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Using Help
About online Help
Adobe Systems, Inc. provides complete documentation in the Adobe PDF Help system.
The Help system includes information on all the tools, commands, and features for both
Windows and Mac OS. The PDF format is designed for easy navigation online, and support
for third-party screen readers compatible with Windows. The Help can also be printed as a
desktop reference.

Navigating in Help
The Help will open in an Acrobat window with the bookmark pane open. If the bookmark
pane is not open choose Window > Bookmarks. You can also navigate using the
navigation bar, the index, or search the document.
At the top and bottom of each page is a navigation bar. Click Using Help to return to this
introduction. Clicking Contents, or Index will take you to that section.
The Next Page and the Previous Page arrows let you move through the pages
sequentially. Click Back to return to the last page you viewed. You can also use the
navigation arrows in the Acrobat toolbar.

Using bookmarks, the table of contents, the index, and Find
The contents of Help are shown as bookmarks in the bookmark pane. To view subtopics,
click the plus sign next to a bookmark. Each bookmark is a hyperlink to the associated
section of the Help document.
To go to the information, click its bookmark. As the information is displayed in the
document pane, its bookmark is highlighted.
You can turn highlighting on or off by selecting the Highlight Current Bookmark option
from the bookmark pane menu.
To find a topic using the table of contents:
1 Click Contents in the navigation bar at the top or bottom of any page.
2 Click a topic on the Contents page to move to the first page of that topic.
3 In the bookmark pane, expand the topic to see its subtopics.
To find a topic using the index:
1 Click Index in the navigation bar at the top or bottom of any page.
2 Click the appropriate letter at the top of the page.
You can also expand the Index bookmark, and click the letter in the bookmark pane.
3 Locate your entry, and click the page number link to view the information.
4 To view multiple entries, click Back to return to the same place in the index.

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To find a topic using the Find command:
1 Choose Edit > Find.
2 Enter a word or a phrase in the text box, and click OK.
Acrobat will search the document, starting from the current page, and display the first
occurrence of the word or phrase you are searching for.
3 To find the next occurrence, choose Edit > Find Again.

Printing the Help file
Although the Help has been optimized for on-screen viewing, you can print pages you
select, or the entire file.
To print, choose Print from the File menu, or click the printer icon in the Acrobat toolbar.

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Contents
Introduction 4
An Overview of Adobe Photoshop 10
What’s New in Photoshop 7.0 16
Looking at the Work Area 20
Getting Images into Photoshop and ImageReady 61
Working with Color 86
Producing Consistent Color (Photoshop) 102
Making Color and Tonal Adjustments 129
Selecting 157
Transforming and Retouching 177
Drawing 200
Painting 222
Using Channels and Masks 266
Using Layers 284
Applying Filters for Special Effects 321
Using Type 342
Designing Web Pages 368
Creating Rollovers and Animations (ImageReady) 396
Preparing Graphics for the Web 415
Saving and Exporting Images 446
Printing (Photoshop) 470
Automating Tasks 484
Macintosh Shortcuts 505
Windows Shortcuts 510
Legal Notices 515

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Adobe Photoshop Help

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Introduction
Welcome
Welcome to Adobe® Photoshop® 7.0, the professional image-editing standard. With its
integrated Web tool application, Adobe ImageReadyR, Photoshop delivers a comprehensive environment for professional designers and graphics producers to create sophisticated images for print, the Web, wireless devices, and other media. Moreover, Photoshop
provides a consistent work environment with other Adobe applications including Adobe
Illustrator®, Adobe InDesign®, Adobe GoLive®, Adobe LiveMotion™, Adobe After Effects®, and
Adobe Premiere®.

Registration
Adobe is confident you will find that its software greatly increases your productivity.
So that Adobe can continue to provide you with the highest quality software, offer
technical support, and inform you about new Photoshop software developments, please
register your application.
When you first start Photoshop or ImageReady, you’re prompted to register online. You
can choose to submit the form directly or fax a printed copy. You can also register by filling
out and returning the registration card included with your software package.

Installing Adobe Photoshop and ImageReady
You must install Photoshop and ImageReady from the Adobe Photoshop CD onto your
hard drive; you cannot run the program from the CD.
Follow the on-screen installation instructions. For more detailed information, see the
HowToInstall file on the CD. The single installer installs both Photoshop and ImageReady.

Getting started
Adobe provides a variety of options for you to learn Photoshop, including printed guides,
online Help, and tool tips. Using the Adobe Online feature, you can easily access a host of
continually updated Web resources for learning Photoshop, from tips and tutorials to tech
support information. Getting up to speed depends on your experience with previous
versions of Photoshop and ImageReady.

If you are new to Photoshop:
•

See “An Overview of Adobe Photoshop” on page 10 to get an introduction to the
software.

•

Explore the Toolbox Overviews in online Help to get familiar with the basic tools and
their functions. See “Using online Help” on page 6.

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•

Use the tool tips feature to help identify tools, buttons, and palette controls as you work
in Photoshop and ImageReady. See “Using tool tips” on page 6.

•

Go to the Adobe.com Web site and work through some of the Photoshop tutorials for
hands-on lessons. See “Using Web resources” on page 7.

If you are an experienced Photoshop user:
•

See “What’s New in Photoshop 7.0” on page 16.

•

Scan through “Using the File Browser (Photoshop)” on page 78 to learn how to view,
sort, and organize images without opening the files.

•

See “Working with brushes” on page 228 to explore the powerful new paint engine.

•

See “About optimization” on page 415 and “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398 to
see new Web features such as transparency and simplified authoring.

If you want to focus on Web features:
•

See “Create compelling Web designs” on page 12 for an introduction to the powerful
Web tools.

•

See “Creating and viewing slices” on page 368 to explore layer-based, user-defined, and
automatic slices.

•

See “About optimization” on page 415 to learn how to fine-tune your Web designs by
applying transparency, dithered transparency, or weighted optimization.

•

See “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398 to see how easy it is to manage slices,
rollovers, image maps, and animations.

•

See “Creating and editing animations” on page 404 to learn how to create instant GIF
animations from layered Photoshop and Illustrator files.

If you want to concentrate on photo editing and retouching:
•

See “Edit images with ease” on page 11 for an introduction to the Photoshop imageediting features.

•

See “Using the File Browser (Photoshop)” on page 78 to find out how to quickly inspect
files before opening them in Photoshop.

•

See “Using the healing brush tool (Photoshop)” on page 189 to learn how to remove
flaws effortlessly while preserving tonality and texture.

•

See “Making color adjustments” on page 132 to learn how to fine-tune the color and
tonality in your photographs.

•

See “Creating multiple-image layouts (Photoshop)” on page 464 to find out how to
quickly create contact sheets and customized photo pages.

If you want to focus on productivity features:
•

See “Automate repetitive tasks” on page 13 for an overview of the Photoshop and
ImageReady productivity tools.

•

See “Using the File Browser (Photoshop)” on page 78 to learn how to locate and
organize images easily, and how to manage files and folders.

•

See “About data-driven graphics” on page 501 to learn how to produce variable designs
such as Web banners or catalog pages automatically.

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•

See “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398 to see how easy it is to get instant access
to all document states.

•

See “Managing files with WebDAV (Photoshop)” on page 82 to learn about the asset
management features in Photoshop.

Using the printed documentation
In addition to the printed documents included with the application, you will find many
PDF documents on the Photoshop CD; Adobe Acrobat® Reader® software, included on the
Photoshop CD, lets you view PDF files.
Two printed documents are included with Photoshop 7.0:
Adobe Photoshop 7.0 User Guide Contains essential information on using Photoshop
and ImageReady commands and features. Complete information on all topics is available
in online Help. The printed guide and help also indicate when a topic, procedure, or
command pertains specifically to Photoshop or ImageReady, e.g., “Choose View > Actual
Pixels (Photoshop) or View > Actual Size (ImageReady).”
Adobe Photoshop Quick Reference Card Contains basic information about the Adobe
Photoshop and ImageReady tools and palettes, and shortcuts for using them. Shortcuts
are also included in the online Help.

Using online Help
Adobe Photoshop and ImageReady include complete documentation in an HTML-based
help system. The help system includes all of the information in the Adobe Photoshop 7.0
User Guide plus information on additional features, keyboard shortcuts, and full-color
illustrations.
Online Help provides three ways of locating information. The Contents and Index tabs let
you find general information, and the Search tab lets you look up specific words or
phrases.
To properly view online Help topics, you need Netscape Communicator 4.0 (or later) or
Microsoft® Internet Explorer 4.0 (or later). You must also have JavaScript active.
To start online Help:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose Help > Photoshop Help (Photoshop) or Help > ImageReady Help (ImageReady).

•

Press F1 (Windows).

Using tool tips
The tool tips feature lets you display the name of tools, or buttons and controls in palettes.
To identify a tool or control:
Position the pointer over a tool or control and pause. A tool tip appears showing the name
and keyboard shortcut (if any) for the item.
If tool tips don’t appear, the preference for displaying them may be turned off.

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Adobe Photoshop Help

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To display tool tips:
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows and Mac OS 9) or Photoshop >
Preferences > General (Mac OS X).
2 Select Show Tool Tips, and click OK.
Note: Tool tips are not available in most dialog boxes.

Using Web resources
If you have an Internet connection, you can use the Adobe Online feature to access
additional resources for learning Photoshop and ImageReady located on the Adobe.com
Web site. From the Adobe.com home page, select Products. Then choose Photoshop and
go to Training & Events.
These resources are continually updated and include the following:
Tutorials and Techniques Provide step-by-step instructions on using Photoshop or help
on performing advanced techniques. These tutorials can help you go beyond the
reference information contained in the user guide and show you how to use Photoshop
with other applications.
How Tos and Backgrounders Provide access to procedures for performing tasks in
Photoshop and to detailed reference information on a variety of topics. This information
provides help on everything from common processes to the complex inter-application
tasks necessary to prepare graphics for the Web.
Troubleshooting Provides access to solutions to problems you may encounter using
Photoshop. You should check out troubleshooting information available through Adobe
Online and the Adobe Web site before you call customer support.
To access the Adobe home page for your region:
1 Open the Adobe U.S. home page at www.adobe.com.
2 From the Adobe Worldwide menu, choose your geographical region. Adobe’s home
page is customized for 20 different geographical regions.

About Adobe Online
Adobe Online provides access to the latest tutorials, quicktips, and other Web content for
Photoshop and other Adobe products. Using Adobe Online, you can also download and
view the current version of the Photoshop Top Issues document containing the latest
Photoshop technical support solutions. Bookmarks are also included to take you quickly
to noteworthy Adobe- and Photoshop-related sites.

Using Adobe Online
Adobe Online is constantly changing, so you should refresh before you use it. Refreshing
through Adobe Online updates bookmarks and buttons so you can quickly access the
most current content available. You can use preferences to automatically refresh Adobe
Online.

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Adobe Photoshop Help

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When you set up an Internet connection to Adobe Online, Adobe can either notify you
whenever new information is available through the Updates feature or automatically
download that information to your hard disk. If you choose not to use the automatic
download feature, you can still view and download new files whenever they are available
using the Updates command in the Help menu.
To use Adobe Online:
1 In Photoshop or ImageReady, choose Help > Adobe Online, or click the icon at the top
of the toolbox.

Adobe Online icon

Note: You must have an Internet connection to access Adobe Online. Adobe Online will
launch your browser using your default Internet configuration.
2 If prompted, do any of the following:
•

Click Updates to access updated files.

•

Click Preferences to set up your operating system to enable automatic updates.

Note: You can set Adobe Online preferences by choosing Edit > Preferences > Adobe
Online (Windows and Mac OS 9) or Photoshop > Preferences > Adobe Online (Mac OS X).
•

Click Go Online to access the Adobe Web site.

•

Click Cancel (Windows and Mac OS 9) or Close (Mac OS X) to return to Photoshop or
ImageReady.

Accessing Adobe Online through the Help menu
The Help menu includes options to view and download information from the Adobe Web
site.
To view updated articles or documents:
Click Help and choose the topic you want to view.
To view and download information from the Adobe Web site using the Help menu:
1 In Photoshop or ImageReady, choose Edit > Preferences > Adobe Online (Windows and
Mac OS 9) or Photoshop > Preferences > Adobe Online (Mac OS X).
Choose an item from the Check for Updates pop-up menu to determine how often
Photoshop launches an automatic update.
2 Choose Help > Updates.
3 Select a View Option:
•

Select New Updates to view only the files that are new since the last time you viewed
downloadable files or were notified of them.

•

Select All Updates to view all the files on Adobe’s Web site that are currently available.

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4 To see a description of a file, click on a filename and view its description in the Item
Description section.
5 To see the location where a file will be installed if downloaded, select a file and view its
location in the Download Location section. To change the location, click Choose.
6 To download a file, click the check box and then click Download.
7 To close the Adobe Product Updates dialog box, click Close.

Other learning resources
Other Adobe learning resources are available but are not included with your application.
Adobe Press Offers a library of books that provide in-depth training in Adobe software,
including the acclaimed Classroom in a Book series developed by experts at Adobe.
For information on purchasing Adobe Press titles, visit the Adobe Web site at
www.adobe.com, or contact your local book distributor.
The Adobe Certification program Offers users, instructors, and training centers the
opportunity to demonstrate their product proficiency and promote their software skills as
Adobe Certified Experts or Adobe Certified Training Providers. Certification is available
worldwide. Visit the Partnering with Adobe Web site at www.partners.adobe.com to learn
how you can become certified.

Customer support
When you register your product, you may be entitled to technical support. Terms may vary
depending on the country of residence. For more information, refer to the technical
support card provided with the Photoshop documentation.

Customer support on Adobe Online
Adobe Online provides access to the Photoshop Knowledgebase, where you can find
answers to technical questions.

Additional customer support resources
Adobe Systems provides several forms of automated technical support:
•

See the ReadMe and ReadMe First! files installed with the program for information that
became available after this guide went to press.

•

Explore the extensive customer support information on Adobe’s World Wide Web site
(www.adobe.com). To access the Adobe Web site from Photoshop, choose Help >
Adobe Online or click the icon at the top of the toolbox. See “Using Web resources” on
page 7.

•

Read the Top Issues PDF that is available from the Help menu.

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An Overview of Adobe Photoshop

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An Overview of Adobe
Photoshop
Explore state-of-the-art tools
With its comprehensive set of retouching, painting, drawing, and Web tools, Photoshop
helps you complete any image-editing task efficiently. And with features like the History
palette and editable layer effects, you can experiment freely without sacrificing efficiency.

Work more efficiently
From file management to workspace controls to editing multiple steps at one time—
Photoshop gives you the tools you need to keep the work on track and bring it in on
deadline.
File Browser Quickly inspect images before opening them in Photoshop. The easy-toview File Browser displays thumbnails and metadata such as date modified, dimensions,
and EXIF information from your digital camera. You can also use the File Browser to sort
files and manage folders. See “Using the File Browser (Photoshop)” on page 78.
Layers With layers, you can work on one element without disturbing others. To rearrange
elements, simply shift the order in the Layers palette. You can lock layers to prevent
accidental changes, hide them to get a clear view of the element you’re working on, and
link layers to move them as a group. The Layers palette also makes it easy to apply instant,
editable effects including blending modes, adjustment layers, and layer effects. See “Using
the Layers palette” on page 284.
Options bar The tool options bar gives you instant access to different settings for the tool
you’re using. You can also customize any tool and save the customized version to use
again. See “Using the tool options bar” on page 26 and “Using tool presets (Photoshop)”
on page 27.
History palette Undo or redo multiple steps with the History palette. Or store a
snapshot—a temporary copy of the image—in the palette, and continue experimenting.
If you don’t like the results, simply return to the snapshot. You can also create multiple
snapshots, capturing different effects, to compare them easily. See “Using the History
palette” on page 39 and “Making a snapshot of an image (Photoshop)” on page 40.
Customizable workspace Personalize your Photoshop desktop by arranging a layout of
palettes and saving the arrangement as a workspace. Or create task-specific workspaces—
one to provide easy access to painting tools, for example, and another for photo
retouching. See “Customizing your workspace” on page 29.
Context-sensitive menus Get instant access to commands relevant to the active tool,
palette, or selection by right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac OS). See “Using
context menus” on page 33.

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Edit images with ease
Photoshop delivers high-powered image editing, photo retouching, and compositing
tools to help you get professional-quality results.
Color correction Photoshop offers two basic methods for adjusting color in an image.
Use the options in the Image > Adjustments menu—including the Auto Color command,
which analyzes the image to make instant and reliable color corrections—to change the
image permanently. Or use an adjustment layer to apply editable color and tonal corrections. See “Making color adjustments” on page 132, “Using the Auto Color command
(Photoshop)” on page 151, and “About adjustment layers and fill layers” on page 312.
Healing brush Effortlessly remove dust, scratches, blemishes, and other flaws with a
single tool. The healing brush automatically preserves the shading, lighting, and texture of
the original photo. See “Using the healing brush tool (Photoshop)” on page 189.
Selection tools From the click-and-drag marquee tools, to magnetic selection tools that
snap to the edges of an element, to the pen tool that lets you define a shape precisely,
Photoshop offers a range of shape-selection options. You can also select by color, using
the magic wand or the Color Range command. And the Extract command provides a
sophisticated way to isolate a foreground object from the background. See “About selections” on page 157.
Precision masking Masks let you hide part of an image, or protect and preserve one
section while you apply color changes, filters, or other effects to the rest of the artwork.
You can also use masks to save complex selection borders for reuse. See “Masking layers”
on page 314 and “About masks (Photoshop)” on page 277.
Clipping paths Use a clipping path to cut a foreground element away from the
background—without actually altering the original image. See “Using image clipping
paths to create transparency” on page 466.
Sharpening controls Photoshop’s sharpening tools include the powerful Unsharp Mask
filter, based on traditional film compositing techniques. Use Unsharp Mask after scaling,
rotating, color correcting—any process that affects the pixel structure of an image—to
bring the artwork into crisp focus. See “Sharpening images” on page 155.
Edge smoothing Use the anti-aliasing option to smooth the jagged edges of a selection,
or apply feathering to create soft edges. See “Softening the edges of a selection” on
page 166.
Contact sheet generation Export an entire folder of images on a single page to allow
easy cataloging, previewing, and printing. Or use the Picture Package feature to print
photos of different sizes on the same page. See “Creating multiple-image layouts
(Photoshop)” on page 464.
Web photo display Showcase your work online by posting a Web photo gallery. You’ll
find a collection of ready-made templates on the Photoshop CD to make the job quick and
easy—and you can stamp each image with copyright text to help protect against illegal
downloads. See “Creating Web photo galleries (Photoshop)” on page 390.

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Enjoy unlimited creative options
With innovative special-effect options and powerful painting and drawing tools, there’s no
limit to the results you can achieve with Photoshop.
Painting tools The powerful Photoshop paint engine lets you simulate traditional
painting techniques, including charcoal, pastel, and wet or dry brush effects. Choose from
the many preset brush styles on the Photoshop CD, or use the Brushes palette to create
your own unique effects. See “Working with brushes” on page 228 and “Selecting preset
brushes” on page 228.
Drawing tools Draw resolution-independent vector shapes instantly with the line,
rectangle, ellipse, polygon, and custom shape tools. Or use the pen tool to draw just as
you would in Adobe Illustrator. Because they’re vector shapes, you can edit them easily.
See “Drawing shapes and paths” on page 200.
Layer effects Shadows, glows, bevels, embossed effects, and more—with the Layer
Styles dialog box, adding three-dimensional effects to a layer is quick and easy. You can
apply any combination of layer effects, then save the combination as a style and apply it to
other layers instantly. To edit or delete the effect, simply open the Layer Styles dialog box
and change the settings. See “Using layer effects and styles” on page 301.
Color effects Choose solid colors from swatch libraries, define your own colors in Color
palette, or use the gradient tools to create a gradual blend between multiple colors. Use
the Layers palette to change the opacity of an image or to apply a blending mode that
affects the way the color in one layer interacts with the layers below. See “Using the
gradient tool (Photoshop)” on page 244 and “Setting opacity and blending options” on
page 295.
Filters Photoshop includes more than 95 special effect filters—from fine-art effects,
to motion blurs, to lighting effects and distortions.See “Previewing and applying filters” on
page 321.
Pattern Maker Create seamless patterns automatically. Simply make a selection and
apply the Pattern Maker plug-in to generate textures and background patterns.
See “Generating patterns” on page 254.
Transformation tools Scale, rotate, distort, or skew images easily. Apply the 3D
Transform filter to simulate three-dimensional effects such as jar labels and boxes. Use the
Liquify command to interactively push, pull, pucker, or bloat an image. See “Transforming
objects in two dimensions” on page 181, “Transforming objects in three dimensions” on
page 186, and “Using the Liquify command” on page 194.

Create compelling Web designs
Produce exceptional imagery for the Web and wireless devices with Photoshop and
ImageReady, which ships with Photoshop.
Slicing Use the slice tool to create slices by hand, or generate layer-based slices automatically. Apply slice-by-slice formatting and optimization to keep file size small and image
quality high. See “Creating and viewing slices” on page 368.
Optimization tools The Photoshop Save for Web dialog box and the ImageReady
Optimization palette display a side-by-side comparison of format and compression
options and let you apply weighted optimization to keep vector edges—type and logos,
for example—crisp and clean. See “Optimizing images” on page 415 and “Using weighted
optimization” on page 428.
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Rollovers palette Use one convenient palette to view the entire set of rollovers, slices,
image maps, and animations in a document, making authoring and navigation easier.
See “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398.
Transparency Apply instant transparency to Web page elements by knocking out one or
more colors. Or apply dithered transparency to create edges that blend into any Web
background. See “About optimization” on page 415.
Quick GIF animations Start with a layered Photoshop file, and use the Animation palette
in ImageReady to convert individual layers into frames. Then apply the Tween command
to generate additional frames and smooth out the action. See “Creating and editing
animations” on page 404.
Link generation To create a URL link, simply select an Image slice—a slice with image
data or a rollover state—and enter a URL in the Photoshop Slice Options dialog box or the
ImageReady Slice palette. See “Assigning a URL to an Image slice” on page 379.

Enjoy precise typographic control
Photoshop delivers professional-quality type controls to help you create imagery that
communicates with precision and style.
Editable text Text retains its crisp vector edges—and its editability—unless you rasterize
it (by applying a filter, for example, or flattening the layers). You can distort it, warp it, and
apply layer effects and still use the type tool to retype the text. See “Working with type
layers” on page 345.
Formatting Use the Character and Paragraph palettes for precise control over individual
letters and paragraph formatting. See “Formatting characters” on page 349 and
“Formatting paragraphs” on page 358.
Spelling checker Avoid misspelled words with the built-in spelling checker, which
includes search-and-replace functionality. You can even check spelling in multiple
languages within the same file—to help you create buttons for multilingual Web sites,
for example. See “Checking for spelling errors (Photoshop)” on page 357.
Convert to Shapes Use the Convert to Shapes command to turn type into an instant
vector mask. See “Converting type to shapes (Photoshop)” on page 349.

Stay ahead of deadlines
Photoshop helps you streamline your workflow and meet any production challenge with
tools like the File Browser that lets you manage files and folders conveniently.

Automate repetitive tasks
Streamline and simplify the production process by turning time-consuming jobs into
automated operations.
Data-driven graphics Automate the production of repetitive artwork—such as business
cards or Web banners—with the Variables feature. Design a template in Photoshop, set
elements in the template as variables, and then generate an unlimited number of unique
variations quickly by using scripts to replace the variable elements. See “About datadriven graphics” on page 501.

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File browser Use the File Browser to quickly organize and retrieve images from your hard
drive, external drives, CDs, and disks directly. Rotate images before opening them, batch
rename, sort files, and manage image folders—all within the File Browser. The File Browser
also displays image metatada, such as date created, date modified, and Exchangeable
Image File (EXIF) information from digital cameras. See “Using the File Browser
(Photoshop)” on page 78.
Actions Automate routine tasks such as batch processing by recording the steps as an
action. Then simply click a button in the Actions palette to apply the action to other
projects. For everyday jobs, turn the action into a droplet. Save the droplet on your
desktop so that you can simply drag-and-drop to apply the action to individual files or
folders of images. See “About actions” on page 484 and “Using droplets” on page 496.
Metadata support Repurpose, archive, or automate files in a workflow using XMP
(Extensible Metadata Platform) format to embed metadata into a document. You can also
ensure that image information—such as caption, credits, and copyright—travel with the
file. See “Adding file information (Photoshop)” on page 459.

Develop a reliable workflow
Keep files moving efficiently from the beginning of the process to the end.
Cross-platform compatibility Complete cross-platform support ensures a smooth
workflow between Windows and Mac OS systems.
WebDAV support Connect Photoshop to a WebDAV server, and enjoy the benefits of
workgroup management. You can streamline collaboration by making sure the entire
team has access to the files they need—with no fear that anyone will overwrite updates.
See “Managing files with WebDAV (Photoshop)” on page 82.
Annotation tools Attach non-printing review comments or production notes to your
Photoshop file with the notes tool, or use the audio annotation tool to record a voice
message. See “Annotating images (Photoshop)” on page 50.
PDF security Protect your images by assigning passwords to your Photoshop PDF files.
Use passwords to keep unauthorized people from opening a document or to disable
printing and editing. See “Saving files in Photoshop PDF format (Photoshop)” on
page 450.
Tight integration The familiar Adobe interface makes it easy to use Photoshop in
tandem with other Adobe software. See “Take advantage of tighter-than-ever integration”
on page 18.

Maintain color precisely
Keep color consistent across different devices and count on reliable output to any media.
Color management Photoshop simplifies color management by gathering the controls
into the Color Settings dialog box and providing predefined settings for the most
common workflows. See “Setting up color management” on page 104, “Using predefined
color management settings” on page 105, and “Soft-proofing colors” on page 113.

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Color options Whether you’re creating artwork for print or Web, Photoshop lets you
choose the color mode that’s best for the job. When you’re creating imagery for four-color
printing, you can work more efficiently—and use a wider range of filters—by creating the
art in RGB mode. Use the Gamut Warning command to identify colors that can’t be reproduced in CYMK so you won’t be disappointed with the results when you convert the
finished, flattened file to CMYK.See “About color modes and models (Photoshop)” on
page 86 and “Identifying out-of-gamut colors (Photoshop)” on page 136.
Precision print controls Photoshop gives you precise controls for printing full-color
images, spot colors, duotones, or grayscale and black-and-white art. For high-end
prepress workflows, there are even controls for dot gain, black-plate generation, and
more. See “Printing images” on page 470, “Adding spot colors (Photoshop)” on page 272,
“Printing duotones” on page 479, and “Setting output options” on page 473.

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What’s New in Photoshop 7.0
Meet every challenge
Photoshop 7.0 rounds out its comprehensive toolset with new capabilities that help you
meet every creative challenge, master every production demand, and handle any imageediting task efficiently.
File Browser Search for images visually and intuitively rather than just by filename. With
the easy-to-view thumbnails in the File Browser window, you can quickly organize and
retrieve images from your hard drive, external drives, CDs, and disks directly within
Photoshop. The File Browser also displays image metatada, such as date created, date
modified, and Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) information from digital cameras. Rotate
images, batch rename, sort files, and manage image folders—all within the File Browser.
See “Using the File Browser (Photoshop)” on page 78.
Healing brush Effortlessly remove dust, scratches, blemishes, and wrinkles from your
photographs, using only one tool. Unlike other cloning tools, the healing brush preserves
the original shading, tonality, and texture in the retouched area. Use the related patch tool
to work with selections. See “Using the healing brush tool (Photoshop)” on page 189.
Web transparency Make Web page elements transparent in Photoshop and ImageReady
by simply clicking on the color you want to knock out. And with the new dithered transparency option, you can apply partial transparency to blend Web graphics seamlessly into
any background—even patterns—without having to select a matte color first. If you need
to edit the transparent effects later, you can remap more than one color at a time and
easily restore colors to their original settings. See “About optimization” on page 415.
Enhanced Web output Keep vector art and text looking crisp by letting Photoshop or
ImageReady automatically assign a higher priority to those areas when you optimize an
image for the Web. See “Using weighted optimization” on page 428.
WBMP support Preview and save for Web in WBMP format, commonly used for
displaying images on PDAs and wireless devices. See “Optimization options for WBMP
format” on page 424.
Rollovers palette Use one convenient palette to create, view, and set rollover states.
Add a layer-based rollover to a Web page by simply clicking a button, and use the Selected
state option in the Rollovers palette to add sophisticated interactivity, with no need for
Java scripting. For example, you can create navigation bars that trigger different rollover
effects simultaneously. The Rollovers palette also displays all the slices, rollovers, image
maps, and animations in a file, making it easy to get a quick overview of all the document
states. See “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398.

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Workspaces Customize your Photoshop working environment by creating a palette
layout and then saving the layout as a workspace. If you share a computer, saving a
workspace lets you instantly access your personalized Photoshop desktop each time you
sit down to work. You can also create workspaces for specific tasks—one for painting and
another for photo retouching or Web work, for example. See “Customizing your
workspace” on page 29.
Tool presets Customize any tool and save your settings as a new, unique tool. Access
your presets instantly from the options bar or the new tool Presets palette, which lets you
view presets for all your tools in one convenient place. See “Using tool presets
(Photoshop)” on page 27.
Auto Color command With the new Auto Color command, color correction has never
been easier—and Auto Color provides more reliable results than Auto Levels or Auto
Contrast. See “Using the Auto Color command (Photoshop)” on page 151.
Data-driven graphics Whether you’re creating corporate business cards, an online
catalog with hundreds of photos and descriptions, or a direct-mail piece with customized
data, the new data-driven graphics features in ImageReady let you combine visual sophistication with automated production. Design a template and use the Layers palette to
designate key elements as variables. Then use scripts, a Web production tool such as
GoLive, or an image server such as Adobe AlterCast® to replace the variables with text or
images pulled from an ODBC-compliant database. See “About data-driven graphics” on
page 501.

Stay competitive
Photoshop 7.0 delivers new and enhanced tools to help you achieve your creative best.
Experiment with sophisticated painting effects and patterns to turn your ideas into
images that stand out.
New paint engine Create and save custom brushes with a powerful new paint engine
that lets you adjust dozens of different brush settings—including size, shape, tilt, spacing,
scatter, and jitter—to get precisely the effect you want. You can even simulate different
canvas and paper textures. See “Working with brushes” on page 228 and “About brush
dynamics (Photoshop)” on page 231.
Art studio brushes In addition to the brushes you create yourself, you can use the preset
brushes included on the Photoshop CD to simulate traditional wet and dry brush painting
techniques to duplicate the fine-art effects such as charcoal or pastel. There are also
special brushes for effects such as grass and leaves. See “Selecting preset brushes” on
page 228.
Pattern Maker Simply make a selection and apply the Pattern Maker plug-in to generate
abstract patterns or realistic textures such as sand or rocks. The plug-in performs a sophisticated analysis of your selection to avoid repetition and seamlessly tile the image. Use the
patterns to create compelling Web backgrounds, enhance printed or on-screen artwork,
or produce unique new imagery in combination with the painting engine. See “Generating patterns” on page 254.

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Liquify enhancements The enhanced Liquify plug-in gives you greater control over
image warping with zoom, pan, and multiple undo. You can also save your meshes, which
lets you return to an image after experimenting with the Liquify tools and start where you
left off. Or apply the same mesh to different images; experiment on a low-resolution
image, for example, and then apply the mesh to a high-resolution version. Create effects
such as smoke or fire with the new Turbulence brush. Use the new backdrop option to
view individual layers or a flattened version of the file so that you can see your distortions
in context as you create them. See “Using the Liquify command” on page 194.

Work with confidence
Photoshop 7.0 provides new controls and security settings for superior images, precise
output, and worry-free file sharing.
PDF security Photoshop 7.0 offers complete support for Adobe Acrobat 5.0 security
settings, allowing you to add tighter security to your Photoshop PDF files before sharing
them with others online or adding them to an Adobe PDF workflow. You can set password
protection to keep users who don’t know the password from opening the file. Or set one
password to open the file and another to allow printing or editing. See “Saving files in
Photoshop PDF format (Photoshop)” on page 450.
Picture Package enhancements Save time and money when printing by using Picture
Package to print multiple images on one page. Enhancements to Photoshop 7.0 let you
print to different page sizes, add labels or text to each image, print more than one image
per page, and output images as one flattened document or to separate layers. See
“Creating multiple-image layouts (Photoshop)” on page 464.
Web photo gallery enhancements Showcase your work online quickly and easily by
posting a gallery of images. Photoshop 7.0 offers sophisticated new templates to give you
more design flexibility, and a new security option lets you enter text or embed the
filename, caption, or copyright information on the image as a watermark. See “Creating
Web photo galleries (Photoshop)” on page 390.
XMP support XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) format lets you embed metadata
into a document so that you can easily repurpose, archive, or automate files in a workflow.
You can also ensure that image information—such as caption, credits, and copyright—
travel with the file. See “Adding file information (Photoshop)” on page 459.
Multilingual spelling checker Search and replace text, check spelling in multiple
languages within the same file, and correct spelling on one text layer or across all text
layers in the same document. See “Checking for spelling errors (Photoshop)” on page 357.

Take advantage of tighter-than-ever integration
Work more efficiently, thanks to tight integration between Photoshop and the latest
releases in Adobe’s family of professional graphics software.
Illustrator Move files freely between Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator—layers, masks,
transparency, and compound shapes are preserved. Maintain rollovers and animation
information when you import Photoshop files into Illustrator, and export Illustrator HTML
tables with CSS layers to Photoshop.

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InDesign Paste or drop native Photoshop files into Adobe InDesign—even layered
images. Paths, masks, and alpha channels in the Photoshop file can be used to remove
image backgrounds or to create text wraps in the InDesign document.
GoLive Design and slice your Web page in Photoshop and then bring the sliced file
directly into GoLive. Use the GoLive Smart Objects feature to generate variable designs
automatically from Photoshop templates.
LiveMotion Drag and drop layered Photoshop files into a LiveMotion composition and
quickly convert them into animation-ready independent objects, groups, or sequences.
Photoshop blending modes, layer masks, and effects are preserved, and the Photoshop
artwork stays editable as you animate and code.
Acrobat Include transparency information in PDF files saved out of Photoshop, add
password protection to secure your Photoshop PDF files, and use the Include Vector Data
option to preserve text and vector graphics as resolution-independent objects.
AlterCast When you want to automate the production of dynamic data-driven graphics,
Adobe AlterCast is the perfect tool. This new image server software (available only in
English) automatically replaces the variables—both text and graphics—in your
Photoshop templates.

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Looking at the Work Area
Getting familiar with the work area
The Photoshop and ImageReady work area is arranged to help you focus on creating and
editing images.

About the work area
The work area consists of the following components:
Menu bar The menu bar contains menus for performing tasks. The menus are organized
by topic. For example, the Layers menu contains commands for working with layers.
Options bar The options bar provides options for using a tool. (See “Using the tool
options bar” on page 26.)
Toolbox The toolbox holds tools for creating and editing images. (See “Using the tools”
on page 24.)
Palette well (Photoshop) The palette well helps you organize the palettes in your work
area. (See “Using the palette well (Photoshop)” on page 26.)
Palettes Palettes help you monitor and modify images. (See “Using palettes” on page 28.)

Using the toolbox
The first time you start the application, the toolbox appears on the left side of the screen.
Some tools in the toolbox have options that appear in the context-sensitive tool options
bar. (See “Using the tool options bar” on page 26.) 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.
For more information on the foreground and background color controls, see “Choosing
foreground and background colors” on page 257.

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Toolbox overview (1 of 3)
* Photoshop only
§

ImageReady only

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

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.

The crop tool trims
images.

The slice tool creates
slices.

The slice selection
tool selects slices.

The healing brush
tool * paints with a
sample or pattern to
repairs imperfections
in a image.

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

The brush tool paints
brush strokes.

The pencil tool paints
hard-edged strokes.

The clone stamp tool
paints with a sample
of an image.

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

The history brush
tool * paints a copy of
the selected state or
snapshot into the
current image
window.

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

The magic eraser
tool erases solidcolored areas to transparency with a single
click.

Toolbox overview (2 of 3)
* Photoshop only
§

ImageReady only

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

The background
eraser tool * erases
areas to transparency
by dragging.

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 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.

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The burn tool
darkens areas in an
image.

The sponge tool
changes the color
saturation of an area.

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

The pen tools * let
you draw smoothedged paths.

The custom shape
tool * makes
customized shapes
selected from a
custom shape list.

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

The hand tool moves
an image within its
window.

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

Toolbox overview (3 of 3)
* Photoshop only
§

ImageReady only

The eyedropper tool
samples colors in an
image.

The measure tool *
measures distances,
locations, and angles.

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The image map
tools § define image
map areas in an
image.

The image map
select tool § selects
image maps.

The preview
document tool §
previews rollover
effects directly in
ImageReady.

The preview in
default browser
tool § previews
animations in a Web
browser.

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The toggle image
map visibility tool §
toggles between
showing and hiding
image maps.

The toggle slices
visibility tool §
toggles between
showing and hiding
slices in an image.

Using the tools
You select a tool by clicking its icon in the toolbox. A small triangle at the lower right of a
tool icon indicates hidden tools. Positioning the pointer over a tool displays a tool tip with
the tool’s name and keyboard shortcut.
To show or hide the toolbox:
Choose Window > Tools. A check mark indicates the item is showing.
To move the toolbox:
Drag the toolbox by its title bar.
To select a tool:
Do one of the following:
•

Click its icon or press its keyboard shortcut. If the icon has a small triangle at its 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.

To cycle through hidden tools:
Hold down Shift and press the tool’s shortcut key.

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To enable or disable cycling through a set of hidden tools (Photoshop):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

2 Select or deselect Use Shift Key for Tool Switch.
To display or hide tool tips:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.

2 Select or deselect Show Tool Tips.

Using the tool pointers
When you select most tools, the mouse pointer matches the tool’s icon. The marquee
pointer appears by default as cross hairs, the text tool pointer as an I-beam, and painting
tools default to the Brush Size icon.
Each default pointer has a different hotspot, where an effect or action in the image begins.
With all tools except the move tool, annotation tools, and the type tool, you can switch to
precise cursors, which appear as cross hairs centered around the hotspot.
To set the tool pointer appearance:
1 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Display & Cursors.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Display & Cursors.

•

(ImageReady) In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Cursors.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Cursors.

2 Choose a tool pointer setting:
•

Click Standard under Painting Cursors, Other Cursors, or both to display pointers as
tool icons.

•

Click Precise under Painting Cursors, Other Cursors, or both to display pointers as
cross hairs.

•

Click Brush Size under Painting Cursors to display the painting tool cursors as brush
shapes representing the size of the current brush. Brush Size cursors may not display for
very large brushes.

3 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.

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The Other Cursors options control the pointers for the following tools:
•

(Photoshop) Marquee, lasso, polygon lasso, magic wand, crop, slice, patch, eyedropper,
pen, gradient, line, paint bucket, magnetic lasso, magnetic 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. Press Caps Lock again to return to your original setting.

Using the tool options bar
Most tools have options that are displayed in the tool options bar. The options bar is
context sensitive and changes as different tools are selected. Some settings in the options
bar are common to several tools (such as painting modes and opacity), and some are
specific to one tool (such as the Auto Erase setting for the pencil tool).
You can move the options bar anywhere in the work area, and dock it at the top or bottom
of the screen.
To display the tool options bar:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose Window > Options.

•

Click a tool in the toolbox.

Lasso options bar

To return a tool or all tools to the default settings:
Do one of the following:
•

Click the tool icon on the options bar, then choose Reset Tool or Reset All Tools from the
context menu.

•

(ImageReady) In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General, then click
Reset All Tools.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General, then click
Reset All Tools.

To move the options bar:
Drag the options bar by the gripper bar at its left edge.

Using the palette well (Photoshop)
The Photoshop options bar includes a palette well that helps you organize and manage
palettes. The palette well is only available when using a screen resolution greater than
800 pixels x 600 pixels (a setting of at least 1024 x 768 is recommended).
Palettes are considered hidden when stored in the palette well. Clicking on the title of a
palette stored in the well shows the palette until you click outside the palette.

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To store palettes in the palette well:
Drag the palette’s tab into the palette well so that the palette well is highlighted.

Docking a palette in the tool options bar

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

Using tool presets (Photoshop)
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.

Tool Presets palette with All option selected

Tool Preset picker in the options bar

To create a tool preset:
1 Choose a tool, and set the options you want in the options bar.
2 Click the Tool Preset button on the left side of the options bar, or choose Window > Tool
Presets to display the Tool Presets palette.
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.

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To choose a tool preset:
Do one of the following:
•

Click the Tool Preset button in the options bar, and select a preset from the pop-up
palette.

•

Choose Window > Tool Presets, and select a preset.

To change the list of presets in the Tool Preset pop-up palette:
Do one of the following:
•

To show all loaded presets, choose Show All Tool Presets from the palette menu.

•

To sort the presets by tool, choose Sort By Tool from the palette menu.

•

To show only the loaded presets for the active tool, choose Show Current Tool Presets
from the palette menu, or click the Current Tool Only button.

•

To create, load, and manage libraries of tool presets, see “Using pop-up palettes” on
page 31 and “Managing libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)” on page 54.

•

To change the display of presets in the pop-up palette, choose Text Only, Small Text,
or Large Text from the palette menu.

Using palettes
Palettes help you monitor and modify images. By default, palettes appear stacked
together in groups.
To display one palette:
Choose the palette name in the Window menu.
To show or hide multiple palettes:
Do one of the following:
•

To show or hide all open palettes, the options bar, and the toolbox, press Tab.

•

To show or hide all palettes, press Shift+Tab.

Changing the palette display
You can rearrange your palettes to make better use of your work area by using the
following techniques:
•

To make a palette appear at the front of its group, click the palette’s tab, or choose the
palette name from the Window menu.

•

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 of an existing group creates a new group.

•

To move a palette to another group, drag the palette’s tab to that group.

•

To display a palette menu, position the pointer on the triangle
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). Not all palettes can be resized.

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To collapse a group to palette titles only, click the Minimize/Maximize box (Windows) or
the Zoom box (Mac OS), or double-click a palette’s tab. You can still access the menu of
a collapsed palette.

Click to collapse or expand palette.
A. Windows B. Mac OS X
•

(ImageReady) To show or hide options for palettes that include hidden options (the
Optimize, Layer Options, and Slice palettes), click the Show Options button on the
palette tab to cycle through palette displays, or choose Show Options or Hide Options
from the palette menu.

Docking palettes together
Docking palettes together lets you view multiple palettes at the same time and move
them as a group. Entire palette groups cannot be docked together at once, but you can
dock the palettes from one group to another, one at a time.
In Photoshop, docked palettes and their locations are saved when you save a workspace.
In Photoshop, you can also store palettes in the palette well of the tool options bar.
(See “Using the tool options bar” on page 26.)
To dock palettes together:
Drag a palette’s tab to the bottom of another palette so that the bottom of the target
palette is highlighted.
To move an entire docked group, drag its title bar.

Customizing your workspace
The positions of all open palettes and movable dialog boxes are saved when you exit the
application. Alternatively, you can always start with default palette positions or restore
default positions at any time.
In addition to saving the positions of palettes and dialog boxes when you exit the application, you can save multiple layouts as different workspaces.
To save the current workspace layout:
1 Choose Window > Workspace > Save Workspace.
2 Enter a name for the workspace, and click OK.
To choose a workspace:
Choose Window > Workspace, and choose a workspace from the submenu.

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To delete a workspace:
1 Choose Window > Workspace > Delete Workspace.
2 Select the workspace you want to delete, and click Delete.
To reset palettes to the default positions:
Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General, then select Save Palette
Locations.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General, then select Save
Palette Locations.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General, then select
Save Palette Locations.

•

Choose Window > Workspace > Reset Palette Locations.

To always start with the default palette and dialog box positions:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.

2 Deselect Save Palette Locations. The change takes effect the next time you start the
application.

Using pop-up sliders
A number of palettes and dialog boxes contain settings that use pop-up sliders (for
example, the Opacity option in the Layers palette).
To use a pop-up slider:
Do one of the following:
•

Position the pointer over the triangle next to the setting, hold down the mouse, and
drag the slider or angle radius to the desired value.

•

Click the triangle next to the setting to open the pop-up slider box, and drag the slider
or angle radius to the desired value. Click outside the slider box or press Enter or Return
to close the slider box. To cancel changes, press the Escape key (Esc).
To increase or decrease values in 10% increments when the pop-up slider box is open,
hold down Shift and press the Up or Down arrow key.

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Using pop-up palettes
Pop-up palettes provide easy access to libraries of 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.

The Brush pop-up palette in the options bar

To select an item in a pop-up palette:
1 Click the thumbnail image in the options bar.
2 Click an item in the pop-up palette.
To rename 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 the Rename command from the palette menu. Enter a new name.
To delete an item in a pop-up palette:
Do one of the following:
•

Select an item, click the triangle
in the upper right corner of the pop-up palette, and
choose the Delete command from the palette menu.

•

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click an item.

To customize the list of items in a pop-up palette:
1 Click the triangle
palette menu.

in the upper right corner of the pop-up palette to view the

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

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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) You can specify that a file extension is always appended to a library file by
setting Append File Extension to Always in the File Handling Preferences. You should
put the extension on a library filename so that you can easily share the libraries across
operating systems.
To change the display of items in a pop-up palette:
1 Click the triangle
palette menu.

in the upper right corner of the pop-up palette to view the

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

Using the Info palette (Photoshop)
The Info palette displays information about the color values beneath the pointer and,
depending on the tool in use, other useful measurements.
To display the Info palette:
Choose Window > Info.
The Info palette displays the following information:
•

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. (See “Identifying out-of-gamut colors (Photoshop)” on page 136.)

•

When you use the marquee tool, 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 you use the crop tool or zoom tool, 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 you use the line tool, pen tool, or gradient tool or when you move a selection,
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 you use a two-dimensional transformation command, 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 you use any color adjustment dialog box (for example, Curves), the Info palette
displays the before and after color values of the pixels beneath the pointer and beneath
color samplers. (See “Seeing the color values of pixels (Photoshop)” on page 133.)

(ImageReady) The Info palette displays the following information:
•

The RGB numeric values for the color beneath the pointer.

•

The Opacity value for the pixels beneath the pointer.

•

The hexadecimal value for the color beneath the pointer.

•

The index color table position for the color beneath the pointer.

•

The x- and y-coordinates of the pointer.

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•

The x- and y-coordinates of your starting position (before you click in 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.

To change the Info palette options:
1 Choose Palette Options from the Info palette menu.
2 For First Color Readout, choose one of the following display options:
•

Actual Color to display values in the current color mode of the image.

•

Total Ink to display 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 to display the opacity of the current layer. This option does not apply to the
background.

•

Any other option to display the color values in that color mode.

3 For Second Color Readout, choose a display option listed in step 2.
4 For Ruler Units, choose a unit of measurement.
5 Click OK.
To change measurement units, click the cross-hair icon in the Info palette for a menu
of options. To change color readout modes, click the eyedropper icon.

Using context menus
In addition to the menus at the top of your screen, context-sensitive menus display
commands relevant to the active tool, selection, or palette.
To display context menus:
1 Position the pointer over an image or palette item.
2 Click with the right mouse button (Windows) or hold down Control and press the
mouse button (Mac OS).

Viewing images
The hand tool, the zoom tools, the Zoom commands, and the Navigator palette let you
view different areas of an image at different magnifications. You can open additional
windows to display several views at once (such as different magnifications) of an image.
You can also change the screen display mode to change the appearance of the Photoshop
or ImageReady work area.

Changing the screen display mode
The window controls let you change the screen display mode, including menu bar, title
bar, and scroll bar options.
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To change the screen display mode:
Click a screen mode button in the toolbox:
•

The left button displays the default window with a menu bar at the top and scroll
bars on the sides.

•

The center button displays a full-screen window with a menu bar and a 50% gray
background, but no title bar or scroll bars.

•

The right button displays a full-screen window with a black background, but no title
bar, menu bar, or scroll bars.

Using the document window
The document window is where your image appears. Depending on the screen display
mode (see “Changing the screen display mode” on page 33), the document window may
include a title bar and scroll bar.
In ImageReady, the document window allows you to 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. For information on changing the view in
the document window, see “Viewing optimized images (ImageReady)” on page 418.
You can open multiple windows to display different views of the same file. A list of open
windows appears in the Window menu. Available memory may limit the number of
windows per image.
To open multiple views of the same image:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose Window > Documents > New Window.

•

(ImageReady) Drag any tab away from the document window.

To arrange multiple windows:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose Window > Documents > Cascade to display windows stacked and cascading
from the upper left to the lower right of the screen.

•

Choose Window > Documents > Tile to display windows edge to edge.

To close windows:
Choose a command:
•

Choose File > Close to close the active window.

•

(Mac OS) Choose File > Close All to close all windows.

•

(Windows) Choose Window > Documents > Close All to close all windows.

Navigating the view area
If the entire image is not visible in the document window, you can navigate to bring
another area of the image into view.
In Photoshop, you can also use the Navigator palette to quickly change the view of an
image.

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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.

To use the hand tool while another tool is selected, hold down the spacebar as you
drag in the image.
To move the view of an image using the Navigator palette (Photoshop):
1 Choose Window > Navigator.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Drag the view box in the thumbnail of the image, which represents the boundaries of
the image window.

•

Click in the thumbnail of the image. The new view includes the area you click.

To change the color of the Navigator palette view box (Photoshop):
1 Choose Palette Options from the Navigator palette menu.
2 Choose a color:
•

To use a preset color, choose an option for Color.

•

To specify a different color, click the color box, and choose a color. For more information
on choosing colors, see “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on page 261.

Magnifying and reducing the view
You can magnify or reduce your view using various methods. The window’s title bar
displays the zoom percentage (unless the window is too small for the display to fit), as
does the status bar at the bottom of the window.
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). (See “About image size and
resolution” on page 62.)
To zoom in:
Do one of the following:
•

Select the zoom tool . The pointer becomes a magnifying glass with a plus sign in its
center . Click the area you want to magnify. Each click magnifies the image to the
next preset percentage, centering the display around the point you click. When the
image has reached its maximum magnification level of 1600%, the magnifying glass
appears empty.

•

Click the Zoom In button in the options bar to magnify to the next preset
percentage. When the image has reached its maximum magnification level, the
command is dimmed.

•

Choose View > Zoom In to magnify to the next preset percentage. When the image has
reached its maximum magnification level, the command is dimmed.

•

(Photoshop) Enter a magnification level in the Zoom text box at the lower left of the
window.

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(ImageReady) Click on the Zoom Level pop-up menu at the bottom left of the
document window, and choose a zoom level.

To zoom out:
Do one of the following:
•

Select the zoom tool. Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to activate the
zoom-out tool. The pointer becomes a magnifying glass with a minus sign in its center
. Click the center of the area of the image you want to reduce. Each click reduces the
view to the previous preset percentage. When the file has reached its maximum
reduction level, the magnifying glass appears empty.

•

Click the Zoom out button in the options bar to reduce to the previous preset
percentage. When the image has reached its maximum reduction level, the command
is dimmed.

•

Choose View > Zoom Out to reduce to the previous preset percentage. When the image
reaches its maximum reduction level, the command is dimmed.

•

(Photoshop) Enter a reduction level in the Zoom text box at the lower left of the
window.

•

(ImageReady) Click on the Zoom Level pop-up menu at the lower left of the document
window, and choose a zoom level.

To magnify by dragging:
1 Select the zoom tool.
2 Drag over the part of the image you want to magnify.
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 the marquee to a new location.
To display an image at 100%:
Do one of the following:
•

Double-click the zoom tool.

•

Choose View > Actual Pixels (Photoshop) or View > Actual Size (ImageReady).

To change the view to fit the screen:
Do one of the following:
•

Double-click the hand tool.

•

Choose View > Fit on Screen.

These options scale both the zoom level and the window size to fit the available screen
space.
To automatically resize the window when magnifying or reducing the view:
With the Zoom tool active, select Resize Windows to Fit in the options bar. The window
resizes 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’s magnification. This can be helpful when using smaller
monitors or working with tiled views.

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To automatically resize the window when zooming in or out using keyboard
shortcuts (Photoshop):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

2 Select Keyboard Zoom Resizes Windows.

Correcting mistakes
Most operations can be undone if you make a mistake. Alternatively, you can restore all or
part of an image to its last saved version. But available memory may limit your ability to
use these options.
For information on how to restore your image to how it looked at any point in the current
work session, see “Reverting to a previous version of an image” on page 38.
To undo the last operation:
Choose Edit > Undo.
If an operation can’t be undone, the command is dimmed and changes to Can’t Undo.
To redo the last operation:
Choose Edit > Redo.
You can set the Redo keystroke preference to be the same for Photoshop and
ImageReady. In the General section of the Preferences dialog box, select a preference
for the Redo key. You can also set the key to toggle between Undo and Redo.
To free memory used by the Undo command, the History palette, or the Clipboard
(Photoshop):
Choose Edit > Purge, and choose the item type or buffer you want to clear. If already
empty, the item type or buffer is dimmed.
Important: The Purge command permanently clears from memory the operation stored
by the command or buffer; it 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 held in memory is so large that Photoshop’s performance is
noticeably diminished.
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 (Photoshop):
Do one of the following:
•

Use the history brush tool
to paint with the selected state or snapshot on the History
palette. (See “Painting with a state or snapshot of an image (Photoshop)” on page 42.)

•

Use the eraser tool
tool” on page 224.)

with the Erase to History option selected. (See “Using the eraser

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Select the area you want to restore, and choose Edit > Fill. For Use, choose History,
and click OK. (See “Filling and stroking selections and layers” on page 249.)

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 on.

Reverting to a previous version of an image
The History palette lets you 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. You can then select any of the states, and the image will revert to
how it looked when that change was first applied. You can then work from that state.

About the History palette
Note the following guidelines when using the History palette:
•

Program-wide changes, such as changes to palettes, color settings, actions, and preferences, are not changes to a particular image and so are not added to the History
palette.

•

By default, the History palette lists the previous 20 states. 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. For more information, see “Making a
snapshot of an image (Photoshop)” on page 40.

•

Once you close and reopen the document, all states and snapshots from the last
working session are cleared from the palette.

•

By default, a snapshot of the initial state of the document is displayed at the top of the
palette.

•

States are added from the top down. 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, selecting a state dims those below. This way you can easily see which
changes will be discarded if you continue working from the selected state. For information on customizing the history options, see “Setting history options (Photoshop)”
on page 40.

•

By default, selecting a state and then changing the image eliminates all states that
come after.

•

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 just that state. For more
information, see “Setting history options (Photoshop)” on page 40.

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Using the History palette
You can use the History palette to revert to a previous state of an image, to delete an
image’s states, and in Photoshop, to create a document from a state or snapshot.

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

To display the History palette:
Choose Window > History, or click the History palette tab.
To revert to a previous state of an image:
Do any of the following:
•

Click the name of the state.

•

Drag the slider

•

(Photoshop) Choose Step Forward or Step Backward from the palette menu or the Edit
menu to move to the next or previous state.

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

To delete one or more states of the image (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 Trash button

•

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 from the History palette without changing the
image. If you get a message that Photoshop is low on memory, purging states is useful,
since the command deletes the states from the Undo buffer and frees up memory.

to delete that change and those that came after it.

Important: This action cannot be undone.
•

Choose Edit > Purge > Histories to purge the list of states from the History palette for all
open documents.

Important: This action cannot be undone.

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To delete all of an image’s states (ImageReady):
Choose Clear Undo/Redo History from the History palette menu.
Important: This action cannot be undone.
To create a new document from the selected state or snapshot of the image
(Photoshop):
Do one of the following:
•

Drag a state or snapshot onto the New Document button

•

Select a state or snapshot, and click the New Document button.

•

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.
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 and thus access the snapshots again from the original
image’s History palette.
To replace an existing document with a selected state (Photoshop):
Drag the state onto the document.

Setting history options (Photoshop)
You can specify the maximum number of items to include in the History palette and set
other options that customize the way you work with the palette.
To set history options:
1 Choose History Options from the History palette menu.
2 Select an option:
•

Automatically Create First Snapshot to automatically create a snapshot of the initial
state of the image when the document is opened.

•

Automatically Create New Snapshot When Saving to generate a snapshot every time
you save.

•

Allow Non-Linear History to make 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. This enables the History palette to
display a list of the editing steps in the order you made them. 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 will be appended at the end of the list.

•

Show New Snapshot Dialog By Default to force Photoshop to prompt you for snapshot
names even when using the buttons on the palette.

Making a snapshot of an image (Photoshop)
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.

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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.

•

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.

Important: 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 Enter the name of the Snapshot in the Name text box.
5 For From, select the snapshot contents:
•

Full Document to make a snapshot of all layers in the image at that state.

•

Merged Layers to make a snapshot that merges all layers in the image at that state.

•

Current Layer to make a snapshot of only the currently selected layer at that state.

To select a snapshot:
Do any of the following:
•

Click the name of the snapshot.

•

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:
Do one of the following:
•

Select the snapshot, and choose Delete from the palette menu.

•

Select the snapshot, and click the Trash button

•

Drag the snapshot to the Trash button.

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Painting with a state or snapshot of an image (Photoshop)
The history brush tool lets you paint a copy of one state or snapshot of an image 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. 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 works similarly to the clone stamp tool, but on any state or
snapshot of the image, not just the current one. (See “Cloning and repairing images” on
page 188.) In Photoshop, you can also paint with the art history brush to create special
effects. (See “Using the art history brush tool (Photoshop)” on page 226.)
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. (See “Setting options for painting and editing
tools” on page 241.)

•

Choose a brush and set brush options. (See “Working with brushes” on page 228.)

3 In the History palette, click the left column of the state or snapshot to use as the source
for the history brush tool.
4 Drag to paint with the history brush tool.

Duplicating images
You can duplicate an entire image (including all layers, layer masks, and channels) into
available memory without saving to disk. In ImageReady, you can also duplicate optimized
versions of an image.
Using duplicates in ImageReady lets you experiment and then compare several
versions of the optimized image to the original.
To duplicate an image (Photoshop):
1 Open the image you want to duplicate.
2 Choose Image > Duplicate.
3 Enter a name for the duplicated image.
4 To duplicate the image without layers, select Duplicate Merged Layers Only.
5 Click OK.
To duplicate an image in Photoshop and automatically append the name “copy” to its
filename, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) when you choose Image >
Duplicate.
To duplicate an original image (ImageReady):
1 Open the image you want to duplicate.

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2 Select the Original tab at the top of the image window.
3 Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag the Original tab from the image
window, or choose Image > Duplicate.
4 Name the duplicate, specify whether to flatten the layers, and click OK.
To duplicate an optimized image (ImageReady):
1 Open the image you want to duplicate.
2 Select the Optimized tab at the top of the image window.
3 Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag the Optimized tab from the
image window, or choose Image > Duplicate Optimized.
4 Name the duplicate, 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.

Using rulers, columns, the measure tool, guides,
and the grid
Rulers, columns, the measure tool, guides, and the grid help you position images or
elements precisely across the width or length of an image.
Note: You can also align and distribute parts of an image using the Layers palette.
(See “Repositioning the contents of layers” on page 289.)

Using rulers
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 determines the grid’s point of origin.
To display or hide rulers:
Choose View > Rulers.
To change the rulers’ zero origin:
1 To snap the ruler origin to guides, slices, or Document bounds, choose View > Snap To,
then choose any combination of options from the submenu. (See “Using the Snap
command” on page 172.)
(Photoshop) You can also snap to a grid in addition to guides, slices, and Document
bounds.
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.
To make the ruler origin snap to the ruler ticks (Photoshop), hold down Shift as you drag.
Note: To reset the ruler origin to its default value, double-click the upper left corner of the
rulers.

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To change the rulers’ settings (Photoshop):
1 Do one of the following:
•

Double-click a ruler.

•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Rulers.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Units & Rulers.

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) if you are printing to a PostScript device.

•

Traditional to use printer’s 72.27 points per inch.

4 Click OK.

Using columns (Photoshop)
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.
To specify columns for an image:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Rulers.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Units & Rulers.

2 Enter values for Width and Gutter.

Using the measure tool (Photoshop)
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).

•

When using a protractor, you can view two distances traveled (D1 and D2).

All measurements except the angle are calculated in the unit of measure currently set in
the Units & Rulers preference dialog box. For information on setting the unit of measure,
see “Using rulers” on page 43.
To display an existing measuring line:
Select the measure tool

To measure between two points:
1 Select the measure tool

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2 Drag from the starting point to the ending point. Hold down the Shift key to constrain
the tool to multiples of 45°.
3 To create a protractor from an existing measuring line, Alt-drag (Windows) or Optiondrag (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, then choose Image > Rotate Canvas > Arbitrary and the correct angle of
rotation required to straighten the image will already be entered into the Rotate Canvas
dialog box.

Using guides and the grid
Guides appear as lines that float over the entire image and do not print. You can move,
remove, or lock a guide to avoid accidentally moving it.
In Photoshop, a grid appears by default as nonprinting lines but can also be displayed as
dots. The grid is useful for laying out elements symmetrically.
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.

To show or hide a grid or guides:
Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Choose View > Show > Grid.

•

Choose View > Show > Guides.

•

Choose View > Extras. This command also shows or hides: (Photoshop) selection edges,
target path, slices, and notes, or (ImageReady) selection edges, slices, image maps, text
bounds, text baseline, and text selection. (See “Working with Extras” on page 47.)

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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 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.

•

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.

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
or slice
tools.)
2 Position the pointer over the guide (the pointer turns into a double-headed arrow).
3 Move the guide:
•

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

To lock all guides:
Choose View > Lock Guides.
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 turn snapping to guides on or off:
Choose View > Snap To > Guides. (See “Using the Snap command” on page 172.)
To turn snapping to the grid on or off (Photoshop):
Choose View > Snap To > Grid. (See “Using the Snap command” on page 172.)
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To set guide and grid preferences (Photoshop):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Guides, Grid, & Slices.

•

In Mac OS X, 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. (See “Using the Color palette” on page 259.)
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 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.

Working with Extras
Guides, grid, target paths, selection edges, slices, image maps, text bounds, text baselines,
text selections, and annotations 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.
For a description of using specific Extras, see “Using guides and the grid” on page 45;
“Annotating images (Photoshop)” on page 50; “Making pixel selections” on page 157;
“Using the marquee tools” on page 158; “Selecting paths (Photoshop)” on page 211;
“Entering paragraph type” on page 343; “Formatting characters” on page 349; “Creating
and viewing slices” on page 368; and “Creating and viewing image maps (ImageReady)”
on page 383.
To show Extras:
Choose View > Extras. A check mark appears next to all shown Extras in the Show
submenu.
Note: Choosing Extras also shows color samplers, even though color samplers are not an
option in the Show submenu.
To hide Extras:
With Extras showing, choose View > Extras. A dot (Windows) or a dash (Mac OS) appears
next to all hidden Extras in the Show submenu.
Note: Hiding only suppresses the display of Extras. It does not turn off these options.
To show one Extra from a list of hidden Extras:
Choose View > Show and choose an Extra from the submenu. Choosing one of the hidden
Extras will cause it to show, and turn off all other Extras.
To turn on and off a group of Extras:
Choose View > Show > All to turn on and show all available Extras. Choose View > Show >
None to turn off all Extras.
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Displaying status information (Photoshop)
The status bar at the bottom of the window displays useful information—such as the
current magnification and file size of the active image, and brief instructions for using the
active tool.
To show or hide the status bar (Windows only):
Choose Window > Status Bar. A check mark indicates the item is showing.

Displaying file and image information
Information about the current file size and other features of the image is displayed at the
bottom of the application window (Windows) or document window (Mac OS).
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. For more information about original and optimized images, see “Viewing
optimized images (ImageReady)” on page 418.
You can also view copyright and authorship information 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 section of the File Info dialog box.
To display file information in the document window (Photoshop):
1 Click the triangle in the bottom border of the application window (Windows) or
document window (Mac OS).

Illustration of file information view options in Photoshop

2 Select a view option:
•

Document Size to display 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 to display the name of the color profile used by the image.

•

Document Dimensions to display the dimensions of the image.

•

Scratch Sizes to display information on the amount of RAM and scratch disk used to
process the image. The number on the left represents the amount of memory that is

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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 to display the percentage of time actually doing an operation instead of
reading or writing the scratch disk. If the value is below 100%, Photoshop is using the
scratch disk and, therefore, is operating more slowly.

•

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

•

Current Tool to view the name of the active tool.

To display image information in the document window (ImageReady):
1 Click an image information box at the bottom of the document window.
2 Select a view option:
•

Original/Optimized File Size to view the original and optimized file size images. The first
value indicates the original image file size. The second value (present if the original
image has been optimized) indicates the optimized image file size and file format
based on the current settings in the Optimize palette.

•

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

•

Image Dimensions to view the image’s pixel dimensions.

•

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

•

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

•

Original in Bytes to view the size of the original, flattened image expressed in bytes.

•

Optimized in Bytes to view the size of the optimized image expressed in bytes.

•

Optimized Savings to view the percentage of the optimized image file size reduction,
followed by the difference in bytes between the original and optimized sizes.

•

Size/Download Time to view the file size for the optimized image and estimated
download time using the selected modem speed.

Note: Download times may vary based on Internet traffic and modem compression
schemes. The value displayed is an approximation.
To view additional file information:
Choose File > File Info.
To read a Digimarc watermark:
1 Choose Filter > Digimarc > Read Watermark. If the filter finds a watermark, a dialog box
displays the Creator ID, copyright year (if present), and image attributes.
2 Click OK, or for more information, choose from the following:
•

If you have a Web browser installed, click Web Lookup to get more information about
the owner of the image. This option launches the browser and displays the Digimarc
Web site, where contact details appear for the given Creator ID.

•

Call the phone number listed in the Watermark Information dialog box to get information faxed back to you.

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Annotating images (Photoshop)
You can attach note annotations (notes) and audio annotations to an image in Photoshop.
This is useful for associating review comments, production notes, or other information
with the image. Because Photoshop annotations are compatible with Adobe Acrobat,
you can use them to exchange information with Acrobat users as well as Photoshop users.
To circulate a Photoshop document for review in Acrobat, save the document in
Portable Document Format (PDF) and ask reviewers to use Acrobat to add notes or
audio annotations. Then import the annotations into Photoshop.
Notes and audio annotations appear as small nonprintable icons on the image. They are
associated with a location on the image rather than with a layer. You can hide and show
annotations, open notes to view or edit their contents, and play audio annotations. You
can also add audio annotations to actions, and set them to play during an action or during
a pause in an action. (See “Setting playback options (Photoshop)” on page 490.)

Adding notes and audio annotations
You can add notes and audio annotations anywhere on a Photoshop image canvas.
When you create a note, a resizable window appears for entering text. When you record an
audio annotation, you must have a microphone plugged into the audio-in port of your
computer.
You can import both kinds of annotations from Photoshop documents saved in PDF or
from Acrobat documents saved in PDF or Form Data Format (FDF).
To create a note:
1 Select the notes tool

2 Set options as needed:
•

Enter an author name. The name appears in the title bar of the notes window.

•

Choose a font and size for the note text.

•

Select a color for the note icon and the title bar of note windows.

3 Click where you want to place the note, or drag to create a custom-sized window.
4 Click inside the window, and type the text. If you type more text than fits in the note
window, the scroll bar becomes active.
Edit the text as needed:
•

You can use the standard editing commands for your system (Undo, Cut, Copy, Paste,
and Select All). In Windows, right-click in the text area and choose the commands from
the context menu. In Mac OS, choose the commands from the Edit and Select menus.
You can also use standard keyboard shortcuts for these editing commands.

•

If you have the required software for different script systems (for example, Roman,
Japanese, or Cyrillic) installed on your computer, you can switch between the script
systems. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) to display the context menu,
and then choose a script system.

5 To close the note to an icon, click the close box.

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To create an audio annotation:
1 Select the audio annotation tool

2 Set options as needed:
•

Enter an author name.

•

Select a color for the audio annotation icon.

3 Click where you want to place the annotation icon.
4 Click Start and then speak into the microphone. When you’re finished, click Stop.
To import annotations:
1 Choose File > Import > Annotations.
2 Select a PDF or FDF file that contains annotations, and then click Load. The annotations
appear in the locations where they were saved in the source document.

Opening and editing annotations
A note or audio annotation icon marks the location of an annotation on an image. When
you move the pointer over an annotation icon and pause, a message displays the author
name. You use the icons to open notes or play audio annotations. You can show, hide, or
move the icons, and edit the contents of notes.
Note: Resizing an image does not resize the annotation icons and note windows. The
icons and note windows keep their locations relative to the image. Cropping an image
removes any annotations in the cropped area; you can recover the annotations by
undoing the Crop command.
To open a note or play an audio annotation:
Double-click the icon:
•

If you are opening a note, a window appears, displaying the note text.

•

If you are playing an audio annotation and have a sound card installed, the audio file
begins to play.

To show or hide annotation icons:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose View > Show > Annotations.

•

Choose View > Extras. This command also shows or hides grids, guides, selection edges,
target paths, and slices.

To edit annotations:
Do any of the following:
•

To move an annotation icon, move the pointer over the icon until it turns into an arrow,
and then drag the icon. You can do this with any tool selected. Moving a note icon does
not move its note window.

•

To move a note window, drag it by the title bar.

•

To delete a selected annotation, press Delete.

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•

To edit the contents of a note, open the note, change any options, and add, delete,
or change the text. You can use the same editing commands that you use when
creating a note. (See “Adding notes and audio annotations” on page 50.)

•

To delete all annotations, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) an annotation
icon to display the context menu, and choose Delete All Annotations. You can also
delete all annotations by clicking Clear All in the options bar for notes or audio
annotations.

Jumping between applications
You can jump between Photoshop and ImageReady to transfer an image between the two
applications for editing without closing or exiting the originating application. In addition,
you can jump from ImageReady to other graphics editing applications and HTML editing
applications installed on your system.
Jumping to an application saves you from having to close the file in one application and
reopen it in another application.

Jumping 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 allows you to 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.
To jump between Photoshop and ImageReady:
Do one of the following:
•

Click the Jump To button

in the toolbox.

•

Choose File > Jump To > Photoshop or File > Jump To > ImageReady.

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

Jumping to other applications (ImageReady)
In addition to jumping to current versions of Photoshop, you can jump to other graphicsediting applications and HTML-editing applications from within ImageReady.
When you install 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 application. If the image contains slices, all files
for the full image are included. A preference enables files updated in another application
to be automatically updated in ImageReady, when jumping back to ImageReady.

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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, a new location, or both.

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 or the Jump To
HTML Editor folder in the Helpers folder in the Photoshop program folder.
3 Restart ImageReady to view the application in the Jump To submenu.
To automatically update a file when jumping back to ImageReady from another
application:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.

2 Select Auto-Update Files.

Previewing an image in a browser
You can open a browser and preview an optimized image. 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 filename and other HTML information in the second paragraph.
When you install Photoshop and ImageReady, the first Netscape and Internet Explorer
browsers found on your system are added to the Preview In menu. You can add additional
browsers to the menu, and specify which browser will be launched when using a
keyboard shortcut.
To preview an optimized image in a browser:
Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Choose File > Save for Web, then select a browser from the Select Browser
Menu at the bottom of the Save for Web window.

•

(ImageReady) Choose File > Preview In, then choose an option from the submenu.
(Choose Other to select a browser not listed in the submenu.)

•

(ImageReady) Select a browser from the Preview in Browser tool in the toolbox.

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To add a browser to the Preview In menu:
1 Create a shortcut (Windows) or an alias (Mac OS) for the browser you want to add to the
menu.
2 Drag the icon for the shortcut or alias into the Preview In folder, located in the Helpers
folder in the Photoshop program folder.
3 Restart Photoshop and ImageReady to view the browser in the Preview In menu.
(ImageReady) To specify a browser to be launched by the Preview In keyboard
shortcut:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose File > Preview In, then choose an option from the submenu.

•

Select a browser from the Preview in Default Browser tool in the toolbox.

The shortcut specification takes effect immediately and will persist the next time you
launch ImageReady.

Managing libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)
The Preset Manager centralizes management of brushes, swatches, gradients, styles,
patterns, contours, custom shapes, and preset tools. You can use the Preset Manager to
change the current set of preset items and create new libraries. Once you load a library in
the Preset Manager, you can access the library’s items in all locations that the type of
preset is available, such as the options bar, Styles palette, Gradient Editor dialog box, and
so on.

Illustration of rearranging tool presets in the Preset Manager

To display the Preset Manager:
Choose Edit > Preset Manager.
To switch between preset types:
Choose an option from the Preset Type pop-up menu.
To change how items are displayed:
Choose a display option palette menu:
•

Text Only to display the name of each preset item.

•

Small Thumbnail or Large Thumbnail to display a thumbnail of each preset item. (These
options are not available for tool presets.)

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•

Small List or Large List to display the name and thumbnail of each preset item. (These
options are not available for swatch presets.)

•

Stroke Thumbnail to display a sample brush stroke and brush thumbnail of each brush
preset. (This option is available for brush presets only.)

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

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.

•

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.
To rename presets items:
1 Select a preset item. Shift-click to select multiple items:
2 Do one of the following:
•

Click Rename, then enter a new name for the brush, swatch, and so on.

•

If the Preset Manager is set to display presets as thumbnails, double-click a preset, enter
a new name, and click OK.

•

If the Preset Manager is set to display 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 rearrange preset items:
Drag an item up or down in the list.
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 filename, 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.

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To return to the default library of preset items:
Choose Reset Preset Type from the palette menu. You can either replace the current list or
append the default library to the current list.

Setting preferences
Numerous program settings are stored in Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Prefs file. Among the
settings stored in this file are 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 exit the
application.
Note: The default location of the Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Prefs file varies by operating
system; use your operating system’s Find command to locate this file.
Unexpected behavior may indicate damaged preferences. By removing damaged preferences, you can restore preferences to their default settings.
To open a preferences dialog box:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences and choose the desired preference
set from the submenu.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences and choose the desired
preference set from the submenu.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences and 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 their default settings:
Do one of the following:
•

Press and hold Alt+Control+Shift (Windows) or Option+Command+Shift (Mac OS)
immediately after launching Photoshop or ImageReady. You will be prompted to delete
the current settings.

•

In Mac OS, open the Preferences folder in the System Folder (Mac OS 9.x) or Library
folder (Mac OS X), and drag the Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Settings folder to the Trash.

New Preferences files will be created the next time you start Photoshop or ImageReady.

Resetting all warning dialogs
Sometimes messages containing warnings or prompts regarding certain situations are
displayed. You can disable the display of these messages by selecting the Don’t Show
Again option in the message. You can also globally reset the display of all messages that
have been disabled.
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To reset the display of all warning messages (Photoshop):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

2 Click Reset All Warning Dialogs, and click OK.
To turn on or off warning messages (ImageReady):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

2 Deselect or select Disable Warnings, and click OK.

Monitoring operations
A progress bar indicates that an operation is in process. You can interrupt the process or
have the program notify you when it has finished.
To cancel operations:
Hold down Esc until the operation in progress has stopped. In Mac OS, you can also press
Command+period.
To set notification for completion of operations:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.

2 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Select Beep When Done.

•

(ImageReady) Select Notify When Done and choose (Mac OS only): System Alert to use
your system alert for notification or Text to Speech to use a spoken notification.

3 Click OK.

Closing files and quitting
To close a file:
1 Choose File > Close (Windows and Mac OS) or File > Close All (Mac OS).
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.

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To exit Photoshop or ImageReady:
1 Choose File > Exit (Windows) or File > Quit (Mac OS).
2 Choose whether or not to save any open files:
•

Click Yes (Windows) or Save (Mac OS) for each open file to save the file.

•

Click No (Windows) or Don’t Save (Mac OS) for each open file to close the file without
saving it.

Using 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 to use 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 to use that plug-in with Photoshop and ImageReady.
Once installed, plug-in modules appear as options added to 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 number of installed plug-in modules becomes great
enough, Photoshop or ImageReady may not be able to list all the plug-ins in their appropriate menus. Newly installed plug-ins will then appear in the Filter > Other submenu.
To install an Adobe Systems plug-in module:
Do one of the following:
•

Use the plug-in installer, if provided.

•

(Windows) Copy the module into the appropriate Plug-ins folder in the Photoshop
program folder. Make sure that the files are uncompressed.

•

(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.

Important: For Macintosh, the plug-ins that come with Photoshop 7.0 are compatible
with both Mac OS 9.x and Mac OS X. However, any plug-in originally intended to work on
Mac OS 9, such as plug-ins from previous versions of Photoshop and some third-party
plug-ins, can only be used on Mac OS 9.x or in the Classic environment on Mac OS X. You
can place such plug-ins in the Plug-ins folder for the Mac OS X version of Photoshop, but
they will not appear unless you launch Photoshop in the Classic environment.
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, the plug-in may require a legacy Photoshop serial
number.

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To specify a legacy serial number (Photoshop):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.

2 Enter the serial number from Photoshop 6.0 or earlier in the Legacy Photoshop Serial
Number text box.
To select an additional plug-ins folder:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.

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), Select
(Mac OS) or Choose (Mac OS 9.0 and later).
5 Restart Photoshop or ImageReady for the plug-ins to take effect.
To suppress the loading of a plug-in or folder 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.
To view information about installed plug-ins:
Do one of the following:
•

In Windows, choose Help > About Plug-In and select a plug-in from the submenu.

•

In Mac OS 9.x, choose Apple menu > About Plug-In and select a plug-in from the
submenu.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > About Plug-In and select a plug-in from
the submenu.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > About Plug-In and select a plug-in
from the submenu.

To load a plug-in in only Photoshop or ImageReady:
Install the plug-in either the Adobe Photoshop Only folder or the Adobe ImageReady Only
folder inside the Plug-ins folder.
Note: Use this procedure when you want to use a plug-in within only Photoshop or
ImageReady, or when a plug-in may only be compatible with one of the two applications.

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Assigning scratch disks
When your system does not have enough RAM to perform an operation, Photoshop and
ImageReady use a proprietary virtual memory technology, also called scratch disks.
A scratch disk is any drive or a partition of a drive with free memory. By default, Photoshop
and ImageReady use the hard drive that the operating system is installed on as its primary
scratch disk.
You can change the primary scratch disk and, in Photoshop, 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, and should have 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 (non-removable) 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.
2 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Choose the desired disks from the menus. You can assign up to four
scratch disks of any size your file system supports. Photoshop lets you create up to
200 GB of scratch disk space using those scratch disks.

•

(ImageReady) Choose a primary scratch disk.

3 Click OK.
4 Restart Photoshop or ImageReady for the change to take effect.
Important: The scratch disk file that is created must be in contiguous hard disk space. For
this reason you should frequently optimize your hard disk. Adobe recommends that you
use a disk tool utility, such as Windows Disk Defragmenter or Norton Speed Disk, to
defragment your hard drive on a regular basis. See your Windows or Mac OS documentation for information on defragmentation utilities.

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Getting Images into Photoshop
and ImageReady
About bitmap images and vector graphics
Computer graphics fall into two main categories—bitmap and vector. You can work
with both types of graphics in Photoshop and ImageReady; moreover, a Photoshop file
can contain both bitmap and vector data. Understanding the difference between the two
categories helps as you create, edit, and import artwork.
Bitmap images Bitmap images—technically called raster images—use a grid of colors
known as pixels to represent images. Each pixel is assigned a specific location and color
value. For example, a bicycle tire in a bitmap image is made up of a mosaic of pixels in that
location. When working with bitmap images, you edit pixels rather than objects or shapes.
Bitmap images are the most common electronic medium for continuous-tone images,
such as photographs or digital paintings, because they can represent subtle gradations of
shades and color. Bitmap images are resolution-dependent—that is, they contain a fixed
number of pixels. As a result, they can lose detail and appear jagged if they are scaled
on-screen or if they are printed at a lower resolution than they were created for.

3:1

24:1

Example of a bitmap image at different levels of magnification

Vector graphics Vector graphics are made up of lines and curves defined by mathematical objects called vectors. Vectors describe an image according to its geometric
characteristics. For example, a bicycle tire in a vector graphic is made up of a mathematical
definition of a circle drawn with a certain radius, set at a specific location, and filled with a
specific color. You can move, resize, or change the color of the tire without losing the
quality of the graphic.

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Vector graphics are resolution-independent—that is, they can be scaled to any size and
printed at any resolution without losing detail or clarity. As a result, vector graphics are the
best choice for representing bold graphics that must retain crisp lines when scaled to
various sizes—for example, logos.

3:1

24:1

Example of a vector graphic at different levels of magnification

Because computer monitors represent images by displaying them on a grid, both vector
and bitmap data is displayed as pixels on-screen.

About image size and resolution
In order to produce high-quality images, it is important to understand how the pixel data
of images is measured and displayed.
Pixel dimensions The number of pixels along the height and width of a bitmap image.
The display size of an image on-screen is determined by the pixel dimensions of the image
plus the size and setting of the monitor.
For example, a 15-inch monitor typically displays 800 pixels horizontally and 600 vertically.
An image with dimensions of 800 pixels by 600 pixels would fill this small screen. On a
larger monitor with an 800-by-600-pixel setting, the same image (with 800-by-600-pixel
dimensions) would still fill the screen, but each pixel would appear larger. Changing the
setting of this larger monitor to 1024-by-768 pixels would display the image at a smaller
size, occupying only part of the screen.
When preparing an image for online display (for example, a Web page that will be viewed
on a variety of monitors), pixel dimensions become especially important. Because your
image may be viewed on a 15-inch monitor, you may want to limit the size of your image
to 800-by-600 pixels to allow room for the Web browser window controls.
20"
15"

832 x 624 / 640 x 480

1024 x 768 / 640 x 480

Example of an image displayed on monitors of various sizes and resolutions

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Image resolution The number of pixels displayed per unit of printed length in an image,
usually measured in pixels per inch (ppi). In Photoshop, you can change the resolution of
an image; in ImageReady, the resolution of an image is always 72 ppi. This is because the
ImageReady application is tailored to creating images for online media, not print media.
In Photoshop, image resolution and pixel dimensions are interdependent. The amount of
detail in an image depends on its pixel dimensions, while the image resolution controls
how much space the pixels are printed over. For example, you can modify an image’s
resolution without changing the actual pixel data in the image—all you change is the
printed size of the image. However, if you want to maintain the same output dimensions,
changing the image’s resolution requires a change in the total number of pixels.

Example of an image at 72-ppi and 300-ppi

When printed, an image with a high resolution contains more, and therefore smaller,
pixels than an image with a low resolution. For example, a 1-by-1-inch image with a
resolution of 72 ppi contains a total of 5184 pixels (72 pixels wide x 72 pixels high = 5184).
The same 1-by-1-inch image with a resolution of 300 ppi contains a total of 90,000 pixels.
Higher-resolution images usually reproduce more detail and subtler color transitions than
lower-resolution images. However, increasing the resolution of a low-resolution image
only spreads the original pixel information across a greater number of pixels; it rarely
improves image quality.
Using too low a resolution for a printed image results in pixelation—output with large,
coarse-looking pixels. Using too high a resolution (pixels smaller than the output device
can produce) increases the file size and slows the printing of the image; furthermore, the
device will be unable to reproduce the extra detail provided by the higher resolution
image.
Monitor resolution The number of pixels or dots displayed per unit of length on the
monitor, usually measured in dots per inch (dpi). Monitor resolution depends on the size
of the monitor plus its pixel setting. Most new monitors have a resolution of about 96 dpi,
while older Mac OS monitors have a resolution of 72 dpi.

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Understanding monitor resolution helps explain why the display size of an image onscreen often differs from its printed size. Image pixels are translated directly into monitor
pixels. This means that when the image resolution is higher than the monitor resolution,
the image appears larger on-screen than its specified print dimensions. For example,
when you display a 1-by-1 inch, 144-ppi image on a 72-dpi monitor, it appears in a 2-by-2
inch area on-screen. Because the monitor can display only 72 pixels per inch, it needs
2 inches to display the 144 pixels that make up one edge of the image.
Printer resolution The number of ink dots per inch (dpi) produced by all laser printers,
including imagesetters. Most desktop laser printers have a resolution of 600 dpi, and
imagesetters have a resolution of 1200 dpi or higher. To determine the appropriate
resolution for your image when printing to any laser printer, but especially to imagesetters, see “screen frequency.”
Ink jet printers produce a microscopic spray of ink, not actual dots; however, most ink jet
printers have an approximate resolution of 300 to 720 dpi. To determine your printer’s
optimal resolution, check your printer documentation.
Screen frequency The number of printer dots or halftone cells per inch used to print
grayscale images or color separations. Also known as screen ruling or line screen, screen
frequency is measured in lines per inch (lpi)—or lines of cells per inch in a halftone screen.
The relationship between image resolution and screen frequency determines the quality
of detail in the printed image. To produce a halftone image of the highest quality, you
generally use an image resolution that is from 1.5 to at most 2 times the screen frequency.
But with some images and output devices, a lower resolution can produce good results. To
determine your printer’s screen frequency, check your printer documentation or consult
your service provider.
Note: Some imagesetters and 600-dpi laser printers use screening technologies other than
halftoning. If you are printing an image on a nonhalftone printer, consult your service
provider or your printer documentation for the recommended image resolutions.

Screen frequency examples:
A. 65 lpi: Coarse screen typically used to print newsletters and grocery coupons B. 85 lpi: Average
screen typically used to print newspapers C. 133 lpi: High-quality screen typically used to print
four-color magazines D. 177 lpi: Very fine screen typically used for annual reports and images in
art books

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File size The digital size of an image, measured in kilobytes (K), megabytes (MB), or
gigabytes (GB). File size is proportional to the pixel dimensions of the image. Images with
more pixels may produce more detail at a given printed size, but they require more disk
space to store and may be slower to edit and print. For instance, a 1-by-1-inch, 200-ppi
image contains four times as many pixels as a 1-by-1-inch, 100-ppi image and so has four
times the file size. Image resolution thus becomes a compromise between image quality
(capturing all the data you need) and file size.
Another factor that affects file size is file format—due to varying compression methods
used by GIF, JPEG, and PNG file formats, file sizes can vary considerably for the same pixel
dimensions. Similarly, color bit-depth and the number of layers and channels in an image
affect file size.
Photoshop supports a maximum file size of 2 GB and maximum pixel dimensions of
30,000 by 30,000 pixels per image. This restriction places limits on the print size and
resolution available to an image.

Changing image size and resolution
Once you have scanned or imported an image, you may want to adjust its size. In
Photoshop, the Image Size command lets you adjust the pixel dimensions, print dimensions, and resolution of an image; in ImageReady, you can only adjust the pixel dimensions of an image.
For assistance with resizing and resampling images in Photoshop, choose Help >
Resize Image. This interactive wizard helps you scale your images for print or online
media.
Keep in mind that bitmap and vector data can produce different results when you resize
an image. Bitmap data is resolution-dependent; therefore, changing the pixel dimensions
of a bitmap image can cause a loss in image quality and sharpness. In contrast, vector data
is resolution-independent; you can resize it without losing its crisp edges.

Displaying image size information
You can display information about the current image size using the information box at the
bottom of the application window (Windows) or the document window (Mac OS).
(See “Displaying file and image information” on page 48.)
To display the current image size:
Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), position the pointer over the file
information box, and hold down the mouse button. The box displays the width and
height of the image (both in pixels and in the unit of measurement currently selected
for the rulers), the number of channels, and the image resolution.

•

(ImageReady) Click an image information box, and select Image Dimensions from the
pop-up menu. The box displays the width and height of the image in pixels.

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About resampling
Resampling refers to changing the pixel dimensions (and therefore display size) of an
image. When you downsample (or decrease the number of pixels), information is deleted
from the image. When you resample up (or increase the number of pixels), new pixels are
added based on color values of existing pixels. You specify an interpolation method to
determine how pixels are added or deleted. (See “Choosing an interpolation method” on
page 66.)

Resampling examples:
A. Downsampled B. Original C. Resampled up (Selected pixels displayed for each image)

Keep in mind that resampling can result in poorer image quality. For example, when you
resample an image to larger pixel dimensions, the image will lose some detail and
sharpness. Applying the Unsharp Mask filter to a resampled image can help refocus the
image’s details. (See “Sharpening images” on page 155.)
You can avoid the need for resampling by scanning or creating the image at a high
enough resolution. If you want to preview the effects of changing pixel dimensions onscreen or print proofs at different resolutions, resample a duplicate of your file.

Choosing an interpolation method
When an image is resampled, an interpolation method is used to assign color values to any
new pixels it creates, based on the color values of existing pixels in the image. The more
sophisticated the method, the more quality and detail from the original image are
preserved.
The General Preferences dialog box lets you specify a default interpolation method to use
whenever images are resampled with the Image Size or transformation commands. The
Image Size command also lets you specify an interpolation method other than the default.
To specify the default interpolation method:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.

2 For Interpolation, choose one of the following options:
•

Nearest Neighbor (Jagged) for the fast but less precise method. This method is recommended for use with illustrations containing non-anti-aliased edges, to preserve hard
edges and produce a smaller file. However, this method can result in jagged effects,
which become apparent when distorting or scaling an image or performing multiple
manipulations on a selection.

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•

(Photoshop) Bilinear for a medium-quality method.

•

Bicubic (Smooth) for the slow but more precise method, resulting in the smoothest
tonal gradations.

Changing the pixel dimensions of an image
When preparing images for online distribution, it’s useful to specify image size in terms of
the pixel dimensions. Keep in mind that changing pixel dimensions affects not only the
size of an image on-screen but also its image quality and its printed characteristics—
either its printed dimensions or its image resolution. (See “About image size and
resolution” on page 62.)
To change the pixel dimensions of an image (Photoshop):
1 Choose Image > Image Size.
2 Make sure that Resample Image is selected, and choose an interpolation method.
(See “Choosing an interpolation method” on page 66.)
3 To maintain the current proportions of pixel width to pixel height, select Constrain
Proportions. This option automatically updates the width as you change the height,
and vice versa.
4 Under Pixel Dimensions, enter values for Width and Height. To enter values as
percentages of the current dimensions, choose Percent as the unit of measurement.
The new file size for the image appears at the top of the Image Size dialog box, with the
old file size in parentheses.
For best results in producing a smaller image, downsample and apply the Unsharp
Mask filter. To produce a larger image, rescan the image at a higher resolution.
To change the pixel dimensions of an image (ImageReady):
1 Choose Image > Image Size.
2 To maintain the current proportions of pixel width to pixel height, select Constrain
Proportions.
3 Under New Size, enter values for Width, Height, or Percent. The New Size text field
displays the new file size for the image.
4 Select a resampling method from the Quality pop-up menu.
For information on setting action options, see “Recording image size options
(ImageReady)” on page 489.

Changing the print dimensions and resolution of an image
(Photoshop)
When creating an image for print media, it’s useful to specify image size in terms of the
printed dimensions and the image resolution. These two measurements, referred to as the
document size, determine the total pixel count and therefore the file size of the image;
document size also determines the base size at which an image is placed into another
application. You can further manipulate the scale of the printed image using the Print with
Preview command; however, changes you make using the Print with Preview command
affect only the printed image, not the document size of the image file. (See “Positioning
and scaling images” on page 472.)

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If you turn on resampling for the image, you can change print dimensions and resolution
independently (and change the total number of pixels in the image). If you turn resampling off, you can change either the dimensions or the resolution—Photoshop adjusts the
other value automatically to preserve the total pixel count. For the highest print quality,
it’s generally best to change the dimensions and resolution first without resampling. Then
resample only as necessary.
To change the print dimensions and resolution of an image:
1 Choose Image > Image Size.
2 Change the print dimensions, image resolution, or both:
•

To change only the print dimensions or only the resolution and adjust the total number
of pixels in the image proportionately, make sure that Resample Image is selected.
Then choose an interpolation method. (See “Choosing an interpolation method” on
page 66.)

•

To change the print dimensions and resolution without changing the total number of
pixels in the image, deselect Resample Image.

3 To maintain the current proportions of image width to image height, select Constrain
Proportions. This option automatically updates the width as you change the height, and
vice versa.
4 Under Document Size, enter new values for the height and width. If desired, choose a
new unit of measurement. Note that for Width, the Columns option uses the width and
gutter sizes specified in the Units & Rulers preferences. For more information, see “Using
columns (Photoshop)” on page 44.
5 For Resolution, enter a new value. If desired, choose a new unit of measurement.
To return to the original values displayed in the Image Size dialog box, hold down
Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click Reset.
To view the print size on-screen:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose View > Print Size.

•

Select the hand tool or zoom tool, and click Print Size in the options bar.

The magnification of the image is adjusted to display its approximate printed size, as
specified in the Document Size section of the Image Size dialog box. Keep in mind that the
size and resolution of your monitor affect the on-screen print size.

Determining a recommended resolution for an image
(Photoshop)
If you plan to print your image using a halftone screen, the range of suitable image resolutions depends on the screen frequency of your output device. You can have Photoshop
determine a recommended resolution for your image based on your device’s screen
frequency. (See “About image size and resolution” on page 62.)
Note: If your image resolution is more than 2.5 times the screen ruling, an alert message
appears when you try to print the image. This means that the image resolution is higher
than necessary for the printer. Save a copy of the file, and then reduce the resolution.

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To determine a suggested resolution for an image:
1 Choose Image > Image Size.
2 Click Auto.
3 For Screen, enter the screen frequency for the output device. If desired, choose a new
unit of measurement. Note that the screen value is used only to calculate the image
resolution, not to set the screen for printing.
Important: To specify the halftone screen ruling for printing, you must use the Halftone
Screens dialog box, accessible through the Print with Preview command. (See “Selecting
halftone screen attributes” on page 475.)
4 For Quality, select an option:
•

Draft to produce a resolution the same as the screen frequency (no lower than 72 pixels
per inch).

•

Good to produce a resolution 1.5 times the screen frequency.

•

Best to produce a resolution 2 times the screen frequency.

Scanning images
Before you scan an image, make sure that the software necessary for your scanner has
been installed. To ensure a high-quality scan, you should predetermine the scanning
resolution and dynamic range your image requires. These preparatory steps can also
prevent unwanted color casts from being introduced by your scanner.
Scanner drivers are provided and supported by the manufacturers of the scanners, not
Adobe Systems Incorporated. If you have problems with scanning, make sure that you are
using the latest version of the appropriate scanner driver.

Importing scanned images
You can import scanned images directly from any scanner that has an Adobe Photoshopcompatible plug-in module or that supports the TWAIN interface. To import the scan using
a plug-in module, choose the scanner name from the File > Import submenu. See your
scanner documentation for instructions on installing the scanner plug-in. For general
plug-in information, see “Using plug-in modules” on page 58.
If your scanner does not have an Adobe Photoshop-compatible scanner driver, import the
scan using the TWAIN interface. (See “Importing an image using the TWAIN interface” on
page 69.)
If you can’t import the scan using the TWAIN interface, use the scanner manufacturer’s
software to scan your images, and save the images as TIFF, PICT, or BMP files. Then open
the files in Photoshop or ImageReady.

Importing an image using the TWAIN interface
TWAIN is a cross-platform interface for acquiring images captured by certain scanners,
digital cameras, and frame grabbers. The manufacturer of the TWAIN device must provide
a Source Manager and TWAIN Data source for your device to work with Photoshop and
ImageReady.

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You must install the TWAIN device and its software, and restart your computer, before you
can use it to import images into Photoshop and ImageReady. See the documentation
provided by your device manufacturer for installation information.
To import an image using the TWAIN interface (Photoshop):
Choose File > Import, and choose the device you want to use from the submenu.
To import an image using the TWAIN interface (ImageReady):
1 If you’re using the TWAIN device for the first time with ImageReady, choose File >
Import > TWAIN Select. Then select the device you want to use. You do not need to repeat
this step for subsequent use of the TWAIN module.
If more than one TWAIN device is installed in your system and you want to switch devices,
use the TWAIN Select command.
2 To import the image, choose File > Import > TWAIN Acquire.

Importing images using WIA (Windows Image Acquisition) Support
Certain digital cameras and scanners can be used to import images using WIA Support.
When you use WIA Support, Photoshop works with Windows and your digital camera or
scanner software to import images directly into Photoshop.
Note: WIA Support is only available if you are using WindowsME or Windows XP.
To import images from a digital camera using WIA Support:
1 Choose File > Import > WIA Support.
2 Choose a destination on your computer for saving your image files.
3 Make sure Open Acquired Images in Photoshop is checked. If you have a large number
of images to import, or if you want to edit the images at a later time, deselect it.
4 Make sure Unique Subfolder is selected if you want to save the imported images
directly into a folder named with the current date.
5 Click Start.
6 Select the digital camera that you want to import images from.
Note: If the name of your camera does not appear in the submenu, verify that the software
and drivers were properly installed and that the camera is connected.
7 Choose the image or images you want to import:
•

Click the image from the list of thumbnails to import the image.

•

Hold down Shift and click on multiple images to import them at the same time.

•

Click Select All to import all available images.

8 Click Get Picture to import the image.
To import images from a scanner using WIA Support:
1 Choose File > Import > WIA Support.
2 Choose a destination on your computer to save image files to.
3 Click Start.
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4 Make sure Open Acquired Images in Photoshop is checked. If you have a large number
of images to import, or if you want to edit the images at a later time, deselect it.
5 Make sure Unique Subfolder is selected if you want to save the imported images
directly into a folder named with the current date.
6 Select the scanner that you want to use.
Note: If the name of your scanner does not appear in the submenu, verify that the
software and drivers were properly installed and that the scanner is connected.
7 Choose the kind of image you want to scan:
•

Color picture to use the default settings for scanning color images.

•

Grayscale picture to use the default settings for scanning grayscale images.

•

Black and White picture or Text to use the default settings.

•

Click Adjust the Quality of the Scanned Picture to use custom settings.

8 Click preview to view the scan. Crop the scan if needed by pulling the rectangle so it
surrounds the image.
9 Click Scan.
10 The scanned image will be saved in the .bmp file format.

Scanning using the resolution setting (Photoshop)
You can determine the resolution for your scan using the original and final image dimensions and the resolution of your output device. Scan resolution translates into image
resolution when you open the scanned image in Photoshop.
To estimate scan resolution:
1 Do one of the following:
•

For laser printers and imagesetters, multiply the printer’s screen frequency by 2.
To determine your printer’s screen frequency, check your printer documentation or
consult your service provider.

•

For ink jet printers, check your printer documentation for the optimal resolution.
Many dye sublimation printers and devices that print directly onto photographic paper
have an optimal resolution of 300 to 400 dpi.

2 Determine the ratio of the final image dimensions to the original image dimensions.
For example, the ratio of a 6-by-9-inch final image to a 2-by-3-inch original image is 3.
3 Multiply the result of step 1 by the result of step 2.
For example, suppose you are printing to an imagesetter with a screen frequency of 85 lpi
and the ratio of the final image to the original is 3. First multiply 85 (the screen frequency)
by 2 to get 170. Then multiply 170 by 3 to get a scan resolution of 510 ppi. If you are
printing to an ink jet printer with an optimal resolution of 300 dpi, multiply 300 by 3 to get
a scan resolution of 900.
Note: Different color separation procedures might require different ratios of image
resolution to screen frequency. It’s a good idea to check with your service provider or print
shop before you scan the image.

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Scanning using the file size setting (Photoshop)
You can create a dummy file to predict the file size needed for the final output of
your scan.
To calculate the file size before scanning an image:
1 In Photoshop choose File > New.
2 Enter the width, height, and resolution for your final printed image. The resolution
should be 1.5 to 2 times the screen frequency you will use to print. Make sure that the
mode you plan to scan in is selected. For more information, see “About color modes and
models (Photoshop)” on page 86. The New dialog box displays the file size.
For example, suppose you want the final image to be 4 inches wide and 5 inches high.
You plan to print it with a 150-line screen using a 2:1 ratio, so you set the resolution to 300.
The resulting file size is 5.15 MB.
To produce the scan, enter the resulting file size in your scanner settings. Don’t worry
about resolution or image dimensions. After you have scanned the image and imported it
into Photoshop, use the Image Size command (with the Resample Image option
deselected) to enter the correct width and height for the image.

Optimizing the dynamic range of the scan (Photoshop)
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 “3. Adjust
the tonal range.” on page 129.)

Eliminating unwanted color casts (Photoshop)
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 it was, you can use the
same test file to create a color-cast correction for all images scanned with the scanner.
To identify and correct a color cast introduced by a scanner:
1 Make sure that your monitor has been calibrated. (See “Creating an ICC monitor profile”
on page 117.)
2 Open a new Photoshop file, and use the linear gradient tool
pure black to pure white.

to create a blend from

3 Choose Image > Adjust > Posterize, and posterize the blend using 11 levels.
4 Print the 11-step gray wedge on a black-and-white printer, and then scan it into
Photoshop.
Note: You can also perform this test using an 18-percent neutral gray card or an 11-step
gray wedge from a photography store.
5 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.
6 Use Levels or Curves to correct the color cast, and then save the dialog box settings.
(See “4. Adjust the color balance.” on page 130.)
7 Open the scanned image you want to correct, reopen the dialog box you used to
correct the cast in step 6, and load the saved settings.
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Creating new images
The New command lets you create a blank image.
To create a new image:
1 Do one of the following:
•

To base the image dimensions and resolution (Photoshop) on the Clipboard contents,
choose File > New. If the Clipboard does not contain image data, the image dimensions
and resolution are based on the last image you created.

•

(Photoshop) To base the image size on the default dimensions and resolution or the
last entered settings, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) when you 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 filename from the bottom section of the Windows menu.
3 (Photoshop) Set the resolution and mode. For more information, see “About image size
and resolution” on page 62 and “About color modes and models (Photoshop)” on page 86.
4 Select an option for the contents of the background layer (Photoshop) or first layer
(ImageReady) of the image:
•

White to fill the background or first layer with white, the default background color.

•

Background Color to fill the background or first layer with the current background color.
(See “Choosing foreground and background colors” on page 257.)

•

Transparent to make the first layer transparent, with no color values. The resulting
document will have a single, transparent layer as its contents.

Opening and importing images
You can open and import images in various file formats. The available formats appear in
the File Browser, the Open dialog box, the Open As dialog box (Windows), or the Import
submenu. (See “About file formats” on page 453.)
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 “Using plug-in
modules” on page 58.)

Opening files
You can open files using the Open command and Open Recent command. In Photoshop,
you can also open files using the File Browser. For more information, see “Using the File
Browser (Photoshop)” on page 78.
There may be instances when Photoshop cannot determine the correct format for a file.
For example, transferring a file between Mac OS and Windows can cause the format to be
mislabeled. In such cases, you must specify the correct format in which to open the file.
To open a file using the Open command:
1 Choose File > Open.

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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 display faster if they are saved with the file. In Photoshop, select Always
Save for Image Previews in the Saving Files preferences to always save a preview; select
Ask When Saving to save previews on a file-per-file basis.
4 Click Open. In some cases, a dialog box appears, letting you set format-specific options.
(See “Opening and importing PDF files” on page 74 and “Opening PostScript artwork” on
page 76.)
Note: If a color profile warning message appears, specify whether to convert the pixels
based on the file’s color profile. (See “Specifying color management policies” on page 108.)
To open a recently used file:
Choose File > Open Recent, and select a file from the submenu.
To specify the number of files that are available in the Open Recent submenu:
1 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > File Handling.

•

(ImageReady) In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.

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.

To specify the file format in which to open a file (Photoshop):
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.

Important: 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 and importing PDF files
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a versatile file format that can represent both vector
and bitmap data and can contain electronic document search and navigation features.
PDF is the primary format for Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Acrobat. For more information
on the PDF format, see “PDF” on page 456.

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Some PDF files contain a single image. Other PDF files (called Generic PDF files) may
contain multiple pages and images. When you open a Generic PDF file, you can choose
which page to open and specify rasterization options. If you want to open an image
(versus a page) from a PDF file, you can use the File > Import > PDF Image command.
You can also bring PDF data into Photoshop or ImageReady using the Place command,
the Paste command, and the drag-and-drop feature. (See “Placing files” on page 80,
“Using drag and drop to copy between applications” on page 170, and “Using the
Clipboard to copy between applications” on page 171.)
To open a PDF file:
1 Choose File > Open.
2 Select the name of the file, and click Open. You can change which types of files show by
selecting an option from the Files of Type (Windows) or Show (Mac OS) pop-up menu.
3 If you are opening a Generic PDF file, do the following:
•

If the file contains multiple pages, select the page you want to open.

•

Indicate the desired dimensions, resolution, and mode. If the file has an embedded ICC
profile and Preserve Embedded Profiles is selected for Color Management Policies in
the Color Settings dialog box, you can choose the profile from the mode pop-up menu.

•

Select Constrain Proportions to maintain the same height-to-width ratio.

•

Select Anti-aliased to minimize the jagged appearance of the artwork’s edges as it is
rasterized.

To import images from a PDF file:
1 Choose File > Import > PDF Image, select the file you want to import images from,
and click Open.
2 Select the image you want to open:
•

To open a specific image, select it and click OK. You can use the arrows to scroll through
the images, or click Go to Image to enter an image number.

•

To open each image as a separate file, click Import All Images.
Press Esc to cancel the import operation before all images are imported.

To create a new Photoshop file for each page of a multiple-page PDF file
(Photoshop):
1 Choose File > Automate > Multi-Page PDF to PSD.
2 Under Source PDF, click the Choose button, and select the file you want to import
images from.
3 Under Page Range, specify a range of pages to import.
4 Under Output Options, specify a resolution, choose a color mode, and set the Anti-alias
option for rasterizing each page of the PDF file. (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.)

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5 Under Destination, enter a base name for the generated files. (When Photoshop creates
the new files, the base name is appended with a number that corresponds to the page
number of the PDF file.) Then click the Choose button, and select the location where you
want to save the generated files.

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 Illustrator, 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. (See “Placing files” on
page 80, “Using drag and drop to copy between applications” on page 170, and “Using the
Clipboard to copy between applications” on page 171.)
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-towidth ratio, select Constrain Proportions.
4 Select Anti-aliased to minimize the jagged appearance of the artwork’s edges as it is
rasterized.

Turning off anti-aliasing for PDF and EPS files (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. Turning off this option produces a hard-edged transition between pixels—and
therefore the appearance of jagged edges—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.
To turn off the Anti-alias PostScript option:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.

2 Deselect Anti-alias PostScript. Clearing this option can decrease the time it takes to
import the file.

Opening Photo CD files
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.

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To open a Photo CD file:
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 to specify 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.
(See “About image size and resolution” on page 62.)

•

Profile to specify a device profile for color management. (See “About color
management” on page 102.)

4 Select options for the destination image:
•

Resolution to specify the resolution of the opened image.

•

Color Space to specify a color profile for the opened image. (See “About color
management” on page 102.)

•

Landscape or Portrait to specify the orientation of the opened image.

Opening Raw files (Photoshop)
The Raw format is designed to accommodate images saved in undocumented formats,
such as those created by scientific applications. Compressed files, such as PICT and GIF,
cannot be opened using this format.
To open a file using the Raw format:
1 Choose File > Open or File > Open As (Windows).
2 Choose Raw from the file format list, and click Open.
3 For Width and Height, enter values for the dimensions of the file.
4 To reverse the order of the width and height, click Swap.
5 Enter the number of channels.
6 Select Interleaved if the file was saved with an interlaced data option.
7 Select a color depth and, if necessary, a byte order.
8 For Header, enter a value.
9 If you are missing the dimensions or header value, you can have Photoshop estimate
the parameters. Either enter the correct height and width values to estimate the header
size, or enter the correct header size to estimate the height and width, and then click
Guess.
10 To have Photoshop retain the header when you save the file, select Retain When
Saving.

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.

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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 arrow buttons 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.

Using the File Browser (Photoshop)
File Browser lets you view, sort, and process image files. You can use the File Browser to
perform tasks such as creating new folders; renaming, moving, and deleting files; and
rotating images. You can also view individual file information and data imported from
your digital camera.
B

The Photoshop File Browser:
A. File information B. File Browser palette menu C. File information pop-up menu
D. Sort By pop-up menu E. View By pop-up menu

Displaying the File Browser Choose File > Browse or Window > File Browser. By default,
the File Browser is displayed in the palette well. To display the File Browser in a separate
window, choose Show in Separate Window from the palette menu. For more information
on using palettes in the palette well, see “Using the palette well (Photoshop)” on page 26.

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Using the File Browser palette menu Click the triangle
in the upper right corner of
the palette to access commands for working with layers. If the palette is docked in the
palette well, click the triangle on the palette tab.
Navigating in the File Browser Double-click a folder to view its contents. To show or
hide folders on the right side of the palette, choose the Show Folders from the palette
menu. A check mark indicates that folders are showing.
Changing the display of files Choose a thumbnail display option from the palette menu,
or click the View By pop-up menu at the bottom of the File Browser and choose a display
option.
Sorting files Click the Sort By pop-up menu at the bottom of the File Browser, and
choose a sorting option.
Ranking files Ranking lets you manually control the sort order of files. To specify a rank,
choose the Large Thumbnail with Rank display option, click in the Rank field, type a letter,
and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS). Alternately, right click (Windows) or
Control-click (Mac OS) a thumbnail and choose a rank from the context menu.
Note: To rank multiple files, select multiple thumbnails and then choose a rank from the
context menu.
Displaying file information Click the File Information pop-up menu at the bottom of the
File Browser, and select one of the following: All to view all image information for a file; or
EXIF to view image information imported from your digital camera. For more information,
see “Adding file information (Photoshop)” on page 459.
Selecting and deselecting files On the right side of the palette, click a thumbnail to
select the file, or Shift-click to select multiple files. To select all files in the current folder,
choose Select All from the palette menu. To deselect all files, choose Deselect All from the
palette menu.
Opening files Select the file or files you want to open, and do one of the following: select
a file and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS); double-click a selected file; drag the
selected file or files out of the File Browser; or choose Open from the palette menu.
When the File Browser is docked in the palette well, double-clicking a file or selecting a file
and pressing Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) opens the image and closes the File
Browser. To keep the File Browser open, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS)
when you double-click the file, press Enter (Windows), or press Return (Mac OS).
Renaming files and folders On the right side of the palette, click a filename or folder
name, or select a file or folder and choose Rename from the palette menu. Then type a
new name, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).
Note: To move to the next filename, press Tab. To move to the previous filename, press
Shift+Tab.
Renaming files in batches To rename all the files in a folder, make sure that no files are
selected. To rename a subset of files in a folder, select the files you want to rename. Then
choose Batch Rename from the palette menu, and set the following options:
•

For Destination Folder, select where you want to place the renamed files: in the same
folder or in a different folder. If you select Move to New Folder, click Browse to select a
different folder.

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•

For File Naming, choose elements from the pop-up menus or enter text into the fields.
The specified elements and text will be combined to create the new filename.

•

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 cannot
deselect it.

Deleting files Select the file or files you want to delete, and do one of the following: click
the Trash button, drag the files to the Trash button , press the Delete key, or choose
Delete from the palette menu.
Creating new folders Choose New Folder from the palette menu, type a name, and press
Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).
Moving and copying files To move a file, drag it to a different folder; to copy a file, Altdrag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) it to a different folder.
Rotating images Select one or more files, and do one of the following: choose a rotation
option from the palette menu; click the Rotate button to rotate the images clockwise by
90 degrees; or Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Rotate button to rotate
the images counter-clockwise by 90 degrees.
Refreshing the view When you rename a file, the order of files in the File Browser is not
automatically updated. To refresh the view, choose Refresh Desktop View from the palette
menu. Closing and reopening the File Browser also refreshes the view.
Displaying files in the Windows Explorer or Mac OS Finder Choose Reveal Location in
Explorer (Windows) or Reveal Location in Finder (Mac OS) from the palette menu.
Purging the cache The cache stores thumbnail and file information to make loading
times quicker when you return to a previously viewed folder. To purge the cache and free
disk space, choose Purge Cache from the palette menu.
Note: Purging the cache deletes ranking and thumbnail information.
Exporting the cache Exporting the cache allows you to burn a CD without having to
generate thumbnails. To export the cache, choose Export Cache from the palette menu.
The cache is exported to the current folder in the File Browser.

Placing files
You can use the File > Place command to place artwork into a new layer in an image.
In Photoshop, you can place PDF, Adobe Illustrator, and EPS files; in ImageReady, you can
place files in any supported format, with the exception of Photoshop (PSD) files containing
CMYK images.
When you place a PDF, Adobe Illustrator, or EPS file, it is rasterized; you cannot edit text or
vector data in placed artwork. Keep in mind that artwork is rasterized at the resolution of
the file into which it is placed.
To place a PDF, Adobe Illustrator, or EPS file (Photoshop):
1 Open the Photoshop image into which you want to place the artwork.
2 Choose File > Place, select the file you want to place, and click Place.
3 If you are placing a PDF file that contains multiple pages, select the page you want to
place in the provided dialog box, and click OK.

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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.
4 If desired, reposition the placed artwork by doing one or more of the following:
•

Position the pointer inside the bounding box of the placed artwork, and drag.

•

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 adjust the center point of the placed artwork, drag the center point to a new
location, or click a handle on the center point icon
in the options bar.

5 If desired, scale the placed artwork by doing one or more of the following:
•

Drag one of the handles at the corners or sides of the bounding box. Hold down Shift as
you drag a corner handle to constrain the proportions.

•

In the options bar, enter values for W and H to specify the width and height of the
artwork. By default, these options represent scale as a percentage; however, you can
enter another unit of measurement. To constrain the proportions of the artwork, click
the Constrain Proportions icon ; the option is on when the icon has a white
background.

6 If desired, rotate the placed artwork by doing one or more of the following:
•

Position the pointer outside the bounding box of the placed artwork (the pointer turns
into a curved arrow), and drag.

•

In the options bar, enter a value (in degrees) for the Rotation option

The artwork rotates around the center point of the placed artwork. To adjust the center
point, drag it to a new location, or click a handle on the Center Point icon
in the
options bar.
7 If desired, skew the placed artwork by holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command
(Mac OS), and dragging a side handle of the bounding box.
8 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.
9 To commit the placed artwork to a new layer, do one of the following:
•

Click the OK button

•

Press Enter or Return.

in the options bar.

To cancel the placement, click the Cancel button

in the options bar, or press Esc.

To place a file (ImageReady):
1 Open the ImageReady image into which you want to place the file.
2 Choose File > Place, 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 to offset the
placed image horizontally.

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•

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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 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 a PDF file that contains multiple pages, select the page you want to
place, and click OK.
6 If you are placing a PDF or EPS file, select Rasterize options, and click OK:
•

Enter Width and Height values for Image Size.

•

Select Anti-aliased to minimize the jagged appearance of the artwork’s edges as it is
rasterized.

•

Select Constrain Proportions to maintain the same height-to-width ratio.

Managing files with WebDAV (Photoshop)
Photoshop supports the Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) server
technology. Using this technology, you can connect to a WebDAV server, download and
upload files, lock files so others cannot work on them at the same time as you, and add
additional files (called assets) to the server. Use a WebDAV server to work in a collaborative
environment without fear that files will be accidentally overwritten or updates lost.

About workgroup management
When working in a collaborative environment, users must share files. The process of
passing files from one collaborator to another involves working with a workgroup.
Controlling the hand-off—so that only one person can edit a file at any given time—
is called workgroup management.
A WebDAV server provides workgroup management via the Web. When a file is managed
by a WebDAV server, multiple users can download copies of the file, but only one user at a
time can check out the file. The user who checks out the file can share his or her work with
other users by updating the file on the server; however, other users can’t make changes to
the managed file until it is checked in. This check out/check in system allows multiple
users to access the same file but prevents users from overwriting each other’s work.

Getting started with workgroup management
To use the workgroup management features in Photoshop, you must be able to connect
to a WebDAV server. You can find detailed information and the latest news about WebDAV
at www.webdav.org.
Important: Firewall software can interfere with the process of connecting to a WebDAV
server. Check with your system administrator or refer to your firewall software documentation for information about setting options to access outside servers.
You can also set preferences to determine whether or not the Workgroup pop-up
menu
appears and the default behavior for checking out and updating files.
To set up a server for use with Photoshop:
1 Choose File > Workgroup > Workgroup Servers.
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2 Specify a folder in which you want to store local copies of managed files. To change the
default location, click Choose, and specify a different folder. Click Show to locate a folder in
the Windows Explorer or the Mac OS Finder.
Note: The path you choose here is used for all servers you want to add. Changing this path
does not change the location of files on existing servers.
3 Select the WebDAV server you want to use, or do one of the following:
•

To add a new server to the list, click New Server, specify a unique server nickname and
URL, and click OK.

•

To edit a server in the list, click Edit Server. To view the folder where local copies of
managed files are stored, click Advanced Options, then click Show.

•

To remove a server from the list, click Remove, and then click OK to the warning
message.

4 Click Done.
To set workgroup management preferences:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > File Handling.

2 Do one of the following:
•

To show the Workgroup pop-up menu
at the bottom of the application window
(Windows) or document window (Mac OS), select Enable Workgroup functionality.

•

To hide the Workgroup pop-up menu, deselect Enable Workgroup functionality.

3 Select one of the following options for Check Out from Server:
•

Never to open the local copy of the file without displaying a dialog box and without
checking it out.

•

Always to automatically check out the file when you open it.

•

Ask to display a dialog box when you open a file that is not checked out.

4 Select one of the following options for Update from Server:
•

Never to open the local copy of the file without displaying a dialog box and without
downloading the latest version of the file from the server.

•

Always to automatically download the latest version of the file from the server.

•

Ask to display a dialog box asking if you want to download the latest version.

Logging on and off WebDAV servers
Different WebDAV servers have different authentication requirements. Some servers
require you to enter a user name and password for every transaction; other servers require
authentication only once per session. When the Authentication dialog box appears, enter
your user name and password.
To log off all WebDAV servers:
Choose File > Workgroup > Logoff All Servers.

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Opening managed files
To view a managed file, open a copy of the file from a WebDAV server. The File >
Workgroup > Open command creates a local copy of the file on your hard drive.
After you have a local copy of a file, you can revert it to the version of the file on the server
(for checked out files) or update it with changes from the file on the server (for nonchecked out files). Reverting and updating permanently discard all changes you’ve made
to the file.
To open a managed file:
1 Choose File > Workgroup > Open.
2 Select a server, a directory, and the file you want to open.
3 Do one of the following:
•

Click Check Out if you want to open and check out at the same time. (See “Checking
files out and in” on page 84.)

•

Click Open if you want to open a local copy without checking it out.

To revert a checked out file to the version on the server:
1 Open your local copy of the file.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Choose File > Workgroup > Revert.

•

Choose Revert from the Workgroup pop-up menu
at the bottom of the application
window (Windows) or document window (Mac OS).

To update a non-checked out file from the version on the server:
1 Open your local copy of the file.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Choose File > Workgroup > Update.

•

Choose Update from the Workgroup pop-up menu

Checking files out and in
Checking out a file prevents other users from making changes to it on the WebDAV server.
When you’re finished making edits, check in the file to update your changes to the server
and release your lock on the managed file.
To check out a file:
Do one of the following:
•

To check out the file that you already have open, choose File > Workgroup > Check Out.
Alternately, choose Check Out from the Workgroup pop-up menu
at the bottom of
the application window (Windows) or document window (Mac OS).

•

To open and check out a file at the same time, choose File > Workgroup > Open. Then,
locate and select the file and click Check Out. (See “Opening managed files” on
page 84.)

To verify if a local file is available for check out:
1 Open your copy of the file.
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2 Choose File > Workgroup > Verify State, or choose Verify State from the Workgroup
pop-up menu.
To check in a file:
Do one of the following:
•

To check in the file and update changes to the server, choose File > Workgroup >
Check In. Alternately, choose Check In from the Workgroup pop-up menu.

•

To check in the file without updating changes to the server, choose File > Workgroup >
Cancel Check Out. Alternately, choose Cancel Check Out from the Workgroup
pop-up menu.

Saving changes to the server
While you have a file checked out, you can save changes to the managed file on the server.
This allows you to share your work with other users without giving up your lock on the file.
To save changes to the server:
1 Open your local copy of the file.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Choose File > Workgroup > Save.

•

Choose Save from the Workgroup pop-up menu
at the bottom of the application
window (Windows) or document window (Mac OS).

Adding files to the server
Adding a file to a WebDAV server initiates workgroup management for the file; in other
words, you create a managed file by adding it to a server.
To add a file to a WebDAV server:
1 Open the file you want to add to the server.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Choose File > Workgroup > Save As.

•

Choose Save As from the Workgroup pop-up menu
window (Windows) or document window (Mac OS).

at the bottom of the application

3 Choose a server from the pop-up menu; then locate the directory to which you want to
save the file.
4 Type in a filename in the Name text box, and choose a format from the Format pop-up
menu.
Note: Be sure to specify a file extension if the file will be downloaded to a computer
running a Windows operating system.
5 To check out the file, select Keep This File Checked Out for Editing.
6 Click Save.

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Working with Color
About color modes and models (Photoshop)
A color mode determines the color model used to display and print images. Photoshop
bases its color modes on established models for describing and reproducing color.
Common models include HSB (hue, saturation, brightness); RGB (red, green, blue); CMYK
(cyan, magenta, yellow, black); and CIE L*a*b*. Photoshop also includes modes for
specialized color output such as Indexed Color and Duotone. ImageReady uses RGB mode
to work with images.
In addition to determining the number of colors that can be displayed in an image, color
modes affect the number of channels and the file size of an image.
You can set up the Info palette so that you can select any tool, position the pointer
over any part of an image, and determine the color value under the pointer. You can
customize the Info palette and color samplers to express color values using HSB, RGB,
CMYK, Lab, or Grayscale modes without changing the mode of the image itself. (See
“Seeing the color values of pixels (Photoshop)” on page 133 and the procedure to change
Info palette options in “Using the Info palette (Photoshop)” on page 32.)

HSB model
Based on the human perception of color, the HSB model describes three fundamental
characteristics of color:
•

Hue is the color reflected from or transmitted through an object. It is measured as a
location on the standard color wheel, expressed as a degree between 0° and 360°.
In common use, hue is identified by the name of the color such as red, orange, or green.

•

Saturation, sometimes called chroma, is the strength or purity of the color. Saturation
represents the amount of gray in proportion to the hue, measured as a percentage
from 0% (gray) to 100% (fully saturated). On the standard color wheel, saturation
increases from the center to the edge.

•

Brightness is the relative lightness or darkness of the color, usually measured as a
percentage from 0% (black) to 100% (white).

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Although you can use the HSB model in Photoshop to define a color in the Color palette or
Color Picker dialog box, there is no HSB mode available for creating and editing images.

C
D

HSM model:
A. Saturation B. Hue C. Brightness D. All hues

RGB model
A large percentage of the visible spectrum can be represented by mixing red, green, and
blue (RGB) colored light in various proportions and intensities. Where the colors overlap,
they create cyan, magenta, yellow, and white.
Because the RGB colors combine to create white, they are also called additive colors.
Adding all colors together creates white—that is, all visible wavelengths are transmitted
back to the eye. Additive colors are used for lighting, video, and monitors. Your monitor,
for example, creates color by emitting light through red, green, and blue phosphors.

Additive colors (RGB)

RGB mode
Photoshop’s RGB mode uses the RGB model, assigning an intensity value to each pixel
ranging from 0 (black) to 255 (white) for each of the RGB 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 value of all components is 255, the result is pure white; when the value is 0,
pure black.
RGB images use three colors, or channels, to reproduce up to 16.7 million colors on-screen;
the three channels translate to 24 (8 x 3) bits of color information per pixel. (In 16-bit-perchannel images, this translates to 48 bits per pixel, with the ability to reproduce many
more colors.) 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 uses RGB mode for display
on-screen.

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Although RGB is a standard color model, the exact range of colors represented can vary,
depending on the application or display device. Photoshop’s RGB mode varies according
to the working space setting that you have specified in the Color Settings dialog box.
(See “About working spaces” on page 106.)

CMYK model
The CMYK model is based on the light-absorbing quality of ink printed on paper. As white
light strikes translucent inks, certain visible wavelengths are absorbed while others are
reflected back to your eyes.
In theory, pure cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) pigments should combine to absorb
all light and produce black. For this reason these colors are called subtractive colors.
Because all printing inks contain some impurities, these three inks actually produce a
muddy brown and must be combined with black (K) ink to produce a true black. (K is used
instead of B to avoid confusion with blue.) Combining these inks to reproduce color is
called four-color process printing.
The subtractive (CMY) and additive (RGB) colors are complementary colors. Each pair of
subtractive colors creates an additive color, and vice versa.

Subtractive colors (CMYK)

CMYK mode
In Photoshop’s 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%.
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 and then convert to CMYK. In RGB mode, you can use the Proof
Setup commands to simulate the effects of a CMYK conversion without changing the
actual image data. (See “Soft-proofing colors” on page 113.) 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 mode varies
according to the working space setting that you have specified in the Color Settings
dialog box. (See “About working spaces” on page 106.)

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L*a*b model
The L*a*b color model is based on the model proposed by the Commission Internationale
d’Eclairage (CIE) in 1931 as an international standard for color measurement. In 1976, this
model was refined and named CIE L*a*b.
L*a*b color is designed to be device independent, creating consistent color regardless of
the device (such as a monitor, printer, computer, or scanner) used to create or output the
image.
L*a*b color consists of a luminance or lightness component (L) and two chromatic components: the a component (from green to red) and the b component (from blue to yellow).
A

L*a*b* model:
A. Luminance=100 (white) B. Green to red component C. Blue to yellow component
D. Luminance=0 (black)

Lab mode
In Photoshop, Lab mode (the asterisks are dropped from the name) has a lightness
component (L) that can range from 0 to 100. In the color picker, the a component (greenred axis) and the b component (blue-yellow axis) can range from +128 to –128. In the
Color palette, the a component and the b component can range from +120 to –120.
You can use Lab mode to work with Photo CD images, edit the luminance and the color
values in an image independently, 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 color is the intermediate color model Photoshop uses when converting from one
color mode to another.

Bitmap mode
This 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. (See “Specifying 8-bit color display (Photoshop)” on page 91.)

Grayscale mode
This mode uses up to 256 shades of gray. Every pixel of a grayscale image has a brightness
value ranging from 0 (black) to 255 (white). 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.

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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 have specified in the Color Settings dialog
box. (See “About working spaces” on page 106.)
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.

Duotone mode
This mode creates duotone (two-color), tritone (three-color), and quadtone (four-color)
grayscale images using two to four custom inks. (See “Printing duotones” on page 479.)

Indexed Color mode
This mode uses 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
simulates the color using available colors.
By limiting the palette of colors, indexed color can reduce file size while maintaining visual
quality—for example, for a multimedia animation application or a Web page. Limited
editing is available in this mode. For extensive editing you should convert temporarily to
RGB mode. (See “Converting to indexed color (Photoshop)” on page 97.)

Multichannel mode
This mode uses 256 levels of gray in each channel. Multichannel images are useful for
specialized printing.
These guidelines apply to converting images to Multichannel mode:
•

Channels in the original image become spot color channels in the converted image.

•

When you convert a color image to multichannel, the new grayscale information is
based on the color values of the pixels in each channel.

•

Converting a CMYK image to multichannel creates cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
spot channels.

•

Converting an RGB image to multichannel creates cyan, magenta, and yellow spot
channels.

•

Deleting a channel from an RGB, CMYK, or Lab image automatically converts the image
to Multichannel mode. (See “About color channels” on page 93 for more information on
channels.)

•

To export a multichannel image, save it in Photoshop DCS 2.0 format.

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Color gamuts (Photoshop)
A gamut is the range of colors that a color system can display or print. The spectrum of
colors seen by the human eye is wider than the gamut available in any color model.
Among the color models used in Photoshop, L*a*b has the largest gamut, encompassing
all colors in the RGB and CMYK gamuts. Typically, RGB gamuts contain the subset of these
colors that can be viewed on a computer or television monitor (which emits red, green,
and blue light). Therefore, some colors, such as pure cyan or pure yellow, can’t be
displayed accurately on a monitor.
CMYK gamuts are smaller, consisting only of colors that can be printed using process-color
inks. When colors that cannot be printed are displayed on-screen, they are referred to as
out-of-gamut colors—that is, outside a CMYK gamut. (See “Identifying out-of-gamut
colors (Photoshop)” on page 136.)
Important: The gamut for an RGB or CMYK image depends on its document profile.
(See “About color management” on page 102.)
A

B
C

Color gamuts:
A. A Lab color gamut B. An RGB color gamut C. A CMYK color gamut

Adjusting the monitor display
Although the RGB color model used by computer monitors is capable of displaying 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.

Specifying 8-bit color display (Photoshop)
When you’re working with a display system that supports 8-bit color, the monitor displays
only 256 different colors at a time. As a result, Adobe Photoshop uses a technique called
dithering to mix pixels of available colors and thus simulate colors not currently available.
Note: Most monitors are capable of displaying 24-bit color. To achieve the best results,
avoid using 8-bit display mode when editing color images.
By default, Adobe Photoshop uses pattern dithering, which can result in a distinctive
pattern of darker or lighter areas in the image. In contrast, diffusion dithering eliminates
this distinctive patterning by using the surrounding pixels in the mix of pixel color. But
diffusion dithering can cause visual inconsistencies when only part of a screen is redrawn
as you scroll, edit, or paint. Keep in mind that dithering effects only appear on-screen, not
in print.
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To select a color display option:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Display & Cursors.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Display & Cursors.

2 Select Use Diffusion Dither to minimize dither patterns produced by dithering.

Making previews display more quickly (Photoshop)
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.
To speed up previews:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Display & Cursors.

•

In Mac OS X, 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 enable you to 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. (See “Soft-proofing colors” on page 113.)
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.
To adjust RGB color display for cross-platform variations (ImageReady):
Choose View > Preview and choose an option for adjusting the color display:
•

Uncompensated Color (the default option) to view the image with no color adjustment.

•

Standard Macintosh Color (Windows) to view the image with color adjusted to simulate
a standard Macintosh monitor.

•

Standard Windows Color (Mac OS) to view the image with color adjusted to simulate a
standard Windows monitor.

Note: These options adjust color display only. No changes are made to pixels in the image.
To adjust RGB color display to match Photoshop color display (ImageReady):
Choose View > Preview > Use Embedded Color Profile.
Note: In order to use the Use Embedded Color Profile command in ImageReady, you must
save the original image, with color profile embedded, in Photoshop.

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Channels and bit depth (Photoshop)
A working knowledge of color channels and bit depth is key to understanding how
Photoshop stores and displays color information in images.

About color channels
Every Adobe 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. (See “Storing masks in alpha channels”
on page 280 and “Adding spot colors (Photoshop)” on page 272.)
An image can have up to 24 channels. By default, Bitmap-mode, 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.

About bit depth
Bit depth—also called pixel depth or color depth—measures how much color information
is available to display or print each pixel in an image. Greater bit depth (more bits of information per pixel) means more available colors and more accurate color representation 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.
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 read and import Lab, RGB, CMYK,
and grayscale images that contain 16 bits of data per color channel.

Converting between bit depths
A 16-bit-per-channel image provides finer distinctions in color, but it can have twice the
file size of an 8-bit-per-channel image. In addition, only the following Photoshop tools and
commands are available for 16-bit-per-channel images:
•

The marquee, lasso, crop, measure, zoom, hand, pen, eyedropper, history brush, slice,
color sampler, clone stamp tools, healing brush tool, and patch tool, as well as the pen
and shape tools (for drawing work paths only).

•

The Duplicate, Feather, Modify, Levels, Auto Levels, Auto Contrast, Auto Color, Curves,
Histogram, Hue/Saturation, Brightness/Contrast, Color Balance, Equalize, Invert,
Channel Mixer, Gradient Map, Image Size, Canvas Size, Transform Selection, and Rotate
Canvas commands, and a limited set of filters. (See “Using filters” on page 321.)

To take full advantage of Photoshop features, you can convert a 16-bit-per-channel image
to an 8-bit-per-channel image.

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To convert between 8 bits per channel and 16 bits per channel:
1 To convert to a 16-bit-per-channel image, first flatten the image. (See “Flattening all
layers” on page 295.)
2 Choose Image > Mode > 16 Bits/Channel or 8 Bits/Channel.

Converting between color modes (Photoshop)
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. Consequently, before
converting images, it’s best to do the following:
•

Do as much editing as possible in the image’s original mode (usually RGB from most
scanners, or CMYK from traditional drum scanners or if imported from a Scitex system).

•

Save a backup copy before converting. Be sure to save a copy of your image that
includes all layers in order to edit the original version of the image after the conversion.

•

Flatten the file before converting it. The interaction of colors between layer blending
modes will change 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.

Converting between Grayscale and Bitmap modes
(Photoshop)
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. To convert an image to Bitmap
mode, you must first convert it to Grayscale mode. This removes the hue and saturation
information from the pixels and leaves just the brightness values. However, because few
editing options are available for Bitmap-mode images, it’s usually best to edit the image in
Grayscale mode and then convert it.
Keep in mind that a Bitmap-mode image edited in Grayscale mode may not look the same
when converted back to Bitmap mode. For example, consider a pixel that is black in
Bitmap mode and then edited to a shade of gray in Grayscale mode. If the gray value of
the pixel is light enough, it will become white when converted back to Bitmap mode.

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Making Grayscale and Bitmap mode conversions
Refer to the following instructions for converting images between Grayscale and 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 Select one of the following bitmap conversion methods:
•

50% Threshold, Pattern Dither, or Diffusion Dither to use a predefined conversion
method. (See “Specifying predefined Bitmap conversion methods” on page 95.)

•

Halftone Screen to simulate the appearance of halftone dots in the converted image.
(See “Specifying halftone screens for Bitmap-mode images” on page 96.)

•

Custom Pattern to simulate the appearance of a custom halftone screen in the
converted image. (See “Specifying custom halftone screens for Bitmap-mode images”
on page 97.)

To convert a Bitmap-mode image to grayscale:
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 predefined Bitmap conversion methods
The predefined conversion options in the Bitmap dialog box determine the quality of the
converted image.
50% Threshold Converts pixels with gray values above the middle gray level (128) to
white and below 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.

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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, to black. Because the original pixel is rarely pure
white or pure black, error is inevitably introduced. This error is transferred 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.

Original grayscale image, and 50% Threshold conversion method

Pattern Dither conversion method, and Diffusion Dither conversion method

Specifying halftone screens 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, it will print with the halftone screen you choose here plus that of the
printer. On some printers, the result probably will be a moiré pattern in the image.
To specify the halftone screen for a Bitmap-mode image:
1 Choose Image > Mode > Bitmap.
2 Click Halftone Screen; then click OK.
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-andwhite halftone screens commonly use a 45° angle.

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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. (See “Filling and stroking selections and layers” on page 249.)
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 will be 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. Adobe Photoshop
comes with several self-tiling patterns that can be used as halftone screen patterns.
(See the procedure to use a pattern from the PostScript Patterns folder in “Filling and
stroking selections and layers” on page 249.)
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.

Converting to indexed color (Photoshop)
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 either a grayscale or RGB image.
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 the Indexed Color dialog box to display a preview of the changes.
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3 Specify conversion options. (See “Conversion options for indexed-color images
(Photoshop)” on page 98.)

Conversion options for indexed-color images (Photoshop)
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 between using a local
palette based on the current image’s colors or a master palette created in ImageReady.
(See “Using master palettes (ImageReady)” on page 438.)
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 6 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.
Perceptual Creates a custom palette by giving priority to colors for which the human eye
has greater sensitivity.
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.
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.
(See “Customizing indexed color tables (Photoshop)” on page 100.) This option also
displays the current adaptive palette, which is useful for previewing the colors most often
used in the image.

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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 transparency 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. With Transparency selected, the matte is applied to edge
areas to help blend the edges with a Web background of the same color. With Transparency 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.

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 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 (Photoshop)
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 > Adjust, and use the
color adjustment commands in the submenu. For a summary description of these
commands, see “Basic steps for correcting images” on page 129.

Using the color table to edit colors and assign transparency
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.
To edit colors in the color table:
1 Open the indexed-color image.
2 Choose Image > Mode > Color Table.
3 Click or drag in the table to choose the color or range of colors you want to change.
4 Choose a color, as explained in “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on page 261, 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.
5 Click OK in the Color Table dialog box to apply the new colors to the indexed-color
image.
To assign transparency to a single color:
1 Choose Image > Mode > Color Table.
2 Select the eyedropper, and click the desired color in the table or in the image. The
sampled color is replaced with transparency in the image.

Using predefined color tables
Your indexed color table can be modeled after predefined color tables, which you select
from the Table menu in the Color Table dialog box.
Custom Creates a palette you specify.
Black Body Displays a palette based on the different colors a blackbody 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.

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. Once 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 the procedure to
save and reuse custom swatch sets in “Using the Swatches palette” on page 260.)

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Producing Consistent Color
(Photoshop)
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.
The RGB (red, green, blue) and CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color modes represent
two main categories of color spaces. The gamuts of the RGB and CMYK spaces are very
different; while the RGB gamut is generally larger (that is, capable of representing more
colors) than CMYK, some CMYK colors still fall outside the RGB gamut. (See “Color gamuts
(Photoshop)” on page 91 for an illustration.) In addition, different devices produce slightly
different gamuts within the same color mode. For example, a variety of RGB spaces can
exist among scanners and monitors, and a variety of CMYK spaces can exist among
printing presses.
Because of these varying color spaces, colors can shift in appearance as you transfer
documents between different devices. Color variations can result from different image
sources (scanners and software produce art using different color spaces), differences in
the way software applications define color, differences in 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.

About color management
Because color-matching problems result from various devices and software that use
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.
Note: Don’t confuse color management with color adjustment or color correction. A CMS
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.
Photoshop follows a color management workflow based on conventions developed by
the International Color Consortium (ICC). The following elements and concepts are
integral to such a color-managed workflow.

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Color management engine Different companies have developed various ways to
manage color. To provide you with a choice, a color management system lets you choose a
color management engine that represents the approach you want to use. Sometimes called
the color management module (CMM), the color management engine is the part of the
CMS that does the work of reading and translating colors between different color spaces.
Color numbers Each pixel in an image document has a set of color numbers that describe
the pixel’s location in a particular color mode—for example, red, green, and blue values for
the RGB mode. However, the actual appearance of the pixel may vary when output or
displayed on different devices, because each device has a particular way of translating the
raw numbers into visual color. (See “Why colors sometimes don’t match” on page 102.)
When you apply color and tonal adjustments or convert a document to a different color
space, you are changing the document’s color numbers.
Color profiles An ICC workflow uses color profiles to determine how color numbers in a
document translate to actual color appearances. A profile systematically describes how
color numbers map to a particular color space, usually that of a device such as a scanner,
printer, or monitor. By associating, or tagging, a document with a color profile, you provide
a definition of actual color appearances in the document; changing the associated profile
changes the color appearances. (For information on displaying the current profile name in
the status bar, see “Displaying file and image information” on page 48.) Documents
without associated profiles are known as untagged and contain only raw color numbers.
When working with untagged documents, Photoshop uses the current working space
profile to display and edit colors. (See “About working spaces” on page 106.)

Do you need color management?
Use the following guidelines to determine whether or not you need to use color
management:
•

You might not need color management if your production process is tightly controlled
for one medium only, for example, if you’re using a closed system where all devices are
calibrated to the same specifications. You or your prepress service provider may prefer
to tailor CMYK images and specify color values for a known, specific set of printing
conditions.

•

You also might not need color management if you are producing images for the Web or
other screen-based output, since you cannot control the color management settings of
monitors displaying your final output. It is helpful, however, to use the Web Graphics
Defaults setting when preparing such images, because this setting reflects the average
RGB space of many monitors. (See “Using predefined color management settings” on
page 105.)

•

You can benefit from color management if you have more variables in your production
process (for example, if you’re using an open system with multiple platforms and
multiple devices from different manufacturers). Color management is recommended if
you anticipate reusing color graphics for print and online media, if you manage
multiple workstations, or if you plan to print to different domestic and international
presses. If you decide to use color management, consult with your production
partners—such as graphic artists and prepress service providers—to ensure that all
aspects of your color management workflow integrate seamlessly with theirs.

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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, consider
installing D50 (5000 degree Kelvin) lighting. Ideally, view printed documents using a
D50 lightbox or using the ANSI PH2.30 viewing standard for graphic arts.

•

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.

•

Match the light intensity in the room or variable lightbox to the light intensity of your
monitor. View continuous-tone art, printed output, and images on-screen under the
same intensity of light.

•

Remove colorful background and user-interface 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 lightbulbs used in homes, or view an office furniture catalog
under the fluorescent lighting used in offices. However, always make final color
judgments under the lighting conditions specified by the legal requirements for
contract proofs in your country.

Setting up color management
Photoshop simplifies the task of setting up a color-managed workflow by gathering most
color management controls in a single Color Settings dialog box. You can choose from a
list of predefined color management settings, or you can adjust the controls manually to
create your own custom settings. You can even save customized settings to share them
with other users and other Adobe applications, such as Illustrator 9.0, that use the Color
Settings dialog box.
Photoshop also uses color management policies, which determine how to handle color
data that does not immediately match your current color management workflow. Policies
provide guidelines on what to do when you open a document or import color data into an
active document.

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To specify color management settings:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings.

To display helpful descriptions of the options that appear in the dialog box, position
the pointer over a section heading or menu item. These descriptions appear in the
lower area of the dialog box.
2 Do one of the following:
•

To set up a predefined color management workflow, see “Using predefined color
management settings” on page 105.

•

To customize your own color management settings, see “Customizing color
management settings” on page 107.

Using predefined color management settings
Photoshop offers a collection of predefined color management settings designed to
produce consistent color for a common publishing workflow, such as preparation for Web
or offset press output. In most cases, the predefined settings will provide sufficient color
management for your needs. These settings can also serve as starting points for customizing your own workflow-specific settings.
To choose a predefined color management setting, choose one of the following options
from the Settings menu in the Color Settings dialog box.
Color Management Off Uses passive color management techniques to emulate the
behavior of applications that do not support color management. Although working space
profiles are considered when converting colors between color spaces, Color Management
Off does not tag documents with profiles. Use this option for content that will be output
on video or as on-screen presentations; do not use this option if you work mostly with
documents that are tagged with color profiles.
ColorSync Workflow (Mac OS only) Manages color using the ColorSync CMS with the
profiles chosen in the ColorSync control panel. Use this option if you want to use color
management with a mix of Adobe and non-Adobe applications. This color management
configuration is not recognized by Windows systems, or by versions of ColorSync earlier
than 3.0.
Emulate Photoshop 4 Emulates the color workflow used by the Mac OS version of
Adobe Photoshop 4.0 and earlier.
Europe Prepress Defaults Manages color for content that will be output under common
press conditions in Europe.
Japan Prepress Defaults Manages color for content that will be output under common
press conditions in Japan.
Photoshop 5 Default Spaces Preparation of content using the default working spaces
from Photoshop 5.
U.S. Prepress Defaults Manages color for content that will be output under common
press conditions in the U.S.

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Web Graphics Defaults Manages color for content that will be published on the World
Wide Web.
When you choose a predefined configuration, the Color Settings dialog box updates to
display the specific color management settings associated with the configuration.

About working spaces
Among other options, predefined color management settings specify the color profiles to
be associated with the RGB, CMYK, and Grayscale color modes. The settings also specify
the color profile for spot colors in a document. Central to the color management workflow,
these profiles are known as working spaces. The working spaces specified by predefined
settings represent the color profiles that will produce the best color fidelity for several
common output conditions. For example, the U.S. Prepress Defaults setting uses a CMYK
working space that is designed to preserve color consistency under standard Specifications for Web Offset Publications (SWOP) press conditions.
A working space acts as the color profile for untagged documents and newly created
documents that use the associated color mode. For example, if Adobe RGB (1998) is the
current RGB working space, each new RGB document that you create will use colors within
the Adobe RGB (1998) color space. Working spaces also define the destination color space
of documents converted to RGB, CMYK, or Grayscale color mode.

About color management policies
When you specify a predefined color management setting, Photoshop sets up a color
management workflow that will be used as the standard for all documents and color data
that you open or import. For a newly created document, the color workflow operates
relatively seamlessly: the document uses the working space profile associated with its
color mode for creating and editing colors.
However, 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, Photoshop must decide how to handle the color data in the document.
A color management policy looks for the color profile associated with an opened
document or imported color data, and compares the profile (or lack of profile) with the
current working space to make default color management decisions. If the profile is
missing or does not match the working space, Photoshop displays a message that
indicates the default action for the policy. In many cases you will also be provided with the
opportunity to choose another action. For detailed information on the color management
decisions associated with different policies, see “Specifying color management policies”
on page 108.

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Working with policy warnings and messages
The predefined color management workflows are set to display warning or option
messages when a default color management policy is about to be used. Although you can
disable the repeated display of some warnings and messages by selecting the Don’t Show
Again option, it is highly recommended that you continue to display all policy messages,
to ensure the appropriate color management of documents on a case-by-case basis.
(See “Resetting all warning dialogs” on page 56.) You should only turn off message
displays if you are very confident that you understand the default policy decision and are
willing to accept it for all documents that you open. You cannot undo the results of a
default policy decision once a document has been saved.

Customizing color management settings
Although the predefined settings should provide sufficient color management for many
publishing workflows, you may sometimes want to customize individual options in a
configuration. For example, you might want to change the CMYK working space to a
profile that matches the proofing system used by your printer or your service bureau.
It’s important to save your custom configurations so that you can reuse and share them
with other users and Adobe applications that use the same color management workflows.
The color management settings that you customize in the Color Settings dialog box are
contained in an associated preferences file called Color Settings.
Note: The default location of the Color Settings file varies by operating system; use your
operating system’s Find command to locate this file.
To customize color management settings:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings.

2 To use a preset color management configuration as the starting point for your customization, choose that configuration from the Settings menu.
3 Specify the desired color settings (working spaces and policies). As you make adjustments, the Settings menu option changes to Custom by default.
For detailed customization instructions, see “Specifying working spaces” on page 107,
“Specifying color management policies” on page 108, and “Customizing advanced color
management settings” on page 110.
4 Save your custom configuration so that it can be reused. (See “Saving and loading color
management settings” on page 112.)

Specifying working spaces
In a color-managed workflow, each color mode must have a working space profile
associated with it. (See “About working spaces” on page 106.) Photoshop ships with a
standard set of color 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.

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To display additional color profiles that you have customized or installed on your system,
select Advanced Mode in the Color Settings dialog box. To appear in a working space
menu, a color profile must be bidirectional, that is, contain specifications for translating
both into and out of color spaces. You can also create a custom RGB, CMYK, Grayscale, or
Spot working space profile to describe the color space of a particular output or display
device. (See “Creating custom RGB profiles” on page 120, “Creating custom CMYK profiles”
on page 121, and “Creating custom grayscale and spot-color profiles” on page 125.)
For information about a specified RGB or CMYK working space profile, see the Description
area of the Color Settings dialog box. (See “Setting up color management” on page 104.)
The following information can help you specify an appropriate Gray or Spot working
space:
•

For images that will be printed, you can specify a Gray or Spot working space profile
that is based on the characteristics of a particular dot gain. Dot gain occurs when a
printer’s halftone dots change as the ink spreads and is absorbed by paper. Photoshop
calculates dot gain as the amount by which the expected dot increases or decreases.
For example, a 50% halftone screen may produce an actual density of 60% on the
printed page, exhibiting a dot gain of 10%. The Dot Gain 10% option represents the
color space that reflects the grayscale characteristics of this particular dot gain.

Proof (no dot gain), and printed image (with dot gain)
•

For images that will be used online or in video, you can also specify a Gray working
space profile that is based on the characteristics of particular gamma. A monitor’s
gamma setting determines the brightness of midtones displayed by the monitor. Gray
Gamma 1.8 matches the default grayscale display of Mac OS computers and is also the
default grayscale space for Photoshop 4.0 and earlier. Gray Gamma 2.2 matches the
default grayscale display of Windows computers.

Specifying color management policies
Each predefined color management configuration sets up a color management policy for
the RGB, CMYK, and Grayscale color modes and displays warning messages to let you
override the default policy behavior on a case-by-case basis. If desired, you can change the
default policy behavior to reflect a color management workflow that you use more often.
For more information on policies, see “About color management policies” on page 106.
To customize color management policies:
1 In the Color Settings dialog box, under Color Management Policies, choose one of the
following to set the default color management policy for each color mode:
•

Off if you do not want to color-manage new, imported, or opened color data.

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•

Preserve Embedded Profiles if you anticipate working with a mix of color-managed and
non-color-managed documents, or with documents that use different profiles within
the same color mode.

•

Convert to Working Space if you want to force all documents to use the current working
space.

For detailed descriptions of the default behaviors associated with each policy option,
see the table following this procedure.
2 For Profile Mismatches, select either, both, or neither of the following:
•

Ask When Opening to display 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.

•

Ask When Pasting to display a message whenever color profile mismatches occur as
colors are imported into a document (via pasting, drag-and-drop, placing, and so on).
You will be given the option to override the policy’s default behavior.

The availability of options for Profile Mismatches depends on which policies have been
specified.
3 For Missing Profiles, select Ask When Opening to display a message whenever you open
an untagged document. You will be given the option to override the policy’s default
behavior.
The availability of options for Missing Profiles depends on which policies have been
specified.
It is strongly recommended that you keep the Ask When Opening and Ask When Pasting
options selected.
Policy option

Default color management behavior

Off

• New documents and existing untagged documents remain

untagged.
• Existing documents tagged with a profile other than the current

working space become untagged.
• Existing documents tagged with the current working space profile

remain tagged.
• For color data imported into a document using the same color

mode, color numbers are preserved.
• For all other import cases, colors are converted to the document’s

color space.

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Policy option

Default color management behavior

Preserve Embedded
Profiles

• New documents are tagged with the current working space profile.
• Existing documents tagged with a profile other than the current

working space remain tagged with the original embedded profile.
• Existing untagged documents use the current working space for

editing but remain untagged.
• For color data imported within the same color mode between

either a non-color-managed source or destination, or from a CMYK
document into a CMYK document, color numbers are preserved.
• For all other import cases, colors are converted to the document’s

color space.
Convert to Working Space

• New documents are tagged with the current working space profile.
• Existing documents tagged with a profile other than the current

working space are converted to and tagged with the working space
profile.
• Existing untagged documents use the current working space for

editing but remain untagged.
• For color data imported within the same color mode between

either a non-color-managed source or destination, color numbers are
preserved.
• For all other import cases, colors are converted to the document’s

color space.

Customizing advanced color management settings
When you select Advanced Mode at the top of the Color Settings dialog box, you have the
option of further customizing settings used for color management.

Specifying a color management engine
The color management engine specifies the system and color-matching method used to
convert colors between color spaces. For information about the specified engine, see the
Description area of the Color Settings dialog box. (See “Setting up color management” on
page 104.)

Specifying a rendering intent
Converting colors to a different color space usually involves an adjustment of the colors to
accommodate the gamut of the destination color space. Different translation methods 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 as translated to a smaller destination
gamut. These translation methods are known as rendering intents because each technique
is optimized for a different intended use of color graphics.
Note: 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. Differences between rendering intents are
apparent only when you print a document or convert it to a different color space.
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The following rendering intent options are available.
Perceptual Known as the Image intent in Adobe PageMaker and Illustrator 8, Perceptual
aims to preserve the visual relationship between colors in a way that is perceived as
natural to the human eye, although the color values themselves may change. This intent is
most suitable for photographic images.
Saturation Known as the Graphics intent in Adobe PageMaker and Illustrator 8,
Saturation aims to create vivid color at the expense of accurate color. It scales the source
gamut to the destination gamut, but preserves relative saturation instead of hue, so when
scaling to a smaller gamut, hues may shift. This rendering intent is suitable for business
graphics, where the exact relationship between colors is not as important as having bright
saturated colors.
Relative Colorimetric This intent is identical to Absolute Colorimetric except for the
following difference: Relative Colorimetric compares the white point of the source color
space to that of the destination color space and shifts all colors accordingly. Although the
perceptual rendering intent has traditionally been the most common choice for photographic imagery, Relative Colorimetric —with the Use Black Point Compensation option
selected in the Color Settings dialog box—can be a better choice for preserving color
relationships without sacrificing color accuracy. Relative Colorimetric is the default
rendering intent used by all predefined configurations in the Settings menu of the Color
Settings dialog box.
Absolute Colorimetric Leaves colors that fall inside the destination gamut unchanged.
This intent aims to maintain color accuracy at the expense of preserving relationships
between colors. When translating to a smaller gamut, two colors that are distinct in the
source space may be mapped to the same color in the destination space. Absolute Colorimetric can be more accurate if the image’s color profile contains correct white point
(extreme highlight) information.

Using black-point compensation
The Use Black Point Compensation option controls whether to adjust for differences in
black points when converting colors between color spaces. When this option is selected,
the full dynamic range of the source space is mapped into the full dynamic range of the
destination space. When deselected, the dynamic range of the source space is simulated
in the destination space; although this mode can result in blocked or gray shadows, it can
be useful when the black point of the source space is darker than that of the destination
space.
The Use Black Point Compensation option is selected for all predefined configurations in
the Settings menu of the Color Settings dialog box. It is highly recommended that you
keep this option selected.

Using dither
The Use Dither (8-bit/channel images) option controls whether to dither colors when
converting 8-bit-per-channel images between color spaces. When this 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.

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Desaturating monitor colors
The Desaturate Monitor Colors By option controls 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.

Blending RGB colors
The Blend RGB Colors Using Gamma option 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.

Saving and loading color management settings
When you create a custom color management configuration, you should name and save
the configuration to ensure that it can be shared with other users and applications that
use the Color Settings dialog box, such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign. You can
also load previously saved color management configurations into the Color Settings
dialog box.
To save a custom color management configuration:
1 In the Color Settings dialog box, click Save.
2 Name your color settings file, and click Save.
To ensure that the saved configuration appears in the Settings menu of the Color Settings
dialog box, save the file in one of the following recommended locations:
•

(Windows) Program Files/Common Files/Adobe/Color/Settings.

•

(Mac OS 9.x) System Folder/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Settings.

•

(Mac OS X) User/CurrentUser/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Settings.

3 Enter any comments that you want to associate with the configuration, and click OK.
The comments that you enter will appear in the Description area of the Color Settings
dialog box when the pointer is positioned over the configuration in the Settings menu.
To load a color management configuration:
1 In the Color Settings dialog box, click Load.
2 Locate and select the desired color settings file, and click Load.
When you load a custom color settings file, it appears as the active choice in the Settings
menu of the Color Settings dialog box. If you load a settings file that has been saved
outside the recommended location, it temporarily replaces the Other option in the
Settings menu until another settings file is loaded.

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Synchronizing color management between applications
The Color Settings dialog box represents the common color management controls shared
by several Adobe applications, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. If you
modify and save over the current color settings file in any application other than
Photoshop, you may be prompted to synchronize the common color settings upon
starting Photoshop or upon reopening the Color Settings dialog box in Photoshop.
Synchronizing the color settings helps to ensure that color is reproduced consistently
between Adobe applications that use the Color Settings dialog box. To share custom color
settings between applications, be sure to save and load the settings file in the desired
applications. (See “Saving and loading color management settings” on page 112.)

Soft-proofing colors
In a traditional publishing workflow, you print a hard proof of your document to preview
how the document’s 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—to display an on-screen preview of the document’s
colors as reproduced on a specified device. In addition, you can use your printer to
produce a hard-proof version of this soft proof. (See “Using color management when
printing” on page 478.) The following diagram shows how the source document profile,
proof profile, and monitor profile are used to represent colors in a soft proof.

Color-managed workflow:
A. Document space B. Proof space C. Monitor space

Keep in mind that the reliability of the soft proof is highly dependent upon the quality of
your monitor, your monitor and printer profiles, and the ambient lighting conditions of
your work station. (See “Creating an ICC monitor profile” on page 117.)
To display a soft proof:
1 Choose View > Proof Setup, and choose the proof profile space that you want to
simulate:
•

Custom soft-proofs colors using the color profile of a specific output device. Follow the
instructions after this procedure to set up the custom proof.

•

Working CMYK soft-proofs colors using the current CMYK working space as defined in
the Color Settings dialog box.

•

Working Cyan Plate, Working Magenta Plate, Working Yellow Plate, Working Black Plate,
or Working CMY Plates soft-proofs specific CMYK ink colors using the current CMYK
working space.

•

Macintosh RGB or Windows RGB soft-proofs colors in an image using either a standard
Mac OS or Windows monitor as the proof profile space to simulate. Neither option is
available for Lab or CMYK documents.

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•

Monitor RGB soft-proofs colors in an RGB document using your current monitor color
space as the proof profile space. This option is unavailable for Lab and CMYK
documents.

•

Simulate Paper White previews the specific shade of white exhibited by the print
medium defined by a document’s profile. This option is not available for all profiles and
is available only for soft-proofing, not printing.

•

Simulate Ink Black previews the actual dynamic range defined by a document’s profile.
This option is not available for all profiles and is available only for soft-proofing, not
printing.

2 Choose View > Proof Colors to turn the soft-proof display on and off. When soft
proofing is on, a check mark appears next to the Proof Colors command.
When soft proofing is on, the name of the current proof profile appears next to the color
mode in the document’s title bar.
To create a custom proof setup:
1 Choose View > Proof Setup > Custom.
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.
2 Select Preview to display a live preview of the proof settings in the document while the
Proof Setup dialog box is open.
3 To use a preset proof setup as a starting point, choose it from the Setup menu. If the
desired setup does not appear in the menu, click Load to locate and load the setup.
4 For Profile, choose the color profile for the device for which you want to create the
proof.
5 If the proof profile you chose uses the same color mode as the document, do one of
the following:
•

Select Preserve Color Numbers to simulate how the document will appear without
converting colors from the document space to the proof profile space. This simulates
the color shifts that may occur when the document’s color values are interpreted using
the proof profile instead of the document profile.

•

Deselect Preserve Color Numbers to simulate how the document will appear if colors
are converted from the document space to their nearest equivalents in the proof profile
space in an effort to preserve the colors’ visual appearances. Then specify a rendering
intent for the conversion. (See “Specifying a rendering intent” on page 110.)

6 If needed, select any of the following:
•

Simulate Paper White to preview, in the monitor space, the specific shade of white
exhibited by the print medium described by the proof profile. Selecting this option
automatically selects the Simulate Ink Black option.

•

Simulate Ink Black to preview, in the monitor space, the actual dynamic range defined
by the proof profile.

The availability of these options depends on the proof profile chosen. Not all profiles
support both options.

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7 To save your custom proof setup as a preset proof setup, click Save. To ensure that the
new preset appears in the View > Proof Setup menu, save the preset in the Program Files/
Common Files/Adobe/Color/Proofing folder (Windows), System Folder/Application
Support/Adobe/Color/Proofing folder (Mac OS 9.x), or Library/Application Support/
Adobe/Color/Proofing folder (Mac OS X).

Changing the color profile of a document
In some cases you may want to convert a document’s colors to a different color profile, tag
a document with a different color profile without making color conversions, or remove the
profile from a document altogether. For example, you may want to prepare the document
for a different output destination, or you may want to correct a policy behavior that you
no longer want implemented on the document. The Assign Profile and Convert to Profile
commands are recommended only for advanced users.
When using the Assign Profile command, you may see a shift in color appearance as color
numbers are mapped directly to the new profile space. Convert Profile, however, shifts
color numbers before mapping them to the new profile space, in an effort to preserve the
original color appearances.
To reassign or discard the profile of a document:
1 Choose Image > Mode > Assign Profile.
2 Select one of the following:
•

Don’t Color Manage This Document to remove the profile from a tagged document.
Select this option only if you are sure that you want the document to become
untagged.

•

Working color mode: working space to tag the document with the current working space
profile.

•

Profile to reassign a different profile to a tagged document. Choose the desired profile
from the menu. Photoshop tags the document with the new profile without converting
colors to the profile space. This may dramatically change the appearance of the colors
as displayed on your monitor.

3 To preview the effects of the new profile assignment in the document, select Preview.
To convert colors in a document to another profile:
1 Choose Image > Mode > 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 “Customizing advanced color management settings”
on page 110.)
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.

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Embedding profiles in saved documents
By default, a tagged document will have its profile information embedded upon saving in
a file format that supports embedded ICC profiles. Untagged documents are saved by
default without embedded profiles.
You can specify whether or not to embed a profile as you save a document; you can also
specify to convert colors to the proof profile space and embed the proof profile instead.
However, changing the profile-embedding behavior is recommended only for advanced
users who are familiar with color management.
To change the embedding behavior of a profile in a document:
1 Choose File > Save As.
2 Do one of the following:
•

To toggle the embedding of the document’s current color profile, select or deselect ICC
Profile (Windows) or Embed Color Profile (Mac OS). This option is available only for the
native Photoshop format (.psd) and PDF, JPEG, TIFF, EPS, DCS, and PICT formats.

•

To toggle the embedding of the document’s current proof profile, select or deselect Use
Proof Setup (available for PDF, EPS, DCS 1.0, and DCS 2.0 formats only). Selecting this
option converts the document’s colors to the proof profile space and is useful for
creating an output file for print. For information on setting up a proof profile, see “Softproofing colors” on page 113.

3 Name the document, choose other save options, and click Save.

Obtaining, installing, and updating 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 in color
space between the scanner and the program displaying the image. This misleading representation may cause you to make unnecessary, time-wasting, and potentially damaging
“corrections” to an already satisfactory image. With an accurate profile, a program
importing the image can correct for any gamut differences and display a scan’s actual
colors.
Once you obtain accurate profiles, they will work with all applications that are compatible
with your color-management system. You can obtain profiles in the following ways, with
the most precise methods listed first:
•

Generate profiles customized for your specific devices using professional profiling
equipment.

•

Use the settings in the Custom CMYK dialog box to describe your device, and then save
the settings as a color profile. (See “Creating custom CMYK profiles” on page 121.)

•

Obtain a profile created by the manufacturer. Unfortunately, such profiles do not
account for individual variations that naturally occur among machines (even identical
modes from the same manufacturer) or from age.

•

Substitute an available profile that may be appropriate for the device’s color space.
For example, many Mac OS scanners have been optimized for an Apple RGB monitor
color space, so you might try using an Apple monitor profile for these devices; for a

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non-profiled Windows scanner, try substituting the sRGB color space. Be sure to proof
images created with the profile before using the profile in production.

Adding device profiles to the color management system
You can add color profiles to your system so that they appear as choices in the Color
Settings dialog box. To minimize confusion when working with profiles, delete any profiles
for devices not used by you or your workgroup. Once you have added a profile to the
recommended location on your system, you may need to load it or restart Photoshop so
that the profile appears in the Color Settings dialog box.
Note: In Mac OS, you can organize the ColorSync Profiles folder by creating additional
folders within it, or adding aliases to other folders. However, nested folders may cause
conflicts with some applications, such as Adobe PressReady.
To add profiles to your system:
Copy profiles to one of the following recommended locations:
•

(Windows 2000) WinNT/System/Spool/Drivers/Color.

•

(Windows NT) WinNT/System32/Color.

•

(Windows 98) Windows/System/Color.

•

(Mac OS 9.x) System Folder/ColorSync Profiles.

•

(Mac OS X) Users/CurrentUser/Library/ColorSync.

Note: If you use ColorSync 2.5 but have used earlier versions, some profiles may still be
stored in the System Folder/Preferences/ColorSync ™ Profiles folder on your hard disk.
For compatibility with ColorSync 2.5 or later, store profiles in the ColorSync Profiles folder
in the System Folder.

Updating profiles
The color reproduction characteristics of a color device change as it ages, so recalibrate
devices periodically and generate updated profiles. Profiles should be good for approximately a month depending on the device. Some monitors automatically compensate for
phosphor aging.
Also, recalibrate a device when you change any of the factors that affect calibration.
For example, recalibrate your monitor when you change the room lighting or the monitor
brightness setting.

Creating an ICC monitor profile
Your monitor will display color more reliably if you use color management and accurate
ICC profiles. Using an ICC monitor profile helps you eliminate any color cast in your
monitor, make your monitor grays as neutral as possible, and standardize image display
across different monitors.
On Windows, you can use the Adobe Gamma software (installed with Photoshop) to
create a monitor profile. On Mac OS, you can use the Apple calibration utility to create a
monitor profile. In addition, there are hardware-based utilities that you can use to create a
monitor profile. Be sure to use only one calibration utility to display your profile; using
multiple utilities can result in incorrect color.

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Calibrating versus characterizing a monitor
You can use profiling software such as Adobe Gamma (Windows) or the Apple calibration
utility (Mac OS) to both characterize and calibrate your monitor. When you characterize
your monitor, you create a profile that describes how the monitor is currently reproducing
color. When you calibrate your monitor, you bring it into compliance with a predefined
standard, for example, the graphics arts standard white point color temperature of 5000
Kelvin.
Determine in advance the standard to which you are calibrating so that you can enter the
set of values for that standard. Coordinate calibration with your workgroup and prepress
service provider to make sure you’re all calibrating to the same standard. However, if you
have implemented a good color management workflow, you need not calibrate all
monitors to the same standard; you simply need to characterize each monitor to produce
accurate profiles.

About monitor calibration settings
Monitor calibration involves adjusting video settings, which may be unfamiliar to you.
A monitor profile uses these settings to precisely describe how your monitor reproduces
color.
Brightness and contrast The overall level and range, respectively, of display intensity.
These parameters work just as they do on a television set.
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. The gamma value defines the slope of that curve halfway between black and white.
Gamma adjustment compensates for the nonlinear tonal reproduction of output devices
such as monitor tubes.
Phosphors The substance that monitors use to emit light. Different phosphors have
different color characteristics.
White point The coordinates (measured in the CIE XYZ color space) at which red, green,
and blue phosphors at full intensity create white.

Guidelines for creating an ICC monitor profile
The following guidelines can help you create an accurate monitor profile.
You may find it helpful to have your monitor’s user guide handy while creating an ICC
monitor profile.
•

You don’t need to calibrate your monitor if you’ve already done so using an
ICC-compliant calibration tool and haven’t changed your video card or monitor
settings.

•

Make sure that you are using a standard desktop (CRT) monitor.

•

If you have the Monitor Setup utility (included with PageMaker ® 6.0) for Windows or
the Knoll Gamma control panel (included with Adobe Photoshop 4.0 and earlier) for
Mac OS, remove it; it is obsolete.

•

Make sure your monitor has been turned on for at least a half hour. This gives it sufficient time to warm up for a more accurate color reading.

•

Make sure your monitor is displaying thousands (16 bits) of colors or more.

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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, using RGB values of 128. For more information, see the
documentation for your operating system.

•

If your monitor has digital controls for choosing the white point of your monitor from a
range of preset values, set those controls before starting the profiling utility. 6500 K is a
good white point for most uses; 5000 K is the common standard for U.S. prepress
providers.

•

Monitor performance changes and declines over time; recharacterize 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.

Calibrating with Adobe Gamma (Windows)
The ICC profile you get using Adobe Gamma uses the calibration settings to describe how
your monitor reproduces color.
Note: Adobe Gamma can characterize, but not calibrate, monitors used with Windows NT.
In addition, the ICC profile you create with Adobe Gamma can be used as the system-level
profile in Windows NT. Adobe Gamma’s ability to calibrate settings depends on the video
card and video driver software. In such cases, some calibration options documented here
may not be available.
To use Adobe Gamma:
1 Start Adobe Gamma, located in the Control Panels folder or in the Program Files/
Common Files /Adobe/Calibration folder on your hard drive.
2 Do one of the following:
•

To use a version of the utility that will guide you through each step, select Step by Step,
and click OK. This version is recommended if you’re inexperienced. If you choose this
option, follow the instructions described in the utility. Start from the default profile for
your monitor if available, and enter a unique description name for the profile. When
you are finished with Adobe Gamma, save the profile using the same description name.
(If you do not have a default profile, contact your monitor manufacturer for appropriate
phosphor specifications.)

•

To use a compact version of the utility with all the controls in one place, select Control
Panel, and click OK. This version is recommended if you have experience creating color
profiles.

At any time while working in the Adobe Gamma control panel, you can click the
Wizard button to switch to the wizard for instructions that guide you through the
same settings as in the control panel, one option at a time.

Saving and loading working space profiles
If none of the working space options in the Color Settings dialog box accurately describe
the color space of your particular output or display device, you can create a custom RGB,
CMYK, Grayscale, or Spot working space profile. Saving your custom profile ensures that
you can reuse it and share it with other users and other Adobe applications that use the
Color Settings dialog box.

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You can also load a profile that has not been saved in the recommended profile location,
so that the profile appears in the Color Settings dialog box.
To save a custom profile:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.

2 Create a custom working space profile. (See “Creating custom RGB profiles” on
page 120, “Creating custom CMYK profiles” on page 121, or “Creating custom grayscale
and spot-color profiles” on page 125.)
3 Under Working Spaces, choose Save Color Space from the appropriate menu.
4 Name and save the profile. (See “Obtaining, installing, and updating color profiles” on
page 116 for the recommended location to save the profile.)
To access a saved profile, you may need to load it or restart Photoshop. If you do not save a
custom profile, it will be stored only in the custom color settings file of which it is a part
and will not be available as a profile option in the Color Settings dialog box.
To load a custom profile:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.

2 Under Working Spaces, choose Load Color Space from the appropriate menu.
3 Locate and select the desired profile, and click Open.
If you load a profile that has been saved outside the recommended location, it temporarily
replaces the Other option in the Working Spaces menu, until another profile is loaded.

Creating custom RGB profiles
When designing a custom RGB profile, you can specify the gamma, white point, and
phosphor settings of your monitor or RGB device.
To create a custom RGB profile:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.

2 Under Working Spaces, choose Custom RGB from the RGB menu.
3 For Name, enter the name for the custom profile.
4 For Gamma, enter the gamma value you want to use.
5 For White Point, choose a setting.
For more information on gamma and white point settings, see “About monitor calibration
settings” on page 118.

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6 For Primaries, choose a set of red, green, and blue phosphor or primary types. This
option is based on the different red, green, and blue phosphors or primaries used by
monitors to display color. If the correct type is not listed, enter custom red, green, and blue
chromaticity coordinates.
Note: Because you are defining the color space in which to edit images, the primaries do
not have to match your monitor.
7 Click OK.
8 Save the custom profile. (See “Saving and loading working space profiles” on page 119.)

Creating custom CMYK profiles
When designing a custom CMYK profile, you can specify the ink colors, dot gain,
separation type, and black generation of your output device. If you have saved Printing
Inks and Separation Setup files from Photoshop 4.x or earlier, you can load them for use as
a working space profile in the Color Settings dialog box. (See “Saving and loading working
space profiles” on page 119.)
Custom CMYK profiles are mainly useful for providing color management compatibility
with documents created in versions of Photoshop prior to 6.0. In general, the CMYK
working space profiles included with the current version of Photoshop produce more
accurate results.

Entering custom CMYK settings
Use the following instructions to create a custom CMYK profile.
To create a custom CMYK profile:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings.

2 Under Working Spaces, choose Custom CMYK from the CMYK menu.
3 For Name, enter a new name for the custom profile if desired. However, because the
default name automatically reflects changes that you make to the Custom CMYK settings,
it is recommended that you accept the default name.
4 For Ink Colors, choose an ink type. (See “Specifying ink colors” on page 122.)
5 For Dot Gain, specify a value. (See “Specifying dot gain” on page 123.)
6 Specify separation options. (See “Adjusting the separation type and black generation”
on page 124.)
7 Click OK.
8 Save the custom profile. (See “Saving and loading working space profiles” on page 119.)

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Specifying ink colors
The Ink Colors menu lets you choose from the following options:
•

The preset ink options are designed to produce quality separations using standard inks
and printing specifications. These ink standards differ slightly from one another.
Similarly, the color and ink absorption qualities of the paper stock affect the final
printed result. You can think of this information as telling Photoshop what printed cyan,
magenta, yellow, and black look like given a certain set of inks and paper stock under
your lighting conditions.

•

The Custom option lets you customize the on-screen display of ink colors to match
printed output by entering values obtained from a color proof. (See “Printing a hard
proof” on page 127.) For example, you may want to use the Custom option to specify
an ink set not listed as a preset option. When you change these settings, you change
the profile that Photoshop uses to display the ink colors on-screen. See the following
procedure for instructions on entering custom ink values.

•

If you have loaded a CMYK profile or color settings file that has been saved outside the
recommended location, the ink setting for that profile or settings file temporarily
replaces the Other option in the Ink Colors menu.

Note: In most cases, printing ink characteristics do not vary greatly from printer to printer
within the same printer type. For example, one Tektronix Phaser II printer prints ink hues
very similar to another one. But the amount of dot gain can vary significantly. Thus, for a
different printer of the same type, you may have to change the dot gain setting in the
CMYK Setup dialog box but not the printing ink colors.
To enter custom ink color values:
1 In the Custom CMYK dialog box, for Ink Colors, choose Custom.
By default, the Ink Colors dialog box defines colors using the CIE coordinates of Y
(lightness), x, and y values. The default ink sets are calibrated for viewing conditions of
5000 K (when viewed under D50 lighting), 2° field of view. CIE coordinates are an international color definition standard supported by PostScript Level 2 and higher.
Note: Colors appear slightly different based on how much of the eye’s field of view they
cover. The CIE has defined two standard ways of measuring color coordinates, one based
on colors filling 10° of the eye’s field of view, and one based on colors filling 2° of the field of
view. Photoshop uses the 2° field of view standard.
2 If desired, select L*a*b Coordinates to enter the color box coordinates as Lab values
rather than Yxy values. Use this option if your spectrophotometer only has Lab readouts.
3 Using your printed CMYK proof, take a reading of the color values using a spectrophotometer, and then enter those values in the appropriate text boxes.
Alternatively, you can click the color box of the ink color you want to adjust and then
adjust the color on-screen until it matches the patch on the color proof. Make sure that
you are viewing the proof under the proper lighting conditions.
4 If desired, select Estimate Overprints to automatically estimate the overprint colors
(MY, CY, CM, and CMY) using the CMYK and white values you entered. This is useful if you
don’t have a spectrophotometer.

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Specifying dot gain
Dot gain or loss can occur when the specified printer’s halftone dots change as the ink
spreads and is absorbed by paper. As a general rule, you should not adjust the dot gain
value until you have run a hard proof (which includes a calibration bar) and have
measured the density values on the proof with a reflective densitometer. Adjust this value
if your print shop has provided a different value for estimated dot gain.
The Custom CMYK dialog box gives you the following ways to specify a printer’s dot gain:
•

You can define a single dot gain value at the 50% level. This means that all four inks gain
the same amount at 50%.

•

You can set up to 13 values along the grayscale range to create a customized dot gain
curve for one or more CMYK plates. Use this method if your proof has a significant color
cast in its neutral gray values.

To specify the dot gain at the standard 50% mark:
1 Print a hard proof with calibration bars included. (See “Setting output options” on
page 473.)
2 Using a reflective densitometer, take a reading at the 50% mark of the printed
calibration bar.
3 In the Custom CMYK dialog box, for Dot Gain, choose Standard. Then enter the total
amount of dot gain measured by the densitometer. For example, if the densitometer
reading is 54%, enter 4 in the text box to specify a dot gain of 4%.
Note: If you don’t have a densitometer, adjust the Dot Gain value until the image onscreen looks like the proof, and then add that value to your printer’s estimate of the
expected dot gain between proof and final output.
To specify the dot gain using curves:
1 Print a hard proof with calibration bars included. (See “Setting output options” on
page 473.)
2 Using a reflective densitometer, take a reading at one or more marks of the printed
calibration bar.
3 In the Custom CMYK dialog box, for Dot Gain, choose Curves.
4 In the lower right of the Dot Gain Curves dialog box, select the ink plate for which you
want to set dot gain curves. To set the same curves for all the plates, select All Same.
5 Do one of the following:
•

Enter the values of your densitometer readings in the text boxes.

For example, if you have specified a 30% dot, and the densitometer reading is 36%, you
have a 6% dot gain in your midtones. To compensate for this gain, enter 36% in the 30%
text box.
•

Click to add an adjustment point in the dot gain curve, and drag the point to change its
value. The value then appears in the appropriate text box.

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Adjusting the separation type and black generation
To make color separations, the three additive colors (red, green, and blue) are translated
into their subtractive counterparts (cyan, magenta, and yellow). In theory, equal parts of
cyan, magenta, and yellow combine to subtract all light reflected from the paper and
create black. Due to impurities present in all printing inks, however, a mix of these colors
instead yields a muddy brown. To compensate for this deficiency in the color separation
process, printers remove some cyan, magenta, and yellow in areas where the three colors
exist in equal amounts, and they add black ink.
A given color can be translated from RGB mode to CMYK mode in an endless number of
ways. But prepress operators typically use one of the following ways to generate black
in print:
•

In undercolor removal (UCR), black ink is used to replace cyan, magenta, and yellow ink
in neutral areas only (that is, areas with equal amounts of cyan, magenta, and yellow).
This results in less ink and greater depth in shadows. Because it uses less ink, UCR is
used for newsprint and uncoated stock, which generally have greater dot gain than
coated stock.

•

In gray component replacement (GCR), black ink is used to replace portions of cyan,
magenta, and yellow ink in colored areas as well as in neutral areas. GCR separations
tend to reproduce dark, saturated colors somewhat better than UCR separations do
and maintain gray balance better on press.

Choose the type of separation based on your paper stock and the requirements of your
print shop.
To adjust the separation type and black generation:
1 In the Custom CMYK dialog box, select a separation type.
The Separation Options area displays a graph based on current settings showing how
neutral colors in the image will separate. In the graph, sometimes called a gray ramp,
neutral colors have equal parts of cyan, magenta, and yellow. The horizontal axis represents the neutral color value, from 0% (white) to 100% (black). The vertical axis represents
the amount of each ink that will be generated for the given value. In most cases, the cyan
curve extends beyond the magenta and yellow curves, because a small extra amount of
cyan is required to produce a true neutral.
2 If you selected GCR as the separation type, choose an option for Black Generation:
•

None generates the color separation using no black plate.

•

The Light and Heavy settings decrease and increase the effect of the Medium setting
(the default). In most cases, Medium produces the best results.

•

Maximum maps the gray value directly to the black plate. This option is useful for
images with a large amount of solid black against a light background, such as screen
shots from a computer.

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Custom lets you adjust the black generation curve manually. Before choosing Custom,
first choose an option (Light, Medium, Heavy, or Maximum) that is closest to the type of
black generation you want. This gives you a black generation curve to use as a starting
point. Then choose Custom, position the pointer on the curve, and drag to adjust the
black curve. The curves for cyan, magenta, and yellow are adjusted automatically
relative to the new black curve and the total ink densities.

Black generation examples:
A. No black generation (Composite image, CMY, K) B. Medium black generation (Composite image,
CMY, K) C. Maximum black generation (Composite image, CMY, K)

3 If needed, specify values for Black Ink Limit and Total Ink Limit (the maximum ink
density your press can support). Check with your print shop to see if you should adjust
these values.
In the Gray Ramp graph, these limits determine the cutoff points for the CMYK curves.
4 If you selected GCR as the separation type, specify an amount for undercolor addition
(UCA) to increase the amount of CMY added to shadow areas. Check with your print shop
for the preferred value. If you are unsure of this value, leave it at 0%.
UCA compensates for the loss of ink density in neutral shadow areas. This additional ink
produces rich, dark shadows in areas that might appear flat if printed with only black ink.
UCA can also prevent posterization in subtle detail in the shadows.

Creating custom grayscale and spot-color profiles
You can create a custom grayscale or spot-color profile based on the specific dot-gain or
gamma characteristics of your output device. You can also load a CMYK profile into the
Gray working space menu to generate a custom grayscale profile based on the CMYK
space. (See “Saving and loading working space profiles” on page 119.)

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To create a grayscale or spot-color profile based on a custom dot gain:
1 Print a hard proof with calibration bars included. (See “Setting output options” on
page 473.)
2 Using a reflective densitometer, take a reading at one or more marks of the printed
calibration bar.
3 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.

4 Under Working Spaces, for Gray or Spot, choose Custom Dot Gain.
5 For Name, enter the name for the custom profile.
6 Do one of the following:
•

Using your densitometer readings, calculate the required adjustments, and enter the
percentage values in the text boxes.

For example, if you have specified a 30% dot, and the densitometer reading is 36%, you
have a 6% dot gain in your midtones. To compensate for this gain, enter 36% in the 30%
text box.
•

Click to add an adjustment point in the dot gain curve, and drag the point to change its
value. The value then appears in the appropriate text box.

•

Click OK.

7 Save the custom profile. (See “Saving and loading working space profiles” on page 119.)
To create a grayscale profile based on a custom gamma:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.

2 Select Advanced.
3 Under Working Spaces, for Gray, choose Custom Gamma.
4 For Name, enter the name for the custom profile.
5 Specify the desired gamma value, and click OK.
6 Save the custom profile. (See “Saving and loading working space profiles” on page 119.)

Compensating for dot gain in film using transfer functions
When using CMYK color profiles, you cannot customize dot gain settings. However, you
may be able to compensate for dot gain from a miscalibrated imagesetter by using
transfer functions.
Transfer functions enable you to compensate for dot gain between the image and film. For
example, the Transfer function makes 50% dots in the image print as 50% dots on film.
Similar to dot gain curves, the transfer functions let you specify up to 13 values along the
grayscale to create a customized transfer function. Unlike dot gain curves, transfer
functions apply only to printing—they don’t affect the image color data.

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Use the following guidelines to determine the best method of accounting for dot gain:
•

If you are using a custom CMYK profile, use the dot gain settings in the custom CMYK
dialog box to adjust dot gain so that it matches the printed results.

•

If you are using an ICC profile and the dot gain values do not match the printed results,
try to obtain a new profile with values that do match.

•

Use transfer functions only if neither of the previous methods is an option.

To adjust transfer function values:
1 Use a transmissive densitometer to record the density values at the appropriate steps in
your image on film.
2 Choose File > Print with Preview.
3 Select Show More Options, and choose Output from the pop-up menu.
4 Click the Transfer button.
5 Calculate the required adjustment, and enter the values (as percentages) in the Transfer
Functions dialog box.
For example, if you specified a 50% dot, and your imagesetter prints it at 58%, an 8% dot
gain occurs in the midtones. To compensate for this gain, enter 42% (50% – 8%) in the 50%
text box of the Transfer Functions dialog box. The imagesetter then prints the 50% dot
you want.
When entering transfer function values, keep in mind the density range of your imagesetter. On a given imagesetter, a very small highlight dot may be too small to hold ink.
Beyond a certain density level, the shadow dots may fill as solid black, removing all detail
in shadow areas.
Note: To preserve transfer functions in an exported EPS file, select Override Printer’s
Default Functions in the Transfer Functions dialog box and then export the file with
Include Transfer Functions selected in the EPS Format dialog box. (See “Saving files in
Photoshop EPS format (Photoshop)” on page 448.)
To save the current transfer function settings as the default:
Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to change the Save button to —> Defaults,
and click the button.
To load the default transfer function settings:
Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to change the Load button to <— Defaults,
and click the button.

Printing a hard proof
A hard proof can help you check the accuracy of a custom CMYK working space profile.
You can produce a hard proof by printing a CMYK image. Do not print an RGB image that
has been converted to CMYK in Photoshop. Instead use an image that has been saved in
CMYK format without an embedded ICC profile and whose CMYK values have been
assigned directly in CMYK mode.

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To create your own CMYK proof document:
1 Create a new Photoshop document in CMYK mode.
2 Use the Assign Profile command to remove any existing color profile from the
document. (See “Changing the color profile of a document” on page 115.)
3 Create a set of swatches that includes the following:
•

Four swatches, each containing 100% of the CMYK colors (100% cyan, 100% magenta,
100% yellow, and 100% black).

•

Four combination swatches (100% each of magenta and yellow, 100% each of cyan and
yellow, 100% each of cyan and magenta, and 100% each of cyan, magenta, and yellow).

•

A set of swatches that make up a four-color black, such as 60% cyan, 50% magenta,
50% yellow, and 100% black.

4 Print a hard proof with calibration bars included. (See “Setting output options” on
page 473.)

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Making Color and Tonal
Adjustments
Basic steps for correcting images
Photoshop and ImageReady give you a range of commands and features for adjusting the
tonal quality and color balance of images. For simple image correction, use one of the
quick adjustment commands. (See “Making quick overall adjustments to an image” on
page 150.) For more precise and flexible adjustments, use the following color-correction
workflow.

1. Calibrate your monitor.
In preparation for adjusting images, characterize and calibrate your monitor to a colordisplay standard suited to your working needs. Otherwise, the image on your monitor
may look very different from the same image when printed or when viewed on another
monitor. (See “Creating an ICC monitor profile” on page 117.)

2. Check the scan quality and tonal range.
Before making adjustments, look at the image’s histogram to evaluate whether the image
has sufficient detail to produce high-quality output. The greater the range of values in the
histogram, the greater the detail. Poor scans and photographs without much detail can be
difficult if not impossible to correct. Too many color corrections can also result in a loss of
pixel values and too little detail.
The histogram also displays the overall distribution of shadows, midtones, and highlights
to help you determine which tonal corrections are needed. (See “Checking scan quality
and tonal range (Photoshop)” on page 131.)

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 that allows for the sharpest detail
possible throughout 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. When pixel values are concentrated at either end of the tonal range, however, you
may need to adjust your midtones manually. It is not usually necessary to adjust midtones
in images that already have a concentrated amount of midtone detail.
There are several different ways to set an image’s tonal range:
•

You can drag sliders along the histogram in the Levels dialog box. (See “Using Levels to
set highlights, shadows, and midtones” on page 137.)

•

(Photoshop) You can 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

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control over an image’s tonal quality. For more information, see “Using the Curves
dialog box (Photoshop)” on page 139.
•

(Photoshop) You can assign target values to the highlight and shadow pixels using
either the Levels or Curves dialog box. This can be a useful method for images intended
for printing on a press. For more information, see “Using target values to set highlights
and shadows (Photoshop)” on page 141.

4. Adjust the color balance.
After correcting the tonal range, you can adjust the image’s color balance to remove
unwanted color casts or to correct oversaturated or undersaturated colors. Examine your
image with reference to the color wheel to determine which color adjustments you need
to make. (See “About the color wheel” on page 146.) You can choose from the following
color adjustment methods:
•

(Photoshop) The Auto Color command automatically corrects the color balance in an
image. For more information, see “Using the Auto Color command (Photoshop)” on
page 151.

•

(Photoshop) The Color Balance command changes the overall mixture of colors in an
image. For more information, see “Using the Color Balance command (Photoshop)” on
page 146.

•

The Hue/Saturation command adjusts the hue, saturation, and lightness values of the
entire image or of individual color components. (See “Using the Hue/Saturation
command” on page 147.)

•

(Photoshop) The Replace Color command replaces specified colors in an image with
new color values. See “Using the Replace Color command (Photoshop)” on page 149.

•

(Photoshop) The Selective Color command is a high-end color-correction method that
adjusts the amount of process colors in individual color components. For more information, see “Using the Selective Color command (Photoshop)” on page 149.

•

The Levels dialog box lets you adjust color balance by setting the pixel distribution for
individual color channels. In Photoshop, you can also use the Curves dialog box to
make these adjustments. For more information, see “Using Levels to adjust color
(Photoshop)” on page 139 and “Using the Curves dialog box (Photoshop)” on page 139.

•

(Photoshop) The technique of blending colors from different channels can also produce
color adjustments. For more information, see “Mixing color channels (Photoshop)” on
page 271.

(Photoshop) To best preserve the original detail in your image as you make color
adjustments, convert the image to 16 bits per channel. (See “Converting between bit
depths” on page 93.) When you finish making color adjustments, convert it back to an
8-bit-per-channel image.

5. Make other special color adjustments.
Once you have corrected the overall color balance of your image, you can make optional
adjustments to enhance colors or produce special effects. (See “Applying special color
effects to images” on page 152.)

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6. Sharpen the edges of the image.
As a final step, use the Unsharp Mask filter to sharpen the clarity of edges in the image.
This step helps restore focus to images that have undergone resampling as a result of
tonal adjustments. (See “Sharpening images” on page 155.)

Checking scan quality and tonal range (Photoshop)
A histogram illustrates how pixels in an image are distributed by graphing the number of
pixels at each color intensity level. This can show you 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 high number of pixels in all areas. Identifying the tonal range helps determine appropriate tonal corrections.

Original with insufficient detail, and sufficient detail

Original, and corrected average-key image

Original, and corrected high-key image

Original, and corrected low-key image

To display the histogram for an image:
1 To display histogram data for a portion of the image, first select that portion. By default,
the histogram displays the tonal range of the entire image.
2 Choose Image > Histogram.
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To include data from spot channels and alpha channels, hold down Alt (Windows) or
Option (Mac OS) when you choose Image > Histogram; then choose the desired channel
from the pop-up menu.
The horizontal axis of the histogram represents the intensity values, or levels, from darkest
(0) at the far left to brightest (255) at the far right; the vertical axis represents the total
number of pixels with a given value.
Note: The histogram for an adjustment layer reflects the data for all visible layers
beneath it.
3 For RGB, CMYK, and indexed-color images, choose an option from the Channel menu.
You can plot either the luminance of the composite channel (Luminosity) or the intensity
values of an individual channel.
4 To view information about a specific point on the histogram, place the pointer there.
To view information about a range of values, drag in the histogram to highlight the range.
When you are finished, click OK to close the histogram.
Statistical information about the intensity values of the pixels appears 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 setting for the image cache. If the Use Cache for Histograms
option is selected in the Memory and Image Cache (Windows) or Image Cache (Mac OS)
preferences, the histogram displays more quickly and is based on a representative
sampling of pixels in the image (based on the magnification), rather than on all of the
pixels (equivalent to a cache level of 1). Deselect this option if you want to check for
posterization in the image. You can press Shift while choosing Image > Histogram to
generate the histogram using all pixels in the image.

Using the color adjustment tools
All Photoshop and ImageReady color adjustment tools work essentially the same way:
by mapping 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 summary of the
color adjustment tools, see “Basic steps for correcting images” on page 129.

Making color adjustments
There are two ways to adjust the colors in an image. The first method 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 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 will be 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 “Creating adjustment layers or fill layers”
on page 312.)

•

(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.

Seeing the color values of pixels (Photoshop)
You can use the Info palette and the Color palette to see the color value of pixels as you
make color corrections.
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.
You can view the color of a single location using the eyedropper tool, or you can use up to
four color samplers to display color information for one or more locations in the image.
These samplers are saved in the image, so you can refer to them repeatedly as you work,
even if you close and reopen the image.

Color samplers and Info palette

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To use the Info palette and the eyedropper or color sampler tool to see color values:
1 Choose Window > Info to open the Info palette.
2 Select the eyedropper tool
options bar:

or color sampler tool

, and choose a sample size in the

•

Point Sample to read the value of a single pixel.

•

3 by 3 Average to read the average value of a 3-by-3 pixel area.

•

5 by 5 Average to read the average value of a 5-by-5 pixel area.

3 If you selected the color sampler tool, place up to four color samplers on the image.
Click where you want to place a sampler.
4 Open an adjustment dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
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 access to the scroll controls and
to the hand and zoom tools by using keyboard shortcuts.

•

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.

To move, delete, or hide a color sampler:
Do any of the following:
•

To move a color sampler, select the color sampler tool, and drag the sampler to the new
location.

•

To delete a color sampler, select the color sampler tool. Drag the sampler out of the
document window, or hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) 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 toggle the display of all color samplers in an image, choose View > Extras. A check
mark indicates that color samplers are showing.

To change the display of color sampler information in the Info palette:
Do any of the following:
•

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
showing.

•

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.

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To use the eyedropper tool and Color palette to see color values:
1 Choose Window > Color to open the Color palette.
2 Open the color adjustment dialog box. This activates the eyedropper tool outside the
dialog box and over the image.
3 Click the pixel you want to check in the image.
4 Make the adjustments in the dialog box, and before applying them, view the adjusted
color values in the Color palette.

Saving and reapplying settings
The Save and Load buttons in the Levels, Curves (Photoshop), Hue/Saturation, Replace
Color (Photoshop), Selective Color (Photoshop), and Variations dialog boxes let you save
your settings and apply them to other images.
To save and reapply settings:
1 Click Save in the adjustment dialog box you are using, and name and save the settings.
2 Close the adjustment dialog box, and open the image to which you want to apply the
adjustments.
3 Reopen the adjustment dialog box, and click Load. Locate and load the saved
adjustment file.
If you often apply the same adjustment, consider recording and running the
adjustment as an action.

Comparing corrections in CMYK and RGB (Photoshop)
Even though you can perform all color and tonal corrections in either CMYK or RGB mode,
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 needn’t convert it to CMYK mode. Conversely, if a
CMYK scan is to be separated and printed, you needn’t perform corrections in RGB mode.
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.

•

You have more device independence, because RGB color spaces are not dependent on
inks. Corrections made to the image are preserved regardless of the monitor, computer,
or output device used.

•

The gamut of RGB spaces is much larger than that of CMYK spaces, so more colors are
likely to be preserved after adjustments.

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Using the Proof Setup 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. (See “Soft-proofing colors”
on page 113.)
Monitor CMYK colors as you edit in RGB mode by choosing Window > Documents >
New Window to open a second window. Turn on the CMYK preview in one window
and leave it off in the other.

Identifying out-of-gamut colors (Photoshop)
The gamut is the range of colors that a color system can display or print. A color that can
be displayed in RGB or HSB models may be out-of-gamut, and therefore unprintable, for
your CMYK setting. (See “Color gamuts (Photoshop)” on page 91.)
Photoshop automatically brings all colors into gamut when you convert an 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 identify out-of-gamut colors 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 also quickly identify all out-of-gamut colors in an RGB image by using the Gamut
Warning command.
To turn on or off the highlighting of out-of-gamut colors:
1 Choose View > Proof Setup, and choose the proof profile on which you want to base
the gamut warning. (See “Soft-proofing colors” on page 113.)
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 or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Transparency & Gamut.

•

In Mac OS X, 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.

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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.

Original image, and preview of out-of-gamut colors

Using 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 the image’s shadows, midtones, and highlights. The Levels
histogram serves as a visual guide for adjusting the image’s key tones.

Using Levels to set highlights, shadows, and midtones
You can set the highlights and shadows in an image by moving Input sliders to the first
group of pixels on both ends of the Levels histogram. This maps these pixels—the darkest
and lightest pixels in each channel—to black and white, increasing the tonal range of the
image. The corresponding pixels in the other channels are adjusted proportionately to
avoid altering the color balance. You can use the middle Input slider to change the
intensity values of the middle range of gray tones without dramatically altering the
highlights and shadows.
Although the Levels sliders are not as exact as assigning target values or using the Curves
dialog box, they often yield good results.
To adjust tonal range using Levels:
1 Open the Levels dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
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 can only
edit spot channels and alpha channels individually.
3 To adjust the shadows and highlights manually, do one of the following:
•

Drag the black and white Input Levels sliders to the edge of the first group of pixels on
either end of the histogram. You can also enter values directly into the first and third
Input Levels text boxes.

•

Drag the black and white Output Levels sliders to define new shadow and highlight
values. You can also enter values directly in the Output Levels text boxes.

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For example, suppose you want to increase the contrast in an image with pixels that
currently cover a range of only 0–233. If you drag the Input Levels white triangle to 233,
pixels with intensity values of 233 and higher (in each channel of the image) are mapped
to 255; pixels with lower intensity values are mapped to corresponding lighter values. This
remapping lightens the image, increasing the contrast in highlight areas.

Original

Resulting histogram and image

Suppose instead you want to decrease the contrast in the image. If you drag the Output
Levels white triangle to 220, pixels with intensity values of 255 are remapped to 220, and
pixels with lower intensity values are mapped to corresponding darker values. This
darkens the image, decreasing the contrast in highlight areas.
4 To adjust the shadows and highlights automatically, click Auto.
In Photoshop, clicking Auto applies settings specified in the Auto Correction Options
dialog box. For more information, see “Setting auto correction options (Photoshop)” on
page 144. In ImageReady, clicking Auto is the same as using the Auto Levels command.
(See “Using the Auto Levels command” on page 150.)
5 If your image needs midtone corrections, use the gray Input Levels slider. Drag the
slider to the right to darken the midtones; drag it to the left to lighten the midtones. You
can also enter values directly in the middle Input Levels text box.
6 Click OK.
7 To view the adjusted histogram, reopen the Levels dialog box.
The gaps in the adjusted histogram do not indicate a perceptible problem in the image
unless they are large or accompanied by a low pixel count.

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Using Levels to adjust color (Photoshop)
In addition to setting the tonal range, you can use Levels to adjust the color balance of an
image.
To use Levels to adjust color balance:
1 Place a color sampler on an area of neutral gray in the image.
2 Open the Levels dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
3 Do one of the following:
•

Double-click the eyedropper tool
in the Levels dialog box to display the Color Picker.
Enter the values you want to assign to the neutral gray, and click OK. Then click the
color sampler in the image.

•

Click Options in the Levels dialog box. Click the Midtones color swatch to display the
Color Picker. Enter the values you want to assign to the neutral gray, and click OK.

In general, assign equal color component values to a neutral gray. For example, assign
equal red, green, and blue values to produce a neutral gray in an RGB image.

Using the Curves dialog box (Photoshop)
Like the Levels dialog box, the Curves dialog box lets you adjust the entire tonal range of
an image. But instead of making adjustments using only three variables (highlights,
shadows, midtones), with Curves you can adjust any point along a 0–255 scale while
keeping up to 15 other values constant. You can also use Curves to make precise adjustments to individual color channels in an image.
To adjust tonal range and color balance using Curves:
1 Open the Curves dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
A

Points along a curve:
A. Highlights B. Midtones C. Shadows

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). In the default
diagonal line, all pixels have identical Input and Output values.
Note: For RGB images, Curves displays intensity values from 0 to 255, with shadows (0) on
the left. For CMYK images, Curves displays percentages from 0 to 100, with highlights (0)
on the left. To reverse the display of shadows and highlights at any time, click the double
arrow below the curve.

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2 To adjust the color balance of the image, choose the channel (or channels) you want to
adjust 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 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.
3 To make the Curves grid finer, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click
the grid. Alt/Option-click again to make the grid larger.
4 Click any points on the curve that you want to remain fixed. For example, if you want to
adjust the midtones while minimizing the effect on the highlights and shadows, click the
quarter and three-quarter points on the curve.
You can add up to 14 control points to the curve, locking those values. To remove a control
point, drag it off the graph, select it and press Delete, or Ctrl-click (Windows) or
Command-click (Mac OS) it. You cannot delete the endpoints of the curve.
To determine the lightest and darkest areas in the image, drag over the image. The
intensity values of the area under the pointer, along with the corresponding location
on the curve, are displayed in the Curves dialog box.
5 Do any of the following to adjust the curve:
•

Drag the curve until the image looks the way you want it.

•

Click a point on the curve, and enter Input and Output values for the point.

•

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’re finished, click Smooth if you want to smooth the curve.

•

Click Auto to adjust the image using the settings specified in the Auto Correction
Options dialog box. For more information, see “Setting auto correction options
(Photoshop)” on page 144.

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 appear 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.

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Using target values to set highlights and shadows
(Photoshop)
Professional color technicians typically set the highlights and shadows in an image by
assigning their lightest and darkest CMYK ink values to the lightest and darkest areas of
detail in the image.
When identifying the lightest and darkest areas of an image, it’s important to identify
representative highlights and shadows. Otherwise the tonal range may be expanded
unnecessarily to include extreme pixel values that don’t give the image detail. A highlight
area must be a printable highlight, not specular white. Specular white has no detail, and so
no ink is printed on the paper. For example, a spot of glare is specular white, not a
printable highlight.
Note: You can do the following procedure in ImageReady in the Levels dialog box.
To use target values to set highlights and shadows:
1 Select the eyedropper tool, and 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. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
When you open Levels or Curves, the eyedropper tool
is still active outside the dialog
box. You still have access to the scroll controls and to the hand and zoom tools by using
keyboard shortcuts.
3 Do one of the following to identify areas of representative highlights and shadows in
the image:
•

Move the pointer around the image, and look at the Info palette to find the lightest and
darkest areas. (See “Seeing the color values of pixels (Photoshop)” on page 133.)

•

Drag the pointer in the image, and look at the Curves dialog box to find the lightest and
darkest points in the range of values. This method does not work if the Curves dialog
box is set to the CMYK composite channel.

You can also use the Threshold command to identify representative highlights and
shadows before opening Levels or Curves. (See “Using the Threshold command
(Photoshop)” on page 154.)
4 Do one of the following to assign color 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.

•

Click Options in the Levels or Curves dialog box. Click the Highlights color swatch to
display the Color Picker. Enter the values you want to assign to the lightest area in the
image, and click OK.

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In most situations when you are printing on white paper, you can achieve a good highlight
in an average-key image using CMYK values of 5, 3, 3, and 0, respectively. 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 section of the Color Picker.
With a low-key image, you might want to set the highlight to a lower value to avoid
too much contrast. Experiment with Brightness values between 96 and 80.

Original

Highlight set using average-key target brightness values (B: 96); and highlight set using lower target
brightness values (B: 80)

The pixel values throughout the image are adjusted proportionately to the new highlight
values. Any pixels lighter than the area you clicked become specular white. The Info
palette shows the values both before and after the color adjustment.
5 Do one of the following to assign color values to the darkest area of the image:
•

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.

•

Click Options in the Levels or Curves dialog box. Click the Shadows color swatch to
display the Color Picker. Enter the values you want to assign to the darkest area in the
image, and click OK.

In most situations when you’re printing on white paper, you can 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 same values quickly by entering 4 in the Brightness (B) text box under the HSB
section of the Color Picker.

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With a high-key image, you might want to set the shadow to a higher value to
maintain detail in the highlights. Experiment with Brightness values between 4
and 20.

Original

Shadow set using average-key target brightness values (B: 4); and shadow set using higher target
brightness values (B: 20)

To use Threshold mode to identify the lightest and darkest areas in an image:
1 Open the Levels dialog box, and select Preview.
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.
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 the light or dark areas in
the image. Use these pixels for targeting the black point and white point in your image.

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Setting auto correction options (Photoshop)
The Auto Correction Options dialog box lets you automatically adjust the overall tonal
range of an image, specify 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 for future use with the Levels,
Auto Levels, Auto Contrast, Auto Color, and Curves commands.
To set auto correction options:
1 Click Options 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 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 0.5% and 1% is recommended.
By default, Photoshop clips the black and white pixels by 0.5%—that is, it ignores the first
0.5% of either extreme when identifying the lightest and darkest pixels in the image. This
ensures that white and black values are based on representative rather than extreme pixel
values.
5 To assign color values to the darkest, neutral, and lightest areas of an image, click a
color swatch. For guidelines on setting color values, see “Using target values to set
highlights and shadows (Photoshop)” on page 141.
6 Do one of the following:
•

To save the settings for use in the current Levels or Curves dialog box, click OK. If you
subsequently click the Auto button, Photoshop will reapply the same settings to the
image.

•

To save the settings as the default, select Save as Defaults, 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.

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Adjusting the gamma value of an image (ImageReady)
Gamma measures the brightness of midtone values produced by a device (often a
monitor). A higher gamma value yields an overall darker image. Windows systems use a
higher gamma value than Mac OS systems, with the result that the same image is
noticeably darker on a Windows system than on a Mac OS system.

Image with Windows gamma and Mac OS gamma

Designers, particularly those who use Mac OS systems to create images that will be
viewed primarily on Windows systems, must consider the issue of cross-platform gamma.
You can modify the gamma value of an image to compensate for the differences between
Windows and Mac OS monitors.
Note: The Gamma dialog box modifies the pixel values in an image. By contrast, the
View > Preview commands adjust the appearance of the image on your monitor but do
not change the image’s pixel values.
To adjust the gamma value automatically:
1 Choose Image > Adjustments > Gamma.
2 Select Preview to preview the adjustment in the image.
3 Adjust the gamma:
•

Select Windows to Macintosh to adjust gamma for display in Mac OS.

•

Select Macintosh to Windows to adjust gamma for display in Windows.

Note: Images created in Photoshop 4.0 or earlier use Mac OS gamma value (1.8) by default
and should be adjusted for display in Windows (unless gamma was adjusted when the
image was created). Images created in Photoshop 5.0 or later use Windows gamma value
(2.2) by default and will be at the correct gamma for display in Windows with no
adjustment.
To adjust the gamma value manually:
1 Choose Image > Adjustments > Gamma.
2 Select Preview to preview the adjustment in the image.
3 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.)

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About the color wheel
Because there are numerous ways to achieve similar results in color balance, it’s useful to
consider the type of image you have and the effect you want to produce. If you’re new to
adjusting color components, it helps to keep a diagram of the color wheel on hand. 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.
A

Color wheel:
A. Green B. Yellow C. Red D. Magenta E. Blue F. Cyan

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. 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.
In a CMYK image, you can decrease magenta either by decreasing the amount of magenta
or 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.

Using the Color Balance command (Photoshop)
The Color Balance command changes the overall mixture of colors in an image for generalized color correction.
To use the Color Balance command:
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 Open the Color Balance dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
3 Select Shadows, Midtones, or Highlights to select the tonal range on which you want to
focus the changes.
4 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 you want to increase in the image; drag a slider away from a
color 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.
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Using the Hue/Saturation command
The Hue/Saturation command lets you adjust the hue, saturation, and lightness of the
entire image or of individual color components in an image. Adjusting the hue, or color,
represents a move around the color wheel. Adjusting the saturation, or purity of the color,
represents a move across its radius.

A
B

C
D

Color wheel and radius of color wheel:
A. Saturation B. Hue C. Brightness D. Hues

You can also use the Colorize option to add color to a grayscale image converted to RGB,
or to an RGB image—for example, to make it look like a duotone by reducing its color
values to one hue.
To use the Hue/Saturation command:
1 Open the Hue/Saturation dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
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) For Edit, choose which colors to adjust:
•

Choose Master to adjust all colors at once.

•

Choose one of the other preset color ranges listed for the color you want to adjust.
An adjustment slider appears between the color bars, which you can use to edit any
range of hues. (For information on how to modify the slider’s range, see the instructions
following this procedure.)

3 For Hue, enter a value or drag the slider until the colors appear as you want.
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.
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 wheel, relative to the beginning
color values of the selected pixels. Values can range from –100 to +100.
5 For Lightness, enter a value or drag the slider to the right to increase the lightness or to
the left to decrease it. Values can range from –100 to +100.

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To modify the range of an adjustment slider (Photoshop):
1 Choose an individual color from the Edit menu in the dialog box.
2 Do any of the following to the adjustment slider:
•

Drag one of the white triangles to adjust the amount of color fall-off 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, selecting a different
color area.

•

Drag one of the vertical white bars next to the dark gray area to adjust the range of the
color component. Increasing the range decreases the fall-off, and vice versa.

•

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. Adjusts fall-off without affecting range B. Adjusts range without affecting fall-off C. Moves entire
slider D. Adjusts range of color component

If you modify the adjustment slider so that it falls into a different color range, the name
changes to reflect this. 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.
3 To edit the range by choosing colors from the image, select the eyedropper tool
in
the dialog box and click in the image. Use the eyedropper + tool to add to the range; use
the eyedropper – tool to subtract from the range.
While the 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.
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 Open the Hue/Saturation dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
3 Select Colorize. The image is converted to the hue of the current foreground color, if the
foreground color is not black or white. The lightness value of each pixel does not change.
4 Use the Hue slider to select a new color if desired. Use the Saturation and Lightness
sliders to adjust the saturation and lightness of the pixels.

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Using the Replace Color command (Photoshop)
The Replace Color command lets you create a mask around specific colors and then
replace those colors in the image. You can set the hue, saturation, and lightness of the area
identified by the mask. The mask is temporary.
To use the Replace Color command:
1 Open the Replace Color dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
2 Select a display option:
•

Selection to display 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. For more information, see “Using channel calculations to blend layers and channels (Photoshop)” on
page 275.

•

Image to display the image in the preview box. This option is useful when you are
working with a magnified image or have limited screen space.

3 Click in the image or in the preview box to select the areas exposed by the mask. Shiftclick or use the eyedropper + button to add areas; Alt-click (Windows), Option-click
(Mac OS), or use the eyedropper – button to remove areas.
4 Adjust the tolerance of the mask by dragging the Fuzziness slider or entering a value.
This controls the degree to which related colors are included in the selection.
5 Drag the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness sliders (or enter values in the text boxes) to
change the color of the selected areas.

Using the Selective Color command (Photoshop)
Selective color correction is a technique used by high-end scanners and separation
programs to increase and decrease the amount of process colors in each of the additive
and subtractive primary color components in an image. Even though Selective Color uses
CMYK colors to correct an image, you can use it on RGB images as well as on images that
will be printed.
Selective color correction is based on a table that shows the amount of each process ink
used to create each primary color. By increasing and decreasing the amount of a process
ink in relation to the other process inks, you can modify the amount of a process color in
any primary color selectively—without affecting any 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.
To use the Selective Color command:
1 Make sure the composite channel is selected in the Channels palette. The Selective
Color command is available only when you’re viewing the composite channel.
2 Open the Selective Color dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
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.

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4 For Method, select an option:
•

Relative to change 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 to adjust 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 will
receive a proportionate mix of corrections defined for the two colors.
5 Drag the sliders to increase or decrease the components in the selected color.

Making quick overall adjustments to an image
The Brightness/Contrast, Auto Levels, Auto Contrast, Variations, and Auto Color
(Photoshop) commands change colors or tonal values in an image but are not as precise
or flexible as the high-end color adjustment tools. They provide a quick and simple way to
make overall adjustments.

Using the Brightness/Contrast command
The Brightness/Contrast command lets you make simple adjustments to the tonal range
of an image. Unlike Curves and Levels, this command makes the same adjustment to every
pixel in the image. The Brightness/Contrast command does not work with individual
channels and is not recommended for high-end output, because it can result in a loss of
detail in the image.
To use the Brightness/Contrast command:
1 Open the Brightness/Contrast dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on
page 132.)
2 Drag the sliders to adjust the brightness and contrast.
Dragging to the left decreases the level and to the right increases it. The number at the
right of each slider value displays the brightness or contrast value. Values can range
from –100 to +100.

Using the Auto Levels command
The Auto Levels command moves the Levels sliders automatically to set highlights and
shadows. It defines the lightest and darkest pixels in each color channel as white and black
and then redistributes intermediate pixel values proportionately. Because Auto Levels
adjusts each color channel individually, it may remove or introduce color casts.
By default, this feature clips the white and black pixels by 0.5%—that is, it ignores the first
0.5% of either extreme when identifying the lightest and darkest pixels in the image. This
ensures that white and black values are based on representative rather than extreme pixel
values.
Auto Levels gives good results when an image with an average distribution of pixel values
needs a simple contrast adjustment or when an image has an overall color cast. However,
adjusting the Levels or Curves (Photoshop) controls manually is more precise.

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To use the Auto Levels command:
Choose Image > Adjustments > Auto Levels.
To change the amount of white and black values clipped:
Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Set clipping values in the Auto Correction Options dialog box. For more
information, see “Setting auto correction options (Photoshop)” on page 144.

•

(ImageReady) Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click Options in the
Levels dialog box. Enter the percentage of extreme highlight and shadow pixels to
ignore, and click OK. A value between 0.5% and 1% is recommended.

Using the Auto Contrast command
The Auto Contrast command adjusts the overall contrast and mixture of colors in an RGB
image automatically. Because it does not adjust channels individually, Auto Contrast does
not introduce or remove color casts. It maps the lightest and darkest pixels in the image to
white and black, which makes highlights appear lighter and shadows appear darker.
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. This ensures
that white and black values are based on representative rather than extreme pixel values.
Auto Contrast can improve the appearance of many photographic or continuous-tone
images. It does not improve flat-color images.
To use the Auto Contrast command:
Choose Image > Adjustments > Auto Contrast.
To change the amount of white and black values clipped:
Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Set clipping values in the Auto Correction Options dialog box. For more
information, see “Setting auto correction options (Photoshop)” on page 144.

•

Using the Auto Color command (Photoshop)
The Auto Color command adjusts the contrast and color of an image by searching the
actual image rather than the channels’ histograms for shadows, midtones, and highlights.
It neutralizes the midtones and clips the white and black pixels based on the values set in
the Auto Correction Options dialog box. (See “Setting auto correction options
(Photoshop)” on page 144.)
To use the Auto Color command:
Choose Image > Adjustments > Auto Color.

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Using 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 (Photoshop).
To use the Variations command:
1 Open the Variations dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
Note: If the Variations command does not appear in the Adjustments submenu, the Variations plug-in module may not have been installed. (See “Using plug-in modules” on
page 58.)
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 Show Clipping if you want to display a neon preview of areas in the image that
will be clipped by the adjustment—that is, converted to pure white or pure black. 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.
Note: Clipped colors are not the same as out-of-gamut colors.
3 Select what to adjust in the image:
•

Shadows, Midtones, or Highlights to indicate whether you want to adjust the dark,
middle, or light areas.

•

Saturation to change 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. (See “About the color
wheel” on page 146.) For example, to subtract cyan, click the More Red thumbnail.

•

To adjust brightness, click a thumbnail on the right side of the dialog box.

Each time you click a thumbnail, other thumbnails change. The center thumbnail always
reflects the current choices.

Applying special color effects to images
The Desaturate, Invert, Equalize (Photoshop), Threshold (Photoshop), and Posterize
(Photoshop) commands change colors or brightness values in an image but are typically
used for enhancing color and producing special effects, rather than for correcting color.
Note: You can also make color adjustments by blending colors from different channels.
(See “Mixing color channels (Photoshop)” on page 271.)

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Using the Desaturate command
The Desaturate command converts a color image to a grayscale image in the same color
mode. For example, it assigns equal red, green, and blue values to each pixel in an RGB
image to make it appear grayscale. 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.
To use the Desaturate command:
Choose Image > Adjustments > Desaturate.

Using the Invert command
The Invert command inverts the colors in an image. You might use this command to make
a positive black-and-white image negative or to make a positive from a scanned blackand-white negative.
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 on slide scanners.
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 to 250.
To use the Invert command:
Choose Image > Adjustments > Invert, or choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Invert
(Photoshop).

Using the Equalize command (Photoshop)
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. When you apply this
command, Photoshop finds the brightest and darkest values in the composite image and
remaps them so that the brightest value represents white and the darkest value represents black. Photoshop then attempts to equalize the brightness—that is, to distribute the
intermediate pixel values evenly throughout the grayscale.
You might 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 command lets you see before-and-after brightness
comparisons.
To use the Equalize command:
1 Choose Image > Adjustments > Equalize.
2 If you selected an area of the image, select what to equalize in the dialog box, and
click OK:
•

Equalize Selected Area Only to evenly distribute only the selection’s pixels.

•

Equalize Entire Image Based on Selected Area to evenly distribute all image pixels
based on those in the selection.

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Using the Threshold command (Photoshop)
The Threshold command converts grayscale or color images to high-contrast, black-andwhite 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. The Threshold
command is useful for determining the lightest and darkest areas of an image.
To use the Threshold command to convert images to black and white:
1 Open the Threshold dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
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 use the Threshold command to identify representative highlights and shadows:
1 Open the Threshold dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
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.
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.

Using the Posterize command (Photoshop)
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.
To use the Posterize command:
1 Open the Posterize dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
2 Enter the number of tonal levels you want, and click OK.

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Using the Gradient Map command (Photoshop)
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 map to one of the endpoint colors of the gradient fill, highlights
map to the other endpoint color, and midtones map to the gradations in between.
To use the Gradient Map command:
1 Open the Gradient Map dialog box. (See “Making color adjustments” on page 132.)
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. (See “Managing libraries
with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)” on page 54 for information on customizing the
gradient fill list.)

•

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.
(See “Creating smooth gradient fills” on page 245.)

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 reduce
banding effects.

•

Reverse switches the direction of the gradient fill, reversing the gradient map.

Sharpening images
Unsharp masking, or USM, is a traditional film compositing technique used to sharpen
edges in an image. The Unsharp Mask filter corrects blurring introduced during photographing, scanning, resampling, or printing. It is useful for images intended for both print
and online viewing.
Unsharp Mask locates pixels that differ from surrounding pixels by the threshold you
specify and increases the pixels’ contrast by the amount you specify. In addition, you
specify the radius of the region to which each pixel is compared. The effects of the
Unsharp Mask filter are far 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.
For information on other filters for sharpening images, see “Sharpen filters” on page 333.
To use Unsharp Mask to sharpen an image:
1 Choose Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Make sure the Preview option is selected.
Click on the image in the preview window 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.

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2 Do one of the following:
•

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.

•

Drag the Radius slider or enter a value to determine the number of pixels surrounding
the edge pixels that affect the sharpening. For high-resolution images, a Radius
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.

•

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. To avoid introducing noise (in images with fleshtones, for
example), experiment 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,
convert the image to Lab mode and apply the filter to the Lightness channel only.
This sharpens the image without affecting the color components.

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Selecting
About selections
Since there are two different types of data in your image—bitmap and vector—you need
to use separate sets of tools to make selections of each type. You can use selection borders
to select pixels. When you select pixels, you are selecting resolution dependent information in the image. For more information about bitmap images and vector graphics,
see “About bitmap images and vector graphics” on page 61.
You can also create selections using the pen or shape tools, which produce precise
outlines called paths. A path is a vector shape that contains no pixels. (See “Moving,
copying, and pasting selections and layers” on page 167.) You can convert paths to selections or convert selections to paths. (See “Converting between paths and selection
borders (Photoshop)” on page 218.)
In Photoshop, you can use the Extract command to isolate an object from its background
and erase the background to transparency. You can also make sophisticated selections
using masks. (See “Saving a mask selection” on page 281.)

Making pixel selections
You can select pixels in an image by dragging with the marquee tools or lasso tools, or by
targeting color areas with the magic wand tool. In Photoshop, you can also use the Color
Range command. Making a new selection replaces the existing one. Additionally, you can
create selections that add to a selection, subtract from a selection, select an area intersected by other selections, or select the union of a new selection and the current
selection.

Using the Select menu
You can use commands in the Select menu to select all pixels, to deselect, or to reselect.
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, rounded rectangle marquee (ImageReady),
elliptical marquee, or lasso tool, click anywhere in the image outside the selected area.

To reselect the most recent selection:
Choose Select > Reselect.

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Using 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.
To use the marquee tools:
1 Select a marquee tool:
•

Rectangle marquee

to make a rectangular selection.

•

(ImageReady) Rounded rectangle marquee
Web-page button.

•

Elliptical marquee

•

Single row
column.

to select a rounded rectangle such as a

to make an elliptical selection.

or single column marquee to define the border as a 1-pixel-wide row or

2 In the options bar, specify whether to add a new selection , add to a selection
subtract from a selection , or select an area intersected by other selections .

3 Specify a feathering setting in the options bar. Turn anti-aliasing on or off for the
rounded rectangle or elliptical marquee. (See “Softening the edges of a selection” on
page 166.)
4 For the rectangle, rounded rectangle, or elliptical marquee, choose a style in the
options bar:
•

Normal to determine marquee proportions by dragging.

•

Fixed Aspect Ratio to set a height-to-width ratio. Enter values (decimal values are valid)
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 to specify 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. (See “About image size and
resolution” on page 62.)

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 bound and more
than one Photoshop Extra. This is controlled in the Snap To submenu. (See “Using the
Snap command” on page 172.)

•

(ImageReady) Choose View > Snap To > Guides.

6 Do one of the following to make a selection:
•

With the rectangle, rounded rectangle, or elliptical marquee, drag over the area you
want to select. Hold down Shift as you drag to constrain the marquee to a square or
circle. To drag a marquee from its center, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS)
after you begin dragging.

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With the single row or single column marquee, 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. If you have finished drawing the border, drag from inside the selection.

Using the lasso, polygonal lasso, and magnetic lasso tools
The lasso and polygonal lasso tools let you draw both straight-edged and freehand
segments of a selection border. With the magnetic lasso tool (Photoshop), the border
snaps to the edges of defined areas in the image.
The magnetic lasso tool is especially useful for quickly selecting objects with complex
edges set against high-contrast backgrounds.
To use the lasso tool:
1 Select the lasso tool , and select options. (See “Setting options for the lasso,
polygonal lasso, and magnetic lasso tools” on page 160.)
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:
1 Select the polygonal lasso tool , and select options. (See “Setting options for the
lasso, polygonal lasso, and magnetic lasso tools” on page 160.)
2 Click in the image to set the starting point.
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 a freehand segment, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag.
When finished, 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).

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To use the magnetic lasso tool (Photoshop):
1 Select the magnetic lasso tool , and select options. (See “Setting options for the
lasso, polygonal lasso, and magnetic lasso tools” on page 160.)
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, move the pointer along the edge you want to trace.
(You can also drag with the mouse button depressed.)
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.
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.

Setting 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.
To set options for the lasso tools:
1 If needed, select the tool.
2 In the options bar, specify whether to add a new selection , add to an existing
selection , subtract from a selection , or select an area intersected by other
selections .
3 Specify feather and anti-aliasing options. (See “Softening the edges of a selection” on
page 166.)
4 For the magnetic lasso tool (Photoshop), set any of these options:
•

To specify a detection width, enter a pixel value for Width. The magnetic lasso detects
edges only within the specified distance from the pointer.

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•

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.

•

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.
•

To change the lasso cursor to indicate the lasso width, press the Caps Lock key on the
keyboard. Change the cursor while the tool is selected but not in use.

•

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 will cause the edge width to
decrease.
While creating a selection, you can press ] to increase the magnetic lasso edge width
by 1 pixel; press [ to decrease the width by 1 pixel.

Using 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.
Note: You cannot use the magic wand tool on an image in Bitmap mode.
To use the magic wand tool:
1 Select the magic wand tool

2 In the options bar, specify whether to add a new selection , add to an existing
selection , subtract from a selection , or select an area intersected by other
selections . The magic wand cursor changes depending on which option is selected.
3 For Tolerance, enter a value in pixels, ranging from 0 to 255. Enter a low value to select
colors very similar to the pixel you click, or enter a higher value to select a broader range of
colors.
4 To define a smooth edge, select Anti-aliased. (See “Softening the edges of a selection”
on page 166.)
5 To select only adjacent areas using the same colors, select Contiguous. Otherwise, all
pixels using the same colors will be selected.
6 To select colors using data from all the visible layers, select Use All Layers. Otherwise,
the magic wand tool selects colors from the active layer only.
7 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.

Using the Color Range command (Photoshop)
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.

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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

3 Select one of the display options:
•

Selection to preview only the selection as you build it.

•

Image to preview 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 and paint bucket options increases the
range of colors that are fully selected).

Increasing Fuzziness expands selection

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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.

7 To preview the selection in the image window, choose an option for Selection Preview:
•

None to display no preview in the image window.

•

Grayscale to display the selection as it would appear in a grayscale channel.

•

Black Matte to display the selection in color against a black background.

•

White Matte to display the selection in color against a white background.

•

Quick Mask to display the selection using the current quick mask settings. (See
“Creating temporary masks in Quick Mask mode (Photoshop)” on page 278.)

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. See “Color gamuts (Photoshop)” on page 91.)
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 to display no preview in the image window.

•

Grayscale to display the selection as it would appear in a grayscale channel.

•

Black Matte to display the selection in color against a black background.

•

White Matte to display the selection in color against a white background.

•

Quick Mask to display the selection using the current quick mask settings.
(See “Creating temporary masks in Quick Mask mode (Photoshop)” on page 278.)

5 To revert to the original selection, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS),
and click Reset.
Note: If a message appears stating “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.

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Creating selections from slices (ImageReady)
If you create a slice in ImageReady, it can be converted into a selection.
To create a selection from a slice:
1 Select a slice. (See “Selecting slices” on page 373.)
2 Choose Select > Create Selection from Slice.

Adjusting pixel selections
You can adjust and refine your pixel selections using the selection tools and a variety of
commands in the Select menu.
In addition, you can apply geometric transformations to change the shape of a selection
border. (See “Transforming objects in two dimensions” on page 181.)

Moving, hiding, or inverting 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.
To move a selection border:
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.
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 > 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.

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.

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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-aliased
values in the options bar to the same settings used for the original selection. (See
“Softening the edges of a selection” on page 166.)
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.

•

(ImageReady) Hold down Shift (a plus sign appears next to the pointer), and drag to
add another 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
with other selections.

in the options bar, and drag to intersect

•

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) (a minus sign appears next to the
pointer), and drag to subtract another 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) (a cross appears next to the
pointer), and drag over the portion of the original selection that you want to select.

Adjusting selections numerically
You can use commands in the Select menu to increase or decrease the pixels in an existing
selection and to clean up stray pixels left inside or outside a color-based selection.
To expand or contract a selection by a specific number of pixels:
1 Choose Select > Modify > Expand or Contract.
2 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.

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The Border command creates an anti-aliased selection. (See “Softening the edges of a
selection” on page 166.) To paint a hard-edged border around a selection, use the Stroke
command. (See “Filling and stroking selections and layers” on page 249.)
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 images in bitmap mode.
To clean up stray pixels left inside or outside a color-based selection:
1 Choose Select > Modify > Smooth.
2 For Sample Radius, enter a pixel value between 1 and 100, and click OK.
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-33-pixel 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 “About image size and resolution” on page 62.)

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. Since 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, polygonal lasso, magnetic lasso, rounded rectangle
marquee (ImageReady), elliptical marquee, and magic wand tools. (Select a tool to display
its options bar.) You must specify this option before using these tools. Once 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, lasso, polygonal lasso, or 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.

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To use anti-aliasing:
1 Select the lasso, polygonal lasso, magnetic lasso, rounded rectangle marquee
(ImageReady), elliptical marquee, or 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 1 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.
Note: A small selection made with a large feather radius may be so faint that its edges are
invisible and thus not selectable. If a message appears stating “No pixels are more than
50% selected,” either decrease the feather radius or increase the selection’s size. Or click OK
to accept the mask at its current setting and create a selection where you cannot see the
edges.

Selection without feathering and with feathering:
A. Original selection B. Feather: 0 C. Feather: 10 D. Feather: 30

Moving, copying, and pasting selections and layers
You can move or copy selections and layers within or between images—and also between
images in other applications.

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.

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To specify move tool options:
1 Select the move tool

2 Select any of the following in the options bar:
•

Auto Select Layer to select the topmost layer that has pixels under the move tool, rather
than the selected layer.

•

Show Bounding Box to display the bounding box around the selected item.

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 , freeform pen ,
path selection tool , direct selection tool , hand tool , slice select tool
, or anchor
point tools
.) Hold down Command (Mac OS) to activate the move tool when using
the shape 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.

•

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. Then link together the layers you want to align in the Layers palette.
(See “Linking layers” on page 289.

•

To align the contents of layers with the content of the active layer, link the layers you
want to align to the active layer. (See “Linking layers” on page 289.)

2 Select the move tool

3 Click one or more alignment buttons in the options bar: Align Top Edges , Align
Vertical Centers , Align Bottom Edges , Align Left Edges , Align Horizontal Centers
, or Align Right Edges .
To distribute layers within an image:
1 In the Layers palette, link three or more layers. (See “Linking layers” on page 289.)
2 Select the move tool

3 Click one or more distribute buttons in the options bar: Distribute Top Edges
,
Distribute Vertical Centers
, Distribute Bottom Edges
, Distribute Left Edges ,
Distribute Horizontal Centers , or Distribute Right Edges .

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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.
•

The Copy command copies the selected area on the active layer.

•

The Copy Merged command makes a merged copy of all the visible layers in the
selected area.

•

The Paste command pastes a cut or copied selection into another part of the image or
into another image as a new layer.

(Photoshop) The Paste Into command pastes a cut or copied selection inside another
selection in the same image or different image. The source selection is pasted onto a new
layer, and the destination selection border is converted into a layer mask. (See “Masking
layers” on page 314.)
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.
(See “Determining a recommended resolution for an image (Photoshop)” on page 68.)
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). For more information, see “About color management
policies” on page 106.
To copy a selection:
1 Select the area you want to copy.
2 Choose Edit > Copy or Edit > Copy Merged.
To copy a selection while dragging:
1 Select the move tool
activate the move tool.

, or hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) to

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.
To create multiple copies of a selection within an image:
1 Select the move tool
activate the move tool.

, or hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) to

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.

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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.
To paste one selection into another (Photoshop):
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.

Source selection pasted into destination selection

For more information on editing layer masks, see “Applying and discarding layer masks”
on page 318.
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 reveal more or less of the image underlying the layer, 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.

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 applications.

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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.) In Mac OS,
the application must support Mac OS Drag Manager.
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 applications. 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 change the Export Clipboard preference (Photoshop):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

2 Select Export Clipboard to save any Photoshop contents on the Clipboard when you
exit from Photoshop. If you leave this deselected, the contents are deleted when you exit
from the program.
To paste PostScript artwork from another application:
1 In the supporting application, select your artwork, and choose Edit > Copy. (See “About
file formats” on page 453.)
2 In Photoshop or ImageReady, select the image into which you’ll paste the selection.
3 Choose Edit > Paste.
4 (Photoshop) In the dialog box, select from the following options:
•

Paste as Pixels to have the artwork rasterized as it is pasted. Rasterizing converts mathematically defined vector artwork to pixels.

•

Paste as Paths to paste the copy as a path in the Paths palette. When copying type from
Illustrator, you must first convert it to outlines.

•

Paste as Shape Layer to create a new shape layer that uses the path as a vector mask.

Important: 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 Files and Clipboard section of Illustrator’s Preferences dialog box if you want the Paste
options to appear when you paste the artwork in Photoshop.

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5 If you chose Paste as Pixels in the previous step, you can choose Anti-alias in the options
bar to make a smooth transition between the edges of the selection and the surrounding
pixels. (See “Softening the edges of a selection” on page 166.)
Note: You can use the Matting commands if you have already merged data and are trying
to re-extract the rasterized data. (See “Removing fringe pixels from a selection
(Photoshop)” on page 173.)

Using the Snap command
Snapping helps with precise placement of selection edges, cropping marquees, slices,
shapes, and paths. 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.
To enable or disable snapping:
Choose View > Snap. A check mark indicates that snapping is enabled.
To specify what to snap to:
Choose View > Snap To, and choose one or more options from the submenu:
•

Guides to snap to guides. (See “Using guides and the grid” on page 45.)

•

(Photoshop) Grid to snap to the grid. You cannot select this option when the grid is
hidden. (See “Using guides and the grid” on page 45.)

•

Slices to snap to slice boundaries. You cannot select this option when slices are hidden.
(See “Viewing slices” on page 371.)

•

(Photoshop) Document Bounds to snap to the edges of the document.

•

All to select all Snap To options.

•

None to deselect all Snap To options.

A check mark indicates that the option is selected and snapping is enabled. A dot
(Windows) or a dash (Mac OS) indicates that the option is selected but snapping is
disabled.
To enable snapping for one Snap To option:
1 With the Snap command disabled, choose View > Snap To.
2 Choose an option. This automatically enables snapping for the selected option, and
deselects all other Snap To options.

Saving and loading selections
Selections can be saved and loaded for reuse. (See “Saving a mask selection” on page 281.)
To save a selection:
Choose Select > Save Selection.
To load a saved selection (Photoshop):
1 Choose Select > Load Selection, then enter the options in the Load Selection dialog
window.
2 Click OK to load selection. (See “Loading a selection into an image” on page 282.)
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To load a saved selection (ImageReady):
Choose Select > Load Selection, then choose an option from the submenu.

Deleting selections
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.
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.

Removing fringe pixels from a selection (Photoshop)
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 you want to paste a
selection anti-aliased against a white or black background 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) on the sliders to separate them; separating the sliders allows you to remove
fringe pixels and retain a smooth edge.
To decrease a fringe on a selection:
1 Choose Layer > Matting > Defringe.
2 Enter a value in the Width text box for the distance 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.

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Extracting objects from their background (Photoshop)
The Extract command 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.
Note: For simpler cases, you can instead use the background eraser tool.
To extract an object, you use tools in the Extract dialog box. First you draw a highlight that
marks the edges of the object, and define the object’s interior. Then you can preview the
extraction and redo it or touch up the result as needed. 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.
You can add back opacity to the background and create other effects by using the
Edit > Fade command after an extraction. (See “Blending filter effects (Photoshop)” on
page 322.)
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.
To avoid losing the original image information, duplicate the layer or make a snapshot of
the original image state.
Note: If the layer contains a selection, the extraction erases the background only in the
selected area.
2 Choose Filter > Extract.
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.
3 Specify options for tools in the dialog box (you can change these settings at any time):
•

For Brush Size, enter a value, or drag the slider to specify the width of the edge
highlighter, eraser, cleanup, and edge touchup tools.

•

For Highlight, choose a preset color option, or choose Other to specify a custom color
for the highlight.

•

For Fill, choose a preset color option, or choose Other to specify a custom color for the
area covered by the fill tool.

•

If you are highlighting a well-defined edge, select Smart Highlighting. This 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.

4 Adjust the view as needed:
•

To magnify an area, select the zoom tool
in the dialog box, and click in the preview
image. To zoom out, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you click.

•

To view a different area, select the hand tool in the dialog box, and drag in the preview
image.

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5 Define the edge of the object you want to extract:
•

To draw a highlight that marks the edge, select the edge highlighter tool
in the
dialog box, and drag so that the highlight slightly overlaps both the foreground object
and its background. Use Smart Highlighting to trace sharper edges. Use a large brush to
cover wispy, intricate edges where the foreground blends into the background, such as
hair or trees.

If you use Smart Highlighting to mark an object edge that is 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.
•

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.

•

To base the highlight on a selection saved in an alpha channel, choose the alpha
channel from the Channel menu. 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.

•

To erase the highlight, select the eraser tool
in the dialog box, and drag over the
highlight. To erase the entire highlight, press Alt+Backspace (Windows) or
Option+Delete (Mac OS).

6 Define the foreground area:
•

If the object has a well-defined interior, select the fill tool
in the dialog box.
Click inside the object to fill its interior. (Clicking a filled area with the fill tool removes
the fill.)

•

If the object is especially intricate or lacks a clear interior, make sure that the highlight
covers the entire object, and then select Force Foreground. Select the eyedropper tool
in the dialog box, 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.

7 Click Preview to preview the extracted object, or skip to step 10 to extract the object
without a preview.

Selected area highlighted and filled, and extracted object

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Zoom in as needed, and set any preview options:
•

Use Show menu options to switch between previews of the original and extracted
images.

•

Use Display menu options to preview the extracted object against a colored matte
background or as a grayscale mask. To display a transparent background, choose None.

•

Select Show Highlight or Show Fill to display the object’s highlight or fill.

8 If necessary, repeat the extraction to improve the results (when you are finished, you
can perform final touch-ups as described in step 9):
•

To perform another extraction after adjusting the highlight and fill, repeat steps 5, 6,
and 7.

•

To perform another extraction with new extraction settings, change the Smooth, Force
Foreground, or Color settings, and repeat step 7.

Note: To specify the amount of smoothing of the extracted object, drag the Smooth slider
or enter a value. It is usually best to begin with a zero or 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.
9 Touch up the extraction results as needed:
•

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.

10 Click OK to apply the final extraction. On the layer, all pixels outside the extracted
object are erased to transparency.
Note: For best results in cleaning up stray edges, use the cleanup and edge touchup tools
in the Extract dialog box. You can also clean up after an extraction by using the
background eraser and history brush tools in the toolbox.

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Transforming and Retouching
Changing the size of the work canvas
The Canvas Size command lets you add or remove work space around an existing image.
You can crop an image by decreasing the canvas area. Added canvas appears in the same
color or transparency as the background.
To use the Canvas Size command:
1 Choose Image > Canvas Size.
2 (Photoshop) Choose the units of measurement you want.
3 The Columns option measures width in terms of the columns specified in the Rulers &
Units preferences. For more information, see “Using columns (Photoshop)” on page 44.
4 Do one of the following:
•

Enter the dimensions you want the canvas to be in 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.)

5 For Anchor, click a square to indicate where to position the existing image on the new
canvas.
6 Click OK.

Original canvas, and canvas added to top of image

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.

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To rotate or flip an entire image:
Choose Image > Rotate Canvas, and choose one of the following commands from the
submenu:
•

180° to rotate the image by a half-turn.

•

90° CW to rotate the image clockwise by a quarter-turn.

•

90° CCW to rotate the image counterclockwise by a quarter-turn.

•

Arbitrary to rotate 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, and then select CW or CCW
to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. Click OK.

•

Flip Canvas Horizontal (Photoshop) or Flip Horizontal (ImageReady) to flip the image
horizontally, along the vertical axis.

•

Flip Canvas Vertical (Photoshop) or Flip Vertical (ImageReady) to flip the image vertically, along the horizontal axis.

Cropping images
Cropping is the process of removing portions of an image to create focus or strengthen
the composition. You can crop an image using the crop tool and the Crop command.
You can also trim pixels using the Trim command.
The crop tool provides the most options for cropping images.
To crop an image using the crop tool:
1 Select the crop tool

2 Set the mode of the crop tool:
•

(Photoshop) To crop the image without resampling (default), make sure that all the text
boxes in the options bar are empty. You can click the Clear button to quickly clear all
text boxes.

•

(Photoshop) To resample the image during cropping, enter a height, width, and/or
resolution in the options bar.

•

(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. (See “About resampling” on page 66.)

3 Define the cropping marquee by dragging over the part of the image you want to keep.
The marquee doesn’t have to be precise—you can adjust it later.

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4 Do the following in the options bar:
•

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. (See “About the background layer” on page 285.) 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.

5 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.
6 Do one of the following:
•

Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS); click the Commit button
bar; or double-click inside the cropping marquee.

•

To cancel the cropping operation, press Esc or click the Cancel button
options bar.

in the options
in the

To crop an image using the Crop command:
1 Select the part of the image you want to keep. (See “Using the marquee tools” on
page 158.)
2 Choose Image > Crop.
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 non-transparent 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.

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Transforming perspective while cropping (Photoshop)
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 a tall
building from ground level, the edges of the building appear closer at the top than they
do at the bottom.
Note: You cannot transform the perspective of 16-bit-per-channel images.

Steps to transform perspective:
A. Draw initial cropping marquee B. Adjust cropping marquee to match the object’s edges
C. Extend the cropping bounds D. Final image

To transform the perspective in an image:
1 Select the crop tool

and set the crop mode. (See “Cropping images” on page 178.)

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.
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.
(See “Cropping images” on page 178.)
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.

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5 Drag the side handles to extend the cropping bounds while preserving the perspective.
Important: Do not move the center point of the cropping marquee. Photoshop needs to
know the original center point of the image in order to perform perspective correction.
6 Do one of the following:
•

Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS); click the Commit button
bar; or double-click inside the cropping marquee.

•

To cancel the cropping operation, press Esc or click the Cancel button
options bar.

in the options
in the

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.

Transforming objects in two dimensions
You can scale, rotate, skew, distort, and apply perspective to entire layers, selected parts of
layers, masks, paths, shapes, selection borders, and channels.
Note: Pixels are added or deleted during transformations. To calculate the color values of
these pixels, Photoshop and ImageReady use the interpolation method selected in the
General section of the Preferences dialog box. This option directly affects the speed and
quality of the transformation. Bicubic interpolation, the default, is slowest but yields the
best results. (See “Choosing an interpolation method” on page 66.)

Specifying what 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.
Note: You cannot apply transformations to16 bit-per-channel images. You can, however,
apply full canvas transformations to 16-bit images using the options in the Image menu.
(See “Rotating and flipping entire images” on page 177.)
To specify what 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. However, you can convert a
background layer to a regular layer. (See “Adding layers and layer sets” on page 286.)
•

To transform part of a layer, select the layer, and then select part of the image on that
layer.

•

To transform multiple layers, link the layers together in the Layers palette. (See “Linking
layers” on page 289.)

•

To transform a layer mask or a vector mask, unlink the mask, and select the mask
thumbnail in the Layers palette. (See “Masking layers” on page 314.)

•

(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

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or more points on a path, only those path segments connected to the points are transformed. (See “Selecting paths (Photoshop)” on page 211.)
•

(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 “Storing masks in alpha channels” on page 280.)

Setting the reference point
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.
To set the reference point for a transformation:
1 Select a transformation command, as described in the following topics. A bounding box
appears in the image.
2 In the options bar, click a square on the reference point locator . Each square represents a point on the bounding box. For example, to set the reference point to the top left
corner of the bounding box, click the top left square on the reference point locator.
To move the center point for the transformation:
1 Select a transformation command, as described in the following topics. A bounding box
appears in the image.
2 Drag the center point. The center point can be outside the item you want to transform.

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. 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.

In Photoshop, you can perform several commands in succession before applying the
cumulative transformation. For example, you can choose Scale, drag a handle to scale, and
then choose Distort, drag a handle to distort, and press Enter or Return to apply both
transformations. In ImageReady, you can perform multiple types of transformations at the
same time using the Transform > Numeric command.

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To scale, rotate, skew, distort, or apply perspective:
1 Select what you want to transform. (See “Specifying what to transform” on page 181.)
2 Choose Edit > Transform > Scale, Rotate, Skew, Distort, or Perspective.
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 In the options bar, click a square on the reference point locator
reference point” on page 182.)

. (See “Setting the

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 proportionately. When positioned over a handle, the pointer becomes
a double arrow.

•

If you chose Rotate, move the pointer outside of 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.

•

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 If desired, switch to a different type of transformation by selecting a command from the
Edit > Transform submenu.
When transforming a bitmap image (versus a shape or path), it 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.
6 When you’re satisfied with the results, do one of the following:
•

Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS); click the Commit button
bar; or double-click inside the transformation marquee.

•

To cancel the transformation, press Esc or click the Cancel button

in the options
in the options bar.

To flip or rotate precisely:
1 Select what you want to transform. (See “Specifying what to transform” on page 181.)
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.

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•

Flip Horizontal to flip horizontally, along the vertical axis.

•

Flip Vertical to flip vertically, along the horizontal axis.

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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 types of transformations at the same time (ImageReady):
1 Select what you want to transform. (See “Specifying what to transform” on page 181.)
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 W and H 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 H (horizontal skew) and V (vertical skew) text
boxes.

•

Select Rotate. Enter degrees of rotation in the Angle text box, or drag the in the circle to
the right of the text box.

Using the Free Transform command
The Free Transform command lets you apply transformations (rotate, scale, skew, distort,
and perspective) in one continuous operation. Instead of choosing different commands,
you simply hold down a key on your keyboard to switch between transformation types.
To freely transform:
1 Select what you want to transform. (See “Specifying what to transform” on page 181.)
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 Bounding Box in the options bar.

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If you are transforming a vector shape or path, select the path selection tool . Then
select Show Bounding Box 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 W and H text boxes in the options bar.
In Photoshop, click the link button to maintain the aspect ratio.

•

To rotate by dragging, move the pointer outside of 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

•

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 change the reference point, click a square on the reference point locator
options bar. (See “Setting the reference point” on page 182.)

•

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 to specify the new position in relation to the current
position.

in the options bar.

in the

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
bar; or double-click inside the transformation marquee.

•

To cancel the transformation, press Esc or click the Cancel button

in the options
in the options bar.

When transforming a bitmap image (versus a shape or path), it 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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Transforming objects in three dimensions
The 3D Transform filter lets you manipulate a flat, two-dimensional image as if it were a
solid, three-dimensional object. Take, for example, a perspective photograph of a cereal
box. You specify the corners of the box using a wire frame, and you can then manipulate
the box as if it were a three-dimensional object. You can reposition the box, turn or rotate
it, shrink or enlarge it, and change its field of view.

Transforming and manipulating objects
You can transform a two-dimensional object into a cube, sphere, or cylinder and manipulate it using wire frames based on that shape. Cylinders can include anything from simple
objects, such as a can of soup, to shapes whose sides are lathed, such as a bottle or a lamp.
You can create and manipulate any grouping of cubes, spheres, and cylinders in the same
image. For example, you can create and rotate a box, two balls, and a bottle together in
the same image.
To add a wire frame:
1 Choose Filter > Render > 3D Transform.
2 Select one of these tools in the dialog box:
•

Cube

•

Sphere

•

Cylinder

to map the image (such as a file cabinet) to a cubic surface.
to map the image (such as a globe or ball) to a spherical surface.
to map the image (such as a can or bottle) to a cylindrical surface.

3 Drag to create a cubic, cylindrical, or spherical wire frame over the image preview.
Note: The anchor points should line up with the corners of the box, or the top and bottom
of the sphere or cylinder you want to manipulate.
To move or reshape the wire frame:
1 Select the selection tool

or direct selection tool

in the 3D Transform dialog box.

2 Do either of the following:
•

Drag an edge of the wire frame to move the entire frame.

•

With the direct selection tool, drag an anchor point on the wire frame to move that
anchor point.

Note: The wire frame turns red if you try to make a wire frame that would be impossible to
re-create in three dimensions.
3 If you are creating a complex cylinder, do any of the following:
•

To add an anchor point to a cylinder, select the add anchor point tool in the dialog
box, and click the right side of the wire frame. For example, you can add an anchor
point to more closely fit the cylindrical wire frame to a picture of a bottle.

•

To change an added anchor point from a smooth anchor point to a corner anchor point
and vice versa, select the convert anchor point tool , and click the point. A smooth
anchor point creates a gentle curve when you adjust it; a corner anchor point creates a
sharp corner.

•

To delete an added anchor point, select the delete anchor point tool
point.

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4 For Field of View, enter a value between 1 and 130. Alternatively, drag the slider to the
left to increase the apparent field of view, right to decrease it. This can make the wire
frame fit the image better. If you know the field of view angle used to photograph the
image, you can enter it here.
To delete a wire frame:
1 Select the selection tool

in the 3D Transform dialog box.

2 Select the wire frame, and press Backspace (Windows) or Delete (Mac OS).
To manipulate the object in three dimensions:
Do any of the following in the 3D Transform dialog box:
•

To move the object, click the pan camera tool

in the dialog box, and drag the object.

•

To rotate the object in any direction, click the trackball tool

•

For Dolly Camera, enter a value between 0 and 99. Alternatively, drag the slider to the
left to magnify the transformed object, right to shrink it. This has the same effect as if
you were dollying, or moving, the camera further from or closer to the image.

•

For Field of View, enter a value between 1 and 130, or drag the slider to the left to
increase the apparent field of view, right to decrease it.

, and drag the object.

The 3D Transform dialog box previews only the active layer. As you manipulate an
object in three dimensions, you can align it with the contents of underlying layers.
To align an object with an underlying layer:
1 Duplicate the layer with which you want to align. (See “Working with layered images”
on page 287.)
2 Within the existing stacking order, place this duplicate layer directly under the layer you
are transforming.
3 Merge the layer to be transformed with the duplicated layer.
4 With the Display Background option enabled in the 3D Transform options, manipulate
the object on the layer.
5 When the layer is aligned, disable the Display Background option, and click OK.

Modifying the preview image
Use the zoom and hand tools in the 3D Transform dialog box to change your preview of an
image. These actions do not modify the transformation itself, only your view of it.
To magnify or shrink the preview image:
1 Select the zoom tool

in the 3D Transform dialog box.

2 Click the image to zoom in, or Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) to zoom out.
To move the view of the preview image:
Select the hand tool
in the 3D Transform dialog box, and drag the preview image. This
works only if you are zoomed in on the image.

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Setting 3D rendering options
You can set the resolution and anti-aliasing of rendered images and specify whether to
show the background from the original image in the 3D preview.
To set 3D rendering options:
1 Click Options in the 3D Transform dialog box.
2 Do any of the following:
•

For Resolution, choose the quality of the rendered image. The setting has little effect on
the image quality of cubes, but will produce smoother curved surfaces in cylinders and
spheres.

•

For Anti-aliasing, choose the level of anti-aliasing to apply to the rendered image.

•

Select Display Background to include the portions of the original image outside of the
wire frame in the preview and with the rendered image. Turn this option off to separate
the transformed object from the original background.

Cloning and repairing images
You can use the clone stamp tool, pattern stamp tool, healing brush tool, and patch tool to
clone pixels and repair images.

Using 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. Each stroke of the tool paints on more of the sample.

Example of altering an image with the cloning tool

To use the clone stamp tool:
1 Select the clone stamp tool

, and do the following in the options bar:

•

Choose a brush and set brush options. (See “Working with brushes” on page 228.)

•

Specify a blending mode, opacity, and flow. (See “Setting options for painting and
editing tools” on page 241.)

•

Determine how you want to align the sampled pixels. If you select Aligned, you can
release the mouse button without losing the current sampling point. As a result, the
sampled pixels are applied continuously, no matter how many times you stop and
resume painting. If you deselect Aligned, the sampled pixels are applied from the initial
sampling point each time you stop and resume painting.

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Select Use All Layers to sample data from all visible layers; deselect Use All Layers to
sample only from the active layer.

2 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.
3 Drag in the image.

Using 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.
To use the pattern stamp tool:
1 Select the pattern stamp tool

, and do the following in the options bar:

•

Choose a brush and set brush options. (See “Working with brushes” on page 228.)

•

Specify a blending mode, opacity, and flow. (See “Setting options for painting and
editing tools” on page 241.)

•

Select a pattern from the Pattern pop-up palette. (See “Creating and managing
patterns” on page 252.)

•

Select Impressionist to apply the pattern with an impressionistic effect.

2 Drag in the image.

Using the healing brush tool (Photoshop)
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, and shading of the sampled pixels to the source pixels. As a result,
the repaired pixels blend seamlessly into the rest of the image.

Sampled pixels and healed image

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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:
•

For more information on the Diameter, Hardness, Spacing, Angle, and Roundness
options, see “Customizing brush tips (Photoshop)” on page 230.

•

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 to not vary the size.

3 Choose a blending mode from the Mode pop-up menu in the options bar:
•

Choose Replace to preserve noise, film grain, and texture at the edges of the brush
stroke.

•

For more information on the Normal, Multiply, Screen, Darken, Lighten, Color, and
Luminosity modes, see “Selecting a blending mode” on page 241.

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. (See “Creating and managing patterns” on
page 252.)
Note: The Pattern option is not available for 16-bit images.
5 Determine how you want to align the sampled pixels:
•

If you select Aligned in the options bar, you can release the mouse button without
losing the current sampling point. As a result, the sampled pixels are applied continuously, no matter how many times you stop and resume painting.

•

If you deselect Aligned in the options bar, the sampled pixels are applied from the initial
sampling point each time you stop and resume painting.

6 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.
7 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 precisely follow the boundary of contrasting pixels. When you paint
with the healing brush tool, the selection will prevent colors from bleeding in from the
outside.

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Using the patch tool (Photoshop)
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.

Sampled pixels and source pixels

Patched image

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.

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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.

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 pop-up palette in the options bar, and click Use
Pattern.

Retouching images
You can retouch images using the smudge, focus, toning, and sponge tools.
Note: These tools cannot be used with Bitmap, Indexed Color mode, or 16-bit-per-channel
images.

Using the smudge tool
The smudge tool simulates the actions of dragging a finger through wet paint. The tool
picks up color where the stroke begins and pushes it in the direction you drag.
To use the smudge tool:
1 Select the smudge tool

2 Do the following in the options bar:
•

Choose a brush and set brush options. (See “Working with brushes” on page 228.)

•

Specify a blending mode and strength. (See “Setting options for painting and editing
tools” on page 241.)

•

Select Use All Layers to smudge using color data from all visible layers. If this is
deselected, the smudge tool uses colors from only the active layer.

•

Select Finger Painting 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.

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3 Drag in the image to smudge color.
In Photoshop, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag with the smudge
tool to use the Finger Painting option.

Using the focus tools
The focus tools consist of the blur tool and the sharpen tool. The blur tool softens hard
edges or areas in an image to reduce detail. The sharpen tool focuses soft edges to
increase clarity or focus. For information on other ways to adjust sharpness, see “Sharpening images” on page 155 and “Improving performance with filters” on page 324.
To use the blur or sharpen tool:
1 Select the blur tool

or sharpen tool

2 Do the following in the options bar:
•

Choose a brush and set brush options. (See “Working with brushes” on page 228.)

•

Specify a blending mode and strength. (See “Setting options for painting and editing
tools” on page 241.)

•

Select Use All Layers to blur or 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 blur or sharpen.

Using the toning tools
The toning tools consist of the dodge tool and the burn tool. Used to lighten or darken
areas of the image, the dodge and burn tools 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).
To use the dodge or burn tool:
1 Select the dodge tool

or burn tool

2 Do the following in the options bar:
•

Choose a brush and set brush options. (See “Working with brushes” on page 228.)

•

Select what to change in the image: Midtones to change the middle range of grays;
Shadows to change the dark areas; Highlights to change the light areas.

•

Specify the exposure for the tool. (See “Specifying opacity, flow, strength, or exposure”
on page 243.)

•

(Photoshop) Click the airbrush button
to use the brush as an airbrush. Alternately,
select the Airbrush option in the Brushes palette. (See “Creating airbrush effects
(Photoshop)” on page 239.)

3 Drag over the part of the image you want to modify.

Using 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.

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To use the sponge tool:
1 Select the sponge tool

2 Do the following in the options bar:
•

Choose a brush and set brush options. (See “Working with brushes” on page 228.)

•

Select how to change the color: Saturate to intensify the color’s saturation; Desaturate
to dilute the color’s saturation.

•

Specify the flow for the tool. (See “Specifying opacity, flow, strength, or exposure” on
page 243.)

3 Drag over the part of the image you want to modify.

Using the Liquify command
The Liquify command lets you interactively scramble, 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.
Note: The Liquify command is available only for 8-bit images in RGB Color, CMYK Color,
Lab Color, and Grayscale image modes.

Using the Liquify dialog box
The Liquify dialog box provides tools and options for distorting an image.
A

Liquify dialog box:
A. Toolbox B. Preview image C. Options

Displaying the Liquify dialog box Choose Filter > Liquify.

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Magnifying and reducing 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.
Navigating in the preview image Select the hand tool
in the Liquify dialog box, and
drag in the preview image. Alternately, hold down the spacebar, and drag in the preview
image.
Using a mesh Adding a mesh helps you see and keep track of distortions. To add a mesh,
select Mesh in the View Options section of the dialog box, and choose a mesh size, mesh
color, and freeze color. To hide the mesh, deselect Mesh.
When Mesh is selected, you can show or hide the preview image. Select Image in the View
Options section of the dialog box to show the preview image; deselect Image to view only
the mesh.
Displaying layers in the preview image To show only the active layer in the preview
image, deselect Add Backdrop (Windows) or Backdrop (Mac OS) in the View Options
section of the dialog box. To show additional layers in the preview image, select Add
Backdrop (Windows), or Backdrop (Mac OS), specify an overlay opacity, and choose an
option from the pop-up menu.
Note: Only the active layer is distorted, even if other layers are displayed.

Distorting images
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.
To distort an image:
1 Select the layer you want to distort. To change only part of the current layer, select
that area.
2 Choose Filter > Liquify.
Note: If a type layer, or a shape layer is selected, you must rasterize the layer before
proceeding, making the type or shape uneditable. To distort type without rasterizing the
type layer, use the Warp options for the type tool.
3 Freeze areas of the image that you don’t want to alter. (See “Freezing and thawing
areas” on page 196.)
4 In the Tool Options section of the dialog box, do the following:
•

Specify a brush size and brush pressure. Using a low brush pressure makes changes
occur more slowly, so it’s easier to stop them at exactly the right moment.

•

Specify a Turbulent Jitter to control how tightly the turbulence tool scrambles pixels.

•

(Photoshop) Select Stylus Pressure to use pressure readings from a stylus tablet.
(This option is available only when you are working with a stylus tablet.) When Stylus
Pressure is selected, the brush pressure for the tools is the stylus pressure multiplied by
the Brush Pressure value.

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5 Use any of the following tools to distort the preview image:
•

The warp tool

pushes pixels forward as you drag.

•

The turbulence tool
smoothly scrambles pixels. It is useful for creating fire, clouds,
waves, and similar effects.

•

The twirl clockwise tool
or drag.

•

The twirl counterclockwise tool
the mouse button or drag.

•

The pucker tool
moves pixels toward the center of the brush area as you hold down
the mouse button or drag.

•

The bloat tool
moves pixels away from the center of the brush area as you hold
down the mouse button or drag.

•

The shift pixels tool
moves pixels perpendicular to the stroke direction. Drag to
move pixels to the left, and Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) to move pixels
to the right.

•

The reflection tool
copies pixels to the brush area. Drag to reflect the area perpendicular to the direction of the stroke (to the left of the stroke). Alt-drag (Windows) or
Option-drag (Mac OS) to reflect the area in the direction opposite to that of the stroke
(for example, the area above a downward stroke). Usually, Alt-dragging or Optiondragging 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.

rotates pixels clockwise as you hold down the mouse button
rotates pixels counterclockwise as you hold down

Shift-click with the warp, shift pixels, and reflection tools to create the effect of
dragging in a straight line from the previous point you clicked.
6 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.
(See “Reconstructing distortions” on page 197.)
7 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.

•

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click Reset to revert all distortions to
the preview image.
You can use the Edit > Fade command to create additional effects. (See “Blending filter
effects (Photoshop)” on page 322.)

Freezing and thawing areas
You can use tools or alpha channels to freeze areas of the preview image to protect them
from further changes, or to thaw the frozen areas.
Certain reconstruction modes change unfrozen areas in relation to the distortions in
frozen areas. (See “Reconstructing distortions” on page 197.) You can hide or show the
mask for frozen areas, change the mask color, and use a Brush Pressure option to create
partial freezes and thaws.

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To define which areas can be edited:
Do any of the following in the Liquify dialog box:
•

To use the freeze tool
to protect an area in the preview image from further editing,
select the tool and drag over the area. Shift-click to freeze in a straight line between the
current point and the previous point that you clicked or Shift-clicked.

The degree of freezing depends on the current brush pressure. If the frozen areas mask is
displayed, the tint of the mask indicates the degree of freezing. If the brush pressure is less
than 100%, you can fully freeze an area by dragging more than once. If you use other tools
to distort and reconstruct partially frozen areas, the effects are proportionate to the
degree of freezing. For example, if you drag the warp tool over an area that is 50% frozen
and continue dragging over an unfrozen area, the frozen area shows half the distortion
that occurs in the unfrozen area.
•

To use an alpha channel to define a frozen area, choose the channel from the Channel
menu in the Freeze Area section of the dialog box.

•

To thaw a frozen area, making it editable, select the thaw tool
, and drag over the
area. Shift-click to thaw in a straight line between the current point and the previous
point that you clicked or Shift-clicked. Brush pressure has the same effect on the thaw
tool as it has on the freeze tool.

•

To thaw all frozen areas, click Thaw All in the Freeze Area section of the dialog box.

•

To thaw all frozen areas and freeze the remaining areas, click Invert in the Freeze Area
section of the dialog box. If you used an alpha channel to define the frozen area, the
alpha channel name in the Channel menu changes to Custom.

To show or hide frozen areas:
Select or deselect Frozen Areas in the View Options section of the dialog box.
To change the color of frozen areas:
Choose a color from the Freeze Color pop-up menu in the View Options section of the
dialog box.

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. Reconstruction modes
include reverting to the original state, extending distortions in frozen areas into unfrozen
areas, and repeating distortions sampled from a starting point.
To restore a preview image to a previous state:
After distorting the preview image, do one of the following:
•

To change one or more unfrozen areas back to their state when you opened the Liquify
dialog box, choose Revert from the Mode menu in the Reconstruction section of the
dialog box. Then select the reconstruct tool
, and hold down the mouse button or
drag over the areas. The restoration occurs more quickly at the brush center.

•

To change all unfrozen areas back to their state when you opened the Liquify dialog
box, choose Revert from the Mode menu in the Reconstruction section of the dialog
box, and click Reconstruct.

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To restore the entire preview image to its state when you opened the dialog box, click
Revert in the Reconstruction section of the dialog box.

To extend distortions in frozen areas into unfrozen areas:
1 Freeze part of the areas you have changed. (For reconstruction, the image borders are
also treated as if they are frozen.)
2 Choose one of these reconstruction modes from the Mode menu in the Reconstruction
section of the dialog box:
•

Rigid to maintain 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 to something close to 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 continue the distortions in the frozen areas. As the distance from
frozen areas increases, the distortions lessen.

•

Smooth to propagate the distortions in frozen areas throughout unfrozen areas, with
smoothly continuous distortions.

•

Loose to produce effects similar to Smooth, with even greater continuity between
distortions in frozen and unfrozen areas.

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)

3 Do one of the following:
•

To reconstruct one or more unfrozen areas, select the reconstruct tool
, and 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
previous point that you clicked or Shift-clicked.

•

To reconstruct all unfrozen areas, click Reconstruct. The image changes until reconstruction in the current mode is complete. To partially reconstruct the unfrozen areas,
press Esc or press Command+period (Mac OS) during reconstruction.

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To reconstruct areas to match distortions from the image location where the mouse
button is initially pressed:
1 After distorting the preview image, choose one of these reconstruction modes from the
Mode menu in the Reconstruction section of the dialog box:
•

Displace to reconstruct unfrozen areas to match the displacement at the starting point
for the reconstruction. You can use Displace to move all or part of the preview image to
a different location.

•

Amplitwist to reconstruct unfrozen areas to match the displacement, rotation, and
overall scaling that exist at the starting point.

•

Affine to reconstruct unfrozen areas to match all local distortions that exist at the
starting point, including displacement, rotation, horizontal and vertical scaling, and
skew.

2 Select the reconstruct tool
or drag from a starting point.

, and in the preview image, hold down the mouse button

This spreads the distortion sampled at the starting point. (If there is no distortion, the
effect is the same as using Revert mode.) Pixels move more quickly at the brush center.
You can set new starting points and use the reconstruct tool repeatedly to create a variety
of effects.
Note: The Reconstruct button is not available in Displace, Amplitwist, and Affine reconstruction modes.

Saving and loading distortions
You can save the distortion mesh from one image and apply it to other images.
To save a distortion mesh:
1 After distorting the preview image, click Save Mesh.
2 Specify a name and location for the mesh file, and click Save.
To apply a distortion mesh to a preview image:
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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Drawing
About drawing and painting
When creating graphics on a computer, there is a distinction between painting and
drawing. Painting involves changing the colors of pixels using a painting tool. You can
apply colors gradually, with soft edges and transitions, and manipulate individual pixels
using powerful filter effects. However, once you apply a brush stroke, there is no simple
way to select the entire brush stroke and move it to a new location in the image.
Drawing, on the other hand, involves creating shapes that are defined as geometric
objects (also called vector objects). For example, if you draw a circle using the ellipse tool,
the circle is defined by a specific radius, location, and color. You can quickly select the
entire circle and move it to a new location, or you can edit the outline of the circle to
distort its shape. (See “About bitmap images and vector graphics” on page 61.)
Working with shapes provides several advantages:
•

Shapes are object-oriented—you can quickly select, resize, and move a shape, and you
can edit a shape’s outline (called a path) and attributes (such as stroke, fill color, and
style). You can use shapes to make selections and create libraries of custom shapes with
the Preset Manager.

•

Shapes are resolution-independent—they maintain crisp edges when resized, printed
to a PostScript printer, saved in a PDF file, or imported into a vector-based graphics
application.

Drawing shapes and paths
You use the drawing tools to create shape layers, work paths, and rasterized shapes.

About the drawing tools
Keep in mind the following similarities and differences when using the drawing tools in
Photoshop and ImageReady:
•

The rectangle tool , rounded rectangle tool
available in both Photoshop and ImageReady.

•

The pen tool , freeform pen tool , polygon tool , custom shape tool , add
anchor point tool , delete anchor point tool , and convert point tool are available
only in Photoshop.

•

In Photoshop, you can use the drawing tools to create a work path; in ImageReady, you
can’t create a work path.

•

In Photoshop, you can draw multiple shapes in a layer and specify how overlapping
shapes interact. In ImageReady, you can only draw one shape in a layer.

•

In Photoshop, you can edit shapes after you draw them. In ImageReady, you can move
and transform shapes, but you can’t edit them.

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Creating shape layers
You create a shape layer using a shape tool or a pen tool. The shape is automatically filled
with the current foreground color; however, you can easily change the fill to a different
color, a gradient, or a pattern. The shape’s outline is stored in a vector mask that is linked to
the layer.
In Photoshop, you can draw multiple shapes in a layer and specify how overlapping
shapes interact.
To create a new shape layer:
1 Select a shape tool or a pen tool, and click the Shape Layers button
options bar.

in the

2 To apply a style to the shape layer, select a preset style from the Style pop-up menu.
(See “Applying preset styles” on page 302.)
3 To change the color of the shape layer, click the color swatch in the options bar and
choose a color.
4 Set additional tool-specific options, and draw a shape. For more information, see “Using
the shape tools” on page 203 and “Using the pen tools (Photoshop)” on page 205.
To draw multiple shapes in a layer (Photoshop):
1 Select the layer to which you want to add shapes.
2 Select a drawing tool, and set tool-specific options.
3 Choose one of the following in the options bar:
•

Add to Shape Area

to add the new area to the existing shapes or path.

•

Subtract from Shape Area
or path.

•

Intersect Shape Areas
to restrict the area to the intersection of the new area and the
existing shapes or path.

•

Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas
new and existing areas.

to remove the overlapping area from the existing shapes

to exclude the overlap area in the consolidated

Use the following keyboard shortcuts while drawing with a shape tool: Hold down
Shift to temporarily select the Add to Shape Area option; hold down Alt (Windows) or
Option (Mac OS) to temporarily select the Subtract from Shape Area option.
4 Draw in the image. You can easily switch between drawing tools by clicking a tool
button in the options bar.

Creating a work path (Photoshop)
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:
•

You can use a path as a vector mask to hide areas of a layer. (See “Masking layers” on
page 314.)

•

You can convert a path to a selection. For more information, see “Converting between
paths and selection borders (Photoshop)” on page 218.

•

You can edit a path to change its shape. For more information, see “Editing paths
(Photoshop)” on page 210.

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You can 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.
Create a new path in the Paths palette before you begin drawing to automatically save
the work path as a named path.

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 “Using the
shape tools” on page 203 and “Using the pen tools (Photoshop)” on page 205.
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

to add the new area to overlapping path areas.

•

Subtract from Path Area

•

Intersect Path Areas
existing area.

•

Exclude Overlapping Path Areas
path.

to remove the new area from the overlapping path area.

to restrict the path to the intersection of the new area and the
to exclude the overlap area in the consolidated

Use the following keyboard shortcuts 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.
For more information on working with paths, see “Using the Paths palette (Photoshop)” on
page 209.

Creating rasterized shapes
As the name implies, rasterized shapes are not vector objects. Creating a rasterized shape
is the same as making a selection and filling it with the foreground color. You cannot edit a
rasterized shape as a vector object.
To create a rasterized shape:
1 Select a layer. You cannot create a rasterized shape on a vector-based layer (a shape
layer or 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 to control how the shape will affect the existing pixels in the image.
(See “Selecting a blending mode” on page 241.)

•

Opacity to determine 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 to blend the shape’s edge pixels with the surrounding pixels.

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4 Set additional tool-specific options, and draw a shape. For more information, see “Using
the shape tools” on page 203 and “Using the pen tools (Photoshop)” on page 205.
Note: In Photoshop, you can easily switch between drawing tools by clicking a tool button
in the options bar.

Using the shape tools
You use the shape tools to draw lines, rectangles, rounded rectangles, and ellipses in an
image. In Photoshop, you can also draw polygons and create custom shape libraries to
reuse and share custom shapes.

Setting shape tool options
Each shape tool provides specific options; for example, you can set options that allow you
to draw a rectangle with fixed dimensions or a line with arrowheads.

(Photoshop) Click the inverted arrow to display options for the selected shape.

To set tool-specific options:
1 Select the rectangle tool , rounded rectangle tool , ellipse tool
(Photoshop), line tool , or custom shape tool
(Photoshop).

, polygon tool

2 Set tool options in the options bar. The available options vary by tool. In Photoshop,
click the inverted arrow next to the shape buttons to view the options:
Arrowheads Start and End Renders a line with arrowheads. Select Start, End, or both to
specify on which end of the line arrows are rendered. 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.
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 of a line in pixels.

Using preset shapes (Photoshop)
When you’re using the custom shape tool, you can choose from a variety of preset shapes.
You can also save shapes that you create as preset shapes.
To select a preset shape:
1 Select the custom shape tool

2 Select a shape from the Shape pop-up palette. (See “Using pop-up palettes” on
page 31.)
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.
You can also use the Preset Manager to manage libraries of custom shapes. For more information, see “Managing libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)” on page 54.

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Controlling a shape as you draw it
You can use the following modifier keys to manipulate a shape while dragging:
•

Hold down the spacebar to move the shape without changing its size or proportions.

•

(ImageReady) 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°.

Using the pen tools (Photoshop)
You can create or edit straight lines, curves, or freeform lines and shapes using the pen
tools. The pen tools can be used in conjunction with the shape tools to create complex
shapes.

Drawing with the pen tool
The pen tool lets you create straight lines and smooth flowing curves with greater
precision than is possible with the freeform pen tool. For most users, the pen tool provides
the best control and greatest accuracy for drawing.
To draw with the pen tool:
1 Select the pen tool

2 Set the following tool-specific options:
•

To add an anchor point when you click a line segment and delete an anchor point when
you click it, select Auto Add/Delete in the options bar. (See “Adding, deleting, and
converting anchor points” on page 216.)

•

To preview path segments as you draw, click the inverted arrow
buttons in the options bar, and select Rubber Band.

next to the shape

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. (See “Drawing straight
segments with the pen tool” on page 205 and “Drawing curves with the pen tool” on
page 206.)
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.

For more information on closed and open paths, see “About anchor points, direction lines,
direction points, and components” on page 210.

Drawing straight segments with the pen tool
The simplest segment you can draw with the pen tool is a straight segment, made by
clicking to create anchor points.

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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, you can click an existing point to delete it.

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. Use as few
anchor points as possible, placing them as far apart as possible. This decreases the file
size and reduces the potential for printing errors.

For more information on how paths are constructed, see “About anchor points, direction
lines, direction points, and components” on page 210.
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, and the pointer changes to an arrowhead.
2 Drag in the direction you want the curve segment to be drawn. As you drag, the pointer
leads one of two direction points. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to
multiples of 45°, and release the mouse button once you have positioned the first
direction point.

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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.

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, then Alt-drag
(Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the direction point in the direction of the curve.
Release Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) 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.

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Drawing 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 automatically as you draw. You do not determine where the points are
positioned, but you can adjust them once the path is complete.
The magnetic pen is an option of the freeform 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.
To draw with the freeform 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 freeform pen pointer on an
endpoint of the path, and drag.
5 To complete the path, release the mouse. To create a closed path, click the initial point
of the path (a circle appears next to the pointer when it is aligned). For more information
on closed and open paths, see “About anchor points, direction lines, direction points, and
components” on page 210.
To draw using the magnetic pen 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
between pixels required to be considered an edge. Use a higher value for low contrast
images.

•

For Frequency, enter a value between 5 and 40 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.

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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 needed, press Delete to remove the last fastening point.
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 [ key to decrease the magnetic pen width by 1 pixel; press the ] key to increase
the pen width by 1 pixel.

6 Complete the path:
•

Press Enter or Return 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.

Editing shape layers
A shape layer 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.
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:
1 Select a shape layer in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Choose Layer > Change Layer Content > Gradient, and set gradient options.

•

Choose Layer > Change Layer Content > Pattern, and set pattern options.

For more information, see “Using adjustment layers and fill layers (Photoshop)” on
page 311.
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.
For more information, see “Moving, reshaping, copying, and deleting path components”
on page 214.

Using the Paths palette (Photoshop)
The Paths palette lists the name and a thumbnail image of each saved path, the current
work path, and the current vector mask. Decreasing the size of thumbnails or turning
them off lets you list more paths in the palette, and turning thumbnails off can improve
performance. To view a path, you must first select it in the Paths palette.

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To display the Paths palette:
Choose Window > Paths.
To select or deselect a path in the palette:
Do one of the following:
•

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:
1 Choose Palette Options from the Paths palette menu.
2 Select a size, or select None to turn off the display of thumbnails.
To change a path’s stacking order:
1 Select the path in the Paths palette.
2 Drag the path up or down in the Paths palette. When the heavy black line appears in the
desired location, release the mouse button.
Note: You cannot change the order of vector masks in the Paths palette.

Editing paths (Photoshop)
A path is composed of one or more path components—collections of one or more anchor
points joined by segments.
Because they take up less disk space than pixel-based data, paths can be used for longterm storage of simple masks. Paths can also be used to clip sections of your image for
export to an illustration or page-layout application. (See “Using image clipping paths to
create transparency” on page 466.)

About anchor points, direction lines, direction points, and
components
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

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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 adjust 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.

Adjusting a smooth point, and a corner point

A path does not have to be all one connected series of segments. It can contain more than
one distinct and separate path component. Each shape in a shape layer is a path
component, as described by the layer’s clipping path.

Separate path components selected

Selecting paths (Photoshop)
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.

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To select a path:
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 , and click one of the
segment’s anchor points or drag a marquee over part of the segment.

Drag a marquee to select segments.

2 To select additional path components or segments, select the path selection tool or the
direct selection tool, 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 any other tool is 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:
Using the path selection tool, drag a marquee to select existing path areas, then choose a
shape area option in the options bar:
•

Add to Shape Area

to add the path area to overlapping path areas.

•

Subtract from Shape Area

•

Intersect Shape Areas to restrict the area to the intersection of the selected path area
and overlapping path areas.

•

Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas

to remove the path area from overlapping path areas.

to exclude the overlap area.

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.

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Moving, reshaping, and deleting path segments
You can move, reshape, or delete individual segments in a path, and you can add or delete
anchor points to change the configuration of segments.
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 182.
To move a straight segment:
1 Select the direct selection tool , and select the segment you want to adjust. To adjust
the angle or length of the segment, select an anchor point.
2 Drag the selected segment to its new position.
To move a curved segment:
1 Select the direct selection tool , and select the points or segments you want to move.
Be sure to select both points anchoring the segment.
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 , and select the curved segment you want to adjust.
Direction lines appear for that segment.
2 Adjust the curve:
•

To adjust the position of the segment, drag the segment.

Click to select the curve segment. Then drag to adjust.

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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.

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.

Moving, reshaping, copying, and deleting 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.
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.
Note: If you drag a path so that the move pointer is over another open image, the path will
be copied to that image.
To reshape a path component:
1 Select the path name in the Paths palette, and use the direct selection tool
an anchor point in the path.

to select

2 Drag the point or its handles to a new location. (See “Adding, deleting, and converting
anchor points” on page 216.)
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 Adobe Photoshop files:
1 Open both images.
2 Use the path selection tool to select the entire path or the path components in the
source image 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’s name in the Paths palette and choose Edit > Copy
to copy the path. In the destination image, choose Edit > Paste. You can also use this
method to combine paths in the same image.

•

To paste the path component into the center of 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.

Aligning and distributing path components
You can both 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.
Note: To align shapes that are on separate layers, use the move tool. (See “Moving selections and layers within an image” on page 167.)

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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: Top , Vertical Center , Bottom ,
Left , Horizontal Center , or Right .
To align or distribute components:
Select at least three components you want to distribute, then select one of the distribute
options from the options bar: Top
, Vertical Center
, Bottom
, Left , Horizontal
Center , or Right .

Adding, deleting, and converting anchor points
The add anchor point and delete anchor point tools let you add and delete anchor points
on a shape. The convert direction point tool lets you convert a smooth curve to a sharp
curve or to a straight segment, and vice versa. If you have selected Auto Add/Delete in the
options bar for the pen tool or freeform pen tool, when you click a line segment, a point is
added, and when you click an existing point, it is deleted.
To add an anchor point:
1 Select the add anchor point tool ( ), and position the pointer on the path where you
want the anchor point added (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.

To delete an anchor point:
1 Select the delete anchor point tool , and position the pointer on the anchor point
you want 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.

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 changed.
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.

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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.

Managing paths (Photoshop)
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 “Creating and editing vector masks” on
page 317.
Paths saved with an image appear when you open it again. In Windows, the Photoshop,
JPEG, 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.
To create a new path in the Paths palette:
Do one of the following:
•

To create a path without naming it, click the New Path button
Paths palette.

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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 save a work path:
Do one of the following:
•

To save without renaming, drag the Work Path name to the New Path button
bottom of the Paths palette.

at the

•

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’s name in the Paths palette, type a new name, and press Enter
(Windows) or Return (Mac OS).
Note: You cannot rename a vector mask; double-clicking a vector mask creates a copy of
it. However, you can rename the copy.
To delete a path:
1 Select the path name in the Paths palette.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Drag the path to the Trash button

at the bottom of the Paths palette.

•

Choose Delete Path from the Paths palette menu.

•

Click the Trash button 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 Trash button at the bottom of the Paths palette.

Converting between paths and selection borders
(Photoshop)
Because of their smooth outlines, you can convert paths into precise selection borders.
You also can convert selection borders into paths, using the direct selection tool for
fine-tuning.

Converting paths to selection borders
You can define any closed path as a selection border. A closed path that overlaps a
selected area can be added to, subtracted from, or combined with the current selection.
To convert a path to a selection border using the current Make Selection 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

•

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
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 to define how far inside and outside the selection border the feather
edge extends. Enter a value in pixels.

•

Anti-aliased to create 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 “Softening the edges of a selection” on
page 166.
4 Select an Operation option:
•

New Selection to select only the area defined by the path.

•

Add to Selection to add the area defined by the path to the original selection.

•

Subtract from Selection to remove the area defined by the path from the original
selection.

•

Intersect with Selection to select 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.

Converting selection borders to paths
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.
To convert a selection to a path using the current Make Work Path settings:
Make the selection, and click the Make Work Path button
palette.

at the bottom of the Paths

To convert a selection to a path and specify settings:
1 Make the selection, and do one of the following:
•

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Make Work Path button
bottom of the Paths palette.

•

Choose Make Work Path from the Paths palette menu.

at the

2 Enter a Tolerance value or use the default value in the Make Work Path dialog box.

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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 467.)
3 Click OK. The path appears at the bottom of the Paths palette.

Adding color to paths (Photoshop)
You can add color values to a path by filling or stroking it. Filling a path is the same as
creating a rasterized shape using the shape tools. (See “Creating rasterized shapes” on
page 202.)

Filling paths with color
The Fill Path command lets you fill a path with pixels using a specified color, a state of the
image, a pattern, or a fill layer.
Important: When you fill a path, the color values appear on the active layer. Make sure the
layer you want is active before beginning. You cannot fill a path when a layer clipping
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 “Filling and stroking selections and layers”
on page 249.)
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 “Selecting a blending mode” on page 241.)
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 290.)
7 Select a Rendering option:
•

Feather Radius to define how far inside and outside the selection border the feather
edge extends. Enter a value in pixels.

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Anti-aliased to create 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 “Softening the edges of a selection” on
page 166.
8 Click OK.

Stroking to paint path borders
The Stroke Path command lets you paint 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 than the Stroke layer effect, which doesn’t
mimic the effect of any of the painting tools.
Important: When you stroke a path, the color values appear on the active layer. Make sure
the layer you want is active before beginning. You cannot stroke a path when a layer
clipping mask or text layer is active.
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.
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 “Retouching images” on page 192 and “Using the painting tools (Photoshop)” on
page 222.
3 To stroke the path, do one of the following:
•

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Stroke Path button
the Paths palette.

at the bottom of

•

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.

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Painting
Using the painting tools (Photoshop)
Photoshop provides the brush tool and the pencil tool to let you paint with the current
foreground color. By default, the brush tool creates soft strokes of color and the pencil tool
creates hard-edged, freehand lines. However, you can change these default characteristics
by resetting the tool’s brush options. You can also use the brush tool as an airbrush to
apply sprays of color to an image.
To use the brush tool or pencil tool:
1 Specify a foreground color. (See “Choosing foreground and background colors” on
page 257.)
2 Select the brush tool

or pencil tool

3 Do the following in the options bar:
•

Choose a brush and set brush options. (See “Working with brushes” on page 228.)

•

Specify a blending mode. (See “Selecting a blending mode” on page 241.)

•

Specify an opacity. (See “Specifying opacity, flow, strength, or exposure” on page 243.)

•

For the brush tool, specify a flow rate. (See “Specifying opacity, flow, strength, or
exposure” on page 243.)

•

Click the airbrush button
to use the brush as an airbrush. Alternately, select the
Airbrush option in the Brushes palette. (See “Creating airbrush effects (Photoshop)” on
page 239.)

•

For the pencil tool, select Auto Erase to paint the background color over areas
containing the foreground color. (See “Using the Auto Erase option” on page 226.)

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.

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Using the painting tools (ImageReady)
ImageReady provides the paintbrush tool, pencil tool, and airbrush tool to let you paint
the current foreground color on an image. The three tools create different effects:
•

The paintbrush tool creates soft strokes of color.

•

The pencil tool creates hard-edged freehand lines.

•

The airbrush tool applies gradual tones (including sprays of color) to an image,
simulating traditional airbrush techniques. The edges of the stroke are more diffused
than those created with the paintbrush tool.

To use the paintbrush tool, pencil tool, or airbrush tool:
1 Specify a foreground color. (See “Choosing foreground and background colors” on
page 257.)
2 Select the paintbrush tool

, pencil tool

, or airbrush tool

3 Do the following in the options bar:
•

Choose a preset brush. (See “Working with brushes” on page 228.)

•

Specify a blending mode. (See “Selecting a blending mode” on page 241.)

•

For the paintbrush tool and pencil tool, specify an opacity. (See “Specifying opacity,
flow, strength, or exposure” on page 243.)

•

For the airbrush tool, specify a paint flow. (See “Specifying opacity, flow, strength, or
exposure” on page 243.)

•

For the pencil tool, select Auto Erase to paint the background color over areas
containing the foreground color. (See “Using the Auto Erase option” on page 226.)

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.

Erasing
The eraser and magic eraser tools let you erase areas of an image to transparency or to the
background color. The background eraser tool (Photoshop) lets you erase to transparency
on a layer. You can also use the Auto Erase option with the pencil tool to erase the
foreground color to the background color as you paint.
If you want to erase the background of an object with intricate or wispy edges, use the
Extract command. (See “Extracting objects from their background (Photoshop)” on
page 174.)

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Using 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 transparency. You can also use the
eraser to return the affected area to a state selected in the History palette.
To use the eraser tool:
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). (See “Working with brushes” on page 228.) 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. (See “Specifying opacity, flow, strength,
or exposure” on page 243.)

•

(Photoshop) In Brush mode, click the airbrush button
to use the brush as an
airbrush. Alternately, select the Airbrush option in the Brushes palette. (See “Creating
airbrush effects (Photoshop)” on page 239.)

•

(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, then select Erase to History in the options
bar. (See “Painting with a state or snapshot of an image (Photoshop)” on page 42.)
(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.

Using 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

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To use the magic eraser tool:
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 Use 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.

Using the background eraser tool (Photoshop)
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.
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:
•

For more information on the Diameter, Hardness, Spacing, Angle, and Roundness
options, see “Customizing brush tips (Photoshop)” on page 230.

•

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 to not vary the size or tolerance.

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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; 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; 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 .

Using the Auto Erase option
The Auto Erase option for the pencil tool lets you paint the background color over areas
containing the foreground color.
To use the Auto Erase option:
1 Specify foreground and background colors. (See “Choosing foreground and
background colors” on page 257.)
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.

Using the art history brush tool (Photoshop)
The art history brush tool lets you paint 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.

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Like the history brush, the art history brush uses a specified history state or snapshot as
the source data. The history brush, however, paints by recreating the specified source
data, while the art history brush 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. White fill C. Large brush D. Small 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

3 Do the following in the options bar:
•

Choose a brush and set brush options. (See “Working with brushes” on page 228.)

•

Specify a blending mode and opacity for the paint. (See “Setting options for painting
and editing tools” on page 241.)

•

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 more numerous the strokes.

•

For Tolerance, enter a value or drag the slider 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.

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Working with brushes
Working with brushes is an important part of using the painting and editing tools. The
brush you select determines many characteristics of the resulting stroke. Photoshop and
ImageReady provide a variety of preset brushes to fill a wide range of uses. In Photoshop,
you can also create custom brushes using the Brushes palette.

Using the Brushes palette (Photoshop)
The Brushes palette lets you select preset brushes and design custom brushes.

Brushes palette with Brush Tip Shape options displayed

Displaying the Brushes palette Choose Window > Brushes, or click the palette
button
on the right side of the options bar for the painting tools, erasing tools, toning
tools, and focus tools.
Displaying options in the Brushes palette 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 checkbox to the left of the item name to enable or disable the item without
viewing its options.

Selecting preset brushes
The Brush pop-up palette in the options bar for the painting and editing tools lets you
view, select, and load preset brushes. In Photoshop, you can also use the Brushes palette
to view, select, and load preset brushes.
To display the Brush pop-up palette:
1 Select a painting tool or editing tool.
2 Click the brush sample in the options bar.

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To select a preset brush:
1 Click a brush in the Brush pop-up palette or Brushes palette.
Note: If you are using the Brushes palette, be sure that Brush Presets on the left side
palette is selected to view the loaded presets.
2 (Photoshop) Specify a Master Diameter for the brush by dragging the slider or entering
a value. If the brush has a dual tip, both the primary and dual brush tips are scaled. (See
“Creating dual brushes (Photoshop)” on page 236.)
3 (Photoshop) Click Use Sample Size to use the original diameter of the brush tip. This
option is available only if the brush tip shape is based on a sample.
To change how preset brushes are displayed (Photoshop):
Choose a display option from the Brush pop-up palette 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, position the pointer over
a brush until the tool tip appears, then move the pointer over different brushes. The
preview area at the bottom of the palette will display sample brush strokes.
To load a library of preset brushes:
Choose one of the following from the Brush pop-up palette 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.

Note: You can also use the Preset Manager to load and reset brush libraries. For more
information, see “Managing libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)” on page 54.
To return to the default library of preset brushes:
Choose Reset Brushes from the Brush pop-up palette menu or Brushes palette menu.
You can either replace the current list or append the default library to the current list.

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Customizing brush tips (Photoshop)
A brush stroke is made up of many individual brush marks. The brush tip you select
determines the shape, diameter, and other characteristics of a brush mark. You can
customize brush tips by editing their options and create new brush tip shapes by
sampling pixels in an image.

Pear painted with custom brush shown in inset

To create a new brush tip shape:
1 Use the rectangle marquee
as a custom brush.

with Feather set to 0 px to select part of an image to use

The brush shape can be up to 2500 pixels by 2500 pixels in size. To be most effective, the
shape should appear on a solid white background. 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.
3 Name the brush, and click OK.
To set brush tip shape options:
1 In the Brushes palette, select Brush Tip Shape on the left side of the palette.
2 Select the brush tip you want to customize, and set one or more of the following
options:
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 only available if
the brush tip shape was created by sampling pixels in an image.

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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 intermediate values indicate
elliptical brushes.
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.

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+ the [ key to decrease the brush hardness; press Shift+ the ] key to increase the brush
hardness.

About brush dynamics (Photoshop)
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.
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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 to not control the variance of an element, to fade an
element over the specified number of steps, or to vary an element based of pen
pressure, pen tilt, or position of the pen thumbwheel.

Note: Pen controls are only 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.

Specifying brush shape dynamics (Photoshop)
Shape dynamics determine the variance of brush marks in a stroke.

Brush stokes without shape dynamics and with shape dynamics

To edit shape dynamics for a brush:
1 In the Brushes palette, select Shape Dynamics on the left side of the palette. Be sure to
click the name, rather than the check box, to select the item.
2 Set one or more of the following options:
Size Jitter and Control Specifies how the size of brush marks vary in a stroke. For more
information, see “About brush dynamics (Photoshop)” on page 231.
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 to not control the size variance of brush marks.

•

Fade to fade 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, or Stylus Wheel to vary the size of brush marks between the initial
diameter and the minimum diameter based on the pen pressure, pen tilt, or position of
the pen thumbwheel.

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.

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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. For
more information, see “About brush dynamics (Photoshop)” on page 231.
To specify the maximum percentage of jittering, type a number or use the slider to 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 to not control the angle variance of brush marks.

•

Fade to fade the angle of brush marks between 0 and 360 degrees in the specified
number of steps.

•

Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, or Stylus Wheel to vary the angle of brush marks between 0 and
360 degrees based on the pen pressure, pen tilt, or position of the pen thumbwheel.

•

Initial Direction to base the angle of brush marks on the initial direction of the brush
stroke.

•

Direction to base 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. For more information, see “About brush dynamics (Photoshop)” on page 231.
To specify the maximum percentage of jittering, type a number or use the slider to enter a
value that is a percentage indicating the ratio between the brush’s short and long axes. To
specify how you want to control the roundness variance of brush marks, choose an option
from the Control pop-up menu:
•

Off to not control the roundness variance of brush marks.

•

Fade to fade the roundness of brush marks between 100% and the Minimum
Roundness value in the specified number of steps.

•

Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, or Stylus Wheel to vary the roundness of brush marks between
100% and the Minimum Roundness value based on the pen pressure, pen tilt, or
position of the pen thumbwheel.

Minimum Roundness Specifies the minimum roundness for brush marks when
Roundness Jitter or Roundness Control is enabled. Type a number, or use the slider to
enter a value that is a percentage indicating the ratio between the brush’s short and
long axes.

Specifying brush scattering (Photoshop)
Brush scattering determines the number and placement of marks in a stroke.

Brush strokes without scattering and with scattering

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To edit scattering options for a brush:
1 In the Brushes palette, select Scattering on the left side of the palette. Be sure to click
the name, rather than the check box, to select the item.
2 Set one or more of the following options:
Scatter and Control Specifies how brush marks are distributed in a stroke. When Both
Axis is selected, brush marks are distributed in a radial direction. When Both Axis is
deselected, 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. To specify how you want to control the scattering variance of brush marks, choose
an option from the Control pop-up menu:
•

Off to not control the scattering variance of brush marks.

•

Fade to fade the scattering of brush marks from the maximum scattering to no
scattering in the specified number of steps.

•

Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, or Stylus Wheel to vary the scattering of brush marks based on
the pen pressure, pen tilt, or position of the pen thumbwheel.

Count Specifies the number of brush marks applied at each spacing interval. Type a
number, or use the slider to enter a value.
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. For more information, see “About brush dynamics (Photoshop)” on
page 231.
To specify the maximum percentage of brush marks applied at each spacing interval, type
a number or use the slider to 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 to not control the count variance of brush marks.

•

Fade to fade the number of brush marks from the Count value to 1 in the specified
number of steps.

•

Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, or Stylus Wheel to vary the number of brush marks based on the
pen pressure, pen tilt, or position of the pen thumbwheel.

Creating textured brushes (Photoshop)
A textured brush uses a pattern to make strokes look like they are painted on textured
canvas.

Brush strokes without texture and with texture

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To edit texture options for a brush:
1 In the Brushes palette, select Texture on the left side of the palette. Be sure to click the
name, rather than the check box, to select the item.
2 Click the pattern sample, and select a pattern from the pop-up palette.
3 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
“Selecting a blending mode” on page 241.)
Depth Specifies how deep 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.
Minimum Depth Specifies the minimum depth 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. For more information, see “About brush dynamics (Photoshop)” on page 231.
To specify the maximum percentage of jitter, type a number or use the slider to 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 to not control the depth variance of brush marks.

•

Fade to fade from the Depth Jitter percentage to the Minimum Depth percentage in the
specified number of steps.

•

Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, or Stylus Wheel to vary the depth based on the pen pressure, pen
tilt, or position of the pen thumbwheel.

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Creating dual brushes (Photoshop)
A dual brush uses two tips to create brush marks. You set options for the primary tip in the
Brush Tip Shape section of the Brushes palette. You set options for the secondary tip in the
Dual Brush section of the Brushes palette.

Brush strokes created with a single tip and with dual tips

To edit dual tip options for a brush:
1 In the Brushes palette, select Dual Brush on the left side of the palette. Be sure to click
the name, rather than the check box, to select the item.
2 Select a blending mode to use when combining brush marks from the primary tip and
the dual tip. (See “Selecting a blending mode” on page 241.)
3 Select a tip for the dual brush from the list below the Mode pop-up menu.
4 Set one or more of the following options:
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 only available 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 value that is a percentage of the tip
diameter.
Scatter Specifies how dual tip brush marks are distributed in a stroke. When Both Axis is
selected, dual tip brush marks are distributed in a radial direction. When Both Axis 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.

Specifying color dynamics (Photoshop)
Color dynamics determine how the color of paint changes over the course of a stroke.

Brush strokes without color dynamics and with color dynamics

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To edit color dynamics for a brush:
1 In the Brushes palette, select Color Dynamics on the left side of the palette. Be sure to
click the name, rather than the check box, to select the item.
2 Set one or more of the following options:
Foreground/Background Jitter and Control Specifies how paint varies between the
foreground color and background color. For more information, see “About brush
dynamics (Photoshop)” on page 231.
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 to not control the color variance of brush marks.

•

Fade to vary the color of paint between the foreground color and the background color
in the specified number of steps.

•

Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, or Stylus Wheel to vary the color of paint between the foreground
color and the background color based on the pen pressure, pen tilt, or position of the
pen thumbwheel.

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.

Specifying paint dynamics (Photoshop)
Paint dynamics determine how paint changes over the course of a stroke.

Brush strokes without paint dynamics and with paint dynamics

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To edit paint dynamics for a brush:
1 In the Brushes palette, select Other Dynamics on the left side of the palette. Be sure to
click the name, rather than the check box, to select the item.
2 Set one or more of the following options:
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. For more information, see “About brush dynamics (Photoshop)” on page 231.
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 to not control the opacity variance of brush marks.

•

Fade to fade the opacity of paint from the opacity value in the options bar to 0 in the
specified number of steps.

•

Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, or Stylus Wheel to vary the opacity of paint based on the pen
pressure, pen tilt, or the position of the pen thumbwheel.

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. For more information,
see “About brush dynamics (Photoshop)” on page 231.
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 to not control the flow variance of brush marks.

•

Fade to fade the flow of paint from the flow value in the options bar to 0 in the specified
number of steps.

•

Pen Pressure, Pen Tilt, or Stylus Wheel to vary the flow of paint based on the pen
pressure, pen tilt, or the position of the pen thumbwheel.

Adding noise to brush strokes (Photoshop)
The Noise option adds additional randomness to individual brush tips. This option is most
effective when applied to soft brush tips (brush tips that contain gray values).
To enable or disable noise in brush strokes:
In the Brushes palette, select Noise on the left side of the palette. A check mark indicates
that the option is enabled.

Using wet brush edges (Photoshop)
The Wet Edges option causes paint to build up along the edges of the brush stroke,
creating a watercolor effect.
To enable or disable wet brush edges:
In the Brushes palette, select Wet Edges on the left side of the palette. A check mark
indicates that the option is enabled.

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Creating airbrush effects (Photoshop)
The Airbrush option in the Brushes palette lets you apply gradual tones to an image,
simulating traditional airbrush techniques.
Note: The Airbrush option in the Brushes palette corresponds to the Airbrush option in the
options bar.
To enable or disable the Airbrush option:
In the Brushes palette, select Airbrush on the left side of the palette. A check mark
indicates that the option is enabled.
Note: The Airbrush option in the Brushes palette corresponds to the Airbrush option in the
options bar.

Smoothing brush strokes (Photoshop)
The Smoothing option 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.
To enable or disable smoothing in brush strokes:
In the Brushes palette, select Smoothing on the left side of the palette. A check mark
indicates that the option is enabled.

Protecting texture in brush strokes (Photoshop)
The Protect Texture option 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.
To enable or disable the Protect Texture option:
In the Brushes palette, select Protect Texture on the left side of the palette. A check mark
indicates that the option is enabled.

Copying textures between tools (Photoshop)
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.
To copy a texture pattern and scale to other painting and editing tools:
Choose Copy Texture to Other Tools from the Brushes palette menu.

Clearing brush options (Photoshop)
You can easily clear all brush options for a tool using the Clear Brush Controls command.
To clear brush options:
Choose Clear Brush Controls from the Brushes palette menu.

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Creating and managing preset brushes (Photoshop)
After you customize a brush, you can save it as a preset brush. Preset brushes appear in the
Brushes palette, Brush pop-up palette in the options bar, and Preset Manager. You can
create libraries of preset brushes, rename preset brushes, and delete preset brushes.
Note: New preset brushes are saved in a Preferences file so that they persist between
editing sessions. 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.
To create a new preset brush:
1 Customize a brush.
2 Do one of the following in the Brushes palette or Brush pop-up palette:
•

Choose New Brush from the palette menu, enter a name for the preset brush, and
click OK.

•

Click the Create New Brush button

To rename a preset brush:
Do one of the following:
•

Select a brush in the Brush pop-up palette 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:
Do one of the following:
•

In the Brush pop-up palette or Brushes palette, select a brush, and choose Delete Brush
from the palette menu.

•

In the Brush pop-up palette 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 Trash button
the Trash button.

, or drag a brush to

To save a set of preset brushes as a library:
1 Choose Save Brushes from the Brush pop-up palette menu or Brushes palette menu.
2 Choose a location for the brush library, enter a filename, 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 pop-up palette menu and Brushes palette menu after you restart
Photoshop.
Note: You can also use the Preset Manager to rename, delete, and save libraries of preset
brushes. For more information, see “Managing libraries with the Preset Manager
(Photoshop)” on page 54.

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Setting options for painting and editing tools
You set options for a painting or editing tool in the options bar.

Selecting a blending mode
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.

To select a blending mode for a tool:
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 Transparency deselected and is analogous to painting on the back of
transparent areas in a sheet of acetate.
Clear Edits or paints each pixel and makes it transparent. This mode is available for the
line tool (when fill region is selected), the paint bucket tool , the brush tool ,
the pencil tool , the Fill command, and the 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 magic markers.
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.

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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.
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 multiplied. 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.

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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.

Specifying opacity, flow, strength, or exposure
You can specify opacity, flow, strength, or exposure for the following tools:
•

Opacity specifies the maximum amount of paint coverage applied by the brush, paintbrush, pencil, clone stamp, pattern stamp, history brush, art history brush, gradient,
and paint bucket tools.

•

Flow specifies how quickly paint is applied by the brush tool.

•

Strength specifies the strength of strokes applied by the smudge, blur, sharpen, and
sponge tools.

•

Exposure specifies the amount of exposure used by the dodge and burn tools.

To specify opacity, flow, strength, or exposure:
Enter a value, or drag the slider for Opacity, Flow, Strength, or Exposure in the options bar.
Opacity, flow, strength, or exposure can range from 1% to 100%. For transparent paint or a
weak effect, specify a low percentage value; for more opaque paint or a strong effect,
specify a high value.
Press a number key to set a tool’s opacity, flow, strength, or exposure in multiples of
10% (pressing 1 sets to 10%, pressing 0 sets to 100%).

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Using the gradient tool (Photoshop)
The gradient tool creates a gradual blend between multiple colors. You can choose from
preset gradient fills or create your own.
Note: The gradient tool cannot be used with images in Bitmap, indexed-color, or 16-bits
per channel mode.

Applying a gradient fill
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.
To apply a gradient fill:
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 “Creating smooth gradient fills” on
page 245.)

4 Select an option for applying the gradient fill in the options bar:
•

Linear gradient
line.

to shade from the starting point to the ending point in a straight

•

Radial gradient
pattern.

to shade from the starting point to the ending point in a circular

•

Angle gradient

to shade in a counterclockwise sweep around the starting point.

•

Reflected gradient
starting point.

•

Diamond gradient
to shade from the starting point outward in a diamond pattern.
The ending point defines one corner of the diamond.

to shade using symmetric linear gradients on either side of the

5 Do the following in the options bar:
•

Specify a blending mode and opacity for the paint. (See “Setting options for painting
and editing tools” on page 241.)

•

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 “Specifying
the gradient transparency” on page 246.)

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.

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Creating smooth gradient fills
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.
A

B
C

Gradient Editor dialog box:
A. Palette menu B. Opacity stop C. Color stop 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. For information on choosing a color, see “Using the
Adobe Color Picker” on page 261.

•

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 as described in step 5.

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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 delete the color stop you are editing, click Delete.
11 To set the smoothness for the entire gradient, enter a value in the Smoothness text
box, or drag the Smoothness pop-up slider.
12 If desired, set transparency values for the gradient. (See “Specifying the gradient transparency” on page 246.)
13 Enter a name for the new gradient.
14 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 so that they persist between editing
sessions. 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.
(See “Managing gradients” on page 248.)
To add intermediate colors to a gradient:
In the Gradient Editor dialog box, 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. To remove an intermediate color, drag the color stop
down and off the gradient bar, or select the color stop and click the Delete button.

Specifying 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.
To specify the gradient transparency:
1 Create a gradient as described in steps 1 through 10 of “Creating smooth gradient fills”
on page 245.
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 as described in step 3.

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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.

Creating noise gradient fills
In addition to creating smooth gradients, the Gradient Editor dialog box lets you define a
new noise gradient. A noise gradient is a gradient that contains randomly distributed
colors within the range of colors that you specify.
A

Gradient with different Noise values:
A. 10% noise B. 50% noise C. 90% noise

To create a noise gradient:
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.

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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.

Managing gradients
By saving and loading libraries of gradients, you can customize the gradient list that
appears in the options bar and the Gradient Editor dialog box. You can also rename
presets, delete presets, and change the display of the gradient list.
Note: You can use the Preset Manager to manage gradient libraries. For more information,
see “Managing libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)” on page 54.
To save a set of preset gradients as a library:
1 Click Save in the Gradient Editor dialog box.
2 Choose a location for the gradient library, enter a filename, 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.
To load a library of preset gradients:
Do one of the following:
•

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.

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 to view the gradients as a list.

•

Small or Large Thumbnail to view the gradients as thumbnails.

•

Small or Large List to view the gradients as a list with thumbnails.

To rename a preset gradient:
Do one of the following:
•

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).

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Using 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.
To use the paint bucket tool:
1 Specify a foreground color. (See “Choosing foreground and background colors” on
page 257.)
2 Select the paint bucket tool

3 (Photoshop) Specify whether to fill the selection with the foreground color or with a
pattern. (See “Filling and stroking selections and layers” on page 249.)
4 Specify a blending mode and opacity for the paint. (See “Setting options for painting
and editing tools” on page 241.)
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. (See “Softening the
edges of a selection” on page 166.)
7 To fill only pixels contiguous to the one you click, select Contiguous; leave unselected
to fill all similar pixels in the image.
8 To fill pixels based on the merged color data from all visible layers, select All Layers.
(See “Sampling from layers” on page 291.)
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 290.)

Filling and stroking selections and layers
Photoshop and ImageReady provide a variety of ways to fill a selection or a layer with
colors and patterns. You can also paint a border around a selection or a layer. Layer styles
allow you to fill or stroke a selection or layer to create a live editable effect, while you can
also paint a fill or border to create a softer effect. (See “Managing layers” on page 292.)
To increase the contrast between your image and the surrounding work canvas, you can
fill the canvas with a color.

Filling a selection or layer with colors or patterns
You can fill a selection or layer with the foreground color, the background color, or a
pattern. In Photoshop, you can use patterns from the pattern libraries provided or create
your own patterns. You can also fill a shape using the Color, Gradient, or Pattern Overlay
effects or the Solid Color, Gradient, or Pattern fill layers on the Layers palette. When you
use fill layers to fill a selection, you can easily change the type of layer being used. For
more information, see “Using adjustment layers and fill layers (Photoshop)” on page 311.

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To fill a selection or a layer with a foreground or background color:
1 Specify a foreground or background color. (See “Choosing foreground and background
colors” on page 257.)
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, for Use, choose one of the following options or select a Custom
Pattern:
•

Foreground Color, Background Color, Black, 50% Gray, or White to fill the selection with
the specified color.

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).
•

Pattern to fill 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 to restore the selected area to a state or snapshot of the image. (See “Making a
snapshot of an image (Photoshop)” on page 40.)

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 “Setting options for painting
and editing tools” on page 241.)
6 If you’re working in a layer and want to fill only areas containing pixels, choose Preserve
Transparency.
7 If you are filling a path, enter a Feather Radius value to blend the edges of the filled path
and select Anti-aliased if you want to anti-alias the path.
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.
(See “Managing libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)” on page 54.)
•

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 “Creating and managing patterns” on page 252.)

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.
(See “Managing layers” on page 292.) 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 Specify a foreground color. (See “Choosing foreground and background colors” on
page 257.)
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 boundaries.
6 Specify an opacity and a blending mode. (See “Setting options for painting and editing
tools” on page 241.)
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 290.)
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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Creating and managing patterns
A pattern is an image that is repeated, or tiled, during application. 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. In
ImageReady, you can define a single pattern, called the User Defined Pattern, which you
can use to fill selections and layers.

Defining patterns
You use the Edit > Define Pattern command to create new patterns based on a selection.
To define 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 px. 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.
To use a preset pattern from the PostScript Patterns folder:
1 Choose File > Open. Each preset file in the PostScript Patterns folder (which comes with
Photoshop) contains a single pattern in the Adobe Illustrator format. You can scale and
render these patterns at any resolution.
2 Select the pattern file you want to use, and click Open.
3 Select any rasterizing options. (See “Opening and importing images” on page 73.)
4 Make a rectangular selection around the pattern, or make no selection to use the whole
image.
5 Choose Edit > Define Pattern.
6 (Photoshop) Enter a name for the pattern in the Pattern Name dialog box.

Managing patterns (Photoshop)
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 load, reset, and save libraries of preset patterns, and rename and delete individual
preset patterns.
Note: You can also use the Preset Manager to load, reset, and save libraries of preset
patterns, and rename and delete individual preset patterns. For more information, see
“Managing libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)” on page 54.
To change how patterns are displayed:
Choose a display option from a Pattern pop-up palette menu.
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.

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•

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 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.
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.

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 filename, 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.

Using the Pattern Maker
The Pattern Maker lets you create an infinite variety of patterns based on a selection or the
contents of the Clipboard. Because the pattern is based on the pixels in a sample, it shares
visual characteristics with the sample. For example, if you sample an image of grass, the
Pattern Maker generates a tileable pattern that is different from the sample but still
appears to be grass.You can generate multiple patterns from the same sample, and save
pattern tiles as preset patterns for future use in Photoshop and ImageReady.
Note: The Pattern Maker command is available only for 8-bit images in RGB Color, CMYK
Color, Lab Color, and Grayscale image modes.

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Generating patterns
The Pattern Maker generates patterns by rearranging the pixels in a sampled area to
create a tile. The size of a tile can vary, from 1 pixel by 1 pixel to the dimensions of the
active layer. If the tile is smaller than the active layer, the pattern is made up of multiple
tiles that are laid out in a grid to fill the layer. If the tile is the same size as the active layer,
it comprises the entire pattern.

Original image. Pixels in selected area are sampled to create a tile.

Generated pattern:
A. Single tile B. Tiled pattern

Note: If the transparency of the active layer is locked, the Pattern Maker does not change
the transparency of the layer when it tiles with a generated pattern.
To generate a pattern:
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, select the pixels from which you want 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.

Note: You cannot generate a pattern from a non-rectangular sample. If you make a nonrectangular selection, Photoshop uses the bounding box of the selected area to create a
rectangular sample.
2 Choose Filter > Pattern Maker.

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3 Do one of the following:
•

If you are generating a pattern in the same layer that contains the sample, select the
rectangular marquee tool
in the Pattern Maker dialog box, and select the area from
which you want to generate the pattern. To move the selection marquee, drag it to a
different location.

•

If you are generating a pattern in a new layer or file, select Use Clipboard as Sample in
the Pattern Maker dialog box.

4 Specify the dimensions of tiles in the generated pattern by doing one of the following:
•

Enter pixel values in the Width and Height text boxes, or drag the pop-up sliders.

•

Click Use Image Size to use the image size as the tile size. Selecting this option produces
a pattern with a single tile.

5 To offset the tiles in the generated pattern, choose a direction from the Offset pop-up
menu and specify an offset amount by entering a value in the Amount text box or
dragging the Amount pop-up slider. The offset amount is a percentage of the tile
dimension in the specified direction.
6 Click Generate. The preview area is tiled with the generated pattern. (See “Previewing
patterns” on page 255.)
You can view the status of the current generation in the Photoshop status bar. Press Esc to
cancel the generation.
7 Click Generate Again to generate additional patterns using the same options, or adjust
the options and then click Generate Again.
You can navigate through the generated tiles using the Tile History panel. (See “Reviewing
tiles and pattern previews” on page 256.)
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. (See “Reviewing tiles and pattern previews” on
page 256.)

Previewing patterns
The Pattern Maker dialog box provides tools and options for previewing generated
patterns. You can magnify and navigate in the preview image just as you do in the
Photoshop document window. You can also show or hide tile boundaries and switch
between previewing the original image and the generated pattern.
To magnify and reduce the preview image:
1 Select the zoom tool

in the Pattern Maker dialog box.

2 Click in the preview image to zoom in, or hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS),
and click in the preview image to zoom out.
The magnification level appears at the bottom of the dialog box.
To navigate in the preview image:
Select the hand tool
in the Pattern Maker dialog box, and drag in the preview image.
Alternately, hold down the spacebar, and drag in the preview image.

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To display tile boundaries in the preview image:
Select Tile Boundaries in the Preview section of the Pattern Maker dialog box. To choose a
different color for tile boundaries, click the color swatch.
To switch between the generated pattern and the original image:
Choose an option from the Show pop-up menu in the Preview section of the Pattern
Maker dialog box.
When previewing the original image, you change the sample area using the rectangular marquee tool. The new sample will be used for the next generation.

Reviewing tiles and pattern previews
The Tile History section of the Pattern Maker dialog box lets you review all the pattern
previews you have generated. You can navigate through pattern previews, delete pattern
previews, and save tiles as preset patterns.
Important: When you save a tile as a preset pattern, only a single tile is saved, not the full,
generated pattern.
To navigate through tiles and pattern previews:
Do one of the following:
•

Click the First Tile button
button .

, Previous Tile button , Next Tile button , or Last Tile

•

Type the number of the pattern preview you want to view, and press Enter (Windows)
or Return (Mac OS).

If the Update Pattern Preview option is selected, the full pattern is regenerated in the
preview area. If the Update Pattern Preview option is deselected, only the tile thumbnail
changes.
Deselect Update Pattern Preview to quickly review tiles. When you find the desired
tile, select Update Pattern Preview to regenerate the preview.
To delete a tile and pattern preview:
Navigate to the tile you want to delete, and click the Trash button

To save a tile as a preset pattern:
1 Navigate to the tile you want to save, and click the Preset button

2 Enter a preset name, and click OK.
You can create and manage libraries of presets using the Preset Manager. (See “Managing
libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)” on page 54.)

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Specifying pattern smoothness and detail
The Smoothness and Sample Detail options in the Pattern Maker dialog box let you
control the parameters that Photoshop uses to generate a pattern. The default settings
work well for most samples, so don’t change these settings unless you get a poor result.
Smoothness If the pixels in the sample lack contrast, the Pattern Maker may introduce
unwanted edges into the generated pattern. Increasing the Smoothness value decreases
the prominence of edges within a generated tile.

Generated pattern with Smoothness of 1 and Smoothness of 3

Sample Detail If the sample contains details that are cut up in the generated pattern,
increase the Sample Detail value.

Example of sampled image

Generated pattern with Sample Detail of 5 and Sample Detail of 15

Note: Increasing the Smoothness and Sample Detail values results in slower pattern
generation.

Choosing 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.

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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.)

Using color settings 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.
The Info palette, the Color palette, and the Adobe Color Picker let you display color values
using a number of color models. (See “About color modes and models (Photoshop)” on
page 86.)
To change the foreground or background color:
1 Do one of the following:
•

To change the foreground color, click the upper color selection box in the toolbox.

•

To change the background color, click the lower color selection box in the toolbox.

2 Choose a color in the Adobe Color Picker. (See “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on
page 261.)
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.

Using 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.
You can also 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.
To select the foreground or background color:
1 Select the eyedropper tool

2 To change the sample size of the eyedropper, choose an option from the Sample
Size menu:
•

Point Sample to read the precise value of the pixel you click.

•

3 by 3 Average or 5 by 5 Average to read 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. Alternately, 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. Alternately, 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

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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).

Using 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 according to several 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.
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.
For more information, see “Identifying out-of-gamut colors (Photoshop)” on page 136.

•

A cube appears above the left side of the color ramp when you choose a color that is
not Web-safe. For more information, see “Using Web-safe colors” on page 262.

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. For more information on the
different color models, see “About color modes and models (Photoshop)” on page 86.
To change the spectrum displayed in the color ramp:
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. (See “Using Web-safe
colors” on page 262.)
To change the spectrum of the color ramp quickly, Shift-click in the color ramp until
you see the spectrum you want.
To select the foreground or background color:
1 To edit the foreground or background color, make sure that its color selection box is
active (outlined in black). 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.

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•

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 non-active color
selection box.

260

Using the Swatches palette
You can choose a foreground or background color from the Swatches palette, or you can
add or delete colors to create a custom swatch library. Creating libraries of swatches can
help you group related or special swatches and manage palette size.
Note: You can also use the Preset Manager to manage libraries. For more information,
see “Managing libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)” on page 54.
To display the Swatches palette:
Choose Window > Swatches, or click the Swatches palette tab.
To change how swatches are displayed (Photoshop):
Choose a display option from the Swatches palette menu:
•

Small Thumbnail to display a thumbnail of each swatch. This is the default view.

•

Small List to display the name and thumbnail of each swatch.

To select a foreground or background color:
Do one of the following:
•

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.

To add a color to the Swatches palette:
Do one of the following:
•

Make the color you want to add the foreground color, and click the New Swatch
button in the Swatches palette. Alternately, choose New Swatch from the Swatches
palette menu.

•

(Photoshop) Make the color you want to add 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.

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•

(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.
To delete a color from the Swatches palette:
Do one of the following:
•

Drag a swatch to the Trash button

•

(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 filename, 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.

Using the Adobe Color Picker
You can use the Adobe Color Picker to select the foreground or background color by
choosing from a color spectrum or by defining colors numerically. In addition, you can
select colors based on the HSB, RGB, Lab, and CMYK color models, choose to use only
Web-safe colors, and choose from several custom color systems. For more information,
see “About color modes and models (Photoshop)” on page 86. By default, the program
uses the Adobe Color Picker.
To display the Adobe Color Picker:
Do one of the following:
•

Click the foreground or background color selection box in the toolbox.

•

Click the active color selection box in the Color palette.

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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. The color slider displays the range of color
levels available for the selected color component (for example, 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 the current color is black and you click the red component (R) using the
RGB color model, 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 along its
horizontal axis, for green along its vertical axis.
To specify a color using the color field and color slider:
1 Click a component next to the HSB, RGB, or Lab values.
2 Select a color:
•

Drag the white triangles along the slider.

•

Click inside the color slider.

•

Click inside the color field.

When you click in the color field, a circular marker indicates the color’s position in the field.
As you adjust the color using the color field and color slider, the numerical values change
to reflect the new color. The color rectangle to the right of the color slider displays the new
color in the top section of the rectangle. The original color appears at the bottom of the
rectangle.

Specifying 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.
To specify a color using numeric values:
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. For more information on the color wheel, see “About color modes and models (Photoshop)” on
page 86.

•

(Photoshop) In Lab mode, enter a lightness value (L) from 0 to 100 and a axis (green to
magenta) and b axis (blue to yellow) values from –120 to +120.

Using Web-safe colors
The Web-safe colors are the 216 colors used by browsers regardless of the platform. The
browser will change all colors in the image to these colors when displaying the color 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 in 256 colors.
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To identify Web-safe colors in the Adobe Color Picker:
•

Click the Only Web Colors option in the lower left corner of the color picker, and then
choose any color in the color picker. Any color you pick with this option selected is
Web-safe.

•

Choose a color in the color picker. If you choose a non-Web color, an alert cube
appears next to the color rectangle in the 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. With this option selected,
any color you choose in the Color palette 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.) If
you choose a non-Web 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.

Recognizing nonprintable colors (Photoshop)
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. (See “Identifying out-ofgamut colors (Photoshop)” on page 136.)
Note: The alert triangle is not available if you’ve chosen to use Web-safe sliders.
Printable colors are determined by your current CMYK working space as defined in the
Color Settings dialog box.
To select the closest CMYK equivalent for a nonprintable color:
Click the alert triangle

that appears in the Color Picker dialog box or the Color palette.

Choosing custom colors (Photoshop)
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, HKS® color system, and the DIC
Color Guide.

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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 “Adding spot colors (Photoshop)” on page 272.)
To choose a custom color:
1 Open the Adobe Color Picker, and click Custom.
The Custom Colors dialog box displays the color closest to the color currently selected in
the Color Picker.
2 For Book, choose a color system. (See “Choosing a custom color system (Photoshop)”
on page 264.)
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.

Choosing a custom color system (Photoshop)
The Adobe Color Picker supports various color systems:
PANTONE Used for printing solid-color and CMYK inks. The PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM
includes 1,114 solid colors. To select a color, use a PANTONE Color guide, printed on
coated, uncoated, and matte stocks.
To simulate a PANTONE solid color in CMYK, use the PANTONE Solid to Process Guide,
which displays a visual comparison of 1,089 solid PANTONE colors beside the closest
process color match.
PANTONE process guides let you choose from over 3,000 CMYK combinations, printed
coated and uncoated stocks.
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 TRUMATCHCOLORFINDER 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.
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.
TOYO Color Finder 1050 Consists of more than 1000 colors based on the most common
printing inks used in Japan. The TOYO Color Finder 1050 Book contains printed samples of
Toyo colors and is available from printers and graphic arts supply stores.
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.

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HKS Used for printing projects in Europe. Each color has a specified CMYK equivalent.
You can select from HKS E (for continuous stationary), HKS K (for gloss art paper), HKS N
(for natural paper), and HKS Z (for newsprint). Color samplers for each scale are available.

Using other color pickers
In addition to the default Adobe Color Picker, you can use the built-in color pickers on your
system or a plug-in color picker to select colors. Any plug-in color pickers you install
appear under Color Picker in the General section of the Preferences dialog box. For information on installing and using a plug-in color picker, see the documentation that came
with the plug-in.
To use the Windows Color Picker (Windows):
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General.
2 Choose Windows from the Color Picker menu, and click OK.
For more information, see your Windows documentation.
To use the Apple Color Picker (Mac OS):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.

2 For Color Picker, choose Apple, and click OK.
The exact appearance of the Apple Color Picker varies between different system software
versions. 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 and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

•

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.

2 Choose Adobe from the Color Picker menu, and click OK.

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Using Channels and Masks
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 determines the number of color channels created. For
example, an RGB image has four default channels: one for each of the red, green, and
blue colors plus a composite channel used for editing the image.

•

You can create alpha channels to store selections as 8-bit grayscale images. You
use alpha channels to create and store masks, which let you manipulate, isolate,
and protect specific parts of an image. In addition to supporting alpha channels
from Photoshop, you can save, load, and delete selections as alpha channels in
ImageReady 7.0.

•

You can create spot color channels to specify additional plates for printing with spot
color inks.

An image can have up to 24 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 uncompressed size of a
file, including alpha channels and layers, appears as the rightmost value in the status bar
at the bottom of the window when Document Sizes is chosen 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 Adobe
Photoshop, PDF, PICT, Pixar, TIFF, or Raw formats. DCS 2.0 format only preserves spot
channels. Saving in other formats may cause channel information to be discarded.
(See “About file formats” on page 453.)

Using the Channels palette (Photoshop)
The Channels palette lets you create and manage channels and monitor the effects of
editing. The palette lists all channels in the image—composite channel first (for RGB,
CMYK, and Lab images), then individual color channels, spot color channels, and finally
alpha channels. A thumbnail of the channel’s contents appears to the left of the channel
name; the thumbnail automatically updates as you edit the channel.

Viewing channels
You can use the palette to view any combination of individual channels. 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. By default, individual channels are
displayed in grayscale.

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To display the Channels palette:
1 Choose Windows > Channels, or click the Channels palette tab.
2 Use the scroll bars or resize the palette to see additional channels.
When a channel is visible in the image, an eye icon

appears to its left in the palette.

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.
These guidelines apply to channels you display:
•

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.

•

In alpha channels, selected pixels appear as white; unselected pixels appear as black
(partially transparent or 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,
see “Creating alpha channels (Photoshop)” on page 280.

Changing the display of the palette
You can show the individual color channels in color (rather than grayscale) in the Channels
palette and specify the size of the thumbnails. Using thumbnails is the most convenient
way of tracking channel contents; however, turning off the display of thumbnails can
improve performance.
To show color channels in color:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Display & Cursors.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Display & Cursors.

2 Select Color Channels in Color, and click OK.
To resize or hide channel thumbnails:
1 Choose Palette Options from the Channels palette menu.
2 Select a display option:
•

Click a thumbnail size. Smaller thumbnails reduce the space required by the palette—
helpful when you’re working on smaller monitors.

•

Click None to turn off the display of thumbnails.

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Selecting and editing 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.
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.

Managing channels (Photoshop)
You can rearrange channels, duplicate a channel within or between images, split a channel
into separate images, merge channels from separate images into one new image, and
delete alpha and spot channels when you’re finished with them.

Rearranging and renaming channels
The default color channels normally appear at the top of the Channels palette, followed by
the spot color channels, and then the alpha channels. You cannot move or rename the
default channels, but you can rearrange and rename spot and alpha channels to suit the
way you work.
Spot colors are overprinted in the order they appear in the Channels palette.
To change the order of alpha or spot channels:
Drag the channel up or down. When a line appears in the position you want, release the
mouse button.
Note: You can move alpha or spot channels above the default color channels only if the
image is in Multichannel mode.
To rename an alpha or spot channel:
Double-click the channel’s name in the Channels palette, and enter a new name.

Duplicating channels
You might duplicate an image’s channel to make a backup before editing the channel.
Or you might duplicate alpha channels to a new image to create a library of selections to
load into the current image one by one—thus keeping the file smaller.
If you are duplicating alpha channels between images, the channels must have identical
pixel dimensions. (See “Creating new images” on page 73.)
Note: You cannot duplicate a channel to a Bitmap-mode image.
To duplicate a channel using the Duplicate command:
1 In the Channels palette, select the channel to duplicate.
2 Choose Duplicate Channel from the Channels palette menu.
3 Type a name for the duplicate channel.

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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 within an image by dragging:
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 to another image by dragging or pasting:
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 be 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, then choose Edit > Copy. Select the channel in the destination
image and choose Edit > Paste. The pasted channel overwrites the existing channel.

Splitting channels into separate images
You can split the channels of a flattened image into separate images. 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 filename plus the channel abbreviation
(Windows) or full name (Mac OS). Any changes since the last save are retained in the new
images and lost in the original.
Splitting channels is useful when you want to retain individual channel information in
a file format that doesn’t preserve channels.
Note: Only flattened images can be split. (See “Flattening all layers” on page 295.)
To split channels into separate images:
Choose Split Channels from the Channels palette menu.

Merging channels
Multiple grayscale images can be combined into a single image. Some grayscale scanners
let you scan a color image through a red filter, a green filter, and a blue filter to generate
red, green, and blue images. Merging lets you combine the separate scans into a single,
color image.
Note: You can also blend the data in one or more channels into an existing or new
channel. (See “Mixing color channels (Photoshop)” on page 271.)

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The images you want to merge must be in Grayscale mode, have the same pixel dimensions, and be open. (See “Changing the pixel dimensions of an image” on page 67.) The
number of grayscale images you have open determines the color modes available when
merging channels. For example, you can’t merge the split channels from an RGB image
into a CMYK image, because CMYK requires four channels and RGB requires only three.
Note: 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.
To merge channels:
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 opened for the Merge Channels option to be
available.
2 Choose Merge Channels from the Channels palette menu.
3 For Mode, choose the color mode you want to create. If an image mode is unavailable,
it is dimmed. 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 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 image type, click Mode to return to the Merge Channels dialog box.
7 If merging into a multichannel image, click Next, and repeat step 6 to select the
remaining channels.
Note: All channels of a multichannel image are alpha 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.

Deleting channels
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.
To delete a channel (Photoshop):
1 Select the channel in the Channels palette.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Trash button

•

Drag the channel name in the palette to the Trash button.

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•

Choose Delete Channel from the Channels palette menu.

•

Click the Trash button at the bottom of the palette. Then click Yes.

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To delete a channel (ImageReady):
Choose Select > Delete Channel, and choose the channel from the submenu.
Note: When deleting a 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.

Mixing color channels (Photoshop)
The Channel Mixer command lets you modify a color channel using a mix of the current
color channels. With this command, you can do the following:
•

Make creative color adjustments not easily done with the other color adjustment tools.

•

Create high-quality grayscale images by choosing the percentage contribution from
each color channel.

•

Create high-quality sepia-tone or other tinted images.

•

Convert images to and from alternative color spaces, such as YCbCr, which is used in
digital video.

•

Swap or duplicate channels.

To mix color channels:
1 In the Channels palette, select the composite color channel.
2 Choose Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer.
3 For Output Channel, choose the channel in which to blend one or more existing
(or source) channels. (See “Restricting blending to channels (Photoshop)” on page 298.)
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 adds a black or
white channel of varying opacity—negative values act as a black channel, positive values
act as a white channel.
6 Select Monochrome to apply the same settings to all the output channels, creating a
color image that contains only gray values.
Use the Channel Mixer with the Monochrome option applied to control the amount of
detail and contrast in the images you plan to convert to grayscale.
If you select and then deselect the Monochrome option, you can modify the blend of each
channel separately, creating a handtinted appearance.

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Adding spot colors (Photoshop)
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.) For information on printing
spot color plates, see “Printing color separations” on page 483.
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. (See
“Saving files in Photoshop EPS format (Photoshop)” on page 448.)
Note: ImageReady supports Photoshop spot color channels as alpha channels.

About spot colors
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. (See “Printing color separations” on page 483.)

•

The names of the spot colors print on the separations.

•

Spot colors are overprinted on top of the fully composited image. Each spot color is
overprinted in the order it appears in the Channels palette.

•

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.

Creating spot channels
You can create a new spot channel or convert an existing alpha channel to a spot channel.
To create a new 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
Channels palette.

•

Choose New Spot Channel from the Channels palette menu.

in the

If you made a selection, that area is filled with the currently specified spot color.
4 Click the color box, and choose a color. (See “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on
page 261.)

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If you select a custom color, your print service provider can more easily provide the proper
ink to reproduce the image. For more information, see “Choosing custom colors
(Photoshop)” on page 263.
5 For Solidity, enter a value between 0% and 100%.
This option lets you simulate on-screen the solidity 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.
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.
6 To enter a name for the spot channel, choose a custom color in step 4, and 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.
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 If needed, rename the channel.
3 Select Spot Color.
4 Click the color box, choose a color in the Color Picker dialog box, and click OK.
(See “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on page 261.)
5 Click OK. The areas of the channel containing grayscale values are converted to spot
color.
6 Choose Image > Adjustments > Invert to apply the color to the selected area of the
channel.

Modifying spot channels
You can edit a spot channel to add or remove color in it, change a spot channel’s color or
on-screen color solidity, and merge a spot channel with the image’s color channels.
For information on rearranging, duplicating, or deleting spot channels, see “Managing
channels (Photoshop)” on page 268.
To edit a spot channel:
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 options:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Double-click the spot channel thumbnail in the Channels palette.

•

Select the spot channel in the Channels palette, and choose Channel Options from the
palette menu.

2 Click the color box, and choose a color. (See “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on
page 261.)
By selecting a custom color, your print service can more easily provide the proper ink to
reproduce the image. For more information, see “Choosing custom colors (Photoshop)” on
page 263.
3 For Solidity, enter a value between 0% and 100%.
This option lets you simulate on-screen the solidity 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.
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.
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.

Adjusting 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 varnish and bump plates, you may want colors to overprint.
To adjust overlapping spot colors:
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.
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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. For more information on trapping, see “Creating color
traps” on page 479.
5 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.
6 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.

Using channel calculations to blend layers and channels
(Photoshop)
You can use the blending effects associated with layers to combine channels within and
between images into new images using the Apply Image command (on single and
composite channels) and 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 from 0 (off or black) to 255 (on or white).
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. (See “Changing image size and
resolution” on page 65 for information on adjusting an image’s pixel dimensions.)

Using 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).
To use the Apply Image command:
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.

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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 Select Preview to preview the results in the image window.
5 Select Invert to use the negative of the channel contents in the calculation.
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 277. For information on other blending options, see “Selecting
a blending mode” on page 241.
7 Enter an opacity to specify the effect’s strength.
8 Select Preserve Transparency to apply the results only to opaque areas in the result
layer.
9 Select Mask if you want to apply the blending through a 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. (See “Using channel calculations to blend layers and channels
(Photoshop)” on page 275.)

Using 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 Calculations command to composite
channels.
To use the Calculations command:
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 Select Preview to preview the results in the image window.
4 Choose the first source image, layer, and channel. To use all the layers in the source
image, choose Merged for Layer.
5 Select Invert to use the negative of the channel contents in the calculation. For
Channel, choose Gray to get the same effect as would be obtained by converting the
image to a grayscale image.
6 Choose the second source image, layer, and channel, specifying further options as
described in step 5.
7 For Blending, choose a blending mode.
For information on the Add and Subtract modes, see “About the Add and Subtract
blending modes” on page 277. For information on other blending modes, see “Selecting a
blending mode” on page 241.
8 Enter an opacity to specify the effect’s strength.

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9 Select Mask if you want to apply the blending through a 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, if you wanted to find the average of the pixels in two
channels, you would 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.
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.

About masks (Photoshop)
Masks let you isolate and protect areas of an image as you apply color changes, filters,
or other effects to the rest of the image. When you select part of an image, the area that is
not selected is “masked” or protected from editing. You can also use masks for complex
image editing such as gradually applying color or filter effects to an image.
In addition, masks let you save and reuse time-consuming selections as alpha channels.
(Alpha channels can be converted to selections and then used for image editing.) Because
masks are stored as 8-bit grayscale channels, you can refine and edit them using the full
array of painting and editing tools.

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When a mask channel is selected in the Channels palette, foreground and background
colors appear as grayscale values. (See “Creating temporary masks in Quick Mask mode
(Photoshop)” on page 278.)

Examples of masks:
A. Opaque mask used to protect the background and color the shell B. Opaque mask used to
protect the shell and color the background C. Semitransparent mask used to color the background
and part of the shell

In Photoshop, you can create masks, all stored at least temporarily as grayscale channels,
in the following ways:
•

Quick Mask mode lets you create and view a temporary mask for an image. Temporary
masks are useful when you don’t want to save the mask for later use. (See “Creating
temporary masks in Quick Mask mode (Photoshop)” on page 278.)

•

Alpha channels let you save and load a selection to be used as a mask. (See “Storing
masks in alpha channels” on page 280.)

•

Layer masks and vector masks 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. (See “Masking layers” on page 314.)

Creating temporary masks in Quick Mask mode
(Photoshop)
Quick Mask mode lets you edit any selection as a mask without using the Channels palette
and while viewing your image. 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 to extend or contract 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.
Start with a selected area and use Quick Mask mode to add to or subtract from it to make
the mask. Alternatively, 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.
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.

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To create a temporary mask:
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.

Selected area, and Quick Mask mode applied

A color overlay (similar to a rubylith) covers and protects the area outside the selection.
The original selection is left unprotected by this mask. By default, Quick Mask mode colors
the protected area using a red, 50% opaque overlay.
3 To edit the mask, select a painting or editing tool from the toolbox, or select a filter or
adjustment command from the menu bar. By default, painting with black adds to the
mask, shrinking the selection. Painting with white removes areas from the mask,
expanding the selection. Painting with gray or another color creates a semitransparent
area, useful for feathering or anti-aliased effects.
4 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 pixels transition from being less than 50% selected to more than 50%
selected.
5 Apply the desired changes to the image. Changes affect only the selected area.
6 Choose Select > Deselect to deselect the selection, or save the 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 to have masked areas appear black (opaque) and to have selected areas
appear white (transparent). Painting with black increases the masked area; painting
with white increases the selected area.

With this option, the Quick Mask button in the toolbox appears as a white circle on a gray
background
.
•

Selected Areas to have masked areas appear white (transparent) and to have selected
areas appear black (opaque). Painting with white increases the masked area; painting
with black increases the selected area.

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With this option, the Quick Mask button in the toolbox appears as a gray circle on a white
background
.
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. (See “Using the
Adobe Color Picker” on page 261.)
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.
You can convert this temporary mask to a permanent alpha channel by switching to
standard mode and choosing Select > Save Selection.

Storing masks in alpha channels
In addition to the temporary masks of Quick Mask mode, you can create more permanent
masks by storing them in alpha channels. This allows you to use the masks again in the
same image or in a different image.
You can create an alpha channel in Photoshop and then add a mask to it. You can also save
an existing selection in a Photoshop or ImageReady image as an alpha channel that will
appear in the Channels palette in Photoshop.

About alpha channels (Photoshop)
An alpha channel has these properties:
•

Each image (except 16-bit images) can contain up to 24 channels, including all color
and alpha channels.

•

All channels are 8-bit grayscale images, capable of displaying 256 levels of gray.

•

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.

•

You can convert alpha channels to spot color channels.

Creating alpha channels (Photoshop)
You can create a new alpha channel and then use painting tools, editing tools, and filters
to add the mask to it.
To create an alpha channel using current options:
1 Click the New Channel button at the bottom of the Channels palette. The new
channel is named according to the sequence in which it was created.
2 Use a painting or editing tool to paint in the image. Paint with black to add to the
channel; paint with white to remove from the channel; paint with a lower opacity or a
color to add to the channel with lower opacities.

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To create an alpha channel and specify options:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the New Channel button
of the palette.

•

Choose New Channel from the Channels palette menu.

at the bottom

2 Type a name for the channel.
3 Select display options for the channel, as described in steps 2 through 4 of the
procedure for changing Quick Mask options in “Creating temporary masks in Quick Mask
mode (Photoshop)” on page 278. Alpha channel options are identical to Quick Mask
options.
4 Click OK. A new channel appears at the bottom of the Channels palette and is the only
channel visible in the image window.
5 Click the eye icon next to a color channel or the composite color channel to display
the image with a color overlay.
6 Use a painting or editing tool to paint in the image. Paint with black to add to the new
channel, paint with white to remove from the new channel, or paint with a lower opacity
or a color to add to the new channel with lower opacities.

Saving a mask selection
You can save any selection as a mask in a new or existing alpha channel.
To save a selection to a new channel with default options (Photoshop):
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.
To save a selection to a new or existing channel:
1 Select the area or areas of the image that you want to isolate.
2 Choose Select > Save Selection.
3 Do the following in the Save Selection dialog box, and click OK:
•

(Photoshop) Choose a destination image for the selection in the Document menu.
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.

•

Choose a destination channel for the selection from the Channel pop-up menu.
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.

•

If you’re saving the selection as a new channel, enter a name for the channel in the
Name text box. In ImageReady, you can change the default channel name if desired.

•

If you’re saving the selection to an existing channel, select how to combine the selections: Replace Channel to replace the current selection in the channel; Add to Channel
to add the selection to the current channel contents; Subtract from Channel to delete

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the selection from the channel contents; Intersect with Channel to keep 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.

Modifying alpha channels (Photoshop)
You can edit an alpha channel to add or remove color in it, and you can specify settings for
the masking colors and opacity.
See “Managing channels (Photoshop)” on page 268 for information on rearranging, duplicating, or deleting alpha channels.
To edit an alpha channel:
Use a painting or editing tool to paint in the image. Paint with black to add to the channel,
paint with white to remove from the channel, or paint with a lower opacity or a color to
add to the channel with lower opacities.
To change an alpha channel’s options:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Select the channel in the Channels palette, and choose Channel Options from the
palette menu.

•

Double-click the channel thumbnail in the Channels palette.

2 Enter a new name for the channel.
3 Choose display options, as described in steps 2 through 4 of the procedure on Quick
Mask options in “Creating temporary masks in Quick Mask mode (Photoshop)” on
page 278.
See “Modifying spot channels” on page 273 for information on changing Spot Color
channel options.
Note: You cannot modify options for the default color channels.

Loading a selection into an image
You can reuse a previously saved selection by loading it into an image. In Photoshop,
you can also load the selection into an image when you have finished modifying an alpha
channel.
To load a saved selection using shortcuts (Photoshop):
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.

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•

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.

To load a saved selection into an image (Photoshop):
1 Choose Select > Load Selection. For Document, the active filename is selected.
2 For Channel, choose the channel containing the selection you want to load.
3 Click Invert to make the nonselected areas selected and vice versa.
4 If the destination image already has a selection, indicate how to combine the selections. (For information on these options, see “Saving a mask selection” on page 281.)
To load a saved selection into an image (ImageReady):
Choose Select > Load Selection, then choose an option from the submenu.
To load a selection from another image (Photoshop):
1 Open the two images you want to use.
Note: The images must have identical pixel dimensions. (See “Changing the pixel dimensions of an image” on page 67.)
2 Make the destination image active, and choose Select > Load Selection.
3 For Document, choose the source image.
4 For Channel, choose the channel containing the selection you want to use as a mask.
5 Click Invert if you want to make the nonselected areas selected and vice versa.
6 If the destination image already has a selection, indicate how to combine the selections. (For information on these options, see “Saving a mask selection” on page 281.)

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Using Layers
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. Where there is no image on a
layer, you can see through 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.

Illustration of how transparent areas on a layer let you see through to the layers below

Using the Layers palette
The Layers palette lists all layers, layer sets, and layer effects in an image. You can accomplish many tasks—such as creating, hiding, displaying, copying, and deleting layers—
using the buttons in the Layers palette. You can access additional commands and options
in the Layers palette menu and the Layers menu.
A

B
C

Photoshop Layers palette:
A. Layers palette menu B. Layer set C. Layer D. Layer thumbnail E. Layer effect

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Displaying the Layers palette Choose Window > Layers.
Using the Layers palette menu Click the triangle
in the upper right corner of the
palette to access commands for working with layers.
Changing the size of layer thumbnails Choose Palette Options from the Layers palette
menu, and select a thumbnail size.
Turn off thumbnails to improve performance and save monitor space.
Expanding and collapsing layer sets Click the triangle to the left of a layer set folder.
In Photoshop, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) when clicking the triangle to
expand or collapse all effects applied to layers contained within the set. In ImageReady,
press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) when clicking the triangle to expand or collapse
all sets.

Creating layers and layer sets
A new image in Photoshop or ImageReady has a single layer. The number of additional
layers, layer sets, and layer effects you can add to an image is limited only by your
computer’s memory.

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 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 as desired. (See “Adding layers and layer sets” on page 286.)
3 Click OK.
To convert a layer into a background:
1 Select a layer in the Layers palette.
2 Choose Layer > New > Background from Layer.
Note: You cannot create a background by renaming a regular layer Background—
you must use the Background from Layer command.

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Adding layers and layer sets
You can create empty layers and add content to them, or you can create new layers from
existing content. When you create a new layer, it appears either above the selected layer or
within the selected layer set in the Layers palette.
Layer sets help you organize and manage layers. You can use layer sets to easily move
layers as a group, to apply attributes and masks to groups of layers, and to reduce clutter
in the Layers palette. You cannot create a new layer set within an existing layer set.
To add a new layer or layer set using default options:
Click the New Layer button

or New Layer Set button

in the Layers palette.

To add a new layer or layer set and specify options:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Choose Layer > New > Layer or Layer > New > Layer Set.

•

Choose New Layer or New Layer Set from the Layers palette menu.

•

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the New Layer button or New Layer Set
button in the Layers palette.

•

Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the New Layer button or New Layer
Set button in the Layers palette to add a layer below the currently selected layer.

2 Set layer options, click OK:
•

Name to specify a name for the layer or layer set. (See “Renaming layers” on page 292.)

•

Group with Previous Layer to create a clipping group. This option is not available for
layer sets. (See “Creating clipping groups” on page 319.)

•

Color to assign a color to the layer or layer set. (See “Color coding layers” on page 292.)

•

Mode to specify a blending mode for the layer or layer set. (See “Choosing a blending
mode” on page 296.)

•

Opacity to specify an opacity for the layer or layer set. (See “Setting layer opacity” on
page 295.)

•

(Photoshop) Fill with Mode-neutral color to fill the layer with a preset, neutral color.
(See “Filling new layers with a neutral color” on page 296.)

To convert a selection into a new layer:
1 Make a selection. (See “Making pixel selections” on page 157.)
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.

To create a new layer set from linked layers:
Choose Layer > New > Layer Set from Linked. (See “Linking layers” on page 289.)

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Working with layered images
There are many advantages to working with layered images. You can quickly select, hide,
duplicate, lock, and change the appearance of images using layers.

Selecting layers
If an image has multiple layers, you must choose which layer you want to work on. Any
changes you make to the image affect only the active layer. You select a layer to make it
active, and only one layer can be active at a time. The name of the active layer appears in
the title bar of the document window, and a paintbrush icon appears next to the layer
in the Layers palette.
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 desired layer.
To select a layer:
Do one of the following:
•

Click a layer in the Layers palette.

•

Select the move tool, 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.

You can also select layers interactively as you use the move tool. If Auto Select Layer is
selected in the Move tool options, the topmost layer containing pixels under the cursor
will be selected. (See “Moving selections and layers within an image” on page 167.)

Displaying the contents of layers
You can use the Layers palette to selectively hide and display the contents of layers, layer
sets, and layer effects. You can also specify how transparent areas are displayed in the
image.
To change the visibility of a layer, layer set, or layer effect:
Do one of the following:
•

In the Layers palette, click the eye icon next to a layer, layer set, 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 layer set. Alt/Option-click in the eye column again to redisplay all content.

•

Drag through the eye column to change the visibility of multiple items in the Layers
palette.

Note: Only visible layers are printed.
To change the display of transparency:
1 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Transparency &
Gamut; in Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Transparency & Gamut.

•

(ImageReady) In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preference > Transparency;
in Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Transparency.

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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.

Duplicating layers
Duplicating layers is an easy way to copy content within an image or between images.
When duplicating layers between images, keep in mind that the layer’s content will
appear smaller or larger if it is copied to a file with different resolution. (See “About image
size and resolution” on page 62.)
To duplicate a layer or layer set within an image:
1 Select a layer or layer set in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Drag the layer to the New Layer button
button .

, or drag the layer set to the New Layer Set

•

Choose Duplicate Layer or Duplicate Layer Set from the Layers menu or the Layers
palette menu. In Photoshop, enter a name for the layer or layer set, and click OK.

•

(Photoshop) Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag the layer or layer set to
the New Layer button or the New Layer Set button. Enter a name for the layer or layer
set, and click OK.

To duplicate a layer or layer set between images:
1 Open the source and destination images.
2 In the Layers palette of the source image, select a layer or layer set.
3 Do one of the following:
•

Drag the layer or layer set 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 layer set appears above the active layer in the Layers palette of
the destination image. Shift-drag to position the image content in the same location it
occupied in the source image (if the source and destination images have the same pixel
dimensions) or at the center of the document window (if the source and destination
images have different pixel dimensions).

•

(Photoshop) Choose Duplicate Layer or Duplicate Layer Set 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 of the pixels on the layer, and choose Edit > Copy.
Then choose Edit > Paste in the destination image.

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To create a new document from a layer or layer set (Photoshop):
1 Select a layer or layer set in the Layers palette.
2 Choose Duplicate Layer or Duplicate Layer Set from the Layers menu or the Layers
palette menu.
3 Choose New from the document pop-up menu, and click OK.

Changing the stacking order of layers
The stacking order in the Layers palette determines whether the content of a layer or layer
set appears in front of or behind other elements in the image.
To change the order of layers and layer sets:
Do one of the following:
•

Drag the layer or layer set up or down in the Layers palette. Release the mouse button
when the highlighted line appears where you want to place the layer or layer set.

•

To move a layer into a layer set, drag a layer to the layer set folder
at the bottom of the layer set.

•

Select a layer or layer set, choose Layer > Arrange, and choose a command from the
submenu. If the selected item is in a layer set, the command applies to the stacking
order within the layer set. If the selected item is not in a layer set, the command applies
to the stacking order within the Layers palette.

. The layer is placed

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. (See “About the background layer” on page 285.)

Linking layers
By linking two or more layers or layer sets, you can move their contents together. You can
also copy, paste, align, merge, apply transformations to, and create clipping groups from
linked layers.
To link layers:
1 Select a layer or layer set in the Layers palette.
2 Click in the column immediately to the left of any layers you want to link to the selected
layer. A link icon appears in the column.
To unlink layers:
In the Layers palette, click the link icons to remove them.

Repositioning the contents of layers
You can reposition the contents of layers and layer sets using the move tool. (See “Moving
selections and layers within an image” on page 167.) You can also align and distribute the
contents of layers using commands in the Layers menu.
Note: The align and distribute commands affect only those layers that contain pixels of
greater than 50% opacity.

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To align the contents of layers:
1 Do one of the following:
•

To align the content of a layer to a selection border, 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. Then link together the layers you want to align in the Layers palette.
(See “Linking layers” on page 289.)

•

To align the contents of layers to the content of the active layer, link the layers you want
to align to the active layer. (See “Linking layers” on page 289.)

2 Choose Layer > Align Linked or Layer > Align To Selection, and choose a command from
the submenu:
•

Top Edges to align the top pixel on the linked layers to the top pixel on the active layer
or the top edge of the selection border.

•

Vertical Centers to align the vertical center pixel on the linked layers to the vertical
center pixel on the active layer or the vertical center of the selection border.

•

Bottom Edges to align the bottom pixel on the linked layers to the bottom pixel on the
active layer or the bottom edge of the selection border.

•

Left Edges to align the left pixel on the linked layers to the left pixel on the active layer
or the left edge of the selection border.

•

Horizontal Centers to align the horizontal center pixel on the linked layers to the
horizontal center pixel on the active layer or the horizontal center of the selection
border.

•

Right Edges to align the right pixel on the linked layers to the right pixel on the active
layer or the right edge of the selection border.

To distribute layers:
1 In the Layers palette, link three or more layers. (See “Linking layers” on page 289.)
2 Choose Layer > Distribute Linked, and choose an option from the submenu:
•

Top Edges to space the linked layers evenly starting from the top pixel on each layer.

•

Vertical Centers to space the linked layers evenly starting from the vertical center pixel
on each layer.

•

Bottom Edges to space the linked layers evenly starting from the bottom pixel on each
layer.

•

Left Edges to space the linked layers evenly starting from the left pixel on each layer.

•

Horizontal Centers to space the linked layers evenly starting from the horizontal center
pixel on each layer.

•

Right Edges to space the linked layers evenly starting from the right pixel on each layer.

Locking layers
You can fully or partially lock layers to protect their contents. When a layer is locked, a lock
icon displays to the right of the layer name. The lock icon is solid when the layer is fully
locked; it is hollow when the layer is partially locked.

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To lock all properties of a layer or layer set:
1 Select a layer or layer set.
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 layer set has individual lock options applied to it, the lock
icon is dimmed .
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, and select one or more lock options:
•

Lock Transparency to confine editing to the opaque portions of the layer. This option
is equivalent to the Preserve Transparency option in earlier versions of Photoshop.

•

Lock Image

•

Lock Position

to prevent modification of the layer’s pixels using the painting tools.
to prevent 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 all linked layers or all layers in a layer set:
1 Select a linked layer or a layer set.
2 Choose Lock All Linked Layers or Lock All Layers in Set from the Layers menu or the
Layers palette menu.
3 Select lock options, and click OK.

Unifying layers (ImageReady)
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.
(See “Unifying and matching layers rollovers and animations” on page 397.)

Sampling from layers
The default behavior of the magic wand, smudge, blur, sharpen, paint bucket, clone stamp
tool, and healing brush tool is to sample color only from pixels on the active layer. This
means you can smudge or sample in a single layer even when other layers are visible, and
you can sample from one layer and paint in another one.
Alternatively, you can choose to paint using sampled data from all visible layers. For
example, you can use the clone stamp tool to clone an area containing pixels from all the
visible layers.
To sample from all visible layers:
1 Select the magic wand tool
, smudge tool , blur tool , sharpen tool , paint
bucket tool , clone stamp tool , or healing brush tool .

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2 In the options bar, select Use All Layers.
Note: When you are using tools that sample image data, painting or editing in a new layer
where there are no pixels produces the best results when Use All Layers is selected.

Managing layers
After you add layers to an image, you can use the Layers palette to manage them.

Renaming layers
As you add layers to an image, it’s helpful to rename layers based on their content. Using
descriptive layer names allows you to easily identify layers in the Layers palette.
To rename a layer or layer set:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Double-click the layer or layer set’s name in the Layers palette, and enter a new name.

•

Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and double-click the layer or layer set’s name in
the Layers palette. Enter a new name in the Name text box, and click OK.

•

(Photoshop) Select a layer or layer set, and choose Layer Properties or Layer Set
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 layer 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.

•

(ImageReady) Select a layer or layer set, and choose Window > Layer Options/Style.
Enter a new name in the Name text box.

Color coding layers
Color coding layers and layer sets makes it easier to locate related layers in the Layers
palette.
To assign a color to a layer or layer set:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and double-click the layer or layer set’s name in
the Layers palette.

•

(Photoshop) Select a layer or layer set, and choose Layer Properties or Layer Set
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.

2 Choose a color from the Color pop-up menu, and click OK.

Rasterizing layers
You cannot use the painting tools or filters on layers that contain vector data (such as type
layers, shape layers, and vector masks) and generated data (such as fill layers). However,
you can rasterize these layers to convert their contents into a flat, raster image.

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To rasterize a single layer:
1 Select the layer you want to rasterize.
2 Choose Layer > Rasterize, and choose an option from the submenu.
To rasterize multiple layers:
Do one of the following:
•

Link the layers you want to rasterize, and choose Layer > Rasterize > Linked Layers.
(See “Linking layers” on page 289.)

•

To rasterize all layers that contain vector and generated data, choose Layer > Rasterize >
All Layers.

Deleting layers
Deleting layers that you no longer need reduces the size of your image file.
To delete a layer or layer set:
1 Select a layer or layer set in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:
•

To delete the layer or layer set without confirmation, drag it to the Trash button or
Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Trash button.

•

To delete the layer or layer set with confirmation, click the Trash button. Alternately,
choose Delete Layer or Delete Layer Set from the Layers menu or the Layers palette
menu.

To delete linked layers (Photoshop):
Do one of the following:
•

To delete the linked layers with confirmation, choose Delete Linked Layers from the
Layers menu or the Layers palette menu. Alternately, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Commandclick (Mac OS) the Trash button.

•

To delete the linked layers without confirmation, Ctrl-Alt-click (Windows) or CommandOption-click (Mac OS) the Trash button.

To delete hidden layers (Photoshop):
Choose Delete Hidden Layers from the Layers menu or the Layers palette menu.

Merging layers
When you have finalized the content of layers, you can merge them to create partial
versions of your composite image. The intersection of all transparent areas in the merged
layers remains transparent. Merging layers helps manage the size of image files.
Note: You cannot use an adjustment layer or fill layer as the target layer for a merge.
(See “Merging adjustment layers or fill layers” on page 314.)
In addition to merging layers, you can stamp layers. 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 will stamp down to the layer below it.

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To merge two layers or layer sets:
1 Position the layers or layer sets you want to merge next to each other in the Layers
palette, and make sure that the visibility for both items is enabled.
2 Select the top item in the pair.
3 Do one of the following:
•

If the top item is a layer, choose Merge Down from the Layers menu or the Layers
palette menu.

•

If the top item is a layer set, choose Merge Layer Set from the Layers menu or the Layers
palette menu.

To merge a clipping group:
1 Hide any layers you do not want to merge.
2 Select the base layer in the group.
3 Choose Merge Group from the Layers menu or the Layers palette menu.
To merge all visible linked layers:
Choose Merge Linked from the Layers palette or the Layers palette menu.
To merge all the visible layers and layer sets in an image:
Choose Merge Visible from the Layers palette or the Layers palette menu.
To create a new layer from all visible layers, while keeping the original layers intact:
Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and choose Layer > Merge Visible.
To stamp layers:
1 Position the layer you want to stamp to above the layer you want to stamp from, and
make sure that the visibility for both items is enabled.
2 Select the top item in the pair.
3 Press Ctrl+Alt+E (Windows) or Command+Option+E (Mac OS).
The selected layer is stamped with the contents of the other layer.
To stamp linked layers:
Select one of the linked layers, and press Ctrl+Alt+E (Windows) or Command+Option+E
(Mac OS). The selected layer is stamped with the contents from the other linked layers.
To stamp all visible layers:
Select the layer or layer set that you want to contain the new contents, and press
Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (Windows) or Shift+Command+Option+E (Mac OS).

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Flattening all layers
In a flattened image, all visible layers are merged into the background, which greatly
reduces the file size. Flattening an image discards all hidden layers and fills the remaining
transparent areas with white. In most cases, you won’t want to flatten a file until you have
finished editing the individual layers.
Note: Converting an image between some color modes flattens the file. Be sure to save a
copy of your file that includes all layers if you want to edit the original image after the
conversion.
To flatten an image:
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.

Tracking file size
File size depends on the pixel dimensions of an image and the number of layers contained
in the image. 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
(Windows) or document window (Mac OS). For more information, see “Displaying file and
image information” on page 48.

Setting opacity and blending options
A layer’s opacity and blending options determine how its pixels interact with pixels on
other layers.

Setting layer opacity
A layer’s opacity determines to what degree it obscures or reveals the layer beneath it.
A layer with 1% opacity appears nearly transparent, while one with 100% opacity appears
completely opaque.
To specify opacity for a layer or layer set:
1 Select a layer or layer set in the Layers palette.
Note: You cannot change the opacity of a background layer or a locked layer.
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.

•

(Photoshop) Double-click a layer thumbnail, choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending
Options, or choose Blending Options from the Layers palette menu. Enter a value in the
Opacity text box or drag the Opacity pop-up slider.

Note: To view blending options for a text layer in Photoshop, choose Layer > Layer Style >
Blending Options, or choose Blending Options from the Layers palette menu.

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(ImageReady) Double-click a layer thumbnail, and enter a value in the Opacity text box
or drag the Opacity pop-up slider.

Choosing a blending mode
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 layer set is Pass Through, which means that the layer
set has no blending properties of its own. When you choose a different blending mode for
a layer set, you effectively change the order in which the entire image is composited. All of
the layers in the layer set are composited first. The composited layer set 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 layer set, none of the
adjustment layers or layer blending modes inside the layer set will apply to layers outside
the set.
For a description of each blending mode, see “Selecting a blending mode” on page 241.
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.
To specify a blending mode for a layer or layer set:
1 Select a layer or layer set in the Layers palette.
2 Choose a blending mode:
•

In the Layers palette, choose an option from the Blend Mode pop-up menu.

•

(Photoshop) Double-click a layer thumbnail, choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending
Options, or choose Blending Options from the Layers palette menu. Choose an option
from the Blend Mode pop-up menu.

Note: To view blending options for a text layer in Photoshop, choose Layer > Layer Style >
Blending Options, or choose Blending Options from the Layers palette menu.
•

(ImageReady) Double-click a layer thumbnail, and choose an option from the Blend
Mode pop-up menu.

Filling new layers with a neutral color
Some filters (such as the Lighting Effects filter) cannot be applied 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. The neutral color is assigned based on the
layer’s blending mode and is invisible. 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 fill opacity
In addition to setting opacity for a layer, 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.

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To specify fill opacity for a 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.

•

(Photoshop) Double-click a layer thumbnail, choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending
Options, or choose Blending Options from the Layers palette menu. Enter a value in the
Fill Opacity text box.

Note: To view blending options for a text layer in Photoshop, choose Layer > Layer Style >
Blending Options, or choose Blending Options from the Layers palette menu.
•

(ImageReady) Choose Window > Layer Options/Style, and enter a value in the Fill
Opacity text box. If the Fill Opacity text box is not showing, choose Show Options
from the Layer Options palette menu or click the Show Options button on the
palette’s tab.

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.
To create a 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 layer set or clipping group.

Africa text with shallow knockout to lion layer

To create a knockout:
1 Do one of the following in the Layers palette:
•

Place 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 layer set. The top layer in the set will punch
through to the bottom layer in the set or the Background. If you want to reveal the
Background, make sure the blending mode of the layer set is set to Pass Through
(the default).

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Place the layers you want to use in a clipping group. The top layer in the group will
punch through to the bottom layer in the group or the Background. (See “Creating
clipping groups” on page 319.) If you want to reveal the bottom layer in the group,
make sure the Blend Clipped Layers as Group option for the bottom layer is selected.
(See “Grouping blend effects” on page 299.)

2 Select the top layer (the layer that will create the the knockout).
3 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Double-click a layer thumbnail, 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 Layers palette menu.
•

(ImageReady) Choose Window > Layer Options/Style. In the Layer Options palette, if the
advanced options are not showing, choose Show Options from the palette menu or
click the Show Options button to view all of the options.

4 Choose an option from the Knockout pop-up menu:
•

Shallow to knock out to the first possible stopping point such as the bottom of the layer
set or clipping group containing the knockout option.

•

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.
(See “Specifying fill opacity” on page 296 and “Choosing a blending mode” on page 296.)
6 Click OK.

Restricting blending to channels (Photoshop)
You can restrict blending effects to a specified channel when blending a layer or layer set.
By default, all channels are included when blending a layer or layer set. The channel selections vary based on the type of image you are editing. For example, if you are editing a
RGB image, the channel choices are R, G, and B. If you are editing a CMYK image, the
channel choices are C, M, Y, and K. (See “About color channels” on page 93.) When using an
RGB image, for example, you can choose to exclude the Red channel from blending; in the
composite image, only information contained in the Green and Blue channels are affected.
To exclude channels from blending:
1 Double-click a layer thumbnail, 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 Layers palette menu.
2 In the Advanced Blending section of the Layer Style dialog box, deselect any channels
you do not want to include when the layer is blended.

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Grouping blend effects
By default, layers in a clipping group 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
maintain the original blending appearance of the clipped layers. (See “Creating clipping
groups” on page 319.)
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:
•

(Photoshop) Double-click a layer thumbnail, 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 Layers palette menu.
•

(ImageReady) Choose Window > Layer Options/Style to display the Layer Options
palette. If advanced options are not showing in the Layer Options palette, choose Show
Options from the palette menu, or click the Show Options button .

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.

Blend Interior Effects as Group option deselected, and selected
•

Select Blend Clipped Layers as Group to apply the blending mode of the base layer to
all layers in the clipping group. Deselecting this option, which is always selected by
default, maintains the original blending mode and appearance of each layer in the
group.

Blend Clipped Layers as Group option deselected, and selected

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•

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 (Photoshop) Click OK.

Specifying a range for blending layers (Photoshop)
The sliders in the Blending Options dialog box let you control which pixels from the active
layer and which pixels 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.
To define a range for the blending operation:
1 Double-click a layer thumbnail, 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 Layers palette menu.
2 In the Advanced Blending section of the Layer Style dialog box, choose an option from
the Blend If pop-up menu.
•

Gray to specify a blending range for all channels.

•

An individual color channel (for example, red, green, or blue in an RGB image) to specify
blending in that channel. (See “About color channels” on page 93.)

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, while 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.

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Using layer effects and styles
Layer styles let you quickly apply effects to a layer’s content. You can scan through a
variety of predefined layer styles and apply a style with just a click of the mouse, or you
can create a custom style by applying multiple effects to a layer.

About 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 will change automatically when 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 comprise 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 just a click of the mouse. Photoshop and ImageReady
provide a variety of preset styles to fill a wide range of uses.

Illustration of a layer without a style

Illustration of a layer with a style

Note: You cannot apply layer effects and styles to a background, a locked layer, or to a
layer set.

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Applying preset styles
The Styles palette, Layer Styles dialog box (Photoshop), and Layer Styles pop-up palette
in the options bar for the pen and shape tool let you view and select preset layer styles.
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 layer.

•

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 while clicking or dragging to add the style to (instead of replace)
any existing effects on the destination layer.
•

(Photoshop) Double-click a layer thumbnail in the Layers palette, and click on 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 or pen tool, select a style from the pop-up palette in the options
bar before drawing the shape.

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 (Photoshop).
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.

Note: You can also use the Preset Manager to load and reset style libraries. For more information, see “Managing libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)” on page 54.
To return to the default library of preset styles:
1 Click the triangle
in the Styles palette, Layer Styles dialog box (Photoshop), or Layer
Styles pop-up palette in the options bar (Photoshop).
2 Choose Reset Styles. You can either replace the current list or append the default library
to the current list.

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To change how preset styles are displayed:
1 Click the triangle
in the Styles palette, Layer Styles dialog box (Photoshop), or Layer
Styles pop-up palette in the options bar (Photoshop).
2 Choose a display option from the palette menu:
•

(Photoshop) Select Text Only to view the layer styles as a list.

•

Select Small or Large Thumbnail to view the layer styles as thumbnails.

•

Select Small or (Photoshop) Large List to view the layer styles as a list, with a thumbnail
of the selected layer style displayed.

Creating custom styles
You can create custom style 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 Adds various combinations of highlights and shadows to a layer.
Satin Applies shading to the interior of a layer that reacts to the shape of the layer,
typically creating a satiny finish.
Color, Gradient, and Pattern Overlay Fills 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 Do one of the following:
•

Click the Layer Styles button

in the Layers palette and choose an effect from the list.

•

Choose an effect from the Layer > Layer Style submenu.

•

(Photoshop) Double-click a layer thumbnail in the Layers palette, and select an effect
on the left side of the dialog box.

2 Set effect options in the Layer Style dialog box (Photoshop) or the context-sensitive
Layer Options/Style palette (ImageReady). (See “Editing styles” on page 304.)
3 To add additional effects to the style, do one of the following:
•

Repeat steps 1 and 2.

•

(Photoshop) Select additional effects in the Layer Style dialog box. Click the check box
to the left of the effect name to add the effect without selecting it.

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Displaying layer styles
When a layer has a style, an “f” icon appears to the right of the layer’s name in the Layers
palette. You can show or hide the style’s effects in the image and in the Layers palette.
To hide or show all layer styles in an image:
Choose Layer > Layer Style > Hide All Layer Effects or Show All Layer Effects.
To expand or collapse layer styles in the Layers palette:
Do one of the following:
•

Click the triangle next to the layer styles icon
applied to that layer.

to expand the list of layer effects

•

Click the inverted triangle

•

To expand or collapse all of the layer styles applied within a layer set, hold Alt
(Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click the triangle or inverted triangle for the set. The
layer styles applied to all layers within the layer set expand or collapse correspondingly.

to collapse the layer effects.

Editing styles
You edit a layer’s style by adjusting its effect settings. In Photoshop, effect settings appear
in the Layer Style dialog box. In ImageReady, effect settings appear in the contextsensitive Layer Options/Style palette—the name of the palette changes depending on
the effect you select.
Note: ImageReady provides a subset of the effect settings provided by Photoshop.

Photoshop 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.

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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
inverted triangle next to the “f” icon to display the effects contained in the style.)

•

(Photoshop) Double-click a layer thumbnail, and select the effect you want to edit
on the left side of the dialog box.

2 Set one or more of the following options in the Layer Style dialog box (Photoshop) or
the context-sensitive Layer Options/Style palette (ImageReady). The available options
depend on the selected effect:
In Photoshop, 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.
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. 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 “Choosing a blending mode” on page 296.)
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. (See “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on page 261.)
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. With bevel and emboss, contour allows you to sculpt the
ridges, valleys, and bumps that are shaded in the embossing process. With shadows,
allows you to specify the fade. For more information, see “Modifying layer effects with
contours (Photoshop)” on page 307.
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 and is a ratio of size. 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 with the Global Angle option selected, giving the appearance of a
consistent light source shining on the image. (See “Applying global lighting” on page 308.)
Deselect Global Angle to assign a local angle to Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, and Bevel
effects.
Gloss Contour Creates a glossy, metal-like appearance and is applied after shading a
bevel or emboss.

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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. (See “Creating smooth gradient fills” on page 245.) 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 do 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. Scale scales the
application of the gradient. You can also use the mouse to 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 amount of random elements in the opacity of a glow or shadow as
you enter a value or drag the slider.
Opacity Sets the opacity of the layer effect as you 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 button to create a new
preset pattern based on the current settings. Click Snap to Origin to position the origin of
the pattern with that of the document if Link With Layer is selected, or to position the
origin with the top left corner of the layer if it is deselected. Select Link With Layer to
specify that the pattern moves with the layer as it is relocated, and drag the Scale slider or
enter a value to specify the size of the pattern. You can drag a pattern in the layer to
position it while in this panel. The position can be reset with the Snap to Origin button.
There must be at least one pattern loaded for the pattern option to be available. You can
also load patterns using the Preset Manager.
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 before compositing to reduce unwanted artifacts.
Source Specifies the glow 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 to create a bevel on the inside edges of the
layer contents, Outer Bevel to create a bevel on the outside edges of the layer contents,
Emboss to create the effect of embossing the layer contents against the underlying layers,
Pillow Emboss to create the effect of stamping the edges of the layer contents into the
underlying layers, or Stroke Emboss to confine the emboss to the boundaries of a stroke
effect applied to the layer. (Note that the Stroke Emboss effect will not be visible if no
stroke is applied to the layer.)
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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, while not as accurate as Chisel Hard, it 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, it 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 Allows you to specify a pattern used to texture the bevel effect. Scale allows you
to scale the size of the texture. Link With Layer specifies that the texture moves with the
layer as it is relocated. Invert inverts the texture. Depth varies the degree and direction
(up/down) to which the texturing is applied. Snap to Origin controls the snap of the
pattern’s origin with that of the document if Link With Layer is disabled and with the top
left corner of the layer if it is selected. You can also drag the texture with the mouse to
position it while in this panel.

Modifying layer effects with contours (Photoshop)
You can use contours to shape the appearance of an effect over a given range in the Drop
Shadow, Inner Shadow, Inner Glow, Outer Glow, Bevel and Emboss, and Satin effects when
creating custom layer styles. For example, a Linear contour on a Drop Shadow causes the
opacity to drop off in a linear transition while a Custom contour can be used 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. For more information, see “Using pop-up palettes” on
page 31 and “Managing libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop)” on page 54.
A B

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. (See “Editing styles” on page 304.)
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.
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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 contours from the Contour Editor dialog box:
Click the contour in the Layer Style dialog box, and in the Contour Editor dialog box,
choose Load. Go to the folder where the contour library you want to load is located and
click Open.
To delete a contour in the Contour Editor dialog box:
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.

Applying global lighting
Using global light gives the appearance of a consistent light source shining on the image.
To set a global lighting angle:
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.

•

(Photoshop) 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.

•

(ImageReady) In the Bevel and Emboss or Drop Shadow palette, select Use Global
Angle. For Angle and Altitude, enter a value or drag the angle radius.

The new lighting angle appears as the default for each layer effect that uses the global
lighting angle.

Creating and managing preset styles
After you customize a layer style, you can save it as a preset style. Preset styles appear in
the Styles palette, Layer Styles dialog box (Photoshop), Layer Styles pop-up palette in the
options bar for the pen and shape tool, and Preset Manager. (See “Applying preset styles”
on page 302.) You can also create libraries of preset styles, rename preset styles, and
delete preset styles.
To create a new preset style:
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer that contains the style 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
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.

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(Photoshop) Double-click the layer thumbnail, 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 Style palette, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

•

(Photoshop) Select a style is the Styles section of the Layer Styles dialog box. (See
“Applying preset styles” on page 302.) 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 trash button

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 is the Styles section of the Layer Styles dialog box. (See
“Applying preset styles” on page 302.) 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.

•

(Photoshop) Select Styles on the left side of the Layer Styles dialog box. (See “Applying
preset styles” on page 302.) 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 filename, and click Save.
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. For more information, see “Managing libraries with the Preset Manager
(Photoshop)” on page 54.

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Copying and pasting styles
Copying and pasting styles is an easy way to apply the same effects to multiple layers.
To copy layer styles between 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 Do one of the following:
•

To paste into a single layer, select the destination layer in the palette, and choose Layer
> Layer Style > Paste Layer Style.

•

To paste into multiple layers, link the destination layers. (See “Linking layers” on
page 289.) Then choose Layer > Layer Style > Paste Layer Style to Linked.

The pasted layer style will replace 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, rag 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.

Scaling layer effects (Photoshop)
A layer style may have been tuned to look best on a target resolution with features of a
given size. Using Scale Effects allows you to scale the effects contained in the layer style
without scaling the object to which the layer style is applied.
To scale a layer effect:
1 Select the layer in the Layers palette.
2 Choose Layer > Layer Style > Scale Effects.
3 Enter a percentage or drag the slider.
4 Select Preview to preview the changes in the image.
5 Click OK.

Removing layer effects
You can remove individual effects from a layer style and remove a style from the layer.
To remove an effect from a style:
1 In the Layers palette, expand the layer style so you can see its effects.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Drag the effect to the Trash button.

•

(ImageReady) Select the effect, and choose Delete Effect from the Layers palette menu.

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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 Trash button.

•

Choose Layer > Layer Style > Clear Layer Style.

•

Select the layer, then click the Clear style button

•

(ImageReady) Select an effect in the Layers palette, and choose Delete All Effects from
the Layers palette menu.

at the bottom of the Styles palette.

Converting layer styles to layers
To customize or fine-tune the appearance of layer styles, you can convert the layer styles
to regular image layers. Once you have converted 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 will no longer update 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.
To convert a layer style to image layers:
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the layer style 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 group.

Using adjustment layers and fill layers (Photoshop)
Adjustment layers and fill layers add another level of flexibility to working with layers.
Adjustment layers allow you to experiment with color and apply tonal adjustments to an
image; fill layers allow you to quickly add color, patterns, and gradient elements to an
image. If you change your mind about the results, you can go back and edit or remove the
adjustment or fill at any time.

Original, adjustment layer applied to zebra only, and adjustment layer applied to entire image

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About adjustment layers and fill layers
Adjustment layers let you experiment with color and tonal adjustments to an image
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. 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 making the adjustment to each layer separately.
Note: Adjustment layers can be applied and edited only in Photoshop; however, they can
be viewed in ImageReady.
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.

Creating adjustment layers or fill layers
Adjustment layers and fill layers have the same opacity and blending mode options as
image layers and can be rearranged, deleted, hidden, and duplicated in the same manner
as 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
group consisting of these layers. You can place the adjustment layers in or at the base
of the clipping group. The adjustment will be confined to the layers inside the group.
(See “Creating clipping groups” on page 319.) Alternatively, you can create a layer set, and
have the set use any blending mode other than Pass Through.
To create an adjustment layer or fill layer:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Click the New Adjustment Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette, and
choose the layer type you want to create.

•

Choose Layer > New Fill Layer, and choose an option from the submenu. Then name the
layer, set other layer options, and click OK. (See “Setting opacity and blending options”
on page 295 and “Creating clipping groups” on page 319.)

•

Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer, and choose an option from the submenu. Then
name the layer, set other layer options, and click OK. (See “Setting opacity and blending
options” on page 295 and “Creating clipping groups” on page 319.)

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.
2 Choose from the following layer properties, and then click OK.
Solid Color Specify a color. (See “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on page 261.)

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Gradient Click the gradient to display the Gradient Editor, or click the inverted arrow
and choose a gradient from the pop-up palette. (See “Creating smooth gradient fills” on
page 245.) 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 use the mouse to move the center of the gradient by clicking and
dragging in the image window.
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 position the
origin of the pattern with that of the document window. (See “Using rulers, columns,
the measure tool, guides, and the grid” on page 43.) Select Link With Layer to specify that
the pattern moves with the fill layer as it is relocated. 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. (See “Using the Levels
dialog box” on page 137.)
Curves Adjust the intensity values of pixels along a 0–255 scale while keeping up to 15
other values constant.For more information, see “Using the Curves dialog box
(Photoshop)” on page 139.
Color Balance Drag a slider toward a color you want to increase in the image; drag a
slider away from a color you want to decrease in the image. For more information,
see “Using the Color Balance command (Photoshop)” on page 146.
Brightness/Contrast Specify values for Brightness and Contrast. (See “Using the
Brightness/Contrast command” on page 150.)
Hue/Saturation Choose which colors to edit, and specify values for Hue, Saturation,
and Lightness. (See “Using the Hue/Saturation command” on page 147.)
Selective Color Choose the color you want to adjust, and drag the sliders to increase or
decrease the components in the selected color. For more information, see “Using the
Selective Color command (Photoshop)” on page 149.
Channel Mixer Modify a color channel. For more information, see “Mixing color channels
(Photoshop)” on page 271.
Gradient Map Choose a gradient and set gradient options. For more information, see
“Using the Gradient Map command (Photoshop)” on page 155.
Invert Invert adjustment layers don’t have options. (See “Using the Invert command” on
page 153.)
Threshold Specify a threshold level. (See “Using the Threshold command (Photoshop)”
on page 154.)
Posterize Specify the number of tonal levels for each color channel. (See “Using the
Posterize command (Photoshop)” on page 154.)

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Editing adjustment layers or fill layers
Once you create an adjustment or fill layer, you can easily edit the settings, or dynamically
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, therefore, are showing.
(See “Creating and editing layer masks” on page 315.)
To edit an adjustment or fill layer:
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 content of an 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.
(See “Merging layers” on page 293.) You can also rasterize a fill layer without merging it.
(See “Rasterizing layers” on page 292.)
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.

Masking layers
You can use masks to protect sections of layers from being edited and to show or hide
sections of an image.

About masking layers
Masks control how different areas within a layer or layer set are hidden and revealed. By
making changes to the mask, you can apply a variety of special effects to the layer without
actually affecting the pixels on that layer. You can then apply the mask and make the
changes permanent or remove the mask without applying the changes.
There are two types of masks:
•

Layer masks are bitmap images and are resolution-dependent and are created with the
painting or selection tools.

•

(Photoshop) Vector masks are resolution-independent and are created with the pen or
shape tools.

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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. (See “Storing masks in
alpha channels” on page 280.) The vector mask thumbnail represents a path that clips out
the contents of the layer.

B
A
C
D
E

Layer palette:
A. Layer mask selected B. Layer mask link icon C. Layer mask D. Vector mask E. Vector mask link
icon F. New Layer Mask

Creating and editing layer masks
You can obscure an entire layer or layer set, or just a selected part of it, using a layer mask.
You can also edit a layer mask to add or subtract from the masked region. A layer mask is a
grayscale image, so what you paint in black will be hidden, what you paint in white will
show, and what you paint in gray shades will show in various levels of transparency.

Background painted with black, head painted with white, neck painted with gray

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 layer set to which to add a mask.
3 Do one of the following:
•

To create a mask that reveals the entire layer, click the New Layer Mask
Layers palette, or choose Layer > Add 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 > Add Layer Mask > Hide All.

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To add a mask that shows or hides a selection:
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer or layer set to which to add a mask.
2 Select the area in the image, and do one of the following:
•

Click the New Layer Mask button
the selection.

in the Layers palette to create a mask that reveals

•

Choose Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal Selection or Hide Selection.

To edit a layer mask:
1 Click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette to make it active.
2 Select any of the editing or painting tools.
Note: The foreground and background colors default to 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 layer set, paint the mask with black.

To edit the layer instead of the layer mask, select it by clicking its thumbnail in the Layers
palette. The paintbrush icon appears to the left of the thumbnail to indicate that you
are editing the layer.
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 (Photoshop):
Do one of the following:
•

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the layer mask thumbnail to view only the
grayscale mask. The eye icons in the Layers palette are dimmed because all layers or
layer sets are hidden. 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 with the layer mask you want to disable or enable, and choose Layer >
Disable Layer Mask or Layer > Enable Layer Mask.

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.

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To change the rubylith display for a layer mask (Photoshop):
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. (See “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on page 261.)
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 might want to change
these settings to make the mask more easily visible against the colors in the image.
4 Click OK.

Creating and editing vector masks
A vector mask creates a sharp-edged shape on a layer and is useful any time you want to
add a design element with clean, defined edges. Once 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.
To add a vector mask that shows or hides the entire layer (Photoshop):
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 > Add Vector Mask >
Reveal All.

•

To create a vector mask that hides the entire layer, choose Layer > Add Vector Mask >
Hide All.

To add a vector mask that shows the contents of a shape (Photoshop):
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. For more information, see “Creating a work path (Photoshop)” on page 201.
3 Choose Layer > Add Vector Mask > Current Path.
To edit a vector mask (Photoshop):
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 Trash button

•

(Photoshop) Select the layer with the vector mask you want to delete, and choose
Layer > Delete Vector Mask.

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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 with the vector mask you want to disable or enable, and
choose Layer > Disable Vector Mask or Layer > Enable Vector Mask.

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 (Photoshop):
Select the layer with the vector mask you want to convert, and choose Layer > Rasterize >
Vector Mask.
Important: Once you rasterize a vector mask, it cannot be changed back into a
vector object.

Unlinking layers and masks
By default, a layer or layer set 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.

Applying and discarding layer masks
When you have finished creating a layer mask, you can either apply the mask and make
the changes permanent or discard the mask without applying changes. Because layer
masks are stored as alpha channels, applying and discarding layer masks can help reduce
file size. (See “Storing masks in alpha channels” on page 280.)
To apply or discard a layer mask:
1 Click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
2 To remove the layer mask and make changes permanent, click the Trash button at
the bottom of the Layers palette, then click Apply (Photoshop) or Yes (ImageReady).
3 To remove the layer mask without applying the changes, click the trash button at the
bottom of the Layers palette, then click Discard (Photoshop) or No (ImageReady).
You can also apply or discard layer masks using the Layer menu.

Selecting opaque areas on a layer
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 boundaries of a layer mask as a selection.

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To load a layer or layer mask’s boundaries as a selection:
Do one of the following:
•

In the Layers palette, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the layer 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 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 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 or layer mask
thumbnail in the Layers palette.
To move all the contents of a layer, you can use the move tool without loading a
transparency mask.

Creating clipping groups
In a clipping group, the bottommost layer, or base layer, acts as a mask for the entire group.
For example, you might have a shape on one layer, a texture on the overlying layer, and
some text on the topmost layer. If you define all three layers as a clipping group, the
texture and the text appear only through the shape on the base layer, and take on the
opacity of the base layer.
Note that only successive layers can be included in a clipping group. The name of the base
layer in the group is underlined, and the thumbnails for the overlying layers are indented.
Additionally, the overlying layers display a clipping group icon . The Blend Clipped Layers
As Group option in the Layer Style dialog box (Photoshop) or the Layer Options palette
(ImageReady) determines whether the blending mode of the base affects the whole
group or just the base. (See “Grouping blend effects” on page 299.)

Clipping group with Layer 1 and lion layers

To create a clipping group:
1 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 > Group with Previous.

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Link together the desired layers in the Layers palette. (See “Linking layers” on page 289.)
Then choose Layer > Group Linked.

The clipping group is assigned the opacity and mode attributes of the bottommost layer
in the group.
To remove a layer from a clipping group:
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 group, and choose Layer > Ungroup.
This command removes the selected layer and any layers above it from the clipping
group.

To ungroup all layers in a clipping group:
1 In the Layers palette, select the base layer in the clipping group.
2 Choose Layer > Ungroup.

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Applying Filters for Special
Effects
About 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. (See “Using plug-in modules” on page 58.)
Note: If you have problems or questions about a third-party plug-in, contact the plug-in’s
manufacturer for support.

Using filters
To use a filter, choose the appropriate submenu command from the Filter menu. These
guidelines can help you in choosing filters:
•

The last filter chosen appears at the top of the menu.

•

Filters are applied to the active, visible layer.

•

Filters cannot be applied to Bitmap-mode or indexed-color images.

•

Some filters only work on RGB images.

•

Some filters are processed entirely in RAM.

•

Gaussian Blur, Add Noise, Dust & Scratches, Median, Unsharp Mask, Solarize, and High
Pass filters can be used with 16-bit-per-channel images, as well as 8-bit-per-channel
images.

Previewing and applying filters
Applying filters—especially to large images—can be time-consuming. Some filters let you
preview the effect before applying it.
To save time when trying various filters, experiment on a small, representative part of
your image.
To preview and apply a filter:
1 To apply a filter to an area of a layer, select that area. To apply a filter to the entire layer,
leave the image unselected.
2 Choose a filter from the submenus in the Filter menu. If a filter name is followed by
ellipses (…), a dialog box appears.
3 If a dialog box appears, enter values or select options.

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4 If the dialog box contains a preview window, use the following methods to preview
the effect:
•

If the dialog box contains sliders, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while
dragging a slider to see a real-time preview (real-time rendering) of the effect.

•

Click in the image window to center a specific area of the image in the preview window.

Note: This does not work with all preview windows.
•

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 in or zoom out on the
preview.

A flashing line beneath the preview size indicates that the preview is still being rendered.
5 If available, select the Preview option to preview the filter effect on the entire image.
A progress indicator in the status bar (Windows) or progress bar (Mac OS) lets you gauge
the time remaining until the filter is applied.

Blending filter effects (Photoshop)
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. (See “Using adjustment layers
and fill layers (Photoshop)” on page 311.)
Note: The Fade command can also modify the effects of using the Extract command,
Liquefy command, and Brush Strokes filters.
To fade the effect of a filter, painting tool, or color adjustment:
1 Apply a filter, painting tool, or color adjustment to an image or selection.
2 With the affected area still selected, choose Edit > Fade.
3 Select the Preview option to preview the effect.
4 Drag the slider to adjust the opacity, from 0% (transparent) to 100%. (See “Specifying
opacity, flow, strength, or exposure” on page 243.)
5 For Mode, choose a blending mode. (See “Selecting a blending mode” on page 241.)
6 Click OK.
Note: The Color Dodge, Color Burn, Lighten, Darken, Difference, and Exclusion modes do
not work on Lab images.

Loading 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. (See “Using the Lighting
Effects filter” on page 338.)

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To load images and textures:
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.

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 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 image’s edge 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.

Using 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.
To use texture and glass surface controls:
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 enlarge or reduce the effect on the image surface.
4 Drag the Relief slider (if available) to adjust the depth of the texture’s surface.
5 Select Invert to reverse the surface’s light and dark colors.
6 For Light Direction, indicate the direction of the light source on the image.

Tips for creating special effects
Try the following techniques to create special effects with filters.
Create 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.
(See “Blending filter effects (Photoshop)” on page 322.)
Apply 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. (See “Filling new layers with a neutral
color” on page 296.)

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Apply 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.
Create 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. You might try Add Noise, Chalk &
Charcoal, Clouds, Conté Crayon, Craquelure, Difference Clouds, Glass, Grain, Graphic Pen,
Halftone Pattern, Mezzotint, Mosaic Tiles, Note Paper, Patchwork, Pointillize, Reticulation,
Rough Pastels, Sponge, Stained Glass, Texture Fill, Texturizer, and Underpainting.
Combine multiple effects with masks or with 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. (See “Reverting to a previous version of an image” on page 38.)
Improve image quality and consistency You can disguise faults, alter or enhance, or
make a series of images look related by applying the same effect to each. Use the Actions
palette to record the process of modifying one image, and then use this action on the
other images. (See “Using the Actions palette” on page 484.)

Improving performance with filters
Some filter effects can be memory intensive, especially when applied to a high-resolution
image. You can use these techniques 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.)

•

Free up memory before running the filter by using the Purge command.
(See “Correcting mistakes” on page 37.)

•

Allocate more RAM to Photoshop. If necessary, exit from 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, or 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.

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Choosing a filter effect
The built-in filters are grouped into 14 submenus. In addition, any third-party filters
installed appear at the bottom of the Filter menu.
Artistic filters Achieve a painterly or special effect for a fine arts or commercial project.
For example, use the Cutout filter for collages or type treatment. These filters replicate
natural or traditional media effects. For more information about Artistic filters, see “Artistic
filters” on page 326. For more on the Rough Pastels and Underpainting filters, see “Using
texture and glass surface controls” on page 323.
Blur filters Soften a selection or an image. Blur filters 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. For more information about Blur filters, see “Blur filters” on
page 327.
Note: To apply a Blur filter to the edges of a layer, be sure to deselect the Preserve Transparency option in the Layers palette.
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 to an image for a pointillist effect. For more information about Brush Stroke filters, see “Brush Stroke filters” on page 328.
Distort filters Geometrically distort an image, creating 3D or other reshaping effects.
Note that these filters can be very memory intensive. For more information about Distort
filters, see “Distort filters” on page 329. For more about the Displace filter, see “Defining
undistorted areas” on page 323. For more on Glass filter controls, see “Using texture and
glass surface controls” on page 323.
Noise filters (Photoshop) 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, from an image.
The Add Noise filter can be used to reduce banding in feathered selections or graduated
fills or to give a more realistic look to heavily retouched areas. For more information on
Noise filters, see “Noise filters (Photoshop)” on page 330.
Pixelate filters Sharply define a selection by clumping pixels of similar color values in
cells. For more information on Pixelate filters, see “Pixelate filters” on page 331.
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. For more information on the Render filters, see “Render filters”
on page 332. For information on the 3D Transform filter, see “Transforming objects in
three dimensions” on page 186.
When using the Clouds filter, generate a more stark cloud pattern by holding down
Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you choose Filter> Render > Clouds.
Sharpen filters Focus blurry images by increasing the contrast of adjacent pixels. They
include the Sharpen Edges (Photoshop) and Unsharp Mask filters, which find and sharpen
areas where significant color changes occur (such as the edges). The Unsharp Mask filter is
commonly used for high-end color correction. (See “Sharpening images” on page 155.)
For more information on the Sharpen filters, see “Sharpen filters” on page 333.

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Sketch filters 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. For more information on Sketch filters, see
“Sketch filters” on page 333. For information on the Conté Crayon filter, see “Using texture
and glass surface controls” on page 323.
For a truer effect, change the foreground color to one of the common Conté Crayon
colors (black, sepia, sanguine) before applying the filter.
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 such as
Find Edges and Trace Contour (Photoshop) 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. (See “Using the Invert command” on page 153.)
For more information on Stylize filters, see “Stylize filters” on page 334.
Texture filters Give images the appearance of depth or substance, or add an organic
look. (See “Using texture and glass surface controls” on page 323.) For more information
on Texture filters, see “Texture filters” on page 336.
Video filters Include the NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) Color filter,
which restricts the gamut of colors to those acceptable for television reproduction, and
the De-Interlace filter, which smooths moving images captured on video. For more information on Video filters, see “Video filters” on page 336.
Other filters Let you create your own filters, use filters to modify masks, offset a selection
within an image, and make quick color adjustments. For more information about Other
filters, see “Other filters” on page 336. For more on the Offset filter, see “Defining undistorted areas” on page 323.
Digimarc filters Embed a digital watermark into an image to store copyright information.
For more information about Digimarc filters, see “Digimarc filters” on page 337.

Artistic filters
Choose a filter from the Artistic submenu to achieve a painterly or special effect for a fine
arts or commercial project. For example, use the Cutout filter for collages or type
treatment. These filters replicate natural or traditional media effects.
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 Portrays an image as though it were made from roughly cut-out pieces of colored
paper. High-contrast images appear as if in silhouette, while 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.

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Film Grain Applies an even pattern to the shadow tones and midtones of an image.
A smoother, more saturated pattern is added to the image’s 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 dabs.
Neon Glow Adds various types of glows to the objects in an image and 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, light dark, 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 underneath.
Plastic Wrap Coats the image in shiny plastic, accentuating the surface detail.
Poster Edges Reduces the number of colors in an image (posterizes) according to the
posterization option you set, and finds the edges of the image and draws black lines on
them. Large broad areas of the image have simple shading, while fine dark detail is
distributed throughout the image.
Rough Pastels Makes an image appear as if stroked with colored 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. For more on the filter
options, see “Using texture and glass surface controls” on page 323.
Smudge Stick Softens an image using short diagonal strokes to smudge or smear the
darker areas of the images. Lighter areas become brighter and lose detail.
Sponge Creates images with highly textured areas of contrasting color, appearing to
have been painted with a sponge.
Underpainting Paints the image on a textured background, and then paints the final
image over it. For more on the filter options, see “Using texture and glass surface controls”
on page 323.
Watercolor Paints the image in a watercolor style, simplifying details in an image, using a
medium brush loaded with water and color. Where significant tonal changes occur at
edges, the filter saturates the color.

Blur filters
The blur filters soften a selection or an 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.
Note: To apply a Blur filter to the edges of a layer, be sure to deselect the Preserve Transparency option in the Layers palette.
Blur and Blur More (Photoshop) 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 Blur More filter produces an effect three or
four times stronger than that of the Blur filter.

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Gaussian Blur Quickly blurs a selection by an adjustable amount. Gaussian refers to the
bell-shaped curve that is generated when Adobe Photo-shop applies a weighted average
to the pixels. The Gaussian Blur filter adds low-frequency detail and can produce a hazy
effect.
Motion Blur (Photoshop) Blurs in a particular direction (from –360º to +360º) and at a
specific intensity (from 1 to 999). The filter’s effect is analogous to taking a picture of a
moving object with a fixed exposure time.
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;
or Zoom, to blur along radial lines, as if zooming in or out of the image, and specify an
amount from 1 to 100. Blur quality ranges from Draft for the fastest but grainy results;
or Good and Best for smoother results, which are indistinguishable except on a large
selection. Specify the origin of the blur by dragging the pattern in the Blur Center box.
Smart Blur Precisely blurs an image. You can specify a radius, to determine how far the
filter searches for dissimilar pixels to blur; a threshold, to determine how different the
pixels’ values should be before they are eliminated; and a blur quality. 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.

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 to an image for a pointillist effect.
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. The lighter areas of the image
are painted in strokes going in one direction, while the darker areas are painted in strokes
going the opposite direction.
Crosshatch Preserves the details and features of the original image while adding texture
and roughening the edges of the colored areas in the image with simulated pencil
hatching. The Strength option controls the number of hatching passes, from 1 to 3.
Dark Strokes Paints dark areas of an image closer to black with short, tight strokes, and
paints lighter areas of the image 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 wet brush full of black ink on rice
paper. The effect is soft blurry edges with rich blacks.

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Distort filters
The Distort filters geometrically distort an image, creating 3D or other reshaping effects.
Note that these filters can be very memory intensive.
Diffuse Glow Renders an image as though it were viewed through a soft diffusion filter.
The filter adds see-through white noise to an image, with the glow fading from the center
of a selection.
Displace filter 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 at 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.
To use the Displace filter:
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, choose how the map will
fit the image—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 will be treated. (See “Defining undistorted areas” on page 323.)
5 Click OK.
6 Select and open the displacement map. The distortion is applied to the image.
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.
Glass Makes an image appear as if it is 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. For more information about Glass
filter controls, see “Using texture and glass surface controls” on page 323.
Ocean Ripple Adds randomly spaced ripples to the image’s surface, making the image
look as if it were under water.
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—art 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 amount and size of ripples.
Shear Distorts an image along a curve. Specify the curve by dragging the line in the box
to form a curve for the distortion. You can adjust any point along the curve. Click Default
to return the curve to a straight line. In addition, you choose how to treat undistorted
areas. (See “Defining undistorted areas” on page 323.)
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 in a similar way to the Ripple filter, but with greater control. Options include
the number of wave generators, 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. (See
“Defining undistorted areas” on page 323.)
To replicate wave results on other selections, click Randomize, set the 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 choose 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.

Noise filters (Photoshop)
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, from an image.
Add Noise Applies random pixels to an image, simulating the effect of shooting pictures
on high-speed film. The Add Noise filter can also be used to reduce banding in feathered
selections or graduated fills or to give a more realistic look to heavily retouched areas.
Options include noise distribution: Uniform distributes color values of noise using random
numbers between 0 and plus or minus the specified value for a subtle effect; Gaussian
distributes color values of noise along a bell-shaped curve for 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 blur-ring 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.

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To use the Dust & 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 determines how different the pixels’ values 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 determines how far the filter searches for differences among pixels.
Adjusting the radius makes the image blurry. Stop at the smallest value that eliminates the
defects.
5 Increase the threshold gradually by entering a value or by dragging the slider to the
highest value possible that eliminates defects.
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 eliminating
or reducing the effect of motion on an image.

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 proportional to the brightness of the
rectangle.
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.

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Crystallize Clumps pixels into a solid color in a polygon shape.
Facet (Photoshop) 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 (Photoshop) 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 (Photoshop) 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.

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.
3D Transform Maps images to cubes, spheres, and cylinders, which you can then rotate
in three dimensions. For more information, see “Transforming objects in three dimensions” on page 186.
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.
Difference Clouds Uses randomly generated values that vary between the foreground
and back-ground 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.
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, 3 light types, and 4 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.
Texture Fill Fills a selection with a grayscale file or part of a file. To add the texture to
the document or selection, you open the grayscale document you want to use as the
texture fill.

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Sharpen filters
The Sharpen filters focus blurry images by increasing the contrast of adjacent pixels.
Sharpen and Sharpen More (Photoshop) Focus a selection and improve its clarity.
The Sharpen More filter applies a stronger sharpening effect than does the Sharpen filter.
Sharpen Edges (Photoshop) 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 will emphasize the edge and create the illusion of a
sharper image. (See “Sharpening images” on page 155.)

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.
Bas Relief Transforms an image to appear carved in low relief and lit to accent the surface
variations. Dark areas of the image take on the foreground color, light colors use the
background color.
Chalk & Charcoal Redraws an image’s highlights and midtones with a solid midtone gray
back-ground drawn in coarse chalk. Shadow areas are replaced with black diagonal
charcoal lines. The charcoal is drawn in the foreground color, the chalk in background
color.
Charcoal Redraws an image to create a posterized, smudged effect. Major edges are
boldly drawn, while midtones are sketched using a diagonal stroke. Charcoal is the
foreground color, and the paper is the background color.
Chrome Treats the image as if it were 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 with some foreground color added
to it before applying the filter. (See “Using texture and glass surface controls” on
page 323.)
Graphic Pen Uses fine, linear ink strokes to capture the details in the original image and
is especially striking with scanned images. The filter replaces color in the original image,
using the foreground color for ink and background color for paper.
Halftone Pattern Simulates the effect of a halftone screen while maintaining the
continuous range of tones.

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Note Paper Creates an image that appears to be constructed of handmade paper. The
filter simplifies an image 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 areas of darkness tend
to copy only around their edges, and midtones fall away to either solid black or white.
Plaster Molds an image from 3D plaster, and then colorizes the result using the
foreground and background color. Dark areas are raised, light areas are sunken (or reverse
the effect by choosing the Invert option).
Reticulation Simulates the controlled shrinking and distorting of film emulsion to create
an image that appears clumped in the shadow areas and lightly grained in the highlights.
Stamp Is best used with black-and-white images. The filter simplifies the image to appear
stamped with a rubber or wood stamp.
Torn Edges Is particularly useful for images consisting of text or high-contrast objects.
The filter reconstructs the image as ragged, torn pieces of paper, and then colorizes the
image using the foreground and background colors.
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. (See “Using the Invert command” on page 153.)
Diffuse (Photoshop) Shuffles pixels in a selection to make the selection look less focused
according to the selected option: Normal moves pixels randomly, ignoring color values;
Darken Only replaces light pixels with darker pixels; and Lighten Only replaces dark pixels
with lighter pixels. Anisotropic shuffles pixels in the direction of the least change in color.
Emboss (Photoshop) 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 lower (stamp) 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.
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.

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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 0 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.
Find Edges (Photoshop) 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.
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, off-setting the selection from 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 (Photoshop) 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.
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 where the color
values of pixels fall below the specified level, and Upper outlines 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.
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 “Using the Info palette (Photoshop)” on
page 32.)
Wind Creates tiny horizontal lines in the image to simulate a wind effect. Methods
include Wind; Blast, for a more dramatic wind effect; and Stagger, which offsets the wind
lines in the image.

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Texture filters
Use the Texture filters to give an image 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.
Mosaic Tiles Draws the image as if it were 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. (See “Using texture and
glass surface controls” on page 323.)

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 (Photoshop) 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.
To create a Custom filter:
1 Choose Filter > Other > Custom.
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.

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3 Select a text box representing an adjacent pixel. Enter the value by which you want the
pixel in this position multiplied.
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 calculation.
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.
High Pass (Photoshop) 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.
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.
Minimum and Maximum (Photoshop) Are useful for modifying masks. The Minimum
filter has the effect of applying a spread—spreading out black areas and shrinking white
areas. The Maximum filter has the effect of applying a choke—spreading out white areas
and choking in black areas. As does 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 greatest or least
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. (See “Defining undistorted areas” on page 323.)
Tile Maker (ImageReady) Enables you to prepare 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.

Digimarc filters
The Digimarc filters embed a digital watermark into an image to store copyright information. For more information, see “Adding digital copyright information” on page 460.

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.
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Using the Lighting Effects filter
The Lighting Effects filter allows adjustment of light styles, light types, light properties,
and a texture channel.
To use the Lighting Effects filter:
1 Choose Filter > Render > Lighting Effects.
2 For Style, choose a style. (See “Choosing a Lighting Effects style” on page 339.)
3 For Light Type, choose a type. If you’re using multiple lights, select and deselect On to
turn individual lights on and off. (See “Choosing a Lighting Effects type” on page 338.)
4 To change the color of the light, click the color box in the Light Type section of the
dialog box.
The color picker chosen in the General Preferences dialog box opens. For information on
choosing a color picker, see “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on page 261, or “Using other
color pickers” on page 265.
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 whether the light or the object on which the light is cast reflects
more light. Plastic reflects the light’s color, Metallic reflects the object’s color.

•

Exposure increases the light (positive values) or decreases the light (negative values).
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 “Using a Lighting Effects
texture” on page 340.)

Choosing a Lighting Effects type
You can choose from several light types:
•

Omni shines light in all directions from directly above the image—like a lightbulb 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.

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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 the angle and height of the 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 light’s height, drag the handle at the end of the line. Shorten the line for
a bright light, 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
light’s height (line length).

To adjust the angle and height of 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.

Choosing a Lighting Effects style
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 will be used to create the effect.
2 o’clock Spotlight A yellow spotlight with medium (17) intensity and wide (91) focus.
Blue Omni A blue overhead omni light with full (85) intensity and 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.
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Crossing A white spotlight with medium (35) intensity and a wide (69) focus.
Crossing Down Two white spotlights with medium (35) intensity and wide (100) focus.
Default A white spotlight with a medium intensity and a wide focus.
Five Lights Down/Five Lights Up Five white spotlights down or up with full (100)
intensity and wide (60) focus.
Flashlight An omni yellow light with medium (46) intensity.
Flood Light A white spotlight with medium (35) intensity and wide (69) focus.
Parallel Directional A directional blue light with full (98) intensity and no focus.
RGB Lights Red, blue, and green lights that produce a light of medium (60) intensity and
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 with full (98) intensity and wide (100) focus.
Three Down Three white spotlights with soft (35) intensity and wide (96) focus.
Triple Spotlight Three spotlights with slight (35) intensity and wide (100) focus.
To add a light:
In the Lighting Effects dialog box, 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:
In the Lighting Effects dialog box, drag the light by its center circle to the Trash button at
the bottom right of the preview window.
To create a new style:
1 In the Lighting Effects dialog box, choose Default for Style.
2 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 save a style:
1 In the Lighting Effects dialog box, click Save.
2 Name the style, and click OK.
Saved styles include all of the settings for each light and appear in the Style menu
whenever you open the image.
To delete a style:
In the Lighting Effects dialog box, choose a style, and then click Delete.

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.
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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. (See “Creating alpha
channels (Photoshop)” on page 280.)
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).

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Using Type
About type
Type 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, and CID
(Japanese only).
When you add type to an image, the characters are composed of pixels and have the same
resolution as the image file—zooming in on characters shows 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.

Creating type
You can create horizontal or vertical type anywhere in an image. Depending on how you
use the type tools, you can enter point type or paragraph type. Point type is useful for
entering a single word or a line of characters; paragraph type is useful for entering and
formatting the type as one or more paragraphs.

Type entered as point type (top) and in a bounding box

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.
Note: 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.

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About using the type tools (Photoshop)
Clicking in an image with a type tool puts the type tool in edit mode. You can enter and
edit characters when the tool is in edit mode; however, you must commit changes to the
type layer before you can perform some operations. To determine if a type tool is in edit
mode, look in the options bar—if you see the Commit button
and Cancel button ,
the type tool is in edit mode.
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 on the main keyboard (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.

Entering point type
When you enter point type, each line of type is independent—the length of a line grows
or shrinks as you edit it, but it doesn’t wrap to the next line. The type you entered appears
in a new type layer.
To enter point type:
1 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Select the horizontal type tool

•

(ImageReady) Select the type tool

or the vertical type tool

2 Click in the image to set an insertion point for the type. The small line through the
I-beam marks the position of the type baseline. For horizontal type, the baseline marks the
line on which the type rests; for vertical type, the baseline marks the center axis of the type
characters.
To show the baseline in ImageReady, choose View > Show > Text Baseline.
3 Select additional type options in the options bar, Character palette, and Paragraph
palette. (See “Formatting characters” on page 349 and “Formatting paragraphs” on
page 358.)
4 Enter the characters you want. Press Enter on the main keyboard (Windows) or Return
(Mac OS) to begin a new line.
5 Commit the type layer. (See “About using the type tools (Photoshop)” on page 343.)

Entering 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, which causes the type to reflow within the adjusted
rectangle. You can adjust the bounding box while you’re entering type or after you create
the type layer. You can also rotate, scale, and skew type using the bounding box.

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To enter paragraph type:
1 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Select the horizontal type tool

•

(ImageReady) Select the type tool

or the vertical type tool

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 Text Box
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,
and Layer > Type submenu. (See “Formatting characters” on page 349 and “Formatting
paragraphs” on page 358.)
4 Enter the characters you want. Press Enter on the main keyboard (Windows) or Return
(Mac OS) to begin a new paragraph. 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. (See “About using the type tools (Photoshop)” on
page 343.)
The type you entered appears in a new type layer.
To resize or transform a type bounding box:
1 Display the bounding box handles:
•

(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. If the bounding box
handles don’t appear, make sure that the Text Bounds option is selected in the View >
Show submenu.

2 Drag to achieve the desired effect:
•

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 proportion of the
bounding box.

•

(Photoshop) To rotate the bounding box, position the pointer outside of 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.

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(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 .

Illustration of 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.

Note: You can also transform type layers using the transformation commands in the Edit
menu, except for Perspective and Distort.
To show or hide the type bounding box (ImageReady):
Do one of the following:
•

Choose View > Show > Text Bounds.

•

Choose View > Extras. This command shows or hides all selected items in the View >
Show submenu. (See “Working with Extras” on page 47.)

Creating a type selection border (Photoshop)
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.
To create a type selection border:
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.
(See “Entering point type” on page 343 and “Entering paragraph type” on page 343.)
The type selection border appears in the image on the active layer.

Working with type layers
Once 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. (To apply the Perspective or Distort commands, or to transform part of the type
layer, you must rasterize the type layer, making the type uneditable.)

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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.

Editing text in type layers
You can insert new text, change existing text, and delete text in type layers.
To edit text in a type layer:
1 Select the horizontal 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:
•

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. (See “About using the type tools (Photoshop)”
on page 343.)

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 prior to 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:
1 Select the type layer in the Layers palette.
2 Choose Layer > Rasterize > Type.

Changing type layer orientation
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 lines flow up and down; when a type layer is horizontal, the type
lines flow from left to right. Don’t confuse the orientation of a type layer with the direction
of characters in a type line. (See “Rotating vertical type” on page 357.)
To change the orientation of a type layer:
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

•

Choose Layer > Type > Horizontal, or choose Layer > Type > Vertical.

•

Choose Change Text Orientation from the Character palette menu.

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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 None, and Strong

When creating type for online use, 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 reduce the optimized file size, and may cause stray colors to
appear along the edges of the type. When file size and limiting the number of colors is
most important, leaving type without anti-aliased edges may be preferable, despite the
jagged edges. Also, consider using larger type than you would use for printed works.
Larger type can be easier to view online and gives you more freedom in deciding whether
to apply anti-aliasing to type.
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 the most sharp.

•

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
palette.

in the options bar or the Character

•

Choose Layer > Type, and choose an option from the submenu.

Converting between point type and paragraph type
You can convert point type to paragraph type to adjust the flow of characters within a
bounding box. Or you can convert paragraph type to point type to make each text line
flow independently from the others.

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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).
Important: 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.
To convert between point type and paragraph type:
1 Select the type layer in the Layers palette.
2 Choose Layer > Type > Convert to Point Text, or Layer > Type > Convert to Paragraph
Text.

Warping type layers
Warping allows you to 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 use fonts that do
not include outline data (such as bitmap fonts).

Example of type warped with Fish style

To warp type:
1 Select a type layer.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Select a type tool, and click the Warp button

•

Choose Layer > Type > Warp Text.

in the options bar.

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 and Vertical Distortion to apply perspective to the warp.

To unwarp type:
1 Select a type layer that has warping applied to it.

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2 Select a type tool, and click the Warp button
Type > Warp Text.

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in the options bar; or choose Layer >

3 Choose None from the Style pop-up menu, and click OK.

Creating a work path from type (Photoshop)
Creating a work path from type lets you work with characters as vector shapes. A work
path is a temporary path that appears in the Paths palette. Once you create a work path
from a type layer, you can save and manipulate it like any other path. (See “Selecting paths
(Photoshop)” on page 211.) You cannot edit characters in the path as text; however, the
original type layer remains intact and editable.
To create a work path from type:
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).

Converting type to shapes (Photoshop)
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. (See “Creating and editing vector masks” on page 317.)
To convert type to shapes:
Select a type layer, and choose Layer > Type > Convert to Shapes.
Note: You cannot create shapes from fonts that don't include outline data (such as bitmap
fonts).

Formatting characters
Photoshop and ImageReady give you precise control over individual characters in type
layers, including 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.

Selecting characters
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.

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•

Choose Select > All to select all the characters in the layer.

•

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, hold down Shift and press the Right arrow or
Left arrow key. To use the arrow 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 .
Note: In Photoshop, selecting and formatting characters in a type layer puts the type tool
into edit mode. (See “About using the type tools (Photoshop)” on page 343.)
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. (See “Working with Extras” on page 47.)

Using the Character palette
The Character palette provides options for formatting characters. Some formatting
options are also provided in the options bar.
To display the Character palette:
Do 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.

Choosing a font
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 9.x System Folder/Application Support/Adobe/Fonts
Mac OS X 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 applications only.

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To choose a font family and style:
1 Choose a font family from the Font Family pop-up 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, you can choose a font family and style by typing the desired 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. Be sure to deselect
the font name before entering new type in the image.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Choose a font style from the Font Style pop-up 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 button in the Character palette to apply a simulated style.
Alternately, choose Faux Bold or Faux Italic from the Character palette menu.

Note: You cannot apply Faux Bold formatting to warped type. (See “Warping type layers”
on page 348.)

Choosing a type size
The type size determines how large the type appears in the image:
•

In 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 section of the Preferences dialog box.

•

In ImageReady, pixels are the only unit of measurement for type. This is because the
ImageReady application is tailored to creating images for online media, in which 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 . 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. The value you enter is converted to the default unit of measurement.
To specify the default unit of measurement for type (Photoshop):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Rulers.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Units & Rulers.

2 Select a unit of measurement for Type.
To specify the point size definition (Photoshop):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Rulers.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Units & Rulers.

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2 Select an option for Point/Pica Size. Traditional points are slightly smaller than
PostScript points.

Changing the type color
The type you enter gets its color from the current foreground color; however, you can
change the type color before or after you enter type. When editing existing type layers,
you can change the color of individual, selected characters or all type in a layer.
To change the type color:
Do one of the following:
•

Click the Color selection box in the options bar or Character palette, and select a color
using the color picker. In ImageReady, you can also select an option from the Color
selection box pop-up menu: Foreground Color, Background Color, Other (to use the
color picker), or a color from the pop-up palette.

•

Apply an overlay layer style to the type layer to apply a color, pattern, or gradient on top
of the existing color. (See “Using layer effects and styles” on page 301.) In 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. Applying an overlay layer style affects all characters in the
type layer; you cannot use this method to change the color of individual characters.

•

Click the foreground color selection box in the toolbox, and select a color using the
color picker. Or click a color in the Color palette, the Swatches palette, or the Color Table
palette (ImageReady). To use this method to change the color of an existing type layer,
you must first select characters on that layer.

Specifying leading
The amount of space between lines of type is called leading. For Roman type, leading is
measured from the baseline of one line of type to the baseline of the next line. The
baseline is the invisible line on which most type lies. 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.
You can use other options to set leading for Chinese, Japanese, or Korean type. (See
“Specifying how leading is measured” on page 364.)

5-point type with 6-point leading, and with 12-point leading

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To change the leading:
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, specify a new default percentage.

Specifying kerning and tracking
Kerning is the process of adding or subtracting space between specific letter pairs. You can
control kerning manually, or you can use automatic kerning to turn on the kerning built
into the font by the font designer. Tracking is the process of creating an equal amount of
spacing across a range of letters.
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 corresponds to 1 point;
in a 10-point font, 1 em corresponds to 10 points. Because kerning and tracking units are
1/1000 em, 100 units in a 10-point font are equivalent to 1 point.

Default, and tracking set to 350

To use a font’s built-in kerning information:
In the Character palette, choose Metrics (Photoshop) or Auto (ImageReady) from the
Kerning menu .
Note: The Metrics option replaces the Auto Kern option in previous versions of Photoshop.
To adjust kerning manually:
1 Click with a type tool to set an insertion point between two characters.
Note: If a range of type is selected, you can’t manually kern the characters. Instead, use
tracking.
2 In the Character palette, enter or select a numeric value for Kerning

3 Commit the changes to the type layer. (See “About using the type tools (Photoshop)”
on page 343.)

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To specify tracking:
In the Character palette, enter or select a numeric value for Tracking

Adjusting 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.
To adjust the horizontal or vertical scale of type:
In the Character palette, enter a new percentage for Horizontal Scale
Scale .

or Vertical

Specifying baseline shift
Baseline shift controls the distance that type appears from its baseline, either raising or
lowering the selected type to create superscripts or subscripts.

Default, and baseline shift of 10 points

To specify baseline shift:
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.
To show or hide the baseline (ImageReady):
Do one of the following:
•

Choose View > Show > Text Baseline.

•

Choose View > Extras. This command shows or hides all selected items in the View >
Show submenu. (See “Working with Extras” on page 47.)

Changing case
You can enter or format type as uppercase characters, either all caps or small caps. When
you format type as small caps, Photoshop and ImageReady use the small caps designed as
part of the font, if available. If the font does not include small caps, Photoshop and
ImageReady generate faux small caps.
To change the case of type:
Do one of the following:
•

Click the All Caps button

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or the Small Caps button

in the Character palette.

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Choose All Caps or Small Caps from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates
that the option is selected.

Note: Selecting Small Caps will not change characters that were originally typed
in uppercase.

Making characters superscript or subscript
You can enter or format type as superscript or subscript characters. Superscript characters
are reduced in size and shifted above the type baseline; subscript characters are reduced
in size and shifted below the type baseline. If the font does not include superscript or
subscript characters, Photoshop generates faux superscript or subscript characters.
To specify superscript or subscript characters:
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.

Applying underline and strikethrough
You can apply a line under horizontal type, or to the left or right of vertical type. You can
also apply a line through horizontal or vertical type. The line is always the same color as
the type color.
To apply an underline or strikethrough:
Choose an option:
•

Click the Underline button
horizontal type.

in the Character palette to apply an underline beneath

•

Choose Underline Left or Underline Right from the Character palette menu to apply an
underline to the left or right of vertical type. 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 only appear in the Character palette
menu when a type layer that contains vertical type is selected.
•

Click the Strikethrough button in the Character palette to apply a horizontal line
through horizontal type or a vertical line through vertical type. Alternately, choose
Strikethrough from the Character palette menu.

Using ligatures and old style numerals
When working with OpenType fonts, you can use ligatures and old style typographic
numerals in your type, if the font provides them. Ligatures are typographic replacements
for certain pairs of characters, such as “fi” and “fl.” Old style numerals are shorter than
regular numerals, and some old style numerals descend below the type baseline.

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In Photoshop, you can also use alternate ligatures when working with OpenType fonts
that provide them. Alternate ligatures are extra ligatures that aren't in regular use,
such as “st.”

Type with Ligatures option unselected and selected

To use ligatures or old style numerals:
Choose Ligatures or Old Style from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates
that the option is selected.
To use alternate ligatures (Photoshop):
Choose Alternate Ligatures from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates that
the option is selected.

Using fractional character widths
By default, type is displayed using fractional character widths. This means that the spacing
between characters varies, with fractions of whole pixels between some characters. In
most situations, fractional character widths provide the best spacing for type appearance
and readability. However, for type in small sizes (less than 20 points) displayed online,
fractional character widths can cause type to run together or have too much extra space,
making it difficult to read.
You can turn off fractional character widths 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 fractional character widths on or off:
Choose Fractional Widths from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates that
the option is selected.

Viewing 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.
To turn system layout on or off:
Choose System Layout from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates that the
option is selected.

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Rotating vertical type
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).

Original, and type without vertical rotation

To rotate characters in vertical type:
Choose Rotate Character from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates that
the option is selected.
Note: You cannot rotate double-byte characters (full width characters only available in
Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts). Any double-byte characters in the selected range
will not be rotated.

Checking for spelling errors (Photoshop)
When you spell-check 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.
To check and correct spelling:
1 In the Character palette, choose a language from the pop-up menu at the bottom of
the palette. This sets the dictionary for spell-checking.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Select a type layer.

•

To check specific text, select the text.

•

To check a word, place an insertion point in the word.

3 Choose Edit > Check Spelling.
4 As Photoshop finds unfamiliar words and other possible errors, do one of the following:
•

Click Ignore to continue checking spelling without changing text. Click Ignore All to
ignore the word for the rest of the spell-check.

•

To correct a misspelling, make sure the correctly spelled word is in the Change To text
box and click Change. If the suggested word is not the word you want, you can select a
different word in the Suggestions text box or enter the word in the Change To text box.

•

To correct a repeated misspelling in a document, make sure the correctly spelled word
is in the Change To text box and click Change All.

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•

Click Add to have Photoshop store the unrecognized word in the dictionary, so that
subsequent occurrences are not flagged as misspellings.

•

If you selected a type layer and want to spell-check only that layer, deselect Check All
Layers.

Finding and replacing text (Photoshop)
You can search for a single character, a word, or group of words. Once you find what you’re
looking for, you can change it to something else.
To find and replace a word:
1 Select the layer that contains the text you want to find and replace.
2 Choose Edit > Find and Replace.
3 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.
4 Select Case Sensitive if you want to search for a word or words that exactly match the
case of the text in the Find What text box. For example, a search for “PrePress” will not find
“Prepress” or “PREPRESS.”
5 Select Whole Word Only if you want to disregard the search text if it is embedded within
a larger word. For example, if you are searching for “any” as a whole word, “many” will be
disregarded.
6 Click Find Next to begin the search.
7 Click the button that reflects what you want to do next.
•

Change replaces the found text with the revised text. To repeat the search, select Find
Next.

•

Change/Find replaces the found text with the revised text and then searches for the
next occurrence.

•

Change All searches for and replaces all occurrences of the found text.

Formatting 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, indentation,
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 dimensions of
the bounding box.

Selecting paragraphs and showing the Paragraph palette
You can use the Paragraph palette to set formatting options for a single paragraph,
multiple paragraphs, or all paragraphs in a type layer.
To select paragraphs for formatting:
Select the horizontal type tool
•

or the vertical type tool

and do one of the following:

Click in a paragraph to apply formatting to a single paragraph.

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•

Make a selection within a range of paragraphs to apply formatting to multiple
paragraphs.

•

Select the type layer in the Layers palette to apply formatting to all paragraphs in the
layer.

To show the Paragraph palette:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose Window > Paragraph, or click the Paragraph palette tab if the palette is visible
but not active.

•

With a type tool selected, click the palette button

in the options bar.

Aligning and justifying type
You can align type to one edge of a paragraph (left, center, or right for horizontal type; top,
center, or bottom for vertical type) and justify type to both edges of a paragraph.
Alignment options are available for both point type and paragraph type; justification
options are only available for paragraph type.
To specify alignment:
In the Paragraph palette or options bar, click an alignment option. The options for
horizontal type are:
Aligns type to the left, leaving the right edge of the paragraph ragged.
Aligns type to the center, leaving both edges of the paragraph ragged.
Aligns type to right, leaving the left edge of the paragraph ragged.
The options for vertical type are:
Aligns type to the top, leaving the bottom edge of the paragraph ragged.
Aligns type to the center, leaving both the top and bottom edges of the paragraph
ragged.
Aligns type to bottom, leaving the top edge of the paragraph ragged.
To specify justification for paragraph type:
In the Paragraph palette, click a justification option. The options for horizontal type are:
Justifies all lines except the last, which is left-aligned.
Justifies all lines except the last, which is center-aligned.
Justifies all lines except the last, which is right-aligned.
Justifies all lines including the last, which is force-justified.
The options for vertical type are:
Justifies all lines except the last, which is top-aligned.
Justifies all lines except the last, which is center-aligned.
Justifies all lines except the last, which is bottom-aligned.
Justifies all lines including the last, which is force-justified.

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Indenting paragraphs
Indentation specifies the amount of space between type and the bounding box or line
that contains the type. Indentation affects only the selected paragraph or paragraphs,
so you can easily set different indentations for paragraphs.
To specify paragraph indentation:
In the Paragraph palette, enter a value for an indentation option:
•

Left Indent
to indent from the left edge of the paragraph. For vertical type, this
option controls the indentation from the top of the paragraph.

•

Right Indent
to indent from the right edge of the paragraph. For vertical type, this
option controls the indentation from the bottom of the paragraph.

•

First Line Indent
to indent 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 indentation, enter a negative
value.

Changing space above or below paragraphs
You can control the space above and below paragraphs using the paragraph spacing
options.
To specify paragraph spacing:
In the Paragraph palette, enter a value for Space Before

and Space After

Specifying hanging punctuation
Hanging punctuation controls whether punctuation marks fall inside or outside the
margins. If hanging punctuation is turned on for Roman fonts, periods, commas, singlequotation marks, double-quotation marks, apostrophes, hyphens, em dashes, en dashes,
colons, and semicolons appear outside the margins.
To use hanging punctuation for Roman fonts:
Choose Roman Hanging Punctuation from the Paragraph palette menu. A check mark
indicates that the option is selected.
Note: When you use Roman Hanging Punctuation, any double-byte punctuation marks
available in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts in the selected range will not hang.
(See “Using burasagari” on page 367.)

Controlling hyphenation and justification
The settings you choose for hyphenation and justification 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 they can, what breaks are allowable. Justification options
determine word, letter, and glyph spacing.
Note: Hyphenation and justification settings apply only to Roman characters; double-byte
characters available in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts are not affected by these
settings. (See “Working with Japanese composition” on page 365.)

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Adjusting hyphenation
You can hyphenate words manually or automatically.
To choose a hyphenation dictionary:
Choose a language from the pop-up menu at the bottom of the Character palette
To turn automatic hyphenation on or off:
In the Paragraph palette, select or deselect the Hyphenate option.
To set automatic hyphenation options:
1 Choose Hyphenation from the Paragraph palette menu.
2 Enter values for the following options:
•

Words Longer Than _ Letters to specify the minimum number of characters for
hyphenated words.

•

After First _ Letters and Before Last _ Letters to specify the minimum number of
characters at the beginning or end of a word that can be broken by a hyphen.
For example, by specifying 3 for these values, aromatic would be hyphenated as
aro- matic instead of ar- omatic or aromat- ic.

•

Hyphen Limit to specify the maximum number of hyphens that can appear on consecutive lines. Zero means unlimited hyphens.

•

Hyphenation Zone to specify 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.
(See “About composition methods” on page 362.)

3 To prevent capitalized words from being hyphenated, deselect Hyphenate Capitalized
Words. Then click OK.

Preventing unwanted word breaks
You can prevent words from breaking at the end of lines—for example, proper names or
words whose break might have a misleading appearance. You also can keep multiple
words from breaking—for example, clusters of initials and a last name.
To prevent characters from breaking:
1 Select the characters you want to prevent from breaking.
2 Choose No Break from the Character palette menu.
Note: If many contiguous characters use the No Break option, the type may be forced to
wrap in the middle of a word.

Adjusting spacing
You can precisely control the way in which Photoshop and ImageReady space letters and
words and scale characters. Adjusting spacing options is especially useful when working
with justified type, although you can also adjust spacing for unjustified type.
Word spacing refers to the space between words that is created by pressing the spacebar.
Letter spacing refers to the distance between letters and includes kerning or tracking
values. Glyph spacing refers to the width of characters (a glyph is any font character).
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.
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To set justification options:
1 Choose Justification from the Paragraph palette menu.
2 Enter values for Word Spacing, Letter Spacing, and Glyph Spacing:
•

For justified type only, enter values for Minimum and Maximum to define a range of
acceptable spacing.

•

Enter a value for Desired to set the spacing for both justified and unjustified
paragraphs.

Word Spacing values can range from 0% to 1000%; at 100%, no additional space is added
between words. Letter Spacing values can range from –100% to 500%; at 0%, no space is
added between letters. Glyph Spacing values can range from 50% to 200%; at 100%, the
width of characters is not scaled.

Working with composition
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 you’ve selected, Photoshop and ImageReady evaluate possible line breaks and
choose the one that best supports the specified parameters.

About composition methods
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’ve specified for a given paragraph.
The Every-line Composer Considers a network of break points for a range of lines and
thus can optimize earlier lines in the paragraph in order to eliminate especially
unattractive breaks later on. Working with multiple lines of type results in more even
spacing and fewer hyphens.
The Every-line composer approaches composition by identifying possible breakpoints,
evaluating them, and assigning a weighted penalty based on these principles:
•

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 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
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.

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Choosing a composition method
You use the Paragraph palette to choose a composition method for selected paragraphs.
To choose a composition method for a paragraph:
Choose Adobe Every-line Composer or Adobe Single-line Composer from the Paragraph
palette menu. A check mark indicates which option is selected.

Setting options for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean type
(Photoshop)
Photoshop provides several options for working with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK)
type. Characters in CJK fonts are often referred to as double-byte characters.

Displaying CJK type options
In order to view and set options for working with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean type, you
must select Show Asian Text Options in the Preferences dialog box. You can also control
how font names are displayed—in English or in the native language.
To display CJK type options:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, Choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

In Mac OS X, Choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

2 Select Show Asian Text Options.
To display CJK font names in English:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, Choose Edit > Preferences > General.

•

In Mac OS X, Choose Photoshop > Preferences > General.

2 Select Show Font Names in English.

Adjusting tsume
Tsume reduces the space around a character by a specified percentage value. The
character itself is not stretched or squeezed as a result. 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.
To reduce spacing between characters:
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.

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Specifying how leading is measured
Top-to-top leading measures the spacing between lines of type from the top of one line
to the top of the next line. This is different from Bottom-to-bottom leading, which
measures the space between lines from the type baseline. If you use Top-to-top leading,
the first line of type in a paragraph is aligned flush with the top of the bounding box; if you
use Bottom-to-bottom leading, space appears between the first line of type and the
bounding box.
The leading option you choose does not affect the amount of leading between lines,
only how the leading is measured. (See “Specifying leading” on page 352.)
Note: Top-to-top Leading and Bottom-to-bottom Leading are not available for vertical
text.
To specify how leading is measured:
1 Select the paragraphs you want to adjust.
2 Choose Top-to-top Leading or Bottom-to-bottom Leading from the Paragraph palette
menu. A check mark indicates which option is selected.

Using tate-chuu-yoko
Tate-chuu-yoko (also called kumimoji and renmoji) is a block of horizontal type laid out
within a vertical type line.

Before and after tate-chuu-yoko applied.

To turn on or turn off tate-chuu-yoko:
1 Select the characters that you want to rotate.
2 Choose Tate-Chuu-Yoko from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates that
the option is turned on.
Note: Using tate-chuu-yoko does not prevent you from editing and formatting type; you
can edit and apply formatting options to rotated characters as you do to other characters.

Specifying left and right underlining
When working with vertical type, you can add an underline on either side of the type line.
For more information, see “Applying underline and strikethrough” on page 355.

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Working with Japanese composition
The Paragraph palette includes several options for composing Japanese characters.
Kinsoku Shori Determines line breaks in Japanese type. 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.
Mojikumi Determines spacing between punctuation, symbols, numbers, and other
character classes in Japanese type. Photoshop includes several predefined mojikumi sets
based on the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) X 4051-1995.
Oidashi and Oikomi When kinsoku shori or mojikumi is on, you can choose different
methods for processing line breaks. Oidashi—push-out line breaking—is a method of
moving characters down to the next line in order to prevent prohibited characters from
ending or beginning a line. Oikomi—push-in line breaking—is a method of moving
characters up to the previous line in order to prevent prohibited characters from ending or
beginning a line.
To select a mojikumi set for a paragraph:
In the Paragraph palette, choose an option from the Mojikumi pop-up menu:
•

None to turn off the use of mojikumi.

•

Mojikumi Set 1 to use half-width spacing for punctuation.

•

Mojikumi Set 2 to use full-width spacing for most characters except the last character in
the line.

Mojikumi Set 1, and Mojikumi Set 2.

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•

Mojikumi Set 3 to use full-width spacing for most characters and the last character in
the line.

•

Mojikumi Set 4 to use full-width spacing for all characters.

Mojikumi Set 3, and Mojikumi Set 4.

To select a kinsoku shori set for a paragraph:
In the Paragraph palette, choose an option from the Kinsoku Shori pop-up menu:
•

None to turn off the use of kinsoku shori.

•

JIS Weak or JIS Maximum to prevent 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

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To select a kinsoku line breaking option:
Choose Oidashi or Oikomi from the Paragraph palette menu. A check mark indicates
which option is selected.

Using burasagari
Burasagari allows single-byte periods, double-byte periods, single-byte commas, and
double-byte commas to fall outside the paragraph bounding box.
To turn on or turn off burasagari:
Choose Burasagari from the Paragraph palette menu. A check mark indicates that the
option is turned on.
Note: The Burasagari option is not available when Kinsoku Shori is set to None.

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Designing Web Pages
About designing Web pages with Photoshop and
ImageReady
When designing Web pages using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe ImageReady, keep in
mind the tools and features that are available in each application.
•

Photoshop provides tools for creating and manipulating static images for use on the
Web. You can divide an image into slices, add links and HTML text, optimize the slices,
and save the image as a Web page.

•

ImageReady provides many of the same image-editing tools as Photoshop. In addition,
it includes tools and palettes for advanced Web processing and creating dynamic Web
images like animations and rollovers.

When you save an image for use as a Web page, you can choose to generate an HTML file.
This file contains information that tells a Web browser what to display when it loads the
page. It can contain pointers to images (in the form of GIF, PNG, JPEG, and WBMP files),
HTML text, linking information, and JavaScript code for creating rollover effects.
You can integrate your Web production process by opening Photoshop files directly in
Adobe GoLive. Slices, URLs, and other Web features in Photoshop files are accessible in
GoLive for management and editing. You can also open Photoshop files in GoLive as page
templates. Page templates display as a shaded preview and provide a visual guide for
building a Web page in GoLive. For more information on using GoLive, see the Adobe
GoLive User Guide.
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 in different
browsers, on different operating systems, and with different color bit depths.
(See “Previewing an image in a browser” on page 53.)

Creating and viewing slices
A slice is a rectangular area of an image that you can use to create links, rollovers, and
animations in the resulting Web page. Dividing an image into slices lets you selectively
optimize it for Web viewing.

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About slices
You use slices to divide a source image into functional areas. When you save the image as
a Web page, each slice is saved as an independent file that contains its own settings, color
palette, links, rollover effects, and animation effects. You can use slices to achieve faster
download speeds. Slices are also advantageous when working with images that contain
different types of data. For example, if one area of an image needs to be optimized in GIF
format to support an animation, but the rest of the image is better optimized in JPEG
format, you can isolate the animation using a slice.
A

Web page divided into slices:
A. Image slice B. Layer-based slice C. No Image slice D. Slice that contains a rollover

You set how the Photoshop or ImageReady application generates HTML code for aligning
slices—either using tables or cascading style sheets—in the Output Settings dialog box.
You can also set how slice files are named. (See “Setting output options” on page 442.)

Types of slices
Slices you create using the slice tool are called user slices; slices you create from 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.
User slices, layer-based slices, and auto slices look different—user slices and layer-based
slices are defined by a solid line, while 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 makes 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 will be 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.

Creating user slices
You can create user slices with the slice tool or from guides, and in ImageReady, from a
selection.

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To create a slice with the slice tool:
1 Select the slice tool
window.

. Any existing slices automatically display in the document

2 Choose a style setting in the options bar:
•

Normal to determine slice proportions by dragging.

•

Fixed Aspect Ratio to set 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 to specify 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 snap to
align a new slice to a guide or another slice in the image. (See “Moving and resizing user
slices” on page 374.)
To create slices from guides:
1 Add guides to an image. (See “Using guides and the grid” on page 45.)
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.
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.

Creating 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.

Example of how a layer-based slice is updated when the source layer is modified

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Layer-based slices are especially useful when working 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.
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.
Converting an auto slice to a user slice prevents it from being changed when regeneration
occurs. Dividing, combining, linking, and setting options for auto slices automatically
converts them to user slices.
To convert an auto slice to a user slice:
1 Select an auto slice. In ImageReady, you can select multiple slices. (See “Selecting slices”
on page 373.)
2 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) With the slice select tool selected, click Promote to User Slice in the
options bar.

•

(ImageReady) Choose Slices > Promote to User-slice(s).

Converting layer-based slices to user slices
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.
To convert a layer-based slice to a user slice:
1 Select a layer-based slice. In ImageReady, you can select multiple slices. (See “Selecting
slices” on page 373.)
2 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Click Promote to User Slice in the options bar.

•

(ImageReady) Choose Slices > Promote to User-slice(s).

Viewing slices
You can view slices in Photoshop, the Photoshop Save for Web dialog box, and
ImageReady. The following characteristics 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.

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Slice colors Differentiate user slices and layer-based slices from auto slices. By default,
user slices and layer-based slices have blue symbols, while 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 final image’s color. 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 symbols Indicate whether a user slice has Image
or No Image
content;
if the slice is a layer-based slice ; if the slice is linked ; or if the slice includes a rollover
effect .
To show or hide slices:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose View > Show > Slices. To hide and show slices along with other items, use the
Extras command. For more information, see “Working with Extras” on page 47.

•

(ImageReady) Click the Toggle Slices Visibility button

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.

•

(ImageReady) Choose View > Show > Auto Slices.

To show or hide slice numbers (Photoshop):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Guides, Grid, & Slices.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Guides, Grid, & Slices.

2 Under Slices, click Show Slice Numbers.
To show or hide slice numbers and slice symbols (ImageReady):
1 Choose Edit > 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 of the numbers and symbols display.
To show slice lines only (ImageReady):
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Slices.
2 Under Slice Lines, select Show Lines Only.

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To change the color of slice lines:
1 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Guides, Grid, &
Slices; in Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Guides, Grid, & Slices.

•

(ImageReady) In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Slices; in Mac
OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Slices.

2 Under Slice Lines, choose a color from the Line Color pop-up menu.
Changing the color of slice lines automatically changes the color of selected slice lines to a
contrasting color.
To change slice color adjustments (ImageReady):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Slices.

•

In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Slices.

2 Enter a value, or choose a value from the Color Adjustments pop-up slider for User
slices, Auto slices, or both. (The User slices option controls color adjustments for both user
slices and layer-based slices.)
The value determines by how much the brightness and contrast of unselected slices are
dimmed.

Selecting and modifying slices
You can move, duplicate, combine, divide, resize, delete, arrange, align, and distribute user
slices. There are fewer options for modifying layer-based slices and auto slices; however,
you can promote a layer-based slice or an auto slice to a user slice at any time.
In Photoshop, you cannot combine, align, or distribute slices. Jump to ImageReady to
access these slice-editing capabilities.

Using the Slice palette (ImageReady)
To display the Slice palette:
Choose Window > Slice, or click the palette button
for the slice select tool.

on the right side of the options bar

Selecting slices
You select a slice with the slice select tool in order to apply modifications to it. In the
Photoshop Save for Web dialog box and in ImageReady, you can select multiple slices.
To select a slice:
Do one of the following:
•

Select the slice select tool
, and click on a slice in the image. When working with
overlapping slices, click the visible section of an underlying slice to select it.
To toggle between the slice tool and the slice select tool, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or
Command (Mac OS).

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(ImageReady) Select a slice in the Rollovers palette. (See “Using the Rollovers palette”
on page 398.)

To select multiple slices (ImageReady):
With the slice select tool

, do one of the following:

•

Shift-click to add slices to the selection.

•

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.)

In ImageReady, you can save, load, and delete slice selections. Using slice selections lets
you reselect specific slices quickly and accurately.
To save a slice selection (ImageReady):
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.
To load a slice selection (ImageReady):
Choose Slices > Load Slice Selection, and select the name of the slice selection you want to
load from the submenu.
Note: You must save a slice selection before you can load it.
To delete a slice selection (ImageReady):
Choose Slices > Delete Slice Selection, and select the name of the slice selection you want
to delete from the submenu. Deleting a slice selection does not delete the slices
themselves.

Moving and resizing user slices
You can move and resize user slices in Photoshop and ImageReady, but not in the
Photoshop Save for Web dialog box. You can also move and resize slices using numeric
coordinates. (See “Resizing and moving slices using numeric coordinates” on page 380.)
To move or resize a user slice:
1 Select a user slice. In ImageReady, you can select and move multiple 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.
In ImageReady, if you select and resize adjacent slices, common edges shared by the
slices are resized together.

To snap slices to a guide or another user slice:
1 Select the options you want from the View > Snap To submenu, and choose View >
Snap. (See “Using the Snap command” on page 172.) A check mark indicates that the
option is turned on.
2 Move the selected slices as desired. The slices snap to any guide or slice within 4 pixels.

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Dividing user slices and auto slices
The Divide Slice dialog box lets you divide slices horizontally, vertically, or both. In
Photoshop, you can divide only one slice; in ImageReady, you can divide multiple slices at
the same time. Duplicate slices are always user slices, regardless of whether the original is
a user slice or an auto slice.
Note: You cannot divide layer-based slices.
To divide slices:
1 Select a slice. In ImageReady, you can select multiple 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(s).

•

(ImageReady) Choose Divide Slice(s) 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 to divide the slice lengthwise.

•

Divide Vertically Into to divide 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 divide each slice based on the specified
number of pixels. Any section of a slice that is left over 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.

Duplicating 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 set
of linked slices. For more information, see “Linking slices (ImageReady)” on page 382.
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.
To duplicate a slice:
Do one of the following:
•

Select a slice. (In ImageReady, you can select multiple slices.) Then Alt-drag (Windows)
or Option-drag (Mac OS) from inside the selection. In ImageReady, you can also choose
Slices > Duplicate Slice(s) or Duplicate Slice(s) from the Slice palette menu.

•

(ImageReady) Select a slice in the Rollovers palette, and choose Duplicate Slice from the
palette menu. (See “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398.)

The duplicate slice appears on top of the original (offset 10 pixels down and to the right)
and can be moved, resized, or otherwise modified.

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To copy and paste a slice (ImageReady):
1 Select one or more slices.
2 Choose Copy Slice from the Slice palette menu.
3 If you want to paste into another image, open and display that image.
4 Choose Paste Slice from the Slice palette menu. If you paste the slice into the same
image as you copied it from, the pasted slice appears on top of the original.

Combining slices (ImageReady)
In ImageReady, you can combine two or more slices into a single slice. The resulting slice
takes its dimensions and position from the rectangle created by joining the outer edges of
the combined slices. If the combined slices are not adjacent or are of different proportions
or alignments, the newly combined slice may overlap other slices.
Optimization settings for the combined slice are those of the first slice selected before the
Combine Slices operation. A combined slice is always a user slice, regardless of whether
the original slices include auto slices.
Note: You cannot combine layer-based slices.
To combine slices:
1 Select two or more slices.
2 Choose Slices > Combine Slices.

Arranging user slices and layer-based 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.
Note: You cannot arrange the stacking order of auto slices.
To change the stacking order of slices:
1 Select a slice. In ImageReady, you can select multiple slices.
2 Do one of the following:
•

With the slice select tool active, click a stacking order option in the options bar: Bring to
Front , Bring Forward , Send Backward , Send to Back .

•

(ImageReady) Choose Slices > Arrange, and choose a stacking order command from the
submenu; or choose a stacking order command from the Slice palette menu.

•

(ImageReady) Drag the slice up or down in the Rollovers palette. (See “Using the
Rollovers palette” on page 398.)

Aligning user slices (ImageReady)
In ImageReady, you can align user slices with the top, bottom, left, right, or middle.
Aligning user slices 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. (See “Repositioning the
contents of layers” on page 289.)

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To align user slices:
1 Select the user slices you want to align.
2 Do one of the following:
•

With the slice select tool active, click an alignment option in the options bar: Align Top
Edges , Align Vertical Centers , Align Bottom Edges , Align Left Edges , Align
Horizontal Centers , Align Right Edges .

•

Choose Slices > Align, and choose a command from the submenu.

Distributing user slices (ImageReady)
In ImageReady, you can distribute user slices evenly along the vertical or horizontal axis.
Distributing user slices can eliminate unneeded auto slices and generate a smaller, more
efficient HTML file.
Note: To distribute layer-based slices, distribute the contents of the layers. (See “Repositioning the contents of layers” on page 289.)
To distribute user slices:
1 Select three or more user slices you want to distribute.
2 Do one of the following:
•

With the slice select tool active, click a distribute option in the options bar: Distribute
Top Edges
, Distribute Vertical Centers
, Distribute Bottom Edges
, Distribute
Left Edges , Distribute Horizontal Centers , Distribute Right Edges .

•

Choose Slices > Distribute, and choose a command from the submenu.

Deleting user slices and layer-based slices
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 will remain.
To delete a slice:
1 Select a slice. In ImageReady, you can select multiple slices.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Press the Backspace key or the Delete key.

•

(ImageReady) Choose Slices > Delete Slice(s), or choose Delete Slice(s) from the Slice
palette menu.

To delete all user slices and layer-based slices:
Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Choose View > Clear Slices.

•

(ImageReady) Choose Slices > Delete All.

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Locking slices (Photoshop)
Locking slices prevents you from making changes accidentally, such as resizing or moving
slices.
To lock all slices:
Choose View > Lock Slices.

Specifying slice options
Setting slice options lets you specify how the slice data will appear in a Web browser.
The available options vary according to the application and the slice type you select.
You can only set options for one slice at a time.
Note: Setting options for an auto slice promotes the slice to a user slice.

Viewing slice options
You specify slice options in the Slice Options dialog box (Photoshop) and the Slice palette
(ImageReady).
To display the Slice Options dialog box (Photoshop):
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 click the palette button
for the slice select tool.

on the right side of the options bar

Choosing a content type
Formatting and display options for a slice vary according to its content type. There are two
types of slice content:
•

Image slices contain image data, including rollover states. This is the default content
type.

•

No Image slices contain solid color or HTML text. Because No Image slices contain no
image data, they download more quickly. Photoshop and ImageReady do not display
No Image slice content. To view No Image slice content, preview the image in a
browser. (See “Previewing an image in a browser” on page 53.)

To specify a 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.

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Specifying slice names
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. (See “Setting slice output options” on page 443.) Layer-based slices are given
the name of the layer from which they are derived.
To change the name of a slice:
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.
•

Double-click the slice’s name in the Rollovers palette, and enter a new name.
(See “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398.)

Specifying slice background colors
The background color option lets you select a color to fill the transparent area (for Image
slices) or entire area (for No Image slices) of the slice. In Photoshop, this option is available
only if you activate the Slice Options dialog box from within the Save for Web dialog box.
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.
(See “Previewing an image in a browser” on page 53.)
To choose 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/BG pop-up menu:
•

(Photoshop) Select None, Matte, Eyedropper (to use the color in the eyedropper
sample box), White, Black, or Other (using the color picker).

•

(ImageReady) Select None, Matte, Foreground Color, Background Color, or Other (to use
the color picker), or select a color from the pop-up palette.

Assigning a URL to an Image slice
Assigning a URL to a slice makes the entire slice area a hotspot in the resulting Web page.
When a user clicks in the hotspot, the Web browser links to the specified URL and target
frame. This option is only available for Image slices.
To assign link information to an Image 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), 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 a full URL. If you enter a full URL, be sure to include http://
(for example, enter http://www.adobe.com, not www.adobe.com). For more information
on using relative URLs and full URLs, see an HTML reference (either printed or on the Web).

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3 If desired, enter the name of a target frame in the Target text box, or choose an option
from the pop-up menu. A frame name must match a frame previously defined in the HTML
file for the document. When a user clicks the link, the specified file displays in the new
frame:
•

_blank to display the linked file in a new window, leaving the original browser
window open.

•

_self to display the linked file in the same frame as the original file.

•

_parent to display 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
displays in the current parent frame.

•

_top to replace the entire browser window with the linked file, removing all current
frames.

Note: For more information on frames, see an HTML reference (either printed or on
the Web).

Resizing and moving slices using numeric coordinates
You can set the exact position and dimensions for a user slice using the Dimensions
options. In ImageReady, you can also set the exact position and dimensions for a layerbased slice using the Layer Apron options.
In ImageReady, if the Dimensions or Layer Apron options aren’t showing, choose Show
Options from the Slice palette menu, or click the Show Options button on the palette
tab to view them.
To resize and move a user slice using numeric coordinates:
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 Dimensions area of the Slice Options dialog box (Photoshop) or the Slice palette
(ImageReady), change one or more of the following options:
•

X to specify the distance in pixels between the left edge of the slice and the origin point
of the ruler in the document window.

•

Y to specify the distance in pixels between the top edge of the slice and the origin point
of the ruler in the document window.

Note: The default origin point of the ruler is the upper left corner of the image. (See “Using
rulers, columns, the measure tool, guides, and the grid” on page 43.)
•

W to specify the width of the slice.

•

H to specify the height of the slice.

•

Constrain Proportions to preserve the current proportions of the slice.

To resize and move a layer-based slice using numeric coordinates (ImageReady):
1 Select a slice.
2 In the Slice palette, change one or more of the following options:
•

L to specify the distance in pixels between the left edge of the slice and the left edge of
the layer’s content.

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•

T to specify the distance in pixels between the top edge of the slice and the top edge of
the layer’s content.

•

R to specify the distance in pixels between the right edge of the slice and the right edge
of the layer’s content.

•

B to specify the distance in pixels between the bottom edge of the slice and the bottom
edge of the layer’s content.

Specifying browser messages
You can specify what messages appear in the browser using the Message and Alt options.
These options are only available for Image slices.
Message Lets you change the default message in the browser’s status area for a selected
slice or slices. By default the slice’s URL is displayed.
Alt Lets you specify 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.
In ImageReady, if the Message and Alt options aren’t showing, choose Show Options from
the Slice palette menu, or click the Show Options button on the palette tab to view
them.
To specify a browser message:
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 in the Message text box, Alt text box, or both.

Adding HTML text to a slice
Choosing the No Image type for a slice lets you enter text that will appear in the slice area
of the resulting Web page. This text is HTML text—you can format it using standard HTML
tags. You can also select vertical and horizontal alignment options. For more information
on specific HTML tags, see an HTML reference (either printed or on the Web).
Photoshop and ImageReady do not display HTML text in the document window; you must
use a Web browser to preview the text. (See “Previewing an image in a browser” on
page 53.) Keep in mind that the appearance of text is affected by the browser settings and
operating system it is viewed on. Be sure to preview HTML text in different browsers, with
different browser settings, and on different operating systems to see how text will appear
on the Web.
Note: Be careful not to enter more text than can be displayed in the slice area. If you
enter too much text, it will extend into neighboring slices and affect the layout of your
Web page.
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 pop-up menu.
3 Type the desired text in the provided text box.
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4 (Photoshop Save for Web dialog box and ImageReady) If the text includes HTML
formatting tags, select the Text is HTML option. When this option is deselected, all the text
you enter (including formatting tags) will be displayed 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.
Horizontal alignment options:
•

Default to use the browser’s default for horizontal alignment.

•

Left to align the text to the left side of the slice area.

•

Center to align the text to the center of the slice area.

•

Right to align the text to the right side of the slice area.

Vertical alignment options:
•

Default to use the browser’s default for vertical alignment.

•

Top to align the text to the top of the slice area.

•

Baseline to set 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 to center the text vertically in the slice area.

•

Bottom to align the text to the bottom of the slice area.

Optimizing slices
You can optimize Image slices using the Save for Web dialog box (Photoshop) or the
Optimize palette (ImageReady).
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 relevant 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.
In ImageReady, you can also copy optimization settings from one slice to another within a
document, or from a slice in one view to a slice in another view in 2-Up or 4-Up view.
To optimize a slice:
Select one or more Image slices, and specify options in the Optimize panel/palette.
(See “Optimizing images” on page 415.)
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.

Linking slices (ImageReady)
Linking slices lets you share optimization settings between slices. When you apply optimization settings to a linked slice, all slices in the set are updated.

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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. (See “Optimization options for GIF and PNG-8 formats” on page 420.)
Note: You can also link slices in the Photoshop Save for Web dialog box. (See “Working
with slices in the Save for Web dialog box (Photoshop)” on page 417.)
To link slices:
1 Select two or more slices you want to link.
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.
Each linked set of user slices is assigned a different color for the slice display graphics in
the upper left corner of the slice. This helps to identify all the slices in one set.
To unlink user slices:
Do one of the following:
•

To unlink a user slice, select the slice, and then choose Slices > Unlink Slices.

•

To unlink all user slices in a set, select a slice in the set, and choose Slices > Unlink Set.

•

To unlink all user slices in an image, choose Slices > Unlink All.

Creating and viewing image maps (ImageReady)
Image maps enable you to 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 text files; other images;
audio, video, or multimedia files; other pages in the Web site; or other Web sites. You can
also create rollover effects in image map areas.
The main difference between using image maps and using slices to create links is in how
the source image is exported as a Web page. Using image maps keeps the exported image
intact as a single file, while using slices causes the image to be exported as a separate file.
Another difference between image maps and slices is that image maps enable you to link
circular, polygonal, or rectangular areas in an image, while slices enable you to link only
rectangular areas. If you need to link only rectangular areas, using slices may be preferable
to using an image map.
Note: To avoid unexpected results, do not create image map areas in slices that contain
URL links—either the image map links or the slice links may be ignored in some browsers.

Creating image maps
You can create image map areas using an image map tool or a layer.
Tool-based image map areas Are created using an image map tool—you drag in the
image to define the image map area. You can view and set options for tool-based image
maps in the Image Map palette.

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Layer-based image map areas Are created from a layer—the layer’s content defines the
shape of the image map area and the image map inherits the name of the layer. If you edit
the layer’s content, the image map area automatically adjusts to encompass the new
pixels. You can view and set options for layer-based image map areas in the Image Map
palette.
If you plan to add a rollover effect to an image map area, it is often preferable to use a
layer-based image map area rather than a tool-based image map area. For example, if you
create a rollover button that displays a glow effect in the Over state, a layer-based image
map area will automatically adjust to encompass the pixels that are produced by the glow.
Important: If you overlap image map areas, the topmost area is active.

Layer-based rectangle image map compared to polygonal image map

To create an image map area using an image map tool:
1 Select the rectangle image map tool
image map tool
in the toolbox.

, the circle image map tool

, or the polygon

2 For the rectangle or circle image map tool, select Fixed Size to specify set values for the
image map area’s dimensions. Enter pixel values in whole numbers.
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. 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. 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 polygon image map area, select the image map select tool, and
Shift-click where you want to add a point. To remove points from a polygon image
map area, select the image map select 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:
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.

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Converting layer-based image maps to tool-based image maps
Because a layer-based image map area is tied to the pixel content of a layer, the only way
to move, resize, or align it is to edit the layer. You can convert a layer-based image map
area to a tool-based image map area to unlink it from the layer.
To convert a layer-based image map area to a tool-based image map area:
1 Select a layer-based image map area using the image map select tool
(See “Selecting image maps” on page 386.)

2 Choose Promote Layer Based Image Map Area from the Image Map palette menu. If the
layer contains multiple, non-overlapping areas of pixel content, multiple tool-based image
map areas are produced.

Viewing image maps
When you select the image map select tool, image map areas show automatically. You can
also show or hide image map areas using the Image Map Visibility button.
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.
To show or hide image map areas:
Do one of the following:
•

Click the Image Map Visibility button

in the toolbox.

•

Choose View > Show > Image Maps.

•

Choose View > Show Extras. This command also shows or hides selection edges, slices,
text bounds, text baseline, and text selections. (See “Working with Extras” on page 47.)

To set image map display preferences:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Image Maps.

•

In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Image Maps.

2 To change the color of image map lines, choose a color from the Line Color pop-up
menu. Changing the color of image map lines also changes the line color of selected
image map areas to a contrasting color.
3 To change the strength of image map color adjustments, enter a value, or choose a
value from the Image Map Overlay pop-up slider. The value determines the extent of color
adjustments that dim the brightness and contrast of unselected image map areas.
4 To display image map lines only and deselect color adjustment display, select Show
Lines Only.
5 To show a bounding box for circular image map areas, select Show Bounding Box.

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Selecting and modifying image maps (ImageReady)
You can move, arrange, align, and duplicate tool-based image map areas using the Image
Map palette. There are fewer options for modifying layer-based image map areas because
they are tied to the pixel content of the associated layer; however, you can select, arrange,
and delete layer-based image map areas as you do tool-based image map areas.

Using the Image Map palette (ImageReady)
The Image Map palette displays options for the selected image maps. You can access
commands for working with image maps in the Image Map palette menu.
To display the Image Map palette:
Choose Window > Image Map, or click the palette button
options bar for the image map select tool.

on the right side of the

Selecting image maps
You select image map areas with the image map select tool.
To select an image map area:
1 Select the image map select tool

2 Click on 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.

Moving and resizing tool-based image maps
You can move and resize tool-based image map areas by dragging. You can also move and
resize rectangular and circular image map areas using numeric coordinates.
Note: To move or resize a layer-based image map area, move or edit the layer.
To move a tool-based image map area:
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.
To resize a tool-based image map area:
1 Select an image map area you want to resize.
2 Drag a handle on the image map border to resize the image map area.
To resize and move a tool-based image map area using numeric coordinates:
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 to specify 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 point of the ruler
in the document window.

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Y to specify 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 point of the ruler
in the document window.

Note: The default origin point of the ruler is the upper left corner of the image. (See “Using
rulers, columns, the measure tool, guides, and the grid” on page 43.)
•

W to specify the width of a rectangular image map area.

•

H to specify the height of a rectangular image map area.

•

R to specify the radius of a circular image map area.

Changing the shape of layer-based image maps
When you create a layer-based image map area, the default image map area is a rectangle
that encompasses all of the layer’s pixel data. You can change the shape of the image map
area by selecting a Shape option in the Image Map palette.
To change the shape of a layer-based image map area:
1 Select a layer-based image map area.
2 In the Layer Image Map section of the Image Map palette, choose an option from the
shape pop-up list: 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.

Duplicating image maps
You can create a duplicate image map area with the same dimensions and settings as the
original image map area.
To duplicate an image map area:
Do one of the following:
•

Select one or more image map areas, and choose Duplicate Image Map Area(s) 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 Rollovers palette, and choose Duplicate Image Map from the
palette menu. (See “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398.)

The duplicate image map area appears on top of the original (offset 10 pixels down and to
the right) and can be moved, resized, or otherwise modified.

Arranging image maps
The Rollovers palette displays the stacking order of image maps. You can specify which
image map area is on the top and bottom of the stack and move image map areas up or
down in the stacking order.
To change the stacking order of image map areas:
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: Bring to

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Front , Bring Forward , Send Backward , Send to Back
stacking order command from the Image Map palette menu.
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. Alternately, choose a

Drag an image map up or down in the Rollovers palette. (See “Using the Rollovers
palette” on page 398.)

Aligning tool-based image maps
You can align tool-based image map areas to the top, bottom, left, right, and middle.
Note: To align layer-based image map areas, first link the layers, and then choose an
alignment option from the Layer > Align Linked submenu.
To align tool-based image map areas:
1 Select the tool-based image map areas you want to align.
2 Do one of the following:
•

With the image map select tool active, click an alignment option in the options bar:
Align Image Map Top Edges , Align Image Map Vertical Centers , Align Image
Map Bottom Edges , Align Image Map Left Edges , Align Image Map Horizontal
Centers , Align Image Map Right Edges .

•

Choose an alignment command from the Image Map palette menu.

Distributing tool-based image maps
You can distribute tool-based image map areas evenly along the vertical or horizontal axis.
To distribute tool-based image map areas:
1 Select the tool-based image map areas you want to distribute.
2 Do one of the following:
•

With the image map select tool active, click a distribute option in the options bar:
Distribute Image Map Top Edges
, Distribute Image Map Vertical Centers
,
Distribute Image Map Bottom Edges
, Distribute Image Map Left Edges ,
Distribute Image Map Horizontal Centers , Distribute Image Map Right Edges .

•

Choose a distribute command from the Image Map palette menu.

Deleting image maps
You can delete selected image map areas by pressing the Backspace key or the Delete key,
or choosing Delete Image Map Area(s) from the Image Map palette menu.

Specifying image map options (ImageReady)
You can specify a name, a URL, a target frame, and Alt text for an image map area in the
Image Map palette.
To change the name of an image map area:
1 Select an image map area.
2 In the Image Map palette, enter a new name in the Name text box.

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To specify link options for an image map area:
1 Select an image map area.
2 In the Image Map palette, enter a URL for the link, or choose a previously created URL
from the URL pop-up menu. You can enter a relative URL or a full URL. If you enter a full
URL, be sure to include http:// (for example, enter http://www.adobe.com, not
www.adobe.com). For more information on using relative URLs and full URLs, see an
HTML reference (either printed or on the Web).
3 In the Image Map palette, enter the name of a target frame in the Target text box, or
choose an option from the pop-up menu. A frame name must match a frame previously
defined in the HTML file for the document. When a user clicks the link, the specified file
displays in the new frame:
•

_blank to display the linked file in a new window, leaving the original browser
window open.

•

_self to display the linked file in the same frame as the original file.

•

_top to replace the entire browser window with the linked file, removing all current
frames.

Note: For more information on frames, see an HTML reference (either printed or on
the Web).
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 most browsers, it also
appears if the user positions the mouse over the image map area.

Selecting an image map type (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. (See “Setting HTML
output options” on page 442.) 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.

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Creating Web photo galleries (Photoshop)
You use the Web Photo Gallery command to automatically generate a Web photo gallery
from a set of images. 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, a gallery page with the associated full-size image loads.

Web photo gallery home page and loaded gallery 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 has knowledge of HTML, you
can also customize a style by editing a set of HTML template files or create a new style.
To create a Web photo gallery:
1 Choose File > Automate > Web Photo Gallery.
2 Under Site, do the following:
•

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.

•

Enter the email address that you want to display as the contact for the gallery.

•

Choose an extension for the generated files from the Extension pop-up menu.

3 Under Folders, do the following:
•

Click Browse (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS). Then select the folder containing the
images that you want to appear in the gallery, and click OK (Windows) or Choose
(Mac OS).

•

Select Include All Subdirectories to include images inside any subfolders of the selected
folder.

•

Click Destination, select the destination folder that you want to contain the images and
HTML pages for the gallery, and click OK (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).

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4 To set options for the banner that appears on each page in the gallery, choose Banner
from the Options pop-up menu. Then do the following:
•

For Site Name, enter the title of the gallery.

•

For Photographer, enter the name of the person or organization that deserves credit for
the photos in the gallery.

•

For Contact Info, enter the contact information for the gallery, such as a telephone
number or a business address.

•

For Date, enter the date that you want to appear on each page of the gallery. By default,
Photoshop uses the current date.

•

For Font and Font Size, choose options for the banner text.

5 To set options for the gallery pages, choose Large Images from the Options pop-up
menu. Then do the following:
•

To have Photoshop resize the source images for placement on the gallery pages, select
Resize Images. Then choose an option for the image 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. A higher value results in better
image quality but larger file size.

•

For Border Size, enter the width of the border around the image in pixels.

•

For Titles Use, specify options to display caption information under each image. Select
Filename to display the filename, or select Caption, Credits, Title, and Copyright to
display caption text drawn from the File Info dialog box. For more information, see
“Adding file information (Photoshop)” on page 459.

•

For Font and Font Size, choose options for the caption text.

6 To set options for the home page, choose Thumbnails from the Options pop-up menu.
Then do the following:
•

For Size, choose an option for the thumbnail size from the pop-up menu or enter a
value in pixels for the width of each thumbnail.

•

For Columns and Rows, enter the number of columns and rows that you want to be
used to display the thumbnails on the home page. This option doesn’t apply to galleries
that use the Horizontal Frame Style or Vertical Frame Style.

•

For Border Size, enter the width of the border around each thumbnail in pixels.

7 To set options for colors of elements in the gallery, choose Customize Colors from the
Options pop-up menu. To change the color of a particular element, click its color swatch,
and then select a new color using the Color Picker. The Background option lets you
change the background color of each page. The Banner option lets you change the
background color of the banner.
8 To set options to display text to appear over each image as an anti-theft deterrent,
choose Security from the Options pop-up menu. Then do the following:
•

For Use, select Custom Text to enter customized text. Select Filename, Caption, Credits,
Title, or Copyright to display text drawn from the File Info dialog box. For more information, see “Adding file information (Photoshop)” on page 459.

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Specify font, color, and text alignment options. To place the text on the image at an
angle, choose a rotation option.

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.

Customizing and creating Web photo gallery styles
(Photoshop)
Photoshop provides a variety of styles for your Web photo gallery, which you can select
using the Web Photo Gallery command. If you are an advanced user who has knowledge
of HTML, you can also customize a style by editing a set of HTML template files or create a
new style.

About Web photo gallery styles
The Web photo gallery styles provided by Photoshop are stored in individual folders in the
following location:
Windows Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop 7.0/Presets/WebContactSheet
Mac OS Adobe Photoshop 7.0/Presets/WebContactSheet
The name of each folder in this location appears as an option in the Styles pop-up 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.
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 SimpleText (Mac OS).

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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 “Using tokens in Web photo
gallery styles” on page 394.

To customize an existing Web photo gallery style:
1 Locate the folder for the Web photo gallery style that you want to customize. For the
location of style folders, see “About Web photo gallery styles” on page 392.
2 If you don’t want to overwrite an existing style, create a copy of the style folder, and
store it in the same location on your hard drive as the existing style folders.
3 Using an HTML editor, open one of the HTML template files located inside the style
folder.
4 Customize the HTML template file using the guidelines for customization outlined in
this section, and save the file.
5 Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 to customize other HTML template files in the style folder.
When you have finished, you can create a gallery using the customized style. The
customized style appears as an option in the Styles pop-up menu in the Web Photo
Gallery dialog box.

Creating new Web photo gallery styles
You can create a new Web photo gallery style by creating the necessary HTML template
files that are used by Photoshop to generate a gallery.
To create a new Web photo gallery style:
1 Locate the folder that stores the existing Web photo gallery styles. For the location of
style folders, see “About Web photo gallery styles” on page 392.
2 Create a new folder for the new style, and store it in the same location on your hard
drive as the existing style folders.

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3 Using an HTML editor, 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 “Customizing Web photo gallery styles” on page 393.
When you have finished, you can create a gallery using the new style. The new style
appears as an option in the Styles pop-up menu in the Web Photo Gallery dialog box.

Using tokens in Web photo gallery styles
Photoshop features tokens in the HTML template files that are used to define a default
Web photo gallery style. The tokens enable Photoshop 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 only appear 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.
%BANNERCOLOR% Determines the color of the banner.
%BANNERFONT% Determines the font of the banner text.
%BANNERFONTSIZE% Determines the font size for the banner text.
%BGCOLOR% Determines the background color.
%CAPTIONFONT% Determines the font for the caption below each thumbnail on the
home page.
%CAPTIONFONTSIZE% Determines the font size for the caption.
%CHARSET% Determines the character set used on each page.
%CURRENTINDEX% Determines the link for the current home page.
%DATE% Determines the date that appears on the banner.
%FILEINFO% Determines the image file information for a caption.
%FILENAME% Determines the filename of an image.
%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.
%IMAGEPAGE% Determines the link to a gallery page.
%IMAGESRC% Determines the URL for a full-size image on a gallery page.
%LINK% Determines the color of links.
%NEXTIMAGE% Determines the link for the next gallery page.
%NEXTINDEX% Determines the link for the next home page.
%PAGE% Determines the current page location (for example, page 1 of 3).
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%PHOTOGRAPHER% Determines the name of the person or organization that deserves
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 border size for the thumbnails.
%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, non-breaking line in the
HTML file.
%THUMBNAILSRC% Determines the link to a thumbnail.
%THUMBNAILSROWS% This token is replaced with rows of thumbnails using the
Thumbnail.htm file for the non-frame styles. You must place this token alone in a single,
non-breaking line in the HTML file.
%TITLE% Determines the title of the gallery.
%VLINK% Determines the color of visited links.
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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Creating Rollovers and
Animations (ImageReady)
About working with layers in rollovers and animations
Working with layers is an essential part of creating rollovers and animations in
ImageReady. Placing the image content for a rollover on its own layer allows you to use
Layers palette commands and options to create rollover effects. Likewise, placing each
element of an animation on its own layer enables you to change the position and
appearance of the element across a series of frames.

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.

Illustration of an animation. The bicycle image is on its own layer; the position of the layer changes
in each frame of the animation.

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Editing layers in rollover states and animation frames
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 “Unifying and
matching layers rollovers and animations” on page 397.)
Important: 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, take 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.
However, the Down state will not be affected.
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 inclusive.

Unifying and matching layers rollovers and animations
By default, changes you make to layers using Layers palette commands and options—
including layer 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 and the Match command to apply changes to all states in a rollover and
all frames in an animation:
•

The unify buttons determine how the changes you make to a layer in the active state or
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.

•

The Layer > Match command lets you apply the layer attributes for an existing state or
frame to other states in a rollover and frames in an animation.

To unify layers in rollover states and animation frames:
Select one or more unify buttons in the Layers palette:
•

Unify Layer Position button to apply changes you make to a layer’s position to all
states in a rollover and all frames in an animation.

•

Unify Layer Visibility button to apply changes you make to a layer’s visibility to all
states in a rollover and all frames in an animation.

•

Unify Layer Style button to apply 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:
1 In the Rollovers 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:
•

Current Animation to apply layer attributes for the selected frame to all frames in the
animation.

•

Current Slice/Image Map’s States to apply layer attributes for the selected state to all
states in the rollover.

•

All Rollovers to apply 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, and click OK.
Note: Choose Propogate Frame 1 Changes from the Layers palette pop-up menu to
dynamically update all rollover states and animation frames, based on a change in the
first frame’s position, visibility, or layer style.

Using the Rollovers palette
The Rollovers palette lets you create, view, and set options for the rollover states in an
image. By default, every 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 states to an image that will occur when a
viewer performs a mouse action—such as rolling or clicking—over an area of the
Web page.
In addition to rollover states, the Rollovers palette can display slices, image maps, and
animations 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 Rollovers palette with slices, image maps, and animation frames showing:
A. Normal state B. Image map with Down state C. Slice with animation frames in Over state
D. Layer-based slice with Over state and Down state

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Displaying the Rollovers palette Choose Window > Rollovers. A check mark indicates
that the palette is showing.
Using the Rollovers palette menu Click the triangle
palette to access commands for working with rollovers.

in the upper right corner of the

Displaying slices and image maps in the Rollovers palette Choose Palette Options
from the Rollovers palette menu. Select or deselect Include Slices and Image Maps, and
click OK.
Displaying animation frames in the Rollovers palette Choose Palette Options from
the Rollovers palette menu. Select or deselect Include Animation Frames, and click OK.
Changing the size of rollover thumbnails Choose Palette Options from the Rollovers
palette menu, and select a thumbnail size. For sizes other than None, select Object Bounds
or Entire Document to determine the contents of thumbnails.
Expanding and collapsing states, slices, and image maps Click the triangle to the left
of an item in the Rollovers palette.

Creating and editing rollovers
You use the Rollovers palette, in conjunction with the Layers palette, to add rollover
effects to an image. When you save the image as a Web page, ImageReady adds JavaScript
code to the resulting HTML file to specify rollover states.

About rollovers
A rollover is a Web effect in which different states of an image appear when a viewer
performs a mouse action—such as rolling or clicking—over an area of the Web page.
A state is defined by a specific configuration of the Layers palette, including layer location,
styles, and other formatting options.
You use a slice or image map area to define the active area for a rollover. 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. When you save an image with rollover states as a Web page, each rollover state
is saved as a separate image file.

Illustration of an image with three rollover states:
A. Normal state B. Over state C. Down state

You can use layer styles to create instant rollover effects. When working with layerbased slices, you can also save the series of states as a rollover style. (See “Applying
and creating rollover styles” on page 402.)

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Creating slices for rollovers
You can quickly create layer-based slices for rollovers using the Rollovers palette. Layerbased slices are recommended when creating rollovers because the dimensions of a
layer’s content may change in the course of creating a rollover, and layer-based slices
automatically adjust to encompass the new pixels. For more information on the different
types of slices, see “Creating and viewing slices” on page 368.
To create a layer-based slice for a rollover:
1 Select the layer in the Layers palette. The content of the layer will define the active area
for the rollover.
2 Click the Create Layer-based Rollover button

in the Rollovers palette.

By default, ImageReady adds an Over state to the new slice.

Creating rollover states
You can add a variety of different states to the slices and image maps in an image.
To add a rollover state to a slice or image map:
1 In the Rollover palette or the image, select the slice or image map you want to add the
rollover state to.
Note: If slices are not visible in the Rollovers palette, select Include Slices and Image Maps
in the Palette Options dialog box to display them. (See “Using the Rollovers palette” on
page 398.)
2 Do one of the following in the Rollovers palette:
•

Click the Create Rollover State button

•

Choose New Rollover State from the palette menu.

3 Use the default rollover state assigned by ImageReady, or select a different rollover
state. (See “Editing rollover states” on page 400.)
4 Modify the layers used in the rollover state. (See “About working with layers in rollovers
and animations” on page 396.)

Editing rollover states
When you create a rollover state, ImageReady assigns the type of state by default;
however, you can easily change the state. You can also use the Rollovers palette to target
the image content of a state for editing.
To edit the image content of a state:
1 Select a state in the Rollovers palette. If necessary, expand the slice or image map to
view its states. (See “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398.)
2 Modify the layers used in the rollover state. (See “About working with layers in rollovers
and animations” on page 396.)
To edit the mouse action for a rollover state:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Double-click a rollover state in the Rollovers palette.

•

Select a rollover state in the Rollovers palette, and choose Rollover State Options from
the palette menu.

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2 Select a state, and click OK:
Over Activates the image when the user rolls over the slice or image map area with the
mouse while the mouse button is not pressed. (Over is automatically selected for the
second rollover state.)
Down Activates the image when the user presses the mouse button on the slice or image
map area. The state appears as long as the viewer keeps the mouse button pressed down
on the area.
Click Activates the image when the user clicks the mouse on the slice or image map area.
The state appears until the viewer moves the mouse 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 your Web
page will function correctly, be sure to preview rollovers in various Web browsers.
Custom Activates the image of the specified name when the user performs the action
defined in the corresponding JavaScript code. (You must create JavaScript code and add it
to the HTML file for the Web page in order for the Custom rollover option to function. See
a JavaScript manual for more information.)
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.
Selected Activates the rollover state when the user clicks the mouse on the slice or image
map area. The state appears until the viewer activates another selected rollover state, and
other rollover effects can occur while the selected state is active. For example, a selected
state for one button and an over state for another button can occur simultaneously.
However, if a layer is used by both states, the layer attributes of the selected state override
those of the over state.
Select Use as Default Selected State to activate the state initially when the document is
previewed in ImageReady or loaded into a Web browser.
Out Activates the rollover state when the user rolls the mouse out of the slice or image
map area. (The Normal state usually serves this purpose.)
Up Activates the rollover state when the user releases the mouse button over the slice or
image map area. (The Normal state usually serves this purpose.)

Previewing rollover states
You can preview rollover effects directly in the ImageReady document window by
switching to document preview mode. To preview the rollover effect in your computer’s
default Web browser, click the Preview in Default Browser button in the toolbox. (See
“Previewing an image in a browser” on page 53.)
To use rollover preview mode:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Click the Preview Document button

•

Choose Image > Preview Document.

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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 Rollovers 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.
To exit rollover preview mode:
Do one of the following:
•

Select any tool in the toolbox.

•

Click the Cancel button

in the options bar.

Adding animation to rollover states
You can add a multiple-frame animation to a state in an image. Adding an animation to
the Normal state will cause the animation to play when the image is loaded in a Web
browser. Adding an animation to another type of state will cause the animation to play
when a user activates the state.
To add animation frames to a rollover state:
1 In the Rollovers palette, select the state in which you want to display an animation.
If necessary, expand the slice or image map to view its states. (See “Using the Rollovers
palette” on page 398.)
2 Do one of the following to add frames to the animation:
•

Click the Create Animation Frame button
Animation Frame from the palette menu.

in the Rollovers palette or choose New

Note: If the Create Animation Frame button and the New Animation Frame command are
not visible, select Include Animation Frames in the Palette Options dialog box. (See “Using
the Rollovers palette” on page 398.)
•

Create frames in the Animation palette. (See “Creating and editing animations” on
page 404.)

Applying and creating rollover styles
Rollover styles (indicated by a triangle in the upper left corner of the style thumbnail)
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.
To apply a rollover style to a layer:
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.

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To create a rollover style:
1 In the Rollovers palette, create the desired rollover states. (See “Creating rollover states”
on page 400.)
Note: You must use a layer-based slice in order to create a rollover style.
2 Apply the effects to each state using predefined styles in the Styles palette or by
manually setting layer effects in the Layers palette. (See “Using layer effects and styles” on
page 301.)
3 In the Styles palette, click the Create New Style button
palette menu.

, or choose New Style from the

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.

Copying and pasting rollover states
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 Rollovers
palette as states, or copy states from the Rollovers palette and paste them into the
Animation palette as frames.
Note: Copy commands in the Animation palette and the Rollovers palette use an internal
clipboard available to these commands only. Copying frames or rollover states does not
overwrite the primary ImageReady clipboard.
To copy and paste rollover states:
1 Select a rollover state, and choose Copy Rollover State from the Rollovers 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 Rollovers palette menu.

Duplicating rollover states
Duplicating a state is an easy way to add existing animation frames to a new state.
To duplicate a rollover state:
Select a rollover state, and do one of the following:
•

Choose Duplicate Rollover State from the Rollovers palette menu.

•

Drag the state to the Create Rollover State button

The duplicate state and frames appear below the original state in the Rollovers palette.

Rearranging and deleting rollover states
You can move states between slices and image maps by dragging them to a new location
in the Rollovers palette. You can also delete individual states or all states in a rollover.

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To move states between slices and image maps:
Drag the state up or down in the Rollovers palette. When the highlighted line appears in
the desired position, release the mouse button.
To delete rollover states:
•

To delete one state, select a rollover state, and either click the Trash button on the
Rollovers palette or choose Delete Rollover State from the Rollovers palette menu.

•

To delete all states in a rollover, choose Delete Rollover from the Rollovers palette menu.

Creating and editing animations
You use the Animation palette, in conjunction with the Layers palette and Rollovers
palette, to create animation frames from an original, multilayer image. You can assign a
delay time to each frame, use the Tween command to generate new frames, and specify
looping for the animation. The number of frames you can create is limited only by the
amount of memory available to ImageReady on your system.

About 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.
An image can have multiple animations that are associated with different rollover states.
For example, adding an animation to the Normal rollover state causes the animation to
play when the Web page is first loaded by a Web browser. Adding an animation to another
rollover state causes the animation to play only when the Web user performs the specified
action (such as placing the mouse over the rollover or clicking on the rollover).

Using the Animation palette
The Animation palette lets you create, view, and set options for the frames in an
animation. You can change the thumbnail view of frames in the Animation palette—using
smaller thumbnails reduces the space required by the palette and displays more frames in
a given palette width.
Displaying the Animation palette Choose Window > Animation. A check mark indicates
that the palette is showing.
Using the Animation palette menu Click the triangle
in the upper right corner of the
palette to access commands for working with animations.
Changing the size of animation thumbnails Choose Palette Options from the
Animation palette menu, select a thumbnail size, and click OK.

Adding frames
Adding frames is the first step in creating an animation. If you have an image open in
ImageReady, 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.
Note: Always create and edit frames in Original view. While you can view frames in an
optimized view, the editing options are very limited.

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To add a frame to an animation:
1 In the Rollovers palette, select the state in which you want to display an animation.
(See “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398.)
Adding an animation to the Normal state will cause the animation to play when the image
is loaded in a Web browser. Adding an animation to another type of state will cause the
animation to play when a user activates the state.
2 Do one of the following:
•

In the Animation palette, click the Duplicate Current Frame button
Frame from the palette menu.

•

In the Rollovers palette, click the Create Animation Frame button
Animation Frame from the palette menu.

or choose New
or choose New

Note: If the Create Animation Frame button and the New Animation Frame command are
not visible in the Rollovers palette, select Include Animation Frames in the Palette Options
dialog box. (See “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398.)
3 Modify the image for the frame using the Layers palette. (See “About working with
layers in rollovers and animations” on page 396.)

Selecting frames
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.
You can select multiple frames, either contiguous or discontiguous, to edit them or apply
commands to them as a group. When multiple frames are selected, only the current frame
appears 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.
To select the current frame:
Do one of the following:
•

Click a frame in the Animation palette.

•

Click a frame in the Rollovers palette. If necessary, expand the state that contains the
animation to view its frames. (See “Using the Rollovers palette” on page 398.)

•

In the Animation palette or the Layers palette, click the Forward button
next frame in the series as the current frame.

•

In the Animation palette or the Layers palette, click the Backward button
the previous frame in the series as the current frame.

•

In the Animation palette, click the Select First Frame button
in the series as the current frame.

to select the
to select

to select the first 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.

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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.

406

To deselect a frame in a multiframe selection:
Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) a frame to deselect it.

Editing frames
You can use the Animation palette or the Rollovers palette to target the image content of
a frame for editing.
To edit the image content of a frame:
1 Select a frame. (See “Selecting frames” on page 405.)
2 Modify the image for the frame using the Layers palette. (See “About working with
layers in rollovers and animations” on page 396.)

Rearranging and deleting frames
You can change the position of frames in an animation and reverse the order of selected
contiguous frames. You can also delete selected frames or the entire animation.
To change the position of a frame:
1 Select the frame you want to move in the Animation palette or the Rollovers palette.
2 Drag the selection to the new position.
Note: In the Animation palette, you can select and change the position of multiple frames.
(See “Selecting frames” on page 405.) However, if you drag multiple discontiguous frames,
the frames are placed contiguously in the new position.
To reverse the order of contiguous frames:
1 Select the contiguous frames you want to reverse.
2 Choose Reverse Frames from the Animation palette menu.
To delete selected frames:
Do one of the following in the Animation palette or the Rollovers palette:
•

Select Delete Frame from the palette menu.

•

Click the Trash button

•

Drag the selected frame onto the Trash button.

, and click Yes to confirm the deletion.

To delete an entire animation:
Select Delete Animation from the Animation palette menu or the Rollovers palette menu.

Copying and pasting 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.

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To copy and paste layers between frames:
1 Select the frame you want to copy in the Animation palette or the Rollovers palette.
Note: In the Animation palette, you can select and copy multiple frames. (See “Selecting
frames” on page 405.)
2 Choose Copy Frame(s) from the Animation palette menu or the Rollovers 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 Rollovers palette menu.
5 Select a Paste method:
•

Replace Frames to replace the selected frames with the copied frames. When you paste
frames into the same image, no new layers are added to the image; rather, 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 to add 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 to add 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.

Example of using tweening to animate warped text

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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.)
Note: You cannot select discontiguous frames for tweening.
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 to vary all layers in the selected frame or frames.

•

Selected Layer to vary only the currently selected layer in the selected frame or frames.

5 Specify layer attributes to be varied:
•

Position to vary the position of the layer’s content in the new frames evenly between
the beginning and ending frames.

•

Opacity to vary the opacity of the new frames evenly between the beginning and
ending frames.

•

Effects to vary 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 to add 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 to add frames between the last frame and first frame. This option is only
available if you select the last frame in the Animation palette.

•

Previous Frame to add 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 to add frames between the first frame and last frame. This option is only
available 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. In this case, the
tweening operation alters the existing frames between the first and last frames in the
selection.)
8 Click OK.

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Specifying looping
You select a looping option to specify how many times the animation sequence repeats
when played.
To specify looping:
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.

Specifying delay for frames
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 second is specified as .25.
To specify a delay time:
1 Select one or more frames.
2 In the Animation palette, click on 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.
Note: Delay time may not be accurate during an animation preview in ImageReady.
For an accurate preview of delay time, preview animations in a browser.

Adding layers to frames
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 options saves time when you are creating an animation
that requires you to add a new visual element to each frame.
To add a new layer every time you create a frame:
Choose Create Layer for Each New Frame from the Animation palette menu. A check mark
indicates that the option is turned on.

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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.

Illustration of 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 or
Restore to Background . (No icon appears when disposal method is set to Automatic.)
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 Ctrl-click (Mac OS) the frame thumbnail to view the Disposal
Method context menu.
3 Choose a disposal method:
•

Automatic to determine 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 to preserve 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. To accurately preview an animation using the Do Not Dispose option,
preview the animation in a browser.

•

Restore to Background to discard 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
will not appear through the transparent areas of the next frame).

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Flattening 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 (the original layers will be available if 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.
To flatten frames into layers:
In the Animation palette, choose Flatten Frames into Layers from the palette menu.

Viewing animations
Viewing an animation lets you preview the frames in timed sequence. You can preview an
animation in ImageReady or in a Web browser.
To view an animation in ImageReady:
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. (See “Specifying looping” on page 409.)
2 To stop the animation, click the Stop button .
3 To rewind the animation, click the Select First Frame button

To preview an animation in a browser:
1 Click the Preview in Default Browser tool ,
in the toolbox, or choose File >
Preview In and select a browser from the submenu.
2 Use the browser’s Stop and Reload commands to stop or replay the animation.

Optimizing animations
You can apply optimization settings to animated images just as you do to nonanimated
images. You should always optimize an animation in GIF format because GIF is the only
format in ImageReady that supports the display of animated images on the Web.
Note: While you can optimize an image that includes animation in JPEG or PNG format,
these formats do not support animation. The resulting Web page will display only the
current frame of the animation.
In addition to the standard optimization options for GIF format, you can optimize frames
to include only areas that change from frame to frame. (This greatly reduces the file size of
the animated GIF.) ImageReady also applies a special dithering technique to animations to
ensure that dither patterns are consistent across all frames and to prevent flickering
during playback. Due to these additional optimization functions, ImageReady may require
more time to optimize an animated GIF than to optimize a standard GIF.

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To optimize an animated image:
1 Choose Optimize Animation from the Animation palette menu.
2 Set the following options:
•

Bounding Box to crop 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 to make 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 420.)

Important: Set the frame disposal method to Automatic when using the Redundant Pixel
Removal option. (See “Setting the frame disposal method” on page 410.)
3 Click OK.
4 Apply optimization settings. (See “Optimizing images” on page 415.)
When optimizing the colors in an animation, use the Adaptive, Perceptual, or Selective
palette. This ensures that the colors are consistent across frames. (See “Generating a
color table” on page 431.)

Viewing animated images in Photoshop
When you open a file containing an animation in Photoshop, only the frame that was
selected when you saved the file in ImageReady is displayed. You cannot edit the
animation frames separately, play the animation, or save the animation as an
animated GIF.
If you add a new layer to the file while in Photoshop, the layer is added to all frames of the
animation. However, the new layer will only appear in the selected frame when you
reopen the file in ImageReady. If you change the stacking order of layers while in
Photoshop, the stacking order of layers will be changed when you reopen the file in
ImageReady.

Saving animations
You can save an animation as a series of GIF files or as a QuickTime ™ movie.

Saving animations as animated GIFs
Animations that you view in a Web browser are called animated GIFs. When you save an
optimized document containing an animation, you can choose to generate an HTML file
that contains code for displaying the animated GIF in a Web page. The resulting Web page
can contain just the animated GIF or additional Web features, such as links and rollovers,
depending on the source document.
To save an animation as an animated GIF:
1 Optimize the animation. (See “Optimizing animations” on page 411.)
2 Save the optimized image. (See “Saving optimized images” on page 441.)

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Saving animations as QuickTime movies
You can save an animation as a QuickTime movie. The resulting file is viewable in the
QuickTime player and can be opened in other applications that support QuickTime movie
format.
To save an animation as a QuickTime movie:
1 Choose File > Export Original.
2 Select QuickTime Movie from the format pop-up menu.
Note: On Windows, QuickTime Movie format is only available when QuickTime is installed
on your computer.
3 Type a filename, and choose a location for the file.
4 Click Save.
5 If desired, adjust the compression settings, and click OK.

Opening and importing files as animations
You can use the animation features in ImageReady to edit animated GIFs, multilayered
Photoshop files, and QuickTime movies.

Opening animated GIFs
You can open an existing animated GIF in ImageReady using the File > Open command.
The file is opened 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 in ImageReady is useful primarily for applying optimization settings to the files. The one-layer-per-frame structure of imported animated GIF
files may make it impractical to edit animation frames in other ways.

Opening Photoshop files as animations
You can easily create animated GIFs from existing one-layer-per-frame images in Adobe
Photoshop file format or from a group of single-layer images.
You can make each layer in a multilayer Photoshop file a separate 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.
You can also import a folder of files and use each file as a frame in ImageReady. Files can
be in any format that ImageReady supports. Each file becomes a frame in the Animation
palette. The files are placed in the Animation palette in alphabetical order by image
filename.
To open a multilayer Photoshop file as frames:
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.

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To import a folder of files as frames:
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 display more
successfully if all files are 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 filename is frame 1 in the Animation palette and the bottom layer in the Layers
palette.

Opening QuickTime movies as animations
You can open movies in MOV, AVI, and FLIC formats to view and edit in ImageReady.
To open QuickTime-compatible movies:
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, 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.

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Preparing Graphics for the Web
About optimization
Optimization is the process of fine-tuning the display quality and file size of an image for
use on the Web or other online media. Adobe Photoshop and Adobe ImageReady give
you an effective range of controls for compressing the file size of an image while
optimizing its online display quality.
There are two methods of optimizing images:
•

For basic optimization, the Photoshop Save As command lets you save an image as a
GIF, JPEG, PNG, or WBMP 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.

For complete information on using the Save As command to save an image as a GIF, JPEG,
or PNG file, see “Saving images” on page 446.
•

For precise optimization, you can use the optimization features in Photoshop 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 combination 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 code to display your image in a Web browser.

Optimizing images
In Photoshop, you use the Save for Web dialog box to select optimization options and
preview optimized artwork. In ImageReady, you can view and work with optimized
images at any time in the document window.

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Using the Save for Web dialog box (Photoshop)
You use the Save for Web dialog box to select optimization options and preview optimized
artwork.
B

Save for Web dialog box
A. Toolbox B. Preview pop-up menu C. Optimize pop-up menu D. Color Table pop-up menu
E. Zoom text box F. Original image G. Optimized image

Displaying the Save for Web dialog box Choose File > Save for Web.
Previewing images 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.
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. Alternatively, you can
specify a magnification level in the Zoom text box at the bottom of the Save for Web
dialog box.
Selecting a view Click a different pane in the Save for Web dialog box to select a new
view. If you’re working in 2-Up or 4-Up view, you must select a view before you apply
optimization settings. A black frame indicates which view is selected.

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Viewing annotations The annotation area below each image in the Save for Web dialog
box provides valuable optimization information. The annotation for the original image
shows the filename 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.

Working with slices in the Save for Web dialog box (Photoshop)
If your artwork 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.
To select slices in the Save for Web dialog box:
1 Select the slice select tool

2 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. (See “Specifying slice options” on
page 378.)
To link slices:
1 Select two or more slices that you want to link.
2 Choose Link Slices from the Optimize pop-up menu
The link icon

appears on the linked slices.

To unlink slices:
Do one of the following:
•

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.

Using the Optimize palette (ImageReady)
You use the Optimize palette to select optimization options. This palette corresponds to
the Optimize panel in the Photoshop Save for Web dialog box.

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Displaying the Optimize palette Choose Window > Optimize. To show all the optimization options, click the Show Options control on the Optimize palette tab or choose
Show Options from the Optimize palette menu.
Using the Optimize palette menu Click the triangle
palette.

in the upper right corner of the

Viewing optimized images (ImageReady)
In ImageReady, you view and work with optimized images directly in the document
window. You can view up to four versions of an optimized image simultaneously and
easily switch between the optimized and original (non-optimized) versions of an image.

Document window in 4-Up mode

To preview optimized images:
Click a tab at the top of the document window 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.

•

4-Up to view four versions of the image side- by-side.

To select a view:
Click the view you want to select. A black frame indicates which view is selected.
Note: If you’re working in 2-Up or 4-Up view, you must select a view before you apply
optimization settings.
In 2-Up and 4-Up view, the annotation area below each view provides valuable optimization information. The annotation for the original image shows the filename 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 image information box at the bottom of the
document window. (See “Displaying file and image information” on page 48.)
To hide or show optimization annotations in 2-Up and 4-Up mode:
Choose View > Hide Optimization Info or View > Show Optimization Info.

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Applying optimization settings
You use the Optimize panel in the Save for Web dialog box (Photoshop) and the Optimize
palette (ImageReady) to set optimization options. If you’re working in 2-Up or 4-Up mode,
you can repopulate the views to automatically generate lower-quality versions of the
image based on the selected settings.
To apply optimization settings:
1 Select a view to which you want to apply optimization settings.
2 If your artwork contains multiple slices, select one or more slices to which you want to
apply the optimization settings. (See “Working with slices in the Save for Web dialog box
(Photoshop)” on page 417 and “Selecting slices” on page 373.)
3 Do one of the following:
•

Choose a named optimization setting from the Settings menu. For information on
creating custom named settings, see “Saving and resetting optimization settings” on
page 425.

•

Choose a file format from the File Format menu.

4 Set additional optimization options. The file format you chose in Step 3 determines
which options are available to you.
For more information on specific optimization options, see “Optimization options for GIF
and PNG-8 formats” on page 420, “Optimization options for JPEG format” on page 423,
“Optimization options for PNG-24 format” on page 424, and “Optimization options for
WBMP format” on page 424.
To apply optimization settings based on file size:
1 Choose Optimize to File Size from the Optimize pop-up menu (Photoshop) or the
Optimize palette menu (ImageReady).
2 Choose a Start With option:
•

Current Settings to use current optimization settings.

•

Auto Select GIF/JPEG to automatically generate a GIF or JPEG file. (Photoshop or
ImageReady selects GIF or JPEG format, depending on its analysis of colors in the
image.)

3 Enter a value for file size, and click OK.
To repopulate optimization settings:
1 Apply optimization settings to a view in 2-Up or 4-Up mode.
2 Choose Repopulate Views from the Optimize pop-up menu (Photoshop) or the
Optimize palette menu (ImageReady).
The the optimization settings for the selected view and the original view are not altered
during repopulation.
To restore an optimized version of an image 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.

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Optimization options for GIF and PNG-8 formats
GIF is the standard format for compressing images with flat color and crisp detail, such as
line art, logos, or illustrations with type. You can lower the size of GIF images by reducing
the number of colors in the file. Like the GIF format, the PNG-8 format efficiently
compresses solid areas of color while preserving sharp detail; however, not all Web
browsers can display PNG-8 files. PNG-8 settings are very similar to the GIF settings.
(See “About file formats” on page 453.)
E
A
B
C

Optimization panel for GIF format:
A. File format menu B. Color Reduction Algorithm menu C. Dither Algorithm menu
D. Transparency dithering menu E. Optimize menu

Note: In ImageReady, you can control which options show in the Optimize palette by
clicking the Show Options control on the Optimize palette tab. To show all options,
choose Show Options from the Optimize palette menu.
Lossy (GIF only) Specify a Lossy value to allow for lossy compression. Lossy compression
reduces file size by selectively discarding data—a higher Lossy setting results in more data
being discarded. You can often apply a Lossy value of 5–10, and sometimes up to 50,
without degrading the image. File size can often be reduced 5%–40% using the Lossy
option.
You can use masks from type layers, shape layers, and alpha channels to vary lossy
compression across an image. This technique produces higher-quality results in critical
image areas without sacrificing file size. (See “Using weighted optimization” on page 428.)
Note: You cannot use the Lossy option with the Interlaced option or with Noise or Pattern
Dither algorithms.
Color Reduction Algorithm and Colors Choose a algorithm for generating a color table
from the Color Reduction Algorithm menu. (See “Generating a color table” on page 431.)
Then specify the maximum number of colors in the Colors text box. If you choose Web for
the color reduction algorithm, the Auto option becomes active in the Colors pop-up
menu. Use the Auto option if you want Photoshop or ImageReady to determine the
number of colors in the color table based on the frequency of colors in the image.
You can use masks from type layers, shape layers, and alpha channels to vary color
reduction across an image. This technique produces higher-quality results in critical image
areas without sacrificing file size. (See “Using weighted optimization” on page 428.)

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Dithering Dithering refers to the method of simulating colors not available in the color
display system of your computer. Images with primarily solid colors may work well with no
dither. Images with continuous-tone color (especially color gradients) may require
dithering to prevent color banding.

GIF image with 0% dither, and with 100% dither

Choose a option from the Dither Algorithm menu:
•

No Dither applies no dither to the image.

•

Diffusion applies a random pattern that is usually less noticeable than Pattern dither.
The dither effects are extended across adjacent pixels. If you select this algorithm,
specify a Dither percentage to control the amount of dithering that is applied to the
image. A higher dithering percentage creates the appearance of more colors and more
detail in an image, but can also increase the file size. You can use masks from type
layers, shape layers, and alpha channels to vary the Dither percentage across an image.
This technique produces higher-quality results in critical image areas without sacrificing file size. (See “Using weighted optimization” on page 428.)

Note: Diffusion dither may cause detectable seams to appear across slice boundaries.
Linking slices diffuses the dither pattern across all linked slices, and eliminates the seams.
•

Pattern applies a halftone-like square pattern to simulate any colors not in the color
table.

•

Noise applies a random pattern similar to the Diffusion dither algorithm, but without
diffusing the pattern across adjacent pixels. No seams appear with the Noise algorithm.

Transparency and Matte Select a combination of Transparency and Matte options to
specify how transparent pixels in the image are optimized:
•

To make fully transparent pixels transparent and blend partially transparent pixels with
a color, select Transparency and select a matte color.

•

To make all pixels with greater than 50% transparency fully transparent and all pixels
with 50% or less transparency fully opaque, select Transparency and choose None from
the Matte menu.

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To fill fully transparent pixels with the selected color and blend partially transparent
pixels with the same color, select a matte color and deselect Transparency.

Examples of transparency and matting:
A. Original image B. Transparency selected with a matte color C. Transparency selected with no
matting D. Transparency deselected with a matte color

To select a matte color, click the Matte color swatch and select a color in the color picker.
Alternatively, choose an option from the Matte menu. The matte color should match the
background color of the Web page.
Transparency Dithering When the Transparency option is selected, you can choose a
method for dithering partially transparent pixels:
•

No Transparency Dither applies no dither to partially transparent pixels in the image.

•

Diffusion Transparency Dither applies a random pattern that is usually less noticeable
than Pattern dither. The dither effects are diffused across adjacent pixels. If you select
this algorithm, specify a Dither percentage to control the amount of dithering that is
applied to the image.

•

Pattern Transparency Dither applies a halftone-like square pattern to partially transparent pixels.

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Noise Transparency Dither applies a random pattern similar to the Diffusion algorithm,
but without diffusing the pattern across adjacent pixels. No seams appear with the
Noise algorithm.

Example of Pattern Transparency dithering

Interlace Select Interlaced to create an image that displays as a low-resolution version in
a browser while the full image file is downloading. Interlacing can make downloading
time seem shorter and can assure viewers that downloading is in progress. However, interlacing also increases file size.
Web Snap Specify a tolerance level for shifting colors to the closest Web palette equivalents (and prevent the colors from dithering in a browser). A higher value shifts more
colors.
Use Unified Color Table (ImageReady) Select to use the same color table for all rollover
states.

Optimization options for JPEG format
JPEG is the standard format for compressing continuous-tone images such as photographs. Optimizing an image as a JPEG format relies on lossy compression, which selectively discards data. (See “About file formats” on page 453.)
C
A
B

Optimization panel for JPEG format:
A. File format menu B. Quality Level menu C. Optimize menu

Note: In ImageReady, you can control which options show in the Optimize palette by
clicking the Show Options control on the Optimize palette tab. To show all options,
choose Show Options from the Optimize palette menu.
Quality Choose an option from the Quality Level menu, or specify a value in the Quality
text box. The higher the Quality setting, the more detail the compression algorithm
preserves. However, using a high Quality setting results in a larger file size than using a low
Quality setting. View the optimized image at several quality settings to determine the best
balance of quality and file size.

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You can use masks from type layers, shape layers, and alpha channels to vary the quality
level across an image. This technique produces higher-quality results in critical image
areas without sacrificing file size. (See “Using weighted optimization” on page 428.)
Optimized Select Optimized to create an enhanced JPEG with a slightly smaller file size.
The Optimized JPEG format is recommended for maximum file compression; however,
some older browsers do not support this feature.
Progressive Select Progressive to create an image that displays progressively in a Web
browser. The image will display as a series of overlays, enabling viewers to see a lowresolution version of the image before it downloads completely.
Note: Progressive JPEGs require more RAM for viewing, and are not supported by some
browsers.
Blur Specify the amount of blur to apply to the image. This option applies an effect
identical to that of the Gaussian Blur filter and allows the file to be compressed more,
resulting in a smaller file size. A setting of 0.1 to 0.5 is recommended.
ICC Profile Select ICC Profile to preserve the ICC profile of the artwork with the file. ICC
profiles are used by some browsers for color correction. (See “Setting up color
management” on page 104.)
Matte Specify a fill color for pixels that were transparent in the original image:
•

Click the Matte color swatch and select a color in the color picker.

•

Choose an option from the Matte menu.

Pixels that were fully transparent in the original image are filled with the selected color,
pixels that were partially transparent in the original image are blended with the selected
color.
Preserve EXIF Metadata (ImageReady) Select to preserve metadata from a digital
camera.

Optimization options for PNG-24 format
PNG-24 is suitable for compressing continuous-tone images; however, it produces much
larger files than JPEG format. (See “About file formats” on page 453.)
The advantage of using PNG-24 is that it can preserve up to 256 levels of transparency in
an image. To save an image with multilevel transparency, select Transparency. For more
information on the Interlaced, Transparency, and Matte options, see “Optimization options
for GIF and PNG-8 formats” on page 420.

Optimization options for WBMP format
WBMP format is the standard format for optimizing images for mobile devices, such as cell
phones. WBMP supports 1-bit color, which means that WBMP images contain only black
and white pixels.
Choose an option from the Dither Algorithm menu to determine the method for
converting pixel values to black or white:
•

No Dither applies no dither to the image.

•

Diffusion applies a random pattern that is usually less noticeable than Pattern dither.
The dither effects are diffused across adjacent pixels. If you select this algorithm, specify
a Dither percentage to control the amount of dithering that is applied to the image. You
can use masks from type layers, shape layers, and alpha channels to vary the Dither

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percentage across an image. This technique produces higher-quality results in critical
image areas without sacrificing file size. (See “Using weighted optimization” on
page 428.)
Note: Diffusion dither may cause detectable seams to appear across slice boundaries.
Linking slices diffuses the dither pattern across all linked slices, and eliminates the seams.
•

Pattern applies a halftone-like square pattern to determine the value of pixels.

•

Noise applies a random pattern similar to the Diffusion dithering, but without diffusing
the pattern across adjacent pixels. No seams appear with the Noise algorithm.

Saving and resetting optimization settings
You can save optimization settings as a named set and apply the settings to other images.
Settings that you save appear in the Settings pop-up menu, together with the predefined
named settings. If you edit a named set or a predefined set, the Settings menu displays the
term “Unnamed.”
In Photoshop, after you optimize an image, you can return to the artboard without losing
your settings. When you choose the Save for Web command again, the optimization
settings are just as you left them.
To save a named set of optimization settings:
1 Set optimization options as desired, and choose Save Settings from the Optimize
pop-up menu (Photoshop) or the Optimize palette menu (ImageReady).
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 Settings pop-up menu.
To edit a named set of optimization settings:
1 Choose the named set from the Settings pop-up menu.
2 Edit the optimization settings as desired. The Settings menu will display the term
“Unnamed,” since the settings no longer match a named set.
3 Choose Save Settings from the Optimize pop-up menu (Photoshop) or the Optimize
palette menu (ImageReady), and save the settings with the name of the original set.
To delete optimization settings:
1 Choose a named set or predefined set of optimization settings from the Settings
pop-up menu.
2 Choose Delete Settings from the Settings panel menu.
Note: You cannot restore deleted settings, so use the Delete Settings command with care.
To save the current optimization setting (Photoshop):
Do one of the following:
•

To save the settings and close the Save for Web dialog box, click Done.

•

To save the settings without closing the Save for Web dialog box, press Alt (Windows) or
Option (Mac OS), and click Remember.

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To reset optimization settings to the last saved version (Photoshop):
Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click Reset.

Resizing the image during optimization (Photoshop)
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.
To change the pixel dimensions of an image during optimization:
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:
•

Jagged (Nearest Neighbor) for the faster, but less precise, method. This method is
recommended for use with illustrations containing non-anti-aliased edges, to preserve
hard edges and produce a smaller file.

•

Smooth (Bicubic) for the slower, but more precise, method, resulting in smoother tonal
gradations.

For more information on interpolation, see “About resampling” on page 66.
5 Click Apply.

Controlling optimization (ImageReady)
By default, Photoshop and ImageReady automatically regenerate the optimized image
when you click the Optimized, 2-Up, or 4-Up tab at the top of the document (if you have
modified the image since the last optimization), when you change optimization settings
with the optimized image displayed, or when you edit the original image.
In ImageReady, you can turn off auto-regeneration so that the last version of the
optimized image remains in the image window until you manually reoptimize the image
or reactivate auto-regeneration. This feature is useful if you want to edit the image without
pausing for reoptimization with each modification. You can also cancel optimization while
it’s in progress, and preserve the previous image.
When auto-regeneration is turned off, the Regenerate button appears in the lowerright corner of each optimized image view. A regeneration alert symbol also appears in
the Color Table palette if the optimized image is in GIF or PNG-8 format, indicating that the
color table is out of date.
To turn Auto Regenerate on or off:
In the Optimize palette, choose Auto Regenerate from the palette menu. A check mark
indicates that the option is turned on.

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To manually optimize an image:
Choose a method for optimizing:
•

Click the Regenerate button
appears).

in the lower-right corner of the optimized image (if it

•

Choose Regenerate from the Optimize palette menu.

Note: Manually optimizing an image does not turn auto-regeneration on.
To cancel optimization:
Click the Stop button next to the progress bar at the bottom of the image window.

Setting optimization preferences (ImageReady)
You can set preferences in ImageReady to determine the default optimization settings and
the default configuration of panels in 2-Up and 4-Up views.
To set optimization preferences:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Optimization.

•

In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Optimization.

2 Choose an option in the Default Optimization section:
•

Previous Settings to automatically apply the last used optimization settings.

•

Auto Selected GIF or JPEG to automatically optimize the image as a GIF or JPEG.
ImageReady selects GIF or JPEG based on an analysis of the image.

•

Named Setting and select an option from the Named Settings pop-up menu to apply
that setting.

3 Under 2-Up Settings or 4-Up Settings, specify settings for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
panes (3rd and 4th panes apply to 4-Up view only):
•

Original to display the original image in the specified pane. (This option is available for
the first pane only.)

•

Current to display the image with current Optimize palette settings in the specified
pane. (This option is available for all panes.)

•

Auto to display a smaller optimized version of the image generated automatically by
ImageReady, based on the current Optimize palette settings. (This option is available
for the second, third, and fourth panes.)

•

Select one of the named settings to display the optimized image with those settings.
(This option is available for the second, third, and fourth panes.)

4 Click OK.

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Using weighted optimization
Weighted optimization lets you smoothly vary optimization settings across an image using
masks from text layers, shape layers, and alpha channels. This technique produces higherquality results in critical image areas without sacrificing file size. With weighted optimization, you can produce gradual variations in GIF, PNG-8, and WBMP dithering, lossy GIF
settings, and JPEG compression. Weighted optimization also lets you favor colors in
selected image areas when you generate a color table.

About masks and weighted optimization
Photoshop and ImageReady automatically generate masks when you create a type layer
or a shape layer. You can also manually create masks and store them in alpha channels.
When you use a mask to apply optimization settings, the white areas of the mask describe
the highest level of image quality, while the black areas for the mask describe the lowest
level of image quality. (The level of optimization in gray areas of the mask decreases by a
linear scale.)
Weighted optimization is available for specific settings in the Optimize panel/palette, as
indicated by the mask button . To access the weighted optimization dialog box, simply
click the mask button.
To create masks for use during optimization:
Do one or more of the following:
•

Create a type layer. (See “Creating type” on page 342.)

•

Create a shape layer. (See “Creating shape layers” on page 201.)

•

(Photoshop) Save a selection as a mask, or create a new alpha channel and use the
painting and editing tools to modify it. (See “Storing masks in alpha channels” on
page 280.)

•

(ImageReady) Use a selection tool to select an area of the image. (See “Making pixel
selections” on page 157.) Either save the selection using the Select > Save Selection
command, or choose the Save Selection command from the Channel pop-up menu in
the weighted optimization dialog box.

Using masks to modify JPEG quality
When you use masks to optimize the range of quality in a JPEG image, white areas of the
masks yield the highest quality, and black areas of the masks yield the lowest quality. You
can adjust the maximum and minimum level of quality in the Modify Quality Setting
dialog box.
To use masks to modify JPEG quality:
1 In the Optimize panel/palette, choose a JPEG setting from the Settings menu, or choose
JPEG from the file format menu.
2 Click the mask button

to the right of the Quality text box.

3 Choose which masks to use:
•

All Text Layers to use the masks from all text layers in the image.

•

All Vector Shape Layers to use the masks from all shape layers in the image.

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Channel to choose an alpha channel from the menu. In ImageReady, you can choose
Save Selection to create a new alpha channel based on the current selection.

4 To preview the results of the weighted optimization, select the Preview option.
5 Define the quality range:
•

To set the highest level of quality, drag the right (white) tab on the slider, enter a value
in the Maximum text box, or use the arrows to change the current value.

•

To set the lowest level of quality, drag the left (black) tab on the slider, enter a value in
the Minimum text box, or use the arrows to change the current value.

6 Click OK.

Using masks to modify GIF lossiness
When you use masks to optimize the amount of lossiness (or quality reduction) in a GIF
image, white areas of the masks yield the highest quality, and black areas of the masks
yield the lowest quality. You can adjust the maximum and minimum level of quality
reduction in the Modify Lossiness Setting dialog box.
To use masks to modify GIF lossiness:
1 In the Optimize panel/palette, choose a GIF setting from the Settings menu, or choose
GIF from the file format menu.
2 Click the mask button

to the right of the Lossy text box.

3 Choose which masks to use:
•

All Text Layers to use the masks from all text layers in the image.

•

All Vector Shape Layers to use the masks from all shape layers in the image.

•

Channel to choose an alpha channel from the menu. In ImageReady, you can choose
Save Selection to create a new alpha channel based on the current selection.

4 To preview the results of the weighted optimization, select the Preview option.
5 Define the quality range:
•

To set the highest level of quality, drag the left (white) tab on the slider, enter a value in
the Minimum text box, or use the arrows to change the current value.

•

To set the lowest level of quality, drag the right (black) tab on the slider, enter a value in
the Maximum text box, or use the arrows to change the current value.

Note: Lossiness is a reduction in quality; therefore, the highest level of image quality is
defined by the Minimum value, and the lowest level of image quality is defined by the
Maximum value. This is the opposite of the JPEG quality setting.
6 Click OK.

Using masks to modify dithering
When you use masks to optimize the amount of dithering in a GIF, PNG-8, or WBMP image,
white areas of the masks yield the most dithering, and black areas of the masks yield the
least dithering. You can adjust the maximum and minimum levels of dithering in the
Modify Quality Setting dialog box.

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To use masks to modify dithering:
1 In the Optimize panel/palette, choose a GIF or PNG-8 setting from the Settings menu,
or choose GIF or PNG-8 from the file format menu.
2 Click the mask button

to the right of the Dither text box.

3 Choose which masks to use:
•

All Text Layers to use the masks from all text layers in the image.

•

All Vector Shape Layers to use the masks from all shape layers in the image.

•

Channel to choose an alpha from the menu. In ImageReady, you can choose Save
Selection to create a new alpha channel based on the current selection.

4 To preview the results of the weighted optimization, select the Preview option.
5 Define the dithering range:
•

To set the highest percentage of dithering, drag the right (white) tab on the slider, enter
a value in the Maximum text box, or use the arrows to change the current percentage.

•

To set the lowest percentage of dithering, drag the left (black) tab on the slider, enter a
value in the Minimum text box, or use the arrows to change the current percentage.

6 Click OK.

Using masks to modify color reduction
When you use mask to optimize the colors in a GIF or PNG-8 image, the white areas of the
masks indicate to the color reduction algorithm which pixels are highly important,
whereas black areas of the masks indicate which pixels are less important.
To use masks to modify color reduction:
1 In the Optimize panel/palette, choose a GIF or PNG-8 setting from the Settings menu,
or choose GIF or PNG-8 from the file format menu.
2 Choose a color reduction algorithm and specify the maximum number of colors.
3 Click the mask button

to the right of the Color Reduction Algorithm pop-up menu.

4 Choose which masks to use:
•

All Text Layers to use the masks from all text layers in the image.

•

All Vector Shape Layers to use the masks from all shape layers in the image.

•

Channel to choose an alpha channel from the menu. In ImageReady, you can choose
Save Selection to create a new alpha channel based on the current selection.

5 To preview the results of the weighted optimization, select the Preview option.
6 Click OK.

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Optimizing colors in GIF and PNG-8 images
Decreasing the number of colors in an image is a key factor in optimizing GIF and PNG-8
images. A reduced range of colors will often preserve good image quality while dramatically reducing the file space required to store extra colors.
The color table gives you precise control over the colors in optimized GIF and PNG-8
images (as well as original images in indexed color mode). With a maximum of 256 colors,
you can add and delete colors in the color table, shift selected colors to other colors or to
transparency, and lock selected colors to prevent them from being dropped from the
palette.

Viewing a color table
The color table for a slice appears in the Color Table panel in the Save for Web dialog box
(Photoshop) or the Color Table palette (ImageReady).
Note: In ImageReady, be careful not to confuse the Color Table palette with the Color
palette or Swatches palette. You use the Color Table palette to optimize colors; you use the
Color palette and Swatches palette to select colors.
To view the color table for an optimized slice:
1 (ImageReady) Choose Window > Color Table.
2 Select a slice that is optimized in GIF or PNG-8 format. (See “Selecting slices” on
page 373.) The color table for the selected slice appears in the Color Table palette.
Note: In ImageReady, the color table for the selected slice will not appear if Auto Regenerate is off. For more information, see “Controlling optimization (ImageReady)” on
page 426.
If an image has multiple slices, the colors in the color table may vary between slices
(you can link the slices first to prevent this from happening). If you select multiple slices
that use different color tables, the color table is empty and its status bar displays the
message “Mixed.”

Generating a color table
You can change the palette—or set of colors—in the color table by selecting a color
reduction option in the Optimize panel/palette. There are three categories of options:
•

Dynamic options use a color reduction algorithm to build a palette based on the colors
in the image and the number of colors specified in the optimization setting. The colors
in the palette are regenerated every time you change or reoptimize the image.
Perceptual, Selective, and Adaptive are dynamic options.

•

Fixed options use a set palette of colors. In other words, the set of available colors is
constant, but the actual colors in the palette will vary depending on the colors in the
image. Web, Mac OS, Windows, Black & White, and Grayscale tables are fixed options.

•

The Custom option uses a color palette that is created or modified by the user. If you
open an existing GIF or PNG-8 file, it will have a custom color palette.

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To select a color reduction algorithm:
Choose an option from the Color Reduction Algorithm pop-up menu (below the file
format menu in the Optimize panel/palette):
Perceptual Creates a custom color table by giving priority to colors for which the human
eye has greater sensitivity.
Selective Creates a color table similar to the Perceptual color table, but favoring broad
areas of color and the preservation of Web colors. This color table usually produces images
with the greatest color integrity. Selective is the default option.
Adaptive Creates a custom color table by sampling colors from the spectrum appearing
most commonly in the image. For example, an image with only the colors green and blue
produces a color table made primarily of greens and blues. Most images concentrate
colors in particular areas of the spectrum.
Web Uses the standard 216-color color table common to the Windows and Mac OS 8-bit
(256-color) palettes. This option ensures that no browser dither is applied to colors when
the image is displayed using 8-bit color. (This palette is also called the Web-safe palette.)
If your image has fewer colors than the total number specified in the color palette, unused
colors are removed.
Using the Web palette can create larger files, and is recommended only when avoiding
browser dither is a high priority.
Custom Preserves the current color table as a fixed palette that does not update with
changes to the image.
Mac OS Uses the Mac OS system’s default 8-bit (256-color) color table, which is based on a
uniform sampling of RGB colors. If your image has fewer colors than the total number
specified in the color palette, unused colors are removed.
Windows Uses the Windows system’s default 8-bit (256-color) color table, which is based
on a uniform sampling of RGB colors. If your image has fewer colors than the total number
specified in the color palette, unused colors are removed.
Other color tables appear in the menu if you have saved them previously. (See “Loading
and saving color tables” on page 437.)
You can use an alpha channel to influence the generation of color tables. (See “Using
masks to modify color reduction” on page 430.)
To regenerate a color table (ImageReady):
Choose Rebuild Color Table from the Color Table palette menu. Use this command to
generate a new color table when the Auto Regenerate option is off. (See “Controlling
optimization (ImageReady)” on page 426.)

Changing the display of the color table
You can sort colors in the color table by hue, luminance, or popularity, making it easier to
see an image’s color range and locate particular colors. In ImageReady, you can also
change the size of the color swatches in the color table.
To sort a color table:
Choose a sorting order from the Color Table palette menu:
•

Unsorted. Restores the original sorting order.

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•

Sort By Hue, or by the location of the color on the standard color wheel (expressed as a
degree between 0 to 360). Neutral colors are assigned a hue of 0, and located with the
reds.

•

Sort By Luminance, or by the lightness or brightness of a color.

•

Sort By Popularity, or by the colors’ frequency of occurrence in the image.

To change the size of the color swatches (ImageReady):
Choose Small Swatches or Large Swatches from the Color Table palette menu.

Adding new colors to the color table
You can add colors that were left out in building the color table. Adding a color to a
dynamic table shifts the color in the palette closest to the new color. Adding a color to a
fixed or Custom table adds an additional color to the palette. (See “Generating a color
table” on page 431.)
To add a new color:
1 Deselect all colors in the color table (see “Selecting colors” on page 434).
2 Choose a color:
•

Click the color selection box in the Save for Web dialog box (Photoshop) or the toolbox
(ImageReady), and choose a color from the color picker.

•

Select the eyedropper tool
in the Save for Web dialog box (Photoshop) or the
toolbox (ImageReady) and click in the image.

•

Select the eyedropper tool , click in the image, hold the mouse down, and drag
anywhere on the desktop. You can use this option to select a color displayed in another
application, such as a color in a Web page displayed in a browser.

•

(ImageReady) Select a color from the Color palette or the Swatches palette.

3 Do one of the following:
•

Click the New Color button

in the Color Table palette.

•

Select New Color from the Color Table palette menu.

•

(ImageReady) Drag the color from the color selection box, Color palette, or Swatches
palette to the Color Table palette.
To switch the color table to a Custom palette, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command
(Mac OS) when you add the new color.

The new color appears in the color table with a small white square in the lower right
corner, indicating that the color is locked. (See “Locking colors in the color table” on
page 436.) If the color table is dynamic, the original color is displayed in the upper left and
the new color is displayed in the lower right.

Including black and white in a color table
You can add black and white to the color table when the image does not include these
colors. Including black and white is useful when preparing files for multimedia authoring
applications, such as Adobe After Effects®.

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To add black or white to the color table for an image:
1 Choose black or white as the foreground color. (See “Choosing foreground and
background colors” on page 257.)
2 Add the color to the color table. (See “Adding new colors to the color table” on
page 433.)

Selecting colors
You select colors directly in the optimized image or in the color table. In ImageReady, you
can select a color from another application, such as a Web page displayed in a browser.
To select a color from the optimized image:
1 Select the eyedropper tool
toolbox (ImageReady).

in the Save for Web dialog box (Photoshop) or the

2 Click a color in the image. A white border
table. Shift-click to select additional colors.

appears around that color in the color

To select a color from another application (ImageReady):
(ImageReady) Select the eyedropper tool, click in the image, hold the mouse down, and
drag anywhere on the desktop. You can use this option to select a color displayed in
another application, such as a color in a Web page displayed in a browser.
To select a color directly in the color table:
Click the color in the Color Table palette.
To select a contiguous group of colors, press Shift and click another color. All colors in the
rows between the first and second selected colors are selected.
To select a discontiguous group of colors, press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and
click each color that you want to select.
To select colors based on a selection in the image (ImageReady):
1 Make a selection in the image using the selection tools or the Select menu commands.
2 Choose Select All From Selection from the Color Table palette menu.
To select all colors:
Choose Select All Colors from the Color Table palette menu.
To select all Web-safe colors:
Choose Select All Web Safe Colors from the Color Table palette menu.
To select all non-Web-safe colors:
Choose Select All Non-Web Safe Colors from the Color Table palette menu.
To view selected colors in an image (ImageReady):
Select the optimized image. Then click and hold a selected color in the Color Table palette
to temporarily invert the color in the optimized image, enabling you to see which areas of
the image contain the color.
To view a contiguous group of colors, press Shift and click and hold another color. All
colors in the rows between the first and second selected colors are inverted.

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To view a discontiguous group of colors, press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and
click each color that you want to select, and hold the mouse button down on any color in
the group.
To deselect all colors:
Choose Deselect All Colors from the Color Table palette menu.

Shifting colors
You can change a selected color in the color table to any other RGB color value. When you
regenerate the optimized image, the selected color changes to the new color wherever it
appears in the image.
To shift a color:
1 Double-click the color in the color table to display the default color picker.
2 Select a color.
The original color appears at the upper left of the color swatch and the new color at the
lower right. The small square at the lower right of the color swatch indicates that the color
is locked. If you shift to a Web-safe color, a small white diamond appears at the center of
the swatch.
To revert shifted colors to their original colors:
Do one of the following:
•

Double-click the swatch for the shifted color. The original color is selected in the color
picker. Click OK to restore the color.

•

To revert all shifted colors in a color table (including Web-shifted colors), choose Unshift
All Colors from the Color Table palette menu.

Shifting to Web-safe colors
To protect colors from dithering in a browser, you can shift the colors to their closest
equivalents in the Web palette. This ensures that the colors won’t dither when displayed in
browsers on either Windows or Macintosh operating systems capable of displaying only
256 colors.
To shift colors to the closest Web palette equivalent:
1 Select one or more colors in the optimized image or color table. (See “Selecting colors”
on page 434.)
2 Do one of the following:
•

Click the Web Shift button

in the Color Table palette.

•

Choose Shift Selected Colors to Web Palette from the Color Table palette menu.

The original color appears at the upper left of the color swatch and the new color at the
lower right. The small white diamond in the center of the color swatch indicates that the
color is Web-safe; the small square at the lower right of the color swatch indicates that the
color is locked.

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To revert Web-shifted colors to their original colors:
Do one of the following:
•

Select a Web-shifted color in the color table and click the Web Shift button
Color Table palette.

in the

•

To revert all Web-shifted colors in the color table, choose Unshift All Web Shifted Colors
from the Color Table palette menu.

To specify tolerance for shifting colors automatically to the closest Web palette
equivalents:
In the Optimize panel/palette, enter a value for Web Snap or drag the pop-up slider.
A higher value shifts more colors.
(In ImageReady, click the Show Options control on the Optimize palette tab or choose
Show Options from the Optimize palette menu to view the Web Snap option.)

Mapping colors to transparency
You can add transparency to an optimized image by mapping existing colors to transparency.
To map colors to transparency:
1 Select one or more colors in the optimized image or color table. (See “Selecting colors”
on page 434.)
2 Do one of the following:
•

Click the Map Transparency button

in the Color Table palette.

•

Choose Map Selected Colors to Transparent from the Color Table palette menu.

The transparency grid appears in half of each mapped color. The small square at the
lower right of the color swatch indicates that the color is locked.
To revert transparency to its original colors:
Do one of the following:
•

Select the colors you want to revert, click the Map Transparency button or choose
Unmap Selected Colors from Transparent from the Color Table palette menu.

•

To revert all transparency-mapped colors, choose Unmap All Transparent Colors.

Locking colors in the color table
You can lock selected colors in the color table to prevent them from being dropped when
the number of colors is reduced and to prevent them from dithering in the application.
Note: Locking colors does not prevent them from dithering in a browser.
To lock a color:
1 Select one or more colors in the color table. (See “Selecting colors” on page 434.)
2 Lock the color:
•

Click the Lock button

•

Choose Lock/Unlock Selected Colors from the Color Table palette menu.

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appears in the lower right corner of each locked color.

Note: If the selected colors include both locked and unlocked colors, all colors will be
locked.
To unlock a color:
1 Click the locked color to select it.
2 Unlock the color:
•

Click the Lock button

•

Choose Lock/Unlock Selected Colors from the Color Table palette menu.

The white square disappears from the color swatch.

Deleting colors from the color table
You can delete selected colors from the color table to decrease the image file size. When
you delete a color, areas of the optimized image that previously included that color are
rerendered using the closest color remaining in the palette.
When you delete a color, the color table automatically changes to a Custom palette. This is
because the Adaptive, Perceptual, and Selective palettes automatically add the deleted
color back into the palette when you reoptimize the image—the Custom palette does not
change when you reoptimize the image.
To delete selected colors:
1 Select one or more colors in the color table. (See “Selecting colors” on page 434.)
2 Delete the color:
•

Click on the Trash button

•

Choose Delete Color from the Color Table palette menu.

Loading and saving color tables
You can save color tables from optimized images to use with other images and to load
color tables created in other applications. Once you load a new color table into an image,
the colors in the optimized image are changed to reflect the colors in the new color table.
To save a color table:
1 Select Save Color Table from the Color Table palette menu.
2 Name the color table and choose a location where it will be saved. By default, the color
table file is given the extension .act (for Adobe Color Table).
If you want to access the color table when selecting Optimization options for a GIF or PNG
image, save the color table in the Presets/Optimized Colors folder inside the Photoshop
program folder.
3 Click Save.
Important: When you reload the table, all shifted colors will appear as full swatches and
they will be unlocked.

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To load a color table:
1 Select Load Color Table from the Color Table palette menu.
2 Navigate to a file containing the color table you want to load—either an Adobe Color
Table (.act) file, an Adobe Color Swatch (.aco) file, or a GIF file (to load the file’s embedded
color table).
3 Click Open.

Using master palettes (ImageReady)
You can create a master palette to use with a group of GIF or PNG-8 images that will be
placed on a CD-ROM or other multimedia storage medium. When you include the master
palette with a batch of images, all images display using the same colors.
To build a master palette, you add colors from a set of images and then build and save the
master palette. To create a master palette for a batch of images, you add colors to the
palette from other optimized images.
To create and apply a master palette:
1 With an image displayed, choose Image > Master Palette > Clear Master Palette (if
available). Clearing the master palette ensures that colors from previous images are not
included in the new palette.
2 Open an image whose colors you want to include in a master palette.
3 Choose Image > Master Palette > Add To Master Palette. All color information for the
current image is added to the master palette.
4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all images whose colors you want to include in the master
palette.
5 In the Optimize palette, select optimization settings for the master palette.
6 Choose Image > Master Palette > Build Master Palette to create a new color table from
the color information of images used in steps 2, 3, and 4.
7 Choose Image > Master Palette > Save Master Palette.
8 Name the master palette and choose a location where it will be saved. By default, the
master palette file is given the extension .act (for Adobe Color Table).
If you want to access the color table when selecting Optimization options for a GIF or PNG
image, save the master palette in the Optimized Colors folder, inside the Presets folder in
the Adobe Photoshop folder.
9 Click Save.
10 To apply the master palette to the image or images for which it was created, open the
image or images and select the master palette:
•

If the master palette appears in the Color Reduction Algorithm menu in the Optimize
palette, select the master palette from this menu. (The Color Reduction Algorithm
menu includes all palettes saved in the Optimized Colors folder, inside the Presets
folder in the Adobe Photoshop folder.)

•

Load the master palette. (See “Loading and saving color tables” on page 437.)

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Working with hexadecimal values for color
You can view colors as hexadecimal values in the Info palette. In addition, you can copy
colors as hexadecimal values to the Clipboard and paste them into an HTML document.

Viewing hexadecimal values for colors in the Info palette
In Photoshop, hexadecimal values for colors are displayed in the Info palette when you
select Web Color Mode for one or both color readouts. In ImageReady, hexadecimal values
for colors are displayed automatically in the right side of the Info palette, next to RGB color
values. The Photoshop and ImageReady Info palettes also display other information,
depending on the tool being used.
To view hexadecimal color values in the Info palette:
1 Choose Window > Info or click the Info palette tab to view the palette.
2 (Photoshop) Choose Palette Options from the palette menu. Under First Color Readout
or Second Color Readout, choose Web Color from the Mode menu and click OK.
3 Position the pointer over the color you want to view hexadecimal values for.

Copying colors as hexadecimal values
You can copy colors as hexadecimal values from files in Photoshop or ImageReady, using
the context menu with the eyedropper tool, or using menu commands. In Photoshop, you
copy a color as a hexadecimal value while in the main work area (not the Save for Web
dialog box).
To copy a color as a hexadecimal value using the eyedropper tool:
1 Select the eyedropper tool

in the toolbox.

2 Select a color to copy:
•

Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) a color in the image to select the color
and view the eyedropper tool context menu.

•

(ImageReady) Click the color in the image which you want to copy. The color you click
becomes the foreground color. With the eyedropper tool still over the image, right-click
(Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) to view the eyedropper tool context menu.

3 Choose Copy Color as HTML (Photoshop) or Copy Foreground Color as HTML
(ImageReady) from the eyedropper tool context menu.
The selected color is copied to the Clipboard as a the HTML COLOR attribute with the
hexadecimal value (COLOR=#XXYYZZ). To paste the color into an HTML file, choose Edit >
Paste with the HTML file displayed in your HTML editing application.
To copy a color as a hexadecimal value using menu commands:
1 Select a color to copy.
2 Copy the color:
•

Choose Copy Color As HTML from the Color palette menu.

•

(ImageReady) Choose Edit > Copy Foreground Color as HTML.

The foreground color is copied to the Clipboard as the HTML COLOR attribute with the
hexadecimal value (COLOR=#XXYYZZ). To paste the color into an HTML file, open a destination application and choose Copy > Paste with the HTML file displayed.
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To copy a color as a hexadecimal value by dragging (ImageReady):
Drag the Foreground Color from the toolbox or a selected color from the Color Table
palette or the Swatches palette into the HTML file in the destination application.
Note: This feature is not supported by all text and HTML editing applications.

Using a droplet to automate optimization settings
(ImageReady)
You can save Optimize palette settings for use on individual images or batches of images
by creating a droplet, a small application that applies the optimization settings to an
image or batch of images that you drag over the droplet icon. You can drag a droplet to
the desktop or save it to a location on disk. When you create the droplet you can choose
where the images will be saved. When you drag an image over it, the droplet launches
ImageReady if the program is not currently running.
Note: You can also drag a droplet onto the ImageReady Actions palette to create an
action step, or you can drag a droplet onto a slice to apply the optimization settings to
the slice.
To create a droplet for automating Optimize palette settings:
1 With an image displayed in the image window, choose a compression format and
compression options in the Optimize palette.
2 Create a droplet:
•

Drag the droplet icon

from the Optimize palette onto the desktop.

The droplet is named with a brief description of the compression settings, including file
format and color palette or quality setting information. You can rename the droplet as you
do other desktop icons.
•

Click the droplet icon on the Optimize palette. Name the droplet, choose a location
where the droplet will be saved, and click Save.

•

Choose Create Droplet from the Optimize palette menu. Name the droplet, choose a
location where the droplet will be saved, and click Save.

To use a droplet:
1 Drag a single image or a folder of images onto the droplet icon.
As the images are processed, a progress bar appears.
2 Do any of the following to control the processing:
•

To temporarily pause the processing, click Pause. You can then click Resume to continue
the processing.

•

To cancel the processing, click Stop.

•

Let the process finish on its own.

For more information on working with droplets, see “Using droplets” on page 496.

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Saving optimized images
When you’ve applied a combination of settings that achieve a balance between quality
and file size, you’re ready to save the optimized image.
To save an optimized image:
1 Select the view with the desired optimization settings, and do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Click Save in the Save For Web dialog box.

•

(ImageReady) Choose File > Save Optimized to save the file in its current state. If you
previously saved the optimized file using the File > Save Optimized command, applying
the command again saves the file with the filename and Save options specified in the
first save operation. The Save dialog box does not appear.

•

(ImageReady) Choose File > Save Optimized As to save an alternate version of the file
with a different filename.

2 Type a filename, and choose a location for the resulting file or files.
3 Choose a Format option:
•

HTML and Images to generate all files required to use your artwork as a Web page.
This includes an HTML file and separate image files for the slices in the artwork. The
HTML file includes code for any links, image maps, and other effects in the document.

•

Images Only to save your artwork with the specified optimization settings. If the
artwork contains multiple slices, each slice is saved as a separate file.

•

HTML Only to generate an HTML file but not save any image files.

4 To set preferences for saving image files and HTML files, choose predefined output
options from the Settings pop-up menu, or choose Other to set different options.
(See “Setting output options” on page 442.)
5 Choose an option for slices from the pop-up menu:
•

All Slices to save all slices in the image.

•

Selected Slices to save only the selected slices. If you select this option in conjunction
with the HTML and Images option, ImageReady or Photoshop generates the HTML
code based on the outermost bounds of the selected slices, and generates auto-slices
as needed to create a complete HTML table.

Note: You must select the desired slices before starting this procedure.
•

(ImageReady) A slice selection to save only the slices in the selection. You must save a
slice selection in order for this option to appear in the menu. (See “Selecting slices” on
page 373.)

6 Click Save.

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Setting output options
When you save an optimized image as a Web page, you can specify how HTML files are
formatted, how slices are named, how files are named, and how background images are
handled. You set these options in the Output Settings dialog box.

Using the Output Settings dialog box
The Output Settings dialog box displays different sets of options. In ImageReady, you can
save your output settings and apply them to other files.
Displaying the Output Settings dialog box Do one of the following:
•

When you save an optimized image, choose Other from the Settings pop-up menu in
the Save Optimized or Save Optimized As dialog box. The Save and Load options are
not available when you use this method to access the Output Settings dialog box.

•

(ImageReady) Choose the desired preferences set from the File > Output Settings
submenu. Use this method if you want to load and save settings.

•

(Photoshop) Choose Edit Output Settings from the Optimize pop-up menu in the Save
For Web dialog box. Use this method if you want to load and save settings.

Displaying predefined output options Choose an option from the Settings pop-up
menu.
Switching to a different set of options Choose an options set from the pop-up menu
below the Settings menu. Alternately, click Next to display the next set in the menu list;
click Prev to display the previous set.
Saving output settings Set the options as desired, and click Save. Type a filename,
choose a location for the saved file, and click Save.
You can save the output settings anywhere. However, if you place the file in the Presets/
Optimized Output Settings folder inside the Photoshop program folder, the file will
appear in the Settings pop-up menu in both Photoshop and ImageReady.
Loading output settings Click Load, select a file, and click Open.

Setting HTML output options
You can set the following options in the HTML set:
Tags Case Specifies the capitalization for tags.
Attribute Case Specifies the capitalization for attributes.
Setting tags and attributes to all uppercase helps the code stand out in the file.
Indent Specifies a method for indenting lines of code: using the authoring application’s
tab settings, using a specified number of spaces, or using no indentation.
Line Endings Specifies a platform for line ending compatibility.
Include Comments Adds explanatory comments to the HTML code. In ImageReady, this
option is required when you plan to update the resulting file using the File > Update HTML
command.

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Always Quote Attributes Places quotation marks around all tag attributes. Placing
quotation marks around attributes is required for compatibility with certain early
browsers and for strict HTML compliance. However, always quoting attributes is not
recommended. Quotation marks are used when necessary to comply with most browsers,
even if this option is deselected.
Always Add Alt Tags Adds the ALT attribute to IMG elements to comply with
government Web accessibility standards.
Close All Tags Adds close tags for all HTML elements in the file for XHTML compliance.
Include GoLive 5 (or Earlier) Code (ImageReady) Reformats JavaScript code so that
rollovers will be fully editable in Adobe GoLive 5.0 and earlier. You do not need to select
this option if you plan to edit rollovers in GoLive 6.0.
Note: GoLive does not support the Selected rollover state.

Setting slice output options
You can set the following options in the Slices set:
Generate Table Aligns slices using an HTML table, rather than a Cascading Style Sheet.
Empty Cells Specifies how empty slices are converted to table cells. Select GIF, IMG W&H
to use a one-pixel GIF with width and height values specified on the IMG tag. Select GIF, TD
W&H to use a one-pixel GIF with width and height values specified on the TD tag. Select
NoWrap, TD W&H to place a nonstandard NoWrap attribute on the table data and also
place width and height values specified on the TD tags.
TD W&H Specifies when to include width and height attributes for table data: Always,
Never, or Auto (the recommended setting).
Spacer Cells Specifies when to add one row and one column of empty spacer cells
around the generated table: Always, Never, or Auto (the recommended setting). Adding
spacer cells is necessary with table layouts in which slice boundaries do not align, to
prevent the table from breaking apart in some browsers.
Generate CSS Generates a Cascading Style Sheet, rather than an HTML table.
Referenced Specifies how slice positions are referenced in the HTML file when using CSS:
•

By ID to position each slice using styles that are referenced by a unique ID.

•

Inline to include style elements in the declaration of the block element tag.

•

By Class to position each slice using classes that are referenced by a unique ID.

Default Slice Naming Choose elements from the pop-up menus or enter text into the
fields to be combined into the default names for all use slices. Elements include document
name, the word slice, numbers or letters designating slices or rollover states, slice creation
date, punctuation, or none.

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Setting image map output options (ImageReady)
You can set the following options in the Image Maps set:
Image Map Type Specifies what type of image map is created:
•

Client-Side to include all required code for the image map in the image’s HTML file.

•

NCSA Server-Side to create a separate .map file in addition to the HTML file, using NCSA
specifications.

•

CERN Server-Side to create a separate .map file in addition to the HTML file, using CERN
specifications.

Important: Photoshop and ImageReady cannot generate server-side image maps for
images that contain slices.
•

Client-Side & NCSA Server-Side to create both a client-side and server-side compatible
image map, using NCSA specifications.

•

Client-Side & CERN Server-Side to create both a client-side and server-side compatible
image map, using CERN specifications.

Note: Contact your Internet service provider to find out whether to use NCSA or CERN
specification for server-side image maps.
Image Map Placement Specifies the location of the image map declaration (the
tag) in the HTML file:
•

Top to place the image map declaration at the top of the HTML body section.

•

Body to place the image map declaration above the tag for the associated
slice.

•

Bottom to place the image map declaration at the bottom of the HTML body section.

Setting background options
You can set the following options in the Background set:
View Document As Select Image if you want the Web page to display an image or a solid
color as a background behind the current image. Select Background if you want the Web
page to display the optimized image as a tiled background.
Background Image Enter the location of an image file, or click Choose and select an
image. The file you specify will be tiled behind the optimized image on the Web page.
BG Color Click the Color box, and choose a background color using the color picker, or
choose an option from the pop-up menu.

Setting file saving options
You set the following options in the Saving Files set:
File Naming Choose elements from the pop-up menus or enter text into the fields to be
combined into the default names for all files. Elements include document name, slice
name, rollover state, trigger slice, file creation date, slice number, punctuation, and file
extension. Some options are relevant only if the file contains slices or rollover states.
The fields let you change the order and formatting of the filename parts (for example,
letting you indicate rollover state by an abbreviation instead of the full word).

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File Name Compatibility Select one or multiple options to make the filename
compatible with Windows (permits longer filenames), Macintosh, and UNIX operating
systems.
Note: Filenames may be truncated after 31 characters.
Copy Background Image When Saving Copies the background image file specified in
the Background set into images folder for the Web page.
Put Images In Folder Specifies a folder name where optimized images are saved
(available only with documents containing multiple slices).
Include Copyright Includes title and copyright information with the image. (See “Adding
title and copyright information to Web pages” on page 445.)

Adding title and copyright information to Web pages
You can add title and copyright information to a Web page by entering information in the
File Info dialog box. Title information displays in the Web browser’s title bar. Copyright
information is not displayed in a browser; however, it is added to the HTML file as a
comment and to the image file as metadata.
To enter information about an image:
1 Choose File > File Info.
2 Enter a title that will appear in the Web browser’s title bar:
•

(Photoshop) In the General section of the File Info dialog box, enter the desired text in
the Caption text box.

•

(ImageReady) Enter the desired text in the Caption text box.

3 Enter copyright information:
•

(Photoshop) In the General section of the File Info dialog box, enter the desired text in
the Copyright Notice text box.

•

(ImageReady) Enter the desired text in the Copyright text box.

4 Click OK.

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Saving and Exporting Images
Saving images
The saving options that are available to you vary between Photoshop and ImageReady.
Keep in mind that the primary focus of ImageReady is producing images for the Web.
If ImageReady doesn’t provide the file format or option you need, you can jump to
Photoshop.
You can use the following commands to save images:
•

Save to save changes you’ve made to the current file. In Photoshop, the file is saved in
the current format; in ImageReady, the Save command always saves to PSD format.

•

Save As to save an image with a different location or filename. In Photoshop, the Save
As command lets you save an image in a different format and with different options.
In ImageReady, the Save As command always saves to PSD format.

•

Export Original (ImageReady) to flatten the layers in a copy of the original image and
save the copy in a variety of file formats. Some information (such as slices and optimization settings) is not preserved when an original image is saved to file formats other
than Photoshop.

•

Save for Web (Photoshop), Save Optimized (ImageReady), and Save Optimized As
(ImageReady) to save an optimized image for the Web. (See “Optimizing images” on
page 415 and “Saving optimized images” on page 441.)

Saving files
You can save a file with its current filename, location, and format or with a different
filename, location, format, and options. You can also save a copy of a file while leaving the
current file open on your desktop.
To save changes to the current file:
Choose File > Save.
To save a file with a different name and location:
1 Choose File > Save As.
2 Type a filename, and choose a location for the file.
3 Click Save.
To save a file in a different file format:
1 Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Choose File > Save As.

•

(ImageReady) Choose File > Export Original.

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2 Choose a format from the format pop-up menu.
Note: In Photoshop, if you choose a format that does not support all features of the
document, a warning appears at the bottom of the dialog box. If you see this warning, it is
recommended that you save a copy of the file in Photoshop format or in another format
that supports all of the image data.
3 Specify a filename and location.
4 (Photoshop) Select saving options. For more information, see “Setting file saving
options (Photoshop)” on page 447.
5 Click Save.
With some image formats, a dialog box appears. For more information, see one of the
following:
•

“Saving files in Photoshop EPS format (Photoshop)” on page 448

•

“Saving files in GIF format (Photoshop)” on page 449

•

“Saving files in JPEG format (Photoshop)” on page 450

•

“Saving files in Photoshop PDF format (Photoshop)” on page 450

•

“Saving files in PNG format (Photoshop)” on page 451

•

“Saving files in TIFF format” on page 452

To copy an image without saving it to your hard disk, use the Duplicate command.
(See “Duplicating images” on page 42.) To store a temporary version of the image in
memory, use the History palette to create a snapshot. For more information, see “Making a
snapshot of an image (Photoshop)” on page 40.

Setting file saving options (Photoshop)
You can set a variety of file saving options in the Save As dialog box. The availability of
options depends on the image you are saving and the selected file format. For example, if
an image doesn’t contain multiple layers, or if the selected file format doesn’t support
layers, the Layers option is dimmed.
As a Copy Saves a copy of the file while keeping the current file open on your desktop.
Alpha Channels Saves alpha channel information with the image. Disabling this option
removes the alpha channels from the saved image.
Layers Preserves all layers in the image. If this option is disabled or unavailable, all visible
layers are flattened or merged (depending on the selected format).
Annotations Saves annotations with the image.
Spot Colors Saves spot channel information with the image. Disabling an option
removes spot colors from the saved image.
Use Proof Setup, ICC Profile (Windows), or Embed Color Profile (Mac OS) Creates a
color-managed document. (See “Embedding profiles in saved documents” on page 116.)
Thumbnail (Windows) Saves thumbnail data for the file. In order to select or deselect
this option, you must choose Ask When Saving for the Image Previews option in the
Preferences dialog box. For more information, see “Setting preferences for saving files
(Photoshop)” on page 463.

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Image Previews options (Mac OS) Saves thumbnail data for the file. Thumbnails display
in the Open dialog box. You can set these image preview options: Icon to use the preview
as a file icon on the desktop, Full Size to save a 72-ppi version for use in applications that
can only open low-resolution Photoshop images, Macintosh Thumbnail to display the
preview in the Open dialog box, and Windows Thumbnail to save a preview that can
display on Windows systems. Keep in mind that Windows thumbnails increase the size of
files as delivered by Web servers.
Use Lower Case Extension (Windows) Makes the file extension lowercase.
File Extension options (Mac OS) Specifies the format for file extensions. Select Append
to add the format’s extension to a filename and Use Lower Case to make the extension
lowercase.
Important: To display image preview and file extension options when saving files in Mac
OS, select Ask When Saving for the Image Previews option and the Append File Extension
option in the Preferences dialog box. For more information, see “Setting preferences for
saving files (Photoshop)” on page 463.

Saving files in Photoshop EPS format (Photoshop)
Virtually all page layout, word processing, and graphic applications accept imported or
placed EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) files. To print EPS files, you must use a PostScript
printer.
To save a file in Photoshop EPS format:
1 Save the artwork, and choose Photoshop EPS from the Format menu. (See “Saving files”
on page 446.)
2 In the EPS Options dialog box, select the options you want, and click OK:
Preview Creates a low-resolution image to view in the destination application. Choose
TIFF to share an EPS file between Windows and Mac OS systems. An 8-bit preview delivers
better display quality but larger file size than a 1-bit preview.
Note: To use the JPEG preview option in Mac OS, you must have QuickTime installed.
Encoding Determines the way image data is delivered to a PostScript output device:
Choose ASCII if you’re printing from a Windows system, or if you experience printing errors
or other difficulties.
•

Binary produces a smaller file and leaves the original data intact. Choose Binary
encoding if you’re printing from a Mac OS system. However, some page-layout applications and some commercial print spooling and network printing software may not
support binary Photoshop EPS files.

•

JPEG compresses the file by discarding some image data. Files with JPEG encoding can
be printed only on Level 2 (or later) PostScript printers and may not separate into
individual plates.

Include Halftone Screen and Include Transfer Function Control print specifications for
high-end commercial print jobs. Consult your printer before selecting these options.
Transparent Whites Displays white areas as transparent. This option is available only for
images in Bitmap mode.

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PostScript Color Management Converts file data to the printer’s color space. Do not
select this option if you plan to place the image into another color-managed document.
Doing so may disrupt the color management.
Note: Only PostScript Level 3 printers support PostScript Color Management for CMYK
images. To print a CMYK image using PostScript Color Management on a Level 2 printer,
convert the image to Lab mode before saving in EPS format.
Include Vector Data Preserves any vector graphics (such as shapes and type) in the file.
However, vector data in EPS and DCS files is only available to other applications; vector
data is rasterized if you reopen the file in Photoshop.
Image Interpolation Anti-aliases the printed appearance of a low-resolution image.

Saving files in Photoshop DCS format (Photoshop)
DCS (Desktop Color Separations) format is a version of EPS that lets you save color separations of CMYK or multichannel files.
To save a file in Photoshop DCS format:
1 Save the artwork, and choose Photoshop DCS 1.0, or Photoshop DCS 2.0 from the
Format menu. (See “Saving files” on page 446.)
2 In the DCS Format dialog box, select the options you want, and click OK.
The dialog box includes all the options available for Photoshop EPS files. For more information, see “Saving files in Photoshop EPS format (Photoshop)” on page 448. Additionally,
the DCS menu gives you the option of creating a 72-ppi composite file that can be placed
in a page layout application or used to proof the image:
•

DCS 1.0 format creates one file for each color channel in the CMYK image. You can also
create a fifth file: a grayscale or color composite. To view the composite file, you must
keep all five files in the same folder.

•

DCS 2.0 format retains spot-color channels in the image. You can save the color
channels as multiple files (as for DCS 1.0) or as a single file. The single-file option saves
disk space. You can also include a grayscale or color composite.

Saving files in GIF format (Photoshop)
You can use the Save As command to save RGB, indexed-color, grayscale, or Bitmap-mode
images directly in GIF format.
Note: You can also save an image as one or more GIF files using the Save for Web
command (Photoshop) or the Save Optimized command (ImageReady). For more information on optimizing images, see “Optimizing images” on page 415.
To save a file in GIF format:
1 Save the artwork, and choose CompuServe GIF from the Format menu. (See “Saving
files” on page 446.)
2 For RGB images, the Indexed Color dialog box appears. Specify conversion options and
click OK. For more information, see “Conversion options for indexed-color images
(Photoshop)” on page 98.
3 Select a row order for the GIF file, and click OK:
•

Normal displays the image in a browser only when download is complete.

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Interlaced displays low-resolution versions of the image in a browser as the file
downloads. Interlacing makes download time seem shorter, but it also increases
file size.

Saving files in JPEG format (Photoshop)
You can use the Save As command to save CMYK, RGB, and grayscale images in JPEG
format. JPEG compresses file size by selectively discarding data. (See “About file
compression” on page 453.)
Note: You can also save an image as one or more JPEG files using the Save for Web
command (Photoshop) or the Save Optimized command (ImageReady). For more information on optimizing images, see “Optimizing images” on page 415.
To save a file in JPEG format:
1 Save the artwork, and choose JPEG from the Format menu. (See “Saving files” on
page 446.)
2 In the JPEG Options dialog box, select the options you want, and click OK.
Matte If the image contains transparency, select a Matte color to simulate the
appearance of background transparency.
Image Options To specify the image quality, choose an option from the Quality menu,
drag the Quality pop-up slider, or enter a value between 0 and 13 in the Quality text box.
Format Options Select Baseline (“Standard”) to use a format recognized by most Web
browsers, Baseline Optimized for optimized color and a slightly smaller file size,
Progressive to display a series of increasingly detailed scans (you specify how many) as the
image downloads. Baseline Optimized and Progressive JPEG images are not supported by
all Web browsers.
Size To view the estimated download time, select a modem speed. (The Size preview is
only available when Preview is selected.)
Note: Some applications may not be able to read a CMYK file saved in JPEG format. In
addition, if you find that a Java application cannot read your JPEG file (in any color mode),
try saving the file without a thumbnail preview.

Saving files in Photoshop PDF format (Photoshop)
You can use the Save As command to save RGB, indexed-color, CMYK, grayscale, Bitmapmode, Lab color, and duotone images in Photoshop PDF format.
To save a file in Photoshop PDF format:
1 Save the artwork, and choose Photoshop PDF from the Format menu. (See “Saving files”
on page 446.)
2 In the PDF Options dialog box, select the options you want, and click OK.
Encoding Determines the compression method. (See “About file compression” on
page 453.)
Note: Bitmap-mode images are automatically encoded using CCITT compression—
the PDF Options dialog box does not appear.
Save Transparency Preserves transparency when the file is opened in another application. (Transparency is always preserved when the file is reopened in Photoshop or
ImageReady.) This option is not available if the file contains a spot color channel.
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Image Interpolation Anti-aliases the printed appearance of a low-resolution image.
Downgrade Color Profile If you selected ICC Profile (Windows) or Embed Color Profile
(Mac OS) for a version 4 profile in the Save dialog box, downgrades the profile to version 2.
Select this option if you plan to open the file in an application that does not support
version 4 profiles.
PDF Security Specifies security options such as password protection and restricted
access to a file’s content. Choose 40-bit or 128-bit RC4 encryption for a lower or higher
level of security. For more information on PDF security, see Acrobat Help.
Include Vector Data Preserves any vector graphics (such as shapes and type) as
resolution-independent objects, ensuring smoother output. When it is selected, you can
select the following options:
•

Embed Fonts ensures that all fonts used in the file are displayed and printed, even on
computers that do not have the fonts installed. Bitmap fonts, fonts that don’t allow PDF
embedding, substitute fonts, type that uses the faux bold style, and warped type
cannot be embedded. Selecting Embed Fonts increases the size of the saved file.

•

Use Outlines for Text saves text as paths. Select this option if embedding fonts results in
a file that is too large, if you plan to open the file in an application that cannot read PDF
files with embedded fonts, or if a font fails to display or print correctly. Text saved as
outlines is not searchable or selectable in a PDF viewer. You can, however, edit the text
when you reopen the file in Photoshop.

Note: The PDF viewer may display a substitute font if both Embed Fonts and Use Outlines
for Text are deselected.

Saving files in PNG format (Photoshop)
You can use the Save As command to save RGB, indexed-color, grayscale, and Bitmapmode images in PNG format.
Note: You can also save an image as one or more PNG files using the Save for Web
command (Photoshop) or the Save Optimized command (ImageReady). For more information on optimizing images, see “Optimizing images” on page 415.
To save a file in PNG format:
1 Save the artwork, and choose PNG from the Format menu. (See “Saving files” on
page 446.)
2 Select an Interlace option:
•

None displays the image in a browser only when download is complete.

•

Interlaced displays low-resolution versions of the image in a browser as the file
downloads. Interlacing makes download time seem shorter, but it also increases
file size.

3 Click OK.

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Saving files in TIFF format
TIFF is a flexible bitmap image format supported by virtually all paint, image-editing, and
page-layout applications.
To save a file in TIFF format (Photoshop):
1 Save the artwork, and choose TIFF from the Format menu. (See “Saving files” on
page 446.)
2 In the TIFF Options dialog box, select the options you want, and click OK.
Image Compression Specifies a method for compressing the composite image data.
(See “About file compression” on page 453.)
Byte Order Photoshop and most recent applications can read files using either byte
order. However, if you don’t know what kind of program the file may be opened in, select
the platform on which the file will be read.
Save Image Pyramid Preserves multiresolution information. Photoshop does not
provide options for opening multiresolution files; the image opens at the highest
resolution within the file. However, Adobe InDesign and some image servers provide
support for opening multiresolution formats.
Save Transparency Preserves transparency as an additional alpha channel when the file
is opened in another application. (Transparency is always preserved when the file is
reopened in Photoshop or ImageReady.)
Layer Compression Specifies a method for compressing data for pixels in layers (as
opposed to composite data). Many applications cannot read layer data and will skip over it
when opening a TIFF file. Photoshop, however, can read layer data in TIFF files. Although
files that include layer data are larger than those that don’t, saving layer data alleviates the
need to save and manage a separate PSD file to hold the layer data. For more information
on RLE and ZIP compression, see “About file compression” on page 453. Choose Discard
Layers and Save a Copy to flatten the image.
Note: To have Photoshop prompt you before saving an image with multiple layers,
select Ask Before Saving Layered TIFF Files in the File Handling section of the Preferences
dialog box.
To save a file in TIFF format (ImageReady):
1 Choose File > Export Original, and choose TIFF from the format list.
2 Specify a filename and location, and click Save.
3 Select a compression method, and click OK. (See “About file compression” on
page 453.)

Exporting images in ZoomView format (Photoshop)
ZoomView is a format for delivering high-resolution images over the Web. With the
Viewpoint Media Player, users can zoom into or out of an image and pan the image to see
its various parts.
When you export an image in ZoomView format, Photoshop creates the following files:
•

An MTX file that defines the image to be displayed.

•

An HTML file that loads the Viewpoint Media Player and points to the MTX file.

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A folder containing tiles that are used to display the image.

•

A folder containing VBS and JavaScript scripts that are used by the HTML file.

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To export an image in ZoomView format:
1 Choose File > Export > ZoomView.
2 Set the following options, and click OK:
Template Specify a template for generating the MTX, HTML, and auxiliary files. Choose a
preset template from the pop-up menu, or choose Load to choose a different ZoomView
Template (ZVT) file. You can download additional templates from the Viewpoint Web site.
Output Location Click Folder to specify an output location. Enter a name in the Base
Name text box to specify a common name for the files.
Path to Broadcast License File Specify a URL for the broadcast license file. The
Viewpoint Corporation requires that all publishers of ZoomView content acquire a
broadcast license. To apply for a key, click Get License.
Image Tile Options ZoomView technology uses image tiling to load only the part of a
high-resolution image that a user wants see. Select a Tile Size to control how many pixels
are in each tile. A tile size of 128 is recommended for small images; a tile size of 256 is
recommended for large images.
To specify an amount of compression for each tile image, choose an option from the
Quality menu, drag the Quality pop-up slider, or enter a value between 0 and 13 in the
Quality text box. Select Optimize Tables to create enhanced JPEGs with slightly smaller file
sizes. This option is recommended for maximum file compression.
Browser Options Specify a width and height for the image in the Viewpoint Media
Player. Select Preview in Browser to launch your default Web browser and load the
generated HTML file after you click OK.

About file formats
Graphic file formats differ in the way they represent image data (as pixels or as vectors), in
compression technique, and in which Photoshop and ImageReady features they support.
For more information on choosing file formats when opening or saving images,
see “Opening and importing images” on page 73 and “Saving images” on page 446.
For information on choosing a Web optimization format, see “Optimizing images” on
page 415.
Note: If a supported file format does not appear in the appropriate dialog box or
submenu, you may need to install the format’s plug-in module. (See “Using plug-in
modules” on page 58.)

About file compression
Many file formats use compression to reduce the file size of bitmap images.
Lossless techniques compress the file without removing image detail or color information;
lossy techniques remove detail. The following are commonly used compression
techniques:
RLE (Run Length Encoding) Lossless compression; supported by some common
Windows file formats.

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LZW (Lemple-Zif-Welch) Lossless compression; supported by TIFF, PDF, GIF, and
PostScript language file formats. Most useful for images with large areas of single color.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) Lossy compression; supported by JPEG, TIFF,
PDF, and PostScript language file formats. Recommended for continuous-tone images,
such as photographs. To specify image quality, choose an option from the Quality menu,
drag the Quality pop-up slider, or enter a value between 0 and 13 in the Quality text box.
For the best printed results, choose maximum-quality compression. JPEG files can be
printed only on Level 2 (or later) PostScript printers and may not separate into individual
plates.
CCITT A family of lossless compression techniques for black-and-white images;
supported by the PDF and PostScript language file formats. (CCITT is an abbreviation for
the French spelling of International Telegraph and Telekeyed Consultive Committee.)
ZIP Lossless compression; supported by PDF and TIFF file formats. Like LZW, ZIP
compression is most effective for images that contain large areas of single color.
PackBits (ImageReady) Lossless compression that uses a run-length compression
scheme; supported by the TIFF file format in ImageReady only.

Photoshop format
Photoshop format (PSD) is the default file format and the only format that supports all
Photoshop features. When saving a PSD file for use in a previous version of Photoshop or
ImageReady, you can set a preference to maximize file compatibility.
To maximize compatibility with previous versions of Photoshop and with other
applications (Photoshop):
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > File Handling.

2 Select Always Maximize Compatibility for Photoshop (PSD) Files.
If you edit or save an image using an earlier version of Photoshop, unsupported features
are discarded. Keep in mind the following features when working with earlier versions of
Photoshop:
•

Photoshop 7.0 introduces the Linear Burn, Linear Dodge, Vivid Light, Linear Light, and
Pin Light blending modes and the Layer Mask Hides Effect and Vector Mask Hides Effect
advanced blending options.

•

Photoshop 6.0 introduced layer sets, layer color coding, layer clipping paths, fill layers,
layer styles, editable type, and advanced type formatting. Photoshop 6.0 also added
new layer effects.

•

Photoshop 5.0 introduced layer effects; however, effects added in later versions of
Photoshop are not supported. Photoshop 5.0 also introduced color samplers, spot
channels, and embedded ICC profiles.

•

Photoshop 4.0 introduced adjustment layers and guides.

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Photoshop 2.0 (Photoshop)
(Mac OS) You can use this format to open an image in version 2.0 or to export an image to
an application supporting only Photoshop 2.0 files. Saving in Photoshop 2.0 format
flattens your image and discards layer information.

AVI (ImageReady)
Audio Video Interleave (AVI) format is the standard Windows format for audio/video data.
Note: In Windows, AVI format is visible in the Files of Type pop-up menu only when
QuickTime is installed on your computer.

BMP
BMP is a standard Windows image format on DOS and Windows-compatible computers.
BMP format supports RGB, Indexed Color, Grayscale, and Bitmap color modes. You can
specify either Windows or OS/2® format and a bit depth for the image. For 4-bit and 8-bit
images using Windows format, you can also specify RLE compression.
BMP images are normally written bottom to top; however, you can select the Flip Row
Order option to write them from top to bottom. You can also select an alternate encoding
method by clicking Advanced Modes. (Flip Row Order and Advanced Modes are most
relevant to game programmers and others using DirectX.)

Photoshop EPS
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) language file format can contain both vector and bitmap
graphics and is supported by virtually all graphic, illustration, and page-layout programs.
EPS format is used to transfer PostScript-language artwork between applications. When
you open an EPS file containing vector graphics, Photoshop rasterizes the image,
converting the vector graphics to pixels.
EPS format supports Lab, CMYK, RGB, Indexed Color, Duotone, Grayscale, and Bitmap color
modes, and does not support alpha channels. EPS does support clipping paths. Desktop
Color Separations (DCS) format, a version of the standard EPS format, lets you save color
separations of CMYK images. You use DCS 2.0 format to export images containing spot
channels.To print EPS files, you must use a PostScript printer.

Photoshop DCS 1.0 and 2.0 (Photoshop)
Desktop Color Separations (DCS) format is a version of the standard EPS format that lets
you save color separations of CMYK images. You can use DCS 2.0 format to export images
containing spot channels. To print DCS files, you must use a PostScript printer.

EPS TIFF or EPS PICT Preview (Photoshop)
These formats let you open images saved in file formats that create previews but are not
supported by Adobe Photoshop (such as QuarkXPress®). An opened preview image can
be edited and used like any other low-resolution file. EPS PICT Preview is available only in
Mac OS.
Note: EPS TIFF format and EPS PICT format were more relevant for use in earlier versions of
Photoshop. The current version of Photoshop includes rasterization features for opening
files that include vector data.

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Filmstrip
Filmstrip format is used for RGB animation or movie files created by Adobe Premiere ®.
If you resize, resample, remove alpha channels, or change the color mode or file format
of a Filmstrip file in Photoshop, you won’t be able to save it back to Filmstrip format.
For further guidelines, see the Adobe Premiere User Guide.

GIF
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is the file format commonly used to display indexedcolor graphics and images in hypertext markup language (HTML) documents over the
World Wide Web and other online services. GIF is an LZW-compressed format designed to
minimize file size and electronic transfer time. GIF format preserves transparency in
indexed-color images; however, it does not support alpha channels.

JPEG
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format is commonly used to display photographs and other continuous-tone images in hypertext markup language (HTML)
documents over the World Wide Web and other online services. JPEG format supports
CMYK, RGB, and Grayscale color modes, and does not support alpha channels. Unlike GIF
format, JPEG retains all color information in an RGB image but compresses file size by
selectively discarding data.
A JPEG image is automatically decompressed when opened. A higher level of compression
results in lower image quality, and a lower level of compression results in better image
quality. In most cases, the Maximum quality option produces a result indistinguishable
from the original.

PCX
PCX format is commonly used by IBM PC-compatible computers. Most PC software
supports version 5 of PCX format. A standard VGA color palette is used with version 3 files,
which do not support custom color palettes.
PCX format supports RGB, Indexed Color, Grayscale, and Bitmap color modes, and does
not support alpha channels. PCX supports the RLE compression method. Images can have
a bit depth of 1, 4, 8, or 24.

PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a flexible, cross-platform, cross-application file format.
Based on the PostScript imaging model, PDF files accurately display and preserve fonts,
page layouts, and both vector and bitmap graphics. In addition, PDF files can contain
electronic document search and navigation features such as electronic links.
Photoshop and ImageReady recognize two types of PDF files: Photoshop PDF files and
Generic PDF files. You can open both types of PDF files; however, you can only save images
to Photoshop PDF format.
Photoshop PDF files Are created using the Photoshop Save As command. Photoshop
PDF files can contain only a single image.
Photoshop PDF format supports all of the color modes and features that are supported in
standard Photoshop format. Photoshop PDF also supports JPEG and ZIP compression,
except for Bitmap-mode images, which use CCITT Group 4 compression.

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Generic PDF files Are created using applications other than Photoshop, such as Adobe
Acrobat and Adobe Illustrator, and can contain multiple pages and images. When you
open a Generic PDF file, Photoshop rasterizes the image.

PICT File
PICT format is widely used among Mac OS graphics and page-layout applications as an
intermediary file format for transferring images between applications. PICT format
supports RGB images with a single alpha channel, and indexed-color, grayscale, and
Bitmap-mode images without alpha channels. PICT format is especially effective at
compressing images with large areas of solid color. This compression can be dramatic for
alpha channels with their large areas of white and black.
When saving an RGB image in PICT format, you can choose either a 16-bit or 32-bit pixel
resolution. For a grayscale image, you can choose from 2, 4, or 8 bits per pixel. In Mac OS
with QuickTime installed, four JPEG compression options are available.
Note: In ImageReady, PICT format is supported in Mac OS only.

PICT Resource
(Mac OS) A PICT resource is a PICT file contained in a Mac OS file’s resource fork—for
example, an application’s splash screen or the contents of the Scrapbook. PICT Resource
format supports RGB images with a single alpha channel, and indexed-color, grayscale,
and Bitmap-mode images without alpha channels.
You can use the Import command or the Open command to open a PICT resource. When
saving a file as a PICT resource, you can specify the resource ID and resource name. As with
other PICT files, you also specify bit depth and compression options.

Pixar
The Pixar format is designed specifically for high-end graphics applications, such as those
used for rendering three-dimensional images and animation. Pixar format supports RGB
and grayscale images with a single alpha channel.

PNG
Developed as a patent-free alternative to GIF, Portable Network Graphics (PNG) format is
used for lossless compression and for display of images on the World Wide Web. Unlike GIF,
PNG supports 24-bit images and produces background transparency without jagged
edges; however, some Web browsers do not support PNG images. PNG format supports
RGB, indexed-color, grayscale, and Bitmap-mode images without alpha channels. PNG
preserves transparency in grayscale and RGB images.

QuickTime Movie (ImageReady)
QuickTime Movie format is a cross-platform format used for time-based data, such as
video and audio. In ImageReady, you can save animations as QuickTime movies and open
existing QuickTime movies as animations in order to optimize them for the Web.
Note: In Windows, QuickTime Movie format is visible in the Files of Type pop-up menu only
when QuickTime is installed on your computer.

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Raw (Photoshop)
Raw format is a flexible file format for transferring images between applications and
computer platforms. This format supports CMYK, RGB, and grayscale images with alpha
channels, and multichannel and Lab images without alpha channels.
Raw format consists of a stream of bytes describing the color information in the image.
Each pixel is described in binary format, with 0 representing black and 255 white (for
images with 16-bit channels, the white value is 65535). Adobe Photoshop designates the
number of channels needed to describe the image, plus any additional channels in the
image. You can specify the file extension (Windows), file type (Mac OS), file creator (Mac
OS), and header information.
In Mac OS, the file type is generally a four-character ID that identifies the file—for example,
TEXT identifies the file as an ASCII text file. The file creator is also generally a four-character
ID. Most Mac OS applications have a unique file creator ID that is registered with the Apple
Computer Developer Services group.
The header parameter specifies how many bytes of information appear in the file before
actual image information begins. This value determines the number of zeroes inserted at
the beginning of the file as placeholders. By default, there is no header (header size = 0).
You can enter a header when you open the file in Raw format. You can also save the file
without a header and then use a file-editing program, such as HEdit (Windows) or Norton
Utilities® (Mac OS), to replace the zeroes with header information.
You can save the image in an interleaved or noninterleaved format. If you choose interleaved, the color values (red, green, and blue, for example) are stored sequentially. Your
choice depends on requirements of the application that will open the file.

Scitex CT (Photoshop)
Scitex Continuous Tone (CT) format is used for high-end image processing on Scitex
computers. Contact Scitex to obtain utilities for transferring files saved in Scitex CT format
to a Scitex system. Scitex CT format supports CMYK, RGB, and grayscale images and does
not support alpha channels.
CMYK images saved in Scitex CT format often have extremely large file sizes. These files are
generated for input using a Scitex scanner. Images saved in Scitex CT format are printed to
film using a Scitex rasterizing unit, which produces separations using a patented Scitex
halftoning system. This system produces very few moiré patterns and is often demanded
in professional color work—for example, ads in magazines.

Targa
TGA (Targa®) format is designed for systems using the Truevision® video board and is
commonly supported by MS-DOS color applications. Targa format supports 16-bit RGB
images (5 bits x 3 color channels, plus one unused bit), 24-bit RGB images (8 bits x 3 color
channels), and 32-bit RGB images (8 bits x 3 color channels plus a single 8-bit alpha
channel). Targa format also supports indexed-color and grayscale images without alpha
channels. When saving an RGB image in this format, you can choose a pixel depth and
select RLE encoding to compress the image.

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TIFF
Tagged-Image File Format (TIFF) is used to exchange files between applications and
computer platforms. TIFF is a flexible bitmap image format supported by virtually all paint,
image-editing, and page-layout applications. Also, virtually all desktop scanners can
produce TIFF images.
TIFF format supports CMYK, RGB, Lab, indexed-color, and grayscale images with alpha
channels and Bitmap-mode images without alpha channels. Photoshop can save layers in
a TIFF file; however, if you open the file in another application, only the flattened image is
visible. Photoshop can also save annotations, transparency, and multiresolution pyramid
data in TIFF format.

Adding file information (Photoshop)
File information—also called metadata—is increasingly important in all types of
publishing. Adobe Photoshop supports the information standard developed by the
Newspaper Association of America (NAA) and the International Press Telecommunications
Council (IPTC) to identify transmitted text and images. This standard includes entries for
captions, keywords, categories, credits, and origins.
In Windows, you can add file information to files saved in Photoshop, TIFF, JPEG, EPS, and
PDF formats. In Mac OS, you can add file information to files in any format. The information
you add is embedded in the file using XMP (eXtensible Metadata Platform). XMP provides
Adobe applications and workflow partners with a common XML framework that
standardizes the creation, processing, and interchange of document metadata across
publishing workflows.
To enter information about a file:
1 Choose File > File Info.
2 For Section, select an option for the information you want to enter:
General Lets you enter title, author, caption, copyright information, and the owner’s URL.
To display a copyright symbol in the title bar of the image window, choose Copyrighted
Work in the Copyright Status menu. If Photoshop detects a Digimarc watermark in the
image, the Copyright Notice section is automatically updated.
Note: To print the caption under an Adobe Photoshop image, choose File > Print with
Preview, and select Caption. Then print as usual. (See “Setting output options” on
page 473 for more information.)
Keywords Provides a way for some image browsers to categorize and search for an
image. To add an entry to the keywords list, type in the text box, and click Add. To replace
a keyword, select the word in the list, type its replacement, and click Replace. To delete a
keyword, select the word, and click Delete.
Categories Lets you enter a three-letter Associated Press code. (Where available, the
Associated Press regional registry maintains a list of categories.) To include the image in
supplemental categories, type the code, and click Add. To replace a category, select the
code, type its replacement, and click Replace. To delete a category, select the code, and
click Delete.

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Origin Provides information on the history of the image. To enter the current date in a
short text format, click Today. For Credit, enter the information needed in the credit line for
a copyrighted image. Transmission Reference provides the Associated Press with information on the original transmission location of the image. For Urgency, specify the
editorial urgency of the image—not its handling priority.
EXIF Displays information imported from a digital camera, such as the date and time the
picture was taken, resolution, ISO speed rating, f/stop, compression, and exposure time.
For more information about EXIF annotations, see your digital camera documentation.
To load, save, or append file information:
In the File Info dialog box, do one of the following:
•

Click Load to replace the current information with information stored in a File Info file.
You can load either an XMP file or an FFO file created by a previous version of
Photoshop.

•

Click Save to save the current file information in an XMP file for later use.

•

Click Append to add information stored in a File Info file to the current file information.
For each File Info field, if the field does not contain information then it will be updated
with contents from the file. Caption and Keywords will always be appended with the
information from the file.

Adding digital copyright information
You can add copyright information to Photoshop images and notify users that an image is
copyright-protected via a digital watermark that uses Digimarc PictureMarc technology.
The watermark—a digital code added as noise to the image—is generally imperceptible
to the human eye. The watermark is durable in both digital and printed forms, surviving
typical image edits and file format conversions—and is still detectable when the image is
printed and then scanned back into a computer.
Embedding a digital watermark in an image lets viewers obtain complete contact information about the creator of the image. This feature is particularly valuable to image
creators who license their work to others. Copying an image with an embedded
watermark also copies the watermark and any information associated with it.
For more detailed information on embedding Digimarc watermarks, refer to the Digimarc
Web site at www.digimarc.com.

Before adding a watermark
Keep in mind the following considerations before embedding a digital watermark in your
image.
Color variation The image must contain some degree of variation or randomness in
color to embed the watermark effectively and imperceptibly. The image cannot consist
mostly or entirely of a single flat color.
Pixel dimensions The Digimarc technology requires a minimum number of pixels to
work. Digimarc recommends the following minimum pixel dimensions for the image to be
watermarked:
•

100 pixels by 100 pixels if you don’t expect the image to be modified or compressed
prior to its actual use.

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•

256 pixels by 256 pixels if you expect the image to be cropped, rotated, compressed, or
otherwise modified after watermarking.

•

750 pixels by 750 pixels if you expect the image to appear ultimately in printed form at
300 dpi or greater.

There is no upper limit on pixel dimensions for watermarking.
File compression In general, a Digimarc watermark will survive lossy compression
methods such as JPEG, though it is advisable to favor image quality over file size (a JPEG
compression setting of 4 or higher works best). In addition, the higher the Watermark
Durability setting you choose when embedding the watermark (see “Using the Watermark
Durability setting” on page 462), the better the chances that the watermark will survive
compression.
Workflow Watermarking should be one of the very last tasks you perform, except for file
compression. Use the following recommended workflow:
•

Make all necessary modifications to your image until it has the desired final appearance
(this includes resizing and color correction).

•

Embed the watermark.

•

If needed, compress the image by saving it in JPEG or GIF format.

•

If the image is intended for printed output, perform the color separation.

•

Read the watermark and use the signal strength meter to verify that the image contains
a watermark of sufficient strength for your purposes.

•

Publish the watermarked image.

Embedding digital watermarks
To embed a watermark, you must first register with Digimarc Corporation—which
maintains a database of artists, designers, and photographers and their contact information—to get a unique creator ID. You can then embed the creator ID in your images,
along with information such as the copyright year or a restricted-use identifier.
To embed a watermark:
1 Open the image that you want to watermark. You can embed only one watermark per
image. The Embed Watermark filter won’t work on an image that has been previously
marked.
If you’re working with a layered image, you should flatten the image before marking it;
otherwise, the watermark will affect the active layer only.
Note: You can add a watermark to an indexed-color image by first converting the image to
RGB mode, embedding the watermark, and then converting the image back to indexedcolor mode. However, the results may be inconsistent. To make sure that the watermark
was embedded, run the Read Watermark filter.
2 Choose Filter > Digimarc > Embed Watermark.

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3 If you are using the filter for the first time, click the Personalize button. Get a Digimarc
ID by clicking Info to launch your Web browser and visit the Digimarc Web site at
www.digimarc.com, or by contacting Digimarc at the telephone number listed in the
dialog box. Enter your PIN and ID number in the Digimarc ID text box, and click OK.
(Once you have entered a Digimarc ID, the Personalize button becomes a Change button,
allowing you to enter a new Digimarc ID.)
4 Enter a copyright year for the image.
5 Select any of the following image attributes:
•

Restricted Use to limit the use of the image.

•

Adult Content to label the image contents as suitable for adults only. (Within
Photoshop, this option does not limit access to adult-only images, but future versions
of other applications may limit their display.)

•

Do Not Copy to specify that the image should not be copied.

6 For Target Output, specify whether the image is intended for monitor, Web, or print
display.
7 For Watermark Durability, drag the slider or enter a value, as described in the next
section.
8 Select Verify to automatically assess the watermark’s durability after it is embedded
(see “Using the signal strength meter” on page 462).
9 Click OK.

Using the Watermark Durability setting
The default Watermark Durability setting is designed to strike a balance between
watermark durability and visibility in most images. However, you can adjust the
Watermark Durability setting yourself to suit the needs of your images. Low values are less
visible in an image, but less durable, and may be damaged by applying filters or by
performing some image-editing operations, printing, and scanning operations. High
values are more durable but may display some visible noise in the image.
Your setting should depend on the intended use of the image and on the goals you’ve set
for your watermarks. For example, it may be quite acceptable to use a higher Watermark
Durability setting with JPEG images posted on a Web site. The higher durability helps to
ensure the persistence of the watermark, and the increased visibility often is not
noticeable with medium-resolution JPEG images. Digimarc recommends experimenting
with various settings as part of your testing process to determine which setting works best
for the majority of your images.

Using the signal strength meter
The signal strength meter helps you determine whether a watermark is durable enough to
survive the intended use of the image. The signal strength meter is available only for
images containing watermarks that you yourself have embedded.
Digimarc recommends that you check the signal strength meter before publishing your
images. For example, if you often compress watermarked images for inclusion in a Web
site, check the meter before posting the images. You can also use the signal strength
meter to gauge the effectiveness of different Watermark Durability settings that you are
experimenting with.

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To check the signal strength meter:
Choose Filter > Digimarc > Read Watermark. The signal strength meter appears at the
bottom of the dialog box.
You can also display the meter automatically by selecting Verify while embedding the
watermark. (See “Embedding digital watermarks” on page 461.)

Setting preferences for saving files (Photoshop)
In Photoshop, you can set preferences for saving image previews, using file extensions,
and maximizing file compatibility.
To set file saving preferences:
1 Do one of the following:
•

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling.

•

In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > File Handling.

2 Set the following options:
Image Previews Choose an option for saving image previews: Never Save to save files
without previews, Always Save to save files with specified previews, or Ask When Saving to
assign previews on a file-by-file basis.
In Mac OS, you can select one or more of the following preview types (to speed the saving
of files and minimize file size, select only the previews you need):
•

Icon to use the preview as a file icon on the desktop.

•

Macintosh Thumbnail to display the preview in the Open dialog box.

•

Windows Thumbnail to save a preview that can display on Windows systems.

•

Full Size to save a 72-ppi version of the file for use in applications that can only open
low-resolution Photoshop images. For non-EPS files, this is a PICT preview.

File Extension (Windows) Choose an option for the three-character file extensions that
indicate a file’s format: Use Upper Case to append file extensions using uppercase
characters or Use Lower Case to append file extensions using lowercase characters.
Append File Extension (Mac OS) File extensions are necessary for files that you want to
use on or transfer to a Windows system. Choose an option for appending extensions to
filenames: Never to save files without file extensions, Always to append file extensions to
filenames, or Ask When Saving to append file extensions on a file-by-file basis. Select Use
Lower Case to append file extensions using lowercase characters.
To toggle the Append File Extension option for a single file, hold down Option when
you choose a file format in the Save As dialog box.
To display a preview file icon (Windows only):
1 Save the file in Photoshop format with a thumbnail preview.
2 Right-click the file on the desktop (or in any Windows or Photoshop dialog box that
displays a file list), and choose Properties from the context menu that appears.
3 Click the Photoshop Image tab.

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4 Select an option for generating thumbnails, and click OK.
Preview icons appear on the desktop and in file lists (when the view is set to Large Icons).

Creating multiple-image layouts (Photoshop)
You can export multiple images automatically as contact sheets and picture packages
using Automate commands.

Creating contact sheets
By displaying a series of thumbnail previews on a single page, contact sheets let you easily
preview and catalog groups of images. You can automatically create and place thumbnails
on a page using the Contact Sheet II command.
To create a contact sheet:
1 Choose File > Automate > Contact Sheet II.
2 Under Source Folder, click Choose (Mac OS) or Browse (Windows) to specify the folder
containing the images you want to use. Select Include All Subfolders to include images
inside any subfolders.
3 Under Document, specify the dimensions, resolution, and color mode for the contact
sheet. Select Flatten All Layers to create a contact sheet with all images and text on a
single layer. Deselect Flatten All Layers to create a contact sheet where each image is on a
separate layer and each caption is on a separate text layer.
4 Under Thumbnails, specify layout options for the thumbnail previews, and click OK.
•

For Place, choose whether to arrange thumbnails across first (from left to right, then top
to bottom) or down first (from top to bottom, then left to right).

•

Enter the number of columns and rows that you want per contact sheet. The maximum
dimensions for each thumbnail are displayed to the right, along with a visual preview of
the specified layout.

•

Select Use Filename As Caption to label the thumbnails using their source image
filenames. Use the menu to specify a caption font.

Creating picture packages
With the Picture Package command, you can place multiple copies of a source image on a
single page, similar to the photo packages traditionally sold by portrait studios. You can
choose from a variety of size and placement options to customize your package layout.

Example of a picture package layout

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To create a picture package from a single image:
1 Choose File > Automate > Picture Package.
2 Specify the Source: Frontmost Document to use the currently active image, File to
browse to a saved image, or Folder to browse to a folder containing multiple image files.
(Select Include All Subfolders to include images inside any subfolders.)
3 Under Document, select page size, layout, resolution, and color mode for the picture
package. (A thumbnail of the selected layout is displayed on the right side of the dialog
box.)
Select Flatten All Layers to create a picture package with all images and text on a single
layer. Deselect Flatten All Layers to create a picture package where each image is on a
separate layer and each caption is on a separate text layer.
4 Under Label, select the source for label text from the Content menu (or choose None).
Specify font, font attributes, and position for the labels.
5 Click OK.

Customizing picture package layouts
You can customize existing layouts or create new layouts using a text-editing application.
The layout options in the Picture Package dialog box are determined by text files that are
stored in the Layouts folder (inside the Presets folder).
For example, the following text describes a layout with two 5 x 7 images:
I 8 10
(2) 5x7
0.5 0 7 5
0.5 5 7 5
First line Defines the unit of measurement and the document size.
Second line Contains the name of the layout as it appears in the Picture Package dialog
box.
Subsequent lines Define the position and dimensions of each image in the layout.
To customize a new picture package layout:
1 In a text-editing application, create a new file, or open an existing file in the Layouts
folder (inside the Presets folder).
2 In the first line of the file, enter the following elements (separated by a space):
•

A letter for the unit of measurement: i or I (for inches), p or P (for pixels), c or C (for centimeters). All numbers in the file use the specified unit.

•

The width of the document.

•

The height of the document.

Note: The width and height of the document should not exceed the printable area of
the paper. For example, if you plan to print on 11 x 17 paper, specify 10 x 16 as the
document size.
3 In the second line of the file, enter the name of the layout as you want it to appear in the
Picture Package dialog box. You can enter up to 75 characters.

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4 In the subsequent lines of the file, enter the position and dimensions for images in the
layout using the following elements (separated by a space):
•

The position of the image in relation to the left edge of the document (the x position of
the image).

•

The position of the image in relation to the top edge of the document (the y position of
the image).

•

The width of the image.

•

The height of the image.

Enter the position and dimensions for each image in the layout on a separate line. You can
specify up to 50 images per layout.
5 To add comments to the file, start the line with a semi-colon (;). Lines beginning with a
semi-color are ignored, as are blank lines.
6 Save the file in the Layouts folder.

Placing Photoshop images in other applications
(Photoshop)
Photoshop provides a number of features to help you use images in other applications.
You can use image clipping paths to define transparent areas in images you place in pagelayout applications. In addition, Mac OS users can embed Photoshop images in many
word-processor files.
For assistance with image clipping paths, choose Help > Export Transparent Image.
This interactive wizard helps you prepare images with transparency for export to a
page-layout application.

Using image clipping paths to create transparency
You may want to use only part of a Photoshop image when printing it or placing it in
another application. For example, you may want to use a foreground object and exclude
the background. An image clipping path lets you isolate the foreground object and make
everything else transparent when the image is printed or placed in another application.

Image imported into Illustrator without image clipping path, and with image clipping path

To save a path as an image clipping path:
1 Draw a work path that defines the area of the image you want to show. For more information, see “Creating a work path (Photoshop)” on page 201 and “Converting selection
borders to paths” on page 219.
Note: Paths are vector-based; therefore, they have hard edges. You cannot preserve the
softness of a feathered edge, such as in a shadow, when creating an image clipping path.
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2 In the Paths palette, save the work path as a path. For more information, see “Managing
paths (Photoshop)” on page 217.
3 Choose Clipping Path from the Paths palette menu, set the following options, and
click OK:
•

For Path, choose the path you want to save.

•

For Flatness, leave the flatness value blank to print the image using the printer’s default
value. If you experience printing errors, enter a flatness value to determine how the
PostScript interpreter approximates the curve. The lower the flatness value, the greater
is the number of straight lines used to draw the curve and the more accurate the curve.

Values can range from 0.2 to 100. In general, a flatness setting from 8 to 10 is recommended for high-resolution printing (1200 dpi to 2400 dpi), a setting from 1 to 3 for lowresolution printing (300 dpi to 600 dpi).
4 If you plan to print the file using process colors, convert the file to CMYK mode. For
more information, see “Converting between color modes (Photoshop)” on page 94.
5 Save the file:
•

To print the file using a PostScript printer, save in Photoshop EPS, DCS, or PDF format.

•

To print the file using a non-PostScript printer, save in TIFF format and export to Adobe
InDesign or to Adobe PageMaker® 5.0 or later.

Note: If you import an EPS or DCS file with a TIFF preview into Adobe Illustrator, the image
clipping path transparency may not display properly. This affects the on-screen preview
only; it does not affect the printing behavior of the image clipping path on a PostScript
printer.

Printing image clipping paths
Sometimes an imagesetter has difficulty interpreting image clipping paths, or a printer
finds the image clipping path too complex to print, resulting in a Limitcheck error or a
general PostScript error. Sometimes you can print a complex path on a low-resolution
printer without difficulty but run into problems when printing the same path on a highresolution printer. This is because the lower-resolution printer simplifies the path, using
fewer line segments to describe curves than does the high-resolution printer.
You can simplify an image clipping path in the following ways:
•

Manually reduce the number of anchor points on the path. (See “Adding, deleting, and
converting anchor points” on page 216.)

•

Increase the tolerance setting used to create the path. To do this, load the existing path
as a selection, choose Make Work Path from the Paths palette menu, and increase the
tolerance setting (4 to 6 pixels is a good starting value). Then recreate the image
clipping path. For more information, see “Converting between paths and selection
borders (Photoshop)” on page 218 and “Using image clipping paths to create transparency” on page 466.

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Exporting paths to Adobe Illustrator
The Paths to Illustrator command lets you export Photoshop paths as Adobe Illustrator
files. This makes it easier to work with combined Photoshop and Illustrator artwork or to
use Photoshop features on Illustrator artwork. For example, you may want to export a pen
tool path and stroke it to use as a trap with a Photoshop clipping path you are printing in
Illustrator. You can also use this feature to align Illustrator text or objects with Photoshop
paths.
To use the Paths to Illustrator command:
1 Draw and save a path or convert an existing selection into a path.
2 Choose File > Export > Paths to Illustrator.
3 Choose a location for the exported path, and enter a filename.
4 Click Save.
5 Open the path in Adobe Illustrator as a new file. You can now manipulate the path or
use the path to align Illustrator objects.
Note that the crop marks in Adobe Illustrator reflect the dimensions of the Adobe
Photoshop image. The position of the path within the Photoshop image is maintained,
provided you don’t change the crop marks or move the path.

Object linking and embedding (OLE) (Windows only)
Photoshop is an OLE 2.0 server, which means it supports embedding or linking an image
in an OLE container application (usually a word-processor or page-layout program). For
example, you can insert Photoshop files and selections into other OLE applications such as
Adobe PageMaker and Microsoft Word using copy and paste or other methods.
•

Linking lets you place a link in the OLE container file that refers to the Photoshop file on
the hard drive.

•

Embedding lets you insert the Photoshop file into the OLE container file.

Once in the container application, an image can be double-clicked for editing in
Photoshop. When closed in Photoshop, the image is updated in the container application.
To link or embed a selection or image in an OLE application:
Do one of the following:
•

Copy a selection in Photoshop, and insert it in your OLE container application using the
application’s Paste Special command. Refer to your word-processing or page-layout
application documentation for more instructions. Pasted selections can only be
embedded, not linked.

•

Use your OLE container application’s Insert Object command to insert a new Photoshop
image or existing Photoshop file as an OLE-embedded or OLE-linked object. Refer to
your word-processing or page-layout application documentation for instructions.

To insert an unlinked screen-resolution bitmap into an OLE application:
With the move tool , use the left-mouse button to drag a selection to the OLE container
application. When you drop the object, it appears as a 72-ppi bitmap, which cannot be
automatically updated in Photoshop.

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To modify and update a linked or embedded image in an OLE application:
1 Double-click the linked or embedded image in your word-processor or page-layout
application to launch Adobe Photoshop (if it is not already running), and open the image
for editing.
2 Modify the image as desired.
3 Do one of the following:
•

For embedded images, close the file, or choose File > Update or File > Close & Return to
.

•

For linked images, save and close the file.

Note: You can also modify linked files without first opening the container document. The
linked image will be updated the next time you open the document in its OLE container
application.

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Printing (Photoshop)
About printing
Whether you are providing an image to an outside service bureau or just sending a quick
proof to a desktop printer, knowing a few basics about printing will make the print job go
more smoothly and help ensure that the finished image appears as intended.
Types of printing When you print a file, the Adobe Photoshop application sends your
image to a printing device, either to be printed directly onto paper or to be converted to a
positive or negative image on film. In the latter case, the film can be used to create a
master plate for printing by a mechanical press.
Types of images The simplest types of images, such as line art, use only one color in one
level of gray. A more complex image, such as a photograph, has color tones that vary
within the image. This type of image is known as a continuous-tone image.
Halftoning To create the illusion of continuous tones when printed, images are broken
down into a series of dots. This process is called halftoning. Varying the sizes of the dots in
a halftone screen creates the optical illusion of variations of gray or continuous color in the
image.
Color separation Artwork that will be commercially reproduced and that contains more
than a single color must be printed on separate master plates, one for each color. This
process is called color separation and most commonly uses cyan, yellow, magenta, and
black (CMYK) inks. In Photoshop, you can adjust how the various plates are generated and
create traps.
Quality of detail The detail in a printed image results from a combination of resolution
and screen frequency. The higher an output device’s resolution, the finer (higher) a screen
ruling you can use.

Printing images
Photoshop provides the following printing commands:
•

Page Setup and Print display options that are determined by your printer, print drivers,
and operating system.

•

Print with Preview displays Photoshop’s printing, output, and color management
options.

•

Print One Copy prints one copy of a file without displaying a dialog box.

Note: You cannot print images directly from ImageReady. If you have an image open in
ImageReady and need to print it, use the Jump To command to open the image in
Photoshop. Keep in mind that ImageReady images open at screen resolution (72 ppi);
this resolution may not be high enough to produce a high-quality print.

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To print an image with its current options:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose File > Print, and click Print or OK.

•

To print one copy of a file without displaying a dialog box, choose File > Print One Copy.

Note: By default, Adobe Photoshop prints a composite of all visible layers and channels.
To print an individual layer or channel, make it the only visible layer or channel before
choosing the Print command.
To set printer and page setup options:
1 Choose File > Page Setup or File > Print.
2 Select an installed printer from the pop-up list at the top of the dialog box.
3 Set additional options, such as paper size and layout, as desired. The available options
depend on your printer, print drivers, and operating system.
To set Photoshop print options:
1 Choose File > Print with Preview.
2 Make sure Show More Options is selected. Then do one or more of the following:
•

Adjust the position and scale of the image in relation to the selected paper size and
orientation. (See “Positioning and scaling images” on page 472.)

•

Set output options. (See “Setting output options” on page 473.)

•

Click the Screen button then select halftone screen attributes. (See “Selecting halftone
screen attributes” on page 475.)

•

Set other printing options. (See “Printing part of an image” on page 477, “Choosing a
print encoding method” on page 477, and “Printing vector graphics” on page 477.)

•

Choose Color Management from the pop-up menu and set color management options.
(See “Using color management when printing” on page 478.)

3 Do one of the following:
•

Click Print to print the image.

•

Click Cancel to close the dialog box without saving the options.

•

Click Done to preserve the options and close the dialog box.

•

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click Print One to print one copy of
the file.

•

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click Reset to reset the print options.

•

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click Remember to save the print
options without closing the dialog box.

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To preview the current image position and options:
Position the pointer over the file information box (at the bottom of the application
window in Windows or the document window in Mac OS) and hold down the mouse
button.

Positioning and scaling images
You can adjust the position and scale of an image and preview how the image will be
printed on the selected paper using the Print with Preview command. The shaded border
at the edge of the paper represents the margins of the selected paper; the printable area is
white.
The base output size of an image is determined by the document size settings in the
Image Size dialog box. (See “Changing the print dimensions and resolution of an image
(Photoshop)” on page 67.) Scaling an image in the Print with Preview dialog box changes
the size and resolution of the printed image only. For example, if you scale a 72 ppi image
to 50% in the Print with Preview dialog box, the image will print at 144 ppi; however,
the document size settings in the Image Size dialog box will not change.
Many printer drivers, such as AdobePS and LaserWriter, provide a scaling option in the
Page Setup dialog box. This scaling affects the size of all page marks, such as crop marks
and captions, whereas the scaling percentage provided by the Print with Preview
command affect only the size of the printed image (and not the size of page marks).
Important: The Print with Preview command may not reflect accurate values for Scale,
Height, and Width if you set a scaling percentage in the Page Setup dialog box. To avoid
inaccurate scaling, specify scaling using the Print with Preview command rather than the
Page Setup command; do not enter a scaling percentage in both dialog boxes.
To reposition an image on the paper:
Choose File > Print with Preview, and do one of the following:
•

Click Center Image to center the image in the printable area.

•

Enter values for Top and Left to position the image numerically.

•

Deselect the Center Image option then drag the image in the preview area.

To scale the print size of an image:
Choose File > Print with Preview, and do one of the following:
•

Click Scale to Fit Media to fit the image within the printable area of the selected paper.

•

Enter values for Height and Width to rescale the image numerically.

•

Select Show Bounding Box, and drag a bounding box handle in the preview area to
achieve the desired scale.

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Setting output options
You can select and preview a variety of page marks and other output options using the
Print with Preview command.
A

Olé No Moire 177lpi 45o
cyan magenta yellow black

carnival series

Page marks:
A. Gradient tint bar B. Label C. Registration marks D. Progressive color bar E. Corner crop mark
F. Center crop mark G. Caption H. Star target

To set output options:
1 Choose File > Print with Preview.
2 Select Show More Options, and choose Output from the pop-up menu.
Note: Options not supported by the designated printer are dimmed.
3 Set one or more of the following options:
Background Lets you select a background color to be printed on the page outside the
image area. For example, a black or colored background may be desirable for slides
printed to a film recorder. To use this option, click Background, and then select a color
from the Color Picker dialog box. This is a printing option only; it does not affect the image
itself.
Border Lets you print a black border around an image. Type in a number and choose a
unit value to specify the width of the border.
Bleed Lets you print crop marks inside rather than outside the image. Use this option
when you want to trim the image within the graphic. Type a number and choose a unit
value to specify the width of the bleed.
Screen Lets you set the screen frequency and dot shape for each screen used in the
printing process. (See “Selecting halftone screen attributes” on page 475.)

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Transfer Lets you adjust the transfer functions, traditionally used to compensate for dot
gain or dot loss that may occur when an image is transferred to film. This option is recognized only when you print directly from Photoshop, or when you save the file in EPS
format and print to a PostScript printer. Generally, it’s best to adjust for dot gain using the
settings in the CMYK Setup dialog box. Transfer functions are useful, however, when
compensating for a poorly calibrated output device. (See “Compensating for dot gain in
film using transfer functions” on page 126.)
Interpolation Reduces the jagged appearance of a low-resolution image by automatically resampling up while printing. However, resampling may reduce the sharpness of the
image quality. (See “About resampling” on page 66.) Some PostScript Level 2 (or higher)
printers have interpolation capability. If your printer doesn’t, this option has no effect.
Calibration Bars Prints an 11-step grayscale, a transition in density from 0 to 100% in
10% increments. With a CMYK color separation, a gradient tint bar is printed to the left of
each CMY plate, and a progressive color bar to the right.
Note: Calibration bars, registration marks, crop marks, and labels will print only if the
paper size is larger than the printed image dimensions.
Registration Marks Prints registration marks on the image (including bull’s-eyes and star
targets). These marks are used primarily for aligning color separations.
Corner Crop Marks Prints crop marks where the page is to be trimmed. You can print
crop marks at the corners.
Center Crop Marks Prints crop marks where the page is to be trimmed. You can print
crop marks at the center of each edge.
Caption Prints any caption text entered in the File Info dialog box. (See “Adding file information (Photoshop)” on page 459.) Caption text always prints as 9-point Helvetica
plain type.
Labels Prints the filename above the image.
Emulsion Down Makes type readable when the emulsion is down—that is, when the
photosensitive layer on a piece of film or photographic paper is facing away from you.
Normally, images printed on paper are printed with emulsion up, with type readable when
the photosensitive layer faces you. Images printed on film are often printed with emulsion
down.
Negative Prints an inverted version of the entire output including all masks and any
background color. Unlike the Invert command in the Image menu, the Negative option
converts the output, not the on-screen image, to a negative. If you print separations
directly to film, you probably want a negative, although in many countries film positives
are common. Check with your print shop to determine which is required.
To determine the emulsion side, examine the film under a bright light after it has been
developed. The dull side is the emulsion; the shiny side is the base. Check whether your
print shop requires film with positive emulsion up, negative emulsion up, positive
emulsion down, or negative emulsion down.

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Selecting halftone screen attributes
Halftone screen attributes include the screen frequency and dot shape for each screen
used in the printing process. For color separations, you must also specify an angle for each
of the color screens. Setting the screens at different angles ensures that the dots placed by
the four screens blend to look like continuous color and do not produce moiré patterns.
Halftone screens consist of dots that control how much ink is deposited at a specific
location on-press. Varying their size and density creates the illusion of variations of gray
or continuous color. For a process color image, four halftone screens are used: cyan,
magenta, yellow, and black—one for each ink used in the printing process.

450

Halftone screen with black ink

1050 900 750
450

Halftone screens with process ink at different screen angles; correctly registered dots form rosettes

In traditional print production, a halftone is produced by placing a halftone screen
between a piece of film and the image and then exposing the film. In Photoshop, you
specify the halftone screen attributes just before producing the film or paper output. For
best results, your output device (a PostScript imagesetter, for example) should be set to
the correct density limit, and your processor should be properly calibrated; otherwise,
results can be unpredictable.
Before creating your halftone screens, check with your print shop for preferred frequency,
angle, and dot settings. (Use the default angle settings unless your print shop specifies
changes.)
To define the screen attributes:
1 Choose File > Print with Preview.
2 Select Show More Options, choose Output from the pop-up menu, and click Screen.
3 In the Halftone Screens dialog box, choose whether to generate your own screen
settings:
•

Deselect Use Printer’s Default Screens to choose your own screen settings.

•

Select Use Printer’s Default Screens to use the default halftone screen built into the
printer. Photoshop then ignores the specifications in the Halftone Screens dialog box
when it generates the halftone screens.

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4 For a grayscale halftone, enter a screen frequency from 1 to 999.999, and choose a unit
of measurement. Enter a screen angle from –180 to +180 degrees.
5 For a color separation, choose from the following options:
•

To manually enter the screen frequency and angle, choose a color of the screen for Ink,
and enter the frequency and angle; repeat for each color separation.

•

To have Adobe Photoshop determine and enter the best frequencies and angles for
each screen, click Auto. In the Auto Screens dialog box, enter the resolution of the
output device and the screen frequency you intend to use, and click OK. Photoshop
enters the values in the Halftone Screens dialog box. Changing these values may result
in moiré patterns.

•

If you are using a PostScript Level 2 (or higher) printer or an imagesetter equipped with
an Emerald controller, make sure that the Use Accurate Screens option is selected in the
Auto Screens dialog box (or in the Halftone Screens dialog box if you’re entering the
values manually). The Use Accurate Screens option lets the program access the correct
angles and halftone screen frequencies for high-resolution output. If your output
device is not a PostScript Level 2 (or higher) printer or is not equipped with an Emerald
controller, this option has no effect.

6 For Shape, choose the dot shape you want. If you want all four screens to have the same
dot shape, select Use Same Shape For All Inks.
Choosing Custom from the Shape menu displays the Custom Spot Function dialog box.
You can define your own dot shapes by entering PostScript commands—useful for
printing with nonstandard halftone algorithms. For information about using PostScript
language commands, see the PostScript Language Reference published by Addison-Wesley,
or consult the imagesetter’s manufacturer.
For optimal output on a PostScript printer, the image resolution should be 1.5 to 2 times
the halftone screen frequency. If the resolution is more than 2.5 times the screen
frequency, an alert message appears. (See “About image size and resolution” on page 62.)
If you are printing line art or printing to a non-PostScript printer, see your printer
documentation for the appropriate image resolutions to use.
7 Click OK.
To save halftone screen settings:
In the Halftone Screens dialog box, click Save. Choose a location for the saved settings,
enter a filename, and click Save.
To save the new settings as the default, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS),
and click the —> Default button.
To load halftone screen settings:
In the Halftone Screens dialog box, click Load. Locate and select the settings, and click
Load.
To return to the original default settings, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option
(Mac OS), and click <—Default.

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Printing part of an image
You can use the Print Selected Area option to print a specific part of an image.
To print part of an image:
1 Use the rectangle marquee tool to select the part of an image you want to print.
2 Choose File > Print with Preview, select Print Selected Area, and click Print.

Choosing a print encoding method
By default, the printer driver transfers binary information to PostScript printers; however,
you can choose to transfer image data using JPEG or ASCII encoding These options are not
available to non-PostScript printers such as many inkjet models.
JPEG-encoded files are smaller than binary files, and therefore require less time to print;
however, using JPEG encoding decreases the image quality. Only PostScript Level 2 (or
higher) printers support JPEG encoding; sending a JPEG-encoded file to a PostScript Level
1 output device may result in PostScript language errors.
Some print spooler programs, computer networks, and third-party printer drivers don’t
support files that are binary or JPEG-encoded, and some PostScript output devices accept
binary and JPEG-encoded image data only through their AppleTalk and Ethernet ports,
not their parallel or serial ports. In these situations, you can select the ASCII encoding
method. However, ASCII files contain about twice as many characters and require about
twice as much time to transfer as binary files.
To change the encoding method:
1 Choose File > Print with Preview.
2 Select Show More Options, and choose Output from the pop-up menu.
3 Select an option from the Encoding menu.

Printing vector graphics
If an image includes vector graphics, such as shapes and type, Photoshop can send the
vector data to a PostScript printer. When you choose to include vector data, Photoshop
sends the printer a separate image for each type layer and each vector shape layer. These
additional images are printed on top of the base image, and clipped using their vector
outline. Consequently, the edges of vector graphics print at the printer’s full resolution,
even though the content of each layer is limited to the resolution of your image file.
To print vector data:
1 Choose File > Print with Preview.
2 Select Show More Options, and choose Output from the pop-up menu.
3 Select Include Vector Data.

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Using color management when printing
Different devices operate within different color spaces—for example, your monitor
operates in a different color space than your printer, and different printers have different
color spaces. The color management options provided by the Print with Preview
command let you change the color space of an image while printing, to get a more
accurate color printout. (Depending on the designated printer and print drivers on your
computer, these options may also appear in the Print dialog box.)
To use color management when printing, you first specify the source color space
containing the colors you want to send to your printer. This space may be the document’s
current color profile (if you want the printout to match how the document appears onscreen), or it may be the current proof profile (if you want the printout to match your
current soft proof ). Second, you specify the color space of the printer to which you are
sending the document. Specifying the printer space ensures that Photoshop has enough
information to interpret and reproduce the source colors accurately on the printer.
For example, suppose your document currently uses an RGB profile, and you want to use
your desktop printer to proof the colors as they will appear on an offset press. To do this,
set up a proof profile for the press color space. (See “Soft-proofing colors” on page 113.)
Then print the document using the proof profile as the source space and the desktop
printer profile as the printer space.
To color-manage a document while printing:
1 Choose File > Print with Preview.
2 Select Show More Options and choose Color Management from the pop-up menu.
3 Select an option for Source Space:
•

Select Document to reproduce document colors as interpreted by the profile currently
assigned to the document.

•

Select Proof to reproduce document colors as interpreted by the current proof profile.
This option is useful for generating hard proofs of your soft-proof settings. (See “Softproofing colors” on page 113.)

4 Under Print Space, choose an option for Profile:
•

Choose the profile that matches the color space of your printer to print using that
printer space.

•

Choose Same As Source to print using the source space profile. No additional conversions will be performed on the colors of the document when it is printed.

•

Choose PostScript Color Management to send the document’s color data, along with
the source space profile, directly to a PostScript Level 2 or higher printer (Level 3 or
higher for CMYK images) and have colors managed at the level of the printer. The exact
results of the color conversion can vary among printers. Choose this option only if you
are printing remotely, if you are printing an RGB EPS file, or if you do not have a profile
of the printer’s color space. To proof a CMYK image on a PostScript Level 2 printer,
choose the Lab Color option.

5 Under Print Space, for Intent, choose a rendering intent to use when converting colors
to the destination profile space. (See “Specifying a rendering intent” on page 110.)

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Creating color traps
With CMYK images, you can adjust the color trap. A trap is an overlap that prevents tiny
gaps from appearing in the printed image, due to a slight misregistration on press. In most
cases, your print shop will determine if trapping is needed and tell you what values to
enter in the Trap dialog box.

Misregistration with no trap, and misregistration with trap

Trapping is intended to correct the misalignment of solid colors. In general, you don’t
need traps for continuous-tone images such as photographs. Excessive trapping may
produce an outline effect. These problems may not be visible on-screen and might show
up only in print. Adobe Photoshop uses standard rules for trapping:
•

All colors spread under black.

•

Lighter colors spread under darker colors.

•

Yellow spreads under cyan, magenta, and black.

•

Pure cyan and pure magenta spread under each other equally.

To create trap:
1 Save a version of the file in RGB mode, in case you want to reconvert the image later.
Then choose Image > Mode > CMYK Color to convert the image to CMYK mode.
2 Choose Image > Trap.
3 For Width, enter the trapping value provided by your print shop. Then select a unit of
measurement, and click OK. Consult your print shop to determine how much misregistration to expect.

Printing duotones
Photoshop lets you create monotones, duotones, tritones, and quadtones. Monotones are
grayscale images printed with a single, nonblack ink. Duotones, tritones, and quadtones
are grayscale images printed with two, three, and four inks. In these types of images,
colored inks are used to reproduce tinted grays rather than different colors. This section
uses the term duotone to refer to duotones, monotones, tritones, and quadtones.

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About duotones
Duotones are used to increase the tonal range of a grayscale image. Although a grayscale
reproduction can display up to 256 levels of gray, a printing press can reproduce only
about 50 levels of gray per ink. This means that a grayscale image printed with only black
ink can look significantly coarser than the same image printed with two, three, or four inks,
each individual ink reproducing up to 50 levels of gray.
Sometimes duotones are printed using a black ink and a gray ink—the black for shadows
and the gray for midtones and highlights. More frequently, duotones are printed using a
colored ink for the highlight color. This technique produces an image with a slight tint to it
and significantly increases the image’s dynamic range. Duotones are ideal for two-color
print jobs with a spot color (such as a PANTONE Color) used for accent.
Because duotones use different color inks to reproduce different gray levels, they are
treated in Photoshop as single-channel, 8-bit, grayscale images. In Duotone mode, you do
not have direct access to the individual image channels (as in RGB, CMYK, and Lab modes).
Instead, you manipulate the channels through the curves in the Duotone Options
dialog box.
To convert an image to duotone:
1 Convert the image to grayscale by choosing Image > Mode > Grayscale. Only 8-bit
grayscale images can be converted to duotones.
2 Choose Image > Mode > Duotone.
3 In the Duotone Options dialog box, select Preview to view the effects of the duotone
settings on the image.
4 Select Monotone, Duotone, Tritone, or Quadtone for Type.
5 To specify ink colors, click the color box (the solid square) for an ink. Then use the color
picker or the Custom Colors dialog box to select an ink. (See “Using the Adobe Color
Picker” on page 261.)
Note: To produce fully saturated colors, make sure that inks are specified in descending
order—darkest at the top, lightest at the bottom.
6 Click the curve box next to the color ink box and adjust the duotone curve for each ink
color. (See “Modifying the duotone curve” on page 480.)
7 Set overprint colors, if necessary. (See “Specifying overprint colors” on page 481.)
8 Click OK.
To apply a duotone effect to only part of an image, convert the duotone image to
Multichannel mode—this converts the duotone curves to spot channels. You can then
erase part of the spot channel for areas that you want printed as standard grayscale.
(See “Adding spot colors (Photoshop)” on page 272.)

Modifying the duotone curve
In a duotone image, each ink has a separate curve that specifies how the color is
distributed across the shadows and highlights. This curve maps each grayscale value in
the original image to a specific ink percentage.
To modify the duotone curve for a given ink:
1 To preview any adjustments, select the Preview option.

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2 Click the curve box next to the ink color box.
The default duotone curve, a straight diagonal line, indicates that the grayscale values in
the original image map to an equal percentage of ink. At this setting, a 50% midtone pixel
prints with a 50% tint of the ink, a 100% shadow is printed in 100% color, and so on.
3 Adjust the duotone curve for each ink by dragging a point on the graph or by entering
values for the different ink percentages.
•

In the curve graph, the horizontal axis moves from highlights (at the left) to shadows
(at the right). Ink density increases as you move up the vertical axis. You can specify up
to 13 points on the curve. When you specify two values along the curve, Adobe
Photoshop calculates intermediate values. As you adjust the curve, values are automatically entered in the percentage text boxes.

•

In the text box, the value you enter indicates the percentage of the ink color that will be
used to represent the grayscale value in the original image. For example, if you enter 70
in the 100% text box, a 70% tint of that ink color will be used to print the 100% shadow
areas of the image. (See “Using the Curves dialog box (Photoshop)” on page 139.)

4 Click Save in the Duotone Curve dialog box to save curves created with this dialog box.
5 Click Load to load these curves or curves created in the Curves dialog box, including
curves created using the Arbitrary Map option. (See “Saving and loading duotone
settings” on page 482.)
You can use the Info palette to display ink percentages when you’re working with duotone
images. Set the readout mode to Actual Color to see the ink percentages that will be
applied when the image is printed. These values reflect any changes you’ve entered in the
Duotone Curve dialog box.

Specifying overprint colors
Overprint colors are two unscreened inks printed on top of each other. For example, when
a cyan ink prints over a yellow ink, the resulting overprint is a green color. The order in
which inks are printed, as well as variations in the inks and paper, can significantly affect
the final results.
To help you predict how colors will look when printed, use a printed sample of the
overprinted inks to adjust your screen display. Just remember that this adjustment affects
only how the overprint colors appear on-screen, not when printed. Before adjusting these
colors, make sure that you have calibrated your monitor following the instructions in
“Creating an ICC monitor profile” on page 117.
To adjust the display of overprint colors:
1 Choose Image > Mode > Duotone.
2 Click Overprint Colors. The Overprint Colors dialog box displays the combinations that
will result when the inks are printed.
3 Click the color swatch of the ink combination you want to adjust.
4 Select the color you want in the color picker, and click OK.
5 Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the overprint inks appear as you want them. Then click OK.

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Saving and loading duotone settings
Use the Save button in the Duotone Options dialog box to save a set of duotone curves,
ink settings, and overprint colors. Use the Load button to load a set of duotone curves, ink
settings, and overprint colors. You can then apply these settings to other grayscale images.
The Adobe Photoshop application includes several sample sets of duotone, tritone, and
quadtone curves. These sets include some of the more commonly used curves and colors
and are useful as starting points for creating your own combinations.

Viewing individual printing plates
Because duotones are single-channel images, your adjustments to individual printing inks
are displayed as part of the final composite image. In some cases, you may want to view
the individual “printing plates” to see how the individual colors will separate when printed
(as you can with CMYK images).
To view the individual colors of a duotone image:
1 After specifying your ink colors, choose Image > Mode > Multichannel.
The image is converted to a multichannel image, with each channel represented as a
spot-color channel. The contents of each spot channel accurately reflect the duotone
settings, but the on-screen composite preview may not be as accurate as the preview in
Duotone mode.
Important: If you make any changes to the image in Multichannel mode, you will be
unable to revert to the original duotone state (unless you can access the duotone state in
the History palette). To adjust the distribution of ink and view its effect on the individual
printing plates, make the adjustments in the Duotone Curves dialog box before converting
to Multichannel mode.
2 Select the channel you want to examine in the Channels palette.
3 Choose Edit > Undo Multichannel to revert to Duotone mode.

Printing duotones
When creating duotones, keep in mind that both the order in which the inks are printed
and the screen angles you use dramatically affect the final output.
Click the Auto button in the Halftone Screens dialog box to set the optimal screen angles
and frequencies. (See “Selecting halftone screen attributes” on page 475.) Make sure that
you select Use Accurate Screens in the Auto Screens dialog box if you’re printing to a
PostScript Level 2 (or higher) printer or an imagesetter equipped with an Emerald
controller.
Note: The recommended screen angles and frequencies for quadtones are based on the
assumption that channel 1 is the darkest ink and channel 4 is the lightest ink.
You do not have to convert duotone images to CMYK to print separations—simply choose
Separations from the Profile pop-up menu in the Color Management section of the Print
dialog box. (See “Printing color separations” on page 483.) Converting to CMYK mode
converts any custom colors to their CMYK equivalents.

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Exporting duotone images to other applications
To prepare a duotone image for exporting to a page-layout application, save the image in
EPS or PDF format (unless the image contains spot channels, in which case you should
convert it to Multichannel mode and save it in DCS 2.0 format). Keep in mind that it’s
important to name custom colors so they’ll be recognized by the other application.
Otherwise the image won’t print correctly—or might not print at all.

Printing color separations
When working with CMYK images or images with spot colors, you can print each color
channel as a separate page.
Note: If you are printing an image from another application and want to print spot
channels to spot color plates, you must first save the file in DCS 2.0 format. DCS 2.0
preserves spot channels and is supported by applications such as Adobe PageMaker and
QuarkXPress®. (See “Saving files in Photoshop EPS format (Photoshop)” on page 448.)
To print separations from Photoshop:
1 Choose File > Print with Preview.
2 Select Show More Options, and choose Color Management from the pop-up menu.
3 Choose Separations from the Profile pop-up menu.
Note: Depending on the designated printer and print drivers on your computer, these
options may also appear in the Print dialog box.
4 Click Print. Separations are printed for each of the colors in the image.
To prepare an image with spot channels for printing from another application:
1 If the image is a duotone, convert to Multichannel color mode.
2 Save the image in DCS 2.0 format.
3 In the DCS 2.0 Format dialog box, be sure to deselect the Include Halftone Screen and
the Include Transfer Function options. (See “Saving files in Photoshop EPS format
(Photoshop)” on page 448.)
4 Open or import the image in the application you will be printing from, and set your
screen angles. Make sure that you’ve communicated to the printer the spot color you want
for each of the color plates.

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Automating Tasks
About actions
An action is a series of commands that you play back on a single file or a batch of files.
For example, you can create an action that applies an Image Size command to change an
image to a specific size in pixels, followed by an Unsharp Mask filter that resharpens the
detail, and a Save command that saves the file in the desired format.
Most commands and tool operations are recordable in actions. Actions can include stops
that let you perform tasks that cannot be recorded (for example, using a painting tool).
Actions can also include modal controls that let you enter values in a dialog box while
playing an action. Actions form the basis for droplets, small applications that automatically process all files that are dragged onto their icon.

Action applied to an image

Both Photoshop and ImageReady ship with a number of predefined actions, although
Photoshop has significantly more actions than ImageReady. You can use these actions as
is, customize them to meet your needs, or create new actions.

Using the Actions palette
You use the Actions palette to record, play, edit, and delete individual actions. This palette
also lets you save and load action files.
In Photoshop, actions are grouped into sets—you can create new sets to better organize
your actions. (See “Organizing sets of actions (Photoshop)” on page 494.) In ImageReady,
you cannot group actions into sets.

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To display the Actions palette:
Choose Window > Actions, or click the Actions palette tab if the palette is visible but
not active.
By default, the Actions palette displays actions in list mode—you can expand and collapse
sets, actions, and commands. In Photoshop, you can also choose to display actions in
button mode (as buttons in the Actions palette that play an action with a single mouse
click). However, you cannot view individual commands or sets in button mode.
To expand and collapse sets, actions, and commands:
Click the triangle to the left of the set, action, or command in the Actions palette.
Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the triangle to expand or collapse all actions
in a set or all commands in an action.
To select actions:
Do one of the following:
•

Click an action name to select a single action.

•

(Photoshop) Shift-click action names to select multiple, discontiguous actions.

•

(Photoshop) Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) action names to select
multiple, contiguous actions.

To display actions as buttons (Photoshop):
Choose Button Mode from the Actions palette menu. Choose Button Mode again to return
to list mode.

Recording actions
Keep in mind the following guidelines when recording actions:
•

You can record most—but not all—commands in an action.

•

You can record operations that you perform with the marquee, move, polygon, lasso,
magic wand, crop, slice, magic eraser, gradient, paint bucket, type, shape, notes,
eyedropper, and color sampler tools—as well as those that you perform in the History,
Swatches, Color, Paths, Channels, Layers, Styles, and Actions palettes.

In ImageReady, you can drag a command from the History palette to the action in the
Actions palette in which you want the command recorded. You cannot drag italicized
commands from the History palette to the Actions palette. (Commands in italics are
nonactionable.)
•

Results depend on file and program setting variables, such as the active layer or the
foreground color. For example, a 3-pixel Gaussian blur won’t create the same effect on a
72-ppi file as on a 144-ppi file. Nor will Color Balance work on a grayscale file.

•

When recording actions that include dialog box and palette settings, keep in mind that
only changed settings are recorded. For example, to record an action that sets a
particular preference to its current value, you must first change that preference to some
other value, and then record the action as you change the preference back to its
original value.

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Modal operations and tools—as well as tools that record position—use the units
currently specified for the ruler. A modal operation or tool is one that requires you to
press Enter or Return to apply its effect, such as the transformation and crop
commands. Tools that record position include the marquee, slice, gradient, magic
wand, lasso, shape, path, eyedropper, and notes tools.

In Photoshop, when recording an action that will be played on files of different sizes,
set the ruler units to percent. As a result, the action will always play back in the same
relative position in the image.
•

You can record the Play command listed on the Actions palette menu to cause one
action to play another.

Creating a new action
When you create a new action, the commands and tools you use are added to the action
until you stop recording.
To create a new action:
1 Open a file.
2 In the Actions palette, click the New Action button
palette menu.

, or choose New Action from the

3 Enter a name for the action.
4 (Photoshop) Choose a set from the pop-up menu.
5 If desired, set one or both of the following options:
•

Assign a keyboard shortcut to the action. You can choose any combination of a
Function key, the Ctrl key (Windows) or Command key (Mac OS), and the Shift key
(for example, Ctrl+Shift+F3).

•

(Photoshop) Assign a color for display in Button Mode.

6 Click Record. The Record button in the Actions palette turns red

Important: When recording the Save As command, do not change the filename. If you
enter a new filename, Photoshop records the filename and uses that filename each time
you run the action. Before saving, if you navigate to a different folder, you can specify a
different location without having to specify a filename.
7 Choose the commands, and perform the operations you want to record.
8 To stop recording, click the Stop button, choose Stop Recording from the Actions
palette menu, or press the Escape key. To resume recording in the same action, choose
Start Recording from the Actions palette menu.

Recording paths (Photoshop)
The Insert Path command lets you include a complex path (a path created with a pen tool
or pasted from Adobe Illustrator) as part of an action. When the action is played back, the
work path is set to the recorded path. You can insert a path when recording an action or
after it has been recorded.
Note: Playing actions that insert complex paths may require significant amounts of
memory. If you encounter problems, increase the amount of memory available to
Photoshop.

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To record a path:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Start recording an action.

•

Select an action’s name to record a path at the end of the action.

•

Select a command to record a path after the command.

2 Select an existing path from the Paths palette.
3 Choose Insert Path from the Actions palette menu.
If you record multiple Insert Path commands in a single action, each path will replace the
previous one in the target file. To add multiple paths, record a Save Path command using
the Paths palette after recording each Insert Path command.

Inserting stops
You can include stops in your action that let you perform a task that cannot be recorded
(for example, using a painting tool). Once you’ve completed the task, click the Play button
in the Actions palette to complete the task. You can insert a stop when recording an action
or after it has been recorded.
You can also display a short message when the action reaches the stop. For example, you
can remind yourself what needs to be done before continuing with the action. A Continue
button can be included in the message box. This lets you check for a certain condition in
the file (for example, a selection) and continue if nothing needs to be done.
To insert a stop:
1 Choose where to insert the stop:
•

Select an action’s name to insert a stop at the end of the action.

•

Select a command to insert a stop after the command.

2 Choose Insert Stop from the Actions palette menu.
3 Type the message you want to appear.
4 (Photoshop) If you want the option to continue the action without stopping, select
Allow Continue.
5 Click OK.

Setting modal controls
A modal control pauses an action so that you can specify values in a dialog box or use a
modal tool. You can only set modal controls for actions that launch dialog boxes or
activate modal tools. If you do not set a modal control, dialog boxes do not appear when
you play the action, and you cannot change the recorded values.
A modal control is indicated by a dialog box icon to the left of a command, action, or set
in the Actions palette. Actions and sets in which some, but not all, available commands are
modal display a red dialog box icon . In Photoshop, you must be in list mode—not
button mode—to set a modal control.

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To set a modal control:
Do one of the following:
•

Click the box to the left of the command name to display the dialog box icon. Click
again to remove the modal control.

•

To turn on or disable modal controls for all commands in an action, click the box to the
left of the action name.

•

(Photoshop) To turn on or disable modal controls for all actions in a set, click the box to
the left of the set name.

Excluding commands
You can exclude commands that you don’t want to play as part of a recorded action. In
Photoshop, you must be in list mode—not button mode—to exclude commands.
To exclude or include a command:
1 To expand the listing of commands in an action, click the triangle to the left of the
action you want to work with.
2 Click the check mark to the left of the specific command you wish to exclude; click
again to include the command. To exclude or include all commands in an action, click the
check mark to the left of the action name.
When you exclude a command, its check mark disappears. In addition, the check mark of
the parent action turns red to indicate that some of the commands within the action are
excluded.

Inserting nonrecordable commands (Photoshop)
The painting and toning tools, tool options, view commands, and window commands
cannot be recorded. However, many commands that cannot be recorded can be inserted
into an action using the Insert Menu Item command.
An inserted command is not executed until the action is played, so the file remains
unchanged when the command is inserted. No values for the command are recorded in
the action. If the command has a dialog box, the dialog box appears during playback, and
the action pauses until you click OK or Cancel. You can insert a command when recording
an action or after it has been recorded.
Note: When you use the Insert Menu Item command to insert a command that opens a
dialog box, you cannot disable the modal control in the Actions palette.
To insert a menu item in an action:
1 Choose where to insert the menu item:
•

Select an action’s name to insert the item at the end of the action.

•

Select a command to insert the item at the end of the command.

2 Choose Insert Menu Item from the Actions palette menu.
3 With the Insert Menu Item dialog box open, choose a command from its menu.
4 Click OK.

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Specifying an output folder (ImageReady)
You can specify the folder in which images are placed after actions are performed.
Note: In Photoshop, you can set an output folder when using the Batch command to
process files. (See “Using the Batch command (Photoshop)” on page 495.)
To specify an output g:
1 Select the action for which you want to specify an output folder in the Actions palette.
2 Choose Insert Set Output Folder from the Actions palette menu.
3 Select a folder, and click OK.

Recording image size options (ImageReady)
Resizing images is a typical step in preparing irregularly sized images for use on the Web.
You can automate this task by creating an action that includes the Image Size command.
ImageReady provides several options that give you control over how an action resizes
images.
To record Image Size options:
1 Start recording an action.
2 Choose Image > Image Size, and enter the desired image dimensions. (See “Changing
the pixel dimensions of an image” on page 67.)
3 Select Action Options.
4 Choose an option from the Fit Image By menu:
•

Width to constrain proportions using the new width value.

•

Height to constrain proportions using the new height value.

•

Width & Height to constrain proportions using either the new width value or the new
height value.

•

Percent to constrain proportions using the new percent value.

5 Select Do Not Enlarge to prevent images that are smaller than the new dimensions
from being sized up.
6 Click OK and continue recording the action.

Inserting optimization settings for selected slices (ImageReady)
When you record a Save Optimized action step, ImageReady includes optimization
settings for the entire image. You can insert optimization settings for individual slices
using the Insert Set Optimization Settings command.
To insert optimization settings in an action:
1 Select the slice or slices for which you want to record optimization settings. (See
“Selecting slices” on page 373.)
2 Select the action in which you want to insert the optimization settings.

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3 Do one of the following:
•

Choose Insert Set Optimization Settings to current file format from the Actions palette
menu. (The command indicates the optimization file format currently applied to the
selected slice.)

•

Drag the droplet icon

from the Optimize palette onto the Actions palette.

Playing actions
Playing an action executes the series of commands you recorded in the active document.
You can exclude specific commands from an action or play a single command. If the action
includes a modal control, you can specify values in a dialog box or use a modal tool when
the action pauses.
Note: In button mode, clicking a button executes the entire action—though commands
previously excluded are not executed.
To play an action on a file:
1 Open the file.
2 Do one of the following:
•

To play an entire action, select the action name, and click the Play button
Actions palette, or choose Play from the palette menu.

in the

•

If you assigned a key combination to the action, press that combination to play the
action automatically.

•

To play part of an action, select the command from which you want to start playing, and
click the Play button in the Actions palette, or choose Play from the palette menu.

To play a single command in an action:
1 Select the command you want to play.
2 Do one of the following:
•

Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the Play button in the Actions palette.

•

Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and double-click the command.

To undo an entire action:
Do one of the following:
•

(Photoshop) Take a snapshot in the History palette before you play an action, and then
select the snapshot to undo the action.

•

(ImageReady) Choose Edit > Undo Action Name.

Setting playback options (Photoshop)
Sometimes a long, complicated action does not play properly, but it is difficult to tell
where the problem occurs. The Playback Options command gives you three speeds at
which to play actions, so that you can watch each command as it is carried out.
When working with actions that contain audio annotations, you can specify whether or
not the action will pause for audio annotations. This ensures that each audio annotation
completes playing before the next step in the action is initiated.
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To specify how fast actions should play:
1 Choose Playback Options from the Actions palette menu.
2 Specify a speed:
•

Accelerated to play the action at normal speed (the default).

•

Step by Step to complete each command and redraw the image before going on to the
next command in the action.

•

Pause For to enter the amount of time Photoshop should pause between carrying out
each command in the action.

3 Select Pause For Audio Annotation to ensure that each audio annotation in an action
completes playback before the next step in the action is initiated. Deselect this option if
you want an action to continue while an audio annotation is playing.
4 Click OK.

Editing actions
After you record an action, you can edit it in a variety of ways. You can rearrange actions
and commands in the Actions palette; record additional commands in an action; rerecord,
duplicate, and delete commands and actions; and change action options.

Rearranging actions and commands
You can rearrange actions in the Actions palette and rearrange commands within an
action to change their order of execution.
To rearrange actions:
In the Actions palette, drag the action to its new location before or after another action.
When the highlighted line appears in the desired position, release the mouse button.
To rearrange commands:
In the Actions palette, drag the command to its new location within the same or another
action. When the highlighted line appears in the desired position, release the mouse
button.

Recording additional commands
You can add commands to an action using the Record button or the Start Recording
command in the Actions palette.
To record additional commands:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Select the action name to insert a new command at the end of the action.

•

Select a command in the action to insert a command after it.

2 Click the Record button, or choose Start Recording from the Actions palette menu.
3 Record the additional commands.

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4 Click the Stop button to stop recording.
In ImageReady, you can drag a command from the History palette to the Actions
palette without clicking the Record button or choosing Start Recording from the
Actions palette menu.

Rerecording and duplicating actions and commands
Rerecording an action or command lets you set new values for it. Duplicating an action or
command lets you make changes to it without losing the original version.
To record an action again (Photoshop):
1 Select an action, and choose Record Again from the Actions palette menu.
2 For a modal tool, do one of the following:
•

Use the tool differently, and Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to change the
tool’s effect.

•

Press Cancel to retain the same settings.

3 For a dialog box, do one of the following:
•

Change the values, and click OK to record them.

•

Click Cancel to retain the same values.

To record a single command again:
1 In the Actions palette, double-click the command.
2 Enter the new values, and click OK.
To duplicate an action or command:
Do one of the following:
•

Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the action or command to a new location
in the Actions palette. When the highlighted line appears in the desired location,
release the mouse button.

•

Select an action or command. Then choose Duplicate from the Actions palette menu.
The copied action or command appears after the original.

•

Drag an action or command to the New Action button at the bottom of the Actions
palette. The copied action or command appears after the original.

In Photoshop, you can duplicate sets as well as actions and commands.

Deleting actions and commands
If you no longer need an action or command, you can delete it from the Actions palette.
To delete an action or command:
1 In the Actions palette, select the action or command you want to delete.
2 Delete the action or command:
•

Click the Trash button
command.

on the Actions palette. Click OK to delete the action or

•

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Trash button to delete the selected
action or command without displaying a confirmation dialog box.

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•

Drag the action or command to the Trash button on the Actions palette to delete the
selected action or command without displaying a confirmation dialog box.

•

Choose Delete from the Actions palette menu.

To delete all actions in the Actions palette (Photoshop):
Choose Clear All Actions from the Actions palette menu.

Changing action options
You can change the name, keyboard shortcut, and button color (Photoshop) for an action
in the Action Options dialog box.
To rename an action:
Double-click the action name in the Actions palette and enter a new name.
To change action options:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Select the action, and choose Action Options from the Actions palette menu.

2 Type a new name for the action, or change other options. For more information about
action options, see “Recording actions” on page 485.
3 Click OK.

Managing actions in the Actions palette
By default, the Actions palette displays predefined actions (shipped with the application)
and any actions you create. You can also load additional actions into the Actions palette.
Note: Photoshop actions are not compatible with ImageReady, and vice versa.

Saving and loading actions (Photoshop)
Actions are automatically saved to the Actions Palette folder in the Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Settings folder. If this file is lost or removed, the actions you created are lost. You can save
your actions to a separate actions file so that you can recover them if necessary. You can
also load a variety of action sets that are shipped with Photoshop.
Note: The default location of the Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Settings folder varies by operating
system. Use your operating system’s Find command to locate this folder.
To save a set of actions:
1 Select a set.
2 Choose Save Actions from the Actions palette menu.
3 Type a name for the set, choose a location, and click Save.
You can save the set anywhere. However, if you place the file in the Presets/Photoshop
Actions folder inside the Photoshop program folder, the set will appear at the bottom of
the Actions palette menu after you restart the application.
Press Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Command+Option (Mac OS) when you choose the Save
Actions command to save the actions in a text file. You can use this file to review or
print the contents of an action. However, you can’t reload the text file back into
Photoshop.
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To load a set of actions:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose Load Actions from the Actions palette menu. Locate and select the action set
file, the click Load. (In Windows, Photoshop action set files have the extension .atn.)

•

Select an action set from the bottom of the Actions palette menu.

To restore actions to the default set:
1 Choose Reset Actions from the Actions palette menu.
2 Click OK to replace the current actions in the Actions palette with the default set, or
click Append to add the set of default actions to the current actions in the Actions palette.

Saving actions (ImageReady)
All actions you create are saved in the ImageReady Actions folder in the Adobe
ImageReady 7.0 Settings folder. ImageReady can only access actions that reside in this
folder. You add actions to ImageReady by dragging actions into the ImageReady Actions
folder on your computer. Because ImageReady does not include a Load Actions command,
you must add files to the ImageReady Actions folder manually.
Note: The default location of the Adobe ImageReady 7.0 Settings folder varies by
operating system. Use your operating system’s Find command to locate this folder.
You can remove actions from ImageReady by dragging the actions out of the ImageReady
Actions folder or by using the Delete Action command in the Actions palette menu.
Actions you remove by dragging can be saved in another folder. Actions you remove by
deleting are removed permanently.
If you add or remove files from the ImageReady Actions palette, you can direct
ImageReady to scan the Actions folder for changes and update the Actions palette.
(ImageReady scans the Actions folder and updates the Actions palette whenever you
launch the application.)
To update the Actions folder:
1 Drag an action file into or out of the ImageReady Actions folder.
2 Choose Rescan Actions Folder from the Actions palette menu.

Organizing sets of actions (Photoshop)
To help you organize your actions, you can create sets of actions and save the sets to disk.
You can organize sets of actions for different types of work—such as print publishing and
online publishing—and transfer sets to other computers.
Although ImageReady doesn’t allow you to create sets, you can manually organize
actions in the ImageReady Actions folder. For example, if the Actions palette contains
too many actions, create a new folder inside the ImageReady Actions folder and move
less-used actions from the ImageReady Actions folder to this new folder. The relocated
actions are removed from the palette until you return them to the ImageReady Actions
folder.
To create a new set of actions:
1 In the Actions palette, click the New Set button
palette menu.
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2 Enter the name of the set, and click OK.
To move an action to a different set:
In the Actions palette, drag the action to a different set. When the highlighted line appears
in the desired position, release the mouse button.
To rename a set of actions:
1 In the Actions palette, choose Set Options from the pop-up menu.
2 Enter the name of the set, and click OK.

Using the Batch command (Photoshop)
The Batch command lets you play an action on a folder of files and subfolders. If you have
a digital camera or a scanner with a document feeder, you can also import and process
multiple images with a single action. Your scanner or digital camera may need an acquire
plug-in module that supports actions. (If the third-party plug-in wasn’t written to import
multiple documents at a time, it may not work during batch-processing or if used as part
of an action. Contact the plug-in’s manufacturer for further information.)
When batch-processing files, you can leave all the files open, close and save the changes
to the original files, or save modified versions of the files to a new location (leaving the
originals unchanged). If you are saving the processed files to a new location, you may
want to create a new folder for the processed files before starting the batch.
For better batch performance, reduce the number of saved history states and deselect
the Automatically Create First Snapshot option in the History palette.
To batch-process files using the Batch command:
1 Choose File > Automate > Batch.
2 For Play, choose the desired set and action from the Set and Action pop-up menus.
3 For Source, choose a source from the pop-up menu:
•

Folder to play the action on files already stored on your computer. Click Choose to
locate and select the folder.

•

Import to import and play the action on images from a digital camera or scanner.

•

Opened Files to play the action on all open files.

•

File Browser to play the action on the selected files in the File Browser.

4 Select Override Action “Open” Commands if you want Open commands in the action to
refer to the batched files, rather than the filenames specified in the action. If you select this
option, the action must contain an Open command because the Batch command will not
automatically open the source files.
Deselect Override Action “Open” Commands if the action was recorded to operate on
open files or if the action contains Open commands for specific files that are required by
the action.
5 Select Include All Subfolders to process files in subfolders.
6 Select Suppress Color Profile Warnings to turn off display of color policy messages.

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7 Choose a destination for the processed files from the Destination menu:
•

None to leave the files open without saving changes (unless the action includes a
Save command).

•

Save and Close to save the files in their current location, overwriting the original files.

•

Folder to save the processed files to another location. Click Choose to specify the
destination folder.

8 Select Override Action “Save As” Commands if you want Save As commands in the
action to refer to the batched files, rather than the filenames and locations specified in the
action. If you select this option, the action must contain a a Save As command because the
Batch command will not automatically save the source files.
Deselect Override Action “Save As” Commands if the action contains Save As commands
for specific files that are required by the action.
9 If you chose Folder as the destination, specify a file-naming convention and select file
compatibility options for the processed files:
•

For File Naming, select elements from the pop-up menus or enter text into the fields to
be combined into the default names for all files. The fields let you change the order and
formatting of the filename parts. You must include at least one field that is unique for
every file (for example, filename, serial number, or serial letter) to prevent files from
overwriting each other.

•

For File Name Compatibility, choose Windows, Mac OS, and UNIX to make filenames
compatible with Windows, Mac OS, and UNIX operating systems.

Saving files using the Batch command options always saves the files in the same
format as the original files. To create a batch process that saves files in a new format,
record the Save As command followed by the Close command as part of your original
action. Then choose Override Action “Save In” Commands for the Destination when setting
up the batch process.
10 Select an option for error processing from the Errors pop-up menu:
•

Stop for Errors to suspend the process until you confirm the error message.

•

Log Errors to File to record each error in a file without stopping the process. If errors are
logged to a file, a message appears after processing. To review the error file, click Save
As and name the error file.

To batch-process using multiple actions, create a new action and record the Batch
command for each action you want to use. This technique also lets you process
multiple folders in a single batch. To batch-process multiple folders, create aliases within a
folder to the other folders you want to process, and select the Include All Subfolders
option.

Using droplets
A droplet is a small application that applies an action to one or more images that you drag
onto the droplet icon: in Photoshop or
in ImageReady. You can save a droplet on the
desktop or to a location on disk.

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Creating a droplet from an action
Actions are the basis for creating droplets—you must create the desired action in the
Actions palette prior to creating a droplet. (See “Recording actions” on page 485.)
In ImageReady, you can also create droplets with the Optimize palette, so that you can
apply Optimize palette settings to single images or batches of images.
To create a droplet from an action (Photoshop):
1 Choose File > Automate > Create Droplet.
2 Click Choose in the Save Droplet In section of the dialog box, and select a location to
save the droplet.
3 Select the desired set and action from the Set and Action menus.
4 Set Play options for the droplet:
•

Select Override Action “Open” Commands if you want Open commands in the action to
refer to the batched files, rather than the filenames specified in the action. Deselect
Override Action “Open” Commands if the action was recorded to operate on open files
or if the action contains Open commands for specific files that are required by the
action.

•

Select Include All Subfolders to process files in subdirectories.

•

Select Suppress Color Profile Warnings to turn off display of color policy messages.

5 Select a destination for the processed files from the Destination menu:
•

None to leave the files open without saving changes (unless the action included a
Save command).

•

Save and Close to save the files in their current location.

•

Folder to save the processed files to another location. Click Choose to specify the
destination folder. Select Override Action “Save As” Commands if you want Save As
commands in the action to refer to the batched files, rather than the filenames and
locations specified in the action. Deselect Override Action “Save As” Commands if the
action contains Save As commands for specific files that are required by the action.

6 If you chose Folder as the destination, specify a file-naming convention and select file
compatibility options for the processed files:
•

For File Naming, select elements from the pop-up menus or enter text into the fields to
be combined into the default names for all files. Elements include document name,
serial number or letter, file creation date, and file extension.

•

For File Name Compatibility, choose Windows, Mac OS, and UNIX to make filenames
compatible with Windows, Mac OS, and UNIX operating systems.

7 Select an option for error processing from the Errors pop-up menu:
•

Stop for Errors to suspend the process until you confirm the error message.

•

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To create a droplet from an action (ImageReady):
1 For best results, make sure that the action contains at least one Set Optimization
command. To add a Set Optimization command, adjust the settings in the Optimize
palette, and then drag the droplet icon
from the Optimize palette onto the part of the
Actions palette where you want to add that command.
If you do not add a Set Optimization command to the droplet, ImageReady will process
files using the optimization settings in place at the time the droplet was created.
2 Create the droplet:
•

Drag the name of the action from the Actions palette onto the desktop. The droplet has
the same name as the action it was created from. You can rename the droplet as you do
other desktop icons.

•

Select an action, and choose Create Droplet from the Actions palette menu. Name the
droplet, choose a location where the droplet will be saved, and click Save.

Creating droplets for use on different operating systems
When creating droplets that may be used in both Windows and Mac OS, keep the
following compatibility issues in mind:
•

When moving a droplet created in Windows to Mac OS, drag the droplet onto the
Photoshop icon. Photoshop will launch and update the droplet for use in Mac OS.

•

When creating a droplet in Mac OS, use the .exe extension to make droplets compatible
with both Windows and Mac OS.

•

References to filenames are not supported between operating systems. Any action step
that references a file or folder name (such as an Open command, Save command, or
adjustment command that loads its settings from a file) will pause and prompt the user
for a filename.

Using droplets to process files
To use a droplet, simply drag a file or folder onto the droplet icon:
in Photoshop or
in ImageReady. If the application you used to create the droplet is not currently running,
the droplet launches it.
In ImageReady, you can control droplet processing in the following ways:
•

To temporarily pause processing, click Pause. Click Resume to continue the processing.

•

To cancel processing, click Stop.

Editing droplets (ImageReady)
In ImageReady, you can edit the commands in a droplet in the same ways you edit the
commands in an action. You can also set batch options for a droplet before or after you
create it. For example, you can set the droplet to operate in the background during
execution, so that you can work in other applications while ImageReady processes images.
To edit a droplet:
1 Double-click the droplet to open the droplet window in ImageReady. The droplet
window looks like a simplified version of the Actions palette.
2 Edit the droplet in the same ways you would edit an action:
•

Change the order of commands by dragging them in the droplet list.

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•

Delete commands by dragging them to the Trash button

•

Add a command by dragging a state from the History palette to the area in which you
want the command recorded in the droplet window.

To adjust droplet batch options:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Before you create the droplet, select an action and choose Batch Options from the
Actions palette menu.

•

After you create the droplet, double-click the droplet to open the droplet window, and
double-click Batch Options at the top of the droplet list.

2 Select Original (same name and folder) to save the original file with the same name and
in the same folder.
3 Select Optimized to save an optimized version of the file. Then do any of the following:
•

For In, choose the location in which you want to save the optimized file.

•

For If Duplicate File Name, choose how and whether to append numbers or letters to
indicate the optimized file in cases of duplicate filenames.

•

For Modify File Name For, choose whether ImageReady appends or rewrites the
filename using Windows, Mac OS, or UNIX file-naming conventions.

4 Select playback options:
•

Run In Background to hide ImageReady during droplet execution, so that you can work
in other applications while processing takes place. When you select Run In Background,
other playback options requiring user input during processing are turned off.
ImageReady appears when the droplet completes execution.

Note: ImageReady is not available for creating and modifying current images while
background processing is taking place.
•

Display Image to show the images as they are being processed.

•

Pause Before Save to stop the processing of each image before saving it.

5 Choose error options from the Errors menu:
•

Stop to suspend the process until you confirm the error message.

•

Skip Step to not process steps in which errors are encountered.

•

Skip File to not process files in which errors are encountered.

Using droplets to automate optimization settings (ImageReady)
You can save Optimize palette settings for use on individual images or batches of images
by creating a droplet for the settings. The droplet lets you apply the compression settings
to an image or batch of images that you drag onto the droplet icon.
To create a droplet for automating Optimize palette settings:
1 With an image displayed in the image window, choose a compression format and
desired compression options in the Optimize palette. (See “Optimizing images” on
page 415.)

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2 Create a droplet:
•

Drag the droplet icon

from the Optimize palette onto the desktop.

Click the droplet icon on the Optimize palette. Name the droplet, choose a location
where the droplet will be saved, and click Save.

•

Choose Create Droplet from the Optimize palette menu. Name the droplet, choose a
location where the droplet will be saved, and click Save.
You can add optimization settings to an action by dragging the droplet icon in the
Optimize palette to the Actions palette.

Using the Automate commands (Photoshop)
The Automate commands simplify complex tasks by combining them into one or more
dialog boxes. Photoshop includes the following commands (third-party companies may
provide additional commands):
•

Conditional Mode Change changes the color mode of an image to the mode you
specify, based on the original mode of the image. Record this command in an action to
ensure that images use the correct color mode and avoid generating unwanted error
messages.

•

Contact Sheet produces a series of thumbnail previews on a single sheet from the files
in the selected folder. (See “Creating contact sheets” on page 464.)

•

Fit Image fits the current image to the width and height you specify, without changing
its aspect ratio.

Note: This will resample the image, changing the amount of data in the image.
•

Multi-Page PDF to PSD converts each page of a PDF document you select to a separate
Photoshop file. (See “Opening and importing PDF files” on page 74.)

•

Picture Package places multiple copies of a source image on a single page, similar to the
photo packages traditionally sold by portrait studios. (See “Creating picture packages”
on page 464.)

•

Web Photo Gallery generates a Web site from a set of images—complete with a thumbnails index page, individual JPEG image pages, and navigable links. (See “Creating Web
photo galleries (Photoshop)” on page 390.)

To use an automated command:
Choose File > Automate, and then choose any of the commands listed under it.

External automation
Photoshop supports some external automation using OLE Automation (Windows) or
AppleScript (Mac OS). Using either of these methods lets you start Adobe Photoshop and
execute actions externally.

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Using external automation lets you perform such tasks as:
•

Having another scriptable application generate a series of files, and having Photoshop
batch-process them.

•

Having Photoshop batch-process files and save them to your Web site.

•

Writing a script that runs an action and then shuts down your computer late at night
after you’ve gone home.

If you have further questions about OLE, contact Microsoft Corporation. For questions
about AppleScript, see your Mac OS documentation or contact Apple Computer.

Creating templates for data-driven graphics (ImageReady)
Templates for data-driven graphics streamline how designers and developers work
together in high-volume publishing environments.

About data-driven graphics
Data-driven graphics make it possible to produce multiple versions of an image quickly
and accurately. Let’s say, for example, that you need to produce 500 different Web banners
based on the same template. In the past, you had to manually populate the template with
data (images, text, and so on). With data-driven graphics, you can use a script referencing a
database to generate the Web banners for you.
You can turn any image into a template for data-driven graphics by defining variables for
layers in the image. In addition, you can create different sets of variable data to view what
your template will look like when it is rendered.

Using variables
You use variables to define which elements in a template are dynamic (changeable). A
variable’s type corresponds to the type of data you want to change in a template. Visibility
variables let you show or hide the content of a layer. Pixel Replacement variables let you
replace the pixels in the layer with pixels from another image file. Text Replacement
variables let you replace a string of text in a type layer.
A

Two versions of a Web image based on the same template:
A. Visibility variable B. Pixel Replacement variable C. Text Replacement variable

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To define variables:
1 In the Layers palette, select a layer for which you want to define variables.
Note: You cannot define variables for the Background layer.
2 Choose Image > Variables > Define, or choose Variables from the Layers palette menu.
3 Select one or more types of variables:
•

Visibility to show or hide the content of the layer.

•

Pixel Replacement to replace the pixels in the layer with pixels from another image file.

Note: You specify the replacement image when you define a data set. (See “Using data
sets” on page 503.)
•

Text Replacement to replace a string of text in a type layer.

4 If desired, enter names for the variables. Variable names must begin with a letter, underscore, or colon and cannot contain spaces or special characters (except for periods,
hyphens, underscores, and colons).
5 For Pixel Replacement variables, click Pixel Replacement Options, and do the following:
•

Choose a method for scaling the replacement image: Fit to scale the image to fit within
the bounding box (which may leave parts of the bounding box empty); Fill to scale the
image to entirely fill the bounding box (which may cause the image to extend beyond
the bounding box); As Is to not scale the image; Conform to scale the image nonproportionally to fit within the bounding box.

•

Click a handle on the alignment icon
inside the bounding box.

•

Select Clip to Bounding Box to clip areas of the image that do not fit within the
bounding box. This option is only available when the Fill replacement method or As Is
replacement method is selected.

to choose an alignment for placing the image

6 To define variables for an additional layer, choose a layer from the Layer pop-up menu.
Repeat Steps 3 through 5.
7 Click OK.
To rename a variable:
1 Choose Image > Variables > Define, or choose Variables from the Layers palette menu.
2 Choose the layer which contains the variable from the Layer pop-up menu.
3 Enter a name in the Name text box. Variable names must begin with a letter, underscore, or colon and cannot contain spaces or special characters (except for periods,
hyphens, underscores, and colons).
Note: If you are using data sets and want to rename a variable globally (in all layers),
change the name in the Data Sets section of the Variable dialog box. (See “Using data sets”
on page 503.)

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To remove variables:
1 Choose Image > Variables > Define, or choose Variables from the Layers palette menu.
2 Choose a layer from the Layer pop-up menu.
3 Deselect one or more variables.
4 Repeat Steps 2 and 3 to remove variables from additional layers, then click OK.

Using data sets
A data set is a collection of variables and associated data. You can switch between data
sets to upload different data into your template.
To edit the default data set:
1 Do one of the following:
•

Choose Image > Variables > Data Sets.

•

If the Variables dialog box is open, choose Data Sets from the pop-up menu at the top
of the dialog box, or click Next.

•

Choose Variables from the Layers palette menu. Then choose Data Sets from the
pop-up menu at the top of the dialog box, or click Next.

Note: You must define at least one variable before you can edit the default data set.
2 Select a variable from the Name pop-up menu or the list at the bottom of the dialog
box.
3 Edit the variable data:
•

For Visibility variables
the layer’s content.

, select Visible to show the layer’s content or Invisible to hide

•

For Pixel Replacement variables
select a replacement image file.

•

For Text Replacement variables , enter a text string in the Value text box.

, click Browse (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS) and

4 Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for every variable in the template.
5 Do one of the following:
•

Click the Save Data Set button

•

Click OK.

To create a new data set:
1 Click the New Data Set button

2 Edit the variable data, and click the Save Data Set button.
To rename a data set:
Enter a name in the Data Set text box.
To select a data set:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose a data set from the Data Set pop-up menu.

•

Click the Previous Data Set button

•

Click the Next Data Set button

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to select the previous set in the list.

to select the next set in the list.
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To change the data in a data set:
Select the data set you want to modify, edit the variable data, and click the Save Data Set
button.
To delete a data set:
Select the data set you want to delete, and click the Trash button

Previewing data-driven graphics
Preview Document mode lets you preview how a template will look when it is rendered
using different sets of data.
To enable or disable Preview Document mode:
Do one of the following:
•

Choose Image > Preview Document. A check mark appears next to the command when
Preview Document mode is enabled.

•

Click the Preview Document button in the tool box.

To preview data-driven graphics:
1 Enable Preview Document mode.
2 In the options bar, choose a data set from the Data Set pop-up menu, click the Previous
Data Set button , or click the Next Data Set button .
The data changes in the document window.

Saving templates for use with other Adobe products
You can save a template in PSD format for use with other Adobe products, such as Adobe
AlterCast (available only in English) and Adobe GoLive 6.0. For example, a GoLive user can
place a PSD template in a page layout, bind its variables to a database using dynamic links,
and then use AlterCast to generate iterations of the artwork. Likewise, a developer
working with AlterCast can bind the variables in the PSD file directly to a database or
another data source.
For more information on using PSD templates to create data-driven graphics, see the
Adobe GoLive User Guide, GoLive online Help, and the Adobe AlterCast Developer Guide.

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Macintosh Shortcuts
Viewing
Result

Action

Fits image in window

Double-click

, or

100% magnification

Double-click

, or

Zooms in or out

+ Ø (zero)

+ spacebar

+ Return in Navigator palette

Zooms in on specified area of an image*

+ drag over preview in Navigator
palette

Scrolls image with hand tool*

Spacebar + drag, or drag view area box in
Navigator palette

Scrolls up or down 1 screen

Page Up or Page Down†

Scrolls up or down 10 units

†

+ spacebar, or

Applies zoom percentage, and keeps
zoom percentage box active*

+ Ø (zero)

+ Page Up or Page Down†

Moves view to upper left corner or lower
right corner

Home or End

Toggles layer mask on/off as rubylith*

Hold down

to scroll left (Page Up) or right (Page Down)

Not in ImageReady
Command

Shift

Option

Key

Selecting and moving objects
Result

Action

Repositions marquee while selecting‡

Any marquee tool (except single column
and single row) + spacebar + drag

Adds to or subtracts from selection

Any selection tool +

+ drag

Intersects a selection

Any selection tool +

+ drag

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Constrains marquee to square or circle
(if no other selections are active)‡
Draws marquee from center (if no other
selections are active)‡
Constrains shape and draws marquee
from center ‡

506

+ drag
+ drag
+

+ drag

(except when , or any pen tool*, slice,
path tool*, shape tool*, rectangle image
map§, circle image map§, or polygon
image map§ is selected)
Switches from

+ drag

Switches from

+ click

Moves copy of selection

Moves selection area 1 pixel

Any selection +

Moves selection 1 pixel

+
+

Decreases or increases detection width*

+ [ or ]

Accepts cropping or exits cropping

+ Return or Esc

Makes protractor *

Hold down

‡

Applies to shape tools

†

+ drag end point

+ drag guide

Toggles guide orientation
†

†

†‡

Moves layer 1 pixel when nothing selected
on layer

Snaps guide to ruler ticks

+ drag selection‡

+ drag guide

to move 10 pixels

Not in ImageReady

ImageReady only
Command

Shift

Option

Key

Painting
Result

Action

Any painting tool +
tool + )
Selects background color
*

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+ click

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Deletes

Back

Any painting or editing tool + number
keys (e.g., 0 = 100%, 1 = 10%, 4 then 5 in
quick succession = 45%)
(For Airbrush, use + number keys)

Sets flow for painting mode

Any painting or editing tool + + number
keys (e.g., 0 = 100%, 1 = 10%, 4 then 5 in
quick succession = 45%)
(For Airbrush, omit )
+

Fills selection/layer with foreground or
background color

+ Delete, or

Fills from history*

Displays Fill dialog box

+ click

Sets opacity, tolerance, strength,
or exposure for painting mode

Cycles through blending modes

†

507

+ Delete†

+ Delete

Lock transparent pixels on/off

Connects points with a straight line

Any painting tool +

Hold down

+ click

to preserve transparency

Not in ImageReady
Command

Shift

Option

Key

Editing
Result

Action

Moves type in image

+ drag type when Type layer is selected

Aligns left, center, or right*

+ L, C, or R

Aligns top, center, or bottom*

+ L, C, or R

Selects 1 character left/right, or 1 line
down/up, or 1 word left/right

Selects characters from insertion point to
mouse click point

+ click

Moves 1 character left/right, 1 line down/
up, or 1 word left/right

Designates new origin over existing type
Selects word, line, paragraph, or story
Shows/Hides selection on selected type

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, or

+ click or click + drag
Double-click, triple-click, quadruple-click,
or quintuple-click
+ H (OS 9); Control +

+ H (OS X)

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Macintosh Shortcuts

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Toggles Underlining on/off*

Toggles Strikethrough on/off*

Toggles All Uppercase on/off*

Toggles Small Caps on/off*

Toggles Superscript on/off*

Toggles Subscript on/off*

Chooses 100% horizontal scale*

Chooses 100% vertical scale*

Chooses Auto leading*

Chooses 0 for tracking*

+
or

Justifies paragraph; forces last line*

Toggles paragraph hyphenation on/off*

Toggles single/every-line composer on/
off*

Decreases/increases type size of selected
text 2 pts/px

Decreases/increases kerning/tracking 20/
1000 ems

+ Q (OS 9)
+ Control + Q (OS X)

Decreases/increases baseline shift 2 pts/
px

Hold down

to decrease/increase 10x

Hold down

to decrease/increase 10x

††

Justifies paragraph; left aligns last line*

Decreases/increases leading 2 pts/px

†

508

+ < >†

††

Not in ImageReady
Command

Shift

Option

Key

Path editing*
Result

Action

Selects multiple anchor points

Selects entire path

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+ click
+ click

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Macintosh Shortcuts

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Back

Duplicates a path (works with any pen
tool)
Switches from
Switches from to

509

+ drag (for all pen tools)

when over path

Switches from to when pointer is over
anchor point or direction point

Switches from or to when pointer is
over anchor or direction point

Closes path

+ double-click

Closes path with straight-line segment

+ double-click

Not in ImageReady
Command

Shift

Option

Key

Slicing and Optimizing
Result

Action

Toggles browser dither for selected image
pane in Optimized view§

Toggles through gamma previews in
selected image pane§

Toggles through Optimized/2up/4up/
Original views§

+Y
+Y

Toggles between slice tool and slice
selection tool
Draws square slice

+ drag

Draws from center outward

+ drag

Draws square slice from center outward

+ drag

Repositions slice while creating slice

Spacebar + drag

Opens context-sensitive menu

Control + click on slice

ImageReady only
Command

Shift

Option

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Key

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Windows Shortcuts

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Windows Shortcuts
Viewing
Result

Action

Fits image in window

Double-click

, or Ctrl + Ø (zero)

100% magnification

Double-click

, or Alt + Ctrl + Ø (zero)

Zooms in or out

Ctrl +

Ctrl + spacebar, or Alt + spacebar

Applies zoom percentage, and keeps
zoom percentage box active*

+ Enter in Navigator palette

Zooms in on specified area of an image*

Ctrl + drag over preview in Navigator
palette

Scrolls image with hand tool*

Spacebar + drag, or drag view area box in
Navigator palette

Scrolls up or down 1 screen

Page Up or Page Down†

Scrolls up or down 10 units

†

+ Page Up or Page Down†

Moves view to upper left corner or lower
right corner

Home or End

Toggles layer mask on/off as rubylith*

Hold down Ctrl to scroll left (Page Up) or right (Page Down)

Not in ImageReady
Shift

Key

Selecting and moving objects
Result

Action

Repositions marquee while selecting‡

Any marquee tool (except single column
and single row) + drag

Adds to or subtracts from selection

Any selection tool +

or Alt + drag

Intersects a selection

Any selection tool +

+ Alt + drag

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Windows Shortcuts

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Constrains marquee to square or circle
(if no other selections are active)‡

+ drag

Draws marquee from center (if no other
selections are active)‡

Alt + drag

Constrains shape and draws marquee
from center‡

511

+ Alt + drag
Ctrl (except when or any pen tool*,
path*, shape tool*, slice, rectangle image
map§, circle image map§, or polygon
image map§ tool is selected)

Switches from

Alt + drag

Switches from

Alt + click

Moves copy of selection
Moves selection area 1 pixel
Moves selection 1 pixel
Moves layer 1 pixel when nothing selected
on layer

Any selection +
+

†

†‡

Ctrl +

†

Increases/decreases detection width*

+ [ or ]

Accepts cropping or exits cropping

+ Enter or Esc

Makes protractor *

+ Alt + drag end point

Snaps guide to ruler ticks

+ drag guide

Toggles guide orientation

Alt + drag guide

†

Hold down

‡

Applies to shape tools

+ Alt + drag selection‡

to move 10 pixels

Not in ImageReady

ImageReady only
Shift

Key

Painting
Result

Action

Any painting tool + Alt (also any shape
tool + Alt)
Selects background color
*

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+ Alt + click
+

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Windows Shortcuts

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Deletes

Back

+ Alt + click

Sets opacity, tolerance, strength,
or exposure for painting mode

Any painting or editing tool + number
keys (e.g., 0 = 100%, 1 = 10%, 4 then 5 in
quick succession = 45%)
(For Airbrush, use + number keys)

Sets flow for painting mode

Any painting or editing tool + + number
keys (e.g., 0 = 100%, 1 = 10%, 4 then 5 in
quick succession = 45%)
(For Airbrush, omit )

Cycles through blending modes

Fills selection/layer with foreground or
background color

Alt + Backspace, or Ctrl + Backspace†

Fills from history*

Alt + Ctrl + Backspace†

Displays Fill dialog box

†

512

+ Backspace

Lock transparent pixels on/off

Connects points with a straight line

Any painting tool +

Hold down

+ click

to preserve transparency

Not in ImageReady
Shift

Key

Editing
Result

Action

Moves type in image

Ctrl + drag type when Type layer is
selected

Aligns left, center, or right*

+ Ctrl + L, C, or R

Aligns top, center, or bottom*

+ Ctrl + L, C, or R

Selects 1 character left/right or 1 line
down/up, or 1 word left/right

Selects characters from insertion point to
mouse click point

+ click

Moves 1 character left/right, 1 line down/
up, or 1 word left/right

Designates new origin over existing type
Selects word, line, paragraph, or story

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, or

+ Ctrl +

, or Ctrl +

+ click or click + drag
Double-click, triple-click, quadruple-click,
or quintuple-click

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Windows Shortcuts

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Shows/Hides selection on selected type

+ Ctrl + U

Toggles Strikethrough on/off*

+ Ctrl + /

Toggles All Uppercase on/off*

+ Ctrl + K

Toggles Small Caps on/off*

+ Ctrl + H

Toggles Superscript on/off*

+ Ctrl + +

Toggles Subscript on/off*

+ Alt + Ctrl + +

Chooses 100% horizontal scale*

+ Ctrl + X

Chooses 100% vertical scale*

+ Alt + Ctrl + X

Chooses Auto leading*

+ Alt + Ctrl + A

Chooses 0 for tracking*

+ Ctrl + Q

Justifies paragraph, left aligns last line*

+ Ctrl + J

Justifies paragraph, forces last line*

+ Ctrl + F

Toggles paragraph hyphenation on/off*

+ Alt + Ctrl + H

Toggles single/every-line composer on/
off*

+ Alt + Ctrl + T

Decreases/increases type size of selected
text 2 pts/px

+ Ctrl + < >†

Decreases/increases baseline shift 2 pts/
px
Decreases/increases kerning/tracking 20/
1000 ems
†

Alt +

Back

513

††

+ Alt +
Alt +

††

Hold down Alt to decrease/increase 10x

††

513

Ctrl + H

Toggles Underlining on/off*

Decreases/increases leading 2 pts/px

Back

Hold down Ctrl to decrease/increase 10x

Not in ImageReady
Shift

Key

Path editing*
Result

Action

Selects multiple anchor points

Selects entire path

+ Alt + click

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+ click

Adobe Photoshop Help

Windows Shortcuts

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Back

Duplicates a path (works with any pen
tool)
Switches from
Switches from to

514

+ Alt + Ctrl + drag

Ctrl

when over path

Alt

Switches from to when pointer is over
anchor point or direction point

Alt + Ctrl

Switches from or to when pointer is
over anchor or direction point

Alt

Closes path

+ double-click

Closes path with straight-line segment

+ Alt + double-click

Not in ImageReady
Shift

Key

Slicing and Optimizing
Result

Action

Toggles browser dither for selected image
pane in Optimized view§
Toggles through gamma previews in
selected image pane§

Alt + Ctrl + Y

Toggles through Optimized/ 2up/4up/
Original window§

Ctrl + Y

Toggles between slice tool and slice
selection tool

Ctrl

Draws square slice

+ Ctrl + Y

+ drag

Draws from center outward

Alt + drag

Draws square slice from center outward

Alt +

Repositions slice while creating slice

Spacebar + drag

Opens context-sensitive menu

Right mouse button on slice

+ drag

ImageReady only
Shift

Key

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Legal Notices
Copyright
©2002 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Adobe® Photoshop® 7.0 User Guide for Windows® and Macintosh
This manual, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms
of such license. The content of this manual is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be
construed as a commitment by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that
may appear in this documentation. Except as permitted by such license, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
Adobe. Please remember that existing artwork or images that you may want to include in your project may be protected under copyright law.
The unauthorized incorporation of such material into your new work could be a violation of the rights of the copyright owner. Please be sure
to obtain any permission required from the copyright owner. Any references to company names in sample templates are for demonstration
purposes only and are not intended to refer to any actual organization.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, Adobe Dimensions, Adobe Gamma, After Effects, FrameMaker, GoLive, Illustrator,
ImageReady, InDesign, InProduction, Minion, Myriad, PageMaker, Photoshop, PostScript, PressReady, and Streamline are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Apple, AppleTalk, ColorSync, LaserWriter,
Mac, Macintosh, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. QuickTime and the
QuickTime logo are trademarks used under license. Kodak and Photo CD are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company. The Spelling portion of
this product is based on Proximity Linguistic Technology. The Proximity Hyphenation System ©1989 All Rights Reserved Proximity Technology,
Inc. Proximity and Linguibase are registered trademarks of Proximity Technology Inc.
Contains an implementation of the LZW algorithm licensed under U.S Patent 4,558,302.
PANTONE® Colors displayed in the software application or in the user documentation may not match PANTONE-identified standards. Consult
current PANTONE Color Publications for accurate color. PANTONE® and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc. ©
Pantone, Inc., 2001. Pantone, Inc. is the copyright owner of color data and/or software which are licensed to Adobe Systems Incorporated to
distribute for use only in combination with Adobe Photoshop. PANTONE Color Data and/or Software shall not be copied onto another disk or
into memory unless as part of the execution of Adobe Photoshop.
Portions copyright 1984-1998 FairCom Corporation. "FairCom" and "c-tree Plus" are trademarks of FairCom Corporation and are registered in
the United States and other countries. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110, USA
Notice to U.S. Government End Users. The Software and Documentation are “Commercial Items,” as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. §2.101,
consisting of “Commercial Computer Software” and “Commercial Computer Software Documentation,” as such terms are used in 48 C.F.R.
§12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.7202, as applicable. Consistent with 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §§227.7202-1 through 227.7202-4, as applicable,
the Commercial Computer Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation are being licensed to U.S. Government end users
(a) only as Commercial Items and (b) with only those rights as are granted to all other end users pursuant to the terms and conditions herein.
Unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States. Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA
95110-2704, USA. For U.S. Government End Users, Adobe agrees to comply with all applicable equal opportunity laws including, if appropriate,
the provisions of Executive Order 11246, as amended, Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (38 USC
4212), and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the regulations at 41 CFR Parts 60-1 through 60-60, 60-250, and 60741. The affirmative action clause and regulations contained in the preceding sentence shall be incorporated by reference in this Agreement.

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Index

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Index
A
a component 89
Accented Edges filter 328
Accurate Screens option 476
actions
about 484
adjusting tonal range and color with 135
button mode 485
creating new 486
deleting 492
editing 491
excluding commands 487
inserting nonrecordable commands 488
inserting paths 486
inserting stops 487
managing 493
optimizing slices with 489
playing 490
recording 485, 491
renaming 493
resizing images with 489
sets of 493
Actions palette 484
active layer 287
Actual Size command 36
Adaptive color table 432
add anchor point tool 186, 200
Add Noise filter 330
Add option 277
Add to Channel option 281
Add To Master Palette command 438
additive colors 87
Adjust commands. See online Help
adjustment layers 311
about 132
creating 312

Using Help | Contents | Index

editing 314
for color corrections 312
for filters 322
See also online Help
adjustments. See tonal and color adjustments
Adobe Acrobat Reader 6
Adobe AlterCast 504
Adobe Certification program 9
Adobe Color picker 265
Adobe Gamma utility 118
Adobe GoLive 504
Adobe Illustrator
files, opening 74, 76
files, placing 80
Adobe Online 7, 8
Adobe Online preferences 8
Adobe Premiere 456
Adobe Web site 8
advanced blending options
grouping blend effects 299
range for blending layers 300
removing fringe areas 173
airbrush 239
airbrush tool 223
Align To Selection command 290
aligning
image maps 388
linked layers 168, 290
selections 158
shapes 215
slices 376
type 359
alignment. See Snap
All Caps command 354, 355
Allow Non-Linear History option 40
Allow Non-linear History option 41

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Index

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
alpha channels
about 266
adding textures 341
as selections library 268
calculating 275
converting to spot channel 273
copying 268
creating 280
deleting 270
display 267
file formats for saving 266
file size of 266
naming 281
options 280, 282
saving 447
saving and loading selections as masks 278
saving selection in 281
storing masks 280
Alt HTML element 381, 389
anchor points
adding and deleting 216
creating 216, 217
angle
brush option 231
global lighting 308
layer style option 305
Angled Strokes filter 328
angular gradient tool 244
animated GIFs
about 412
in rollover state 402
opening 413
See also animations
Animation palette 404
animations
about 396, 404
copying and pasting frames 406
creating 404, 413, 414
delay time 409
deleting 406
disposal method for frames 410
flattening frames into layers 411

Using Help | Contents | Index

looping options 409
optimizing 411
previewing 411
rearranging frames 406
selecting frames 405
tweening frames 407
annotations 50
playing in actions 490
saving 447
ANPA colors 264
anti-aliasing
3-D rendering 188
Adobe Illustrator files 76
EPS files 76
layer style option 305
PDF files 75
placed artwork 81
rasterized shapes 202
selections 166, 279
type 347
Apple Color Picker 265
AppleScript 500
applications, jumping between 52
Apply Image command 275
Arrange command 289
arranging
image maps 387
slices 376
arrowhead options 203
art history brush tool 226
Artistic filters 326
See also individual filter names
ASCII encoding, in EPS and DCS files 448
Asian type. See CJK type
aspect ratio, constraining
when placing files 81
authorship information 48
Auto Color command 151
Auto Contrast command 151
Auto Erase option 223, 226
Auto Levels command 150
Auto Regenerate option 426

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Auto Screens dialog box 476
auto slices. See slices
automatic frame disposal 410
Automatically Create First Snapshot option 40
automating
commands for 500
multiple image layouts 464
optimization 440, 499
using actions 484
using Batch command 495
using droplets 496
See also actions
average-key images 131, 142, 152
AVI format 455

B
b component 89
background color
choosing 257, 260
editing with Color palette 259
filling selections with 250
printing 473
selecting with eyedropper tool 258
setting in new images 73
slices 379
background eraser tool 225
backgrounds
converting to layer 285
from filter effects 324
layer styles and 301
Bas Relief filter 333
base color 241
base layer 319
baseline 352
baseline shift 354
Batch command 495
Batch Rename command 79
Behind mode 241
Bevel and Emboss effect 303
Bicubic interpolation 67
Bilinear interpolation 66
Binary encoding, in EPS and DCS files 448

Using Help | Contents | Index

bit depth
about 93
converting images between 93
bitmap images
about 61, 89
channels and 93
converting to grayscale images 95
See also images
Bitmap mode
about 89, 93, 94
duplicating channels in 268
paint bucket tool 249
saving transparency in 448
type in 342
black and white points, scanning and 72
black generation 124
Black Matte 163
black point compensation 111
black-and-white images, creating 154
bleeds 473
Blend Clipped Layers as Group option 299
blend color 241
Blend If option for layers 300
Blend Interior Effects as Group option 299
blend tool. See online Help
blending modes
described 241
for channel calculations 276
for layer sets 296
layer style 305
blending RGB colors 112
Blur and Blur More filters 327
Blur filters 325
Blur More filter 97
blur tool 193
BMP format 455
boolean selections 158, 160, 161
Border command 166
borders 473
bounding boxes
image map 385
type 344

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Index

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
brightness
adjusting 150
defined 86
equalizing 153
Brightness/Contrast command 150
Bring Forward command 289
Bring Forward option
for image maps 387
for slices 376
Bring to Front command 289
Bring to Front option
for image maps 387
for slices 376
Browse command 78
browsers
adding to Preview In menu 54
previewing in 53
Brush Stroke filters 328
brush tool 222
brushes
about 228
airbrush option 239
clearing options 239
color dynamics 236
dual 236
dynamics, about 231
noise 238
other dynamics 238
preset 228
scattering 233
shape dynamics 232
size options 25
texture 234, 239
tips, customizing 230
wet edges 238
Brushes palette 228
Build Master Palette command 438
bump maps 340
Burasagari option 367
burn tool 193
Button Mode command 485

Using Help | Contents | Index

C
cache and histograms preference 132
Calculations command 276
calibration bars 474
canvas
filling 250
resizing 177
Canvas Size command 177
captions
printing 474
Cascade command 34
CCITT compression 454
Chalk & Charcoal filter 333
Change Layer Content command 314
Channel Mixer command 90, 271
channels
bit depth 93
blending 275
calculating 275
color 266
color information and 93
creating 281
deleting 270, 282
display 267
duplicating 268
duplicating between separate images 269
file size of 266
hiding and showing 267
inverting 271
layer mask 316
maximum number of 280
merging 269
mixing 271
moving 268
optimizing images with 428
options 281, 282
printing 471
Quick Mask 278
saving selections in 281
selecting 267
sequence of 281
source 271

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
splitting into separate images 269
thumbnails 266, 267
viewing 266
See also alpha channels, color channels, spot
channels
Channels palette
about 266
changing display 267
selecting channels 268
Character palette 350
characters. See type
Charcoal filter 333
Check Spelling command 357
chroma 86
Chrome filter 333
CIE viewing standard 122
circle image map tool 384
CJK type
composition options 365, 367
formatting exceptions 357, 360
leading 364
tate-chuu-yoko 364
tsume 363
Classroom in a Book 9
Clear command 173
Clear Layer Style command 311
Clear mode 241
client-side image maps 389
Clipboard
clearing 37
copying between applications 171
Export Clipboard option 171
preferences 171
rasterizing images from 171
clipping groups
about 319
knockout 299
merging 294
clipping paths 466
clone stamp tool 188
Close command 34, 57
closed paths 211
Clouds filter 332

Using Help | Contents | Index

CMM. See color management engine
CMYK color model 88
CMYK color spaces 88
black generation 124
customizing 121
dot gain 123
ink colors 122
previewing 136
separation type 124
CMYK images
channel display 267
converted from RGB 94
out-of-gamut colors 136
printing 478
printing hard proofs of 127
setting target highlights and shadows 141
CMYK inks. See process color inks
CMYK mode
selecting color in 262
tonal and color adjustments in 135
color
adjustment layers 312
fill layers 312
color adjustments
image map 385
slices 372
color adjustments. See color corrections
color adjustments. See online Help
color balance
adjusting automatically 150
adjusting with Curves 140
adjusting with Levels 139
generalized adjustments 152
Hue/Saturation command 147, 149
scanning and 72
Selective Color command 149
Color Balance command 146
Color Burn mode 241
color casts. See color balance
color channels 93
See also alpha channels, channels, spot
channels
Color Channels in Color option 267

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
color corrections
by mixing channels 271
Info palette display 32
See also tonal and color adjustments
color depth. See bit depth
Color Dodge mode 242
color dynamics, for brushes 237
color gamut. See gamut
Color Halftone filter 331
color management
calibrating monitors 117
characterizing monitors 118
color shifts 102
color values and 102
customizing settings 107, 110
guidelines for 103
loading settings 112
policies 106
predefined settings 105
profiles 103
saving settings 112
setting up 104
soft proofs 113
synchronizing settings 113
viewing environment 104
See also Color Settings
color management engine 103, 110
color management module. See color
management engine
color management system (CMS) 102
Color mode option 243
color models 86
See also gamut, HSB, RGB, CMYK, and LAB
color models
color modes
Bitmap mode 89
changing automatically 500
CMYK mode 88
compared to color models 86
converting images between 90, 94, 97
Duotone mode 90
Grayscale mode 89
Indexed Color mode 90, 97

Using Help | Contents | Index

number of channels 93
RGB mode 87
selecting color in 262
setting in new images 73
Color palette
about 259
out-of-gamut warnings 136
selecting Web-safe colors with 263
color palettes
Adaptive 98
customizing 100
Exact 98
for indexed-color conversions 98
Mac OS System 98
Perceptual 98
Selective 98
Uniform 98
Web 98
Windows System 98
Color Picker dialog box. See color pickers
Color Picker option 261, 265
color pickers
Adobe 261, 265
Apple 265
choosing 265
plug-in 265
Windows 265
color profiles. See profiles
Color Range command 161
color reduction algorithms 420, 431
color samplers 133
color separations
about 470
adjusting traps 479
definition 88
specifying options for 124
Color Settings
Advanced Mode settings.See online Help
black point compensation 111
blending RGB colors 112
customizing 107, 110
desaturating monitor colors 112

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
descriptions 105
dither option 111
loading 112
overview 104
predefined settings 105
preference file 107
rendering intents 110
saving 112
synchronizing 113
color slider 262
color spaces
about 102, 113
alternate 271
converting between 110
converting when printing images 478
See also profiles, working spaces
Color Table command 100
Color Table palette 431
color tables
about 90, 431
adding colors in 433
customizing 100
deleting colors in 437
editing colors in 435
for indexed-color conversions 98
generating 431
including black and white 433
loading 437
locking colors in 436
master palette for 438
saving 437
saving and loading 101
selecting colors in 434
shifting to Web-safe colors 435, 436
sorting 432
using weighted optimization to generate
430
color transitions, quality of 63
color trap 479
color values
clipping 152
color management and 103
measuring CMYK 88

Using Help | Contents | Index

previewing 133
specifying 262
color wheel 86
about 265
color adjustments and 146
definition 146
Colored Pencil filter 326
colors
additive 87
CIE viewing standard 122
converting between color spaces 110, 114,
115
copying hexadecimal values for 439
for type 352
in color tables 431
inverting in images 153
reducing with weighted optimization 430
setting printing background 473
shifting to Web palette 435
soft proofs 113
subtractive 88
viewing in an image 434
See also background color
columns 44
Combine Slices command 376
Commands palette 37
commands, recording in actions 486
complementary colors 88
composite channel 266
compositing
specifying a color range 300
composition, of type 362
compression
about 453
See also optimizing images
CompuServe GIF format. See GIF format
Conditional Mode Change command 500
Constant option 271
Contact Sheet II command 464
Conté Crayon filter 323, 333
context menus 33
Contiguous option 161, 225

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
continuous-tone images
about 61
printing 470
contours 307
Gloss Contour option 305
layer style option 305
libraries 308
contrast
adjusting 150
adjusting automatically 151
convert anchor point tool 186
convert direction point tool 216
convert point tool 200
Convert to Paragraph Text command 348
Convert to Point Text command 348
Convert to Shapes command 349
convolution 336
Copy Frames command 407
Copy Layer Style command 310
Copy Slice command 376
Copy State command 403
copying
and pasting 167
animation frames 406
between applications 170
channels 268
layers between images 288
optimization settings between slices 382
PostScript artwork from Clipboard 171
rollover states 403
selections 167, 169
slices 376
styles 310
textures between tools 239
See also duplicating
copyright information
adding to files 460
viewing 48
correcting mistakes
about 37
reverting to saved image 37
undoing last action 37

Using Help | Contents | Index

Craquelure filter 336
Create Droplet command
in Actions palette 498
in Automate submenu 497
in Optimize palette 440, 500
Create Layers command 311
Create Selection from Slice command 164
Create Slice from Selection command 370
Create Work Path command (for type) 349
Crop command 179
crop marks 474
crop tool 32, 178
cropping images
about 178
changing perspective 180
Crosshatch filter 328
Crystallize filter 332
Current Layer option 41
Current Path command 317
cursors. See tool pointers
curves
creating smooth and sharp 211
drawing 206
duotone 480
Curves command
about 139
adjusting color balance 140
setting target values with 141
shortcuts 140
Custom 336
Custom color table 432
Custom filter 336
custom ink colors 263
custom shape tool 200
Custom Spot Function dialog box 476
customer support 9
customizing
CMYK color spaces 121
grayscale color spaces 125
RGB color spaces 120
spot-color profiles 125

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Cut command 173
Cutout filter 326

D
Dark Strokes filter 328
Darken mode 241
data sets 503
data-driven graphics 501
DCS format
about 266, 270
for images with spot channels 483
saving files in 448, 449
defaults
mask editing colors 279
restoring palette positions 30
restoring tool settings 26
Define Brush command 230
Define Pattern command 252
Defringe command 173
De-Interlace filter 336
delete anchor point tool 186, 200, 216
Delete Color command 437
Delete Frame command 406
Delete Slice Selection command 374
Delete Workspace command 30
deleting
alpha channels 270
animations 406
channels 270
colors from swatch sets 261
colors in color table 437
frames 406
image maps 388
locked selections 173
rollover states 404
selections 167, 173
slice selections 374
slices 377
Desaturate command 153
Deselect All Colors command 435
Deselect command 157

Using Help | Contents | Index

deselecting selections 157
See also selecting
Despeckle filter 330
destination channel 275
destination selection 170
detection width, lasso tool 160
device-independent color 89
dialog boxes
about 29
pop-up sliders 30
setting position of 29
See also names of individual dialog boxes
Diameter option 230, 236
diamond gradient tool 244
Difference Clouds filter 332
Difference mode 243
Diffuse filter 334
Diffuse Glow filter 329
Diffusion dither 421, 422, 424
Diffusion Dither preference 92
diffusion dithering 91, 99
Digimarc Detect Watermark plug-in 48
Digimarc filters 326, 337, 460
directional light effect 338, 339
Displace filter 329
displacement maps 329
Display & Cursors preference 267
Display Background option 188
disposal method for animation frames 410
Dissolve mode 241
Distort filters 325, 329
distortions
Liquify command 195
reconstructing 197
distributing
image maps 388
shapes 215
slices 377
dithering 421
about 91, 95, 99
color management and 111
in animations 411

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
in linked slices 383
shifting to Web-safe colors 435
transparency 422
weighted optimization and 429
Divide Slices command 375
Do Not Dispose option 410
document size
about 67
adjusting during printing 472
document window 34
documentation overview 6, 7
dodge tool 193
Dolly Camera option 187
dot gain
about 123
compensating for with transfer functions
126
specifying for CMYK color spaces 123
dot loss 474
double-byte type. See CJK type
downsampling 66
dpi (dots per inch) 64
drawing
constraining shapes 203, 205
differences between Photoshop and
ImageReady 200
shapes 200
with the pen tools 205
with the shape tools 201
drivers
scanner 69
Drop Shadow effect 303
droplets
about 496
applying to slices 382
creating for optimization 440, 499
creating in ImageReady 498
creating in Photoshop 497
editing 498
in actions 490
Dry Brush filter 326
dual brushes 236
Duotone mode 90, 93

Using Help | Contents | Index

duotones
about 90, 479
creating 480
curve 480
exporting to other applications 483
overprint colors 481
printing 482
saving and loading settings 482
viewing individual plates 482
Duplicate Channel command 268
Duplicate command 42
Duplicate Merged Layers Only option 42
Duplicate Path command 215
duplicating
channels 268
commands in actions 492
image maps 387
images 42
optimized images 43
selections in an image 169
slices 375
See also copying
Dust & Scratches filter 330
Dynamic Color Sliders option 259
dynamic range 72

E
edge effects 323
edge sensitivity, lasso tool 161
edges
smoothing 221
edges, smoothing 219
Eight Bits/Channel command 94
eight-bit color displays 91
ellipse tool 200
elliptical marquee tool 158
Embed Watermark command 461
embedding images. See OLE
embedding profiles 116
Emboss filter 334
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) format. See EPS
format

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
EPS files
opening 76
placing 80
saving 448, 449
EPS format, about 455
EPS PICT Preview format 455
EPS TIFF Preview format 455
Erase to History mode, eraser tool 223, 224
Erase to History option 37
eraser tool 37, 224
erasing
about 223
fastening points 159
lasso segments 159
See also deleting
Every-line Composer 362
Exclusion mode 243
Expand command 165
Export Cache command 80
Export Clipboard option 171
Export Original command 446, 452
Export Transparent Image wizard 466
exporting
duotones 483
paths 468
transparency 466
exposure setting 243
external automation 500
Extract command 157, 174
extracting objects
about 174
cleaning up edges 176
previewing 175
Extras
choosing from hidden Extras 47
showing and hiding 47
target path 212
turning on or off 47
See also names of individual Extras
Extrude filter 334

Using Help | Contents | Index

eyedropper tool
about 134, 141
copying hexadecimal color values with 439
selecting colors with 258
See also online Help

F
Facet filter 332
Fade command 174, 322
fastening point 160
feathering selections 166, 279
Field of View option 187
File Browser 78
file compression. See compression
file extensions, preferences for saving 463
file formats
about 453
animation and movie 456
for nonsupported previews 455
Photo CD 89
Scitex CT 90, 94
supporting paths 217
See also compression, Save for Web dialog
box, and names of individual formats
File Handling preferences 83
file size
about 65
displaying 48
required for alpha channels 266
scanning and 72
files
batch-processing 495
closing 57
embedding profiles in 116
extensions for 448
options for saving 444
Fill command 250, 251
fill layers 311
fill opacity 296
fill tool 175
Fill with Neutral Color option 296

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
filling
layers 249
paths 220, 250
selections 249
type 352
with background color 250
with foreground color 250
with gradients 244
with history state 38
Filmstrip format 456
filters
applying 321
Artistic 325, 326
blending effects 322
Blur 325, 327
Brush Stroke 328
creating 326
creating backgrounds 324
Digimarc 326, 337
Distort 323, 325, 329
improving performance with 324
Lighting Effects 337
Noise 325, 330
Other 326, 336
Pixelate 325, 331
plug-ins 321
previewing 321
Render 325, 332
Sharpen 325, 333
Sketch 326, 333
special effects 323
Stylize 326, 334
Texture 326
Video 326, 336
See also names of individual filters
Find and Replace command 358
Find Edges filter 335
Fine Grain filter 327
Finger Painting option 192
Fit Image command 500
Fit on Screen command 36
Fixed Size option 158

Using Help | Contents | Index

Flatten Frames into Layers command 411
Flatten Image command 295
flattening images 295
flipping
images 178
layers and selections 183
FOCOLTONE colors 264
focus tools 193
fonts, selecting 350
foreground color
choosing 257, 260
editing with Color palette 259
filling selections with 250
selecting with eyedropper tool 258
fractional character widths 356
Fragment filter 332
frame delay 409
Free Transform command 33
about 184
freeform pen tool 200, 208
freehand selection 159
Fresco filter 327
fringe 173
Full Document option 41
Fuzziness option 162

G
gamma
about 120
adjusting for cross-platform differences 145
Gamma command 145
Gamma utility 118
gamut 91
Gamut Warning command 136
Gaussian Blur filter 328
GCR. See gray component replacement
GIF format 456
indexing color 449
optimizing images in 420
reducing colors 431
saving files 449
weighted optimization and 429

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Glass filter 323, 329
global lighting 308
Glowing Edges filter 335
glyph spacing 361
GoLive
opening Photoshop files in 368
GoLive, saving HTML files for 443
Gradient Editor dialog box 245
gradient fill tool, measuring distance of
gradient fill 32
Gradient Map command 155
gradient tools 244
See also individual gradient tool names
gradients
applying 244
creating 245
creating presets 246
deleting 248
editing 245
fill layers 313
layer style option 306
libraries 248, 249
mapping tonal range to 155
saving and loading 248
transparency 246
Grain filter 336
Graphic Pen filter 333
graphics. See vector graphics
gray component replacement (GCR) 124
grayscale color spaces, customizing 126
grayscale images
about 93
as masks 277
colorizing 148
converting to Bitmap-mode images 95
converting to high-contrast black-andwhite images 154
converting to indexed-color images 97
create by mixing channels 271
creating from color images 153
definition of 89
for storing selections 266

Using Help | Contents | Index

halftone screen attributes for 476
Grayscale mode 89, 93, 94
Grayscale preview of color selections 163
grid and guides
about 45
Grow command 166
guides
creating slices from 370

H
halftone cell 64
Halftone Pattern filter 333
halftone screens
about 475
defined 64
for Bitmap-mode conversions 96
saving in EPS and DCS files 448
selecting attributes for 475
Halftone Screens dialog box 475, 476
halftoning 470
halo 173
hand tool 35
handtinted images 271
hanging punctuation 360
Hard light mode 242
hard proofs 113, 127
See also online Help
Hardness option 231
healing brush tool 190
Help 6
hexadecimal color values 439
Hide All Layer Styles command 304
Hide Optimization Info command 418
Hide Status Bar command. See online Help
hiding and showing
channels 267
grid and guides 45
image maps 385
layer styles 304
rulers 43
slices 372
text bounds 345

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
text selections 350, 354
using layer masks 315
High Pass filter 337
high-key images 131, 142
highlights
adjusting 152, 193
CMYK mode 88
printable 142
settings target values 142
specular 142
Histogram command 131
histograms
about 131, 143
Levels display of 138
Use Cache for Histograms preference 132
history brush tool 37, 42
History palette
about 38, 227
and batch processing 495
using with actions 485
history states
deleting 39
guidelines 38
options 40
painting with snapshot 42
replacing 224, 250
replacing existing document 40
reverting to previous 39
horizontal scale of type, adjusting 354
hot spots for tool pointers 25
HSB color mode 262
HSB color model 86
HSB mode, selecting color in 262
HTML
Alt element 381, 389
cell alignment for text 382
Message element 381, 389
target frame 379, 389
text in slices 381
URLs in image maps 389
URLs in slices 379
HTML output settings 442, 443, 444

Using Help | Contents | Index

hue 86, 147
Hue mode 243
Hue/Saturation command 147
hyphenating type 360
Hyphenation command 361

I
ICC profiles
scanning and 72
ICC profiles. See profiles
ICC. See International Color Consortium
Image Dimensions option 49, 65
Image Interpolation option 449, 451
image map select tool 386
Image Map Visibility button 385
image maps
about 383
adding links to 389
client-side 389
converting layer-based to tool-based 385
creating 383
deleting 388
layer-based 384
modifying in image 387
options for 388
selecting 386
server-side 389
Shape option 387
tool-based 384
viewing 385
image previews. See thumbnails
image resolution. See resolution
Image Size command
about 169
changing document size 68
changing pixel dimensions 67
recording in actions 489
using Auto option 69
images
about 61
bit depth 93
converting between bit depths 94

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
converting between color modes 90, 94, 97
copying layers between 288
copying selections between 169
creating from history state 40
creating from snapshot 40
creating new 73
cropping 178
displaying information 48
displaying size of 65
duplicating 42
flattening 295
importing 70
importing from PDF files 75
loading selections into 283
maximum size 65
moving 35
opening 73, 79
pixel dimensions 62, 67
placing 80, 466
previewing in browser 53
print dimensions 67
printing 470
resampling 66
restoring 37
reverting to any state 38, 42
rotating 80
rotating or flipping 178
scanning 69, 70
trimming 179
viewing 33, 35
Web 368
See also bitmap images, optimizing images,
vector graphics
imagesetters 64
Import command 70, 75, 77, 78
Import Folder As Frames command 414
importing
anti-aliased PICT files 77
artwork by dragging 171
files as animation frames 413
PDF images 75

Using Help | Contents | Index

Photoshop images into other applications
466
PICT resources 78
See also scanning
importing images
digital camera with WIA support 70
scanning with WIA support 70
WIA support 70
indenting paragraphs 360
Indexed Color mode
about 93, 97
conversion options 98
converting RGB and grayscale images to 97
type and 342
indexed-color images 90, 93
Info palette
about 32
color corrections display 32
hexadecimal color values in 439
out-of-gamut colors 32
previewing color changes in 133
information box 65
ink colors, specifying 122
ink jet printers 64
Ink Outlines filter 328
Inner Glow effect 303
Inner Shadow effect 303
Insert Menu Item command 488
Insert Path command 487
Insert Set Optimization Settings command
490
Insert Set Output Folder command 489
installing software 4
intensity 87
Interlace option 423
for GIF and PNG-8 423
International Color Consortium 102
interpolation methods 66, 181, 474
Intersect with Channel option 282
Inverse command 164
Invert command 153, 474
Invert option 276

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

J
jitter
about 231
angle 233
color 237
count 234
flow 238
opacity 238
roundness 233
size 232
texture depth 235
JPEG compression 454
JPEG encoding, in EPS and DCS files 448
JPEG format 456
optimizing images in 423
saving files in 450
weighted optimization and 428
Jump To command 52, 53
jumping between applications 52
justifying type 359, 360

K
kerning type 353
key type 131
keystone distortion, correcting 180
Kinsoku Shori option 365
knock out 274
kumimoji 364

L
L component 89
Lab color mode 93, 262
Lab color model 89
Lab images 93
blending modes 296
channel display 267
labels, printing 474
laser printers 64
lasso tools 157, 159
Lasso Width option 160

Using Help | Contents | Index

layer clipping paths
drawing 200
layer mask channel 316
Layer Mask Hides Effects option 300
layer masks
adjustment layers as 312
applying 318
channels saved as 281
discarding 318
displaying 317
displaying channel 316
editing 170, 316
loading as selections 318
removing 318
thumbnails 170
Layer Set from Linked command 286
layer sets 286
layer style options
bevel 305
color 305
drop shadow behavior 306
gloss 305
glows 306
gradient 306
opacity 306
pattern 306
shading 306
shadow or glow boundaries 305
stroke position 306
texture 307
layer styles
contours 307
converting to layers 311
editing 310
hiding and showing 304
removing 310
rollover styles 402
scaling effects 310
type layers 346
Layer Via Cut command 286
layer-based slices
creating 371

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
layers
about 284
adjustment 311
background 285
blending range 300
color coding 292
copying between images 288
creating image maps from 384
creating slices from 370
fill 311
filling 249
filling with neutral color 296
flattening 295
flipping or rotating 183
grouping 294, 319
in animations 396, 411, 413
in channel calculations 276
in rollover states 400
knockout 297
loading boundaries as selection 318
locking 290
matching across rollover states 397
merging 293
moving 289
opacity 295
painting transparency 241
printing 471
renaming 292
reordering 289
rotating 182
sampling 291
saving 447
scaling 182
scope of blending options 299
selecting 287
stroking 249
styles 301
thumbnails 285
unifying 397
viewing 287
See also type layers

Using Help | Contents | Index

Layers palette 170, 284
leading 352
leading, for CJK type 364
learning resources overview 9
legacy Photoshop serial number 58
Lemple-Zif-Welch (LZW) compression 454
Lens Flare filter 332
letter spacing 361
Levels command
about 137
adjusting color balance with 139
adjusting tonal range with 137
Auto option 150
setting target values with 141
Threshold mode 143
libraries, working with 54
ligatures 355
Lighten mode 242
lighting effects 308
Lighting Effects dialog box 340
Lighting Effects filter
about 332, 337
adding 340
creating styles 340
deleting 340
deleting styles 340
dialog box 340
directional light 338, 339
omni light 338
saving styles 340
spotlight 338, 339
Lighting Effects filter styles
Crossing 340
Crossing Down 340
Default 340
Five Lights Down 340
Five Lights Up 340
Flashlight 340
Flood Light 340
Parallel Directional 340
lightness 89

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
line tool 200
about 201
measuring distances with 32
Linear Burn mode 241
Linear Dodge mode 242
linear gradient tool 244
Linear Light mode 242
lines, drawing 201, 222, 223
Link Slices command 383
linking slices 382
Liquify command
distorting images 195
freezing and thawing areas 196
reconstructing distortions 197
Load Actions command 494
Load Selection button 282
Load Selection command 172
Load Slice Selection command 374
loading
actions 494
color tables 101, 437
contours 308
duotone curves 481
output settings 442
pattern libraries 251
selections 172
slice selections 374
tonal and color adjustment settings 135
Lock Transparency option 173
Lock/Unlock Selected Colors command 436
locking
colors 436
slices 378
type layers 291
locking layers 290
looping, in animations 409
lossless compression
CCITT 454
LZW 454
RLE 453
ZIP 454

Using Help | Contents | Index

lossy compression
JPEG format 454
weighted optimization and 429
low-key images 131, 142
lpi (lines per inch) 64
luminance 89
Luminosity mode 243

M
Mac OS color table 432
Mac OS System palette 98
Macintosh Drag Manager 171
magic eraser tool 224
magic wand tool 161
magnetic lasso tool 159
magnetic pen tool 208
Make Frames From Layers command 413
Make Selection command 219
Make Work Path command 219
managed files
checking out and in 84
creating 85
opening 84
saving changes to 85
marquee tools 32, 157, 158
Mask option, calculations 277
Masked Areas option 279, 281
masks
adding to selection 282
choosing color of 280
color that determines editing 279
creating 278
default colors 278
for type 345
loading 282
loading intersecting selections 282
permanent 280
saving as alpha channels 277, 278
saving selections in 277
selections as 282
storing in alpha channels 280

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
subtracting from a selection 282
temporary 278
master palette 438
Matte option 421
Matting command 173
matting, removing 173
measure tool 44
measuring
about 44
angle of rotation 32
changing units 44
cropping marquee 32
using line tool 32
Median filter 331
memory, freeing 37
menu bar 20
Merge Channels command 270
Merge Down command 170, 294
Merge Spot Channel option 274
Merged for Layer option 276
Merged Layers option 41
merging
adjustment or fill layers 314
channels 269
layers 293
using Stamp 293
Message HTML element 381, 389
Metrics option 353
Mezzotint filter 332
midtones
adjusting 152, 193
adjusting with Levels 138
Minimum and Maximum filter 337
mistakes, correcting 37
mm_6466 465
mm_6467 465
mm_6468 465
mm_6469 465
modal controls, in actions 487
Mode commands 94, 95, 96, 97
models. See color models

Using Help | Contents | Index

modes. See blending modes or color modes
Modify Lossiness Setting dialog box 429
Modify Quality Setting dialog box 429
moiré patterns 475, 476
Mojikumi option 365
monitor calibration 118, 119
monitor characterization 118, 119
monitor profiles 117, 118
monitoring operations 57
monitors
adjusting display 91
calibrating 118
calibrating and characterizing. See online
Help
characterizing 118
cross-platform differences 92
default color 87
desaturating colors 112
eight-bit color 91
Photoshop and ImageReady differences 92
resolution 63
Monochrome option 271
monotones. See duotones
Mosaic filter 332
Mosaic Tiles filter 336
Motion Blur filter 328
move tool 168
moving
image maps 386
paths 214
selection borders 164
selections 167
shapes 214
slices 374
MTX file 452
Multichannel mode
about 90, 271
duotone mode adjustments 482
type in 342
Multi-Page PDF to PSD command 75
multiple copies. See duplicating
Multiply mode 241

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

N
named optimization settings 425
Navigator palette 35
Nearest Neighbor interpolation 66
negatives
creating 153
printing 474
Neon Glow filter 327
New Channel command 281
New Color command 433
New command 73
New Frame button 405
New Layer Based Image Map Area command
384
New Layer Based Slice command 371
New Layer button 286
New Snapshot button 41
New State command 400
New View command 34, 136
No Break command 361
Noise dither 421, 423, 425
Noise filters 325, 330
noise gradients, creating 247
noise, in brushes 238
nonprintable colors 263
Normal mode 241
Normal state, for rollovers 398
Note Paper filter 334
NTSC Colors filter 336
number of colors
weighted optimization 430
numeric values, specifying colors with 259,
262

O
Ocean Ripple filter 329
Offset filter 337
Oidashi option 365
Oikomi option 365
old style type 355

Using Help | Contents | Index

OLE
automation 500
linking and embedding images 468
omni light effect 338
one-bit images
See also bitmap images
one-bit images, converting to grayscale
images 95
online Help 6
online images
changing size of 67
creating master palette for 438
resolution of 63
See also optimizing images
opacity
gradients 246
layer mask 317
layers 295
Opacity value, in Info palette 32
painting and editing tools 243
pixel alignment and 289
Quick Mask 280
See also transparency
Open As command 74, 77
Open command 73, 75, 77, 414
open paths 211
Open Recent command 74
opening
animated GIF files 413
EPS files 76
images 73, 79
PDF files 74
Photo CD files 76
Raw files 77
See also placing, importing
OpenType fonts 342, 350, 355
operations
canceling 57
monitoring 57
Optimize by Bounding Box option 412
Optimize by Redundant Pixel Removal option
412

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Optimize palette 417
creating droplets from 499
Optimize to File Size option 419
optimized images
saving 441
Optimized Information option 49
Optimized JPEG format 424
optimizing
animations 411
based on file size 419
copying settings between slices 382
named settings for 425
optimizing images
about 415
automating 440, 489, 496, 499
canceling 427
GIF format 420
JPEG format 423
PNG-24 format 424
PNG-8 format 420
preferences for 427
restoring to original version 419
WBMP format 424
weighted optimization 428
Original view
creating animations in 404
Original/Optimized File Size option 49
Other filters 326, 336
Outer Glow effect 303
out-of-gamut colors
about 32
definition 91
displaying in color picker 263
displaying in Info palette 32
selecting 163
Output Channel option 271
Output Settings dialog box
file saving options 444
HTML options 442, 443, 444
loading output settings 442
saving options 442

Using Help | Contents | Index

Overlay mode 242
overprint colors 481

P
page marks 473
Page Setup command 470, 471
paint bucket tool 249
Paint Daubs filter 327
paintbrush tool 223
painting
options 241
with patterns 189
Painting Cursors options 25
painting tools
about 222
recording in actions 488
Palette Knife filter 327
palettes
about 28
changing display of 28
docking 29
Hide Options command 29
moving 28
pop-up sliders 30
resetting to default positions 30
setting position of 29
Show Options button 29
Show Options command 29
showing and hiding 28
storing in tool options bar 27
See also names of individual palettes
pan camera tool 187
PANTONE color 264
Paragraph palette 358
paragraph type. See type
Pass Through blending mode 296
Paste Into command 169, 170
Paste Layer Style command 310
Paste Rollover State command 403
Paste Slice command 376

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
pasting
decreasing fringe 173
frames 407
PostScript artwork 171
removing halos 173
rollover states 403
selections 170
slices 376
styles 310
patch tool 191
Patchwork filter 336
path components 210
paths
about 200
adjusting 213, 214
clipping 466
copying 215
defining as selection border 218
defining transparency 466
definition of 210
deleting 218
deselecting 210
distributing 215
drawing freehand 208
exporting to Adobe Illustrator 468
filling 220, 250
from selection borders 219
recording in actions 486
reordering in the palette 210
repositioning 214
saving 218
selecting 209
Stroke Path command 221
stroking 221
type as work path 349
Paths palette 209
Paths to Illustrator command 468
Pattern buffer 37
Pattern dither 421, 422, 425
pattern dithering 91, 99
Pattern Maker 253
pattern stamp tool 189

Using Help | Contents | Index

patterns
fill layers 313
filling selections with 250
for dithering 97
layer style option 306
painting with 189
Pattern Maker 253
PostScript Pattern folder 252
PCD format 76
PCX format 456
PDF files
opening 74
placing 80
saving 450
viewing with Acrobat Reader 6
PDF format 456
PDF Image command 75
pen tools 32, 200, 205
drawing curves 206
drawing shapes 200
drawing straight segments 205
recording in actions 486
pencil tool 222, 223, 226
Perceptual color table 432
perspective
applying 185
transforming 180
phosphors 121
Photo CD files 76
Photo CD format 89
Photocopy filter 334
Photoshop EPS format. See EPS files
Photoshop format 448, 449
picas 352
PICT files 77
PICT format 266, 457
PICT Resource files 457
PICT resources 78
Picture Package command 464
Pinch filter 329
PIXAR format 457
pixel depth. See bit depth

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538

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
pixel dimensions
changing 67
changing during optimization 426
display of 62
maximum 65
new channels 280
new images and 73
resampling and 66
viewing 65
pixel replacement variables 502
Pixelate filters 325, 331
pixelation 63
pixels
about 61
blending 300
displaying color values 32
histogram display of 132
selecting 157
Place command 80
placing
files 80
images in other applications 466
Plaster filter 334
Plastic Wrap filter 327
Playback Options command 491
plug-in modules 58
filters 321
selecting folder for 59
plug-ins
file format 453
scanner 69
Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk preferences 59
PNG format 457
saving files in 451
PNG-24 format
optimizing images in 424
PNG-8 format
optimizing images in 420
reducing colors 431
weighted optimization and 429
point type. See type
pointers. See tool pointers

Using Help | Contents | Index

Pointillize filter 332
points 352
Polar Coordinates filter 329
policies
defined 106
options and behaviors 109
specifying 108
warning messages 107
polygon image map tool 384
polygon lasso tool 157, 159
polygon tool 200
pop-up palettes
about 31
changing display of items 32
customizing list of items 31, 56, 229, 248,
253, 261, 302
deleting items 31
selecting items 31
pop-up sliders 30
positives, creating 153
Poster Edges filter 327
Posterize command
about 154
scanning and 72
posterizing images 154
PostScript
fonts 342
Level 2 89
Level 3 89
point size 44
PostScript Color Management option 478
PostScript Language Reference Manual 476
ppi (pixels per inch) 63
See also resolution
preferences
Adobe Online 8
anti-aliasing 76
Asian text 363
Clipboard 171
color management settings 107
color picker 265
displaying eight-bit color 92
file extensions 463

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539

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
file handling 83
image previews 463
interpolation 66
optimization 427
plug-in modules 58, 59
Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks 60
recent file list 74
restoring to default settings 56
Save Palette Locations 30
setting 56
tool tips 7
transparency display 287
Use Cache for Histograms 132
Preserve EXIF Metadata option 424
Preserve Transparency option 224
preset brushes 228, 240
presets
contours 307
gradients 246
swatches 260
pressure setting 243
Preview Document button 504
Preview Document command 504
Preview In menu, adding a browser to 54
previewing
adding a browser to the Preview In menu 54
animations 411
channel calculations 276
color selections 163
color values 133
data-driven graphics 504
extracted objects 175
in a browser 53
layers 287
printed image 68
rollovers 401
Web pages 368
primaries. See phosphors
Print command 470, 471
print dimensions
changing 67
changing when printing 472

Using Help | Contents | Index

Print One Copy command 471
Print Options command 470
Print Selected Area option 477
Print with Preview command 471
printable colors 263
printer resolution 64
printer’s points 44
printing
about 470
about dpi 64
CMYK versions of images 478
color management and 478
creating color traps 479
duotones 482
encoding methods 477
halftone screen attributes for 475
layers and channels 471
overprint colors 481
page marks 473
part of an image 477
PostScript Level 2 89
PostScript Level 3 89
previewing image size 68
resizing and reposition images 472
printing inks
colors 88
density 273
printing marks 473
process color inks
about 272
simulating solidity 273, 274
profiles
about 113
adding 117
assigning to document 115
converting colors to 115
customizing 120, 121, 125
customizing. See online Help
defined 103
embedding in documents 116
for JPEG optimization 424
loading 119

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
mismatches 106
monitor profiles 117, 118
obtaining 116
proof profiles 114, 136
recommended locations 117
saving 119
tagging documents with 115
updating 117
working spaces 106
Progressive option, for JPEG 424
Promote Layer Based Image Map Area
command 385
Promote to User-Slice command 371
Proof Colors command 114
proof profiles 114, 136
Proof Setup commands 113, 136
Protect Foreground Color option 226
PSD format. See Photoshop format
punctuation, hanging 360
Purge Cache command 80
Purge command 37
pyramid data structure 452

Q
quadtones 90
See also duotones
Quality option, for JPEG 423, 453
Quick Mask mode
about 278, 279
previewing color selection in 163
quick masks, removing 279
Quick Reference Card 6
Quicktime Movie format 457
QuickTime movies
opening as animations 414
saving animations as 413

R
Radial Blur filter 328
radial gradient tool 244
Randomize option 248
raster images. See bitmap images

Using Help | Contents | Index

Rasterize command 293, 346
rasterized shapes
anti-aliasing 202
drawing 200
rasterizing 171
Adobe Illustrator artwork 171
PDF files 75, 80
PostScript artwork 76, 80
type layers 346
vector artwork 171
Raw files 77, 458
Raw format 266
Read Watermark filter 463
rectangle image map tool, 384
rectangle tool 200
rectangular marquee tool 158
Redo command 37
reducing colors in GIF and PNG files 431
reference point 182
reflected gradient tool 244
Refresh Desktop View command 80
Regenerate button 427
registering software 4
registration marks 474
Remove Black Matte command 173
Remove Layer Mask command 318
Remove White Matte command 173
renaming
layers 292
Render filters 325, 332
Lighting Effects 332
rendering
intents 110
options 188
See also rasterizing
renmoji 364
Repeat Edge Pixels option 323
Replace Channel option 281
Replace Color command 149
Repopulate Views command 419
repositioning paths and shapes 214
Resample Image option 67, 68

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541

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
resampling
about 66
interpolation methods 66
See also resizing
Rescan Actions Folder command 494
Reselect command 157
Reset Actions command 494
Reset All Tools command 26
Reset Palette Locations to Default option 30
Reset Tool command 26
resetting warning dialogs 56
Resize Image command 65
Resize Window to Fit command 36
resizing
about 66
during printing 472
image maps 386
images 65
images, automatically 500
images, in Save for Web dialog box 426
images, using actions 489
placed artwork 81
slices 374
type bounding box 344
resolution
about 63
changing 67
determining optimal 68
displaying 65
document size 67
dpi 64
file size and 65
monitor 63
printer 64
screen frequency and 64
Resolution option 188
Restore to Background option 410
restoring images 37
result color 241
Reticulation filter 334
retouching images 192
Reveal Location command 80

Using Help | Contents | Index

Reverse Frames command 406
Revert command 37
RGB color displays
cross-platform differences 92
Photoshop and ImageReady differences 92
RGB color model 87, 262
RGB color spaces
about 88
RGB color values
in Info palette 32
RGB images
about 93
channel display 267
converting to indexed-color images 97
specifying colors numerically 259, 262
RGB mode 87, 93
selecting color in 262
tonal and color adjustments in 135
Ripple filter 330
Rollover Preview button 401
rollovers
about 396, 399
animated GIF in 402
copying and pasting states 403
creating new states 400
deleting states 404
matching layers across states 397
previewing 401
rollover styles 402
Rollovers palette 398
Rotate Canvas command 177
rotating
images 80, 178, 185
layers 182
layers and selections 183, 185
placed artwork 81
type bounding box 344
type characters 357
Rough Pastels filter 323, 327
rounded rectangle tool 200
Roundness option 231

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Adobe Photoshop Help

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542

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
rulers
about 43
changing settings 44
zero origin 43
Run Length Encoding (RLE) compression 453

S
Sample Radius option 166
Sampled Colors option 162
sampling
from layers 291
image with clone stamp tool 188
image with healing brush tool 189
image with patch tool 191
saturation
about 86
adjusting 147, 152, 194
Saturation mode 243
Save Actions command 493
Save As command 415, 446, 449, 450, 451, 452
Save command 446
Save for Web command 416
Save for Web dialog box
choosing a view 415
Color Table panel 431
Image Size panel 426
Save Image Pyramid option 452
Save Master Palette command 438
Save Optimized As command 441, 489
Save Optimized command 441, 489
Save Palette Locations option 30
Save Path command 218
Save Selection command 172, 281
Save Slice Selection command 374
Save Workspace command 29
saving
batch-processed files 496
color range 163
color tables 101, 437
duotone curves 481
duotone settings 482

Using Help | Contents | Index

file extensions 463
images 446
optimized images 444
options 447
restoring a saved image 37
selection settings 163
selections 281
slice selections 374
thumbnails 463
tonal and color adjustment settings 135
See also names of individual formats
Scale Effects command 310
scaling
about 181
images during printing 472
layers 182
type bounding box 344
scaling layer styles 310
scanning 70
about 69
avoiding resampling 66
color balance 72
dynamic range 72
file size 72
images 70
quality check of images 131
selecting devices 70
scattering, for brushes 234
Scitex CT format 94, 458
scratch disks 60
screen frequency
about 64
determining resolution 68
saving settings 476
scanning and 71
setting 475
Screen mode 242
screen ruling 473, 475
Select All Colors command 434
Select All From Selection command 434
Selected Areas option 279

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543

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
selecting
channels 274
color ranges 161
contiguous pixels 161
image maps 386
layers 287
pixels 157
similar pixels 166
slices 373
snapshots 41
type 349
unselected areas 164
selection borders
anti-aliasing 166
closing 159
converting to paths 219
defining paths 219
feathering 166
for type 345
framing with selection 165
from paths 218
hiding and showing 164
moving 164
snapping behavior 45
stroking 166
selections
adding to 165
adding to channel 281
adjusting 164
aligning 158
anti-aliasing 158, 279
applying effects to 181
converting from slices 164
converting to layer 286
copying 169
copying between applications 170
copying within Photoshop 167
creating edge effects with 323
creating slice from 370
customizing 158, 160, 161
deleting 173
deselecting 157

Using Help | Contents | Index

dragging between documents 169
editing as masks 278
feathering 166, 279
filling 249
flipping or rotating 183
freehand 159
from temporary masks 279
intersecting 165
intersecting in channel 282
library 268
loading 282
loading from another image 283
moving 167
pasting 170
previewing 163
refining 162
removing halos around 173
replacing in channel 281
saving 281
saving as channel 281
smoothing 166
snapping behavior 45
softening 162
softening edges of 166
stroking 249
subtracting from 165
subtracting from channel 281
tools and commands for making 157
Selective color table 432
Send Backward command 289
Send Backward option
for image maps 387
for slices 376
Send to Back command 289
Send to Back option
for image maps 387
for slices 376
separation type 124
separations. See color separations
sepia-tone images 271
serial numbers, legacy 58
server-side image maps 389

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544

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Settings menu 425
shadows
adjusting 152, 193
adjusting with Levels 137
CMYK mode 88
shape dynamics, for brushes 232
shape layers
creating 201
shape tools 200
shapes
distributing 215
drawing 200, 201
drawing constrained 203, 205
editing 214
options 203
repositioning 214
type as 349
Sharpen Edges filter 333
Sharpen filter 333
Sharpen More filter 333
sharpen tool 193
sharpening images 155
sharpening images. See online Help
Shear filter 330
shortcuts 6
Show Actions command 485
Show All Layer Styles command 304
Show Channels command 267
Show Character command 350, 359
Show Color Table command 431
Show Info command 32
Show Optimization Info command 418
Show Options button 29
Show Options command 26
Show Rulers command 43
Show Status Bar command. See online Help
Show Tool Tips preference 7
showing. See hiding and showing
Similar command 166
single column marquee tool 158
single row marquee tool 158
Single-line Composer 362

Using Help | Contents | Index

Sixteen Bits/Channel command 94
Size/Download Time option 49
Sketch filters 326, 333
skewing
about 185
placed artwork 81
type bounding box 344
slice select tool 373
slice tool 370
slices
about 368
adding HTML text to 381
adding links to 379
compared to image maps 383
converting to selections 164
converting type of 371
creating layer-based slices 371
creating user slices 369
deleting 377
in actions 489
modifying 376
options for 378
selecting 373
showing and hiding 372
viewing 371
Slices palette 378
Small Caps command 354, 355
Smart Blur filter 328
Smart Highlighting option 175
smoothing edges of a selection 219, 221
smoothing selections 166
Smudge Stick filter 327
smudge tool 192
Snap command 172
Snapshot command 40
snapshots
clearing 38
deleting 41
of state 38
undoing actions 490
Soft light mode 242
soft proofs 113, 136

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Solarize filter 335
Solidity option 273
Sort by Hue command 433
Sort by Luminance command 433
Sort by Popularity command 433
source channel 275
source selection 170
Spacing option, brush 231, 236
special effects
applying to selections 181
with filters 323
specular highlights 142
spell-checking text 357
Spherize filter 330
Splatter filter 328
Split Channels command 269
Sponge filter 327
sponge tool 193, 194
spot channels
adding 272
merging 274
options 274
saving 447
spot colors
about 272
customizing working space for 126
preventing knock out 274
trapping 275
spotlight effect 338, 339
Sprayed Strokes filter 328
stacking order
arranging for image maps 387
arranging for slices 376
Stained Glass filter 336
Stamp filter 334
Standard Macintosh Color command 92
Standard mode 279
standard screen mode 34
Standard Windows Color command 92
status bar 48
straight-edged selection border 159
Stroke command 251

Using Help | Contents | Index

Stroke effect 303
Stroke Path command 251
stroking
paths 221
selection borders 166
selections 249
Stylize filters 326, 334
stylus tablet 161
subscript type 355
subslices 369
Subtract from Channel option 281
Subtract option 277
subtractive colors 88
Sumi-e filter 328
superscript type 355
swatches
deleting 261
libraries 260
Swatches palette 260
System Layout command 356

T
tagged documents
defined 102
embedding profiles in 116
Tagged-Image File Format (TIFF). See TIFF
format
Targa format 458
target channel 267
target values, setting with Levels or Curves
141
Tate-Chuu-Yoko command 364
technical support 9
templates, for data-driven graphics 501
Text Bounds command 345
Text Selection command 350, 354
text. See type
texture
copying between tools 239
for brushes 234
protecting in brush strokes 239
Texture Channel 340
Texture Fill filter 332

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546

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Texture filters 326, 336
textures
for special effects 322
in Lighting Effects filter 340
Texturizer filter 323, 336
TGA format 458
This Layer option 300
3D Transform filter 332, 186, 187
Threshold command 141, 142, 143, 154
Threshold mode 143
Threshold slider 331
thumbnails
displaying in Windows desktop 463
layer 170, 285
resizing in Channels palette 267
resizing in Paths palette 210
saving 447
viewing in Open dialog box 74
TIFF format 266, 459
saving files in 452
Tile command 34
Tile Maker filter 337
Tiles filter 335
tinted images 271
Tolerance values 161, 249
tonal adjustments. See online Help
tonal and color adjustment
adjustment layers 312
tonal and color adjustments
adjustment layers 132
Auto Contrast command 151
automatic 150
automatic adjustments 151
Brightness/Contrast command 150
canceling 133
color mode for 135
generalized adjustments 152
Hue/Saturation command 147, 149
loading 135
overview 129
quick tools for 150
saving 135

Using Help | Contents | Index

Selective Color command 149
sharpening images 155
special-purpose tools for 152
tonal range check 131
using tools and commands for 132
Variations command 152
tonal range
adjusting with Curves 139
adjusting with Levels 137
adjustment layers 133, 312
brightness and contrast adjustments 150
generalized adjustments 152
mapping to a gradient 155
quality check in histogram 131
remapping pixels in channel 154
scanning and 72
toning tools
about 193
recording in actions 488
tool options bar
about 26
pop-up palettes 31
storing palettes 27
tool pointers
about 25
appearance 25
hot spots 25
options 25
tool tips 6
toolbox 20
tools
default settings 26
fill 175
focus 193
hidden 24
layer sampling 291
magic eraser 224
marquee 158
modal 486
opacity 243
options bar 26
painting 222

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547

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
recording in actions 486, 488
retouching 192
selecting 24
shape 200
snapping behavior 45
toning 193
tool pointers 25
Torn Edges filter 334
Toyo colors 264
Trace Contour filter 335
trackball tool 187
tracking type 353
transfer functions 126, 474
Transform command
about 32
in Info palette 33
transformations
reference point 182
type layers 345
See also individual transform commands
transparency
canvas 177
channel display 267
creating in new images 73
dithering 422
document display 287
exporting 466
from mask 279
gradients 246
in Bitmap mode 448
optimizing 421
saving in PDF format 450
saving in TIFF files 452
using advanced blending options 173
See also opacity
Transparency & Gamut option 287
Trap command 479
trapping colors 275
Trim command 179
trimming an image 179

Using Help | Contents | Index

tritones 90
See also duotones
troubleshooting 9
TrueType fonts 342, 350
TRUMATCH colors 264
Tsume option 363
TWAIN 69
tweening 407
Twirl filter 330
2-D transformations 182
type
about 342
bounding box 344, 345
committing 343
converting between point type and
paragraph type 347
converting to shapes 349
creating 342
editing 346
filling 352
finding and replacing 358
formatting characters 349
formatting paragraphs 358
orientation 346
paragraph type 343
point type 343
saving in EPS or DCS format 449
saving in PDF format 451
selecting 349
selection border 345
spell-checking 357
work path for 349
See also CJK type, type layers
Type 1 fonts 350
type layers
about 345
anti-aliased 347
changing orientation 346
rasterizing 346
transforming 345
warping 348
type tool 343

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548

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

UCA. See undercolor addition
UCR. See undercolor removal
Uncompensated Color command 92
undercolor addition (UCA) 125
undercolor removal (UCR) 124
underlining type 355
Underlying Layer option 300
Underpainting filter 323, 327
Undo command 37
Undo/Redo Status option 49
undoing changes 37
Ungroup command 320
ungrouping clipping groups 320
Unify Layer Position button 397
Unify Layer Style button 397
Unify Layer Visibility button 397
Unlink All command 383
Unlink Sets command 383
unlocking
colors 437
slices 378
Unsharp Mask filter 155
after resampling 66
unsharp masking 155
Unsharpen Mask filter 333
Unshift All Colors command 436
untagged documents. See tagged documents
Updates command 8
URLs
assigning to image maps 389
assigning to slices 379
Use Accurate Screens option 476, 482
Use All Layers option 161, 292
Use Embedded Color Profile command 92
Use Pixel Doubling preference 92
Use Printer’s Default Screens option 475
Use Shift Key for Tool Switch 25
Use Unified Color Table option 423
Use Video Alpha option 288
user slices. See slices
USM. See unsharp masking

variables 501
Variations command 152
varnish 273, 274
See also process color inks
vector artwork 171
vector graphics
about 61
printing 477
resizing 65
saving in EPS or DCS format 449
saving in PDF format 451
type 342, 349
Vector Mask Hides Effects option 300
vector shapes. See shapes
vertical scale of type, adjusting 354
VGA color palette 456
video alpha, Use Video Alpha option 288
Video filters
about 326
De-Interlace 336
NTSC Colors 336
view box 35
viewing
image maps 385
images 35
slices 371
See also hiding and showing
viewing layers 287
Viewpoint Media Player 452
virtual memory 60
visibility variables 502
Vivid light mode 242

Using Help | Contents | Index

W
Wacom tablet 232
warning dialogs
color management policies 107
resetting 56
Warp Text command 348
warping type layers 348
Water Paper filter 334

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Watercolor filter 327
watermarks
about 48
embedding 460
viewing info in status bar 49
Wave filter 330
WBMP format 424
Web
creating photo galleries 390
customizing photo galleries 392
designing Web pages 368
GoLive integration 368
optimizing images for 415
See also animations, image maps,
optimizing images, slices, rollovers
Web Color Sliders command 263
Web documentation overview 7
Web graphics
GoLive integration 443
Web Photo Gallery command 390
Web Shift/Unshift Selected Colors command
435
Web site for Adobe 8
WebDAV servers, about 82
Web-safe color table 432
Web-safe colors
selecting with the Color palette 263
weighted optimization
about 428
GIF and PNG-8 color reduction 430
GIF and PNG-8 dithering 429
GIF lossiness 429
JPEG quality 428
wet edges 238
White Matte 163
white point 120
WIA support 70
importing with digital camera 70
scanning 70

Using Help | Contents | Index

Wind filter 335
Windows Color Picker 265
Windows color table 432
wire frame. See transformations
wizards/assistants
Export Transparent Image 466
Resize Image 65
word breaks, preventing 361
word spacing 361
work paths 200
converting selection to path 219
creating 200, 201, 217
workgroup management
about 82
adding files to servers 85
checking files out and in 84
logging off servers 83
opening files 84
saving files 85
setting up servers 82
working spaces
defined 106
loading 120
saving 120
specifying 107
See also color spaces, profiles
workspaces
customizing 29
Wrap Around option 323

Z
zero origin 43
ZigZag filter 330
ZIP compression 454
zoom commands 35
zoom tool 32, 35
ZoomView format 452

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Create Date                     : 2002:03:07 17:44:45Z
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Creator                         : Adobe Instructional Publishing
Title                           : Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Help
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