Welcome to Photoshop in Coop's world.

[coop]

I spent a little time getting an explination on how I use Photo shop with a description of some of the features I use. Of course the way I make images may not be to your taste, But his is how I aproach using Photoshop. If you would like a color description, please let me know as it is easier to read in color. Please send an address that allows you to accept files. The file is in a WORD program and the version Of Photoshop I use is 5.5, but most versions will accept these suggestions.
richard.cooper3@worldnet.att.net

Photoshop Coop’s Way

File
(Note on all menu the use of the short cuts to use quickly. These may save you time)

Click on the file menu:
The ones I use on this the most is : New, Open, Save, Save As and Save for Web. The first one New is used when you want to make a page with images, let’s say 6 images. First you need the six images to put on this page all the same size or at least the same height and have the width adjustable to make the same overall width. Any number can be used, but usually more than one. You slide these images over to this page and you can add text to this if desired. When opening this menu you will have the choice to make the size of images you want. I always make them larger than I need and then crop them later to the area I want to save and then edit from there. Open same as all files on the computer. You can open images from disks or as I have done, save them to a file on you drives or you can save them in my documents under Pictures. So with this function you can open images to Photoshop. Save This allows to save your work as you go along, but you can go back on the history panel on the right side to correct something you’ve saved and then didn’t want, correct it and re-save it the correct way. Save As after you’ve completed your images, or want to name a file so you could go back to re-edit the first image and focus on a different area of the same picture. Save For Web I use this to save a bitmap image to turn it into a JPG image. The reason I do this is that the space that bitmap images use are much larger than JPG images. Thus saving space as I use 3.5 inch floppy disks to store and take images with on my camera. Having one bitmap image on a disk is about all that can be stored there. Many images can be saved on the JPG format.

Edit
The features on this menu are: Undo Select The one to remember is the shortcut: Control Z. These are close by on the left lower portion of your keyboard. This works on most programs to undo what you have just done and go back to the way it was before you did a boo boo. You could go over to the history box the third one on my screen and you can undo several steps back or go back to open if needed. The control Z is just a single step back. To go back several steps use the history box. The history box only goes back so many items and then your choice is open. So keep an eye out BEFORE you get too far and the history box won’t help except to re-open the image.

Image:
The features I use from this menu are several. I will list each one and how I use it as I go.

Mode:
By clicking on this box you are given a second menu where you can change your image to grayscale to make your image black & White. If I have to images you want to make into one photo, I put both images into grayscale to discard color. Then when I have the two images together I can adjust the color again by changing from grayscale to RGB Color. By clicking on this you can make your images able to add color again. (Not the same color they were at first, but an edited color.) Why is this handy? From this procedure you can edit two images that perhaps were one B/W and the other in color. By making both to grayscale, you can recolor them again to look like nothing ever happened to them or that they were from two different sources.

Adjust:
This menu has a second menu that gives you a lot of choices. One of the ones I use here is AUTO CONTRAST. I use this to adjust images to the right sharpness from the image, but be careful to not over do it as the image takes on an appearance that you do not want. You can also use the amounts that you want by choosing BRIGHTNESS / CONTRAST to do this as you see fit. This screen allows you to lighten or darken an image and adjust the contrast or even reduce the contrast already in an image.
The setting COLOR BALANCE allows you to edit color of an image, but more so to add color back to image/s after has been turned into grayscale and wanting to re-color the new image. A four item I use from the menu is Hue / Contrast. With this option you can remove unwanted color, which I use to remove too orange tint to images of copper coins or add a different hue to an image. Also allows the adjustment of brightness.
DUPLICATE Does what it says it will; make a duplicate image of the image opened/edited to work with. Nice when you want to keep the original image open and you can edit one. You can’t open the image twice with this program, thus creating a duplicate (copy) you can have an original, a copy and save the copy or make an image of both of them. You can duplicate any image as many times as you wish or edit and duplicate the copy and edit again and have three images. This is all I use on the adjust feature.

Image Size:
I use this to make images the same size, great for overlays, pages, or just have the images the same size or uniform. IE I save my complete image for the forum at 600-700 Pixels. When making an image to use on Ebay I make the image as large as 800 pixels. So by using this feature you can make the image the desired size after you have cropped the image. There is also a box on the window that allows you to constrain proportions. This will make you image look the same regardless of pixel size, but unclick the box and the image will be distorted. You can make an image taller stretching the image or wider stretching it also. But The way I use it is when you take an image of a coin and it looks more oval than round, you can crop the image and make the Height and Width the same and it will straighten the image to a round shape. There is also a choice of dimensions pixels/inches. I usually use pixels for images but I may use inches to make a new image to be too large to place the images one and crop later.

Canvas Size:
Use this feature when the image you are working with is too small. Lets say you have an image and you want to make the frame higher or wider or both. You can use this set to make the image enlarged in any direction. Before using the setting check the color box on the left lower half of the vertical toolbar. This is the box with the two squares. When you want the extension to be a certain color, click on the smaller boxes and they switch positions. The lower one is the color that the addition will be in. This can be in B/W or any color desired using the EYE DROPPER two boxes above the color boxes on the lower left hand side of your screen. You can duplicate a color from an image by click on the eyedropper and click on the color you wish to have. This will put the color in the upper of the two larger boxes on the left. Click on the little boxes on the same frame and it will move the colored box to the lower position. Remember the lower box controls the back round and the upper one the lettering. I will cover this when I cover the tool bar again. So you have the color on the lower box and click on Image Size, choose Canvas size and you will get a screen with another choice. The two upper choices are for what direction you want the extension Width/Height then after you choose how much, you see a lower box with 9 small squares. When you click on the center upper one you see arrows pointing in the direction that the extension will take place. Click on the box to apply on OK. To make it extend at the bottom, click on the upper/center box. To add an extension to the upper canvas, click on the lower/center box. Buy not adding any direction it will add the extension to the height/width or if you adjust both the same amount it will add to all directions making a border all around the image. For a small border you could add 10 pixels to each height/width and add a little border to you image. If you want a medium border add 20 pixels and for a large border add 30, 40, 50 or what you like. If making a page with several images, I add the border on all images then add them to a page that is large and when I have all the images in place, crop them and size them to your liking and you could even add a border to all of them after cropping/sizing, then add the border in pixels of your choice.

Crop.
Used to save the part of an image that is inside the marquee frame and hit crop to remove outside unwanted areas.

Rotate Canvas
With this choice you can change the direction of your image 90/180 CW or CCW or choose the next lower selection to adjust at any angle. Even fractions work in this feature till you get your image at the desired angle. Handy to straighten images to square, and then crop or leave as desired. When using this feature, not the color on the larger boxes on the left toolbar. The lower box controls the color of the area not in the image, so if you want it a certain color make sure to adjust this before rotating the image. Below this setting you can flip the image horizontal/vertical for different effects. Always good to experiment, but remember if you do something you don’t want, click control Z or move back the History setting and your back before the problem. Just remember that the history only hold so many steps. If you are past the step before a problem, you might have to start over.

Layer
The first choice in this box is to add a layer, but I seldom use this one as I make a new framework and create it the size I wish. But there is one feature you have to use. The option is to Flatten Layer. Each time you add a layer or add type and the image doesn’t want to be edited, you need to use the flatten layer option. You will know when you try to do something and it will ask: Flatten Layer? Or you can click on this box. If the flatten layer box is dark then you need to flatten the image to proceed. When adding images (Multiple) to a New Image, the only time you will need to flatten is when you save or you need to adjust all of the images. You will note that after placing a second image in place you can’t adjust the first one because adding the second image flattens the first image to the new page. Add all images and you can add type to the page and each line of type flattens the previous layer. If you try to adjust the whole page, when you adjust it, the last image will only be affected. So you will need to flatten image to adjust all the same. After flattening an image you can adjust just one image by placing the frame around the image and adjusting just the one/two or more inside the frame. The outer ones will remain unaffected. When complete and you try to use "Save" the image, or "Save As." You will note that it will want to put it into a Photoshop Format. This takes up a lot of space. But by flattening the image, then you can Save/ or use Save As to rename your file so it will be easier to find for your images.

Select
There is nothing on this box that I use for images so far.

Filter
This box needs to be experimented with to see all the features in this selection. It would take as much space as I have already used to discuss the feature here. But the one I may use is the Sharpen Feature. On this one also you have to watch for using this too much as it gives the image a look you would not want. The best way I’ve found when using this is to set the selection to sharpen, click on it and it will be always there till you make a new selection and this one will be on top. The reason I mention this coin is this: If you want to use the current feature selected you and use the short cut Control/F and this will activate the use of the selection chose. Then hit control/shift/F and this will bring up a pop up that will allow you to reduce the amount of the selection. IE I usually find the sharpness is too much, so I use Control/shift/F and reduce 50% and this is about right for my uses. The other settings are more for art and have used some of this, but it used for specific purposes.

View
This feature adds a few touches you can make to your screen or click to motivate an action. I hardly if ever use this feature.

Window
Another feature I have used only when one of the boxes on the right is missing, then I add them where they should be placed.

Help
Help… What can I add to this?


Tool Bars on the Left: (Pictured above)
The boxes describe their feature with images, but hold down on some of the buttons and then another menu will appear.

Rectangular Marquee:
I put around the sections images to crop, or this can be used to adjust just a portion of an image, or color just the area inside the frame Useful for various uses and hold down to change from the square shape to a circle. When holding down the shift key the box will be square and the circles will be evenly rounded. Nice for making images the same size for a page.

Move:
This tool can move one image over another image by holding down the left mouse button over image to be moved and released over the second image. Handy to move images on to a NEW page or on an image that you are combining by making the canvas size larger.

Lasso:
Can be used to high light a small area to be moved onto a second image. So after you outline what you want to move then click on 'Move' to transfer this to new location. The advantage of this is, that instead of moving a square/rectangle/oval/circle you can make any shape by out lining just the area you want. It’s a little tedious, but can be done.

Magic Wand:
Interesting tool. It allows you to click on an area of an image that is similar in color and adjust from this setting. This does not change the color but outlines it on your image and you can select to edit color or sharpen or whatever adjustments you see need to be made. You need to click on the tool several times till it shut it off. You can use this but only on area selected. I use it to work closely to edges of coins to make the outside area look the same color. With this used, only the area outlined can be colored. So it acts as a fence to be able to reach a hard area to work in. The drawbacks are that it will also allow other areas that are almost the same color to change also. I may use this tool and paint or use paint bucket for desired effect quickly. Just remember you can always use your history to remove unwanted effects.

Air Brush & Paint Brush:
Can be used the to color/paint an undesired area or if you want to cover or create an effect. The box on the right of screen (On mine I have 4 boxes open at all times. (1.Top one Navigator/Info/Options) then (2.Color/ Swatches/Brushes) then (3.History/Actions) the last one (4.Layers/Channels/Paths) From the second box you can choose paint brush sizes on the upper level and Air brush sizes on the middle level with even larger sizes on the lower level. So with the selections of these you can paint/spray to your hears content.

The Next two boxes I don’t use yet so I’m not familiar what they do. They are marked Rubberstamp & History Brush. Just not used yet in Coop’s World.

Eraser:
Handy to remove extra overlay or unwanted area of a layer over the second layer. You can change anything to something else if you can transfer it and erase what is not needed. If you flatten the two layers, when you use this it will remove both layer and leave whatever foreground box color selected. So don’t flatten the image till you have this like you want it. Remember you can always use the history box # 3 on the right to take you back a step or several till the image was the way you wanted it. When you get the image going it is always best to make a copy now and then incase you want to go back as history only hold so many actions. So by saving a copy you don’t have to go back to the beginning. (Only needed on long editing projects and not need to make a copy on short projects.) Remove a little or a lot, just depends on your project.

Pencil:
I use this setting a lot and a little. Little on the Pencil setting, but hold down on the pencil box and you have new choices. You can choose an arrow tool here. You need to use the box on the right # 1 to adjust the size/arrow tip or tips on both ends. But you need to click on Options to get to this screen. (Will cover this box further later.) My setting is always at the line at 45 Degrees on the left Vertical tool bar setting, as I mainly use arrows more than would use the pencil feature.

Blur, Dodge, Pen Tools:
I seldom use these at this time, but I’m sure I will find a use for them some day.

Type:
This one is marked with the T and is used to add lettering to your images. The foreground colors and back round colors box need to be set BEFORE you chose this selection. The color you will type is on the upper, foreground selection. You can move the curser over the image and place the location you want image. BEFORE typing check to see what size/font/bold or other selections are set for. Let say you didn’t want the selection you chose. You can highlight the message box and change size/font. Then click OK and the message will be on the image. Before you click OK maker sure the location is right, if not you can move it. If you noticed it later after you have clicked OK, you can use the move tool to move it to where you really want it. But if you have flattened it you will need to use history and go back a step or two to go back before something happened that you didn’t want. History… you can go back in time with it. Also color can be changed, let say you have the two boxes mixed up and you wanted another color? Click on the color box and you can edit it to the new color. But remember to change the colors before adding a second line as the change on the box only adjusts that one line. So you will need to use the eyedropper to get the correct color for the next line and you will have the color in the correct location and will be able to add as many lines as your canvas will hold in the same color.

Measure & Linear Gradient:
I don’t use these yet as but I haven’t have a purpose for them yet in Coop’s World. (Added: You can choose two colors in the color box on left and draw a line across the corner or a vertival line and two colors will fade into a back round.)

Paintbucket:
This is handy to paint larger areas at a quick pace. But this will only work on un-imaged areas. You can change the color of your 'New' image when you forgot to set the foreground setting. Remember the upper one paints the color in that box and the lower one determines the canvas color on 'New' images and images you are enlarging the canvas or color of rotated areas where the canvas shows.

Eyedropper:
This is handy to choose a color from you image and use if for a border or the extension of the canvas. Again remember the eyedropper changes the foreground selection and you need to move it to background if you want a border color. Nice for artwork when picking colors to paint or make a border by enlarging the canvas. I find this real handy for that one purpose.

Hand & Zoom:
I don’t use these as I use the Zoom on the Navigator box # 1. And not sure what the hand is for, but I assume it is for moving. The program has several ways to accomplish tasks, so I choose the ones I’m familiar with.

Foreground/Background/Switch Colors:
Probably the adjustment or miss-adjustment of these boxes can give heartache or happiness. Remember the two boxes Top box (Foreground) Bottom box (Background) I guess the easy way to remember which one is which is this: When making a sign you have two colors. One color, over a different color. The color of the background would be the lower box and the color of the letters would be put over the background. So the one on top is placed over the lower one. Got it. So when adding letters that go over, the color will be on top and the canvas will be the color of the lower one. Nothing worse than coloring letters the same color of the canvas kind of a blue on blue thing. Nothing shows but blue. But to adjust the colors on either box you can adjust color with the eyedropper but that will change the upper box. Then you need to move it to the lower box for the canvas color. OR… You can click on the boxes to choose the colors you want on each one of them. There are different ways at attacking the subject with several solutions, but you need to know what your options are.

The bottom five boxes I use in different locations that I have more familiar actions, so I use them instead. The features can be used in different ways from different selections. Experimenting will help you to find that works easiest for you.

The four boxes on the Right I use I mention them as # 1- 4. I use these a lot as they help to accomplish tasks made easier for me.

Box I use for # 1: This one I usually have set for Navigator as I can adjust my images size on the screen. 100% is how large it will be on any screen I send it to. On larger images the screen will open what % is correct for that screen. You edit and set the size of this image, but you see it is at 50 %. Then when the screen is opened to 100 % the image will be too large for this screen and so you have to adjust the setting or image size to see the whole image on your Photoshop screen. So keeping this feature in mind if your making extremely tall images like I make to save space on my image count with my server, the image may have 2-20 images on just one image. So in order to see how the total image would look or need to be cropped the setting may be as low as 8 % so you can see the top and the bottom of the tall image. You can always make your image at 100 % but they will be adjustable to see the entire image. The Info Box I don’t use, but other settings may affect this setting. I’ve just not found the use yet for this. Yet. The Options: box allows you to choose different feature on the different buttons on the left. One I do use if the Arrow setting where you can adjust size of the line, type of arrowheads and the option to us it at the front or back or two arrows on a line. I’m sure there are a lot more of choices from the different buttons on the left, just haven’t used them yet.

Box # 2 This is the Color, Swatches and Brushes choices. I use the brushes selection almost all the time and it is open to this usually.

Box # 3 History & Actions. Actions I’ve have never used. I don’t know why but the History is there continuously on my screen. It is always open. This feature allows you to go back before you did something you didn’t want. It only keeps several steps and like a chat line it scrolls off except for the open image feature. So after making about 20 steps listed in the history, create a duplicate of you work. You can reduce it to the bottom of your screen and then if you see something you don’t like, then you can retrieve the copy so you don’t have to start all over again. This works great if you remember to do this, if not you start over.

Final Comments: The program is very easy to use, but in the description I given so far you will note that sometimes a combination of things need to be considered before you can get a certain action to happen IE:
1. The buttons on the left toolbox sometimes need to be held down to get a choice of, like the first one, the marquee tool. There are different shapes of marquees. The square one, where you hold the shift key down to make the rectangular marquee into a square. The circle choice is usually oval, but by holding down the shift he can have a perfect circle. So sometimes you have to use several features to get what you want.

2. The Magic Wand tool works to highlight a certain shade and you can edit this with the BRIGHTNESS/CONTRAST selection or change the color with the HUE/SATURATION setting. Or recolor or enhance with the COLOR/BALANCE. In order to open to these screens you need to go under IMAGE, then ADJUST then the choices above. With the magic wand working you will only adjust the area outlined with the magic wand. After editing, then you need to use the magic want tool to click to release the image or only the outlined area will continue to be edited. So the magic wand tool holds till you open that feature and click sometimes several times till it closes that tools use. You can use the erase or painting tool, but you need to go back and close the use of that tool to continue editing the whole image.

3. Experimentation: The best way to figure out this program is to open an image and see what the program will go. One interesting column to choose is the one under the FILTER tools on the upper tool bar. There is so much you can do and each feature of the filter section can be adjusted to get just the desired effect you like. You will find the history box best to back up from the “Frankenstein” image you have made or an easier way to return to the previous step is to just use CTRL + Z. This works to remove what you just did in most programs, even WORD you can hit this to undo what you just did. It is listed as a shortcut. Another one I use if CTRL + U to go to the HUE/SATURATION setting. These are listed on the upper tool bar when you make a step, so watch for them and they will save you time and your mouse. After using the FILTER tool bar, when you want to re-use the feature used previously you push CTRL + F and if you chose sharpen it will do the command and if you wish to edit that, you can push CTRL + SHIFT + F and it will give you a screen where you can edit the sharpness and reduce it as desired.
So enjoy this program, it took me years to be able to get familiar with it, so don’t give up. Soon your images will do what you want them to do or by accident you may discover a new usage that you may like even better. So keep these thoughts in mind as you use Photoshop Coop’s Way.