A Step-by-Step Guide to Editing Photos? Remember To Keep Your Originals!

Editing photos? Remember to keep your originals!

Even if you’re not a professional photographer, you probably have some photos that are important to you: weddings, graduations, family vacations, old friends, etc. Hopefully, you’re already backing up your important digital photos along with your other files, either with an external hard drive or a cloud backup service.

But even if you’re keeping your photos safe, there is still a risk of damaging them when you edit them. For example, let’s say you decide to convert a photo to black and white to give it an artistic touch. If you change your mind later on, you won’t be able to convert it back to color because the color has already been removed from the image.

There are many other kinds of edits that are irreversible once you’ve saved the image because they remove information from the image that is difficult or impossible to get back. These include cropping, resizing, and many types of filters. Other adjustments, like boosting contrast, may be somewhat reversible, but the image will usually lose some quality.

Luckily, there is a solution! All you have to do is keep an original, unedited copy of any photos you edit. Then, no matter what changes you make, you can always go back to the original if you change your mind.

Keeping your originals is easy. Whenever you edit a photo, use Save As to save the edited copy with a different name. If the original file name is DSC_0314.jpg, you could name the new file something like DSC_0314_blackandwhite.jpg. The one thing you don’t want to do is simply click Save, as this will overwrite your original image.

Alternatively, you can duplicate the photo before you start editing it. To duplicate a file in Windows, just click and drag the file while holding the Ctrl key. On a Mac, right-click the file and select Duplicate. Any method that creates a copy of the file should work, so use whichever method you prefer.

There’s another benefit to keeping your originals: It gives you more freedom to experiment with photos because you no longer have to worry about whether you’ll be able to undo your changes. It’s fun to get creative, and you can actually learn a lot about photo editing by simply trying things you’ve never tried before.

The main disadvantage of keeping your originals is that it creates more files, which means your photos will take up a bit more space on your hard drive, and it may take a bit more time to manage them. If you’re editing lots of photos, you may even want to use a photo management application such as Lightroom or Windows Photo Gallery. These applications will automatically keep your originals for you, so you don’t have to worry about managing lots of extra files. They also have other features like tagging to help keep your photos organized

Why We Love 3D Printing (And You Should, Too!)

What is 3D printing?

3D printing is a process in which a digital model is turned into a tangible, solid, three-dimensional object, usually by laying down many successive, thin layers of a material. 3D printing has become popular so quickly because it makes manufacturing accessible to more people than ever before. This is partly due to the price (the starting price for a basic 3D printer is about $300), but also the small size of the printers compared to traditional manufacturing.

How does it work?

First, a virtual design of the object is made. This design will work like a blueprint for the 3D printer to read. The virtual design is made using computer-aided design (CAD) software, a type of software that can create precise drawings and technical illustrations. A virtual design can also be made using a 3D scanner, which creates a copy of an existing object by basically taking pictures of it from different angles.

Once the virtual model is made, it must be prepared for printing. This is done by breaking down the model into many layers using a process called slicing. Slicing takes the model and slices it into hundreds or even thousands of thin, horizontal layers using special software.

After the model has been sliced, the slices are ready to be uploaded to the 3D printer. This is done using a USB cable or Wi-Fi connection to move the sliced model from the computer it’s on to the 3D printer. When the file is uploaded to the 3D printer, it reads every slice of the model and prints it layer by layer.

How are things printed?

The 3D printer will begin printing the layers of material in a process known as material extrusion. Depending on the type of 3D printer and material being used, there are several methods of material extrusion.

Most commonly, the 3D printer will have a nozzle ejecting a semi-liquid material, like molten plastic, metal, or cement. The extrusion nozzle can move in both horizontal and vertical directions as it precisely places the material, following the blueprint of the digital model layer by layer. 

This process is repeated until the 3D printer has replicated every layer in the digital model with the extruded material.

What sorts of things can be made with 3D printers?

Nearly anything you can imagine can be turned into a design that can be 3D printed. 3D printers are helping designers, engineers, and even everyday people create complex objects in ways previous manufacturing methods weren’t capable of.
3D printers are being used to create toys, phone cases, tools, clothing, tables, lamps, pottery, art, and even cars.

The medical field is also finding new ways to use 3D printing to help patients. Doctors are now able to print 3D medical models that are so accurate that surgeons can essentially do a practice run on a patient’s 3D model before actually operating on that patient. 3D printed models are also being used to create less expensive, more durable, and better-fitting prosthetics for individuals who have lost limbs.

3D printed production is a quickly evolving industry with a lot of exciting potential for the future. We’ve only just begun to see the ways 3D printed objects can make our lives easier, more convenient, safer, and healthier. And with 3D printing evolving as quickly as people can come up with new designs to print, it may not be long before we live in a world where you can 3D print your lunch, a custom fitted shirt, or replacement parts to repair everyday objects—all from the comfort of your own home.

How To Solve The Biggest Problems With Basic Tasks In Photoshop

Introduction

There’s almost no limit to what you can do in Photoshop, but first you’ll need to learn the fundamentals. We’re going to talk about some of the most basic image adjustments you can make in Photoshop, including:

• Cropping: If you want to remove parts of an image, you can crop it. You can think of cropping like using a pair of scissors to cut out the parts you no longer want.
• Resizing: If you want to make an image smaller or larger, you can resizeit. However, keep in mind that making an image larger than its original size generally does not look good.
• Rotating: If you want to change the orientation of an image, you can rotate it to the left or right.

• Cropping

  There are two main ways to crop an image in Photoshop. You can either use the Crop tool or make a selection with the Rectangular Marquee tool. These methods work a bit differently, and you may find that you prefer using one method over the other.

  To crop an image (Method 1):

  1. With the image open in Photoshop, select the Crop tool from the Toolspanel.
     
  2. Click and drag to select the part of the image you wish to keep, then release the mouse.
     
  3. Adjust the cropping handles if necessary.
     
  4. Press Enter on your keyboard to crop the image. Alternatively, you can double-click the image.
     

  To crop an image (Method 2):

1. With the image open in Photoshop, choose the Rectangular Marquee tool from the Tools panel.
   
2. In the Control panel, locate the Styledrop-down menu (also called Mode in some versions). If you want the image to be a specific aspect ratio, select Fixed Ratio and type the desired width and height. Otherwise, make sure the Style is set to Normal. In this example, we’ll crop the image to a 4-by-3 aspect ratio.
   
3. Click and drag to select the part of the image you wish to keep, then release the mouse.
   
4. If needed, you can click the edge of the selection box and move it to the desired position.
   
5. Select ImageCrop. The image will be cropped.
   You can also move the entire selection box while making a selection. To do this, click and drag to select the area you wish to select, but do not release the mouse. Next, press and hold the space bar on your keyboard and move the mouse to move the selection box to a new location. When you’re done, release the Space bar.

6. Resizing and rotating

   To resize an image:You should avoid making images larger than their original size. When you do this, the image simply won’t have enough detail to look good at the larger size. You can review Image Editing 101 to learn more.

   1. With the image open in Photoshop, select ImageImage Size.
      

   2. A dialog box will appear. Make sure Pixels are the currently selected unit size and that the Resample box is checked. The Lock icon next to the Width and Height should also be turned on, which will ensure that the aspect ratio stays the same to avoid distorting the image.
   3. Type the desired dimensions for the new image. When you enter the new image width, the height should be adjusted automatically to maintain the original aspect ratio.
      

   4. Click OK. The image will be resized.
   5. If there is no Automatic option available from the Resample menu, we recommend choosing one of the bicubic resizing modes; these modes will give the best results in most situations.

   

To rotate an image:

It’s easy to rotate an image in Photoshop. You can rotate images clockwise (CW) or counter-clockwise (CCW), flip the image horizontally or vertically, and even rotate by an arbitraryamount to choose a specific rotation. However, most modern digital cameras will adjust the rotation of images automatically, so you may not need to use this feature very often.

1. With the image open in Photoshop, select ImageImage Rotation, then select the desired rotation option.
   
2. The image will be rotated.

Undoing changes

In Photoshop, undoing works a bit differently from most other applications. You can press Ctrl+Z (or Command+Z on a Mac) to undo your most recent change. However, if you press Ctrl+Z again, the change will be redone. If you want to undo several changes in a row, you’ll need to select EditStep Backward or press Ctrl+Alt+Z(Command+Option+Z on a Mac).

After you’ve edited an image, you’ll want to save a new version of the edited file in order to preserve the changes. This will also prevent you from accidentally overwriting your original image file. There are many different ways to save files in Photoshop, which we’ll discuss in detail in the next lesson.

Become an Expert on Saving Images In Photoshop by Practicing This…….

Introduction

In Photoshop, saving works a bit differently from most other applications. Instead of working with one main file type—such as .docx in Microsoft Word—Photoshop offers a variety of ways to save your images. In this lesson, we’ll talk about the different saving options in Photoshop, along with some common reasons to save files in different formats.

Saving options

When you save a file in Photoshop, you’ll have many different saving options and file formats to choose from:

PSD: This is the default file type for Photoshop documents, although you won’t necessarily use it for every image. It will save your layers and all of the other information in your image so you can easily re-edit it later. PSD files are designed to be opened in Photoshop, so if you want to share the image with others you’ll also need to save a copy of the image in a common file format, such as JPEG.

Common file formats: You can save images in a variety of common file types, such as JPEG and PNG. These file formats can be viewed and edited on almost any computer or mobile device, which makes them well-suited for sharing with others. However, unlike PSD files these formats aren’t as useful if you plan to continue editing the file, and they also can’t preserve layer information.

Save for Web: If you’re planning to upload an image to the Web—like on a blog or website—you’ll want to use the Save for Webfeature. This tool allows you to save images that are optimized for the Web, which will make them easier to download and view online. Save for Web also includes several helpful features for preparing images for the Web, such as the option to resizeimages.

In the image below, you can see three different versions of an image file: the original JPEG file, an edited PSD version, and a final JPEG version that’s been resized and saved for Web. You can see that the Web version has a much smaller file size than the original or PSD versions:

Ultimately, the saving option you choose will depend on what you need to do with the image. Let’s take a look at a couple of different scenarios to see why you might choose different saving options.

Scenario 1

Let’s suppose you’re asked to create a new header image for a company website. You’ve been given a photo to include, and you need to add some text with the company name. Because you’ll likely edit and revise this type of project, you’ll want to save it as a PSD file. This way, you can easily continue editing the file later on. And because it will eventually be posted online, you’ll also want to use Save for Web to create a new JPEG version of the finished image.

Scenario 2

Let’s say you’re planning to share some photos from a recent vacation with your friends. You’d just like to make some quick adjustments in Photoshop—such as cropping and rotating—before sharing them. In this case, you could open the original image files in Photoshop, make the necessary adjustments, then save a new version of the edited photos as JPEGs. Because none of these edits are too complicated, you probably don’t need to save a separate PSD version of each image.

As you can see, the saving option you choose will vary from project to project. Before you save an image, take a moment to consider what type of files you’ll need. As you start to gain more experience with Photoshop, this process will begin to feel quick and natural.

Using Save As

You’ll use the Save As command to save files in the PSD format, as well as other common formats like JPEG and PNG.

To save a file with Save As:

1. With the image open in Photoshop, select FileSave As.
   
2. A dialog box will appear. Type the desired file name, then choose a location for the file. You’ll want to use a new file name to avoid accidentally overwriting the original file.
   
3. Click the Format menu and choose the desired file format. In our example, we’ll save this image as a JPEG file. If you’re saving as a PSD file, make sure the Layers option is checked. However, most other formats won’t allow you to select this option.
   
4. Click Save.

Some file formats, such as JPEG and TIFF, will give you additional options when saving. Select the desired quality level, then click OK to save the image.

If you’ve already saved your project as a PSD file, you can select File Save or press Ctrl+S(Command+S on a Mac) to save your progress at any time. However, if you’re working with another format such as JPEG, we recommend using Save As to avoid overwriting your original file.

Using Save for Web

When you use the Save for Web feature, you’ll need to make a few decisions about the image you’re saving:

• File format: Save for Web allows you to choose from a few Web-safe file formats. Most of the time, you’ll use the JPEG format for photographs. PNG-24 will keep the full quality of the image, whereas PNG-8 is mainly used for graphics and illustrations that use just a few colors. Generally, you won’t need to use the GIF or WBMP formats.
  
• Image size: If desired, you can resizethe image directly from the Save for Web dialog box. Resizing the image to be smaller will also reduce the file size. However, if you’re using a service like Facebook or Tumblr, you probably won’t need to resize your images because these services resize them automatically.
  
• Quality: If you’re using the JPEG format, the image can be saved at different quality levels. You may want to experiment with different settings to find the best balance between quality and file size. 
• 

To save for the web:

1. Select File > Save for Web.
   
2. The Save for Web dialog box will appear. Select the desired file type and quality level.
   
3. If needed, resize the image by typing the desired dimensions under Image Size. When you enter the new image width, the height should be adjusted automatically to maintain the originalaspect ratio.
4. If desired, you can use the 2-Up viewto compare the original image with a preview of the new version. This is an easy way to make sure you haven’t lost too much quality from the original version. Note the file size in the bottom-left corner of each preview window.
   
5. Click Save. A new dialog box will appear. Type the desired file name and choose a location for the file, then click Save. You’ll want to use a new file name to avoid accidentally overwriting the original file.
   

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet On Fixing Common Problems

Introduction

Images that come straight from a digital camera aren’t always perfect. As you start to gain more experience with image editing, you may notice some recurring problems with images that you’ll want to fix. For example, some images may be too bright, while others may be too dark or too blurry. There are many different corrections that can make your images look dramatically better. Some of the corrections we’ll cover in this lesson include:

• Brightness and contrast: If an image is too bright or too dark, you can adjust the brightness and contrast.
• Color: If the colors in an image are muted or dull, you can use a variety of color-correction tools, such as saturation.
• Sharpness: If an image is less clearthan you’d like it to be, you can sharpen it.

Want to see the difference that corrections can make? Take a look at the example below. It only took a few quick corrections to make the image look brighter, clearer, and more colorful.

Optional: If you’d like to follow along, you can download some or all of our example images. Just click any of the images below to open a full-sized version. Then right-click the full-sized version and select Save Image As to save it to your computer.

About this lesson

Just like in the previous lesson, we’ll show you how to make these adjustments with Pixlr Express, a free, web-based image editor you can use from almost any computer with an Internet connection. If you’re using a mobile device, you can use the free Pixlr Express mobile app.

If you have a different image editing program, you can still follow along—these features will work roughly the same way for most image editors. However, note that some basic image editing programs, such as Microsoft Paint, do not include all of the tools we’ll discuss in this lesson.

Image editing tips

Here are a few important things to keep in mind as you start working with images. If you’re new to image editing, we also recommend reading the first lesson in this tutorial.

Keep your originals: If you’re planning to make even basic changes to an image, you should also keep an original, unedited version of the file. We recommend making a habit of doing this whenever you’re working with image files. This way, you’ll always be able to go back to the original version.

Combine different adjustments: You may find that images are often in need of more than just one correction. For example, some images might be improved by both brightness and color adjustments, while others can benefit from cropping and sharpening. It’s all about finding what works to bring out the best in each image.

Experiment: There’s no perfect formula for editing images. As long as you keep a copy of the original file, you should feel free to try out different adjustments to find what works for that image. If you change your mind later on, you can always go back to the original version and start over.

Brightness and contrast

Sometimes an image may look too bright or too dark. This can be caused by several different factors, including the lighting where the photo was taken and camera settings. You can offset this by adjusting the brightnessand contrast of the image.

Brightness

When you adjust the brightness, you’re changing the overall level of light and dark in the image. So if an image is too dark, you can try increasing the brightness, as in the example below:

However, increasing the brightness for a very dark image can lead to a lot of image noise, or graininess. That’s because you’re also brightening any noise the image may have. In the example below, you may notice that the green background in the image on the right looks rough and grainy. We’ll talk more about reducing image noise later in this lesson.

Contrast

When you increase the contrast, you’re making the difference between the light and dark areas of the image more noticeable. In other words, you’re making the dark parts darkerand the light parts lighter. In the example below, notice how the sky at the top of the image becomes brighter, but the trees and rocks become darker:

However, increasing the contrast too much can lead to a loss in image detail. It will also usually increase the saturation of the image, which we’ll discuss in more detail on the next page.

To adjust the brightness and contrast:

Remember, we’ll be using Pixlr Express throughout this lesson, so this process may vary depending on the software you’re using.

1. Go to Pixlr Express in your web browser, then click Browse to open the image from your computer.
2. Click the Adjustment button, then click Contrast.
   
3. Click and drag the sliders to adjust the brightness and contrast. Take some time to try out different combinations to find what looks best for the image—a preview will appear as you adjust each setting. In this example, we’re actually decreasing the contrast to prevent the brightest parts of the image from looking too bright.
   
4. Click Apply. The brightness and contrast will be adjusted. If desired, click the Save button to save this new version of the image.
5. Many advanced image editing applications, such as Photoshop, also include other tools to adjust these settings, such as levels and curves. These tools are similar to ones shown above, but they’ll give you an even finer level of control over the brightness and contrast. To learn more about using levels and curves, check out our Photoshop Basics tutorial.

Color corrections

There are many times when you may want to adjust the colors in an image. For example, you may want to highlight certain colors in the image or even change the colors for artistic effect.

Saturation

Sometimes the colors in an image may appear to be dull or muted. You can compensate for this by increasing the saturation, which can make the colors look richer, or more vivid. You can see an example of this in the images below:

On the other hand, you can reduce the saturation to make the colors less vivid. If you remove the saturation completely, it will produce a black-and-white, or grayscale, image. You can see an example of this in the images below:

To adjust the saturation:

1. With the image open in Pixlr Express, click the Adjustment button, then click Color.
2. Click and drag the Saturation slider to increase or decrease the saturation—a preview will appear as you adjust the setting.
3. Click Apply. The saturation will be adjusted. If desired, click the Save button to save this new version of the image.
4. Be careful not to increase the saturation too much. This can cause the colors to look unnatural, as in the example below:

Other color corrections

There are many other ways to adjust the colors in an image. Color-correction tools may vary depending on your image editing application, but you can learn more about some common ones below:

Hue: This tool changes all of the colors in the image at the same time. This will often result in an unnatural color combination, so we only recommend using this option for artistic effect.

Vibrance: This tool lets you boost the saturation for the parts of the image that are less colorful without over saturating the parts that are already colorful. This helps prevent the colors from looking unnatural.

Temperature: This tool adjusts how warm or cool the colors in the image appear. In general, a warmer temperature will look more red or orange, while a cooler temperature will look more blue.

Filters: Many apps, such as Instagram, have predefined combinations of color adjustments that you can quickly apply to create interesting effects. For example, they can make your photos look like they were taken with a vintage camera.

Sharpening

Sometimes an image may not be as clear as you’d like it to be. Sharpening can help make your images look crisp and clear by enhancing the edges of objects in the image. However, adding too much sharpness can actually make an image look worse, or lead to a loss in image detail. Take a look at the example below:

As you can see, the right amount of sharpness makes the photo look very crisp—for example, in the center image, it’s easy to see the edges of the bird’s feathers. But adding too much sharpness can cause the edges to look exaggerated and unnatural, as in the image on the right. You may have also noticed that the background in the over-sharpened image has a lot of added image noise.

To sharpen an image:

1. With the image open in Pixlr Express, click the Adjustment button, then click Sharpen.
   
2. Set the desired amount of sharpnessto add, along with the radius. The radius controls the size of the details that will be sharpened, so it’s generally best to use a very low number for this setting. Take some time to try adjusting both the amount and radius to see the effect—a preview will appear as you adjust each setting.
   
3. Click Apply. The image will be sharpened. If desired, click the Save button to save this new version of the image.
4. If you want to learn more about sharpening, check out this tutorial from Cambridge in Colour.

Image noise

Some images may have a lot of noise, which causes them to look grainy. You can compensate for this by reducing the image noise, as in the example below:

Just like the other adjustments we cover in this lesson, you’ll need to use this feature carefully. Removing too much noise from the image can result in blurriness and a loss of detail.

To reduce image noise:

Like many basic image editing applications, Pixlr Express does not include a noise-reduction tool. You can, however, use the free Pixlr Editor to reduce image noise if this tool is not included in your image editing application.

1. Go to the Pixlr Editor, then select Open image from computer to open the image.
2. Click the Filter menu, then select Denoise. In other applications, this option may say Reduce Noise.
   
3. Some noise will be removed from the image. You may need to use this tool more than once to remove the desired amount of noise.
4. If desired, click the File menu, then choose Save to save this new version of the image.
5. If you’re using Photoshop, you’ll be able to adjust the amount of noise that is reduced. For more information, check out our Photoshop Basics tutorial.

Automatic adjustment tools

If you’re not exactly sure what kind of corrections to use—or if you’re just looking for a quick way to make your images look better—many applications include an automatic adjustment tool. This feature will analyze the image and then make corrections to try to improve its appearance. In Pixlr Express, this tool is found under AdjustmentAuto Fix.

Other applications, such as Photoshop, may have more specific auto-adjustment tools. Photoshop has several options, including Auto Tone, Auto Contrast, and Auto Color.

Most of the time, these tools will improve the overall look of an image. However, you can always manually adjust an image after using them. One idea might be to use an automatic adjustment tool first, and then make smaller corrections to get the image to look exactly the way you want.

Other common corrections

There are several other corrections you may need to make, depending on the types of images you’re editing. For example, many image editing applications include a red eye-removal tool, which you can use to fix a common problem that happens when the camera’s flash causes a subject’s eyes to look red. Many programs also include a set of touch-up tools, which you can use to remove blemishes or unflattering details from images.

What Freud Can Teach Us About Getting To Know The Photoshop Interface

Introduction

You can use Photoshop for almost any kind of image editing, such as touching up photos, creating high-quality graphics, and much, much more. In this lesson, we’ll introduce you to the Photoshop interface, including how to open files, work with panels, customize the workspace, and change the display size.

Photoshop is a complex application, and it can feel a bit intimidating to use at first. 

About this tutorial

We’ll be using Photoshop CC throughout this tutorial to show you Photoshop’s features. If you’re using an older version of Photoshop—like Photoshop CS5 or earlier—some features may work a bit differently, but you should still be able to follow along. However, if you’re using Photoshop Elements, it’s important to note that some of the features we’ll discuss may be missing or work in a different way.

Opening files

Most of the time, you’ll want to start by opening an existing photo rather than creating a new blank image. Photoshop allows you to open and edit existing image files, such as .jpg or .png files, as well as .psd (Photoshop document) files.

To open a file:

1. Select File

   

   Open.
   
2. A dialog box will appear. Locate and select the file on your computer, then click Open.
   
3. The file will appear in Photoshop.
4. If you don’t currently have Photoshop open, you can locate and right-click the file on your computer and then choose Open With

Adobe Photoshop to open the file.

Overview of the Photoshop interface

Because Photoshop is designed primarily for professional use, the interface may feel a bit complex and intimidating for new users. Even if you have some experience with other image editing software, it’s a good idea to become familiar with the different parts of the Photoshop interface.

Working with Tools and other panels

The Tools panel

The Tools panel is one of the most important features in Photoshop—it’s where you’ll select different tools for editing images. 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, such as the Ellipse, Line, or Custom shape tools.

Showing and hiding panels

You’ll also be able to view and modify a lot of information about the current document through the other panels in the workspace For example, you can view the document’s layers in the Layers panel. To show or hide any panel, click the Window menu, then select the desired panel—currently visible panels are indicated by a check mark. In the image below, we’re using the Window menu to turn on the History panel:

You can use the double-arrows to expand or collapse panels. This can be helpful if you want to temporarily hide a panel without removing it from the workspace.

You can also press the Tab key on your keyboard to show or hide all active panels.

Moving panels

If you want to change a panel’s location, you can move it by clicking and dragging the panel to a new part of the workspace.

However, if you’re planning to follow along with our tutorial, we recommend keeping most panels in the default location for now. To reset the panels to their default positions, select Window

Workspace

Reset Essentials. Note that this process may vary depending on which version of Photoshop you’re using. For example, in Photoshop Elements, you’ll go to Window

Reset Panels.

For even more information about organizing panels, you can check out this tutorial from Adobe.

Customizing the Photoshop environment

If you want to customize Photoshop, you can adjust the default application settings. Most of these options are pretty technical, but we’d like to show you two basic adjustments you may find helpful.

To adjust the default unit:

By default, a document’s dimensions are measured in inches. If you’re not primarily editing images for prints, we recommend changing this setting to pixels.

1. Select Edit

   

   Preferences

   

   Units & Rulers. If you’re using a Mac, select Photoshop

   

   Preferences

   

   Units & Rulers.
   
2. A dialog box will appear. Under Units, click the menu next to Rulers, select Pixels, and click OK. You may need to quit and restart Photoshop for the changes to take effect.
   

To adjust the text size:

If you’d like the text of the Photoshop interface to be larger or smaller, you can adjust the application’s text size.

1. Select Edit

   

   Preferences

   

   Interface (or Photoshop

   

   Preferences

   

   Interface on a Mac).

2. Under Text, click the menu next to UI Font Size, then select the desired size. You may need to quit and restart Photoshop for the changes to take effect.

Changing the zoom level

When you’re editing an image in Photoshop, you’ll often be viewing it at less than 100% of its full size. That’s because most modern digital cameras take large, high-resolution photos. These images are so large, in fact, that most computer screens can’t display all of the pixels in the image at once. This is actually a good thing, because it means you’ll have extra detail to work with as you edit the image.

If you want to zoom in or out, simply press Ctrl+ or Ctrl- (hold the Ctrl key and then press the + or – key). If you’re using a Mac, you’ll press Command+ or Command-.

In the example below, you can see a document at 44.4% of its full size. Notice that you can see the current zoom level at the top of the document window, as well as in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

By contrast, the example below shows the same image at 100% (full size). Notice that only part of the image is visible at this zoom level. If desired, you can use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars to view other parts of the image.

To zoom the image to fit the document window, press Ctrl+0 (hold the Ctrl key and then press the zero key). If you’re using a Mac, you’ll press Command+0.

Depending on your computer’s graphics card, some zoom levels (such 33.33% and 66.67%) can cause the image to appear pixelated. If this happens, you may want to zoom to 25% or 50% instead.

Hope you enjoyed this lesson.

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet On Making Basic Adjustments In Image Editting

Introduction

Image editing is all about adjusting your images to make them look better. We’re going to talk about some of the most basic image adjustments, along with some common problems to watch out for when making these changes. The adjustments we’ll cover in this lesson include:

• Cropping: If you want to remove parts of an image, you can crop it. You can think of cropping as using a pair of scissors to cut out the parts you no longer want.
• Resizing: If you want to make an image smaller or larger, you can resize it. However, keep in mind that making an image larger than its original size generally does not look good.
• Rotating: If you want to change the orientation of an image, you can rotate it to the left or right.
• Optional: If you’d like to follow along, you can download some or all of our example images. Just click any of the images below to open a full-sized version. Then right-click the full-sized version and select Save Image As to save it to your computer.

About this lesson

Throughout this lesson, we’ll show you how to make these adjustments with Pixlr Express, a free, web-based image editor you can use from almost any computer with an Internet connection. If you’re using a mobile device, you can use the free Pixlr Express mobile app.

If you have a different image editing program, you can still follow along—these features will work roughly the same way for most image editors.

Image editing tips

Here are a few important things to keep in mind as you start working with images. If you’re new to image editting.

Keep your originals: If you’re planning to make even basic changes to an image, you should also keep an original, unedited version of the file. We recommend making a habit of doing this whenever you’re working with image files. This way, you’ll always be able to go back to the original version.

Check the zoom level: When you’re editing an image on a computer, you’ll usually be viewing it at less than 100% of its full size. This is because most modern digital cameras take large, high-resolution images. These images are so large, in fact, that most computer screens can’t display all of the pixels in the image at once. This is actually a good thing, because it means you’ll have extra detail to work with as you edit the image.

Higher resolution = more detail: Whenever you crop or resize an image, you’re also removing pixels from the image. This means you’ll have fewer pixels to work with, which will give you less flexibility. For example, if you want to print a photo, having extra pixels will help to make the photo look as sharp as possible (since photo prints have a higher resolution than most computer screens). Or, if you’re creating a desktop background, you’ll want to ensure that the final size is at least as large as your screen resolution.

Experiment: There’s no perfect formula for editing images. As long as you keep a copy of the original file, you should feel free to try out different adjustments to find what works for that image. If you change your mind later on, you can always go back to the original version and start over.

Cropping images

There will often be times when an image includes a lot of extra space or content you’d like to remove. You can solve this problem by cropping the image. In the example below, we cropped the image to show less of the background and emphasize the butterfly:

You can also use cropping to completely change the composition or subject of an image. In the example below, we focused in on just one part of the image—the lanterns on the left—and cropped out everything else. You may have also noticed that by cropping this way, we changed the image’s orientation from landscape to portrait.

To crop an image:

Remember, we’ll be using Pixlr Express throughout this lesson, so this process may vary depending on the software you’re using.

1. Go to Pixlr Express in your web browser, then click Browse to open the image from your computer.
2. Click the Adjustment button, then click Crop.
   
3. Click and drag the cropping handlesuntil only the part of the image you want to keep remains visible. You can choose one of the predefined aspect ratios—for example, 4:3 or 3:2—from the menu at the bottom to change the shape of the crop window.
   
4. Click Apply. The image will be cropped.
   
5. If desired, click the Save button to save this new version of the image.
6. In some applications, such as Microsoft Paint, you may need to select the part of the image you wish to keep before clicking Crop.

In the example above, locate the zoom level in the top-right corner. You’ll see that in step 2 we were viewing the image at 18% of its actual size, and in step 4 we zoomed in to 38%. That’s because our image has a high resolution, which allows us to zoom in (up to 100%) without losing detail. High-resolution images will give you more flexibility to crop and resize the image without reducing the quality.

Remember, cropping will remove pixels from an image, so you’ll always need to make sure the cropped version is still large enough for your needs. If you want to print the image or display it at a large size, you’ll generally need more resolution.

Resizing images

Because digital images can be displayed at different sizes, you probably won’t need to resize your images most of the time. However, resizing is an easy way to reduce the file size of an image, which can be helpful if you want to send an image as an email attachment or upload it to the web. You can see an example of resizing below:

Remember, you should avoid making images larger than their original size. When you do this, the image simply won’t have enough detail to look good at the larger size. As you can see in the example below, the resized image is blurry and doesn’t have a lot of detail:

To resize an image:

1. With the image open in Pixlr Express, click the Adjustment button, then click Resize.
   
2. Enter the desired dimensions for the new image. When you enter the new image width, the height will be adjusted automatically to maintain the original aspect ratio of the image (we’ll discuss this point in more detail below).
   
3. Click Apply. The image will be resized.
   
4. If desired, click the Save button to save this new version of the image.
5. Some programs, such as Microsoft PowerPoint, require you to click and drag sizing handles until the image is the desired size.

Preserving aspect ratio when resizing

When you resize an image, it’s important to make sure the new version uses the same proportions, or aspect ratio, as the original. For example, take a look at this image:

If you want to resize this image while maintaining the same aspect ratio, you will need to change both the height and width by equal proportions. Most image editing programs can do this automatically when you resize an image. However, if you just try to guess what proportions to use, or if you’re using sizing handles, it’s easy for an image to become distorted. A distorted image may look too wideor too narrow, as in the examples below:

While it may not always be this obvious, these examples illustrate why it’s so important to preserve the original aspect ratio when resizing an image. There are a few easy ways to make sure a resized image will use the same aspect ratio as the original:

• Most applications will give you the option to preserve the aspect ratio when resizing. In Pixlr, this option is called Keep Proportions, but in other applications it may be called Constrain Proportions or Maintain Aspect Ratio. In some programs, like Photoshop, it is represented by a lock icon. Make sure this option is turned on before resizing an image. Then, you should only need to adjust the height or the width; the other dimension will be adjusted automatically.
  
• If you’re using sizing handles to resize an image, be sure to use a corner sizing handle rather than a side handle. Some applications also require you to press and hold a key on your keyboard, such as Shift or Alt, to lock the aspect ratio when using sizing handles.
• If you need to fit an image to a new aspect ratio—for example, if you need to print a 4″ × 6″ version of a square image—it’s best to crop the image to the new aspect ratio. Simply resizing the image to match the new aspect ratio will result in image distortion.

Rotating images

Sometimes an image may be rotated the wrong way. This can happen if the camera was turned on its side when taking the original image. It’s easy to fix this by rotating the image, as in the example below:

To rotate an image:

1. With the image open in Pixlr Express, click the Adjustment button, then click Rotate.
   
2. Choose the desired rotation direction. In our example, we’ll rotate the image to the right. You can also use the Straighten tool if you need finer control over the rotation.
   
3. Click Apply. The image will be rotated.
   
4. If desired, click the Save button to save this new version of the image.
5. In some programs, the Rotate tool will be a menu option. In Photoshop, for example, it can be found under Image.
6. 
   
7. Image Rotation.

Other image adjustments

So far, we’ve covered some of the most basic image adjustments, including cropping, resizing, and rotating.

Challenge!

If you want to practice making the adjustments we cover in this lesson, you can download some or all of our example images. Just click any of the images below to open a full-sized version. Then right-click the full-sized version and select Save Image As to save it to your computer.

1. Open an image in an image editing application, such as Pixlr Express.
2. Use the crop tool to remove parts of an image. Try experimenting to see how different types of crops affect the image.
3. Try resizing an image to be smallerthan its original size. You can turn Constrain Proportions on and off to see how this affects the aspect ratio.
4. Try resizing an image to be larger than its original size. Notice how the image suffers a loss in quality and detail.
5. Use the rotate tool to rotate an image.
6. Save a copy of the edited image if desired. You’ll want to choose a new file name to avoid accidentally overwriting the original version.

How To Solve The Biggest Problems With Image Editting Software

Introduction

While there are many different applications you can use to edit images on your computer or mobile device, the software you use will largely depend on your needs. Some applications allow you to make only a few basic changes, while others give you access to advanced and powerful tools. We’ll talk about some of the most popular image editing software available today, including both free and paid options.

Basic image editing software

If you just need to make simple adjustments to an image, such as cropping, resizing, and rotating, there are many free applications available to you. This includes the built-in software on your device, as well as some third-party software.

Built-in software

Most computers and mobile devices come with some kind of basic image editing program. Review the list below to learn more about the tools on your device:

• Windows: Almost every Windows computer includes Paint. You may already know that Paint is a simple drawing application, but it can also be used for basic image adjustments. Another option is Windows Photo Gallery, a free application from Microsoft that includes more advanced editing tools and allows you to easily organize your photos.
  
• Mac OS X: All Macs include Preview. While this program is primarily used for viewing images and PDF files, it also includes several basic editing tools. New Macs also come pre-installed with iPhoto, which you can use to organize and edit your photos.
  
• iOS: Photos taken on an iPhone or iPad will appear in the Photos app. From there, you can make a few basic adjustments to the image.
  
• Android: Photos taken on most current Android devices can be adjusted in the Google Photos app or the Gallery app.
  

Third-party software

There are many third-party image editing applications you can use on your computer or mobile device—some are free, and others are paid. One example is Pixlr, which is a free editor that runs in your web browser. For quick edits, Pixlr has a basic version called Pixlr Express, which is also available as a mobile app. We’ll be using Pixlr Express throughout this tutorial to demonstrate various editing tasks.

If you have a smartphone or tablet, there are many free apps you can use to edit images, such as Instagram, Aviary, and Photoshop Express. Most mobile apps don’t include as many features as you’d find in a desktop application, but they do make it easy to make basic edits on the go.

Editing images with Microsoft Office

While you may not realize it, some programs in the Microsoft Office suite—such as Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher—include image editing tools. These tools will be especially helpful if you want to make simple adjustments to an image in a document or presentation.

You can check out these lessons from our tutorials to learn more about editing images with Microsoft Office:

Advanced image editing software

If you need additional editing tools, you may want to use an advanced image editing application. You can learn more about some of the most popular ones below, but keep in mind that these are just a few of the many available options.

Adobe Photoshop

Even if you’ve never done much image editing, you may have heard of Photoshop. Available for both Windows and Mac devices, Photoshop is an extremely powerful application that’s used by many professional photographers and designers. It’s also very expensive, so unless you need to edit photos professionally you may want to consider getting one of the more affordable (or free) options below.

Photoshop Elements

You can think of Photoshop Elements as “Photoshop Light“—it gives you access to some of the most popular features from the full version of Photoshop, but it usually costs less than $100. While some advanced Photoshop users may be frustrated by its limitations, Photoshop Elements is a good option for beginner to intermediate users.

Pixelmator

While it’s only available for Mac, Pixelmatorincludes many of the advanced features found in Photoshop and usually costs less than $50.

Paint.NET

Originally designed as an open-source alternative to Microsoft Paint, Paint.NET now includes several advanced editing tools. While it’s only available for Windows, Paint.NET is freeto use.

GIMP

Designed as an open-source alternative to Photoshop, GIMP is free to use on both Windows and Mac. While it’s a powerful application, you may find the interface confusing and difficult to use if you aren’t somewhat familiar with other image editing software.

Pixlr

Like Pixlr Express, the full Pixlr Editor is a free application that runs in your web browser. However, it also includes many advanced features and in many ways is similar to Photoshop.

Photo management software

Many professional photographers prefer to use a photo-management application, such as Adobe Lightroom, Aperture, Windows Photo Gallery, or iPhoto. With organizational tools like tagging and folders, these applications make it easy to view and manage many photos. Conveniently, they also include many editingtools, which means you can use a single application for all of your image editing needs.

Why We Love Image Editting 101 (And You Should, Too!)

Introduction

Have you ever needed to edit an image on your computer, but weren’t quite sure how to get started? For example, suppose you were asked to edit a picture for a company newsletter or blog article. Or maybe you just wanted to touch up some vacation photos before sharing them with your friends. The truth is, almost any image can be improved by a little bit of editing.

While image editing might seem a bit complicated, you don’t need to be a professional designer or photographer to learn how it works. Want proof? Take a look at the images below. We were able to make this photo look a lot better with a few simple adjustments, and they took less than five minutes to complete.

Whether you need to work with images at home or at the office, this tutorial will cover the basics you’ll need to know to get started. You should be able to apply these techniques in almost any image editing software.

Once you know the fundamentals, you can check out some of our other tutorials to learn more about using specific image editing applications:

Understanding the basics

We see digital image files every day in a wide range of places. For instance, whenever you see a picture on a computer or a smartphone, you’re looking at a digital image file. When you take a picture with a digital camera, you’re saving it as an image file. Even the images you see offline, like those in newspapers and magazines, probably started as digital image files before they were printed.

But have you ever thought about how image files work? Here are some of the basic things you should know.

Pixels

Every digital photo is made up of pixels, often abbreviated as px. You can think of a pixel as a tiny square that uses a specific color. When you look at an image file on a computer, you’re really looking at thousands and thousands of pixels. But because each pixel is so small, you normally won’t notice each of them unless youzoom in.

Dimensions

When you refer to the height and width of an image, you’re talking about its dimensions. For example, if an image is 500 pixels wide and 200 pixels high, you could say that its dimensions are 500px by 200px (the width is usually listed first). Let’s look at a few other examples.

The image below is 450px by 300px. Because this image is wider than it is tall, it’s using a landscape orientation.

The image below is 300px by 450px. Because this image is taller than it is wide, it’s using a portrait orientation.

Resolution

You can think of an image’s resolution as the amount of detail contained in that image. The higher the resolution, the more quality the image will have. Resolution is especially important if you’re thinking of printing or resizing an image. That’s because you can generally make an image smaller without noticing much of a difference in the quality. However, making an image larger than its original size will usually result in a noticeable loss in quality.

In the example below, the smaller version still looks sharp and clear:

But if you try to make a low-resolution image any larger, it simply won’t have enough detail to look good at the new size. As you can see in the example below, the resized image is blurry and doesn’t have a lot of detail. You might also notice that some parts of the image look blocky, or pixelated.

So remember, you can usually make an image smaller without noticing a loss in quality, but you should avoid making an image any larger than its original size.

Image file formats

There are many different file formats images can use. It’s important to understand the basics of image file formats, along with the most common ones you’ll see when working with images.

File size and image compression

Digital image files can be very large and take up a lot of hard-drive space. Because of this, many file formats use compression in order to reduce the file size. There are two main types of file compression:

• Lossy: This compression type removes some information from the image and lowers the overall qualityin order to reduce the file size.
• Lossless: This compression type does not remove any information from the image, but it usually cannot reduce the file size as much as lossy compression.

Images that use lossy compression can be saved at different quality levels. The lower the quality, the smaller the file size—that’s because lowering the quality also removes more information from the image. In the example below, you can see the same image saved at different quality levels:

Recommended file formats

These are the most common file formats. We recommend using them most of the time:

• JPEG: Pronounced “jay-peg“, this file type is commonly used for photographs, and most digital cameras save photos in this format by default. JPEG uses lossycompression, which means it provides a reasonably high level of quality without a very large file size.
• PNG: Pronounced “ping” or “p-n-g“, this file type is commonly used for graphics and illustrations, although it can also be used for photographs. PNG uses lossless compression, meaning photographs saved with this format will usually be of a higher quality than JPEG images, but the file size will be much larger.

Other common file formats

There are many other image file formats you may encounter. One common image format is GIF. Pronounced “gif” or “jif“, the GIF file type was originally designed for graphics, but it’s now most commonly used for simple animated images for the web. For example, the image below is an animated GIF file.

There are also some file formats that do not use compression, such as RAW and BMP. For example, some digital cameras use a RAW format to save very high-quality images. Because these formats are uncompressed, the files tend to be much larger than JPEG or PNG files.

Keeping your originals

Whenever you edit an image file, there’s a chance some of the original information from the image can be lost. Also, if you edit the same file over and over again, the edited image can begin to look much worse than the original. This is called image degradation, and it’s especially problematic for files that use lossy compression, such as JPEG images.

The good news is there’s an easy way to avoid this problem. If you’re planning on making even basic changes to an image, such as cropping or resizing, you should also keep an original, unedited version of the file. We recommend making a habit of doing this whenever you’re working with image files. This way, you’ll always be able to go back to the original version.

Why It’s Easier to Succeed With Using Functions In Excel 2000 Than You Might Think

Using functions

Important terms:

• A function is a predefined formulathat helps perform common mathematical functions.

Each function has a specific order, called syntax. Syntax must be followed for the function to work correctly.

To use syntax order:

1. All functions begin with the equalssign.
2. After the equals sign is the function name.
3. One or more arguments are enclosed in parentheses. If there is more than one argument, they are separated by commas.

An example of a function with one argument:

An example of a function with more than one argument:

Excel has hundreds of functions or predefined formulas to assist you with your calculations. As you know, building individual formulas can be difficult and time consuming. Using Excel’s functions can save you a lot of time and headaches.

Excel’s different functions

There are many functions in Excel. For our purposes in Excel 2000, we will discuss some common functions.

Statistical functions:

SUM: Summation adds a range of cells together.
AVERAGE: Average calculates the average of a range of cells.
COUNT: This counts the number of chosen data in a range of cells.
MAX: This identifies the largest number in a range of cells.
MIN: This identifies the smallest number in a range of cells.

Financial functions:

Interest rates
Loan payments
Depreciation amounts

Date and time functions:

Day of week
Year
Time
Date

You don’t have to memorize the functions, but you should have an idea of what they will do for you.

Accessing functions

The Sum function is located on the Standardtoolbar.

To use the Sum function:

• If necessary, enter the numbers you want to calculate.
• Select the numbers you want to total.
• On the Standard toolbar, click the Sum button. 
• Your total appears in the cell below the range you selected.

To access other common functions:

• Click the cell where you want the result of the function to appear.
• Type the equals sign.
• On the Formula bar, click the Edit Formula button. 
• Choose a function from the Function Box drop-down list.
• The result of the function appears.

If you didn’t see the function you were looking for, there are other functions available through the Paste Function dialog box, which are explained below.

Excel will not always tell you if your function contains an error, so it’s up to you to check all of your functions. To learn how to do this, read the Double-Check Your Formulas lesson from our Excel Formulas tutorial.

To access other available functions:

• Click the cell where you want to place the end result.
• Type the equals sign.
• On the Formula bar, in the function box drop-down list, choose More Functions.
• The Paste Function dialog box opens. Choosing InsertFunctions or clicking the Paste Function button opens the Paste Function dialog box as well.
• Notice the function categoriesavailable, including statistical, financial, and date and time.
• When a function category is selected, the corresponding function namesdisplay. Additional information about the function name displays in the lower part of the dialog box.
• Click OK.

Challenge!

• In Excel, re-create the spreadsheet shown below.
• In cell address B11, enter the sum of the range B5:B9 using the Sum function.
• Copy the formula to the other columns (C11:F11), totaling columns C, D, E, and F.
• In cell address B12, enter the averageof the range B5:B9 using the Edit Formula button.
• Copy the function to the other columns (C12:F12), averaging columns C, D, E, and F.
• Use the Paste Function button  to enter the COUNT in cell B13. Copy the function to the other columns (C13:F13).
• columns (C13:F13).