Photoshop Tools & Panels

Toolbar

The Toolbar (also known as the Toolbox or the Tools panel) is where Photoshop holds all of its tools. You'll find it along the left of Photoshop's interface.

The Toolbar , where you'll select different tools for editing images, is one of the most important features in Photoshop. Once you've chosen a tool, you'll be able to use it with the current document. Your cursor will change to reflect the currently selected tool.

You can also click and hold to select a different tool. For example, you can click and hold the Rectangle tool to select different Shape tools, like the Ellipse Tool, Line Tool, and Custom Shape Tool. Just look for the small triangle at the bottom right of the tool icon that indicates there are hidden tools.

Setting Foreground & Background Colors

At the bottom of the Toolbar, you will see two squares filled with color. By default the top square will be black and the bottom will be white. The square on top is your Foreground Color, the square on the bottom is your Background Color, where you can store another color.

The Brush tool, the Shape tools, the Type tool, and other features that apply color use the color in the Foreground Color box.

There are multiple ways to set the Foreground Color. You can select the Eyedropper tool and sample a color from the image, or click the foreground color square to open the color picker.

To switch the Foreground and Background color boxes to quickly access either color, click the double-pointed arrow just above the two color boxes or press the X key.

Panels

Along the right of Photoshop's interface is where we find the panels.

Panels give us access to all sorts of commands and options, and there are different panels for different tasks. While there are many different panels, we will only be discussing s few key panels you should know.

Layers Panel

The most important panel is the Layers panel. It's where we add, delete and work with layers in our document. By default, you'll find the Layers panel in the lower right of the screen.

TIP! If the Layers panel is not appearing on your screen, you can access it (along with any of Photoshop's other panels) by going up to the Window menu in the Menu Bar along the top of the screen and choosing Layers. A checkmark to the left of a panel's name means the panel is currently open somewhere on the screen.

The Name Tab

First of all, how do we know that what we're looking at is, in fact, the Layers panel? We know because it says so in the name tab at the top of the panel.

You may have noticed that there are two other tabs to the right of the Layers tab—Channels and Paths—both of which appear slightly dimmer than the Layers panel tab.These are two other panels that are grouped in with the Layers panel. There's so many panels in Photoshop that fitting them all on the screen while still leaving room to work can be a challenge, so Adobe decided to group some panels together into panel groups to save space.

To switch to a different panel in a group, simply click on the panel's tab. The tab of the panel that's currently open in the group appears highlighted. Don't let the fact that the Layers panel is grouped in with these two other panels confuse you, though. The Channels and Paths panels have nothing to do with the Layers panel, other than the fact that both are also commonly used in Photoshop, so we can safely ignore them while we look specifically at the Layers panel.

The Layer Row

Each time we open a new image in Photoshop, the image opens in its own document and is placed on a layer. Photoshop represents layers in the document as rows in the Layers panel, with each layer getting its own row. Each row gives us various bits of information about the layer.

As we add more layers, additional rows will appear.

The Layer Name

Photoshop places the new image on a layer named Background. It's named Background because it serves as the background for our document. We can see the name of each layer displayed in its row.

To change the layer name, double click the layer name.

The Preview Thumbnail

To the left of a layer's name is a thumbnail image known as the layer's preview thumbnail because it shows us a small preview of what's on that specific layer.

Adding A New Layer

To add a new layer to a document, click the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. It looks like a blank sheet of paper with a corner folded.

A new layer appears in the Layers panel directly above the Background layer OR the last layer you created. Photoshop automatically names new layers for us.

If we look in the new layer's preview thumbnail, we see a checkerboard pattern. The checkerboard pattern is Photoshop's way of representing transparency. Since there's nothing else being displayed in the preview thumbnail, this tells us that at the moment, the new layer is blank

Moving Layers

We can move layers above and below each other in the Layers panel simply by dragging them. Right now, Layer 2 is sitting above Layer 1, but you can move Layer 2 below Layer 1 by clicking on Layer 2 and, with the mouse button still held down, dragging the layer downward until a highlight bar appears between Layer 1 and the Background layer. This is the spot where the layer will be placed. Release your mouse button when the highlight bar appears. Photoshop drops the layer into its new position.

The Active Layer

You may have noticed that when the layers panel only had the one Background layer in the document, it was highlighted in blue in the Layers panel. Then, when Layer 1 was added, Layer 1 became the highlighted layer. And now Layer 2 is the highlighted layer. What’s up with the highlights?

When a layer is highlighted, it means it's currently the active layer. Anything we do in the document is done to the contents of the active layer. Each time we add a new layer, Photoshop automatically makes it the active layer, but we can manually change which layer is the active layer simply by clicking on the layer we need.

Deleting A Layer

To delete a layer, simply click on it and, with your mouse button still held down, drag it down onto the Trash Bin icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Release your mouse button when you're over the icon.

Copying A Layer

We've seen how to add a new blank layer to a document, but we can also make a copy of an existing layer using the Layers panel. To copy a layer, click on it and, with your mouse button held down, drag it down onto the New Layer icon. Release your mouse button when you're over the New Layer icon. A copy of the layer will appear above the original.

The Layer Visibility Icon

If we want to hide a layer in the document, we can simply turn the layer off by clicking its layer visibility icon to the left of the preview thumbnail (it looks like an eyeball). When the little eyeball is visible, it means the layer is visible in the document. Clicking the icon will hide the eyeball and hide the layer.

Blend Modes

To select a blend mode to apply to a specific layer, you will locate the dropdown box in the top left of the layer panel that by default is set to Normal.

We will discuss blend modes in detail later.

Layer Opacity

We can control a layer's level of transparency from the Layers panel using the Opacity option directly across from the Blend Mode option. An opacity value of 100% (the default value) means that we can't see through the layer at all, but the more we lower the opacity value, the more the layer(s) below it will show through.

Grouping Layers

Earlier, we learned that one of the ways we can keep our layers better organized in the Layers panel is by renaming them to something more meaningful. Another way is to group related layers together into a layer group. We can create a new layer group by clicking the New Group icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. It's the icon that looks like a folder (which is essentially what a layer group is).

Photoshop creates the new group, gives it the default name "Group 1", and adds my two selected layers into the group. Layer groups are very much like folders in a filing cabinet. We can open the folder to see what's inside, and we can close the folder to keep everything neat and tidy. By default, layer groups are closed in the Layers panel. To open them and view the layers inside, click on the small triangle to the left of the folder icon.

Layer Styles

Also on the bottom of the Layers panel is the Layer Styles icon. Layer Styles are also called Layer Effects, which is why it says "fx" in the icon. Layer styles give us easy ways to add lots of different effects to layers, including shadows, strokes, glows, and more. Clicking the Layer Styles icon opens a list of effects to choose from.

Layer Masks

On the bottom of the Layers panel, you will see an icon that looks like a rectangle with a circle in the middle.

We will discuss Layer Masks in detail later.

Locking Layers

The Layers panel also gives us a few different ways that we can lock certain aspects of a layer. For example, if part of a layer is transparent, we can lock the transparent pixels so that we're only affecting the actual contents of the layer, not the transparent areas. Or we can lock all of the pixels, whether they're transparent or not, to prevent us from making any changes at all to the layer. We can also lock the position of the layer so we can't accidentally move it around inside the document.

There's four lock options to choose from, each represented by a small icon, and they're located just below the Blend Mode option. From left to right, we have Lock Transparent Pixels, Lock Image Pixels (which locks all of the pixels on the layer, including the transparent ones), Lock Position, and Lock All. To select any of the lock options, click its icon to enable it. Clicking the same lock option again will disable it.

History Panel

The History Panel is a tool which creates a chronological top- down view of everything you do in your working session in Photoshop.

History Panel - Open.png

History States

Every move you make, from brush strokes to selections, is recorded and referred to as a History State or State for short, and each State appears in the panel. We can use this list of History States to bring our document back to a previous state.

Snapshots

Photoshop will forget all States beyond the predefined number set in the preferences (default 50). Therefore, if you’d like to save a specific State before losing it, you can take a Snapshot . There is no limit to the number of Snapshots you can take, and they can be used in a variety of ways.

To create a Snapshot, simply select the State and click the Snapshot icon on the lower right hand of the History Panel, or right-click the selected State and click “New Snapshot…”.

Character Panel

The Character panel provides options for formatting characters. Some formatting options are also available from the options bar.

You can display the Character panel by doing one of the following:

A. Choose Window > Character OR Click the Character panel tab if the panel is visible but not active.

OR

B. With a type tool selected, click the Panel button in the options bar.

Character panel.png

Search For and Select Fonts

In the top left dropdown menu of the character panel, you will find the Search For and Select Fonts option. The dropdown menu will open the list of Font Families that are installed on your computer.

Set the Font Style

The location to set the font style (bold, italic, book, etc.) is to the right of the Search For and Select Font Style dropdown on the top of the Character Panel.

Set the Font Size

The dropdown menu below the Search For and Select Fonts dropdown is where you Set the Font Size. The font size determines how large the type appears in the image.

The default unit of measurement for type is points.

Set The Leading

To set the leading, you will locate the dropdown menu next to the Font Size dropdown.

REMEMBER! Leading is the space between lines of text

Set The Kerning

To set the kerning, you will locate the dropdown menu below to the Search For and Select Fonts.

REMEMBER! Kerning is the space between specific characters.

Set The Tracking

To set the tracking, you will locate the dropdown menu next to the Kerning dropdown.

REMEMBER! Tracking is the overall space between characters.

Set the Text Color

To set the color of your text, you can locate on the Character Panel the box of color with “Color:” next to it. Once you have located it, you can click the box of color to open the color picker options to select a color for your text.

Photoshop Tools

Selection Tools

Move Tool (V)

Moves selections, layers, and guides.

Rectangular Marquee Tool (M)

Makes rectangular selections.

Lasso Tool (L)

Makes freehand selections.

Elliptical Marquee Tool (M)

Makes elliptical selections.

Polygonal Lasso Tool (L)

Makes straight-edged selections.

Magnetic Lasso Tool (L)

Makes “snap-to edge” selections.

Quick Selection Tool (W)

Quickly “paint” a selection using an adjustable round brush tip.

Magic Wand Tool (W)

Selects similarly colored areas.

Retouching Tools

Spot Healing Brush Tool (J)

Removes blemishes and objects.

Healing Brush Tool (J)

Paints with a sample or pattern to repair imperfections in a image.

Patch Tool (J)

Repairs imperfections in a selected area of an image using a sample or pattern.

Red Eye Tool (J)

Removes the red reflection caused by a flash.

Clone Stamp Tool (S)

Paints with a sample of an image

Eraser Tool (E)

Erases pixels and restores parts of an image to a previously saved state.

Blur Tool

Blurs hard edges in an image.

Sharpen Tool

Sharpens soft edges in an image.

Smudge Tool

Smudges data in an image.

Dodge Tool (O)

Lightens areas in an image.

Sponge Tool (O)

Changes the color saturation of an area.

Burn Tool (O)

Darkens areas in an image.

Type Tools, Drawing Tools, & Shape Tools [Vector Tools]

Horizontal Type Tool (T)

Adds horizontal type.

Vertical Type Tool (T)

Adds vertical type.

Pen Tool (P)

Draws straight segments and curves with great precision.

Freeform Pen Tool (P)

Draws paths as if you were drawing with pencil on a piece of paper.

Curvature Pen Tool (P)

Intuitively draw curves and straight segments.

Rectangle Tool (U)

Draws Rectangles.

Rounded Rectangle Tool (U)

Draws round-edged rectangles.

Ellipse Tool (U)

Draws Ellipses.

Polygon Tool (U)

Draws polygons.

Line Tool (U)

Draws lines.

Custom Shape Tool (U)

Draws shapes from a custom shape list.

Painting Tools

Brush Tool (B)

Paints custom brush strokes.

Pencil Tool(B)

Paints hard-edged brush strokes.

Gradient Tool (G)

Creates gradual blend between colors.

Paint Bucket Tool(G)

Fills similarly colors contiguous areas with the foreground color.

Navigation & Measuring Tools

Hand Tool (H)

Moves an image within its window.

Zoom Tool (Z)

Magnifies and reduces the view of an image.

Eyedropper Tool (I)

Samples colors in an image.