The Basic Introduction to the PhotoshopCS4 ToolsThe tools of photoshopCS4 seem like this at right corner of your computer screen.

Let’s see what these each tools does.

1. Move Tool This move tool is used to drag the pictures. You can move the selected portion of particular image within that picture. Also you can drag the picture from one opened picture to next picture.

2. Marquee tool

It is used for selecting the certain part of image. This tool has four sub tools. You can view these sub tools by right clicking the marquee tool.

The red highlight has square dot which shows that the particular sub tool has been currently selected.

This tool is used to select the picture in rectangular shape. You can adjust the corner also if you want by going to :

This tool is used to select the picture in oval or circular shape.

This tool is used to make a horizontal straight line selection. Use to divide the image.

This tool is used to make a vertical straight line selection.

3. Lasso tool

It is used to make the selection according to users’ choice. It has three sub tools.

This tool is used to make the selection in any shape as user will. Just click from where you want to start select then without removing finger drag the mouse and select the image how you want and finally leave the mouse

button. Then you get the required part selected.

This tool is used to make the selection as like above but here you can click and leave the mouse button. Just click from where you want to start the selection then leave the mouse button. And at which point you again want to

make mark click there again. In this way you can have various point marked according to your choice. (E.g. For octagonal shape you need to click mouse eight times I mean 9 times including

finishing click). And finally return to your start point to make the whole selection, you need to click your start point when small circle shape appear below your tool.

This tool is used to make selection according to change in color pattern. It automatically marks the new point when there is change in color. (E.g. when your are selecting the neck portion of your picture, it automatically marks a new

point where your neck skin color and dress you wear has transition in color) without need to click. Just mark the start point and drag over the picture and finally click on start point when small circle shape appear below your tool.

In these two tools polygon lasso tool and magnetic lasso tool if you don’t want the marked point just press backspace and it gets back to second last mark point.

4. Wand tool

This tool is also made for selection but with different approach. This has two sub tools.

This tool is used to make the selection according to color match. E.g. if you click on your black dress it makes whole dress

selection. Now if you want to add the dark brown glove to selection then again click in brown glove. This will make your dress and glove be selected. It goes on adding the clicked color.

This tool selects the image according to matched color. If you click yellow color it selects all yellow color of image which

matches the intensity of clicked yellow color. But it doesn’t go on adding selection as previous.

While making the selection, if you need to add certain part again press Shift key and start the selection it adds. And you need to delete certain selected part, press Alt key and start selection. The selected part will get deleted from your previous selection.

5. Crop tool

It has three sub tools.

This tool is used to make the selected part visible and remove the remaining part of image. While defining the dimension and resolution of image this tool is used. E.g. while

make passport size photo.

Here you need to click from where you want the image be cropped and drag to the end from upto where you want the image. Then click enter, it automatically removes other part showing only selected part. If you want to cancel the crop done, instead of pressing enter right click and click the cancel option.

This tool is used to make the design of webpage. It simulates the webpage as clicking the part of image it drives to next image which seems like next page of web. To show the

demo of webpage it is used. To use this tool select the part you want to work as button. Then double click the selected area and input the given fields. Remember, here you need to provide URL so save all the page design of web in same folder so that it makes easy to handle.

This tool is used to edit the slice made using above slice tool. It helps to select the sliced part of image and edit them in size or other attributes.

6. Eyedropper tool

This tool has four sub tools.

This tool is used to make the selection of color. E.g. if you want to make the skin color selected, just get to your face section of your image and click there. The skin color will be

selected which you can use by using fill tool or brush tool.

This tool provide the information about the color about how much concentration of RGB color or other format has been present in particular pixel. E.g. if you place this tool above

black hair and click, the information then shows RGB all values to be zero. This is used to know the amount of RGB so that they can be used in future to keep the same of RGB to generate that color.

This is used to measure the distance of two points. Sometime you may need to measure the length of nail or eye then make two points by clicking, the distance will be show.

This is used to make the memo so that in future you can know what have been done at that particular place of image.

7. Healing tool

This tool is used to make correction in image. Like removing pimple, dirt, etc. from face and spilled food from table image. It has four sub tools.

This tool automatically takes the nearest pixel value and replaces the clicked area. E.g. if you click on your mole of cheek, then this tool takes the cheeks color values and apply them in

mole so that it get removed.

This tool takes the values to replace according to users choice. To remove the pimple from forehead first you need to define the nearest part of forehead from pimple. For this press alt and

holding it click the clean surface of forehead. Now remove the alt button and mouse click. Now drag mouse over pimple area. You can see that pimple gets replaced by selected part of forehead. Healing tool replace the part and tried to match the border area with surrounding part so that no distinct difference be observed.

This tool helps to select the area. Now at above in status bar you can see source and destination option.

If source is selected then when you drag the selected dotted line to other place, the pattern of other place comes to selected area. If destination is selected then when you drag the selected dotted line to other place, the other place gets replace by selected area.

This tool removes the red eye from image which has appeared while taking the picture at night using flash of camera. Just click on eyes and you will get red eye being normal.

8. Brush tool

This tool is used to make certain edit in image by making art over it. It has three sub tools.

This tool is used to make art over picture. Select this tool and over status bar click in drop down button next to brush and select the pattern.

Now move the mouse over image by clicking, you will see the particular brush being applied in image. E.g. if you want the grass over the bottom edge of picture, just select the brush pattern to be of grass shape, then select its color , let it be green, now move over the edge of image, the grass picture will be created.

This tool is used to draw the shapes of any objects you like. Just click mouse button and start dragging according to imagined shape and finally leave the

mouse button. You can adjust the thickness of pencil by pressing ‘[‘ and ‘]’ button in keyboard. This can be done for any tool where size can be adjusted and need to be adjusted.

This tool is used to make change in color of image easily. If you have picture of wearing white shirt then you want it to be blue. So, what you need to do is

go to select blue color (how is described below) and drag over the shirt. See you got your shirt to be blue. For perfect replacement of color only over shirt you can make the selection at first using wand or any of lasso tool and then use color replacement tool.

9. Clone tool

This tool is used to make the copy of image. It has two sub tools.

This tool is used to make the exact copy of image. First you need to define which part of image to start to make copy. For this

press alt and click the mouse button to mark the start point of image to be copied. Then go over the area where you want the copied be made. Now by clicking the mouse drag over that area the exact copy of image will be available to you. You can make twin of your using this tool!!

This tool is used to make copy of image which are predefined in library of photoshopCS4. Select this tool and go to

status bar you will see some pattern be selected.

Use down arrow and select the pattern you want and press enter. Now start drag mouse by clicking over the area where you want the pattern be drawn. You can also define your own pattern and keep in library.

10. History tool

This tool is used to make the image as it was previously before saving. It has two sub tools.

This is tool that makes the image as it was previously before saving it. Suppose you made many edit and didn’t liked the

result. While doing ctrl+alt+z also you can make undo only up to 20 steps but you have done already 50 steps of edit. So, what to do? Then the option is go to history brush tool and click and drag over the image, the original image will be in front of you. But if you have pressed ctrl+s or had clicked on save then image will be restored only up to that point where you have saved.

This tool is used to make some noisy distort on image. If you clicked and drag over image using this image then you will

get some sort of art like of water paint or else.

11. Eraser tool

This tool is used to remove things from image. This has three sub tools.

This tool helps you to erase the part of image you don’t want. Click over the unwanted area and press, the part gets deleted.

This tool erase the part according to start of click of color. Suppose you clicked white area and moved the mouse over image without leaving

button then all the white part of image gets deleted.

This tool erases the image by matching the color. Suppose you clicked over yellow part of image once, then part of image where yellow color matches the

all values of clicked yellow part gets erased.

12. Fill tool

This tool is used to paint the color. It has two sub tools.

This tool makes the graded fill of color over image or selected part. If you want darker to lighter color of same color this tool is used.

You can select the shape of gradient too by going to status bar like radial, linear, angled,

etc.

This tool is used to fill the selected color over required area. You need to select the color and fill the area. The color gets filled

according to pattern of already present color. Suppose you are filling white part of chessboard image by green color then, you need to click in each white square.

13. Blur tool

This tool box consists of three sub tools.

This tool makes the image dizzy or unclear. It is used when making edit of picture like mixing apple and man together. In this case blur is used in border area of join so that it seems natural not like

it is joined together. You can use it by clicking over the transition area.

This tool is used to increase clearance of image by increasing the density of color. Hold mouse and drag over the area to make edge area look clear.

This tool is used to make correction over edge of two joined image. It helps in pulling the boundary area by dragging to make correction.

14. Dodge tool

This tool is used to increase or decrease the light and contrast. It has three sub tools.

This tool is used to make the color light. It increases the brightness of image. To make the face white you can use it too.

This tool is used to make the color dark. It decreases the brightness of image. To make the shadow like effect you may use it.

This tool is used to make the image colorful or grayscale image. In status bar after selecting this tool if there is desaturate, it goes on removing color and finally makes the image black in white.

And if there is saturate, it goes on increasing the contrast and makes the image highly colorful.

15. Pen tool

This tool is used to make selection, shapes, etc. It has five sub tools.

This tool is useful to make selection. It helps in making curvy selection too. Just go on clicking and when finished go to start point and click there or also you can terminate anyplace by double clicking mouse. And right click and

select the option like whether you want to make shape or select the path.

This tool is like above. But here you go on dragging after clicking and leave after you reach your end point.

This tool is used to add the selection point after using the above two tools.

This tool is used to delete the selection point after using those first two tools.

This tool is used to move or say edit the previous marked point using pen tool to next place. It is useful to modify the selection done.

16. Text tool

This tool is useful to insert text and design them. It has four sub tools.

This tool is used normally. This writes the text in horizontal line. We can edit them by selecting the option in status bar too. To convert the these text in image form the layer which contains

text is right clicked and select rasterize layer. But after rasterization if we want to edit the text then we can’t do it.

This tool is used to type the text vertically down.

This tool is helpful if you want something be selected in the pattern of the text that is typed in horizontal style. Suppose there’s a image of paved ground. Now if you want your

text to be like that ground just select this tool type the text you want and then deselect this tool by clicking other tool. Now you will see the text you typed in dotted line form which is like selection. Now simply press Ctrl+J then you will get your copy of text in paved ground pattern. Now you can move that text over image and observe it.

This tool is as described above for if you want vertical text in design.

17. Path tool

This tool is used to define the selection way. It has two sub tools.

This tool is used to redefine the path created for selection using pen tool.

This tool is used to redefine the position of each anchor point.

18. Custom shape tool

This tool helps in drawing various shapes. It has six sub tools.

This tools helps you to draw rectangle. It is also used to draw,select, make outline by selecting different option in status bar.

This tool draws the rectangle with rounded corners. And this can be used to make selection, make shape, etc.

This creates the elliptical shape and as other shape tool this can also be used.

This tool is used to draw the shapes like hexagon, octagon, star, etc.

This helps in drawing the line shape. It can be then curved later. The width can be adjusted from status bar.

This tool helps you make various shapes like bulb, callout, spark, car, etc.

19. Hand tool

This tool is used to view the area. It has two sub tools.

This tool helps you to navigate through the image when it is zoomed highly. You need to press space to use this without wholly

changing to this using H. And by moving mouse you can navigate through remaining part.

This tool helps you to rotate your picture in three dimensional space so that you can view your picture in different angle.

20. Zoom tool This tool helps you to magnify the picture so that you can see the detail of image clearly. To shortly use it press ctrl+ space to zoom in and ctrl+alt+space to zoom out with mouse click.

21. Alternate foreground and background tool

This tool helps you to see which color is currently selected. The above big square resembles foreground color. The color corresponding to it will be used in fill, brush, gradient, pencil tools. By clicking on it you can select the color of your choice after new window opens for color selection. The lower big square resembles background color. This color is displayed in erased part when using the eraser tool. To alternate the foreground and background color you can use the arrow.

22. Mask tool This tool helps you to make the change in image opacity and overlay other color by masking the original content from changing its characteristics.

This is the brief description about how to use the tools available in photoshopCS4.