screen button in the options bar.

These options scale both the zoom level and the window size to fit the available screen space.

To automatically resize the window when zooming
❖ With the Zoom tool active, select Resize Windows To Fit in the options bar. The window is resized when you

magnify or reduce the view of the image.
When Resize Windows To Fit is deselected (the default), the window maintains a constant size regardless of the
image magnification. This can be helpful when using smaller monitors or working with tiled views.
Note: To automatically resize the window when using keyboard shortcuts to reduce or magnify an image view, choose
Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > General (Mac OS), then select the Zoom Resizes
Windows preference and click OK.

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To view images in multiple windows
The document window is where your images appear. You can open multiple windows to display different images or
different views of the same one. A list of open windows appears in the Window menu. To bring an open image to the
front, choose the file name from the bottom of the Window menu. Available memory may limit the number of
windows per image.
(ImageReady) The document window lets you switch easily between original and optimized views of an image using
tabs, and to view the original image and multiple versions of an optimized image simultaneously.
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Window > Arrange > New Window For [Image File Name].
• (ImageReady) Drag any tab away from the document window.

2 If you want to arrange the windows, choose Window > Arrange and then choose one of the following:

Cascade Displays windows stacked and cascading from the upper left to the lower right of the screen.

Tile Horizontally or Tile Vertically Displays windows edge to edge. As you close images, the open windows are

resized to fill the available space.
(Windows) Arrange Icons Aligns minimized image windows along the bottom of the screen.

(Photoshop) You can use the Hand tool’s Scroll All Windows option to scroll through all open images. Select it in the
options bar and drag in one image to scroll through all visible images.

To zoom into or out of multiple images

1 Open one or more images, or copies of a single image.

2 Choose Window > Arrange > Tile Horizontally/Tile Vertically to display the images edge to edge.

3 Select the Zoom tool, and then do one of the following:

• Select Zoom All Windows in the options bar, and then click one of the images. The other images zoom in or out

at the same time.
• Choose Window > Arrange > Match Zoom. Hold down the Shift key and click one of the images. The other images

zoom in or out at the same magnification.

To match locations in images

1 Open one or more images, or multiple copies of a single image.

2 Choose either Window > Arrange > Tile Horizontally/Tile Vertically to display the images edge to edge.

3 Select the Hand tool, and then do one of the following:

• Select Scroll All Windows in the options bar, and then drag to view another area in one of the images.
• Choose Window > Arrange > Match Location, hold down the Shift key, and click or drag an area in one of the

images. The other images snap to the corresponding area.

To match zoom and locations in images

1 Open one or more images, or multiple copies of a single image.

2 Choose Window > Arrange > Tile.

3 Choose Window > Arrange > Match Zoom And Location.

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Without Match Zoom And Location (top), and with Match Zoom And Location (bottom) selected

4 Select the Zoom tool or the Hand tool.
5 Select one of the images, hold down the Shift key, and click in or drag an area of an image. The other images are
magnified to the same percentage and snap to the area you clicked.

About the Info palette
The Info palette shows the color values beneath the pointer and, depending on the tool in use, gives other useful
information. In Photoshop, the Info palette also displays a hint on using the selected tool, gives document status
information, and can display 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit values.
(Photoshop) The Info palette displays the following information:
• Depending on the option you specify, the Info palette displays 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit values.
• When displaying CMYK values, the Info palette displays an exclamation point next to the CMYK values if the

color beneath the pointer or color sampler is out of the printable CMYK color gamut.
• When a marquee tool is being used, the Info palette displays the x and y coordinates of the pointer position and

the width (W) and height (H) of the marquee as you drag.
• When the Crop tool or Zoom tool is being used, the Info palette displays the width (W) and height (H) of the

marquee as you drag. The palette also shows the angle of rotation of the crop marquee.
• When the Line tool, the Pen tool, or Gradient tool is being used, or when a selection is being moved, the Info

palette displays the x and y coordinates of your starting position, the change in X (DX), the change in Y (DY), the
angle (A), and the distance (D) as you drag.
• When a two-dimensional transformation command is being used, the Info palette displays the percentage change

in width (W) and height (H), the angle of rotation (A), and the angle of horizontal skew (H) or vertical skew (V).
• When any color adjustment dialog box (for example, Curves) is being used, the Info palette displays before-and-

after color values for the pixels beneath the pointer and beneath color samplers.
• If the Show Tool Hints option is enabled, you see hints for using the tool selected in the toolbox.
• Depending on the options selected, the Info palette displays status information, such as document size, document

profile, document dimensions, scratch sizes, efficiency, timing, and current tool.
(ImageReady) The Info palette displays the following information:
• The RGB numeric values of the color beneath the pointer

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• The Opacity value of the pixels beneath the pointer
• The hexadecimal value of the color beneath the pointer
• The position, in the indexed color table, of the color beneath the pointer
• The x and y coordinates of the pointer
• The x and y coordinates of your starting position (before you click the image) and your ending position (as you

drag in the image) when you use the Marquee tool, the shape tools, the Crop tool, and the Slice tool
• The width (W) and height (H) of the selection as you drag when you use the Crop tool, the shape tools, the Slice

tool, or the Zoom tool
• The percentage change in width (W) and height (H), the angle of rotation (A), and the angle of horizontal skew

(H) or vertical skew (V) when you use a Transform or Free Transform command

See also
“Viewing the color values of pixels” on page 279

To use the Info palette
The Info palette displays file information about an image and also provides feedback about the color values as you
move a tool pointer over an image. Make sure the Info palette is visible in your work area if you want to view infor
mation while dragging in the image.
1 (Optional) Do one of the following if you need to display the Info palette:
• Click the Info palette tab if it’s docked with other palettes.
• Choose Window > Info. File information about the image is displayed at the bottom of the Info palette. You can

change the information displayed by clicking the triangle in the upper right corner of the palette and choosing
Palette Options from the palette menu.
2 (Optional, Photoshop) Set the options for the information you want displayed in the Info Palette by doing any of
the following:
• Choose Palette Options from the Info palette menu and specify options in the Info Palette Options dialog box.
• Click an eyedropper icon and choose display options from the pop-up menu. You can also use the pop-up menu

to specify whether the Info palette displays 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit values.
• Click the cursor coordinates icon

and choose a unit of measurement.

3 Select a tool.

4 Move the pointer in the image, or drag in the image to use the tool. The following information may appear,

depending on which tool you’re using:

Displays the numeric values for the color beneath the pointer.
Displays the x and y coordinates of the pointer.
Displays the width (W) and height (H) of a marquee or shape as you drag, or the width and height of an active
selection.

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To change the Info palette options

1 Click the triangle in the upper right corner to open the Info palette menu and choose Palette Options.

2 In the Info Palette Options dialog box, for First Color Readout, choose one of the following display options:

Actual Color Displays values in the current color mode of the image.

Proof Color Displays values for the output color space of the image.

A color mode Displays the color values in that color mode.

Total Ink Displays the total percentage of all CMYK ink at the pointer’s current location, based on the values set in

the CMYK Setup dialog box.

Opacity Displays the opacity of the current layer. This option does not apply to the background.

You can also set the readout options by clicking the eyedropper icon in the Info palette. In addition to the First Color
Readout options, you can also display 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit values.
3 For Second Color Readout, choose a display option from the list in step 2. For the second readout, you can also
click the eyedropper icon in the Info palette and choose readout options from the pop-up menu.

Clicking an eyedropper icon and choosing a readout mode from the pop-up menu

4 For Ruler Units, choose a unit of measurement.

5 Under Status information, select from the following to display file information in the Info palette:

Document Sizes Displays information on the amount of data in the image. The number on the left represents the

printing size of the image—approximately the size of the saved, flattened file in Adobe Photoshop format. The

number on the right indicates the file’s approximate size including layers and channels.

Document Profile Displays the name of the color profile used by the image.

Document Dimensions Displays the dimensions of the image.

Scratch Sizes Displays information on the amount of RAM and the scratch disk used to process the image. The

number on the left represents the amount of memory that is currently being used by the program to display all open

images. The number on the right represents the total amount of RAM available for processing images.

Efficiency Displays the percentage of time spent performing an operation instead of reading or writing to the

scratch disk. If the value is below 100%, Photoshop is using the scratch disk and is therefore operating more slowly.

Timing Displays the amount of time it took to complete the last operation.

Current Tool Displays the name of the active tool.

6 (Optional) Select Show Tool Hints to display a hint for using a selected tool at the bottom of the Info palette.

7 Click OK.

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To change measurement units, click the cross-hair icon in the Info palette and choose from the menu.

Rulers, the grid, and guides
About rulers
Rulers help you position images or elements precisely. When visible, rulers appear along the top and left side of the
active window. Markers in the ruler display the pointer’s position when you move it. Changing the ruler origin (the
(0, 0) mark on the top and left rulers) lets you measure from a specific point on the image. The ruler origin also deter
mines the grid’s point of origin.
To show or hide rulers, choose View > Rulers.

To change a ruler’s zero origin
1 (Optional) Choose View > Snap To, then choose any combination of options from the submenu. This snaps the
ruler origin to guides, slices, or document bounds. In Photoshop, you can also snap to the grid.
2 Position the pointer over the intersection of the rulers in the upper left corner of the window, and drag diagonally
down onto the image. A set of cross hairs appears, marking the new origin on the rulers.

In Photoshop, you can hold down Shift as you drag to make the ruler origin snap to the ruler ticks.
To reset a ruler’s origin to its default value, double-click the upper left corner of the ruler.

Dragging to create new ruler origin

See also
“To use snapping” on page 62

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To change the unit of measurement
1 Do one of the following:
• Double-click a ruler.
• (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Rulers, or right-click the ruler and then choose a new unit from

the context menu.
• (Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > Preferences > Units & Rulers, or Control-click the ruler and then choose a new

unit from the context menu.
2 For Rulers, choose a unit of measurement.

Note: Changing the units on the Info palette automatically changes the units on the rulers.
3 For Point/Pica Size, choose from the following options:

PostScript (72 points per inch) Sets a unit size compatible for printing to a PostScript device.

Traditional Uses 72.27 points per inch, as traditionally used in printing.
4 Click OK.

To specify columns for an image
Columns help you position images or elements precisely. The New, Image Size, and Canvas Size commands let you
specify image width in terms of columns. Using columns is convenient when you plan to import an image into a
page-layout program, such as Adobe InDesign®, and you want the image to fit exactly within a certain number of
columns.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Rulers (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > Units & Rulers (Mac OS).
2 Enter values for Width and Gutter.

About the Measure tool
The Measure tool
helps you position images or elements precisely. The Measure tool calculates the distance
between any two points in the work area. When you measure from one point to another, a nonprinting line is drawn,
and the options bar and Info palette show the following information:
• The starting location (X and Y)
• The horizontal (W) and vertical (H) distances traveled from the x and y axes
• The angle measured relative to the axis (A)
• The total distance traveled (D1)
• The two distances traveled (D1 and D2), when you use a protractor

All measurements except the angle are calculated in the unit of measure currently set in the Units & Rulers preference
dialog box.
If your document has an existing measuring line, selecting the Measure tool causes it to be displayed.

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To measure between two points
1 Select the Measure tool

2 Drag from the starting point to the ending point. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to 45˚ increments.
3 To create a protractor from an existing measuring line, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) at an angle
from one end of the measuring line, or double-click the line and drag. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool
to multiples of 45˚.

To edit a measuring line or protractor
1 Select the Measure tool

2 Do one of the following:
• To resize the line, drag one end of an existing measuring line.
• To move the line, place the pointer on the line away from either endpoint, and drag the line.
• To remove the line, place the pointer on the line away from either endpoint, and drag the line out of the image.

Note: You can drag out a measure line on an image feature that should be horizontal or vertical, and then choose
Image > Rotate Canvas > Arbitrary. The correct angle of rotation required to straighten the image is automatically
entered into the Rotate Canvas dialog box.

About guides and the grid
Guides and the grid help you position images or elements precisely. Guides appear as nonprinting lines that float over
the image. You can move and remove guides.You can also lock them so that you don’t move them by accident.
The grid is useful for laying out elements symmetrically. The grid appears by default as nonprinting lines but can also
be displayed as dots.
Guides and grids behave in similar ways:
• Selections, selection borders, and tools snap to a guide or the grid when dragged within 8 screen (not image)

pixels. Guides also snap to the grid when moved. You can turn this feature on and off.
• Guide spacing, along with guide and grid visibility and snapping, is specific to an image.
• Grid spacing, along with guide and grid color and style, is the same for all images.

You can use Smart Guides to help align shapes, slices, and selections. They appear automatically when you draw a
shape, or create a selection or slide. You can hide Smart Guides if you need to.

Smart guides appear automatically to help you align shapes, slices, and selections.

Note: In ImageReady, you can create slices from guides.

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See also
“To create slices from guides” on page 573

To show or hide a grid, guides, or smart guides
❖ Do one of the following:

• (Photoshop) Choose View > Show > Grid.
• Choose View > Show > Guides.
• View > Show > Smart Guides.
• Choose View > Extras. In Photoshop, this command also shows or hides layer edges, selection edges, target paths,

slices, and annotations, and, in ImageReady, selection edges, slices, auto slices, image maps, text bounds, and text
selections.

To place a guide
1 If the rulers are not visible, choose View > Rulers.

Note: For the most accurate readings, view the image at 100% magnification or use the Info palette.
2 Do one of the following to create a guide:
• (Photoshop) Choose View > New Guide. In the dialog box, select Horizontal or Vertical orientation, enter a

position, and click OK.
• (ImageReady) Choose View > Create Guides. In the dialog box, specify guide options and click OK.
• Drag from the horizontal ruler to create a horizontal guide.

Dragging to create a horizontal guide

• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag from the vertical ruler to create a horizontal guide.
• Drag from the vertical ruler to create a vertical guide.
• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag from the horizontal ruler to create a vertical guide.
• (Photoshop) Hold down Shift and drag from the horizontal or vertical ruler to create a guide that snaps to the ruler

ticks. The pointer changes to a double-headed arrow when you drag a guide.
3 (Optional) If you want to lock all guides, choose View > Lock Guides.

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To move a guide
1 Select the Move tool
, or hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) to activate the Move tool. (This

option does not work with the Hand tool or the Slice tool

2 Position the pointer over the guide (the pointer turns into a double-headed arrow).

3 Move the guide in any of the following ways:

• Drag the guide to move it.
• Change the guide from horizontal to vertical, or vice versa, by holding down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS)

as you click or drag the guide.
• (Photoshop) Align the guide with the ruler ticks by holding down Shift as you drag the guide. The guide snaps to

the grid if the grid is visible and View > Snap To > Grid is selected.

To remove guides from the image
❖ Do one of the following:

• To remove a single guide, drag the guide outside the image window.
• To remove all guides, choose View > Clear Guides.

To set guide and grid preferences
1 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences > Guides, Grid, & Slices.
• (Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > Preferences > Guides, Grid, & Slices.
2 For Color, choose a color for the guides, the grid, or both. If you choose Custom, click the color box, choose a

color, and click OK.

3 For Style, choose a display option for guides or the grid, or both.

4 For Gridline Every, enter a value for the grid spacing. For Subdivisions, enter a value by which to subdivide the

grid.

If desired, change the units for this option. The Percent option creates a grid that divides the image into even sections.

For example, choosing 25 for the Percent option creates an evenly divided 4-by-4 grid.

5 Click OK.

See also
“About the Color palette” on page 505

To use snapping
Snapping helps with precise placement of selection edges, cropping marquees, slices, shapes, and paths. However,
sometimes snapping prevents you from correctly placing elements. You can enable or disable snapping using the
Snap command. You can also specify different elements to which you want to snap when snapping is enabled.
❖ Choose View > Snap. A check mark indicates that snapping is enabled.

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To specify what to snap to
❖ Choose View > Snap To, and choose one or more options from the submenu:

Guides Snaps to guides.
Grid Snaps to the grid. You cannot select this option when the grid is hidden.
Slices Snaps to slice boundaries. You cannot select this option when slices are hidden.
Document Bounds Snaps to the edges of the document.
All Selects all Snap To options.
None Deselects all Snap To options.

A check mark indicates that the option is selected and snapping is enabled.
If you want to enable snapping for only one option, make sure the Snap command is disabled, and then choose
View > Snap To and choose an option. This automatically enables snapping for the selected option, and deselects all
other Snap To options.

To show or hide Extras
Guides, grid, target paths, selection edges, slices, image maps, text bounds, text baselines, text selections, and annota
tions are nonprinting Extras that help you select, move, or edit images and objects. You can turn on or off an Extra
or any combination of Extras without affecting the image. You can also show or hide Extras by choosing the Extras
command in the View menu.
Hiding Extras only suppresses the display of Extras. It does not turn off these options.
❖ Do one of the following:

• To show or hide Extras, choose View > Extras. A check mark appears next to all shown Extras in the Show

submenu.
• To turn on and show an Extra from a group of hidden Extras, choose View > Show and choose an Extra from the

submenu.
• To turn on and show all available Extras, choose View > Show > All.
• To turn off and hide all Extras, choose View > Show > None.

Note: Showing Extras causes color samplers to be shown as well, even though color samplers are not an option in the
Show submenu.

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Customizing the work area
To manage workspaces
You can customize the palette locations in a workspace. You can save custom workspaces and switch between them.
In Photoshop, you can also customize menu items and keyboard shortcuts. In ImageReady, preset workspaces are
available for certain tasks.
❖ Choose Window > Workspace, and do one of the following:

• To switch to a workspace, choose a workspace from the submenu.

(Photoshop) Assign keyboard shortcuts to each workspace to navigate among them quickly.
• (ImageReady) To switch to a factory-preset workspace for authoring interactive images or optimizing images for

the web, choose Interactivity Palette Locations or Optimization Palette Locations.
• To delete a custom workspace, choose Delete Workspace, select the workspace you want to delete, and click Delete.
• (Photoshop) To reset palettes, shortcuts, and menus to their default positions or states, choose Default Workspace.
• To reset palettes to their default positions, choose Reset Palette Locations (Photoshop) or Default Palette Locations

(ImageReady).
• (Photoshop) To reset menus to Photoshop defaults, choose Reset Menus.
• (Photoshop) To reset keyboard shortcuts to Photoshop defaults, choose Reset Keyboard Shortcuts.

See also
“About customizing keyboard shortcuts” on page 754
“To arrange palettes into a custom workspace” on page 64
“To define a set of menus” on page 65
“To use palettes” on page 35

To change the font size in the work area
You can change the size of the small font text that appears in the options bar, palettes, and tool tips.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > General (Mac OS).
2 Choose a size from the UI Font Size menu and click OK. The change takes effect the next time you start
Photoshop.

To arrange palettes into a custom workspace
If you save the current palette locations, keyboard shortcut set, and menu set as a workspace, you can return to it
even if you move or close a palette, or change to a different set of keyboard shortcuts or menus. In ImageReady, you
can save the current palette locations.
1 With the workspace in the configuration you want to save, choose Window > Workspace > Save Workspace.
2 Enter a name for the workspace.

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3 (Photoshop) Under Capture, select one or more options:
Palette Locations Saves the current palette locations.
Keyboard Shortcuts Saves the current set of keyboard shortcuts.
Menus Saves the current set of menus.
4 Click OK.

See also
“About customizing keyboard shortcuts” on page 754
“To define a set of menus” on page 65
“To use palettes” on page 35

To start with the last or default palette locations
Selecting the Save Palette Locations preference causes Photoshop or ImageReady to display palettes in their last
locations upon startup. If you deselect this preference, Photoshop or ImageReady displays the palettes in their default
locations upon startup.
❖ Do one of the following:

• (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences > General, and then select/deselect Save Palette Locations.
• (Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > Preferences > General or choose ImageReady > Preferences > General, and then

select/deselect Save Palette Locations.
The change takes effect the next time you start the application.

To define a set of menus
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Menus.

• Choose Window > Workspace > Keyboard Shortcuts & Menus and click the Menus tab.

2 In the Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus dialog box, choose a set of menus from the Set menu (Photoshop Defaults

is the only option until you create a new set). For information on customizing keyboard shortcuts, see “About

customizing keyboard shortcuts” on page 754.

3 Choose a type from the Menu For menu:

Application Menus Lets you show, hide, or add color to items in the application menus.

Palette Menus Lets you show, hide, or add color to items in palette menus.
4 Click the triangle next to a menu or palette name.
5 Do one of the following:
• To hide a menu item, click the Visibility button

• To show a menu item, click the empty Visibility button.
• To add color to a menu item, click the color swatch and choose a color.

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6 When you finish changing the menus, do one of the following:
• To save all changes to the current set of menus, click the Save Set button

. Changes to a custom set are saved. If
you’re saving changes to the Photoshop Defaults set, the Save dialog box opens. Enter a name for the new set and
click Save.

• To create a new set based on the current set of menus, click the Save Set As button

Note: If you haven’t saved the current set of changes, you can click Cancel to discard all changes and close the dialog box.
7 In the Save dialog box, enter a name for the set and click Save.

Choosing a color for a menu item using the Keyboard Shortcuts & Menus dialog box

To delete a set of menus
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Menus.
• Choose Window > Workspace > Keyboard Shortcuts & Menus and click the Menu tab.
2 In the Keyboard Shortcuts & Menus dialog box, choose a set of menus from the Set menu.
3 Click the Delete Set icon

To temporarily show hidden menu items
It’s possible to temporarily show items that you’ve hidden in a menu. After the menu closes, the items return to their
hidden state.
❖ Do one of the following:

• From a menu with hidden items, choose Show All Menu Items.
• Shift-click a menu with hidden items.

To turn menu colors on or off

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

2 Select or deselect Show Menu Colors.

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About the Preset Manager
The Preset Manager lets you manage the libraries of preset brushes, swatches, gradients, styles, patterns, contours,

custom shapes, and preset tools that come with Photoshop. For example, you can use the Preset Manager to change

the current set of preset items or create new libraries. After you load a library in the Preset Manager, you can access

the library’s items in locations such as the options bar, palettes, dialog boxes, and so on.

In general, when you change a preset, Photoshop prompts you to save the changes as a new preset so that both the

original and changed preset remain available.

Each type of library has its own file extension and default folder. Preset files are installed on your computer inside

the Presets folder in the Adobe Photoshop CS2 application folder.

To open the Preset Manager, choose Edit > Preset Manager. Choose an option from the Preset Type menu to switch

to a specific preset type.

You can adjust the configuration of presets by clicking the palette menu button and choosing a display mode from

the top section of the menu:

Text Only Displays the name of each preset item.

Small Thumbnail or Large Thumbnail Displays a thumbnail of each preset item.

Small List or Large List Displays the name and thumbnail of each preset item.

Stroke Thumbnail Displays a sample brush stroke and brush thumbnail of each brush preset. (This option is

available for brush presets only.)

To rearrange the list of items, drag an item up or down in the list.

Rearranging tool presets in the Preset Manager

Note: To delete a preset in the Preset Manager, select the preset and click Delete. You can always use the Reset command
to restore the default items in a library.

To load a library of preset items
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click the triangle to the right of the Preset Type pop-up menu and then choose a library file from the bottom of

the palette menu. Click OK to replace the current list, or click Append to add the current list.
• To add a library to the current list, click Load, select the library file you want to add, and click Load.
• To replace the current list with a different library, choose Replace [Preset Type] from the palette menu. Select the

library file you want to use, and click Load.
Note: Each type of library has its own file extension and default folder in the Presets folder in the Photoshop program
folder.

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To rename preset items

1 Select a preset item. Shift-click to select multiple items.

2 Do one of the following:

• Click Rename, and then enter a new name for the brush, swatch, and so on.
• If the Preset Manager currently displays presets as thumbnails, double-click a preset, enter a new name, and

click OK.
• If the Preset Manager currently displays presets as a list or text only, double-click a preset, enter a new name inline,

and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

To delete preset items
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select a preset item, and click Delete.
• Alt-click (Windows) or Options-click (Mac OS) the items you want to delete.

To create a new library of presets
1 Do one of the following:
• To save all the presets in the list as a library, make sure that no items are selected.
• To save a subset of the current list as a library, hold down Shift, and select the items you want to save.
2 Click Save Set, choose a location for the library, enter a file name, and click Save.

You can save the library anywhere. However, if you place the library file in the appropriate Presets folder inside the
Photoshop program folder, the library name will appear at the bottom of the palette menu after you restart
Photoshop.

To restore the default library of preset items
❖ Choose Reset from the palette menu. You can either replace the current list or append the default library to the

current list.

Preferences
About preferences
Numerous program settings are stored in the Adobe Photoshop CS Prefs file, including general display options, file
saving options, cursor options, transparency options, and options for plug-ins and scratch disks. Most of these
options are set in the Preferences dialog box. Preference settings are saved each time you quit the application.
Unexpected behavior may indicate damaged preferences. If you suspect damage to preferences, restore preferences
to their default settings.

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To open a preferences dialog box
1 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences and choose the desired preference set from the submenu.
• (Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > Preferences or choose ImageReady > Preferences, and then choose the desired

preference set from the submenu.
2 To switch to a different preference set, do one of the following:
• Choose the preference set from the menu at the top of the dialog box.
• Click Next to display the next preference set in the menu list; click Prev to display the previous preference set.

For information on a specific preference option, see the index.

To restore all preferences to default settings
❖ Do one of the following:

• Press and hold Alt+Control+Shift (Windows) or Option+Command+Shift (Mac OS) as you start Photoshop or

ImageReady. You are prompted to delete the current settings.
• (Mac OS only) Open the Preferences folder in the Library folder, and drag the Adobe Photoshop CS Settings folder

to the Trash.
New Preferences files are created the next time you start Photoshop or ImageReady.

To disable and enable warning messages
Sometimes you will see messages containing warnings or prompts. You can suppress the display of these messages
by selecting the Don’t Show Again option in the message. You can also globally redisplay all messages that have been
suppressed.
1 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences > General.
• (Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > Preferences > General or choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.
2 Click Reset All Warning Dialogs, and click OK.

About plug-in modules
Plug-in modules are software programs developed by Adobe Systems and by other software developers in
conjunction with Adobe Systems to add features to Photoshop and ImageReady. A number of importing, exporting,
and special-effects plug-ins come with your program. They are automatically installed in folders inside the
Photoshop Plug-ins folder.
You can select an additional Plug-ins folder for compatible plug-ins stored with another application. You can also
create a shortcut (Windows) or an alias (Mac OS) for a plug-in stored in another folder on your system. You can then
add the shortcut or alias to the plug-ins folder and use that plug-in with Photoshop and ImageReady.
Once installed, plug-in modules appear as options in the Import or Export menu; as file formats in the Open, Save
As, and Export Original (ImageReady) dialog boxes; or as filters in the Filter submenus. Photoshop and ImageReady
can accommodate a large number of plug-ins. However, if the list of installed plug-in modules becomes too long,
Photoshop or ImageReady may not be able to display all the plug-ins in their appropriate menus. If so, newly installed
plug-ins appear in the Filter > Other submenu.

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To install a plug-in module
In Mac OS, you cannot run Photoshop in the Classic environment. Plug-ins originally intended to work on Mac OS 9
won’t appear.
❖ Do one of the following:

• To install an Adobe Systems plug-in module, use the plug-in installer, if provided. You can also (Windows) install

copy the module into the appropriate Plug-ins folder in the Photoshop program folder, or (Mac OS) drag a copy
of the module to the appropriate Plug-ins folder in the Photoshop program folder. Make sure that the files are
uncompressed.
• To install a third-party plug-in module, follow the installation instructions that came with the plug-in module. If

you cannot run a third-party plug-in, it may require a legacy Photoshop serial number.
Note: If you want to use a plug-in only in Photoshop or only in ImageReady, or when a plug-in is compatible with only
one of the applications, you can install the plug-in inside the Plug-ins folder in either the Adobe Photoshop Only folder
or the Adobe ImageReady Only folder.

To specify a legacy serial number
1 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-ins & Scratch Disk.

• (Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > Preferences > Plug-ins & Scratch Disk.

2 Enter the serial number from Photoshop CS or earlier in the Legacy Photoshop Serial Number text box.

To select an additional plug-ins folder
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-ins & Scratch Disk (Windows) or choose Photoshop >

Preferences > Plug-ins & Scratch Disk (Mac OS).
• (ImageReady) Choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-ins (Windows) or choose ImageReady > Preferences > Plug-ins

(Mac OS).
2 Select Additional Plug-ins Folder.

3 Click Choose, and select a folder or directory from the list. Make sure that you do not select a location inside the

Plug-ins folder. To display the contents of a folder, double-click the directory (Windows) or click Open (Mac OS).

4 When you have highlighted the additional plug-ins folder, click OK (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).
5 Restart Photoshop or ImageReady for the plug-ins to take effect.

To suppress the loading of plug-ins
❖ Add a tilde ~ character at the beginning of the plug-in name, folder, or directory. That file (or all files in the folder)

will be ignored by the application.

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To view information about installed plug-ins
❖ Do one of the following:

• (Windows) Choose Help > About Plug-in and choose a plug-in from the submenu.
• (Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > About Plug-in or choose ImageReady > About Plug-in, and then choose a plug-in

from the submenu.

Recovery and undo
To use the Undo or Redo commands
The Undo and Redo commands let you undo or redo operations. You can also use the History palette to undo or redo
operations.
❖ Choose Edit > Undo or Edit > Redo.

If an operation can’t be undone, the command is dimmed and changes to Can’t Undo.

You can set the Redo keystroke preference to be the same for Photoshop and ImageReady. In the General area of the
Preferences dialog box, select a preference for the Redo key. You can also set the key to toggle between Undo and Redo.

See also
“About the History palette” on page 72

To revert to the last saved version
❖ Choose File > Revert.

Note: Revert is added as a history state in the History palette and can be undone.

To restore part of an image to its previously saved version
❖ Do one of the following:

• Use the History Brush tool
• Use the Eraser tool

to paint with the selected state or snapshot on the History palette.

with the Erase To History option selected.

• Select the area you want to restore, and choose Edit > Fill. For Use, choose History, and click OK.

Note: To restore the image with a snapshot of the initial state of the document, choose History Options from the Palette
menu and make sure that the Automatically Create First Snapshot option is selected.

See also
“To use the Eraser tool” on page 490
“The Art History Brush tool” on page 472

To cancel an operation
❖ Hold down Esc until the operation in progress has stopped. In Mac OS, you can also press Command+period.

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To receive notification when an operation is completed
A progress bar indicates that an operation is being performed. You can interrupt the operation or have the program
notify you when it has finished the operation.
1 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) choose Edit > Preferences > General.
• (Mac OS) choose Photoshop > Preferences > General or choose ImageReady > Preferences General.
2 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Select Beep When Done.
• (ImageReady) Select Notify When Done. In Mac OS, you can then choose System Alert to be notified through

your system alert or Text To Speech to receive a spoken notification.
3 Click OK.

About the History palette
You can use the History palette to jump to any recent state of the image created during the current working session.
Each time you apply a change to an image, the new state of that image is added to the palette.
For example, if you select, paint, and rotate part of an image, each of those states is listed separately in the palette.
When you select one of the states, the image reverts to how it looked when that change was first applied. You can
then work from that state.
You can also use the History palette to delete image states and, in Photoshop, to create a document from a state or
snapshot.
To display the History palette, choose Window > History, or click the History palette tab.

A
B

C
D

Photoshop History palette
A. Sets the source for the history brush B. Thumbnail of a snapshot

C. History state

D. History state slider

Keep the following in mind when using the History palette:
• Program-wide changes, such as changes to palettes, color settings, actions, and preferences, are not reflected in the

History palette, because they are not changes to a particular image.
• By default, the History palette lists the previous 20 states (Photoshop), or 32 states (ImageReady). You can change

the number of remembered states by setting a preference. Older states are automatically deleted to free more
memory for Photoshop. To keep a particular state throughout your work session, make a snapshot of the state.
• Once you close and reopen the document, all states and snapshots from the last working session are cleared from

the palette.

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• By default, a snapshot of the initial state of the document is displayed at the top of the palette.
• States are added to the bottom of the list. That is, the oldest state is at the top of the list, the most recent one at the

bottom.
• Each state is listed with the name of the tool or command used to change the image.
• By default, when you select a state, the states below it are dimmed. This way you can easily see which changes will

be discarded if you continue working from the selected state.
• By default, selecting a state and then changing the image eliminates all states that come after it.
• If you select a state and then change the image, eliminating the states that came after, you can use the Undo

command to undo the last change and restore the eliminated states.
• By default, deleting a state deletes that state and those that came after it. If you choose the Allow Non-Linear

History option, deleting a state deletes only that state.

To revert to a previous image state
❖ Do any of the following:

• Click the name of the state.
• Drag the slider

at the left of the state up or down to a different state.

• (Photoshop) Choose Step Forward or Step Backward from the History palette menu or the Edit menu to move to

the next or previous state.

To delete one or more image states in Photoshop
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click the name of the state, and choose Delete from the History palette menu to delete that change and those that

came after it.
• Drag the state to the Delete icon

to delete that change and those that came after it.

• Choose Clear History from the palette menu to delete the list of states from the History palette, without changing

the image. This option doesn’t reduce the amount of memory used by Photoshop.
• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and choose Clear History from the palette menu to purge the list

of states without changing the image. If you get a message that Photoshop is low on memory, purging states is
useful, because the command deletes the states from the Undo buffer and frees up memory. You can’t undo the
Clear History command.
• Choose Edit > Purge > Histories to purge the list of states for all open documents. You can’t undo this action.

To delete all image states in ImageReady
❖ Choose Clear Undo/Redo History from the History palette menu.

Note: This action cannot be undone.

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To create or replace a document with an image state
❖ Do one of the following:

• Drag a state or snapshot onto the New Document button

. The history list for the newly created document will

be empty.
• Select a state or snapshot, and click the New Document button. The history list for the newly created document

will be empty.
• Select a state or snapshot, and choose New Document from the History palette menu. The history list for the newly

created document will be empty.
• Drag a state onto an existing document.

To save one or more snapshots or image states for use in a later editing session, create a new file for each state you
save, and save each in a separate file. When you reopen your original file, plan to open the other saved files also. You
can drag each file’s initial snapshot to the original image to access the snapshots again from the original image’s History
palette.

To set history options
You can specify the maximum number of items to include in the History palette and set other options to customize

the palette.

1 Choose History Options from the History palette menu.

2 Select an option:

Automatically Create First Snapshot Automatically creates a snapshot of the initial state of the image when the

document is opened.

Automatically Create New Snapshot When Saving Generates a snapshot every time you save.
Allow Non-Linear History Makes changes to a selected state without deleting the states that come after. Normally,
when you select a state and change the image, all states that come after the selected one are deleted. In this way, the
History palette can display a list of the editing steps in the order that they were made. By recording states in a
nonlinear way, you can select a state, make a change to the image, and delete just that state. The change is appended
at the end of the list.
Show New Snapshot Dialog By Default Forces Photoshop to prompt you for snapshot names even when you use

the buttons on the palette.

Making a snapshot of an image
The Snapshot command lets you make a temporary copy (or snapshot) of any state of the image. The new snapshot
is added to the list of snapshots at the top of the History palette. Selecting a snapshot lets you work from that version
of the image.
Snapshots are similar to the states listed in the History palette, but they offer additional advantages:
• You can name a snapshot to make it easy to identify.
• Snapshots can be stored for an entire work session.

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• You can compare effects easily. For example, you can take a snapshot before and after applying a filter. Then select

the first snapshot, and try the same filter with different settings. Switch between the snapshots to find the settings
you like best.
• With snapshots, you can recover your work easily. When you experiment with a complex technique or apply an

action, take a snapshot first. If you’re not satisfied with the results, you can select the snapshot to undo all the steps.
Note: Snapshots are not saved with the image—closing an image deletes its snapshots. Also, unless you select the Allow
Non-Linear History option, selecting a snapshot and changing the image deletes all of the states currently listed in the
History palette.

To create a snapshot
1 Select a state and do one of the following:
• To automatically create a snapshot, click the New Snapshot button

on the History palette, or if Automatically
Create New Snapshot When Saving is selected in the history options, choose New Snapshot from the History
palette menu.

• To set options when creating a snapshot, choose New Snapshot from the History palette menu, or Alt-click

(Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the New Snapshot button.
2 Enter the name of the Snapshot in the Name text box.
3 Choose the snapshot contents from the From menu:

Full Document Makes a snapshot of all layers in the image at that state

Merged Layers Makes a snapshot that merges all layers in the image at that state
Current Layer Makes a snapshot of only the currently selected layer at that state

To work with snapshots
❖ Do one of the following:

• To select a snapshot, click the name of the snapshot or drag the slider at the left of the snapshot up or down to a

different snapshot.
• To rename a snapshot, double-click the snapshot and enter a name.
• To delete a snapshot, select the snapshot and either choose Delete from the palette menu, click the Delete icon

or drag the snapshot to the Delete icon.

Painting with a state or snapshot of an image
The History Brush tool
lets you paint a copy of one image state or snapshot into the current image window. This
tool makes a copy, or sample, of the image and then paints with it.
For example, you might make a snapshot of a change you made with a painting tool or filter (with the Full Document
option selected when you create the snapshot). After undoing the change to the image, you could use the History
Brush tool to apply the change selectively to areas of the image. Unless you select a merged snapshot, the History
Brush tool paints from a layer in the selected state to the same layer in another state.
The History Brush tool copies from one state or snapshot to another, but only at the same location. In Photoshop,
you can also paint with the Art History Brush tool to create special effects.

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See also
“To use the Art History Brush tool” on page 472

To paint with a state or snapshot of an image
1 Select the History Brush tool

2 Do one of the following in the options bar:
• Specify the opacity and blending mode.
• Choose a brush and set brush options.
3 In the History palette, click the left column of the state or snapshot to be used as the source for the History Brush

tool.

4 Drag to paint with the History Brush tool.

See also
“About blending modes” on page 486
“To create a brush and set painting options” on page 475

About the Edit History Log
You may need to keep careful track of what’s been done to a file in Photoshop, either for your own records, client
records, or legal purposes. The Edit History Log helps you keep a textual history of changes made to an image. You
can view the Edit History Log metadata using Adobe Bridge or the File Info dialog box.
You can choose to export the text to an external log file, or you can store the information in the metadata of edited
files. Storing many editing operations as file metadata increases file size; such files may take longer than usual to open
and save.
If you need to prove that the log file hasn’t been tampered with, keep the edit log in the file’s metadata, and then use
Adobe Acrobat to digitally sign the log file.

See also
“To add metadata using the File Info dialog box” on page 98

To set Edit History Log options

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

2 Click the History Log preference to toggle from on to off or vice versa.

3 In the History Log Options pane, choose one of the following options:

Metadata Stores metadata for each image.

Text File Exports the text to an external file. You are prompted to name the log file and choose a location in which

to store it.

Both Stores metadata in the file and creates a text file.

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Note: If you want to save the text file in a different location or save another text file, click the Choose button, specify
where to save the text file, name the file if necessary, and click Save.
4 From the Edit Log Items menu, choose one of the following options:
Sessions Keeps a record of each time your start or quit Photoshop and each time you open and close files (each

image’s file name is included).
Concise Includes the text that appears in the history palette in addition to the Sessions information.
Detailed Includes the text that appears in the Actions palette in addition to the Concise information. Choose

Detailed if you need a complete history of all changes made to files.

Memory
Assigning scratch disks
When your system does not have enough RAM to perform an operation, Photoshop and ImageReady use a propri
etary virtual memory technology, also called scratch disks. A scratch disk is any drive or drive partition with free
memory. By default, Photoshop and ImageReady use the hard drive on which the operating system is installed as the
primary scratch disk.
In the Plug-ins & Scratch Disks preferences in Photoshop, you can change the primary scratch disk and designate a
second, third, or fourth scratch disk to be used when the primary disk is full. Your primary scratch disk should be
your fastest hard disk; make sure it has plenty of defragmented space available.
The following guidelines can help you assign scratch disks:
• For best performance, scratch disks should be on a different drive than any large files you are editing.
• Scratch disks should be on a different drive than the one used for virtual memory.
• Scratch disks should be on a local drive. That is, they should not be accessed over a network.
• Scratch disks should be conventional (nonremovable) media.
• RAID disks/disk arrays are good choices for dedicated scratch disk volumes.
• Drives with scratch disks should be defragmented regularly.

To change the scratch disk assignment

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-ins & Scratch Disks (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > Plug-ins &

Scratch Disks (Mac OS).

2 Choose the desired disks from the menus. You can assign up to four scratch disks of any size that your file system

supports.

3 Click OK.

4 Restart Photoshop for the change to take effect.

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To free memory
The Purge command lets you free memory used by the Undo command, the History palette, or the clipboard.
❖ Choose Edit > Purge, and choose the item type or buffer you want to clear. If it is already empty, the item type or

buffer is dimmed.
Note: The Purge command permanently clears from memory the operation stored by the command or buffer; Purge
cannot be undone. For example, choosing Edit > Purge > Histories deletes all history states from the History palette. Use
the Purge command when the amount of information in memory is so large that Photoshop’s performance is noticeably
affected.

Chapter 4: Adobe Bridge

The basics of Bridge
About Adobe Bridge
Adobe Bridge is the control center for Adobe Creative Suite. You use it to organize, browse, and locate the assets you
need to create content for print, the web, and mobile devices. Adobe Bridge keeps native PSD, AI, INDD, and Adobe
PDF files as well as other Adobe and non-Adobe application files available for easy access.You can drag assets into
your layouts as needed, preview them, and even add metadata to them. Bridge is available independently, as well as
from within Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe GoLive.
File browsing From Bridge you can view, search, sort, manage, and process image files. You can use Bridge to create

new folders; rename, move, and delete files; edit metadata; rotate images; and run batch commands. You can also
view information about files and data imported from your digital camera.
Version Cue If you have Adobe Creative Suite, you can use Bridge as a central location from which to use Adobe
Version Cue. From Bridge, you can browse all the files in a project in one place without having to start the native
application for each file, including non-Adobe application files. Also, you can create new Version Cue projects, delete
projects, create versions, save alternates, and set access privileges in Bridge. See “Working with Version Cue in
Bridge” on page 101.
Bridge Center If you have Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Bridge includes Bridge Center, the “dashboard” of Adobe
Creative Suite, where you can view news readers in your web browser, see your most recent activity, read about tips
and tricks for using Adobe products, save groups of files, and more. Adobe Creative Suite users can also use Bridge
to specify color management settings and access scripts that help automate your workflow. See “About Bridge Center”
on page 92.
Camera Raw If you have Adobe Photoshop installed, you can open and edit camera raw files from Bridge and save
them in a Photoshop-compatible format. You can edit the image settings directly in the Camera Raw dialog box
without starting Photoshop. If you don’t have Photoshop installed, you can still preview the camera raw files in
Bridge. See “To open files in Bridge” on page 87.
Stock Photos Click Adobe Stock Photos from the Favorites pane in Bridge to search leading stock libraries for
royalty-free images. You can download low-resolution, complementary versions of the images and try them out in
your projects before purchasing them. See “About Adobe Stock Photos” on page 103.
Color management You can use Bridge to synchronize color settings across applications. This synchronization
ensures that colors look the same no matter which Creative Suite application you view them in. See “To synchronize
color settings across Adobe applications” on page 254.

See also
“The Bridge work area” on page 79

The Bridge work area
These are the main components of the Adobe Bridge window:

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Bridge window in filmstrip view
A. The Look In menu B. The Metadata panel

C. The shortcuts buttons

D. The content area

The menu bar Contains commands specific to Bridge. In Windows®, the menu bar is at the top of the Bridge
window. In Mac OS®, the menu bar is located at the top of the screen.

The Look In menu Lists the folder hierarchy, as well as favorite and recent folders. This menu gives you a quick way

to find folders containing the items you want to display. The menu is at the top of the Bridge window.

The shortcut buttons Help you work efficiently with your files. They are located to the right of the Look In menu,

at the top of the Bridge window.

The Favorites panel Gives you quick access to folders as well as to Version Cue, Adobe Stock Photos, collections,

and Bridge Center (Adobe Creative Suite only). Like all panels, it’s located on the left side of the Bridge window.

The Folders panel Shows the folder hierarchy. Use it to navigate to the correct folder.
The Preview panel Displays a preview of the selected file, separate from and typically larger than the thumbnail

image displayed in the content area. You can reduce or enlarge the preview.

The Metadata panel Contains metadata information for the selected file. If multiple files are selected, shared data

(such as keywords, date created, and exposure setting) is listed.

The Keywords panel Helps you organize your images by attaching keywords to them.

The content area Displays thumbnail previews of the items in the current folder, along with information about

those items.

The bottom of the Bridge window displays status information and contains buttons for toggling the display of the

panels, a slider for setting the size of thumbnails, and buttons for specifying the type of display in the content area.

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See also
“To create and close Bridge windows” on page 81
“To use Bridge in Compact mode” on page 81

To start and quit Bridge, and to return to an application
Do any of the following:
• To open Bridge from an application, choose File > Browse from your application.
• (Windows) To open Bridge directly, choose Adobe Bridge from the Start menu.
• (Mac OS) To open Bridge directly, double-click the Adobe Bridge icon

. By default, this is located in the Appli-

cations/Adobe Bridge folder.
• To quit Bridge, choose File > Exit (Windows) or Bridge > Quit Bridge (Mac OS).
• To return to the last open application that started Bridge, choose File > Return To [Application].

See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79
“To manage files with Bridge” on page 88

To create and close Bridge windows
❖ Do one of the following:

• Choose File > New Window to create a full-size Bridge window.
• Choose File > Close Window. In Windows, this command quits Bridge as well.

See also
“The Bridge work area” on page 79
“To use Bridge in Compact mode” on page 81

To use Bridge in Compact mode
Switch to Compact mode when you want to shrink the Bridge window, hiding the panels and simplifying the content
area. A subset of common Bridge commands remains available from the pop-up menu at the top right of the window.

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By default, the Compact mode Bridge window floats on top of all windows. (In Full mode, the Bridge window can
move behind application windows.) This floating window is useful because it is always visible and usable as you work
in different applications. For instance, you might use Compact mode after you select the files you plan to use, and
then drag them into the application as you need them.
1 Click the Switch To Compact Mode button

2 Do any of the following:
• Choose commands from the menu at the top right of the Bridge window.
• Click the Switch To Ultra Compact Mode button

to hide the content area, further minimizing the Bridge
window. You can click the button again to return to Compact mode.

• Click the Switch To Full Mode button

to return to Full mode, displaying the content area and the panels, and
letting Bridge move behind the current application window.

See also
“The Bridge work area” on page 79

To adjust the Bridge window
You can adjust the Bridge window by moving and resizing the panels. For example, you can enlarge the Preview panel
to display bigger thumbnails. You can’t, however, move panels outside the Bridge window.
❖ Do any of the following:

• Drag a panel by its tab up or down into another panel area.
• Drag the horizontal divider bar between panels to make them larger or smaller.
• Drag the vertical divider bar between the panels and the content area right or left to resize the panels or content

area.
• Click the Show/Hide Panes button

at the lower left of the Bridge window to display or hide the panels.

• Choose View, followed by the name of the panel you want to display or hide.

See also
“The Bridge work area” on page 79

To select Bridge workspaces
A Bridge workspace is a certain configuration or layout of the work area. You can select either a premade one or a
custom one that you have previously saved. You can use a preset configuration or switch between different configu
rations best suited for specific tasks, such as sorting photos.
Note: A Bridge workspace is different from a Version Cue Workspace. Your work in Bridge workspaces has no effect on
the Version Cue Workspaces.
❖ Choose Window, followed by the name of the workspace you want, or choose Window > Workspace, followed by

one of the following commands:

Lightbox Displays just the content area of Bridge, so that you can concentrate on viewing the files.

File Navigator Displays the content area in Thumbnails view, along with the Favorites panel and Folder panel.

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Metadata Focus Displays the content area in Thumbnails view, along with the Metadata panel prominently shown.
Filmstrip Focus Displays just the content area, in Filmstrip view.

See also
“To save and delete Bridge workspaces” on page 83

To save and delete Bridge workspaces
You can save the current Bridge layout (that is, the work area configuration) as a workspace and reuse it later. By
saving Bridge in various configurations, you can work in (and quickly switch between) different layouts of the work
area. For instance, you might use one workspace to sort new photos and another to work with Adobe InDesign files.
Note: A Bridge workspace is different from a Version Cue Workspace. Your work in Bridge workspaces has no effect on
Version Cue Workspaces.
❖ Choose Window > Workspace, followed by one of these commands:

Save Workspace Saves the current Bridge layout as a workspace so that you can reuse it later, even if you move a
panel or change the view in the content area. If you choose this command, enter a name for the workspace and click
Save. You can also assign a keyboard shortcut to the workspace and specify whether to save the location of the Bridge
window as part of the workspace.
Delete Workspace Deletes the saved workspace. If you choose this command, choose the workspace from the

menu, and click Delete.
Reset To Default Workspace Restores the workspace to the default configuration.

See also
“To select Bridge workspaces” on page 82

To set Bridge preferences
1 Choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Bridge > Preferences (Mac OS).
2 Select any of the preferences categories on the left:
General Controls the general appearance settings. You can use this category to specify such preferences as how dark
to make the content area for thumbnails, what information to show with thumbnails, and what to include in the
Favorites panel. See “Bridge General preferences” on page 84.
Metadata Controls which sections and fields are displayed in the Metadata panel.
Labels Assigns names to each color label and specifies whether you need to press Control as part of the keyboard

shortcut combination to apply labels and ratings to files.
File Type Associations Specifies which application to use from Bridge to open files of the named type. For any file
type, you can click the name of the application (or None) and click Browse to locate an application to use. You can
also reset the file type associations to their default settings as well as hide any file types that don’t have an associated
application. This affects only those files that you open with Bridge, and overrides the Explorer (Windows) and Finder
(Mac OS) settings.

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Adobe Stock Photos Specifies Adobe Stock Photos settings. See “To set Adobe Stock Photos preferences” on

page 112.
Advanced Specifies advanced settings, including cache options and language options. See “Bridge Advanced prefer

ences” on page 84.
3 Click OK.

Bridge General preferences
Set any of the following General preferences and click OK:
Background Specifies the darkness of the content area in which thumbnails are shown.
Show Tooltips Specifies whether to display Bridge help information when you position the pointer over an item.

(This preference does not affect settings for Version Cue tool tips, which display metadata for items.)
Additional Lines Of Thumbnail Metadata Specifies whether to show additional metadata information with

thumbnails in the content area. If you select this option, you can choose the type of metadata to show from the
associated menu. You can display up to three extra lines of information.
Favorites Items Specifies what items to show in the Favorites panel. Certain options are dimmed if you do not have

those items.
Reveal Scripts In Finder Opens the folder that contains scripts (the commands available in the Tools menu).
Reset All Warning Dialogs Resets warning notices in Bridge to their default settings.

See also
“To set Bridge preferences” on page 83

Bridge Advanced preferences
Set any of the following Advanced preferences and click OK:
Do Not Process Files Larger Than Specifies the maximum file size of documents for which Bridge automatically

creates thumbnails. Displaying large files can slow performance.
Number Of Recently Visited Folders To Display In The Look In Popup Sets the number of most recently viewed

folders that appear in the Look In menu.
Language Sets the language used in the Bridge interface. Select Automatic to set the language to the one specified
for Bridge by the program that installed it.
Show Camera Raw Interface On Open Opens camera raw files in the Adobe Camera Raw dialog box in Adobe

Photoshop.
Use A Centralized Cache File Places the two cache files created for each folder you view in a centralized folder. A
centralized cache is generally easier to use than a distributed cache. For instance, when the cache is centralized, you
don’t have to search in multiple, distributed locations if you want to remove the cache. To specify a new name or
location for this centralized cache folder, click Choose.
Use Distributed Cache Files When Possible Places the two cache files created for each folder you view in the
viewed folder, if possible. For instance, it’s not possible to place the cache files in the viewed folder if that folder is on
a burned CD. In that case, Bridge places the cache files in the centralized folder instead. However, if you are burning
a CD, using a distributed cache means that you don’t have to export the cache to the CD, because it is already in the

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folder you are burning to the CD. Also, using distributed cache files preserves the cache in a folder if you rename that
folder. See “To work with the cache in Bridge” on page 85.
Note: Cache files are hidden files. To view them in Bridge, choose View > Show Hidden Files.

See also
“To set Bridge preferences” on page 83

To work with the cache in Bridge
The cache stores thumbnail, metadata, and file information to shorten loading times when you return to a previously
viewed folder. However, storing the cache takes up disk space.
Note: Purging the cache deletes the metadata cache and thumbnail cache. If the metadata can’t be written to a file, label
and rating information is lost as well.
❖ Choose any of the following commands from the Tools > Cache submenu:

Build Cache For Subfolders Builds, as a background process, a cache for the selected folder and all the folders
within it (except aliases/shortcuts to other folders), shortening the time spent waiting for the cache to be displayed
as you look in subfolders.
Purge Cache For This Folder Clears the cache for the selected folder. This command is useful if you suspect that the
cache for a folder is old and needs to be regenerated.
Purge Central Cache Clears the entire centralized cache and any distributed cache in the currently viewed folder,

freeing room on the hard drive. The command does not otherwise clear local caches.
Export Cache Exports the cache, allowing you to burn a CD with the cache already generated. Because the folder
cache is written into the folder, the thumbnail cache and metadata cache are available after you burn the CD. This
option is active only if you chose Use A Centralized Cache File in the Preferences dialog box.

See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79

Files and folders in Bridge
To view file and folder thumbnails in Bridge
The content area of Bridge displays thumbnails of the files and folders of the selected folder, along with information
about them (depending on your view).
You can specify how you want files and folders are displayed in the content area; for instance, you can decide how big
thumbnails should be, how they should appear, and whether file information should be displayed.
❖ Do any of the following:

• Drag the Thumbnail slider

at the bottom of the Bridge window to adjust the size of thumbnails. You can also
click the buttons at either side of the Thumbnail slider to minimize or maximize the thumbnails.

• Click the Thumbnail View button

display items in a grid.

at the bottom of the Bridge window or choose View > As Thumbnails to

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• Click the Filmstrip View button

or choose View > As Filmstrip to display thumbnails in a scrolling list along
with an extra-large thumbnail of the currently selected item. Click the Back button or Forward button directly
below the extra-large thumbnail to go to the previous or next thumbnail. Click the Switch Filmstrip Orientation
to change from a horizontal slide show to a vertical one. Note that you can page through a PDF preview
button
in Filmstrip view.

• Click the Details View button

or choose View > As Details to display a scrollable list of thumbnails along
with information about the selected file, such as its creation date, file type, pixel size, and file size. For Version Cue
files, there is additional information about the number of versions or alternates as well as enhanced status infor
mation along with the current version comment.

• Click the Versions And Alternates View button

or choose View > As Versions And Alternates to display a
scrollable list of thumbnails along with thumbnails of any Version Cue alternates and versions for each item. (Only
the current file appears unless you have created an alternates group containing the file or created previous versions
of the file.) Click Alternates View or Versions View at the top right of the content area to display thumbnails of
alternates or versions. In Alternates View, you can also create alternates groups containing files that are not in the
current folder.

• Choose View > Show Thumbnail Only to view thumbnails without any text information listed. However, Version

Cue tool tips still display Version Cue information when you position the pointer over the thumbnail.
• Choose View > Slideshow to view thumbnails as a slide show that takes over the entire screen. This is a quick and

easy way to display and work with large versions of all the graphics files in a folder. Instructions on how to use the
slide show are displayed on the screen when you choose this command.
Depending on the view you’re in, you can display extra file information by positioning the pointer over a thumbnail
in the content area. For files in Version Cue projects, you can also choose File > Versions or File Alternate. This
command opens a dialog box that lets you work with the file’s versions or alternates without having to select that view
in the Bridge content area.

To specify how files and folders are shown in Bridge
You can specify what type of files and folders you want to display as thumbnails in the content area, as well as the
order in which to display them.
❖ Choose any of the following commands from the View menu:

• Sort, followed by the order in which you want to sort files. Choose Ascending to sort in ascending rather than

descending order. Choose Manually to sort by the last order in which you dragged the files.
• Show Hidden Files to display hidden files, such as cache files and Version Cue files that have been provisionally

removed (not permanently deleted) from Version Cue projects.
• Show Folders to display folders as well as individual files.
• Show All Files to display all files regardless of type, even non-Adobe files that Bridge doesn’t normally display.
• Show Graphic Files Only to display only files in graphic file formats, such as EPS, JPEG, BMP, PS, TIFF, and GIF.
• Show Camera Raw Files Only to display only camera raw files.
• Show Vector Files Only to display only files created with drawing programs such as Adobe Illustrator, and EPS and

PS files.
• Refresh (or choose Refresh from the Folders panel menu) to update the content area. This is useful, for instance,

when you perform certain Version Cue actions that don’t automatically refresh the view in the content area.
Closing and reopening Bridge also refreshes the view.

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You can also click Unfiltered at the top right of the Bridge window and choose the files you want to display based on
their rating or label. The Unfiltered menu operates independently of the View > Sort commands.

To navigate folders and files with Bridge
❖ Do any of the following:

• Select the Folders panel and click to select the folder you want. Click the plus sign (Windows) or triangle (Mac OS)

next to a folder or double-click the folder to open subfolders within it.
• Select the Favorites panel and click to select the folder you want.
• Choose a folder from the Look In menu. You can click the Go Back button, Go Forward button, or Go Up button

next to the menu to navigate within the current folder listed in the menu.

See also
“To specify how files and folders are shown in Bridge” on page 86

To select files in Bridge
Before you can work with a file, you need to select it. You can select more than one file at a time.
❖ Do one of the following in the current folder:

• Click the thumbnail of a file.
• To select contiguous files, Shift-click them.
• To select noncontiguous files, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) them.
• To select all the files, choose Edit > Select All.
• To select all labeled files, choose Edit > Select Labeled.
• To select all unlabeled files, choose Edit > Select Unlabeled.
• To select the opposite of the current selection, choose Edit > Invert Selection.
• To deselect all selected files, choose Edit > Deselect All.

See also
“To manage files with Bridge” on page 88
“To manage folders with Bridge” on page 89

To open files in Bridge
You can open files in Bridge, even files that were not made with Adobe Creative Suite applications.
1 Select the file in the current folder.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose File > Open.
• Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).
• Double-click the file in the content area or Preview panel.
• Choose File > Open With, followed by the name of the application with which to open the file.

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• Drag the file into the working area of an application, such as an open Illustrator document.
• Drag the file onto the application icon.
• Choose File > Open With Camera Raw to edit the Adobe camera raw settings for the file.

See also
“To manage files with Bridge” on page 88
“To manage folders with Bridge” on page 89

To manage files with Bridge
Adobe Bridge makes it easy to drag and drop files, move them between folders, copy and duplicate them, and
otherwise manipulate them.
Note: From Bridge, you can also use Adobe Version Cue to manage files you author in Adobe Creative Suite applications.
You can create and manage revisions to files kept in Version Cue projects. Version Cue is also a convenient environment
for collaborative file management in workgroups. You can manage not only Adobe Creative Suite files but also nonAdobe files.
❖ Do any of the following:

To delete files Select the files and click the Delete button

, click Delete on your keyboard, choose File > Send To
Recycle Bin (Windows), choose File > Move To Trash (Mac OS), drag the file to the Recycle Bin or Trash, or choose
Edit > Cut.
To copy files and folders Select the files or folders and choose Edit > Copy, or Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Option-drag
(Mac OS) the file or folders to a different folder.
To duplicate files Select the files and choose Edit > Duplicate.
To paste files Choose Edit > Paste.
To move files to another folder Select the files and drag them to a different folder. (When you search for Adobe

Stock Photos, you can’t drag images to other areas, because some images may be comp thumbnails. To drag a comp
image, first download it and then drag it from the downloaded comp’s folder.)

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To quickly attach an image to an e-mail message, drag the image from Bridge and drop it into the e-mail message.
To rename files Click the file name, type a new name, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).
To manually reorder files in the content area Drag the file to a new location in the content area.
To display the location of a file in the operating system Select the file and choose File > Reveal In Explorer

(Windows) or File > Reveal In Finder (Mac OS).
To find the location of a file in a collection Select a file and choose File > Reveal In Bridge. By default, if you select
a file in a collection, it is listed as being located in the folder “File Results.” Selecting Reveal In Bridge moves you to
the folder in which the file is located.
To place files into an application Select the files and choose File > Place, followed by the name of the application.
For instance, you can use this command to place a JPEG image into Illustrator. You can also drag files from Bridge
into an application. Depending on the file, the document into which you want to place it may need to be open first.
To eject attached media such as CDs and DVDs Select the medium and choose File > Eject.
To drag files out of Bridge Select the files and drag them onto the desktop or into another folder. This action copies

the file (Windows) or moves the file (Mac OS) onto the desktop or folder.
To drag files into Bridge Select one or more files on the desktop, in a folder, or in another application that supports
drag and drop, and drag them into the content area in Bridge. The files are moved from their current folder into the
one displayed in Bridge. (If the file you are dragging is in a different mounted volume than Bridge, the file is copied
into Bridge.)

Drag a file or folder onto the Preview panel to display the contents of the folder in Bridge.

See also
“To search for files and folders with Bridge” on page 91
“To batch-rename files with Bridge” on page 95
“To run automated tasks with Bridge” on page 94
“Working with Version Cue in Bridge” on page 101

To manage folders with Bridge
❖ Do any of the following:

To create new folders Click the Create A New Folder button
when the folder appears in the content area.

or Choose File > New Folder. Then, enter a name

To delete folders Select the folder and click the Delete button , press Delete on your keyboard, or choose File >
Move To Recycle Bin (Windows) or File > Move To Trash (Mac OS).
To add folders to Favorites Choose a folder from the Look In menu or Folders panel or select it in the content area.
Then choose File > Add To Favorites. You can also drag the folder from the content area to the Favorites panel.
To remove folders from Favorites In the Favorites panel, select the folder you want to remove. Then choose File >

Remove From Favorites.

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To reorganize folders in the Favorites panel Drag the folder to the desired location in the panel.
To rename folders Click the folder name, type a new name, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79
“To manage files with Bridge” on page 88

To rotate images with Bridge
You can rotate the view of JPEG, PSD, TIFF, and camera raw file images in Bridge. Rotating an image in Bridge may
rotate it in the application in which it was created as well. Rotating does not affect the data in the image file.
1 Select one or more images in the content area.
2 Do one of the following:
• To rotate the images 90˚ clockwise, click the Rotate 90˚ Clockwise button

or choose Edit > Rotate 90˚

Clockwise.

• To rotate the images 90˚ counterclockwise, click the Rotate 90˚ Counterclockwise button

or choose

Edit > Rotate 90˚ Counterclockwise.

• To rotate the image 180˚, choose Edit > Rotate 180˚.

See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79
“To manage files with Bridge” on page 88

To label files with Bridge
Labeling files with a color is a flexible way to quickly mark a large number of files. Using the View > Sort menu or
Unfilter button, you can choose to view files according to their label.
For example, suppose you’ve just imported a large number of images and are viewing them in Bridge. As you review
each new image, you can label those you want to keep. After this initial pass, you can use the Unfilter button to display
and work on files you’ve labeled with a particular color.
You can assign names to labels through the Preferences dialog box. The name is then added to the file’s metadata
when you apply the label.
Note: When you view folders, Bridge shows both labeled and unlabeled files until you choose another option. Also,
purging the cache deletes labels from files that don’t support XMP write (such as BMP, DCS, Pict, PS6 PDF, and PSB
files), locked files, or read-only files (such as files on CDs).
1 Select one or more files.
2 Do one of the following:
• To label files, choose a color from the Label menu.
• To remove labels from files, choose Label > No Label.

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See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79
“To specify how files and folders are shown in Bridge” on page 86

To rate files with Bridge
You can assign ratings to files, awarding from zero to five stars. Using the View > Sort menu or Unfilter button, you
can choose to view files according to their rating.
For example, suppose you’ve just imported a large number of images and are viewing them in Bridge. As you review
each new image, you can rate them from best to worst. After this initial pass, you can view only files you’ve rated with
four or five stars and work on those.
1 Select one or more files.
2 Do any of the following:
• In Thumbnail view, click the dot representing the number of stars you want to give the file. (Dots do not appear

in very small thumbnail views. If necessary, rescale the thumbnail view until the dots appear.)
• Choose a rating from the Label menu.
• To add one star, choose Label > Increase Rating.
• To remove one star, choose Label > Decrease Rating.
• To remove all stars, choose Label > No Rating or click the No Rating icon

on the thumbnail of the file.

See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79
“To specify how files and folders are shown in Bridge” on page 86

To search for files and folders with Bridge
You can perform searches with Bridge. You can narrow your search by adding multiple search criteria. You can even
save your search criteria as a collection, so that you can perform the same search again later.
Note: For information on searching for Adobe Stock Photos with Bridge, see Help.
1 Choose Edit > Find.

2 In the Find dialog box, choose a source folder from the Look In menu. By default, the menu displays the currently

active folder. Click the Browse button to navigate to another folder.

3 (Optional) Select Include All Subfolders to expand the search to any subfolders in the source folder.

4 (Optional) Select Search Past Versions Of Version Cue Files to include past versions of Adobe Version Cue files,

as well as current ones, in the search.

5 (Optional) Select Show Find In A New Browser Window to display the search results in a new Bridge window. If

left unselected, the search results appear in the content area of the current window.

6 Choose a criterion for your search by selecting an option from the leftmost Criteria menu.

7 Select a limiter from the center Criteria menu.

8 Enter the search text in the text box at the right, if needed. You can enter basic search terms such as AND, OR, and

* (for wild cards).

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9 To add search criteria, click the plus sign button. To remove search criteria, click the minus sign button.
10 Click Find. Bridge displays the files that match the search criteria, and you can navigate through the files.
11 (Optional) To save the search criteria to perform the same search again, click Save As Collection. Enter a name

for the collection. Select Start Search From Current Folder to search from the same folder in the future. Then, click
Save. The search criteria are saved in the Collections folder listed in the Favorites panel.

See also
“To manage files with Bridge” on page 88
“To search with criteria saved as collections” on page 92

To search with criteria saved as collections
If you saved search criteria by using the Save As Collection option in the Find dialog box, you can run that search

again by using that collection.

1 Select Collections in the Favorites panel or Look In menu.

2 Double-click the collection you want.

A new Bridge window appears containing the results of the search.

See also
“To manage files with Bridge” on page 88
“To search for files and folders with Bridge” on page 91

Bridge Center
About Bridge Center
If you are working with the Adobe Creative Suite, Bridge Center gives you quick access to your most recent files and
folders, RSS newsreaders for the latest information, tips and tricks for using Adobe products, color management
features, and Help documentation. It even lets you start new Version Cue projects.
To display Bridge Center, select it in the Favorites panel.
Note: If you don’t see Bridge Center in the Favorites panel, make sure that Center is selected in the General preferences.
See “To set Bridge preferences” on page 83.
Adobe Stock Photos Opens the Adobe Stock Photos home page in Bridge.
Saved File Groups Lists sets of files that you have saved as a group, even if they are being used in separate applica

tions. When you create a saved file group, you assemble and name a set of files, which Bridge then closes. When you
open a saved file group, Bridge reopens the current version of those files, launching the appropriate Adobe Creative
Suite applications as needed. See “To work with saved file groups in Bridge Center” on page 93.
Note: Saved file groups do not preserve versions of files; groups always contain the most current version of the files. For
instance, suppose you include the file logo.jpg in a saved file group. If you open the saved file group later, edit the logo.jpg
file, and save it in another group, both saved file groups will contain the same logo.jpg file.

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Recent Folders Lists your most recently visited folders. See “To use recent folders or files from Bridge Center” on

page 93.
Recent Files Displays the most recently opened files.
RSS Reader RSS displays shared web content, such as headlines from different websites and the latest information
on products from Adobe. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is an XML format used to gather and
distribute web content while reducing traffic to websites. See “To use RSS content in Bridge Center” on page 94.
Tips And Tricks Lists helpful tips and tricks for getting the most out of Adobe Creative Suite and other Adobe appli

cations. Click the Next button or Previous button to go to the next or previous tips and tricks topic.
Note: Click Close or Open located above the bottom tabs to hide or reveal the RSS Reader area and Tips And Tricks area.
New Version Cue Project Opens the New Version Cue project and displays a dialog box for creating a new project.
Color Management/Open Color Settings Opens the Color Settings dialog box so that you can manage color for
Adobe Creative Suite applications. Also displays the Adobe Creative Suite Color Settings state (Synchronize or
Unsynchronize).
Open Help Starts Adobe Help Center.

To work with saved file groups in Bridge Center
1 Click Bridge Center in the Favorites panel.

Note: Bridge Center is available with Adobe Creative Suite only.
2 In the Saved File groups, do any of the following:
• To save your currently open files as a group, click the text Save Open Files into a File Group.
• To open a saved file group, select the group and click the text Open this File Group.
• To display a group in the content area, click the name of that file group.
• To delete a saved file group, select the group and click Delete at the bottom.

To use recent folders or files from Bridge Center
1 Click Bridge Center in the Favorites panel.

Note: Bridge Center is available with Adobe Creative Suite only.
2 In the Recent Folders or Recent Files Group, do any of the following:
• To display a folder in the content area, click that folder.
• To sort the folders by name or date, click Name or Date.
• To open a file in the default application, click the file thumbnail or file name.
• To display the folder that contains a file, click the Shell icon

next to the file name. The folder is displayed in

the content area.
• To sort the folders by name, date, or type, click Name, Date, or Type.

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To use RSS content in Bridge Center
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an XML format for gathering and distributing web content. It displays web
content, such as the latest information on Adobe products.
1 Click Bridge Center in the Favorites panel.

Note: Bridge Center is available with Adobe Creative Suite only.
2 In the RSS Reader section, do any of the following:
• To view content, click to select an RSS site from the list on the left, and then click to select a specific topic from the

list on the right. If you want, click More to start your default web browser and display further information on the
topic from that RSS website.
• To add the URL of an RSS site, click the plus sign (+) at the top of the tab.
• To delete an RSS site from the list, select the site and click the minus sign (-).
• To specify how often to check RSS sites for updates, click Open Settings and enter a number specifying the interval,

in hours.
• To check the RSS sites for updates manually, Click Update Now.

Running automated tasks with Bridge
To run automated tasks with Bridge
The Tools menu contains submenus for various commands available in the different Adobe Creative Suite applica
tions. For instance, if you have Adobe Photoshop installed, you can use the commands under the Tools > Photoshop
submenu to make picture packages and create Photomerge panoramas using photos you select in Bridge. Running
these tasks from Bridge saves time because you don’t have to open each file individually.
Note: Third parties can also create and add their own items to the Tools menu for added functionality in Bridge. For
information about creating your own scripts, see Bridge JavaScript Scripting Reference.
1 Select the files or folders you want to use. If you select a folder, the command is applied where possible to all files
in the folder.
2 Choose Tools > [Application], followed by the command you want. (If your application doesn’t have any
automated tasks available, no application name appears in the menu.)

For information about a particular command, see the documentation for that application.

See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79
“To manage files with Bridge” on page 88
“To batch-rename files with Bridge” on page 95

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To batch-rename files with Bridge
You can rename files and folders in a group, or batch. When you batch-rename files, you can choose the same settings
for all the selected files, saving time.
1 Do one of the following:
• Select the files that you want to rename.
• Select a folder in the Folders panel. The new setting will apply to all the files in the folder.

2 Choose Tools > Batch Rename.

3 Set the following options and click Rename:

• For Destination Folder, select whether you want to place the renamed files in the same folder or in a different

folder, move them to another folder, or place a copy in another folder. If you select Move To Other Folder or Copy
To Other Folder, click Browse to select the folder.
• For New Filenames, choose elements from the menus or enter text into the text boxes. The specified elements and

text are combined to create the new file name. You can click the + button or - button to add or delete elements. A
preview of the new file name appears at the bottom of the dialog box.
Note: If you choose Sequence Number, enter a number. The number is automatically incremented for each file named.
• Select Preserve Current File Name In XMP Metadata if you want to retain the original file name in the metadata.
• For Compatibility, select the operating systems with which you want renamed files to be compatible. The current

operating system is selected by default, and you can’t deselect it.

See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79
“To manage files with Bridge” on page 88

Metadata in Bridge
About metadata
Metadata is information about the file, such as its author, resolution, color space, copyright, and keywords applied
to it. You can use metadata to streamline your workflow and organize your files. This information is stored in a
standardized way using the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) standard on which Adobe Bridge and the Adobe
Creative Suite applications are built. XMP is built on XML, and in most cases the information is stored in the file so
that it isn’t lost. If it is not possible to store the information in the file itself, XMP metadata is stored in a separate file
called a sidecar file.
Many of the powerful Bridge features that allow you to organize, search, and keep track of your files and versions
depend on XMP metadata in your files. Bridge provides two ways of working with metadata: through the Bridge
Metadata panel and through the File Info dialog box. These methods provide different views into the XMP metadata
stored in the file. In some cases, multiple views may exist for the same property; for example, a property may be
labeled Author in one view and Creator in another, but both refer to the same underlying property. Even if you
customize these views for specific workflows, they remain standardized through XMP. The Advanced view in the File
Info dialog box displays the fundamental values being stored.

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Metadata that is stored in other formats, such as EXIF, IPTC (IIM), GPS, and TIFF, is synchronized and described
with XMP so that it can be more easily viewed and managed. Other applications and features (for example, Adobe
Version Cue) also use XMP to communicate and store information such as version comments. For instance, when
you save a file in Version Cue, you might add the comment that you rotated the file when you worked on it. Later on,
you could use Bridge to navigate to that Version Cue project and search for the term “rotate” to locate that file.
In most cases the metadata remains with the file even when the file format changes, for example, from PSD to JPG.
Metadata is also retained when those files are placed in an Adobe InDesign layout.
You can use the XMP Software Development Kit to customize the creation, processing, and interchange of metadata.
For example, you can use the XMP SDK to add fields to the File Info dialog box. More information on XMP and the
XMP SDK is available from the Adobe Solutions Network (www.adobe.com/xmp).

About the Metadata panel in Bridge
From the Metadata panel, you can view and edit the metadata for selected files, use metadata to search for files, and
use templates to append and replace metadata. Metadata preserves information about the contents, copyright status,
origin, and history of documents. Version Cue uses metadata to manage files.
You can specify the types of metadata displayed in the Metadata panel.
Note: If you have applied metadata to an Adobe Acrobat® PDF file, some keywords may not appear; however, these
keywords are still attached to the PDF file.
Depending on the selected file, the following types of metadata appear in the Bridge Metadata panel:
File Properties Describes the characteristics of the file, including the size, creation date, and modification date.
IPTC Core Displays editable metadata. You can add captions to your files as well as copyright information. IPTC

Core is a new specification that was approved by IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) in
October 2004. It differs from the older IPTC (IIM, legacy) in that new properties have been added, some property
names have changed, and some properties have been deleted. You can display the older IPTC (IIM, legacy) metadata
by selecting it from the Metadata options in the Preferences dialog box.
IPTC (IIM, legacy) Displays editable metadata. As with IPTC Core, you can add captions to your files as well as

copyright information.This set of metadata is hidden by default, because it has been superseded by IPTC Core.
However, you can choose it by selecting it from the Metadata options in the Preferences dialog box.
Fonts Lists the fonts used in Adobe InDesign files.
Swatches List the swatches used in Adobe InDesign files.
Camera Data (Exif) Displays information assigned by digital cameras. EXIF information includes the camera
settings used when the image was taken.
GPS Displays navigational information from a global positioning system (GPS) available in some digital cameras.

Photos without GPS information don’t have GPS metadata.
Camera Raw Displays settings applied by the Camera Raw plug-in.
Edit History Keeps a log of changes made to images with Photoshop.
Adobe Stock Photos Lists information about images obtained from Adobe Stock Photos.
Version Cue Lists any Version Cue version information about the file.

Note: Depending on the applications you are using, custom panels for various properties may appear here as well.

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See also
“To add metadata using the File Info dialog box” on page 98
“To view metadata with Bridge” on page 97
“To specify the metadata displayed in the Metadata panel” on page 98

To view metadata with Bridge
❖ Do any of the following:

• Select one or more files and view the information in the Metadata panel. If you select multiple files, only metadata

that is common to the files appears. Use the scroll bars to view hidden categories. Click the triangle to display
everything within a category.
You can change the font size in the panel by choosing Increase Font Size or Decrease Font Size from the panel menu.
• Select one or more files and choose File > File Info. Then, select any of the categories listed on the left.
• Choose View > As Details or View > As Versions And Alternates to display the metadata next to the thumbnails

in the content area. This is especially useful for viewing Version Cue files.
• Position the pointer over a thumbnail in the content area. (Metadata appears in a tool tip only if Show Tooltips is

selected in General preferences.)

See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79

“To create and close Bridge windows” on page 81

“About the Metadata panel in Bridge” on page 96

To edit metadata with Bridge

1 Click the pencil icon to the far right of the metadata field you want to edit.

2 Type in the text box to edit or add metadata.

3 Press Tab to move through metadata fields.

4 When you have finished editing the metadata, click the Apply button

cancel any changes you’ve made, click the Cancel button

See also
“About the Metadata panel in Bridge” on page 96
“To work with metadata templates in Bridge” on page 99
“To apply metadata templates to files in Bridge” on page 100

at the bottom of the Metadata panel. To
at the bottom of the panel.

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To specify the metadata displayed in the Metadata panel
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Preferences from the Metadata panel menu.
• Choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Bridge > Preferences (Mac OS), and then click Metadata from the list on

the left side of the dialog box.
2 Select the metadata fields that you want to display in the Metadata panel.
3 Select the Hide Empty Fields option if you don’t want to view fields with no information in them.
4 Click OK.

See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79
“To create and close Bridge windows” on page 81
“About the Metadata panel in Bridge” on page 96

To add metadata using the File Info dialog box
The File Info dialog box displays camera data, other file properties, an edit history, copyright and authorship infor
mation (if any), and custom metadata panels (if the application has installed them). You can add metadata directly
from the File Info dialog box. If you select multiple files, the dialog box shows where different values exist for a text
field. Any information you add to a field is applied to all selected files.
Note: You can also view metadata in the Metadata panel, in certain views in the content area, and by placing the pointer
over the thumbnail in the content area.
1 Select one or more files.
2 Choose File > File Info.
3 Select any of the following from the list on the left side of the dialog box:
Description Lets you enter document information about the file, such as document title, author, description, and

keywords that can be used to search for the document. You can also choose text from the menu to the right of the
text fields. To specify copyright information, select Copyrighted from the Copyright Status pop-up menu. Then enter
the copyright notice string and the URL of the person or company holding the copyright.
Categories Lets you enter information based on Associated Press categories. You can also choose text from the
menu to the right of the text fields. The Categories option appears only if Adobe Photoshop is installed.
History Displays Adobe Photoshop history log information for images saved with Photoshop. The History option
appears only if Adobe Photoshop is installed.
Camera Data 1 Displays read-only information about the camera and settings used to take the photo, such as make,
model, shutter speed, and f-stop. The Camera Data 1 option appears only if Adobe Photoshop is installed.
Camera Data 2 Lists read-only file information about the photo, including pixel dimensions and resolution. The
Camera Data 2 option appears only if Adobe Photoshop is installed.
Adobe Stock Photos Lists read-only information about images obtained from Adobe Stock Photos.

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Origin Lets you enter file information that is useful for news outlets, including when and where the file was created,

transmission information, special instructions for handling the file, and headline information. You can also choose
text from the menu to the right of the text fields.
Advanced Displays fields and structures for storing metadata using namespaces and properties, such as file format
and XMP, EXIF, and PDF properties. You can do any of the following with the information listed:
• Click Save to export the metadata to a text (.xmp) file.
• Click Replace to replace the metadata in the existing files with metadata saved in an .xmp file. Values in existing

properties are replaced with the new values.
• Click Append to add the metadata in the existing files to metadata saved in an .xmp file. Values in existing

properties are not replaced, and new values are appended or inserted where appropriate.
• Click Delete to remove the currently selected Advanced property. You can Shift-click to select multiple properties.

Note: Hold down the Option key to change these commands to Replace All, Append All, and Delete All. These commands
then affect all information in the file; that is, EXIF information that is not modifiable by the user, such as the f-stop and
the Photoshop file ID information, as well as user-modifiable information, such as document title and keywords. Holding
down Option also displays the Reset button to restore the previous settings.
4 Click OK to apply the changes.

See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79
“To create and close Bridge windows” on page 81
“About the Metadata panel in Bridge” on page 96

To work with metadata templates in Bridge
You can modify the metadata in the File Info dialog box and save it as a template for use with other files.

1 Create a new file using an Adobe Creative Suite application. This creates a file without metadata from any other

source.

2 Select the file.

3 Choose File > Info.

4 Enter the desired information in the File Info dialog box.

5 Choose any of the following from the menu at the upper right of the File Info dialog box:

• To save the metadata in the File Info dialog box as a template for use with other files, choose Save Metadata

Template. Enter a name for the template and click Save.
• To delete an existing metadata template, choose Delete Metadata Template. Choose the template you want to

delete from the menu in the dialog box and click Delete.
• To open the folder containing metadata templates, choose Show Templates.
6 Click OK. You can now also apply metadata templates to files with the Append Metadata and Replace Metadata
commands in the Tools menu and in the Metadata panel menu.

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See also
“About the Metadata panel in Bridge” on page 96
“To apply metadata templates to files in Bridge” on page 100

To apply metadata templates to files in Bridge
After you have saved metadata for one file, you can apply it to others.
1 Select one or more files.

2 Choose either of the following commands from the Metadata panel menu or the Tools menu:

• Append Metadata, followed by the name of the template. This command applies the template metadata only where

no metadata value or property currently exists in the file.
• Replace Metadata, followed by the name of the template. This command completely replaces any existing metadata

in the file with the metadata in the template.

See also
“About the Metadata panel in Bridge” on page 96
“To add metadata using the File Info dialog box” on page 98

To apply keywords to files with Bridge
The Keyword panel lets you create and apply Bridge keywords to files. Keywords can be organized into categories
called keyword sets. Using keywords, you identify files based on their content. Later, you can view all files with shared
keywords as a group.
Note: Bridge keywords are distinct from XMP keywords created with the File Info dialog box. The latter are displayed in
Version Cue files in the “Other Metadata” section of the File Info dialog box.
❖ Do any of the following:

• To add a keyword to files, select one or more files. In the Keywords panel, click the box next to the name of the

keyword you want to add. A check mark appears in the box next to the keyword when it’s added to a file.
• To add a set of keywords to files, select one or more files. In the Keywords panel, click the box next to the name of

the keyword set. A check mark appears in the box next to the keyword set when it’s added to a file.
Create a group of frequently used keywords so that you can apply them as a group.
• To remove keywords from a file, select the file, and then click the box next to the name of the keyword or keyword

set that you want to remove.
• To create a new keyword, click the New Keyword button

at the bottom of the panel or choose New Keyword
from the panel menu. A new default keyword name appears in the panel. To create the new keyword, type over the
default name and press Return.

• To create a new keyword set, click the New Keyword Set button

at the bottom of the panel or choose New
Keyword Set from the panel menu. A new default keyword set name appears in the panel. To create the new
keyword set, type over the default name and press Return.

• To rename a keyword or keyword set, select the keyword or keyword set and choose Rename from the panel menu.

Then, type over the name in the panel and press Return.

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Note: When you rename a keyword, the keyword’s name isn’t changed in files that currently contain it. The original
name stays in the file.
• To move a keyword to a different keyword set, drag the keyword from one set to another.
• To delete a keyword, select the keyword by clicking its name, and then click the Delete Keyword button

at the

bottom of the panel or choose Delete from the panel menu.
Note: Keywords that you get from other users appear in the Other Keywords category until you recategorize them. To
make these keywords permanent in Bridge, select the keyword and then choose Persistent from the context menu.
• To find a file using the keyword, choose Find from the panel menu.

Note: You can’t modify keywords in search results for Adobe Stock Photos.

See also
“About Adobe Bridge” on page 79
“To search for files and folders with Bridge” on page 91

Using Version Cue with Bridge
Working with Version Cue in Bridge
Adobe Bridge and Version Cue work together to give you an intuitive way to access and manage Version Cue files
and projects.
Bridge provides comprehensive visualization of and centralized command over all aspects of Version Cue files and
projects. You can use Bridge to access Version Cue Workspaces, create a project in any of those workspaces, and
create a project folder hierarchy. You can drag files into project folders and drag files from a project folder into non
project folders on your hard drive. You can also copy and move files within and between project folders.
The search capabilities of Bridge enable you to locate project files using file information such as version comments,
or keywords or fonts contained in your files. You can view files that have been deleted (but not permanently deleted)
in projects and you can restore deleted files using Bridge.
Working with versions in Bridge As you save versions of project files as they evolve, you can use the Versions View
in Bridge to see all previous versions of the files, delete previous versions, and promote previous versions. You can
get information not only about the current version of a file, but also about the version comment for each previous
version without having to open the files in their native applications. However, if you need to view a previous version
in more detail, you can use Bridge and Version Cue to open that version. You can view Version Cue file info

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(metadata) in the Details view, Versions And Alternates view, in tooltips, and in the Metadata panel. Bridge is instru
mental in helping you create and track versions of non-Adobe file types that are in the projects in your Version Cue
Workspace. When you use Bridge to open a file in a project, you can create a Version Cue version even if an appli
cation doesn’t have a Save A Version command. You can manage and use those versions as you would if they were
created from files made by Adobe Creative Suite components.
Working with alternates in Bridge Bridge also makes it easy to work with Version Cue alternates. You can use

Bridge to designate files as alternates of each other, or to generate alternates from previous versions of a file. In the
Alternates view, you can see the complete group of alternates that have been designated for a project file as well as
which of these alternates is the primary (preferred) member of the group. A file’s inclusion in a group of alternates is
indicated by an icon in all Bridge views as well as by text indications in the Details and Versions And Alternates views.
Alternates don’t have to be located within a single folder, and you can use Bridge to add files to an alternates group
no matter where they are located in a project. In Alternates View, it’s easy to navigate to the folders that contain alter
nates. You can remove files from a group of alternates as well as dissolve the group completely in Bridge.
Viewing Workspace, project, and file information Because you may not always be connected to the network on
which a particular Version Cue Workspace is located, Bridge indicates the availability of the workspaces and projects
you’ve accessed by displaying different icons of workspaces and projects. When your Version Cue Workspace is
online, you can view up-to-date status for all files you’ve created with Adobe Creative Suite components. This helps
you understand whether a file is already in use, or whether another user has created a newer version. Normally, when
you start editing a project file in a Version Cue Workspace, the file’s status changes to In Use because you’re making
changes to the file. However, you can use Bridge to mark a file In Use without having to open the file. You can cancel
the Mark In Use indication at any time. You can also use Mark In Use to prepare project files for offline editing when
you know you’ll be disconnected from a remote Version Cue Workspace. When you come back online, you can use
Bridge to synchronize your files with your workspace once the workspace is available again. For more information
about working with Version Cue, see “Adobe Version Cue” in Help.

Version Cue Workspace and project icons in Bridge
Bridge displays status icons for Version Cue Workspaces and projects to let you know if they’re available, shared,
local, or remote.
• Available and Not Shared
• Available and Shared
• Local Files Only

Indicates a project that’s available and not shared with other users.

Indicates a project that’s available and shared with other users.

Indicates a project that contains only local files.

• Workspace Not Available

Indicates a workspace that’s offline.

• Workspace On Own Hard Drive
• Remote Workspace Online

Indicates a workspace that’s local to your computer.

Indicates a remote workspace that’s available.

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Chapter 5: Adobe Stock Photos

Adobe Stock Photos
About Adobe Stock Photos
Welcome to Adobe Stock Photos, the newest way to view, try, and buy royalty-free images from leading stock
libraries. With Adobe Stock Photos, you won’t have to interrupt your design process to find quality images. Instead,
from inside your favorite applications, you can use the powerful search capabilities of Adobe Stock Photos to find
and download images.
From Bridge, the Favorites pane gives you quick access to these stock images. With your computer connected to the
Internet, simply click the Adobe Stock Photos icon to start browsing thousands of available images. Because of the
tight integration between Stock Photos and Adobe Creative Suite components, you can download images from
Adobe Stock Photos directly into your Illustrator, InDesign, and GoLive projects. From Photoshop, you can open any
downloaded image.
In the design process, you need the flexibility to try different images before deciding which one you want. Adobe
Stock Photos gives you the option to download low-resolution, complementary (comp) versions of images you’re
considering. You can work with the comps until you make your final decision, at which point you can purchase and
download a high-resolution image.
For maximum convenience, you can open an account with Adobe. The benefit of opening an account is that you
enter your personal information only once, greatly simplifying the checkout process. You can also look back at
previous purchases, and even download photos again after you purchase them.

See also
“About comp images” on page 106
“Benefits of Stock Photos accounts” on page 109
“Buying stock photos” on page 107

Searching for images in Adobe Stock Photos
There are a few ways to search for images in Stock Photos. If you need help getting a project started, a broad search
may yield a fund of possibilities and suggest areas to explore. If you have a clear idea of what you need, then you can
use Advanced Search to narrow the field.
Related keywords also help you find photos. After you find photos, you can start a new search by selecting one or
more related keywords. Each image is associated with keywords that help you find similar images. The more
keywords you select, the narrower the search results.
Photos matching the search criteria appear as thumbnails in the main window. You can resize the thumbnail by
dragging the Thumbnail slider at the bottom of the screen. When you click an image in search results, a comp image
appears in the Preview pane (it may take several seconds for the image to appear in the pane). To enlarge the comp,
simply resize the Preview pane. You can view metadata information about the image in the Metadata pane under
Adobe Stock Photos Metadata.

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Your previous searches are automatically saved in Stock Photos in the Favorites pane. Click Previous Searches to
display the list. To see the search results, double-click a search. To delete a search, select it and press the Delete key
(Windows), right-click the search and then choose Send To Recycle Bin (Windows), or Control-click the search and
choose Move To Trash (Mac OS).
All thumbnails from recent searches are saved on your computer. Having the thumbnails available offline is helpful
if you want to browse through the images when your computer isn’t connected to the Internet. However, the thumb
nails do take up some space on your hard drive. At some point, if you want to delete these thumbnails, delete the
searches (as described above), or remove them manually from the default file location: My Documents/AdobeStockPhotos/Previous Searches (Windows), or Documents/AdobeStockPhotos/Previous Searches (Mac OS).

See also
“To adjust the Bridge window” on page 82

“To view file and folder thumbnails in Bridge” on page 85

To search for stock photos

1 In Bridge, click Adobe Stock Photos in the Favorites pane.

2 In the text box at the top of the screen, type the word or phrase that describes the subject of the photos you want

to search for.

3 Click the Search button

or press Enter.

Images matching the search criteria are displayed in batches. (There is a preference for changing the number of
images displayed in a batch.) To view more images, click More Results. Click a photo to view more information, such
as its price and keywords associated with it.

See also
“Search tips” on page 105
“To view image price and keywords” on page 105

To use Advanced Search
Advanced Search is a powerful tool that helps you find exactly the right photo. You can combine several search

criteria to narrow your results.

1 In Bridge, click Adobe Stock Photos in the Favorites pane.

2 Click the Advanced Search button

3 Search using any combination of the following options:

• Type a descriptive keyword or keywords in the text box to find related images. Alternatively, type an image ID, if

you know the ID of the photo you want to use.
• To restrict searches to a specific media type, choose one or more options under Media Types.
• To search by the orientation of the photo, select the acceptable shapes under Orientation.
• Select the name of one or more providers to limit the search.
4 Click the Search button to display images matching the search criteria.

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See also
“Color modes” on page 227

Optimizing the dynamic range of the scan
Keep in mind that the human eye can detect a wider tonal range than can be printed. If your scanner allows, set the
black and white points before scanning a file to produce the best tonal range and capture the widest dynamic range.
Then use Photoshop’s color adjustment tools to set the white and black points for the scanned image.

See also
“To adjust tonal range using Levels” on page 285

To eliminate a color cast introduced by a scanner
If your scanned image contains an unwanted color cast, you can perform a simple test to determine whether the cast
was introduced by your scanner. If so, you can use the same test file to create a color-cast correction for all images
scanned with the scanner.
1 Make sure that your monitor has been calibrated.
2 Open a new Photoshop file to create an 11-step wedge. Choose a size from the Preset menu in the New dialog box.
Make sure the size is large enough for the step wedge to be reasonably scanned. The resolution should be at least 240
pixels/inch. You can set the Color Mode as RGB and the Background Contents as either Transparent or White.
3 Use the Linear Gradient tool

to create a blend from pure black to pure white.

4 Choose Image > Adjustments > Posterize, and posterize the blend using 11 levels.
5 Print the 11-step gray wedge on a black-and-white printer, and then scan it into Photoshop.

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Note: You can also perform this test using an 18-percent neutral gray card or an 11-step gray wedge from a photography
store.
6 Open the Info palette, and read the RGB values on-screen for each of the gray levels. Uneven R, G, and B values
indicate a color cast.
7 Use Levels or Curves to correct the color cast, and then save the dialog box settings.
8 Open the scanned image you want to correct, reopen the dialog box you used to correct the cast in step 7, and load
the saved settings.

See also
“To calibrate and profile your monitor” on page 265
“To use Levels to correct a color cast” on page 286

Creating, opening, and importing images
To create a new image
Use the New command to create a new, blank image. If you’ve copied a selection to the clipboard, the image dimen

sions and resolution are automatically based on that image data.

1 Choose File > New.

2 If desired, type a name for the image, and set the width and height.

(Photoshop) To match the width and height of the new image to that of any open image, choose a file name from the
bottom section of the Windows menu.
3 (Photoshop) Set the resolution and mode.

4 Select an option for the contents of the background layer (Photoshop) or first layer (ImageReady) of the image:

White Fills the background or first layer with white, the default background color.

Background Color Fills the background or first layer with the current background color.

Transparent Makes the first layer transparent, with no color values. The resulting document has a single, trans

parent layer as its contents.

5 Under Advanced, choose a color profile, or choose Don’t Color Manage This Document. For Pixel Aspect Ratio,

choose Square unless you’re using the image for video. In that case, choose another option to use non-square pixels.

6 When you finish, you can save the settings as a preset by clicking Save Preset, or you can click OK to open the new

file.

See also
“Color modes” on page 227
“Saving images for use in video” on page 704
“About the foreground and background colors” on page 503

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Opening files
You can open files using the Open command and Open Recent command. In Photoshop, you can also open files
using Adobe Bridge.
Sometimes Photoshop may not be able to determine the correct format for a file. This can happen, for example,
because the file has been transferred between two operating systems. Sometimes a transfer between Mac OS and
Windows can cause the file format to be mislabeled. In such cases, you must specify the correct format in which to
open the file.
Note: Photoshop and ImageReady use plug-in modules to open and import many file formats. If a file format does not
appear in the Open dialog box or in the File > Import submenu, you may need to install the format’s plug-in module.

See also
“About plug-in modules” on page 69

To open a file using the Open command

1 Choose File > Open.

2 Select the name of the file you want to open. If the file does not appear, select the option for showing all files from

the Files Of Type (Windows) or Show (Mac OS) pop-up menu.

3 (Mac OS) Click Show Preview to preview the selected file. This option requires the Apple QuickTime extension.

Note: Previews appear faster if they are saved with the file. In Photoshop, select Always Save For Image Previews in the
File Handling preferences to always save a preview; select Ask When Saving to save previews on a file-by-file basis.
4 Click Open. In some cases, a dialog box appears, letting you set format-specific options.

Note: If a color profile warning message appears, specify whether to convert the pixels based on the file’s color profile.

To open a recently used file
❖ Choose File > Open Recent, and select a file from the submenu.

To specify the number of files listed in the Open Recent submenu
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling (Windows), or choose Photoshop > Preferences > File

Handling (Mac OS).
• (ImageReady) Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows), or choose ImageReady > Preferences > General

(Mac OS).
2 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Enter a number in the Recent File List Contains text box.
• (ImageReady) Enter a number in the Recent Files text box.

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To specify the file format in which to open a file
❖ Do one of the following:

• (Windows) Choose File > Open As, and select the file you want to open. Then choose the desired format from the

Open As pop-up menu, and click Open.
• (Mac OS) Choose File > Open, and choose All Documents from the Show pop-up menu. Then select the file you

want to open, choose the desired file format from the Format pop-up menu, and click Open.
Note: If the file does not open, then the chosen format may not match the file’s true format, or the file may be damaged.

Opening PDF files
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a versatile file format that can represent both vector and bitmap data. It has
electronic document search and navigation features. PDF is the primary format for Adobe Illustrator and Adobe
Acrobat.
Some PDF files contain a single image, and others contain multiple pages and images. When you open a PDF file in
Photoshop, you can choose which pages or images to open and specify rasterization options. The pages or images are
imported as Smart Objects in new documents.
In Photoshop, you can also import PDF data using the Place command, the Paste command, and the drag-and-drop
feature. The page or image is placed on a separate layer as a Smart Object.
Note: You can’t bring PDF data into ImageReady.

See also
“PDF” on page 682
“Smart Objects” on page 427
“Placing files” on page 196
“Using drag-and-drop to copy between applications” on page 332
“Using the clipboard to copy between applications” on page 333

To open a PDF file
After you open a PDF document, you can import pages or images from it into new documents in Photoshop. You
can also import pages or images from a PDF document using the Place command.
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Choose File > Open.
• (Bridge) Select the PDF file and choose File > Open With > Adobe Photoshop CS2. Skip to step 3.
2 In the Open dialog box, select the name of the file, and click Open. You can change which types of files are listed
by selecting an option from the Files Of Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS) pop-up menu.
3 In the Import PDF dialog box, choose Page or Image from the Select menu, depending on what elements of the
PDF document you want to import.
4 Select the pages or images you want to open by clicking the thumbnails. Shift-click to select more than one page

or image. The number of selected items appears under the preview window.

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Note: Use the Thumbnail Size menu to adjust the thumbnail view in the preview window. The Fit Page option fits one
thumbnail in the preview window. A scroll bar appears if there are multiple items.
5 To give the new document a name, type it in the Name text box. If you’re importing more than one page or image,
multiple documents open with the base name followed by a number.
6 Under Page Options, choose from the Crop To menu to specify what part of the PDF document to include:

Bounding Box Crops to the smallest rectangular region that includes all the text and graphics of the page. This

option eliminates extraneous white space.

Media Box Crops to the original size of the page.

Crop Box Crops to the clipping region (crop margins) of the PDF file.

Bleed Box Crops to the region specified in the PDF file for accommodating limitations inherent in production

processes such as cutting, folding, and trimming.

Trim Box Crops to the region specified for the intended finished size of the page.

Art Box Crops to the region specified in the PDF file for placing the PDF data into another application.

7 Specify the following under Page Options:

Resolution Sets the resolution for the new document. See also “Pixel dimensions and image resolution” on page 178.

Mode Sets the color mode for the new document. See also “Color modes” on page 227.

Bit Depth Sets the bit depth for the new document. See also “About bit depth” on page 231.

Anti-aliased Minimizes jagged lines at the edges of an image. Deselect this option if you want a hard-edged

transition between pixels.

Transparent Background Reveals text or graphics beneath the PDF page. Deselect this option to place the PDF

page on a white background.

8 To suppress color profile warnings, select Suppress Warning.

9 Click OK.

See also
“To place a file in Photoshop” on page 197

Opening PostScript artwork
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) can represent both vector and bitmap data and is supported by virtually all graphic,
illustration, and page-layout programs. Adobe applications that produce PostScript artwork include Adobe Illus
trator, Adobe Dimensions, and Adobe Streamline. When you open an EPS file containing vector art, it is rasterized—
the mathematically defined lines and curves of the vector artwork are converted into the pixels or bits of a bitmap
image.
You can also bring PostScript artwork into Photoshop or ImageReady using the Place command, the Paste command,
and the drag-and-drop feature.

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See also
“Placing files” on page 196
“Using drag-and-drop to copy between applications” on page 332
“Using the clipboard to copy between applications” on page 333

To open an EPS file

1 Choose File > Open.

2 Select the file you want to open, and click Open.

3 Indicate the desired dimensions, resolution, and mode. To maintain the same height-to-width ratio, select

Constrain Proportions.

4 To minimize jagged lines at the edges of artwork, select Anti-aliased.

To turn off the Anti-alias PostScript option (ImageReady)
The Anti-alias PostScript option removes jagged edges from a pasted or placed selection by making a subtle
transition between the edges of the selection and its surrounding pixels. Deselecting this option decreases import
time and results in a hard-edged, jagged transition between pixels when vector artwork is rasterized.
Note: In Photoshop, you can deselect the Anti-alias option when you open or place a PDF or EPS file.
1 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences > General.
• (Mac OS) Choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.
2 Deselect Anti-alias PostScript.

To open a Photo CD file
You can open Kodak Photo CD (PCD) files, including high-resolution files from Pro Photo CD discs.
Note: You cannot save files in PCD format from Photoshop or ImageReady.
1 Choose File > Open.

2 Select the PCD file you want to open, and click Open. If the file does not appear, select the option for showing all

files from the Files Of Type (Windows) or Show (Mac OS) menu.

3 Select options for the source image:

Pixel Size Specifies the pixel dimensions of the image. Keep in mind that the on-screen size of the opened image

depends on both the pixel size and resolution you choose.

Profile Specifies a device profile for color management.

4 Select options for the destination image:

Resolution Specifies the resolution of the opened image.

Color Space Specifies a color profile for the opened image.

Landscape or Portrait Specifies the orientation of the opened image.

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See also
“Pixel dimensions and image resolution” on page 178
“To calibrate and profile your monitor” on page 265

Importing anti-aliased PICT files (Mac OS)
Choose File > Import > Anti-aliased PICT to import object-oriented PICT files (such as those created with
MacDraw and Canvas) as smooth-edged, or anti-aliased, images. Because the entire PICT file must be held in
memory for this module to operate, you may not be able to use the module with large PICT files.
The Anti-aliased PICT dialog box indicates the current file size and dimensions. To change the image dimensions,
enter new values for Width and Height. The file size is then updated. To maintain image proportions, select
Constrain Proportions.
You can choose Grayscale or RGB color mode for an anti-aliased PICT file.

Importing PICT resources (Mac OS)
The PICT Resource module lets you read PICT resources from a file—for example, from another application. To
open a PICT resource, choose File > Import > PICT Resource.
To preview a resource, click Preview. Click the arrows to step forward and backward through the resources. Note that
the number displayed for Resource refers to the resource’s position in ascending order in the resource fork and not
to the resource’s identification number.
Note: In Photoshop, you can also open a file in the PICT Resource file format by choosing File > Open, choosing All
Documents from the Show pop-up menu, selecting the file you want to open, choosing PICT Resource from the Format
pop-up menu, and clicking Open. However, the Open command automatically opens the first resource in the file and
does not display any other PICT resources in the file.

Placing files
Placing files
The Place command places artwork as a Smart Object in the Photoshop file. Generally, the art is placed on a new
layer. In Photoshop, you can place files in any Photoshop-supported format. In ImageReady, you can place files in
any ImageReady-supported format with the exception of Photoshop (PSD) files containing CMYK images, PDF files,
and Adobe Illustrator (AI) files.
When you use the Place command, you can scale, position, skew, or rotate the art without degrading the image before
clicking Commit , or pressing Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to place the art. In Photoshop, PDF, Illus
trator (AI), or EPS files are rasterized. After files are rasterized, vector data is no longer editable as paths and any text
is no longer editable as type.
You can retain (where possible) layers, masks, transparency, compound shapes, slices, image maps, and editable type
when bringing your Illustrator art into Photoshop. In Illustrator, export the art in the Photoshop (PSD) file format.
If your Illustrator art contains elements that Photoshop doesn’t support, the appearance of the artwork is preserved, but
the layers are merged and the artwork is rasterized.

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See also
“Smart Objects” on page 427

To place a file in Photoshop

1 Open the Photoshop document that is the destination for the placed artwork.

2 Do one of the following:

• (Photoshop) Choose File > Place, select the file you want to place, and click Open.
• (Photoshop) Select and copy Illustrator (AI), EPS, or PDF artwork from the source document, and then paste it

into the destination Photoshop document. You can also select the file and drag it into the Photoshop document.
Skip to step 4.
• (Bridge) Select the image file and choose File > Place > In Photoshop. Skip to step 4.
3 In the Open dialog box, select the name of the file, and click Open. You can change which types of files are listed
by selecting an option from the Files Of Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS) pop-up menu.
4 If you are placing a PDF or Illustrator (AI) file, the Place PDF dialog box appears. Select the pages or images you
want to place, set the Crop options, and click OK. See also “To set Place PDF dialog box options” on page 199

The placed artwork appears inside a bounding box at the center of the Photoshop image. The artwork maintains its
original aspect ratio; however, if the artwork is larger than the Photoshop image, it is resized to fit.
Note: You can also place Adobe Illustrator art by copying and pasting the art from Illustrator into a Photoshop
document. See “To paste Adobe Illustrator art into Photoshop” on page 200.
5 (Optional) Reposition or transform the placed artwork by doing any of the following:
• To reposition the placed art, position the pointer inside the bounding box of the placed artwork and drag, or in

the options bar, enter a value for X to specify the distance between the center point of the placed artwork and the
left edge of the image. Enter a value for Y to specify the distance between the center point of the placed artwork
and the top edge of the image.
• To scale the placed art, drag one of the corner handles of the bounding box or enter values for W and H in the

options bar.
• To rotate the placed art, position the pointer outside the bounding box (the pointer turns into a curved arrow) and

in the options bar. The artwork rotates around the
drag, or enter a value (in degrees) for the Rotation option
center point of the placed artwork. To adjust the center point, drag it to a new location, or click a handle on the
in the options bar.
Center Point icon
• To skew the placed art, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and drag a side handle of the bounding

box.
• To warp the placed art, choose Edit > Transform > Warp and then choose a warp from the Warp Style pop-up

menu in the options bar.
If you choose Custom from the Warp Style pop-up menu, drag the control points, a segment of the bounding box or
mesh, or an area within the mesh to warp the image.

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6 If you’re placing a PDF, EPS, or Adobe Illustrator file, set the Anti-alias option in the options bar as desired. To
blend edge pixels during rasterization, select the Anti-alias option. To produce a hard-edged transition between edge
pixels during rasterization, deselect the Anti-alias option.
7 Do one of the following:
• Click Commit

in the options bar or press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to commit the placed artwork

to a new layer.
• Click Cancel

in the options bar, or press Esc to cancel the placement.

See also
“To scale, rotate, skew, distort, apply perspective, or warp” on page 361
“To warp an item” on page 364

To place a file in ImageReady
1 Open the ImageReady image into which you want to place the file and choose File > Place.

Note: In ImageReady, you cannot place a PSD file containing a CMYK image, PDF files, or Illustrator (AI) files.
2 In the Place dialog box, click Choose, browse to select the file you want to place, and click Open.
3 Select offset options:
• From the Horizontal pop-up menu, choose an option for placing the file horizontally with respect to the image.

In the Pixels text box, enter the number of pixels by which to offset the placed image horizontally.
• From the Vertical pop-up menu, choose an option for placing the file vertically with respect to the image. In the

Pixels text box, enter the number of pixels by which to offset the placed image vertically.
Note: To enter a negative number (and offset the placed file to the left or below the image), type a hyphen (-) before the
number.
4 Click OK.

5 If you are placing an EPS file, specify any of the following in the Rasterize Options dialog box and click OK:

Width and Height Specifies the width and height values for the image size.

Constrain Proportions Maintains the same height-to-width ratio.
Anti-aliased Minimizes the jagged appearance of the artwork’s edges as it is rasterized.
6 If you’re placing a QuickTime movie file, select the following from the Open Movie dialog box, and click OK:
From Beginning To End Imports the entire movie.
Selected Range Only Imports a selected range of the movie. Hold down the Shift key while moving the slider in the
Timeline or clicking the arrows. The selected footage is indicated by the darkened area in the Timeline.
Limit To Every X Frame Specifies which frame of the selected range to import. Choose from the pop-up menu.

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Holding down the Shift key while moving the slider in the Timeline to select a range of the QuickTime movie

To set Place PDF dialog box options
When you place a PDF or Adobe Illustrator file, use the Place PDF dialog box to set options for placing the artwork.

1 With the destination Photoshop document open, place a PDF or Adobe Illustrator file.

2 In the Place PDF dialog box, choose Page or Image from the Select menu, depending on what elements of the PDF

document you want to import.

include:

Bounding Box Crops to the smallest rectangular region that includes all the text and graphics of the page. This

option eliminates extraneous white space.

Media Box Crops to the original size of the page.

Crop Box Crops to the clipping region (crop margins) of the PDF file.

Bleed Box Crops to the region specified in the PDF file for accommodating limitations inherent in production

processes such as cutting, folding, and trimming.

Trim Box Crops to the region specified for the intended finished size of the page.

Art Box Crops to the region specified in the PDF file for placing the PDF data into another application.

4 Select Transparent Background to reveal text or graphics beneath the PDF page. Deselect this option to place the

PDF page on a white background.

5 Click OK to close the Place PDF dialog box.

6 If necessary, set any positioning, scaling, skewing, rotating, warping, or anti-aliasing options in the options bar.

7 Click Commit

to place the artwork as Smart Objects on separate layers of the destination document.

See also
“To place a file in Photoshop” on page 197

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Pasting Adobe Illustrator art into Photoshop
You can copy art from Adobe Illustrator and paste it into a Photoshop document. The copy-and-paste behavior can
be specified:
• To automatically rasterize the art when pasting it into a Photoshop document, turn off the PDF and the AICB (No

Transparency Support) options in the File Handling & Clipboard preferences of Adobe Illustrator.
• To paste the art as a Smart Object, rasterized image, path, or shape layer, turn on the PDF and the AICB (No Trans

parency Support) options in the File Handling & Clipboard preferences of Adobe Illustrator.

See also
“Smart Objects” on page 427

To paste Adobe Illustrator art into Photoshop
Note: If you want to paste the Adobe Illustrator art as a Smart Object, path, or shape layer, make sure to turn on the
PDF and the AICB (No Transparency Support) options in the File Handling & Clipboard preferences of Adobe Illus
trator.
1 Open a file in Adobe Illustrator, select the art you want to copy, and choose Edit > Copy.
2 In Photoshop, open the document that you want to paste the Adobe Illustrator art into and then choose Edit >
Paste.

Note: If the PDF and the AICB (No Transparency Support) options are turned off in the File Handling & Clipboard
preferences of Adobe Illustrator, the art is automatically rasterized as it’s pasted into the Photoshop document. You can
skip the rest of the steps in this procedure.
3 In the Paste dialog box, select how you want to paste the Adobe Illustrator art and then click OK:
Smart Object Pastes the art as a Vector Smart Object that can be scaled, transformed, or moved without degrading

the image before it’s placed into the Photoshop document. As the art is placed, its file data is embedded in the
Photoshop document and the art is rasterized on a separate layer.
Pixels Pastes the art as pixels that can be scaled, transformed, or moved before it is rasterized and placed on its own
layer in the Photoshop document.
Path Pastes the art as a path that can be edited with the pen tools, Path Selection tool, or Direct Selection tool. The

path is pasted into the layer that’s selected in the Layers palette.
Shape Layer Pastes the art as a new shape layer (a layer containing a path filled with the foreground color).
4 If you selected Smart Object or Pixels in the Paste dialog box, click Enter or Return to place the art.

See also
“Placing files” on page 196
“Smart Objects” on page 427
“Path segments, components, and points” on page 460
“To create a shape on a shape layer” on page 450

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High Dynamic Range images
About High Dynamic Range images
The dynamic range (ratio between dark and bright regions) in the visible world far exceeds the range of human vision
and of images that are printed or displayed on a monitor. But whereas human eyes can adapt to very different
brightness levels, most cameras and computer monitors can capture and reproduce only a fixed dynamic range.
Photographers, motion picture artists, and others working with digital images must be selective about what’s
important in a scene because they are working with a limited dynamic range.
High Dynamic Range (HDR) images open up a world of possibilities because they can represent the entire dynamic
range of the visible world. Because all the luminance values in a real-world scene are represented proportionately and
stored in an HDR image, adjusting the exposure of an HDR image is like adjusting the exposure when photographing
a scene in the real world. This capability lets you create blurs and other real-world lighting effects that look realistic.
Currently, HDR images are used mostly in motion pictures, special effects, 3D work, and some high-end photog
raphy.
A

Merging images of different exposures to create an HDR image
A. Image with shadow detail but highlights clipped B. Image with highlight detail but shadows clipped
namic range of the scene

C. HDR image containing the dy

In Photoshop, the luminance values of an HDR image are stored using a floating-point numeric representation that’s
32 bits long (32-bits-per-channel). The luminance values in an HDR image are directly related to the amount of light
in a scene. This is not so with (non-floating point) 16-bits-per-channel and 8-bits-per-channel image files, which can
store luminance values only from black to paper white; this represents an extremely small segment of the dynamic
range in the real world.

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You can create an HDR image using multiple photographs, each captured at a different exposure. In Photoshop, the
Merge To HDR command lets you create HDR images from multiple photographs. Because an HDR image contains
brightness levels that far exceed the display capabilities of a standard 24-bit monitor or the range of tones in a printed
image, Photoshop lets you adjust the preview of the HDR image so it can be viewed on a computer monitor. Some
Photoshop tools, adjustments, and filters can be used with HDR images. If you need to print the image or use
Photoshop tools and filters that don’t work with HDR images, you can convert the HDR image to an 8- or 16-bitsper-channel image.

Working with HDR images
Photoshop lets you use the following tools, adjustments, and filters with 32-bits-per-channel HDR images:
Adjustments Channel Mixer, Photo Filter, and Exposure.

Note: Although the Exposure command can be used with 8- and 16-bits-per-channel images, it is designed for making
exposure adjustments to 32-bits-per-channel HDR images.
Blend Modes Normal, Darken, Multiply, Lighten, Linear Dodge, and Difference.
Editing Commands Fill, Stroke, Free Transform, Transform, Image Size, Canvas Size, Rotate Canvas, Crop (with

rotation and resize), and Trim.
File Formats Photoshop (PSD, PSB), Radiance (HDR), Portable Bit Map (PFM), OpenEXR, and TIFF.

Note: Although Photoshop cannot save an HDR image in the LogLuv TIFF file format, it can open and read a LogLuv
TIFF file.
Filters Average, Box Blur, Gaussian Blur, Motion Blur, Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Surface Blur, Add Noise, Fibers, Lens

Flare, Smart Sharpen, Unsharp Mask, De-Interlace, NTSC Colors, High Pass, and Offset.
Modes RGB Color, Grayscale, conversion to 8 Bits/Channel or 16 Bits/Channel.
Tools Marquee tools, Move tool, lasso tools, Crop tool, Slice tool, Clone Stamp tool, History Brush tool, Path

Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, pen tools, annotation tools, Eyedropper tool, Color Sampler tool, Measure tool,
Hand tool, and Zoom tool. Some tools work with supported blend modes only.

See also
“To use the Exposure adjustment” on page 292

The Merge To HDR command
Use the Merge To HDR command to combine multiple images (with different exposures) of the same image or scene,
capturing the dynamic range of a scene in a single HDR image. You can choose to save the merged image as a 32-bitsper-channel HDR image.
Note: It’s also possible to use the Merge To HDR command to save the merged image as an 8- or 16-bits-per-channel
image. However, only a 32-bits-per-channel image can store all the HDR image data; 8- and 16-bits-per-channel images
will be clipped.
Keep the following tips in mind when you take photos to be combined with the Merge To HDR command:
• Secure the camera to a tripod.
• Take enough photos to cover the full dynamic range of the scene. You can try taking at least five to seven photos,

but you might need to take more exposures depending on the dynamic range of the scene. The minimum number
of photos should be three.

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• Vary the shutter speed to create different exposures. Changing the aperture changes the depth of field in each

exposure and can produce lower-quality results. Changing the ISO or aperture may also cause noise or vignetting
in the image.
• In general, don’t use your camera’s auto-bracket feature, because the exposure changes are usually too small.
• The exposure differences between the photos should be one or two EV (exposure value) steps apart (equivalent to

about one or two f-stops apart).
• Don’t vary the lighting; for instance, don’t use a flash in one exposure but not the next.
• Make sure that nothing is moving in the scene. Exposure Merge works only with differently exposed images of the

identical scene.

To use the Merge To HDR command
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Choose File > Automate > Merge To HDR.

• (Bridge) Select the images you want to use and choose Tools > Photoshop > Merge To HDR. Skip to step 3.

2 In the Merge To HDR dialog box, click Browse, browse to select the images, and click Open.

To remove an item, select it in the Merge To HDR dialog box and click Remove.

Note: If you want to add a folder of images or images that are open in Photoshop, choose Folder or Open Files from the
Use menu.
3 (Optional) Select the Attempt To Automatically Align Source Images option if you held the camera in your hands
when you photographed the multiple images.
4 Click OK.

A second Merge To HDR dialog box displays thumbnails of the images being used in the merged result, a preview of
the merged result, a Bit Depth menu, and a slider for setting the white point preview.
5 If necessary, do one of the following to set the view options for the merged result preview:
• Click the Minus or Plus buttons below the preview image to zoom out or zoom in.
• Choose a view percentage or mode from the pop-up menu below the preview image.
6 (Optional) Deselect or select the thumbnails in the Sources filmstrip to specify which images to use in the merged
image.

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Selecting the thumbnails in the Sources filmstrip

7 Choose a bit depth for the merged image from the Bit Depth menu.

Note: Be sure to choose 32 Bits/Channel if you want the merged image to store the entire dynamic range data of the HDR
image.
8 Move the slider below the histogram to set the white point for previewing the merged image.

Important: If the merged image is being saved as a 32-bits-per-channel image, moving the slider adjusts the image
preview only. All the HDR image data remains intact in the 32-bits-per-channel HDR image file. The preview
adjustment is stored in the 32-bits-per-channel HDR image file and applied whenever the file is opened in Photoshop. If
you choose to save the merged image as an 8- or 16-bits-per-channel image, moving the slider applies exposure edits to
the image file. Any discarded image data will not be recoverable after the merged 8- or 16-bits-per-channel image is
created.
9 Click OK to create the merged image.

To adjust HDR image viewing
The dynamic range of HDR images exceeds the display capabilities of standard computer monitors. When you open
an HDR image in Photoshop, it can look very dark or washed out. Photoshop lets you adjust the preview so that the
monitor displays an HDR image whose highlights and shadows aren’t washed out or too dark. The preview settings
are stored in the HDR image file and are applied whenever the file is opened in Photoshop. Preview adjustments don’t
affect the HDR image file, all the HDR image information remains intact. Use the Exposure adjustment to make
exposure edits to the 32-bits-per-channel HDR image.
To view 32-bit readouts in the Info palette, click the Eyedropper icon in the Info palette and choose 32-Bit from the
pop-up menu.
1 Open a 32-bits-per-channel HDR image in Photoshop, and choose View > 32-Bit Preview Options.
2 In the 32-bit Preview Options dialog box, choose an option from the Method menu:
Exposure And Gamma Adjusts the brightness and contrast.
Highlight Compression Compresses the highlight values in the HDR image so they fall within the luminance values

range of the 8- or 16-bits-per-channel image file.

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3 If you chose Exposure And Gamma, move the Exposure and Gain sliders to adjust the brightness and contrast of
the image preview.
4 Click OK.

You can also adjust the preview of an HDR image open in Photoshop by clicking the triangle in the status bar of the
document window and choosing 32-Bit Exposure from the pop-up menu. Move the slider to set the white point for
viewing the HDR image. Since the adjustment is made per view, you can have the same HDR image open in multiple
windows, each with a different preview adjustment. Preview adjustments made with this method are not stored in the
HDR image file.

See also
“To use the Exposure adjustment” on page 292

To convert from 32 bits to 8 or 16 bits per channel
HDR images contain luminance levels that far exceed the luminance data that can be stored in 8- or 16-bits-perchannel image files. Photoshop lets you make exposure and contrast corrections so that converting a 32-bits-perchannel HDR image to 8 or 16 bits per channel results in an image with the dynamic range (tonal range) you want.
1 Open a 32-bits-per-channel image and choose Image > Mode > 16 Bits/Channel or 8 Bits/Channel.
2 In the HDR Conversion dialog box, choose a method for adjusting the brightness and contrast in the image:
Exposure And Gamma Lets you manually adjust the brightness and contrast of the HDR image.
Highlight Compression Compresses the highlight values in the HDR image so they fall within the luminance values

range of the 8- or 16-bits-per-channel image file. No further adjustments are necessary; this method is automatic.
Click OK to convert the 32-bits-per-channel image.
Equalize Histogram Compresses the dynamic range of the HDR image while trying to preserve some contrast. No

further adjustments are necessary; this method is automatic. Click OK to convert the 32-bits-per-channel image.
Local Adaptation Adjusts the tonality in the HDR image by calculating the amount of correction necessary for local

brightness regions throughout the image.
3 (Optional) Click the arrow to display the toning curve and histogram. The histogram shows the luminance values
in the original HDR image. The red tick marks along the horizontal axis are in 1 EV (approximately 1 f-stop) incre
ments. The toning curve is active only for the Local Adaptation method.
4 Do any of the following:
• If you chose Exposure And Gamma, move the Exposure slider to adjust the gain and move the Gamma slider to

adjust the contrast.
• If you chose Local Adaptation, move the Radius slider to specify the size of the local brightness regions. Move the

Threshold slider to specify how far apart two pixels’ tonal values must be before they’re no longer part of the same
brightness region. You can also use the toning curve to make adjustments.
Note: The toning curve usually lets you make limited changes from point to point and attempts to equalize your changes
across the points. If you select the Corner option after inserting a point on the curve, the limit is removed and no equal
ization is performed when you insert and move a second point. You’ll notice that the curve becomes angular at a point
with the Corner option applied.

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Toning curve adjustment using the Corner option
A. Inserting a point displays the Corner option. B. Adjusting new point makes the curve angular at the point where the Corner option is
used.

5 (Optional) To save your 32-bit toning options as a file, click Save. Type a name for the file in the Save dialog box

and click Save.

You can reuse the saved 32-bit toning option file. Click Load to convert another 32-bits-per-channel image to an 8

or 16-bits-per-channel image.

6 Click OK to convert the 32-bits-per-channel image.

See also
“About the Curves dialog box” on page 286

207

Chapter 8: Camera raw files

Camera raw files in Photoshop and Bridge
Camera raw files
A camera raw file contains unprocessed picture data from a digital camera’s image sensor. Many digital cameras can
save images files in camera raw format. In this way, photographers can interpret the image data rather than having
the camera make the adjustments and conversions automatically.
Camera raw image files contain the actual data captured by the sensor without any in-camera processing; these are
the only files containing “pure” data. Working with camera raw files gives you maximum control; you can set the
white balance, tonal range, contrast, color saturation, and sharpening. Think of camera raw files as your photo
negative. You can reprocess the file at any time to achieve the results you want.
To create raw files, you need to set your camera to save files in its own raw file format. In Adobe Bridge or Photoshop,
you can process only those camera raw files obtained from supported cameras. Visit the adobe.com website to view
a list of supported cameras.

The Camera Raw plug-in
The Camera Raw plug-in processes camera raw files with default image setting files based on Camera Raw’s built-in
camera profiles for supported camera models and the EXIF data. Every camera model saves the camera raw image
in a unique format, but Camera Raw can process many camera raw file formats. When you first view thumbnails and
preview camera raw files in Bridge, you see the files with the default image settings applied. By default, Camera Raw
also uses an Auto Adjustments option that applies image settings to a file by evaluating the image data in addition to
using the Camera Raw default settings and the EXIF data. You can change the default settings, make advanced adjust
ments, and specify file saving options using the tools and controls in the Camera Raw dialog box. You can save
settings for reuse or make them the default settings for a specific camera model.
Use the Camera Raw plug-in to perform the following tasks:
• Preview camera raw images in Bridge using the default image settings.
• Apply settings to camera raw files in Bridge without opening the Camera Raw dialog box.
• Copy and paste the settings from one camera raw image to another in Bridge.
• Use the default image settings and open camera raw image files directly in Photoshop without opening the Camera

Raw dialog box.
• Process the files in the Camera Raw dialog box and open the images in Photoshop, where you can do further

editing and save them in a supported file format.
• Process the files in the Camera Raw dialog box and either simply close the dialog box or save the camera raw

images in a file format supported by Photoshop.
• Automate the processing of a batch of camera raw files and save them in a Photoshop-supported file format using

the Image Processor, the Batch command, or a droplet.

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• Mark camera raw files for deletion as you process a batch of images in the Camera Raw dialog box, and send the

rejected files to the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac OS) when you finish.
• Save adjusted settings as the default image settings for a specific camera. See “To adjust the rendering of non

neutral colors in Camera Raw” on page 220.
A

B C

Camera Raw dialog box
A. Filmstrip B. Toggle Filmstrip C. Tools D. Camera, file name, and some EXIF information E. Rotate buttons F. Mark for Delete
button G. View options H. RGB values I. Histogram J. Camera Raw menu K. Zoom levels L. Workflow options M. Navigation
arrows N. Adjustment sliders

Note: You must have Photoshop installed to open camera raw files in Bridge. However, if Photoshop is not installed, you
can still preview the camera raw files in the Preview tab and as thumbnails. If a third-party application is associated
with the camera raw file type, it’s possible to open the camera raw file in the third-party application from Bridge.
When you make adjustments (including straightening and cropping the image) from the Camera Raw dialog box,
the original camera raw file data is preserved. The adjustment settings are stored on a per-image basis in either the
Camera Raw database file or in sidecar XMP files (files that accompany the original camera raw image file in the same
folder). Choose a preference to specify where the settings are stored. The XMP files are useful if you plan to move
the image files to a storage medium or another computer and want to retain the camera raw settings. You can use the
Export Settings command to copy the settings in the Camera Raw database to sidecar XMP files or embed the
settings in Digital Negative (DNG) files.

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From the Camera Raw dialog box, you can save the processed files in Digital Negative (DNG), JPEG, TIFF, or
Photoshop (PSD) formats. If you open the file in Photoshop, you can save the camera raw image in Photoshop
compatible formats such as PSD, JPEG, Large Document Format (PSB), TIFF, Cineon, Photoshop Raw, PNG, or
Portable Bit Map. For more information on the Digital Negative format, see “Adobe Digital Negative format (DNG)”
on page 679 or visit the adobe.com website.
Note: The Camera Raw dialog box is automatically suppressed when you use a batch of camera raw files for a web photo
gallery, picture package, or contact sheet, or when you use the Place command with camera raw files.
You can save the camera raw settings for a specific camera or a specific lighting condition and reuse them to process
another camera raw image file or a batch of files.

See also
“Camera Raw settings” on page 222
“To process camera raw files in Camera Raw” on page 210
“To open camera raw images in Photoshop” on page 210
“Automating processing of camera raw images” on page 226
“To save camera raw images in Camera Raw” on page 221

Camera raw and Photoshop Raw files
Although Photoshop can open and edit a camera raw image file, it cannot save an image in camera raw format. A
Photoshop Raw format is available in Photoshop, but it’s not the same format used in camera raw image files. A
camera raw image file contains the unprocessed bits from the camera’s CCD or CMOS. This data needs significant
processing of the type performed by the Camera Raw plug-in. The Photoshop Raw format (.raw) is a flexible file
format for transferring images between applications and computer platforms.

Caches for camera raw files in Bridge
When you view camera raw files in Adobe Bridge, the thumbnails and previews use either the camera raw default
settings or your adjusted settings. The cache in Bridge and the Camera Raw cache store data for the file thumbnails,
metadata, and file information. Caching this data shortens the loading time when you return to a previously viewed
folder.
The Camera Raw cache speeds loading of the Camera Raw dialog box and the recalculation of previews in Bridge
after changes are made to the Camera Raw settings. The Camera Raw cache holds preparsed raw image data for the
most recently accessed camera raw files.
The cache in Bridge stores the calculated thumbnails, previews, and metadata for all kinds of images.
Because the caches can become very large, you may want to purge the cache or limit its size. You can also purge and
regenerate the cache if you suspect that it is corrupted or old. Purging the cache deletes thumbnail information and
metadata added since the camera raw file was opened in Bridge.
Note: The Camera Raw cache holds data for about 200 images for each gigabyte of disk storage allocated to it. By default,
the Camera Raw cache is set to a maximum size of 1 GB. You can increase its limit in the Camera Raw Preferences.

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To work with the camera raw cache in Bridge
1 In Bridge, do one of the following:
• In the Camera Raw dialog box, click the triangle next to the Settings menu and choose Preferences from the

Camera Raw menu.
• (Windows) Choose Edit > Camera Raw Preferences.
• (Mac OS) Choose Bridge > Camera Raw Preferences, or, with the Camera Raw dialog box open, choose

Photoshop > Camera Raw Preferences.
2 Do any of the following:
• To change the cache size, type a value in the Maximum Size text box.
• To purge the camera raw cache, click the Purge Cache button.
• To change the location of the camera raw cache, click Select Location, browse to the new location, and click Select.
3 Click OK.

See also
“To work with the cache in Bridge” on page 85

Processing and opening camera raw files in Photoshop
To open camera raw images in Photoshop
You can open one or more camera raw image files directly in Photoshop without opening the Camera Raw dialog
box. Photoshop apples either the default camera raw image settings or your adjusted settings.
❖ In Bridge, do one of the following:

• Select one or more camera raw image files, hold down the Shift key, and choose File > Open.
• Hold down the Shift key and double-click a camera raw image file.

To process camera raw files in Camera Raw
1 Do one of the following:
• (Bridge) Select one or more camera raw files, and choose File > Open With > Photoshop CS2. The Camera Raw

dialog box appears, with Open as the default button for opening the images in Photoshop.
• (Bridge) Select one or more camera raw files and choose File > Open In Camera Raw. The Camera Raw dialog box

appears, with Done as the default button for closing the dialog box after you adjust settings.
• (Photoshop) Choose File > Open, browse to select one or more camera raw files, and click Open. The Camera Raw

dialog box appears, with Open as the default button for opening the images in Photoshop.
The Camera Raw dialog box opens with the camera raw image displayed in a preview window. The histogram shows
the tonal range of the image with the current settings. As you make setting adjustments, the histogram automatically
updates. If you selected more than one image, the Filmstrip appears on the left side of the Camera Raw dialog box.
(You can show or hide the Filmstrip by clicking Toggle Filmstrip .)
2 If you’re processing several camera raw files, select them from the Filmstrip. Use the arrows in the lower right
corner of the preview window to navigate to the image you want to adjust.

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Note: A caution icon

appears in the thumbnails and preview image while the preview is generated from the cache.

3 (Optional) Adjust the image view using controls and options such as zoom, shadows, and highlights. See “Camera

Raw view controls” on page 213.
Note: Selecting the Preview check box turns on a preview of any setting changes made to the current tab (Adjust, Detail,
Lens, Curve, or Calibrate) combined with the settings in the hidden tabs. Deselecting the Preview check box displays the
camera raw image with the original settings of the current tab combined with the settings in the hidden tabs.
4 (Optional) Click the Rotate Image buttons

to rotate the image 90˚ counterclockwise or 90˚ clockwise.

5 (Optional) Select the Color Sampler tool
to place up to four color samplers in the preview image. The RGB
readouts for each sampler appear above the preview image. Click Clear Samplers to remove all the color samplers.
See “Using the histogram and RGB levels in Camera Raw” on page 213 and “To view color values in an image” on
page 280.
6 (Optional) Choose workflow options (target color space profile, bit depth, pixel dimension, and resolution). Select
or deselect Show Workflow Options to show or hide the menus. See “Camera Raw Workflow settings” on page 214.
7 (Optional) To apply the settings used in the previous camera raw image or the default settings for your camera,
choose an option from the Settings menu. In this way, you can quickly process images with similar lighting condi
tions. See “Camera Raw settings” on page 222 and “To apply saved Camera Raw settings” on page 224.
8 Set options to adjust the white balance. See “White balance controls for camera raw files” on page 214.

You can monitor the RGB values of pixels in your image as you adjust it in the Camera Raw dialog box. Position the
Zoom tool, Hand tool, White Balance tool, Color Sampler tool, or Crop tool over the preview image to display the
RGB values directly beneath the pointer. You can also place up to four color samplers in the preview image. The RGB
values of each color sampler appear beneath the preview image.
9 Make tonal adjustments using the Exposure, Shadow, Brightness, Contrast, and Saturation sliders, or select the
Auto check boxes to make these adjustments automatically. There is no Auto check box for Saturation. See “Tonal
adjustment controls for camera raw files” on page 216.

Click an Auto check box to undo your manual adjustments and make the adjustments automatically. To restore all
options to their initial settings, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click Reset.
Note: By default, the Auto check boxes are always selected in the Camera Raw dialog box. You change this default by
choosing Use Auto Adjustments from the Camera Raw menu or changing the Camera Raw default so that all or some
Auto check boxes are always unselected. See “To turn on or off the Auto adjustments in Camera Raw” on page 217.
10 (Optional) Click the following tabs to make further adjustments:
Detail Adjusts sharpening, or applies luminance smoothing or color noise reduction. See “To adjust sharpening in

camera raw files” on page 218 and “Reducing noise in camera raw files” on page 218.
Lens Compensates for chromatic aberration and vignetting introduced by a digital camera. See “To compensate for
chromatic aberration in Camera Raw” on page 219 and “To compensate for lens vignetting” on page 220.
Curve Adjusts tonality using a Curves adjustment. Use the Tone Curve menu to choose a preset adjustment.
Calibrate Lets you correct a color cast in the shadows and adjust non-neutral colors to compensate for the difference
between the behavior of your camera and Camera Raw’s built-in profile for your camera model. To save adjustments
as the default settings for a specific camera, click the triangle next to the Settings menu. Then, from the Camera Raw
dialog box menu, choose Save New Camera Raw Defaults. See “To remove a shadow color cast in camera raw files”
on page 220 and “To adjust the rendering of non-neutral colors in Camera Raw” on page 220.

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You can save image settings or a subset of settings for reuse on other camera raw images. You can also save adjusted
settings as the default for a specific camera. For example, if you find that the Linear setting in the Curve tab works
best with the images from your camera, you can choose Linear from the Tone Curve menu and then choose Save New
Camera Raw Defaults from the Adobe Camera Raw dialog box menu. In the future, a Linear tone curve will be applied
to images from the same camera. See “To save or reset Camera Raw settings” on page 223
11 (Optional) If you are processing several images and want to delete one or more of them, select them in the
Thumbnail pane and click Mark For Deletion .

A red cross appears over a marked image in the Thumbnail pane. The file is sent to the Recycle Bin (Windows) or
Trash (Mac OS) when you close the Camera Raw dialog box. (If you decide to keep an image that you marked for
deletion, select it in the Thumbnail pane and click Mark For Deletion again.)
12 (Optional) To crop or straighten an image when the Camera Raw settings are applied, select the Crop tool

and drag over the image. To cancel the operation, press Esc or click the Crop tool and choose
or Straighten tool
Clear Crop from the context menu. See “To crop or straighten images in Camera Raw” on page 217.
If you selected more than one image in the Camera Raw dialog box, they are all cropped by the same amount and at
the same place.
13 Click one of the following buttons:
Open Opens copies of the camera raw image files (with the Camera Raw settings applied) in Photoshop. You can
edit the image further and save the images in a Photoshop-supported format. The original camera raw image file
remains unaltered. The settings applied to the camera raw image are stored either in the camera raw database file or
as a sidecar XMP file.
Done Closes the Camera Raw dialog box and stores file settings either in the camera raw database file or as a sidecar
XMP file.
Save Applies the Camera Raw settings to the images and saves copies of them in a Photoshop-supported file format.

In the Camera Raw Save Options dialog box, specify the destination for the saved files, a file-naming convention, and
a file format: Digital Negative (DNG), JPEG, TIFF, or Photoshop. Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to
suppress the Camera Raw Save Options dialog box and save the files using the last set of save options. See “To save
camera raw images in Camera Raw” on page 221.
When using the Save command in the Camera Raw dialog box, files are placed in a queue to be processed and saved.
This is useful if you are processing several files in the Camera Raw dialog box and saving them in the same format.
Click Alt+Save (Windows) or Option+Save (Mac OS) to suppress the Camera Raw Save Options dialog box when saving
a file. The file is placed into the queue and saved in the background while you work on another file. In this way, the
Camera Raw dialog box lets you set up an efficient “assembly line” for processing and saving images.
Cancel Cancels the adjustments specified in the Camera Raw dialog box.

After you process and edit a camera raw file using the Camera Raw plug-in, an icon
thumbnail in Bridge.

See also
“Adobe Digital Negative format (DNG)” on page 679

appears in the image

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Camera Raw view controls
Zoom tool
Sets the preview zoom to the next preset value when you click the preview image. Press Alt/Option
and click to set the next lower zoom value. Drag the Zoom tool in the preview image to zoom in on a selected area.
To return to 100%, double-click the Zoom tool.
Hand tool Moves the image in the preview window if the preview image is set at a zoom level higher than 100%.

Hold down the spacebar to use the Hand tool while using another tool. Double-click the Hand tool to fit the preview
image to the window.
Select Zoom Level Sets the magnification of the preview image. Choose a zoom setting from the menu or click the

Select Zoom Level buttons.
Preview Turns on a preview reflecting the changes to the current settings tab (Adjust, Detail, Lens, Curve, or
Calibrate) combined with the settings in the hidden tabs. Turn Preview off to view the camera raw image with the
original settings for the current tab combined with the settings in the hidden tabs.
RGB Indicates the red, green, and blue values of the area of pixels directly below the pointer as you move it over the

preview image. The values appear when you use the Zoom tool, Hand tool, White Balance tool, Color Sampler tool,
Crop tool, or Straighten tool.
Shadows and Highlights Displays shadow and highlight clipping. Clipped shadows appear in blue, and clipped

highlights appear in red. Highlight clipping is shown if any one of the three RGB channels is clipped (fully saturated
with no detail). Shadow clipping is shown if all three RGB channels are clipped (black with no detail).

Using the histogram and RGB levels in Camera Raw
The Camera Raw histogram shows all three channels (red, green, and blue) of the image simultaneously. The
histogram changes automatically as you adjust the settings in the Camera Raw dialog box.
As you move the Zoom tool, Hand tool, White Balance tool, Color Sampler tool, Crop tool, or Straighten tool over
the preview image, you see, in the upper right corner of the dialog box, the RGB values of the area below the pointer.
You can also select the Color Sampler tool and place up to four color samplers in the preview image. The RGB values
appear above the preview image. To clear the color samplers, click Clear Samplers.

The Camera Raw dialog box displays the RGB values of the area of pixels below the pointer.

See also
“About histograms” on page 275
“Viewing the color values of pixels” on page 279

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Camera Raw Workflow settings
Space Specifies the target color space profile. Generally, this should be set to the same value as your Photoshop RGB

working space. Keep in mind that the source profile for camera raw image files is usually the camera-native color
space. The profiles listed in the Space menu are built into the Camera Raw plug-in. If you want to use a color space
that’s not listed in the Space menu, choose ProPhoto RGB, and then convert to the working space of your choice
when the file opens in Photoshop.
Depth Specifies whether the file opens as an 8- or 16-bits-per-channel image in Photoshop.
Size Specifies the pixel size at which to open the image. The default is the pixel size used to photograph the image.

Use the Size menu if you want to resample the image.
For square-pixel cameras, the Size menu is mostly a convenience for the user. However, choosing a smaller-thannative size is useful to speed processing when you are planning a smaller final image anyway. Picking a larger size is
similar to upsampling in Photoshop.
For non-square pixel cameras, the native size is the one that most closely preserves the total pixel count. Selecting a
different size minimizes the resampling Camera Raw needs to perform, resulting in slightly higher image quality. The
best quality size is marked with an asterisk (*) in the Size menu.
Note: You can always change the pixel size of the image after it opens in Photoshop.
Resolution Specifies the printing resolution at which the image will be printed or the amount of data in the image.
This setting does not affect the actual pixels (pixel size of the image). For example, a 2048 x 1536 pixel image, when
printed at 72 dpi, is approximately 28-1/2 x 21-1/4 inches. When printed at 300 dpi, the same image is approximately
6-3/4 x 5-1/8 inches. You can also use the Image Size command to adjust resolution in Photoshop.

Making tonal adjustments in Camera Raw
White balance and camera raw files
A digital camera records the white balance at the time of exposure as a metadata entry. The Camera Raw plug-in
reads this value and makes it the initial setting when you open the file in the Camera Raw dialog box. This setting
usually yields the correct color temperature, or nearly so. You can adjust it if the white balance is not quite right.
The Adjust tab in the Photoshop Camera Raw dialog box has three controls for correcting a color cast in your image.
The Calibrate tab also has a control for correcting a shadow color cast (a color cast that remains in the shadows even
after the white balance is adjusted).

White balance controls for camera raw files
White Balance Sets the color balance of the image to reflect the lighting conditions under which the photo was

taken. In some cases, choosing a white balance from the White Balance menu provides satisfactory results. In many
cases, you may want to customize the white balance using the Temperature and Tint adjustments.
Note: The Camera Raw plug-in can read the white balance settings of some cameras. Leave White Balance set to As Shot
to use the camera’s white balance settings. For cameras whose white balance settings are not recognized by the Camera
Raw plug-in, leaving White Balance set to As Shot is the same as choosing Auto: the Camera Raw plug-in reads the image
data and automatically adjusts the white balance.
Temperature Fine-tunes the white balance to a custom color temperature. Set the color temperature using the

Kelvin color temperature scale. Move the slider to the left to correct a photo taken with a lower color temperature of

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light; the plug-in makes the image colors bluer to compensate for the lower color temperature (yellowish) of the
ambient light. Conversely, move the slider to the right to correct a photo taken with a higher color temperature of
light; the plug-in makes the image colors warmer (yellowish) to compensate for the higher color temperature (bluish)
of the ambient light.
A

Correcting the white balance
A. Moving the Temperature slider to the right corrects a photo taken with a higher color temperature of light B. Moving the Temperature
slider to the left corrects a photo taken with a lower color temperature of light C. Photo after color temperature adjustment

Tint Fine-tunes the white balance to compensate for a green or magenta tint. Move the slider to the left (negative

values) to add green to the photo; move it to the right (positive values) to add magenta.
To adjust the white balance quickly, select the White Balance tool, and then click an area in the preview image that
should be a neutral gray or white. The Temperature and Tint sliders automatically adjust to make the selected color
exactly neutral (if possible). If you’re clicking whites, choose a highlight area that contains significant white detail rather
than a specular highlight.

Using White Balance to click a neutral white area and resulting correction

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Tonal adjustment controls for camera raw files
Exposure Adjusts the brightness or darkness of the image. Move the slider to the left to darken the image; move it
to the right to brighten the image. The values are in increments equivalent to f-stops. An adjustment of +1.50 is
similar to widening the aperture 1-1/2 stops. Similarly, an adjustment of –1.50 is similar to reducing the aperture
1-1/2 stops.

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while moving the Exposure slider to preview where the highlights are
clipped. (Clipping is the shifting of pixel values to either the highest highlight value or the lowest shadow value.
Clipped areas are either completely white or completely black and have no image detail.) Move the slider until the
highlights (not specular highlights) are completely clipped, and then reverse the adjustment slightly. Black indicates
unclipped areas, and color indicates areas clipped in only one or two channels.

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while moving the Exposure slider to show clipped highlights.

Shadows Specifies which input levels are mapped to black in the final image. Moving the slider to the right increases
the areas that are mapped to black. This sometimes creates the impression of increased contrast in the image. Using
the Shadows slider is similar to using the black point slider for input levels in the Photoshop Levels command.

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while moving the Shadow slider to preview where the shadows are
clipped. Move the slider until the shadows begin to get clipped, and then reverse the adjustment slightly. Color
indicates areas that are being clipped in one or two channels, and white indicates unclipped areas.
Brightness Adjusts the brightness or darkness of the image, much as the Exposure slider does. However, instead of
clipping the image in the highlights (areas that are completely white, no detail) or shadows (areas that are completely
black, no detail), Brightness compresses the highlights and expands the shadows when you move the slider to the
right. In general, use the Brightness slider to adjust the overall brightness or darkness after you set the white and black
clipping points with the Exposure and Shadow sliders.
Contrast Adjusts the midtones in an image. Higher values increase the midtone contrast, and lower values produce

an image with less contrast. Generally, you use the Contrast slider to adjust the contrast of the midtones after setting
the Exposure, Shadow, and Brightness values.
Saturation Adjusts the color saturation of the image from –100 (pure monochrome) to +100 (double the

saturation).

See also
“Using Levels to set highlights, shadows, and midtones” on page 284

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To turn on or off the Auto adjustments in Camera Raw
By default, the Auto check boxes are always selected in the Camera Raw dialog box. You change this default so that
all or some Auto check boxes are always unselected.
❖ Do any of the following:

• In the Camera Raw dialog box, click the triangle next to the Settings menu and choose Use Auto Adjustments from

the Camera Raw menu.
When Use Auto Adjustments is unchecked, all or some Auto check boxes are always unselected. When Use Auto
Adjustments is checked, the Auto check boxes are always selected.
• Deselect the Auto check boxes, click the triangle next to the Settings menu, and choose Save New Camera Raw

Defaults from the Camera Raw menu.

Transforming images in Camera Raw
To rotate images in Camera Raw
❖ Click a Rotate Image button

to rotate the image 90˚ counterclockwise or 90˚ clockwise.

To crop or straighten images in Camera Raw
1 In the Camera Raw dialog box, select the Crop tool

or Straighten tool

2 (Optional) If you want the crop area constrained to specific proportions, click the Crop tool icon and choose a
proportion from the pop-up menu. Choosing Custom opens the Custom Crop dialog box, where you can specify the
proportions or the dimensions of the crop. Click OK.
3 Do one of the following:
• To crop the image, drag the Crop tool over the image.
• To straighten the image, drag the Straighten tool in the preview image to establish what’s horizontal or vertical.
4 (Optional) To adjust the crop area, do one of the following:
• To scale or rotate the crop area, drag just outside the bounding box handles.
• To move the crop area, click in the bounding box and drag.

If you selected several images in the Camera Raw dialog box, they are all cropped to the same size, with the crop
applied in the same position.
Note: To cancel the crop operation, press Esc with the Crop tool selected or click the Crop tool and choose Clear Crop
from the pop-up menu. To cancel the crop and close the Camera Raw dialog box without processing the camera raw
image file, click the Cancel button or deselect the Crop tool and press Esc.
5 Click Open, Done, or Save to apply the crop and process the camera raw image file.

See also
“Cropping images” on page 348

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To adjust sharpening in camera raw files
The Sharpness slider adjusts the image sharpening to provide the edge definition you wish. The Sharpness
adjustment is a variation of the Photoshop Unsharp Mask filter, which locates pixels that differ from surrounding
pixels based on the threshold you specify and increases the pixels’ contrast by the amount you specify. When opening
a camera raw image file, the Camera Raw plug-in calculates the threshold to use based on camera model, ISO, and
exposure compensation. You can choose whether sharpening is applied to all images or just to previews.
1 Zoom the preview image to at least 100%.
2 Move the slider to the right to increase sharpening and to the left to decrease it. A value of zero turns off sharp
ening. In general, set the Sharpness slider to a lower value for cleaner images.

If you don’t plan to edit the image extensively in Photoshop, use the Camera Raw’s Sharpness slider. If you do plan to
edit the image extensively in Photoshop, turn off Camera Raw sharpening. Then use the sharpening filters in
Photoshop as the last step after all other editing and resizing is complete.

To specify whether the image or preview is sharpened
1 Do one of the following:
• In the Camera Raw dialog box, click the triangle next to the Settings menu and choose Preferences from the

Camera Raw menu.
• (Windows) In Adobe Bridge, choose Edit > Camera Raw Preferences.
• (Mac OS) In Bridge, choose Bridge > Camera Raw Preferences, or with the Camera Raw dialog box opened in

Photoshop, choose Photoshop > Camera Raw Preferences.
2 In the Camera Raw Preferences dialog box, choose one of the following:
All Images Applies sharpening to the camera raw image.
Preview Images Only Applies sharpening only to the preview image and not the actual camera raw image. This

option is for users who do not want to apply sharpening with the Camera Raw plug-in.

Reducing noise in camera raw files
The Detail tab of the Camera Raw dialog box has controls for reducing image noise, the extraneous visible artifacts
that degrade image quality. Image noise includes luminance (grayscale) noise, which makes an image look grainy,
and chroma (color) noise, which is usually visible as colored artifacts in the image. Photos taken with high ISO
speeds or less-sophisticated digital cameras can have noticeable noise.
The Luminance Smoothing slider reduces grayscale noise, and the Color Noise Reduction slider reduces chroma
noise. Moving a slider to zero turns off its noise reduction.
When making Luminance Smoothing or Color Noise Reduction adjustments, first zoom in on the preview image for
a better view.

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Moving the Luminance Smoothing slider to the right reduces grayscale noise, and moving the Color Noise Reduction slider to the right reduces
chroma noise.

Chromatic aberration
Chromatic aberration is a common defect caused by the failure of the lens to focus different frequencies (colors) to
the same spot. In one type of chromatic aberration, the image from each color of light is in focus, but each image is
a slightly different size. This type of aberration is seen as a complementary color fringing in areas away from the
center of the image. For example, you may see a red fringe on the side of an object toward the center of the image,
and cyan fringe on the side of the object away from the center of the image.

Original image (left), and after fixing chromatic aberration (right)

To compensate for chromatic aberration in Camera Raw
1 Zoom into an area near the corner of the preview image. For the best results, the area should contain very dark or
black detail against a very light or white background. Look for the color fringing.
2 In the Lens tab, move one or more of the following sliders:
Fix Red/Cyan Fringe Adjusts the size of the red channel relative to the green channel. This compensates for red/cyan

color fringing.
Fix Blue/Yellow Fringe Adjusts the size of the blue channel relative to the green channel. This compensates for
blue/yellow color fringing.

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Look at the preview image as you move the slider to the left or right. If you’re adjusting red/cyan color fringing, you
can hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to hide the blue/yellow color fringing. Similarly, hold down Alt
(Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while adjusting the blue/yellow color fringing to hide the red/cyan color fringing.
Your goal is to reduce the color fringing as much as possible.

To compensate for lens vignetting
Vignetting is a lens defect that causes the edges, especially the corners, of an image to be darker than the center.
1 In the Lens tab, move the Vignetting Amount slider to the right (positive values) to lighten the corners of the
image or move the slider to the left (negative values) to darken the corners of the image. You can also enter values in
the Vignetting Amount text box.
2 Move the Vignetting Midpoint slider to the left (lower value) to apply the Vignetting Amount adjustment to a
larger area away from the corners, or move the slider to the right (higher value) to restrict the adjustment to an area
closer to the corners. You can also enter a value in the Vignetting Midpoint text box.

Calibrating color in camera raw images
To remove a shadow color cast in camera raw files
Sometimes a color cast remains in the shadow areas after you adjust the highlight white balance using the Temper
ature and Tint sliders. The Calibrate tab has a Shadow Tint slider to correct this remaining shadow color cast.
❖ In the Calibrate tab, move the Shadow Tint slider to remove the color cast in the shadows. The camera’s sensor and

the white balance affect which colors are adjusted. Usually, moving the slider to the left (negative values) adds green
to the shadow areas, and moving the slider to the right (positive values) adds magenta.

To adjust the rendering of non-neutral colors in Camera Raw
Sometimes colors rendered by the Camera Raw plug-in do not look as expected. The cause may be a difference

between a camera’s profile and Camera Raw’s built-in profile for that camera model. Alternatively, the photo may

have been taken under nonstandard lighting conditions beyond the compensating range of the Adobe Camera Raw

plug-in. The Calibrate tab has Hue and Saturation sliders to adjust the settings for Camera Raw’s built-in camera

profile to render non-neutral colors differently. You can also specify whether to use the profiles built into Camera

Raw or a profile built into the file itself.

1 In the Calibrate tab, choose a profile from the Camera Profile menu:

ACR 3.0 Uses the built-in camera profile of Camera Raw 3.0 for Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Creative Suite.

Important: The options that appear in the Camera Profile menu depend on whether a camera raw file has a profile
embedded or whether it has been processed with a previous version of Camera Raw. Often, the Camera Profile menu
only contains the ACR 3.0 option.

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Embedded Uses the profile embedded in the camera raw file.
ACR 2.4 Uses the built-in camera profile of Camera Raw 2.4 for Photoshop CS. The option is available for only

certain cameras. Users who have fine-tuned their settings for the older Camera Raw built-in profile can select this
option to use that profile instead.
2 Use the Hue and Saturation sliders to adjust the red, green, and blue in the image. Look at the preview image as
you make adjustments until the image looks correct to you. In general, adjust the hue first and then adjust its
saturation. Moving the Hue slider to the left (negative value) is like a counterclockwise move on the color wheel, and
moving it to the right (positive value) is like a clockwise move. Moving the Saturation slider to the left (negative
value) desaturates the color, and moving it to the right (positive value) increases saturation.

Adjustments made in the Calibrate tab affect the selected image in the Camera Raw dialog box. If you want to save
the adjustments and make them the default image settings for the files from a specific camera, click the triangle next
to the Settings menu and choose Save New Camera Raw Defaults from the Camera Raw menu.

Saving camera raw images
To save camera raw images in Camera Raw
The Camera Raw dialog box lets you save camera raw files in Photoshop-supported file formats.

1 In the Camera Raw dialog box, apply adjustments to one or more camera raw images.

2 Click the Save button.

3 In the Camera Raw Save Options dialog box, specify the following options:

Destination Specifies where to save the file. If necessary, click the Select Folder button and navigate to the location.

File Naming Specifies the naming convention used if you’re processing and saving more than one camera raw file.
4 Choose a file format from the Format menu:
Digital Negative Saves a copy of the camera raw file in the DNG file format. Specify save options by selecting any

of the following: Compressed (Lossless), Uncompressed, Preserve Raw Image, or Convert To Linear Image. You can
also specify a JPEG preview for the DNG file.
JPEG Saves copies of the camera raw files in JPEG format. To specify the amount of compression, enter a value from

0 to 12 or choose from the pop-up menu. Entering a higher value or choosing High or Maximum applies less
compression, increasing file size and image quality.
TIFF Saves copies of the camera raw files in TIFF format. Specify whether to apply no compression, or LZW or ZIP

file compression.
Photoshop Saves copies of the camera raw files in the PSD file format. You can specify whether to preserve cropped
pixel data in the PSD file.
5 Click Save.

Note: The Digital Negative (DNG) format is Adobe’s proposed standard format for camera raw image files. DNG files
are useful for archiving camera raw images because they contain the raw camera sensor data and data specifying how
the image should look. Camera Raw image settings can be store in DNG files instead of in sidecar XMP files or the
Camera Raw database.

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See also
“Photoshop format (PSD)” on page 678
“Adobe Digital Negative format (DNG)” on page 679
“JPEG format” on page 681
“TIFF” on page 685

Digital Negative saving options for Camera Raw
Compressed (lossless) Applies a lossless compression to the DNG file.
Convert To Linear Image Stores the image data in an interpolated (“demosaiced”) format.
Embed Original Raw File Stores the entire original camera raw image data in the DNG file.
JPEG Preview Specifies whether to embed a JPEG preview in the DNG file. If you decide to embed a JPEG preview,
you can choose the preview size. If you embed JPEG previews, other applications can view the contents of the DNG
file without parsing the camera raw data.

Camera Raw settings
Camera Raw settings
In the Camera Raw dialog box, you can change the default image settings and save the adjusted settings as the new
camera default. You can always restore the original Camera Raw default settings for the specific camera (click the
triangle to the right of the Settings pop-up menu and choose Reset Camera Raw Defaults from the Camera Raw
menu). Because Camera Raw can identify which camera was used to take an image, you can save different default
image settings for different cameras.
You can also save Camera Raw settings for a specific lighting condition and reapply them to images taken under
similar conditions. Alternatively, you can save only a subset of the Camera Raw plug-in settings. In this way, you can
create presets for custom white balances, specific lens settings, and so forth. In Adobe Bridge, you can also update all
settings or a subset of the settings applied to camera raw images.
When a camera raw image file is processed with Camera Raw, the image settings are stored in one of two places: the
Camera Raw database file or a sidecar XMP file. You can set a preference to determine where settings are stored.
Photoshop and Bridge remember the settings for each camera raw image file. When you reopen a camera raw image,
all the settings sliders default to the values used when the file was last opened. Image attributes (target color space
profile, bit depth, pixel size, and resolution) are not the stored with the settings.

See also
“To adjust the rendering of non-neutral colors in Camera Raw” on page 220
“To specify where Camera Raw settings are stored” on page 223
“To save or reset Camera Raw settings” on page 223

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To specify where Camera Raw settings are stored
1 Do one of the following:
• In the Camera Raw dialog box, click the triangle next to the Settings menu to open the Camera Raw menu and

choose Preferences.
• (Windows) In Adobe Bridge, choose Edit > Camera Raw Preferences.
• (Mac OS) Choose Bridge > Camera Raw Preferences, or with the Camera Raw dialog box opened in Photoshop,

choose Photoshop > Camera Raw Preferences.
2 In the Camera Raw Preferences dialog box, choose one of the following from the Save Image Settings In menu:
Camera Raw Database Stores the settings in a Camera Raw database file, generally located in the user’s Application

Data folder as Document and Settings/user name/Application Data/Adobe/CameraRaw (Windows) or the user’s
Preferences folder as Users/user name/Library/Preferences (Mac OS). This database is indexed by file content, so
settings remain with the image even if you move or rename the image file.
Sidecar “.xmp” Files Stores the settings in an XMP file in the same folder as the raw file with the same base name

and an .xmp extension. This option is useful for long-term archiving of raw files with their associated settings, and
for the exchange of raw files with associated settings in multiuser workflows. These same sidecar XMP files can store
IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) data or other metadata associated with a camera raw image
file. If you open files from a read-only volume such as a CD or DVD, be sure to copy the files to your hard drive before
opening them. The Camera Raw plug-in cannot write an XMP file to a read-only volume and writes the settings to
the Camera Raw database file instead. You can view XMP files in Bridge by choosing View > Show Hidden Files.
If you store the camera raw settings in the Camera Raw database and plan to move the files to a different location
(CD, DVD, another computer, and so forth), you can use the Export Settings command in the Camera Raw dialog
box to export the settings to sidecar XMP files or embed them in DNG files.

See also
“To export Camera Raw settings” on page 225

To save or reset Camera Raw settings
1 In the Camera Raw dialog box, adjust the settings that you want to save.
2 Click the triangle next to the Settings menu and choose one of the following from the Camera Raw menu:
Save Settings Saves the current settings and adds them to the Settings menu. In the Save Raw Conversion Settings
dialog box, name and save the settings. Save the setting to the Camera Raw settings folder so that it is visible in the
Settings menu. Settings saved elsewhere disappear from the Settings menu as soon as you choose another setting. If
this happens, use the Load Settings command in the Camera Raw menu and browse to find the setting.
Save New Camera Defaults Saves the current settings as the new default settings for other images taken with the

same camera.
Reset Camera Raw Defaults Restores the original default settings for a specific camera.

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To save a subset of settings

1 Click the triangle next to the Settings menu to display the Camera Raw menu, and choose Save Settings Subset.

2 Specify the settings to be saved by doing one of the following:

• Choose an option from the Subset menu.
• Select or deselect settings in the Settings list.

3 Click Save.

4 In the Save Raw Conversion Settings dialog box, name the subset and save it to the Camera Raw settings folder.

This saved subset appears at the bottom of the Settings menu.

To apply saved Camera Raw settings
1 Do one of the following
• Open one or more camera raw images in the Camera Raw dialog box, and click the triangle next to the Settings

text box to display the Settings menu.
• (Bridge) Select one or more camera raw images and choose Edit > Apply Camera Raw Settings.

2 From the Settings menu or the Apply Camera Raw Settings submenu, choose one of the following:

Image Settings Uses the settings from the selected camera raw image. This option is available only from the Settings

menu in the Camera Raw dialog box.

Camera Raw Defaults Uses the saved default settings for a specific camera.
Previous Conversion Uses the settings from the previous image of the same camera.
A saved setting Uses a setting that you saved.

Note: You can also open the Camera Raw menu, choose Load Settings, and then browse to select a saved setting.

To load Camera Raw settings
Saved settings are not listed in the Settings menu (Camera Raw dialog box) or the Apply Camera Raw Settings
submenu (Bridge or Photoshop) unless you save them to the Camera Raw settings folder. However, you can use the
Load command to browse for and apply settings saved elsewhere.
1 In the Camera Raw dialog box, click the triangle next to the Settings menu and choose Load Settings from the

Camera Raw menu.
2 In the Load Raw Conversion Settings dialog box, browse to the settings file, select it, and click Load.

To copy and paste Camera Raw settings
In Bridge, you can copy and paste the Camera Raw settings from one camera raw image file to another.
1 In Bridge, select a camera raw image and choose Edit > Apply Camera Raw Settings > Copy Camera Raw Settings.
2 Select one or more camera raw images and choose Edit > Apply Camera Raw Settings > Paste Camera Raw
Settings.

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You can also right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) camera raw files to copy and paste using the context
menu.
3 In the Paste Camera Raw Settings dialog box, do one of the following and then click OK:
• To apply all settings including any crops, choose Everything from the Subset menu.
• To apply all settings but not any crops, choose Settings from the Subset menu.
• To apply one or more settings subsets, choose a setting from the Subset menu or select only the settings you want

to apply. If necessary, deselect that settings that you don’t want applied.

To apply settings to multiple camera raw image files in Camera Raw
You can process multiple camera raw image files using the current settings or a subset of the current settings in the

Camera Raw dialog box.

1 In the Camera Raw dialog box, select an image in the Filmstrip and adjust the image settings if necessary.

2 Select more than one image in the Filmstrip and click the Synchronize button.

3 In the Synchronize dialog box, do one of the following:

• Choose a setting from the Synchronize menu.
• Select the settings that you want to apply.
4 Click OK.

To clear settings applied to camera raw image files
You can clear image settings applied to camera raw files and restore the Camera Raw default image settings.

1 In Bridge, select one or more camera raw image files.

2 Choose Edit > Apply Camera Raw Settings > Clear Camera Raw Settings.

To delete Camera Raw settings

1 Choose a saved setting from the Settings menu.

2 Click the triangle next to the Settings menu to display the Camera Raw menu.

3 Choose Delete Current Settings from the menu. The setting is deleted from the Camera Raw settings folder.

To export Camera Raw settings
If you store file settings in the Camera Raw database, you can use the Export Settings command to copy the settings
to sidecar XMP files or embed them in DNG files. This is useful for preserving the image settings with your camera
raw files when you move them.
1 Open the Camera Raw dialog box with the camera raw files whose settings you want to export. Make sure to select
the thumbnails in the Filmstrip.
2 Click the triangle next to the Settings menu and choose Export Settings from the Camera Raw menu.

The sidecar XMP files are created in the same folder as the camera raw image files. If you saved the camera raw image
files in DNG format, the Camera Raw settings are embedded in the DNG files themselves.

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Automating the Camera Raw workflow
Automating processing of camera raw images
You can create an action to automate the processing camera raw image files. You can automate the editing process,
and the process of saving the files in formats such as PSD, DNG, JPEG, Large Document Format (PSB), TIFF, and
PDF. In Photoshop, you can also use the Batch command, the Image Processor, or the Create Droplet command to
process one or more camera raw image files. The Image Processor is especially useful for saving camera raw image
files in different file formats during the same processing session.
Here are some tips for automating the processing of camera raw image files:
• When you record an action, do so with Image Settings chosen from the Settings menu of the Camera Raw dialog

box. In this way, the settings particular to each image (from the Camera Raw database or sidecar XMP files) are
used to play back the action.
• If you plan to use the action with the Batch command, you may want to use the Save As command and choose the

file format when saving the camera raw image.
• When you use an action to open a camera raw file, the Camera Raw dialog box reflects the settings that were in

effect when the action was recorded. You may want to create different actions for opening camera raw image files
with different settings.
• When using the Batch command, select Override Action “Open” Commands so that Open commands in the

action refer to the batched files rather than the files specified by name in the action. Deselect Override Action
“Open” Commands only if the action is to operate on open files or if the action contains Open commands for
specific files required by the action.
• When using the Batch command, select Suppress File Open Options Dialogs to prevent the Camera Raw dialog

box from opening for each camera raw image being processed.
• Using the Batch command, select Override Action “Save As” Commands if you want to use the Save As instruc

tions from the Batch command instead of the Save As instructions in the action. If you select this option, the action
must contain a Save As command, because the Batch command does not automatically save the source files.
Deselect Override Action “Save As” Commands to save the files processed by the Batch command in the location
specified in the Batch dialog box.
• When creating a droplet, in the Play area of the Create Droplet dialog box, select Suppress File Open Options

Dialogs. This prevents the Camera Raw dialog box from opening for each camera raw image being processed.

See also
“To automate a task by recording an action” on page 731
“To convert files with the Image Processor” on page 739
“To batch-process files” on page 741
“To create a droplet from an action in Photoshop” on page 743

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Chapter 9: Color

Color modes
Color modes
Photoshop lets you choose a color mode for each document. The color mode determines what color method is used
to display and print the image you’re working on. By selecting a particular color mode, you are choosing to work with
particular color model (a numerical method for describing color). Photoshop bases its color modes on the color
models that are useful for images used in publishing. You can choose from RGB (Red, Green, Blue), CMYK (Cyan,
Magenta, Yellow, Black), Lab Color (based on CIE L* a* b*), and Grayscale. Photoshop also includes modes for
specialized color output such as Indexed Color and Duotone. Color modes determine the number of colors, the
number of channels, and the file size of an image. Choosing a color mode also determines which tools and file
formats are available.
Note: ImageReady only uses the RGB mode to work with images, because its documents are primarily intended for web
display.

RGB Color mode
Photoshop’s RGB Color mode uses the RGB model, assigning an intensity value to each pixel. In 8-bits-per-channel
images, the intensity values range from 0 (black) to 255 (white) for each of the RGB (red, green, blue) components
in a color image. For example, a bright red color might have an R value of 246, a G value of 20, and a B value of 50.
When the values of all three components are equal, the result is a shade of neutral gray. When the values of all compo
nents are 255, the result is pure white; when the values are 0, pure black.
RGB images use three colors, or channels, to reproduce colors on-screen. In 8-bits-per-channel images, the three
channels translate to 24 (8 bits x 3 channels) bits of color information per pixel. With 24-bit images, up to 16.7 million
colors can be reproduced. With 48-bit (16-bits-per-channel) and 96-bit (32-bits-per-channel) images, even more
colors can be reproduced. In addition to being the default mode for new Photoshop images, the RGB model is used
by computer monitors to display colors. This means that when working in color modes other than RGB, such as
CMYK, Photoshop interpolates the CMYK image to RGB for display on-screen.
Although RGB is a standard color model, the exact range of colors represented can vary, depending on the appli
cation or display device. Photoshop’s RGB Color mode varies according to the working space setting that you specify
in the Color Settings dialog box.
Note: ImageReady uses only the RGB mode to work with images.

See also
“About color working spaces” on page 268

CMYK Color mode
In the CMYK mode, each pixel is assigned a percentage value for each of the process inks. The lightest (highlight)
colors are assigned small percentages of process ink colors; the darker (shadow) colors higher percentages. For
example, a bright red might contain 2% cyan, 93% magenta, 90% yellow, and 0% black. In CMYK images, pure white
is generated when all four components have values of 0%.

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Use the CMYK mode when preparing an image to be printed using process colors. Converting an RGB image into
CMYK creates a color separation. If you start with an RGB image, it’s best to edit first in RGB and then convert to
CMYK at the end of your process. In RGB mode, you can use the Proof Setup commands to simulate the effects of a
CMYK conversion without changing the actual image data. You can also use CMYK mode to work directly with
CMYK images scanned or imported from high-end systems.
Although CMYK is a standard color model, the exact range of colors represented can vary, depending on the press
and printing conditions. Photoshop’s CMYK Color mode varies according to the working space setting that you
specify in the Color Settings dialog box.

See also
“About color working spaces” on page 268
“Soft-proofing colors” on page 259

Lab Color mode
The Lab Color mode has a lightness component (L) that can range from 0 to 100. In the Adobe Color Picker, the a
component (green-red axis) and the b component (blue-yellow axis) can range from +127 to –128. In the Color
palette, the a component and the b component can range from +127 to –128.
You can use Lab mode to work with Photo CD images, edit the luminance and the color values in an image indepen
dently, move images between systems, and print to PostScript Level 2 and Level 3 printers. To print Lab images to
other color PostScript devices, convert to CMYK first.
Lab images can be saved in Photoshop, Photoshop EPS, Large Document Format (PSB), Photoshop PDF, Photoshop
Raw, TIFF, Photoshop DCS 1.0, or Photoshop DCS 2.0 formats. You can save 48-bit (16-bits-per-channel) Lab images
in Photoshop, Large Document Format (PSB), Photoshop PDF, Photoshop Raw, or TIFF formats.
Note: The DCS 1.0 and DCS 2.0 formats convert the file to CMYK when opened.
Lab color is the intermediate color model Photoshop uses when converting from one color mode to another.

Bitmap mode
Bitmap mode uses one of two color values (black or white) to represent the pixels in an image. Images in Bitmap
mode are called bitmapped 1-bit images because they have a bit depth of 1.

Grayscale mode
Grayscale mode uses different shades of gray in an image. In 8-bit images, there can be up to 256 shades of gray. Every
pixel of a grayscale image has a brightness value ranging from 0 (black) to 255 (white). In 16 and 32-bit images, the
number of shades in an image is much greater than in 8-bit images. Grayscale values can also be measured as
percentages of black ink coverage (0% is equal to white, 100% to black). Images produced using black-and-white or
grayscale scanners typically are displayed in Grayscale mode.
Although Grayscale is a standard color model, the exact range of grays represented can vary, depending on the
printing conditions. In Photoshop, Grayscale mode uses the range defined by the working space setting that you
specify in the Color Settings dialog box.

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These guidelines apply to converting images to and from Grayscale mode:
• You can convert both Bitmap mode and color images to grayscale.
• To convert a color image to a high-quality grayscale image, Photoshop discards all color information in the

original image. The gray levels (shades) of the converted pixels represent the luminosity of the original pixels.
You can mix information from the color channels to create a custom grayscale channel by using the Channel Mixer
command.
• When converting from grayscale to RGB, the color values for a pixel are based on its previous gray value. A

grayscale image can also be converted to a CMYK image (for creating process-color quadtones without converting
to Duotone mode) or to a Lab color image.

See also
“About color working spaces” on page 268

Duotone mode
Duotone mode creates monotone, duotone (two-color), tritone (three-color), and quadtone (four-color) grayscale
images using one to four custom inks.

See also
“About duotones” on page 725

Indexed Color mode
Indexed Color mode produces 8-bit image files with at most 256 colors. When converting to indexed color,
Photoshop builds a color lookup table (CLUT), which stores and indexes the colors in the image. If a color in the
original image does not appear in the table, the program chooses the closest one or uses dithering to simulate the
color using available colors.
Because the palette of colors is limited, indexed color can reduce file size yet maintain the visual quality needed for
multimedia presentations, web pages, and the like. Limited editing is available in this mode. For extensive editing,
you should convert temporarily to RGB mode. Indexed color files can be saved in Photoshop, BMP, GIF, Photoshop
EPS, Large Document Format (PSB), PCX, Photoshop PDF, Photoshop Raw, Photoshop 2.0, PICT, PNG, Targa, or
TIFF formats.

Multichannel mode
Multichannel mode uses 256 levels of gray in each channel. Multichannel images are useful for specialized printing.
Multichannel mode images can be saved in Photoshop, Photoshop 2.0, Photoshop Raw, or Photoshop DCS 2.0
format.
These guidelines apply to converting images to Multichannel mode:
• Color channels in the original image become spot color channels in the converted image.
• When you convert a color image to a multichannel image, the new grayscale information is based on the color

values of the pixels in each channel.
• Converting a CMYK image to Multichannel mode creates cyan, magenta, yellow, and black spot channels.
• Converting an RGB image to Multichannel mode creates cyan, magenta, and yellow spot channels.

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• Deleting a channel from an RGB, CMYK, or Lab image automatically converts the image to Multichannel mode.
• To export a multichannel image, save it in Photoshop DCS 2.0 format.

Adjusting the monitor display
About monitors and color work
Although the RGB color model used by computer monitors can display much of the visible spectrum, the video
system sending data to a given monitor often limits how many colors can be displayed at once. By understanding
how color data is measured in digital files and on-screen, you can better adjust color display settings to offset the
limitations of your video system. For critical work, your monitor should be calibrated and characterized for use in a
color management system. At the very least, your monitor should be calibrated to display colors as accurately as
possible.

See also
“About monitor calibration and characterization” on page 264

To speed up previews by adjusting the monitor display
The Use Pixel Doubling preference option speeds up the preview of a tool or command’s effects by temporarily
doubling the size of the pixels (halving the resolution) in the preview. This option has no effect on the pixels in the
file; it simply provides faster previews with the tools and commands.
1 Do one of the following:
• In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Display & Cursors.
• In Mac OS, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Display & Cursors.
2 Select Use Pixel Doubling, and click OK.

Adjusting color display for cross-platform variations
RGB color display on a computer monitor varies with the operating system used by the computer. For example, an
image appears darker on a Windows system than on a Mac OS computer (because the standard RGB color space is
darker in Windows than in Mac OS). The Preview commands in ImageReady let you compensate for cross-platform
differences in RGB color display during image preview. In Photoshop, you can simulate cross-platform differences
by using the Macintosh RGB, Windows RGB, and Monitor RGB commands in the View > Proof Setup menu.
RGB color display can also vary between Photoshop and ImageReady. In Photoshop, you can select from several RGB
color spaces when editing images. As a result, images created in Photoshop may use an RGB color space that differs
from the monitor RGB color space used by ImageReady. You can adjust the RGB color display during image preview
to compensate for differences between Photoshop and ImageReady.

See also
“Soft-proofing colors” on page 259

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To adjust RGB color display for cross-platform variations (ImageReady)
❖ Choose View > Preview and choose an option for adjusting the color display:

Uncompensated Color Displays the image with the monitor gamma uncorrected.
Standard Macintosh Color Displays the image with a gamma value of 1.8.
Standard Windows Color Displays the image with a gamma value of 2.2.
Use Embedded Color Profile Uses the embedded profile to display the image.

These options adjust color display only. No changes are made to pixels in the image.
You can edit your image in one window and view the same image with a different gamma value in a second window.
Choose Window > Arrange > New Window For [File Name]. With the new window active, choose View > Preview
and then choose a different gamma than the one used in the first window.

To adjust RGB color display to match Photoshop color display (ImageReady)
❖ Choose View > Preview > Use Embedded Color Profile.

Note: To use the Use Embedded Color Profile command in ImageReady, you must first save the original image, with the
color profile embedded, in Photoshop. Keep in mind that ImageReady does not use profiles in PNG or TIFF files.

Channels and bit depth
About color channels
A working knowledge of color channels and bit depth is key to understanding how Photoshop stores and displays
color information in images. Every Photoshop image has one or more channels, each storing information about color
elements in the image. The number of default color channels in an image depends on its color mode. For example, a
CMYK image has at least four channels, one each for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black information. Think of a
channel as analogous to a plate in the printing process, with a separate plate applying each layer of color.
In addition to these default color channels, extra channels, called alpha channels, can be added to an image for storing
and editing selections as masks, and spot color channels can be added to add spot color plates for printing.
An image can have up to 56 channels. By default, bitmap, grayscale, duotone, and indexed-color images have one
channel; RGB and Lab images have three; and CMYK images have four. You can add channels to all image types
except Bitmap mode images.

See also
“About masks and alpha channels” on page 338
“About spot colors” on page 442

About bit depth
Bit depth—also called pixel depth or color depth—measures how much color information is available for displaying
or printing each pixel in an image.

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Greater bit depth (more bits of information per pixel) means more available colors and more accurate color repre
sentation in the digital image. For example, a pixel with a bit depth of 1 has two possible values: black and white. A
pixel with a bit depth of 8 has 28, or 256, possible values. And a pixel with a bit depth of 24 has 224, or roughly 16
million, possible values. Common values for bit depth range from 1 to 64 bits per pixel.

Pixel depth
A. 1-bit (Bitmap)

B. 8-bit (Grayscale) C. 8-bit (Indexed Color)

D. 24-bit (RGB)

In most cases, Lab, RGB, grayscale, and CMYK images contain 8 bits of data per color channel. This translates to a
24-bit Lab bit depth (8 bits x 3 channels), a 24-bit RGB bit depth (8 bits x 3 channels), an 8-bit grayscale bit depth (8
bits x 1 channel), and a 32-bit CMYK bit depth (8 bits x 4 channels). Photoshop can also work with Lab, RGB, CMYK,
multichannel, and grayscale images that contain 16 bits of data per color channel. Additionally, Photoshop can work
with RGB and grayscale images that contain 32 bits of data per color channel.

See also
“About High Dynamic Range images” on page 201

Converting between bit depths
A 16- or 32-bits-per-channel image provides finer distinctions in color (but larger file size) than an 8-bits-perchannel version of the same image.
Photoshop provides the following support for working with 16-bits-per-channel images:
• All tools in the toolbox, except the Art History Brush tool, can be used with 16-bits-per-channel images.
• All color and tonal adjustment commands, except Variations, are available.
• You can work with layers, including adjustment layers, in 16-bits-per-channel images.
• Some filters, including Liquify, can be used with 16-bits-per-channel images.

To take advantage of certain Photoshop features, such as Extract, Pattern Maker, and some filters, you can convert a
16-bits-per-channel image to an 8-bits-per-channel image. It’s best if you do a Save As and convert a copy of the
image file so the original file retains the full 16-bits-per-channel image data.
Photoshop provides the following support for working with 32-bits-per-channel images:

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• Crop with rotation and resize
• Fill and stroke (no pattern fill, supported blend modes only)
• Image Size and Canvas Size commands
• Trim command
• Arbitrary rotation and 90˚ rotation and flips
• Blend modes: Normal, Multiply, Difference, Lighten, Darken, Linear Dodge
• Free Transform command
• The following tools in the toolbox: Clone Stamp tool (supported blend modes only), and History Brush (supported

blend modes only)
• Display of floating-point values in the Info palette
• Conversion to 8- or 16-bits-per-channel documents, and conversion from 16-bits-per-channel to 32-bits-per-

channel
• Conversion between RGB and Grayscale modes
• Support of the following file formats: PSD/PSB, TIFF, LogLUV TIFF (read-only), Radiance HDR, PFM, OpenEXR
• Support for the following image adjustment commands: Channel Mixer, Photo Filter, and Exposure.
• Support for the following plug-in filters: Average, Radial Blur, Fibers, Lens Flare, DeInterlace, and NTSC Colors
• Support for the following built-in filters: Surface Blur, Box Blur, Gaussian Blur, Motion Blur, Sampled/Shape Blur,

Add Noise, Unsharp Mask, High Pass, Offset
• Save Selection and Load Selection commands

To work with certain Photoshop features, such as layers, filters, and adjustments, you can convert a 32-bits-perchannel image to a 16-bits-per-channel image. Do a Save As and convert a copy of the image file so that the original
file retains the full 32-bits-per-channel image data.
Note: It’s also possible to convert a 32-bits-per-channel image to 8 bits per channel. See “To convert from 32 bits to 8 or
16 bits per channel” on page 205.

See also
“About High Dynamic Range images” on page 201

To convert between 8 bits and 16 bits per channel
❖ Choose Image > Mode > 16 Bits/Channel or 8 Bits/Channel.

To convert from 16 bits to 32 bits per channel
1 Open a 16-bit image. If necessary, flatten the image. Only flat images can be converted to 32-bits-per-channel
mode.
2 Choose Image > Mode > 32 Bits/Channel.

Note: It’s also possible to convert a 32-bits-per-channel image to 8-bits-per-channel. See “To convert from 32 bits to 8 or
16 bits per channel” on page 205.

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See also
“About High Dynamic Range images” on page 201

Converting between color modes
Converting an image to another mode
You can change an image from its original mode (source mode) to a different mode (target mode). When you choose
a different color mode for an image, you permanently change the color values in the image. For example, when you
convert an RGB image to CMYK mode, RGB color values outside the CMYK gamut (defined by the CMYK working
space setting in the Color Settings dialog box) are adjusted to fall within gamut. As a result, some image data may be
lost and can’t be recovered if you convert the image from CMYK back to RGB.
Before converting images, it’s best to do the following:
• Do as much editing as possible in the original image mode (usually RGB for images from most scanners or digital

cameras, or CMYK for images from traditional drum scanners or imported from a Scitex system).
• Save a backup copy before converting. Be sure to save a copy of your image that includes all layers so that you can

edit the original version of the image after the conversion.
• Flatten the file before converting it. The interaction of colors between layer blending modes changes when the

mode changes.

To convert an image to another mode
❖ Choose Image > Mode and the mode you want from the submenu. Modes not available for the active image appear

dimmed in the menu.
Images are flattened when converted to Multichannel, Bitmap, or Indexed Color mode, because these modes do not
support layers.

Making a conditional mode change
You can specify conditions for a mode change so that the conversion can occur during an action, which is a series of
commands applied sequentially to a single file or a batch of files. When a mode change is part of an action, an error
can occur if the file being opened is not in the source mode specified in the action. For example, suppose one step in
an action is to convert an image with a source mode of RGB to a target mode of CMYK. Applying this action to an
image in Grayscale mode, or any other source mode besides RGB, results in an error.
When you record an action, you can use the Conditional Mode Change command to specify one or more modes for
the source mode and a mode for the target mode.

To add a conditional mode change to an action

1 Start recording an action.

2 Choose File > Automate > Conditional Mode Change.

3 In the Conditional Mode Change dialog box, select one or more modes for the source mode. You can also use the

All or None buttons to select all possible modes or no mode.

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4 Choose a target mode from the Mode pop-up menu.

5 Click OK. The conditional mode change appears as a new step in the Actions palette.

See also
“About actions” on page 729

To convert a color photo to black-and-white

1 Open the photo you want to convert to black-and-white.

2 Choose Image > Mode > Grayscale.

3 If asked to discard color info, click OK. Photoshop converts the colors in the image to black, white, and shades of

gray.

See also
“To create monochrome images from RGB or CMYK images” on page 305
“To colorize a grayscale image or create a monotone effect” on page 297

Converting images to Bitmap mode
Converting an image to Bitmap mode reduces the image to two colors, greatly simplifying the color information in
the image and reducing its file size.
When converting a color image to Bitmap mode, first convert it to Grayscale mode. This removes the hue and
saturation information from the pixels and leaves just the brightness values. However, because only a few editing
options are available for Bitmap mode images, it’s usually best to edit the image in Grayscale mode and then convert
it to Bitmap mode.
Note: Images in Bitmap mode are 1 bit per channel. You must convert a 16- or 32-bits-per-channel image to 8-bit
Grayscale mode before converting it to Bitmap mode.

To convert an image to Bitmap mode
1 Do one of the following:
• If the image is in color, choose Image > Mode > Grayscale. Then choose Image > Mode > Bitmap.
• If the image is grayscale, choose Image > Mode > Bitmap.
2 For Output, enter a value for the output resolution of the Bitmap mode image, and choose a unit of measurement.

By default, the current image resolution appears as both the input and the output resolutions.

3 Choose one of the following bitmap conversion methods from the Use pop-up menu:

50% Threshold Converts pixels with gray values above the middle gray level (128) to white and pixels with gray

values below that level to black. The result is a very high-contrast, black-and-white representation of the image.
Pattern Dither Converts an image by organizing the gray levels into geometric configurations of black and white

dots.
Diffusion Dither Converts an image by using an error-diffusion process, starting at the pixel in the upper left corner

of the image. If the pixel’s value is above middle gray (128), the pixel is changed to white—if below it, to black.
Because the original pixel is rarely pure white or pure black, error is inevitably introduced. This error is transferred

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to surrounding pixels and diffused throughout the image, resulting in a grainy, filmlike texture. This option is useful

for viewing images on a black-and-white screen.

Halftone Screen Simulates the appearance of halftone dots in the converted image.

Custom Pattern Simulates the appearance of a custom halftone screen in the converted image.

Original grayscale image, and 50% Threshold conversion method

Pattern Dither conversion method, and Diffusion Dither conversion method

To convert a Bitmap mode image to Grayscale mode
You can convert a Bitmap mode image to Grayscale mode in order to edit it. Keep in mind that a Bitmap mode image
edited in Grayscale mode may not look the same when you convert it back to Bitmap mode. For example, suppose a
pixel that is black in Bitmap mode is edited to a shade of gray in Grayscale mode. When the image is converted back
to Bitmap mode, that pixel is rendered as white if its gray value is above the middle gray value of 128.
1 Choose Image > Mode > Grayscale.
2 Enter a value between 1 and 16 for the size ratio.

The size ratio is the factor for scaling down the image. For example, to reduce a grayscale image by 50%, enter 2 for
the size ratio. If you enter a number greater than 1, the program averages multiple pixels in the Bitmap mode image
to produce a single pixel in the grayscale image. This process lets you generate multiple shades of gray from an image
scanned on a 1-bit scanner.

Specifying the halftone screen for Bitmap mode images
The Halftone Screen option in the Bitmap dialog box lets you convert a grayscale image to simulated halftone dots.
Important: The halftone screen becomes part of the image. If you print the image on a halftone printer, the printer will
use its own halftone screen as well as the halftone screen that is part of the image. On some printers, the result is a moiré
pattern.

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To specify the halftone screen for Bitmap mode images
1 Choose Image > Mode > Bitmap.
2 Choose Halftone Screen from the Use menu; then click OK. The Halftone Screen dialog box opens.
3 For Frequency, enter a value for the screen frequency, and choose a unit of measurement. Values can range from
1 to 999 for lines per inch and from 0.400 to 400 for lines per centimeter. You can enter decimal values.

The screen frequency specifies the ruling of the halftone screen in lines per inch (lpi). The frequency depends on the
paper stock and type of press used for printing. Newspapers commonly use an 85-line screen. Magazines use higher
resolution screens, such as 133-lpi and 150-lpi. Check with your print shop for correct screen frequencies.
4 Enter a value for the screen angle in degrees from –180 to +180.

The screen angle refers to the orientation of the screen. Continuous-tone and black-and-white halftone screens
commonly use a 45˚ angle.
5 For Shape, choose the dot shape you want.

Original grayscale image, and Halftone Screen conversion: 53 lpi, 45˚ angle, round dot

You can save and reuse halftone screen settings by using the Save and Load buttons in the Halftone Screen dialog box.

Specifying custom halftone screens for Bitmap mode images
The Custom Pattern option in the Bitmap dialog box simulates the effect of printing a grayscale image through a
custom halftone screen. This method lets you apply a screen texture, such as a wood grain, to an image. To use this
option, you must first define a pattern.
You can create a pattern representing the texture you want and then screen the grayscale image to apply the texture.
To cover the entire image, the pattern must be as large as the image. Otherwise, the pattern is tiled. For example, if
you apply a 1-inch-by-1-inch pattern to a 4-inch-by-4-inch image, the pattern appears as 16 squares. Photoshop
comes with several self-tiling patterns that can be used as halftone screen patterns.
Because the Custom Pattern option simulates dark and light colors by making the halftone pattern thicker and
thinner, it makes sense to choose a pattern that lends itself to thickness variations, typically one with a variety of gray
shades.
To prepare a black-and-white pattern for conversion, you can first convert the image to grayscale and then apply the
Blur More filter several times. This blurring technique creates thick lines tapering from dark gray to white.

See also
“To fill a selection or a layer with a foreground or background color” on page 498

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Converting to indexed color
Converting to indexed color
Converting to indexed color reduces the number of colors in the image to at most 256—the standard number of
colors supported by the GIF and PNG-8 formats and many multimedia applications. This conversion reduces file size
by deleting color information from the image.
To convert to indexed color, you must start with an image that is 8 bits per channel and in either Grayscale or RGB
mode.

To convert a grayscale or RGB image to indexed color
1 Choose Image > Mode > Indexed Color.

Note: All visible layers will be flattened; any hidden layers will be discarded.
For grayscale images, the conversion happens automatically. For RGB images, the Indexed Color dialog box appears.
2 Select Preview in the Indexed Color dialog box to display a preview of the changes.
3 Specify conversion options.

See also
“Conversion options for indexed-color images” on page 238

Conversion options for indexed-color images
When converting an RGB image to indexed color, you can specify a number of conversion options in the Indexed
Color dialog box.
Palette Type A number of palette types are available for converting an image to indexed color. For the Perceptual,
Selective, and Adaptive options, you can choose using a local palette based on the current image’s colors. It’s also
possible to use a master palette that was created in ImageReady. These are the available palette types:
• Exact Creates a palette using the exact colors appearing in the RGB image—an option available only if the image
uses 256 or fewer colors. Because the image’s palette contains all colors in the image, there is no dithering.
• System (Mac OS) Uses the Mac OS default 8-bit palette, which is based on a uniform sampling of RGB colors.
• System (Windows) Uses the Windows system’s default 8-bit palette, which is based on a uniform sampling of RGB

colors.
• Web Uses the 216-color palette that web browsers, regardless of platform, use to display images on a monitor
limited to 256 colors. This palette is a subset of the Mac OS 8-bit palette. Use this option to avoid browser dither when
viewing images on a monitor display limited to 256 colors.
• Uniform Creates a palette by uniformly sampling colors from the RGB color cube. For example, if Photoshop takes
six evenly spaced color levels each of red, green, and blue, the combination produces a uniform palette of 216 colors
(6 cubed = 6 x 6 x 6 = 216). The total number of colors displayed in an image corresponds to the nearest perfect cube
(8, 27, 64, 125, or 216) that is less than the value in the Colors text box.
• Local (Perceptual) Creates a custom palette by giving priority to colors for which the human eye has greater sensi

tivity.

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• Local (Selective) Creates a color table similar to the Perceptual color table, but favoring broad areas of color and
the preservation of web colors. This option usually produces images with the greatest color integrity.
• Local (Adaptive) Creates a palette by sampling the colors from the spectrum appearing most commonly in the
image. For example, an RGB image with only the colors green and blue produces a palette made primarily of greens
and blues. Most images concentrate colors in particular areas of the spectrum. To control a palette more precisely,
first select a part of the image containing the colors you want to emphasize. Photoshop weights the conversion toward
these colors.
• Custom Creates a custom palette using the Color Table dialog box. Either edit the color table and save it for later
use or click Load to load a previously created color table. This option also displays the current Adaptive palette, which
is useful for previewing the colors most often used in the image.
• Previous Uses the custom palette from the previous conversion, making it easy to convert several images with the
same custom palette.
Number Of Colors For the Uniform, Perceptual, Selective, or Adaptive palette, you can specify the exact number of

colors to be displayed (up to 256) by entering a value for Colors. The Colors text box controls only how the indexed
color table is created. Adobe Photoshop still treats the image as an 8-bit, 256-color image.
Color Inclusion And Transparency To specify colors to be included in the indexed color table or to specify trans

parency in the image, choose from the following options:
• Forced Provides options to force the inclusion of certain colors in the color table. Black And White adds a pure
black and a pure white to the color table; Primaries adds red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and white;
Web adds the 216 web-safe colors; and Custom lets you define custom colors to add.
• Transparency Specifies whether to preserve transparent areas of the image during conversion. Selecting this
option adds a special index entry in the color table for transparent colors. Deselecting this option fills transparent
areas with the matte color, or with white if no matte color is chosen.
• Matte Specifies the background color used to fill anti-aliased edges that lie adjacent to transparent areas of the

image. When Transparency is selected, the matte is applied to edge areas to help blend the edges with a web
background of the same color. When Transparency is deselected, the matte is applied to transparent areas. Choosing
None for the matte creates hard-edged transparency if Transparency is selected; otherwise, all transparent areas are
filled with 100% white. The image must have transparency for the Matte options to be available.
Dithering Unless you’re using the Exact color table option, the color table may not contain all the colors used in the

image. To simulate colors not in the color table, you can dither the colors. Dithering mixes the pixels of the available
colors to simulate the missing colors. Choose a dither option from the menu, and enter a percentage value for the
dither amount. A higher amount dithers more colors but may increase file size. You can choose from the following
dither options:
• None Does not dither colors but instead uses the color closest to the missing color. This tends to result in sharp

transitions between shades of color in the image, creating a posterized effect.
• Diffusion Uses an error-diffusion method that produces a less structured dither than the Pattern option. To
protect colors in the image that contain entries in the color table from being dithered, select Preserve Exact Colors.
This is useful for preserving fine lines and text for web images.
• Pattern Uses a halftone-like square pattern to simulate any colors not in the color table.
• Noise Helps to reduce seam patterns along the edges of image slices. Choose this option if you plan to slice the
image for placement in an HTML table.

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Customizing indexed color tables
The Color Table command lets you make changes to the color table of an indexed-color image. These customization
features are particularly useful with pseudocolor images—images displaying variations in gray levels with color rather
than shades of gray, often used in scientific and medical applications. However, customizing the color table can also
produce special effects with indexed-color images that have a limited number of colors.
Note: To shift colors simply in a pseudocolor image, choose Image > Adjustments, and use the color adjustment
commands in the submenu.

To edit colors and assign transparency with a color table
You can edit colors in the color table to produce special effects, or assign transparency in the image to a single color

in the table.

1 Open the indexed-color image.

2 Choose Image > Mode > Indexed Color.

3 In the Indexed Color dialog box, choose Custom from the Palette menu.

4 In the Color Table dialog box, click or drag in the table to choose the color or range of colors you want to change.

5 Choose a color and click OK.

If you are changing a range of colors, Photoshop creates a gradient in the color table between the starting and ending

colors. The first color you choose in the Color Picker is the beginning color for the range. When you click OK, the

Color Picker reappears so that you can choose the last color in the range.

The colors you selected in the Color Picker are placed in the range you selected in the Color Table dialog box.

6 Click OK in the Color Table dialog box to apply the new colors to the indexed-color image.

7 Click OK in the Indexed Color dialog box.

To assign transparency to a single color

1 Open the indexed-color image.

2 Choose Image > Mode > Indexed Color.

3 In the Indexed Color dialog box, choose Custom from the Palette menu. This opens the Color Table dialog box.

4 In the Color Table dialog box, select the Eyedropper tool

, and click the desired color in the table or in the
image. The sampled color is replaced with transparency in the image.

Predefined color tables
Your indexed color table can be modeled after the following predefined color tables:
Custom Creates a palette you specify.
Black Body Displays a palette based on the different colors a black body radiator emits as it is heated—from black

to red, orange, yellow, and white.
Grayscale Displays a palette based on 256 levels of gray—from black to white.
Spectrum Displays a palette based on the colors produced as white light passes through a prism—from violet, blue,

and green to yellow, orange, and red.

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System (Mac OS) Displays the standard Mac OS 256-color system palette.
System (Windows) Displays the standard Windows 256-color system palette.

To choose a predefined table
1 Open the indexed-color image.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Mode > Color Table.
• Choose Image > Mode > Indexed Color. In the Indexed Color dialog box, choose Custom from the Palette menu.

This opens the Color Table dialog box.
3 In the Color Table dialog box, choose a predefined table from the Table menu.

Saving and loading color tables
You use the Save and Load buttons in the Color Table dialog box to save your indexed color tables for use with other
Adobe Photoshop images. The color tables and swatch tables can also be loaded by ImageReady. After you load a
color table into an image, the colors in the image change to reflect the color positions they reference in the new color
table.
Note: You can also load saved color tables into the Swatches palette.

See also
“About the Swatches palette” on page 506

Choosing colors
About the Adobe Color Picker
You select a color in the Adobe Color Picker either by choosing from a color spectrum or by defining the color
numerically. Through the Adobe Color Picker, you can set the foreground color, background color, and text color. In
Photoshop, you can also use the Color Picker to set target colors in some color and tonal adjustment commands, the
stop colors in the Gradient Editor, the filter color in the Photo Filter command, and the color in a fill layer, certain
layer styles, and shape layers.
When you select a color in the Adobe Color Picker, it simultaneously displays the numeric values for HSB, RGB, Lab,
CMYK, and hexadecimal numbers. This is useful for viewing how the different color modes describe a color.
In the Adobe Color Picker, you can select colors based on the HSB (hue, saturation, brightness) or RGB (red, green,
blue) color models, or specify a color based on its hexadecimal values. In Photoshop, you can also select colors based
on the Lab color model, and on the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color model. You can configure the Adobe
Color Picker so that you can choose only from web-safe colors or choose from several custom color systems. The
color field in the Adobe Color Picker can display color components in HSB color mode, RGB color mode, and
(Photoshop) Lab color mode.

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Note: Although Photoshop and ImageReady use the Adobe Color Picker by default, you can set a preference to have
Photoshop and ImageReady use a different color picker. For instance, you can use the built-in color pickers on your
system or a plug-in color picker. Any plug-in color pickers you install appear under Color Picker in the General section
of the Preferences dialog box.
B

Adobe Color Picker
A. Picked color B. Original color C. Adjusted color D. Out-of-gamut alert icon
option G. Color field H. Color slider I. Color values

E. Not web-safe alert icon

F. Web Colors

To display the Adobe Color Picker
Do one of the following:
• In the toolbox, click the foreground or background color selection box.
• In the Color palette, click the Set Foreground Color or Set Background Color selection box.
• In the text tool options bar, click the color swatch.
• (Photoshop) In the Layers palette, click the color swatch in a fill or shape layer.
• (Photoshop) In the Gradient Editor, double-click a color stop.
• (Photoshop) In the options bar of a shape or pen tool, click the color swatch.
• (Photoshop) In the Layer Style dialog box for certain layer styles (such as Outer Glow and Inner Glow), click the

Set Color box.
• (Photoshop) In the dialog box of certain color and tonal adjustment commands, double-click an eyedropper or

click a color swatch. Not every eyedropper lets you set a target color. For instance, double-clicking the eyedroppers
in the Replace Color command does not open the Adobe Color Picker.

Specifying a color using the color field and color slider
With the HSB, RGB, and Lab color modes, you can use the color field and the color slider in the Color Picker dialog
box to select a color.

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Note: The Lab color mode is available only in Photoshop.
1 Click a component next to the HSB, RGB, or Lab values.
2 Select a color by doing one of the following:
• Drag the white triangles along the slider.

• Click in the color slider.

• Click in the color field.

When you select a color, a circular marker indicates the color’s position in the color field.

As you adjust the color using the color field and color slider, the numerical values are adjusted accordingly. The color
rectangle to the right of the color slider displays the new color in the top section of the rectangle. The original color
or is (Photoshop) out of
appears at the bottom of the rectangle. Alerts appear if the color is not web-safe
gamut .
You can select a color outside the Adobe Color Picker. Moving the pointer over the document window changes it to
the Eyedropper tool. You can then select a color by clicking in the image. The selected color is displayed in the Adobe
Color Picker. You can move the Eyedropper tool anywhere on your desktop by clicking in the image and then holding
down the mouse button. You can select a color by releasing the mouse button.

See also
“Web-safe colors” on page 245

To specify a color using numeric values
In the Adobe Color Picker, you can select a color in any of the four color models by specifying numeric values for
each color component.
Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) In CMYK color mode (the mode PostScript printers use), specify each component value as a

percentage of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
• In RGB color mode (the mode your monitor uses), specify component values from 0 to 255 (0 is black, and 255 is

the pure color).
• In HSB color mode, specify saturation and brightness as percentages; specify hue as an angle from 0˚ to 360˚ that

corresponds to a location on the color wheel.
• Enter a hexadecimal value in the # text box. For example, 000000 is black, ffffff is white, and ff0000 is red.
• (Photoshop) In Lab mode, enter a lightness value (L) from 0 to 100, and an A value (green to magenta) and a B

value(blue to yellow) from -128 to +127.

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To use the Adobe Color Picker in HSB mode
The Adobe Color Picker lets you select a color based on the HSB (hue, saturation, brightness) color model. When

you select a color in HSB mode, the Adobe Color Picker updates the RGB, Lab, CMYK, and hexadecimal values

accordingly. HSB mode is the default mode for the Adobe Color Picker.

1 Open the Adobe Color Picker.

2 In the HSB section of the dialog box, do one of the following:

• Click the H option to display all hues in the color slider. When you select a hue in the slider, the color field displays

the saturation and brightness range of that hue, with the saturation increasing from left to right and the brightness
increasing from bottom to top.
• Click the S option to display all hues in the color field, with their maximum brightness at the top of the color field

and their minimum at the bottom. The color slider displays the color that’s selected in the color field, with its
maximum saturation at the top of the slider and its minimum saturation at the bottom.
• Click the B option to display all hues in the color field, with their maximum saturation at the top of the color field

and their minimum saturation at the bottom. The color slider displays the color that’s selected in the color field,
with its maximum brightness at the top of the slider and its minimum brightness at the bottom.
3 Select a color with a specific hue, saturation, and brightness by using a combination of the color slider and the
color field or entering a numeric values in the H, S, and B text boxes.

To work with the Adobe Color Picker in RGB mode
In RGB (red, green, blue) mode, the color slider displays the range of color levels available for the selected color

component (R, G, or B). The color field displays the range for the remaining two components—one on the horizontal

axis, one on the vertical. For example, if you click the red component (R), the color slider displays the range of color

for red (0 is at the bottom of the slider, and 255 is at the top). The color field displays the values for blue on its

horizontal axis and for green on its vertical axis.

1 Open the Adobe Color Picker.

2 In the RGB section of the dialog box, do one of the following:

• Click the R option to display the red color component in the color slider, with its maximum brightness (255) at

the top of the slider and its minimum brightness (0) at the bottom. When you set the color slider to minimum
brightness, the color field displays colors created by the green and blue color components. Using the color slider
to increase the red brightness mixes more red into the colors displayed in the color field.
• Click the G option to display the green color component in the color slider, with its maximum brightness (255) at

the top of the slider and its minimum brightness (0) at the bottom. When you set the color slider to minimum
brightness, the color field displays colors created by the red and blue color components. Using the color slider to
increase the green brightness mixes more green into the colors displayed in the color field.
• Click the B option to display the blue color component in the color slider, with its maximum brightness (255) at

the top of the slider and its minimum brightness (0) at the bottom. When you set the color slider to minimum
brightness, the color field displays colors created by the green and red color components. Using the color slider to
increase the blue brightness mixes more blue into the colors displayed in the color field.
3 Select an RGB color using a combination of the color slider and the color field or entering numeric values in the
R, G, and B text boxes.

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To work with the Adobe Color Picker in Lab mode
The Adobe Color Picker lets you select a color based on the Lab color model. The L value specifies the luminance of

a color. The A value specifies how red or green a color is. The B value specifies how blue or yellow a color is.

1 Open the Adobe Color Picker.

2 In the Lab section of the dialog box, do one of the following:

• Click the L option to display all hues in the color field. You select a hue by either clicking in the color field or

entering values in the A and B text boxes. The color slider displays the selected hue, with its maximum luminance
at the top and its minimum luminance at the bottom.
• Click the A option. Move the color slider to adjust the amount of red or green. Moving the slider or clicking in the

color slider changes the range of colors displayed in the color field. The color field also displays the luminance,
with maximum luminance at the top and minimum luminance at the bottom. The B (blue or yellow) color
component is represented in the color field with blue on the left and yellow on the right.
• Click the B option. Move the color slider to adjust the amount of yellow or blue. Moving the slider or clicking in

the color slider changes the range of colors displayed in the color field. The color field also displays the luminance
on the vertical axis, with maximum luminance at the top and minimum luminance at the bottom. The A (green
or red) color component is represented in the color field with green on the left and red on the right.
3 Select a color using a combination of the color slider and the color field or entering numeric values in the L, A,
and B text boxes.

Web-safe colors
The web-safe colors are the 216 colors used by browsers regardless of the platform. The browser changes all colors in
the image to these colors when displaying the image on an 8-bit screen. The 216 colors are a subset of the Mac OS
8-bit color palettes. By working only with these colors, you can be sure that art you prepare for the web will not dither
on a system set to display 256 colors.

To select web-safe colors in the Adobe Color Picker
❖ Select the Only Web Colors option in the lower left corner of the Color Picker. Any color you pick with this option

selected is web-safe.

To change a nonweb color to a web-safe color
If you select a nonweb color, an alert cube

appears next to the color rectangle in the Adobe Color Picker.

❖ Click the alert cube to select the closest web color. (If no alert cube appears, the color you chose is web-safe.)

To select a web-safe color using the Color palette

1 Click the Color palette tab, or choose Window > Color to view the Color palette.

2 Choose an option for selecting a web-safe color:

• Choose Make Ramp Web Safe from the Color palette menu. Any color you pick with this option selected is web

safe.
• Choose Web Color Sliders from the Color palette menu (Photoshop), or choose any Slider option from the Color

palette menu (ImageReady). By default, web color sliders snap to web-safe colors (indicated by tick marks) when
you drag them. To override web-safe color selection, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the sliders.

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If you choose a nonweb color, an alert cube
appears above the color ramp on the left side of the Color palette.
Click the alert cube to select the closest web color.
In ImageReady, drag around the alert icon to select other close web colors. (If no alert cube appears, the color you
chose is web-safe.)
Note: In Photoshop, you must choose Web Color Sliders from the Color palette menu to view the web-safe alert cube. In
ImageReady, you can view the alert cube with any color slider option.

To select the closest CMYK equivalent for a nonprintable color
Some colors in the RGB, HSB, and Lab color models, such as neon colors, cannot be printed because they have no
equivalents in the CMYK model. When you select a nonprintable color, an alert triangle appears in the Color Picker
dialog box and in the Color palette. The closest CMYK equivalent is displayed below the triangle.
Note: The alert triangle is not available if you are using web-safe sliders.
Click the alert triangle

that appears in the Color Picker dialog box or the Color palette.

Printable colors are determined by your current CMYK working space as defined in the Color Settings dialog box.

See also
“About out-of-gamut colors” on page 283

Choosing custom colors
The Adobe Color Picker lets you choose custom colors from the Pantone® Matching System®, the Trumatch®
Swatching System™, the Focoltone® Colour System, the Toyo Color Finder™ 1050 system, the ANPA-Color™ system,
the HKS® color system, and the DIC Color Guide.
To ensure that the final printed output is the color you want, consult your printer or service bureau and choose your
custom color based on a printed color swatch. Manufacturers recommend that you get a new swatch book each year
to compensate for fading inks and other damage.
Important: Photoshop prints custom colors to CMYK (process color) plates in every image mode except Duotone. To
print true spot color plates, create spot color channels.

See also
“About spot colors” on page 442

To choose a custom color

1 Open the Adobe Color Picker, and click Color Libraries.

The Custom Colors dialog box displays the color closest to the color currently selected in the Adobe Color Picker.

2 For Book, choose a color system.

3 Locate the color you want by entering the ink number or by dragging the triangles along the scroll bar.

4 Click the desired color patch in the list.

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Custom color systems
The Adobe Color Picker supports various color systems:
ANPA-COLOR Commonly used for newspaper applications. The ANPA-COLOR ROP Newspaper Color Ink Book

contains samples of the ANPA colors.
DIC Color Guide Commonly used for printing projects in Japan. For more information, contact Dainippon Ink &

Chemicals, Inc., in Tokyo, Japan.
FOCOLTONE Consists of 763 CMYK colors. Focoltone colors help avoid prepress trapping and registration problems

by showing the overprints that make up the colors. A swatch book with specifications for process and spot colors,
overprint charts, and a chip book for marking up layouts are available from Focoltone. For more information, contact
Focoltone International, Ltd., in Stafford, United Kingdom.
HKS swatches Used for printing projects in Europe. Each color has a specified CMYK equivalent. You can select

from HKS E (for continuous stationery), HKS K (for gloss art paper), HKS N (for natural paper), and HKS Z (for
newsprint). Color samplers for each scale are available. HKS Process books and swatches have been added to the
color system menu.
PANTONE Pantone® colors are used for spot-color reproduction. The Pantone System can render 1114 colors.

Pantone Color guides and chip books are printed on coated, uncoated, and matte paper stocks to ensure accurate
visualization of the printed result and better on-press control. You can print a solid Pantone color in CMYK. To
compare a solid Pantone color to its closest process color match, use the Pantone Solid to Process guide. The CMYK
screen tint percentages are printed under each color. For more information, contact Pantone, Inc., in Carlstadt, NJ
(www.pantone.com).
TOYO Color Finder 1050 Consists of more than 1000 colors based on the most common printing inks used in Japan.

The TOYO Process Color Finder book and swatches have been added to the color system menu. The TOYO Color
Finder 1050 Book contains printed samples of Toyo colors and is available from printers and graphic arts supply
stores. For more information, contact Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, Japan.
TRUMATCH Provides predictable CMYK color matching with more than 2000 achievable, computer-generated

colors. Trumatch colors cover the visible spectrum of the CMYK gamut in even steps. The Trumatch Color displays
up to 40 tints and shades of each hue, each originally created in four-color process and each reproducible in four
colors on electronic imagesetters. In addition, four-color grays using different hues are included. For more infor
mation, contact Trumatch Inc., in New York City, New York.

To use the Windows Color Picker
(Windows only)
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General.

2 Choose Windows from the Color Picker menu, and click OK.

For more information, see your Windows documentation.

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To use the Apple Color Picker
(Mac OS only)
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.
• (ImageReady) Choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.
2 For Color Picker, do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Choose Apple and click OK.
• (ImageReady) Choose System, and click OK.

For more information, see your Mac OS documentation.

To return to the Adobe Color Picker after using another color picker
1 Do one of the following:
• In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > General.
• (Photoshop) In Mac OS, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.
• (ImageReady) In Mac OS, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.
2 Choose Adobe from the Color Picker menu, and click OK.

Using the color wheel
If you’re new to adjusting color components, it helps to keep a diagram of the standard color wheel on hand when
you work on color balance. You can use the color wheel to predict how a change in one color component affects other
colors and also how changes translate between RGB and CMYK color models.
0/360

270

C
180

Color wheel
R. Red Y. Yellow G. Green

C. Cyan B. Blue M. Magenta

For example, you can decrease the amount of any color in an image by increasing the amount of its opposite on the
color wheel—and vice versa. Colors that lie opposite each other on the standard color wheel are known as comple
mentary colors. Similarly, you can increase and decrease a color by adjusting the two adjacent colors on the wheel,
or even by adjusting the two colors adjacent to its opposite.

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In a CMYK image, you can decrease magenta either by decreasing the amount of magenta or by increasing its
complement (by adding cyan and yellow). You can even combine these two corrections, minimizing their effect on
overall lightness. In an RGB image, you can decrease magenta by removing red and blue or by adding green. All of
these adjustments result in an overall color balance containing less magenta.

250

Chapter 10: Color management

Understanding color management
Why colors sometimes don’t match
No device in a publishing system is capable of reproducing the full range of colors viewable to the human eye. Each
device operates within a specific color space which can produce a certain range, or gamut, of colors.
A color model determines the relationship between values, and the color space defines the absolute meaning of those
values as colors. Some color models have a fixed color space (such as Lab) because they relate directly to the way
humans perceive color. These models are described as being device-independent. Other color models (RGB, HSL,
HSB, CMYK, and so forth) can have many different color spaces. Because these models vary with each associated
color space or device, they are described as being device-dependent.
Because of these varying color spaces, colors can shift in appearance as you transfer documents between different
devices. Color variations can result from differences in image sources (scanners and software produce art using
different color spaces); brands of computer monitors; the way software applications define color; print media
(newsprint paper reproduces a smaller gamut than magazine-quality paper); and other natural variations, such as
manufacturing differences in monitors or monitor age.
RGB
CMYK
A

Color gamuts of various devices and documents
A. Lab color space B. Documents (working space) C. Devices

What is a color management system?
Color-matching problems result from various devices and software using different color spaces. One solution is to
have a system that interprets and translates color accurately between devices. A color management system (CMS)
compares the color space in which a color was created to the color space in which the same color will be output, and
makes the necessary adjustments to represent the color as consistently as possible among different devices.
A color management system translates colors with the help of color profiles. A profile is a mathematical description
of a device’s color space. For example, a scanner profile tells a color management system how your scanner “sees”
colors. Adobe applications use ICC profiles, a format defined by the International Color Consortium (ICC) as a
cross-platform standard. (See “About color profiles” on page 263.)

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Because no single color-translation method is ideal for all types of graphics, a color management system provide a
choice of rendering intents, or translation methods, so that you can apply a method appropriate to a particular
graphical element. For example, a color translation method that preserves correct relationships among colors in a
wildlife photograph may alter the colors in a logo containing flat tints of color. (See “About rendering intents” on
page 271.)
Note: Don’t confuse color management with color correction. A color management system won’t correct an image that
was saved with tonal or color balance problems. It provides an environment where you can evaluate images reliably in
the context of your final output.

Do you need color management?
Without a color management system, your color specifications are device-dependent. You might not need color
management if your production process is tightly controlled for one medium only. For example, you or your prepress
service provider can tailor CMYK images and specify color values for a known, specific set of printing conditions.
The value of color management increases when you have more variables in your production process. Color
management is recommended if you anticipate reusing color graphics for print and online media, using various
kinds of devices within a single medium (such as different printing presses), or if you manage multiple workstations.
You will benefit from a color management system if you need to accomplish any of the following:
• Get predictable and consistent color output on multiple output devices including color separations, your desktop

printer, and your monitor. Color management is especially useful for adjusting color for devices with a relatively
limited gamut, such as a four-color process printing press.
• Accurately soft-proof (preview) a color document on your monitor by making it simulate a specific output device.

(Soft-proofing is subject to the limitations of monitor display, such as room lighting conditions.)
• Accurately evaluate and consistently incorporate color graphics from many different sources if they also use color

management, and even in some cases if they don’t.
• Send color documents to different output devices and media without having to manually adjust colors in

documents or original graphics. This is valuable when creating images that will eventually be used both in print
and online.
• Print color correctly to an unknown color output device; for example, you could store a document online for

consistently reproducible on-demand color printing anywhere in the world.

Creating a viewing environment for color management
Your work environment influences how you see color on your monitor and on printed output. For best results,
control the colors and light in your work environment by doing the following:
• View your documents in an environment that provides a consistent light level and color temperature. For example,

the color characteristics of sunlight change throughout the day and alter the way colors appear on your screen, so
keep shades closed or work in a windowless room. To eliminate the blue-green cast from fluorescent lighting, you
can install D50 (5000˚ Kelvin) lighting. You can also view printed documents using a D50 lightbox.
• View your document in a room with neutral-colored walls and ceiling. A room’s color can affect the perception of

both monitor color and printed color. The best color for a viewing room is polychromatic gray. Also, the color of
your clothing reflecting off the glass of your monitor may affect the appearance of colors on-screen.

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• Remove colorful background patterns on your monitor desktop. Busy or bright patterns surrounding a document

interfere with accurate color perception. Set your desktop to display neutral grays only.
• View document proofs in the real-world conditions under which your audience will see the final piece. For

example, you might want to see how a housewares catalog looks under the incandescent light bulbs used in homes,
or view an office furniture catalog under the fluorescent lighting used in offices. However, always make final color
judgements under the lighting conditions specified by the legal requirements for contract proofs in your country.

Keeping colors consistent
About color management in Adobe applications
Adobe’s color management system helps you maintain the appearance of colors as you bring images in from external
sources, edit documents and transfer them between Adobe applications, and output your finished compositions.
This system is based on conventions developed by the International Color Consortium (ICC), a group responsible
for standardizing profile formats and procedures so that consistent and accurate color can be achieved throughout a
workflow.
By default, color management is turned on in Adobe applications. If you purchased the Adobe Creative Suite, color
settings are synchronized across applications to provide consistent display for RGB and CMYK colors. This means
that colors look the same no matter which application you view them in.

Color settings for each Creative Suite application are synchronized in a central location through Adobe Bridge.

If you decide to change the default settings, easy-to-use presets let you configure Adobe’s color management system
to match common output conditions. You can also customize color settings to meet the demands of your particular
color workflow.
Keep in mind that the kinds of images you work with and your output requirements influence how you use color
management. For example, there are different color-consistency issues for an RGB photo printing workflow, a CMYK
commercial printing workflow, a mixed RGB/CMYK digital printing workflow, and an internet publishing workflow.

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Basic steps for producing consistent color
1. Consult with your production partners (if you have any) to ensure that all aspects of your color management
workflow integrate seamlessly with theirs.

Discuss how the color workflow will be integrated with your workgroups and service providers, how will software
and hardware be configured for integration into the color management system, and at what level will color
management be implemented. (See “Do you need color management?” on page 251.)
For more information on common color management workflows, see the Color Workflow Guide on your application
CD.
2. Calibrate and profile your monitor.

A monitor profile is the first profile you should create. Seeing accurate color is essential if you are making creative
decisions involving the color you specify in your document. (See “To calibrate and profile your monitor” on
page 265.)
3. Add color profiles to your system for any input and output devices you plan to use, such as scanners and
printers.

The color management system uses profiles to know how a device produces color and what the actual colors in a
document are. Device profiles are often installed when a device is added to your system. You can also use third-party
software and hardware to create more accurate profiles for specific devices and conditions. If your document will be
commercially printed, contact your service provider to determine the profile for the printing device or press
condition. (See “About color profiles” on page 263 and “To install a color profile” on page 266.)
4. Set up color management in Adobe applications.

The default color settings are sufficient for most users. However, you can change the color settings by doing one of
the following:
• If you use multiple Adobe applications, use Bridge to choose a standard color management configuration and

synchronize color settings across applications before working with documents. (See “To synchronize color settings
across Adobe applications” on page 254.)
• If you use only one Adobe application, or if you want to customize advanced color management options, you can

change color settings for a specific application. (See “To set up color management for Illustrator, InDesign, and
Photoshop” on page 254 or “To set up color management for GoLive” on page 254.)
5. (Optional) Preview colors using a soft proof.

After you create a document, you can use a soft proof to preview how colors will look when printed or viewed on a
specific device. (See “Soft-proofing colors” on page 259.)
Note: A soft proof alone doesn’t let you preview how overprinting will look when printed on an offset press. If you work
with Illustrator or InDesign documents that contain overprinting, turn on Overprint Preview to accurately preview
overprints in a soft proof.
6. Use color management when printing and saving files.

Keeping the appearance of colors consistent across all of the devices in your workflow is the goal of color
management. Leave color management options enabled when printing documents, saving files, and preparing files
for online viewing. (See “Printing with color management” on page 261 and “Color-managing documents for online
viewing” on page 258.)

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To synchronize color settings across Adobe applications
When you set up color management using Adobe Bridge, color settings are automatically synchronized across appli
cations. This synchronization ensures that colors look the same in all Adobe Creative Suite applications.
If color settings are not synchronized, a warning message appears at the top of the Color Settings dialog box in every
Creative Suite application. Adobe recommends that you synchronize color settings before you work with new or
existing documents.
1 Open Bridge.

To open Bridge from another Creative Suite application, choose File > Browse from the application. To open Bridge
directly, either choose Adobe Bridge from the Start menu (Windows) or double-click the Adobe Bridge icon (Mac
OS).
2 Choose Edit > Creative Suite Color Settings.
3 Select a color setting from the list, and click Apply.

If none of the default settings meet your requirements, select Show Expanded List Of Color Setting Files to view
additional settings. To install a custom settings file, such as a file you received from a print service provider, click
Show Saved Color Settings Files.

To set up color management for Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop
1 Choose Edit > Color Settings.
2 Select a color setting from the Settings menu, and click OK.

The setting you select determines the color working spaces used by the application, what happens when you open
and import files with embedded profiles, and how the color management system converts colors. To view a
description of a setting, select the setting and then position the pointer over the setting name. The description
appears at the bottom of the dialog box.
In certain situations, such as if your service provider supplies you with a custom output profile, you may need to
customize specific options in the Color Settings dialog box. However, customizing is recommended for advanced
users only.
Note: If you work with more than one Adobe application, it is highly recommended that you synchronize your color
settings across applications. (See “To synchronize color settings across Adobe applications” on page 254.)

See also
“To customize color settings” on page 268

To set up color management for GoLive
By default, GoLive’s color management system uses a standard web workflow in which you author web pages and
import images in the sRGB color space. sRGB reflects the characteristic of the average PC monitor and is therefore
applicable to the majority of web users. If you have a highly controlled distribution for your website (for example,
you know that the majority of users will view the site using Apple Macintosh computers), you can override the
standard web workflow.
1 Choose Edit > Color Settings.
2 If you want to author web pages in a color space other than sRGB, or you want to preserve embedded profiles in
RGB images, deselect Use Standard Web Workflow.

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Adobe recommends that you leave the Use Standard Web Workflow option selected.
3 Select a color setting from the Settings menu, and click OK.

The setting you select determines the color working space of the application, what happens when you open and
import files with embedded profiles, and how the color management system converts colors. You can view the
options for a color setting directly in the Color Settings dialog box.
In most cases, it is best to use a standard color setting and not change specific options in the Color Settings dialog
box. Customizing the working spaces, color management policies, and color conversion options is recommended for
advanced users only.
Note: If you work with more than one Adobe application, it is recommended that you synchronize your color settings
across applications. (See “To synchronize color settings across Adobe applications” on page 254.)

To change the appearance of CMYK black
In Illustrator and InDesign, pure CMYK black (K=100) appears jet black (or rich black) when viewed on-screen,
printed to a non-Postscript desktop printer, or exported to an RGB file format. If you prefer to see the difference
between pure black and rich black as it will appear when printed on a commercial press, you can change the
Appearance Of Black preferences. These preferences do not change the color values in a document.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Appearance Of Black (Windows) or Application name > Preferences > Appearance
Of Black (Mac OS).
2 Choose an option for On Screen:
Display All Blacks Accurately Displays pure CMYK black as dark gray. This setting allows you to see the difference
between pure black and rich black.
Display All Blacks As Rich Black Displays pure CMYK black as jet black (RGB=000). This setting makes pure black
and rich black appear the same on-screen.
3 Choose an option for Printing/Exporting:
Output All Blacks Accurately When printing to a non-Postscript desktop printer or exporting to an RGB file

format, outputs pure CMYK black as using the color numbers in the document. This setting allows you to see the
difference between pure black and rich black.
Output All Blacks As Rich Black When printing to a non-Postscript desktop printer or exporting to an RGB file

format, outputs pure CMYK black as jet black (RGB=000). This setting makes pure black and rich black appear the
same.

Managing process and spot colors
When color management is on, any color you apply or create within an Adobe application automatically uses a color
profile that corresponds to the document. If you switch color modes, the color management system uses the appro
priate profiles to translate the color to the new color model you choose.
Keep in mind the following guidelines for working with process and spot colors:
• Choose a CMYK working space that matches your CMYK output conditions to ensure that you can accurately

define and view process colors.
• Select colors from a color library. Adobe applications come with several standard color libraries, which you can

load using the Swatches palette menu.

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• (Illustrator and InDesign) Turn on Overprint Preview to get an accurate and consistent preview of spot colors.
• (Illustrator and InDesign) Use Lab values (the default) to display predefined spot colors (such as colors from the

TOYO, PANTONE, DIC, and HKS libraries) and convert these colors to process colors. Using Lab values provides
the greatest accuracy and guarantees the consistent display of colors across Creative Suite applications. If you want
the display and output of these colors to match earlier versions of Illustrator or InDesign, use CMYK equivalent
values instead. For instructions on switching between Lab values and CMYK values for spot colors, search Illus
trator or InDesign Help
Note: Color-managing spot colors provides a close approximation of a spot color on your proofing device and monitor.
However, it is difficult to exactly reproduce a spot color on a monitor or proofing device because many spot color inks
exist outside the gamuts of many of those devices.

To share swatches between applications
You can share the solid swatches you create in one Adobe CS2 application with any other Adobe CS2 application by
saving a swatch library for exchange. The colors appear exactly the same across applications as long as your color
settings are synchronized.
1 In the Swatches palette, create the process and spot-color swatches you want to share, and remove any swatches
you don’t want to share.

Note: You cannot share the following types of swatches between applications: patterns, gradients, and the Registration
swatch from Illustrator or InDesign; and book color references, HSB, XYZ, duotone, monitorRGB, opacity, total ink, and
webRGB swatches from Photoshop. These types of swatches are automatically excluded when you save swatches for
exchange.
2 Select Save Swatches For Exchange from the Swatches palette menu, and save the swatch libraries in an easily
accessible location.
3 Load the swatch library into the Swatches palette for any other Adobe CS2 application. See that application’s Help
for additional instructions.

Color-managing imported images
Color-managing imported images
How imported images are integrated into a document’s color space depends on whether or not the image has an
embedded profile:
• When you import an image that contains no profile, the Adobe application uses the current document profile to

define the colors in the image.
• When you import an image that contains an embedded profile, color policies in the Color Settings dialog box

determine how the Adobe application handles the profile. (See “Color Management Policy options” on page 270.)

Using a safe CMYK workflow
In Illustrator and InDesign, a safe CMYK workflow ensures that CMYK color numbers are preserved all the way to
the final output device, as opposed to being converted by your color management system. This workflow is beneficial
if you want to incrementally adopt color management practices. For example, you can use CMYK profiles to soft
proof and hard-proof documents without the possibility of unintended color conversions occurring during final
output.

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Illustrator and InDesign support a safe CMYK workflow by default. As a result, when you open or import a CMYK
image with an embedded profile, the application ignores the profile and preserves the raw color numbers. If you want
your application to adjust color numbers based on an embedded profile, change the CMYK color policy to Preserve
Embedded Profiles in the Color Settings dialog box. You can easily restore the safe CMYK workflow by changing the
CMYK color policy back to Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked Profiles).
You can override safe CMYK settings when you print a document or save it to PDF. However, doing so may cause
colors to be reseparated. For example, pure CMYK black objects may be reseparated as rich black. For more infor
mation on color management options for printing and saving PDF files, search in Help.

See also
“Color Management Policy options” on page 270

Preparing imported graphics for color management
Use the following general guidelines to prepare graphics for being color-managed in Adobe applications:
• Embed an ICC-compliant profile when you save the file. The file formats that support embedded profiles are

JPEG, PDF, PSD (Photoshop), AI (Illustrator), INDD (InDesign), and TIFF. (See “To embed a color profile in a
document” on page 266.)
• If you plan to reuse a color graphic for multiple final output devices or media, such as for print, video, and the web,

prepare the graphic using RGB or Lab colors whenever possible. If you must save in a color model other than RGB
or Lab, keep a copy of the original graphic. RGB and Lab color models represent larger color gamuts than most
output devices can reproduce, retaining as much color information as possible before being translated to a smaller
output color gamut.

To view or change profiles for imported bitmap images
InDesign allows you to view, override, or disable profiles for imported bitmap images. This may be necessary when
you are importing an image containing no profile or an incorrectly embedded profile. For example, if the scanner
manufacturer’s default profile was embedded but you have since generated a custom profile, you can assign the newer
profile.
1 Do one of the following:
• If the graphic is already in layout, select it and choose Object > Image Color Settings.
• If you’re about to import the graphic, choose File > Place, select Show Import Options, locate and select the file,

and click Place. Then choose Color Settings from the menu at the top of the Image Import Options dialog box that
appears.
2 For Profile, choose the source profile to apply to the graphic in your document. If a profile is currently embedded,
the profile name appears at the top of the Profile menu.
3 (Optional) For Rendering Intent, choose a rendering intent. In most cases, it’s best to use the default rendering
intent.
4 Click OK.

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Color-managing documents for online viewing
Color-managing documents for online viewing
Color management for online viewing is very different from color management for printed media. With printed
media, you have far more control over the appearance of the final document. With online media, your document will
appear on a wide range of possibly uncalibrated monitors and video display systems, significantly limiting your
control over color consistency.
When you color-manage documents that will be viewed exclusively on the web, Adobe recommends that you use the
sRGB color space. sRGB is the default working space for most Adobe color settings, but you can verify that sRGB is
selected in the Color Settings dialog box of any Creative Suite application. With the working space set to sRGB, any
RGB graphics you create will use sRGB as the color space.
When working with images that have an embedded color profile other than sRGB, you should convert the image’s
colors to sRGB before you save the image for use on the web. If you want the application to automatically convert the
colors to sRGB when you open the image, select Convert To Working Space as the RGB color management policy.
In Photoshop and InDesign, you can also manually convert the colors to sRGB using the Edit > Convert To Profile
command.

See also
“About color working spaces” on page 268
“Color Management Policy options” on page 270

Color-managing PDF documents for online viewing
When you export Portable Document Format (PDF) files, you can choose to embed profiles. PDF files with
embedded profiles reproduce color consistently in Acrobat 4.x or later running under a properly configured color
management system. For information about color management in Acrobat software, see Acrobat online Help.
Keep in mind that embedding color profiles increases the size of PDF files. RGB profiles are usually small (around
3K); however, CMYK profiles can range from .5 to 2 MB.

See also
“Color-managing PDF files for printing” on page 262

Color-managing HTML documents for online viewing
Many web browsers do not support color management. Of the browsers that do support color management, not all
instances can be considered color-managed because they may be running on systems where the monitors are not
calibrated. In addition, few web pages contain images with embedded profiles. If you manage a highly controlled
environment, such as the intranet of a design studio, you may be able to achieve some degree of HTML color
management for images by equipping everyone with a browser that supports color management and calibrating all
monitors.
You can approximate how colors will look on non-calibrated monitors by using the sRGB color space. In Adobe
GoLive, you can also preview how colors will look in different browsers using options in the View palette. (See “To
preview how colors will appear in a web browser” on page 261.) However, because color reproduction varies among
uncalibrated monitors, you still won’t be able to anticipate the true range of potential display variations.

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Proofing colors
Soft-proofing colors
In a traditional publishing workflow, you print a hard proof of your document to preview how its colors will look
when reproduced on a specific output device. In a color-managed workflow, you can use the precision of color
profiles to soft-proof your document directly on the monitor. You can display an on-screen preview of how your
document’s colors will look when reproduced on a particular output device. If you are authoring a website in GoLive,
you can also soft-proof how colors will look when viewed in different browsers and with different color profiles.
Keep in mind that the reliability of the soft proof depends upon the quality of your monitor, the profiles of your
monitor and output devices, and the ambient lighting conditions of your work environment.
Note: A soft proof alone doesn’t let you preview how overprinting will look when printed on an offset press. If you work
with Illustrator or InDesign documents that contain overprinting, turn on Overprint Preview to accurately preview
overprints in a soft proof.

Using a soft proof to preview the final output of a document on your monitor
A. Document in the working space
B. Document’s color values are translated to color space of chosen proof profile (usually the output device’s profile).
C. Monitor displays proof profile’s interpretation of document’s color values.

To soft-proof colors
1 In Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop, choose View > Proof Setup, and do one of the following:
• Choose a preset that corresponds to the output condition you want to simulate. (See “Soft proof presets” on

page 260.)
• Choose Custom (Photoshop and InDesign) or Customize (Illustrator) to create a custom proof setup for a specific

output condition. This option is recommended for the most accurate preview of your final printed piece. (See
“Custom soft proof options” on page 260.)
2 Choose View > Proof Colors to toggle the soft-proof display on and off. When soft proofing is on, a check mark
appears next to the Proof Colors command, and the name of the proof preset or profile appears at the top of the
document window.

To compare the colors in the original image and the colors in the soft proof, open the document in a new window
before you set up the soft proof.

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Soft proof presets
Working CMYK Creates a soft proof of colors using the current CMYK working space as defined in the Color

Settings dialog box.
Document CMYK (InDesign) Creates a soft proof of colors using the document’s CMYK profile.
Working Cyan Plate, Working Magenta Plate, Working Yellow Plate, Working Black Plate, or Working CMY
Plates (Photoshop) Creates a soft proof of specific CMYK ink colors using the current CMYK working space.
Macintosh RGB or Windows RGB (Photoshop and Illustrator) Creates a soft proof of colors in an image using

either a standard Mac OS or Windows monitor as the proof profile space to simulate. Both options assume that the
simulated device will display your document without using color management. Neither option is available for Lab or
CMYK documents.
Monitor RGB (Photoshop and Illustrator) Creates a soft proof of colors in an RGB document using your current
monitor color space as the proof profile space. This option assumes that the simulated device will display your
document without using color management. This option is unavailable for Lab and CMYK documents.

Custom soft proof options
Device To Simulate Specifies the color profile of the device for which you want to create the proof. The usefulness

of the chosen profile depends on how accurately it describes the device’s behavior. Often, custom profiles for specific
paper and printer combinations create the most accurate soft proof.
Preserve CMYK Numbers or Preserve RGB Numbers Simulates how the colors will appear without being
converted to the color space of the output device. This option is most useful when you are following a safe CMYK
workflow. (See “Using a safe CMYK workflow” on page 256.)
Rendering Intent (Photoshop and Illustrator) When the Preserve Numbers option is deselected, specifies a
rendering intent for converting colors to the device you are trying to simulate. (See “About rendering intents” on
page 271.)
Use Black Point Compensation (Photoshop) Ensures that the shadow detail in the image is preserved by
simulating the full dynamic range of the output device. Select this option if you plan to use black point compensation
when printing (which is recommended in most situations).
Simulate Paper Color Simulates the dingy white of real paper, according to the proof profile. Not all profiles

support this option.
Simulate Black Ink Simulates the dark gray you really get instead of a solid black on many printers, according to the

proof profile. Not all profiles support this option.
In Photoshop, if you want the custom proof setup to be the default proof setup for documents, close all document
windows before choosing the View > Proof Setup > Custom command.

To save or load a custom proof setup in Photoshop

1 Choose View > Proof Setup > Custom.

2 Do either of the following:

• To save a custom proof setup, click Save. To ensure that the new preset appears in the View > Proof Setup menu,

save the preset in the default location.
• To load a custom proof setup, click Load.

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To preview how colors will appear in a web browser
Different web browsers use different color spaces. For example, most Windows browsers display colors using the

sRGB color space, while most Mac OS browsers display colors using the Apple RGB color space.You can preview how

colors will look when viewed in different browsers using options in GoLive’s View palette.

1 In GoLive, select the Layout Editor in the document window.

2 Click the Options tab in the View palette.

3 For Basic Profile, select the browser you want to emulate.

4 (Optional) For User Profiles, select an option from the Color submenu.

For example, if you want to preview how colors look when displayed using embedded profiles, select Use Embedded

Profiles. Or, if you want to preview how colors look when displayed in grayscale, select Mac Grayscale (Gray Gamma

1.8) or Windows Grayscale (Gray Gamma 2.2).

Note: The Safari browser (listed under the Basic Profile > Other menu) is currently the only browser that supports
embedded color profiles. Therefore, selecting User Profiles > Color > Use Embedded Profiles does not provide an accurate
preview for any browser other than Safari.
Each User Profiles > Color option you select overrides existing Basic Profile and User Profiles options. For example,
if you select Explorer 6 Win for Basic Profile and then select Mac Colors (Apple RGB) for User Profiles > Color,
GoLive displays colors using the Apple RGB color space.

Color-managing documents when printing
Printing with color management
Color management options for printing let you specify how you want Adobe applications to handle the outgoing
image data so the printer will print colors consistent with what you see on your monitor. Your options for printing
color-managed documents depend on the Adobe application you use, as well as the output device you select. In
general, you have the following choices for handling colors during printing:
• Let the printer determine colors. (See “Letting the printer determine colors when printing” on page 261.)
• Let the application determine colors. (See “Letting the application determine colors when printing” on page 262.)
• (Photoshop and InDesign) Do not use color management. In this workflow, no color conversion occurs. You may

also need to turn off color management in your printer driver. This method is useful primarily for printing test
targets or generating custom profiles.

Letting the printer determine colors when printing
In this workflow, the application does no color conversion, but sends all necessary conversion information to the
output device. This method is especially convenient when printing to inkjet photo printers, because each combi
nation of paper type, printing resolution, and additional printing parameters (such as high speed printing) requires
a different profile. Most new inkjet photo printers come with fairly accurate profiles built into the driver, so letting
the printer select the right profile saves time and alleviates mistakes. This method is also recommended if you are
not familiar with color management.
If you choose this option, it is very important that you set up printing options and turn on color management in your
printer driver. Search Help for additional instructions.

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If you select a PostScript printer, you can take advantage of PostScript color management. PostScript color
management makes it possible to perform color composite output or color separations at the raster image processor
(RIP)—a process called in-RIP separations—so that a program need only specify parameters for separation and let
the device calculate the final color values. PostScript color-managed output workflows require an output device that
supports PostScript color management using PostScript level 2, version 2017 or higher; or PostScript 3.

Letting the application determine colors when printing
In this workflow, the application does all the color conversion, generating color data specific to one output device.
The application uses the assigned color profiles to convert colors to the output device’s gamut, and sends the resulting
values to the output device. The accuracy of this method depends on the accuracy of the printer profile you select.
Use this workflow when you have custom ICC profiles for each specific printer, ink, and paper combination.
If you choose this option, it is very important that you disable color management in your printer driver. Letting the
application and the printer driver simultaneously manage colors during printing results in unpredictable color.
Search Help for additional instructions.

Obtaining custom profiles for desktop printers
If the output profiles that come with your printer don’t produce satisfactory results, you obtain custom profiles in the
following ways:
• Purchase a profile for your type of printer and paper. This is usually the easiest and least expensive method.
• Purchase a profile for your specific printer and paper. This method involves printing a profiling target on your

printer and paper, and providing that target to a company that will create a specific profile. This is more expensive
than purchasing a standard profile, but can provide better results because it compensates for any manufacturing
variations in printers.
• Create your own profile using a scanner-based system. This method involves using profile-creation software and

your own flatbed scanner to scan the profiling target. It can provide excellent results for matte surface papers, but
not glossy papers. (Glossy papers tend to have fluorescent brighteners in them that look different to a scanner than
they do in room light.)
• Create your own profile using a hardware profile-creation tool. This method is expensive but can provide the best

results. A good hardware tool can create an accurate profile even with glossy papers.
• Tweak a profile created using one of the previous methods with profile-editing software. This software can be

complex to use, but lets you correct problems with a profile or simply adjust a profile to produce results more to
your taste.

See also
“To install a color profile” on page 266

Color-managing PDF files for printing
When you create Adobe PDF files for commercial printing, you can specify how color information is represented.
The easiest way to do this is using a PDF/X standard; however, you can also specify color-handling options manually
in the Output section of the PDF dialog box. For more information about PDF/X and how to create PDF files, search
Help.

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In general, you have the following choices for handling colors when creating PDF files:
• (PDF/X-3) Do not convert colors. Use this method when creating a document that will be printed or displayed on

various or unknown devices. When you select a PDF/X-3 standard, color profiles are automatically embedded in
the PDF file.
• (PDF/X-1a) Convert all colors to the destination CMYK color space. Use this method if you want to create a press

ready file that does not require any further color conversions. When you select a PDF/X-1a standard, no profiles
are embedded in the PDF file.
• (Illustrator and InDesign) Convert colors that have embedded profiles to the destination color space, but preserve

the numbers for those colors without embedded profiles. You can manually select this option in the Output section
of the PDF dialog box. Use this method if the document contains CMYK images that aren’t color-managed and
you want to make sure that the color numbers are preserved. (See “Using a safe CMYK workflow” on page 256.)
Note: All spot-color information is preserved during color conversion; only the process color equivalents convert to the
designated color space.

Working with color profiles
About color profiles
Precise, consistent color management requires accurate ICC-compliant profiles of all of your color devices. For
example, without an accurate scanner profile, a perfectly scanned image may appear incorrect in another program,
simply due to any difference between the scanner and the program displaying the image. This misleading represen
tation may cause you to make unnecessary, time-wasting, and potentially damaging “corrections” to an already satis
factory image. With an accurate profile, a program importing the image can correct for any device differences and
display a scan’s actual colors.
A color management system uses the following kinds of profiles:
Monitor profiles Describe how the monitor is currently reproducing color. This is the first profile you should create
because it is absolutely essential for managing color. If what you see on your monitor is not representative of the
actual colors in your document, you will not be able to maintain color consistency. (See “To calibrate and profile your
monitor” on page 265.)
Input device profiles Describe what colors an input device is capable of capturing or scanning. If your digital

camera offers a choice of profiles, Adobe recommends that you select Adobe RGB. Otherwise, use sRGB (which is
the default for most cameras). Advanced users may also consider using different profiles for different light sources.
For scanner profiles, some photographers create separate profiles for each type or brand of film scanned on a scanner.
Output device profiles Describe the color space of output devices like desktop printers and a printing press. The

color management system uses output device profiles to properly map the colors in an document to the colors within
the gamut of an output device’s color space. The output profile should also take into consideration specific printing
conditions, such as the type of paper and ink. For example, glossy paper is capable of displaying a different range of
colors than a matte paper.
Most printer drivers come with built-in color profiles. It’s a good idea to try these profiles before you invest in custom
profiles. For information on how to print using the built-in profiles, see “Letting the printer determine colors when

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printing” on page 261. For information on how to obtain custom profiles, see “Obtaining custom profiles for desktop
printers” on page 262.
Document profiles Define the specific RGB or CMYK color space of a document. By assigning, or tagging, a

document with a profile, the application provides a definition of actual color appearances in the document. For
example, R=127, G=12, B=107 is just a set of numbers that different devices will display differently. But when tagged
with the AdobeRGB color space, these numbers specify an actual color or wavelength of light; in this case, a specific
color of purple.
When color management is on, Adobe applications automatically assign new documents a profile based on Working
Space options in the Color Settings dialog box. Documents without associated profiles are known as untagged and
contain only raw color numbers. When working with untagged documents, Adobe applications use the current
working space profile to display and edit colors. (See “About color working spaces” on page 268.)
To view the current document profile, select Document Color Profile in the status bar.

B
C
D

Managing color with profiles
A. Profiles describe the color spaces of the input device and the document.
B. Using the profiles’ descriptions, the color management system
identifies the document’s actual colors.
C. The monitor’s profile tells the color management system how to translate the numeric values to
the monitor’s color space. D. Using the output device’s profile, the color management system translates the document’s numeric values to the
color values of the output device so the actual colors are printed.

About monitor calibration and characterization
Profiling software such as Adobe Gamma can both calibrate and characterize your monitor. Calibrating your monitor
brings it into compliance with a predefined standard; for example, adjusting your monitor so that it displays color
using the graphics arts standard white point color temperature of 5000 degrees Kelvin. Characterizing your monitor
simply creates a profile that describes how the monitor is currently reproducing color.

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Monitor calibration involves adjusting the following video settings, which may be unfamiliar to you.
Brightness and contrast The overall level and range, respectively, of display intensity. These parameters work just

as they do on a television. Adobe Gamma helps you set an optimum brightness and contrast range for calibration.
Gamma The brightness of the midtone values. The values produced by a monitor from black to white are
nonlinear—if you graph the values, they form a curve, not a straight line. Gamma defines the value of that curve
halfway between black and white.
Phosphors The substances that CRT monitors use to emit light. Different phosphors have different color character

istics.
White point The color and intensity of the brightest white the monitor can reproduce.

To calibrate and profile your monitor
When you calibrate your monitor, you are adjusting it so it conforms to a known specification. Once your monitor
is calibrated, the profiling utility lets you save a color profile. The profile describes the color behavior of the
monitor—what colors can or cannot be displayed on the monitor and how the numeric color values in an image must
be converted so that colors are displayed accurately.
1 Make sure your monitor has been turned on for at least a half hour. This gives it sufficient time to warm up and
produce more consistent output.
2 Make sure your monitor is displaying thousands of colors or more. Ideally, make sure it is displaying millions of

colors or 24-bit or higher.
3 Remove colorful background patterns on your monitor desktop and set your desktop to display neutral grays.
Busy patterns or bright colors surrounding a document interfere with accurate color perception.
4 Do one of the following to calibrate and profile your monitor:
• In Windows, use the Adobe Gamma utility, located in the Control Panel.
• In Mac OS, use the Calibrate utility, located in the System Preferences/Displays/Color tab.
• For the best results, use third-party software and measuring devices. In general, using a measuring device such as

a colorimeter along with software can create more accurate profiles because an instrument can measure the colors
displayed on a monitor far more accurately than the human eye.
Note: Monitor performance changes and declines over time; recalibrate and profile your monitor every month or so. If
you find it difficult or impossible to calibrate your monitor to a standard, it may be too old and faded.
Most profiling software automatically assigns the new profile as the default monitor profile. For instructions on how
to manually assign the monitor profile, refer to the Help system for your operating system.

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To install a color profile
Color profiles are often installed when a device is added to your system. The accuracy of these profiles (often called
generic profiles or canned profiles) varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. You can also obtain device profiles
from your service provider, download profiles from the web, or create custom profiles using professional profiling
equipment.
• In Windows, right-click a profile and select Install Profile. Alternatively, copy the profiles into the

WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\color folder (Windows XP) or the WINNT\system32\spool\drivers\color
folder (Windows 2000).
• In Mac OS, copy profiles into the /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles/Recommended folder. You

can also copy profiles into the /Users/username/Library/ColorSync/Profiles folder.
After installing color profiles, be sure to restart Adobe applications.

See also
“Obtaining custom profiles for desktop printers” on page 262

To embed a color profile in a document
In order to embed a color profile in a document you created in Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, you must save or
export the document in a format that supports ICC profiles.
1 Save or export the document in one of the following file formats: Adobe PDF, PSD (Photoshop), AI (Illustrator),
INDD (InDesign), JPEG, or TIFF.
2 Select the option for embedding ICC profiles. The exact name and location of this option varies between applica
tions. Search Help in the relevant CS2 application for additional instructions.

Changing the color profile for a document
There are very few situations that require you to change the color profile for a document. This is because your appli
cation automatically assigns the color profile based on the settings you select in the Color Settings dialog box. The
only times you should manually change a color profile are when preparing a document for a different output desti
nation or correcting a policy behavior that you no longer want implemented in the document. Changing the profile
is recommended for advanced users only.
You can change the color profile for a document in the following ways:
• Assign a new profile. The color numbers in the document remain the same, but the new profile may dramatically

change the appearance of the colors as displayed on your monitor.
• Remove the profile so that the document in no longer color-managed.
• (Photoshop and InDesign) Convert the colors in the document to the color space of a different profile. The color

numbers are shifted in an effort to preserve the original color appearances.

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To assign or remove a color profile from a document in Photoshop or Illustrator
1 Choose Edit > Assign Profile.
2 Select an option, and click OK:
Don’t Color Manage This Document Removes the existing profile from the document. Select this option only if you

are sure that you do not want to color-manage the document. After you remove the profile from a document, the
appearance of colors is defined by the application’s working space profiles, and you can no longer embed a profile in
the document.
Working [color model: working space] Assigns the working space profile to the document.
Profile Lets you select a different profile. The application assigns the new profile to the document without
converting colors to the profile space. This may dramatically change the appearance of the colors as displayed on
your monitor.

See also
“Changing the color profile for a document” on page 266

To assign or remove a color profile from a document in InDesign
1 Choose Edit > Assign Profiles.
2 For RGB Profile and CMYK Profile, select one of the following:

Discard (Use Current Working Space) Removes the existing profile from the document. Select this option only if

you are sure that you do not want to color-manage the document. After you remove the profile from a document,

the appearance of colors is defined by the application’s working space profiles, and you can no longer embed a profile

in the document.

Assign Current Working Space Assigns the working space profile to the document.
Assign Profile Lets you select a different profile. The application assigns the new profile to the document without

converting colors to the profile space. This may dramatically change the appearance of the colors as displayed on
your monitor.
3 Choose a rendering intent for each type of graphic in your document. For each graphic type, you can choose one
of the four standard intents, or the Use Color Settings Intent, which uses the rendering intent currently specified in
the Color Settings dialog box. For more information on rendering intents, search in Help.

The graphic types include the following:
Solid Color Intent Sets the rendering intent for all vector art (solid areas of color) in InDesign native objects.
Default Image Intent Sets the default rendering intent for bitmap images placed in InDesign. You can still override
this setting on an image-by-image basis. (See “To view or change profiles for imported bitmap images” on page 257.)
After-Blending Intent Sets the rendering intent to the proofing or final color space for colors that result from trans
parency interactions on the page. Use this option when your document includes transparent objects.
4 To preview the effects of the new profile assignment in the document, select Preview, and then click OK.

See also
“Changing the color profile for a document” on page 266

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To convert colors in a document to another profile

1 In Photoshop or InDesign, choose Edit > Convert To Profile.

2 Under Destination Space, choose the color profile to which you want to convert the document’s colors. The

document will be converted to and tagged with this new profile.

3 Under Conversion Options, specify a color management engine, a rendering intent, and black point and dither

options. (See “Color Conversion options” on page 271.)

4 To flatten all layers of the document onto a single layer upon conversion, select Flatten Image.

5 To preview the effects of the conversion in the document, select Preview. This preview becomes more accurate if

you select Flatten Image.

See also
“Changing the color profile for a document” on page 266

Color settings
To customize color settings
For most color-managed workflows, it is best to use a preset color setting which has been tested by Adobe Systems.
Changing specific options is recommended only if you are knowledgeable about color management and very
confident about the changes you make.
After you customize options, you can save them as a preset. Saving color settings ensures that you can reuse them
and share them with other users or applications.
• To save color settings as a preset, click Save in the Color Settings dialog box. To ensure that the application displays

the setting name in the Color Settings dialog box, save the file in the default location. If you save the file to a
different location, you must load the file before you can select the setting.
• To load a color settings preset that’s not saved in the standard location, click Load in the Color Settings dialog box,

select the file you want to load, and click Open.

About color working spaces
A working space is an intermediate color space used to define and edit color in Adobe applications. Each color model
has a working space profile associated with it. You can choose working space profiles in the Color Settings dialog box.
A working space profile acts as the source profile for newly created documents that use the associated color model.
For example, if Adobe RGB (1998) is the current RGB working space profile, each new RGB document that you
create will use colors within the Adobe RGB (1998) gamut. Working spaces also determine the appearance of colors
in untagged documents.
If you open a document embedded with a color profile that doesn’t match the working space profile, the application
uses a color management policy to determine how to handle the color data. In most cases, the default policy is to
preserve the embedded profile. For more information on setting up color management policies, see “About missing
and mismatched color profiles” on page 269 and “Color Management Policy options” on page 270.

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Working Space options
To display working space options, choose Edit > Color Settings.
To view a description of any profile, select the profile and then position the pointer over the profile name. The
description appears at the bottom of the dialog box.
RGB Determines the RGB color space of the application. In general, it’s best to choose Adobe RGB or sRGB, rather

than the profile for a specific device (such as a monitor profile).
sRGB is recommended when preparing images for the web, because it defines the color space of the standard monitor
used to view images on the web. sRGB is also a good choice when working with images from consumer-level digital
cameras, because most of these camera use sRGB as their default color space.
Adobe RGB is recommended when preparing documents for print, because Adobe RGB’s gamut includes some
printable colors (cyans and blues in particular) that can't be displayed using sRGB. Adobe RGB is also a good choice
when working with images from professional-level digital cameras, because most of these camera use Adobe RGB as
their default color space.
CMYK Determines the CMYK color space of the application. All CMYK working spaces are device-dependent,
meaning that they are based on actual ink and paper combinations. The CMYK working spaces Adobe supplies are
based on standard commercial print conditions.
Gray (Photoshop) Determines Grayscale color space of the application.
Spot (Photoshop) Specifies the dot gain to use when displaying spot color channels and duotones.

Adobe applications ship with a standard set of working space profiles that have been recommended and tested by
Adobe Systems for most color management workflows. By default, only these profiles appear in the working space
menus. To display additional color profiles that you have installed on your system, select Advanced Mode (Illustrator
and InDesign) or More Options (Photoshop). A color profile must be bi-directional, that is, contain specifications
for translating both into and out of color spaces in order to appear the working space menus.
Note: In Photoshop, you can create custom working space profiles. However, Adobe recommends that you use a standard
working space profile rather than creating a custom working space profile. For more information, see the Photoshop
support knowledgebase at http://www.adobe.com/support/products/photoshop.html.

About missing and mismatched color profiles
For a newly created document, the color workflow usually operates seamlessly: unless specified otherwise,
the document uses the working space profile associated with its color mode for creating and editing colors.
However, some existing documents may not use the working space profile that you have specified, and some existing
documents may not be color-managed. It is common to encounter the following exceptions to your color-managed
workflow:
• You might open a document or import color data (for example, by copying and pasting or dragging and dropping)

from a document that is not tagged with a profile. This is often the case when you open a document created in an
application that either does not support color management or has color management turned off.
• You might open a document or import color data from a document that is tagged with a profile different from the

current working space. This may be the case when you open a document that has been created using different color
management settings, or a document that has been scanned and tagged with a scanner profile.
In either case, the application uses a color management policy to decide how to handle the color data in the document.
(See “Color Management Policy options” on page 270.)

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If the profile is missing or does not match the working space, the application may display a warning message,
depending on options you set in the Color Settings dialog box. Profile warnings are turned off by default, but you
can turn them on to ensure the appropriate color management of documents on a case-by-case basis. The warning
messages vary between applications, but in general you have the following options:
• (Recommended) Leave the document or imported color data as it is. For example, you can choose to use the

embedded profile (if one exists), leave the document without a color profile (if one doesn’t exist), or preserve the
numbers in pasted color data.
• Adjust the document or imported color data. For example, when opening a document with a missing color profile,

you can choose to assign the current working space profile or a different profile. When opening a document with
a mismatched color profile, you can choose to discard the profile or convert the colors to the current working
space. When importing color data, you can choose to convert the colors to the current working space in order to
preserve their appearance.

Color Management Policy options
A color management policy determines how the application handles color data when you open a document or
import an image. You can choose different policies for RGB and CMYK images, and you can specify when you want
warning messages to appear. To display color management policy options, choose Edit > Color Settings.
To view a description of a policy, select the policy and then position the pointer over the policy name. The description
appears at the bottom of the dialog box.
RGB, CMYK, and Gray Specifies a policy to follow when bringing colors into the current working space (either by

opening files or importing images into the current document). (The Grayscale option is available for Photoshop and
GoLive only.) Choose from the following options:
• Preserve Embedded Profiles Always preserves embedded color profiles when opening files. This is the recom
mended option for most workflows because it provides consistent color management. One exception is if you’re
concerned about preserving CMYK numbers, in which case you should select Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked
Profiles) instead.
• Convert to Working Space Converts colors to the current working space profile when opening files and importing

images. Select this option if you want to force all colors to use a single profile (the current working space profile).
• Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked Profiles) This option is available in InDesign and Illustrator for CMYK.
Preserves color numbers when opening files and importing images, but still allows you to use color management to
view colors accurately in Adobe applications. Select this option if you want to use a safe CMYK workflow. (See “Using
a safe CMYK workflow” on page 256.) In InDesign, you can override this policy on a per-object basis by choosing
Object > Image Color Settings.
• Off Ignores embedded color profiles when opening files and importing images, and does not assign the working
space profile to new documents. Select this option if you want to discard any color metadata provided by the original
document creator.
Profile Mismatches: Ask When Opening Displays a message whenever you open a document tagged with a profile
other than the current working space. You will be given the option to override the policy’s default behavior. Select
this option if you want to ensure the appropriate color management of documents on a case-by-case basis.
Profile Mismatches: Ask When Pasting Displays a message whenever color profile mismatches occur as colors are
imported into a document via pasting or dragging-and-dropping. You will be given the option to override the policy’s

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default behavior. Select this option if you want to ensure the appropriate color management of pasted colors on a
case-by-case basis.
Missing Profiles: Ask When Opening Displays a message whenever you open an untagged document. You will be

given the option to override the policy’s default behavior. Select this option if you want to ensure the appropriate
color management of documents on a case-by-case basis.

Color Conversion options
Color conversion options let you control how the application handles the colors in a document as it moves from one
color space to another. Changing these options is recommended only if you are knowledgeable about color
management and very confident about the changes you make. To display conversion options, choose Edit > Color
Settings, and select Advanced Mode (Illustrator and InDesign) or More Options (Photoshop).
Engine Specifies the Color Management Module (CMM) used to map the gamut of one color space to the gamut of

another. For most users, the default Adobe (ACE) engine fulfills all conversion needs.
To view a description of an engine or intent option, select the option and then position the pointer over the option
name. The description appears at the bottom of the dialog box.
Intent Specifies the rendering intent used to translate one color space to another. Differences between rendering
intents are apparent only when you print a document or convert it to a different working space.
Use Black Point Compensation Ensures that the shadow detail in the image is preserved by simulating the full
dynamic range of the output device. Select this option if you plan to use black point compensation when printing
(which is recommended in most situations).
Use Dither (Photoshop) Controls whether to dither colors when converting 8-bit-per-channel images between
color spaces. When the Use Dither option is selected, Photoshop mixes colors in the destination color space to
simulate a missing color that existed in the source space. Although dithering helps to reduce the blocky or banded
appearance of an image, it may also result in larger file sizes when images are compressed for web use.

About rendering intents
A rendering intent determines how a color management system handles color conversion from one color space to
another. Different rendering intents use different rules to determine how the source colors are adjusted; for example,
colors that fall inside the destination gamut may remain unchanged, or they may be adjusted to preserve the original
range of visual relationships when translated to a smaller destination gamut. The result of choosing a rendering intent
depends on the graphical content of documents and on the profiles used to specify color spaces. Some profiles
produce identical results for different rendering intents.
In general, it is best to use the default rendering intent for the selected color setting, which has been tested by Adobe
Systems to meet industry standards. For example, if you choose a color setting for North America or Europe, the
default rendering intent is Relative Colorimetric. If you choose a color setting for Japan, the default rendering intent is
Perceptual.

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You can select a rendering intent when you set color conversion options for the color management system, soft-proof
colors, and print artwork:
Perceptual Aims to preserve the visual relationship between colors so it’s perceived as natural to the human eye,
even though the color values themselves may change. This intent is suitable for photographic images with lots of outof-gamut colors. This is the standard rendering intent for the Japanese printing industry.
Saturation Tries to produce vivid colors in an image at the expense of color accuracy. This rendering intent is
suitable for business graphics like graphs or charts, where bright saturated colors are more important than the exact
relationship between colors.
Relative Colorimetric Compares the extreme highlight of the source color space to that of the destination color

space and shifts all colors accordingly. Out-of-gamut colors are shifted to the closest reproducible color in the desti
nation color space. Relative colorimetric preserves more of the original colors in an image than Perceptual. This is
the standard rendering intent for printing in North America and Europe
Absolute Colorimetric Leaves colors that fall inside the destination gamut unchanged. Out of gamut colors are

clipped. No scaling of colors to destination white point is performed. This intent aims to maintain color accuracy at
the expense of preserving relationships between colors and is suitable for proofing to simulate the output of a
particular device. This intent is particularly useful for previewing how paper color affects printed colors.

Advanced controls
In Photoshop you display advanced controls for managing color by choosing Edit > Color Settings and selecting
More Options.
Desaturate Monitor Colors By Determines whether to desaturate colors by the specified amount when displayed
on the monitor. When selected, this option can aid in visualizing the full range of color spaces with gamuts larger
than that of the monitor. However, this causes a mismatch between the monitor display and the output. When the
option is deselected, distinct colors in the image may display as a single color.
Blend RGB Colors Using Gamma Controls how RGB colors blend together to produce composite data (for example,

when you blend or paint layers using Normal mode). When the option is selected, RGB colors are blended in the
color space corresponding to the specified gamma. A gamma of 1.00 is considered “colorimetrically correct” and
should result in the fewest edge artifacts. When the option is deselected, RGB colors are blended directly in the
document’s color space.
Note: When you select Blend RGB Colors Using Gamma, layered documents will look different when displayed in other
applications than they do in Photoshop.

273

Chapter 11: Making color and tonal
adjustments
Color and tonal corrections
Before making color and tonal adjustments
The powerful tools in Photoshop and ImageReady can enhance, repair, and correct the color and tonality (lightness,
darkness, and contrast) in an image. Here are some items to consider before making color and tonal adjustments.
• Work with a monitor that’s calibrated and profiled. For critical image editing, this is absolutely essential.

Otherwise, the image you see on your monitor will look different when printed.
• Whenever you make a color or tonal adjustment to an image, some image information is discarded. It’s best to be

judicious regarding the amount of correction you apply to an image.
• (Photoshop) For critical work and maximum preservation of image data, it’s best if the image you work with is 16

bits per channel (16-bit image) rather than 8 bits per channel (8-bit image). Data is discarded when you make tonal
and color adjustments. The loss of image information is more critical in an 8-bit image than a 16-bit image.
Generally, 16-bit images have a larger file size than 8-bit images.
Note: If you jump back and forth between Photoshop and ImageReady, be aware that ImageReady converts 16-bit images
to 8-bit for editing. After the images are saved in ImageReady, they are permanently converted to 8-bit images, and the
discarded data is unrecoverable. However, if you are editing a 16-bit image in ImageReady and haven't saved it yet, you
can return to Photoshop. Photoshop opens it as a 16-bit image without data loss.
• Duplicate or make a copy of the image file. Working on a copy of your image preserves the original in the event

you need to use the image in its original state.
• Remove any flaws such as dust spots, blemishes, and scratches from the image before making color and tonal

adjustments.
• (Photoshop) Plan to use adjustment layers to adjust the tonal range and color balance of your image rather than

applying an adjustment directly to the image layer itself. Adjustment layers let you go back and make successive
tonal adjustments without discarding data from the image layer. Keep in mind that using adjustment layers adds
to the file size of the image and demands more RAM from your computer.
• (Photoshop) Open the Info or Histogram palette in Expanded view. As you evaluate and correct the image, both

palettes display invaluable feedback on your adjustments.
• You can make a selection or use a mask to confine your color and tonal adjustments to part of an image. Another

way to apply color and tonal adjustments selectively is to set up your document with image components on
different layers. Color and tonal adjustments are applied to only one layer at a time and affect only the image
components on the targeted layer.

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Correcting images in Photoshop
Here is the general workflow you follow when you correct the tonality and color of an image:
1 Use the histogram to check the quality and tonal range of the image.
2 Adjust the color balance to remove unwanted color casts or to correct oversaturated or undersaturated colors. See
“Color adjustment commands” on page 274.
3 Adjust the tonal range.

Begin tonal corrections by adjusting the values of the extreme highlight and shadow pixels in the image, setting an
overall tonal range for the image. This process is known as setting the highlights and shadows or setting the white and
black points.
Setting the highlights and shadows typically redistributes the midtone pixels appropriately. However, you may need
to adjust your midtones manually. See “Tonal adjustment methods” on page 275.
4 (Optional) Make other color adjustments.

After you correct the overall color balance of your image, you can make optional adjustments to enhance colors or
produce special effects.
5 Sharpen the edges of the image.

As one of the final steps, use the Unsharp Mask filter to sharpen the clarity of edges in the image. The amount of
sharpening required for an image varies according to the image quality produced by the digital camera or scanner
you use. See “Sharpening images” on page 354.
6 (Optional) Target the image for press characteristics.

Use the Output sliders in the Levels dialog box or the Curves dialog box to bring important details in the highlights
and shadows into the gamut of an output device, like a desktop printer. Do this if your image is being sent out to a
printing press and you know the characteristics of the press.
Because sharpening increases the contrast of neighboring pixels, it’s possible that some pixels in critical areas might
become unprintable on the press that you’re using. For this reason, it’s best to fine-tune the output settings after
sharpening. For more information on adjusting the output settings, see “Setting highlight and shadow target values”
on page 293.

Color adjustment commands
You can choose from the following color adjustment commands:
Auto Color command Quickly corrects the color balance in an image. Although its name implies an automatic
adjustment, you can fine-tune how the Auto Color command behaves. See “To remove a color cast with Auto Color”
on page 309.
Levels command Adjusts color balance by setting the pixel distribution for individual color channels. See “To use

Levels to correct a color cast” on page 286.
Curves command Provides up to 14 controls points for highlight, midtone, and shadow adjustments for individual

channels. See “About the Curves dialog box” on page 286.
Photo Filter command Makes color adjustments by simulating the effects of photographing with a Kodak Wratten

or Fuji filter in front of a camera lens. See “To change the color balance using the Photo Filter command” on page 298.
Color Balance command Changes the overall mixture of colors in an image. See “To use the Color Balance

command” on page 298.

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Hue/Saturation command Adjusts the hue, saturation, and lightness values of the entire image or of individual
color components. See “The Hue/Saturation command” on page 295.
Match Color command Matches the color from one photo to another photo, from one layer to another layer, and

from a selection in an image to another selection in the same image or a different image. This command also adjusts
the luminance and color range and neutralizes color casts in an image. See “To match the color in different images”
on page 301.
Replace Color command Replaces specified colors in an image with new color values. See “To replace the color of
objects in an image” on page 304.
Selective Color command Adjusts the amount of process colors in individual color components. See “To use the

Selective Color command” on page 306.
Channel Mixer command Modifies a color channel and makes color adjustments not easily done with other color
adjustment tools. See “Mixing color channels” on page 304.

Tonal adjustment methods
There are several different ways to set an image’s tonal range:
• Drag sliders along the histogram in the Levels dialog box.
• Adjust the shape of the graph in the Curves dialog box. This method lets you adjust any point along a 0–255 tonal

scale and provides the greatest control over an image’s tonal quality.
• Assign target values to the highlight and shadow pixels using either the Levels or Curves dialog box. This can help

preserve important highlight and shadow details in images being sent to a printing press or laser printer. You
might also need to fine-tune the target values after sharpening.
• Adjust the tonality in the shadow and highlight areas using the Shadow/Highlight command. This adjustment is

especially useful for correcting photos in which strong backlighting silhouettes the subject or proximity to the
camera flash overlightens the subject slightly.

Viewing histograms and pixel values
About histograms
A histogram illustrates how pixels in an image are distributed by graphing the number of pixels at each color intensity
level. The histogram shows whether the image contains enough detail in the shadows (shown in the left part of the
histogram), midtones (shown in the middle), and highlights (shown in the right part) to make a good correction.
The histogram also gives a quick picture of the tonal range of the image, or the image key type. A low-key image has
detail concentrated in the shadows; a high-key image has detail concentrated in the highlights; and an average-key
image has detail concentrated in the midtones. An image with full tonal range has a number of pixels in all areas.
Identifying the tonal range helps determine appropriate tonal corrections.

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How to read a histogram
A. Overexposed photo B. Properly exposed photo with full tonality C. Underexposed photo

The Histogram palette offers many options for viewing tonal and color information about an image. By default, the
histogram displays the tonal range of the entire image. To display histogram data for a portion of the image, first
select that portion.

To open the Histogram palette
❖ Choose Window > Histogram or click the Histogram tab to open the Histogram palette. By default, the Histogram

palette opens in Compact View with no controls or statistics, but you can adjust the view.
A

C
D

Histogram palette
A. Channel menu B. Palette menu C. Uncached Refresh button D. Cached Data Warning icon

E. Statistics

To adjust the view of the Histogram palette
❖ Choose a view from the Histogram palette menu

Expanded View Displays the histogram with statistics and with controls for choosing the channel represented by

the histogram, viewing options in the Histogram palette, refreshing the histogram to display uncached data, and
choosing a specific layer in a multilayered document.
Compact View Displays a histogram with no controls or statistics. The histogram represents the entire image.
All Channels View Displays individual histograms of the channels in addition to all the options of the Expanded

View. The individual histograms do not include alpha channels, spot channels, or masks.

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Histogram palette with all channels displayed and statistics hidden

To view a specific channel in the histogram
If you chose the Expanded View or All Channels View of the Histogram palette, you can choose a setting from the
Channel menu. Photoshop remembers the channel setting if you switch from either Expanded View or All Channels
View back to Compact View.
• Choose an individual channel to display a histogram of the document’s individual channels, including color

channels, alpha channels, and spot channels.
• Depending on the image’s color mode, choose RGB, CMYK, or Composite to view a composite histogram of all

the channels. This is the default view when you first choose Expanded View or All Channels View.
• If the image is RGB or CMYK, choose Luminosity to display a histogram representing the luminance or intensity

values of the composite channel.
• If the image is RGB or CMYK, choose Colors to display a composite histogram of the individual color channels in

color.
In the All Channels View, choosing from the Channels menu affects only the topmost histogram in the palette.

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To view channel histograms in color
❖ From the Histogram palette, do one of the following:

• In the All Channels View, choose Show Channels In Color from the palette menu.
• In Expanded View or All Channels View, choose an individual channel from the Channel menu and choose Show

Channels In Color from the palette menu. If you switch to Compact View, the channel continues to be shown in
color.
• In Expanded View or All Channels View, choose Colors from the Channel menu to show a composite histogram

of the channels in color. If you switch to Compact View the composite histogram continues to be shown in color.

To view histogram statistics
By default, the Histogram palette displays statistics in the Expanded View and All Channels View.
1 Choose Show Statistics in the Histogram palette menu.
2 Do one of the following:
• To view information about a specific pixel value, place the pointer in the histogram.
• To view information about a range of values, drag in the histogram to highlight the range.

The palette displays the following statistical information below the histogram:
Mean Represents the average intensity value.
Standard deviation (Std Dev) Represents how widely intensity values vary.
Median Shows the middle value in the range of intensity values.
Pixels Represents the total number of pixels used to calculate the histogram.
Level Displays the intensity level of the area underneath the pointer.
Count Shows the total number of pixels corresponding to the intensity level underneath the pointer.
Percentile Displays the cumulative number of pixels at or below the level underneath the pointer. This value is

expressed as a percentage of all the pixels in the image, from 0% at the far left to 100% at the far right.

Cache Level Shows the current image cache used to create the histogram. When the cache level is higher than 1, the

histogram is displayed faster because it is derived from a representative sampling of pixels in the image (based on the

magnification). The original image is cache level 1. At each level above level 1, four adjacent pixels are averaged to

arrive at a single pixel value. So, each level is half the dimensions (has 1/4 the number of pixels) of the one below.

When Photoshop needs to do a quick approximation, it can use one of the upper levels. Click the Uncached Refresh

button to redraw the histogram using the actual image pixels.

To view the histogram for a multilayered document

1 Choose Expanded View from the Histogram palette menu.

2 Choose a setting from the Source menu. (The Source menu is not available for single-layered documents.)

Entire Image Displays a histogram of the entire image, including all layers.

Selected Layer Displays a histogram of the layer that’s selected in the Layers palette.
Adjustment Composite Displays a histogram of an adjustment layer selected in the Layers palette, including all the

layers below the adjustment layer.

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To preview histogram adjustments
You can preview the effect to the histogram of any color and tonal adjustments.

❖ Select the Preview option in the dialog boxes of any color or tonal adjustment command.

The Histogram palette displays a preview of how the adjustment affects the histogram.

A
B

Preview of histogram adjustment in the Histogram palette
A. Original histogram B. Adjusted histogram C. Shadows D. Midtones

E. Highlights

To refresh the histogram display
When a histogram is read from a cache instead of the document’s current state, the Cached Data Warning icon
appears in the Histogram palette. Histograms based on the image cache are displayed faster and are based on a repre
sentative sampling of pixels in the image. You can set the cache level (from 2 to 8) in the Memory And Image Cache
preference.
❖ To refresh the histogram so that it displays all of the pixels of the original image in its current state, do one of the

following:
• Double-click anywhere in the histogram.
• Click the Cached Data Warning icon
• Click the Uncached Refresh button

.
.

• Choose Uncached Refresh from the Histogram palette menu.

For information about cache level, see “To view histogram statistics” on page 278.

Viewing the color values of pixels
You can use the Info palette and the Color palette to see the color value of pixels as you make color corrections. This
feedback is useful while you make color adjustments. For instance, referring to the color values can help when
neutralizing a color cast or can alert you that a color is saturated.
When you work with a color adjustment dialog box, the Info palette displays two sets of color values for the pixels
under the pointer. The value in the left column is the original color value. The value in the right column is the color
value after the adjustment is made.

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Using Levels and Info palette to neutralize the tone of an image

You can view the color of a single location using the Eyedropper tool
, or you can use up to four Color
to display color information for one or more locations in the image. These samplers are saved in the
Samplers
image, so you can refer to them repeatedly as you work, even if you close and reopen the image.

Color samplers and Info palette

To view color values in an image
1 Choose Window > Info to open the Info palette.
2 Select the Eyedropper tool
bar:

or Color Sampler tool

, and if necessary, choose a sample size in the options

Point Sample Reads the value of a single pixel.

3 By 3 Average Reads the average value of a 3-by-3 pixel area.

5 By 5 Average Reads the average value of a 5-by-5 pixel area.
3 If you selected the Color Sampler tool
place a sampler.

, place up to four color samplers on the image. Click where you want to

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4 Open an adjustment dialog box (under Image > Adjustments).
5 Make your adjustments in the dialog box and, before applying them, view the before and after color values in the
Info palette:
• To view color values using the Eyedropper tool

, move the pointer over the area of the image you want to
examine. Opening an adjustment dialog box activates the Eyedropper tool outside the dialog box. You still have
tools using keyboard shortcuts.
access to the scroll controls and to the Hand and Zoom

• To view the color values under the color samplers, look at the lower half of the Info palette. To place additional

color samplers in the image while the adjustment dialog box is open, Shift-click in the image.
The Color palette also shows the color value of pixels under the eyedropper.

To move or delete a color sampler
1 Select the Color Sampler tool

2 Do one of the following:
• To move a color sampler, drag the sampler to the new location.
• To delete a color sampler, drag the sampler out of the document window. Alternatively, hold down Alt (Windows)

or Option (Mac OS) until the pointer becomes a scissors and click the sampler.
• To delete all color samplers, click Clear in the options bar.
• To delete a color sampler while an adjustment dialog box is open, hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or

Option+Shift (Mac OS), and click the sampler.

To hide or show color samplers in an image
❖ Choose View > Extras. A check mark indicates that color samplers are visible.

To change the display of color sampler information in the Info palette
• To display or hide color sampler information in the Info palette, choose Color Samplers from the palette menu. A

check mark indicates that the color sampler information is visible.
• To change the color space in which a color sampler displays values, move the pointer onto the color sampler

icon

in the Info palette, hold down the mouse button, and choose another color space from the menu.

Understanding color adjustments
Making color adjustments
All Photoshop and ImageReady color adjustment tools work essentially the same way: They map an existing range
of pixel values to a new range of values. The difference between the tools is the amount of control they provide. For
an overview of the color adjustment tools, see “Tonal adjustment methods” on page 275.
There are two ways to adjust the colors in an image. The first is to choose a command from the Image > Adjustments
submenu. This method permanently alters the pixels in the active layer.

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The second and more flexible method is to use an adjustment layer. Adjustment layers let you experiment with color
and tonal adjustments without permanently modifying the pixels in the image. The color and tonal changes reside
within the adjustment layer, which acts as a veil through which the underlying image layers appear. You must use
Photoshop to create and edit adjustment layers; however, you can view existing adjustment layers in ImageReady.

To open a color adjustment dialog box
1 If you want to make adjustments to just a portion of your image, select that portion. If you make no selection, the
adjustment is applied to the entire image.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments, and choose a command from the submenu.

• (Photoshop) Create an adjustment layer. (See “To create an adjustment layer or fill layer” on page 425.)

• (Photoshop) Double-click the thumbnail of an existing adjustment layer in the Layers palette.

3 To see your adjustments in the image before accepting them, select Preview in the color adjustment dialog box.

To cancel changes without closing a color adjustment dialog box, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to
change the Cancel button to Reset; then click Reset. This resets the dialog box to the values it had prior to your
changes.

To save and reapply settings in a dialog box
The Save and Load buttons in the Levels, Curves (Photoshop), Hue/Saturation, Match Color (Photoshop), Replace
Color (Photoshop), Selective Color (Photoshop), Channel Mixer (Photoshop), Shadow/Highlight (Photoshop), and
Variations dialog boxes let you save your settings and apply them to other images. The procedure for saving and
loading a setting in the Match Color command is slightly different. For saving and loading settings in the Match
Color command, see “To save and apply settings in the Match Color command” on page 304.
• To save a setting, click Save in the adjustment dialog box you are using. Name and save the settings.
• To apply a saved setting, in an adjustment dialog box, click Load. Locate and load the saved adjustment file.

If you apply the same adjustment often, consider recording and running the adjustment as an action or creating a
droplet.

Correcting in CMYK and RGB
Even though you can perform all color and tonal corrections in RGB mode and nearly all adjustments in CMYK, you
should choose a mode carefully. Whenever possible, avoid multiple conversions between modes, because color
values are rounded and lost with each conversion. If an RGB image is to be used on-screen, you don’t have to convert
it to CMYK mode. Conversely, if a CMYK scan is to be separated and printed, you don’t have to perform corrections
in RGB mode.

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If you must convert your image from one mode to another, it makes sense to perform most of your tonal and color
corrections in RGB mode and use CMYK mode for fine-tuning. Advantages of working in RGB mode include the
following:
• You can save memory and improve performance because you are working with fewer channels.
• The range of colors in RGB spaces is much larger than the range in CMYK spaces, and more colors are likely to be

preserved after adjustments.
Using the Proof Setup and Proof Color commands, you can preview composite CMYK colors and separation plates
using the CMYK working space defined in the Color Settings dialog box. Or, you can preview colors using a custom
CMYK color profile.
You can edit an image in RGB mode in one window and view the same image in CMYK colors in another window.
Choose Window > Arrange > New Window For (File Name) to open a second window with the image you’re working
on. Make sure Working CMYK is chosen for Proof Setup and then use the Proof Color command to turn on the CMYK
preview in one of the windows.

About out-of-gamut colors
A gamut is the range of colors that a color system can display or print. A color that can be displayed in RGB may be
out of gamut, and therefore unprintable, for your CMYK setting.
Photoshop automatically brings all colors into gamut when you convert an RGB image to CMYK. But you might
want to identify the out-of-gamut colors in an image or correct them manually before converting to CMYK.
In RGB mode, you can tell whether a color is out of gamut in the following ways:
• In the Info palette, an exclamation point appears next to the CMYK values whenever you move the pointer over

an out-of-gamut color.
• In both the Color Picker and the Color palette, an alert triangle

appears and the closest CMYK equivalent is
displayed whenever you select an out-of-gamut color. To select the CMYK equivalent, click the triangle or the
color patch.

• You can use the Gamut Warning command to search for out-of-gamut colors.

To turn the highlighting of out-of-gamut colors on or off

1 Choose View > Proof Setup, and choose the proof profile on which you want to base the gamut warning.

2 Choose View > Gamut Warning. All pixels outside the gamut of the current proof profile space are highlighted.

To change the gamut warning color
1 Do one of the following:
• In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Transparency & Gamut.
• In Mac OS, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Transparency & Gamut.
2 Under Gamut Warning, click the color box to display the Color Picker. Then choose a new warning color, and
click OK. For best results, use a color that is not already present in the image.
3 Enter a value in the Opacity text box. Values can range from 0 to 100%. Use this setting to reveal more or less of

the underlying image through the warning color. Then click OK.

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Original image, and preview of out-of-gamut colors with green chosen for the gamut warning color

Adjusting images with Levels, Curves, and Exposure
About the Levels dialog box
The Levels dialog box lets you correct the tonal range and color balance of an image by adjusting intensity levels of
image shadows, midtones, and highlights. The Levels histogram is a visual guide for adjusting the image key tones.
For more information on how to read a histogram, see “About histograms” on page 275.
You can save settings made in the Levels dialog box for use on another image. See “To save and reapply settings in a
dialog box” on page 282.

C D

Levels dialog box
A. Apply Auto Color Correction B. Open Auto Color Correction Options dialog box

C. Shadows D. Midtones

E. Highlights

Using Levels to set highlights, shadows, and midtones
The outer two Input Levels sliders map the black point and white point to the settings of the Output sliders. By
default, the Output sliders are at level 0, where the pixels are completely black, and level 255, where the pixels are
completely white. So, in the default position for the Output sliders, moving the black input slider maps the pixel value
to level 0, and moving the white point slider maps the pixel value to level 255. The remaining levels are redistributed
between levels 0 and 255. This redistribution increases the tonal range of the image, in effect increasing the overall
contrast of the image.
Note: When shadows are clipped, the pixels are completely black, with no detail. When highlights are clipped, the pixels
are completely white, with no detail.
The middle Input slider adjusts the gamma in the image. It moves the midtone (level 128) and changes the intensity
values of the middle range of gray tones without dramatically altering the highlights and shadows.

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To adjust tonal range using Levels
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Levels.
• (Photoshop) Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.
2 To adjust tones for a specific color channel, choose an option from the Channel menu.

To edit a combination of color channels at the same time, Shift-select the channels in the Channels palette before
choosing the Levels command. The Channel menu then displays the abbreviations for the target channels—for
example, CM for cyan and magenta. The menu also contains the individual channels for the selected combination.
You must edit spot channels and alpha channels individually. Keep in mind that this method does not work in a
Levels adjustment layer.
3 To adjust the shadows and highlights manually, drag the black and white Input Levels sliders to the edge of the
first group of pixels on either end of the histogram.

For example, if you move the black point slider to the right at level 5, Photoshop maps all the pixels at level 5 and
lower to level 0. Similarly, if you move the white point slider to the left at level 243, Photoshop maps all pixels at level
243 and higher to level 255. The mapping affects the darkest and lightest pixels in each channel. The corresponding
pixels in the other channels are adjusted proportionately to avoid altering the color balance.
Note: You can also enter values directly into the first and third Input Levels text boxes.

Adjusting black and white points with Levels Input sliders

4 To adjust midtones, use the middle Input slider to make a gamma adjustment.

Moving the middle Input slider to the left makes the overall image lighter. This slider adjustment maps a lower
(darker) level up to the midpoint level between the Output sliders. If the Output sliders are in their default position
(0 and 255), the midpoint is level 128. In this example, the shadows expand to fill the tonal range from 0 to 128, and
the highlights are compressed. Moving the middle Input slider to the right has the opposite effect, making the image
darker.
Note: You can also enter a gamma adjustment value directly in the middle Input Levels text box.

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Moving the middle slider adjusts the image gamma

5 Click OK.

You can view the adjusted histogram in the Histogram palette.

To use Levels to correct a color cast

1 Do one of the following to open the Levels dialog box:

• Choose Image > Adjustments > Levels.
• (Photoshop) Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.
2 Do one of the following to neutralize a color cast:
• Double-click the Set Gray Point Eyedropper tool

in the Levels dialog box to display the Adobe Color Picker.
Enter the values you want to assign to the neutral gray, and click OK. Then click in a part of the image that should
be neutral gray.

• Click Options in the Levels dialog box. Click the Midtones color swatch to display the Adobe Color Picker. Enter

the values you want to assign to the neutral gray, and click OK. This method has the advantage of showing you a
preview of the values you’re assigning.
In general, assign equal color component values to achieve a neutral gray. For example, assign equal red, green, and
blue values to produce a neutral gray in an RGB image.

About the Curves dialog box
The Curves dialog box, like the Levels dialog box, lets you adjust the entire tonal range of an image. But unlike Levels,
which has only three adjustments (white point, black point, gamma), Curves lets you adjust up to 14 different points
throughout an image’s tonal range (from shadows to highlights). You can also use Curves to make precise adjust
ments to individual color channels in an image. You can save settings made in the Curves dialog box for use in
another image. See “To save and reapply settings in a dialog box” on page 282.

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Curves dialog box
A. Highlights B. Midtones C. Shadows
gray point H. Set white point

D. Adjust curve by adding points

E. Draw a curve with the pencil

F. Set black point

G. Set

When the Curves dialog box opens, the tonal range is represented as a straight diagonal line. The horizontal axis of
the graph represents the original intensity values of the pixels (Input levels); the vertical axis represents the new color
values (Output levels).
By default, Curves displays the intensity values for RGB images in a range from 0 to 255, with black (0) at the bottom
left corner. By default, Curves displays percentages for CMYK images in a range from 0 to 100, with highlights (0%)
at the bottom left corner. To reverse the display of intensity values and percentages, click the double arrow below the
curve. After the reversal, 0 is at the bottom right corner for RGB images; 0% is at the bottom right corner for CMYK
images.

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Default Curves dialog boxes for CMYK and RGB images
A. Default orientation of CMYK tonal output bar B. CMYK Input and Output values in percentages C. Default orientation of CMYK ton
al input bar D. Default orientation of RGB tonal output bar E. RGB Input and Output values in intensity levels F. Default orientation of
RGB tonal input bar

• To make the Curves grid smaller, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click the grid. Alt/Option-

click again to make the grid larger.
• To make the Curves dialog box larger or smaller, click the icon in the lower right corner.

Clicking the Auto button applies either an Auto Color, Auto Contrast, or Auto Levels correction, depending on the
settings in the Auto Color Correction Options dialog box. For more information on specifying the settings for Auto
Color, Auto Contrast, or Auto Levels, see “To set Auto Color Correction options” on page 309.

Adjusting color and tonality with Curves
Changing the shape of the curve in the Curves dialog box alters the tonality and color of an image. Bowing the curve
upward or downward lightens or darkens the image, depending on whether the dialog box is set to display levels or
percentages. The steeper sections of the curve represent portions of an image with more contrast. Conversely, flatter
sections of the curve represent areas of lower contrast.
If the Curves dialog box is set to display levels rather than percentages, the highlights are represented in the top right
corner of the graph. Moving a point in the top portion of the curve primarily adjusts the highlights; moving a point
in the center of the curve primarily adjusts the midtones; and moving a point in the bottom section of the curve
primarily adjusts the shadows. Moving a point either down or to the right maps the Input value to a lower Output
value, and the image darkens. Conversely, moving a point either up or to the left maps a lower Input value to a higher
Output value, and the image lightens. So, if you want to lighten the shadows, move up a point near the bottom of the
curve. And, if you want to darken highlights, move down a point near the top of the curve.
Note: In general, only small curve adjustments are necessary to make tonal and color corrections to most images.

To adjust color and tonality with Curves
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Curves.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box
2 (Optional) To adjust the color balance of the image, choose the channel or channels that you want to adjust from
the Channel menu.

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To edit a combination of color channels at the same time, Shift-select the channels in the Channels palette before
choosing Curves. The Channel menu then displays the abbreviations for the target channels—for example, CM for
cyan and magenta. The menu also contains the individual channels for the selected combination. Keep in mind that
this method does not work in a Curves adjustment layer.
3 Add a point along the curve by doing one of the following:
• Click directly on the curve.
• (RGB images only) Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) a pixel in the image.

Ctrl/Command-clicking pixels in the image is the best way to add points when you want to preserve or adjust specific
details in an image.
You can add up to 14 control points to the curve. To remove a control point, drag it off the graph, select it and press
Delete, or Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the control point. You cannot delete the endpoints of
the curve.

Ctrl-clicking (Windows) or Command-clicking (Mac OS) three areas of an image to add points to the curve. Lightening the highlights and darkening the shadows is represented by an S-curve where the image contrast is increased.

To determine the lightest and darkest areas in an RGB image, drag over the image. The intensity values of the area
under the pointer, and the corresponding location on the curve, are displayed in the Curves dialog box. Dragging the
pointer over a CMYK image shows the percentages in the Color palette if it’s displaying CMYK values.
4 Do one of the following to adjust the shape of the curve:
• Click a point, and drag the curve until the image looks right to you.
• Click a point on the curve, and enter values in the Input and Output text boxes.
• Select the pencil at the bottom of the dialog box, and drag to draw a new curve. You can hold down Shift to

constrain the curve to a straight line, and click to define endpoints. When you finish, click Smooth if you want to
smooth the curve.
Points on the curve remain anchored until you move them. As a result, you can make an adjustment in one tonal area
while other areas remain unaffected.

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Keyboard shortcuts for Curves
The following shortcuts work with the Curves dialog box:
• Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) in the image to set a point on the curve in the current channel

specified in the Curves dialog box.
• Shift+Ctrl-click (Windows) or Shift+Command-click (Mac OS) in the image to set a point on the curve for the

selected color in each color component channel (but not in the composite channel).
• Shift-click points on the curve to select multiple points. Selected points are filled with black.
• Click in the grid, or press Ctrl-D (Windows) or Command-D (Mac OS) to deselect all points on the curve.
• Press arrow keys to move selected points on the curve.
• Press Ctrl+Tab (Windows) or Control+Tab (Mac OS) to move forward through control points on the curve.
• Press Shift+Ctrl+Tab (Windows) or Shift+Control+Tab (Mac OS) to move backward through control points on

the curve.

To add contrast to a photo
You can add contrast to an image in two ways, depending on the problem.
If the image needs overall contrast because it doesn’t use the full tonal range, choose Image > Adjustments > Levels.
Then drag the Shadow and Highlight input sliders inward until they touch the ends of the histogram.

Image pixels don’t extend to the ends of the graph, indicating that the image is not using the full tonal range.
A. Shadow Input slider B. Highlight Input slider

If the image uses the full tonal range, but needs midtone contrast, choose Image > Adjustments > Curves. Drag the
curve into an S shape.

Increasing the slope in the middle of the curve increases contrast in the midtones.

See also
“Adjustment layers and fill layers” on page 423

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Correcting color with the eyedroppers
You can use the eyedroppers in the Levels or Curves dialog boxes to correct a color cast. It’s easier to color-balance
an image by first identifying an area that should be neutral and then removing the color cast from that area.
Depending on the image, you may want to use one or all three of the eyedroppers. The eyedroppers work best on an
image with easily identified neutrals.
Note: The Set Gray Point Eyedropper tool
with grayscale images.

is used primarily for color correction and is unavailable when you work

For the best results, don’t use the eyedroppers in images that require a large adjustment to map a pixel to the
maximum highlight or minimum shadow values.
Important: Using the eyedroppers undoes any previous adjustment you made in Levels or Curves (Photoshop). If you
plan to use the eyedroppers, it’s best to use them first and then fine-tune your adjustments with the Levels sliders or
Curves points (Photoshop).

To color correct using the eyedroppers
1 Identify a highlight, midtone, and shadow area that should be neutral gray. Depending on the image and the result
you want, you may need to identify only one area.

Use a color sampler to mark a neutral area so that you can click it with an eyedropper later.
2 Open the Levels or Curves dialog box. Choose Image > Adjustments, and then choose Levels or Curves. You can
also use an adjustment layer.
3 Double-click the Set Black Point tool

, the Set Gray Point tool
Use the Adobe Color Picker to specify a neutral target color.

, or the Set White Point Eyedropper tool

If you’re working in RGB, enter the same values for R, G, and B to specify a neutral color. The neutral color should

be close as possible to the values of the color sampler.

If you want to preserve specific details in the shadow or highlight, specify a value for the Set Black Point and the Set

White Point Eyedropper tools that are within the gamut of the output device (printing press, laser printer, and so

forth).

4 With the targeted eyedropper, click the neutral area that you identified earlier. Make sure to use the appropriate

tool for the shadow and highlight.

5 Repeat steps 3 and 4 using a different eyedropper if necessary.

6 If necessary, make final adjustments in the Levels or Curves (Photoshop) dialog box.

7 Click OK. If you specified new target colors for an eyedropper, Photoshop asks whether you want to save the new

target colors as defaults.

To identify highlights and shadows in Levels

1 Open the Levels dialog box, and make sure the Preview option is selected.

Note: The Threshold mode in Levels is not available for CMYK images.
2 Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag the white or black Input Levels triangle.

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The image changes to Threshold mode, and a high-contrast preview image appears. The visible areas of the image
indicate the lightest parts of the image if you are dragging the white slider, and the darkest parts if you are dragging
the black slider. If a color channel is selected in the Levels dialog box, the black area indicates where none of the given
color component exists.

Image preview in Threshold mode

3 Slowly drag the slider to the center of the histogram to identify areas in the image that are being clipped

(completely black or completely white). Use the pixels in these areas for targeting the black point and white point in

your image.

To identify highlights and shadows using Threshold

1 Choose Image > Adjustments > Threshold.

2 Select Preview.

3 To identify a representative highlight, drag the slider to the far right until the image becomes pure black. Drag the

slider slowly toward the center until some solid white areas appear in the image, and place a color sampler on one of

the areas. Press Shift to temporarily access the Color Sampler tool.

4 To identify a representative shadow, drag the slider to the far left until the image becomes pure white. Drag the

slider slowly toward the center until some solid black areas appear in the image, and place a color sampler on one of

the areas.

5 Click Cancel to close the Threshold dialog box without applying changes to the image.

You can use the Info palette readouts of the two color samplers to determine your highlight and shadow values.

See also
“To view color values in an image” on page 280

To use the Exposure adjustment
The Exposure dialog box is designed for making tonal adjustments to HDR images, but it works with 8-bit and 16

bit images. Exposure works by performing calculations in a linear color space (gamma 1.0) rather than the image’s

current color space.

1 Choose Image > Adjustments > Exposure.

2 Set any of the following options:

Exposure Adjusts the highlight end of the tonal scale with minimal effect in the extreme shadows.

Offset Darkens the shadows and midtones with minimal affect on the highlights.

Gamma Adjusts the image gamma, using a simple power function. Negative values are mirrored around zero (that

is, they remain negative but still get adjusted as if they were positive).

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The eyedroppers adjust the image’s luminance values (unlike the Levels eyedroppers that affect all color channels).
• The Set Black Point eyedropper sets the Offset, shifting the pixel you click to zero.
• The Set White Point eyedropper sets the Exposure, shifting the point you click to white (1.0 for HDR images).
• The Midtone eyedropper sets the Exposure, making the value you click middle gray.

See also
“About High Dynamic Range images” on page 201

Targeting images for press
Setting highlight and shadow target values
Assigning (targeting) an image’s highlight and shadow values is necessary because most output devices (usually
printing presses) cannot print detail in the blackest shadow values (near level 0) or the whitest highlight values (near
level 255). Specifying the minimum shadow level and maximum highlight level helps to bring the important shadow
and highlight details within the gamut of the output device.
If you are printing an image on a desktop printer and your system is color-managed, you don’t need to set target
values. The Photoshop color management system automatically makes adjustments to the image you see on the
screen so that it prints properly on your profiled desktop printer.

Using Levels to preserve highlight and shadow details for printing
The Output Levels sliders let you set the shadow and highlight levels to compress the image into a range less than 0
to 255. Use this adjustment to preserve the shadow and highlight details when an image is being printed on a press
whose characteristics you know. For example, suppose there are important image details in the highlights with a
value of 245, and the printing press that you’re using won’t hold a dot smaller than 5%. You can pull the highlight
slider to level 242 (which is a 5% dot on the press) to shift the highlight detail from 245 to 242. Now, the highlight
detail will safely print on that press.
Generally, it is not a good idea to use the Output Levels sliders to target images with specular highlights. Your
specular highlight will look gray rather than blow out to pure white. Use the highlight eyedropper for images with
specular highlights.

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Targeting shadows and highlights with Output Levels sliders

To set target values using the eyedroppers
1 Select the Eyedropper tool
in the toolbox. You can choose 3 by 3 Average from the Sample Size menu in the
Eyedropper tool options. This ensures a representative sample of an area rather than the value of a single screen pixel.
2 Open the Levels or Curves dialog box. Choose Image > Adjustments, and then choose Levels or Curves. You can
also use an adjustment layer.

When you open Levels or Curves, the Eyedropper tool
the scroll controls, the Hand tool, and the Zoom tool

is active outside the dialog box. You still have access to
through keyboard shortcuts.

3 Do one of the following to identify areas of highlights and shadows that you want to preserve in the image:
• Move the pointer around the image, and look at the Info palette to find the lightest and darkest areas that you want

preserved (not clipped to pure black or white). (See “Viewing the color values of pixels” on page 279.)
• Drag the pointer in the image, and look at the Curves dialog box to find the lightest and darkest points you want

to preserve. This method does not work if the Curves dialog box is set to the CMYK composite channel.
When identifying the lightest highlight details that you want targeted to a printable (lower) value, don’t include
specular highlights. Specular highlights such as the highlight glint in jewelry or a spot of glare are meant to be the
brightest points in an image. It’s usually desirable to clip specular highlight pixels (pure white, no detail) so that no
ink is printed on the paper.
You can also use the Threshold command to identify representative highlights and shadows before opening Levels or
Curves. (See “To convert images to black and white” on page 313.)
4 To assign highlight values to the lightest area of the image, double-click the Set White Point Eyedropper tool
in the Levels or Curves dialog box to display the Color Picker. Enter the values you want to assign to the lightest area
in the image, and click OK. Then click the highlight you identified in step 3.

If you accidentally click the wrong highlight, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click Reset in the
Levels or Curves dialog box.
Depending on the output device, you can achieve a good highlight in an average-key image using CMYK values of
5, 3, 3, and 0, respectively, when you are printing on white paper. An approximate RGB equivalent is 244, 244, 244,
and an approximate grayscale equivalent is a 4% dot. You can approximate these target values quickly by entering 96
in the Brightness (B) text box under the HSB area of the Color Picker.
With a low-key image, you may want to set the highlight to a lower value to avoid too much contrast. Experiment
with Brightness values between 96 and 80.

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The pixel values are adjusted throughout the image proportionately to the new highlight values. Any pixels lighter
than the area you clicked are clipped (adjusted to level 255, pure white). The Info palette shows the values both before
and after the color adjustment.

Setting the target value for the Set White Point Eyedropper tool and then clicking a highlight to assign it the target value

5 To assign shadow values to the darkest area of the image that you want preserved, double-click the Set Black Point
Eyedropper tool
in the Levels or Curves dialog box to display the Color Picker. Enter the values you want to
assign to the darkest area in the image, and click OK. Then click the shadow you identified in step 3.

When you’re printing on white paper, you can usually achieve a good shadow in an average-key image using CMYK
values of 65, 53, 51, and 95. An approximate RGB equivalent is 10, 10, 10, and an approximate grayscale equivalent
is a 96% dot.You can approximate these values quickly by entering 4 in the Brightness (B) text box under the HSB
area of the Color Picker.
With a high-key image, you may want to set the shadow to a higher value to maintain detail in the highlights. Experiment with Brightness values between 4 and 20.

Making hue/saturation and color balance corrections
The Hue/Saturation command
The Hue/Saturation command lets you adjust the hue, saturation, and brightness of a specific color component in an
image or simultaneously adjust all the colors in an image. In Photoshop, this command is especially good for finetuning colors in a CMYK image so that they are in the gamut of an output device.
You can save settings in the Hue/Saturation dialog box and load them for reuse in other images. For more information, see “To save and reapply settings in a dialog box” on page 282.

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To use the Hue/Saturation command
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation.
• (Photoshop) Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.

The two color bars in the dialog box represent the colors in their order on the color wheel. The upper color bar
shows the color before the adjustment; the lower bar shows how the adjustment affects all of the hues at full
saturation.
2 (Photoshop) Choose which colors to adjust using the Edit pop-up menu:
• Choose Master to adjust all colors at once.
• Choose one of the other preset color ranges listed for the color you want to adjust. To modify the color range, see

“To specify the range of colors adjusted in the Hue/Saturation command” on page 296.
3 For Hue, enter a value or drag the slider until you are satisfied with the colors.

The values displayed in the text box reflect the number of degrees of rotation around the wheel from the pixel’s
original color. A positive value indicates clockwise rotation; a negative value, counterclockwise rotation. Values can
range from -180 to +180.
0/360
B

270

180

Color wheel
A. Saturation

B. Hue

4 For Saturation, enter a value or drag the slider to the right to increase the saturation or to the left to decrease it.

The color shifts away from or toward the center of the color wheel. Values can range from -100 (percentage of desat
uration, duller colors) to +100 (percentage of saturation increase).
5 For Lightness, enter a value or drag the slider to the right to increase the lightness (add white to a color) or to the
left to decrease it (add black to a color). Values can range from -100 (percentage of black) to +100 (percentage of
white).

Note: Click the Reset button to undo a setting in the Hue/Saturation dialog box. Press Alt (Windows) or Option
(Mac OS) to change the Cancel button to Reset.
To specify the range of colors adjusted in the Hue/Saturation command
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation.
• (Photoshop) Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.
2 In the Hue/Saturation dialog box, choose a color from the Edit menu.

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Four color wheel values (in degrees) appear in the dialog box. They correspond to the adjustment sliders that appear
between the color bars. The two inner vertical sliders define the color range. The two outer triangle sliders show
where the adjustments on a color range “fall off ” (fall-off is a feathering or tapering of the adjustments instead of a
sharply defined on/off application of the adjustments).
3 Use either the eyedropper tools or the adjustment sliders to modify the range of colors.
• Click or drag in the image with the Eyedropper tool

to select a color range. To expand the range, click or drag
in the image with the Add To Sample Eyedropper tool
. To reduce the range of color, click or drag in the image
with the Subtract From Sample Eyedropper tool
. While an eyedropper tool is selected, you can also press Shift
to add to the range, or Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to subtract from it.

• Drag one of the white triangle sliders to adjust the amount of color fall-off (feathering of adjustment) without

affecting the range.
• Drag the area between the triangle and the vertical bar to adjust the range without affecting the amount of fall-off.
• Drag the center area to move the entire adjustment slider (which includes the triangles and vertical bars) to select

a different color area.
• Drag one of the vertical white bars to adjust the range of the color component. Moving a vertical bar from the

center of the adjustment slider and closer to a triangle increases the color range and decreases the fall-off. Moving
a vertical bar closer to the center of the adjustment slider and away from a triangle decreases the color range and
increases the fall-off.
• Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) the color bar so that a different color is in the center of the bar.

Hue/Saturation adjustment slider
A. Hue slider values B. Adjusts fall-off without affecting range C. Adjusts range without affecting fall-off
fall-off E. Moves entire slider

D. Adjusts range of color and

If you modify the adjustment slider so that it falls into a different color range, the name in the Edit menu changes to
reflect this change. For example, if you choose Yellow and alter its range so that it falls in the red part of the color bar,
the name changes to Red 2. You can convert up to six of the individual color ranges to varieties of the same color
range (for example, Red through Red 6).
Note: By default, the range of color selected when you choose a color component is 30˚ wide, with 30˚ of fall-off on either
side. Setting the fall-off too low can produce banding in the image.

To colorize a grayscale image or create a monotone effect
1 (Photoshop) If you are colorizing a grayscale image, choose Image > Mode > RGB Color to convert the image to
RGB.
2 Do one of the following to open the Hue/Saturation dialog box:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation.
• (Photoshop) Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.

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3 Select the Colorize option. If the foreground color is black or white, the image is converted to a red hue (0˚). If the
foreground color is not black or white, the image is converted to the hue of the current foreground color. The
lightness value of each pixel does not change.
4 (Optional) Use the Hue slider to select a new color. Use the Saturation and Lightness sliders to adjust the
saturation and lightness of the pixels.

To use the Color Balance command
The Color Balance command changes the overall mixture of colors in an image for generalized color correction.
1 Make sure the composite channel is selected in the Channels palette. This command is available only when you’re
viewing the composite channel.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Color Balance.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.

3 Select Shadows, Midtones, or Highlights to select the tonal range in which you want to focus the changes.

4 (Optional) Select Preserve Luminosity to prevent changing the luminosity values in the image while changing the

color. This option maintains the tonal balance in the image.

5 Drag a slider toward a color that you want to increase in the image; drag a slider away from a color that you want

to decrease in the image.

The values above the color bars show the color changes for the red, green, and blue channels. (For Lab images, the

values are for the A and B channels.) Values can range from -100 to +100.

To change the color balance using the Photo Filter command
The Photo Filter command mimics the technique of putting a colored filter in front of the camera lens to adjust the
color balance and color temperature of the light transmitted through the lens and exposing the film. The Photo Filter
command also lets you choose a color preset to apply a hue adjustment to an image. If you want to apply a custom
color adjustment, the Photo Filter command lets you specify a color using the Adobe Color Picker.
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Photo Filter.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Photo Filter. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.

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2 Choose the filter color, either a custom filter or a preset, from the Photo Filter dialog box. For a custom filter, select
the Color option, click the color square, and use the Adobe Color Picker to specify a color for a custom color filter.
For a preset filter, select the Filter option and choose one of the following presets from the Filter menu:
Warming Filter (85 and LBA) and Cooling Filter (80 and LBB) Color conversion filters that tune the white balance
in an image. If an image was photographed with a lower color temperature of light (yellowish), the Cooling Filter
(80) makes the image colors bluer to compensate for the lower color temperature of the ambient light. Conversely, if
the photo was taken with a higher color temperature of light (bluish), the Warming Filter (85) makes the image colors
warmer to compensate for the higher color temperature of the ambient light.
Warming Filter (81) and Cooling Filter (82) Use light-balancing filters for minor adjustments in the color quality

of an image. The Warming Filter (81) makes the image warmer (more yellow), and the Cooling Filter (82) makes the
image cooler (bluer).
Individual Colors Apply a hue adjustment to the image depending on the color preset you choose. Your choice of

color depends on how you’re using the Photo Filter command. If your photo has a color cast, you can choose a
complementary color to neutralize the color cast. You can also apply colors for special color effects or enhancements.
For example, the Underwater color simulates the greenish blue color cast in underwater photos.
Make sure that Preview is selected to view the results of using a color filter. If you don’t want the image darkened by
adding the color filter, be sure that the Preserve Luminosity option is selected.
3 To adjust the amount of color applied to the image, use the Density slider or enter a percentage in the Density text
box. A higher density results in a stronger color adjustment.
4 Click OK.

Improving shadow and highlight detail
The Shadow/Highlight command
The Shadow/Highlight command is suitable for correcting photos with silhouetted images due to strong backlighting
or correcting subjects that have been slightly washed out because they were too close to the camera flash. The
adjustment is also useful for brightening areas of shadow in an otherwise well-lit image. The Shadow/Highlight
command does not simply lighten or darken an image; it lightens or darkens based on the surrounding pixels (local
neighborhood) in the shadows or highlights. For this reason, there are separate controls of the shadows and the
highlights. The defaults are set to fix images with backlighting problems. The Shadow/Highlight command also has
a Midtone Contrast slider, Black Clip option, and White Clip option for adjusting the overall contrast of the image.

Original image, and Shadow/Highlight Correction applied

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To adjust the shadows and highlights in an image
1 Choose Image > Adjustments > Shadow/Highlight.

Make sure the Preview option is selected in the dialog box if you want the image to be updated as you make adjust
ments.
2 Adjust the amount of lighting correction by moving the Amount slider or entering a value in the Shadows or
Highlights percentage text box. Larger values provide either greater lightening of shadows or greater darkening of
highlights. You can adjust both Shadows and Highlights in an image.
3 For finer control, select Show More Options to make the additional adjustments.
4 (Optional) Click the Save As Defaults button to save your current settings and make them the default settings for

the Shadow/Highlights command. To restore the original default settings, hold down the Shift key while clicking the
Save As Defaults button.
Note: You can reuse Shadow/Highlight settings by clicking the Save button to save the current settings to a file and later
using the Load button to reload them. For more information on saving and loading settings, see “To save and reapply
settings in a dialog box” on page 282.
5 Click OK.

Shadow/Highlight command options
Tonal Width Controls the range of tones in the shadows or highlights that are modified. Smaller values restrict the
adjustments to the darker regions for shadow correction and the lighter regions for highlight correction. Larger
values increase the range of tones that will be adjusted further into the midtones. For example, at 100% the shadow
tonal width slider affects the shadows the most, the midtones are partially affected, but the brightest highlights are
not affected. Tonal width varies from image to image. Too large a value may introduce halos around very dark or very
light edges. The default settings attempt to reduce these artifacts. Halos may also occur when the Shadow or
Highlight Amount values are too large.

Tonal Width is set to 50% by default. If you find that you are trying to lighten a dark subject but the midtones or
lighter regions are changing too much, try reducing Shadow Tone Width towards zero so that only the darkest regions
are lightened. If, however, you need to brighten the midtones as well as the shadows, increase Shadows Tonal Width
toward 100%.
Radius Controls the size of the local neighborhood around each pixel. Neighboring pixels are used to determine
whether a pixel is in the shadows or highlights. Moving the slider to the left specifies a smaller area, and moving it
to the right specifies a larger area. The optimum local neighborhood size depends on the image. It’s best to exper
iment with the adjustment. If the radius is too large, the adjustment tends to brighten (or darken) the whole image
rather than brightening the subject only. It’s best to set the radius to roughly the size of the subjects of interest in the
image. Experiment with different Radius settings to obtain the best balance between subject contrast and differential
brightening (or darkening) of the subject compared to the background.
Color Correction Allows fine-tuning of the colors in regions of the image that have changed. This adjustment is
available only in color images. For example, by increasing the setting of the Shadows Amount slider, you bring out
colors that were dark in the original image. You may want these colors to be more vivid or less vivid. Adjust the Color
Correction slider to achieve the best results. In general, increasing the values tends to produce colors that are more
saturated, and decreasing the values produces colors that are less saturated.

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Note: Because the Color Correction slider affects only changed portions of the image, the amount of color variation
depends on how much shadow or highlight is applied. The greater the correction of shadows and highlights, the greater
the range of color correction available. The Color Correction slider exerts subtle control over the darkened or lightened
colors in the image. If you want to change the color hues or saturation of the whole image, use the Hue/Saturation
command after applying the Shadow/Highlight command.
Brightness Adjusts the brightness in a grayscale image. This adjustment is available only for grayscale images.
Moving the Brightness slider to the left darkens a grayscale image, and moving the slider to the right lightens a
grayscale image.
Midtone Contrast Adjusts the contrast in the midtones. Move the slider to the left to reduce the contrast and to the
right to increase the contrast. You can also enter a value in the Midtone Contrast text box. A negative value reduces
contrast, and a positive value increases contrast. Increasing midtone contrast produces greater contrast in the
midtones while tending to darken the shadows and lighten the highlights.
Black Clip And White Clip Specifies how greatly the shadows and highlights are clipped to the new extreme shadow
(level 0) and highlight (level 255) colors in the image. Larger values produce an image with greater contrast. Be
careful not to make the clipping values too large, because doing so reduces detail in the shadows or highlights (the
intensity values are clipped and rendered as pure black or pure white).

Matching, replacing, and mixing colors
The Match Color command
The Match Color command matches colors between multiple images, between multiple layers, or between multiple
color selections. It also lets you adjust the colors in an image by changing the luminance, changing the color range,
and neutralizing a color cast. The Match Color command works only in RGB mode.
When you use the Match Color command, the pointer becomes the Eyedropper tool. Use the Eyedropper tool while
adjusting the image to view the color pixel values in the Info palette. This palette gives you feedback about changes
in color values as you use the Match Color command. See “To view color values in an image” on page 280.
The Match Color command matches the colors in one image (the source image) with those in another image (the
target image). This is useful when you’re trying to make the colors in different photos consistent, or when certain
colors (such as skin tones) in one image must match the colors in another image.
In addition to matching the color between two images, the Match Color command can match the color between
different layers in the same image.

To match the color in different images
1 (Optional) Make a selection in the images you want to match. This is useful when you are trying to match color

regions (for example, facial skin tones) in one image with color regions in another.
If you don’t make a selection, then the Match Color command matches the overall image statistics between images.
2 Make the image that you want to target active, and then choose Image > Adjustments > Match Color.

If you’re applying the Match Color command to a specific layer in the target image, make sure that layer is active
when you choose the Match Color command.

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3 From the Source menu in the Image Statistics area of the Match Color dialog box, choose the source image whose
colors you’ll be matching in the target image. Choose None when you don’t want to reference a different image to
calculate the color adjustment. With None chosen, the target image and the source image are the same.

If necessary, use the Layer menu to choose the layer from the source image whose colors you want to match. You can
also choose Merged from the Layer menu to match the colors from all the layers in the source image.
4 If you made a selection in the image, do one or more of the following:
• In the Destination Image area, select Ignore Selection When Applying Adjustment if you’re applying the

adjustment to the entire target image. This option ignores the selection in the target image and applies the
adjustment to the entire target image.
• In the Image Statistics area, select Use Selection In Source To Calculate Colors if you made a selection in the source

image and want to use the colors in the selection to compute the adjustment. Deselect this option to ignore the
selection in the source image, and use the colors from the entire source image to compute the adjustment.
• In the Image Statistics area, select Use Selection In Target To Calculate Adjustment if you made a selection in the

target image and want to use the colors in the selection to calculate the adjustment. Deselect this option to ignore
the selection in the target image and compute the adjustment by using the colors of the entire target image.
5 To automatically remove a color cast in the target image, select the Neutralize option. Make sure the Preview
option is selected so that your image is updated as you make adjustments.
6 To increase or decrease the brightness in the target image, move the Luminance slider. Alternatively, enter a value
in the Luminance text box. The maximum value is 200, the minimum is 1, and the default is 100.
7 To adjust the color saturation in the target image, adjust the Color Intensity slider. Alternatively, enter a value in
the Color Intensity text box. The maximum value is 200, the minimum is 1 (which produces a grayscale image), and
the default is 100.
8 To control the amount of adjustment applied to the image, move the Fade slider. Moving the slider to the right
reduces the adjustment.
9 Click OK.

To match the color of two layers in the same image
1 (Optional) Make a selection in the layer you want to match. This is useful when matching a color region (for
example, facial skin tones) in one layer with a region in another.

If you don’t make a selection, then the Match Color matches the colors of the entire source layer.
2 Make sure the layer you want to target (apply the color adjustment to) is active, and then choose Image >
Adjustments > Match Color.
3 From the Source menu in the Image Statistics area of the Match Color dialog box, make sure that the image in the
Source menu is the same as the target image.
4 Use the Layer menu to choose the layer whose colors you want to match. You can also choose Merged from the
Layer menu to match the colors from all the layers.

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5 If you made a selection in the image, do one or more of the following:
• In the Destination Image area, select Ignore Selection When Applying Adjustment if you’re applying the

adjustment to the entire target layer. This option ignores the selection in the target layer and applies the adjustment
to the entire target layer.
• In the Image Statistics area, select Use Selection In Source To Calculate Colors if you made a selection in the source

image and want to use the color in the selection to compute the adjustment. Deselect the this option to ignore the
selection in the source layer and use the colors in the entire source layer to compute the adjustment.
• In the Image Statistics area, select Use Selection In Target To Calculate Adjustment if you want to use only the

colors in the selected area of the target layer to compute the adjustment. Deselect this option to ignore the selection
and use the colors of the entire target layer to compute the adjustment.
6 To automatically remove a color cast in the target layer, Select the Neutralize option. Make sure the Preview option
is selected so that your image is updated as you make adjustments.
7 To increase or decrease the brightness in the target layer, move the Luminance slider. Alternatively, enter a value
in the Luminance text box. The maximum value is 200, the minimum is 1, and the default is 100.
8 To adjust the range of color pixel values in the target layer, adjust the Color Intensity slider. Alternatively, enter a
value in the Color Intensity text box. The maximum value is 200, the minimum is 1 (which produces a grayscale
image), and the default is 100.
9 To control the amount of adjustment applied to the image, adjust the Fade slider. Moving the slider to the right
reduces the amount of adjustment.
10 Click OK.

To remove a color cast
The Match Color command can adjust the brightness, color saturation, and color balance in an image. The advanced
algorithms in the Match Color command give you better control over luminance and color components of the image.
Because you are adjusting the color in a single image rather than matching the colors between two images, the image
you’re correcting is both the source and the target image.
1 Choose Image > Adjustments > Match Color.
2 In the Image Statistics area, make sure None is chosen in the Source menu. The option specifies that the source
and the target are the same image.
3 To automatically remove a color cast, select the Neutralize option. Make sure the Preview option is selected so that
your image is updated as you make adjustments.
4 To increase or decrease the brightness in the image, adjust the Luminance slider. Moving the Luminance slider to
the left darkens the image, and moving the slider to the right brightens the image. The luminance control tries not
to clip pixels (change them to pure black/no detail or pure white/no detail) in either the shadows or highlights.
However, it may clip pixels because an image can have only either 8-bit or 16-bit values.
5 To expand or reduce the color pixel values in the image, adjust the Color Intensity slider. Moving the Color
Intensity slider to the left reduces the color range, and the image becomes monochromatic. Moving the Color
Intensity to the right increases the color range and intensifies the colors.
6 To control the amount of adjustment applied to the image, adjust the Fade slider. Moving the slider to the right
reduces the amount of adjustment.

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Note: You can use the Match Color controls separately to apply a single correction to the image. For example, you can
adjust only the Luminance slider to brighten/darken an image without affecting the color. Or you can use the controls in
different combinations, depending on the color correction you’re making.
7 Click OK.

To save and apply settings in the Match Color command
• In the Image Statistics area of the Match Color dialog box, click the Save Statistics button. Name and save the

settings.
• In the Image Statistics area of the Match Color dialog box, click the Load Statistics button. Locate and load the

saved settings file.

To replace the color of objects in an image
The Replace Color command lets you create a mask to select specific colors in an image and then replace those colors.

You can set the hue, saturation, and lightness of the selected areas. Or you can use the Color Picker to select the

replacement color. The mask created by the Replace Color command is temporary.

1 Choose Image > Adjustments > Replace Color.

2 Select a display option:

Selection Displays the mask in the preview box. Masked areas are black, and unmasked areas are white. Partially

masked areas (areas covered with a semitransparent mask) appear as varying levels of gray according to their opacity.

Image Displays the image in the preview box. This option is useful when you are working with a magnified image

or have limited screen space.

3 To select the areas exposed by the mask, do one of the following:

• Use the Eyedropper tool

to click in the image or in the preview box to select the areas exposed by the mask.
to add areas; Alt-click (Windows), Option-click

Shift-click or use the Add To Sample Eyedropper tool
to remove areas.
(Mac OS), or use the Subtract From Sample Eyedropper tool

• Double-click the Selection swatch. Use the Color Picker to target a color to be replaced. As you select a color in

the Color Picker, the mask in the preview box is updated.
4 Adjust the tolerance of the mask by dragging the Fuzziness slider or entering a value. This slider controls the
degree to which related colors are included in the selection.
5 To change the color of the selected areas, do one of the following:
• Drag the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness sliders (or enter values in the text boxes).
• Double-click the Result swatch and use the Color Picker to select the replacement color.

You can also save the settings you make in the Replace Color dialog box for reuse in other images.

See also
“To save and reapply settings in a dialog box” on page 282

Mixing color channels
The Channel Mixer command lets you create high-quality grayscale images by choosing the percentage contribution
from each color channel. You can also create high-quality sepia-tone or other tinted images. Using the Channel
Mixer, you can also make creative color adjustments not easily done with other color-adjustment tools.

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The Channel Mixer modifies a targeted (output) color channel using a mix of the existing (source) color channels in

the image. Color channels are grayscale images representing the tonal values of the color components in an image

(RGB or CMYK). When you use the Channel Mixer, you are adding or subtracting grayscale data from a source

channel to the targeted channel. You are not adding or subtracting colors to a specific color component as you do

with the Selective Color command.

To create monochrome images from RGB or CMYK images

1 In the Channels palette, select the composite color channel.

2 Do one of the following to open the Channel Mixer dialog box:

• Choose Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Channel Mixer. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.
3 Select the Monochrome option to set Gray as the output channel. This creates a color image that contains only
gray values.
4 Use the Source Channels sliders to control the amount of detail and contrast in the images you plan to convert to
grayscale.

Before adjusting the percentages of the source channels, view how each source channel affects the monochrome image.
For example, in RGB, view the image with the Red channel set to +100% and the Green and Blue source channels
set to 0%. Then, view the image with the Green source channel set to +100% and the other two channels set to 0%.
Finally, view the image with Blue source channel set to +100% and the other channels set to 0%. When adjusting the
percentages of the source channels, you often get the best results when the combined values of the source channels add up
to 100%.
5 (Optional) If you select and then deselect the Monochrome option, you can modify the blend of each channel
separately, creating a hand-tinted appearance.

Hand-tinted effect created by selecting (left) and deselecting (right) the Monochrome option

6 (Optional) Drag the slider or enter a value for the Constant option. This option adjusts the grayscale value of the

output channel. Negative values add more black, and positive values add more white. A -200% value makes the

output channel completely black, and a +200% value makes the output channel completely white.

To mix color channels

1 In the Channels palette, select the composite color channel.

2 Do one of the following to open the Channel Mixer dialog box:

• Choose Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Channel Mixer. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.
3 For Output Channel, choose the channel in which to blend one or more existing () channels.

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Choosing an output channel sets the source slider for that channel to 100% and all other channels to 0%. For example,
choosing Red as the output channel sets the Source Channels sliders to 100% for Red, and to 0% for Green and Blue
(in an RGB image).
4 Drag any source channel’s slider to the left to decrease the channel’s contribution to the output channel or to the
right to increase it, or enter a value between -200% and +200% in the text box. Using a negative value inverts the
source channel before adding it to the output channel.
5 Drag the slider or enter a value for the Constant option. This option adjusts the grayscale value of the output
channel. Negative values add more black, and positive values add more white. A -200% value makes the output
channel completely black, and a +200% value makes the output channel completely white.

You can also save the settings you make in the Channel Mixer dialog box for reuse on other images.

See also
“To save and reapply settings in a dialog box” on page 282

To use the Selective Color command
Selective color correction is a technique used by high-end scanners and separation programs to change the amount
of process colors in each of the primary color components in an image. You can modify the amount of a process color
in any primary color selectively—without affecting the other primary colors. For example, you can use selective color
correction to dramatically decrease the cyan in the green component of an image while leaving the cyan in the blue
component unaltered.
Even though Selective Color uses CMYK colors to correct an image, you can use it on RGB images.
1 Make sure that the composite channel is selected in the Channels palette. The Selective Color command is

available only when you’re viewing the composite channel.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Selective Color.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Selective Color. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.
3 Choose the color you want to adjust from the Colors menu at the top of the dialog box. Color sets consist of the
primary additive and subtractive colors plus whites, neutrals, and blacks.
4 For Method, select an option:
Relative Changes the existing amount of cyan, magenta, yellow, or black by its percentage of the total. For example,

if you start with a pixel that is 50% magenta and add 10%, 5% is added to the magenta (10% of 50% = 5%) for a total
of 55% magenta. (This option cannot adjust pure specular white, which contains no color components.)
Absolute Adjusts the color in absolute values. For example, if you start with a pixel that is 50% magenta and add

10%, the magenta ink is set to a total of 60%.
Note: The adjustment is based on how close a color is to one of the options in the Colors menu. For example, 50%
magenta is midway between white and pure magenta and receives a proportionate mix of corrections defined for the two
colors.
5 Drag the sliders to increase or decrease the components in the selected color.

You can also save the settings you make in the Selective Color dialog box for reuse on other images.

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See also
“To save and reapply settings in a dialog box” on page 282

Making quick overall adjustments to images
To use the Brightness/Contrast command
The Brightness/Contrast command lets you make simple adjustments to the tonal range of an image. Unlike Curves
and Levels, which apply proportionate (nonlinear) adjustments to the pixels in an image, Brightness Contrast makes
the same amount of adjustment to every pixel (a linear adjustment). The Brightness/Contrast command is not
recommended for high-end output because it can result in a loss of image detail.
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.

2 Drag the sliders to adjust the brightness and contrast.

Dragging to the left decreases the level, and dragging to the right increases it. The number at the right of each slider

reflects the brightness or contrast value. Values can range from -100 to +100.

The Auto Levels command
The Auto Levels command automatically adjusts the black point and white point in an image. This clips a portion of
the shadows and highlights in each channel and maps the lightest and darkest pixels in each color channel to pure
white (level 255) and pure black (level 0). The intermediate pixel values are redistributed proportionately. As a result,
using Auto Levels increases the contrast in an image because the pixel values are expanded. Because Auto Levels
adjusts each color channel individually, it may remove color or introduce color casts.
Auto Levels gives good results in certain images with an average distribution of pixel values that need a simple
increase in contrast.
Note: By default, Auto Levels clips the white and black pixels by 0.1%—that is, it ignores the first 0.1% of either extreme
when identifying the lightest and darkest pixels in the image. The default settings for Auto Levels can be changed in the
Auto Color Correction Options dialog box.

See also
“To set Auto Color Correction options” on page 309

To use the Auto Levels command
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Auto Levels. The application of Auto Levels is automatic with this option. You

cannot adjust any of the options in the following steps.
• (Photoshop) Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer and choose either Levels or Curves. Click OK in the New

Layer dialog box.
2 In the Levels or Curves dialog box, click the Option button.

3 Select Enhance Per Channel Contrast under Algorithms in the Auto Color Correction Options dialog box.

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4 Adjust the amount of shadow and highlight values that are clipped, and adjust the target color for the midtones.
5 Click OK to close the open dialog boxes to apply Auto Levels.

See also
“To set Auto Color Correction options” on page 309

The Auto Contrast command
The Auto Contrast command adjusts image contrast automatically. Because Auto Contrast does not adjust channels
individually, it does not introduce or remove color casts. It clips the shadow and highlight values in an image and
then maps the remaining lightest and darkest pixels in the image to pure white (level 255) and pure black (level 0).
This makes the highlights appear lighter and shadows appear darker.
By default, when identifying the lightest and darkest pixels in an image, Auto Contrast clips the white and black pixels
by 0.5%—that is, it ignores the first 0.5% of either extreme. You can change this default using the Auto Color
Correction Options found in the Levels and the Curves dialog boxes.
Auto Contrast can improve the appearance of many photographic or continuous-tone images. It does not improve
flat-color images.

See also
“To set Auto Color Correction options” on page 309

To use the Auto Contrast command
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Auto Contrast. The application of Auto Contrast is automatic with this option.

You cannot adjust any of the options in the following steps.
• (Photoshop) Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer and choose either Levels or Curves. Click OK in the New

Layer dialog box.
2 In the Levels or Curves dialog box, click the Option button.

3 Select the Enhance Monochromatic Contrast option under Algorithms in the Auto Color Correction Options

dialog box.

4 Adjust the amount of shadows and highlights that are clipped, and adjust the target color for the midtones.
5 Click OK in open dialog boxes to apply Auto Contrast.

See also
“To set Auto Color Correction options” on page 309

To change default Auto Contrast and Auto Level clipping values in ImageReady
❖ Click Options in the Levels dialog box. Enter the percentage of extreme highlight and shadow pixels to clip, and

click OK. A value between 0.5% and 1% is recommended.

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To remove a color cast with Auto Color
The Auto Color command adjusts the contrast and color of an image by searching the image to identify shadows,
midtones, and highlights. By default, Auto Color neutralizes the midtones using a target color of RGB 128 gray and
clips the shadows and highlight pixels by 0.5%. You can change these defaults in the Auto Color Correction Options
dialog box.
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Auto Color. The application of Auto Color is automatic with this option. You

cannot adjust any of the options in the following steps.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer and choose either Levels or Curves. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.

2 In the Levels or Curves dialog box, click the Option button.

3 Select the Find Dark & Light option under Algorithms in the Auto Color Correction Options dialog box.

4 Select the Snap Neutral Midtones option.

5 Adjust the amount of shadows and highlights that are clipped, and adjust the target color for the midtones.

6 Click OK in open dialog boxes to apply Auto Color.

See also
“To use Levels to correct a color cast” on page 286
“To set Auto Color Correction options” on page 309

To set Auto Color Correction options
The Auto Color Correction options control tonal and color corrections applied by Auto Color, Auto Levels, Auto
Contrast, and the Auto option in both Levels and Curves. The Auto Color Correction options let you specify shadow
and highlight clipping percentages, and assign color values to shadows, midtones, and highlights.
You can apply the settings during a single use of the Levels dialog box or Curves dialog box, or you can save the
settings as default values when applying Auto Levels, Auto Contrast, Auto Color, and the Auto option in Levels and
Curves.

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A
B
C

Auto Color Correction Options dialog box
A. Auto Contrast option B. Auto Levels option

C. Auto Color option D. Set target colors, black point, and white point

1 Click the Options button in the Levels dialog box or Curves dialog box.
2 Specify the algorithm you want Photoshop to use to adjust the overall tonal range of an image:
Enhance Monochromatic Contrast Clips all channels identically. This preserves the overall color relationship while

making highlights appear lighter and shadows appear darker. The Auto Contrast command uses this algorithm.
Enhance Per Channel Contrast Maximizes the tonal range in each channel to produce a more dramatic correction.

Because each channel is adjusted individually, Enhance Per Channel Contrast may remove or introduce color casts.
The Auto Levels command uses this algorithm.
Find Dark & Light Colors Finds the average lightest and darkest pixels in an image and uses them to maximize
contrast while minimizing clipping. The Auto Color command uses this algorithm.
3 Select Snap Neutral Midtones if you want Photoshop to find an average nearly neutral color in an image and then
adjust the gamma (midtone) values to make the color neutral. The Auto Color command uses this algorithm.
4 To specify how much to clip black and white pixels, enter percentages in the Clip text boxes. A value between 0.0%
and 1% is recommended.

By default, Photoshop clips the black and white pixels by 0.1%—that is, it ignores the first 0.1% of either extreme
when identifying the lightest and darkest pixels in the image. Because of the better output quality of today’s scanners
and digital cameras, these default clipping percentages may be too high.
5 To assign (target) color values to the darkest, neutral, and lightest areas of an image, click a color swatch.
6 Do one of the following:
• To use the settings in the current Levels or Curves dialog box, click OK. If you subsequently click the Auto button,

Photoshop reapplies the same settings to the image.
• To save the settings as the default, select Save as Defaults, and then click OK. The next time you open the Levels

or Curves dialog box, you can apply the same setting by clicking the Auto button. The default clipping percentages
are also used by the Auto Level, Auto Contrast, and Auto Color commands.
Note: When you save the Auto Color Correction options as defaults for Auto Color, Auto Levels, and Auto Contrast, it
does not matter what algorithm you select in step 2. The three auto-correction commands use only those values that you
set for the target colors and clipping. The only exception is that the Auto Color command also uses the Snap Neutral
Midtones option.

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To use the Variations command
The Variations command lets you adjust the color balance, contrast, and saturation of an image by showing you
thumbnails of alternatives.
This command is most useful for average-key images that don’t require precise color adjustments. It does not work
on indexed-color images or 16-bit-per-channel images (Photoshop).
1 Choose Image > Adjustments > Variations.

The two thumbnails at the top of the dialog box show the original selection (Original) and the selection with its
currently selected adjustments (Current Pick). When you first open the dialog box, these two images are the same.
As you make adjustments, the Current Pick image changes to reflect your choices.
2 Select the Show Clipping option if you want to display a preview of areas in the image that will be clipped—
converted to pure white or pure black—by the adjustment. Clipping can result in undesirable color shifts, as distinct
colors in the original image are mapped to the same color. Clipping does not occur when you adjust midtones.
3 Select what to adjust in the image:
Shadows, Midtones, or Highlights Adjusts the dark, middle, or light areas.
Saturation Changes the degree of hue in the image. If you exceed the maximum saturation for a color, it may be

clipped.
4 Drag the Fine/Coarse slider to determine the amount of each adjustment. Moving the slider one tick mark doubles
the adjustment amount.
5 Adjust the color and brightness:
• To add a color to the image, click the appropriate color thumbnail.
• To subtract a color, click the thumbnail for its opposite color. For example, to subtract cyan, click the More Red

thumbnail. See “Using the color wheel” on page 248.
• To adjust brightness, click a thumbnail on the right side of the dialog box.

The effects of clicking the thumbnails are cumulative. For example, clicking the More Red thumbnail twice applies
the adjustment twice. Each time you click a thumbnail, the other thumbnails change. The three Current Pick thumb
nails always reflect the current choices.
You can also save the settings you make in the Variations dialog box for reuse on other images. For more information
on saving and loading settings, see “To save and reapply settings in a dialog box” on page 282.

To use the Equalize command
The Equalize command redistributes the brightness values of the pixels in an image so that they more evenly
represent the entire range of brightness levels. Equalize remaps pixel values in the composite image so that the
brightest value represents white, the darkest value represents black, and intermediate values are evenly distributed
throughout the grayscale.

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You can use the Equalize command when a scanned image appears darker than the original and you want to balance

the values to produce a lighter image. Using Equalize together with the Histogram palette lets you see before-and-

after brightness comparisons.

1 (Optional) Select an area of the image to equalize.

2 Choose Image > Adjustments > Equalize.

3 If you selected an area of the image, select what to equalize in the dialog box, and click OK:

Equalize Selected Area Only Evenly distributes only the selection’s pixels.

Equalize Entire Image Based On Selected Area Evenly distributes all image pixels based on those in the selection.

Applying special color effects to images
To desaturate colors
The Desaturate command converts a color image to grayscale values, but leaves the image in the same color mode.
For example, it assigns equal red, green, and blue values to each pixel in an RGB image. The lightness value of each
pixel does not change.
This command has the same effect as setting Saturation to -100 in the Hue/Saturation dialog box.
Note: If you are working with a multilayer image, Desaturate converts the selected layer only.
❖ Choose Image > Adjustments > Desaturate.

To invert colors
The Invert command inverts the colors in an image. You can use this command as part of the process of making an
edge mask to apply sharpening and other adjustments to selected areas of an image.
Note: Because color print film contains an orange mask in its base, the Invert command cannot make accurate positive
images from scanned color negatives. Be sure to use the proper settings for color negatives when scanning film.
When you invert an image, the brightness value of each pixel in the channels is converted to the inverse value on the
256-step color-values scale. For example, a pixel in a positive image with a value of 255 is changed to 0, and a pixel
with a value of 5 is changed to 250.
Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Invert.
• (Photoshop) Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Invert. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.

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To convert images to black and white
The Threshold command converts grayscale or color images to high-contrast, black-and-white images. You can
specify a certain level as a threshold. All pixels lighter than the threshold are converted to white; all pixels darker are
converted to black.
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Threshold.
• Chose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Threshold. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box. The Threshold dialog

box displays a histogram of the luminance levels of the pixels in the current selection.
2 Drag the slider below the histogram until the threshold level you want appears at the top of the dialog box, and

click OK. As you drag, the image changes to reflect the new threshold setting.

To posterize an image
The Posterize command lets you specify the number of tonal levels (or brightness values) for each channel in an
image and then maps pixels to the closest matching level. For example, choosing two tonal levels in an RGB image
gives six colors: two for red, two for green, and two for blue.
This command is useful for creating special effects, such as large, flat areas in a photograph. Its effects are most
evident when you reduce the number of gray levels in a grayscale image, but it also produces interesting effects in
color images.
If you want a specific number of colors in your image, convert the image to grayscale and specify the number of levels
you want. Then convert the image back to the previous color mode, and replace the various gray tones with the colors
you want.
1 Choose Image > Adjustments > Posterize.

2 Enter the number of tonal levels you want, and click OK.

To apply a gradient map to an image
The Gradient Map command maps the equivalent grayscale range of an image to the colors of a specified gradient
fill. If you specify a two-color gradient fill, for example, shadows in the image are mapped to one of the endpoint
colors of the gradient fill, highlights are mapped to the other endpoint color, and midtones are mapped to the grada
tions in between.
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Gradient Map.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.
2 Specify the gradient fill you want to use:
• To choose from a list of gradient fills, click the triangle to the right of the gradient fill displayed in the Gradient

Map dialog box. Click to select the desired gradient fill, and then click in a blank area of the dialog box to dismiss
the list. For information on customizing the gradient fill list, see “About the Preset Manager” on page 67.
• To edit the gradient fill currently displayed in the Gradient Map dialog box, click the gradient fill. Then modify

the existing gradient fill or create a new gradient fill using the Gradient Editor. (See “To create a smooth gradient”
on page 494.)

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By default, the shadows, midtones, and highlights of the image are mapped respectively to the starting (left) color,

midpoint, and ending (right) color of the gradient fill.

3 Select either, none, or both of the Gradient options:

Dither Adds random noise to smooth the appearance of the gradient fill and reduces banding effects.

Reverse Switches the direction of the gradient fill, reversing the gradient map.

315

Chapter 12: Selecting

Making selections
Selecting
Making a selection is isolating one or more parts of your image. By selecting specific areas, you can edit and apply
effects and filters to portions of your image while leaving the unselected areas untouched.
There are separate sets of tools to make selections of bitmap and vector data. For example, to select bitmap pixels,
you can use the marquee tools or the lasso tools. You can use commands in the Select menu to select all pixels, to
deselect, or to reselect.
To select vector data, you can use the pen or shape tools, which produce precise outlines called paths. For 32-bitsper-channel images, only the pen tools are available to select vector data. You can convert paths to selections or
convert selections to paths.
Selections can be copied, moved, and pasted, or saved and stored in an alpha channel. Alpha channels store selections
as grayscale images. You can add alpha channels to create and store masks. A mask is a selection that protects portions
of an image from any editing or manipulations you apply.
Note: To select a specified color or color subset within an existing selection or an entire image, you can use the Color
Range command.

See also
“About masks and alpha channels” on page 338
“To create an alpha channel and add a mask” on page 342
“Converting paths to selection borders” on page 467
“Selection tools gallery” on page 42

To select all pixels on a layer within the canvas boundaries

1 Select the layer in the Layers palette.

2 Choose Select > All.

To deselect selections
❖ Do one of the following:

• Choose Select > Deselect.
• If you are using the Rectangle Marquee tool, the Rounded Rectangle Marquee tool (ImageReady), the Elliptical

Marquee tool, or the Lasso tool, click anywhere in the image outside the selected area.

To reselect the most recent selection
❖ Choose Select > Reselect.

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To use the marquee tools
The marquee tools let you select rectangles, ellipses, rounded rectangles (ImageReady), and 1-pixel rows and

columns. By default, a selection border is dragged from its corner.

1 Select a marquee tool:

Rectangular Marquee

Makes a rectangular selection.

Rounded Rectangle Marquee (ImageReady)
Elliptical Marquee
Single Row

Selects a rounded rectangle, such as a web page button.

Makes an elliptical selection.

or Single Column

Marquee Defines the border as a 1-pixel-wide row or column.

2 Specify one of the selection options in the options bar.

Selection options
A. New B. Add To

C. Subtract From D. Intersect With

3 Specify a feathering setting in the options bar. Turn anti-aliasing on or off for the Rounded Rectangle Marquee
tool or the Elliptical Marquee tool.
4 For the Rectangle Marquee tool, the Rounded Rectangle Marquee tool, or the Elliptical Marquee tool, choose a
style in the options bar:
Normal Determines marquee proportions by dragging.
Fixed Aspect Ratio Sets a height-to-width ratio. Enter values (decimal values are valid in Photoshop) for the aspect
ratio. For example, to draw a marquee twice as wide as it is high, enter 2 for the width and 1 for the height.
Fixed Size Specifies set values for the marquee’s height and width. Enter pixel values in whole numbers. Keep in

mind that the number of pixels needed to create a 1-inch selection depends on the resolution of the image.

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5 For aligning your selection to guides, a grid, slices, or document bounds, do one of the following to snap your
selection:
• (Photoshop) Choose View > Snap, or choose View > Snap To and choose a command from the submenu. The

marquee selection can snap to a document boundary and more than one Photoshop Extra. This is controlled in
the Snap To submenu.
• (ImageReady) Choose View > Snap To > Guides.
6 Do one of the following to make a selection:
• With the Rectangle Marquee tool, the Rounded Rectangle Marquee tool, or the Elliptical Marquee tool, drag over

the area you want to select. Hold down Shift as you drag to constrain the marquee to a square or circle (release the
mouse button before Shift to keep the shape constrained). To drag a marquee from its center, hold down Alt
(Windows) or Option (Mac OS) after you begin dragging.

Dragging a marquee from the corner of an image (left), and from the center of an image (right)

• With the Single Row or Single Column Marquee tool, click near the area you want to select, and then drag the

marquee to the exact location. If no marquee is visible, increase the magnification of your image view.
To reposition a rectangle, rounded rectangle, or elliptical marquee, first drag to create the border, keeping the mouse
button depressed. Then hold down the spacebar and continue to drag. Release the spacebar, but keep the mouse
button depressed, if you need to continue adjusting the selection border.

To use the Lasso tool
The Lasso tool is useful for drawing freeform segments of a selection border.
1 Select the Lasso tool
, and select options. See “To set options for the Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, and Magnetic
Lasso tools” on page 319.
2 Drag to draw a freehand selection border.
3 To draw a straight-edged selection border, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click where
segments should begin and end. You can switch between drawing freehand and straight-edged segments.
4 To erase recently drawn segments, hold down the Delete key until you’ve erased the fastening points for the
desired segment.
5 To close the selection border, release the mouse without holding down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS).

To use the Polygonal Lasso tool
The Polygonal Lasso tool is useful for drawing straight-edged segments of a selection border.
1 Select the Polygonal Lasso tool
, and select options. See “To set options for the Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, and
Magnetic Lasso tools” on page 319.
2 Click in the image to set the starting point.

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3 Do one or more of the following:
• To draw a straight segment, position the pointer where you want the first straight segment to end, and click.

Continue clicking to set endpoints for subsequent segments.
• To draw straight lines in 45˚ segments, hold down Shift as you move to click the next segment.
• To draw a freehand segment, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag. When you finish, release

Alt or Option and the mouse button.
• To erase recently drawn straight segments, press the Delete key.
4 Close the selection border:
• Position the Polygonal Lasso tool pointer over the starting point (a closed circle appears next to the pointer), and

click.
• If the pointer is not over the starting point, double-click the Polygonal Lasso tool pointer, or Ctrl-click (Windows)

or Command-click (Mac OS).

To use the Magnetic Lasso tool
When you use the Magnetic Lasso tool , the border snaps to the edges of defined areas in the image. The Magnetic
Lasso tool is not available for 32-bits-per-channel images.
The Magnetic Lasso tool is especially useful for quickly selecting objects with complex edges set against high-contrast
backgrounds.
1 Select the Magnetic Lasso tool and, if necessary, set options in the options bar.
2 Click in the image to set the first fastening point. Fastening points anchor the selection border in place.
3 To draw a freehand segment, either release or keep the mouse button depressed, and then move the pointer along
the edge you want to trace.

The most recent segment of the selection border remains active. As you move the pointer, the active segment snaps
to the strongest edge in the image, based on the detection width set in the options bar. Periodically, the Magnetic
Lasso tool adds fastening points to the selection border to anchor previous segments.
4 If the border doesn’t snap to the desired edge, click once to add a fastening point manually. Continue to trace the
edge, and add fastening points as needed.

Fastening points anchor selection border to edges

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5 To switch temporarily to the other lasso tools, do one of the following:
• To activate the Lasso tool, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag with the mouse button

depressed.
• To activate the Polygonal Lasso tool, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click.
6 To erase recently drawn segments and fastening points, press the Delete key until you’ve erased the fastening
points for the desired segment.
7 Close the selection border:
• To close the border with a freehand Magnetic segment, double-click, or press Enter or Return.
• To close the border with a straight segment, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and double-click.
• To close the border, drag back over the starting point and click.

To set options for the Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, and Magnetic Lasso tools
The Lasso tool options let you customize how the different lasso tools detect and select edges.
1 If needed, select the tool.
2 Specify one of the selection options in the options bar.

Selection options
A. New B. Add To

C. Subtract From D. Intersect With

3 Specify feather and anti-aliasing options.
4 (Photoshop) For the Magnetic Lasso tool, set any of these options:
Width To specify a detection width, enter a pixel value for Width. The Magnetic Lasso tool detects edges only within
the specified distance from the pointer.

To change the lasso pointer so that it indicates the lasso width, press the Caps Lock key. Change the pointer while the
tool is selected but not in use.
Edge Contrast To specify the lasso’s sensitivity to edges in the image, enter a value between 1% and 100% for Edge

Contrast. A higher value detects only edges that contrast sharply with their surroundings; a lower value detects
lower-contrast edges.
Frequency To specify the rate at which the lasso sets fastening points, enter a value between 0 and 100 for
Frequency. A higher value anchors the selection border in place more quickly.

On an image with well-defined edges, try a higher width and higher edge contrast, and trace the border roughly. On
an image with softer edges, try a lower width and lower edge contrast, and trace the border more precisely.
Stylus Pressure If you are working with a stylus tablet, select or deselect the Stylus Pressure option. When the

option is selected, an increase in stylus pressure decreases the edge width.
While creating a selection, press the right bracket (]) to increase the Magnetic Lasso edge width by 1 pixel; press the
left bracket ([) to decrease the width by 1 pixel.

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To use the Magic Wand tool
The Magic Wand tool lets you select a consistently colored area (for example, a red flower) without having to trace
its outline. You specify the color range, or tolerance, for the Magic Wand tool’s selection.
You cannot use the Magic Wand tool on an image in Bitmap mode or on 32-bits-per-channel images.
1 Select the Magic Wand tool

2 Specify one of the selection options in the options bar. The Magic Wand tool’s pointer changes depending on

which option is selected.

Selection options
A. New B. Add To

C. Subtract From D. Intersect With

3 In the options bar, specify any of the following:
Tolerance Determines the similarity or difference of the pixels selected. Enter a value in pixels, ranging from 0 to

255. A low value selects the few colors very similar to the pixel you click. A higher value selects a broader range of
colors.
Anti-aliased Defines a smooth edge.
Contiguous Selects only adjacent areas using the same colors. Otherwise, all pixels in the entire image using the
same colors are selected.
Sample All Layers Selects colors using data from all the visible layers. Otherwise, the Magic Wand tool selects colors

from the active layer only.
4 In the image, click the color you want to select. If Contiguous is selected, all adjacent pixels within the tolerance

range are selected. Otherwise, all pixels in the tolerance range are selected.

Selecting a specific color or color subset
The Color Range command selects a specified color or color subset within an existing selection or an entire image.
If you want to replace a selection, be sure to deselect everything before applying this command. The Color Range
command is not available for 32-bits-per-channel images.
To refine an existing selection, use the Color Range command repeatedly to select a subset of colors. For example, to
select the green areas in a cyan selection, select Cyans in the Color Range dialog box, and click OK. Then reopen the
Color Range dialog box, and select Greens. (The results are subtle because the technique selects parts of colors within
a color mix.)

To select a color range using sampled colors
1 Choose Select > Color Range.
2 For Select, choose the Sampled Colors tool

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3 Select one of the display options:
Selection Previews only the selection as you build it.
Image Previews the entire image. For example, you might want to sample from a part of the image that isn’t on-

screen.
To toggle between the Image and Selection previews in the Color Range dialog box, press Ctrl (Windows) or
Command (Mac OS).
4 Position the pointer over the image or preview area, and click to sample the colors you want included.

Sampling color

5 Adjust the range of colors using the Fuzziness slider or by entering a value. To decrease the range of colors selected,
decrease the value. The Fuzziness option partially selects pixels by controlling the degree to which related colors are
included in the selection (whereas the Tolerance option for the Magic Wand tool and the paint bucket increases the
range of colors that are fully selected).

Increasing fuzziness expands selection

6 Adjust the selection:
• To add colors, select the plus eyedropper, and click in the preview area or image.
• To remove colors, select the minus eyedropper, and click in the preview area or image.

To activate the plus eyedropper temporarily, hold down Shift. Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to
activate the minus eyedropper.

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7 To preview the selection in the image window, choose an option for Selection Preview:

None Displays no preview in the image window.

Grayscale Displays the selection as it would appear in a grayscale channel.

Black Matte Displays the selection in color against a black background.

White Matte Displays the selection in color against a white background.

Quick Mask Displays the selection using the current quick mask settings.

8 To revert to the original selection, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click Reset.

To select a color range using preset colors

1 Choose Select > Color Range.

2 For Select, choose a color or tonal range. The Out-Of-Gamut option works only on RGB and Lab images. (An out-

of-gamut color is an RGB or Lab color that cannot be printed using process color printing.)

3 Click Selection to display the selected areas in the preview area.

4 To preview the selection in the image window, choose an option for Selection Preview:

None Displays no preview in the image window.

Grayscale Displays the selection as it would appear in a grayscale channel.

Black Matte Displays the selection in color against a black background.

White Matte Displays the selection in color against a white background.

Quick Mask Displays the selection using the current quick mask settings.

5 To revert to the original selection, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click Reset.

Note: If you see the message “No pixels are more than 50% selected,” the selection border will not be visible. You may
have selected a color, such as red, when the image didn’t contain the fully saturated color.

To save and load color range settings
❖ Use the Save and Load buttons in the Color Range dialog box to save and reuse the current settings.

Creating selections from slices (ImageReady)
If you create a slice in ImageReady, you can convert it to a selection.

1 Select a slice.

2 Choose Select > Create Selection From Slice.

See also
“To select one or more slices” on page 577

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Adjusting pixel selections
To move, hide, or invert a selection
You can move a selection border around an image, hide a selection border, and invert a selection so that the previously unselected part of the image is selected.
1 Using any selection tool, select New Selection
from the options bar, and position the pointer inside the
selection border. The pointer changes
to indicate that you can move the selection.
2 Drag the border to enclose a different area of the image. You can drag a selection border partly beyond the canvas
boundaries. When you drag it back, the original border reappears intact. You can also drag the selection border to
another image window.

Original selection border (left), and selection border moved (right)

You can apply geometric transformations to change the shape of a selection border.

See also
“Applying transformations” on page 360

To control the movement of a selection
• To constrain the direction to multiples of 45˚, begin dragging, and then hold down Shift as you continue to drag.
• To move the selection in 1-pixel increments, use an arrow key.
• To move the selection in 10-pixel increments, hold down Shift, and use an arrow key.

To hide or show selection edges
Do one of the following:
• Choose View > Extras. In Photoshop, this command shows or hides selection edges, grids, guides, target paths,

slices, and annotations. In ImageReady, this command shows or hides selection edges, layer edges, grids, guides,
smart guides, slices, auto slices, image maps, and text selections.
• Choose View > Show > Selection Edges. This toggles the view of the selection edges and affects the current

selection only. The selection edges reappear when you make a different selection.

See also
“To show or hide Extras” on page 63

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To select the unselected parts of an image
❖ Choose Select > Inverse.

You can use this option to select an object placed against a solid-colored background. Select the background using
the Magic Wand tool and then inverse the selection.

Adjusting selections manually
You can use the selection tools to add to or subtract from existing pixel selections.

Before manually adding to or subtracting from a selection, set the feather and anti-aliasing values in the options bar

to the same settings used in the original selection.

To add to a selection or select an additional area

1 Make a selection.

2 Using any selection tool, do one of the following:

• Select the Add To Selection option

in the options bar, and drag.

• Hold down Shift, and drag to add another selection.

A plus sign appears next to the pointer when you’re adding to a selection.

To subtract from a selection

1 Make a selection.

2 Using any selection tool, do one of the following:

• Select the Subtract From Selection option

in the options bar, and drag to intersect with other selections.

• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag to subtract another selection.

A minus sign appears next to the pointer when you’re subtracting from a selection.

To select only an area intersected by other selections

1 Make a selection.

2 Using any selection tool, do one of the following:

• Select the Intersect With Selection option

in the options bar, and drag.

• Hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS) and drag over the portion of the original selection

that you want to select.
An “x” appears next to the pointer when you’re selecting an intersected area.

Intersected selections

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To expand or contract a selection by a specific number of pixels
1 Use a selection tool to make a selection.
2 Choose Select > Modify > Expand or Contract.
3 For Expand By or Contract By, enter a pixel value between 1 and 100, and click OK.

The border is increased or decreased by the specified number of pixels. Any portion of the selection border running

along the canvas’s edge is unaffected.

To frame an existing selection with a new selection

1 Use a selection tool to make a selection.

2 Choose Select > Modify > Border.

3 Enter a value between 1 and 200 pixels for the border width of the new selection, and click OK.

The new selection frames the original selected area.

Original selection (left), and after Border command: 5 pixels (right)

The Border command creates an anti-aliased selection. To paint a hard-edged border around a selection, use the
Stroke command.

See also
“To fill a selection or a layer with a foreground or background color” on page 498

To expand a selection to include areas with similar color
Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Choose Select > Grow to include all adjacent pixels falling within the tolerance range specified in the

magic wand options.
• Choose Select > Similar to include pixels throughout the image, not just adjacent ones, falling within the tolerance

range.
To increase the selection in increments, choose either command more than once.
Note: You cannot use the Grow and Similar commands on Bitmap mode images or 32-bits-per-channel images.

To clean up stray pixels in a color-based selection

1 Choose Select > Modify > Smooth.

2 For Sample Radius, enter a pixel value between 1 and 100, and click OK.

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Photoshop or ImageReady checks around each selected pixel to find any unselected pixels falling within the specified
range. For example, if you enter 16 for the sample radius, the program uses each pixel as the center of a 33-by-33pixel area (16 pixels in the horizontal and vertical directions). If most pixels in the range are selected, any unselected
pixels are added to the selection. If most pixels are unselected, any selected pixels are removed from the selection.
Note: The relationship between physical distance and pixel distance depends on the resolution of the image. For example,
5 pixels is a longer distance in a 72-ppi image than in a 300-ppi image.

See also
“Pixel dimensions and image resolution” on page 178

Softening and refining the edges of selections
Methods for softening the edges of a selection
You can smooth the hard edges of a selection by anti-aliasing and by feathering.

Anti-aliasing Smooths the jagged edges of a selection by softening the color transition between edge pixels and

background pixels. Because only the edge pixels change, no detail is lost. Anti-aliasing is useful when cutting,

copying, and pasting selections to create composite images.

Anti-aliasing is available for the Lasso tool, the Polygonal Lasso tool, the Magnetic Lasso tool, the Rounded Rectangle

Marquee tool (ImageReady), the Elliptical Marquee tool, and the Magic Wand tool. (Select a tool to display its

options bar.) You must specify this option before using these tools. After a selection is made, you cannot add anti

aliasing.

Feathering Blurs edges by building a transition boundary between the selection and its surrounding pixels. This

blurring can cause some loss of detail at the edge of the selection.

You can define feathering for the Marquee tool, the Lasso tool, the Polygonal Lasso tool, or the Magnetic Lasso tool

as you use the tool, or you can add feathering to an existing selection. Feathering effects become apparent when you

move, cut, copy, or fill the selection.

To use anti-aliasing

1 Select the Lasso tool, the Polygonal Lasso tool, the Magnetic Lasso tool, the Rounded Rectangle Marquee tool

(ImageReady), the Elliptical Marquee tool, or the Magic Wand tool.

2 Select Anti-aliased in the options bar.

To define a feathered edge for a selection tool

1 Select any of the lasso or marquee tools.

2 Enter a Feather value in the options bar. This value defines the width of the feathered edge and can range from 0

to 250 pixels.

To define a feathered edge for an existing selection

1 Choose Select > Feather.

2 Enter a value for the Feather Radius, and click OK.

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Note: A small selection made with a large feather radius may be so faint that its edges are invisible and thus not
selectable. If you see the message “No pixels are more than 50% selected,” either decrease the feather radius or increase
the size of the selection. Or click OK to accept the mask at its current setting and create a selection in which you cannot
see the edges.

Selection without feathering and with feathering.
A. Selection with no feather, same selection filled with pattern B. Selection with feather, same selection filled with pattern

See also
“To create a temporary mask for use as a selection” on page 339

Removing fringe pixels from a selection
When you move or paste an anti-aliased selection, some of the pixels surrounding the selection border are included
with the selection. This can result in a fringe or halo around the edges of the pasted selection. These Matting
commands let you edit unwanted edge pixels:
• Defringe replaces the color of any fringe pixels with the colors of nearby pixels containing pure colors (those

without background color). For example, if you select a yellow object on a blue background and then move the
selection, some of the blue background is selected and moved with the object. Defringe replaces the blue pixels
with yellow ones.
• Remove Black Matte and Remove White Matte are useful when a selection is anti-aliased against a white or black

background and you want to paste it onto a different background. For example, anti-aliased black text on a white
background has gray pixels at the edges, which are visible against a colored background.
You can also remove fringe areas by using the Advanced Blending sliders in the Layer Styles dialog box to remove, or
make transparent, areas from the layer. In this case, you would make the black or white areas transparent. Alt-click
(Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the sliders to separate them; separating the sliders allows you to remove fringe
pixels and retain a smooth edge.

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To decrease fringe on a selection

1 Choose Layer > Matting > Defringe.

2 Enter a value in the Width text box to specify the area in which to search for replacement pixels. In most cases, a

distance of 1 or 2 pixels is enough.

3 Click OK.

To remove a matte from a selection
❖ Choose Layer > Matting > Remove Black Matte or Layer > Matting > Remove White Matte.

Moving, copying, and pasting selections and layers
Moving selections and layers within an image
The Move tool lets you drag a selection or layer to a new location in the image. With the Info palette open, you can
track the exact distance of the move. You can also use the Move tool to align selections and layers and distribute layers
within an image.

See also
“Selecting layers” on page 399

To specify Move tool options
1 Select the Move tool

2 Select any of the following in the options bar:
Auto Select Layer Selects the topmost layer that has pixels under the Move tool, rather than the selected layer.
Auto Select Groups Selects the layer group that the selected layer is in.
Show Transform Controls Displays handles on the bounding box around the selected item.

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To move a selection or layer
1 Select the Move tool

To activate the Move tool when another tool is selected, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS). (This
technique does not work with the Pen tool, the Freeform Pen tool, the Path Selection tool, the Direct Selection tool,
the Hand tool, the Slice Select tool, or the anchor point tools.)
2 Do one of the following:
• Move the pointer inside the selection border, and drag the selection to a new position. If you have selected multiple

areas, all move as you drag.

Original selection (left), and after the selection is moved with the Move tool (right)

• Select the layer you want to move. Then drag the layer to a new position.

To align selections and layers within an image
1 Do one of the following:
• To align the content of a layer to a selection, make a selection in the image. Then select a layer in the Layers palette.
• To align the contents of multiple layers to a selection border, make a selection in the image. In the Layers palette,

select the layers you want to align. Shift-click to select contiguous layers, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click
to select noncontiguous layers.
• To align the contents of layers with the content of the active layer, select the layers you want to align to the active

layer. Shift-click to select contiguous layers, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click to select non-contiguous
layers.
2 Select the Move tool

3 Select one or more alignment options in the options bar.

Alignment options
A. Top B. Vertical Centers

C. Bottom

D. Left E. Horizontal Centers

See also
“To link and unlink layers” on page 401

F. Right

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To distribute layers in an image
1 In the Layers palette, select three or more layers. Shift-click to select contiguous layers, Ctrl-click (Windows) or
Command-click to select noncontiguous layers.
2 Select the Move tool

3 Select one or more distribute options in the options bar.

Distribute options
A. Top B. Vertical Centers

C. Bottom

D. Left E. Horizontal Centers

F. Right

See also
“To link and unlink layers” on page 401

Copying selections or layers
You can use the Move tool to copy selections as you drag them within or between images, or you can copy and move
selections using the Copy, Copy Merged, Cut, and Paste commands. Dragging with the Move tool saves memory
because the clipboard is not used as it is with the Copy, Copy Merged, Cut, and Paste commands.
Copy Copies the selected area on the active layer.
Copy Merged Makes a merged copy of all the visible layers in the selected area.
Paste Pastes a cut or copied selection into another part of the image or into another image as a new layer. If you have
a selection, the Paste command places the copied selection over the current selection. Without an active selection,
Paste places the copied selection in the middle of the view area.
Paste Into (Photoshop) Pastes a cut or copied selection inside another selection in the same image or a different
image. The source selection is pasted onto a new layer, and the destination selection border is converted into a layer
mask.

Keep in mind that when a selection or layer is pasted between images with different resolutions, the pasted data
retains its pixel dimensions. This can make the pasted portion appear out of proportion to the new image. Use the
Image Size command to make the source and destination images the same resolution before copying and pasting,
and then set the zoom of both images to the same magnification.
Depending on your color management settings and the color profile associated with the file (or imported data), you
may be prompted to specify how to handle color information in the file (or imported data).

See also
“To determine a suggested resolution for an image” on page 186
“Masking layers” on page 432
“To set up color management for Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop” on page 254

To copy a selection
1 Select the area you want to copy.
2 Choose Edit > Copy or Edit > Copy Merged.

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To copy a selection while dragging
1 Select the Move tool

, or hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) to activate the Move tool.

2 Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag the selection you want to copy and move.

When copying between images, drag the selection from the active image window into the destination image window.
If nothing is selected, the entire active layer is copied. As you drag the selection over another image window, a border
highlights the window if you can drop the selection into it.

Dragging a selection into another image

To create multiple copies of a selection within an image
1 Select the Move tool

, or hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) to activate the Move tool.

2 Copy the selection:
• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag the selection.
• To copy the selection and offset the duplicate by 1 pixel, hold down Alt or Option, and press an arrow key.
• To copy the selection and offset the duplicate by 10 pixels, press Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS),

and press an arrow key.
As long as you hold down Alt or Option, each press of an arrow key creates a copy of the selection and offsets it by
the specified distance from the last duplicate. In this case, the copy isn’t made on a new layer.

To paste one selection into another

1 Cut or copy the part of the image you want to paste.

2 Select the part of the image into which you want to paste the selection. The source selection and the destination

selection can be in the same image or in two different Photoshop images.

3 Choose Edit > Paste Into. The contents of the source selection appear masked by the destination selection.

In the Layers palette, the layer thumbnail for the source selection appears next to the layer mask thumbnail for the

destination selection. The layer and layer mask are unlinked—that is, you can move each one independently.

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E
D

Using the Paste Into command
A. Window panes selected B. Copied image
image repositioned

C. Paste Into command

D. Layer thumbnails and layer mask in Layers palette E. Pasted

4 Select the Move tool

, or hold down the Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) key to activate the Move tool.
Then drag the source contents until the part you want appears through the mask.

5 To specify how much of the underlying image shows through, click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette,

select a painting tool, and edit the mask:
• To hide more of the image underlying the layer, paint the mask with black.
• To reveal more of the image underlying the layer, paint the mask with white.
• To partially reveal the image underlying the layer, paint the mask with gray.
6 If you are satisfied with your results, you can choose Layer > Merge Down to merge the new layer and layer mask
with the underlying layer and make the changes permanent.

See also
“Masking layers” on page 432

Using drag-and-drop to copy between applications
The drag-and-drop feature lets you copy and move images between Photoshop or ImageReady and other applica
tions.
In Windows, the application must be OLE-compliant. To duplicate an entire image by dragging and dropping, use
the Move tool to drag the image. To copy an OLE object that contains PSD data, use the OLE clipboard. (See your
Windows documentation.)

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Dragging vector artwork from Adobe Illustrator or from other applications that use the Illustrator clipboard
rasterizes the artwork—the mathematically defined lines and curves of the vector art are converted into the pixels or
bits of a bitmap image. To copy the vector artwork as a path in Photoshop, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command
(Mac OS) as you drag from Adobe Illustrator. To copy type, you must first convert it to outlines.

Using the clipboard to copy between applications
You can often use the Cut or Copy command to copy selections between Photoshop or ImageReady and other appli
cations. The cut or copied selection remains on the clipboard until you cut or copy another selection.
In some cases, the contents of the clipboard are converted to a raster image. Photoshop prompts you when vector
artwork will be rasterized.
Note: The image is rasterized at the resolution of the file into which you paste it.

To save clipboard contents when you quit Photoshop
1 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences > General.
• (Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.
2 Select Export Clipboard to save any Photoshop contents on the clipboard when you quit Photoshop. If you leave

this deselected, the contents are deleted when you quit the program.

To paste PostScript artwork from another application

1 In the supporting application, select your artwork, and choose Edit > Copy.

2 (Photoshop or ImageReady) Select the image into which you’ll paste the selection.

3 Choose Edit > Paste.

4 (Photoshop) In the Paste dialog box, select from the following Paste As options:

Smart Object Places the artwork in a new layer as a smart object.

Pixels Rasterizes the artwork as it is pasted. Rasterizing converts mathematically defined vector artwork to pixels.

Paths Pastes the copy as a path in the Paths palette. When copying type from Illustrator, you must first convert it to

outlines.

Shape Layer Creates a new shape layer that uses the path as a vector mask.

Note: When copying artwork from Adobe Illustrator, Illustrator’s default clipboard preferences may prevent the Paste
dialog box from appearing in Photoshop. Select AICB in the File Handling and Clipboard area of Illustrator’s Preferences
dialog box if you want the Paste options to appear when you paste the artwork in Photoshop.
5 If you chose Paste As Pixels in the previous step, you can choose Anti-aliased in the options bar to make a smooth
transition between the edges of the selection and the surrounding pixels.

Note: You can use the Matting commands if you have already merged data and are trying to reextract the rasterized
data.

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See also
“Smart Objects” on page 427
“About file formats” on page 678
“Removing fringe pixels from a selection” on page 327

Saving, loading, and deleting selections
To save a selection

1 Make a selection using any of the selection tools.

2 Choose Select > Save Selection.

3 Specify the following Destination options in the Save Selection dialog box:

Document Chooses the active file as the source.

Channel Chooses a new channel or the channel containing the selection you want to load.
Name Lets you enter a name for the selection.
4 Select an Operation option to specify how to combine the selections if the destination image already has a
selection:
New Channel Saves the current selection in a new channel.
Add To Channel Adds the current selection to existing selections in the destination channel.
Subtract From Channel Subtracts the current selection from existing selections in the destination channel.
Intersect With Channel Saves a selection from an area intersected by the current selection and existing selections

in the destination channel.

To remove (cut) an object from a photo

1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the object you want to remove.

2 Using a selection tool, select the object that you want to remove.

3 If you need to refine the selection, click the Quick Mask Mode button

in the toolbox. Photoshop masks or
covers the nonselected areas of the image in a translucent color. Select a brush and appropriate brush size in the
options bar. Paint with black to add to the mask; paint with white to reveal more of the image.

4 To remove the selected object, choose Edit > Cut.

See also
“The Extract filter” on page 336

To delete a selection
❖ Choose Edit > Clear, or press Backspace (Windows) or Delete (Mac OS). To cut a selection to the clipboard,

choose Edit > Cut.

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Deleting a selection on a background or on a layer with the Lock Transparency option selected in the Layers palette

replaces the original location with the background color. Deleting a selection on a layer without Lock Transparency

selected replaces the original area with the layer transparency.

To load a saved selection into an image

1 Choose Select > Load Selection.

2 Specify the Source options in the Load Selection dialog box:

Document Chooses the active file as the source.

Channel Chooses the channel containing the selection you want to load.

Invert Makes the nonselected areas selected.

3 Select an Operation option to specify how to combine the selections if the image already has a selection:

New Selection Adds the loaded selection.

Add To Selection Adds the loaded selection to any existing selections in the image.

Subtract From Selection Subtracts the loaded selection from existing selections in the image.

Intersect With Selection Saves a selection from an area intersected by the loaded selection and existing selections

in the image.

See also
“To save a mask selection” on page 343

To load a saved selection in ImageReady
❖ Choose Select > Load Selection, and then choose an option from the submenu.

See also
“To save a mask selection” on page 343

To load a selection from another image

1 Open the two images you want to use.

2 Make the destination image active, and choose Select > Load Selection.

3 Specify the following options in the Load Selection dialog box:

Document Chooses the source image.

Channel Chooses the channel containing the selection you want to load as a mask.

Invert Makes the nonselected areas selected.

Operation Specifies how to combine the selections if the destination image already has a selection.

You can drag a selection from one open Photoshop image into another.

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Extracting selections
The Extract filter
The Extract filter dialog box provides a sophisticated way to isolate a foreground object and erase its background on
a layer. Even objects with wispy, intricate, or undefinable edges may be clipped from their backgrounds with a
minimum of manual work. You use tools in the Extract dialog box to specify which part of the image to extract. You
can resize the dialog box by dragging its lower right corner.
For simpler cases, try using the Background Eraser tool.
When you extract the object, Photoshop erases its background to transparency. Pixels on the edge of the object lose
their color components derived from the background, so they can blend with a new background without producing
a color halo.

Selected area highlighted and filled, and extracted object

You can add back opacity to the background and create other effects by using the Edit > Fade command after an
extraction.

See also
“To use the Background Eraser tool” on page 492
“To blend effects” on page 513

To extract an object from its background
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the object you want to extract. If you select a background layer, it
becomes a normal layer after the extraction. If the layer contains a selection, the extraction erases the background
only in the selected area.

To avoid losing the original image information, duplicate the layer or make a snapshot of the original image state.
2 Choose Filter > Extract, and then specify tool options:
Brush Size Enter a value, or drag the slider to specify the width of the Edge Highlighter tool

. You also use the

Brush Size option to specify the width of the Eraser, Cleanup, and Edge Touchup tools.
Highlight Choose a preset color option for the highlight that appears around objects when you use the Edge

Highlighter tool, or choose Other to pick a custom color for the highlight.
Fill Choose a preset color option, or choose Other to pick a custom color for the area covered by the Fill tool.

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Smart Highlighting Select this option if you are highlighting a well-defined edge. The option helps you keep the

highlight on the edge, and applies a highlight that is just wide enough to cover the edge, regardless of the current
brush size.
Note: If you use Smart Highlighting to mark an object edge that’s near another edge, decrease the brush size if conflicting
edges pull the highlight off the object edge. If the object edge has a uniform color on one side and high-contrast edges on
the other side, keep the object edge within the brush area but center the brush on the uniform color.
Specify Extraction options:
Textured Image Select this option if the foreground or background of your image contains a lot of texture.
Smooth Enter a value or drag the slider to increase or decrease the smoothness of the outline. It’s usually best to
begin with zero or a small value to avoid unwanted blurring of details. If there are sharp artifacts in the extraction
result, you can increase the Smooth value to help remove them in the next extraction.
Channel Choose the alpha channel from the Channel menu to base the highlight on a selection saved in an alpha

channel. The alpha channel should be based on a selection of the edge boundary. If you modify a highlight based on
a channel, the channel name in the menu changes to Custom. Your image must have an alpha channel for the Channel
option to be available.
Force Foreground Select this option if the object is especially intricate or lacks a clear interior.
3 Select the Edge Highlighter tool

, and draw to define the edge of the object you want to extract. Drag so that
the highlight slightly overlaps both the foreground object and its background. Use a large brush to cover wispy,
intricate edges where the foreground blends into the background, as with hair or trees.
Use either the Zoom tool or the Hand tool to adjust the view as needed.
If you need to erase the highlight, select the Eraser tool
, and drag over the highlight. To erase the entire
highlight, press Alt+Backspace (Windows) or Option+Delete (Mac OS).
If the object has a well-defined interior, make sure that the highlight forms a complete enclosure. You do not need to
highlight areas where the object touches the image boundaries. If the object lacks a clear interior, highlight the entire
object.
Note: You can’t highlight the entire object if you’ve selected Textured Image or Force Foreground.
4 Define the foreground area by doing one of the following:
• If the object has a well-defined interior, select the Fill tool

. Click inside the object to fill its interior. Clicking

a filled area again with the Fill tool removes the fill.
• If you’ve selected Force Foreground, select the Eyedropper tool

, and click inside the object to sample the
foreground color, or click in the Color text box and use a color picker to select the foreground color. This technique
works best with objects that contain tones of a single color.

5 (Optional) Click Preview to preview the extracted object. Zoom in as needed, and set any of the following preview
options:
Show Choose a menu option to switch between views of the original and the extracted image.
Display Choose a menu option to preview the extracted object against a colored matte background or a grayscale

background. To display a transparent background, choose None.
Show Highlight Shows the object’s highlight in the preview.
Show Fill Shows the object’s fill in the preview.

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6 (Optional) Improve the extraction by doing one of the following:
• Choose new Highlight and Fill options and draw again with the Edge Highlighter tool. Define the foreground area

once more, and then preview the extracted object.
• Specify new Extraction settings (Smooth, Force Foreground, or Color) and then preview the extracted object.

When you are satisfied with the extraction, you can do the final touchups.
7 Touch up the extraction results by doing one of the following:
• To erase background traces in the extracted area, use the Cleanup tool

. The tool subtracts opacity and has a
cumulative effect. You can also use the Cleanup tool to fill gaps in the extracted object. Hold down Alt (Windows)
or Option (Mac OS) while dragging to add back opacity.

• To edit the edge of the extracted object, use the Edge Touchup tool

. The tool sharpens edges and has a
cumulative effect. If there is no clear edge, the Edge Touchup tool adds opacity to the object or subtracts opacity
from the background.
You can also clean up the image after an extraction by using the Background Eraser and History Brush tools in the
toolbox.

8 Click OK to apply the final extraction. On the layer, all pixels outside the extracted object are erased to trans
parency.

Using masks
About masks and alpha channels
When you select part of an image, the area that is not selected is “masked” or protected from editing. So, when you
create a mask, you isolate and protect areas of an image as you apply color changes, filters, or other effects to the rest
of the image. You can also use masks for complex image editing such as gradually applying color or filter effects to
an image.

Examples of masks
A. Opaque mask used to protect the background and edit the butterfly B. Opaque mask used to protect the butterfly and color the
background C. Semitransparent mask used to color the background and part of the butterfly

In Photoshop, masks are stored in alpha channels. Masks and channels are grayscale images, so you can edit them
like any other image. With masks and channels, areas painted black are protected, and areas painted white are
editable.

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Photoshop lets you create masks in the following ways:
Quick Mask mode Lets you edit any selection as a mask. The advantage of editing your selection as a mask is that

you can use almost any Photoshop tool or filter to modify the mask. For example, if you create a rectangular selection
with the Marquee tool, you can enter Quick Mask mode and use the Paintbrush tool to expand or decrease the
selection, or you can use a filter to distort the edges of the selection. You can also use selection tools, because the
quick mask is not a selection. You can also save and load selections you make using Quick Mask mode in alpha
channels.
Alpha channels Let you save and load selections. You can edit alpha channels using any of the editing tools. When

a channel is selected in the Channels palette, foreground and background colors appear as grayscale values. Storing
selections as alpha channels creates more permanent masks than the temporary masks of Quick Mask mode. You can
reuse stored selections or even load them into another image.

Selection saved as an alpha channel in Channels palette

Note: In Photoshop and ImageReady, it’s possible to create layer masks to isolate and protect areas of an image. Layer
masks, and also vector masks in Photoshop, let you produce a mix of soft and hard masking edges on the same layer. By
making changes to the layer mask or the vector masks, you can apply a variety of special effects. Because ImageReady
doesn’t let you work with channels, its layer masks aren’t stored as alpha channels.

See also
“Masking layers” on page 432

To create a temporary mask for use as a selection
To use Quick Mask mode, start with a selection and then add to or subtract from it to make the mask. You can also
create the mask entirely in Quick Mask mode. Color differentiates the protected and unprotected areas. When you
leave Quick Mask mode, the unprotected areas become a selection.
Note: A temporary Quick Mask channel appears in the Channels palette while you work in Quick Mask mode. However,
you do all mask editing in the image window.
1 Using any selection tool, select the part of the image you want to change.
2 Click the Quick Mask mode button

in the toolbox.

A color overlay (similar to a rubylith) covers and protects the area outside the selection. Selected areas are left unpro
tected by this mask. By default, Quick Mask mode colors the protected area using a red, 50% opaque overlay.

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B
C
D

Selecting in Standard mode and Quick Mask mode
A. Standard mode B. Quick Mask mode C. Selected pixels appear as white in channel thumbnail
side selection, and unselected pixels appear as black in channel thumbnail

D. Rubylith overlay protects area out

3 To edit the mask, select a painting tool from the toolbox. The swatches in the toolbox automatically become black
and white.
4 Paint with white to select more of an image (the color overlay is removed from areas painted with white). To
deselect areas, paint over them with black (the color overlay covers areas painted with black). Painting with gray or
another color creates a semitransparent area, useful for feathering or anti-aliased effects. (Semitransparent areas may
not appear to be selected when you exit Quick Mask Mode, but they are.)

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Painting in Quick Mask mode
A. Original selection and Quick Mask mode with green chosen as mask color B. Painting with white in Quick Mask mode adds to the
selection C. Painting with black in Quick Mask mode subtracts from the selection

5 Click the Standard Mode button
in the toolbox to turn off the quick mask and return to your original image.
A selection border now surrounds the unprotected area of the quick mask.

If a feathered mask is converted to a selection, the boundary line runs halfway between the black pixels and the white
pixels of the mask gradient. The selection boundary indicates the transition between pixels that are less than 50%
selected and those that are more than 50% selected.
6 Apply the desired changes to the image. Changes affect only the selected area.
7 Choose Select > Deselect to deselect the selection, or save the selection by choosing Select > Save Selection.

You can convert this temporary mask to a permanent alpha channel by switching to standard mode and choosing
Select > Save Selection

To change the Quick Mask options
1 Double-click the Quick Mask Mode button

in the toolbox.

2 Choose from the following display options:
Masked Areas Sets masked areas to black (opaque) and selected areas to white (transparent). Painting with black

increases the masked area; painting with white increases the selected area. When this option is selected, the Quick
Mask button in the toolbox becomes a white circle on a gray background
.
Selected Areas Sets masked areas to white (transparent) and selected areas to black (opaque). Painting with white

increases the masked area; painting with black increases the selected area. When this option is selected, the Quick
Mask button in the toolbox becomes a gray circle on a white background
.

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To toggle between the Masked Areas and Selected Areas options for quick masks, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click
(Mac OS) the Quick Mask Mode button.
3 To choose a new mask color, click the color box, and choose a new color.

4 To change the opacity, enter a value between 0% and 100%.

Both the color and opacity settings affect only the appearance of the mask and have no effect on how underlying areas

are protected. Changing these settings may make the mask more easily visible against the colors in the image.

See also
“About the Swatches palette” on page 506

To create an alpha channel and add a mask
You can create a new alpha channel and then use painting tools, editing tools, and filters to create a mask from the
alpha channel. You can also save an existing selection in a Photoshop or ImageReady image as an alpha channel that
appears in the Channels palette in Photoshop.
1 Do one of the following:
• To create a new alpha channel using the current option settings, click the New Channel button

at the bottom

of the Channels palette. Skip to the note in step 6.
• To create an alpha channel and specify option settings, either Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the

New Channel button at the bottom of the Channels palette, or choose New Channel from the Channels
palette menu.
2 If you are specifying option settings, begin by typing a name for the alpha channel in the Name text box of the
New Channel dialog box.
3 To set a display option for the mask, select one of the following in the New Channel dialog box:

Masked Areas Sets masked areas to black (opaque) and selected areas to white (transparent). Painting with black

increases the masked area; painting with white increases the selected area. When this option is selected, the Quick
.
Mask button in the toolbox becomes a white circle on a gray background
Selected Areas Sets masked areas to white (transparent) and selected areas to black (opaque). Painting with white

increases the masked area; painting with black increases the selected area. When this option is selected, the Quick
.
Mask button in the toolbox becomes a gray circle on a white background
4 To specify the appearance of the mask, any of the following in the New Channel dialog box:
• To choose a new mask color, click the color box and then use the Adobe Color Picker to select a new color.

Click OK to close the Adobe Color Picker after selecting a color.
• To change the opacity, enter a value between 0% and 100%.

Both the color and opacity settings affect only the appearance of the mask and have no effect on how underlying areas
are protected. Changing these settings may make the mask more easily visible against the colors in the image.
5 Click OK to close the New Channel dialog box.
6 (Optional) Click the eye icon

next to a color channel or the composite color channel, such as RGB, to display
the image with a color overlay showing the mask.

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Note: When the new channel appears at the bottom of the Channels palette, it is the only channel visible in the image
window unless you click a color channel or the composite color channel.
7 Select a painting or editing tool and do one of the following to add or subtract from the mask created from the
alpha channel:
• To remove areas in the new channel, paint with white.
• To add areas in the new channel, paint with black.
• Add or remove areas using opacities less than 100%, set the opacity in the options bar of the painting or editing

tool and then paint with white or black. You can also paint with a color to achieve lower opacities.

See also
“About masks and alpha channels” on page 338

Properties of alpha channels
An alpha channel has these properties:
• Each image can contain up to 56 channels, including all color and alpha channels.
• You can specify a name, color, mask option, and opacity for each channel. (The opacity affects the preview of the

channel, not the image.)
• All new channels have the same dimensions and number of pixels as the original image.
• You can edit the mask in an alpha channel using painting tools, editing tools, and filters.

Original mask (left), and after a filter was applied (right)

• You can convert alpha channels to spot color channels.

To save a mask selection
You can save any selection as a mask in a new or existing alpha channel.
1 Select the area or areas of the image that you want to isolate.
2 Click the Save Selection button
at the bottom of the Channels palette. A new channel appears, named
according to the sequence in which it was created.

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To save a selection to a new or existing channel

1 In Photoshop or ImageReady, use a selection tool to select the area or areas of the image that you want to isolate.

2 Choose Select > Save Selection.

3 Specify the following in the Save Selection dialog box, and click OK:

Document Chooses a destination image for the selection. By default, the selection is placed in a channel in your

active image. You can choose to save the selection to a channel in another open image with the same pixel dimensions

or to a new image.

Channel Chooses a destination channel for the selection. By default, the selection is saved in a new channel. You can

choose to save the selection to any existing channel in the selected image or to a layer mask if the image contains

layers.

4 If you’re saving the selection as a new channel, type a name for the channel in the Name text box. In ImageReady,

you can change the default channel name if you want to.

5 If you’re saving the selection to an existing channel, select how to combine the selections:

Replace Channel Replaces the current selection in the channel.

Add to Channel Adds the selection to the current channel contents.
Subtract From Channel Deletes the selection from the channel contents.
Intersect With Channel Keeps the areas of the new selection that intersect with the channel contents.

In Photoshop, you can select the channel in the Channels palette to see the saved selection displayed in grayscale. A
selection saved in ImageReady will appear in a new or existing channel in the Photoshop Channels palette.

To change an alpha channel’s options
1 In the Channel palette, do one of the following:
• Select the channel, click the triangle in the upper right corner of the Channels palette, and choose Channel

Options from the palette menu.
• Double-click the channel thumbnail in the Channels palette.

2 If you want to rename the channel, type the new name in the Name text box of the Channel Options dialog box.

3 To set a display option for the mask, select one of the following in the Channel Options dialog box:

Masked Areas Sets masked areas to black (opaque) and selected areas to white (transparent). Painting with black

increases the masked area; painting with white increases the selected area. When this option is selected, the Quick

.
Mask button in the toolbox becomes a white circle on a gray background

Selected Areas Sets masked areas to white (transparent) and selected areas to black (opaque). Painting with white

increases the masked area; painting with black increases the selected area. When this option is selected, the Quick
.
Mask button in the toolbox becomes a gray circle on a white background
Spot Color Converts an alpha channel to a spot color channel.
4 To specify the appearance of the mask, do the following in the Channel Options dialog box:
• To choose a new mask color, click the color box, and choose a new color.
• To change the opacity, enter a value between 0% and 100%.

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See also
“About channels” on page 438
“About spot colors” on page 442

To load a saved selection from an alpha channel
You can reuse a previously saved selection by loading it into an image. You can also load the selection into an image
after you finish modifying an alpha channel.
❖ Do one of the following in the Channels palette:

• Select the alpha channel, click the Load Selection button

at the bottom of the palette, and then click the

composite color channel near the top of the palette.

• Drag the channel containing the selection you want to load onto the Load Selection button.
• Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the channel containing the selection you want to load.
• To add the mask to an existing selection, press Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS), and click the

channel.
• To subtract the mask from an existing selection, press Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Command+Option (Mac OS), and

click the channel.
• To load the intersection of the saved selection and an existing selection, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or

Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS), and select the channel.
You can drag a selection from one open Photoshop image into another.

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Chapter 13: Transforming and retouching

Changing the size of the work canvas
Changing the canvas size
The Canvas Size command lets you add or remove work space around an existing image. You can also use the

command to crop an image by decreasing the canvas area. In ImageReady, added canvas appears in the same color

or transparency as the background. In Photoshop, there are several options for the background of the added canvas.

If your image has a transparent background, the added canvas is transparent.

To change the size of the canvas

1 Choose Image > Canvas Size.

2 Do one of the following:

• Enter the dimensions for the canvas in the Width and Height boxes. (Photoshop) Choose the units of

measurement you want from the drop-down menus next to the Width and Height boxes.
• Select Relative, and enter the amount by which you want to increase or decrease the size of the canvas. (Enter a

negative number to decrease the size of the canvas.)
3 For Anchor, click a square to indicate where to position the existing image on the new canvas.
4 (Photoshop) Choose an option from the Canvas Extension Color menu:
• Foreground to fill the new canvas with the current foreground color
• Background to fill the new canvas with the current background color
• White, Black, or Gray to fill the new canvas with that color
• Other to select a new canvas color using the Color Picker

Note: The Canvas Extension Color menu isn’t available if an image doesn’t contain a background layer.
5 Click OK.

Original canvas, and canvas added to right side of image using the foreground color

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To make a photo frame
You can make a photo frame by increasing the canvas size and filling it with a color.
You can also use one of the prerecorded actions to make a styled photo frame. It’s best to do this on a copy of your
photo.
1 Open the Actions palette. Choose Window > Actions.
2 Choose Photo Frames from the Actions palette menu.
3 Choose one of the photo frame actions from the list.
4 Click the Play Action button.

The action plays, creating the frame around your photo.

Rotating and flipping entire images
Rotating and flipping entire images
The Rotate Canvas commands let you rotate or flip an entire image. The commands do not work on individual layers
or parts of layers, paths, or selection borders.

Rotating images
A. Flip Horizontal B. Original image

C. Flip Vertical D. Rotate 90˚ CCW

E. Rotate 180˚

F. Rotate 90˚ CW

To rotate or flip an entire image
❖ Choose Image > Rotate Canvas, and choose one of the following commands from the submenu:

180˚ Rotates the image by a half-turn.

90˚ CW Rotates the image clockwise by a quarter-turn.

90˚ CCW Rotates the image counterclockwise by a quarter-turn.

Arbitrary Rotates the image by the angle you specify. If you choose this option, enter an angle between –359.99 and

359.99 in the angle text box. (In Photoshop, you can select CW or CCW to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise.)

Then click OK.

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Flip Canvas Horizontal (Photoshop) or Flip Horizontal (ImageReady) Flips the image horizontally, along the

vertical axis.
Flip Canvas Vertical (Photoshop) or Flip Vertical (ImageReady) Flips the image vertically, along the horizontal

axis.

Cropping images
Cropping images
Cropping is the process of removing portions of an image to create focus or strengthen the composition. You can
and the Crop command. You can also trim pixels using the Crop And
crop an image using the Crop tool
Straighten and the Trim commands.

Using the Crop tool

To crop an image using the Crop tool

1 Select the Crop tool

2 If necessary, use the options bar to set any Crop tool options.

3 Drag over the part of the image you want to keep to create a marquee. The marquee doesn’t have to be precise—

you can adjust it later.

4 If necessary, adjust the cropping marquee:

• To move the marquee to another position, place the pointer inside the bounding box and drag.
• To scale the marquee, drag a handle. To constrain the proportions, hold down Shift as you drag a corner handle.
• To rotate the marquee, position the pointer outside the bounding box (the pointer turns into a curved arrow), and

drag. To move the center point around which the marquee rotates, drag the circle at the center of the bounding
box.
Note: In Photoshop, you can’t rotate the marquee for an image in Bitmap mode.
5 Do one of the following:
• To complete the crop, press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS), click the Commit button

or double-click inside the cropping marquee.
• To cancel the cropping operation, press Esc or click the Cancel button

in the options bar.

in the options bar,

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To set Crop tool options
❖ Choose from the following in the options bar to set the mode of the Crop tool:

• (Photoshop) To crop the image without resampling (default), make sure that the Resolution text box in the options

bar is empty. You can click the Clear button to quickly clear all text boxes.
• (Photoshop) To resample the image during cropping, enter values for the height, width, and resolution in the

options bar. The Crop tool won’t resample the image unless the width and/or height, and resolution are provided.
If you’ve entered height and width dimensions and want the values quickly exchanged, click the Swaps Height And
.
Width icon
Note: (Photoshop) You can click the triangle next to the Crop tool icon in the options bar to open the Tool Preset Picker
and select a resampling preset. As with all Photoshop tools, you can create your own Crop tool preset. See also “To create
a tool preset” on page 48.
• (ImageReady) To crop the image without resampling, make sure that Fixed Size is deselected in the options bar.
• (ImageReady) To resample the image during cropping, select Fixed Size, and enter a height and width in the

options bar.
• To resample an image based on the dimensions and resolution of another image, open the other image, select the

Crop tool, and click Front Image in the options bar. (In ImageReady, you must select the Fixed Size option to
access the Front Image button.) Then make the image you want to crop active.
Resampling during cropping combines the function of the Image > Image Size command with that of the Crop tool.
• Specify whether you want to hide or delete the cropped area. Select Hide to preserve the cropped area in the image

file. You can make the hidden area visible by moving the image with the Move tool. Select Delete to discard the
cropped area.
Note: In Photoshop, the Hide option is not available for images that contain only a background layer. If you want to crop
a background by hiding, convert the background to a regular layer first. In ImageReady, cropping a background by hiding
automatically converts the background to a regular layer.
• Specify whether you want to use a cropping shield to shade the area of the image that will be deleted or hidden.

When Shield is selected, you can specify a color and opacity for the cropping shield. When Shield is deselected,
the area outside the cropping marquee is revealed.

See also
“Resampling” on page 182
“About the background layer” on page 396

To crop an image using the Crop command
In addition to the Crop tool, you can use the crop and trim commands to crop an image.
1 Use a selection tool to select the part of the image you want to keep.
2 Choose Image > Crop.

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To crop an image using the Trim command

1 Choose Image > Trim.

2 In the Trim dialog box, select an option:

• Transparent Pixels to trim away transparency at the edges of the image, leaving the smallest image containing

nontransparent pixels.
• Top Left Pixel Color to remove an area the color of the upper left pixel from the image.
• Bottom Right Pixel Color to remove an area the color of the lower right pixel from the image.
3 Select one or more areas of the image to trim away: Top, Bottom, Left, or Right.

Transforming perspective while cropping
The Crop tool in Photoshop has an additional option that allows you to transform the perspective in an image. This
is very useful when working with images that contain keystone distortion. Keystone distortion occurs when an object
is photographed from an angle rather than from a straight-on view. For example, if you take a picture of a tall building
from ground level, the edges of the building appear closer to each other at the top than they do at the bottom.

Steps to transform perspective
A. Draw initial cropping marquee
image

B. Adjust cropping marquee to match the object’s edges

C. Extend the cropping bounds D. Final

To transform the perspective in an image
1 Select the Crop tool

and set the crop mode.

2 Drag the cropping marquee around an object that was rectangular in the original scene (although it doesn’t appear
rectangular in the image). You’ll use the edges of this object to define the perspective in the image. The marquee
doesn’t have to be precise—you’ll adjust it later.

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Important: You must select an object that was rectangular in the original scene or Photoshop will not be able to
transform the perspective in the image.
3 Select Perspective in the options bar, and set the other options as desired.
4 Move the corner handles of the cropping marquee to match the object’s edges. This defines the perspective in the
image, so it is important to precisely match the object’s edges.
5 Drag the side handles to extend the cropping bounds while preserving the perspective.

Note: Do not move the center point of the cropping marquee. The center point needs to be in its original position in order
to perform perspective correction.
6 Do one of the following:
• Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS), click the Commit button

in the options bar, or double-click inside

the cropping marquee.
• To cancel the cropping operation, press Esc or click the Cancel button

in the options bar.

If Photoshop displays an error, it is probably due to improper placement of the corner handles or center point. Click
Cancel to go back and adjust the cropping marquee; click Don’t Crop to cancel the cropping operation. An error may
also occur if you’re working with a previously cropped image.

To use the Crop And Straighten Photos command
The Crop and Straighten Photos command helps you make separate image files from multiple images in a single scan.
For best results, you should keep 1/8 inch between the images in your scan, and the background (typically the
scanner bed) should be a uniform color with little noise. The Crop and Straighten Photos command works best on
images with clearly delineated outlines.
If the Crop And Straighten Photos command cannot process a complex image file, use the Crop tool.
1 Open the scanned file that contains the images you want to separate.
2 Select the layer that contains the images. Alternatively, draw a selection border around one or more images to
generate just those images into separate files.
3 Choose File > Automate > Crop And Straighten Photos. The scanned images are processed, and then each image
opens in its own window.

If the Crop And Straighten Photos command incorrectly splits one of your images, make a selection border around
the image and some background, and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) when you choose the
command. The modifier key indicates only one image should be separated from the background.

Correcting image distortion
The Lens Correction filter
The Lens Correction filter fixes common lens flaws such as barrel and pincushion distortion, vignetting, and
chromatic aberration.
Barrel distortion is a lens defect that causes straight lines to bow out toward the edges of the image. Pincushion
distortion is the opposite effect, where straight lines bend inward.

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Examples of barrel distortion (left) and pincushion distortion (right)

Vignetting is a defect where the edges, especially the corners, of an image are darker than the center. Chromatic
aberration appears as a color fringe along the edges of objects caused by the lens focusing on different colors of light
in different planes.
Some lenses exhibit these defects depending on the focal length or the f-stop used. You can set the Lens Correction
filter to use settings based on the camera, lens, and focal length used to make the image.
You can also use the filter to rotate an image or fix image perspective caused by vertical or horizontal camera tilt. The
filter’s image grid makes these adjustments easier and more accurate than using the Transform command.

To correct image perspective and lens flaws
1 Choose Filter > Distort > Lens Correction.
2 Set the grid and image zoom. As you work you may want to adjust the grid lines to help you judge the amount of
correction to make. See “To adjust the Lens Correction preview and grid” on page 353.
3 (Optional) Choose a preset list of settings from the Settings menu. Lens Default uses settings that you previously
saved for the camera, lens, focal length, and f-stop combination used to make the image. Previous Conversion uses
the settings used in your last lens correction. Any group of custom settings you saved are listed at the bottom of the
menu. See “Setting camera and lens defaults” on page 353.
4 Set any of the following options to correct your image.
Remove Distortion Corrects lens barrel or pincushion distortion. Move the slider to straighten horizontal and
vertical lines that bend either away from or toward the center of the image. You can also use the Remove Distortion
to make this correction. Drag toward the center of the image to correct for barrel distortion and toward the
tool
edge of the image to correct for pincushion distortion. Adjust the Edge option to specify how you want to handle any
resulting blank image edges.
Vignette Corrects images that have darkened edges caused by lens faults or improper lens shading.
Amount Sets the amount of lightening or darkening along the edges of an image.
Midpoint Specifies the width of area affected by the Amount slider. Specify a lower number to affect more of the
image. Specify a higher number to restrict the effect to the edges of the image.
Chromatic Aberration Corrects color fringing. Zoom in on the image preview to get a closer view of the fringing
as you make the correction. For more information see “Chromatic aberration” on page 219.
Fix Red/Cyan Fringe Compensates for red/cyan color fringing by adjusting the size of the red channel relative to the

green channel.
Fix Blue/Yellow Fringe Compensates for blue/yellow color fringing by adjusting the size of the blue channel relative

to the green channel.

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Vertical Perspective Corrects image perspective caused by tilting the camera up or down. Makes vertical lines in

an image parallel.
Horizontal Perspective Corrects image perspective, making horizontal lines parallel.
Angle Rotates the image to correct for camera tilt or to make adjustments after correcting perspective. You can also
to make this correction. Drag along a line in the image that you want to make
use the Rotate Straighten tool
vertical or horizontal.
Edge Specifies how to handle the blank areas that result from pincushion, rotation, or perspective corrections. You
can fill blank areas with transparency or a color, or you can extend the edge pixels of the image.
Scale Adjusts the image scale up or down. The image pixel dimensions aren’t changed. The main use is to remove

blank areas of the image caused by pincushion, rotation, or perspective corrections. Scaling up effectively results in
cropping the image and interpolating up to the original pixel dimensions.

To adjust the Lens Correction preview and grid
• To change the image preview magnification, use the Zoom tool or the zoom controls in the lower left side of the

preview image.
• To move the image in the preview window, select the hand tool and drag in the image preview.
• To use the grid, select Show Grid at the bottom of the dialog box. Use the Size control to adjust the grid spacing

and the Color control to change the color of the grid. You can move the grid to line it up with your image using
.
the Move Grid tool

Setting camera and lens defaults
You can save the settings in the Lens Correction dialog box to reuse with other images made with the same camera,
lens, and focal length. Photoshop saves settings for distortion, vignetting, and chromatic aberration. Perspective
correction settings are not saved. You can save and reuse settings in two ways:
• Manually save and load settings. Set options in the dialog box, and then choose Save Settings from the Settings

menu . To use the saved settings, choose them from the Settings menu. You can also load saved settings that
don’t appear in the menu using the Load Settings command in the Settings menu.
• Set a lens default. If your image has EXIF metadata for the camera, lens, focal length, and f-stop, you can save the

current settings as a lens default. To save the settings, click the Set Lens Default button. When you correct an image
that matches the camera, lens, focal length, and f-stop, the Lens Default option becomes available in the Settings
menu.

Reducing image noise
Reducing image noise
Image noise appears as random extraneous pixels that aren’t part of the image detail. Noise can be caused by photo
graphing with a high ISO setting on a digital camera, underexposure, or shooting in a dark area with a long shutter
speed. Low-end consumer cameras usually exhibit more image noise than high-end cameras. Scanned images may
have image noise caused by the scanning sensor. Often, the film’s grain pattern appears in the scanned image.
Image noise can appear in two forms: luminance (grayscale) noise, which makes an image look grainy or patchy, and
color noise, which is usually visible as colored artifacts in the image.

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Luminance noise may be more pronounced in one channel of the image, usually the blue channel. You can adjust the

noise for each channel separately in Advanced mode. Before opening the filter, examine each channel in your image

separately to see if noise is prevalent in one channel. You preserve more image detail by correcting one channel rather

than making an overall correction to all channels.

To reduce image noise and JPEG artifacts

1 Choose Filter > Noise > Reduce Noise.

2 Zoom in on the preview image to get a better view of image noise.

3 Set options:

Strength Controls the amount of luminance noise reduction applied to all image channels.

Preserve Details Preserves edges and image details such as hair or texture objects. A value of 100 preserves the most

image detail, but reduces luminance noise the least. Balance the Strength and Preserve Details controls to fine-tune

noise reduction.

Reduce Color Noise Removes random color pixels. A higher value reduces more color noise.
Sharpen Details Sharpens the image. Removing noise reduces image sharpness. Use the sharpening control in the

dialog box or use one of the other Photoshop sharpening filters later to restore sharpness.
Remove JPEG Artifacts Removes blocky image artifacts and halos caused by saving a image using a low JPEG

quality setting.
4 If luminance noise is more prevalent in one or two color channels, click the Advanced button and then choose the
color channel from the Channel menu. Use the Strength and Preserve Details controls to reduce noise in that
channel.

Sharpening images
Sharpening images
Sharpening enhances the definition of edges in an image. Whether your images come from a digital camera or a
scanner, most images can benefit from sharpening. The degree of sharpening needed varies depending on the quality
of the digital camera or scanner. Keep in mind that sharpening cannot correct a severely blurred image.
Notes and tips about sharpening:
• Sharpen your image on a separate layer so that you can resharpen it later if you need to output it to a different

medium.
• If you sharpen your image on a separate layer, set the layer’s blending mode to Luminance to avoid color shifts

along edges.
• Sharpening increases image contrast. If you find that highlights or shadows are clipped after you sharpen, use the

layer blending controls (if you sharpen a separate layer) to prevent sharpening in highlights and shadows. See “To
specify a tonal range for blending layers” on page 413.
• If you need to reduce image noise, do so before sharpening so that you don’t intensify the noise.

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• Sharpen your image multiple times in small amounts. Sharpen the first time to correct blur caused by capturing

your image (scanning it or taking it with your digital camera). After you’ve color corrected and sized your image,
sharpen it again (or a copy of it) to add the appropriate amount of sharpening for your output medium.
• If possible, judge your sharpening by outputting it to the final medium. The amount of sharpening needed varies

among output media.
For greatest control use the Unsharp Mask (USM) filter or the Smart Sharpen filter to sharpen your images. Although
Photoshop also has the Sharpen, Sharpen Edges, and Sharpen More filter options, these filters are automatic and do
not provide controls and options.
You can sharpen your entire image or just a portion defined by a selection or mask. Because the Unsharp Mask and
Smart Sharpen filters can be applied to only one layer at a time, you might need to merge layers or flatten your file
to sharpen all image layers in a multilayered file.
Note: Don’t be misled by the name Unsharp Mask, which comes from a darkroom technique used in traditional film
based photography. The filter sharpens images rather than the opposite.

To use the Smart Sharpen filter
The Smart Sharpen filter has sharpening controls not available with the Unsharp Mask filter. You can set the sharp

ening algorithm or control the amount of sharpening that occurs in shadow and highlight areas.

1 Zoom the document window to 100% to get an accurate view of the sharpening.

2 Choose Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen.

3 Set the controls in the Sharpen tabs:

Amount Sets the amount of sharpening. A higher value increases the contrast between edge pixels, giving the

appearance of greater sharpness.

Radius Determines the number of pixels surrounding the edge pixels affected by the sharpening. The greater the

radius value, the wider the edge effects and the more obvious the sharpening.

Remove Sets the sharpening algorithm used to sharpen the image. Gaussian Blur is the method used by the Unsharp

Mask filter. Lens Blur detects the edges and detail in an image, and provides finer sharpening of detail and reduced

sharpening halos. Motion Blur attempts to reduce the effects of blur due to camera or subject movement. Set the

Angle control if you choose Motion Blur.

Angle Sets the direction of motion for the Motion Blur option of the Remove control.

More Accurate Processes the file longer for a more accurate removal of blurring.
4 Adjust sharpening of dark and light areas using in the Shadow and Highlight tabs. (Click the Advanced button to
display the tabs). If the dark or light sharpening halos appear too strong you can reduce them with these controls:
Fade Amount Adjusts the amount of sharpening in the highlights or shadows.
Tonal Width Controls the range of tones in the shadows or highlights that are modified. Move the slider to the left
or right to decrease or increase the Tonal Width value. Smaller values restrict the adjustments to only the darker
regions for shadow correction and only the lighter regions for highlight correction.
Radius Controls the size of the area around each pixel that is used to determine whether a pixel is in the shadows or
highlights. Moving the slider to the left specifies a smaller area, and moving it to the right specifies a larger area.
5 Click OK.

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The Unsharp Mask filter
The Unsharp Mask sharpens an image by increasing contrast along the edges in an image. The Unsharp Mask does
not detect edges in an image. Instead, it locates pixels that differ in value from surrounding pixels by the threshold
you specify. It then increases the contrast of neighboring pixels by the amount you specify. So, for neighboring pixels
the lighter pixels get lighter and the darker pixels get darker.
In addition, you specify the radius of the region to which each pixel is compared. The greater the radius, the larger
the edge effects.

Original image, and Unsharp Mask applied

The degree of sharpening applied to an image is often a matter of personal choice. However, oversharpening an image
produces a halo effect around the edges.

Oversharpening an image produces a halo effect around the edges.

The effects of the Unsharp Mask filter are more pronounced on-screen than in high-resolution output. If your final
destination is print, experiment to determine what settings work best for your image.

To sharpen a photo using Unsharp Mask
1 (Optional) If your image is multilayered, select the layer containing the image you want to sharpen. You can apply
Unsharp Mask to only one layer at a time, even if layers are linked or grouped. You can merge the layers before
applying the Unsharp Mask filter.
2 Choose Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Make sure the Preview option is selected.

Click the image in the preview window and hold down the mouse to see how the image looks without the sharpening.
Drag in the preview window to see different parts of the image, and click + or – to zoom in or out.
Although there is a preview window in the Unsharp Mask dialog box, it’s best to move the dialog box so you can
preview the effects of the filter in the document window.
3 Drag the Radius slider or enter a value to determine the number of pixels surrounding the edge pixels that affect
the sharpening. The greater the radius value, the wider the edge effects. And the wider the edge effects, the more
obvious the sharpening.

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The Radius value varies according to the subject matter, the size of the final reproduction, and the output method.
For high-resolution images, a Radius value between 1 and 2 is usually recommended. A lower value sharpens only
the edge pixels, whereas a higher value sharpens a wider band of pixels. This effect is much less noticeable in print
than on-screen, because a 2-pixel radius represents a smaller area in a high-resolution printed image.
4 Drag the Amount slider or enter a value to determine how much to increase the contrast of pixels. For high
resolution printed images, an amount between 150% and 200% is usually recommended.
5 Drag the Threshold slider or enter a value to determine how different the sharpened pixels must be from the
surrounding area before they are considered edge pixels and sharpened by the filter. For instance, a threshold of 4
affects all pixels that have tonal values that differ by a value or 4 or more, on a scale of 0 to 255. So, if adjacent pixels
have tonal values of 128 and 129, they are not affected. To avoid introducing noise or posterization (in images with
flesh tones, for example), use an edge mask or try experimenting with Threshold values between 2 and 20. The
default Threshold value (0) sharpens all pixels in the image

If applying Unsharp Mask makes already bright colors appear overly saturated, choose Edit > Fade Unsharp Mask
and choose Luminosity from the Mode menu.

Selective sharpening
You can sharpen parts of your image by using a mask or a selection. This is useful when you want to prevent sharp
ening in certain parts of your image. For example, you can use an edge mask with the Unsharp Mask filter on a
portrait to sharpen the eyes, mouth, nose, and outline of the head, but not the texture of the skin.

Using an edge mask to apply the Unsharp Mask only to specific features in an image

To sharpen a selection

1 With the image layer selected in the Layers palette, draw a selection.

2 Choose Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Adjust the options and click OK.

Only the selection is sharpened, leaving the rest of the image untouched.

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To sharpen an image using an edge mask
1 Create a mask to apply sharpening selectively. There are many ways to create an edge mask. Use your favorite
method, or try this one:
• Open the Channels palette and select the channel that displays the grayscale image with the greatest contrast in

the document window. Often, this is the green or the red channel.

Selecting a channel with the greatest contrast

• Duplicate the selected channel.
• With the duplicate channel selected, choose Filter > Stylize > Find Edges.
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Invert to invert the image.

Find Edges filter applied and image inverted

• With the inverted image still selected, choose Filter > Other > Maximum. Set the radius to a low number and

click OK to thicken the edges and randomize the pixels.
• Choose Filter > Noise > Median. Set the radius to a low number and click OK. This averages the neighboring

pixels.
• Choose Image > Adjustment > Levels and set the black point high to get rid of random pixels. If necessary, you

can also paint with black to retouch the final edge mask.

Setting the black point high in Levels to eliminate random pixels in the edge mask

• Choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur to feather the edges.

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Important: The Maximum, the Median, and the Gaussian Blur filters soften the edge mask so that the sharpening effects
blend better in the final image. Although all three filters are used in this procedure, you can experiment using only one
or two.
2 In the Channels palette, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the duplicate channel to make the
edge mask a selection.
3 In the Layers palette, select the image layer. Make sure the selection is still visible on the image.
4 Choose Select > Inverse.
5 With the selection active on the image layer, choose Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Set the desired options and
click OK.

To view your results, select the RGB channel in the Channels palette and deselect the selection in the image.

You can create an action to conveniently apply all the steps in the procedure.

See also
“About masks and alpha channels” on page 338

Transforming objects
Specifying an item to transform
You can apply transformations to a selection, an entire layer, multiple layers, or a layer mask. In Photoshop, you can
also apply transformations to a path, a vector shape, a vector mask, a selection border, or an alpha channel.
Important: In Photoshop, you can apply transformations to 8-bit and 16-bit images. However, you must convert images
to 8-bit RGB Color mode before you can edit them in ImageReady.

Transforming an image
A. Original image B. Layer flipped

C. Selection border rotated

D. Part of object scaled

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To calculate the color values of pixels that are added or deleted during transformations, Photoshop and ImageReady
use the interpolation method selected in the General area of the Preferences dialog box. This setting directly affects
the speed and quality of the transformation. Bicubic interpolation, the default, is slowest but yields the best results.

See also
“Choosing an interpolation method” on page 183

To select an item to transform
❖ Do one of the following:

• To transform an entire layer, make the layer active, and make sure nothing is selected.

Important: You cannot transform the background layer. To transform it, first convert it to a regular layer.
• To transform part of a layer, select the layer in the Layers palette, and then select part of the image on that layer.
• To transform multiple layers, link the layers together in the Layers palette.
• To transform a layer mask or a vector mask, unlink the mask and select the mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• (Photoshop) To transform a path or vector shape, use the Path Selection tool

to select the entire path or the
Direct Selection tool to select part of the path. If you select one or more points on a path, only those path
segments connected to the points are transformed.

• (Photoshop) To transform a selection border, make or load a selection. Then choose Select > Transform Selection.
• (Photoshop) To transform an alpha channel, select the channel in the Channels palette.

See also
“To link and unlink layers” on page 401
“To select a path” on page 461

Applying transformations
The commands under the Transform submenu let you apply the following transformations to an item:
• Scaling enlarges or reduces an item relative to its reference point, the fixed point around which transformations are

performed. You can scale horizontally, vertically, or both horizontally and vertically.
• Rotating turns an item around a reference point. By default, this point is at the center of the object; however, you

can move it to another location.
• Skewing lets you slant an item vertically and horizontally.
• Distorting lets you stretch an item in all directions.
• Applying perspective lets you apply one-point perspective to an item.
• (Photoshop) Warping lets you manipulate the shape of an item.

In Photoshop, you can perform several commands in succession before applying the cumulative transformation. For
example, you can choose Scale and drag a handle to scale, and then choose Distort and drag a handle to distort. Then
press Enter or Return to apply both transformations. In ImageReady, you can perform multiple types of transforma
tions at the same time using the Transform > Numeric command.

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To set or move the reference point for a transformation
All transformations are performed around a fixed point called the reference point. By default, this point is at the center
of the item you are transforming. However, you can change the reference point or move the center point to a different
location using the reference point locator in the options bar.
1 Choose a transformation command. A bounding box appears in the image.
2 Do one of the following:
• In the options bar, click a square on the reference point locator

. Each square represents a point on the
bounding box. For example, to move the reference point to the upper left corner of the bounding box, click the
top left square on the reference point locator.

• In the transform bounding box that appears in the image, drag the reference point

. The reference point can be

outside the item you want to transform.

To scale, rotate, skew, distort, apply perspective, or warp

1 Select what you want to transform.

2 Choose Edit > Transform > Scale, Rotate, Skew, Distort, Perspective, or Warp.

Note: (Photoshop) If you are transforming a shape or entire path, the Transform menu becomes the Transform Path
menu. If you are transforming multiple path segments (but not the entire path), the Transform menu becomes the
Transform Points menu.
3 (Optional) In the options bar, click a square on the reference point locator

4 Do one or more of the following:
• If you chose Scale, drag a handle on the bounding box. Press Shift as you drag a corner handle to scale proportion

ately. When positioned over a handle, the pointer becomes a double arrow.
• If you chose Rotate, move the pointer outside the bounding border (it becomes a curved, two-sided arrow), and

then drag. Press Shift to constrain the rotation to 15˚ increments.
• If you chose Skew, drag a side handle to slant the bounding box.
• If you chose Distort, drag a corner handle to stretch the bounding box.
• If you chose Perspective, drag a corner handle to apply perspective to the bounding box.
• (Photoshop) If you chose Warp, choose a warp from the Warp Style pop-up menu in the options bar, or to perform

a custom warp, drag the control points, a line, or an area within the mesh to change the shape of the bounding box
and mesh.
• For all types of transformations, enter a value in the options bar. For example, to rotate an item, specify degrees in

the rotation

text box.

5 (Optional) If desired, switch to a different type of transformation by selecting a command from the Edit >

Transform submenu.
Important: When you transform a bitmap image (versus a shape or path), the image becomes slightly less sharp each
time you commit a transformation; therefore, performing multiple commands before applying the cumulative transfor
mation is preferable to applying each transformation separately.

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6 (Optional) If you want to warp the image, click the Switch Between Free Transform And Warp Mode button
in the options bar.
7 When you finish, do one of the following:
• Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS), click the Commit button

in the options bar, or double-click inside

the transformation marquee.
• To cancel the transformation, press Esc or click the Cancel button

in the options bar.

See also
“To warp an item” on page 364

To flip or rotate precisely

1 Select what you want to transform.

2 Choose Edit > Transform and choose one of the following commands from the submenu:

• Rotate 180˚ to rotate by a half-turn
• Rotate 90˚ CW to rotate clockwise by a quarter-turn
• Rotate 90˚ CCW to rotate counterclockwise by a quarter-turn
• Flip Horizontal to flip horizontally, along the vertical axis
• Flip Vertical to flip vertically, along the horizontal axis

Note: (Photoshop) If you are transforming a shape or entire path, the Transform command becomes the Transform Path
command. If you are transforming multiple path segments (but not the entire path), the Transform command becomes
the Transform Points command.

To repeat a transformation
❖ Choose Edit > Transform > Again, Edit > Transform Path > Again, or Edit > Transform Points > Again.

To duplicate an item when transforming it
❖ Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) when selecting the Transform command.

To apply multiple transformations at the same time (ImageReady)

1 Select what you want to transform.

2 Choose Edit > Transform > Numeric.

3 Do one or more of the following, and click OK:

• Select Position and enter values for the new location in the X (horizontal position) and Y (vertical position) text

boxes. Select Relative to specify the new position in relation to the current position.
• Select Scale. Enter the dimensions in the Width and Height text boxes, or enter a scaling percentage in the Scale

text box. Select Constrain Proportions to maintain the aspect ratio.
• Select Skew and enter degrees in the Horizontal skew and Vertical skew text boxes.
• Select Rotate. Enter degrees of rotation in the Angle text box, or drag in the circle to the right of the text box.

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The Free Transform command
The Free Transform command lets you apply transformations (rotate, scale, skew, distort, and perspective) in one
continuous operation. In Photoshop, you can also apply a warp transformation. Instead of choosing different
commands, you simply hold down a key on your keyboard to switch between transformation types.
Note: (Photoshop) If you are transforming a shape or entire path, the Transform command becomes the Transform Path
command. If you are transforming multiple path segments (but not the entire path), the Transform command becomes
the Transform Points command.

To transform freely

1 Select what you want to transform.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Edit > Free Transform.
• If you are transforming a selection, pixel-based layer, or selection border, choose the Move tool

. Then select

Show Transform Controls (Photoshop) or Show Transform Box (ImageReady) in the options bar.
• (Photoshop) If you are transforming a vector shape or path, select the Path Selection tool

. Then select Show

Transform Controls in the options bar.
3 Do one or more of the following:
• To scale by dragging, drag a handle. Press Shift as you drag a corner handle to scale proportionately.
• To scale numerically, enter percentages in the Width and Height text boxes in the options bar. Click the Link

icon

to maintain the aspect ratio.

• To rotate by dragging, move the pointer outside the bounding border (it becomes a curved, two-sided arrow), and

then drag. Press Shift to constrain the rotation to 15˚ increments.
• To rotate numerically, enter degrees in the rotation text box

in the options bar.

• To distort relative to the center point of the bounding border, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag

a handle.
• To distort freely, press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and drag a handle.
• To skew, press Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS), and drag a side handle. When positioned over

a side handle, the pointer becomes a white arrowhead with a small double arrow.
• To skew numerically, enter degrees in the H (horizontal skew) and V (vertical skew) text boxes in the options bar.
• To apply perspective, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS), and drag a corner

handle. When positioned over a corner handle, the pointer becomes a gray arrowhead.
• To warp, click the Switch Between Free Transform And Warp Modes button

in the options bar. Drag control
points to manipulate the shape of the item or choose a warp from the Warp Style pop-up menu in the options bar.
After choosing from the Warp Style pop-up menu, you can still drag the control points.

• To change the reference point, click a square on the reference point locator

in the options bar.

• To move an item, enter values for the new location of the reference in the X (horizontal position) and Y (vertical

position) text boxes in the options bar. In Photoshop, click the Relative Positioning button
position in relation to the current position.

to specify the new

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To undo the last handle adjustment, choose Edit > Undo.
4 Do one of the following:
• Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS), click the Commit button

in the options bar, or double-click inside

the transformation marquee.
• To cancel the transformation, press Esc or click the Cancel button

in the options bar.

Important: When you transform a bitmap image (versus a shape or path), the image becomes slightly less sharp each
time you commit a transformation; therefore, performing multiple commands before applying the cumulative transfor
mation is preferable to applying each transformation separately.

The Warp command
The Warp command lets you drag control points to manipulate the shape of images, shapes, or paths, and so on. You
can also warp using a shape in the Warp Style pop-up menu in the options bar. Shapes in the Warp Style pop-up
menu are also malleable; drag their control points.
When using the control points to distort an item, choosing View > Extras shows or hides the warp mesh and control
points.

Choosing a warp from the Warp Style pop-up menu in the options bar

To warp an item

1 Select what you want to warp.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Edit > Transform > Warp.
• If you chose a different transform command or the Free Transform command, click the Switch Between Free

Transform And Warp Modes button

in the options bar.

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3 Do one or more of the following:
• To warp using a specific shape, choose from the Warp Style pop-up menu in the options bar.

Dragging a control point to warp the mesh

• To the manipulate the shape, drag the control points, a segment of the bounding box or mesh, or an area within

the mesh. When adjusting a curve, use the control point handles. This is similar to adjusting the handles in the
curved segment of a vector graphic. See also “To reshape a curved segment” on page 463.
To undo the last handle adjustment, choose Edit > Undo.

Manipulating the shape of a warp
A. Original warp mesh B. Adjusting the handles, mesh segments, and areas within the mesh

• To change the orientation of the warp, click the Change The Warp Orientation button
• To change the reference point, click a square on the Reference point locator

in the options bar.

• To specify the amount of warp using numeric values, enter the values in the Bend (set bend), X (set horizontal

distortion) and Y (set vertical distortion) text boxes in the options bar. You can’t enter numeric values if you have
chosen None or Custom from the Warp Style pop-up menu.
4 (Optional) To apply the warp using a more detailed algorithm, select High Quality in the options bar.
5 Do one of the following:
• Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS), click the Commit button

in the options bar, or double-click inside

the transformation marquee.
• To cancel the transformation, press Esc or click the Cancel button

in the options bar.

Important: When you warp a bitmap image (versus a shape or path), the image becomes slightly less sharp each time
you commit a transformation; therefore, performing multiple commands before applying the cumulative transformation
is preferable to applying each transformation separately.

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Retouching and repairing images
The Clone Stamp tool
The Clone Stamp tool
takes a sample of an image, which you can then apply over another image or part of the
same image. You can also clone part of one layer over another layer. Each stroke of the tool paints on more of the
sample. The Clone Stamp tool is useful for duplicating an object or removing a defect in an image.
When you use the Clone Stamp tool, you set a sampling point on the area you want to apply over another area. By
selecting Aligned in the options bar, you can reuse the most current sampling point, no matter how many times you
stop and resume painting. When Aligned is deselected, you’ll reuse the same sampled pixels each time you paint.
Because you can use any brush tip with the Clone Stamp tool, you have a lot of control over the size of the area you
clone. You can also use opacity and flow settings in the options bar to finesse the way you apply the cloned area. You
can sample from one image and apply the clone in another image, as long as both images are in the same color mode.

Altering an image with the Clone Stamp tool

To use the Clone Stamp tool
1 Select the Clone Stamp tool

2 Choose a brush tip and set brush options for the blending mode, opacity, and flow in the options bar.
3 Next, determine how you want to align the sampled pixels. Select Aligned in the options bar to sample pixels

continuously, without losing the current sampling point, even if you release the mouse button. Deselect Aligned to
continue to use the sampled pixels from the initial sampling point each time you stop and resume painting.
4 Select Use All Layers in the options bar to sample data from all visible layers; deselect Use All Layers to sample
only from the active layer.
5 Set the sampling point by positioning the pointer in any open image and Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option
clicking (Mac OS).
6 Drag over the area of the image you want to correct.

See also
“List of blending modes” on page 487
“Retouching tools gallery” on page 42

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To use the Pattern Stamp tool
The Pattern Stamp tool lets you paint with a pattern. You can select a pattern from the pattern libraries or create your
own patterns.
1 Select the Pattern Stamp tool

2 Choose a brush tip and set brush options (blending mode, opacity, and flow) in the options bar.
3 Select Aligned in the options bar to sample pixels continuously, without losing the current sampling point, even
if you release the mouse button. Deselect Aligned to continue to use the sampled pixels from the initial sampling

point each time you stop and resume painting.

4 Select a pattern from the Pattern pop-up palette in the options bar.

5 If you’d like to apply the pattern with an impressionistic effect, select Impressionist.

6 Drag in the image to paint with the pattern.

See also
“List of blending modes” on page 487
“About patterns” on page 500

The Healing Brush tool
The Healing Brush tool lets you correct imperfections, causing them to disappear into the surrounding image. Like
the cloning tools, you use the Healing Brush tool to paint with sampled pixels from an image or pattern. However,
the Healing Brush tool also matches the texture, lighting, transparency, and shading of the sampled pixels to the
pixels being healed. As a result, the repaired pixels blend seamlessly into the rest of the image.

Sampled pixels and healed image

To use the Healing Brush tool
1 Select the Healing Brush tool

2 Click the brush sample in the options bar and set brush options in the pop-up palette:

Note: If you’re using a pressure-sensitive digitizing tablet, choose an option from the Size menu to vary the size of the
healing brush over the course of a stroke. Choose Pen Pressure to base the variation on the pen pressure. Choose Stylus
Wheel to base the variation on the position of the pen thumbwheel. Choose Off if you don’t want to vary the size.
3 Choose a blending mode from the Mode menu in the options bar. Choose Replace to preserve noise, film grain,
and texture at the edges of the brush stroke.
4 Choose a source to use for repairing pixels in the options bar: Sampled to use pixels from the current image, or
Pattern to use pixels from a pattern. If you chose Pattern, select a pattern from the Pattern pop-up palette.

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5 Select Aligned in the options bar to sample pixels continuously, without losing the current sampling point, even
if you release the mouse button. Deselect Aligned to continue to use the sampled pixels from the initial sampling
point each time you stop and resume painting.
6 Select Use All Layers in the options bar to sample data from all visible layers. Deselect Use All Layers to sample
only from the active layer.
7 For the Healing Brush tool in sampling mode, set the sampling point by positioning the pointer in any open image
and Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac OS).

Note: If you are sampling from one image and applying to another, both images must be in the same color mode unless
one of the images is in Grayscale mode.
8 Drag in the image.

The sampled pixels are melded with the existing pixels each time you release the mouse button. Look in the status
bar to view the status of the melding process.
If there is a strong contrast at the edges of the area you want to heal, make a selection before you use the Healing
Brush tool. The selection should be bigger than the area you want to heal but should precisely follow the boundary
of contrasting pixels. When you paint with the Healing Brush tool, the selection prevents colors from bleeding in from
the outside.

See also
“List of blending modes” on page 487
“To create a brush and set painting options” on page 475
“About patterns” on page 500
“Retouching tools gallery” on page 42

The Spot Healing Brush tool
The Spot Healing Brush tool quickly removes blemishes and other imperfections in your photos. The Spot Healing
Brush works similarly to the Healing Brush: it paints with sampled pixels from an image or pattern and matches the
texture, lighting, transparency, and shading of the sampled pixels to the pixels being healed. Unlike the Healing
Brush, the Spot Healing Brush doesn’t require you to specify a sample spot. The Spot Healing Brush automatically
samples from around the retouched area.

Using the Spot Healing Brush to remove a blemish

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If you need to retouch a large area or need more control over the source sampling, you can use the Healing Brush
instead of the Spot Healing Brush.

To use the Spot Healing Brush tool
The Spot Healing Brush quickly removes blemishes and other imperfections in your photos. You can either click once
on a blemish, or click and drag to smooth away imperfections in an area.
1 Select the Spot Healing Brush tool
from the toolbox. If necessary, click either the Healing Brush tool, Patch
tool, or Red Eye tool to show the hidden tools and make your selection.
2 Choose a brush size in the options bar. A brush that is slightly larger than the area you want to fix works best so
that you can cover the entire area with one click.
3 (Optional) Choose a blending mode from the Mode menu in the options bar. Choose Replace to preserve noise,
film grain, and texture at the edges of the brush stroke.
4 Choose a Type option in the options bar:

Proximity Match Uses the pixels around the edge of the selection to find an image area to use as a patch for the

selected area. If this option doesn’t provide a satisfactory fix, undo the fix and try the Create Texture option.

Create Texture Uses all the pixels in the selection to create a texture with which to fix the area. If the texture doesn’t
work, try dragging through the area a second time.
5 Select Use All Layers in the options bar to sample data from all visible layers. Deselect Use All Layers to sample
only from the active layer.
6 Click the area you want to fix, or click and drag over a larger area.

See also
“List of blending modes” on page 487
“To create a brush and set painting options” on page 475
“Retouching tools gallery” on page 42

The Patch tool
The Patch tool lets you repair a selected area with pixels from another area or a pattern. Like the Healing Brush tool,
the Patch tool matches the texture, lighting, and shading of the sampled pixels to the source pixels. You can also use
the Patch tool to clone isolated areas of an image.
When repairing with pixels from the image, select a small area to produce the best result.

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Using the Patch tool to replace pixels

Patched image

See also
“Retouching tools gallery” on page 42

To repair an area using sampled pixels
1 Select the Patch tool

2 Do one of the following:
• Drag in the image to select the area you want to repair, and select Source in the options bar.
• Drag in the image to select the area from which you want to sample, and select Destination in the options bar.

Note: You can also make a selection prior to selecting the Patch tool.
3 To adjust the selection, do one of the following:
• Shift-drag in the image to add to the existing selection.
• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) in the image to subtract from the existing selection.
• Alt+Shift-drag (Windows) or Option+Shift-drag (Mac OS) in the image to select an area intersected by the

existing selection.
4 Position the pointer inside the selection, and do one of the following:
• If Source is selected in the options bar, drag the selection border to the area from which you want to sample. When

you release the mouse button, the originally selected area is patched with the sampled pixels.
• If Destination is selected in the options bar, drag the selection border to the area you want to patch. When you

release the mouse button, the newly selected area is patched with the sampled pixels.

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To repair an area using a pattern
1 Select the Patch tool

2 Drag in the image to select the area you want to repair.

Note: You can also make a selection prior to selecting the Patch tool.
3 To adjust the selection, do one of the following:
• Shift-drag in the image to add to the existing selection.
• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) in the image to subtract from the existing selection.
• Alt-Shift-drag (Windows) or Option-Shift-drag (Mac OS) in the image to select an area intersected by the existing

selection.
4 Select a pattern from the Pattern palette in the options bar, and click Use Pattern.

To remove red eye
The Red Eye tool removes red eye in flash photos of people and white or green reflections in flash photos of animals.
1 Select the Red Eye tool

2 Click in the red eye. If you are not satisfied with the result, undo the correction, set one or more of the following

options in the options bar, and click the red eye again:

Pupil Size Sets the size of the pupil (dark center of the eye).

Darken Pupil Sets the darkness of the pupil.

Red eye is caused by a reflection of the camera flash in the subject’s retina. You’ll see it more often when taking
pictures in a darkened room because the subject’s iris is wide open. To avoid red eye, use the camera’s red eye
reduction feature. Or, better yet, use a separate flash unit that you can mount on the camera farther away from the
camera’s lens.

To use the Color Replacement tool
The Color Replacement tool simplifies replacing specific colors in your image. You can paint over a targeted color

with a corrective color. The Color Replacement tool doesn’t work in images in Bitmap, Indexed, or Multichannel

color modes.

1 Select the Color Replacement tool

2 Choose a brush tip in the options bar. Generally, you should keep the blending mode set to Color.

3 For the Sampling option, choose one of the following:

Continuous Samples colors continuously as you drag.

Once Replaces the targeted color only in areas containing the color that you first click
Background Swatch Replaces only areas containing the current background color.
4 For the Limits option, select one of the following:

Discontiguous Replaces the sampled color wherever it occurs under the pointer.

Contiguous Replaces colors that are contiguous with the color immediately under the pointer

Find Edges Replaces connected areas containing the sampled color while better preserving the sharpness of

shape edges.

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5 For tolerance, enter a percentage value (ranging from 0 to 255) or drag the slider. Choose a low percentage to

replace colors very similar to the pixel you click, or raise the percentage to replace a broader range of colors.

6 To define a smooth edge in the corrected areas, select Anti-aliased.

7 Choose a foreground color that replaces the unwanted color.

8 Click the color you want to replace in the image.

9 Drag in the image to replace the targeted color.

See also
“List of blending modes” on page 487

To use the Smudge tool
The Smudge tool simulates the effect you see when you drag a finger through wet paint. The tool picks up color where

the stroke begins and pushes it in the direction you drag.

1 Select the Smudge tool

2 Choose a brush tip and options for the blending mode in the options bar.

3 Select Use All Layers in the options bar to smudge using color data from all visible layers. If this is deselected, the

Smudge tool uses colors from only the active layer.

4 Select Finger Painting in the options bar to smudge using the foreground color at the beginning of each stroke. If

this is deselected, the Smudge tool uses the color under the pointer at the beginning of each stroke.

5 Drag in the image to smudge the pixels.

In Photoshop, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag with the Smudge tool to use the Finger Painting
option.

See also
“List of blending modes” on page 487

To use the Blur tool
The Blur tool softens hard edges or reduces detail in an image.
1 Select the Blur tool

2 Do the following in the options bar:
• Choose a brush tip and set options for the blending mode and strength in the options bar.
• Select Use All Layers in the options bar to blur using data from all visible layers. If this is deselected, the tool uses

data from only the active layer.
3 Drag over the part of the image you want to blur.

See also
“Blur filters” on page 515
“List of blending modes” on page 487

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To use the Sharpen tool
The Sharpen tool focuses soft edges to increase clarity or focus.
1 Select the Sharpen tool

2 Do the following in the options bar:
• Choose a brush tip and set options for the blending mode and strength in the options bar.
• Select Use All Layers in the options bar to sharpen using data from all visible layers. If this is deselected, the tool

uses data from only the active layer.
3 Drag over the part of the image you want to sharpen.

See also
“Sharpen filters” on page 522
“List of blending modes” on page 487

To use the Dodge tool or the Burn tool
Used to lighten or darken areas of the image, the Dodge tool and the Burn tool are based on a traditional photographer’s technique for regulating exposure on specific areas of a print. Photographers hold back light to lighten an
area on the print (dodging) or increase the exposure to darken areas on a print (burning).
1 Select the Dodge tool

or the Burn tool

2 Choose a brush tip and set brush options in the options bar.

3 In the options bar, select one of the following:

• Midtones to change the middle range of grays

• Shadows to change the dark areas

• Highlights to change the light areas

4 Specify the exposure for the Dodge tool or the Burn tool.

5 (Photoshop) Click the airbrush button

to use the brush as an airbrush. Alternatively, select the Airbrush

option in the Brushes palette.

6 Drag over the part of the image you want to lighten or darken.

See also
“To select a preset brush” on page 473

To use the Sponge tool
The Sponge tool subtly changes the color saturation of an area. In Grayscale mode, the tool increases or decreases
contrast by moving gray levels away from or toward the middle gray.
1 Select the Sponge tool

2 Choose a brush tip and set brush options in the options bar.

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3 In the options bar, select the way you want to change the color.
• Saturate to intensify the color’s saturation
• Desaturate to dilute the color’s saturation

4 Specify the flow for the Sponge tool.

5 Drag over the part of the image you want to modify.

See also
“To select a preset brush” on page 473

Vanishing Point
About Vanishing Point
Vanishing Point is a feature that lets you make perspective-correct edits in images that contain perspective planes—
for instance, the sides of a building or any rectangular object. Using Vanishing Point, you specify the planes in an
image, and then apply edits such as painting, cloning, copying or pasting, and transforming. All your edits honor the
perspective of the plane you’re working in. With Vanishing Point, you’re no longer retouching an image as if all its
contents are on a single flat plane facing you. Instead, you’re working dimensionally on the perspective planes in the
image. When you use Vanishing Point to retouch, add, or remove content in an image, the results are more realistic
because the edits are properly oriented and scaled to the perspective planes.

Making edits on the perspective planes in an image

To use Vanishing Point, you open the Vanishing Point dialog box (choose Filter > Vanishing Point), which contains
tools for defining the perspective planes, tools for editing the image, and an image preview that you work in. You first
specify the perspective planes in the preview image, and then you can paint, clone, copy, paste, and transform content
in the planes. The Vanishing Point tools (Marquee, Stamp, Brush, and others) behave similarly to their counterparts
in the main Photoshop toolbox. You can even use the same keyboard shortcuts to set the tool options.

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Vanishing Point dialog box
A. Options B. Toolbox C. Preview of vanishing point session

D. Zoom options

See also
“To define and adjust perspective planes in Vanishing Point” on page 378
“Vanishing Point tools” on page 380
“Keys for using Vanishing Point” on page 762

To use Vanishing Point
1 (Optional) Before choosing the Vanishing Point command, you can prepare your image by doing any of the
following:
• To put the results of your Vanishing Point work in a separate layer, first create a new layer before choosing the

Vanishing Point command.
If you create a new layer each time you use Vanishing Point, the results appear on a separate, editable layer. You can
then use such layer features as opacity, layer styles, and blending modes. Putting the Vanishing Point results in a
separate layer also preserves your original image.
• If you plan to clone the content in your image beyond the boundaries of the current image size, increase the canvas

size to accommodate the additional content. See also “To change the size of the canvas” on page 346.

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• If you plan to paste an item from the Photoshop clipboard into Vanishing Point, copy the item before choosing the

Vanishing Point command. The copied item can be from a different Photoshop document. If you’re copying type,
select the entire text layer and then copy to the clipboard.
• To confine the Vanishing Point results to specific areas of your image, either make a selection or add a mask to

your image before choosing the Vanishing Point command. See also “To use the marquee tools” on page 316 and
“About masks and alpha channels” on page 338.

Using a selection to confine edits to portions of the perspective planes

2 Choose Filter> Vanishing Point.
3 Select the Create Plane tool
and define the four corner nodes of the plane surface. Try to use a rectangle object
in the image as a guide when creating the plane.

After creating the four corner nodes, you can move, scale, or reshape the plane. Keep in mind that your results
depend on how accurately the plane lines up with perspective of the image. If there’s a problem with the corner node
placement, the bounding box and grid turn either red or yellow. Move a corner node until the bounding box and grid
are blue, which indicates that the plane is valid. See also “To define and adjust perspective planes in Vanishing Point”
on page 378 and “Bounding box and grid alerts in Vanishing Point” on page 382.

Selecting a corner node

It’s a good idea to adjust the plane or use the Grid Size option to line up the perspective plane and grid with image
elements, such as the pattern in the floor, texture on a wall, or frame of a window.
4 (Optional) Select the Create Plane tool and Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) an edge node of
the plane to tear off a perpendicular plane. You can also tear off a perpendicular plane from the one you just created.
All the planes you tear off from each other (as opposed to creating unrelated planes) keep your edits in the proper
scale and orientation throughout the image.

Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) an edge node to tear off perpendicular planes.

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You can use your first Vanishing Point session for simply creating perspective planes and then clicking OK. The planes
appear in subsequent Vanishing Point sessions when you choose Filter > Vanishing Point. This is especially useful if
you plan to copy and paste an image into Vanishing Point and need to have a ready-made planes to target.
5 Do one or more of the following:
• To make a selection, select the Marquee tool

and drag in a plane. You can set the Marquee tool options
(Feather, Opacity, Heal, and Move Mode) at any time, either before or after making the selection. To select an
entire plane, double-click the Marquee tool in the plane.
When you move the Marquee tool, the Stamp tool, or the Brush tool into a plane, the bounding box is highlighted,
indicating that the plane is active.

• To clone a selection, select the Marquee or Transform tool and Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the

selection to tear off a copy. The selection becomes a floating selection, which you can scale, move, rotate, or clone
again using the Transform tool, or move or clone again using the Marquee tool. You can continue tearing off as
many copies as you want. When you move a selection in a plane, the selection conforms to the perspective of the
plane.

Tearing off a selection and moving a selection from one perspective plane to another

Pressing Ctrl+Shift+T (Windows) or Control+Shift+T (Mac OS) duplicates your last duplicating move. This is an
easy way to clone content multiple times.
• To move a selection, select the Marquee or Transform tool and drag the selection. Hold down the Shift key to

constrain the move.
• To rotate a selection, select the Transform tool and move the pointer near a node. When the pointer changes to a

curved double arrow, drag to rotate the selection. You can also select the Flip option to flip the selection horizontally along the vertical axis of the plane or select the Flop option to flip the selection vertically along the horizontal
axis of the plane.
• To scale a selection, select the Transform tool and move the pointer on top of a node. When the pointer changes

to a straight double arrow drag to scale the selection.
• To fill a selection with another area of the image, select the Marquee tool, and then Ctrl-drag (Windows) or

Command-drag (Mac OS) a selection to the image area you want as the source image. You can also choose Source
for the Move Mode and drag the selection to the source image. The filled selection becomes a floating selection
that you can scale, rotate, move, or clone using the Transform tool, or move or clone using the Marquee tool.
• To paint with a sample of the image, select the Stamp tool and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) a

source area in a perspective plane. Now you can paint with the Stamp tool to clone the source anywhere in the
image. If you paint in a perspective plane, the Stamp tool paints the cloned area in perspective. For detailed information, see also “To use the Stamp tool in Vanishing Point” on page 383 and “Vanishing Point tools” on page 380.
• To paint with a color, select the Brush tool, set the options for Diameter, Hardness, Opacity, and Heal. Click the

Brush Color box to open the Adobe Color Picker to select a color. Drag in the image to paint. When painting in a
plane, the brush size and shape scales and orients properly to the plane’s perspective. Shift-drag constrains the
stroke to a straight line.

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• To transform a floating selection, select the Transform tool

and scale, rotate, or move the floating selection.
You can also select a Transform tool options to flip horizontally or flop vertically the floating selection in relation
to the plane orientation.

• To paste an item from the clipboard, press Ctrl+V or Command+V. Move the item into a plane and it conforms to

the perspective. For detailed information, see also “To paste an item into Vanishing Point” on page 382.
Note: If the plane is not the proper size to accommodate your painting, cloning, or transforming, select the Edit Plane
tool and drag an edge node of the bounding box to scale the plane.
Vanishing Point allows multiple undos. Press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac OS) one or more times to
undo an operation one or more times. Press Shift+Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Shift+Command+Z (Mac OS) to redo an
operation. Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to change the Cancel button to Reset so that you can revert the
image to its original state in the Vanishing Point dialog box.
6 Click OK.

To preserve the perspective plane information in an image, save your document in PSD, TIFF, or JPEG format.

See also
“Keys for using Vanishing Point” on page 762
“To create a brush and set painting options” on page 475

To define and adjust perspective planes in Vanishing Point
Vanishing Point lets you define rectangular planes that line up with the perspective in an image. The accuracy of the
plane determines whether any edits or adjustments are properly scaled and oriented in your image. After you
establish the four corner nodes, you can scale, move, or reshape to fine-tune the perspective plane. Sometimes, lining
up the bounding box and grid of the plane with a texture or pattern in your image helps you accurately match the
image’s perspective.
1 With an image open in Photoshop, choose Filter > Vanishing Point.
2 Select the Create Plane tool

and click in the preview image to add the corner node. Try to use a rectangular
object or a plane area in the image as a guide when creating the perspective plane. To help with node placement, hold
down the “x” key to zoom into the preview image.

Note: As you add corner nodes, you can delete the last node if it’s not correct by pressing the Backspace key (Windows)
or Delete key (Mac OS).
3 Select the Edit Plane tool

and do one or more of the following:

• To reshape the perspective plane, drag a corner node.
• To adjust the grid, enter a value in the Grid Size text box or click the down arrow and move the slider. You can also

adjust the grid size when the Create Plane tool is selected.
• To move the plane, click inside the plane and drag.
• To scale the plane, drag an edge node in a segment of the bounding box.

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Dragging an edge node to increase the size of a plane to accommodate your edits

Note: The bounding box and grid of a perspective plane is normally blue. If there’s a problem with the placement of the
corner nodes, the plane is invalid, and the bounding box and grid turn either red (severe problems resolving the plane’s
aspect ratio) or yellow (problems resolving the vanishing points of the perspective plane). When your plane is invalid,
move the corner nodes until the bounding box and grid are blue.
4 (Optional) To tear off a perpendicular plane, select the Create Plane or Edit Plane tool and Ctrl-drag (Windows)
or Command-drag (Mac OS) an edge node along the bounding box.

You can create as many planes as you want. To paint, clone, or transform and maintain a consistent scale and orientation, it’s best to tear off additional planes rather than create unrelated planes. If a newly created plane does not
properly line up with the image, select the Edit Plane tool and move a corner node to adjust the plane. Adjustments
made to connected planes are constrained; when you adjust one plane, all the connected planes are affected.

Tearing off multiple planes keeps the planes related to each other so your edits are scaled and oriented in the proper perspective.

If you have overlapping planes, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) to cycle through the overlapping
planes.

2
1

Overlapping planes

See also
“Bounding box and grid alerts in Vanishing Point” on page 382

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Vanishing Point tools
Vanishing Point tools behave like their counterparts in the main Photoshop toolbox. You can use the same keyboard
shortcuts for setting tool options. Selecting a tool changes the available options in the Vanishing Point dialog box.
Edit Plane tool

Selects, edits, moves, and resizes planes.

Create Plane tool
Defines the four corner nodes of a plane and also adjusts the size and shape of the plane. Ctrldrag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) an edge node to tear off a perpendicular plane.

Makes square or rectangular selections. Drag in the preview image to create a selection. Alt-drag
(Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) a selection to tear off a copy of the selection. Ctrl-drag (Windows) or
Command-drag (Mac OS) a selection to fill the selection with a source image. Specify a value for Feather to blur the
edges of the selection. Specifying the Opacity determines to what degree the selection obscures or reveals the image
beneath it. Use the Healing menu to choose a blending mode: choose Off so the selection doesn’t blend with the
colors, shadows, and textures of the surrounding pixels; choose Luminance to blend the selection with the lighting
of the surrounding pixels; or choose On to blend the selection with the color, lighting, and shading of surrounding
pixels. Use the Move Mode menu to determine the behavior when you move a selection. Select Destination to select
the area you move the selection marquee to. Select Source to fill an area with a source image that you move the
selection marquee to (same as Ctrl-dragging or Command-dragging a selection). See also “To use the marquee tools”
on page 316.

Marquee tool

Ctrl-dragging (Windows) or Command-dragging (Mac OS) a selection
A. Original selection B. Moving the selection to the source image C. The source image fills the original selection

Double-clicking the Marquee tool in a plane selects the entire plane.
Stamp tool
Paints with a sample of the image. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) to establish a
sampling point and then drag in the image to paint with the Stamp tool. Each stroke paints on more of the sample.
You can customize the brush tip by entering values for the brush size (Diameter) and the size of the tool’s hard center
(Hardness). Specifying the Opacity determines to what degree the selection obscures or reveals the image beneath it.
Similar to the Clone Stamp tool, the Vanishing Point Stamp tool lets you paint strokes using blending modes and
specifying an Opacity. Use the Healing menu to choose a blending mode: choose Off to prevent the strokes from
blending with the colors, shadows, and textures of the surrounding pixels; choose Luminance to blend the strokes

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with the lighting of the surrounding pixels; or choose On to blend the strokes with the color, lighting, and shading
of surrounding pixels. Select the Aligned option to sample pixels continuously without losing the current sampling
point, even if you release the mouse. Deselect the Aligned option to continue using the sampled pixels from the initial
sampling point each time you stop and resume painting. See also “To use the Stamp tool in Vanishing Point” on
page 383 and “To use the Clone Stamp tool” on page 366.
Brush tool
Paints a selected color on the image. Double-click the Brush Color swatch to open the Adobe Color
Picker and select a color, or select the Eyedropper tool and click in the preview image to specify a brush color. Drag
in the image to paint. Shift-drag to constrain the stroke to a straight line. You can customize the brush tip by entering
values for the brush size (Diameter) and the size of the tool’s hard center (Hardness). Specifying the Opacity deter
mines to what degree the selection obscures or reveals the image beneath it. To paint with a blending mode, use the
Healing menu: choose Off to prevent the strokes from blending with the colors, shadows, and textures of the
surrounding pixels; choose Luminance to blend the strokes with the lighting of the surrounding pixels; or choose On
to blend the strokes with the color, lighting, and shading of surrounding pixels.

The Brush tool honors marquee selections and can be used to paint a hard line along edge of the selection. For
example, if you select an entire plane, you can paint a line along the perimeter of the plane.
Scales, rotates, and moves a floating selection by moving the bounding box handles. Its behavior
is similar to using the Free Transform command on a rectangle selection. You can also flip a floating selection
horizontally along the vertical axis of the plane or flop a floating selection vertically along the horizontal axis of the
plane. Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) a floating selection to tear off a copy of the selection. Ctrl-drag
(Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) a selection to fill the selection with a source image. See also “To transform
freely” on page 363.

Transform tool

Transform tool options
A. Original selection B. Flip

C. Flop

Selects a color for painting when you click in the preview image. Click the Brush Color box to
open the Adobe Color Picker.
Eyedropper tool

Zoom tool Magnifies the view of the image in the preview window. Click or click-drag to zoom in. Alt-click/drag

(Windows) or Option-click/drag (Mac OS) to reduce the view of the image in the preview window.
Hand tool Moves the image in the preview window. Drag in the window to move the view.

See also
“Keys for using Vanishing Point” on page 762
“About the Adobe Color Picker” on page 241

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To adjust viewing options in Vanishing Point
❖ Do any of the following:

• To magnify or reduce the preview image, select the Zoom tool

in the Vanishing Point dialog box, and click or
drag in the preview image to zoom in; hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click or drag in the
preview image to zoom out. You can also specify a magnification level in the Zoom text box at the bottom of the
or the Zoom In
buttons.
dialog box, or click the Zoom Out

• To move the image in the preview window, select the Hand tool in the Vanishing Point dialog box, and drag in the

preview image. Alternatively, hold down the spacebar with any tool selected, and drag in the preview image.
• To show or hide the grid and boundaries of a perspective plane, select or deselect Show Edges.
• To adjust the size of the perspective plane grid, select the Edit Plane

or the Create Plane
enter a pixel value in the Grid Size text box or click the down arrow and move the slider.

tool, and then either

• To temporarily zoom into the preview image, hold down the “x” key. This is especially helpful for placing the

corner nodes when defining a plane, and for working on details.

Bounding box and grid alerts in Vanishing Point
The bounding box and grid change colors to indicate the plane’s current condition. If your plane is invalid, move a
corner node until the bounding box and grid are blue.
Blue Indicates a valid plane. Keep in mind that a valid plane doesn’t guarantee results with the proper perspective.
You must make sure that the bounding box and grid accurately line up with geometric elements or a plane area in
the image.
Red Indicates an invalid plane. Vanishing Point cannot calculate the plane’s aspect ratio. You won’t be able to tear off

a perpendicular plane from a red invalid plane. Although it’s possible to make edits in a (red) invalid plane, the results
will not be oriented properly.
Yellow Indicates an invalid plane. All the vanishing points of the plane cannot be resolved. Although it’s possible to

tear off a perpendicular plane or make edits in a yellow invalid plane, the results will not be oriented properly.

To paste an item into Vanishing Point
You can paste an item from the clipboard in Vanishing Point. The copied item can be from the same document or a
different one. Once pasted into Vanishing Point, the item becomes a floating selection that you can scale, rotate, move
or clone. When the floating selection moves into a selected plane, it conforms to the plane’s perspective.
A

Pasting an item into Vanishing Point
A. Copied pattern from a separate document B. Image with selection to confine results

C. Pasted pattern moved into plane

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For convenience, it’s recommended that you create perspective planes in a previous Vanishing Point session.
1 Copy an item to the clipboard. The copied item can be from the same or different document. Keep in mind that
you can paste only a raster (not vector) item.

Note: If you’re copying type, select the entire text layer and then copy to the clipboard. You’ll be pasting a rasterized
version of the type into Vanishing Point.
2 (Optional) Create a new layer.

3 Choose Filter > Vanishing Point.

4 If necessary, create one or more planes in the image.

5 Paste the item. The item is now a floating selection in the preview image. By default, the Marquee tool is selected.

Important: After pasting the image in Vanishing Point, do not immediately use the Marquee tool to select a perspective
plane. This deselects the pasted image so that it’s no longer a floating selection.

To use the Stamp tool in Vanishing Point
In Vanishing Point, the Stamp tool paints with sampled pixels. The cloned image is oriented to the perspective of the

plane you’re painting in. The Stamp tool is useful for such tasks as blending and retouching image areas, cloning

portions of a surface to “paint out” an object, or cloning an image area to duplicate an object or extend a texture or

pattern.

1 With an image containing perspective planes open in Vanishing Point, select the Stamp tool

2 In the tool options area, set brush options for Diameter, Hardness, and Opacity.

3 Choose a Healing mode:

• To paint without blending with the color, lighting, and shading of the surrounding pixels, choose Off.
• To paint and blend the strokes with the lighting of the surrounding pixels while retaining the color of the sampled

pixels, choose Luminance.
• To paint and maintain the texture of the sampled image while blending with the colors, lighting, and shading of

the surrounding pixels, choose On.
4 Select Aligned to sample pixels continuously, without losing the current sampling point even when you release the

mouse button. Deselect Aligned to continue using the sampled pixels from the initial sampling point each time you
stop and resume painting.
5 Move the pointer into a plane and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) to set the sampling point.
6 Drag over the area of the image you want to paint.

Using the Liquify filter
The Liquify filter
The Liquify filter lets you push, pull, rotate, reflect, pucker, and bloat any area of an image. The distortions you create
can be subtle or drastic, which makes the Liquify command a powerful tool for retouching images as well as creating
artistic effects. The Liquify filter can be applied to 8-bits-per-channel or 16-bits per-channel images.

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Distorting an image using the Liquify filter

Tools, options, and an image preview for the Liquify filter are available in the Liquify dialog box. To display the dialog
box, choose Filter > Liquify.
A

Liquify dialog box
A. Toolbox B. Preview image C. Options

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To adjust viewing options in the Liquify dialog box
❖ Do the following:

• To magnify or reduce the preview image, select the Zoom tool in the Liquify dialog box, and click or drag in the

preview image to zoom in; hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click or drag in the preview image
to zoom out. Alternatively, you can specify a magnification level in the Zoom text box at the bottom of the dialog
box.
• To navigate in the preview image, select the Hand tool in the Liquify dialog box, and drag in the preview image.

Alternatively, hold down the spacebar with any tool selected, and drag in the preview image.

Distortion tools
Several tools in the Liquify dialog box distort the brush area when you hold down the mouse button or drag. The
distortion is concentrated at the center of the brush area, and the effect intensifies as you hold down the mouse
button or repeatedly drag over an area.
Forward Warp tool

Pushes pixels forward as you drag.

Shift-click with the Warp tool, the Push Left tool, or the Mirror tool to create the effect of dragging in a straight line
from the previous point you clicked.
Rotates pixels clockwise as you hold down the mouse button or drag. To twirl pixels
counterclockwise, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you hold down the mouse button or drag.

Twirl Clockwise tool

Moves pixels toward the center of the brush area as you hold down the mouse button or drag.

Pucker tool
Bloat tool

Moves pixels away from the center of the brush area as you hold down the mouse button or drag.

Moves pixels to the left when you drag the tool straight up (pixels move to the right if you drag
down). You can also drag clockwise around an object to increase its size, or drag counterclockwise to decrease its size.
To push pixels right when you drag straight up (or to move pixels left when you drag down), hold down Alt
(Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag.

Push Left tool

Copies pixels to the brush area. Drag to mirror the area perpendicular to the direction of the stroke
(to the left of the stroke). Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) to mirror the area in the direction opposite
to that of the stroke (for example, the area above a downward stroke). Usually, Alt-dragging or Option-dragging gives
better results when you have frozen the area you want to reflect. Use overlapping strokes to create an effect similar
to a reflection in water.

Mirror tool

Turbulence tool

Smoothly scrambles pixels. It is useful for creating fire, clouds, waves, and similar effects.

Liquify tool options
In the tool options area of the dialog box, set the following options:
Brush Size Sets the width of the brush you’ll use to distort the image.
Brush Pressure Sets the speed at which distortions are made when you drag a tool in the preview image. Using a
low brush pressure makes changes occur more slowly, so it’s easier to stop them at exactly the right moment.
Brush Rate Sets the speed at which distortions are applied when you keep a tool (such as the Twirl tool) stationary

in the preview image. The higher the setting, the greater the speed at which distortions are applied.
Brush Density Controls how a brush feathers at the edge. An effect is strongest in the center of the brush and lighter

at the edge.

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Turbulent Jitter Control how tightly the Turbulence tool scrambles pixels.
Reconstruct Mode Used for the Reconstruct tool, the mode you choose determines how the tool reconstructs an
area of the preview image.
Select Stylus Pressure (Photoshop) Uses pressure readings from a stylus tablet. (This option is available only when

you are working with a stylus tablet.) When selected, the brush pressure for the tools is the stylus pressure multiplied
by the Brush Pressure value.

See also
“Reconstructing distortions” on page 387

To distort an image
Note: If a type layer or a shape layer is selected, you must rasterize the layer before proceeding, making the type or shape
editable by the Liquify filter. To distort type without rasterizing the type layer, use the Warp options for the Type tool.
1 Select the layer you want to distort. To change only part of the current layer, select that area.

2 Choose Filter > Liquify.

3 Freeze areas of the image that you don’t want to alter.

4 Choose any of the liquify tools to distort the preview image. Drag in the preview image to distort the image.

5 After distorting the preview image, you can use the Reconstruct tool

or other controls to fully or partially

reverse the changes or to change the image in new ways.
6 Do one of the following:
• Click OK to close the Liquify dialog box and apply the changes to the active layer.
• Click Cancel to close the Liquify dialog box without applying changes to the layer.
• Click Restore All to revert all distortions to the preview image, leaving all options in their current settings.
• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click Reset to revert all distortions to the preview image and

reset all options to their defaults.
You can use the Edit > Fade command to create additional effects.

See also
“To blend effects” on page 513

Freezing areas
By freezing areas of the preview image, you protect those areas from changes. Frozen areas are covered by a mask
. You can also use an existing mask, selection, or transparency to freeze areas.
that you paint using the Freeze tool
You can view the mask in the preview image to help you apply distortions.

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You can use the icons’ pop-up menus in the Mask Options area of the Liquify dialog box to choose how the frozen,
or masked, areas of the preview image work.
Using the Freeze tool Select the Freeze tool

and drag over the area you want to protect. Shift-click to freeze in
a straight line between the current point and the previously clicked point.

Using a selection, mask, or transparency channel Choose Selection, Layer Mask, Transparency, or Quick Mask

from the pop-up menu of any the five options in the Mask Options area of the dialog box.
Freezing all thawed areas Click the Mask All button in the Mask Options area of the dialog box.
Inverting thawed and frozen areas Click Invert All in the Mask Options area of the dialog box.
Showing or hiding frozen areas Select or deselect Show Mask in the View Options area of the dialog box.
Changing the color of frozen areas Choose a color from the Mask Color pop-up menu in the View Options area

of the dialog box.

Mask options with the Liquify filter
When you have an existing selection or mask in an image, that information is retained when the Liquify dialog box
opens. You can choose one of the following mask options:
Shows the selection, mask, or transparency in the original image.

Replace Selection

Add To Selection
Shows the mask in the original image, so that you can add to the selection using the Freeze
tool. Adds selected pixels in channel to the current frozen area.
Subtract From Selection

Subtracts pixels in channel from the current frozen area.

Intersect With Selection

Uses only pixels that are selected and currently frozen.

Invert Selection

Uses selected pixels to invert the current frozen area.

To thaw areas
❖ Do any of the following:

• Select the Thaw tool

, and drag over the area. Shift-click to thaw in a straight line between the current point
and the previously clicked point.

• To thaw all frozen areas, click the None button in the Mask Options area of the dialog box.
• To invert frozen and thawed areas, click Invert All in the Mask Options area of the dialog box. If you used a

selection, transparency, or alpha channel to define the frozen area, the alpha channel name in the Channel pop-up
menu changes to Custom.

Reconstructing distortions
After you distort the preview image, you can use a variety of controls and reconstruction modes to reverse changes
or redo the changes in new ways. Reconstructions can be applied two ways. You can apply a reconstruction to the
entire image, smoothing out the distortion in unfrozen areas, or you can use the reconstruction tool to reconstruct
specific areas. You can use the Freeze tool to prevent reconstruction of distorted areas.

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Reconstruction based on distortions in frozen areas.
A. Original image B. Distorted with frozen areas C. Reconstructed in Rigid mode (using button) D. Thawed, edges reconstructed in
Smooth mode (using tool)

To reconstruct an entire image
1 Select a reconstruction mode from the Reconstruct Options area of the dialog box.
2 Press the Reconstruct button in the Reconstruction Options area to apply the effect once. You can apply the recon

struction more than once to create a less distorted appearance.

To remove all distortions
❖ Click the Restore All button in the Reconstruct Option area of the dialog box. This removes distortions even in

frozen areas.

To reconstruct part of a distorted image
1 Freeze areas you want to keep distorted.
2 Select the Reconstruct tool

. Choose one of these Reconstruct tool modes from the Brush Options area of the

dialog box.
3 Hold down the mouse button or drag over the area. Pixels move more quickly at the brush center. Shift-click to
reconstruct in a straight line between the current point and the previously clicked point.

To repeat distortions sampled from a starting point
1 After distorting the preview image, choose one of these reconstruction modes from the Mode menu in the Tool
Options area of the dialog box.
2 Select the Reconstruct tool

, and in the preview image, hold down the mouse button or drag from a starting

point.
This creates a copy of the distortion sampled at the starting point, much as the Clone tool does when you use it to
paint a copy of an area. If there is no distortion, the effect is the same as using Revert mode. You can set new starting
points and use the Reconstruct tool repeatedly to create a variety of effects.

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Reconstruction modes
You can choose one of the following reconstruction modes:
Rigid Maintains right angles in the pixel grid (as shown by the mesh) at the edges between frozen and unfrozen

areas, sometimes producing near-discontinuities at the edges. This restores the unfrozen areas so that they approx
imate their original appearance. (To restore their original appearance, use Revert reconstruction mode.)
Stiff Acts like a weak magnetic field. At the edges between frozen and unfrozen areas, the unfrozen areas take on the
distortions of the frozen areas. As the distance from frozen areas increases, the distortions lessen.
Smooth Propagates the distortions in frozen areas throughout unfrozen areas, with smoothly continuous distor

tions.
Loose Produces effects similar to Smooth, with even greater continuity between distortions in frozen and unfrozen

areas.
Revert Scales back distortions uniformly without any kind of smoothing.

Reconstruct tool modes
The Reconstruct tool has three modes that use the distortion at the point where you first clicked the tool (start point)
to reconstruct the area over which you use the tool. Every time you click, you set a new start point; so, if you want to
extend an effect from one start point, don’t release the mouse button until you finish using the Reconstruct tool.
Displace Reconstructs unfrozen areas to match the displacement at the start point for the reconstruction. You can
use Displace to move all or part of the preview image to a different location. If you click and gradually spiral out from
the start point, you displace or move a portion of the image to the area you brush over.
Amplitwist Reconstructs unfrozen areas to match the displacement, rotation, and overall scaling that exist at the

start point.
Affine Reconstructs unfrozen areas to match all distortions that exist at the start point, including displacement,

rotation, horizontal and vertical scaling, and skew.

Working with meshes
Using a mesh helps you see and keep track of distortions. You can choose the size and color of a mesh, and save the
mesh from one image and apply it to other images.
• To add a mesh, select Show Mesh in the View Options area of the dialog box, and choose a mesh size, mesh color,

and freeze color.
• To show a mesh, select Show Mesh. When Show Mesh is selected, you can show or hide the preview image. Select

Show Image in the View Options area of the dialog box to show the preview image; deselect Show Image to view
only the mesh.
• To save a distortion mesh, after distorting the preview image, click Save Mesh. Specify a name and location for the

mesh file, and click Save.
• To apply a distortion mesh, click Load Mesh, select the mesh file you want to apply, and click Open. If the image

and distortion mesh aren’t the same size, the mesh is scaled to fit the image.

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Working with backdrops
You can choose to show only the active layer in the preview image, or you can show additional layers in the preview
image as a backdrop. Using the Mode options, you can position the backdrop in front of or behind the active layer to
keep track of your changes, or to line up a distortion with another distortion made in a different layer.
Important: Only the active layer is distorted, even if other layers are displayed.
Showing the backdrop Select Show Backdrop, and then choose an option from the Use pop-up menu. If you use

All Layers, changes to the current target layer are not reflected in the backdrop layer. Specify an overlay opacity to
change the blending between the target layer and the backdrop. The mode determines how the backdrop and the
target layer are combined for the preview. Choose an option from the Mode pop-up menu.
Hiding the backdrop Deselect Show Backdrop in the View Options area of the dialog box.

Creating panoramic images using Photomerge
About Photomerge
The Photomerge™ command combines several photographs into one continuous image. For example, you can take
five overlapping photographs of a city skyline, and then assemble them into a panorama. The Photomerge command
can assemble photos that are tiled horizontally as well as vertically.
Note: Photomerge converts 16-bits-per-channel and 32-bits-per-channel images to 8-bits-per-channel images.

Source images (top), and completed Photomerge composition (bottom)

To open Photomerge compositions, choose File > Automate > Photomerge and then click the Open Composition
button. Choose the composition you want to open.

Taking pictures for use with Photomerge
Your source photographs play a large role in panoramic compositions. To avoid problems, follow these guidelines
when taking pictures for use with Photomerge:
Overlap images sufficiently Images should overlap by approximately 25% to 40%. If the overlap is less, Photomerge

may not be able to automatically assemble the panorama. However, keep in mind that the images shouldn’t overlap
too much. If images overlap by 70% or more, it can be difficult to work with them, and blending may not be as
effective. Try to keep the individual photos at least somewhat distinct from each other.
Use a consistent focal length Avoid using the zoom feature of your camera while taking your pictures.

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Keep the camera level Although Photomerge can process slight rotations between pictures, a tilt of more than a few
degrees can result in errors when the panorama is assembled. Using a tripod with a rotating head helps maintain
camera alignment and viewpoint.

When photographing a panoramic scene from a high place, the natural inclination is to keep the horizon level in the
viewfinder. However, this actually produces a noticeable rotation between images. Try using a tripod to keep the
camera level when taking photographs in this situation.
Stay in the same position Try not to change your position as you take a series of photographs, so that the pictures

are from the same viewpoint. Using the optical viewfinder with the camera held close to the eye helps keep the
viewpoint consistent. Or try using a tripod to keep the camera in the same place.
Avoid using distortion lenses Fish-eye and other distortion lenses can interfere with Photomerge.
Maintain the same exposure Avoid using the flash in some pictures and not in others. The advanced blending
feature in Photomerge helps smooth out different exposures, but extreme differences make alignment difficult. Some
digital cameras change exposure settings automatically as you take pictures, so you may need to check your camera
settings to be sure that all the images have the same exposure.

Using the Photomerge dialog box
The Photomerge dialog box contains tools for manipulating the composition, a lightbox for storing source images
that are not in use, a work area for assembling the composition, and options for viewing and editing the composition.
You can also zoom in and out to check the alignment of each file.
A

Photomerge dialog box
A. Lightbox B. Navigator view box

C. Toolbox D. Work area

E. Status bar

Navigating in the Photomerge dialog box Do one or more of the following in the Photomerge dialog box:
• Select the Hand tool and drag in the work area to move the view.
• Drag the view box or the scroll bars in the Navigator thumbnail. The view box represents the boundaries of the

work area.
Zooming in the Photomerge dialog box Do one of the following:
• Click the Zoom In icon
• Use the Zoom tool

below the Navigator.
to zoom in.

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• Click the Zoom Out icon

below the Navigator.

Using the lightbox You can use the lightbox to rearrange images in the Photomerge composition. To use the

lightbox, select the Select Image tool

, and then do one or more of the following:

• Drag an image from the lightbox to the work area to add it to the composition.
• Drag an image from the work area to the lightbox to remove it from the composition.
• Double-click an image in the lightbox to add it to the composition.

Make sure Snap To Image is selected to automatically snap overlapping images into place when a commonality is
detected.
Rotating images Select the Select Image tool , and click the image you want to rotate. Select the Rotate tool
and then click near the edge of the image and drag in a circular motion around the center of the image.

To create a Photomerge composition
When you set up a Photomerge composition, you identify your source files, and the panorama is automatically
assembled. After the panorama is assembled, you can fine-tune the placement of the individual photos, if necessary.
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose File > Automate > Photomerge.
• In Adobe Bridge, choose Tools > Photoshop > Photomerge from the Bridge menu bar. Skip to step 5.

Note: In Bridge, choosing the Photomerge command uses all images currently displayed in Bridge. If you only want
specific images used, select them before choosing the Photomerge command.
2 In the Photomerge dialog box, choose an option from the Use pop-up menu:
Files Generates the Photomerge composition using individual files.
Folders Uses all the images stored in a folder to create the Photomerge composition. The files in the folder appear
in the dialog box.
Open Files Uses the image files you have open in Photoshop.
3 Click the Browse button to navigate to the source files or folder you want to use to create the Photomerge composition. Select Attempt To Automatically Arrange Source Images if you want Photoshop to try to line the images up
in their proper order. Deselect this option if you want to arrange the images in the lightbox yourself.

You can add more files by clicking the Browse button again and navigating to the source files. You can always remove
a file from the Source Files list by selecting the file and clicking the Remove button.
4 When you’ve added all the source files, click OK to create the Photomerge composition. The source files are
opened and assembled automatically. Sixteen-bits-per-channel images and 32-bits-per-channel are converted to
8-bits-per-channel images.

If the composition can’t be automatically assembled, a message appears on-screen. You can assemble the composition
manually in the Photomerge dialog box using the lightbox.
5 When the new panorama appears in the Photomerge dialog box, you can work with individual source files and
change your view of the work area. If you need to rearrange the order of the images, drag an image in the work area
to reposition it, or rearrange the images in the lightbox.
6 If necessary, adjust the vanishing point or blending settings of your composition.

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7 If you want to save each image in the composition in individual layers, select Keep as Layers. (This is useful if you
need to correct the color of each image separately.)
8 Do one of the following:
• Click the OK button to generate the panorama as a new Photoshop file. The composition then opens in Photoshop.
• Click the Save Composition As button to save the composition and open it again at a later time.

See also
“To run automated tasks with Bridge” on page 94

Changing Photomerge composition settings
Photomerge settings determine how source images appear in the Photomerge dialog box. Photoshop lets you adjust
perspective and blend exposure differences to produce the best possible effect.
The Vanishing Point tool selects the vanishing point image, which changes the perspective of the composition. By
default, the middle image contains the vanishing point (it has a blue border around it when selected). There can only
be one vanishing point.
The Cylindrical Mapping and Advanced Blending options are used to process the final image. The results of applying
these options are visible only in Preview mode or in the final, generated image.

To change the vanishing point of a composition
1 Select Perspective in the Settings area of the Photomerge dialog box.
2 Select the Vanishing Point tool

, and click an image in the work area to place the vanishing point there.

3 If necessary, use the Select Image tool

to adjust the position of the remaining images. A red border indicates
that the selected image does not contain the vanishing point.

When you apply perspective correction to a composition, the images without the vanishing point are linked to the
image that contains the vanishing point. You can break this link by clicking the Normal button, by separating the
images in the work area, or by dragging the image with the vanishing point back to the lightbox. When the link is
broken, images return to their original shapes.
The perspective correction works only up to a 120˚ angle of view, approximately. For a wider angle of view, deselect
the Perspective option.
To change the perspective of a composition, select the Vanishing Point tool, and click an image in the work area.
Notice how the perspective of the composition changes according to which image contains the vanishing point.

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To apply Advanced Blending or Cylindrical Mapping
1 Select Composition options as desired:
Cylindrical Mapping Reduces the “bow-tie” distortion that can occur when you apply perspective correction. You

must select the Perspective option in order to apply cylindrical mapping.

Adding Cylindrical Mapping
A. Original B. Cylindrical Mapping applied

Advanced Blending Minimizes color inconsistencies that result from blending images with exposure differences.

When this option is selected, broad colors and tones are blended over a large area, while detailed colors and tones are
blended over a smaller area.
2 Click Preview. To return to edit mode, click Exit Preview.

395

Chapter 14: Layers

Layer Basics
About layers
Layers allow you to work on one element of an image without disturbing the others. Think of layers as sheets of
acetate stacked one on top of the other. You can see through transparent areas of a layer to the layers below. You can
change the composition of an image by changing the order and attributes of layers. In addition, special features such
as adjustment layers, fill layers, and layer styles let you create sophisticated effects.

Transparent areas on a layer let you see through to the layers below.

A new image in Photoshop or ImageReady has a single layer. The number of additional layers, layer effects, and layer
sets you can add to an image is limited only by your computer’s memory.
Layer groups help you organize and manage layers. You can use groups to arrange your layers in a logical order and
to reduce clutter in the Layers palette. You can nest groups within other groups. You can also use groups to apply
attributes and masks to multiple layers simultaneously.

About the Layers palette
The Layers palette lists all layers, groups, and layer effects in an image. You can use the Layers palette to show and
hide layers, create new layers, and work with groups of layers. You can access additional commands and options in
the Layers palette menu.

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B
C
D

E
F

Photoshop Layers palette
A. Layers palette menu B. Group

C. Layer

D. Expand/Collapse Layer effects

E. Layer effect

F. Layer thumbnail

• To display the Layers palette, choose Window > Layers.
• To use the Layers palette menu, click the triangle in the upper right corner of the palette. It contains commands

for working with layers.
• To change the size of layer thumbnails, choose Palette Options from the Layers palette menu, and select a

thumbnail size.
• To change thumbnail contents, choose Palette Options from the Layers palette menu and select Entire Document

to display the contents of the entire document. Select Layer Bounds to restrict the thumbnail to the object’s pixels
on the layer. Select the Show Group Thumbnails box to show a composite image of the group rather than the group
icon.
Turn off thumbnails to improve performance and save monitor space.
• To expand and collapse groups (and layer sets in ImageReady), click the triangle to the left of a group folder. See

“To view layers and groups within a group” on page 398.

About the background layer
When you create a new image with a white background or a colored background, the bottommost image in the
Layers palette is called Background. An image can have only one background. You cannot change the stacking
order of a background, its blending mode, or its opacity. However, you can convert a background to a regular layer.
When you create a new image with transparent content, the image does not have a background layer. The
bottommost layer is not constrained like the background layer; you can move it anywhere in the Layers palette, and
change its opacity and blending mode.

To convert a background into a layer
1 Double-click Background in the Layers palette, or choose Layer > New > Layer From Background.
2 Set layer options. (See “To create a new layer or group” on page 397.)
3 Click OK.

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To convert a layer into a background

1 Select a layer in the Layers palette.

2 Choose Layer > New > Background From Layer.

Any transparent pixels in the layer are converted to the background color.

Note: You cannot create a background by giving a regular layer the name Background—you must use the Background
From Layer command.

To create a new layer or group
A new layer appears either above the selected layer or within the selected group in the Layers palette.
1 Do one of the following:
• To create a new layer or group using default options, click the New Layer button

or New Group button

the Layers palette.
• Choose Layer > New > Layer or choose Layer > New > Group.
• Choose New Layer or New Group from the Layers palette menu.
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the New Layer button or New Group button in the Layers palette

to display the New Layer dialog box and set layer options.
• Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the New Layer button or New Group button in the Layers

palette to add a layer below the currently selected layer.
2 Set layer options, and click OK:
Name Specifies a name for the layer or group.
Use Layer Below To Create Clipping Mask This option is not available for groups. (See “To create a clipping mask”

on page 437.)
Color Assigns a color to the layer or group in the Layers palette.
Mode Specifies a blending mode for the layer or group. (See “About blending modes” on page 410.)
Opacity Specifies an opacity level for the layer or group.
(Photoshop) Fill With Mode-Neutral Color Fills the layer with a preset, neutral color.

To create a new layer with the same effects as an existing layer
1 Select the existing layer in the Layers palette.
2 Drag the layer to the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette. The newly created layer contains all
the effects of the existing one.

To convert a selection into a new layer

1 Make a selection.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Layer > New > Layer Via Copy to copy the selection into a new layer.
• Choose Layer > New > Layer Via Cut to cut the selection and paste it into a new layer.

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To show or hide a layer, group, or style
❖ Do one of the following:

• In the Layers palette, click the eye icon next to a layer, group, or layer effect to hide its content in the document

window. Click in the column again to redisplay the content.
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) an eye icon to display only the content for that layer or group.

Photoshop remembers the visibility states of all layers before hiding them. If you don’t change the visibility of any
other layer, Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac OS) in the eye column again restores the original
visibility settings.
• Drag through the eye column to change the visibility of multiple items in the Layers palette.

Note: Only visible layers are printed.

To view layers and groups within a group

1 Click the group in the Layers palette.

2 To open the group, do one of the following:

• Click the triangle to the left of the folder icon.
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the triangle to the left of the folder icon and choose Open This

Group.
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the triangle to open or close a group and the groups nested within

it.

To sample from all visible layers
The default behavior of the Magic Wand, Smudge, Blur, Sharpen, Paint Bucket, Clone Stamp, and Healing Brush
tools is to sample color only from pixels on the active layer. This means you can smudge or sample in a single layer.
❖ To smudge or sample pixels from all visible layers with these tools, select Use All Layers in the options bar.

To change transparency preferences
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Transparency & Gamut; in Mac OS, choose Photoshop >

Preferences > Transparency & Gamut.
• (ImageReady) In Windows, choose Edit > Preference > Transparency; in Mac OS, choose ImageReady >

Preferences > Transparency.
2 Choose a size and color for the transparency checkerboard, or choose None for Grid Size to hide the transparency
checkerboard.
3 (Photoshop) Select Use Video Alpha to enable Photoshop to send transparency information to your computer’s
video board. This option requires hardware support—make sure that your computer’s video board allows images to
be overlaid on top of a live video signal.
4 click OK.

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Unifying layers in animations and rollovers
The unify buttons in the Layers palette determine how the changes you make to a layer in the active rollover state or
animation frame apply to the other states in a rollover or frames in an animation. When a unify button is selected,
changes apply to all states and frames; when a button is deselected, changes apply to only the active state or frame.
(Photoshop) To display the unify buttons, choose Animation Options from the Layers palette menu and choose an
option. Automate (the default) displays the animation controls when the Animation palette is visible.

See also
“To unify layers for rollovers and animations (ImageReady)” on page 613

Selecting, grouping, and linking layers
Selecting layers
You can select one or more layers to work on them. For some activities, such as painting or making color and tone
adjustments, you can work on only one layer at a time. A single selected layer is called the active layer. The name of
the active layer appears in the title bar of the document window (Photoshop).
For other activities, such as moving, aligning, transforming, or applying styles from the Styles palette, you can select
and work on multiple layers at a time.
You can select layers in the Layers palette or with the Move tool.
You can also link layers. Unlike multiple layers selected at the same time, linked layers stay linked when you change
the selection in the Layers palette. See “To link and unlink layers” on page 401.
If you don’t see the desired results when using a tool or applying a command, you may not have the correct layer
selected. Check the Layers palette to make sure that you’re working on the correct layer.

To select layers in the Layers palette
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click a layer in the Layers palette.
• To select multiple contiguous layers, click the first layer and then Shift-click the last layer.
• To select multiple noncontiguous layers, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) them in the Layers

palette.
• To select all layers, choose Select > All Layers.
• (Photoshop) To select all layers of a similar type (for example all type layers), choose Select > Select Similar Layers.
• To have no layer selected, click in the Layers palette below the background or bottom layer, or choose Select >

Deselect Layers.

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To select layers in the document window
1 Select the Move tool

2 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) In the options bar, select Auto Select Layer and click in the document on the layer content you want

to select. The topmost layer containing pixels under the cursor is selected.
• (Photoshop) In the options bar, select Auto Select Group and click in the document on the content you want to

select. The topmost group containing pixels under the cursor is selected. If you click an ungrouped layer, it
becomes selected.
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) in the image, and choose a layer from the context menu. The

context menu lists all the layers that contain pixels under the current pointer location.
• (ImageReady) In the options bar, select the Layer Select tool

. Click in the document on a single layer to select
it, in a group to select the entire group, or in a layer in a set to select only that layer. Note that you can’t select locked
layers with this tool.

• (ImageReady) In the options bar, select the Direct Select tool

. Click in the document on a layer within a layer

set to select the individual layer.

To select a layer in a group
1 Click the group in the Layers palette.
2 To open the group, do one of the following:
• Click the triangle to the left of the folder icon

• Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) the triangle to the left of the folder icon and choose Open This

Group from the pop-up menu. (You can choose Open Other Groups to open groups that are not selected.)
3 Click the individual layer in the group.

To group and ungroup layers
1 Select multiple layers in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Layer > Group Layers.
• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) layers to the folder icon at the bottom of the Layers palette to group

the layers.
3 To Ungroup the layers, select the group and choose Layer > Ungroup Layers.

To add layers to a group
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select the group in the Layers palette and click the New Layer button

• Drag a layer to the group folder.
• Drag a group folder into another group folder. The group and all of its layers move.
• Drag an existing group to the New Group button

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To link and unlink layers
You can link two or more layers or groups. Unlike multiple layers selected at the same time, linked layers retain their
relationship until you unlink them. You can move, apply transformations, and create clipping masks from linked
layers.
1 Select the layers or groups in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the link icon

at the bottom of the Layers palette (Photoshop) or next to the layer (ImageReady).

• (ImageReady) Choose Link Layers from the Layers palette menu.
3 To unlink layers do one of the following:
• Select a linked layer and click the link icon.
• (Photoshop) To temporarily disable the linked layer, Shift-click the Link icon for the linked layer. A red X appears.

Shift-click the link icon to enable the link again.
• Select the linked layers and click the Link icon. To select all linked layers, select one of the layers and then choose

Layer > Select Linked Layers.

Working with groups and sets in ImageReady
Layers you group in Photoshop become layer sets when you open the image in ImageReady. Layer sets you create in
ImageReady become groups in Photoshop. The difference between groups and sets in ImageReady is the way that
the Layer Select tool responds to a selection in the document window. In a layer set, the Layer Select tool selects
individual layers in the set. With a group, the Layer Select tool selects the entire group when you click a layer that is
part of the group. To make a layer set into a group, select the layer set, choose Layer > Layer Set Options, and select
the Treat Layer Set As Group option.

Moving, copying, and locking layers
To change the order of layers and groups
1 Do one of the following:
• Drag the layer or group up or down in the Layers palette. Release the mouse button when the highlighted line

appears where you want to place the layer or group.
• To move a layer into a group, drag a layer to the group folder

. If the group is closed, the layer is placed at the

bottom of the group.
Note: If a group is expanded so that you can see all the layers within it, adding a layer beneath the expanded group
automatically adds the layer to that group. To avoid this, collapse the group before adding the new layer.
• Select a layer or group, choose Layer > Arrange, and choose a command from the submenu. If the selected item is

in a group, the command applies to the stacking order within the group. If the selected item is not in a group, the
command applies to the stacking order within the Layers palette.
• To reverse the order of selected layers, choose Layer > Arrange > Reverse (Photoshop) or Layer > Reverse Layers

(ImageReady). Note that these options appear dimmed if you do not have at least two layers selected.
Note: By definition, the background layer is always at the bottom of the stacking order. Therefore, the Send To Back
command places the selected item directly above the background layer.

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Manipulating layer content
After you select layers, you can move, transform, align, and distribute them. You can select layers in the Layers palette
or directly in the document window.
Showing the boundary or edges of the content in a layer can help you move and align the content. You can also
display the transform handles for selected layers and groups so that you can resize or rotate them.

Layer content with edges showing (left) and with transform mode selected (right)

See also
“To select layers in the Layers palette” on page 399
“To select layers in the document window” on page 400

To display the edges of content in a selected layer
❖ Choose View > Show > Layer Edges.

To display transform handles in a selected layer

1 Select the Move tool.

2 Do one of the following:

• (Photoshop) In the options bar, select Show Transform Controls.
• (ImageReady) In the options bar, select Show Transform Box.

You can resize and rotate layer content using the transform handles. See “To transform freely” on page 363.

To move the content of layers

1 In the Layers palette, select the layers containing the objects you want to move.

2 Do one of the following:

• Select the Move tool in the toolbox. In the document window, drag any object on one of the selected layers.
• Press an arrow key on the keyboard to nudge the objects by 1 pixel.
• Hold down Shift and press an arrow key on the keyboard to nudge the objects by 10 pixels.

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To align objects on different layers
You can align the content of layers and groups using the Move tool. (See “Moving selections and layers within
an image” on page 328.)
1 Do one of the following:
• To align multiple layers, select the layers with the Move tool or in the Layers palette, or select a group.
• To align the content of one or more layers to a selection border, make a selection in the image, and then select the

layers in the Layers palette. Use this method to align to any specified point in the image.
2 Choose Layer > Align or Layer > Align Layers To Selection (Photoshop), and choose a command from the
submenu. These same commands are available as Alignment buttons in the Move tool options bar.

Aligns the top pixel on the selected layers to the topmost pixel on all selected layers, or to the top edge
of the selection border.

Top Edges

Vertical Centers
Aligns the vertical center pixel on each selected layers to the vertical center pixel of all the
selected layers, or to the vertical center of the selection border.
Bottom Edges
Aligns the bottom pixel on the selected layers to the bottommost pixel on selected layers, or to
the bottom edge of the selection border.

Aligns the left pixel on the selected layers to the left pixel on the leftmost layer, or to the left edge of
the selection border.

Left Edges

Horizontal Centers
Aligns the horizontal center pixel on the selected layers to the horizontal center pixel of all
the selected layers, or to the horizontal center of the selection border.

Aligns the right pixel on the linked layers to the rightmost pixel on all selected layers, or to the right
edge of the selection border.

Right Edges

To evenly distribute layers and groups
1 Select three or more layers.
2 Choose Layer > Distribute and choose a command. Alternatively, select the Move tool and click a distribution
button in the options bar.
Top Edges

Spaces the layers evenly starting from the top pixel of each layer.
Spaces the layers evenly starting from the vertical center pixel of each layer.

Vertical Centers

Spaces the layers evenly starting from the bottom pixel of each layer.

Bottom Edges
Left Edges

Spaces the layers evenly starting from the left pixel of each layer.

Horizontal Centers
Right Edges

Spaces the layers evenly starting from the horizontal center of each layer.

Spaces the layers evenly starting from the right pixel on each layer.

To distribute layers unevenly (ImageReady)

1 Select the Move tool.

2 Select the layers you wish to space.

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3 Enter a number in the text box to the right of the Distribution buttons in the options bar. This number equals the
number of pixels that will separate the layers. You can choose different numbers for different combinations of layers
or groups to create an uneven spacing pattern.
4 Choose the Distribute Layer Vertical Space or Distribute Layer Horizontal Space button to finish the distribution
process.

You can specify the space between distributed layers.

To rotate a layer

1 In the Layers palette, select the layer you want to rotate.

2 If anything is currently selected in the image, choose Select > Deselect.

3 Choose Edit > Transform > Rotate. A box defining the boundaries of the layer (called a bounding box) appears.

4 Move the pointer outside of the bounding box (the pointer becomes a curved, two-sided arrow), and then drag.

Press Shift to constrain the rotation to 15˚ increments.

5 When you’re satisfied with the results, press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS), or click the check mark in the

options bar. To cancel the rotation, press Esc, or click the Cancel Transform icon on the options bar.

See also
“Rotating and flipping entire images” on page 347
“To scale, rotate, skew, distort, apply perspective, or warp” on page 361

To duplicate a layer or group within an image

1 Select a layer or group in the Layers palette.

2 Do one of the following:

• Drag the layer or group to the New Layer button

• Choose Duplicate Layer or Duplicate Group from the Layers menu or the Layers palette menu. In Photoshop, enter

a name for the layer or group, and click OK.

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To duplicate a layer or group between images

1 Open the source and destination images.

2 In the Layers palette of the source image, select a layer or group.

3 Do one of the following:

• Drag the layer or group from the Layers palette into the destination image.
• Select the Move tool

, and drag from the source image to the destination image. The duplicate layer or group
appears above the active layer in the Layers palette of the destination image. Shift-drag to move the image content
to the same location it occupied in the source image (if the source and destination images have the same pixel
dimensions) or to the center of the document window (if the source and destination images have different pixel
dimensions).

• (Photoshop) Choose Duplicate Layer or Duplicate Group from the Layers menu or the Layers palette menu.

Choose the destination document from the Document pop-up menu, and click OK.
• Choose Select > All to select all the pixels on the layer, and choose Edit > Copy. Then choose Edit > Paste in the

destination image.

To create a new document from a layer or group

1 Select a layer or group in the Layers palette.

2 Choose Duplicate Layer or Duplicate Group from the Layers menu or the Layers palette menu.

3 Choose New from the document pop-up menu, and click OK.

Locking layers
You can lock layers fully or partially to protect their contents. For instance, you may want to lock a layer fully when
you finish with it. You may want to lock a layer partially if it has the correct transparency and styles, but you are still
deciding on positioning. When a layer is locked, a lock icon appears to the right of the layer name. The lock icon is
solid when the layer is fully locked and hollow when the layer is partially locked.

To lock all properties of a layer or group

1 Select a layer or group.

2 Do one of the following:

• Click the Lock All

option in the Layers palette.

• (ImageReady) Choose Layer Options from the Layers palette menu, and select the Lock All option.

Note: When a layer in a locked group has individual lock options applied to it, the lock icon is dimmed

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To partially lock a layer
1 Select a layer.
2 Click one or more lock options in the Layers palette. (In ImageReady, you can also choose Layer Options from the
Layers palette menu.) Select one or more lock options:

Confines editing to the opaque portions of the layer. This option is equivalent to the Preserve
Transparency option in earlier versions of Photoshop.

Lock Transparency
Lock Image
Lock Position

Prevents modification of the layer’s pixels using the painting tools.
Prevents the layer’s pixels from being moved.

Note: For type layers, Lock Transparency and Lock Image are selected by default and cannot be deselected.

To apply lock options to selected layers or a group

1 Select multiple layers or a group.

2 Choose Lock Layers or Lock All Layers In Group from the Layers menu or the Layers palette menu.

3 Select lock options, and click OK.

Managing layers
To rename a layer or group
As you add layers to an image, it’s helpful to give them names that reflect their content. Descriptive names make
layers easy to identify in the palette.
❖ Do one of the following:

• Double-click the layer or group name in the Layers palette, and enter a new name.
• Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and double-click the layer (not its name or thumbnail) in the Layers

palette. Enter a new name in the Name text box, and click OK.
• (Photoshop) Select a layer or group, and choose Layer Properties or Group Properties from the Layers menu or

the Layers palette menu. Enter a new name in the Name text box, and click OK.
• (ImageReady) Select a layer or set, and choose Layer Options or Layer Set Options from the Layers menu or the

Layers palette menu. Enter a new name in the Name text box, and click OK.

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To assign a color to a layer or group
Color-coding layers and groups helps you locate related layers in the Layers palette.
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Select a layer or group, and choose Layer Properties or Group Properties from the Layers menu or

the Layers palette menu.
• (ImageReady) Select a layer or layer set, and choose Layer Options or Layer Set Options from the Layers menu or

the Layers palette menu.
• For groups, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and double-click the layer (not its name or thumbnail) in

the Layers palette.
2 Choose a color from the Color pop-up menu, and click OK.

To rasterize layers
You cannot use the painting tools or filters on layers that contain vector data (such as type layers, shape layers, vector
masks, or Smart Objects) and generated data (such as fill layers). However, you can rasterize these layers to convert
their contents into a flat, raster image.
❖ Select the layers you want to rasterize, choose Layer > Rasterize, and then choose an option from the submenu:

Type Rasterizes the type on a type layer. Doesn’t rasterize any other vector data on the layer.
Shape Rasterizes a shape layer.
Fill Content Rasterizes the fill of a shape layer, leaving the vector mask.
Vector Mask Rasterizes the vector mask of a shape layer, turning it into a layer mask.
Smart Object Converts a Smart Object to a raster layer.
Layer Rasterizes all vector data on the selected layers.
All Layers Rasterizes all layers that contain vector and generated data.

Note: To rasterize linked layers, select a linked layer, choose Layer > Select Linked Layers, and then rasterize the selected
layers.

To delete a layer or group
Deleting layers that you no longer need reduces the size of your image file.
1 Select one or more layers or groups in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:
• To delete with a confirmation message, click the Delete icon. Alternatively, choose Layers > Delete > Layer or

Delete Layer or Delete Group from the Layers palette menu.
• To delete the layer or group without confirmation, drag it to the Delete icon or Alt-click (Windows) or Option

click (Mac OS) the Delete icon.
• (Photoshop) To delete hidden layers, choose Layers > Delete > Hidden Layers.

(Photoshop) To delete linked layers, select a linked layer, choose Layer > Select Linked Layers, and then delete the
layers.

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Exporting layers
In Photoshop, you can export all layers or visible layers to separate files. Choose File > Scripts > Export Layers to
Files.
In ImageReady, you can export some or all layers of a document as files. You can export layers as Photoshop (PSD),
GIF, JPEG, PNG 8, PNG 24, WBMP, or SWF files. See “To export layers as files in ImageReady” on page 675.

Tracking file size
File size depends on the pixel dimensions of an image and the number of layers it contains. Images with more pixels
may produce more detail when printed, but they require more disk space to store and may be slower to edit and print.
You should keep track of your file sizes to make sure the files are not becoming too large for your purposes. If the file
is becoming too large, reduce the number of layers in the image or change the image size.
You can view file size information for an image at the bottom of the application window. For more information, see
“To display file information in the document window” on page 32.

Merging and stamping layers
Merging and stamping layers
When you have finalized the content of layers, you can merge them to reduce the size of your image files. When you
merge layers, the data on the top layers replaces the overlapped data on the lower layers. The intersection of all trans
parent areas in the merged layers remains transparent.
Note: You cannot use an adjustment layer or fill layer as the target layer for a merge.
In addition to merging layers, you can stamp them. Stamping allows you to merge the contents of more than one layer
into a target layer while leaving the other layers intact. Typically, the selected layer is stamped down to the layer below
it.
Note: When you save a merged document, you cannot revert back to the unmerged state; the layers are permanently
merged.

To merge two layers or groups

1 Make sure that the layers and groups you want to merge are visible.

2 Select the layers and groups you want to merge.

3 Choose Layer > Merge Layers.

Note: You can merge two adjacent layers or groups by selecting the top item and then choosing Layer > Merge Down or
Merge Group. You can merge linked layers by choosing Layer > Select Linked Layers and then merging the selected layers.
(In ImageReady you can choose Layer > Merge Linked.)

To merge layers in a clipping mask

1 Hide any layers that you do not want to merge.

2 Select the base layer in the clipping mask.

3 Choose Merge Clipping Mask from the Layers menu or the Layers palette menu.

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See also
“Clipping masks” on page 436

To merge all visible layers and groups in an image
❖ Choose Merge Visible from the Layers palette or the Layers palette menu.

To stamp multiple layers or linked layers
When you stamp multiple selected layers or linked layers, Photoshop creates a new layer containing the merged

content.

1 Select multiple layers.

2 Press Ctrl+Alt+E (Windows) or Command+Option+E (Mac OS).

To stamp all visible layers
❖ Select the layer or group that will contain the merged contents, and press Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (Windows) or

Shift+Command+Option+E (Mac OS).
Alternatively, you can hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and choose Layer > Merge Visible. The
modified Merge command merges all the visible data into the current target layer.

To flatten all layers
Flattening reduces file size by merging all visible layers into the background and discarding hidden layers. Any trans
parent areas that remain are filled with white.
Note: Converting an image between some color modes flattens the file. Save a copy of your file with all layers intact if
you want to edit the original image after the conversion.
1 Make sure that all the layers you want to keep are visible.

2 Choose Layer > Flatten Image, or choose Flatten Image from the Layers palette menu.

Setting opacity and blending options
To specify opacity for a layer or group
A layer’s opacity determines to what degree it obscures or reveals the layer beneath it. A layer with 1% opacity appears
nearly transparent, whereas one with 100% opacity appears completely opaque.

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Note: You cannot change the opacity of a background layer or a locked layer. You can, however, convert a background
layer to a regular layer, which does support transparency. See “To convert a background into a layer” on page 396.
1 Select a layer or group in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:
• In the Layers palette, enter a value in the Opacity text box or drag the Opacity pop-up slider.
• Choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options. Enter a value in the Opacity text box or drag the Opacity pop-up

slider.
• Select the Move tool and type a number indicating the percentage of opacity.

Note: To view blending options for a text layer, choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, or choose Blending
Options from the Add A Layer Style button at the bottom of the Layers palette menu.

To specify fill opacity for a layer
In addition to setting opacity, which affects any layer styles and blending modes applied to the layer, you can specify
a fill opacity for layers. Fill opacity affects pixels painted in a layer or shapes drawn on a layer without affecting the
opacity of any layer effects that have been applied to the layer.
❖ Do one of the following:

• (Photoshop) In the Layers palette, enter a value in the Fill Opacity text box or drag the Fill Opacity pop-up slider.
• Double-click a layer thumbnail, choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options.

About blending modes
A layer’s blending mode determines how its pixels blend with underlying pixels in the image. You can create a variety
of special effects using blending modes.
By default, the blending mode of a group is Pass Through, which means that the group has no blending properties
of its own. When you choose a different blending mode for a group, you effectively change the order in which the
image components are put together. All of the layers in the group are put together first. The composite group is then
treated as a single image and blended with the rest of the image using the selected blending mode. Thus, if you choose
a blending mode other than Pass Through for the group, none of the adjustment layers or layer blending modes
inside the group will apply to layers outside the group.
Note: There is no Clear blending mode for layers. In addition, the Color Dodge, Color Burn, Darken, Lighten, Difference,
and Exclusion modes are unavailable for Lab images.

See also
“List of blending modes” on page 487

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To specify a blending mode for a layer or group

1 Select a layer or group in the Layers palette.

2 Choose a blending mode:

• In the Layers palette, choose an option from the Blend Mode pop-up menu.
• Choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, and then choose an option from the Blend Mode pop-up menu.

Filling new layers with a neutral color
You can’t apply certain filters (such as the Lighting Effects filter) to layers with no pixels. Selecting Fill With (Mode)neutral Color in the New Layer dialog box resolves this problem by first filling the layer with a preset, neutral color.
This invisible, neutral color is assigned according to the layer’s blending mode. If no effect is applied, filling with a
neutral color has no effect on the remaining layers. The Fill With Neutral Color option is not available for layers that
use the Normal, Dissolve, Hue, Saturation, Color, or Luminosity modes.

Specifying knockout options
Knockout options let you specify which layers “punch through” to reveal content from other layers. For example, you
can use a text layer to knock out a color adjustment layer and reveal a portion of the image using the original colors.
As you plan your knockout effect, you need to decide which layer will create the shape of the knockout, which layers
will be punched through, and which layer will be revealed. If you want to reveal a layer other than the Background,
you can place the layers you want to use in a group or clipping mask.

Farm logo with shallow knockout to Field layer

To create a knockout
1 Do one of the following in the Layers palette:
• Position the layer that will create the knockout above the layers that will be punched through, and make the layer

you want to reveal the Background. (Choose Layer > New > Background From Layer to convert a regular layer to
the background.)
• Place the layers you want to use in a group. The top layer in the group will punch through to the bottom layer in

the group or the background. If you want to reveal the background, make sure that the blending mode of the group
is set to Pass Through (the default setting).
• Place the layers you want to use in a clipping mask. The top layer in the group will punch through to the bottom

layer in the group or the Background. (See “To create a clipping mask” on page 437.) If you want to reveal the
bottom layer in the group, make sure that the Blend Clipped Layers As Group option is selected for the bottom
layer. (See “Grouping blend effects” on page 412.)
2 Select the top layer (the layer that will create the knockout).

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3 Double-click a layer thumbnail (Photoshop), choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, or choose Blending
Options from the Layers palette menu.

Note: To view blending options for a text layer, choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, or choose Blending
Options from the Add A Layer Style button at the bottom of the Layers palette menu.
4 Choose an option from the Knockout pop-up menu:
• Select Shallow to knock out to the first possible stopping point, such as the bottom of the group or clipping mask

containing the knockout option.
• Select Deep to knock out to the background. If there is no background, Deep knocks out to transparency.

5 Lower the fill opacity or change the blending mode to create the knockout effect.

6 click OK.

To exclude channels from blending
You can restrict blending effects to a specified channel when you blend a layer or group. By default, all channels are
included. When using an RGB image, for example, you can choose to exclude the red channel from blending; in the
composite image, only the information in the green and blue channels is affected.
1 Do one of the following:
• Double-click a layer thumbnail.
• Choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options.
• Choose Blending Options from the Add A Layer Style button at the bottom of the Layers palette.

Note: To view blending options for a text layer, choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, or choose Blending
Options from the Add A Layer Style button at the bottom of the Layers palette menu.
2 In the Advanced Blending area of the Layer Style dialog box, deselect any channels you do not want to include
when the layer is blended.

Grouping blend effects
By default, layers in a clipping mask are blended with the underlying layers using the blending mode of the

bottommost layer in the group. However, you can choose to have the blending mode of the bottommost layer apply

only to that layer, allowing you to preserve the original blending appearance of the clipped layers. (See “To create a

clipping mask” on page 437.)

You can also apply the blending mode of a layer to layer effects that modify opaque pixels, such as Inner Glow or

Color Overlay, without changing layer effects that modify only transparent pixels, such as Outer Glow or Drop

Shadow.

To specify the scope of blending options

1 Select the layer that you want to affect.

2 Do one of the following:

• Double-click a layer thumbnail, choose Blending Options from the Layers palette menu (Photoshop), or choose

Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options.
Note: To view blending options for a text layer, choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, or choose Blending
Options from the Add A Layer Style button at the bottom of the Layers palette menu.

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3 Specify the scope of blending options:
• Select Blend Interior Effects As Group to apply the blending mode of the layer to layer effects that modify opaque

pixels, such as Inner Glow, Satin, Color Overlay, and Gradient Overlay.
• Select Blend Clipped Layers As Group to apply the blending mode of the base layer to all layers in the clipping

mask. Deselecting this option, which is always selected by default, maintains the original blending mode and
appearance of each layer in the group.

Advanced blending options
A. Farm Logo and Paint Stroke layers each with its own blending mode B. Blend Interior Effects As Group option selected
Layers As Group option selected

C. Blend Clipped

• Select Transparency Shapes Layers to restrict layer effects and knockouts to opaque areas of the layer. Deselecting

this option, which is always selected by default, applies these effects throughout the layer.
• Select Layer Mask Hides Effects to restrict layer effects to the area defined by the layer mask.
• Select Vector Mask Hides Effects to restrict layer effects to the area defined by the vector mask.
4 Click OK.

To specify a tonal range for blending layers
The sliders in the Blending Options dialog box control which pixels from the active layer and from the underlying
visible layers appear in the final image. For example, you can drop dark pixels out of the active layer or force bright
pixels from the underlying layers to show through. You can also define a range of partially blended pixels to produce
a smooth transition between blended and unblended areas.
1 Double-click a layer thumbnail, choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, or choose Add A Layer Style >
Blending Options from the Layers palette menu.

Note: To view blending options for a text layer, choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, or choose Blending
Options from the Add A Layer Style button at the bottom of the Layers palette menu.

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2 In the Advanced Blending area of the Layer Style dialog box, choose an option from the Blend If pop-up menu.
• Choose Gray to specify a blending range for all channels.
• Select an individual color channel (for example, red, green, or blue in an RGB image) to specify blending in that

channel.
3 Use the This Layer and Underlying Layer sliders to set the brightness range of the blended pixels—measured on a
scale from 0 (black) to 255 (white). Drag the white slider to set the high value of the range. Drag the black slider to
set the low value of the range.

To define a range of partially blended pixels, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag one half of a
slider triangle. The two values that appear above the divided slider indicate the partial blending range.
Keep the following guidelines in mind when specifying blending ranges:
• Use the This Layer sliders to specify the range of pixels on the active layer that will blend, and therefore appear, in

the final image. For example, if you drag the white slider to 235, pixels with brightness values higher than 235 will
remain unblended and will be excluded from the final image.
• Use the Underlying Layer sliders to specify the range of pixels in the underlying visible layers that will blend in the

final image. Blended pixels are combined with pixels in the active layer to produce composite pixels, whereas
unblended pixels show through overlying areas of the active layer. For example, if you drag the black slider to 19,
pixels with brightness values lower than 19 will remain unblended and will show through the active layer in the
final image.

Layer effects and styles
Layer effects and styles
Photoshop and ImageReady provide a variety of effects—such as shadows, glows, bevels, overlays, and strokes—that
let you quickly change the appearance of a layer’s contents. Layer effects are linked to the layer contents. When you
move or edit the contents of the layer, the effects are modified correspondingly. For example, if you apply a drop
shadow effect to a text layer, the shadow changes automatically as you edit the text.
The effects that you apply to a layer become part of the layer’s custom style. When a layer has a style, an “f ” icon
appears to the right of the layer’s name in the Layers palette. You can expand the style in the Layers palette to view
all the effects that compose the style and edit the effects to change the style.
When you save a custom style, it becomes a preset style. Preset styles appear in the Styles palette and can be applied
with a single click. Photoshop and ImageReady provide a variety of preset styles to fill a wide range of uses.

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Illustration of a layer with a style

Note: You cannot apply layer effects and styles to a background, a locked layer, or a group.

Applying preset styles
You can view and select preset styles from the Styles palette, from the Layer Styles dialog box, or, after you select a
pen tool or shape tool, from the Layer Styles pop-up palette in the options bar. By default, applying a preset style
replaces the current layer style. However, you can add the attributes of a second style to those of the current style
using a keyboard modifier.
The layer styles that come with Photoshop and ImageReady are grouped into libraries by function. For example, one
library contains styles for creating web buttons; another library contains styles adding effects to text.
To display the Styles palette, choose Window > Styles.

To apply a preset style to a layer
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click a style in the Styles palette to apply it to the currently selected layers.
• Drag a style from the Styles palette onto a layer in the Layers palette.
• Drag a style from the Styles palette to the document window, and release the mouse button when the pointer is

over the layer content to which you want to apply the style.
Note: Hold down Shift as you click or drag to add (rather than replace) the style to any existing effects on the destination
layer.
• Choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, and click the word Styles in the Layer Styles dialog box (top item

in the list on the left side of the dialog box). Click the style you want to apply, and click OK.
• When using a shape tool or pen tool in shape layers mode, select a style from the pop-up palette in the options bar

before drawing the shape.

See also
“To load a library of preset styles” on page 422

To apply a style from another layer
❖ In the Layers palette, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the style from a layer’s effect list to another

layer.

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To change how preset styles are displayed
1 Click the triangle in the Styles palette, Layer Styles dialog box, or Layer Styles pop-up palette in the options bar
(Photoshop).
2 Choose a display option from the palette menu:
• (Photoshop) Text Only to view the layer styles as a list.
• Small Thumbnail or Large Thumbnail to view the layer styles as thumbnails.
• Small List or (Photoshop) Large List to view the layer styles as a list, with a thumbnail of the selected layer style

displayed.

Custom styles
You can create custom styles using one or more of the following effects:
Drop Shadow Adds a shadow that falls behind the contents on the layer.
Inner Shadow Adds a shadow that falls just inside the edges of the layer’s content, giving the layer a recessed

appearance.
Outer Glow and Inner Glow Add glows that emanate from the outside or inside edges of the layer’s content.
Bevel and Emboss Add various combinations of highlights and shadows to a layer.
Satin Applies interior shading that creates a satiny finish.
Color, Gradient, and Pattern Overlay Fill the layer’s content with a color, gradient, or pattern.
Stroke Outlines the object on the current layer using color, a gradient, or a pattern. It is particularly useful on hard

edged shapes such as type.

To apply a custom style to a layer
1 Select a single layer in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the Layer Styles button

at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose an effect from the list.

• Choose an effect from the Layer > Layer Style submenu.

3 Set effect options in the Layer Style dialog box. See “Layer style options” on page 418.

4 Add other effects to the style, if desired. In the Layer Style dialog box, click the check box to the left of the effect

name to add the effect without selecting it.

To hide or show all layer styles in an image
When a layer has a style, an “f ” icon

appears to the right of the layer’s name in the Layers palette.

❖ Choose Layer > Layer Style > Hide All Layer Effects or Show All Layer Effects.

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To expand or collapse layer styles in the Layers palette
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click the triangle next to the layer styles icon

to expand the list of layer effects applied to that layer.

• Click the triangle to collapse the layer effects.
• To expand or collapse all of the layer styles applied within a group, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS)

and click the triangle or inverted triangle for the group. The layer styles applied to all layers within the group
expand or collapse correspondingly.

To edit a layer style
1 Do one of the following:
• In the Layers palette, double-click an effect displayed below the layer name. (Click the triangle next to the “f ”

icon

to display the effects contained in the style.)

• Choose Layer > Layer Style and the effect you want to edit.
2 Set one or more options in the Layer Style dialog box. See “Layer style options” on page 418.

Layer Style dialog box. Click a check box to apply the default settings without displaying the effect’s options.

Click an effect name to display the effect’s options.

You can edit multiple effects without closing the Layer Style dialog box. Select an effect on the left side of the dialog
box to display an effect’s options.

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Layer style options
Angle Determines the lighting angle at which the effect is applied to the layer. In Photoshop, you can drag in the
document window to adjust the angle of a Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, or Satin effect.
Anti-alias Blends the edge pixels of a contour or gloss contour. This option is most useful on shadows with a small

size and complicated contour.
Blend Mode Determines how the layer style blends with the underlying layers, which may or may not include the

active layer. For example, an inner shadow blends with the active layer because the effect is drawn on top of that layer,
but a drop shadow blends only with the layers beneath the active layer. In most cases, the default mode for each effect
produces the best results. See “List of blending modes” on page 487.
Choke Shrinks the boundaries of the matte of an Inner Shadow or Inner Glow prior to blurring.
Color Specifies the color of a shadow, glow, or highlight. You can click the color box and choose a color.
Contour With solid-color glows, Contour allows you to create rings of transparency. With gradient-filled glows,
Contour allows you to create variations in the repetition of the gradient color and opacity. In beveling and
embossing, Contour allows you to sculpt the ridges, valleys, and bumps that are shaded in the embossing process.
With shadows, Contour allows you to specify the fade. For more information, see “Modifying layer effects with
contours” on page 419.
Distance Specifies the offset distance for a shadow or satin effect. In Photoshop, you can drag in the document

window to adjust the offset distance.
Depth Specifies the depth of a bevel. It also specifies the depth of a pattern.
Global Angle Turns on global lighting for the effect. Global lighting applies the same angle to all effects for which
the Global Angle option is selected, giving the appearance of a single light source shining on the image. Deselect
Global Angle to assign a local angle to Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, and Bevel effects.
Gloss Contour Creates a glossy, metallic appearance. Gloss Contour is applied after shading a bevel or emboss.
Gradient Specifies the gradient of a layer effect. In Photoshop, click the gradient to display the Gradient Editor or

click the inverted arrow and choose a gradient from the pop-up palette. In Photoshop, you can edit a gradient or
create a new gradient using the Gradient Editor. In ImageReady, click the inverted arrow next to the gradient sample
and select a gradient from the list, or choose a gradient type from the pop-up list. You can edit the color or opacity
in the Gradient Overlay panel the same way you edit them in the Gradient Editor. For some effects, you can specify
additional gradient options. Reverse flips the orientation of the gradient, Align With Layer uses the bounding box of
the layer to calculate the gradient fill, and Scale scales the application of the gradient. You can also move the center
of the gradient by clicking and dragging in the image window. Style specifies the shape of the gradient.
Highlight or Shadow Mode Specifies the blending mode of a bevel or emboss highlight or shadow.
Jitter Varies the application of a gradient’s color and opacity.
Layer Knocks Out Drop Shadow Controls the drop shadow’s visibility in a semitransparent layer.
Noise Specifies the number of random elements in the opacity of a glow or shadow. Enter a value or drag the slider.
Opacity Sets the opacity of the layer effect. Enter a value or drag the slider.
Pattern Specifies the pattern of a layer effect. In ImageReady, click the inverted arrow next to the pattern sample and

choose a pattern from the list. In Photoshop, click the pop-up palette and choose a pattern. Click the New preset
to create a new preset pattern based on the current settings. Click Snap To Origin to make the origin of
button
the pattern the same as the origin of the document (when Link With Layer is selected), or to place the origin at the
upper left corner of the layer (if Link With Layer is deselected). Select Link With Layer if you want the pattern to

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move along with the layer as the layer moves. Drag the Scale slider or enter a value to specify the size of the pattern.
Drag a pattern to position it in the layer; reset the position by using the Snap To Origin button. The Pattern option
is not available if no patterns are loaded.
Position Specifies the position of a stroke effect as Outside, Inside, or Center.
Range Controls which portion or range of the glow is targeted for the contour.
Size Specifies the amount of blur or the size of the shadow.
Soften Blurs the results of shading to reduce unwanted artifacts.
Source Specifies the source for an inner glow. Choose Center to apply a glow that emanates from the center of the
layer’s content, or Edge to apply a glow that emanates from the inside edges of the layer’s content.
Spread Expands the boundaries of the matte prior to blurring.
Style Specifies the style of a bevel: Inner Bevel creates a bevel on the inside edges of the layer contents, Outer Bevel

creates a bevel on the outside edges of the layer contents, Emboss simulates the effect of embossing the layer contents
against the underlying layers, Pillow Emboss simulates the effect of stamping the edges of the layer contents into the
underlying layers, and Stroke Emboss confines embossing to the boundaries of a stroke effect applied to the layer.
(The Stroke Emboss effect is not visible if no stroke is applied to the layer.)
Technique Applies a technique. For bevel and emboss, Smooth blurs the edges of a matte slightly and is useful for

all types of mattes, whether their edges are soft or hard. It does not preserve detailed features at larger sizes. Chisel
Hard uses a distance measurement technique and is primarily useful on hard-edged mattes from anti-aliased shapes
such as type. It preserves detailed features better than the Smooth technique. Chisel Soft uses a modified distance
measurement technique and, although not as accurate as Chisel Hard, is more useful on a larger range of mattes. It
preserves features better than the Smooth technique. For glows, Softer applies a blur and is useful on all types of
mattes, whether their edges are soft or hard. At larger sizes, Softer does not preserve detailed features. Precise uses a
distance measurement technique to create a glow and is primarily useful on hard-edged mattes from anti-aliased
shapes such as type. It preserves features better than the Softer technique.
Texture Applies a texture. Use Scale to scale the size of the texture. Select Link With Layer if you want the texture to
move along with the layer as the layer moves. Invert inverts the texture. Depth varies the degree and direction
(up/down) to which the texturing is applied. Snap To Origin makes the origin of the pattern the same as the origin
of the document (if Link With Layer is deselected) or places the origin at the upper left corner of the layer (if Link
With Layer is selected). Drag the texture to position it in the layer.

Modifying layer effects with contours
When you create custom layer styles, you can use contours to control the shape of Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Inner
Glow, Outer Glow, Bevel and Emboss, and Satin effects over a given range. For example, a Linear contour on a Drop
Shadow causes the opacity to drop off in a linear transition. Use a Custom contour to create a unique shadow
transition. Custom contours created in Photoshop can be used in ImageReady.
You can select, reset, delete, or change the preview of contours in the Contour pop-up palette and Preset Manager.

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Detail of Layer Style dialog box for Drop Shadow effect
A. Click to display the Contour Editor dialog box. B. Click to display the pop-up palette.

To create a custom contour

1 Select the Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Inner Glow, Outer Glow, Bevel and Emboss, Contour, or Satin effect in

the Layer Style dialog box.

2 Click the contour thumbnail in the Layer Style dialog box.

3 Click the contour to add points, and drag to adjust the contour. Or enter values for Input and Output.

4 To create a sharp corner instead of a smooth curve, select a point and click Corner.

5 To save the contour to a file, click Save and name the contour.

6 To store a contour as a preset, choose New.

7 Click OK. New contours are added at the bottom of the pop-up palette.

To load a contour
❖ Click the contour in the Layer Style dialog box, and in the Contour Editor dialog box, choose Load. Go to the

folder containing the contour library you want to load and click Open.

To delete a contour
❖ Click the inverted arrow next to the currently selected contour to view the pop-up palette. Press Alt (Windows)

or Option (Mac OS), and click the contour you want to delete.

To set a global lighting angle
Using global light gives the appearance of a common light source shining on the image.
❖ To set a global lighting angle for all layers, do one of the following:

• Choose Layer > Layer Style > Global Light. In the Global Light dialog box, enter a value or drag the angle radius

to set the angle and altitude, and click OK.
• In the Layer Style dialog box for Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, or Bevel, select Use Global Light. For Angle, enter

a value or drag the slider, and click OK.
The new lighting angle appears as the default for each layer effect that uses the global lighting angle.

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To create a new preset style

1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the style that you want to save as a preset.

2 Do one of the following:

• Drag the selected layer into the Styles palette or onto the New Item button

in the Styles palette.

• Click an empty area of the Styles palette.
• Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click the New Item button at the bottom of the Styles palette.
• Choose New Style from the Styles palette menu.
• Choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, and click New Style in the Layer Style dialog box.
3 Enter a name for the preset style, set style options, and click OK.

To create a preset style from a single effect, drag the effect from the Layers palette to the Styles palette.

To rename a preset style
❖ Do one of the following:

• Double-click a style in the Styles palette. If the Styles palette is set to display styles as thumbnails, enter a new name

in the dialog box, and click OK. Otherwise, type a new name directly in the Styles palette, and press Enter
(Windows) or Return (Mac OS).
• Select a style in the Styles area of the Layer Styles dialog box. Then choose Rename Style from the pop-up menu,

enter a new name, and click OK.
• (Photoshop) When using a shape or pen tool, select a style from the Layer Style pop-up palette in the options bar.

Then choose Rename Style from the pop-up palette menu.

To delete a preset style
❖ Do one of the following:

• Drag a style to the Delete icon

at the bottom of the Styles palette.

• Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click the layer style in the Styles palette.
• (Photoshop) Select a style in the Styles area of the Layer Styles dialog box. (See “Applying preset styles” on

page 415.) Then choose Delete Style from the pop-up menu.
• (Photoshop) When using a shape or pen tool, select a style from the Layer Style pop-up palette in the options bar.

Then choose Delete Style from the pop-up palette menu.

To save a set of preset styles as a library
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Save Styles from the Styles palette menu.
• Select Styles on the left side of the Layer Styles dialog box. Then choose Save Styles from the pop-up menu.
• (Photoshop) When using a shape or pen tool, click the layer style thumbnail in the options bar. Then choose Save

Styles from the pop-up palette menu.
2 Choose a location for the style library, enter a file name, and click Save.

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You can save the library anywhere. However, if you place the library file in the Presets/Styles folder inside the
Photoshop program folder, the library name will appear at the bottom of the Styles palette menu when you restart
the application.
Note: You can also use the Preset Manager to rename, delete, and save libraries of preset styles.

To load a library of preset styles
1 Click the triangle in the Styles palette, Layer Style dialog box (Photoshop), or Layer Style pop-up palette in the
options bar.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Load Styles (Photoshop) or Append Styles (ImageReady) to add a library to the current list. Then select

the library file you want to use, and click Load.
• Choose Replace Styles to replace the current list with a different library. Then select the library file you want to

use, and click Load.
• Choose a library file (displayed at the bottom of the palette menu). Then click OK to replace the current list, or

click Append to append the current list.
3 To return to the default library of preset styles, choose Reset Styles. You can either replace the current list or
append the default library to the current list.

Note: You can also use the Preset Manager to load and reset style libraries. See “About the Preset Manager” on page 67.

To copy layer styles between layers
Copying and pasting styles is an easy way to apply the same effects to multiple layers.

1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the style you want to copy.

2 Choose Layer > Layer Style > Copy Layer Style.

3 Select the destination layer in the palette, and choose Layer > Layer Style > Paste Layer Style.

The pasted layer style replaces the existing layer style on the destination layer or layers.

To copy layer styles between layers by dragging
❖ Do one of the following:

• In the Layers palette, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) a single layer effect from one layer to another

to duplicate the layer effect, or drag the Effects bar from one layer to another to duplicate the layer style.
• Drag one or more layer effects from the Layers palette to the image to apply the resulting layer style to the highest

layer in the Layers palette that contains pixels at the drop point.

To scale a layer effect
A layer style may have been fine-tuned for a target resolution and features of a given size. Using Scale Effects allows
you to scale the effects in the layer style without scaling the object to which the layer style is applied.
1 Select the layer in the Layers palette.
2 Choose Layer > Layer Style > Scale Effects.
3 Enter a percentage or drag the slider.

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4 Select Preview to preview the changes in the image.

5 Click OK.

To remove an effect from a style

1 In the Layers palette, expand the layer style to see its effects.

2 Do one of the following:

• Drag the effect to the Delete icon.
• (ImageReady) Select the effect, and choose Delete Effect from the Layers palette menu.

To remove a style from a layer

1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the style you want to remove.

2 Do one of the following:

• In the Layers palette, drag the Effects bar to the Delete icon.
• Choose Layer > Layer Style > Clear Layer Style.
• Select the layer, and then click the Clear Style button

at the bottom of the Styles palette.

• (ImageReady) Select an effect in the Layers palette, and choose Delete All Effects from the Layers palette menu.

To convert a layer style to image layers
To customize or fine-tune the appearance of layer styles, you can convert the layer styles to regular image layers. After
you convert a layer style to image layers, you can enhance the result by painting or applying commands and filters.
However, you can no longer edit the layer style on the original layer, and the layer style no longer updates as you
change the original image layer.
Note: The layers produced by this process may not result in artwork that exactly matches the version using layer styles.
In Photoshop, you may see an alert when you create the new layers.
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the layer style that you want to convert.

2 Choose Layer > Layer Style > Create Layers.

You can now modify and restack the new layers in the same way as regular layers. Some effects—for example, Inner

Glow—convert to layers within a clipping mask.

You can also drag a layer style to the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette to generate a new layer

from an existing style.

Adjustment and fill layers
Adjustment layers and fill layers
An adjustment layer applies color and tonal adjustments to your image without permanently changing pixel values.
For example, rather than making a Levels or Curves adjustment directly on your image, you can create a Levels or
Curves adjustment layer. The color and tone adjustments are stored in the adjustment layer and apply to all the layers
below it.

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Fill layers let you fill a layer with a solid color, a gradient, or a pattern. Unlike adjustment layers, fill layers do not
affect the layers underneath them.
Adjustment layers provide the following advantages:
• Nondestructive edits. You can try different settings and re-edit the adjustment layer at any time. You can also

reduce the effect of the adjustment by lowering the opacity of the adjustment layer.
• Reduced loss of image data through combined multiple adjustments. Each time you adjust pixel values directly,

you lose some image data. You can use multiple adjustment layers and make small adjustments. Photoshop
combines all the adjustments before it applies them to the image.
• Selective editing. Paint on the adjustment layer’s image mask to apply an adjustment to part of an image. Later you

can control which parts of the image are adjusted by re-editing the layer mask. You can vary the adjustment by
painting on the mask with different tones of gray.
• Ability to apply adjustments to multiple images. Copy and paste adjustment layers between images to apply the

same color and tone adjustments.
Adjustment layers increase the image’s file size, though no more than other layers. If you are working with many
layers, you may want to reduce file size by merging the adjustment layers into the pixel content layers. Adjustment
layers have many of the same characteristics as other layers. You can adjust their opacity and blending mode, and you
can group them to apply the adjustment to specific layers. You can turn their visibility on and off to apply their effect
or to preview the effect.

Original (left); adjustment layer applied to barn only (center), which brings out detail in the barn; and adjustment layer applied to entire image
(right), which lightens the entire image and pixelates the clouds

Keep in mind that an adjustment layer affects all the layers below it. This means that you can correct multiple layers
by making a single adjustment, rather than adjusting each layer separately.
Note: You can apply and edit adjustment layers only in Photoshop; however, you can view them in ImageReady.

Creating adjustment layers or fill layers
Adjustment layers and fill layers have the same opacity and blending mode options as image layers. You can
rearrange, delete, hide, and duplicate them just as you do image layers. By default, adjustment layers and fill layers
have layer masks, as indicated by the mask icon to the left of the layer thumbnail. If a path is active when you create
the adjustment or fill layer, a vector mask is created instead of a layer mask.
To confine the effects of an adjustment layer to a group of layers, create a clipping mask consisting of those layers.
You can place the adjustment layers in or at the base of the clipping mask. The resulting adjustment is confined to
the layers inside the group. (Alternatively, you can create a layer set that uses any blending mode other than Pass
Through.)

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A
B

C
D

Adjustment and fill layers
A. Adjustment layer confined to Log Home layer only B. Layer thumbnail C. Fill layer

D. Layer mask

To create an adjustment layer or fill layer
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click the New Adjustment Layer button

at the bottom of the Layers palette, and choose a layer type.

• Choose Layer > New Fill Layer, and choose an option from the submenu. Then name the layer, set other layer

options, and click OK.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer, and choose an option from the submenu. Then name the layer, set other

layer options, and click OK.
Note: To confine the effects of the adjustment layer or fill layer to a selected area, make a selection, create a closed path
and select it, or select an existing closed path. When you use a selection, you create an adjustment layer or fill layer
confined by a layer mask. When you use a path, you create an adjustment layer or fill layer confined by a vector mask.

Adjustment and fill layer types
For complete information on options for each adjustment layer type, search for that adjustment in Photoshop Help.
Solid Color Specify a color.
Gradient Click the gradient to display the Gradient Editor, or click the inverted arrow and choose a gradient from

the pop-up palette. Set additional options if desired. Style specifies the shape of the gradient. Angle specifies the angle
at which the gradient is applied. Scale changes the size of the gradient. Reverse flips the orientation of the gradient.
Dither reduces banding by applying dithering to the gradient. Align With Layer uses the bounding box of the layer
to calculate the gradient fill. You can drag in the image window to move the center of the gradient.
Pattern Click the pattern, and choose a pattern from the pop-up palette. Click Scale, and enter a value or drag the

slider to scale the pattern. Click Snap To Origin to make the origin of the pattern the same as the origin of the
document. Select Link With Layer if you want the pattern to move along with the layer as the layer moves. When
Link With Layer is selected, you can drag in the image to position the pattern while the Pattern Fill dialog box is open.
Levels Specify values for the highlights, shadows, and midtones.
Curves Adjust the intensity values of pixels along a 0–255 scale while keeping up to 15 other values constant.
Color Balance Drag a slider toward a color that you want to increase in the image; drag a slider away from a color

that you want to decrease.
Brightness/Contrast Specify values for Brightness and Contrast.
Hue/Saturation Choose which colors to edit, and specify values for Hue, Saturation, and Lightness.

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Selective Color Choose the color you want to adjust, and drag the sliders to increase or decrease the components in
the selected color.
Channel Mixer Modify the color values in a channel by mixing them with other channels.
Gradient Map Choose a gradient and set gradient options.
Photo Filter Make color adjustments by simulating the effect of a filter in front of a camera lens.
Invert Inverted adjustment layers don’t have options.
Threshold Specify a threshold level.
Posterize Specify the number of tonal levels for each color channel.

To edit an adjustment or fill layer
You can edit an adjustment or fill layer’s settings, or replace it with a different adjustment or fill type.
You can also edit the mask of an adjustment layer or fill layer to control the effect that the layer has on the image. By
default, all areas of an adjustment or fill layer are “unmasked” and are therefore visible. (See “Masking layers” on
page 432.)
1 Do one of the following:
• Double-click the adjustment or fill layer’s thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• Choose Layer > Layer Content Options.
2 Make the desired adjustments, and click OK.

Note: Inverted adjustment layers do not have editable settings.

To change the type of adjustment or fill layer

1 Select the adjustment layer or fill layer that you want to change.

2 Choose Layer > Change Layer Content and select a different fill or adjustment layer from the list.

Merging adjustment layers or fill layers
You can merge an adjustment or fill layer several ways: with the layer below it, with the layers in its own grouped
layer, with the layers it is linked to, and with all other visible layers. You cannot, however, use an adjustment layer or
fill layer as the target layer for a merge. When you merge an adjustment layer or fill layer with the layer below it, the
adjustments are rasterized and become permanently applied within the merged layer. You can also rasterize a fill
layer without merging it. (See “To rasterize layers” on page 407.)
Adjustment layers and fill layers whose masks contain only white values do not add significantly to the file size, so it
is not necessary to merge these adjustment layers to conserve file space.

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Smart Objects
Smart Objects
A Smart Object is a container in which you can embed raster or vector image data, for instance, from another
Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator file. The embedded data retains all its original characteristics and remains fully
editable. You can create a Smart Object in Photoshop by converting one or more layers. In addition, you can paste or
place the data in Photoshop from Illustrator. Smart Objects give you the flexibility to scale, rotate, and warp layers
nondestructively in Photoshop.
Once a Smart Object stores source data inside a Photoshop document, you can then work on a composite of that data
in the image. When you want to modify the document (for example, scale it), Photoshop re-renders the composite
data based on the source data.
A Smart Object is really one file embedded in another. When you create one Smart Object from one or more selected
layers, you are really creating a new (child) file that is embedded in the original (parent) document.
Smart Objects are useful because they allow you to do the following:
• Perform nondestructive transforms. For instance, you can scale a layer as much as you want without losing

original image data.
• Preserve data that Photoshop doesn’t handle natively, such as complex vector artwork from Illustrator. Photoshop

automatically transforms the file into something that it recognizes.
• Edit one layer to update multiple instances of the Smart Object.

You can apply transforms (however, some options are unavailable; for example Perspective and Distort), layer styles,
opacity, blend modes, and warps to Smart Objects. After you make a change, the layer is updated with the edited
content.

A regular layer and a Smart Object in the Layers palette. The icon in the lower right corner of the thumbnail indicates a Smart Object.

See also
“Bitmap images and vector graphics” on page 177

To create and work with Smart Objects
Smart Objects are created through different methods.
❖ Do any of the following:

• Use the Place command to import artwork into the Photoshop document.
• Convert one or more layers into one Smart Object layer. Select one or more layers and choose Layer > Smart

Objects > Group Into New Smart Object. The layers are bundled into one layer titled Smart Object.

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• Duplicate an existing Smart Object to create two versions that refer to the same source contents. The Smart Objects

can be linked so that when you edit one version, the second is updated as well. Or, the Smart Objects can be
unlinked so that your edits to one Smart Object do not affect the other. (See “To create a new Smart Object from
an existing Smart Object” on page 429.)
• Drag selected PDF or Adobe Illustrator layers or objects into your Photoshop document.
• Copy and paste art from Adobe Illustrator into your Photoshop document. For the greatest flexibility when

pasting from Illustrator, make sure that both PDF and AICB (No Transparency Support) are enabled in the File
Handling & Clipboard preferences of Adobe Illustrator.
Note: To find out whether you are looking at a Smart Object thumbnail or a layer thumbnail in the Layers palette,
in the lower
position the cursor over the thumbnail to see the tool tip. You can also look for a small Smart Object icon
right corner of the thumbnail.

See also
“To place a file in Photoshop” on page 197
“To paste Adobe Illustrator art into Photoshop” on page 200

To edit the source contents of a Smart Object
Smart Objects let you edit their source contents. When making edits, the source content file is opened in either
Photoshop (if the content is raster data or a camera raw file) or Adobe Illustrator (if the content is vector PDF or EPS
data).
Editing Smart Objects in Photoshop works much as it does with Smart Objects in GoLive, and Symbols and
Envelopes in Illustrator. When the source content file is updated and saved, the edits appear in all instances of the
Smart Object in the Photoshop document.
1 Select the Smart Object from the Layers palette, and do one of the following:
• Choose Layer > Smart Objects > Edit Contents.

• Double-click the Smart Objects thumbnail in the Layers palette.

A dialog box opens, reminding you to save any changes you make to the source content file.

2 Click OK to close the dialog box.

The Smart Object opens with all its associated layers.

3 Make your edits to source content (child) file.

4 Choose File > Save to commit the changes. You can also close the source content file.

5 Return to the main (parent) Photoshop document containing the Smart Object. All instances of the Smart Object

have been updated.

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To export the contents of a Smart Object
You can export the contents of a Smart Object fully intact to any drive or directory to which you have access permis
sions.
1 Select the Smart Object from the Layers palette, and choose Layer > Smart Objects > Export Contents. The Save

dialog box appears.
2 Navigate to where you want the Smart Object exported and click Save. The Smart Object is saved in PSB format
(for raster data) or PDF (for vector data).

To replace the contents of a Smart Object
Using the Replace Contents command lets you update one or multiple instances of a Smart Object at the same time.

1 Select the Smart Object, and choose Layer > Smart Objects > Replace Contents.

2 Navigate to the file you want to use and click Place.

3 Click OK. The new content is placed in the Smart Object. Linked Smart Objects are also updated.

See also
“Placing files” on page 196

To convert a Smart Object back to a layer
Converting a Smart Object to a regular layer rasterizes the content at the current size.
❖ Select the Smart Object, and choose Layer > Smart Objects > Convert To Layer or Layer > Rasterize > Smart

Object.
The Smart Object is converted to a layer again, and the Smart Object thumbnail disappears. If you want to re-create
the Smart Object, reselect the layers and start from scratch. However, the new Smart Object won’t have the trans
forms you applied to the original one.

To create a new Smart Object from an existing Smart Object
You can copy a Smart Object along with its full contents. The new instance of the Smart Object can be linked or
unlinked to the original, depending on how you create the duplicate.
❖ In the Layers palette, select a Smart Object layer, and do one of the following:

• To create a duplicate Smart Object that is linked to the original, choose Layer > New > Layer Via Copy. You can

also drag the Smart Object layer to the Create A New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. Any edits you
make to the copy affect the original Smart Object and vice versa.
• To create a duplicate Smart Object that is not linked to the original, choose Layer > Smart Objects > New Smart

Object Via Copy. Any edits you make to the copy do not affect the original Smart Object and vice versa.
A new Smart Object appears on the Layers palette with the same name as the original and “copy” as a suffix. You can
rename it.

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Layer comps
About layer comps and the Layer Comps palette
Designers often create multiple compositions or comps of a page layout to show clients. Using layer comps, you can
create, manage, and view multiple versions of a layout in a single Photoshop or ImageReady file. Layer comps are
fully interchangeable between Photoshop and ImageReady if the image color mode is RGB.
A layer comp is a snapshot of a state of the Layers palette. Layer comps record three types of layer options:
• Layer visibility—whether a layer is showing or hidden.
• Layer position in the document.
• Layer appearance—whether a layer style is applied to the layer and the layer’s blending mode.

You create a comp by making changes to the layers in your document and updating the comp in the Layer Comps
palette. You view comps by applying them in the document. You can export layer comps to separate files, to a single
PDF, or to a web photo gallery.
Choose Window > Layer Comps to show the palette.

Layer Comps palette
A. Apply Layer Comp icon B. Last Document State

C. Selected comps

D. Layer Comp Cannot Be Fully Restored icon

To create a layer comp
1 Choose Window > Layer Comps to display the Layer Comp palette. Click the Create New Layer Comp button
at the bottom of the Layer Comps palette. The new comp reflects the current state of layers in the Layers palette.
2 In the New Layer Comp dialog box, name the comp, add descriptive comments, and choose options to apply to
layers: Visibility, Position, and Appearance.
3 Click OK. Any new comp preserves the options you chose for the previous one, so you don’t have to make these
choices again if you want the comps to be identical.

To duplicate a comp, select a comp in the Layer Comps palette and drag the comp to the New Comps button.

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To apply and view layer comps
1 Do any of the following:
• To view a layer comp, you first need to apply it in the document. In the Layer Comp palette, click the Apply Layer

Comp icon

next to a selected comp.

• To cycle through a view of all the layer comps, use the Previous

and Next

buttons at the bottom of the

palette.
• To cycle through a view of specific selected comps, select the comps in the Layer Comps palette and then click the

Next and Previous buttons at the bottom of the palette. This cycles through only the comps you selected.
• To restore the document to its state before you chose a layer comp, click the Apply Layer Comp icon

next to

Last Document State at the top of the Layer Comp palette.

To change and update a layer comp
If you change the configuration of a layer comp, you need to update it.

1 Select the layer comp in the Layer Comps palette.

2 Make changes to the layer’s visibility, position, or style. You may need to change the layer comp’s options to record

these changes.

3 To change your comp options, select Layer Comp Options from the palette menu and select additional options to

record layer position and style.

4 Click the Update Layer Comp button

at the bottom of the palette.

To clear layer comp warnings
Certain actions create a state where the layer comp can no longer be fully restored. This happens when you delete a
layer, merge a layer, convert a layer to a background, or convert a color mode. In such instances, a caution icon
appears next to the layer comp name.
❖ Do one of the following:

• Ignore the warning, which may result in the loss of one or more layers. Other saved parameters may be preserved.
• Update the comp, which results in the loss of the previously captured parameters but brings the comp up to date.
• Click the caution icon to see the message explaining that the layer comp can’t be restored properly. Choose Clear

to remove the alert icon and leave the remaining layers unchanged.
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the caution icon to see the pop-up menu that lets you choose

either the Clear Layer Comp Warning or the Clear All Layer Comp Warnings command.

To delete a layer comp
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select the layer comp in the Layer Comps palette and click the Delete icon in the palette, or choose Delete Layer

Comp from the palette menu.
• Drag it to the Delete icon in the palette.

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To export layer comps
You can export layer comps to individual files, to a PDF file containing multiple layer comps, and to a web photo
gallery of layer comps.
❖ Choose File > Scripts and then choose one of the following commands:

Layer Comps To Files Exports all layer comps to individual files, one for each comp.
Layer Comps To PDF Exports all layer comps to a PDF file.
Layer Comps To WPG Exports all layer comps to a web photo gallery.

Masking layers
Masking layers
You can use masks to show or hide portions of a layer or protect areas from edits. You can create two types of masks:
• Layer masks are resolution-dependent bitmap images that are created with the painting or selection tools.
• (Photoshop) Vector masks are resolution independent and are created with a pen or shape tool.

In the Layers palette, both the layer and vector masks appear as an additional thumbnail to the right of the layer
thumbnail. For the layer mask, this thumbnail represents the grayscale channel that is created when you add the layer
mask. The vector mask thumbnail represents a path that clips out the contents of the layer.

A
B
C

Masking layer
A. Layer mask thumbnail

B. Vector mask thumbnail

C. Vector Mask Link icon

D. New Layer Mask

You can edit a layer mask to add or subtract from the masked region. A layer mask is a grayscale image, so areas you
paint in black are hidden, areas you paint in white are visible, and areas you paint in shades of gray appear in various
levels of transparency.

Background painted with black, description card painted with gray, basket painted with white

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If you are using a layer mask to hide portions of a layer, you can apply the mask to discard the hidden portions.
A vector mask creates a sharp-edged shape on a layer and is useful anytime you want to add a design element with
clean, defined edges. After you create a layer with a vector mask, you can apply one or more layer styles to it, edit
them if needed, and instantly have a usable button, panel, or other web-design element.

See also
“About masks and alpha channels” on page 338

To add a mask that shows or hides the entire layer

1 Choose Select > Deselect to clear any selection borders in the image.

2 In the Layers palette, select the layer or group.

3 Do one of the following:

• To create a mask that reveals the entire layer, click the New Layer Mask

button in the Layers palette, or choose

Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All.
• To create a mask that hides the entire layer, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the New Layer Mask

button, or choose Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All.

To add a layer mask that shows or hides part of a layer

1 In the Layers palette, select the layer or group.

2 Select the area in the image, and do one of the following:

• Click the New Layer Mask button

in the Layers palette to create a mask that reveals the selection.

• Choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection or Hide Selection.

To apply a layer mask from another layer
❖ Do one of the following:

• To move the mask to another layer, drag the mask to the other layer.
• To duplicate the mask, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the mask to other layer.

To edit a layer mask
1 Click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette to make it active. A border appears around the mask
thumbnail.
2 Select any of the editing or painting tools.

Note: The foreground and background colors assume default grayscale values when the mask is active.
3 Do one of the following:
• To subtract from the mask and reveal the layer, paint the mask with white.
• To make the layer partially visible, paint the mask with gray.
• To add to the mask and hide the layer or group, paint the mask with black.

To edit the layer instead of the layer mask, select it by clicking its thumbnail in the Layers palette. A border appears
around the layer thumbnail.

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To paste a copied selection into a layer mask, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the layer mask
thumbnail in the Layers palette to select and display the mask channel. Choose Edit > Paste, drag the selection in the
image to produce the desired masking effect, and choose Select > Deselect. Click the layer thumbnail in the Layers palette
to deselect the mask channel.

To select and display the layer mask channel
❖ Do one of the following:

• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the layer mask thumbnail to view only the grayscale mask. To

redisplay the layers, Alt-click or Option-click the layer mask thumbnail, or click an eye icon.
• Hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS), and click the layer mask thumbnail to view the mask

on top of the layer in a rubylith masking color. Hold down Alt+Shift or Option+Shift, and click the thumbnail
again to turn off the color display.

To disable or enable a layer mask
❖ Do one of the following:

• Shift-click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• Select the layer containing the layer mask you want to disable or enable, and choose Layer > Layer Mask > Disable

or Layer > Layer Mask > Enable.
A red X appears over the mask thumbnail in the Layers palette when the mask is disabled, and the layer’s content
appears without masking effects.

To change the rubylith display for a layer mask
1 Do one of the following:
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the layer mask thumbnail to select the layer mask channel; then

double-click the layer mask thumbnail.
• Double-click the layer mask channel in the Channels palette.
2 To choose a new mask color, in the Layer Mask Display Options dialog box, click the color swatch and choose a

new color.
3 To change the opacity, enter a value between 0% and 100%.

Both the color and opacity settings affect only the appearance of the mask and have no effect on how underlying areas
are protected. For example, you may want to change these settings to make the mask more easily visible against the
colors in the image.
4 Click OK.

To add a vector mask that shows or hides the entire layer
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer to which you want to add a vector mask.
2 Do one of the following:
• To create a vector mask that reveals the entire layer, choose Layer > Vector Mask > Reveal All.
• To create a vector mask that hides the entire layer, choose Layer > Vector Mask > Hide All.

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To add a vector mask that shows the contents of a shape
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer to which to add a vector mask.
2 Select a path or use one of the shape or pen tools to draw a work path.
3 Choose Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path.

To edit a vector mask
❖ Click the vector mask thumbnail in the Layers palette or the thumbnail in the Paths palette. Then change the shape

using the shape and pen tools.

To remove a vector mask
❖ Do one of the following in the Layers palette:

• Drag the vector mask thumbnail to the Delete icon

• (Photoshop) Select the layer containing the vector mask you want to delete, and choose Layer > Vector Mask >

Delete.

To disable or enable a vector mask
❖ Do one of the following:

• Shift-click the vector mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• (Photoshop) Select the layer containing the vector mask you want to disable or enable, and choose Layer > Vector

Mask > Disable or Layer > Vector Mask > Enable.
A red X appears over the mask thumbnail in the Layers palette when the mask is disabled, and the layer’s content
appears without masking effects.

To convert a vector mask to a layer mask
❖ Select the layer containing the vector mask you want to convert, and choose Layer > Rasterize > Vector Mask.

Important: After you rasterize a vector mask, you can’t change it back into a vector object.

Unlinking layers and masks
By default, a layer or group is linked to its layer mask or vector mask, as indicated by the link icon between the
thumbnails in the Layers palette. The layer and its mask move together in the image when you move either one with
the Move tool. Unlinking them lets you move them independently and shift the mask’s boundaries separately from
the layer.
• To unlink a layer from its mask, click the link icon in the Layers palette.
• To reestablish the link between a layer and its mask, click between the layer and mask path thumbnails in the

Layers palette.

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To apply or delete a layer mask
When you finish creating a layer mask, you can either apply the mask and make the changes permanent or delete the

mask without applying changes. Because layer masks are stored as alpha channels, applying and deleting layer masks

can help reduce file size.

1 Click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.

2 To remove the layer mask and make changes permanent, click the Delete icon

palette, and then click Apply (Photoshop) or Yes (ImageReady).

at the bottom of the Layers

3 To remove the layer mask without applying the changes, click the Delete icon at the bottom of the Layers palette,
and then click Delete (Photoshop) or No (ImageReady).

You can also apply or delete layer masks using the Layer menu.

See also
“To save a selection” on page 334

To load a layer or layer mask’s boundaries as a selection
By loading a layer mask, you can quickly select all the opaque areas on a layer—that is, the areas within the layer
boundaries. This is useful when you want to exclude transparent areas from a selection. You can also load the bound
aries of a layer mask as a selection.
❖ Do one of the following:

• In the Layers palette, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the layer thumbnail or layer mask

thumbnail.
• To add the pixels to an existing selection, press Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS), and click the

layer thumbnail or layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• To subtract the pixels from an existing selection, press Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Command+Option (Mac OS), and

click the layer thumbnail or layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• To load the intersection of the pixels and an existing selection, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or

Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS), and click the layer thumbnail or layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
If you want to move all the contents of a layer, use the Move tool without loading a transparency mask.

Clipping masks
You can use the content of a layer to mask the layers above it. The transparent pixels of the bottom or base layer mask
the content of layers above it that are part of a clipping mask. The content of the base layer clips (reveals), the content
of the layers above it in the clipping mask.

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Clipping mask with Potatoes and Logo layers

You can use multiple layers in a clipping mask, but they must be successive layers. The name of the base layer in the
mask is underlined, and the thumbnails for the overlying layers are indented. The overlying layers display a clipping
.
mask icon
The Blend Clipped Layers As Group option in the Layer Style dialog box determines whether the blending mode of
the base affects the whole group or just the base. (See “Grouping blend effects” on page 412.)

To create a clipping mask
1 Arrange the layers in the Layers palette so that the base layer with the mask is below the layers that you want to
mask.
2 Do one of the following:
• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), position the pointer over the line dividing two layers in the Layers

palette (the pointer changes to two overlapping circles

), and click.

• Select a layer in the Layers palette, and choose Layer > Create Clipping Mask.

The clipping mask is assigned the opacity and mode attributes of the bottommost layer in the group.

To duplicate a clipping mask to another layer
1 Select the clipping mask.
2 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the mask and drag it to the destination layer. Make sure the desti
nation layer is highlighted before you release the mouse button; otherwise, the layer won’t receive the mask properly.

To remove a layer from a clipping mask
❖ Do one of the following:

• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), position the pointer over the line separating two grouped layers

in the Layers palette (the pointer changes to two overlapping circles

), and click.

• In the Layers palette, select a layer in the clipping mask, and choose Layer > Release Clipping Mask. This

command removes the selected layer and any layers above it from the clipping mask.

To release all layers in a clipping mask

1 In the Layers palette, select the base layer in the clipping mask.

2 Choose Layer > Release Clipping Mask.

438

Chapter 15: Using channels and spot
colors
Channels
About channels
Channels are grayscale images that store different types of information:
• Color information channels are created automatically when you open a new image. The image’s color mode deter

mines the number of color channels created. For example, an RGB image has a channel for each color (red, green,
and blue) plus a composite channel used for editing the image.
• Alpha channels store selections as grayscale images. You can add alpha channels to create and store masks, which

let you manipulate or protect parts of an image.
• Spot color channels specify additional plates for printing with spot color inks.

An image can have up to 56 channels. The file size required for a channel depends on the pixel information in the
channel. Certain file formats, including TIFF and Photoshop formats, compress channel information and can save
space. The size of an uncompressed file, including alpha channels and layers, appears as the rightmost value in the
status bar at the bottom of the window when you choose Document Sizes from the pop-up menu.
Note: As long as you save a file in a format supporting the image’s color mode, the color channels are preserved. Alpha
channels are preserved only when you save a file in Photoshop, PDF, PICT, Pixar, TIFF, or raw formats. DCS 2.0 format
preserves only spot channels. Saving in other formats may cause channel information to be discarded.

See also
“About spot colors” on page 442
“About masks and alpha channels” on page 338

Channels in ImageReady
In ImageReady, you can work with alpha channels created in Photoshop by loading selections from alpha channels
saved in the image. You can also save selections as alpha channels in ImageReady, load those alpha channels as selec
tions, and delete alpha channels. ImageReady commands for working with alpha channels are under the Select menu.
You can’t view individual color channels and alpha channels, or create spot color channels in ImageReady. If you need
to do more complex channel operations, edit the image in Photoshop.

About the Channels palette
The Channels palette lets you create and manage channels. The palette lists all channels in the image—composite
channel first (for RGB, CMYK, and Lab images). A thumbnail of the channel’s contents appears to the left of the
channel name; the thumbnail is automatically updated as you edit the channel.

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Channel types.
A. Color channels B. Spot channels C. Alpha channels

You can use the palette to view any combination of channels in the document window. For example, you can view an
alpha channel and the composite channel together to see how changes made in the alpha channel relate to the entire
image.
Individual channels are displayed in grayscale. In RGB, CMYK, or Lab images, you can view the individual channels
in color. (In Lab images, only the a and b channels appear in color.) If more than one channel is active, the channels
always appear in color.
You can change the default to show the individual color channels in color. When a channel is visible in the image, an
appears to its left in the palette.
eye icon
In alpha channels, selected pixels appear as white; unselected pixels appear as black (partially selected pixels appear
as gray). These are the channel default options.
If you display an alpha channel at the same time as color channels, the alpha channel appears as a transparent color
overlay, analogous to a printer’s rubylith or a sheet of acetate. To change the color of this overlay or set other alpha
channel options, choose Channel options from the Channels palette menu.
Viewing thumbnails is a convenient way of tracking channel contents; however, turning off the display of thumbnails
can improve performance.
To display the Channels palette, choose Windows > Channels.
To resize or hide channel thumbnails, choose Palette Options from the Channels palette menu. Click a thumbnail
size or click None to turn off the display of thumbnails.

To show or hide a channel
❖ Click in the eye column next to the channel to show or hide that channel. (Click the composite channel to view all

default color channels. The composite channel is displayed whenever all the color channels are visible.)
To show or hide multiple channels, drag through the eye column in the Channels palette.

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To show color channels in color
1 Do one of the following:
• In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Display & Cursors.
• In Mac OS, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Display & Cursors.
2 Select Color Channels in Color, and click OK.

To select and edit channels
You can select one or more channels in the Channels palette. The names of all selected, or active, channels are
highlighted. Any editing changes you make apply to the active channels.

C
D

Selecting multiple channels
A. Not visible or editable B. Visible but not selected for editing
viewing

C. Selected for viewing and editing

D. Selected for editing but not

• To select a channel, click the channel name. Shift-click to select (or deselect) multiple channels.
• To edit a channel, use a painting or editing tool to paint in the image. Paint with white to add the selected channel’s

color at 100% intensity. Paint with a value of gray to add the channel’s color at a lower intensity. Paint with black
to fully remove the channel’s color.

To rearrange and rename alpha and spot channels
You can move alpha or spot channels above the default color channels only if the image is in Multichannel mode.
• To change the order of alpha or spot channels, drag the channel up or down in the Channels palette. When a line

appears in the position you want, release the mouse button.
Note: Spot colors are overprinted in the order of their appearance from top to bottom, in the Channels palette.
• To rename an alpha or spot channel, double-click the channel’s name in the Channels palette, and enter a new

name.

To duplicate a channel
If you are duplicating alpha channels between images, the channels must have identical pixel dimensions. You cannot
duplicate a channel to a Bitmap-mode image.
1 In the Channels palette, select the channel to duplicate.
2 Choose Duplicate Channel from the Channels palette menu.

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3 Type a name for the duplicate channel.
4 For Document, do one of the following:
• Choose a destination. Only open images with pixel dimensions identical to the current image are available. To

duplicate the channel in the same file, select the channel’s current file.
• Choose New to copy the channel to a new image, creating a multichannel image containing a single channel. Type

a name for the new image.
5 To reverse the selected and masked areas in the duplicate channel, select Invert.

To duplicate a channel in an image

1 In the Channels palette, select the channel you want to duplicate.

2 Drag the channel onto the New Channel button

at the bottom of the palette.

To duplicate a channel in another image

1 In the Channels palette, select the channel you want to duplicate.

2 Make sure that the destination image is open.

Note: The destination image does not have to have the same pixel dimensions as the duplicated channel.
3 Do one of the following:
• Drag the channel from the Channels palette into the destination image window. The duplicated channel appears

at the bottom of the Channels palette.
• Choose Select > All, and then choose Edit > Copy. Select the channel in the destination image and choose Edit >

Paste. The pasted channel overwrites the existing channel.

To split channels into separate images
You can split channels of flattened images only. Splitting channels is useful when you want to retain individual
channel information in a file format that doesn’t preserve channels.
❖ To split channels into separate images, choose Split Channels from the Channels palette menu.

The original file is closed, and the individual channels appear in separate grayscale image windows. The title bars in
the new windows show the original file name plus the channel. You save and edit the new images separately.

To merge channels
Multiple grayscale images can be combined as the channels of a single image. The images you want to merge must
be in Grayscale mode, have the same pixel dimensions, and be open. The number of grayscale images you have open
determines the color modes available when merging channels. For example, if you have three images open, you can
merge them into an RGB image, if you have four images open, they can become a CMYK image.
If you are working with DCS files that have accidentally lost their links (and so cannot be opened, placed, or printed),
open the channel files, and merge them into a CMYK image. Then resave the file as a DCS EPS file.
1 Open the grayscale images containing the channels you want to merge, and make one of the images active.

You must have more than one image open for the Merge Channels option to be available.
2 Choose Merge Channels from the Channels palette menu.

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3 For Mode, choose the color mode you want to create. The number of channels appropriate for the mode appears
in the Channels text box.
4 If necessary, enter a number in the Channels text box.

If you enter a number that is incompatible with the selected mode, Multichannel mode is automatically selected. This
creates a multichannel image with two or more channels.
5 Click OK.
6 For each channel, make sure the image you want is open. If you change your mind about the image type, click

Mode to return to the Merge Channels dialog box.

7 If you are merging channels into a multichannel image, click Next, and select the remaining channels.

Note: All channels of a multichannel image are alpha channels or spot channels.
8 When you are finished selecting channels, click OK.

The selected channels are merged into a new image of the specified type, and the original images are closed without
any changes. The new image appears in an untitled window.
Note: You cannot split and recombine (merge) an image with spot color channels. The spot color channel will be added
as an alpha channel.

To delete a channel
You may want to delete spot or alpha channels you no longer need before saving an image. Complex alpha channels
can substantially increase the disk space required for an image.
1 In Photoshop, select the channel in the Channels palette and do one of the following:
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Delete icon

• Drag the channel name in the palette to the Delete icon.

• Choose Delete Channel from the Channels palette menu.

• Click the Delete icon at the bottom of the palette, and then click Yes.

2 In ImageReady, choose Select > Delete Channel, and choose the channel from the submenu.

Note: When you delete a color channel from a file with layers, visible layers are flattened and hidden layers are discarded.
This is done because removing a color channel converts the image to Multichannel mode, which does not support layers.
An image isn’t flattened when you delete an alpha channel, a spot channel, or a quick mask.

Adding spot colors
About spot colors
Spot colors are special premixed inks used instead of, or in addition to, the process color (CMYK) inks. Each spot
color requires its own plate on the press. (Because a varnish requires a separate plate, it is considered a spot color,
too.)
If you are planning to print an image with spot colors, you need to create spot channels to store the colors. To export
spot channels, save the file in DCS 2.0 format or PDF.
Note: ImageReady supports Photoshop spot color channels as alpha channels.

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Note the following when working with spot colors:
• For spot color graphics that have crisp edges and knock out the underlying image, consider creating the additional

artwork in a page-layout or illustration application.
• To apply spot color as a tint throughout an image, convert the image to Duotone mode and apply the spot color to

one of the duotone plates. You can use up to four spot colors, one per plate.
• The names of the spot colors are printed on the separations.
• Spot colors are overprinted on top of the fully composited image. Each spot color is printed in the order it appears

in the Channels palette, with the topmost channel printing as the topmost spot color.
• You cannot move spot colors above a default channel in the Channels palette except in Multichannel mode.
• Spot colors cannot be applied to individual layers.
• Printing an image with a spot color channel to a composite color printer will print the spot color at an opacity

indicated by the Solidity setting.
• You can merge spot channels with color channels, splitting the spot color into its color channel components.

See also
“About channels” on page 438
“Printing color separations” on page 722

To create a new spot channel
You can create a new spot channel or convert an existing alpha channel to a spot channel.
1 Choose Window > Channels to display the Channels palette.
2 To fill a selected area with a spot color, make or load a selection.
3 Do one of the following to create a channel:
• Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the New Channel button

in the Channels palette.

• Choose New Spot Channel from the Channels palette menu.

If you made a selection, that area is filled with the currently specified spot color.

4 Click the color box, and choose a color. Click Color Libraries to choose from a custom color system such as
PANTONE or TOYO.

If you select a custom color, your print service provider can more easily provide the proper ink to reproduce the image.
5 Enter a name for the spot channel. If you choose a custom color, the channel automatically takes the name of that
color.

Be sure to name spot colors so they’ll be recognized by other applications reading your file. Otherwise the file might
not print.
6 For Solidity, enter a value between 0% and 100%.

This option lets you simulate on-screen the density of the printed spot color. A value of 100% simulates an ink that
completely covers the inks beneath (such as a metallic ink); 0% simulates a transparent ink that completely reveals
the inks beneath (such as a clear varnish). You can also use this option to see where an otherwise transparent spot
color (such as a varnish) will appear.

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Solidity at 100% and solidity at 50%

Note: The Solidity and color choice options affect only the on-screen preview and the composite print. They have no effect
on the printed separations.

See also
“Choosing custom colors” on page 246

To convert an alpha channel to a spot channel
1 Do one of the following:
• Double-click the alpha channel thumbnail in the Channels palette.

• Select the alpha channel in the Channels palette, and choose Channel Options from the palette menu.

2 Select Spot Color.

3 Click the color box, choose a color in the Color Picker, or click Color Libraries and choose a custom color.

Click OK.

4 Rename the channel if needed.

5 Click OK.

The areas of the channel containing grayscale values are converted to spot color.

6 To apply the color to the selected area of the channel, choose Image > Adjustments > Invert.

See also
“To create a new spot channel” on page 443

To edit a spot channel to add or remove color
1 Select the spot channel in the Channels palette.
2 Use a painting or editing tool to paint in the image. Paint with black to add more spot color at 100% opacity; paint
with gray to add spot color with lower opacity.

Note: Unlike the Solidity option in the Spot Channel Options dialog box, the Opacity option in the painting or editing
tool’s options determines the actual density of ink used in the printed output.

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To change a spot channel’s color or solidity
1 Double-click the spot channel thumbnail in the Channels palette.
2 Click the color box, and choose a color. Click Color Libraries to choose from a custom color system such as
PANTONE or TOYO.

See also
“To create a new spot channel” on page 443
“Choosing custom colors” on page 246

To merge spot channels

1 Select the spot channel in the Channels palette.

2 Choose Merge Spot Channel from the palette menu.

The spot color is converted to and merged with the color channels. The spot channel is deleted from the palette.

Merging spot channels flattens layered images. The merged composite reflects the preview spot color information,

including the Solidity settings. For example, a spot channel with a solidity of 50% will produce different merged

results than the same channel with a solidity of 100%.

In addition, the resulting merged spot channels usually don’t reproduce the same colors as the original spot channels,

because CMYK inks can’t represent the range of colors available from spot color inks.

To adjust overlapping spot colors
To prevent overlapping spot colors from either printing over or knocking out the underlying spot color, remove one
of the spot colors where they overlap.
Use a printed sample of the overprinted inks to adjust your screen display to help you predict how colors will look
when printed.
Note: In some cases, such as when you use varnish and bump plates, you may want colors to overprint.
1 In the Channels palette, select the spot channel with the color you want to print.
2 Choose Select > Load Selection.

To quickly select an image in a channel, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and click the channel
in the Channels palette.
3 For Channel, choose the spot channel from step 1, and click OK.
4 To create a trap when knocking out the underlying color, choose Select > Modify > Expand or Contract,
depending on whether the overlapping spot color is darker or lighter than the spot color beneath it. In the Channels
palette, select the underlying spot channel that contains areas you want to knock out. Press Backspace (Windows) or
Delete (Mac OS).

This method can be used to knock out areas from any channels under a spot color, such as the CMYK channels.
5 If a spot color in one channel overlaps more than one other spot color, repeat this process for each channel that
contains areas you want removed.

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See also
“Creating color traps” on page 724

Channel calculations
Blending layers and channels
You can use the blending effects associated with layers to combine channels within and between images into new
images. You can use either the Apply Image command (on single and composite channels) or the Calculations
command (on single channels). These commands offer two additional blending modes not available in the Layers
palette—Add and Subtract. Although it’s possible to create new combinations of channels by copying channels into
layers in the Layers palette, you may find it quicker to use the calculation commands to blend channel information.
The calculation commands perform mathematical operations on the corresponding pixels of two channels (the
pixels with identical locations on the image) and then combine the results in a single channel. Two concepts are
fundamental to understanding how the calculation commands work.
• Each pixel in a channel has a brightness value. The Calculations and Apply Image commands manipulate these

values to produce the resulting composite pixels.
• These commands overlay the pixels in two or more channels. Thus, the images used for calculations must have the

same pixel dimensions.

To use the Apply Image command
The Apply Image command lets you blend one image’s layer and channel (the source) with a layer and channel of the
active image (the destination).
1 Open the source and destination images, and select the desired layer and channel in the destination image. The
pixel dimensions of the images must match for image names to appear in the Apply Image dialog box.

Note: If the color modes of the two images differ (for example, one image is RGB and the other is CMYK), you can copy
a single channel to another channel between images, but you cannot copy a composite channel to a composite channel in
another image.
2 Choose Image > Apply Image.
3 Choose the source image, layer, and channel you want to combine with the destination. To use all layers in the

source image, select Merged for Layer.

4 To preview the results in the image window, select Preview.

5 To use the negative of the channel contents in the calculation, select Invert.

6 For Blending, choose a blending option.

For information on the Add and Subtract options, see “About the Add and Subtract blending modes” on page 447.

For information on other blending options, see “List of blending modes” on page 487.

7 Enter an Opacity value to specify the effect’s strength.

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8 To apply the results only to opaque areas in the result layer, select Preserve Transparency.
9 If you want to apply the blending through a mask, select Mask. Then choose the image and layer containing the
mask. For Channel, you can choose any color or alpha channel to use as the mask. You can also use a mask based on
the active selection or the boundaries of the chosen layer (Transparency). Select Invert to reverse the masked and
unmasked areas of the channel.

To use the Calculations command
The Calculations command lets you blend two individual channels from one or more source images. You can then
apply the results to a new image or to a new channel or selection in the active image. You cannot apply the Calcula
tions command to composite channels.
1 Open the source image or images.

Note: If you are using more than one source image, the images must have the same pixel dimensions.
2 Choose Image > Calculations.

3 To preview the results in the image window, select Preview.

4 Choose the first source image, layer, and channel. To use all the layers in the source image, choose Merged for

Layer.

5 To use the negative of the channel contents in the calculation, select Invert. For Channel, choose Gray if you want

to duplicate the effect of converting the image to grayscale.

6 Choose the second source image, layer, and channel, and specify options.

7 For Blending, choose a blending mode.

For information on the Add and Subtract options, see “About the Add and Subtract blending modes” on page 447.

For information on other blending options, see “List of blending modes” on page 487.

8 Enter an Opacity value to specify the effect’s strength.

9 If you want to apply the blending through a mask, select Mask. Then choose the image and layer containing the

mask. For Channel, you can choose any color or alpha channel to use as the mask. You can also use a mask based on

the active selection or the boundaries of the chosen layer (Transparency). Select Invert to reverse the masked and

unmasked areas of the channel.

10 For Result, specify whether to place the blending results in a new document or in a new channel or selection in

the active image.

About the Add and Subtract blending modes
The Add and Subtract blending modes are available only for the Apply Image and Calculations commands.
Add

Adds the pixel values in two channels. This is a good way to combine nonoverlapping images in two channels.
Because higher pixel values represent lighter colors, adding channels with overlapping pixels lightens the image.
Black areas in both channels remain black (0 + 0 = 0). White in either channel results in white (255 + any value = 255
or greater).
Add mode divides the sum of the pixel values by the Scale amount and then adds the Offset value to the sum. For
example, to find the average of the pixels in two channels, add them, divide by 2, and enter no Offset value.
The Scale factor may be any number between 1.000 and 2.000. Entering a higher Scale value darkens the image.

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The Offset value lets you lighten or darken the pixels in the destination channel by any brightness value between
+255 and –255. Negative values darken the image; positive values lighten the image.
Subtract

Subtracts the pixel values in the source channel from the corresponding pixels in the target channel. As with Add
mode, the result is then divided by the Scale factor and added to the Offset value.
The Scale factor may be any number between 1.000 and 2.000. The Offset value lets you lighten or darken the pixels
in the destination channel by any brightness value between +255 and –255.

449

Chapter 16: Drawing

About vector graphics
About shapes and paths
Vector shapes are lines and curves that you draw using the shape or pen tools. Vector shapes are resolutionindependent—they maintain crisp edges when resized, printed to a PostScript printer, saved in a PDF file, or
imported into a vector-based graphics application.
Paths are outlines that you can turn into selections, or fill and stroke with color. The outline of a shape is a path. You
can easily change the shape of a path by editing its anchor points. You can draw shapes in ImageReady, but you can’t
work directly with paths.
When you work with the shape tools in Photoshop, you can draw in three different modes. You choose a mode by
selecting an icon in the options bar when you have a shape or pen tool selected.
Shape Layers Creates a shape on a separate layer. You can use either the shape tools or the pen tools to create shape

layers. Because they are easily moved, resized, aligned, and distributed, shape layers are ideal for making graphics for
web pages. In Photoshop, you can choose to draw multiple shapes on a layer. A shape layer consists of a fill layer that
defines the shape color and a linked vector mask that defines the shape outline. The outline of a shape is a path, which
appears in the Paths palette.
Paths Draws a work path on the current layer that you can then use to make a selection, create a vector mask, or fill

and stroke with color to create raster graphics (much as you would using a painting tool). A work path is temporary
unless you save it. Paths appear in the Paths palette.
Fill Pixels Paints directly on a layer—much as a painting tool does. When you work in this mode, you are not

creating vector graphics. You work with the shapes you paint just as you do with any raster image. The Pen tools don't
work in this mode.
A

Drawing options
A. Shape Layers B. Paths C. Fill Pixels

See also
“About work paths” on page 450

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About work paths
A work path is a temporary path that appears in the Paths palette and defines the outline of a shape. You can use paths
in several ways:
• Use a path as a vector mask to hide areas of a layer. (See “Masking layers” on page 432.)
• Convert a path to a selection. (See “Converting paths to selection borders” on page 467.)
• Fill or stroke a path with color. (See “Filling and stroking paths with color” on page 469.)

Designate a saved path as a clipping path to make part of an image transparent when exporting the image to a page
layout or vector-editing application. (See “Using image clipping paths to create transparency” on page 701.)

Drawing shapes
To create a shape on a shape layer
1 Select a shape tool or a Pen tool. Make sure that the Shape Layers button

is selected in the options bar.

2 To choose the color of the shape, click the color swatch in the options bar, and then choose a color from the Color

Picker.

3 (Optional) Set tool options in the options bar. In Photoshop, click the inverted arrow next to the shape buttons to

view additional options for each tool. (See “Shape tool options” on page 452.)

4 (Optional) To apply a style to the shape, select a preset style from the Style pop-up menu in the options bar. (See

“To apply a preset style to a layer” on page 415.)

5 Drag in your image to draw a shape.

Hold down Shift to constrain a rectangle or rounded rectangle to a square, to constrain an ellipse to a circle, or to
constrain the line angle to a multiple of 45˚.

See also
“To edit a shape” on page 453
“Drawing and type tools gallery” on page 44

To draw a custom shape
1 Select the Custom Shape tool.
2 Select a shape from the Custom Shape pop-up palette in the options bar.

If you don’t find a shape you want in the palette, click the arrow in the upper right corner of the palette, and choose
a different category of shapes. When asked to replace current shapes, click either Replace to view only the shapes in
the new category or Append to add to the shapes already displayed.
3 Drag in your image to draw the shape.

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To draw a wheel shape
You cut out a shape within an existing shape so that the layers underneath show through. This procedure shows you
how to create a doughnut shape, but you can use this technique with any combination of the shape tools, including
custom shapes.
1 Select the Ellipse tool

in the toolbox. It may be hidden by one of the other shape tools or the Line tool

2 In the options bar at the top of the work area, select the Shape Layer button

3 Drag in the document window to draw the shape. Hold down the Shift key while dragging to constrain the ellipse

to a circle.

4 In the options bar, select the Subtract From Shape Area button

5 Drag within the new shape to create the cutout. When you release the mouse, the image underneath the new shape

shows through.

6 To reposition either shape, click the Path Selection tool

in the toolbox (it may be hidden by the Direct Selection
tool ), and select the path. Drag it to its new location or use the arrow keys on the keyboard to nudge it a pixel at
a time.
Shift-click to select more than one path.

See also
“To create a shape on a shape layer” on page 450

To draw multiple shapes in a layer
You can draw separate shapes on a layer, or use the Add, Subtract, Intersect, or Exclude options to modify the current

shape on a layer.

1 Select the layer to which you want to add shapes.

2 Select a drawing tool and set tool-specific options (see “Shape tool options” on page 452).

3 Choose one of the following in the options bar:

Add To Shape Area

Adds the new area to the existing shapes or path.
Removes the overlapping area from the existing shapes or path.

Subtract From Shape Area
Intersect Shape Areas

Restricts the area to the intersection of the new area and the existing shapes or path.
Excludes the overlap area in the consolidated new and existing areas.

Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas

4 Draw in the image. You can easily switch between drawing tools by clicking a tool button in the options bar.

See also
“To edit a shape” on page 453

To select a custom shape
1 Select the Custom Shape tool

2 Select a shape from the Shape pop-up palette in the options bar.

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To save a shape or path as a custom shape

1 In the Paths palette, select a path—either a vector mask for a shape layer, a work path, or a saved path.

2 Choose Edit > Define Custom Shape, and enter a name for the new custom shape in the Shape Name dialog box.

The new shape appears in the Shape pop-up palette.

3 To save the new custom shape as part of a new library, select Save Shapes from the pop-up palette menu.

See also
“About the Preset Manager” on page 67

To create a rasterized shape
You can create a rasterized shape by making a selection and filling it with the foreground color. You cannot edit a
rasterized shape as a vector object. Raster shapes are created using the current foreground color.
1 Select a layer. You cannot create a rasterized shape on a vector-based layer (for example, a type layer).
2 Select a shape tool, and click the Fill Pixels button

in the options bar.

3 Set the following options in the options bar:

Mode Controls how the shape will affect the existing pixels in the image. (See “List of blending modes” on page 487.)

Opacity Determines to what degree the shape will obscure or reveal the pixels beneath it. A shape with 1% opacity
appears nearly transparent, while one with 100% opacity appears completely opaque.
Anti-Aliased Blends the edge pixels with the surrounding pixels.
4 Set additional tool-specific options. See “Shape tool options” on page 452.
5 Draw the shape.

To create a rasterized shape (ImageReady)
1 Select a layer that contains the shape you want to rasterize.
2 Choose Layer > Rasterize > Shape.

Shape tool options
Arrowheads Start And End Adds arrowheads to a line. Select the Line tool and then select Start to add an arrow to

the beginning of the line; select End to add an arrow to the end of the line. Select both options to add arrows on both
ends. In ImageReady, click Shape to define the shape of the arrowhead; in Photoshop, the shape options appear in
the pop-up dialog box. Enter values for Width and Length to specify the proportions of the arrowhead as a
percentage of the line width (10% to 1000% for Width, and 10% to 5000% for Length). Enter a value for the concavity
of the arrowhead (from –50% to +50%). The concavity value defines the amount of curvature on the widest part of
the arrowhead, where the arrowhead meets the line.
Note: In Photoshop, you can also edit an arrowhead directly using the vector selection and drawing tools.
Circle (Photoshop) Constrains an ellipse to a circle.
Corner Radius (ImageReady) Specifies the corner radius for rendering a rounded rectangle or tab rectangle.
Defined Proportions (Photoshop) Renders a custom shape based on the proportions with which it was created.
Defined Size (Photoshop) Renders a custom shape based on the size at which it was created.

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Fixed Size Renders a rectangle, rounded rectangle, ellipse, or custom shape as a fixed shape based on the values you

enter in the Width and Height text boxes.
From Center (Photoshop) Renders a rectangle, rounded rectangle, ellipse, or custom shape from the center.
Indent Sides By (Photoshop) Renders a polygon as a star. Enter a percentage in the text box to specify the portion

of the star’s radius taken up by the points. A 50% setting creates points that are half the total radius of the star; a larger
value creates sharper, thinner points; a smaller value creates fuller points.
Proportional (Photoshop) Renders a rectangle, rounded rectangle, or ellipse as a proportional shape based on the
values you enter in the Width and Height text boxes.

Radius (Photoshop) For rounded rectangles, specifies the corner radius. For polygons, specifies the distance from

the center of a polygon to the outer points.

Sides (Photoshop) Specifies the number of sides in a polygon.

Smooth Corners or Smooth Indents (Photoshop) Renders a polygon with smooth corners or indents.

Snap To Pixels (Photoshop) Snaps edges of a rectangle or rounded rectangle to the pixel boundaries.

Square (Photoshop) Constrains a rectangle or rounded rectangle to a square.

Unconstrained (Photoshop) Lets you set the width and height of a rectangle, rounded rectangle, ellipse, or custom

shape by dragging.

Weight Determines the width, in pixels, of a line.

To edit a shape
A shape is a fill layer linked to a vector mask. You can easily change the fill to a different color, a gradient, or a pattern
by editing the shape’s fill layer. You can also edit the shape’s vector mask to modify the shape outline, and apply a style
to the layer.
For information on transforming shapes in ImageReady, see “To transform freely” on page 363.
• To change the color of a shape, double-click the shape layer’s thumbnail in the Layers palette, and choose a

different color using the color picker.
• To fill a shape with a pattern or gradient, select a shape layer in the Layers palette and choose Layer > Change Layer

Content > Gradient, and set gradient options.
• To fill a shape with a pattern or gradient, select a shape layer in the Layers palette and choose Layer > Change Layer

Content > Pattern, and set pattern options.
• To modify the outline of a shape, click the shape layer’s vector mask thumbnail in the Layers palette or Paths

palette. Then change the shape using the shape and pen tools.
• To move a shape without changing its size or proportions, hold down the spacebar while you drag the shape.

See also
“Adjusting path components” on page 464
“Adjustment layers and fill layers” on page 423
“The Free Transform command” on page 363

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Pen tools
To draw with the Pen tool
The Pen tool creates straight lines and smooth flowing curves. You can use the pen tool in conjunction with the shape
tools to create complex shapes.
1 Select the Pen tool

2 Set the following tool-specific options:
• To add an anchor point when you click a line segment or delete an anchor point when you click it, select Auto

Add/Delete in the options bar.
• To preview path segments as you draw, click the inverted arrow next to the shape buttons in the options bar, and

select Rubber Band.
3 Position the pen pointer where you want to begin to draw, and click to define the first anchor point.
4 Click or drag to set anchor points for additional segments.
5 Complete the path:
• To end an open path, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) away from the path.
• To close a path, position the pen pointer over the first anchor point. A small loop appears next to the pen tip when

it is positioned correctly. Click to close the path.
Create a new path in the Paths palette before you begin drawing to automatically save the work path as a named
path.

See also
“Path segments, components, and points” on page 460

“To create a new work path” on page 459

To draw straight segments

1 Position the pen pointer where you want the straight segment to begin, and click to define the first anchor point.

2 Click again where you want the first segment of the straight line to end, or Shift-click to constrain the angle of the

segment to a multiple of 45˚.

3 Continue clicking to set anchor points for additional segments. The last anchor point is always a solid square,

indicating it is selected. Previously defined anchor points become hollow squares as you add further anchor points.

If the Auto Add/Delete option is selected in the options bar, you can click an existing point to delete it.

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Drawing curves with the Pen tool
You create curves by dragging the Pen tool in the direction you want the curve to go. Keep these guidelines in mind
when drawing curves:
• Always drag the first direction point in the direction of the bump of the curve, and drag the second direction point

in the opposite direction to create a single curve. Dragging both direction points in the same direction creates an
“S” curve.

Drag in the opposite direction to create a smooth curve. Drag in the same direction to create an “S” curve.

• When drawing a series of smooth curves, draw one curve at a time, placing anchor points at the beginning and

end of each curve, not at the tip of the curve.
• To decrease the file size and reduce the potential for printing errors, use as few anchor points as possible, and place

them as far apart as possible.

See also
“Path segments, components, and points” on page 460

To draw a curve
1 Position the pointer where you want the curve to begin, and hold down the mouse button. The first anchor point
appears.
2 Drag in the direction you want the curve segment to be drawn. See “Drawing curves with the Pen tool” on
page 455.

Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45˚, and release the mouse button after you position the
first direction point.
The length and slope of the direction line determine the shape of the curve segment. You can adjust one or both sides
of the direction line later.

Drag in the direction of the curve to set the first anchor point. Drag in the opposite direction to complete the curve segment.

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3 Position the pointer where you want the curve segment to end, and drag in the opposite direction to complete the
segment.
4 Do one of the following:
• To draw the next segment of a smooth curve, position the pointer where you want the next segment to end, and

drag away from the curve.

Drag away from the curve to create the next segment.

• To change the direction of the curve sharply, release the mouse button, and then Alt-drag (Windows) or Option

drag (Mac OS) the direction point in the direction of the curve. Release the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS)
key and the mouse button, reposition the pointer where you want the segment to end, and drag in the opposite
direction to complete the curve segment.
• To break out the direction lines of an anchor point, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the lines.

Alt-drag or Option-drag the direction point toward the curve. Release the key, and drag in the opposite direction.

To draw with the Freeform Pen tool
The Freeform Pen tool lets you draw as if you were drawing with a pencil on paper. Anchor points are added automat
ically as you draw. You do not determine where the points are positioned, but you can adjust them once the path is
complete. To draw with greater precision, use the Pen tool.
1 Select the Freeform Pen tool

2 To control how sensitive the final path is to the movement of your mouse or stylus, click the inverted arrow next
to the shape buttons in the options bar, and enter a value between 0.5 and 10.0 pixels for Curve Fit. A higher value
creates a simpler path with fewer anchor points.
3 Drag the pointer in the image. As you drag, a path trails behind the pointer. When you release the mouse, a work
path is created.
4 To continue the existing freehand path, position the pen pointer on an endpoint of the path, and drag.
5 To complete the path, release the mouse. To create a closed path, drag the line to the initial point of the path (a
circle appears next to the pointer when it is aligned).

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See also
“Path segments, components, and points” on page 460

To draw using the magnetic pen options
The Magnetic Pen is an option of the Freeform Pen tool that lets you draw a path that snaps to the edges of defined
areas in your image. You can define the range and sensitivity of the snapping behavior, as well as the complexity of
the resulting path. The Magnetic Pen and Magnetic Lasso tools share many of the same options.
1 To convert the Freeform Pen tool to the Magnetic Pen tool

, select Magnetic in the options bar, or click the
inverted arrow next to the shape buttons in the options bar, select Magnetic, and set the following:
• For Width, enter a pixel value between 1 and 256. The Magnetic Pen detects edges only within the specified

distance from the pointer.
• For Contrast, enter a percentage value between 1 and 100 to specify the contrast required between pixels for that

area to be considered an edge. Use a higher value for low-contrast images.
• For Frequency, enter a value between 0 and 100 to specify the rate at which the Pen sets anchor points. A higher

value anchors the path in place more quickly.
• If you are working with a stylus tablet, select or deselect Pen Pressure. When this option is selected, an increase in

pen pressure causes the width to decrease.
2 Click in the image to set the first fastening point.
3 To draw a freehand segment, move the pointer or drag along the edge you want to trace.

The most recent segment of the border remains active. As you move the pointer, the active segment snaps to the
strongest edge in the image, connecting the pointer to the last fastening point. Periodically, the Magnetic Pen adds
fastening points to the border to anchor previous sections.

Click to add fastening points, and continue tracing.

4 If the border doesn’t snap to the desired edge, click once to add a fastening point manually and to keep the border
from moving. Continue to trace the edge and add fastening points as needed. If you make a mistake, press Delete to
remove the last fastening point.

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5 To dynamically modify the properties of the Magnetic Pen, do one of the following:
• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) to draw a freehand path.
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) to draw straight segments.
• Press the open square bracket key ([) to decrease the Magnetic Pen width by 1 pixel; press the close square bracket

key (]) to increase the pen width by 1 pixel.
6 Complete the path:
• Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to end an open path.
• Double-click to close the path with a magnetic segment.
• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and double-click to close the path with a straight segment.

Paths
About the Paths palette
The Paths palette lists the name and a thumbnail image of each saved path, the current work path, and the current
vector mask. Turning thumbnails off can improve performance. To view a path, you must first select it in the Paths
palette.
• To display the Paths palette, choose Window > Paths.
• To select a path, click the path name in the Paths palette. Only one path can be selected at a time.
• To deselect a path, click in the blank area of the Paths palette or press Esc.
• To change the size of path thumbnails, choose Palette Options from the Paths palette menu and select a size, or

select None to turn off the display of thumbnails.
• To change a path’s stacking order, select the path in the Paths palette and drag the path up or down. When the

heavy black line appears in the desired location, release the mouse button.
Note: You cannot change the order of vector masks or working paths in the Paths palette.

Managing paths
When you use a pen or shape tool to create a work path, the new path appears as the work path in the Paths palette.
The work path is temporary; you must save it to avoid losing its contents. If you deselect the work path without saving
it and start drawing again, a new path will replace the existing one.
When you use a pen or shape tool to create a new shape layer, the new path appears as a vector mask in the Paths
palette. Vector masks are linked to their parent layer; you must select the parent layer in the Layers palette in order
to list the clipping path in the Paths palette. You can remove a clipping path from a layer and convert a clipping path
to a rasterized mask. For more information, see “To edit a vector mask” on page 435.
Paths saved with an image appear when you open it again. In Windows, the Photoshop, JPEG, JPEG 2000, DCS, EPS,
PDF, and TIFF formats support paths. In Mac OS, all available file formats support paths.
Note: Paths in formats other than those listed here generally don’t survive a transition from Mac OS to Windows and
back to Mac OS.

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A
B
C

Paths palette
A. Saved path

B. Temporary work path

C. Vector mask path (appears only when shape layer is selected)

To create a new path in the Paths palette
• To create a path without naming it, click the New Path button

at the bottom of the Paths palette.

• To create and name a path, make sure no work path is selected. Choose New Path from the Paths palette menu, or

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the New Path button at the bottom of the palette. Enter a name for
the path in the New Path dialog box, and click OK.

To create a new work path
1 Select a shape tool or a pen tool, and click the Paths button

in the options bar.

2 Set tool-specific options, and draw the path. For more information, see “Shape tool options” on page 452 and “To
draw with the Pen tool” on page 454.
3 Draw additional path components if desired. You can easily switch between drawing tools by clicking a tool button
in the options bar. Choose a path area option to determine how overlapping path components intersect:
Add To Path Area

Adds the new area to overlapping path areas.
Removes the new area from the overlapping path area.

Subtract From Path Area
Intersect Path Areas

Restricts the path to the intersection of the new area and the existing area.

Exclude Overlapping Path Areas

Excludes the overlap area in the consolidated path.

While drawing with a shape tool, hold down Shift to temporarily select the Add To Path Area option; hold down Alt
(Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to temporarily select the Subtract From Path Area option.

To save a work path
• To save without renaming, drag the work path name to the New Path button

at the bottom of the Paths palette.

• To save and rename, choose Save Path from the Paths palette menu, enter a new path name in the Save Path dialog

box, and click OK.

To rename a saved path
❖ Double-click the path name in the Paths palette, type a new name, and press Enter (Windows) or Return

(Mac OS).

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To delete a path

1 Click the path name in the Paths palette.

2 Do one of the following:

• Drag the path to the Delete icon

at the bottom of the Paths palette.

• Choose Delete Path from the Paths palette menu.
• Click the Delete icon at the bottom of the Paths palette, and click Yes.

To delete a path without being asked to confirm, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Delete icon at
the bottom of the Paths palette.

Editing paths
Path segments, components, and points
A path consists of one or more straight or curved segments. Anchor points mark the endpoints of the path segments.
On curved segments, each selected anchor point displays one or two direction lines, ending in direction points. The
positions of direction lines and points determine the size and shape of a curved segment. Moving these elements
reshapes the curves in a path.
A

B
C
D

A path
A. Curved line segment B. Direction point

C. Direction line D. Selected anchor point

E. Unselected anchor point

A path can be closed, with no beginning or end (for example, a circle), or open, with distinct endpoints (for example,
a wavy line).
Smooth curves are connected by anchor points called smooth points. Sharply curved paths are connected by corner
points.

Smooth point and corner point

When you move a direction line on a smooth point, the curved segments on both sides of the point are adjusted
simultaneously. By comparison, when you move a direction line on a corner point, only the curve on the same side
of the point as the direction line is adjusted.

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Adjusting a smooth point and a corner point

A path does not have to be one connected series of segments. It can contain more than one distinct and separate path
components. Each shape in a shape layer is a path component, as described by the layer’s clipping path.

Separate path components selected

To select a path
Selecting a path component or path segment displays all of the anchor points on the selected portion, including any
direction lines and direction points if the selected segment is curved. Direction points appear as filled circles, selected
anchor points as filled squares, and unselected anchor points as hollow squares.
1 Do one of the following:
• To select a path component (including a shape in a shape layer), select the Path Selection tool

, and click
anywhere inside the path component. If a path consists of several path components, only the path component
under the pointer is selected.
To display the bounding box along with the selected path, select Show Bounding Box in the options bar.

• To select a path segment, select the Direct Selection tool

a marquee over part of the segment.

, and click one of the segment’s anchor points or drag

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Drag a marquee to select segments.

2 To select additional path components or segments, select the Path Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool, and
then hold down Shift while selecting additional paths or segments.

When the Direct Selection tool is selected, you can select the entire path or path component by Alt-clicking (Windows)
or Option-clicking (Mac OS) inside the path. To activate the Direct Selection tool when most other tools are selected,
position the pointer over an anchor point, and press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS).

To change the overlap mode for the selected path component
1 Using the Path Selection tool

, drag a marquee to select existing path areas.

2 Choose a shape area option in the options bar:
Add To Shape Area

Adds the path area to overlapping path areas.

Subtract From Shape Area
Intersect Shape Areas

Removes the path area from overlapping path areas.
Restricts the area to the intersection of the selected path area and overlapping path areas.
Excludes the overlap area.

Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas

To show or hide the selected path component
Do one of the following:
• Choose View > Show > Target Path.
• Choose View > Extras. This command also shows or hides a grid, guides, selection edges, annotations, and slices.

Adjusting path segments
You can also apply a transformation, such as scaling, rotating, flipping, or distorting, to a segment or anchor point.

See also
“Applying transformations” on page 360

To move a straight path segment
1 Select the Direct Selection tool
segment, select an anchor point.

, and select the segment you want to adjust. To adjust the angle or length of the

2 Drag the selected segment to its new position.

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To move a curved segment
1 Select the Direct Selection tool
points anchoring the segment.

, and select the points or segments you want to move. Be sure to select both

2 Drag the selected anchor points or segments to new positions. Hold down Shift as you drag to constrain the
movement to multiples of 45˚.

Select points anchoring a curve. Then drag to move the curve.

To reshape a curved segment
1 Select the Direct Selection tool
that segment.

, and select the curved segment you want to adjust. Direction lines appear for

2 Adjust the curve:
• To adjust the position of the segment, drag the segment.

Click to select the curve segment. Then drag to adjust.

• To adjust the shape of the segment on either side of a selected anchor point, drag the anchor point or the direction

point. Hold down Shift as you drag to constrain movement to multiples of 45˚.

Drag the anchor point, or drag the direction point.

Note: You can also apply a transformation, such as scaling, rotating, flipping, or distorting, to a segment or anchor point.
See “Applying transformations” on page 360.

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To delete a segment
1 Select the Direct Selection tool

, and select the segment you want to delete.

2 Press Backspace (Windows) or Delete (Mac OS) to delete the selected segment. Pressing Backspace or Delete
again erases the rest of the path component.

Adjusting path components
You can reposition a path component (including a shape in a shape layer) anywhere within an image. You can copy
components within an image or between two Photoshop images. Using the Path Selection tool, you can merge
overlapping components into a single component. All vector objects, whether they are described by a saved path, a
work path, or a vector mask, can be moved, reshaped, copied, or deleted.
You can also use the Copy and Paste commands to duplicate vector objects between a Photoshop image and an image
in another application, such as Adobe Illustrator.

See also
“Path segments, components, and points” on page 460

To move a path or path component
1 Select the path name in the Paths palette, and use the Path Selection tool to select the path in the image. To
select multiple path components, Shift-click each additional path component to add it to the selection.
2 Drag the path to its new location. If you move any part of a path beyond the canvas boundaries, the hidden part
of the path is still available.

Dragging a path to a new location

Note: If you drag a path so that the move pointer is over another open image, the path is copied to that image.

To reshape a path component
1 Select the path name in the Paths palette, and use the Direct Selection tool

to select an anchor point in the path.

2 Drag the point or its handles to a new location.

To merge overlapping path components
1 Select the path name in the Paths palette, and select the Path Selection tool

2 Click Combine in the options bar to create a single component from all overlapping components.

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To copy a path component or path
Do any of the following:
• To copy a path component as you move it, select the path name in the Paths palette, and click a path component

with the Path Selection tool

. Then Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the selected path.

• To copy a path without renaming it, drag the path name in the Paths palette to the New Path button

at the

bottom of the palette.
• To copy and rename a path, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the path in the Paths palette to the New

Path button at the bottom of the palette. Or select the path to copy, and choose Duplicate Path from the Paths
palette menu. Enter a new name for the path in the Duplicate Path dialog box, and click OK.
• To copy a path or path component into another path, select the path or path component you want to copy, and

choose Edit > Copy. Then select the destination path, and choose Edit > Paste.

To copy path components between two Photoshop files

1 Open both images.

2 In the source image, use the Path Selection tool

to select the entire path or the path components that you want

to copy.
3 To copy the path component, do any of the following:
• Drag the path component from the source image to the destination image. The path component is copied to the

active path in the Paths palette.
• In the source image, select the path name in the Paths palette and choose Edit > Copy to copy the path. In the desti

nation image, choose Edit > Paste. You can also use this method to combine paths in the same image.
• To paste the path component into the destination image, select the path component in the source image, and

choose Edit > Copy. In the destination image, choose Edit > Paste.

To delete a path component
1 Select the path name in the Paths palette, and click a path component with the Path Selection tool

2 Press backspace (Windows) or Delete (Mac OS) to delete the selected path component.

To align and distribute path components
You can align and distribute path components that are described in a single path. For example, you can align the left
edges of several shapes contained in a single layer or distribute several components in a work path along their
horizontal centers.

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Note: To align shapes that are on separate layers, use the Move tool.
• To align components, use the Path Selection tool

to select the components you want to align, and select one of

the alignment options from the options bar.

Alignment options
A. Top B. Vertical Centers

C. Bottom

D. Left E. Horizontal Centers

F. Right

• To distribute components, select at least three components you want to distribute, and then select one of the

distribute options from the options bar.

Distribute options
A. Top B. Vertical Centers

C. Bottom

D. Left E. Horizontal Centers

F. Right

To add an anchor point
1 Select the Add Anchor Point tool , and position the pointer on the path where you want to add the anchor point
(a plus sign appears next to the pointer).
2 Do one of the following:
• To add an anchor point without changing the shape of the segment, click the path.
• To add an anchor point and change the shape of the segment, drag to define direction lines for the anchor point.

Note: If you have selected Auto Add/Delete in the options bar for the Pen tool or Freeform Pen tool, a point is added
when you click a line segment, and an existing point is deleted when you click it.

To delete an anchor point
1 Select the Delete Anchor Point tool

, and position the pointer on the anchor point to be deleted (a minus sign

appears next to the pointer).
2 Delete the anchor point:
• Click the anchor point to delete it and to reshape the path to fit the remaining anchor points.
• Drag the anchor point to delete it and to change the shape of the segment.

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To convert between a smooth point and a corner point
1 Select the Convert Point tool

, and position the pointer over the anchor point you want to change.

To activate the Convert Point tool while the Direct Selection tool is selected, position the pointer over an anchor point,
and press Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Command+Option (Mac OS).
2 Convert the point:
• To convert a smooth point to a corner point without direction lines, click the smooth anchor point.
• To convert a smooth point to a corner point with direction lines, make sure the direction lines are visible. Then

drag a direction point to break the pair of direction lines.

Drag direction point to break direction lines.

• To convert a corner point to a smooth point, drag away from the corner point to make direction lines appear.

Click to create a corner point. Drag to create a smooth point.

Converting between paths and selection borders
Converting paths to selection borders
Paths provide smooth outlines that you can convert into precise selection borders. You also can convert selection
borders into paths, using the Direct Selection tool for fine-tuning.
You can define any closed path as a selection border. A closed path can be added to, subtracted from, or combined
with the current selection.

To convert a path to a selection border using the current settings

1 Select the path in the Paths palette.

2 To convert the path, do one of the following:

• Click the Load Path as a Selection button

at the bottom of the Paths palette.

• Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the path thumbnail in the Paths palette.

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To convert a path to a selection border and specify settings

1 Select the path in the Paths palette.

2 Do one of the following:

• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Load Path As A Selection button

at the bottom of the Paths

palette.
• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the path to the Load Path As A Selection button.

• Choose Make Selection from the Paths palette menu.

3 In the Make Selection dialog box, select a Rendering option:

Feather Radius Defines how far inside and outside the selection border the feather edge extends. Enter a value in

pixels.

Anti-aliased Creates a finer transition between the pixels in the selection and the surrounding pixels. Make sure the

Feather Radius is set to 0.

For more information on these options, see “Methods for softening the edges of a selection” on page 326.

4 Select an Operation option:

New Selection Selects only the area defined by the path.

Add To Selection Adds the area defined by the path to the original selection.
Subtract From Selection Removes the area defined by the path from the current selection.
Intersect With Selection Selects the area common to both the path and the original selection. If the path and

selection do not overlap, nothing is selected.
5 Click OK.

To convert a selection to a path
Any selection made with a selection tool can be defined as a path. The Make Work Path command eliminates any
feathering applied to the selection. It can also alter the shape of the selection, depending on the complexity of the
path and the tolerance value you choose in the Make Work Path dialog box.
1 Make the selection, and do one of the following:
• Click the Make Work Path button

at the bottom of the Paths palette to use the current tolerance setting
without opening the Make Work Path dialog box.

• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Make Work Path button at the bottom of the Paths palette.
• Choose Make Work Path from the Paths palette menu.
2 Enter a Tolerance value or use the default value in the Make Work Path dialog box.

Tolerance values can range from 0.5 to 10 pixels and determine how sensitive the Make Work Path command is to
slight changes in the selection shape. The higher the tolerance value, the fewer the anchor points used to draw the
path and the smoother the path. If the path is used as a clipping path and you have problems printing the image, use
a higher tolerance value. (See “Printing image clipping paths” on page 702.)
3 Click OK. The path appears at the bottom of the Paths palette.

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Adding color to paths
Filling and stroking paths with color
A path created with the Pen tool does not become an image element until you stroke or fill it. The Fill Path command
fills a path with pixels using a specified color, a state of the image, a pattern, or a fill layer.

Path selected (left) and filled (right)

The Stroke Path command paints the border of a path. The Stroke Path command allows you to create a paint stroke
(using the current settings for your painting tools) that follows any path. This is completely different from the Stroke
layer effect, which doesn’t mimic the effect of any of the painting tools.

Path selected (left) and stroked (right)

Important: When you fill or stroke a path, the color values appear on the active layer. Make sure that the layer you want
is active before beginning. You cannot fill or stroke a path when a layer mask or text layer is active.

To fill a path using the current Fill Path settings

1 Select the path in the Paths palette.

2 Click the Fill Path button

at the bottom of the Paths palette.

To fill a path and specify options
1 Select the path in the Paths palette.
2 Fill the path:
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Fill Path button at the bottom of the Paths palette.
• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the path to the Fill Path button.
• Choose Fill Path from the Paths palette menu. If the selected path is a path component, this command changes to

Fill Subpath.
3 For Use, choose the contents for the fill. (See “To fill a selection or a layer with a foreground or background color”

on page 498.)

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4 Specify an opacity for the fill. To make the fill more transparent, use a low percentage. A setting of 100% makes
the fill opaque.
5 Choose a blending mode for the fill. (See “List of blending modes” on page 487.)

The Mode list includes a Clear mode that lets you erase to transparency. You must be working in a layer other than
the background to use this option.
6 Choose Preserve Transparency to limit the fill to layer areas that contain pixels. (See “Locking layers” on
page 405.)
7 Select a Rendering option:
Feather Radius Defines how far inside and outside the selection border the feather edge extends. Enter a value in

pixels.
Anti-aliased Creates a finer transition between the pixels in the selection and the surrounding pixels by partially

filling the edge pixels of the selection.
For more information on these options, see “Methods for softening the edges of a selection” on page 326.
8 Click OK.

To stroke a path using the current Stroke Path settings

1 Select the path in the Paths palette.

2 Click the Stroke Path button
at the bottom of the Paths palette. Each click of the Stroke Path button builds up
the opacity of the stroke and in some cases makes it look thicker.

See also
“To stroke a path and specify options” on page 470

To stroke a path and specify options
1 Select the path in the Paths palette.
2 Select the painting or editing tool you want to use to stroke the path. Set the tool options, and specify a brush from
the options bar. You must specify the tool’s settings before opening the Stroke Path dialog box. For information on
specific tool settings, see “To use the Smudge tool” on page 372 and “Painting” on page 471.
3 To stroke the path, do one of the following:
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Stroke Path button

at the bottom of the Paths palette.

• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the path to the Stroke Path button.
• Choose Stroke Path from the Paths palette menu. If the selected path is a path component, this command changes

to Stroke Subpath.
4 If you did not select a tool in step 2, choose a tool from the Stroke Path dialog box.
5 Click OK.

471

Chapter 17: Painting

Painting tools
Painting
The painting tools change the color of pixels in an image. The Brush tool and the Pencil tool work like traditional
drawing tools by applying color with brush strokes. The Gradient tool, Fill command, and Paint Bucket tool apply
color to large areas. Tools like the Eraser tool, Blur tool, and Smudge tool modify the existing colors in the image.
The power of painting in Photoshop is in the options that you can set to specify how a tool applies or modifies color.
You can apply color gradually, with soft edges, with large brush strokes, with various brush dynamics, with different
blending properties, and with brushes of different shapes. You can simulate spraying paint with an airbrush.
You set tool options from the options bar. The options bar for the brush tool contains other palettes and menus of
options:
Brush Presets picker Stores saved brush tip settings, such as brush size, hardness, and airbrush, and the brush

options available in the Brushes palette.
Tool Presets picker Stores saved settings of a brush tip preset, other options from the options bar such as opacity or

blending mode, and paint color.
Brushes palette Contains numerous options for setting brush painting characteristics, such as color dynamics,

brush shape dynamics, texture, and paint scattering. The Brushes palette also contains a panel from which you can
choose a brush tip preset.

To use the Brush tool or Pencil tool
The Brush tool and the Pencil tool paint the current foreground color on an image. The Brush tool creates soft strokes
of color. The Pencil tool creates hard-edged lines.
1 Choose a foreground color. (See “To choose colors in the toolbox” on page 504.)
2 Select the Brush tool

or Pencil tool

3 Set tool options in the options bar:
• Choose a brush from the Brush Presets picker, and set brush options. (See “To select a preset brush” on page 473.)
• Choose a blending mode from the Mode menu. (See “List of blending modes” on page 487.)
• Specify an opacity by dragging the Opacity slider. Opacity specifies the amount of paint coverage applied by each

stroke.
• For the Brush tool, specify a flow rate by dragging the Flow slider. Flow specifies how quickly paint is applied.

Press a number key to set a tool’s opacity in multiples of 10% (pressing 1 sets to 10%; pressing 0 sets to 100%). Use
Shift and number key to set Flow.

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• (Photoshop) Click the Airbrush button

to use the brush as an airbrush.

• For the Pencil tool, select Auto Erase to paint the background color over areas containing the foreground color.

(See “To use the Auto Erase option with the Pencil tool” on page 492.)
4 Do one or more of the following:
• Drag in the image to paint.
• To draw a straight line, click a starting point in the image. Then hold down Shift, and click an ending point.
• When using the Brush tool as an airbrush, hold down the mouse button without dragging to build up color.

See also
“Painting tools gallery” on page 44

To get the brush cursor back
The painting tools have three possible cursors: the standard cursor (the icon from the toolbox), a cross hair , and
a cursor sized to match the currently selected brush tip. For the Pen and Brush tools, the Caps Lock key acts like a
toggle for changing between the standard cursor and the cross hair.
To change the default shape of cursors for painting and other tools, choose Edit > Preferences > Display and Cursors.
Select the desired cursors in both the Painting Cursors area and the Other Cursors area. The sample cursors change
to reflect your choices. Click OK.

The Art History Brush tool
The Art History Brush tool paints with stylized strokes, using the source data from a specified history state or
snapshot. By experimenting with different paint style, size, and tolerance options, you can simulate the texture of
painting with different colors and artistic styles.
Like the History Brush tool, the Art History Brush tool uses a specified history state or snapshot as the source data.
The History Brush tool, however, paints by recreating the specified source data, while the Art History Brush tool uses
that data along with the options you set to create different colors and artistic styles.
For a variety of visual effects, experiment with applying filters or filling an image with a solid color before painting
with the Art History Brush tool. Also try increasing the size of the image by a factor of 4 to soften the details.

Example of using the Art History Brush tool
A. Original B. Using a small brush C. Using a large brush

To use the Art History Brush tool
1 In the History palette, click the left column of the state or snapshot to use as the source for the Art History Brush
tool. A brush icon appears next to the source history state.
2 Select the Art History Brush tool

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3 Do the following in the options bar:
• Choose a brush from the Brush Presets picker, and set brush options. (See “To select a preset brush” on page 473.)
• Choose a blending mode from the Mode menu. (See “About blending modes” on page 410.)
• Choose an option from the Style menu to control the shape of the paint stroke.
• For Area, enter a value to specify the area covered by the paint strokes. The greater the size, the larger the covered

area and the more numerous the strokes.
• For Tolerance, enter a value to limit the regions where paint strokes can be applied. A low tolerance lets you paint

unlimited strokes anywhere in the image. A high tolerance limits paint strokes to areas that differ considerably
from the color in the source state or snapshot.
4 Drag in the image to paint.

Selecting brush presets
To select a preset brush
A preset brush is a saved brush tip with defined characteristics such as size, shape, and hardness. You can save preset
brushes with the characteristics that you use often. You can also save tool presets for the Brush tool that you can select
from the Tool Preset menu in the options bar.
When you change the size, shape, or hardness of a preset brush, the change is temporary. The next time you choose
that preset, the brush uses its original settings. To make your changes permanent, you need to create a new preset.
See “To create a new preset brush” on page 485.
1 Select a painting tool or editing tool, and click the Brush Preset pop-up menu in the options bar.
2 Select a brush.

Note: You can also select a brush in Photoshop from the Brushes palette. Be sure that Brush Presets on the left side of the
palette is selected to view the loaded presets.
3 Change options for the preset brush (Photoshop).
Diameter Temporarily changes the brush size. Drag the slider or enter a value. If the brush has a dual tip, both the
primary and dual brush tips are scaled.
Use Sample Size Uses the original diameter of the brush tip if the brush tip shape is based on a sample.
Hardness Sets the amount of anti-aliasing for the brush tool. At 100%, the brush tool paints with the hardest brush

tip, but is still anti-aliased. The Pencil always paints a hard edge that is not anti-aliased.

See also
“About the Brushes palette” on page 474
“To create a tool preset” on page 48

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To change how preset brushes are displayed
Choose a display option from the Brush Preset picker menu

or Brushes palette menu:

• Text Only to view the brushes as a list.
• Small or Large Thumbnail to view the brushes as thumbnails.
• Small or Large List to view the brushes as a list with thumbnails.
• Stroke Thumbnail to view a sample brush stroke with each brush thumbnail.

To dynamically preview brush strokes in the Brushes palette, make sure that Brush Preset is selected, and then
position the pointer over a brush until the tool tip appears. Move the pointer over different brushes. The preview area
at the bottom of the palette will display sample brush strokes.

To change the preset brushes displayed in the palette
1 To load a library of preset brushes, choose one of the following from the Brush Preset picker menu or Brushes
palette menu:
• Load Brushes to add a library to the current list. Select the library file you want to use, and click Load.
• Replace Brushes to replace the current list with a different library. Select the library file you want to use, and click

Load.
• A library file (displayed at the bottom of the palette menu). Click OK to replace the current list, or click Append

to append the current list.
2 To return to the default library of preset brushes, choose Reset Brushes from the Brush Preset picker menu or

Brushes palette menu. You can either replace the current list or append the default library to the current list.
Note: You can also use the Preset Manager to load and reset brush libraries.

See also
“To save a set of preset brushes as a library” on page 486
“About the Preset Manager” on page 67

Creating brushes and setting options
About the Brushes palette
The Brushes palette lets you select preset brushes and design custom brushes. The brush you select determines many
characteristics of the resulting stroke. Photoshop provides a variety of preset brushes to fill a wide range of uses. In
Photoshop, you can also create custom brushes using the Brushes palette.

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A B

Brushes palette with Brush Tip Shape options displayed
A. Locked B. Unlocked C. Selected brush tip D. Brush settings E. Brush stroke preview
(available when Brush Tip Shape option is selected) H. Brush options

F. pop-up menu G. Brush tip shapes

To display the Brushes palette and brush options
1 Choose Window > Brushes, or click the palette button
tool, erasing tool, toning tool, or focus tool selected.

on the right side of the options bar if you have a painting

2 Select an item name on the left side of the palette. The available options for the selected item appear on the right
side of the palette.

Click the check box to the left of the item name to enable or disable the item without viewing its options.

To create a custom brush from an image
1 Use any selection tool to select a part of an image to use as a custom brush. Feather should be set to 0 pixels if you
want to create a brush with a sharp edge. The brush shape can be up to 2500 pixels by 2500 pixels in size.

If you want to define a brush with soft edges, select pixels with gray values. (Colored brush shapes appear as gray
values.)
2 Choose Edit > Define Brush Preset.
3 Name the brush, and click OK.

To create a brush and set painting options
1 Open the Brushes palette by clicking the brushes palette button in the options bar. Make sure the Brush tool is

selected to see the button.
2 In the Brushes palette, choose an existing brush preset to modify or select a brush shape from the Brush Tip Shape
panel of the Brushes palette. You can also create a new brush tip from an image.

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3 Select Brush Tip Shape on the left side of the Brushes palette and set options. See “Brush tip shape options” on
page 476.
4 Set other options for the brush as needed. For more information about navigating in the palette, see “To display
the Brushes palette and brush options” on page 475.

See the following sections for information about the options.
• “Brush shape dynamics” on page 479

• “Brush scattering” on page 480

• “Textured brush options” on page 481

• “Dual brushes” on page 482

• “Color dynamics Brush options” on page 483

• “Other dynamics brush options” on page 483

• “Other Brush options” on page 484

5 To lock brush tip shape attributes, click the unlock icon

. To unlock the tip, click the lock icon

6 To save the brush for use later, choose New Brush Preset from the Brushes palette menu.

See also
“About the Brushes palette” on page 474

“To create a custom brush from an image” on page 475

Brush tip shape options
You can set the following brush tip shape options in the Brushes palette:
Diameter Controls the size of the brush. Enter a value in pixels or drag the slider.

Brush strokes with different diameter values

Use Sample Size Resets the brush to its original diameter. This option is available only if the brush tip shape was
created by sampling pixels in an image.
Flip X Changes the direction of a brush tip on its x axis.

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Flipping a brush tip on its x axis.
A. Brush tip in its default position B. Flip X selected

C. Flip X and Flip Y selected

Flip Y Changes the direction of a brush tip on its y axis.

Flipping a brush tip on its y axis.
A. Brush tip in its default position B. Flip Y selected

C. Flip Y and Flip X selected

Angle Specifies the angle by which an elliptical or sampled brush’s long axis is rotated from horizontal. Type a value
in degrees, or drag the horizontal axis in the preview box.

Angled brushes create a chiseled stroke

Roundness Specifies the ratio between the brush’s short and long axes. Enter a percentage value, or drag the points
in the preview box. A value of 100% indicates a circular brush, a value of 0% indicates a linear brush, and interme
diate values indicate elliptical brushes.

Adjusting roundness to compress a brush tip shape

Hardness Controls the size of the brush’s hard center. Type a number, or use the slider to enter a value that is a

percentage of the brush diameter. You can’t change the hardness of sampled brushes.

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Brush strokes with different hardness values

Spacing Controls the distance between the brush marks in a stroke. To change the spacing, type a number, or use

the slider to enter a value that is a percentage of the brush diameter. When this option is deselected, the speed of the
cursor determines the spacing.

Increasing the spacing makes the brush skip

While using a preset brush, press the [ key to decrease the brush width; press the ] key to increase the width. For hard
round, soft round, and calligraphic brushes, press Shift+[ to decrease the brush hardness; press Shift+] to increase
the brush hardness.

See also
“About the Brushes palette” on page 474
“To create a brush and set painting options” on page 475

Adding brush dynamics
The Brushes palette provides many options for adding dynamic (or changing) elements to preset brush tips. For
example, you can set options that vary the size, color, and opacity of brush marks over the course of a stroke.
You work with two components when adding dynamics elements to a brush:
• Jitter percentages specify the randomness of dynamic elements. At 0%, an element does not change over the course

of a stroke; at 100%, an element has the maximum amount of randomness.
• Options in the Control pop-up menus specify how you want to control the variance of dynamic elements. You can

choose not to control the variance of an element, to fade an element over the specified number of steps, or to vary
an element based on pen pressure, pen tilt, or position of the pen thumbwheel.
Note: Pen controls are available only when you’re using a pressure-sensitive digitizing tablet such as the Wacom tablet.
A warning icon appears if you select a pen control but have not installed a tablet.

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See also
“About the Brushes palette” on page 474
“To create a brush and set painting options” on page 475

Brush shape dynamics
Shape dynamics determine the variance of brush marks in a stroke.

Brush stokes without shape dynamics and with shape dynamics

Size Jitter and Control Specifies how the size of brush marks vary in a stroke. For more information, see “Adding

brush dynamics” on page 478.
To specify the maximum percentage of jittering, type a number or use the slider to enter a value. To specify how you
want to control the size variance of brush marks, choose an option from the Control pop-up menu:
• Off Specifies no control over the size variance of brush marks.
• Fade Fades the size of brush marks between the initial diameter and the minimum diameter in the specified
number of steps. Each step is equal to one mark of the brush tip. The value can range from 1 to 9999. For example,
entering 10 steps produces a fade in 10 increments.
• Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, Stylus Wheel, Rotation Varies the size of brush marks between the initial diameter and the
minimum diameter based on the pen pressure, pen tilt, position of the pen thumbwheel, or rotation of the pen.
Minimum Diameter Specifies the minimum percentage by which brush marks can scale when Size Jitter or Size

Control is enabled. Type a number, or use the slider to enter a value that is a percentage of the brush tip diameter.
Tilt Scale Specifies the scale factor applied to the height of the brush prior to rotation when Size Control is set to Pen
Tilt. Type a number, or use the slider to enter a value that is a percentage of the brush diameter.
Angle Jitter and Control Specifies how the angle of brush marks varies in a stroke. To specify the maximum
percentage of jittering, enter a value that is a percentage of 360 degrees. To specify how you want to control the angle
variance of brush marks, choose an option from the Control pop-up menu:
• Off Specifies no control over the angle variance of brush marks.
• Fade Fades the angle of brush marks between 0 and 360 degrees in the specified number of steps.
• Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, Stylus Wheel, Rotation Varies the angle of brush marks between 0 and 360 degrees based
on the pen pressure, pen tilt, position of the pen thumbwheel, or rotation of the pen.
• Initial Direction Bases the angle of brush marks on the initial direction of the brush stroke.
• Direction Bases the angle of brush marks on the direction of the brush stroke.
Roundness Jitter and Control Specifies how the roundness of brush marks varies in a stroke. To specify the
maximum percentage of jittering, enter a percentage indicating the ratio between the brush’s short and long axes. To

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specify how you want to control the roundness variance of brush marks, choose an option from the Control pop-up
menu:
• Off Specifies no control over the roundness variance of brush marks.
• Fade Fades the roundness of brush marks between 100% and the Minimum Roundness value in the specified
number of steps.
• Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, Stylus Wheel, Rotation Varies the roundness of brush marks between 100% and the

Minimum Roundness value based on the pen pressure, pen tilt, position of the pen thumbwheel, or rotation of the
pen.
Minimum Roundness Specifies the minimum roundness for brush marks when Roundness Jitter or Roundness

Control is enabled. Enter a percentage indicating the ratio between the brush’s short and long axes.

See also
“Adding brush dynamics” on page 478
“To create a brush and set painting options” on page 475

Brush scattering
Brush scattering determines the number and placement of marks in a stroke.

Brush strokes without scattering (left) and with scattering (right)

Scatter and Control Specifies how brush marks are distributed in a stroke. When Both Axes is selected, brush marks
are distributed in a radial direction. When Both Axes is deselected, brush marks are distributed perpendicular to the
stroke path.

To specify the maximum percentage of scattering, enter a value. To specify how you want to control the scattering
variance of brush marks, choose an option from the Control pop-up menu:
• Off Specifies no control over the scattering variance of brush marks.
• Fade Fades the scattering of brush marks from maximum scattering to no scattering in the specified number of

steps.
• Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, Stylus Wheel, Rotation Varies the scattering of brush marks based on the pen pressure, pen

tilt, position of the pen thumbwheel, or rotation of the pen.
Count Specifies the number of brush marks applied at each spacing interval.

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Note: If you increase the count without increasing the spacing or scattering values, painting performance may decrease.
Count Jitter and Control Specifies how the number of brush marks varies for each spacing interval. To specify the

maximum percentage of brush marks applied at each spacing interval, enter a value. To specify how you want to
control the count variance of brush marks, choose an option from the Control pop-up menu:
• Off Specifies no control over the count variance of brush marks.
• Fade Fades the number of brush marks from the Count value to 1 in the specified number of steps.
• Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, Stylus Wheel, Rotation Varies the number of brush marks based on the pen pressure, pen
tilt, position of the pen thumbwheel, or rotation of the pen.

See also
“Adding brush dynamics” on page 478
“To create a brush and set painting options” on page 475

Textured brush options
A textured brush uses a pattern to make strokes look as if they are painted on textured canvas.

Brush strokes without texture (left) and with texture (right)

Click the pattern sample and select a pattern from the pop-up palette. Set one or more of the following options:
Invert Inverts the high and low points in the texture based on the tones in the pattern. When Invert is selected, the
lightest areas in the pattern are the low points in the texture and therefore receive the least paint; the darkest areas in
the pattern are the high points in the texture and therefore receive the most paint. When Invert is deselected, the
lightest areas in the pattern receive the most paint; the darkest areas in the pattern receive the least paint.
Scale Specifies the scale of the pattern. Type a number, or use the slider to enter a value that is a percentage of the

pattern size.
Texture Each Tip Specifies whether or not to render each tip individually as it is painted. When this option is not
selected, the Depth variance options are not available.
Mode Specifies the blending mode used to combine the brush and the pattern. (See “About blending modes” on
page 410.)
Depth Specifies how deeply the paint penetrates into the texture. Type a number, or use the slider to enter a value.

At 100%, the low points in the texture do not receive any paint. At 0%, all points in the texture receive the same
amount of paint, therefore hiding the pattern.

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Minimum Depth Specifies the minimum depth to which paint can penetrate when Depth Control is set to Fade, Pen
Pressure, Pen Tilt, or Stylus Wheel and Texture Each Tip is selected.
Depth Jitter and Control Specifies how the depth varies when Texture Each Tip is selected. To specify the

maximum percentage of jitter, enter a value. To specify how you want to control the depth variance of brush marks,
choose an option from the Control pop-up menu:
• Off Specifies no control over the depth variance of brush marks.
• Fade Fades from the Depth Jitter percentage to the Minimum Depth percentage in the specified number of steps.
• Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, or Stylus Wheel Varies the depth based on the pen pressure, pen tilt, or position of the pen

thumbwheel.

See also
“Adding brush dynamics” on page 478
“To create a brush and set painting options” on page 475

Dual brushes
A dual brush uses two tips to create brush marks. Set options for the primary tip in the Brush Tip Shape section of
the Brushes palette. Select a second brush tip from the Dual Brush section of the Brushes palette and set any of the
following options.

Brush strokes created with a single tip (left) and with dual tips (right)

Mode Sets a blending mode to use when combining brush marks from the primary tip and the dual tip. (See “List

of blending modes” on page 487.)
Diameter Controls the size of the dual tip. Enter a value in pixels, drag the slider, or click Use Sample Size to use the
original diameter of the brush tip. (The Use Sample Size option is available only if the brush tip shape was created by
sampling pixels in an image.)
Spacing Controls the distance between the dual tip brush marks in a stroke. To change the spacing, type a number

or use the slider to enter a percentage of the tip diameter.
Scatter Specifies how dual tip brush marks are distributed in a stroke. When Both Axes is selected, dual tip brush

marks are distributed in a radial direction. When Both Axes is deselected, dual tip brush marks are distributed
perpendicular to the stroke path. To specify the maximum percentage of scattering, type a number or use the slider
to enter a value.
Count Specifies the number of dual tip brush marks applied at each spacing interval. Type a number, or use the slider
to enter a value.

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Color dynamics Brush options
Color dynamics determine how the color of paint changes over the course of a stroke.

Brush strokes without color dynamics (left) and with color dynamics (right)

Foreground/Background Jitter and Control Specifies how paint varies between the foreground color and

background color.
To specify a percentage by which the color of the paint can vary, type a number or use the slider to enter a value. To
specify how you want to control the color variance of brush marks, choose an option from the Control pop-up menu:
• Off Specifies no control over the color variance of brush marks.
• Fade Varies the color of paint between the foreground color and the background color in the specified number of

steps.
• Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, Stylus Wheel, Rotation Varies the color of paint between the foreground color and the
background color based on the pen pressure, pen tilt, position of the pen thumbwheel, or rotation of the pen.
Hue Jitter Specifies a percentage by which the hue of the paint can vary in a stroke. Type a number, or use the slider

to enter a value. A lower value changes the hue while maintaining a close proximity to the hue of the foreground
color. A higher value increases the difference between hues.
Saturation Jitter Specifies a percentage by which the saturation of the paint can vary in a stroke. Type a number, or

use the slider to enter a value. A lower value changes the saturation while maintaining a close proximity to the
saturation of the foreground color. A higher value increases the difference between saturation levels.
Brightness Jitter Specifies a percentage by which the brightness of the paint can vary in a stroke. Type a number, or

use the slider to enter a value. A lower value changes the brightness while maintaining a close proximity to the
brightness of the foreground color. A higher value increases the difference between brightness levels.
Purity Increases or decreases the saturation of the color. Type a number, or use the slider to enter a percentage
between –100 and 100. At –100%, the color is fully desaturated; at 100%, the color is fully saturated.

See also
“Adding brush dynamics” on page 478

Other dynamics brush options
Other dynamics determine how paint changes over the course of a stroke.

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Brush strokes without paint dynamics (left) and with paint dynamics (right)

Opacity Jitter and Control Specifies how the opacity of paint varies in a brush stroke, up to (but not exceeding) the
opacity value specified in the options bar. To specify a percentage by which the opacity of the paint can vary, type a
number or use the slider to enter a value. To specify how you want to control the opacity variance of brush marks,
choose an option from the Control pop-up menu:
• Off Specifies no control over the opacity variance of brush marks.
• Fade Fades the opacity of paint from the opacity value in the options bar to 0 in the specified number of steps.
• Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, Stylus Wheel, Rotation Varies the opacity of paint based on the pen pressure, pen tilt, the
position of the pen thumbwheel, or rotation of the pen.
Flow Jitter and Control Specifies how the flow of paint varies in a brush stroke, up to (but not exceeding) the flow
value specified in the options bar.

To specify a percentage by which the flow of the paint can vary, type a number or use the slider to enter a value. To
specify how you want to control the flow variance of brush marks, choose an option from the Control pop-up menu:
• Off Specifies no control over the flow variance of brush marks.
• Fade Fades the flow of paint from the flow value in the options bar to 0 in the specified number of steps.
• Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, Stylus Wheel, Rotation Varies the flow of paint based on the pen pressure, pen tilt, the
position of the pen thumbwheel, or rotation of the pen.

See also
“Adding brush dynamics” on page 478
“To create a brush and set painting options” on page 475

Other Brush options
Noise Adds additional randomness to individual brush tips. This option is most effective when applied to soft brush

tips (brush tips that contain gray values).
Wet Edges Causes paint to build up along the edges of the brush stroke, creating a watercolor effect.
Airbrush Applies gradual tones to an image, simulating traditional airbrush techniques. The Airbrush option in the
Brushes palette corresponds to the Airbrush option in the options bar.
Smoothing Produces smoother curves in brush strokes. This option is most effective when you are painting quickly

with a stylus; however, it may produce a slight lag time in stroke rendering.
Protect Texture Applies the same pattern and scale to all brush presets that have a texture. Select this option to

simulate a consistent canvas texture when painting with multiple, textured brush tips.

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To copy textures between tools
When you specify a texture for the current tool, you can copy the texture’s pattern and scale to all tools that support
textures. For example, you can copy the current texture pattern and scale for the Brush tool to the Pencil, Clone
Stamp, Pattern Stamp, History Brush, Art History Brush, Eraser, Dodge, Burn, and Sponge tools.
❖ Choose Copy Texture to Other Tools from the Brushes palette menu.

To clear brush options
You can easily clear all brush options for a tool using the Clear Brush Controls command.
❖ Choose Clear Brush Controls from the Brushes palette menu.

To set brush pressure sensitivity for digitizing tablets
Set brush sensitivity if you are using a pressure-sensitive digitizing tablet, such as the Wacom® tablet.
1 Select the Brush tool

, the Pencil tool

, or other painting tool in the toolbox.

2 Click the Brushes tab to bring the Brushes palette to the front or, if the palette isn’t open, choose Window >
Brushes.
3 To make the tool tip size change with pressure, select Shape Dynamics (be sure to click the word, not just the check

box) in the Brushes palette. Then choose Pen Pressure from the Controls menu under the Size Jitter slider control.
4 To make the opacity change with pressure, select Other Dynamics. Then choose Pen Pressure from the Controls
menu under the Opacity Jitter slider control.

Note: You can set pen pressure for other brush characteristics as well. The Brush palette contains controls that vary the
angle, flow, scatter, texture depth, and roundness of the stroke according to pen pressure.

See also
“About the Brushes palette” on page 474
“Brush shape dynamics” on page 479

Creating and managing preset brushes
To create a new preset brush
You can save a customized brush as a preset brush that appears in the Brushes palette, Brush Preset picker, and Preset
Manager.
Note: New preset brushes are saved in a Preferences file. If this file is deleted or damaged, or if you reset brushes to the
default library, the new presets will be lost. To permanently save new preset brushes, save them in a library.
1 Customize a brush.

2 Do one of the following in the Brushes palette or Brush Preset picker:

• Choose New Brush Preset from the palette menu, enter a name for the preset brush, and click OK.
• Click the Create New Brush button

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To rename a preset brush
Do one of the following:
• Select a brush in the Brush Preset picker or Brushes palette, and choose Rename Brush from the palette menu.

Enter a new name for the brush, and click OK.
• If the Brushes palette is set to display brushes as thumbnails, double-click a brush, enter a new name, and click OK.
• If the Brushes palette is set to display brushes as a list or text only, double-click a brush, enter a new name inline,

and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

To delete a preset brush
• In the Brush Preset picker or Brushes palette, select a brush, and choose Delete Brush from the palette menu.
• In the Brush Preset picker or Brushes palette, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the brush you want

to delete.
• In the Brushes palette, select a brush and click the Delete icon

, or drag a brush to the Delete icon.

To save a set of preset brushes as a library
1 Choose Save Brushes from the Brush Preset picker menu or Brushes palette menu.
2 Choose a location for the brush library, enter a file name, and click Save.

You can save the library anywhere. However, if you place the library file in the Presets/Brushes folder inside the
Photoshop program folder, the library name will appear at the bottom of the Brush Preset picker menu and Brushes
palette menu after you restart Photoshop.
You can also use the Preset Manager to rename, delete, and save libraries of preset brushes. For more information,
see “About the Preset Manager” on page 67.

Blending modes
About blending modes
The blending mode specified in the options bar controls how pixels in the image are affected by a painting or editing
tool. It’s helpful to think in terms of the following colors when visualizing a blending mode’s effect:
• The base color is the original color in the image.
• The blend color is the color being applied with the painting or editing tool.
• The result color is the color resulting from the blend.

See also
“List of blending modes” on page 487

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List of blending modes
Choose from the Mode pop-up menu in the options bar.
Normal Edits or paints each pixel to make it the result color. This is the default mode. (Normal mode is called
Threshold when you’re working with a bitmapped or indexed-color image.)
Dissolve Edits or paints each pixel to make it the result color. However, the result color is a random replacement of
the pixels with the base color or the blend color, depending on the opacity at any pixel location.
Behind Edits or paints only on the transparent part of a layer. This mode works only in layers with Lock Trans

parency deselected and is analogous to painting on the back of transparent areas on a sheet of acetate.
Clear Edits or paints each pixel and makes it transparent. This mode is available for the Shape tools (when fill
is selected), the Paint Bucket tool
, the Brush tool
, the Pencil tool
, the Fill command, and the
region
Stroke command. You must be in a layer with Lock Transparency deselected to use this mode.
Darken Looks at the color information in each channel and selects the base or blend color—whichever is darker—

as the result color. Pixels lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color do not
change.
Multiply Looks at the color information in each channel and multiplies the base color by the blend color. The result
color is always a darker color. Multiplying any color with black produces black. Multiplying any color with white
leaves the color unchanged. When you’re painting with a color other than black or white, successive strokes with a
painting tool produce progressively darker colors. The effect is similar to drawing on the image with multiple
marking pens.
Color Burn Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color by

increasing the contrast. Blending with white produces no change.
Linear Burn Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color by

decreasing the brightness. Blending with white produces no change.
Lighten Looks at the color information in each channel and selects the base or blend color—whichever is lighter—
as the result color. Pixels darker than the blend color are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not
change.
Screen Looks at each channel’s color information and multiplies the inverse of the blend and base colors. The result

color is always a lighter color. Screening with black leaves the color unchanged. Screening with white produces white.
The effect is similar to projecting multiple photographic slides on top of each other.
Color Dodge Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color

by decreasing the contrast. Blending with black produces no change.
Linear Dodge Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color

by increasing the brightness. Blending with black produces no change.
Overlay Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the base color. Patterns or colors overlay the existing pixels
while preserving the highlights and shadows of the base color. The base color is not replaced but is mixed with the
blend color to reflect the lightness or darkness of the original color.
Soft Light Darkens or lightens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a diffused

spotlight on the image.
If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened as if it were dodged. If the blend color
is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened as if it were burned in. Painting with pure black or white produces a
distinctly darker or lighter area but does not result in pure black or white.

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Hard Light Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a harsh

spotlight on the image.
If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened, as if it were screened. This is useful
for adding highlights to an image. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened, as if it were multi
plied. This is useful for adding shadows to an image. Painting with pure black or white results in pure black or white.
Vivid Light Burns or dodges the colors by increasing or decreasing the contrast, depending on the blend color. If the

blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by decreasing the contrast. If the blend color
is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by increasing the contrast.
Linear Light Burns or dodges the colors by decreasing or increasing the brightness, depending on the blend color.
If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by increasing the brightness. If the
blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by decreasing the brightness.
Pin Light Replaces the colors, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray,
pixels darker than the blend color are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not change. If the blend
color is darker than 50% gray, pixels lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color
do not change. This is useful for adding special effects to an image.
Difference Looks at the color information in each channel and subtracts either the blend color from the base color
or the base color from the blend color, depending on which has the greater brightness value. Blending with white
inverts the base color values; blending with black produces no change.
Exclusion Creates an effect similar to but lower in contrast than the Difference mode. Blending with white inverts

the base color values. Blending with black produces no change.
Hue Creates a result color with the luminance and saturation of the base color and the hue of the blend color.
Saturation Creates a result color with the luminance and hue of the base color and the saturation of the blend color.
Painting with this mode in an area with no (0) saturation (gray) causes no change.
Color Creates a result color with the luminance of the base color and the hue and saturation of the blend color. This

preserves the gray levels in the image and is useful for coloring monochrome images and for tinting color images.
Luminosity Creates a result color with the hue and saturation of the base color and the luminance of the blend color.
This mode creates an inverse effect from that of the Color mode.

See also
“About blending modes” on page 410
“Blending mode examples” on page 488
Blending mode examples

These examples show the result of painting part of the image’s face using each blending mode.

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Original Image

Normal, 100% opacity

Normal, 50% opacity

Dissolve, 50% opacity

Behind

Clear

Darken

Multiply

Color Burn

Linear Burn

Lighten

Screen

Color Dodge

Linear Dodge

Overlay

Soft Light

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Hard Light

Vivid Light

Linear Light

Pin Light

Hard Mix

Difference

Exclusion

Hue

Saturation

Color

Luminosity, 80% opacity

Erasing
To use the Eraser tool
The Eraser tool changes pixels in the image as you drag through them. If you’re working in the background or in a
layer with transparency locked, the pixels change to the background color; otherwise, the pixels are erased to trans
parency. You can also use the eraser to return the affected area to a state selected in the History palette.
1 Select the Eraser tool

2 Do the following in the options bar:
• Choose a brush and set brush options (Photoshop), or choose a preset brush (ImageReady). This option is not

available for Block mode.
• Choose a mode for the eraser—Brush (Photoshop), Paintbrush (ImageReady), Airbrush (ImageReady), Pencil, or

Block.
• Specify an opacity to define the strength of the erasure. An opacity of 100% erases pixels completely. A lower

opacity erases pixels partially. (This option is not available for Block mode in Photoshop.)
• (Photoshop) In Brush mode, specify a flow rate. Flow specifies how quickly paint is applied by the tool.
• (Photoshop) In Brush mode, click the airbrush button

to use the brush as an airbrush.

• (Photoshop) To erase to a saved state or snapshot of the image, click the left column of the state or snapshot in the

History palette, and then select Erase To History in the options bar.

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Photoshop) To temporarily use the Eraser tool in Erase to History mode, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option
(Mac OS) as you drag in the image.
3 Drag through the area you want to erase.

To use the Magic Eraser tool
When you click in a layer with the Magic Eraser tool, the tool automatically changes all similar pixels. If you’re
working in the background, or in a layer with locked transparency, the pixels change to the background color;
otherwise, the pixels are erased to transparency. You can choose to erase contiguous pixels only or all similar pixels
on the current layer.

Example of erasing similar pixels

1 Select the Magic Eraser tool

2 Do the following in the options bar:
• Enter a tolerance value to define the range of colors that can be erased. A low tolerance erases pixels within a range

of color values very similar to the pixel you click. A high tolerance erases pixels within a broader range.
• Select Anti-aliased to smooth the edges of the area you erase.
• Select Contiguous to erase only pixels contiguous to the one you click, or deselect to erase all similar pixels in the

image.
• Select Sample All Layers to sample the erased color using combined data from all visible layers.
• Specify an opacity to define the strength of the erasure. An opacity of 100% erases pixels completely. A lower

opacity erases pixels partially.
3 Click in the part of the layer you want to erase.

The Background Eraser tool
The Background Eraser tool lets you erase pixels on a layer to transparency as you drag; this allows you to erase the
background while maintaining the edges of an object in the foreground. By specifying different sampling and
tolerance options, you can control the range of the transparency and the sharpness of the boundaries.
The background eraser samples the color in the center of the brush, also called the hot spot, and deletes that color
wherever it appears inside the brush. It also performs color extraction at the edges of any foreground objects, so that
color halos are not visible if the foreground object is later pasted into another image.
Note: The background eraser overrides the lock transparency setting of a layer.
If you want to erase the background of an object with intricate or wispy edges, use the Extract command.

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To use the Background Eraser tool
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the areas you want to erase.
2 Select the Background Eraser tool

3 Click the brush sample in the options bar and set brush options in the pop-up palette:
• Choose settings for the Diameter, Hardness, Spacing, Angle, and Roundness options (see “Brush tip shape

options” on page 476).
• If you’re using a pressure-sensitive digitizing tablet, choose options from the Size and Tolerance menus to vary the

size and tolerance of the background eraser over the course of a stroke. Choose Pen Pressure to base the variation
on the pen pressure. Choose Stylus Wheel to base the variation on the position of the pen thumbwheel. Choose
Off if you don’t want to vary the size or tolerance.
4 Do the following in the options bar:
• Choose a Limits mode for erasing: Discontiguous to erase the sampled color wherever it occurs under the brush,

Contiguous to erase areas that contain the sampled color and are connected to one another, and Find Edges to
erase connected areas containing the sampled color while better preserving the sharpness of shape edges.
• For Tolerance, enter a value or drag the slider. A low tolerance limits erasure to areas that are very similar to the

sampled color. A high tolerance erases a broader range of colors.
• Select Protect Foreground Color to prevent the erasure of areas that match the foreground color in the toolbox.
• Choose a Sampling option: Continuous to sample colors continuously as you drag, Once to erase only areas

containing the color that you first click, and Background Swatch to erase only areas containing the current
background color.
5 Drag through the area you want to erase. The Background Eraser tool pointer appears as a brush shape with a
cross hair indicating the tool’s hot spot .

To use the Auto Erase option with the Pencil tool
The Auto Erase option for the Pencil tool lets you paint the background color over areas containing the foreground

color.

1 Specify foreground and background colors.

2 Select the Pencil tool

3 Select Auto Erase in the options bar.

4 Drag over the image.

If the center of the cursor is over the foreground color when you begin dragging, the area is erased to the background

color. If the center of the cursor is over an area that doesn’t contain the foreground color when you begin dragging,
the area is painted with the foreground color.

Gradients
To apply a gradient fill
The Gradient tool creates a gradual blend between multiple colors. You can choose from preset gradient fills or create
your own.

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Note: The Gradient tool cannot be used with bitmap, indexed-color, or 16-bits-per-channel images.
You fill an area with a gradient by dragging in the image. The starting point (where the mouse is pressed) and ending
point (where the mouse is released) affect the gradient appearance, depending on the Gradient tool used.
1 To fill part of the image, select the desired area. Otherwise, the gradient fill is applied to the entire active layer.

2 Select the Gradient tool

3 Choose a gradient fill in the options bar:

• Click the triangle next to the gradient sample to pick a preset gradient fill.
• Click inside the gradient sample to view the Gradient Editor. Select a preset gradient fill, or create a new gradient

fill. Then click OK. (See “To create a smooth gradient” on page 494.)
4 Select an option for applying the gradient fill in the options bar:
Linear gradient

Shades from the starting point to the ending point in a straight line.

Radial gradient

Shades from the starting point to the ending point in a circular pattern.

Angle gradient

Shades in a counterclockwise sweep around the starting point.

Reflected gradient

Shades using symmetric linear gradients on either side of the starting point.

Diamond gradient

Shades from the starting point outward in a diamond pattern. The ending point defines one

corner of the diamond.
5 Do the following in the options bar:
• Specify a blending mode and opacity for the paint. (See “List of blending modes” on page 487.)
• To reverse the order of colors in the gradient fill, select Reverse.
• To create a smoother blend with less banding, select Dither.
• To use a transparency mask for the gradient fill, select Transparency. (See “To specify the gradient transparency”

on page 495.)
6 Position the pointer in the image where you want to set the starting point of the gradient, and drag to define the
ending point. To constrain the line angle to a multiple of 45˚, hold down Shift as you drag.

About the Gradient Editor
The Gradient Editor dialog box lets you define a new gradient by modifying a copy of an existing gradient. You can
also add intermediate colors to a gradient, creating a blend between more than two colors.

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Gradient Editor dialog box
A. Palette menu B. Opacity stop C. Color stops

D. Adjust values or delete the selected opacity or color stop E. Midpoint

To create a smooth gradient

1 Select the Gradient tool

2 Click inside the gradient sample in the options bar to display the Gradient Editor dialog box.

3 To base the new gradient on an existing gradient, select a gradient in the Presets section of the dialog box.

4 Choose Solid from the Gradient Type pop-up menu.

5 To define the starting color of the gradient, click the left color stop

under the gradient bar. The triangle above

the stop turns black , indicating that the starting color is being edited.
6 To choose a color, do one of the following:
• Double-click the color stop, or click the color swatch in the Stops section of the dialog box. Choose a color, and

click OK.
• Choose an option from the Color pop-up menu in the Stops section of the dialog box.
• Position the pointer over the gradient bar (the pointer turns into the eyedropper), and click to sample a color, or

click anywhere in the image to sample a color from the image.
7 To define the ending color, click the right color stop under the gradient bar. Then choose a color.
8 To adjust the location of the starting point or ending point, do one of the following:
• Drag the corresponding color stop left or right to the location you want.
• Click the corresponding color stop, and enter a value for Location in the Stops section of the dialog box. A value

of 0% places the point at the far left end of the gradient bar; a value of 100%, at the far right end.
9 To adjust the location of the midpoint (where the gradient displays an even mix of the starting and ending colors),
drag the diamond below the gradient bar to the left or right, or click the diamond and enter a value for Location.
10 To add intermediate colors to a gradient, click below the gradient bar to define another color stop. Specify the

color and adjust the location and midpoint for the intermediate point as you would for a starting or ending point.
11 To delete the color stop you are editing, click Delete.

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12 To set the smoothness for the entire gradient, enter a value in the Smoothness text box, or drag the Smoothness

pop-up slider.

13 If desired, set transparency values for the gradient.

14 Enter a name for the new gradient.

15 To save the gradient as a preset, click New after you have finished creating the gradient.

Note: New presets are saved in a Preferences file. If this file is deleted or damaged, or if you reset presets to the default
library, the new presets will be lost. To permanently save new presets, save them in a library.

To specify the gradient transparency
Each gradient fill contains settings that control the opacity of the fill at different locations on the gradient. For
example, you can set the starting color to 100% opacity and have the fill gradually blend into an ending color with
50% opacity. The checkerboard pattern indicates the amount of transparency in the gradient preview.
1 Create a gradient.
2 To adjust the starting opacity, click the left opacity stop above the gradient bar. The triangle below the stop turns

black, indicating that the starting transparency is being edited.

3 In the Stops section of the dialog box, enter a value in the Opacity text box, or drag the Opacity pop-up slider.

4 To adjust the opacity of the endpoint, click the right transparency stop above the gradient bar. Then set the opacity

in the Stops section.

5 To adjust the location of the starting or ending opacity, do one of the following:

• Drag the corresponding opacity stop to the left or right.
• Select the corresponding opacity stop, and enter a value for Location.
6 To adjust the location of the midpoint opacity (the point midway between the starting and ending opacities), do

one of the following:
• Drag the diamond above the gradient bar to the left or right.
• Select the diamond and enter a value for Location.
7 To delete the opacity stop you are editing, click Delete.
8 To add an intermediate opacity to the mask, click above the gradient bar to define a new opacity stop. You can then
adjust and move this opacity as you would for a starting or ending opacity. To remove an intermediate opacity, drag
its transparency stop up and off the gradient bar.
9 To create a preset gradient, enter a name in the Name text box and click New. This creates a new gradient preset
with the transparency setting you specified.

To create a noise gradient
A noise gradient is a gradient that contains randomly distributed colors within the range of colors that you specify.

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A
B
C

Gradient with different Noise values.
A. 10% noise B. 50% noise C. 90% noise

1 Select the Gradient tool

2 Click in the gradient sample in the options bar to display the Gradient Editor dialog box.

3 To base the new gradient on an existing gradient, select a gradient in the Presets section of the dialog box.

4 Choose Noise from the Gradient Type pop-up menu.

5 To set the roughness for the entire gradient, enter a value in the Roughness text box, or drag the Roughness pop-up

slider.

6 To define the color model, choose a color model from the Color Model list.

7 To adjust the range of colors, drag the sliders. For each color component of the color model you’ve selected, you

can drag the sliders to define the range of acceptable values. For example, if you choose the HSB model, you can

restrict the gradient to blue-green hues, high saturation, and medium brightness.

8 Set the options to restrict colors or to add transparency.

9 To randomize a gradient that conforms to the settings, click the Randomize button until you find a setting you like.

10 To create a preset gradient, enter a name in the Name text box and click New. This creates a new preset gradient

with the settings you specified.

To save a set of preset gradients as a library
1 Click Save in the Gradient Editor dialog box, or choose Save Gradients from the Gradient Picker menu in the
options bar.
2 Choose a location for the gradient library, enter a file name, and click Save.

You can save the library anywhere. However, if you place the library file in the Presets/Gradients folder inside the
Photoshop program folder, the library name will appear at the bottom of the palette menu after you restart
Photoshop.

See also
“About the Preset Manager” on page 67

To load a library of preset gradients
❖ Do one of the following in the Gradient Editor dialog box:

• Click Load to add a library to the current list. Select the library file you want to use, and click Load.
• Choose Replace Gradients from the palette menu to replace the current list with a different library. Select the

library file you want to use, and click Load.
• Choose a library file from the bottom of the palette menu. Click OK to replace the current list, or click Append to

append the current list.

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Note: You can also choose Load Gradients, Replace Gradients, or choose a library of gradients from the Gradient Picker
menu in the options bar.

See also
“About the Preset Manager” on page 67

To return to the default library of preset gradients
❖ Choose Reset Gradients from the palette menu. You can either replace the current list or append the default library

to the current list.

To change how preset gradients are displayed
❖ Choose a display option from the palette menu:

Text Only Displays the gradients as a list.
Small or Large Thumbnail Displays the gradients as thumbnails.
Small or Large List Displays the gradients as a list with thumbnails.

To rename a preset gradient
• If the palette is set to display gradients as thumbnails, double-click a gradient, enter a new name, and click OK.
• If the palette is set to display gradients as a list or text only, double-click a gradient, enter a new name inline, and

press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

Filling and stroking selections and layers
To use the Paint Bucket tool
The Paint Bucket tool fills adjacent pixels that are similar in color value to the pixels you click.
Note: The Paint Bucket tool cannot be used with images in Bitmap mode.
1 Choose a foreground color. (See “To choose colors in the toolbox” on page 504.)

2 Select the Paint Bucket tool

3 (Photoshop) Specify whether to fill the selection with the foreground color or with a pattern.

4 Specify a blending mode and opacity for the paint. (See “List of blending modes” on page 487.)

5 Enter the tolerance for the fill.

The tolerance defines how similar in color a pixel must be to be filled. Values can range from 0 to 255. A low tolerance

fills pixels within a range of color values very similar to the pixel you click. A high tolerance fills pixels within a
broader range.
6 To smooth the edges of the filled selection, select Anti-aliased.
7 To fill only pixels contiguous to the one you click, select Contiguous; leave Contiguous unselected to fill all similar
pixels in the image.

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8 To fill pixels based on the merged color data from all visible layers, select All Layers.

9 Click the part of the image you want to fill. All specified pixels within the specified tolerance are filled with the

foreground color or pattern.

If you’re working on a layer and don’t want to fill transparent areas, make sure that the layer’s transparency is locked

in the Layers palette. (See “Locking layers” on page 405.)

To fill a selection or a layer with a foreground or background color

1 Choose a foreground or background color. (See “To choose colors in the toolbox” on page 504.)

2 Select the area you want to fill. To fill an entire layer, select the layer in the Layers palette.

3 Choose Edit > Fill to fill the selection or layer. Or to fill a path, select the path and choose Fill Path from the Paths

palette menu.

4 In the Fill dialog box, choose one of the following options for Use, or select a custom pattern:

Foreground Color, Background Color, Black, 50% Gray, or White Fills the selection with the specified color.

Color Fills with a color you select from the Color Picker.
Pattern Fills the selection with a pattern. Click the inverted arrow next to the pattern sample and select a pattern

from the pop-up palette. You can load additional patterns using the pop-up palette menu. Select the name of a library
of patterns or choose Load Patterns and navigate to the folder containing the patterns you want to use.
History Restores the selected area to a state or snapshot of the image set as the source in the History palette.

Note: If you fill a CMYK image using the Black option, Photoshop fills all the channels with 100% black. This may result
in more ink than is allowable by the printer. For best results when filling a CMYK image, use the Foreground option with
the foreground color set to an appropriate black.
5 Specify the blending mode and opacity for the paint. (See “List of blending modes” on page 487.)
6 If you’re working in a layer and want to fill only areas containing pixels, choose Preserve Transparency.
7 Click the OK button to apply the fill.

To apply a foreground color fill only to the areas that contain pixels, press Alt+Shift+Backspace (Windows) or
Option+Shift+Delete (Mac OS). This preserves the transparency of the layer. To apply a background color fill only
to the areas that contain pixels, press Ctrl+Shift+Backspace (Windows) or Command+Shift+Delete (Mac OS).

To fill the work canvas

1 Set the foreground color you want to use for the canvas.

2 Select the Paint Bucket tool

3 In the options bar, set Fill to Foreground.

4 Hold down Shift, and click in the work canvas.

Note: You need to be in full screen mode and viewing the menus to fill the work canvas.

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To fill a selection with a pattern
1 Select the part of the image you want to fill.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Fill. In the Fill dialog box, for Use, choose Pattern, select a pattern from the pop-up palette, and

click OK.
If Pattern is dimmed, you need to load a pattern library before you can select this option.
• Select the Paint Bucket tool

. In the options bar, choose Pattern from the Fill pop-up menu and select a pattern
from the Pattern pop-up palette. Then click to fill the selected area with the pattern.

Note: You can load additional pattern libraries into the pop-up palette prior to making a selection. (See “To load a
library of patterns” on page 501.)

Stroking a selection or layer with color
You can use the Stroke command to paint a colored border around a selection, layer, or path. This allows you to create

a softer border than one created using the Stroke layer style.

The Stroke layer style provides a resolution-independent method to stroke a shape. You can use the Stroke layer effect

when you want to stroke the entire layer.

If you want a quick way to create a stroke on the current layer—without necessarily following the edge of the layer—

use the Stroke command.

To stroke a selection or layer

1 Choose a foreground color.

2 Select the area or layer you want to stroke.

3 Choose Edit > Stroke.

4 In the Stroke dialog box, specify the width of the hard-edged border.

5 For Location, specify whether to place the border inside, outside, or centered over the selection or layer bound

aries.

6 Specify an opacity and a blending mode. (See “List of blending modes” on page 487.)

7 If you’re working in a layer and want to stroke only areas containing pixels, select the Preserve Transparency

option. (See “Locking layers” on page 405.)

To stroke a path

1 Select the path in the Paths palette.

2 Choose Stroke Path from the palette menu.

3 In the Stroke Path dialog box, choose a tool to stroke the path.

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To draw a circle or square
You can draw a circle or square using the elliptical or rectangular marquee tools, and then add a line (called a stroke)
to the selection marquee. Stroking a selection is a quick way to add a border or frame around an object. You can
stroke any selection you create with the selection tools.
1 In the Layers palette, click the New Layer button
to create a new layer for the circle or square. Isolating the
circle or square on its own layer makes it easier to work with.
2 Select the Elliptical Marquee tool

or the Rectangular Marquee tool

in the toolbox.

3 Drag in the document window to create the shape. Hold down the Shift key while dragging to constrain the shape

to a circle or square.

4 Choose Edit > Stroke.

5 In the Stroke dialog box, type a value for Width, and then click the color swatch to display the Adobe Color Picker.

6 In the Adobe Color Picker, locate the color range you want using the triangle sliders on the color spectrum bar,

and then click the desired color in the color field. The color you select appears in the top half of the color swatch. The

original color remains in the bottom half. Click OK.

7 Set the location for the stroke in relationship to the marquee by choosing Inside, Center, or Outside. Adjust the

other settings as desired and click OK. Photoshop strokes the line using the color and stroke settings you set.

See also
“Stroking a selection or layer with color” on page 499

Creating and managing patterns
About patterns
A pattern is an image that is repeated, or tiled, when you use it to fill a layer or selection. Photoshop and ImageReady
come with a variety of preset patterns.
In Photoshop, you can create new patterns and save them in libraries for use with different tools and commands.
Preset patterns are displayed in pop-up palettes in the options bar for the Paint Bucket, Pattern Stamp, Healing Brush,
and Patch tools, as well as in the Layer Style dialog box. You can change how patterns are displayed in the pop-up
palettes by choosing a display option from the pop-up palette menu. You can also manage pattern presets using the
preset manager.
In ImageReady, you can define a single pattern, called the User Defined Pattern, which you can use to fill selections
and layers.
Photoshop also provides the Pattern Maker filter to create pattern presets, or fill a layer or selection with a custom
pattern.

See also
“The Pattern Maker filter” on page 502
“Using tool presets” on page 48

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To define an image as a preset pattern
1 Use the Rectangle Marquee tool

on any open image to select an area to use as a pattern. Feather must be set
to 0 pixels. Note that large images may become unwieldy.

2 Choose Edit > Define Pattern.

3 (Photoshop) Enter a name for the pattern in the Pattern Name dialog box.

Note: If you are using a pattern from one image and applying it to another, Photoshop converts the color mode.
Photoshop comes with a set of Illustrator format files that you can use to define a preset pattern. Each file in the
PostScript Patterns folder contains a single pattern that you can scale and render at any resolution. Open the file,
select any rendering option, and then define the pattern.

To load a library of patterns
Choose one of the following from a Pattern pop-up palette menu:
• Load Patterns to add a library to the current list. Select the library file you want to use, and click Load.
• Replace Patterns to replace the current list with a different library. Select the library file you want to use, and click

Load.
• A library file (displayed at the bottom of the palette menu). Click OK to replace the current list, or click Append

to append the current list.

To save a set of preset patterns as a library
1 Choose Save Patterns from a Pattern pop-up palette menu.
2 Choose a location for the pattern library, enter a file name, and click Save.

You can save the library anywhere. However, if you place the library file in the Presets/Patterns folder inside the
Photoshop program folder, the library name will appear at the bottom of the Pattern pop-up palette menus after you
restart Photoshop.

To return to the default library of patterns
❖ Choose Reset Patterns from a Pattern pop-up palette menu. You can either replace the current list or append the

default library to the current list.
If you receive a Pattern Stamp tool preset that uses an undefined pattern, or if you erase the preset you’re using by
resetting or replacing the pattern library, choose New Pattern from the Pattern pop-up palette menu to redefine the
pattern.

To rename a preset pattern

1 Select the pattern you want to rename, and choose Rename Pattern from the palette menu.

2 Enter a new name for the pattern, and click OK.

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To delete a preset pattern
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select the pattern you want to delete, and choose Delete Pattern from the palette menu.
• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), position the pointer over a pattern (the pointer turns into

scissors), and click.

The Pattern Maker filter
The Pattern Maker filter slices and reassembles an image to make a pattern. The Pattern Maker works in two ways:
• Fills a layer or selection with a pattern. The pattern can be made of one large tile, or multiple duplicate tiles.
• Creates tiles that you can save as a pattern preset and use with other images.

You can generate multiple patterns from the same sample until you find one that you like.

To generate a pattern using the Pattern Maker
1 Do one of the following:
• Select the layer that contains the area from which you want to generate the pattern. The layer you select will be

replaced by the generated pattern, so it’s a good idea to make a copy of the layer first.
• To generate a pattern in a new layer or file, make a rectangular selection of the image you are using to generate the

pattern, and choose Edit > Copy. Then add a layer to the image, or create a new file with the dimensions you want
the final image to have.
2 Choose Filter > Pattern Maker.
3 Specify the source of the pattern.
• Choose Use Clipboard As Sample to use the contents of the clipboard if you copied an image before you opened

the Pattern Maker.
• Make a selection in the preview area with the Pattern Maker’s Marquee tool

. To move the selection marquee,

drag it to a different location.
Note: You can use the Zoom and Hand tools to navigate in the preview area. Use Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS)
with the Zoom tool to zoom out. The magnification appears at the bottom of the dialog box.
4 Specify the tile size.
• Enter pixel dimensions in the Width and Height boxes.

• Click Use Image Size to generate a pattern with one tile that fills the layer.

5 Click Generate. You can press Esc to cancel the generation.

The preview area is tiled with the generated pattern.

• To switch between the generated preview and the source image, choose an option from the Show menu.

• To view the boundary of individual tiles, click Tile Boundaries.

• To offset the tiles in the generated pattern, choose a direction from the Offset pop-up menu and specify an offset

amount in the Amount text box. The offset amount is a percentage of the tile dimension in the specified direction.
The offset has no effect on saved pattern preset tiles.

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6 Click Generate Again to generate additional patterns using the same options, or adjust the options and then click
Generate Again.
Smoothness Adjusts the sharp edges in the pattern. Increase the smoothness to reduce edges.
Sample Detail Specifies the size of pattern slices in the tile. A high value maintains more of the original detail in the
pattern. A low value uses smaller slices in the tile. Tiles take longer to generate when you use a high value.
7 Navigate through the generated tiles in the Tile History panel to select the tile that you want to use to fill the layer

or to save as a pattern preset.
• To move through the tiles you’ve generated, click the First Tile button, Previous Tile button, Next Tile button, or

Last Tile button. Or, type the number of the pattern preview you want to view, and press Enter (Windows) or
Return (Mac OS).
• To view how the tile looks as a repeating pattern in the preview area, make sure that Update Pattern Preview is

selected. If tile previewing is slow, deselect this option, find the tile you want, and then select the option.
• To delete a tile and pattern preview, navigate to the tile you want to delete, and click the Delete icon.
• To save a tile as a preset pattern, navigate to the tile you want to save, and click the Preset Pattern button. Enter a

preset name, and click OK. When you save a tile as a preset pattern, only a single tile is saved, not the full, generated
pattern.

Tile History buttons
A. Preset Pattern B. First Tile

C. Previous Tile D. Next Tile

E. Last Tile

F. Delete icon

8 When you are satisfied with a pattern preview and you have saved the tiles that you might want to use in the future,
click OK to fill the layer or selection.

If you are creating preset patterns only, click Cancel to close the dialog box without filling the layer.

See also
“About the Preset Manager” on page 67

Choosing foreground and background colors
About the foreground and background colors
Photoshop uses the foreground color to paint, fill, and stroke selections and the background color to make gradient
fills and fill in the erased areas of an image. The foreground and background colors are also used by some special
effects filters.
You can designate a new foreground or background color using the Eyedropper tool, the Color palette, the Swatches
palette, or the Adobe Color Picker.
The default foreground color is black, and the default background color is white. (In an alpha channel, the default
foreground is white, and the background is black.)

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See also
“About the Adobe Color Picker” on page 241

To choose colors in the toolbox
The current foreground color appears in the upper color selection box in the toolbox; the current background color
appears in the lower box.
C
A

Foreground and background color boxes in toolbox
A. Foreground color box B. Default Colors icon C. Switch Colors icon

D. Background color box

• To change the foreground color, click the upper color selection box in the toolbox, and then choose a color in the

Adobe Color Picker.
• To change the background color, click the lower color selection box in the toolbox, and then choose a color in the

Adobe Color Picker.
• To reverse the foreground and background colors, click the Switch Colors icon in the toolbox.
• To restore the default foreground and background colors, click the Default Colors icon in the toolbox.

See also
“About the Adobe Color Picker” on page 241

To choose colors with the Eyedropper tool
The Eyedropper tool samples color to designate a new foreground or background color. You can sample from the
active image or from anywhere else on the screen.
1 Select the Eyedropper tool

2 To change the sample size of the eyedropper, choose an option from the Sample Size menu:
Point Sample Reads the precise value of the pixel you click.
3 by 3 Average or 5 by 5 Average Reads the average value of the specified number of pixels within the area you

click.
3 Do one of the following:
• To select a new foreground color, click in the image. Alternatively, position the pointer over the image, press the

mouse button, and drag anywhere on the screen. The foreground color selection box changes dynamically as you
drag. Release the mouse button to pick the new color.
• To select a new background color, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) in the image. Alternatively,

position the pointer over the image, press Alt (Windows) or Options (Mac OS), press the mouse button, and drag
anywhere on the screen. The background color selection box changes dynamically as you drag. Release the mouse
button to pick the new color.
To use the Eyedropper tool temporarily while using any painting tool, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS).

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About the eyedropper sample size
You can specify the area sampled by the Eyedropper tool. For example, you can set the eyedropper to sample the color
values of a 3-by-3-pixel area under the pointer. Modifying the sample size of the eyedropper affects the color readouts
displayed in the Info palette.

Selecting a foreground color with the Eyedropper tool
A. Point sample B. 5 x 5 average sample

About the Color palette
The Color palette displays the color values for the current foreground and background colors. Using the sliders in
the Color palette, you can edit the foreground and background colors using different color models. You can also
choose a foreground or background color from the spectrum of colors displayed in the color ramp at the bottom of
the palette.
• To display the Color palette, choose Window > Color, or click the Color palette tab.
• To change the color model of the color sliders, choose a Sliders option from the Color palette menu.

A
B
C
D

Color palette
A. Foreground color

B. Background color

C. Slider D. Color ramp

The Color palette may display the following alerts when you select a color:
• In Photoshop, an exclamation point inside a triangle

appears above the left side of the color ramp when you

choose a color that cannot be printed using CMYK inks.
• A cube

appears above the left side of the color ramp when you choose a color that is not web-safe.

See also
“Web-safe colors” on page 245
“About out-of-gamut colors” on page 283
“Color modes” on page 227

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To change the spectrum displayed in the color palette
1 Choose an option from the Color palette menu:
• RGB Spectrum, CMYK Spectrum (Photoshop), or Grayscale Ramp to display the spectrum of the specified color

model.
• Current Colors to display the spectrum of colors between the current foreground color and the current

background color.
2 To display only web-safe colors, choose Make Ramp Web Safe.

To change the spectrum of the color ramp quickly, Shift-click in the color ramp until you see the spectrum you want.

See also
“Web-safe colors” on page 245

To select a color in the Color palette
1 To edit the foreground or background color, make sure that its color selection box is active (outlined in black) in
the Color palette. To make the foreground or background color selection box active, click the box.
2 Do one of the following:
• Drag the color sliders. By default, the slider colors change as you drag. In Photoshop, you can turn off this feature

to improve performance by deselecting Dynamic Color Sliders in the General section of the Preferences dialog
box.
• Enter values next to the color sliders.
• Click the color selection box, choose a color using the color picker and click OK.
• Position the pointer over the color ramp (the pointer becomes the eyedropper), and click to sample a color. Alt

click to apply the sample to the nonactive color selection box.

See also
“About the Adobe Color Picker” on page 241

About the Swatches palette
The Swatches palette stores colors that you need to use often. You can add or delete colors from the palette or display
different libraries of colors for different projects.
To display the Swatches palette, choose Window > Swatches, or click the Swatches palette tab.

To change how swatches are displayed
❖ Choose a display option from the Swatches palette menu:

Small Thumbnail Displays a thumbnail of each swatch. This is the default view.

Small List Displays the name and thumbnail of each swatch.

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To select a color in the Swatches palette
• To choose a foreground color, click a color in the Swatches palette.
• To choose a background color, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) a color in the Swatches palette.

To load a library of swatches
❖ Choose one of the following from the Swatches palette menu:

• Load Swatches to add a library to the current list. Select the library file you want to use, and click Load.
• Replace Swatches to replace the current list with a different library. Select the library file you want to use, and click

Load.
• A library file (displayed at the bottom of the palette menu). Click OK to replace the current list, or click Append

to append the current list.

See also
“About the Preset Manager” on page 67
“To share swatches between applications” on page 256

To add a color to the Swatches palette
❖ Do one of the following:

• Decide which color you want to add and make it the foreground color, and then click the New Swatch button

in the Swatches palette. Alternatively, choose New Swatch from the Swatches palette menu.
• (Photoshop) Decide which color you want to add, and make it the foreground color. Position the pointer over an

empty space in the bottom row of the Swatches palette (the pointer turns into the Paint Bucket tool), and click to
add the color. Enter a name for the new color and click OK.

Color selected from image (left), and added to Swatches palette (right)

• (ImageReady) Drag the foreground color selection box or the background color selection box from the toolbox to

the Swatches palette.
• (ImageReady) Drag a swatch from the Color Table palette to the Swatches palette.

Note: New colors are saved in the Preferences file so that they persist between editing sessions. To permanently save a
color, save it in a library.

To duplicate a color in the Swatches palette (ImageReady)
❖ Select the color you want to duplicate, and choose New Swatch from the Swatches palette menu.

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To delete a color from the Swatches palette
1 Do one of the following:
• Drag a swatch to the Delete icon

• (Photoshop) Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), position the pointer over a swatch (the pointer turns

into scissors), and click.
• (ImageReady) Select a swatch, and choose Delete Swatch from the Swatches palette menu.

To save a set of swatches as a library
1 Choose Save Swatches from the Swatches palette menu.
2 Choose a location for the swatch library, enter a file name, and click Save.

You can save the library anywhere. However, if you place the library file in the Presets/Swatches folder inside the
Photoshop program folder, the library name will appear at the bottom of the Swatches palette menu after you restart
the application.

To return to the default library of swatches
❖ Choose Reset Swatches from the Swatches palette menu. You can either replace the current list or append the

default library to the current list.

509

Chapter 18: Applying filters for special
effects
Filters
Using filters
Filters let you change the look of your images, for instance by giving them the appearance of impressionistic paintings
or mosaic tiles, or adding unique lighting or distortions. You can also use some filters to clean up or retouch your
photos. The filters provided by Adobe appear in the Filter menu. Some filters provided by third-party developers are
available as plug-ins. Once installed, these plug-in filters appear at the bottom of the Filter menu.
To use a filter, choose the appropriate submenu command from the Filter menu. These guidelines can help you in
choosing filters:
• Filters are applied to the active, visible layer or a selection.
• For 8-bits-per-channel images, most filters can be applied cumulatively through the Filter Gallery. All filters can

be applied individually.
• Filters cannot be applied to Bitmap-mode or indexed-color images.
• Some filters work only on RGB images.
• All filters can be applied to 8-bit images.
• (Photoshop only) The following filters can be applied to 16-bit images: Liquify, Average Blur, Bilateral Blur, Blur,

Blur More, Box Blur, Gaussian Blur, Lens Blur, Motion Blur, Radial Blur, Sampled Blur, Lens Correction, Add
Noise, Despeckle, Dust & Scratches, Median, Reduce Noise, Fibers, Lens Flare, Sharpen, Sharpen Edges, Sharpen
More, Smart Sharpen, Unsharp Mask, Emboss, Find Edges, Solarize, De-Interlace, NTSC Colors, Custom, High
Pass, Maximum, Minimum, and Offset.
• (Photoshop only) The following filters can be applied to 32-bit images: Average Blur, Bilateral Blur, Box Blur,

Gaussian Blur, Motion Blur, Radial Blur, Sampled Blur, Add Noise, Fibers, Lens Flare, Smart Sharpen, Unsharp
Mask, De-Interlace, NTSC Colors, High Pass, and Offset.
• Some filters are processed entirely in RAM. If all your available RAM is used to process a filter effect, you may get

an error message.

Plug-in filters
You can install plug-in filters developed by non-Adobe software developers. Once installed, the plug-in filters appear
at the bottom of the Filter menu and work in the same way as built-in filters.
If you are interested in creating plug-in modules, contact Adobe Systems Developer Support.
Note: If you have problems or questions about a third-party plug-in, contact the plug-in’s manufacturer for support.

See also
“About plug-in modules” on page 69

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Applying filters
Previewing filters
Applying filters—especially to large images—can be time-consuming. Some filters let you preview the effect before
applying it. You can then choose to apply the filter or cancel the operation without wasting time.
If the dialog box contains a preview window, use the following methods to preview the effect:
• Drag in the preview window to center a specific area of the image in the window.
• Use the + or – button under the preview window to zoom into or zoom out of the preview.
• In some preview windows, you can click in the image to center a specific area of the image in the window.

Some filters have dialog boxes that help you customize the filter effect. These filter names are followed by ellipses
(…).

To apply a filter
1 Do one of the following:
• To apply a filter to an entire layer, make sure that the layer is active or selected.
• To apply a filter to an area of a layer, select that area.
2 Choose a filter from the submenus in the Filter menu.

If no dialog box appears, the filter effect is applied.
3 If a dialog box appears, enter values or select options, and then click OK.

The Filter Gallery
The Filter Gallery
The Filter Gallery lets you apply filters cumulatively and apply individual filters more than once. You can view
thumbnail examples of what each filter does. You can also rearrange filters and change the settings of each filter
you’ve applied to achieve the effect you want. Because it is so flexible, the Filter Gallery is often the best choice for
applying filters. However, not all filters listed in the Filters menu are available in the Filter Gallery.
To display the Filter Gallery, choose Filter > Filter Gallery. Clicking a filter category name displays thumbnails of
available filter effects.

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G
H
I
J

Filter Gallery dialog box
A. Preview B. Filter category C. Thumbnail of selected filter D. Show/Hide filter thumbnails E. Filters pop-up menu F. Options for
selected filter G. List of filter effects to apply or arrange H. Filter effect selected but not applied I. Filter effects applied cumulatively but
not selected J. Hidden filter effect

To change the preview display in the Filter Gallery dialog box
❖ Do one of the following

• Use the + or – button under the preview area to zoom into or zoom out of the image.
• Click the zoom bar (where the zoom percentage appears) to choose a zoom percentage.
• Click the Show/Hide button at the top of the dialog box to hide the filter thumbnails. Hiding the thumbnails

expands the preview area.
• Drag in the preview area with the Hand tool to see a different area of the image.

Applying and arranging filter effects
Filter effects are applied in the order you select them. You can rearrange filters after you apply them by dragging a
filter name to another position in the list of applied filters. Rearranging filter effects can dramatically change the way
your image looks. Click the eye icon
next to a filter to hide the effect in the preview image. You can also delete
applied filters by selecting the filter and clicking the Delete icon .
To save time when trying various filters, experiment by selecting a small, representative part of your image.

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Applying filters through the Filter Gallery.
A. Original image B. Images each with a single filter applied C. Three filters applied cumulatively

To apply filters from the Filter Gallery
1 Do one of the following:
• To apply a filter to an entire layer, make sure that the layer is active or selected.

• To apply a filter to an area of a layer, select that area.

2 Choose Filter > Filter Gallery.

3 Click a filter name to add the first filter. You may need to click the inverted triangle next to the filter category to

see the complete list of filters. Once added, the filter appears in the applied filter list at the lower right corner of the

Filter Gallery dialog box.

4 Enter values or select options for the filter you selected.

5 Do any of the following:

• To apply filters cumulatively, click the New Effect Layer icon

and choose an additional filter to apply. Repeat

this procedure to add more filters.
• To rearrange applied filters, drag the filter to a new position in the applied filter list at the lower right corner of the

Filter Gallery dialog box.
• To remove applied filters, select a filter in the applied filter list and click the Delete icon
6 When you’re satisfied with the results, click OK.

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Blending filter effects and setting options
To blend effects
The Fade command changes the opacity and blending mode of any filter, painting tool, erasing tool, or color
adjustment. The Fade command blending modes are a subset of those in the painting and editing tools options
(excluding the Behind and Clear modes). Applying the Fade command is similar to applying the filter effect on a
separate layer and then using the layer opacity and blending mode controls.
Note: The Fade command can also modify the effects of using the Extract command, Liquify command, and Brush
Strokes filters.
1 Apply a filter, painting tool, or color adjustment to an image or selection.
2 Choose Edit > Fade. Select the Preview option to preview the effect.
3 Drag the slider to adjust the opacity, from 0% (transparent) to 100%.
4 Choose a blending mode from the Mode menu.

Note: The Color Dodge, Color Burn, Lighten, Darken, Difference, and Exclusion blending modes do not work on Lab
images.
5 Click OK.

See also
“Brush tip shape options” on page 476
“About blending modes” on page 486
“Creating adjustment layers or fill layers” on page 424

Defining undistorted areas
The Displace, Shear, and Wave filters in the Distort submenu and the Offset filter in the Other submenu let you treat
areas undefined (or unprotected) by the filter in the following ways:
Wrap Around Fills the undefined space with content from the opposite edge of the image.
Repeat Edge Pixels Extends the colors of pixels along the edge of the image in the direction specified. Banding may

result if the edge pixels are different colors.
Set To Background (Offset filter only) Fills the selected area with the current background color.

To use texture and glass surface controls
The Conté Crayon, Glass, Rough Pastels, Texturizer, and Underpainting filters have texturizing options. These

options make images appear as if they were painted onto textures such as canvas and brick or viewed through glass

blocks.

1 From the Filter menu, choose Artistic > Rough Pastels, Artistic > Underpainting, Distort > Glass, Sketch > Conté

Crayon, or Texture > Texturizer.

2 For Texture, choose a texture type or choose Load Texture to specify a Photoshop file.

3 Drag the Scaling slider to increase or reduce the effect on the image surface.

4 Drag the Relief slider (if available) to adjust the depth of the texture’s surface.

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5 Select Invert to reverse the light and dark colors on the surface.

6 For Light Direction, indicate the direction from which the light source sheds light on the image.

Tips for creating special effects
Creating edge effects
You can use various techniques to treat the edges of an effect applied to only part of an image. To leave a distinct edge,
simply apply the filter. For a soft edge, feather the edge, and then apply the filter. For a transparent effect, apply the
filter, and then use the Fade command to adjust the selection’s blending mode and opacity.

Applying filters to layers
You can apply filters to individual layers or to several layers in succession to build up an effect. For a filter to affect a
layer, the layer must be visible and must contain pixels—for example, a neutral fill color.

Applying filters to individual channels
You can apply a filter to an individual channel, apply a different effect to each color channel, or apply the same filter
but with different settings.

Creating backgrounds
By applying effects to solid-color or grayscale shapes, you can generate a variety of backgrounds and textures. You
might then blur these textures. Although some filters have little or no visible effect when applied to solid colors (for
example, Glass), others produce interesting effects.

Combining multiple effects with masks or duplicate images
Using masks to create selection areas gives you more control over transitions from one effect to another. For example,
you can filter the selection created with a mask.
You can also use the History Brush tool to paint a filter effect onto part of the image. First, apply the filter to an entire
image. Next, step back in the History palette to the image state before the filter was applied, and set the history brush
source to the filtered state. Then paint the image.

Improving image quality and consistency
You can disguise faults, alter or enhance images, or create a relationship among images by applying the same effect
to each. Use the Actions palette to record the steps you take to modify one image, and then apply this action to the
other images.

See also
“To use the Actions palette” on page 729

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Filter effects
Artistic filters
Filters from the Artistic submenu help you achieve painterly and artistic effects for a fine arts or commercial project.
For example, use the Cutout filter for collages or for typography. These filters replicate natural or traditional media
effects. All the Artistic filters can be applied through the Filter Gallery.
Colored Pencil Draws an image using colored pencils on a solid background. Important edges are retained and
given a rough crosshatch appearance; the solid background color shows through the smoother areas.

For a parchment effect, change the background color just before applying the Colored Pencil filter to a selected area.
Cutout Makes an image appear as though it were constructed from roughly cut pieces of colored paper. High
contrast images appear as if in silhouette, and colored images are built up from several layers of colored paper.
Dry Brush Paints the edges of the image using a dry brush technique (between oil and watercolor). The filter
simplifies an image by reducing its range of colors to areas of common color.
Film Grain Applies an even pattern to the shadow tones and midtones. A smoother, more saturated pattern is added

to the lighter areas. This filter is useful for eliminating banding in blends and visually unifying elements from various
sources.
Fresco Paints an image in a coarse style using short, rounded, and hastily applied daubs.
Neon Glow Adds various types of glows to the objects in an image. This filter is useful for colorizing an image while

softening its look. To select a glow color, click the glow box and select a color from the color picker.
Paint Daubs Lets you choose from various brush sizes (from 1 to 50) and types for a painterly effect. Brush types

include Simple, Light Rough, Dark Rough, Wide Sharp, Wide Blurry, and Sparkle.
Palette Knife Reduces detail in an image to give the effect of a thinly painted canvas that reveals the texture under

neath.
Plastic Wrap Coats the image in shiny plastic, accentuating the surface detail.
Poster Edges Reduces the number of colors in an image (posterizes it) according to the posterization option you

set, and finds the edges of the image and draws black lines on them. Large broad areas have simple shading, and fine
dark detail is distributed throughout the image.
Rough Pastels Applies strokes of pastel chalk on a textured background. In areas of bright color, the chalk appears
thick with little texture; in darker areas, the chalk appears scraped off to reveal the texture.
Smudge Stick Softens an image using short diagonal strokes to smudge or smear the darker areas. Lighter areas
become brighter and lose detail.
Sponge Creates images with highly textured areas of contrasting color, simulating the effect of sponge painting.
Underpainting Paints the image on a textured background, and then paints the final image over it.
Watercolor Paints the image in a watercolor style using a medium brush loaded with water and color, simplifying

details. Where significant tonal changes occur at edges, the filter saturates the color.

Blur filters
The Blur filters soften a selection or an entire image, and are useful for retouching. They smooth transitions by
averaging the pixels next to the hard edges of defined lines and shaded areas in an image.

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Before (left) and after (right) using the Lens Blur filter; the background is blurred but foreground stays sharp

Note: To apply a Blur filter to the edges of a layer, deselect the Preserve Transparency option in the Layers palette.
Average Finds the average color of an image or selection, and then fills the image or selection with the color to
create a smooth look. For example, if you select an area of grass, the filter changes the area into a homogeneous patch
of green.
Blur and Blur More Eliminate noise where significant color transitions occur in an image. Blur filters smooth
transitions by averaging the pixels next to the hard edges of defined lines and shaded areas. The effect of the Blur
More filter is three or four times stronger than that of the Blur filter.
Box Blur (Photoshop only) Blurs an image based on the average color value of neighboring pixels. This filter is
useful for creating special effects. You can adjust the size of the area used to calculate the average value for a given
pixel; a larger radius results in greater blurring.
Gaussian Blur Quickly blurs a selection by an adjustable amount. Gaussian refers to the bell-shaped curve that is

generated when Photoshop applies a weighted average to the pixels. The Gaussian Blur filter adds low-frequency
detail and can produce a hazy effect.
Lens Blur (Photoshop only) Adds blur to an image to give the effect of a narrower depth of field so that some

objects in the image stay in focus and others areas are blurred. You can use a simple selection to determine which
areas are blurred, or you can provide a separate alpha channel depth map to describe exactly how you want the blur
added.
The Lens Blur filter uses the depth map to determine the position of pixels in an image. With a depth map selected,
you can also use the cross-hair cursor to set the starting point of a given blur. You can use alpha channels and layer
masks to create depth maps; black areas in an alpha channel are treated as though they’re at the front of the photo,
and white areas are treated as if they’re far in the distance.
To create a gradual blurring (none at the bottom to maximum at the top), create a new alpha channel and apply a
gradient so that the channel is white at the top of the image and black at the bottom. Then select the Lens Blur filter
and choose the alpha channel from the Source pop-up menu. To change the direction of the gradient, select the Invert
check box.
The way the blur appears depends on the iris shape you choose. Iris shapes are determined by the number of blades
they contain. You can change blades of an iris by curving them (making them more circular) or rotating them. You
can also reduce or magnify the preview by clicking the minus button or the plus button. See also “To use the Lens
Blur filter” on page 517.
Motion Blur Blurs in the specified direction (from –360º to +360º) and at a specified intensity (from 1 to 999). The

filter’s effect is analogous to taking a picture of a moving object with a fixed exposure time.

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Radial Blur Simulates the blur of a zooming or rotating camera to produce a soft blur. Choose Spin to blur along

concentric circular lines, and then specify a degree of rotation. Choose Zoom to blur along radial lines, as if zooming
into or out of the image, and specify a value from 1 to 100. Blur quality ranges from Draft (for fast but grainy results)
or Good and Best for smoother results, which are indistinguishable from each other except on a large selection.
Specify the origin of the blur by dragging the pattern in the Blur Center box.
Shape Blur (Photoshop only) Uses the specified kernel to create the blur. Choose a kernel from the list of custom
shape presets, and use the radius slider to adjust its size. You can load different shape libraries by clicking the triangle
and choosing from the list. Radius determines the size of the kernel; the larger the kernel, the greater the blur.
Smart Blur Blurs an image with precision. You can specify a radius, a threshold, and a blur quality. The Radius value

determines the size of the area searched for dissimilar pixels. The Threshold value determines how dissimilar the
pixels must be before they are affected. You also can set a mode for the entire selection (Normal) or for the edges of
color transitions (Edge Only and Overlay). Where significant contrast occurs, Edge Only applies black-and-white
edges, and Overlay Edge applies white.
Surface (Photoshop only) Blurs an image while preserving edges. This filter is useful for creating special effects and
for removing noise or graininess. The Radius option specifies the size of the area sampled for the blur. The Threshold
option controls how much the tonal values of neighboring pixels must diverge from the center pixel value before
being part of the blur. Pixels with tonal value differences less than the Threshold value are excluded from the blur.

To use the Lens Blur filter
1 Choose Filter > Blur > Lens Blur.
2 For Preview, Choose Faster to generate quicker previews. Choose More Accurate to view the final version of the
image. More Accurate previews take longer to generate.
3 For Depth Map, choose a source (if you have one) from the Source pop-up menu. Drag the Blur Focal Distance
slider to set the depth at which pixels are in focus. For example, if you set focal distance to 100, pixels at 1 and at 255
are completely blurred, and pixels closer to 100 are blurred less. If you click in the preview image, the Blur Focal
Distance slider changes to reflect the clicked location and brings the depth of the clicked location into focus.
4 To invert the selection or alpha channel you’re using as the depth map source, select Invert.
5 Choose an iris from the Shape pop-up menu. If you wish, drag the Blade Curvature slider to smooth the edges of
the iris, or drag the Rotation slider to rotate it. To add more blur, drag the Radius slider.
6 For Specular Highlight, drag the Threshold slider to select a brightness cutoff; all pixels brighter than the cutoff

value are treated as specular highlights. To increase the brightness of the highlights, drag the Brightness slider.
7 To add noise to an image, choose Uniform or Gaussian. To add noise without affecting color. choose Monochro
matic. Drag the Amount slider to increase or decrease noise.

Blurring removes film grain and noise from the original image. To make the image look realistic and unretouched,
you can return some of the removed noise to the image.
8 Click OK to apply the changes to your image.

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Brush Stroke filters
Like the Artistic filters, the Brush Stroke filters give a painterly or fine-arts look using different brush and ink stroke
effects. Some of the filters add grain, paint, noise, edge detail, or texture. All the Brush Stroke filters can be applied
through the Filter Gallery.
Accented Edges Accentuates the edges of an image. When the edge brightness control is set to a high value, the

accents resemble white chalk; when set to a low value, the accents resemble black ink.
Angled Strokes Repaints an image using diagonal strokes, with lighter and darker areas painted in strokes going in
opposite directions.
Crosshatch Preserves the details and features of the original image while adding texture and roughening the edges

of the colored areas with simulated pencil hatching. The Strength option (with values from 1 to 3) determines the
number of hatching passes.
Dark Strokes Paints dark areas with short, tight, dark strokes, and lighter areas with long, white strokes.
Ink Outlines Redraws an image with fine narrow lines over the original details, in pen-and-ink style.
Spatter Replicates the effect of a spatter airbrush. Increasing the options simplifies the overall effect.
Sprayed Strokes Repaints an image, using its dominant colors, with angled, sprayed strokes of color.
Sumi-e Paints an image in Japanese style, as if with a fully saturated brush applied to rice paper. Sumi-e creates soft,
blurred edges with rich, inky blacks.

Distort filters
The Distort filters geometrically distort an image, creating 3D or other reshaping effects. Note that these filters can
be very memory intensive. The Diffuse Glow, Glass, and Ocean Ripple filters can be applied through the Filter
Gallery.
Diffuse Glow Renders an image as though it were viewed through a soft diffusion filter. The filter adds see-through

white noise, with the glow fading from the center of a selection.
Displace Uses an image, called a displacement map, to determine how to distort a selection. For example, using a

parabola-shaped displacement map, you can create an image that appears to be printed on a cloth held up by its
corners.
This filter creates displacement maps, using a flattened file saved in Adobe Photoshop format (except Bitmap mode
images). You can also use the files in the Plug-Ins/Displacement Maps folder in the Photoshop program folder.
Glass Makes an image appear as if it were being viewed through different types of glass.You can choose a glass effect

or create your own glass surface as a Photoshop file and apply it. You can adjust scaling, distortion, and smoothness
settings. When using surface controls with a file, follow the instructions for the Displace filter.
Lens Correction The Lens Correction filter fixes common lens flaws such as barrel and pincushion distortion,

vignetting, and chromatic aberration.
Ocean Ripple Adds randomly spaced ripples to the surface of the image so that it appears to be underwater.
Pinch Squeezes a selection. A positive value up to 100% shifts a selection toward its center; a negative value up to –

100% shifts a selection outward.
Polar Coordinates Converts a selection from its rectangular to polar coordinates, and vice versa, according to a
selected option. You can use this filter to create a cylinder anamorphosis—an art form popular in the 18th century—
in which the distorted image appears normal when viewed in a mirrored cylinder.

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Ripple Creates an undulating pattern on a selection, like ripples on the surface of a pond. For greater control, use
the Wave filter. Options include the number and size of ripples.
Shear Distorts an image along a curve. Specify the curve by dragging the line in the box. You can adjust any point

along the curve. Click Default to change the curve back to a straight line. In addition, you choose how to treat undis
torted areas.
Spherize Gives objects a 3D effect by wrapping a selection around a spherical shape, distorting the image and

stretching it to fit the selected curve.
Twirl Rotates a selection more sharply in the center than at the edges. Specifying an angle produces a twirl pattern.
Wave Works much as the Ripple filter does, but with greater control. Options include the number of wave gener

ators, the wavelength (distance from one wave crest to the next), the height of the wave, and the wave type: Sine
(rolling), Triangle, or Square. The Randomize option applies random values. You can also define undistorted areas.
To replicate wave results on other selections, click Randomize, set Number Of Generators to 1, and set the minimum
and maximum Wavelength and Amplitude parameters to the same value.
ZigZag Distorts a selection radially, depending on the radius of the pixels in your selection. The Ridges option sets
the number of direction reversals of the zigzag from the center of the selection to its edge. You also specify how to
displace the pixels: Pond Ripples displaces pixels to the upper left or lower right, Out From Center displaces pixels
toward or away from the center of the selection, and Around Center rotates pixels around the center.

To use the Displace filter
The Displace filter shifts a selection using a color value from the displacement map—0 is the maximum negative

shift, 255 the maximum positive shift, and a gray value of 128 produces no displacement. If a map has one channel,

the image shifts along a diagonal defined by the horizontal and vertical scale ratios. If the map has more than one

channel, the first channel controls the horizontal displacement, and the second channel controls the vertical

displacement.

1 Choose Filter > Distort > Displace.

2 Enter the scale for the magnitude of the displacement.

When the horizontal and vertical scale are set to 100%, the greatest displacement is 128 pixels (because middle gray

produces no displacement).

3 If the displacement map is not the same size as the selection, specify how the map fits the image—select Stretch

To Fit to resize the map or Tile to fill the selection by repeating the map in a pattern.

4 Choose Wrap Around or Repeat Edge Pixels to determine how undistorted areas of the image are treated.

5 Click OK.

6 Select and open the displacement map. The distortion is applied to the image.

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Noise filters
The Noise filters add or remove noise, or pixels with randomly distributed color levels. This helps to blend a selection
into the surrounding pixels. Noise filters can create unusual textures or remove problem areas, such as dust and
scratches.
Add Noise Applies random pixels to an image, simulating the effect of shooting pictures on high-speed film. You
can also use the Add Noise filter to reduce banding in feathered selections or graduated fills or to give a more realistic
look to heavily retouched areas. Options for noise distribution include Uniform and Gaussian. Uniform distributes
color values of noise using random numbers between 0 and plus or minus the specified value, creating a subtle effect.
Gaussian distributes color values of noise along a bell-shaped curve, creating a speckled effect. The Monochromatic
option applies the filter to only the tonal elements in the image without changing the colors.
Despeckle Detects the edges in an image (areas where significant color changes occur) and blurs all of the selection

except those edges. This blurring removes noise while preserving detail.
Dust & Scratches Reduces noise by changing dissimilar pixels. To achieve a balance between sharpening the image
and hiding defects, try various combinations of Radius and Threshold settings. Or apply the filter on selected areas
in the image. See also “To use the Dust And Scratches filter” on page 520.
Median Reduces noise in an image by blending the brightness of pixels within a selection. The filter searches the
radius of a pixel selection for pixels of similar brightness, discarding pixels that differ too much from adjacent pixels,
and replaces the center pixel with the median brightness value of the searched pixels. This filter is useful for elimi
nating or reducing the effect of motion on an image.
Reduce Noise (Photoshop only) Reduces noise while preserving edges based on user settings affecting the overall

image or individual channels.

See also
“Reducing image noise” on page 353

To use the Dust And Scratches filter

1 Choose Filter > Noise > Dust & Scratches.

2 If necessary, adjust the preview zoom ratio until the area containing noise is visible.

3 Drag the Threshold slider left to 0 to turn off the value so that all pixels in the selection or image can be examined.

The Threshold value determines how dissimilar the pixels should be before they are eliminated.

Note: The Threshold slider gives greater control for values between 0 and 128—the most common range for images—
than for values between 128 and 255.
4 Drag the Radius slider left or right, or enter a value in the text box from 1 to 16 pixels. The Radius value determines
the size of the area searched for dissimilar pixels.

Increasing the radius blurs the image. Use the smallest value that eliminates the defects.
5 Increase the threshold gradually by entering a value or by dragging the slider to the highest possible value that
eliminates defects.

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Pixelate filters
The filters in the Pixelate submenu sharply define a selection by clumping pixels of similar color values in cells.
Color Halftone Simulates the effect of using an enlarged halftone screen on each channel of the image. For each
channel, the filter divides the image into rectangles and replaces each rectangle with a circle. The circle size is propor
tional to the brightness of the rectangle. See also “To use the Color Halftone filter” on page 521.
Crystallize Clumps pixels into a solid color in a polygon shape.
Facet Clumps pixels of solid or similar colors into blocks of like-colored pixels. You can use this filter to make a
scanned image look hand-painted or to make a realistic image resemble an abstract painting.
Fragment Creates four copies of the pixels in the selection, averages them, and offsets them from each other.
Mezzotint Converts an image to a random pattern of black-and-white areas or of fully saturated colors in a color

image. To use the filter, choose a dot pattern from the Type menu in the Mezzotint dialog box.

Mosaic Clumps pixels into square blocks. The pixels in a given block are the same color, and the colors of the blocks

represent the colors in the selection.

Pointillize Breaks up the color in an image into randomly placed dots, as in a pointillist painting, and uses the

background color as a canvas area between the dots.

To use the Color Halftone filter

1 Choose Filter > Pixelate > Color Halftone.

2 Enter a value in pixels for the maximum radius of a halftone dot, from 4 to 127.

3 Enter a screen-angle value (the angle of the dot from the true horizontal) for one or more channels:

• For Grayscale images, use only channel 1.
• For RGB images, use channels 1, 2, and 3, which correspond to the red, green, and blue channels.
• For CMYK images, use all four channels, which correspond to the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black channels.
• Click Defaults to return all the screen angles to their default values.
4 Click OK.

Render filters
The Render filters create 3D shapes, cloud patterns, refraction patterns, and simulated light reflections in an image.
You can also manipulate objects in 3D space, create 3D objects (cubes, spheres, and cylinders), and create texture fills
from grayscale files to produce 3D-like effects for lighting.
Clouds Generates a soft cloud pattern using random values that vary between the foreground and the background
colors. To generate a more stark cloud pattern, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you choose Filter >
Render > Clouds. When you apply the Clouds filter, the image data on the active layer is replaced.
Difference Clouds Uses randomly generated values that vary between the foreground and background color to

produce a cloud pattern. The filter blends the cloud data with the existing pixels in the same way that the Difference
mode blends colors. The first time you choose this filter, portions of the image are inverted in a cloud pattern.
Applying the filter several times creates rib and vein patterns that resemble a marble texture. When you apply the
Difference Clouds filter, the image data on the active layer is replaced.
Fibers Creates the look of woven fibers using the foreground and background colors. You use the Variance slider to
control how the colors vary (a low value produces long streaks of color, and a high value results in very short fibers

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with more varied distribution of color). The Strength slider controls how each fiber looks. A low setting produces a
loose weave, and a high setting produces short, stringy fibers. Click the Randomize button to change how the pattern
looks; you can click the button a number of times until you find a pattern you like. When you apply the Fibers filter,
the image data on the active layer is replaced.
Try adding a gradient map adjustment layer to colorize the fibers.
Lens Flare Simulates the refraction caused by shining a bright light into the camera lens. Specify a location for the

center of the flare by clicking anywhere inside the image thumbnail or by dragging its cross hair.
Lighting Effects Lets you produce myriad lighting effects on RGB images by varying 17 light styles, three light

types, and four sets of light properties. You can also use textures from grayscale files (called bump maps) to produce
3D-like effects and save your own styles for use in other images. See also “To use the Lighting Effects filter” on
page 527.

See also
“To apply a gradient map to an image” on page 313

Sharpen filters
The Sharpen filters focus blurred images by increasing the contrast of adjacent pixels.
Sharpen and Sharpen More Focus a selection and improve its clarity. The Sharpen More filter applies a stronger
sharpening effect than does the Sharpen filter.
Sharpen Edges and Unsharp Mask Find the areas in the image where significant color changes occur and sharpen
them. The Sharpen Edges filter sharpens only edges while preserving the overall smoothness of the image. Use this
filter to sharpen edges without specifying an amount. For professional color correction, use the Unsharp Mask filter
to adjust the contrast of edge detail and produce a lighter and darker line on each side of the edge. This process
emphasizes the edge and creates the illusion of a sharper image.
Smart Sharpen (Photoshop only) Sharpens an image by letting you set the sharpening algorithm or control the
amount of sharpening that occurs in shadows and highlights.

See also
“To use the Smart Sharpen filter” on page 355

Sketch filters
Filters in the Sketch submenu add texture to images, often for a 3D effect. The filters also are useful for creating a
fine-arts or hand-drawn look. Many of the Sketch filters use the foreground and background color as they redraw
the image. All the Sketch filters can be applied through the Filter Gallery.
Bas Relief Transforms an image so that it appears carved in low relief and lit to accent the surface variations. Dark
areas of the image take on the foreground color, and light colors use the background color.
Chalk & Charcoal Redraws highlights and midtones with a solid midtone gray background drawn in coarse chalk.

Shadow areas are replaced with black diagonal charcoal lines. The charcoal is drawn in the foreground color; the
chalk, in the background color.
Charcoal Creates a posterized, smudged effect. Major edges are boldly drawn, and midtones are sketched using a

diagonal stroke. Charcoal is the foreground color, and the background is the color of the paper.

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Chrome Renders the image as if it had a polished chrome surface. Highlights are high points, and shadows are low

points in the reflecting surface. After applying the filter, use the Levels dialog box to add more contrast to the image.
Conté Crayon Replicates the texture of dense dark and pure white Conté crayons on an image. The Conté Crayon

filter uses the foreground color for dark areas and the background color for light areas. For a truer effect, change the
foreground color to one of the common Conté Crayon colors (black, sepia, sanguine) before applying the filter. For
a muted effect, change the background color to white, add some of the foreground color to the white background,
and then apply the filter.
Graphic Pen Uses fine, linear ink strokes to capture the details in the original image. The effect is especially striking

with scanned images. The filter replaces color in the original image, using the foreground color for ink and the
background color for paper.
Halftone Pattern Simulates the effect of a halftone screen while maintaining the continuous range of tones.
Note Paper Creates an image that appears to be constructed of handmade paper. This filter simplifies images and

combines the effects of the Stylize > Emboss and Texture > Grain filters. Dark areas of the image appear as holes in
the top layer of paper, revealing the background color.
Photocopy Simulates the effect of photocopying an image. Large dark areas tend to be copied only around their

edges, and midtones fall away to either solid black or solid white.
Plaster Molds an image from 3D plaster, and then colorizes the result using the foreground and background color.
Dark areas are raised, and light areas are recessed.
Reticulation Simulates the controlled shrinking and distortion of film emulsion to create an image that appears

clumped in the shadows and lightly grained in the highlights.
Stamp Simplifies the image so that it appears to be created with a rubber or wood stamp. This filter is best used with

black-and-white images.
Torn Edges Reconstructs the image so that it appears composed of ragged, torn pieces of paper, and then colorizes
the image using the foreground and background colors. This filter is particularly useful for text or high-contrast
objects.
Water Paper Uses blotchy daubs that appear painted onto fibrous, damp paper, causing the colors to flow and blend.

Stylize filters
The Stylize filters produce a painted or impressionistic effect on a selection by displacing pixels and by finding and
heightening contrast in an image. After using filters like Find Edges and Trace Contour that highlight edges, you can
apply the Invert command to outline the edges of a color image with colored lines or to outline the edges of a
grayscale image with white lines.
Diffuse Shuffles pixels in a selection to soften focus according to the selected option: Normal moves pixels randomly

(ignoring color values), Darken Only replaces light pixels with darker ones, and Lighten Only replaces dark pixels
with lighter ones. Anisotropic shuffles pixels in the direction of the least change in color.
Emboss Makes a selection appear raised or stamped by converting its fill color to gray and tracing the edges with
the original fill color. Options include an embossing angle (from –360˚ to recess the surface, to +360˚ to raise the
surface), height, and a percentage (1% to 500%) for the amount of color within the selection. To retain color and
detail when embossing, use the Fade command after applying the Emboss filter.
Extrude Gives a 3D texture to a selection or layer. See also “To use the Extrude filter” on page 524.

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Find Edges Identifies the areas of the image with significant transitions and emphasizes the edges. Like the Trace
Counter filter, Find Edges outlines the edges of an image with dark lines against a white background and is useful for
creating a border around an image.
Glowing Edges Identifies the edges of color and adds a neon-like glow to them. This filter can be applied cumula

tively with other filters through the Filter Gallery. (see “The Filter Gallery” on page 510.)
Solarize Blends a negative and a positive image—similar to exposing a photographic print briefly to light during
development.
Tiles Breaks up an image into a series of tiles, creating an offset between the selection and its original position. You

can choose one of the following to fill the area between the tiles: the background color, the foreground color, a reverse
version of the image, or an unaltered version of the image, which puts the tiled version on top of the original and
reveals part of the original image underneath the tiled edges.
Trace Contour Finds the transitions of major brightness areas and thinly outlines them for each color channel, for
an effect similar to the lines in a contour map.
Wind Places tiny horizontal lines in the image to create a windblown effect. Methods include Wind; Blast, for a more

dramatic wind effect; and Stagger, which offsets the lines in the image.

See also
“To invert colors” on page 312

To use the Extrude filter
1 Choose Filter > Stylize > Extrude.
2 Choose a 3D type:
• Blocks creates objects with a square front face and four side faces. To fill the front face of each block with the

average color of the block, select Solid Front Faces. To fill the front face with the image, deselect Solid Front Faces.
• Pyramids creates objects with four triangular sides that meet at a point.

3 Enter a value in the Size text box to determine the length of any side of the object’s base, from 2 to 255 pixels.

4 Enter a value in the Depth text box to indicate how far the tallest object appears to protrude from the screen, from

1 to 255.

5 Choose a depth option:

• Random to give each block or pyramid an arbitrary depth.

• Level-based to make each object’s depth correspond to its brightness—bright protrudes more than dark.

6 Select Mask Incomplete Blocks to hide any object extending beyond the selection.

To use the Trace Contour filter
1 Choose Filter > Stylize > Trace Contour.
2 Choose an Edge option to outline areas in the selection: Lower outlines areas where the color values of pixels fall
below the specified level, and Upper outlines areas where the color values fall above.
3 Enter a threshold (Level) for evaluating color values (tonal level), from 0 to 255. Experiment to see what values
bring out the best detail in the image.

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Use the Info palette in Grayscale mode to identify a color value that you want traced. Then enter the value in the
Level text box.

See also
“To use the Info palette” on page 56

Texture filters
Use the Texture filters to simulate the appearance of depth or substance, or to add an organic look.
Craquelure Paints an image onto a high-relief plaster surface, producing a fine network of cracks that follow the

contours of the image. Use this filter to create an embossing effect with images that contain a broad range of color or
grayscale values.
Grain Adds texture to an image by simulating different kinds of grain—Regular, Soft, Sprinkles, Clumped,

Contrasty, Enlarged, Stippled, Horizontal, Vertical, and Speckle, available from the Grain Type menu.
Mosaic Tiles Renders the image so that it appears to be made up of small chips or tiles and adds grout between the
tiles. (In contrast, the Pixelate > Mosaic filter breaks up an image into blocks of different-colored pixels.)
Patchwork Breaks up an image into squares filled with the predominant color in that area of the image. The filter

randomly reduces or increases the tile depth to replicate the highlights and shadows.
Stained Glass Repaints an image as single-colored adjacent cells outlined in the foreground color.
Texturizer Applies a texture you select or create to an image.

Video filters
The Video submenu contains the De-Interlace and NTSC Colors filters.
De-Interlace Smooths moving images captured on video by removing either the odd or even interlaced lines in a

video image. You can choose to replace the discarded lines by duplication or interpolation.
NTSC Colors Restricts the gamut of colors to those acceptable for television reproduction, to prevent oversaturated
colors from bleeding across television scan lines.

Other filters
Filters in the Other submenu let you create your own filters, use filters to modify masks, offset a selection within an
image, and make quick color adjustments.
Custom Lets you design your own filter effect. With the Custom filter, you can change the brightness values of each

pixel in the image according to a predefined mathematical operation known as convolution. Each pixel is reassigned
a value based on the values of surrounding pixels. This operation is similar to the Add and Subtract calculations for
channels.
You can save the custom filters you create and use them with other Photoshop images. See also “To create a Custom
filter” on page 526.
High Pass Retains edge details in the specified radius where sharp color transitions occur and suppresses the rest of

the image. (A radius of 0.1 pixel keeps only edge pixels.) The filter removes low-frequency detail in an image and has
an effect opposite to that of the Gaussian Blur filter.

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It is helpful to apply the High Pass filter to a continuous-tone image before using the Threshold command or

converting the image to Bitmap mode. The filter is useful for extracting line art and large black-and-white areas from

scanned images.

Maximum and Minimum Are useful for modifying masks. The Maximum filter has the effect of applying a choke—

spreading out white areas and choking in black areas. The Minimum filter has the effect of applying a spread—

spreading out black areas and shrinking white areas. Like the Median filter, the Maximum and Minimum filters look

at individual pixels in a selection. Within a specified radius, the Maximum and Minimum filters replace the current

pixel’s brightness value with the highest or lowest brightness value of the surrounding pixels.

Offset Moves a selection a specified horizontal or vertical amount, leaving an empty space at the selection’s original

location. You can fill the empty area with the current background color, with another part of the image, or with your

choice of fill if the selection is near the edge of an image.

Tile Maker (ImageReady only) Prepares an image for use as a tiled background. You can blend the edges of an

image to create a seamless background. You can also create a kaleidoscopic background in which an image is flipped

horizontally and vertically to create an abstract design.

To create a Custom filter

1 Choose Filter > Other > Custom. The Custom dialog box displays a grid of text boxes into which you can enter

numerical values.

2 Select the center text box, which represents the pixel being evaluated. Enter the value by which you want to

multiply that pixel’s brightness value, from –999 to +999.

3 Select a text box representing an adjacent pixel. Enter the value by which you want the pixel in this position multi

plied.

For example, to multiply the brightness value of the pixel to the immediate right of the current pixel by 2, enter 2 in

the text box to the immediate right of the center text box.

4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all pixels to include in the operation. You don’t have to enter values in all the text boxes.

5 For Scale, enter the value by which to divide the sum of the brightness values of the pixels included in the calcu

lation.

6 For Offset, enter the value to be added to the result of the scale calculation.

7 Click OK. The custom filter is applied to each pixel in the image, one at a time.

Use the Save and Load buttons to save and reuse custom filters.

Digimarc filters
The Digimarc filters embed a digital watermark into an image to store copyright information.

See also
“Adding digital copyright information” on page 689

Vanishing Point
The Vanishing Point feature lets preserve correct perspective in edits of images that contain perspective planes, for
instance, the sides of a building or any rectangular object.

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See also
“To use Vanishing Point” on page 375

The Lighting Effects filter
To use the Lighting Effects filter
The Lighting Effects filter lets you produce myriad lighting effects on RGB images. You can also use textures from
grayscale files (called bump maps) to produce 3D-like effects and save your own styles for use in other images.
Note: The Lighting Effects filter works only on RGB images.
1 Choose Filter > Render > Lighting Effects.

2 For Style, choose a style.

3 For Light Type, choose a type. If you’re using multiple lights, select and deselect On to turn individual lights on

and off.

4 To change the color of the light, click the color box in the Light Type area of the dialog box.

The color picker chosen in the General Preferences dialog box opens.

5 To set light properties, drag the corresponding slider for the following options:

Gloss Determines how much the surface reflects light (as on the surface of a piece of photographic paper) from

Matte (low reflectance) to Glossy (high reflectance).

Material Determines which is more reflective: the light or the object on which the light is cast. Plastic reflects the

light’s color; Metallic reflects the object’s color.

Exposure Increases (positive values) or decreases (negative values) light. A value of 0 has no effect.

Ambience Diffuses the light as if it were combined with other light in a room, such as sunlight or fluorescent light.

Choose a value of 100 to use only the light source, or a value of –100 to remove the light source. To change the color

of the ambient light, click the color box and use the color picker that appears.

To duplicate a light, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the light within the preview window.
6 To use a texture fill, choose a channel for Texture Channel.

See also
“About the Adobe Color Picker” on page 241
“To use the Windows Color Picker” on page 247

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Lighting Effects types
You can choose from several light types:
Omni Shines light in all directions from directly above the image—like a light bulb over a piece of paper.
Directional Shines light from far away so that the light angle doesn’t change—like the sun.
Spotlight Casts an elliptical beam of light. The line in the preview window defines the light direction and angle, and

the handles define the edges of the ellipse.

To adjust an Omni light

1 Choose Filter > Render > Lighting Effects.

2 For Light Type, choose Omni.

3 Adjust the light:

• To move the light, drag the center circle.
• To increase or decrease the size of the light (like a light moving closer or farther away), drag one of the handles

defining the edges of the effect.

To adjust directional light using the preview window

1 Choose Filter > Render > Lighting Effects.

2 For Light Type, choose Directional.

3 Adjust the light:

• To move the light, drag the center circle.
• To change the direction of the light, drag the handle at the end of the line to rotate the light’s angle. Ctrl-drag

(Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) to keep the light’s height (line length) constant.
• To change the height of the light, drag the handle at the end of the line. Shorten the line for a bright light, and

lengthen it for a less intense one. A very short line produces pure white light; a very long one, no light. Shift-drag
to keep the angle constant and change the height of the light (line length).

To adjust the spotlight using the preview window

1 Choose Filter > Render > Lighting Effects.

2 For Light Type, choose Spotlight.

3 Adjust the light:

• To move the light, drag the center circle.
• To increase the light angle, drag the handle to shorten the line. To decrease the light angle, drag to lengthen the

line.
• To stretch the ellipse or rotate the light, drag one of the handles. Shift-drag to keep the angle constant and change

only the size of the ellipse. Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) to keep the size constant and change
the angle or direction of the spotlight.
• To set the light focus (or spotlight intensity) and control how much of an ellipse is filled with light, drag the

Intensity slider: full intensity (a value of 100) is brightest, normal intensity is about 50, negative intensity takes
away light, and –100 intensity produces no light. Use the Focus slider to control how much of the ellipse is filled
with light.

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Lighting Effects styles
Use the Style menu in the Lighting Effects dialog box to choose from 17 light styles. You can also create your own
lighting style by adding lights to the Default setting. The Lighting Effects filter requires at least one light source. Only
one light can be edited at a time, but all added lights are used to create the effect.
2 O’clock Spotlight A yellow spotlight of medium (17) intensity with a wide (91) focus.

Blue Omni A blue overhead omni light of full (85) intensity with no focus.

Circle Of Light Four spotlights. White has full (100) intensity and a concentrated (8) focus. Yellow has strong

intensity (88) and a concentrated focus (3). Red has medium (50) intensity and a concentrated (0) focus. Blue has

full (100) intensity and medium (25) focus.

Crossing A white spotlight of medium (35) intensity with a wide (69) focus.

Crossing Down Two white spotlights of medium (35) intensity with a wide (100) focus.

Default A white spotlight of medium intensity with a wide focus.

Five Lights Down/Five Lights Up Five white spotlights, down or up, of full (100) intensity with a wide (60) focus.

Flashlight An omni yellow light of medium (46) intensity.

Flood Light A white spotlight of medium (35) intensity with a wide (69) focus.

Parallel Directional A directional blue light of full (98) intensity with no focus.

RGB Lights Red, blue, and green lights that produce a light of medium (60) intensity with a wide (96) focus.

Soft Direct Lights Two unfocused white and blue directional lights. White has a soft (20) intensity. Blue has a

medium (67) intensity.

Soft Omni A soft omni light of medium (50) intensity.

Soft Spotlight A white spotlight of full (98) intensity with a wide (100) focus.

Three Down Three white spotlights of soft (35) intensity with a wide (96) focus.

Triple Spotlight Three spotlights of slight (35) intensity with a wide (100) focus.

To add or delete a light
❖ In the Lighting Effects dialog box, do one of the following:

• To add a light, drag the light icon at the bottom of the dialog box into the preview area. Repeat as desired for a

maximum of 16 lights.
• To delete a light, drag the light by its center circle to the Delete icon at the lower right of the preview window.

To create, save, or delete a Lighting Effects style
❖ In the Lighting Effects dialog box, do one of the following:

• To create a style, choose Default for Style and drag the light bulb icon at the bottom of the dialog box into the

preview area. Repeat as desired for a maximum of 16 lights.
• To save a style, click Save, name the style, and click OK. Saved styles include all the settings for each light and

appear in the Style menu whenever you open the image.
• To delete a style, choose a style, and then click Delete.

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Using a Lighting Effects texture
The Texture Channel in the Lighting Effects dialog box lets you use a grayscale texture, such as paper or water, to
control how light reflects off an image. You can use any channel in your image (including a channel copied from a
different image) as a texture, or you can create your own texture. For an embossed text effect, use a channel with
white text on a black background, or vice versa.

To use the Texture Channel in the Lighting Effects dialog box
1 If necessary, create an alpha channel in your image and add texture. To use a texture from another image, copy
and paste the image into a new channel.
2 In the Lighting Effects dialog box, choose a channel from the Texture Channel menu: the image’s Red, Green, or
Blue channel or any channel added to the image.
3 Select White Is High to raise the white parts of the channel from the surface. Deselect this option to raise the dark
parts.
4 Drag the Height slider to vary the texture from Flat (0) to Mountainous (100).

See also
“To create an alpha channel and add a mask” on page 342

Loading images and textures
To load images and textures
To produce their effects, some filters load and use other images, such as textures and displacement maps. These filters

include the Conté Crayon, Displace, Glass, Lighting Effects, Rough Pastels, Texture Fill, Texturizer, Underpainting,

and Custom filters. Not all of these filters load images or textures in the same way.

1 Choose the filter you want from the appropriate submenu.

2 In the filter’s dialog box, choose Load Texture from the Texture pop-up menu, and locate and open a texture

image.

All textures must be in the Photoshop format. Most filters use only the grayscale information of a color file.

Improving filter performance
To improve filter performance
Some filter effects can be memory-intensive, especially when applied to a high-resolution image.
❖ You can do one of the following to improve performance:

• Try out filters and settings on a small portion of an image.
• Apply the effect to individual channels—for example, to each RGB channel—if the image is large and you’re having

problems with insufficient memory. (With some filters, effects vary if applied to the individual channel rather than
the composite channel, especially if the filter randomly modifies pixels.)

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• Free up memory before running the filter by using the Purge command.
• Allocate more RAM to Photoshop. If necessary, exit other applications to make more memory available to

Photoshop.
• Try changing settings to improve the speed of memory-intensive filters, such as Lighting Effects, Cutout, Stained

Glass, Chrome, Ripple, Spatter, Sprayed Strokes, and Glass filters. (For example, with the Stained Glass filter,
increase cell size. With the Cutout filter, increase Edge Simplicity, decrease Edge Fidelity, or both.)
• If you plan to print to a grayscale printer, convert a copy of the image to grayscale before applying filters. However,

applying a filter to a color image and then converting to grayscale may not have the same effect as applying the
filter to a grayscale version of the image.

See also
“To use the Undo or Redo commands” on page 71

532

Chapter 19: Type

Creating type
About type
Type in Photoshop consists of mathematically defined shapes that describe the letters, numbers, and symbols of a
typeface. Many typefaces are available in more than one format, the most common formats being Type 1 (also called
PostScript fonts), TrueType, OpenType, New CID, and CID nonprotected (Japanese only).
When you add type to an image, the characters are composed of pixels and have the same resolution as the image
file—when you zoom in on characters you see jagged edges. However, Photoshop and ImageReady preserve the
vector-based type outlines and use them when you scale or resize type, save a PDF or EPS file, or print the image to
a PostScript printer. As a result, it’s possible to produce type with crisp, resolution-independent edges.
There are three ways to create type: at a point, inside a paragraph, and, in Photoshop, along a path.
• Point type is a horizontal or vertical line of text that begins where you click in the image. Entering text at a point

is a useful way to add a few words to your image.
• Paragraph type uses boundaries to control the flow of characters, either horizontally or vertically. Entering text this

way is useful when you want to create one or more paragraphs, such as for a brochure.

Type entered as point type (top) and in a bounding box (bottom)

• (Photoshop) Type on a path flows along the edge of an open or a closed path. When you enter text horizontally,

the characters are parallel to the baseline. When you enter text vertically, the characters are perpendicular to the
baseline. In either case, the text flows in the direction in which points were added to the path.
If you enter more text that can fit within a paragraph boundary or (in Photoshop) along a path, a small box or circle
containing a plus symbol (+) appears in place of a handle at the corner of the boundary or anchor point at the end
of the path.
When you create type, a new type layer is added to the Layers palette. In Photoshop, you can also create a selection
border in the shape of the type.
Important: In Photoshop, a type layer is not created for images in Multichannel, Bitmap, or Indexed Color mode,
because these modes do not support layers. In these image modes, type appears on the background as rasterized text.
Photoshop also lets you set Asian text options. To do so, you must select Show Asian Text Options in the Type prefer
ences.

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See also
“Entering type on a path” on page 541
“To display and set Asian type options” on page 564

About the type tools in Photoshop
Clicking in an image with a type tool puts the type tool in edit mode. When the tool is in edit mode, you can enter
and edit characters as well as perform some other commands from the various menus; however, certain operations
require that you first commit changes to the type layer. To determine whether a type tool is in edit mode, look in the
and the Cancel button , the type tool is in edit mode.
options bar—if you see the Commit button

See also
“About tools and the toolbox” on page 40

To commit changes to a type layer
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click the Commit button

in the options bar.

• Press the Enter key on the numeric keypad.
• Press Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Command+Return (Mac OS).
• Select any tool in the toolbox; click in the Layers, Channels, Paths, Actions, History, or Styles palette; or select any

available menu command.

To enter point type
When you enter point type, each line of type is independent—the line expands or shrinks as you edit it, but it doesn’t
wrap to the next line. The type you enter appears in a new type layer.
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Select the Horizontal Type tool
• (ImageReady) Select the Type tool

or the Vertical Type tool

Note: To change between horizontal or vertical text in ImageReady, click the Change Text Orientation button in the tool
options bar or choose Change Text Orientation from the Character palette menu.
2 Click in the image to set an insertion point for the type. The small line through the I-beam marks the baseline of
the type (the imaginary line on which type rests). For vertical type, the baseline marks the center axis of the
characters.
3 Select additional type options in the options bar, Character palette, or Paragraph palette.
4 Enter the characters. To begin a new line, press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

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Note: (Photoshop) You can also transform point type while in edit mode. Hold down the Ctrl (Windows) or Command
(Mac OS) key. A bounding box appears around the type. You can grab a handle to scale or skew the type. You can also
rotate the bounding box.
5 (Photoshop) When you finish entering or editing the type, do one of the following:
• Click the Commit button

in the options bar.

available menu command.

To enter paragraph type
When you enter paragraph type, the lines of type wrap to fit the dimensions of the bounding box. You can enter
multiple paragraphs and select a paragraph justification option.
You can resize the bounding box, causing the type to reflow within the adjusted rectangle. You can adjust the
bounding box while you enter type or after you create the type layer. You can also use the bounding box to rotate,
scale, and skew type.
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Select the Horizontal Type tool
• (ImageReady) Select the Type tool

or the Vertical Type tool

Note: To change between horizontal or vertical text in ImageReady, click the Change Text Orientation button in the tool
options bar or choose Change Text Orientation from the Character palette menu.
2 Do one of the following:
• Drag diagonally to define a bounding box for the type.
• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you click or drag to display the Paragraph Text Size dialog box.

Enter values for Width and Height, and click OK.
3 Select additional type options in the options bar, Character palette, Paragraph palette, or Layer > Type submenu.
4 Enter the characters. To begin a new paragraph, press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS). If you enter more

type than can fit in the bounding box, the overflow icon

appears on the bounding box.

5 (Photoshop) If desired, resize, rotate, or skew the bounding box.

6 (Photoshop) Commit the type layer by doing one of the following:

• Click the Commit button

in the options bar.

available menu command.
The type you enter appears in a new type layer.

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To resize or transform a type bounding box
1 Display the bounding box handles of paragraph type:
• (Photoshop) With the Type tool

active, select the type layer in the Layers palette, and click in the text flow in

the image.
• (ImageReady) With the Type tool active, select the type layer.

Note: You can transform point type while in edit mode. Hold down the Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) key, and
a bounding box appears around the type.
2 Do one of the following:
• To resize the bounding box, position the pointer over a handle—the pointer turns into a double arrow

—and

drag. Shift-drag to maintain the proportions of the bounding box.
• (Photoshop) To rotate the bounding box, position the pointer outside the bounding border—the pointer turns into

a curved, two-sided arrow —and drag. Shift-drag to constrain the rotation to 15˚ increments. To change the
center of rotation, Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) the center point to a new location. The
center point can be outside the bounding box.
• (Photoshop) To skew the bounding box, hold down Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS) and drag

a side handle. The pointer turns into an arrowhead with a small double arrow

Skewing type using the bounding box

• (Photoshop) To scale the type as you resize the bounding box, Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS)

a corner handle.
• (Photoshop) To resize the bounding box from the center point, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) a

corner handle.

Type layers
About type layers
After you create a type layer, you can edit the type and apply layer commands to it. You can change the orientation
of the type, apply anti-aliasing, convert between point type and paragraph type, create a work path from type, or
convert type to shapes. You can move, restack, copy, and change the layer options of a type layer as you do for a
normal layer. You can also make the following changes to a type layer and still edit the type:
• Apply transformation commands from the Edit menu, except for Perspective and Distort.

Note: To apply the Perspective or Distort commands, or to transform part of the type layer, you must first rasterize the
type layer, turning the type shapes into a pixel image. Keep in mind that rasterized type no longer has vector outlines and
is uneditable as type.

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• Use layer styles.
• Use fill shortcuts. To fill with the foreground color, press Alt+Backspace (Windows) or Option+Delete (Mac OS);

to fill with the background color, press Ctrl+Backspace (Windows) or Command+Delete (Mac OS).
• Warp type to conform to a variety of shapes.

See also
“To edit text in a type layer” on page 538

Rasterizing type layers
Some commands and tools—such as filter effects and painting tools—are not available for type layers. You must
rasterize the type before applying the command or using the tool. Rasterizing converts the type layer to a normal layer
and makes its contents uneditable as text. A warning message appears if you choose a command or tool that requires
a rasterized layer. Some warning messages provide an OK button that you can click to rasterize the layer.
To convert a type layer to a normal layer, select the type layer and choose Layer > Rasterize > Type.

To change the orientation of a type layer
The orientation of a type layer determines the direction of type lines in relation to the document window (for point
type) or the bounding box (for paragraph type). When a type layer is vertical, the type flows up and down; when a
type layer is horizontal, the type flows from left to right. Don’t confuse the orientation of a type layer with the
direction of characters in a type line.
1 Select the type layer in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select a type tool and click the Text Orientation button

in the options bar.

• Choose Layer > Type > Horizontal, or choose Layer > Type > Vertical.
• Choose Change Text Orientation from the Character palette menu.

Specifying anti-aliasing
Anti-aliasing lets you produce smooth-edged type by partially filling the edge pixels. As a result, the edges of the type
blend into the background.

Anti-aliasing set to None (left), and Strong (right)

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When creating type for display on the web, consider that anti-aliasing greatly increases the number of colors in the
original image. This limits your ability to reduce the number of colors in the image and thus to reduce the size of the
image file. Anti-aliasing may also cause stray colors to appear along the edges of the type. When reducing file size
and limiting the number of colors are most important, it may be preferable to avoid anti-aliasing, despite the jagged
edges. Also, consider using larger type than you would use for print. Larger type is easier to view on the web and gives
you more freedom in deciding whether to apply anti-aliasing.
Note: When you use anti-aliasing, type may be rendered inconsistently at small sizes and low resolutions (such as the
resolution used for web graphics). To reduce this inconsistency, deselect the Fractional Width option in the Character
palette menu.
Anti-aliasing options include:
• None to apply no anti-aliasing
• Sharp to make type appear at its sharpest
• Crisp to make type appear somewhat sharp
• Strong to make type appear heavier
• Smooth to make type appear smoother

To apply anti-aliasing to a type layer
1 Select the type layer in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose an option from the anti-aliasing menu

in the options bar or the Character palette.

• Choose Layer > Type, and choose an option from the submenu.

To convert between point type and paragraph type
You can convert point type to paragraph type to adjust the flow of characters within a bounding box. Alternatively,

you can convert paragraph type to point type to make each text line flow independently from the others. When you

convert from paragraph type to point type, a carriage return is added at the end of each line of type (with the

exception of the last line).

1 Select the type layer in the Layers palette.

2 Choose Layer > Type > Convert To Point Text, or Layer > Type > Convert To Paragraph Text.

Note: When you convert paragraph type to point type, all characters that overflow the bounding box are deleted. To
avoid losing text, adjust the bounding box so that all type is visible prior to conversion.

Editing text
To insert the pointer in text
❖ Select any type tool, make sure the type layer is active, and click in the text.

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To edit text in a type layer
You can insert new text, change existing text, and delete text in type layers.
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Select the Horizontal Type tool

or the Vertical Type tool

• (ImageReady) Select the Type tool.

2 Select the type layer in the Layers palette, or click in the text flow to automatically select a type layer.

3 Position the insertion point in the text, and do one of the following:

• Click to set the insertion point.

• Select one or more characters you want to edit.

4 Enter text as desired.

5 Commit the changes to the type layer.

To specify curly or straight quotes
Typographer’s quotes, often called curly quotes or smart quotes, blend in with the curves of the font. Typographer’s
quotes are traditionally used for quotation marks and apostrophes. Straight quotes are traditionally used as abbrevi
ations for feet and inches.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).
2 Under Type Options, select or deselect Use Smart Quotes.

To check and correct spelling
When you check the spelling in a document, Photoshop questions any words that aren’t in its dictionary. If a
questioned word is spelled correctly, you can confirm its spelling by adding the word to the dictionary. If a questioned
word is misspelled, you can correct it.
1 If necessary, in the Character palette, choose a language from the pop-up menu at the bottom of the palette. This
is the dictionary Photoshop uses to check spelling.
2 (Optional) Show or unlock type layers. The Check Spelling command does not check spelling in hidden or locked
layers.
3 Do one of the following:
• Select a type layer.
• To check specific text, select the text.
• To check a word, place the insertion point in the word. If you selected a type layer and want to check the spelling

of only that layer, deselect Check All Layers.
4 Choose Edit > Check Spelling.
5 As Photoshop finds unfamiliar words and other possible errors, click one of the following:
Ignore Continues the spelling check without changing the text.
Ignore All Ignores the questioned word during the rest of the spelling check.
Change Corrects a misspelling. Make sure that the correctly spelled word is in the Change To text box and click

Change. If the suggested word is not the word you want, select a different word in the Suggestions text box or enter
the correct word in the Change To text box.

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Change All Corrects all instances of the misspelling in the document. Make sure that the correctly spelled word is

in the Change To text box.
Add Stores the unrecognized word in the dictionary, so that subsequent occurrences are not flagged as misspellings.

To find and replace text
1 (Optional) Show or unlock type layers. The Find And Replace Text command does not check spelling in hidden
or locked layers.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select the layer containing the text that you want to find and replace.
• Select a nontype layer if you have more than one text layer and you want to search all layers in the document.
3 (Optional) If you selected a layer containing text, place the insertion point at the beginning of the text you want

to search.

4 Choose Edit > Find And Replace Text.

5 In the Find What box, type or paste the text you want to find. To change the text, type the new text in the Change

To text box.

6 Select one or more options to refine your search.

7 Click Find Next to begin the search.

8 Click one of the following buttons.

Change Replaces the found text with the revised text. To repeat the search, select Find Next.

Change All Searches for and replaces all occurrences of the found text.
Change/Find Replaces the found text with the revised text and then searches for the next occurrence.

Search options for finding and replacing text
Search All Layers Searches all layers in a document. This option is available when a nontype layer is selected in the

Layers palette.
Forward Searches forward from an insertion point in the text. Deselect this option to search all the text in a layer,
regardless of where the insertion point is placed.
Case Sensitive Searches for a word or words that exactly match the case of the text in the Find What text box. For

example, with the Case Sensitive option selected, a search for “PrePress” does not find “Prepress” or “PREPRESS.”
Whole Word Only Disregards the search text if it is embedded in a larger word. For example, if you are searching for

“any” as a whole word, “many” is disregarded.

Specifying a language for text
Assigning languages to text
Photoshop and ImageReady use language dictionaries to check hyphenation. In Photoshop, language dictionaries are
also used to check spelling. Each dictionary contains hundreds of thousands of words with standard syllable breaks.
You can assign a language to an entire document or apply a language to selected text.

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To enter text using a specific language dictionary, choose it from the pop-up menu in the lower left corner of the
Character palette, select a type tool, and enter the text.

Association of Cactophiles

Association of Cac-

tophiles

Association des Cactophiles

Examples of hyphenation for different languages
A. “Cactophiles” in English USA B. “Cactophiles” in English UK C. “Cactophiles” in French

To assign a language to selected text
1 Select the text.
2 In the Character palette, choose the appropriate dictionary from the pop-up menu in the bottom left corner of the

palette.
Note: If you select text with multiple languages or if the type layer has multiple languages, the pop-up menu in the
Character palette is dimmed and displays the word “Multiple.”

Warping type
Warping type
Warping lets you distort type to conform to a variety of shapes; for example, you can warp type in the shape of an arc
or a wave. The warp style you select is an attribute of the type layer—you can change a layer’s warp style at any time
to change the overall shape of the warp. Warping options give you precise control over the orientation and
perspective of the warp effect.
Note: You cannot warp type layers that include Faux Bold formatting or that use fonts without outline data (such as
bitmap fonts).

Example of type warped with Fish style

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To warp type

1 Select a type layer.

2 Do one of the following:

• Select a type tool, and click the Warp button

in the options bar.

• Choose Layer > Type > Warp Text.

Note: (Photoshop) You can use the Warp command to warp text in a type layer. Choose Edit > Transform > Warp.
3 Choose a warp style from the Style pop-up menu.

4 Select the orientation of the warp effect—Horizontal or Vertical.

5 If desired, specify values for additional warping options:

• Bend to specify how much warp is applied to the layer
• Horizontal Distortion or Vertical Distortion to apply perspective to the warp

See also
“To warp an item” on page 364

To unwarp type

1 Select a type layer that has warping applied to it.

2 Select a type tool and click the Warp button

in the options bar, or choose Layer > Type > Warp Text.

3 Choose None from the Style pop-up menu, and click OK.

Creating type on a path
Entering type on a path
You can enter type that flows along the edge of a work path created by a pen or a shape tool.
When you enter type along a path, the type flows in the direction that anchor points were added to the path. Entering
horizontal type on a path results in letters that are perpendicular to the baseline. Entering vertical type on a path
results in text orientation parallel to the baseline.
As you move a path or change its shape, the type conforms to the new path location or shape.

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Example of horizontal and vertical type on an open path

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User Guide

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Example of horizontal and vertical type on a closed path created by a shape tool

See also
“About work paths” on page 450

To enter type along a path
1 Do one of the following:
• Select the Horizontal Type tool

or the Vertical Type tool

• Select the Horizontal Type Mask tool

or the Vertical Type Mask tool

2 Position the pointer so that the baseline indicator of the type tool
insertion point appears on the path.

is on the path and click. After you click, an

C
The baseline indicator of the Type tool (left) and the Type tool with its baseline indicator on a path (right)

3 Enter the type. Horizontal type appears along the path, perpendicular to the baseline. Vertical type appears along
the path, parallel to the baseline.

For more control over vertical alignment of type on a path, use the Baseline Shift option in the Character palette. For
example, type a negative value in the Baseline Shift text box to lower the type.

See also
“To shift the baseline” on page 551

To move or flip type on a path
1 Select the Direct Selection tool
an I-beam with an arrow .

or Path Selection tool

and position it over the type. The pointer changes to

2 Do one of the following:
• To move text, click and drag the type along the path. Be careful not to drag across the path.
• To flip text to the other side of the path, click and drag the type across the path.

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Using the Direct Selection tool or Path Selection tool to move or flip type on a path

To move type across a path without changing the direction of the type, use the Baseline Shift option in the Character
palette. For example, if you created type that runs from left to right across the top of a circle, you can enter a negative
number in the Baseline Shift text box to drop the type so that it flows inside the top of the circle.

See also
“To shift the baseline” on page 551

To move a path with type
❖ Select the Path Selection tool

or the Move tool
, and then click and drag the path to a new position. If you
use the Path Selection tool, make sure that the pointer does not change to an I-beam with an arrow or you’ll move
the type along the path.

To change the shape of a path with type
1 Select the Direct Selection tool

2 Click an anchor point on the path and use the handles to change the shape of the path.

Creating paths, shapes, and selections from type
To create a work path from type
Creating a work path from type lets you work with the characters as vector shapes. A work path is a temporary path
that appears in the Paths palette and defines the outline of a shape. After you create a work path from a type layer,
you can save and manipulate it as you do any other path. You cannot edit characters in the path as text; however, the
original type layer remains intact and editable.
❖ Select a type layer, and choose Layer > Type > Create Work Path.

Note: You cannot create work paths from fonts that don’t include outline data (such as bitmap fonts).

See also
“Path segments, components, and points” on page 460

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To convert type to shapes
When you convert type to shapes, the type layer is replaced by a layer with a vector mask. You can edit the vector
mask and apply styles to the layer; however, you cannot edit characters in the layer as text.
❖ Select a type layer, and choose Layer > Type > Convert To Shape.

Note: You cannot create shapes from fonts that don't include outline data (such as bitmap fonts).

See also
“About shapes and paths” on page 449

To create a type selection border
When you use the Horizontal Type Mask tool or Vertical Type Mask tool, you create a selection in the shape of the
type. Type selections appear on the active layer, and can be moved, copied, filled, or stroked just like any other
selection.
1 Select the layer on which you want the selection to appear. For best results, create the type selection border on a
normal image layer, not a type layer.
2 Select the Horizontal Type Mask tool

or the Vertical Type Mask tool

3 Select additional type options, and enter type at a point or in a bounding box.

A red mask appears over the active layer as you enter the type. After you click the Commit button

selection border appears in the image on the active layer.

, the type

Formatting characters
Formatting characters
Photoshop and ImageReady give you precise control over individual characters in type layers, including their font,
size, color, leading, kerning, tracking, baseline shift, and alignment. You can set type attributes before you enter
characters or reset them to change the appearance of selected characters in a type layer.
Before you can format individual characters, you must select them. You can select one character, a range of
characters, or all characters in a type layer.

To select characters
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Select the Horizontal Type tool
• (ImageReady) Select the Type tool

or the Vertical Type tool

2 Select the type layer in the Layers palette, or click in the text flow to automatically select a type layer.

3 Position the insertion point in the text, and do one of the following:

• Drag to select one or more characters.
• Click in the text and then Shift-click to select a range of characters.
• Choose Select > All to select all the characters in the layer.

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• Double-click a word to select it. Triple-click a line to select it. Quadruple-click a paragraph to select it. Quintuple

click anywhere in the text flow to select all characters in a bounding box.
• To use the arrow keys to select characters, click in the text, and then hold down Shift and press the Right Arrow

or Left Arrow key. To use the keys to select words, hold down Shift+Ctrl (Windows) or Shift+Command (Mac OS)
and press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key.
4 To select all the characters in a layer without positioning the insertion point in the text flow, select the type layer
in the Layers palette, and then double-click the layer’s type icon.

Important: In Photoshop, selecting and formatting characters in a type layer puts the Type tool into edit mode.

To show or hide selection highlighting (ImageReady)
❖ Do one of the following:

• Choose View > Show > Text Selection.
• Choose View > Extras. This command shows or hides all selected items in the View > Show submenu.

About the Character palette
The Character palette provides options for formatting characters. Some formatting options are also available in the
options bar.
You can display the Character palette by doing one of the following:
• Choose Window > Character, or click the Character palette tab if the palette is visible but not active.
• With a type tool selected, click the Palette button

in the options bar.

To set an option in the Character palette, choose a value from the pop-up menu on the right side of the option. For
options with numeric values, you can also use the up and down arrows to set the value, or you can edit the value
directly in the text box. When you edit a value directly, press Enter or Return to apply a value, Shift+Enter or
Shift+Return to apply a value and then highlight the value just edited, or Tab to apply a value and move to the next
text box in the palette.

D
E

Character palette
A. Font Family B. Font Size C. Vertical Scale D. Set Tsume option (Photoshop)
Shift G. Language H. Font Style I. Leading J. Horizontal scale K. Kerning

E. Tracking

F. Baseline

Note: You must select Show Asian Text Options in the Type preferences for the Set Tsume option to appear in the
Character palette.
You can access additional commands and options in the Character palette menu. To use this menu, click the triangle
in the upper right corner of the palette.

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See also
“To use palettes” on page 35

About fonts
A font is a complete set of characters—letters, numbers, and symbols—that share a common weight, width, and style.
When you select a font, you can select the font family and its type style independently. The font family is a collection
of fonts sharing an overall typeface design: for example, Times. A type style is a variant version of an individual font
in the font family: for example, Regular, Bold, or Italic. The range of available type styles varies with each font. If a
font doesn’t include the style you want, you can apply faux styles—simulated versions of bold, italic, superscript,
subscript, all caps, and small caps styles.
In addition to the fonts installed on your system, Photoshop uses font files in these local folders:
Windows Program Files/Common Files/Adobe/Fonts
Mac OS Library/Application Support/Adobe/Fonts

If you install a Type 1, TrueType, OpenType, or CID font into the local Fonts folder, the font appears in Adobe appli
cations only.

About character sets and alternate glyphs
Typefaces include many characters in addition to the ones you see on your keyboard. Depending on the font, these
characters can include ligatures, fractions, swashes, ornaments, ordinals, titling and stylistic alternates, superior and
inferior characters, old-style figures, and lining figures. A glyph is a specific form of a character. For example, in
certain fonts, the capital letter A is available in several forms, such as swash and small cap.

To choose a font family and style
1 Choose a font family from the Font Family menu in the Character palette or options bar. If more than one copy of
a font is installed on your computer, an abbreviation follows the font name: (T1) for Type 1 fonts, (TT) for TrueType
fonts, or (OT) for OpenType fonts.

In Photoshop, the font family and font style menus display a preview of the font. You can specify the size of the
preview in the Type preferences.

(Photoshop) The Font Family menu in both the Character palette and the options bar shows a preview of available fonts.

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You can choose a font family and style by typing its name in the text box. As you type, the name of the first font or
style beginning with that letter appears. Continue typing until the correct font or style name appears.
2 To choose a font style, do one of the following:
• Choose a font style from the Font Style menu in the Character palette or options bar.
• If the font family you chose does not include a bold or italic style, click the Faux Bold button

or the Faux Italic
in the Character palette to apply a simulated style. Alternatively, choose Faux Bold or Faux Italic from
button
the Character palette menu.

• Use a dynamic shortcut. Dynamic shortcuts are keyboard shortcuts that are available (in edit mode only) for Faux

Bold, Faux Italic, All Caps, Small Caps, Superscript, Subscript, Underline, and Strikethrough.
Note: You cannot apply Faux Bold formatting to warped type.

To specify the size of the font family and font style preview

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).

2 Choose a size (Small, Medium, or Large) from the Font Preview Size menu.

To change the font on multiple layers

1 In the Layers palette, select the text layers you want to change.

2 In the Character palette, select type characteristics from the pop-up menus.

About type size
The type size determines how large the type appears in the image.
(Photoshop) The default unit of measurement for type is points. One PostScript point is equal to 1/72 of an inch in a
72-ppi image; however, you can switch between using the PostScript and traditional definitions of point size. You can
change the default unit of measurement for type in the Units & Rulers area of the Preferences dialog box.
(ImageReady) Pixels are the only unit of measurement for type because ImageReady is designed for creating images
to be viewed online, where pixels are the standard unit of measurement.

To choose a type size
❖ In the Character palette or options bar, enter or select a new value for Size

(Photoshop) To use an alternate unit of measurement, enter the unit (in, cm, mm, pt, px, or pica) after the value in
the Size text box.
(Photoshop) To change the unit of measurement for type, choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Rulers (Windows) or
Photoshop > Preferences > Units & Rulers (Mac OS), and choose a unit of measurement from the Type menu.

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To define the point size unit

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Rulers (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > Units & Rulers (Mac OS).

2 For Point/Pica Size, select from the following options:

PostScript (72 points per inch) Sets a unit size compatible for printing to a PostScript device.

Traditional Uses 72.27 points per inch, as traditionally used in printing.
3 Click OK.

To change the type color
The type you enter is rendered in the current foreground color; however, you can change the color before or after you
enter type. When editing existing type layers, you can change the color of individual, selected characters or of all type
in a layer.
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click the Color selection box in the options bar or Character palette, and select a color using the Adobe Color

Picker. In ImageReady, you can also select an option from the Color selection box pop-up menu: Foreground
Color, Background Color, Other (to choose a color from the Adobe Color Picker), or a color from the pop-up
palette.
• Use fill shortcuts. To fill with the foreground color, press Alt+Backspace (Windows) or Option+Delete (Mac OS);

to fill with the background color, press Ctrl+Backspace (Windows) or Command+Delete (Mac OS).
• Apply an overlay layer style to the type layer to apply a color, gradient, or pattern on top of the existing color. You

can’t apply an overlay layer style selectively, it affects all characters in the type layer.
• Click the foreground color selection box in the toolbox, and select a color using the Adobe Color Picker. Alterna

tively, click a color in the Color palette, the Swatches palette, or (in ImageReady) the Color Table palette. If you use
this method to change the color of an existing type layer, you must first select characters on that layer.
• (ImageReady) You can drag a color from the toolbox color selection box, the Color palette, the Color Table palette,

or the Swatches palette and drop it onto a type layer to automatically apply a color overlay style.

See also
“Layer effects and styles” on page 414

To change the color of individual letters
1 Select the Horizontal Type tool

(Photoshop) or the Type tool (ImageReady) in the toolbox.

2 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the type.

3 In the document window, select the characters that you want to change.

4 In the options bar at the top of the work area, click the color swatch.

5 In the Adobe Color Picker, locate the color range you want using the triangle sliders on the color spectrum bar,

and then click the desired color in the color field. The color you select appears in the top half of the color swatch in

the Adobe Color Picker. The original color remains in the bottom half.

6 Click OK. The new color replaces the original color in the options bar and in the selected characters.

Note: You won’t see the new color in the characters until you deselect them or select something else.

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See also
“About the type tools in Photoshop” on page 533
“Formatting characters” on page 544

About leading
The vertical space between lines of type is called leading (rhymes with sledding). For Roman type, leading is measured
from the baseline of one line of text to the baseline of the line above it. The baseline is the invisible line on which most
letters sit. You can apply more than one leading amount within the same paragraph; however, the largest leading
value in a line of type determines the leading value for that line.
Note: When working with horizontal Asian type, you can specify how leading is measured, either from baseline to
baseline or from the top of one line to the top of the next.

Five-point type with 6-point leading (left) and with 12-point leading (right)

See also
“About Asian type” on page 563

To set the leading

1 Select the characters you want to change. If you don’t select any text, the leading applies to new text you create.

2 In the Character palette, do one of the following:

• Choose the desired leading from the Leading menu

• Select the existing leading value, and enter a new value.

To change the default auto leading percentage

1 Display the Paragraph palette.

2 Choose Justification from the palette menu.

3 For Auto Leading, enter a new default percentage.

About kerning and tracking
Kerning is the process of adding or subtracting space between specific pairs of characters. Tracking is the process of
loosening or tightening the spacing between the characters in selected text or an entire block of text.

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You can automatically kern type using metrics kerning or optical kerning. Metrics kerning uses kern pairs, which are
included with most fonts. Kern pairs contain information about the spacing of specific pairs of letters. Some of these
are LA, P., To, Tr, Ta, Tu, Te, Ty, Wa, WA, We, Wo, Ya, and Yo. Photoshop uses metrics kerning by default so that
specific pairs are automatically kerned when you import or type text.
Some fonts include robust kern-pair specifications. However, when a font includes only minimal built-in kerning or
none at all, or if you use two different typefaces or sizes in one or more words on a line, you may want to use the
optical kerning option. Optical kerning adjusts the spacing between adjacent characters based on their shapes.
You can also use manual kerning, which is ideal for adjusting the space between two letters. Tracking and manual
kerning are cumulative, so you can first adjust individual pairs of letters, and then tighten or loosen a block of text
without affecting the relative kerning of the letter pairs.

Default kerning (top) and -40 manual kerning between A and C and between U and S (bottom)

Positive kerning or tracking values move characters apart (adding to the default spacing); negative values move
characters closer together (reducing the default spacing). Kerning and tracking values are measured in units that are
1/1000 of an em space. The width of an em space is relative to the current type size. In a 1-point font, 1 em corre
sponds to 1 point; in a 10-point font, 1 em corresponds to 10 points. Kerning and tracking units are 1/1000 em. So,
for example, 100 units in a 10-point font are equivalent to 1 point.

Default tracking (left), and tracking set to 350 (right)

To adjust kerning
1 Do any of the following:
• To use a font’s built-in kerning information for selected characters, choose Metrics (Photoshop) or Auto

(ImageReady) from the Kerning menu

in the Character palette.

• To automatically adjust the spacing between selected characters based on their shapes, choose Optical from the

Kerning menu in the Character palette.
• To adjust kerning manually, place an insertion point between two characters, and in the Character palette, enter a

numeric value in the Kerning text box, choose a numeric value from the Kerning pop-up menu, or position the
to the left or right.
pointer over the Kerning icon and drag the scrubby slider

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Note: If a range of text is selected, you can’t kern the text manually. Instead, use tracking.
2 If you’re adjusting the kerning manually, commit changes to the type layer.

To adjust tracking

1 Select the type you want to adjust.

2 In the Character palette, do one of the following:

• Enter a numeric value in the Tracking

text box.

• Choose a numeric value from the Tracking pop-up menu.
• Position the pointer over the Tracking icon and drag the scrubby slider

to the left or right.

To adjust horizontal or vertical scale
Horizontal scale and vertical scale specify the proportion between the height and width of the type. Unscaled

characters have a value of 100%. You can adjust scale to compress or expand selected characters in both width and

height. Scaling distorts the type, so it is generally preferable to use a font that is designed as condensed or expanded,

if one is available.

1 Select the type.

2 Enter a new percentage for Horizontally Scale

or Vertically Scale

in the Character palette.

To shift the baseline
Baseline shift controls the distance of type from its baseline, either raising or lowering the selected type to create
superscripts or subscripts. Shifting the baseline is especially useful when you’re hand-setting fractions or adjusting
the position of picture fonts.
1 Select the type that you want raised or lowered.
2 In the Character palette, enter a value for Baseline Shift

. A positive value moves horizontal type above
and vertical type to the right of the baseline; a negative value moves type below or to the left of the baseline.

Default baseline shift (left) and baseline shift of 10 points (right)

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To underline or strike through text
You can place a line under horizontal type, or to the left or right of vertical type. You can also place a line through
horizontal or vertical type. The line is always the same color as the type color.
1 Select the type you want to underline or strike through.
2 Do any of the following:
• To underline horizontal type, click the Underline button

in the Character palette.

• To apply an underline to the left or right of vertical type, choose Underline Left or Underline Right from the

Character palette menu. You can apply an underline to the left or right, but not to both sides. A check mark
indicates that an option is selected.
Note: The Underline Left and Underline Right options appear in the Character palette menu only when a type layer
containing vertical type is selected. When working with vertical Asian type, you can add an underline on either side of
the type line.
• To apply a horizontal line through horizontal type or a vertical line through vertical type, click the Strikethrough

button

in the Character palette. You can also choose Strikethrough from the Character palette menu.

To rotate type
❖ Do the following:

• To rotate type, select the type layer and use any rotate command or the Free Transform command. For paragraph

type, you can also select the bounding box and use a handle to rotate the type manually.
• To rotate multiple characters in vertical Asian text, use the tate-chu-yoko.

See also
“To use tate-chu-yoko” on page 564
“Applying transformations” on page 360

To rotate vertical type characters
When working with vertical type, you can rotate the direction of characters by 90˚. Rotated characters appear
upright; unrotated characters appear sideways (perpendicular to the type line).

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Original type (left) and type without vertical rotation (right)

1 Select the vertical type you want to rotate or unrotate.
2 Choose Standard Vertical Roman Alignment from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates that the
option is selected.

Note: You cannot rotate double-byte characters (full-width characters available only in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean
fonts). Any double-byte characters in the selected range will not be rotated.

To add a drop shadow to text
Add a drop shadow to give depth to text in an image.
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the text to which you want to add a drop shadow.
2 Click the Layer Style button

at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose Drop Shadow from the list that

appears.
3 If possible, position the Layer Style dialog box so that you can see the layer and its drop shadow.
4 Adjust the settings to your liking. You can change various aspects of the shadow, including the way it blends with
the layers below it, its opacity (how much the underlying layers show through), the angle of the light, and its distance
from the text or object.
5 When you’re satisfied with the drop shadow, click OK.

To use the same drop shadow settings on another layer, drag the Drop Shadow layer in the Layers palette to the other
layer. When you release the mouse button, Photoshop applies the drop shadow attributes to the layer.

See also
“Layer effects and styles” on page 414

To fill type with an image
You can fill type with an image by applying a clipping mask to an image layer placed above a text layer in the Layers
palette.
1 Open the file containing the image you want to use inside the text.
2 Select the Horizontal Type tool

(Photoshop) or the Type tool (ImageReady) in the toolbox.

3 Click the Character tab to bring the Character palette to the front or, if the palette isn’t open, choose Window >

Character.

4 In the Character palette, select the font and other type attributes for the text. Large, bold, thick letters work best.

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5 Click an insertion point in the document window and type the desired text. When you are satisfied with the text,
press Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Command+Return (Mac OS).
6 Click the Layers tab to bring the Layers palette to the front or, if the palette isn’t open, choose Windows > Layers.
7 (Optional) If the image layer is the background layer, double-click the image layer in the Layers palette to convert

it from a background layer to a regular layer.
Note: Background layers are locked and prevent you from moving them in the Layers palette. It’s necessary to convert
background layers to regular layers to unlock them.
8 (Optional) In the New Layer dialog box, you can rename the layer. Click OK to close the dialog box and convert

the image layer.

9 In the Layers palette, drag the image layer so that it is immediately above the text layer.

10 With the image layer selected, choose Layer > Create Clipping Mask. The image appears inside the text.

11 Select the Move tool

, and then drag the image to adjust its placement within the text.

To move the text instead of the image, select the text layer in the Layers palette and then use the Move tool to move
the text.

See also
“Clipping masks” on page 436
“About the type tools in Photoshop” on page 533
“Formatting characters” on page 544

Special characters
To apply all caps or small caps
You can enter or format type as uppercase characters, either all caps or small caps. When you format text as small
caps, Photoshop and ImageReady automatically use the small-cap characters designed as part of the font, if available.
If the font does not include small caps, Photoshop and ImageReady generate faux small caps.

Regular capital letters (top) compared to small-cap letters (bottom)

1 Select the type that you want to change.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the All Caps button

or the Small Caps button

in the Character palette.

• Choose All Caps or Small Caps from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates that the option is

selected.

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To specify superscript or subscript characters
Superscript and subscript text (also called superior and inferior text) is reduced-size text that is raised or lowered in
relation to a font’s baseline. If the font does not include superscript or subscript characters, Photoshop generates faux
superscript or subscript characters.
1 Select the type that you want to change.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the Superscript button

or the Subscript button

in the Character palette.

• Choose Superscript or Subscript from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates that the option is

selected.

Turning fractional widths off or on
By default, type is displayed with the fractional widths option on. This option allows the spacing between characters
to vary using fractions of whole pixels. In most situations, fractional character widths provide the best spacing for
type appearance and readability. However, for type in small sizes (smaller than 20 points) displayed online, fractional
widths could cause type to run together or have too much extra space, making it difficult to read.
Turn off fractional widths when you want to fix type spacing in whole-pixel increments and prevent small type from
running together. The fractional character width setting applies to all characters on a type layer—you cannot set the
option for selected characters.
To turn the feature off or on, choose Fractional Widths from the Character palette menu. A check mark next to
Fractional Widths in the Character palette menu indicates that the option is selected.

About Dynamic Shortcuts
Dynamic Shortcuts are keyboard shortcuts that are accessible only when you are entering point or paragraph type,
when type is selected, or when the I-beam is in text. You can view Dynamic Shortcuts in the Character palette menu
when they are accessible. Dynamic Shortcuts are available for type options such as Faux Bold, Faux Italic, All Caps,
Small Caps, Superscript, Subscript, Underline, and Strikethrough.

Dynamic shortcuts appear in the Character palette menu only when you are entering point or paragraph type, when type is selected, or when
the I-beam is in text.

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To view text using the operating system layout
The System Layout command lets you preview text using the operating system’s default text handling. This is useful
when designing user interface elements, such as dialog boxes and menus.
❖ Choose System Layout from the Character palette menu to turn system layout on or off. A check mark next to

System Layout in the Character palette menu indicates that the option is selected.

About missing fonts
If a document uses fonts not installed on your system, you see an alert message when you open it. Photoshop
indicates which fonts are missing and substitutes missing fonts with available matching fonts. When this happens,
you can select the text and apply any other available font.

OpenType character features
About OpenType fonts
The OpenType font standard was developed jointly by Adobe and Microsoft, and it brings the advantages of the
PostScript Type 1 and TrueType font formats into a new format that takes advantage of Unicode character encoding.
OpenType fonts use a single font file for both Windows and Macintosh computers, so you can move files from one
platform to another without worrying about font substitution and other problems that cause text to reflow.
When working with an OpenType font, you can automatically substitute alternate glyphs, such as ligatures, small
capitals, fractions, and old style proportional figures, in your text. For Japanese OpenType fonts, you can use
ligatures, discretionary ligatures, Fractions Japanese 78, Japanese Expert, Japanese Traditional, Proportional Metrics,
Kana, and italics if the font provides them. In Photoshop, these options are in the Character palette menu.

Substituting alternate glyphs in Adobe Garamond Pro

OpenType fonts may include an expanded character set and layout features to provide richer linguistic support and
advanced typographic control. Feature-rich OpenType fonts from Adobe with support for central European (CE)
languages can be distinguished by the word “Pro,” which is part of the font name and appears in application font
menus. OpenType fonts that don’t contain central European language support are labeled “Standard,” and are desig
nated by an “Std” suffix in the fonts’ menu names. All OpenType fonts can also be installed and used alongside
PostScript Type 1 and TrueType fonts.

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To apply OpenType features

1 Make sure you have an OpenType font chosen when using the Type tool. If you don’t select any text, the setting

applies to new text you create.

2 From the Character palette menu, choose one of the following from the OpenType submenu:

Standard Ligatures Are typographic replacements for certain pairs of characters, such as fi, fl, ff, ffi, and ffl.

Type with the Standard Ligatures and Discretionary Ligatures options unselected and selected

Contextual Alternates Are alternative characters included in some script typefaces to provide better joining
behavior. For example, when using Caflisch Script Pro with contextual alternatives enabled, the letter pair “bl” in the
word “bloom” is joined so that it looks more like handwriting.
Discretionary Ligatures Are typographic replacement characters for letter pairs such as ct, st, and ft.

Note: Although the characters in ligatures appear to be joined, they are fully editable and do not cause the spelling
checker to flag a word erroneously.
Swash Substitutes swash glyphs, stylized letterforms with extended strokes (exaggerated flourishes).

Old Style Are numerals shorter than regular numerals, with some old style numerals descending below the type

baseline.

Stylistic Alternates Formats stylized characters that create a purely aesthetic effect.

Titling Alternatives Formats characters (usually all in capitals) designed for use in large-size settings, such as titles.

Ornaments Are devices that add a personal signature to the type family and can be used as title page decoration,

paragraph markers, dividers for blocks of text, or as repeated bands and borders.

Ordinals Automatically formats ordinal numbers (such as 1st and 2nd) with superscript characters. Characters such

as the superscript in the Spanish words segunda and segundo (2a and 2o) are also typeset properly.

Fractions Automatically formats fractions; numbers separated by a slash (such as 1/2) are converted to a shilling

fraction (such as

See also
“To set Asian OpenType font attributes” on page 566

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Formatting paragraphs
To format paragraphs
A paragraph is any range of type with a carriage return at the end. You use the Paragraph palette to set options that
apply to entire paragraphs, such as the alignment, indention, and space between lines of type. For point type, each
line is a separate paragraph. For paragraph type, each paragraph can have multiple lines, depending on the dimen
sions of the bounding box.
You can select paragraphs and then use the Paragraph palette to set formatting options for a single paragraph,
multiple paragraphs, or all paragraphs in a type layer.
1 Do one of the following to select paragraphs:
• (Photoshop) Select the Horizontal Type tool
• (ImageReady) Select the Type tool

or the Vertical Type tool

2 Do one of the following:
• To apply formatting to a single paragraph, click in a paragraph.
• To apply formatting to multiple paragraphs, make a selection within a range of paragraphs.
• To apply formatting to all paragraphs in the layer, select the type layer in the Layers palette.

About the Paragraph palette
You use the Paragraph palette to change the formatting of columns and paragraphs. To display the palette, choose
Window > Paragraph, or click the Paragraph palette tab if the palette is visible but not active. You can also select a
type tool and click the Palette button
in the options bar.
To set options with numeric values in the Paragraph palette, you can use the up and down arrows or edit the value
directly in the text box. When you edit a value directly, press Enter or Return to apply a value, Shift+Enter or
Shift+Return to apply a value and then highlight the value just edited, or Tab to apply a value and move to the next
text box in the palette.

A
B

C
D

Paragraph palette
A. Alignment and justification B. Left indent
indent G. Space after paragraph

C. First line left indent

D. Space before paragraph E. Hyphenation

F. Right

You can access additional commands and options in the Paragraph palette menu. To use this menu, click the triangle
in the upper right corner of the palette. If the palette is docked, click the triangle in the palette tab.

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To specify alignment
You can align type to one edge of a paragraph (left, center, or right for horizontal type; top, center, or bottom for
vertical type). Alignment options are available only for paragraph type.
1 Do one of the following:
• Select a type layer if you want all the paragraphs in that type layer to be affected.
• Select the paragraphs you want affected.

2 In the Paragraph palette or options bar, click an alignment option.

The options for horizontal type are:

Left Align Text Aligns type to the left, leaving the right edge of the paragraph ragged.

Center Text Aligns type to the center, leaving both edges of the paragraph ragged.

Right Align Text Aligns type to right, leaving the left edge of the paragraph ragged.

The options for vertical type are:

Top Align Text Aligns type to the top, leaving the bottom edge of the paragraph ragged.

Center Text Aligns type to the center, leaving both the top and bottom edges of the paragraph ragged.

Bottom Align Text Aligns type to the bottom, leaving the top edge of the paragraph ragged.

To specify justification for paragraph type
Text is said to be justified when it is aligned with both edges. You can choose to justify all text in a paragraph
excluding the last line, or you can justify text in a paragraph including the last line. The settings you choose for justi
fication affect the horizontal spacing of lines and the aesthetic appeal of type on a page. Justification options are
available only for paragraph type and determine word, letter, and glyph spacing. Justification settings apply only to
Roman characters; double-byte characters available in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts are not affected by these
settings.
1 Do one of the following:
• Select a type layer if you want all the paragraphs in that type layer to be affected.
• Select the paragraphs you want affected.

2 In the Paragraph palette, click a justification option.

The options for horizontal type are:

Justify Last Left Justifies all lines except the last, which is left-aligned.

Justify Last Centered Justifies all lines except the last, which is center-aligned.

Justify Last Right Justifies all lines except the last, which is right-aligned.

Justify All Justifies all lines including the last, which is force-justified.

The options for vertical type are:

Justify Last Top Justifies all lines except the last, which is top-aligned.

Justify Last Centered Justifies all lines except the last, which is center-aligned.

Justify Last Bottom Justifies all lines except the last, which is bottom-justified.

Justify All Justifies all lines including the last, which is force-justified.

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Note: Justification (right, center, and left align, and justify all) for type on a path starts at the insertion point and ends
at the end of the path.

To adjust word and letter spacing
You can precisely control how Photoshop and ImageReady space letters and words and scale characters. Adjusting
spacing options is especially useful when you work with justified type, although you can adjust spacing for unjus
tified type, too.
Note: Spacing options are always applied to an entire paragraph. To adjust the spacing in a few characters but not an
entire paragraph, use the Tracking option.
1 Do one of the following:
• Select a type layer if you want all the paragraphs in that type layer to be affected.
• Select the paragraphs you want affected.

2 Choose Justification from the Paragraph palette menu.

3 Enter values for any of the following:

Word Spacing Adjusts the space between words that is created by pressing the spacebar. Word Spacing values can

range from 0% to 1000%; at 100%, no additional space is added between words.
Letter Spacing Adjusts the distance between letters and includes kerning or tracking values. Letter Spacing values

can range from –100% to 500%; at 0%, no space is added between letters.
Glyph Scaling Adjusts the width of characters (a glyph is any font character). Glyph Spacing values can range from

50% to 200%; at 100%, the width of characters is not scaled.
Auto Leading Adjusts the leading automatically based on a percentage of the type size.

For justified type, enter Minimum and Maximum values to define a range of acceptable spacing. For both justified
and unjustified paragraphs, enter Desired values to set the spacing.

To indent paragraphs
Indention specifies the amount of space between type and the bounding box or line that contains the type. Indention
affects only the selected paragraph or paragraphs, so you can easily set different indentions for paragraphs.
1 Do one of the following:
• Select a type layer if you want all the paragraphs in that type layer to be affected.

• Select the paragraphs you want affected.

2 In the Paragraph palette, enter a value for an indention option:

Indent Left Margin Indents from the left edge of the paragraph. For vertical type, this option controls the indention

from the top of the paragraph.

Indent Right Margin Indents from the right edge of the paragraph. For vertical type, this option controls the

indention from the bottom of the paragraph.
Indent First Line Indents the first line of type in the paragraph. For horizontal type, the first line indent is relative
to the left indent; for vertical type, the first line indent is relative to the top indent. To create a first line hanging
indent, enter a negative value.

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When working with Japanese type, you can use the mojikumi setting instead of the Paragraph palette to specify the
indent for the first line. If you specify the indent for the first line in the Paragraph palette, and specify mojikumi
settings for the first line indent, the text is placed inside the total of both indents.

To adjust paragraph spacing
You can control the space above and below paragraphs using the paragraph spacing options.
1 Do one of the following:
• Select a type layer if you want all the paragraphs in that type layer to be affected.
• Select the paragraphs you want affected.

2 In the Paragraph palette, enter a value for Add Space Before Paragraph

and Add Space After Paragraph

To specify hanging punctuation for Roman fonts
Hanging punctuation controls the alignment of punctuation marks for a specific paragraph. When Roman Hanging
Punctuation is turned on, the following characters appear outside the margins: single quotes, double quotes,
apostrophes, commas, periods, hyphens, em dashes, en dashes, colons, and semicolons. When a punctuation
character is followed a quotation mark, both characters hang.
Keep in mind that the paragraph alignment determines the margin from which the punctuation hangs. For left
aligned and right-aligned paragraphs, punctuation hangs off the left and right margin, respectively. For top-aligned
and bottom-aligned paragraphs, punctuation hangs off the top and bottom margin, respectively. For centered and
justified paragraphs, punctuation hangs off both margins.

Paragraph without hanging punctuation (left) compared to paragraph with hanging punctuation (right)

1 Do one of the following:
• Select a type layer if you want all the paragraphs in that type layer to be affected.
• Select the paragraphs you want affected.
2 Choose Roman Hanging Punctuation from the Paragraph palette menu. A check mark indicates that the option
is selected.

Note: Double-byte punctuation marks available in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts in the selected range will not
hang when you use Roman Hanging Punctuation. Instead, use either Burasagari Standard or Burasagari Strong. These
items are available only if you select Show Asian Text Options in the Type preferences.

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See also
“To choose a burasagari option” on page 570
“To display and set Asian type options” on page 564

Hyphenation and line breaks
To adjust hyphenation
The settings you choose for hyphenation affect the horizontal spacing of lines and the aesthetic appeal of type on a
page. Hyphenation options determine whether words can be hyphenated and, if so, what breaks are allowable.
❖ Do any of the following:

• To turn automatic hyphenation on or off, select or deselect the Hyphenate option in the Paragraph palette.
• To apply hyphenation to specific paragraphs, first select only the paragraphs in a type layer that you want to affect.
• To choose a hyphenation dictionary, choose a language from the Language pop-up menu at the bottom of the

Character palette.
Note: Hyphenation settings apply only to Roman characters; double-byte characters available in Chinese, Japanese, and
Korean fonts are not affected by these settings.

To set automatic hyphenation options

1 Choose Hyphenation from the Paragraph palette menu.

2 Enter values for the following options:

Words Longer Than Letters Specifies the minimum number of characters for hyphenated words. The default value

is five letters.

After First Letters and Before Last Letters Specifies the minimum number of characters at the beginning or end of

a word that can be broken by a hyphen. For example, by specifying three for these values, aromatic would be

hyphenated as aro- matic instead of ar- omatic or aromat- ic.

Hyphen Limit Specifies the maximum number of hyphens that can appear on consecutive lines. Zero means

unlimited hyphens.

Hyphenation Zone Specifies the distance at the end of a line that will cause a word to break in unjustified type. This

option applies only when using the Single-line Composer.

3 To prevent capitalized words from being hyphenated, deselect Hyphenate Capitalized Words. Then click OK.

To prevent unwanted word breaks
You can prevent words from breaking at the end of lines—for example, proper names or words that might be misread
when broken at the end of a line. You also can keep multiple words from breaking—for example, clusters of initials
followed by a last name.
1 Select the characters you want to prevent from breaking.
2 Choose No Break from the Character palette menu.

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Note: If many contiguous characters are entered with the No Break option selected, there won’t be a forced wrap.
However, none of the type may be visible if the number of characters exceeds the type boundaries.

About composition and composition methods
The appearance of type on the page depends on a complex interaction of processes called composition. Using the
word spacing, letter spacing, glyph spacing, and hyphenation options that you selected, Photoshop and ImageReady
evaluate possible line breaks and choose the one that best supports the specified parameters.
Photoshop and ImageReady offer two composition methods: the Adobe Every-line Composer and the Adobe Single
line Composer. Both composition methods evaluate possible breaks and choose the one that best supports the
hyphenation and justification options you specify for a given paragraph.
The Adobe Every-line Composer Considers a network of break points for a range of lines and thus optimizes earlier
lines in the paragraph to eliminate especially unattractive breaks later on. Working with multiple lines of type results
in more even spacing and fewer hyphens.

The Adobe Every-line composer approaches composition by identifying possible breakpoints, evaluating them, and
assigning a weighted penalty based on these principles:
• The highest importance is given to evenness of letter and word spacing. Possible breakpoints are evaluated and

penalized according to how much they deviate from optimal spacing.
• Hyphenation is avoided when possible. Breakpoints that require hyphenation are penalized more than those that

create uneven spacing.
• Good breakpoints are preferred over bad breakpoints. After breakpoint penalty values are identified for a range of

lines, they are squared, magnifying the bad breakpoints. The composer then uses the good breakpoints.
The Adobe Single-line Composer Offers a traditional approach to composing type one line at a time. This option
is useful if you prefer to have manual control over how lines break. The Adobe Single-line Composer uses the
following principles when considering a breakpoint:
• Compressed or expanded word spacing is preferable to hyphenation.
• Hyphenation is preferable to compressed or expanded letter spacing.
• If spacing must be adjusted, compression is better than expansion.

To choose a composition method
1 Select the paragraphs you want to affect.
2 Choose Adobe Every-line Composer or Adobe Single-line Composer from the Paragraph palette menu. A check
mark indicates which option is selected.

Asian type
About Asian type
Photoshop provides several options for working with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean type. Characters in Asian fonts
are often referred to as double-byte characters.
Note: Your operating system must support the languages in which you wish to work. Consult your system software
manufacturer for more information.

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To display and set Asian type options
By default, Photoshop hides Asian type options in the Character palette and Paragraph palette. To view and set

options for working with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean type, you must select Show Asian Text Options in the Prefer

ences dialog box. You can also control how font names are displayed—in English or in the native language.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).

2 Select from the following options:

Show Asian Text Options Displays Asian type options in the Character and Paragraph palettes.

Show Font Names In English Displays Asian font names in English.

To reduce spacing around Asian type characters
Tsume reduces the space around a character by a specified percentage value. As a result, the character itself is not

stretched or squeezed. Instead, the space between the character’s bounding box and the em box is compressed. When

tsume is added to a character, spacing around both sides of the character is reduced by an equal percentage.

1 Select the characters you want to adjust.

2 In the Character palette, enter or select a percentage for Tsume

. The greater the percentage, the tighter the
compression between characters. At 100% (the maximum value), there is no space between the character’s bounding
box and its em box.

To specify how leading is measured in Asian type

1 Select the paragraphs you want to adjust.

2 From the Paragraph palette menu, choose one of the following:

Top-To-Top Leading Measures the spacing between lines of type from the top of one line to the top of the next line.

The first line of type in a paragraph is aligned flush with the top of the bounding box.

Bottom-To-Bottom Leading Measures the space between lines from the type baseline. Space appears between the

first line of type and the bounding box.

A check mark indicates which option is selected. The leading option you choose does not affect the amount of

leading between lines, only how the leading is measured.

Note: Top-To-Top Leading and Bottom-To-Bottom Leading are not available for vertical text.

To use tate-chu-yoko
Tate-chu-yoko (also called kumimoji and renmoji) is a block of horizontal type laid out within vertical type lines.
Using tate-chu-yoko makes it easier to read half-width characters such as numbers, dates, and short foreign words
in vertical text.

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Numerals without tate-chu-yoko (left) compared to numerals rotated with tate-chu-yoko (right)

1 Select the characters that you want to rotate.

2 Choose Tate-Chu-Yoko from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates that the option is turned on.

Note: Using tate-chu-yoko does not prevent you from editing and formatting type; you can edit and apply formatting
options to rotated characters just as you do to other characters.

Aligning Asian type characters
Mojisoroe is the alignment of characters in Asian type. When a line of text contains different sizes of characters, you
can specify how to align text to the largest characters in the line: to the top, center or bottom of the em box (right,
center, and left for vertical frames), to the roman baseline, or to the top or bottom of the ICF box (right or left for
vertical frames). The ICF is the space where characters can be placed.

Character alignment options
A. Small characters aligned to the bottom B. Small characters aligned to the middle

C. Small characters aligned to the top

See also
“Asian OpenType options” on page 567

To align Asian type characters
❖ In the Character palette menu, choose an option from the Character Alignment submenu.

Roman Baseline Aligns the small characters in a line to the large character.

Embox Top/Right, Embox Center, or Embox Bottom/Left Aligns the small characters in a line to the specified

position of the large character’s em box. In vertical text frames, Embox Top/Right aligns the text to the right of the

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em box, Embox Center aligns the text with the center of the em box, and Embox Bottom/Left aligns the text to the

left of the em box.

ICF Top/Right and ICF Bottom/Left Aligns the small characters in a line to the ICF specified by the large characters.

In vertical text frames, ICF Top/Right aligns the text to the right of the ICF, and ICF Bottom/Left aligns the text to

the left of the ICF.

To specify left and right underlining with Asian type

1 Select the type.

2 Choose either Underline Left or Underline Right from the Character palette menu.

To set Asian OpenType font attributes
Asian OpenType fonts may include a number of features that aren’t available in current PostScript and TrueType

fonts. It is usually best to use any weights of KozMinPro and KozGoPro OpenType fonts. These fonts have the largest

collection of glyphs of the Asian fonts produced by Adobe.

1 Select the characters or type objects to which you want to apply the setting. If you don’t select any text, the setting

applies to new text you create.

2 In the Character palette, make sure that an Asian OpenType Pro font is selected.

3 From the Character palette menu, choose an OpenType option.

4 Turn on the MSIME (Windows) or Kotoeri (Mac OS) input method.

5 Do one of the following:

• (Windows) Choose OS Start Menu > Accessory > System Tools > Character Code Table.
• (Mac OS) Select Kotoeri input method by choosing Show Character Palette from the Kotoeri menu.
6 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) In the Character Code Table, select the Show Details option, and then choose All for Group and

choose Unicode for Character Set.
A

Character Code Table
A. Font menu B. Show Details check box

• (Mac OS) In the Kotoeri Character palette, set the display to All and then click the Glyph Catalog tab.

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Kotoeri Character palette
A. View option B. Show More Options

C. Font information

7 (Mac OS) Set the Kotoeri Character palette font to the OpenType font you are using.
8 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) Select the character you want to use, click the Choose button, and then copy and paste it.
• (Mac OS) Click the Show More Options button, select the character you want to use, and then either double-click

the character or click the Input button.

Asian OpenType options
Additional OpenType options are available, depending on the font.

Japanese 78 Substitutes the standard glyph with the jp78-variant glyph.

Japanese Expert Substitutes the standard glyph with the expert-variant glyphs.

Japanese Traditional Substitutes the standard glyph with the traditional-variant glyph.

Proportional Metrics Substitutes the half-width and the full-width glyph with the proportional glyph.

Kana Substitutes the standard kana glyph with the horizontally optimized kana glyph for horizontal layout.

However, the differences are often very subtle.

Roman Italics Substitutes the standard proportional glyph with the italic glyph.

See also
“To apply OpenType features” on page 557

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To choose a mojikumi set
Mojikumi specifies Japanese text composition for spacing of Japanese characters, roman characters, punctuation,
special characters, line start, line end, and numbers. Photoshop includes several predefined mojikumi sets based on
the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) X 4051-1995.
❖ In the Paragraph palette, choose an option from the Mojikumi pop-up menu:

None Turns off the use of mojikumi
Mojikumi Set 1 Uses half-width spacing for punctuation
Mojikumi Set 2 Uses full-width spacing for most characters except the last character in the line

Mojikumi Set 1, and Mojikumi Set 2

Mojikumi Set 3 Uses full-width spacing for most characters and the last character in the line
Mojikumi Set 4 Uses full-width spacing for all characters

Mojikumi Set 3, and Mojikumi Set 4

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To choose kinsoku shori settings for a paragraph
Kinsoku shori specifies line breaks for Japanese text. Characters that cannot begin a line or end a line are known as
kinsoku characters. Photoshop includes weak and maximum kinsoku sets based on the Japanese Industrial Standard
(JIS) X 4051-1995. Weak kinsoku sets omit long vowel symbols and small hiragana characters. You can use these
existing sets, or add or delete kinsoku characters to create new sets.
❖ In the Paragraph palette, choose an option from the Kinsoku Shori pop-up menu:

None Turns off the use of kinsoku shori.
JIS Weak or JIS Maximum Prevents the following characters from beginning or ending a line:
JIS Weak Set
Characters that can’t begin a line

Characters that can’t end a line

JIS Maximum Set
Characters that can’t begin a line

Characters that can’t end a line

To select a kinsoku line-breaking option
Kinsoku shori or mojikumi must be selected to use the following line-breaking options.

❖ From the Paragraph palette menu, choose Kinsoku Shori Type and then choose one of the following methods:

Push In First Moves characters up to the previous line to prevent prohibited characters from ending or beginning a

line.

Push Out First Moves characters down to the next line to prevent prohibited characters from ending or beginning

a line.

Push Out Only Always moves characters down to the next line to prevent prohibited characters from ending or

beginning a line. A push-in is not attempted.

A check mark indicates which method is selected.

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To choose a burasagari option
Burasagari lets single-byte periods, double-byte periods, single-byte commas, and double-byte commas fall outside

the paragraph bounding box.

❖ From the Paragraph palette menu, choose burasagari and then choose:

None Disables Japanese hanging punctuations when a Kinsoku set is in effect. Kinsoku Shori can still cause push

in or push-out behavior but does not hang Burasagari characters on or immediately outside the text frame.

Regular Enables Japanese hanging punctuations but allows burasagari characters to hang as little as possible. This

is the default Burasagari setting. With the Regular option, the behavior varies according to whether the line is

justified or not.

Force Enables Japanese hanging punctuation but forces the punctuation outside of the text frame when it needs to

hang, regardless of the justification or alignment setting. Hanging punctuation is never placed on the text frame as

in Burasagari Regular. Also, the position of the hanging punctuation can cause a slight expansion, even for nonjus

tified text.

571

Chapter 20: Designing web pages

Designing for the web
Designing web pages
The graphics tools and features in Photoshop and ImageReady simplify most web-design tasks.
Page design

In ImageReady, preset document sizes for pages and banners, grids, guidelines, and Smart Guides simplify page
layout. Both Photoshop and ImageReady let you add content to layouts using the text, drawing, and painting tools.
In ImageReady, you can arrange and align content using layers, layer sets, and grouped layers. To experiment with
different page compositions or to export variations of a page, use the Layer Comps palette.
Slices

When your page composition is ready for output to the web, both Photoshop and ImageReady provide the Slice tool
to let you divide page layouts or complex graphics into areas and specify independent compression settings (and
smaller file sizes).
Rollovers

You can use the Web Content palette in ImageReady to track slices and their rollover states. For example, you can
create a button for a web page that glows whenever the user moves the pointer over it, and you can manage the button
states and activities in those states.
Animations

You can create simple web animations, both in Photoshop and ImageReady, with the Animation palette. You use this
palette to determine, frame by frame, the appearance of an animation. You can export an animation as an animated
GIF from Photoshop and as an animated GIF or SWF file from ImageReady. In ImageReady, you can create
animation in conjunction with sets of slices, nested tables, percentage width tables, and remote rollovers (as you move
the pointer over one image, a different image changes.)
Export and image optimization

When your page or graphic is ready for final export, you use the Save For Web dialog box (Photoshop) and the
Optimization palette (ImageReady) to specify precisely how the page or graphic should be exported.
Note: You can preview most web effects directly in Photoshop or ImageReady. However, the appearance of an image on
the web depends on the operating system, color display system, and browser used to display the image. Be sure to preview
images and pages in different browsers, on different operating systems, and with different color bit depths.
Preparation in Adobe GoLive

You can open Photoshop and ImageReady files directly in Adobe GoLive. Slices, URLs, and other web features in
Photoshop files are accessible in GoLive for management and editing.

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Automating the workflow

Photoshop and ImageReady have a robust system for automating repetitive tasks. For example, ImageReady droplets
allow designers to quickly convert a batch of images into a web-ready format.

Slicing web pages
A slice is a rectangular area of an image that you can use to create links, rollovers, and animations in the associated
web page. Dividing an image into slices gives you better control over the function and file size of your image.
You use slices to divide a source image into functional areas. When you save both the image and an HTML file, each
slice is saved as an independent file with its own settings and color palette, and the proper links, rollover effects, and
animation effects are preserved.
Slices are also useful when you work with images that contain different types of data. For example, if you want to
animate one area of an image (requiring GIF format) but want to optimize the rest of the image in JPEG format, you
can isolate the animation using a slice.

Web page divided into slices with a highlighted rollover slice

When you work with slices, keep these basics in mind:
• You can create a slice by using the Slice tool or by creating layer-based slices.
• After you create a slice, you can select it using the Slice Select tool

and then move it, resize it, or align it with

other slices.
• You can set options for each slice—such as content type, name, and URL—in the Slice Options dialog box

(Photoshop) or the Slice palette (ImageReady).

Slice types
Slices are categorized by their content type (auto, image, no-image, table) and by the way they are created (user, layer
based).
Slices created with the Slice tool are called user slices; slices based on the content of a layer are called layer-based slices.
When you create a new user slice or layer-based slice, additional auto slices are generated to account for the remaining
areas of the image. In other words, auto slices fill the space in the image that is not defined by user slices or layer
based slices. Auto slices are regenerated every time you add or edit user slices or layer-based slices. You can convert
auto slices to user slices. Table slices contain nested tables.

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User slices, layer-based slices, and auto slices look different—user slices and layer-based slices are defined by a solid
line, whereas auto slices are defined by a dotted line. In addition, each type of slice displays a distinct icon. You can
choose to show or hide auto slices, which can make your work with user- and layer-based slices easier to view.
A subslice is a type of auto slice that is generated when you create overlapping slices. Subslices indicate how the image
is divided when you save the optimized file. Although subslices are numbered and display a slice symbol, you cannot
select or edit them separately from the underlying slice. Subslices are regenerated every time you arrange the stacking
order of slices.
Slices are created using different methods:
• Auto slices are automatically generated.
• User slices are created with the Slice tool.
• Layer-based slices are created with the Layers palette.
• Table slices are created with the Web Content palette in ImageReady.

See also
“Slice content types” on page 588

Creating slices
To create a slice with the Slice tool
1 Select the Slice tool

. Any existing slices automatically appear in the document window.

2 Choose a style setting in the options bar:

Normal Determines slice proportions as you drag.

Fixed Aspect Ratio Sets a height-to-width ratio. Enter whole numbers or decimals for the aspect ratio. For example,
to create a slice twice as wide as it is high, enter 2 for the width and 1 for the height.
Fixed Size Specifies the slice’s height and width. Enter pixel values in whole numbers.
3 Drag over the area where you want to create a slice. Shift-drag to constrain the slice to a square. Alt-drag
(Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) to draw from the center. Use View > Snap To to align a new slice to a guide or
another slice in the image. See “To move or resize a user slice” on page 579.

To create slices from guides
1 Add guides to an image.
2 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Select the Slice tool, and click Slices From Guides in the options bar.
• (ImageReady) Choose Slices > Create Slices From Guides.

When you create slices from guides, any existing slices are deleted.

See also
“To place a guide” on page 61

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To create a slice from a selection (ImageReady)

1 Select a portion of the image.

2 Choose Select > Create Slice From Selection.

ImageReady creates a user slice based on the selection marquee. If the selection is feathered, the slice covers the full

selection (including the feathered edges). If the selection is nonrectangular, the slice covers a rectangular area large

enough to enclose the full selection.

Layer-based slices
When you create a slice from a layer, the slice area encompasses all the pixel data in the layer. If you move the layer
or edit the layer’s content, the slice area automatically adjusts to encompass the new pixels.

A layer-based slice is updated when the source layer is modified.

Layer-based slices are especially useful when you work with rollovers. If you apply an effect to the layer—such as a
drop shadow or glow—to create a rollover state, the slice automatically adjusts to encompass the new pixels.
However, do not use a layer-based slice when you plan to move the layer over a large area of the image during an
animation, because the slice dimension may exceed a useful size.
Layer-based slices are less flexible and have fewer options; however, you can convert (“promote”) a layer-based slice
or an auto slice to a user slice at any time.

To create a slice from a layer
1 Select a layer in the Layers palette.
2 Choose Layer > New Layer Based Slice.

Converting auto slices to user slices
You can move, duplicate, combine, divide, resize, delete, arrange, align, and distribute user slices. You can also apply
different optimization settings to user slices. In contrast, all auto slices in an image are linked and share the same
optimization settings. This is because auto slices are regenerated every time you create or edit a user slice or layer
based slice.
If you select an auto slice and link it to a user slice, the user slice takes on the optimization settings of the auto slice.
If you select the user slice first, however, the auto slice is promoted to a user slice. Unlinking promotes auto slices to
user slices. See “To link slices (ImageReady)” on page 584.

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To convert an auto slice to a user slice

1 Select one or more auto slices.

2 Do one of the following:

• (Photoshop) With the Slice Select tool selected, click Promote in the options bar.
• (ImageReady) Choose Slices > Promote To User-slices.

To convert a layer-based slice to a user slice
Because a layer-based slice is tied to the pixel content of a layer, the only way to move, combine, divide, resize, and
align it is to edit the layer. You can convert a layer-based slice to a user slice to unlink it from the layer.
1 Select a layer-based slice. In ImageReady, you can select multiple slices.
2 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Click Promote To User Slice in the options bar.
• (ImageReady) Choose Slices > Promote To User-slices.

Viewing slices
Viewing slices
You can view slices in Photoshop, the Photoshop Save For Web dialog box, and ImageReady. The following charac
teristics can help you identify and differentiate between slices:
Slice lines Define the boundary of the slice. Solid lines indicate that the slice is a user slice or layer-based slice;

dotted lines indicate that the slice is an auto slice.
Slice colors Differentiate user slices and layer-based slices from auto slices. By default, user slices and layer-based

slices have blue symbols, and auto slices have gray symbols.
In addition, ImageReady and the Photoshop Save For Web dialog box use color adjustments to dim unselected slices.
These adjustments are for display purposes only and do not affect the color of the final image. By default, the color
adjustment for auto slices is twice the amount of that for user slices.
Slice numbers Slices are numbered
from left to right and top to bottom, beginning in the upper left corner of
the image. If you change the arrangement or total number of slices, slice numbers are updated to reflect the new
order.
Slice badges The Web Content palette uses a number of badges, or icons, to indicate certain conditions, and these

icons also appear in the document itself:
•

User slice has Image content.

•

User slice has No Image content.

•

Slice is a layer based.

•

Slice is linked.

•

Slice includes a rollover effect.

•

Slice contains the active rollover state.

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•

Slice is a nested table.

•

Slice is a remote trigger.

•

Slice is a remote target.

To show or hide slice badges (ImageReady)

1 In the Web Content palette, open the palette menu and choose Palette Options.

2 Select Show Slice Badges.

To show or hide slice boundaries
❖ Do one of the following:

• Choose View > Show > Slices. To hide and show slices along with other items, use the Extras command. See “To

show or hide Extras” on page 63.
• (ImageReady) Click the Visibility icon

, to the left of the slice in the Web Content palette.

Note: When you turn off a slice’s visibility with the Slices Visibility icon, ImageReady doesn’t output that slice when you
choose Save Optimized. This is similar to layer visibility functionality.

To show or hide auto slices
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select the Slice Select tool, and click Show Auto Slices or Hide Auto Slices in the options bar.
• Choose View > Show > Slices. Auto slices appear with the rest of your slices.
• (ImageReady) Choose View > Show > Auto Slices.

To show or hide slice numbers
1 Do one of the following:
• In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Guides, Grid, & Slices.
• In Mac OS, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Guides, Grid, & Slices.
2 Under Slices, click Show Slice Numbers.

To show or hide slice numbers and slice symbols (ImageReady)
1 Do one of the following:
• In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Slices.
• In Mac OS, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Slices.
2 Under Numbers and Symbols, select a size for display symbols:
• None to display no numbers or symbols
• The small icon to display small numbers and symbols
• The large icon to display large numbers and symbols
3 For Opacity, enter a value, or choose a value from the pop-up slider to change the opacity (transparency level) of
numbers and symbols.

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To show slice lines only (ImageReady)
1 Do one of the following:
• In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Slices.
• In Mac OS, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Slices.
2 Under Slice Lines, select Show Lines Only.

To change the color of slice lines
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Guides, Grid, & Slices; in Mac OS, choose Photoshop >

Preferences > Guides, Grid, & Slices.
• (ImageReady) In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Slices; in Mac OS, choose ImageReady > Preferences >

Slices.
2 Under Slice Lines, choose a color from the Line Color menu.

After the color change, selected slice lines are automatically displayed in a contrasting color.

To change slice color adjustments (ImageReady)
1 Do one of the following:
• In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Slices.
• In Mac OS, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Slices.
2 Enter a value, or choose a value from the Color Adjustments slider for User slices, Auto slices, or both. (The User

slices option controls color adjustments for both user slices and layer-based slices.)

This value determines the brightness and contrast (dimming) of unselected slices.

Selecting and organizing slices
To select one or more slices
Do one of the following:
• Select the Slice Select tool

and click the slice in the image. When working with overlapping slices, click the
visible section of an underlying slice to select it.

• Select the Slice Select tool, and Shift-click to add slices to the selection.
• Select the Slice Select tool, and click in an auto slice or outside the image area, and drag across the slices you want

to select. (Clicking in a user slice and dragging moves the slice.)
• (Photoshop) Choose File > Save For Web. In the dialog box, use the Slice tool to select a slice.
• (ImageReady) Select a slice in the Web Content palette. Shift-click to select additional slices.
• (ImageReady) To select all the user slices in a document, choose Slices > Select All User Slices. This selects all

nonauto slices, including layer-based slices.
When using either the Slice tool or the Slice Select tool, you can switch from one tool to the other by holding down
Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS).

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To save and load a slice selection (ImageReady)
Save a slice selection to reselect specific slices quickly and accurately.
1 Select one or more slices.

2 Choose Slices > Save Slice Selection.

3 Enter a name in the Selection Name text box, and click OK.

4 To load a slice selection, choose Slices > Load Slice Selection, and select the name of the slice selection from the

submenu.

Note: To delete a slice selection, choose Slices > Delete Slice Selection, and select the name of the slice selection from the
submenu. Deleting a slice selection does not delete the slices themselves.

To use slice sets (ImageReady)
In ImageReady, you can combine slices into sets and toggle the visibility of those sets in the Web Content palette.
This lets you create different configurations for your web page, which is especially powerful when you combine this
feature with layer compositions. You can create unique slice sets to match your various layer compositions.
Note: You can place a slice in only one slice set at a time.
• To create a slice set, select one or more slices and choose Slices > New Slice Set, or click the New Slice Set button

in the Web Content palette.
• To toggle the visibility of a slice set, click the Visibility icon

in the Web Content palette.

See also
“About layer comps and the Layer Comps palette” on page 430

To delete a slice set
1 In the Web Content palette, select the slice set you want to delete.

Note: If the slice set is not visible in the palette, expand the Slices section of the palette by clicking the arrow next to the
Slices section header.
2 Click the Delete icon

to remove the slice set.

3 Choose one of the following:

Set Only Deletes just the set itself.

Set And Contents Deletes the set and all its slices.

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Modifying slices
To move or resize a user slice
You can move and resize user slices in Photoshop and ImageReady, but not in the Photoshop Save For Web dialog
box.
1 Select one or more user slices.
2 Do one of the following:
• To move a slice, move the pointer inside the slice selection border, and drag the slice to a new position. Press Shift

to restrict movement to a vertical, horizontal, or 45˚ diagonal line.
• To resize a slice, grab a side or a corner handle of the slice, and drag to resize the slice. If you select and resize

adjacent slices, common edges shared by the slices are resized together.

To snap slices to a guide, user slice, or other object

1 Select the options you want from the View > Snap To submenu.

2 Choose View > Snap. A check mark indicates that the option is turned on.

3 Move your selected slices as desired. The slices snap to any of your chosen objects within 4 pixels.

See also
“To show or hide a grid, guides, or smart guides” on page 61

To resize or move a user slice using numeric coordinates

1 Select one or more user slices.

2 Do one of the following:

• (Photoshop) Click the Options button in the options bar. You can also double-click a slice to show the options.
• (ImageReady) Choose Window > Slice to open the Slice palette, and then choose Show Options from the palette

if the Dimension options are not showing.

3 In the Dimensions area of the Slice Options dialog box (Photoshop) or the Slice palette (ImageReady), change one
or more of the following options:
X Specifies the distance in pixels between the left edge of the slice and the origin of the ruler in the document
window.
Y Specifies the distance in pixels between the top edge of the slice and the origin of the ruler in the document

window.
Note: The default origin of the ruler is the upper left corner of the image.
W Specifies the width of the slice.
H Specifies the height of the slice.
Constrain Proportions (ImageReady) Preserves the current proportions of the slice.

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To resize a layer-based slice using numeric dimensions (ImageReady)

1 Select a layer-based slice.

2 In the Slice palette, in the Layer Based Dimensions options area, change one or more of the following Pad options:

L Specifies the distance in pixels between the left edge of the slice and the left edge of the layer’s content.

T Specifies the distance in pixels between the top edge of the slice and the top edge of the layer’s content.
R Specifies the distance in pixels between the right edge of the slice and the right edge of the layer’s content.
B Specifies the distance in pixels between the bottom edge of the slice and the bottom edge of the layer’s content.

To divide user slices and auto slices
Use the Divide Slice dialog box to divide slices horizontally, vertically, or both. Divided slices are always user slices,
regardless of whether the original is a user slice or an auto slice.
Note: You cannot divide layer-based or nested table slices.
1 Select one or more slices.
2 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) With the Slice Select tool selected, click Divide Slice in the options bar.

• (ImageReady) Choose Slices > Divide Slice.

• (ImageReady) Choose Divide Slice from the Slice palette menu.

3 Select Preview in the Divide Slice dialog box to preview the changes.

4 In the Divide Slice dialog box, select one or both of the following options:

Divide Horizontally Into Divides the slice lengthwise.

Divide Vertically Into Divides the slice widthwise.
5 Define how you want to divide each selected slice:
• Select and enter a value for Slices Down or Slices Across to divide each slice evenly into the specified number of

slices.
• Select and enter a value for Pixels Per Slice to create slices with the specified number of pixels. If the slice cannot

be divided evenly by than number of pixels, the remainder is made into another slice. For example, if you divide a
slice that is 100 pixels wide into three new slices each 30 pixels wide, the remaining 10-pixel-wide area becomes a
new slice.
6 Click OK.

To duplicate slices
You can create a duplicate slice with the same dimensions and optimization settings as the original. If the original

slice is a linked user slice, the duplicate is linked to the same collection of linked slices. Duplicate slices are always

user slices, regardless of whether the original is a user slice, a layer-based slice, or an auto slice.

In ImageReady, you can also copy and paste slices within or between documents.

1 Select a slice or multiple slices.

2 Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) from inside the selection.

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See also
“To link slices (ImageReady)” on page 584

To duplicate a slice using the Web Content palette (ImageReady)

1 Select a slice in the Web Content palette.

2 Choose Slices > Duplicate Slice or Duplicate Slice from the Web Content palette menu.

3 In the Duplicate Slice dialog box, select from the following options:

Duplicate Rollover States Maintains any rollover states associated with the original slice.

Duplicate Layers For Layer-Based Slices Duplicates a layer associated with a layer-based slice.
4 From the position menu, choose an option for the position of the duplicate slice. The duplicate slice will adjoin
the original slice in the position indicated. If the duplicate slice extends beyond the edge of the document, it will be
truncated.
5 Click OK.

To copy and paste a slice (ImageReady)

1 Select one or more slices with the Slice Select tool.

2 Choose Copy Slice from the Edit menu.

3 If you want to paste the slice into another image, open and display that image.

4 Choose Paste Slice from the Edit menu. If you copy and paste in the same image, the pasted slice appears on top

of the original.

The Copy Slice and Paste Slice commands have the same keyboard shortcuts as the regular Copy and Paste

commands.

To combine slices (ImageReady)
In ImageReady, you can combine two or more slices into a single slice. ImageReady determines the dimensions and
position of the resulting slice from the rectangle created by joining the outer edges of the combined slices. If the
combined slices are not adjacent or have different proportions or alignments, the newly combined slice may overlap
other slices.
The combined slice takes the optimization settings of the first slice in the series of slices you select before choosing
the Combine Slices command. A combined slice is always a user slice, regardless of whether the original slices
include auto slices.
Note: You cannot combine layer-based slices.
1 Select two or more slices.
2 Choose Slices > Combine Slices.

To change the stacking order of slices
When slices overlap, the last slice you create is the top slice in the stacking order. You can change the stacking order
to gain access to underlying slices. You can specify which slice is on the top and bottom of the stack and move slices
up or down in the stacking order.

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Note: You cannot arrange the stacking order of auto slices.
1 Select a slice or multiple slices.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose the Slice Select tool, and click a stacking order option in the options bar.

Stacking order options
A. Bring To Front B. Bring Forward

C. Send Backward

D. Send To Back

• (ImageReady) Choose Edit > Arrange Slices and choose a stacking order command from the submenu.
• (ImageReady) Drag the slice up or down in the Web Content palette.

To align user slices
You can align user slices along their top, bottom, left, or right edges, or along their vertical or horizontal centers. By
aligning user slices, you can eliminate unneeded auto slices and generate a smaller, more efficient HTML file.
Note: To align layer-based slices, align the contents of the layers.
1 Select the user slices you want to align.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose the Slice Select tool, and select an alignment option in the options bar.

Alignment options
A. Top B. Vertical Centers

C. Bottom

D. Left E. Horizontal Centers

F. Right

• (ImageReady) Choose Edit > Align Slices, and choose a command from the submenu.

See also
“To align objects on different layers” on page 403

To distribute user slices
You can distribute user slices evenly along the vertical or horizontal axis. By distributing user slices, you can eliminate
unneeded auto slices and generate a smaller, more efficient HTML file.

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Note: To distribute layer-based slices, distribute the contents of the layers.
1 Select three or more user slices you want to distribute.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose the Slice Select tool, and select a distribution option in the options bar.

Distribute options
A. Top B. Vertical Centers

C. Bottom

D. Left E. Horizontal Centers

F. Right

• Choose Edit > Distribute Slices, and choose a command from the submenu.

See also
“To align objects on different layers” on page 403

To delete a slice
When you delete a user slice or layer-based slice, auto slices are regenerated to fill the document area.
Deleting a layer-based slice does not delete the associated layer; however, deleting the layer associated with a layer
based slice does delete the layer-based slice.
Note: You cannot delete auto slices. If you delete all user slices and layer-based slices in an image, one auto slice layer
remains.
1 Select one or more slices.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose the Slice or Slice Select tool and press the Backspace key or the Delete key.
• (ImageReady) Choose Slices > Delete Slices, or choose Delete Slices from the Slice palette menu.
• (ImageReady) Choose Delete Slice from the Web Content palette menu or click the Delete icon

in the Web

Content palette.
3 To delete all user slices and layer-based slices, do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Choose View > Clear Slices.
• (ImageReady) Choose Slices > Delete All.

To lock all slices
Locking slices prevents you from resizing, moving, or otherwise changing them accidentally.
❖ Choose View > Lock Slice.

To optimize a slice
You can optimize image slices using the Save For Web dialog box (Photoshop) or the Optimize palette (ImageReady).

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All image slices use the optimization settings of the entire image until you apply new settings. If you select multiple
slices with different optimization settings, only the controls that are applicable to all of the selected slices are visible.
If settings for a control differ among slices, the control is blank. Any settings you choose are applied to all
selected slices.
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select one or more image slices and specify options in the Save for Web dialog box or the Optimize palette.
• Select one or more image slices from the Optimize pop-up menu, and then choose Optimize to File Size. Enter a

desired file size, and choose Slice To Start With (Current Settings or Auto Select GIF/JPEG), and Slice To Use
(Current, Each, or Total Of All).

See also
“To optimize an image for the web” on page 628

To copy optimization settings between slices (ImageReady)
1 Select the slice that uses the optimization settings you want to copy.
2 Drag the Droplet icon

from the Optimize palette onto the slice to which you want to apply the optimization

settings.

To link slices (ImageReady)
You share optimization settings between linked slices. When you apply optimization settings to a linked slice, all
slices in the set are updated.
Linked slices in GIF and PNG-8 format share a color palette and dither pattern. The dither pattern is applied across
adjacent slice boundaries to prevent the appearance of seams between the slices.
Note: You can also link slices in the Photoshop Save For Web dialog box. See “To work with slices in the Save For Web
dialog box” on page 629.
1 Select two or more slices or slice sets to be linked.

Note: If the first slice you select is a user slice, any auto slices you link to the first slice become user slices. If the first slice
you select is an auto slice, any user slices you select are linked to the auto slice group.
2 Choose Slices > Link Slices For Optimization.

Each linked set of user slices is assigned a different color for the slice graphics in the upper left corner of the slice.
This helps to identify which slices are linked.

To unlink user slices (ImageReady)
• To unlink a user slice, select the slice, and then choose Slices > Unlink Slices.
• To unlink all of the slices linked to a particular slice, select one of the slices in the Web Content palette, and choose

Slices > Unlink Shared Links.
• To unlink all user slices in an image, choose Slices > Unlink All.

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Converting slices to nested HTML tables
Converting slices to tables (ImageReady)
When you convert a document containing slices to HTML, it is output as a single table; each individual slice is placed
inside separate table cells. Slices are actually table cells.
Optionally, you can choose to group slices into tables themselves, which are then nested inside the main table. You
can nest only one level down, however; you cannot nest slices grouped into tables inside other slice group tables.
A slice of type Table Slice is a slice that contains a table you’ve created, or a nested table.

To create a table (ImageReady)
You can select and group slices for output as separate, nested tables when converting a document to HTML.
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select multiple slices and then click the Group Slice Into Table button

in the Web Content palette.

• Select multiple slices and then choose Slices > Group Slices Into Table.
• Select a slice, and change the slice type from “Image” to “Table” in the Slice palette. Switch to the Table palette to

set its attributes. ImageReady automatically creates a user slice to fill the table.
Note: Certain slice layouts require ImageReady to generate spacer cells (spacer.gif images) to render the image properly
in certain browsers. If this happens to your table, a yellow warning icon
appears in the table’s header in the Web
Content palette.

Viewing tables (ImageReady)
In the Web Content palette, slices grouped as nested tables are indicated with the table icon
appears in your document window, with the borders of the slice table outlined in color.

. This same icon

You can see tables in ImageReady’s Web Content palette or in the image in your document.

You can also see your table in the Table palette. It has option areas for the table’s Dimensions, Auto Slicing method,
and Cell Options.

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Note: To edit the table, you need to select the table or one of its slices.

To select a table (ImageReady)
You can select tables in the document window or the Web Content palette.
• In a document, use the Slice Select tool to select the table icon

in a slice.

• In the Web Content palette, select the table directly by clicking its name.
• In a document, select a slice with the Slice Select tool.

Note: To select the outermost table in a document, you must use the Slice Select tool.

To resize a table (ImageReady)
You can resize a table by grabbing the side or corner handles or by adjusting its dimensions.
1 Select a table.
2 Do one of the following:
• In the document window, grab a side or corner handle and drag to resize the table.
• In the Dimensions options area of the Table palette, select Pixels and enter the dimensions in pixels (the default

method). Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS). If you enter a width, the height changes automatically, and
vice versa.
• In the Dimensions options area of the Table palette, select Percentage and specify a percentage. Press Enter

(Windows) or Return (Mac OS). If you specify the width or height as a percentage, the dimensions of the exported
table are adjusted dynamically, to accommodate the browser window in which it is displayed.
• Choose Slices > Resize Table To Slices. If your table is larger than the slices, this command shrinks the table to fit

the slices. If the slice area is larger than the table, the table expands to reveal all of the child slices.

To set table export options (ImageReady)
When exporting slices for use on the web, Photoshop and ImageReady can optionally export an HTML file with
instructions on displaying the slices properly in a browser. By default, this exported HTML file uses tables to ensure
that the sliced composition retains its original appearance. The Table palette in ImageReady provides an additional
level of control over how this formatting table is exported.
Note: Changes you make to the structure of an exported HTML file are reflected solely in the browser image, not in the
image in your work area.
1 Choose Window > Table.
2 Select the table for which you want to set options. By default, the selected table is the top-level table encompassing

the entire composition area.

3 Enter a name for the table in the ID input box of the Table palette. Specifying a name for an exported table

increases conformity with web-accessibility standards.

4 From the Auto Slicing menu, choose a formatting preference:

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Note: Changing this preference may affect how auto slices are generated.
Default Maintains the default table formatting.

As Columns (Rowspan) Favors the creation of vertical columns in an exported HTML table.

As Rows (Colspan) Favors the creation of horizontal rows in an exported HTML table.

Note: Changing this preference may affect how auto slices are generated.
5 Set table cell options:

Border Determines the width, in pixels, of the border around the table.

Pad Determines the padding, in pixels, for each table cell. Padding is the space between the edge of a table cell and

its contents.

Space Determines the spacing, in pixels, between each table cell. Spacing is the distance between the edges of any

two table cells.

Note: It’s best to set the table HTML attributes only for tables that contain slices of type No Image. Changing these settings
in tables containing Image slices can have undesirable results.

To delete a nested table (ImageReady)
You can delete tables you’ve nested inside slices with or without deleting the slices that contain them. In other words,

you can ungroup the slices so that they are no longer a table.

1 In the Web Content palette, select the nested table slice.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Delete Slice from the Web Content palette menu.

• Choose Slices > Delete Slice.

3 Choose one of the following:

Table Only Deletes only the table, keeping the slices intact.

Table And Contents Deletes the table and all its slices.

Slice output options
To display the Slice Options dialog box
Do one of the following:
• Double-click a slice with the Slice Select tool.
• With the Slice Select tool active, click the Slice Options button in the options bar. This method is available only in

the main Photoshop application, not in the Photoshop Save For Web dialog box.

To display the Slice palette (ImageReady)
❖ Choose Window > Slice, or select the Slice Select tool and click the palette button

in the options bar.

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Slice content types
You can specify how the slice data appears in a web browser when exported with an HTML file. The available options
vary according to the application and the slice type you select.
• Image slices contain image data, including rollover states. This is the default content type.
• No Image slices let you create empty table cells that can be populated with text or a solid color. You can enter

HTML text in a No Image slice. If you set the “Text is HTML” flag, the text is interpreted as HTML when viewed
in a browser. Slices of type No Image aren’t exported as images and can be previewed in a browser.
• (ImageReady) Table slices act as containers for a subset of slices that, upon export, are written into the HTML text

file as a nested table.
Note: Setting options for an auto slice promotes the slice to a user slice.

To specify a slice content type
1 Select a slice. If you are working in Photoshop, double-click the slice with the Slice Select tool to display the Slice
Options dialog box.
2 In the Slice Options dialog box (Photoshop) or the Slice palette (ImageReady), select a slice type from the Type

pop-up menu.

To rename a slice
As you add slices to an image, you may find it helpful to rename slices based on their content. By default, user slices
are named according to the settings in the Output Options dialog box. Layer-based slices are given the name of the
layer from which they are derived.
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select a slice. If you are working in Photoshop, double-click the slice with the Slice Select tool to display the Slice

Options dialog box. In the Slice Options dialog box (Photoshop) or the Slice palette (ImageReady), type a new
name in the Name text box.
Note: The Name text box is not available for No Image slice content.
• (ImageReady) Double-click the slice name in the Web Content palette, and enter a new name.

To choose a background color for a slice
You can select a background color to fill the transparent area (for Image slices) or entire area (for No Image slices) of
the slice.
Photoshop and ImageReady do not display the selected background color—you must preview the image in a browser
to view the effect of selecting a background color.
1 Select a slice. If you are working in the Photoshop Save For Web dialog box, double-click the slice with the Slice
Select tool to display the Slice Options dialog box.
2 In the Slice Options dialog box (Photoshop) or the Slice palette (ImageReady), select a background color from the
Background Color pop-up menu:
• (Photoshop) Select None, Matte, Eyedropper (to use the color in the eyedropper sample box), White, Black, or

Other (using the Adobe Color Picker).
• (ImageReady) Select None, Matte, Foreground Color, Background Color, or Other (to use the Adobe Color

Picker), or select a color from the pop-up palette.

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To assign URL link information to an Image slice
Assigning a URL to a slice makes the entire slice area a link in the resulting web page. When a user clicks the link,
the web browser navigates to the specified URL and target frame. This option is available only for Image slices.
1 Select a slice. If you are working in Photoshop, double-click the slice with the Slice Select tool to display the Slice

Options dialog box.
2 In the Slice Options dialog box (Photoshop) or the Slice palette (ImageReady), enter a URL in the URL text box,
or choose a previously created URL from the pop-up menu. You can enter a relative URL or absolute (full) URL. If
you enter an absolute URL, be sure to include the proper protocol (for example, http://www.adobe.com, not
www.adobe.com). For more information on using relative and full URLs, see an HTML reference.
3 If desired, enter the name of a target frame in the Target text box, or choose an option from the Target menu:
_blank Displays the linked file in a new window, leaving the original browser window open.
_self Displays the linked file in the same frame as the original file.
_parent Displays the linked file in its own original parent frameset. Use this option if the HTML document contains

frames and the current frame is a child. The linked file appears in the current parent frame.
_top Replaces the entire browser window with the linked file, removing all current frames.The name must match a

frame name previously defined in the HTML file for the document. When a user clicks the link, the specified file
appears in the new frame.
Note: For more information on frames, see an HTML reference.

To specify browser messages and Alt text
You can specify what messages appear in the browser. These options are available only for Image slices and appear
only in exported HTML files.
1 Select a slice. If you are working in Photoshop, double-click the slice with the Slice Select tool to display the Slice
Options dialog box.
2 In the Slice Options dialog box (Photoshop) or the Slice palette (ImageReady), type the desired text.
Message Text/Status Bar Message Changes the default message in the browser’s status area for a selected slice or

slices. By default, the slice’s URL, if any, is displayed.
Alt Tag/Alt Specifies an Alt tag for a selected slice or slices. The Alt text appears in place of the slice image in
nongraphical browsers. It also appears in place of the image while the image is downloading and as a tool tip in some
browsers.

Adding HTML text to a slice
When you choose a slice of type No Image, you can enter text to be displayed in the slice area of the resulting web
page. This is HTML text that you format using standard HTML tags. You can also select vertical and horizontal
alignment options. For more information on specific HTML tags, see an HTML reference.
Photoshop and ImageReady do not display HTML text in the document window; you must use a web browser to
preview the text. Be sure to preview HTML text in different browsers, with different browser settings, and on
different operating systems to confirm that your text is displayed correctly on the web.
Note: The amount of text in a No Image slice can affect the layout of an exported page.

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See also
“To preview an optimized image in a browser” on page 597

To add HTML text to a slice

1 Select a slice. If you are working in Photoshop, double-click the slice with the Slice Select tool to display the Slice

Options dialog box.

2 In the Slice Options dialog box (Photoshop) or the Slice palette (ImageReady), select No Image from the Type

menu.

3 Type the desired text in the text box.

4 (Photoshop Save For Web dialog box and ImageReady) If the text includes HTML formatting tags, select the Text

Is HTML option. If you don’t select this option, HTML formatting tags are displayed as text in the resulting web page.

5 (Photoshop Save For Web dialog box and ImageReady) If desired, select options in the Cell Alignment section of

the dialog box:

Default Uses the browser’s default for horizontal alignment.

Left Aligns the text to the left side of the slice area.
Center Aligns the text to the center of the slice area.
Right Aligns the text to the right side of the slice area.
Default Uses the browser’s default for vertical alignment.
Top Aligns the text to the top of the slice area.
Baseline Sets a common baseline for the first line of text in cells in the same row (of the resulting HTML table). Each
cell in the row must use the Baseline option.
Middle Centers the text vertically in the slice area.
Bottom Aligns the text to the bottom of the slice area.

Image maps
About image maps (ImageReady)
Image maps link an area of an image to a URL. You can set up multiple linked areas—called image map areas—in an
image, with links to other web pages or multimedia files.
When choosing between using slices or image maps to create hyperlinks, consider the following:
• Using image maps keeps the exported image intact as a single file, whereas using slices causes the image to be

exported as separate files (one per slice).
• With image maps, you can link circular, polygonal, or rectangular areas in an image; with slices you can link only

rectangular areas.
• Image maps do not allow as much flexibility in optimization as slices.

Note: To avoid unexpected results, do not create image map areas in slices that contain URL links—some browsers ignore
either the image map links or the slice links.

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You can create image map areas using an Image Map tool or a layer, and then set options for the image map sections
in the Image Map palette.
• Tool-based image map areas. Create these using an Image Map tool; drag in the image to define the image map

area.
• Layer-based image map areas. Create these from a layer; the layer’s content defines the shape of the image map

area. If you edit the layer’s content, the image map area automatically adjusts to accommodate the change.
Note: If you add a rollover effect to an image map area, the area becomes a new slice.

Layer-based rectangle image map compared to polygonal image map

Important: If you overlap image map areas, the topmost area is active.

To create an image map area using an image map tool (ImageReady)
1 Select the Rectangle Image Map tool
toolbox.

, the Circle Image Map tool

, or the Polygon Image Map tool

in the

2 (Optional) If you use the Rectangle or Circle Image Map, select Fixed Size to specify the dimensions of the image
map area. Enter pixel values in whole numbers. If you use the Polygon tool, enter a value or choose a value from the
Quality pop-up slider to set the number of segments in the polygon.
3 Do one of the following to define the image map area: With the Rectangle or Circle Image Map tool, drag over the
area you want to define. Shift-drag to constrain the area to a square or circle. Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag
(Mac OS) to drag an image map area from its center.
• With the Polygon Image Map tool, click in the image to set the starting point. Position the pointer where you want

the first straight segment to end, and click. Continue clicking to set endpoints for subsequent segments. Hold
down Shift to constrain the segment to 45˚ increments. Shift+Option-drag (Mac OS) to constrain and draw from
the center. To close the border, double-click, or position the pointer over the starting point (a closed circle appears
next to the pointer) and click.
To add points to a polygonal image map area, select the Image Map Select tool, and Shift-click where you want to
add a point. To remove points from a polygonal image map area, select either the Image Map Select or the Polygon
tool, and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the points you want to remove.

To create an image map area from a layer (ImageReady)
1 In the Layers palette, choose a layer from which to create an image map area. (To use multiple layers in one image
map area, first merge the layers.)
2 Choose Layer > New Layer Based Image Map Area or choose Promote Layer Based Image Map Area from the

Image Map palette menu.

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To change the shape of a layer-based image map area (ImageReady)

1 Select a layer-based image map area by clicking it in the Web Content palette or by using the Image Map Select

.
tool

2 In the Layer Based Settings section of the Image Map palette, choose an option from the pop-up menu of shapes:
Rectangle, Circle, or Polygon. If you choose Polygon, enter a value or choose a value from the Quality pop-up slider
to set the number of segments in the polygon.

See also
“To select an image map area (ImageReady)” on page 593

To convert a layer-based image map area to a tool-based image map area
(ImageReady)
1 Select a layer-based image map area by clicking it in the Web Content palette or by using the Image Map Select
.
tool
2 Choose Promote Layer Based Image Map Area from the Image Map palette menu. If the layer contains multiple,
nonoverlapping areas of pixel content, ImageReady creates multiple tool-based image map areas.

See also
“To select an image map area (ImageReady)” on page 593

To show or hide image map areas (ImageReady)
• Click the Image Map Visibility button

in the toolbox. This button works like a toggle to show or hide image

map areas.
• Choose View > Show > Image Maps.
• Choose View > Extras. This command also shows or hides selection edges, slices, text bounds, text baseline, and

text selections.
Note: When you select the Image Map Select tool, image map areas are automatically shown.

To set image map display preferences (ImageReady)
Image map preferences determine how image map areas appear in the document window. You can set preferences
for image map lines, line color, and color adjustments.
1 Do one of the following:
• In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Image Maps.

• In Mac OS, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Image Maps.

2 To display image map lines only and deselect color adjustment display, select Show Lines Only.

3 To show a bounding box for circular image map areas, select Show Bounding Box.

4 To change the color of image map lines, choose a color from the Line Color menu. When you change the color of

image map lines, lines denoting selected areas change to a contrasting color.

5 To change the degree of color adjustment to the image map, enter a value, or choose a value from the Image Map

Overlay slider. The value determines the brightness and contrast of unselected image map areas.

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To display the Image Map palette (ImageReady)
❖ Choose Window > Image Map, or click the palette button

Select tool

to the right of the options bar for the Image Map

To rename an image map area (ImageReady)

1 Select an image map area.

2 In the Image Map palette, enter a new name in the Name text box.

To specify link options for an image map area (ImageReady)
1 Select an image map area.
2 In the Image Map palette, enter a URL, or choose a previously created URL from the URL menu. You can enter a

relative URL or absolute (full) URL. If you enter an absolute URL, be sure to include the proper protocol (for

example, http://www.adobe.com, not www.adobe.com). For more information on relative and absolute URLs, see an

HTML reference.

3 In the Image Map palette, enter the name of a target frame in the Target text box, or choose an option from the

Target menu:

_blank Displays the linked file in a new window, leaving the original browser window open.

_self Displays the linked file in the same frame as the original file.
_parent Displays the linked file in its own original parent frameset. Use this option if the HTML document contains

must match a frame name previously defined in the HTML file for the document. When a user clicks the link, the
specified file appears in the new frame.
Note: For more information on frames, see an HTML reference.
4 In the Image Map palette, enter text for an Alt tag in the Alt text box. The Alt text appears in place of the image
map area in nongraphical browsers. In many browsers, it also appears if the user positions the mouse over the image
map area.

To select an image map area (ImageReady)
❖ Do one of the following:

• In the Web Content palette, click the image map name. Shift-click to select multiple images.
• With the Image Map Select tool

, click an image map area in the image. Shift-click to add areas to the selection.
You can also select multiple image map areas by clicking outside an image map area and dragging across the image
map areas you want to select.

To move a tool-based image map area (ImageReady)

1 Select one or more image map areas you want to move.

2 Position the pointer inside the image map area, and drag it to a new position. Press Shift to restrict movement to

a vertical, horizontal, or 45˚ diagonal line.

Note: To move a layer-based image map area, move or edit the layer.

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To resize a tool-based image map area (ImageReady)
1 Select an image map with the Image Map Select tool

or in the Web Content palette.

Note: If you select a polygonal image map, the cursor changes to a white arrow to show you where to point on the handle.
The other tools use the standard resize cursor.
2 Grab a handle of the boundary box by holding the mouse button down while the cursor is over the handle.
3 Drag a handle on the image map border to resize the image map area.

Note: To resize a layer-based image map area, move or edit the layer.

To resize and move a tool-based image map area using numeric coordinates

(ImageReady)

1 Select a rectangular or circular image map area.

2 In the Dimensions area of the Image Map palette, change one or more of the following options:

X Specifies the distance, in pixels, between the left edge of a rectangular image map area, or the center point of a

circular image map area, and the origin of the ruler in the document window.

Y Specifies the distance, in pixels, between the top edge of a rectangular image map area, or the center point of a

circular image map area, and the origin of the ruler in the document window.

Note: The default origin of the ruler is the upper left corner of the image.
W Specifies the width of a rectangular image map area.
H Specifies the height of a rectangular image map area.
R Specifies the radius of a circular image map area.

To duplicate an image map area (ImageReady)
You can create a duplicate image map area with the same dimensions and settings as the original image map area.
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select one or more image map areas, and choose Duplicate Image Map Areas from the Image Map palette menu.
• Select one or more image map areas, and Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) from inside the image

map area.
• Select a image map in the Web Content palette, and choose Duplicate Image Map from the palette menu.
• Select a number of image maps with the Image Map Select tool. Either right-click (Windows) or Control-click

(Mac OS) with the cursor in one of the image maps. This brings up the context menu for image maps. Select
Duplicate Image Map Areas.
The duplicate image map area appears on top of the original (offset 10 pixels down and to the right), and becomes
the current selection. You can move, resize, or otherwise modify it.

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To arrange or align image maps (ImageReady)
The Web Content palette displays the stacking order of image maps. The image map on the top of your stack takes
precedence, so it’s helpful to be able to arrange them.
1 To change the stacking order, do one of the following:
• Select one or more image map areas you want to arrange. You can select a combination of tool-based image map

areas and layer-based image map areas. Then, with the Image Map Select tool active, click a stacking order option
in the options bar. Alternatively, choose a stacking order command from the Image Map palette menu.

Stacking order options
A. Bring To Front B. Bring Forward

C. Send Backward

D. Send To Back

• Drag an image map up or down in the Web Content palette.
2 To align image maps, select a number of image maps with the Image Map Select tool. Either right-click (Windows)
or Control-click (Mac OS) with the cursor in one of the image maps. This brings up the context menu for image
maps. Select an Align option: Top Edges, Vertical Centers, Bottom Edges, Left Edges, Horizontal Centers, Right
Edges.

See also
“To align tool-based image map areas (ImageReady)” on page 595
“To use the Web Content palette (ImageReady)” on page 606

To align tool-based image map areas (ImageReady)
You can align and distribute tool-based image map areas to the top, bottom, left, right, and middle.
Note: To align layer-based image map areas, first select the layers, and then choose an alignment option from the Edit >
Align Linked submenu.
1 Select the tool-based image map areas you want to align or distribute.
2 With the Image Map Select tool active, select an alignment option in the options bar.

Alignment options
A. Top B. Vertical Centers

C. Bottom

D. Left E. Horizontal Centers

F. Right

3 With the Image Map Select tool active, select a distribution option in the options bar.

Distribute options
A. Top B. Vertical Centers

C. Bottom

D. Left E. Horizontal Centers

F. Right

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To delete image maps (ImageReady)
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select the image map area and press the Backspace key or the Delete key.
• Select the image map area and choose Delete Image Map Areas from the Image Map palette menu.
• Select the image map in the Web Content palette and drag it to the Delete icon.
• Select a number of image maps with the Image Map Select tool. Either right-click (Windows) or Control-click

(Mac OS) while the cursor is in one of the image maps. This brings up the context menu for image maps. Select
Delete Image Map Areas.

Client-side and server-side image maps (ImageReady)
ImageReady can create client-side and server-side image maps. In client-side image maps, the links are interpreted
by the browser itself. In server-side image maps, the links are interpreted by the server. Because client-side image
maps don’t need to contact the server to function, they are often significantly faster to navigate. By default,
ImageReady saves image maps as client-side image maps.
Important: Server-side image maps do not work in images that have multiple slices.
You select an image map type in the Output Settings dialog box. If you select a server-side image map, ImageReady
generates a separate map file based on the server option you select. However, you’ll need to update the path to the
map file in your HTML file.

See also
“HTML output options” on page 647

Previewing web graphics
Previewing an image in a browser
To get an idea of how an optimized image will look in a web page, you can preview the image in any browser installed
on your system. The browser displays the image with a caption listing the image’s file type, pixel dimensions, file size,
and compression specifications in the first paragraph, and file name and other HTML information in the second
paragraph. You can add additional browsers to the menu, and specify which browser will be launched when using a
keyboard shortcut.

To add a browser
1 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Choose File > Save For Web, and then choose Edit List from the Select Browser menu at the bottom

of the dialog box. Click the Add button in the Browsers dialog box.
• (ImageReady) Choose File > Preview In > Edit Browser List. Click the Add button in the Edit Browsers List dialog

box.
2 In the Preview In Other Browser dialog box, navigate to the browser application on your computer, and then click
the Open button. The browser name appears in the Browsers dialog box.

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To add all browsers on your computer
❖ Do one of the following:

• (Photoshop) Choose File > Save For Web, and then choose Edit List from the Select Browser menu at the bottom

of the dialog box. Click the Find All button. All the browsers installed on your computer appear. Click the OK
button.
• (ImageReady) Choose File > Preview In > Edit Browser List. Click the Find All button. All the browsers installed

on your computer appear. Click the OK button.

To preview an optimized image in a browser
❖ Do one of the following:

• (Photoshop) Choose File > Save for web, and then choose the browser you want to use from the Select Browser

menu. (Choose Other to select a browser not listed in the submenu.) You can also click the Preview In button
to display the image in the default browser.
• (ImageReady) Choose File > Preview In, and then choose an option from the submenu (choose Other to select a

browser not listed in the submenu), or select a browser from the Preview In Browser tool in the toolbox.

Creating web photo galleries
Web photo galleries
A web photo gallery is a web site that features a home page with thumbnail images and gallery pages with full-size
images. Each page contains links that allow visitors to navigate the site. For example, when a visitor clicks a thumbnail
image on the home page, the associated full-size image is loaded into a gallery page. You use the Web Photo Gallery
command to automatically generate a web photo gallery from a set of images.

Web photo gallery home page

Photoshop provides a variety of styles for your gallery, which you can select using the Web Photo Gallery command.
If you are an advanced user who knows HTML, you can create a new style or customize a style by editing a set of
HTML template files.
Each template for gallery styles comes with different options. If you’re using a preset style, some options may be
dimmed, or unavailable in that particular style.

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See also
“Customizing web photo gallery styles” on page 601

To create a web photo gallery

1 (Optional) Select the files or folder you want to use in Adobe Bridge.

Your images will be presented in the order in which they’re displayed in Bridge. If you’d rather use a different order,

change the order in Bridge.

2 Do one of the following:
• In Adobe Bridge, choose Tools > Photoshop > Web Photo Gallery.
• In Photoshop, choose File > Automate > Web Photo Gallery.
3 Choose a style for the gallery from the Styles pop-up menu. A preview of the home page for the chosen style

appears in the dialog box.

4 (Optional) Enter an e-mail address as the contact information for the gallery.

5 Choose the source files for your gallery from the Use menu.

Selected Images From Adobe Bridge Uses images you selected before opening the Web Photo Gallery dialog box.

Folder Uses images from folders you select using the Browse (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS) buttons. Select
Include All Subfolders to include images inside any subfolders of the selected folder.
6 Click Destination, and then select a folder in which to store the images and HTML pages for the gallery. Then
click OK (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).
7 Select formatting options for the web gallery. Choose from the Options menu to display each set of options. See
“Web photo gallery options” on page 599.
8 Click OK. Photoshop places the following HTML and JPEG files in your destination folder:
• A home page for your gallery named index.htm or index.html, depending on the Extension options. Open this file

in any web browser to preview your gallery.
• JPEG images inside an images subfolder.
• HTML pages inside a pages subfolder.
• JPEG thumbnail images inside a thumbnails subfolder.

See also
“Making sure that your colors match” on page 599

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Making sure that your colors match
If you work with photos in a wide-gamut color working space such as ProPhoto RGB or Adobe RGB, you might want
to convert the image profile to sRGB before optimizing it or including it in a Web Photo Gallery. Most web browsers
can’t read embedded color profiles and assume an sRGB profile. If your images look desaturated in a web gallery,
convert them to sRGB in one of the following ways. It is a good idea to work with a copy of the images.
• To convert a single image, choose Edit > Convert To Profile and then choose sRGB. See “To convert colors in a

document to another profile” on page 268.
• To convert a folder of images, use the Image Processor. Choose File > Scripts > Image Processor. See “To convert

files with the Image Processor” on page 739.
If you use the Image Processor, you can save the files directly to JPEG format in the size that you want them. If you
do so, make sure to turn Resize Images off in the Large Image options.

Web photo gallery options
General Options for file extensions, encoding, and metadata.
• Extension Uses either .htm or .html as the file name extension.
• Use UTF 8 Encoding For URL Uses UTF-8 encoding.
• Add Width And Height Attributes For Images Specifies dimensions, shortening download time.
• Preserve All Metadata Maintains metadata info.

Banner Text options for the banner that appears on each page in the gallery. Enter text for each of these:

• Site Name The name of the gallery.
• Photographer The name of the person or organization receiving credit for the photos in the gallery.
• Contact Info The contact information for the gallery, such as a telephone number or a business address.
• Date The date appearing on each page of the gallery. By default, Photoshop uses the current date.
• Font and Font Size (Not always available) Options for the banner text.
Large Images Options for the main images that appear on each gallery page.
• Resize Images Resizes the source images for placement on the gallery pages. Choose a size from the pop-up menu
or enter a size in pixels. For Constrain, choose which dimensions of the image you want to constrain during resizing.
For JPEG Quality, choose an option from the pop-up menu, enter a value between 0 and 12, or drag the slider. The
higher the value, the better the image quality and the larger the file.

Note: Photoshop uses the default image interpolation method set in preferences. Choose Bicubic Sharper as the default
for best results when reducing image size. See “To specify the default interpolation method” on page 184.
• Border Size Specifies the width, in pixels, of the border around the image.
• Titles Use Specifies options for displaying captions under each image. Select Filename to display the file name, or
select Description, Credits, Title, and Copyright to display description text drawn from the File Info dialog box.
• Font and Font Size Specify the font and size of the caption.

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Thumbnails Options for the gallery home page, including the size of the thumbnail images.
• Size Specifies the thumbnail size. Choose from the pop-up menu or enter a value in pixels for the width of each
thumbnail.
• Columns and Rows Specify the number of columns and rows in which to display thumbnails on the home page.
This option doesn’t apply to galleries that use the Horizontal Frame Style or Vertical Frame Style.
• Border Size Specifies the width, in pixels, of the border around each thumbnail.
• Titles Specifies options for displaying captions under each thumbnail. Select Filename to display the file name, or
select Description, Credits, Title, and Copyright to display description text drawn from the File Info dialog box.
• Font and Font Size Specify the font and size of the caption.
Custom Colors Options for colors of elements in the gallery. To change the color of an element, click its color swatch

and then select a new color from the Adobe Color Picker. You can change the background color of each page
(Background option) and of the banner (Banner option).
Security Displays text over each image as a theft deterrent.
• Content Specifies the text to be displayed. Select Custom Text to enter customized text. Select Filename,
Description, Credits, Title, or Copyright to display text drawn from the File Info dialog box.
• Font, Color, and Position Specify the font, color, and alignment of the caption.
• Rotation options Place the text on the image at an angle.

Web photo gallery styles
Photoshop provides a variety of styles for your web photo gallery. If you are an advanced user who knows HTML,

you can create a new style or customize a style by editing a set of HTML template files.

The web photo gallery styles provided by Photoshop are stored in individual folders in the following locations:

Windows Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop CS/Presets/Web Photo Gallery.

Mac OS Adobe Photoshop CS/Presets/Web Photo Gallery.

The name of each folder in this location appears as an option in the Styles menu in the Web Photo Gallery dialog

box. Each folder contains the following HTML template files, which Photoshop uses to generate the gallery:

Caption.htm Determines the layout of the caption that appears below each thumbnail on the home page.

FrameSet.htm Determines the layout of the frame set for displaying pages.

IndexPage.htm Determines the layout of the home page.

SubPage.htm Determines the layout of the gallery pages with full-size images.

Thumbnail.htm Determines the layout of the thumbnails that appear on the home page.

Each template file contains HTML code and tokens. A token is a text string that is replaced by Photoshop when you

set its corresponding option in the Web Photo Gallery dialog box. For example, a template file may contain the

following TITLE element that uses a token as its enclosed text:

%TITLE%

When Photoshop generates the gallery using this template file, it replaces the token %TITLE% with the text that you

entered for Site Name in the Web Photo Gallery dialog box.

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To better understand an existing style, you can open and study its HTML template files using an HTML editor.
Because only standard ASCII characters are required to create HTML documents, you can open, edit, and create
these documents using a plain-text editor such as Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac OS).

Customizing web photo gallery styles
You can customize an existing web photo gallery style by editing one or more of its HTML template files. When
customizing a style, you need to follow these guidelines so that Photoshop can generate the gallery correctly:
• The style folder must contain these files: Caption.htm, IndexPage.htm, SubPage.htm, Thumbnail.htm, and

FrameSet.htm.
• You can rename the style folder but not the HTML template files in the folder.
• You can have an empty Caption.htm file, and place the HTML code and tokens determining the layout of the

caption in the Thumbnail.htm file.
• You can replace a token in a template file with the appropriate text or HTML code, so that an option is set through

the template file rather than through the Web Photo Gallery dialog box. For example, a template file may contain
a BODY element with the following bgcolor attribute that uses a token as its value:
bgcolor=%BGCOLOR%
To set the background color of the page to red, you can replace the token %BGCOLOR% with “FF0000.”
• You can add HTML code and tokens to the template files. All tokens must be in uppercase characters, and begin

and end with the percent (%) symbol. For information on the tokens that you can use in the template files, see
“Web photo gallery style tokens” on page 602.

To customize or create a web photo gallery style
1 Locate the folder that stores the existing web photo gallery styles.
2 Do one of the following:
• To customize a style, create a copy of the style folder, and store it in the same location as the existing style folders.
• To create a new style, create a new folder for the new style, and store it in the same location as the existing style

folders.
The new or customized style (named for its folder) appears in the Styles menu in the Web Photo Gallery dialog box.
3 Using an HTML editor, do one of the following:
• Customize the HTML template file.
• Create the necessary HTML template files and store them inside the style folder.

When creating the template files, make sure that you follow the guidelines for customization outlined in “Custom
izing web photo gallery styles” on page 601.
Important: When customizing or creating a template for a gallery style, you should place each of the following tokens
on a separate line in the HTML file: %CURRENTINDEX%, %NEXTIMAGE%, %NEXTINDEX%, %PAGE%,
%PREVIMAGE%, and %PREVINDEX%. When generating specific pages of a gallery, Photoshop skips lines in a
template that contain tokens that don’t apply to those pages. For example, when Photoshop generates the first gallery
page, it skips any line in the template that contains the %PREVIMAGE% token, which determines the link to the previous
gallery page. By keeping the %PREVIMAGE% token on a separate line, you ensure that Photoshop doesn’t ignore other
tokens in the template.

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Web photo gallery style tokens
Photoshop uses tokens in the HTML template files to define a default web photo gallery style. Photoshop uses these

tokens to generate a gallery based on user input in the Web Photo Gallery dialog box.

When customizing or creating a gallery style, you can add any token to any HTML template file, with the exception

of %THUMBNAILS% and %THUMBNAILSROWS%, which can appear only in the IndexPage.htm file. When

adding a token, keep in mind that you may also need to add HTML code to the file so that the token is used correctly.

You can use the following tokens in the HTML template files:

%ALINK% Determines the color of active links.

%ALT% Determines the name of an image file.

%ANCHOR% Provides the ability to return to the thumbnail of the image the user is viewing, rather than the

beginning of the index. This takes effect when the user clicks the Home button.

%BANNERCOLOR% Determines the color of the banner.

%BANNERFONT% Determines the font of the banner text.

%BANNERFONTSIZE% Determines the font size of the banner text.

%BGCOLOR% Determines the background color.

%CAPTIONFONT% Determines the font of the caption below each thumbnail on the home page.

%CAPTIONFONTSIZE% Determines the font size of the caption.

%CHARSET% Determines the character set used on each page.

%CONTENT_GENRATOR% Expands to “Adobe Photoshop CS Web Photo Gallery.”

%CURRENTINDEX% Determines the link for the current home page.

%CURRENTINDEXANCHOR% Resides in SubPage.htm and points to the first index page.

%DATE% Determines the date that appears on the banner.

%FILEINFO% Determines the image file information for a caption.

%FILENAME% Determines the file name of an image. Use this for metadata that appears as HTML text.

%FILENAME_URL% Determines the URL file name of an image. Use this for URL file names only.

%FIRSTPAGE% Determines the link for the first gallery page that appears in the right frame of a frame set.

%FRAMEINDEX% Determines the link for the home page that appears in the left frame of a frame set.

%HEADER% Determines the title of the gallery.

%IMAGEBORDER% Determines the border size of the full-size image on a gallery page.

%IMAGE_HEIGHT% Enables the Add Width And Height Attributes For Images check box. This allows the user to

download the attributes, reducing download time.

%IMAGE_HEIGHT_NUMBER% This token is replaced by a numeral (only) representing the width of the image.

%IMAGEPAGE% Determines the link to a gallery page.

%IMAGE_SIZE% If the Resize Images box is selected, this token contains the image pixel value used in the Large

Images panel. If the box is not selected, this token contains an empty string. This is useful for JavaScript in the
templates, because it can show the maximum height and width values for all images for the generated site.

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%IMAGESRC% Determines the URL for a full-size image on a gallery page.
%IMAGE_WIDTH% Enables the Add Width And Height Attributes For Images check box. This allows the user to

download the attributes, reducing download time.

%IMAGE_WIDTH_NUMBER% This token is replaced by a numeral (only) representing the width of the image.

%LINK% Determines the color of links.

%NEXTIMAGE% Determines the link for the next gallery page.

%NEXTIMAGE_CIRCULAR% Sets the link from large preview image to next large preview image.

%NEXTINDEX% Determines the link for the next home page.

%NUMERICLINKS% Inserts numbered links on subpages to all large preview images.

%PAGE% Determines the current page location (for example, page 1 of 3).

%PHOTOGRAPHER% Determines the name of the person or organization receiving credit for the photos in the

gallery.

%PREVIMAGE% Determines the link for the previous gallery page.

%PREVINDEX% Determines the link for the previous home page.

%SUBPAGEHEADER% Determines the title of the gallery.

%SUBPAGETITLE% Determines the title of the gallery.

%TEXT% Determines the text color.

%THUMBBORDER% Determines the size of thumbnail borders.

%THUMBNAIL_HEIGHT% Enables the Add Width And Height Attributes For Images check box. This allows the

user to download the attributes, reducing download time.
%THUMBNAIL_HEIGHT_NUMBER% This token is replaced with a numeral (only) representing the height of the

thumbnail.

%THUMBNAILS% This token is replaced with thumbnails using the Thumbnail.htm file for the frame styles. You

must place this token alone in a single, nonbreaking line in the HTML file.
%THUMBNAIL_SIZE% Contains the thumbnail pixel value in the Thumbnails panel. This is useful for JavaScript in

the templates, as it can show the maximum height and width values for all thumbnails for the generated site.

%THUMBNAILSRC% Determines the link to a thumbnail.

%THUMBNAILSROWS% This token is replaced with rows of thumbnails using the Thumbnail.htm file for the

nonframe styles. You must place this token alone in a single, nonbreaking line in the HTML file.
%THUMBNAIL_WIDTH% Enables the Add Width And Height Attributes For Images check box. This allows the user

to download the attributes, reducing download time.

%THUMBNAIL_WIDTH_NUMBER% This token is replaced by a numeral (only) representing the width of the

thumbnail.

%TITLE% Determines the title of the gallery.

%VLINK% Determines the color of visited links.

604

Chapter 21: Rollovers and animations

Rollovers
About rollovers (ImageReady)
A rollover is a button or image on a web page that changes when a viewer moves the pointer over it or clicks it. The
button itself can change or another item on the page, such as a photo or list of menu items, may appear. A remote
rollover triggers a change in a web page element other than the button or image being rolled over.
To create a rollover, you define the rollover image as a layer-based slice or a layer-based image map. Then you work
with the Web Content palette and the Layers palette in ImageReady, doing any of the following to create different
versions of the graphic:
• Modify the contents of a layer by adding or changing a layer style or moving layer contents.
• Replace the contents of an image with a new layer.
• Replace the contents of a layer elsewhere on the page.
• Add frames to create a rollover animation.

Alternatively, you can apply one of the preset rollover styles from the Styles palette to an image layer. Rollover styles
are a quick and easy way to create rollovers or to reuse a rollover you’ve create with other graphics. See “To copy and
paste rollover states (ImageReady)” on page 612.
Rollover states

Every rollover has two or more states that you create and manage in the Web Content palette. A state is defined by a
specific configuration of the Layers palette, including layer location, styles, and other formatting options.
A

An image with three rollover states
A. Normal state B. Over state C. Down state

By default, an image has one state—the Normal state. The Normal state corresponds to the appearance of an image
when it is first loaded into a web browser and no rollover effects have occurred. You can add image states that occur
when a viewer performs a mouse action—such as rolling over or clicking over an area of the web page.
Using layers

When you add a new state to the image, you capture a snapshot of the slice or image map area in the previous state.
You can then use the Layers palette to make changes to the image in the new state. You can change the layer’s style,
visibility, and position to create rollover effects.

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Illustration of a rollover. The button is on its own layer; effects are added to the layer to create a new appearance of the button for the Over
state. The text for the word “EVENTS” is also on a separate layer.

Saving the rollover

When you save an image with rollover states along with an HTML file, ImageReady adds JavaScript code to the
HTML file to specify rollover states, and each rollover state is saved as a separate image file.
You can open the HTML file in GoLive for further editing, or import the separate rollover-state files into your GoLive
page. When you use the separate files that ImageReady saves, GoLive automatically recognizes the related state files.

See also
“Editing layers in rollover states and animation frames (ImageReady)” on page 613
“To create Selected state rollovers (ImageReady)” on page 610

About the Web Content palette (ImageReady)
(The Web Content palette lets you create, view, and set options for the rollover states in an image. In addition to
rollover states, the Web Content palette can display slices, image maps, and animation frames. Displaying slices and
image maps helps you keep track of the elements in an image that contain rollover effects. Displaying animation
frames makes it easy to see which states of an image contain animations.

The Web Content palette
A. Image Map B. Slice C. Create Layer-Based Rollover button D. Group Slice Into Table button
Rollover State button

E. New Slice Set button

F. Create

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In addition to the slice badge icons, the following icons can appear in the Web Content palette.
Slice visibility
Slice has an active rollover state
Targets slice state for remote rollover
State has associated remote slice
State has associated animation
State has associated animation
Slice is a nested table

See also
“Viewing slices” on page 575

To use the Web Content palette (ImageReady)
❖ Do any of the following:

• To display the Web Content palette, choose Window > Web Content. A check mark indicates that the palette is

visible.
• To access commands for working with rollovers, click the triangle in the upper right corner of the palette to display

the palette menu.
• To display slices and image maps in the Web Content palette, click the triangle next to the Image Maps

and
sections in the palette. An option in the Palette Options area of the Web Content palette menu toggles
Slices
the display of slice badges, which are small icons on each slice that display the slice’s current properties.

• To display animation frames in the Web Content palette, choose Palette Options from the Web Content palette

menu. Select or deselect Include Animation Frames, and click OK.
• To change the size of rollover thumbnails, choose Palette Options from the Web Content palette menu, and select

a thumbnail size. For sizes other than None, select Object Bounds or Entire Document to determine the contents
of thumbnails.
• To expand and collapse states, slices, and image maps, click the triangle to the left of an item in the Web Content

palette. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) expands or contracts all options.

Creating a rollover (ImageReady)
Use the following general workflow to create a set of rollover buttons. You can make rollovers using layer-based slices
or layer-based image maps.
1. Create the content for the Normal state.

If you are creating a rollover button, start by creating the button as you want it to look when the page is first loaded
in a web browser. Make sure to put each button in a set of rollover buttons in a separate layer so that you can create
a layer-based slice or image map.
If you plan to completely replace the contents of the Normal state (as opposed to modifying the layer’s style), create
contents for other states in other layers.

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2. If using image maps, make each button a layer-based image map.

Choose Layer > New Layer Based Image Map Area. You’ll need to add each state, including the first state. See “To
add a rollover state (ImageReady)” on page 608.
3. If using slices, make each button a layer-based rollover button.

Click the Create Layer-Based Rollover button on the Web Content palette. ImageReady creates an image-based slice
and adds the Over state to the Web Content palette. See “To create a layer-based slice for a rollover (ImageReady)”
on page 608.
4. Add rollover states.

Create additional rollover states as needed, or change the default Over state automatically created by the layer-based
rollover button. See “To add a rollover state (ImageReady)” on page 608 and “To change a rollover state
(ImageReady)” on page 608.
5. Edit the layer content for the state to create the rollover effect.

Select the state you want to work with in the Web Content palette. You can apply and change layer styles for each
state, change the position of content in each layer, or change the visibility of a layer. If you are replacing the contents
of one layer with another, make the first layer invisible and the second visible for that state.
For more information on changes you can make to each state, see “Editing layers in rollover states and animation
frames (ImageReady)” on page 613.
You can use layer styles to create instant rollover effects. When working with layer-based slices, you can also save the
series of states as a rollover style. (See “To apply a rollover style to a layer (ImageReady)” on page 609.)
6. If you are creating a remote rollover, target the remote slice to the selected state.

Use the Pickwhip icon in the Web Content palette to point to the slice that contains the image for the remote rollover.
See “To create a remote rollover (ImageReady)” on page 609.
7. Optimize the image.

Choose a file format for the image and set optimization options in the optimization palette. See “To optimize an
image for the web” on page 628.
8. Preview the rollover.

Preview the rollover in ImageReady as you create it. Then preview it in various web browsers used by your audience.
See “To preview rollovers (ImageReady)” on page 611.
9. Save the rollover.

Save a web version of your rollover using the File > Save Optimized command. Make sure that the output settings are
set to save an HTML page along with the image files. ImageReady will write the JavaScript code for the rollover in
the HTML page.

See also
“Editing layers in rollover states and animation frames (ImageReady)” on page 613

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To create a layer-based slice for a rollover (ImageReady)

1 Select the layer in the Layers palette, or choose Layer > New Layer-Based Slice from the main menu. The content

of the layer will define the active area for the rollover.

2 Click the Create Layer-Based Rollover button

in the Web Content palette.

By default, ImageReady adds an Over state to the new slice.

To add a rollover state (ImageReady)

1 In the Web Content palette or the image, select a slice or image map.

2 In the Web Content palette, click the Create Rollover State button

3 Use the default rollover state assigned by ImageReady, or select a different rollover state.

See also
“To change a rollover state (ImageReady)” on page 608
“Rollover state options (ImageReady)” on page 608

To change a rollover state (ImageReady)
1 Do one of the following:
• Double-click a rollover state in the Web Content palette.
• Select a rollover state in the Web Content palette, and choose Rollover State Options from the palette menu.
2 Select a state, and click OK. See “Rollover state options (ImageReady)” on page 608.

Rollover state options (ImageReady)
Choose from the following options when setting a rollover state.
Over Activates the image when the viewer moves the pointer over (“rolls over”) the slice or image map area while
the mouse button is not pressed. (Over is automatically selected for the second rollover state.)
Down Activates the image when the viewer presses the mouse button while rolling over the slice or image map area.

The state persists as long as the viewer keeps the mouse button pressed and the pointer is over the area.
Click Activates the image when the viewer clicks the mouse while the pointer is over the slice or image map area.
The state persists until the viewer moves the pointer out of the rollover area.

Note: Different web browsers, or different versions of a browser, may process clicks and double-clicks differently. For
example, some browsers leave the slice in the Click state after a click, and in the Up state after a double-click; other
browsers use the Up state only as a transition into the Click state, regardless of single- or double-clicking. To ensure that
your web page will function correctly, preview rollovers in various web browsers.
Custom Activates the image of the specified name when the viewer performs the action defined in the corre

sponding JavaScript code. (You must create JavaScript code and add it to the HTML file for the web page for the
Custom rollover option to function. See a JavaScript manual for more information.)
Selected Activates the rollover state when the viewer clicks the slice or image map area. The Selected state persists

until the viewer activates another Selected rollover state. Other rollover effects can occur while the Selected state is
in effect. For example, a Selected state for one button and an Over state for another button can be in effect

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neously. However, if both states use a layer, the layer attributes of the Selected state override those of the Over state.
See “To create Selected state rollovers (ImageReady)” on page 610.
Use As Default Selected State Activates the Selected state initially when the document is previewed in ImageReady

or loaded into a web browser.
Out Activates the rollover state when the viewer moves the pointer outside the slice or image map area. (The Normal
state usually serves this purpose.)
Up Activates the rollover state when the viewer releases the mouse button over the slice or image map area. (The

Normal state usually serves this purpose.)
None Preserves the current state of the image for later use, but does not output an image when the file is saved as a
web page.

To apply a rollover style to a layer (ImageReady)
Rollover styles simplify rollover creation by allowing you to turn a layer into a rollover effect with a single click. A

rollover style includes all the attributes of a rollover, including its states and layer effects. When you apply a rollover

style to a layer, the layer becomes a layer-based slice. Rollover styles are indicated in the Styles palette by a triangle

in the upper left corner of the style thumbnail.

1 Select a layer in the Layers palette.

2 Choose Window > Styles, or click the Styles palette tab, to display the Styles palette.

3 Click the thumbnail for the rollover style you want to apply. Rollover style thumbnails have a triangle in the upper

left corner.

To create a rollover style (ImageReady)
You can save rollover states and their effects as a rollover style with which you can create rollovers with similar
characteristics.
Note: You must use a layer-based slice to create a rollover style.
1 In the Web Content palette, create the desired rollover states.

2 Apply the effects to each state by using predefined styles in the Styles palette or by manually setting layer effects

in the Layers palette.

3 In the Styles palette, click the Create New Style button

, or choose New Style from the palette menu.

4 Enter a name for the style, set style options, and click OK. The Include Rollover States option must be selected in

order to create a rollover style.

The new rollover style appears in the Styles palette. The thumbnail preview displays the effects in the Normal state.

To create a remote rollover (ImageReady)
You can set up a rollover to show or hide the content of a slice on another part of your web page. ImageReady gives
you control over which slices change on a rollover state, eliminating unwanted images and complexity.

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Note: In Photoshop 7.0 and earlier versions, all changes made to a document would appear when in a rollover state. This
sometimes caused users to create state changes they didn’t intend. In ImageReady CS, you have much more control over
which slices change on a rollover state.
1 Set up a rollover as you normally do. This becomes the button the user will click to display the remote content. See

“Creating a rollover (ImageReady)” on page 606.

2 Add the remote content to the document and create one or more slices to contain it.

3 For each rollover state, set the desired visibility of the remote content layers in the Layers palette.

4 Specify which remote slices you want to include when you optimize output files in one of these ways:

• To manually mark the remote slices for an individual button, go to the Slice column of the Web Content palette

and select the rollover state that will trigger the remote rollover (for example, Down or Click). Drag the Pickwhip
from the rollover state to the remote content slice in the document window.
icon
• To let ImageReady automatically find and mark all remote slices in the document, go to the Web Content palette

menu and choose Find All Remote Slices.
• To let ImageReady automatically find and mark remote slices for a selected state, go to the Web Content palette

menu and choose Find Remote Slices For State.
5 Preview the remote rollover in a browser. See “To preview rollovers (ImageReady)” on page 611.

To create Selected state rollovers (ImageReady)
You can create a rollover button that stays selected until the viewer clicks another rollover button. A Selected state
rollover is useful for creating navigation a bar that indicates which page the user is viewing.

Web page navigation bar that indicates which page is displayed

1 Create multiple rollovers with a Normal state. Give the buttons the appearance they should have when not
selected.
2 Add a new state to each button. Choose the Selected state option and edit the button to give it its clicked, or
selected, appearance.
3 If you want one of the buttons to look selected when the page first loads, double-click the Selected state of that
button in the Web Content palette, and choose Use As Default Selected State.
4 To generate a unique HTML page for each Selected state, choose File > Output Settings > Saving HTML, and then

select Output Multiple HTML Files. ImageReady will create a separate page for each button in its Selected state. You
then add the appropriate content for each page.

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See also
“Rollover state options (ImageReady)” on page 608

To add animation to a rollover state (ImageReady)
You can add multiple-frame animation to a rollover state. Adding animation to the Normal state causes the
animation to play when the image is loaded in a web browser. Adding animation to another type of state causes the
animation to play when a user activates the state.
1 In the Web Content palette, select the state in which you want to display an animation.
2 Make sure that you can see the Create Animation Frame button and the New Animation Frame command. If they
aren’t visible, choose Palette Options from the Web Content palette menu, and then select Include Animation
Frames.
3 Do one of the following to add frames to the animation:
• Click the Create Animation Frame button

in the Web Content palette or choose New Animation Frame from

the palette menu.
• Create frames in the Animation palette.

See also
“Creating an animation” on page 614

To preview rollovers (ImageReady)
You can preview rollover effects directly in the ImageReady document window by switching to document preview
mode. All remote rollovers affect a previewed document. If a slice has a change that is ignored (not targeted), you
can see it in an ImageReady preview, but not in a browser.
To preview the rollover effect in your computer’s default web browser, click the Preview In Default Browser button in
the toolbox.
1 To view rollovers in document preview mode, do one of the following:
• Click the Preview Document button

in the toolbox.

• Choose Image > Preview Document.
2 In the document window, perform the action that activates the rollover state. For example, position the mouse
over the rollover slice or image map area to preview the Over state. Then click the slice or image map area to preview
the Click state.

Note: If a document contains a Selected state, synthetic states are generated for the other states in the Web Content
palette. The synthetic state represents the appearance of the document when the Selected state is active. Synthetic states
are generated automatically and cannot be edited.
3 To exit rollover preview mode, do one of the following:
• Select any tool in the toolbox.
• Click the Cancel Preview button

in the options bar, or press Esc (Windows).

• Deselect Preview Document in the Image menu.
• Click the Preview Document button again to leave preview mode.

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To copy and paste rollover states (ImageReady)
You can copy a rollover state and paste it into another state in the current rollover or into a state in another rollover.
Layers in the source state replace layers in the destination state.
You can also copy frames from the Animation palette and paste them into the Web Content palette as states, or copy
states from the Web Content palette and paste them into the Animation palette as frames.
Note: Copy commands in the Animation palette and the Web Content palette use an internal clipboard available to these
commands only. Copying frames or rollover states does not overwrite the primary ImageReady clipboard.
1 Select a rollover state, and choose Copy Rollover State from the Web Content palette menu.
2 Select a rollover state in which to paste the copied state:
• Select a state in the current rollover.

• Open or display another rollover, and select a state.

3 Choose Paste Rollover State from the Web Content palette menu.

To duplicate a rollover state (ImageReady)
Duplicating a state is an easy way to add existing animation frames to a new state.
❖ Select a rollover state, and do one of the following:

• Choose Duplicate Rollover State from the Web Content palette menu.
• Drag the state to the Create Rollover State button

The duplicate state and frames appear below the original state in the Web Content palette.

To move a state to another rollover (ImageReady)
❖ Drag the state up or down in the Web Content palette. When the highlighted line appears in the desired position,

release the mouse button.

To delete rollover states (ImageReady)
❖ Do one of the following:

• To delete one state, select a rollover state, and either click the Delete icon

on the Web Content palette or choose

Delete Rollover State from the Web Content palette menu.
• To delete all states in a rollover, choose Delete Rollover from the Web Content palette menu.

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Editing layers in rollover states and animation frames (ImageReady)
Some changes you make to layers affect only the active rollover state or animation frame, while others affect every
state and frame in which the layers are included.
State- and frame-specific changes Affect only the active animation frame or rollover state. By default, changes you

make to layers using Layers palette commands and options—including layer opacity, blending mode, visibility,
position, and style—are state- and frame-specific. However, you can apply layer changes to all states in a rollover and
all frames in an animation using the unify buttons in the Layers palette. (See “To unify layers for rollovers and anima
tions (ImageReady)” on page 613.)
Note: Changes you make to layers in the Normal state or Frame 1—including layer opacity, blending mode, visibility,
position, and style—affect all states or frames in which the layers are identical. For example, consider a slice that has a
Normal state, an Over state, and a Down state. If the layers in the Normal and Over states are identical, and you apply
a layer style in the Normal state, the layer style will also be applied in the Over state.
Inclusive changes Affect every state and frame in which the layers are included. Changes you make to layer pixel

values, using painting and editing tools, color and tone adjustment commands, filters, type, and other image-editing
commands, are examples of inclusive changes.

To unify layers for rollovers and animations (ImageReady)
Changes you make to a layer’s visibility, position, and style apply only to the frame or state (unless you are working

with the Normal state or Frame 1). However, you can use the unify buttons in the Layers palette to apply changes to

all states in a rollover and all frames in an animation.

When a unify button is selected, changes apply to all states and frames; when a button is deselected, changes apply to

only the active state or frame.

1 Select the layer you want to unify across frames or rollover states.

2 Select the frame or state you want to match

3 Select one or more unify buttons in the Layers palette. If the Unify buttons are not visible in the Photoshop layers

palette, choose Animation Options, and then an option from the Layers palette menu.

Unify Layer Position Applies changes you make to a layer’s position to all states in a rollover and all frames in an

animation.

Note: The Unify Layer Position button places the contents of the selected layer in the same place on every frame in your
animation. If you’re trying to show the layer contents moving in the animation, do not use this button.
Unify Layer Visibility button Applies changes you make to a layer’s visibility to all states in a rollover and all frames

in an animation.
Unify Layer Style button Applies changes you make to a layer’s style to all states in a rollover and all frames in an

animation.

To match an existing layer across rollover states and animation frames (ImageReady)
The Match command applies the layer attributes of an existing state or frame to other states in a rollover and frames

in an animation.

1 In the Web Content palette, select the state or frame with the layer attributes you want to use.

2 Select the layer you want to match in the Layers palette.

3 Choose Layer > Match, or choose Match from the Layers palette menu.

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4 Select one of the following from the Match Layer dialog:

Current Animation Applies layer attributes for the selected frame to all frames in the animation.

Current Slice/Image Map’s States Applies layer attributes for the selected state to all states in the rollover.
All Rollovers Applies layer attributes for the selected state to all states in all rollovers (in the image) that include the

layer.
5 Select the layer attributes you want to match (position, visibility, and style), and click OK.

Note: The default setting, Propagate Frame 1 Changes, dynamically updates all rollover states and animation frames,
based on a change in the first frame’s position, visibility, or layer style. If you want the changes in Frame 1 to remain only
in Frame 1, turn off this option by toggling it in the Layers palette pop-up menu.

Animations
Creating an animation
An animation is a sequence of images, or frames, that is displayed over time. Each frame varies slightly from the
preceding frame, creating the illusion of movement when the frames are viewed in quick succession.
You use the Animation palette and the Layers palette to create animation frames. In ImageReady you can also use
the Web Content palette to add an animation to a rollover state. Each frame represents a configuration of layers in
the Layers palette.

Illustration of an animation. The unicycle image is on its own layer; the position of the layer changes in each frame of the animation.

1. Add a frame to the animation palette.

See “To add a frame to an animation” on page 615.
2. Select a frame and edit the layers for that frame.

You can do any of the following:
• Turn visibility on and off for different layers
• Change the position of layers to make layer content move
• Change layer opacity to make content fade in or out

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• Change the blending mode of layers
• Add a style to layers

For some types of animation, such as changing the color of an object, or completely changing the content in a frame,
you need additional layers with the new content. For more information about the types of layer edits and how they
affect animations, see “Editing layers in rollover states and animation frames (ImageReady)” on page 613.
Photoshop and ImageReady also provide tools for keeping characteristics of a layer the same across frames. See “To
unify layers for rollovers and animations (ImageReady)” on page 613.
3. Edit layers for additional frames as needed.

The number of frames you can create is limited only by the amount of system memory available to Photoshop or
ImageReady.
You can generate new frames with intermediate changes between two existing frames in the palette using the Tween
command. This is a quick way to make an object move across the screen or to fade out an object. See “Tweening
frames” on page 618.
4. Set frame delay and looping options.

You can assign a delay time to each frame and specify looping so that the animation runs continuously.
5. Preview the animation.

Use the controls in the animation palette to play the animation as you create it. Then preview the animation in your
web browser. In Photoshop, use Save For Web to preview in a web browser. See “To preview an animation” on
page 621.
6. Optimize the animation for efficient download.

See “Optimizing animations” on page 622.
7. Save the animation.

You can save the animation as an animated GIF. In Photoshop, use Save For Web. In ImageReady you can also save
it in the SWF format. See “Saving files in SWF format (ImageReady)” on page 671. You can also save the animation
in Photoshop format so you can rework the animation later.

To use the Animation palette
❖ Do any of the following:

• To display the Animation palette, choose Window > Animation. A check mark indicates that the palette is visible.
• To use the Animation palette menu, click the triangle in the upper right corner of the palette to access commands

for working with animations.
• To change the size of animation thumbnails, choose Palette Options from the Animation palette menu, select a

thumbnail size, and click OK.

To add a frame to an animation
Adding frames is the first step in creating an animation. If you have an image open, the Animation palette displays
the image as the first frame in a new animation. Each frame you add starts as a duplicate of the preceding frame. You
then make changes to the frame using the Layers palette.

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Note: In ImageReady, always create and edit frames in Original view. While you can view frames in an optimized view,
the editing options are very limited.
❖ Click the Duplicates Current Frame button

in the Animation palette.

See also
“To add animation to a rollover state (ImageReady)” on page 611

To select a frame
Before you can work with a frame, you must select it as the current frame. The contents of the current frame appear
in the document window.
In the Animation palette, the current frame is indicated by a narrow border (inside the shaded selection highlight)
around the frame thumbnail. Selected frames are indicated by a shaded highlight around the frame thumbnails.
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click a frame in the Animation palette.
• (ImageReady) Click a frame in the Web Content palette. If necessary, expand the state that contains the animation

to view its frames.
• In the Animation palette or the Layers palette, click the Selects Next Frame button

to select the next frame in

the series as the current frame.
• In the Animation palette or the Layers palette, click the Selects Previous Frame button

to select the previous

frame in the series as the current frame.
• In the Animation palette, click the Selects First Frame button

to select the first frame in the series as the

current frame.

To select multiple frames
❖ In the Animation palette, do one of the following:

• To select contiguous multiple frames, Shift-click a second frame. The second frame and all frames between the

first and second are added to the selection.
• To select discontiguous multiple frames, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) additional frames to

add those frames to the selection.
• To select all frames, choose Select All Frames from the Animation palette menu.
• To deselect a frame in a multiframe selection, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) that frame.

To edit the image content of a frame

1 Select a frame.

2 Use the Layers palette to modify the image.

See also
“To select a frame” on page 616
“Editing layers in rollover states and animation frames (ImageReady)” on page 613

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To change the position of a frame

1 Select the frame you want to move in the Animation palette or the Web Content palette (ImageReady).

2 Drag the selection to the new position.

Note: In the Animation palette, you can select and change the position of multiple frames. However, if you drag multiple
discontiguous frames, the frames are placed contiguously in the new position.

See also
“To add animation to a rollover state (ImageReady)” on page 611

To reverse the order of frames

1 Select the frames you want to reverse. They do not have to be contiguous; you can reverse any selected frames.

2 Choose Reverse Frames from the Animation palette menu.

See also
“To select multiple frames” on page 616

To delete selected frames
❖ Do one of the following in the Animation palette or the Web Content palette:

• Select Delete Frame from the palette menu.
• Click the Delete icon

, and click Yes to confirm the deletion.

• Drag the selected frame onto the Delete icon.

See also
“To select multiple frames” on page 616

To delete an entire animation
❖ Select Delete Animation from the Animation palette menu or the Web Content palette menu (ImageReady).

To copy and paste layers between frames
To understand what happens when you copy and paste a frame, think of a frame as a duplicate version of an image
with a given layer configuration. When you copy a frame, you copy the configuration of layers (including each layer’s
visibility setting, position, and other attributes). When you paste a frame, you apply that layer configuration to the
destination frame.
1 Select the frame you want to copy in the Animation palette or the Web Content palette (ImageReady).

Note: In the Animation palette, you can select and copy multiple frames.
2 Choose Copy Frame(s) from the Animation palette menu or the Web Content palette menu.
3 Select a destination frame or frames in the current animation or another animation.
4 Choose Paste Frame(s) from the Animation palette menu or the Web Content palette menu.

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5 Select a Paste method:
Replace Frames Replaces the selected frames with the copied frames. When you paste frames into the same image,

no new layers are added to the image; the attributes of each existing layer in the destination frames are replaced by
those of each copied layer. When you paste frames between images, new layers are added to the image; however, only
the pasted layers are visible in the destination frames (the existing layers are hidden).
Paste Over Selection Adds the contents of the pasted frames as new layers in the image. When you paste frames

into the same image, using this option doubles the number of layers in the image. In the destination frames, the newly
pasted layers are visible, and the original layers are hidden. In the nondestination frames, the newly pasted layers are
hidden.
Paste Before Selection or Paste After Selection Adds the copied frames before or after the destination frame.
When you paste frames between images, new layers are added to the image; however, only the pasted layers are visible
in the new frames (the existing layers are hidden).
6 Select Link Added Layers if you want to link pasted layers in the Layers palette. Use this option when you need to
reposition the pasted layers as a unit.
7 Click OK.

Tweening frames
You use the Tween command to automatically add or modify a series of frames between two existing frames—
varying the layer attributes (position, opacity, or effect parameters) evenly between the new frames to create the
appearance of movement. For example, if you want to fade out a layer, set the opacity of the layer in the starting frame
to 100%; then set the opacity of the same layer in the ending frame to 0%. When you tween between the two frames,
the opacity of the layer is reduced evenly across the new frames.
The term tweening is derived from “in betweening,” the traditional animation term used to describe this process.
Tweening significantly reduces the time required to create animation effects such as fading in or fading out, or
moving an element across a frame. You can edit tweened frames individually after you create them.

Using tweening to animate text position

To create frames using tweening

1 To apply tweening to a specific layer, select it in the Layers palette.

2 Select a single frame or multiple contiguous frames.

• If you select a single frame, you choose whether to tween the frame with the previous frame or the next frame.
• If you select two contiguous frames, new frames are added between the frames.
• If you select more than two frames, existing frames between the first and last selected frames are altered by the

tweening operation.
• If you select the first and last frames in an animation, these frames are treated as contiguous, and tweened frames

are added after the last frame. (This tweening method is useful when the animation is set to loop multiple times.)

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3 Do one of the following:
• Click the Tween button

in the Animation palette.

• Select Tween from the Animation palette menu.

4 Specify the layer or layers to be varied in the added frames:

All Layers Varies all layers in the selected frame or frames.

Selected Layer Varies only the currently selected layer in the selected frame or frames.

5 Specify layer attributes to be varied:

Position Varies the position of the layer’s content in the new frames evenly between the beginning and ending

frames.

Opacity Varies the opacity of the new frames evenly between the beginning and ending frames.

Effects Varies the parameter settings of layer effects evenly between the beginning and ending frames.

6 If you selected a single frame in step 2, choose where to add frames from the Tween With menu:

Next Frame Adds frames between the selected frame and the following frame. This option is not available when you

select the last frame in the Animation palette.
First Frame Adds frames between the last frame and first frame. This option is available only if you select the last

frame in the Animation palette.

Previous Frame Adds frames between the selected frame and the preceding frame. This option is not available when

you select the first frame in the Animation palette.
Last Frame Adds frames between the first frame and last frame. This option is available only if you select the first

frame in the Animation palette.

7 Enter a value, or use the Up or Down Arrow key to choose the number of frames to add. (This option is not

available if you selected more than two frames.)
8 Click OK.

To specify looping
You select a looping option to specify how many times the animation sequence repeats when played.

1 Click the looping option selection box at the lower left corner of the Animation palette.

2 Select a looping option: Once, Forever, or Other.

3 If you selected Other, enter a value in the Set Loop Count dialog box, and click OK.

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To specify a delay time
You can specify a delay—the time that a frame is displayed—for single frames or for multiple frames in an animation.
Delay time is displayed in seconds. Fractions of a second are displayed as decimal values. For example, one-quarter
of a second is specified as .25. If you set a delay on the current frame, every frame you create after that will remember
and apply that delay value.
1 Select one or more frames.

2 In the Animation palette, click the Delay value below the selected frame to view the Delay pop-up menu.

3 Specify the delay:

• Choose a value from the pop-up menu. (The last value used appears at the bottom of the menu.)
• Choose Other, enter a value in the Set Frame Delay dialog box, and click OK. If you selected multiple frames,

specifying a delay value for one frame applies the value to all frames.

To add a new layer every time you create a frame
When you create a new layer, it is visible in all frames of an animation. To hide a layer in a specific frame, select the
frame in the Animation palette, and then hide the desired layer in the Layers palette.
You can use the Create Layer For Each New Frame option to automatically add a new layer to the image every time
you create a frame. The new layer is visible in the new frame but hidden in other frames. Using this option saves time
when you are creating an animation that requires you to add a new visual element to each frame.
❖ Choose Create Layer For Each New Frame from the Animation palette menu. A check mark indicates that the

option is turned on.

Setting the frame disposal method
The frame disposal method specifies whether to discard the current frame before displaying the next frame. You
select a disposal method when working with animations that include background transparency in order to specify
whether the current frame will be visible through the transparent areas of the next frame.

Frame disposal methods
A. Frame with background transparency with Restore To Background option B. Frame with background transparency with Do Not Dispose
option

The Disposal Method icon indicates whether the frame is set to Do Not Dispose
(No icon appears when Disposal Method is set to Automatic.)

or Restore To Background

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To choose a disposal method
1 Select a frame or frames for which you want to choose a disposal method.
2 Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the frame thumbnail to view the Disposal Method context
menu.
3 Choose a disposal method:
Automatic Determines a disposal method for the current frame automatically, discarding the current frame if the

next frame contains layer transparency. For most animations, the Automatic option yields the desired results and is
therefore the default option.
Note: Choose the Automatic disposal option when using the Redundant Pixel Removal optimization option, to enable
ImageReady to preserve frames that include transparency.
Do Not Dispose Preserves the current frame as the next frame is added to the display. The current frame (and

preceding frames) may show through transparent areas of the next frame. Use a browser to see an accurate preview
of an animation using the Do Not Dispose option.
Dispose (Photoshop) or Restore to Background (ImageReady) Discards the current frame from the display
before the next frame is displayed. Only a single frame is displayed at any time (and the current frame does not
appear through the transparent areas of the next frame).

To flatten frames into layers
You can flatten animation frames into layers. A single, composite layer is created for each frame, containing all of the
layers in the frame. The original layers in the frame are hidden but preserved (in case they are needed for another
frame).
Note: If you save an animation as a GIF, the animation frames are flattened and the original layers are lost. You should
save the original file in Photoshop file format to preserve layers for reediting.
❖ In the Animation palette, choose Flatten Frames Into Layers from the palette menu.

To preview an animation
1 Click the Play button
in the Animation palette. The animation is displayed in the document window. The
animation repeats indefinitely unless you specified another repeat value in the Play Options dialog box.
2 To stop the animation, click the Stop button

3 To rewind the animation, click the Selects First Frame button

Note: To see a more accurate preview of the animation and timing, preview the animation in a web browser. Use the
browser’s Stop and Reload commands to stop or replay the animation. In Photoshop, open the Save For Web dialog box
and click the Preview In Browser button.

See also
“Previewing an image in a browser” on page 596

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Optimizing animations
After you complete your animation, you should optimize it for efficient download to a web browser. You optimize an
animation in two ways:
• Optimize the frames to include only areas that change from frame to frame. This greatly reduces the file size of the

animated GIF. See “To optimize an image for the web” on page 628 and “Optimization options for GIF and PNG
8 formats” on page 635.
• If you are saving your animation as a GIF image, optimize it as you would any GIF image. A special dithering

technique is applied to animations to ensure that dither patterns are consistent across all frames and to prevent
flickering during playback. Because of these additional optimization functions, more time may be required to
optimize an animated GIF than to optimize a standard GIF.
When optimizing the colors in an animation, use the Adaptive, Perceptual, or Selective palette. This ensures that the
colors are consistent across frames. (See “Optimization options for GIF and PNG-8 formats” on page 635.)

To optimize animation frames
1 Choose Optimize Animation from the Animation palette menu.
2 Set the following options:
Bounding Box Crops each frame to the area that has changed from the preceding frame. Animation files created

using this option are smaller but are incompatible with GIF editors that do not support the option. (This option is
selected by default and is recommended.)
Redundant Pixel Removal Makes transparent all pixels in a frame that are unchanged from the preceding frame.

This option is selected by default and is recommended. The Transparency option in the Optimize palette must be
selected for redundant pixel removal to work. (See “Optimization options for GIF and PNG-8 formats” on page 635.)
Important: Set the frame disposal method to Automatic when using the Redundant Pixel Removal option. (See “Setting
the frame disposal method” on page 620.)
3 Click OK.

Saving and exporting animations
You can save animations in several formats.
GIF A standard format for saving animated images for viewing on the web. In Photoshop you use the Save For Web

dialog box. In ImageReady you use the Optimize palette to set GIF options. See “Optimization options for GIF and
PNG-8 formats” on page 635.
QuickTime movie (ImageReady) (See “To save files in QuickTime Movie format (ImageReady)” on page 671.)
SWF (Macromedia® Flash™) file (ImageReady) (See “Saving files in SWF format (ImageReady)” on page 671.)

In ImageReady, you can also save each frame in an animation as a separate file. See “Exporting animation frames as
files” on page 676.

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Opening and importing files as animations
To open animated GIFs (ImageReady)
You can open an existing animated GIF in ImageReady. After you open the file, you can switch to Photoshop to edit
the file.
❖ Choose File > Open.

The file opens as a stack of layers. Each layer corresponds to one frame. In each frame, the layer for that frame is
visible, and the layers for the other frames are hidden.
Opening existing animated GIF files is useful primarily for applying optimization settings to the files. The one-layerper-frame structure of imported animated GIF files may make it impractical to edit animation frames in other ways.

To open a multilayer Photoshop file as frames
You can easily create animated GIFs from existing multilayer Photoshop files. The content of each layer becomes a

frame in the Animation palette. The layers are placed in the Animation palette in their stacking order, with the

bottom layer becoming the first frame.

1 Choose File > Open, and select the Photoshop file to open.

2 Choose Make Frames From Layers from the Animation palette menu.

Each layer in the image appears as a frame in the Animation palette. The bottom layer in the Photoshop image is

Frame 1 in the Animation palette.

Choose Reverse Frames from the Animation palette menu to reverse the order of frames.

To import a folder of files as frames (ImageReady)
You can import a folder of files and use each file as a frame. Files can be in any format that Photoshop supports. Each
file becomes a frame in the Animation palette. The files are placed in the Animation palette in alphabetical order by
image file name.
1 Place the files to be used as frames into a folder. Make sure that the folder contains only those images that are to
be used as frames. The resulting animation will be more successful if all files have the same pixel dimensions.

To have frames appear in the correct order in the animation, name the files in alphabetical or numeric order, with
the file to be used as Frame 1 the first in order. (You can also change the order of the frames in the Animation palette
after you import the files.)
2 Choose File > Import > Folder As Frames, and choose the folder to be imported.

The files appear in the Animation palette as frames and in the Layers palette as layers, with each layer assigned to a
separate frame. The image that is first alphabetically or numerically by file name is Frame 1 in the Animation palette
and the bottom layer in the Layers palette.

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To open QuickTime-compatible movies
You can open movies in MOV, AVI, and FLIC formats to view and edit in ImageReady.
1 Choose File > Open, and select the movie to open.
2 Select the range of frames to import:
• From Beginning to End to open the full file.
• Selected Range Only to open selected frames. Drag the slider below the movie thumbnail to specify the starting

point for the range, and then Shift-drag to specify the ending point. (A black bar on the slider indicates the range
you select.)
3 Select Limit To Every Frame to specify which frames to include from the selected range. (You can use this option
with either range option.)
4 Click Open.

625

Chapter 22: Preparing Graphics for
the Web
Optimizing images
About optimization
When preparing images for the web and other online media, you often need to compromise between image display
quality and the file size of the image. Photoshop and ImageReady provide several controls for compressing the file
size of an image while optimizing its online display quality.
You can save images for the web in two ways:
• For basic optimization, the Photoshop Save As command lets you save an image as a GIF, JPEG, or PNG-24 file.

Depending on the file format, you can specify image quality, background transparency or matting, color display,
and downloading method. However, any web features—such as slices, links, animations, and rollovers—that
you’ve added to a file are not preserved. See “To save a file in a different file format” on page 654.
• For precise optimization, you can use the optimization features in Photoshop Save For Web or ImageReady to

preview optimized images in different file formats and with different file attributes. You can view multiple versions
of an image simultaneously and modify optimization settings as you preview the image to select the best combi
nation of settings for your needs. You can also specify transparency and matting, select options to control
dithering, and resize the image to specified pixel dimensions or a specified percentage of the original size.
When you save an optimized file using the Save For Web (Photoshop) or Save Optimized (ImageReady) command,
you can choose to generate an HTML file for the image. This file contains all the necessary information to display
your image in a web browser.

Using the Save For Web dialog box
In Photoshop, you use the Save For Web dialog box to select optimization options and preview optimized artwork.
To open the Save For Web dialog box. choose, File > Save For Web.

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User Guide

A
C

Save For Web dialog box
A. Toolbox B. Preview pop-up menu C. Optimize pop-up menu
image G. Optimized image H. Preview In Browser menu

D. Color Table pop-up menu

E. Zoom text box

F. Original

Previewing images in the dialog box

Click a tab at the top of the image area to select a display option: Original to view the image with no optimization,
Optimized to view the image with the current optimization settings applied, 2-Up to view two versions of the image
side by side, or 4-Up to view four versions of the image side by side.
You can try different optimization settings and compare them side by side. If you work in 2-Up or 4-Up view, you
must select a version before you apply optimization settings. A colored frame indicates which version is selected.
To quickly transition to ImageReady, click the Edit In ImageReady button at the lower right of the dialog box.
Navigating in the dialog box

If the entire artwork is not visible in the Save For Web dialog box, you can use the Hand tool to bring another area
into view. Select the Hand tool (or hold down the spacebar), and drag in the view area to pan over the image.
You can also use the Zoom tool to magnify or reduce the view. Select the Zoom tool
, and click in a view to zoom
in; hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click in a view to zoom out. You can also type a magnification
percentage or choose one at the bottom of the dialog box.

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Viewing optimized image information

The annotation area below each image in the Save For Web dialog box provides optimization information. The
annotation for the original image shows the file name and file size. The annotation for the optimized image shows
the current optimization options, the size of the optimized file, and the estimated download time using the selected
modem speed. You can choose a modem speed in the Preview pop-up menu.
Previewing browser dither

If an image contains more colors than the monitor can display, the browser will dither, or approximate, the colors
that it cannot display by blending colors that it can.
To show or hide the preview of browser dither, choose Browser Dither from the Preview pop-up menu. A check mark
indicates that browser dithering is active. Activating Browser Dither does not affect final image output.

To preview image gamma at different values
The gamma value of a computer monitor affects how light or dark an image looks in a web browser. Because

Windows systems use a gamma of 2.2, images look darker on Windows than on Mac OS systems, which are normally

set to a gamma of 1.8. You can preview how your images will look on systems with different gamma values and make

gamma adjustments to the image to compensate. Activating a preview option does not affect final image output.

❖ Choose one of the following options by using the Save For Web dialog box Preview pop-up menu (Photoshop) or

by choosing an option from the View > Preview menu (ImageReady).

Uncompensated Color Makes no adjustments to image gamma. Uncompensated Color is the default setting.

Standard Windows Color Displays an adjustment based on the default Windows gamma.
Standard Macintosh Color Displays an adjustment based on the default Macintosh gamma.
Use Document Color Profile or Use Embedded Color Profile Adjusts the gamma to match any attached document

color profile in a color-managed document.
In ImageReady, you can edit your image in one window and view the same image with a different gamma value in
a second window. Choose Window > Arrange > New Window For [File Name]. With the new window active, choose
View > Preview, and then choose a different gamma value than the one used in the first window.

To adjust the image gamma
In ImageReady, use this simple adjustment to change the image gamma. In Photoshop, preview the image gamma
you want to match, and then use the Levels command to make the image lighter or darker.
1 In ImageReady, choose Image > Adjustment >Gamma, and make sure Preview is selected.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select Windows To Macintosh to adjust gamma for display in Mac OS.
• Select Macintosh To Windows to adjust gamma for display in Windows.
• Drag the Gamma slider, or enter a value in the text box between 0.1 and 9.99. The Gamma slider measures the

amount of change from the current gamma value. (The slider does not indicate the actual gamma value.)
Note: Images created in Photoshop 5.0 or later use the Windows gamma value (2.2) by default and are at the correct
gamma for display in Windows with no adjustment.

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See also
“To preview image gamma at different values” on page 627
“To adjust tonal range using Levels” on page 285

To optimize an image for the web

1 Choose File > Save For Web (Photoshop) or open the Optimize palette (ImageReady).

2 Click a tab at the top of the dialog box (document window in ImageReady) to select a display option: Optimized,

2-Up, or 4-Up. If you select 4-Up, click the preview you want to optimize.

3 (Optional) If your image contains multiple slices, select one or more slices you want to optimize. See “To select

one or more slices” on page 577.

4 Select a preset optimization setting from the Preset menu, or set individual optimization options. The available

options change depending on the file format you select. See one of the following lists of settings:

• “Optimization options for GIF and PNG-8 formats” on page 635
• “Optimization options for JPEG format” on page 633
• “Optimization options for PNG-24 format” on page 634
• “Optimization options for WBMP format” on page 634

If you’re working in 4-Up mode, choose Repopulate Views from the Optimize menu to automatically generate lower
quality versions of the image after you change the optimization settings.
5 Fine-tune the optimization settings until you are satisfied with the balance of image quality and file size. If your
image contains multiple slices, be sure to optimize all the slices.
6 Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Click Save in the Save For Web dialog box.
• (ImageReady) Choose File > Save Optimized. Choose File > Save Optimized As to save an alternate version of the

file with a different file name.
7 In the Save Optimized As dialog box, do the following, and then click Save:
• Enter a file name, and select a location for the resulting file or files.
• Select a Format option to specify what kind of files you want to save: HTML file and image files, only image files,

or only an HTML file.
• (Optional) Set output settings for HTML and image files. (See “To set output options” on page 647.)
• If your image contains multiple slices, select an option for saving slices from the Slices menu: All Slices or Selected

Slices. In ImageReady, you can also choose a saved slice selection from the list if you’ve saved a slice selection.
(Photoshop) To reset optimization settings to the last saved version, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and
click Reset. To keep the same settings the next time you open the Save For Web dialog box, press Alt/Option and click
Remember.

See also
“Making sure that your colors match” on page 599
“To create a droplet for automating Optimize palette settings (ImageReady)” on page 746
“Previewing an image in a browser” on page 596

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To save a file to e-mail

1 Open the image in Photoshop, and choose File > Save For Web.

2 Click the Optimize tab at the top of the Save For Web dialog box.

3 Choose JPEG Low from the Preset menu.

4 Click the Image Size tab.

5 Make sure that Constrain Proportions is selected and enter a width. For e-mail, 400 pixels is a good size. Use a

smaller size if your recipient has a slow Internet connection.

6 Click Save. Enter a file name and location in which to save the file. Under Format, make sure that Images Only is

selected. Click Save.

Now you are ready to e-mail the file. In some e-mail programs, you can drag the file into the body of the message. In

other programs, you use the Attach or Insert command.

See also
“To optimize an image for the web” on page 628

To restore an optimized preview to the original version

1 Select an optimized version of the image in 2-Up or 4-Up mode.

2 In the Optimize panel/palette, choose Original from the Settings pop-up menu.

To save or delete optimization presets
You can save optimization settings as a named set and apply the settings to other images. Settings that you save appear

in the Preset pop-up menu, together with the predefined named settings. If you edit a named set or a predefined set,

the Preset menu displays the term “Unnamed.”

1 Set optimization options as desired, and choose Save Settings from the Optimize palette menu.

2 Name the settings, and save them in the Presets/Optimized Settings folder inside the Photoshop program folder.

Note: If you save the settings in a location other than the Presets/Optimized Settings folder, they will not be available
from the Preset pop-up menu.
3 To delete a preset, select the preset from Settings menu, and select Delete Settings from the Optimize menu.

See also
“To create a droplet for automating Optimize palette settings (ImageReady)” on page 746

To work with slices in the Save For Web dialog box
(Photoshop)
If your image contains multiple slices, you must specify the slices to be optimized. You can apply optimization
settings to additional slices by linking the slices. Linked slices in GIF and PNG-8 format share a color palette and
dither pattern to prevent the appearance of seams between the slices.
• To show or hide all slices in the Save For Web dialog box, click the Toggle Slices Visibility button

• To show or hide auto slices in the Save For Web dialog box, choose Hide Auto Slices from the Preview pop-up

menu. A check mark indicates that slices are hidden.

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User Guide

• To select slices in the Save For Web dialog box, choose the Slice Select tool

, and then click a slice to select it.

Shift-click or Shift-drag to select multiple slices.
Note: In the Save For Web dialog box, unselected slices are dimmed. This does not affect the color of the final image.
• To view slice options in the Save For Web dialog box, select the Slice Select tool, and double-click a slice.
• To link slices, select two or more slices and choose Link Slices from the Optimize pop-up menu

icon

. The link

appears on the linked slices.

• To unlink a slice, select the slice, and then choose Unlink Slice from the Optimize pop-up menu.
• To unlink all slices in an image, choose Unlink All Slices from the Optimize pop-up menu.

To compress a web graphic to a specific file size

1 (Photoshop) Choose File > Save For Web.

2 Click a tab at the top of the Save For Web dialog box or ImageReady document window to select a display option:

Optimized, 2-Up, or 4-Up. If you select 4-Up, select the preview you want to optimize.

3 (Optional) Select the slices you want to optimize and the file format you want to use.

4 Select Optimize To File Size from the Optimize menu (to the right of the Settings menu).

5 Enter the desired file size.

6 Select a Start With option:

Current Settings Uses the current file format.

Auto Select GIF/JPEG Automatically selects the format.
7 Select a Use option to specify whether you want to apply the specified file size to current slice only, to each slice
in the image, or to all slices. Click OK.

To resize the image during optimization
When optimizing an image in the Photoshop Save For Web dialog box, you can resize the image to specified pixel

dimensions or to a percentage of the original size.

1 Click the Image Size tab in the Save For Web dialog box.

2 To maintain the current proportions of pixel width to pixel height, select Constrain Proportions.

3 Enter values for Width, Height, or Percent.

4 Choose an interpolation method from the Quality pop-up menu. See “Choosing an interpolation method” on

page 183. Bicubic Sharper generally produces better results when you are reducing image size.

5 Click Apply.

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