Adobe Photoshop CS6 - Lesson 01

Getting Started with Adobe Photoshop CS6

(Lesson 01)

01. Begin by opening Adobe Photoshop CS6.  On a PC, click Start > Programs > Adobe > Photoshop CS6, or click on the shortcut on the desktop.

On a Mac, click Go > Applications > Adobe Photoshop CS6 > Photoshop CS6 shown in      Figure 1, or click the icon in the Dock

Figure 1. Navigation to Photoshop CS6 on a Mac 

Setting up the document 
Setting up your document correctly from the start will make your job much easier as you work through your project. This will require some advanced planning. For example, if your final output will be a brochure, you may need to set up your document to be horizontal and double-sided.
To create a new document, click File > New. This will open the Document Setup dialog box (Figure 2). 

Figure 2. Document Setup dialog box

Here you will be able to name your file, set up the correct page size and orientation for your document. Options include, but are not limited to:
 

Page Size and Orientation  

change the page size by typing in new values for width and height. Page size represents the final size   you want after bleeds or trimming other marks outside the page. In the Preset drop down menu you   can find such common sizes as letter, legal, tabloid, etc. Typing in exact values for Height and Width gives   you more control over the size and orientation of your page.   

Resolution  

Resolution is the number of pixels on a printed area of an image. The higher the resolution, the more   pixels there are on the page, the better the quality of the image. However, high resolution increases   the size of the file. The standard recommended resolution for printed images is 150-300, for Web images it is 72.  

Color Mode  

Choose a color mode that will best fit your project. For example, when making a graphic for a web  site, choose RGB. When making an image for print choose CMYK.   

Background Contents  

Choose the background: white, color or transparent. When you have entered all of your document   settings, click OK.
 

Opening an image from a disk If the image you have is saved on a disk or to the computer, select File > Open, and then navigate to the disk drive/file where your image is saved. Choose the image file and click Open. At this point, you may want to save your image under a different name so that you can always have the original to fall back on in case of a mistake. To save your file, select File > Save As and type in the new name of the file in the dialogue box.

See Adobe Photoshop CS6 - Lesson 02