In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a restaurant menu flyer in Photoshop using textures, food icons, and text. At the end of the tutorial, you will receive a professional template that you can use in your projects. The menu header image was created by the team at texture4photoshop, where you can find many backgrounds that can be used in commercial projects.

1. Create a flyer header

Create a new file 800 x 570 pixels; you can choose any size, but to get the same result as mine, you need to observe certain proportions. Next, create a new layer, name it "Background" and fill it with white.

On a new layer, add the fast food background and place it at the top of the document.

Double click on the fast food layer and apply a layer style to it Inner Shadow (Inner shadow).

2. Add text on the board

We activate the tool Type Tool (T) (Text) and write, for example, Restaurant Menu. Let's use the Bakery Font. In this tutorial, you can learn how to quickly install a font in Photoshop. For the convenience of working with text, we will use two text layers: one with the word restaurant, and the second with menu.

Press Ctrl + T to slightly change the angle of the text.

Tool Pen Tool (P) (Pen) Draw some wavy lines on the sides of the word menu.

3. Add food icons

Depending on what dishes are in your prospective restaurant, select the appropriate icons from the special set.

Next to each icon, add the name of the dish and the price. We'll use the Sketch Block font here, but you can choose a different one. Set the text color to dark gray (# 302e2f).

4. Create a paper effect

To create the effect, as if the flyer is printed on rough paper, use a special texture. Add it on a new layer above all the previous layers. Set the texture blending mode to Multiply (Multiplication).

Add an adjustment layer above the texture. Layer - New Adjustment Layer - Levels (Layer - New Adjustment Layer - Levels). Then convert the adjustment layer to Clipping Mask (Ctrl + Alt + G).

Add an adjustment layer Hue/ Saturation (Hue / Saturation) to slightly desaturate the texture.

This is what the finished menu for a restaurant looks like.

pixel raster graphic windowing

File menu items

New.

Used to create a new file. Consider the dialog box called by this command

Name - the name of the future file.

Preset - Some of the most commonly used sizes such as A4, A5, 640x480 and others, including user-defined.

Width and Height - the width and height of the future image. Please note that you can set these parameters in different units.

Resolution - The resolution of the image.

Mode - The color mode of the new image. Options:

Bitmap Only two colors are used - absolutely black and completely white.

Grayscale (Grayscale). This color model uses a 255-color transition from black to white.

RGB. As a rule, you have to work in this particular color scheme, which allows you to realize all the colors visible to the human eye;

CMYK. If the image is intended for printing in a printing house, then it is better to do it in this color scheme. CMYK includes only those colors that can be printed;

Lab Color. Alternative color scheme to RGB. Sometimes handy enough when editing channels;

8 bit or 16 bit. Sets the color depth for some modes. Photoshop already fully supports 16-bit color, however, there are not so many areas of its application yet - standard 8-bit is enough everywhere.

Background Contents (Background color). Specifies what the image will be filled with after creation.

Advanced. Here are the parameters that are needed only by rare professionals:

Color Profile. Determines the color profile in which the image will be created.

Pixel Aspect Ratio. One of the new features in Photoshop is support for non-square pixels.

Open. Opening a graphic file. Photoshop opens all international bitmap formats.

Open As. This command opens a file in the specified format, regardless of its extension.

Open Recent. By choosing this command, you will see a list of several files that were last opened.

Edit In Image Ready.

Opens the active image in Image Ready, a web graphics and website rendering software.

Browse. Opens the built-in file browser.

Close. Close active file. As in any Windows application, to close the file, simply click the cross in the upper right corner of the document window.

Close All. Close all files open in Photoshop. The program itself remains active.

Format. The format to be used to save the file.

Alpha Channels (Alpha channels). Save alpha channels to file.

Layers (Layers). Save layers to file.

Annotations. Save comments to file.

Spot Colors. Maintain so-called custom colors.

Use Proof Setup. Use custom color settings when saving.

ICC Profile. Determines in which standard for a particular color scheme the file is saved.

Step Backward. Undo one action.

Fade. A command that allows you to change the affect obtained using the last tool.

Cut. A command that acts only on selections. When you use it, the selected area will be removed from the image and placed on the clipboard. Called by the keyboard shortcut CtrL + X.

Soru (Copy). A command that affects only the selected area. Copies it to the clipboard.

Copy Merged. Unlike Soru (Copy), this command copies the selection from all layers at once.

Paste. Paste an image from the clipboard. Almost always this command is called after Soru (Copy), and this sequence is the basis of any photomontage.

Paste Into. Paste an image from the clipboard as a layer with a layer mask.

Clear. Command that clears the contents of the selection.

Check Spelling & Find and Replace Text (Spelling & Find and Replace). Standard for most Windows programs, one way or another related to text processing, spelling checker toolkit, as well as search and replace text fragments.

Fill. Fill layer or selection. Selecting this command opens a dialog box.

Use (Style). This is where you define what to fill the image with. Mode (Blending mode). Pixel blending mode in the painted area;

Opacity (Opacity). Fill opacity; Preserve Transparency. Checking this box will replace the color of the pixels, but will not change their transparency.

Stroke (Stroke). A command that allows you to outline a selection with a line of the specified thickness and color. After the appearance of shapes, this command has almost lost its meaning.

Stroke options:

Width - the thickness of the stroke line;

Color - kicks strokes;

Location - determines the position of the stroke relative to the selection line;

Mode (Blending mode) - pixel blending mode;

Opacity - the degree of opacity of the stroke;

Present Transparency - allows you to preserve the transparency of the painted pixels without changing,

Free Transform and Transform commands.

Commands for changing the geometric dimensions of an object. You can also run the Free Transform command by pressing Ctrl + T.

Scale (Size). Changes the linear dimensions of the selection, that is, the length and width.

Skew (Angle). This command changes the angle between the segments by shifting the image.

Distort - very similar to the previous command, but the difference is that not one corner changes, but two, which leads to a complete change in all linear dimensions.

Perspective is a very interesting and useful command. You can change the two bottom or top corners at the same time, resulting in the effect of a surface receding into the distance.

Define Brush (Define a brush). With this command, any image or rectangular selection can be saved as a brush and used later.

Purge. This command allows you to delete temporary information from memory. It is used when there is clearly not enough system resources and commands are executed very slowly. Possible options:

Undo. Remove the last undo from memory;

Clipboard. Clear the contents of the clipboard;

Histories (Protocol). When working with Photoshop, all actions are stored, by default up to the twentieth, so that you can always correct inaccuracies in the work.

AIL (Clear All).

Color Manager. Color settings.

Keyboard Shortcuts. A very useful innovation in Photoshop CS. With its help you can assign any keyboard shortcut to any tool or menu item.

Preset Manager Allows you to edit (load and delete) the brushes, paths, swatches, gradients, etc. in the system.

Image menu. This menu contains commands that provide the ability to change the whole image or selected areas.

Mode. The type of illustration and its editing possibilities are determined by the color mode (color model) in which it is located.

Bitmap (Monochrome). This command is designed to convert an image to a two-color, consisting of only black and white pixels.

Grayscale (Grayscale). When you switch to this color mode, all information about the colors that made up the image is destroyed.

Duotone (Duplex). The image is converted from black and white to n-color.

Index Color. The use of this mode is possible only if your image is in RGB or Grayscale mode.

RGB Color. A model that describes real colors and is used when displaying them on a monitor. It consists of three channels: red, green and blue.

CMYK Color is a model with four primary channels: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. On the other hand, when overlaying colors, the overall image darkens.

Lab Color - This model, like RGB, consists of three channels, but it is built in a slightly different way. L stands for Lightness, and b stands for colors. Channels a and b contain information about colors: a - from dark green to bright pink, b - from light blue to bright yellow.

Multichannel - after selecting this parameter, the connection between the channels disappears and they begin to exist independently.

Color Table - Replaces all the colors in the image with new ones based on the selected color table.

Assign Profile - Match the image to the color profile.

Convert to Profile - allows you to convert an image to a color mode according to a profile.

Adjustments. This section of the Image menu contains basic commands for correcting the top and brightness of images.

Levels (Ctrl + L, Levels). Adjust brightness levels. You can edit the entire image or its individual components (channels).

Auto Levels (Automatic level correction). The lightest pixels are converted to white and the darkest to black, adding more saturated colors to the image.

Auto Contrast (Automatic contrast correction). Increases contrast.

Auto Color (Automatic color correction). Adjusts color saturation automatically. It works quite unsuccessfully.

Curves (Ctrl + M, Curves). This is another color and brightness correction command, however, unlike the Levels command, it has a wide range of action.

Color Balance (Ctrl + B, Color Balance). Allows you to adjust the ratio between the colors in the image.

Brightness / Contrast is a very handy command as it allows you to change the brightness and contrast of the entire image without changing the colors.

Hue / Saturation (Ctrl + U, Color / Saturation). Using this command, you can change the hue, saturation and brightness of individual color components of the image.

Desaturate (Ctrl + Shift + U, Desaturate). Grayscale the image.

Match Color. New tool introduced only in Photoshop CS. Allows you to customize colors by choosing any image, channel, or layers as a sample.

Replace Color - allows you to replace the selected color with any other.

Selective Color - not only replaces the selected color for editing, but also modifies all other colors that include it.

Channel Mixer - splits the image into three components corresponding to the RGB channels, which, however, are not independent grayscale images, but are inextricably linked to the original.

Gradient Map (Gradient map). Acts similarly to color tables, only the colors in the image are not replaced in accordance with the new table, but are set by a gradient, as which you can choose any gradation from those available in this program.

Inverse (Ctrl + I, Invert) - replaces all colors with the opposite.

Photo Fitter (Photo filter). A tool that simulates real-life photographic filters that anyone who has taken photography should be familiar with.

Shadow / Highlight (Shadows / Lights). Another new color correction tool. Allows you to quickly and easily adjust the ratio between dark and light areas.

Equalize - When you execute this command, the program analyzes the individual channels that make up the image.

Threshold - when using this command, all dark colors in the image are changed to black and light colors to white, but this ratio can be changed by moving the level marker.

Posterize - the command splits the entire brightness range of each of the channels that make up the image into the specified number of intervals.

Variations - Here you can adjust saturation, lightness, and the colors themselves. In addition, you can select the area of \u200b\u200binfluence (shadows, midtones, etc.).

Duplicate - Creates a file containing a copy of the image.

Apply Image - overlays the image on itself or on another image (of the same size) in various modes.

Calculations - performed on individual channels only: any channel from one image is mixed with the same channel or with the channel of another image (of the same size).

Image Size - with this command you can resize the image. The proportions can be either maintained or broken.

Pixel Aspect Ratio. This option enables working with non-square pixels.

Canvas Size - The dimensions of the image remain the same, but the canvas on which it is positioned changes.

Rotate Canvas - different transformation options are possible.

The image can be rotated both clockwise and counterclockwise, 90 ° and 180 °. You can mirror it vertically and horizontally.

Crop - the command crops the image along the selection border. If the selected area has an irregular shape, then the cropping line runs along the outer pixels.

Trim - with this command, the background is cut, that is, all pixels of uniform color at the edges of the image.

Histogram - Displays a histogram showing the dependence of the number of pixels of a specific brightness on the brightness value.

Trap - Trap settings. Innovation of the seventh version.

Select menu. All (Select all). Highlight image weight.

Deselect (Deselect). Deselects all selected areas of the image. Enter from the keyboard by pressing Ctrl + D.

Reselect (Return selection). It is used in the event that you have deleted the selection, and then you need to return it.

Inverse. Swaps the selected and unselected areas.

Color Range A powerful selection tool that is extremely useful in practice.

Feather - Creates an area of \u200b\u200bpartially selected pixels along the selection border.

Modify. Modify selection. There are the following options:

Border - create a kind of border, which is a repetition of your selection at a specified distance.

Smooth - soften the sharp edges of the selection;

Expand - use it if you don't quite accurately select something and you need to expand the selection.

At the beginning of the article, let's talk about the general rules for working with a drop-down list and commands in all text menu items, using the example of a menu item File.

As we can see in fig. commands available at the moment are highlighted with a clear inscription, and accordingly, inaccessible ones with dim. An available command is executed when the left mouse button is clicked on the line of this command in the drop-down menu.
Many commands can be executed without referring to the items in the text menu, but by typing the appropriate key combination on the keyboard, if such a combination exists, then it is written to the right of the command in the drop-down menu. A good knowledge of hotkeys makes working with images much faster.
If there is an ellipsis after the command name, it means that the dialogue with the user will be continued. If after the command we see a black triangle, then this indicates that this command is a group of commands or a list of selection options, the list appears when you simply hover the mouse cursor over the command.
Now you can talk about the text menu item File.

First team New creates a new document.
When you click on this command, a dialog box appears as in Fig.
Let's consider it in more detail:
Name-here we can give a name to our future file
Preset-You can set the file size from the drop-down list, by the way, if you see the arrow icon on a blue background, then there is a drop-down list.
Width and Height(Width and height) - if you are not satisfied with the standard sizes, then you can set them manually, where Width is the width and Height is the height, and from the drop-down list you can set the units.
Resolution(Resolution) is an extension. If you make a picture for further viewing on a monitor, then the optimal extension will be 72pixels / inch, and if for printing on a printer, then do 300pixels / inch.
Color Mode(Color mode) -the color model in which our file will be. if you are preparing a file for Web or a photo for printing, then feel free to leave RGB, if the file is for replication in a printing house, then CMYK is suitable. The 8 bit size tells you how each pixel of your file will be encoded. Better to leave 8 bit, because 16 bit is still not noticeable to the eye, but the file size increases.
Background Contents(Background content) is the background color. You can make it white-white, transparent-color, or choose any Background Color. I would like to note that the program is designed to work with ready-made images, therefore, with the New menu item, you will not work often, but it will not hurt to know.

Now let's look at other commands of the file text menu item.

Open(Open) - allows you to open or load any file from any folder on your computer, the format of which is supported by the Adobe Pnotoshop program,. In order to find out what file formats the program recognizes, open the file type drop-down list.
Open AS(Open as) - we can set ourselves with which extension to open the file.
Browse-command is a convenient form of viewing images available on your computer for their subsequent opening for processing.
Open Recent(Recent Documents) - Lists the ten most recently opened images.
It should be noted that in Photoshop you can open as many images as you like, their number is limited only by the amount of virtual memory.
Close(Close) - closes the active image.
Close All(Close all) - allows you to close all currently open images without exiting the program, unlike the Exit command, which closes the program itself
SaveThe (Save) -command allows you to save an open image under the same name, in the same format and in the same location, if the file has not been processed, the command is not available for selection.
Save as(Save As) - allows you to save both an open and processed image under a different name or in a different graphic format, and in a different place.
Import(Import) -with this command Photoshop works with the external environment, is the main command for working with a scanner, as well as with a digital camera.
Automate(Automation) -command for automating work with groups of images, if they need to be processed in a similar way.
File Info-displays information about the file, the title bar of the window contains the name of the file to which the command belongs.
Next we have a group of commands for the printer.

In this article we will look at the structure of the commands of the top line of the program menu. Photoshop CS5. Menu bar (1) located at the top of the program and contains a menu (2) and nested submenus (3) .

Some submenus are inactive. Why are they inactive? Because for this you need to create certain conditions or perform certain actions - this is a good hint. To expand the menu (2) , you need to click on the appropriate name and you can already go without clicking. Also, if you don't have a mouse, you can use the following method: press the Alt key and you will have such underscores (4) next to the names of the menu items.

And in order to open any name, you just need to press the corresponding letter on the keyboard. For example, for the File menu, this is the letter f. I press the letter f, the File menu opens. You can navigate through it using the arrows on the keyboard. To navigate through the menu or to another menu item, press the arrow in the corresponding direction. The Esc key cancels the menu. Pressing the Alt key again takes us out of the keyboard mode. After pressing it, the underline in commands will disappear. This is in case you don't have a mouse.

On the menu (2) and submenu (3) there are commands that provide access to almost all of the adjustments and commands in Photoshop. Many commonly used and hard-to-reach commands have their corresponding keyboard shortcuts listed to the right of the commands. These are the so-called hotkeys.

Their use greatly facilitates and speeds up work. Therefore, from the very beginning it is better to remember and use hotkeys. To use a key combination, you need to press the first key and, without releasing it, then press the following keys. That is, several keys must be pressed simultaneously at the end. Then the command will work.

Some menu items don't look like commands, but resemble checkboxes (5) installed with a mouse click. For example, show "Auxiliary Elements" or "Rulers". Such commands, as a rule, are intended for displaying or hiding any interface elements or setting the program to work in some special mode. In the picture you can see that I have auxiliary elements, rulers and anchors turned on.

Basic Photoshop commands

All Photoshop commands are grouped according to similar characteristics and separated from each other by a horizontal line. Now let's take a look at the basic and most common commands.

1) File menu - these are commands for creating a new document and opening it, as well as commands for closing and saving a document in various variations ( easy saving, saving as with a choice of format and saving for the Web and devices that optimize the file for correct display on the Internet or on any device). These are the main commands we need. Further commands are not used as often, and we will look at them a little later.

2) Edit menu - needed if we perform any action. For example, I am using Pencil. In the Edit menu, you can undo this step, take a step back, or if I need to go back to this action, you can take a step forward. You can also cancel the state and go back. Also in the menu "Editing" there are standard operations for most programs - cutting to the clipboard, copying, copying combined data and various inserts.

Also here are very often used commands to fill, stroke. Below are the commands for zooming and transforming, as well as working with layers. This menu also defines a brush, a pattern that we create ourselves. Below is the program setting, color setting and basic menu settings ( we will also consider them a little later.).

3) Image command Is the most developed team. This is where we have all the image adjustment commands and tools such as levels, curves and other image manipulation tools. With it, you can also resize the image, work with the size of the canvas, rotate the image at different angles and also work with image channels.

4) Layers menu speaks for itself. It is intended for various operations with layers. The first thing we may need is to create a new layer, duplicate the layer, create new adjustment layers, as well as smart objects. All this can be created in another way through the "Layers" palette ( we will consider a little later).

5) Selection command designed to work with selected areas. It can also be used to create selections based on a range of colors or in quick mask mode.

6) In the "Filter" menu contains all the filters in Photoshop. Like inline filters (6) and external filters (7) third-party vendors called plugins. Plugins are installed in specific folders ( we will consider a little later) and you can work with them just like with filters. Using filters (6) you can change the image in various ways. For example, blur an image, add noise to it, sharpen it, and so on.

7) Analysis menu intended for special work - we practically do not need this menu. Here you can count a certain number of objects, measure any length, set the measurement scale.

8) 3D menu designed to work with 3D files and 3D objects.

9) In the View menu you can adjust the screen modes, view the image in different sizes ( image scaling), turn rulers on and off, display guides at specific locations in the image, and perform various special operations.

10) Window menu designed to control working environments and call up various palettes.

11) In the Help menu you can get information on various questions that you may have. It also contains the update module and other items.

This concludes our acquaintance with the line menu Photoshop SC5. We will consider all the points in detail in further articles. Follow the blog updates!

This article describes the main interface elements and general principles of working in Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop interface

Essential elements:

• The command menu (1) is a normal menu, its items are described below.
• Panels (2) - “windows within windows” (see “operations with panels”).
• Special Panels “Tools” (3) and “Options” (4) - tool buttons and settings of the selected tool, respectively.

Command menu

• Photoshop - available only on Mac'e, on PC similar commands are located in
  File and Edit menus
• File - work with files
• Edit - general editing commands (which did not fit in other sections
  menu)
• Image - commands for direct image processing
• Layer - commands for working with layers
• Type - commands for working with text
• Select - commands for working with selection
• Filter - collection of additional plug-ins (Plugins, Extensions)
• View - commands for organizing the display of the document on the screen
• Window - commands for organizing the interface
• Help - reference

Operations with panels.

Menu\u003e Window - quick access to any panel: show / hide. (1)

Individual panels can be drag by title fit the screen and scale (2) .

They can dock with other panels in blocksby dragging one onto the other (3) .

They can attach from either side to another panel (for example, move to the bottom edge, it will be highlighted in blue).

Panels can roll up to strip size (4) by double-clicking on the title of the expanded panel, or to icon size (5) .

The general principle of organizing the workspace (placement of panels):

• we get only those panels that are really needed
• we arrange them so that they take up as little useful space as possible
• we group them in the way that suits us (according to our taste)
• it is recommended to make the Tools panel in one line

You can quickly hide / show panels by pressing the Tab key (all) or Alt + Tab (only panels).

Workspaces

Workspace ( Workspace) is the specified arrangement of panels, menu items and hot keys.
You can create your workspace with the command Window\u003e Workspace\u003e New Workspace ...
If desired, in the workspace, you can remember hotkey settings and the command menu, and mark with color frequently used menu items or vice versa are potentially dangerous.
Customizing hotkeys and menus Window\u003e Workspace\u003e Keyboard Shortcuts & Menus ...
Return space to its original state Window\u003e Workspace\u003e Reset ...
When you have decided how convenient for you to work, just save the current workspace. Different types of work (photo editing, painting, ...) may require different spaces.

Working with image files

Open file

Team File\u003e Open allows you to open any file in a supported format.
An alternative way to invoke it is to double-click on an empty gray background in the Photoshop window.
Team File\u003e Open Recent gives a list of recently opened files and allows you to quickly open any of them.
Team File\u003e Browse in Bridge launches the universal file browser Adobe Bridge, through which you can, for example, open any files in the CameraRAW plug-in.

Save file

You can save files using the commands File\u003e Save and File\u003e Save as….

The Save command saves the image to the same file with the same settings. The Save As command allows you to change the name, extension, and other file settings when saving.

(!) There is another way to save File\u003e Save for web, but it is strongly discouraged, since its parameters cannot be saved in action and later used for batch processing (the last settings will always be used). Save for web does not offer any advantages over regular Save as, it is recommended to use Save as instead, there are exceptions, but those who use slices and cutting graphics for the web using Photoshop already know, but the rest do not need it.

Close file without saving

You can close an open image using the command Close ("Ctrl + W")
You can quickly close all open images using the command Close All("Ctrl + Alt + W")

Navigation between multiple images / files

You can change the arrangement of pictures on the screen through the menu commands Window\u003e Arrange

By default, all documents open in one window as bookmarks

To cancel this mode you need to go to Edit\u003e Preferences\u003e Interface and in section
Options uncheck Open Documents as Tab

A complete list of open files is displayed at the bottom of the Windows menu

Selecting the appropriate file from this list brings it to the fore

Working with a single image (view modes)

It is very important to learn how to use hotkeys for normal operation.

Magnifying Glass (Zoom Tool):

• [Ctrl]+ [Space (space)]. Allows you to temporarily switch to the Zoom Tool.
• [Ctrl][+ ] and[Ctrl][– ]. Enlarge / reduce the image one step.
• + [0 ]. Make the image size fit the screen.
• [Ctrl] + [1 ]. Display the image in pixel-to-pixel mode.

You can enlarge an interesting fragment of the image by circling it with a magnifying glass (Zoom Tool). For better quality, it is recommended to increase or decrease the display scale one step afterwards.

Image scrolling - Hand Tool.

You can use the Hand Tool to move the display area.
You can temporarily switch to it by holding down the " Space". This is the most correct
the way to scroll the image. Don't use scrollbars, press the spacebar!

The main structural elements of Photoshop when working with an image

Layers

An image can be composed of several layers. The main thing to understand is that layers are translucent objects that overlap each other.

What you can do with them:

• Move relative to each other ( just drag). The layers above are drawn on top of the layers below. The layer can contain transparency. Only the Background layer cannot be moved. To shuffle it, you need to make a copy of the layer.
• Rename... It is highly advisable to give the layers meaningful names. This requires double click on the layer name (1) .
• Set to layer colour in the context menu (does not affect the picture, but it is more convenient
  navigate in the list of layers).
• Copy layer (Dublicate layer in the context menu of the layer or dragging it onto the new layer icon - second from the bottom right (7) ).
• Delete layer (Delete layer in the context menu of the layer or dragging it onto the layer delete icon - first bottom right (8) ).
• Make from layer Smart object... I will talk about them separately at the end of the article.
• Change layer blend mode (default is Normal, can be overlaid as
  darkening layer like subtraction layer etc.) (9)
• Press Alt and click between layer and another layer/ group. Formed Clipping mask (the transparency of the underlying layer will be applied to the upper one). For adjustment layers (see below) - the correction will be applied only to the areas masked with the Clipping Mask, and not to the entire image. An example of using Clipping Mask: you need to insert a photo into a frame. There is a background with a frame, draw a rectangle (green in the screenshots), put the image layer on top (the sunset photo in the screenshots), click between the clipping mask layer and the image with Alt pressed, after that the top layer will be limited and will not go beyond the boundaries of the green area ... In this case, it will be possible to move the image layer, scale, etc.

• Overlay various effects (Blending options in the context menu) (3)
• Change transparency Opacity (10) and Fill Fill layer (11) , they do similar things, but Opacity affects content + effects and Fill only affects content.
• Add to layer masks (see the section about masks) (4)
• Select two or more layers at once (holding Ctrl) and link them pressing Link layers in the context menu or the button below (2) , then they can be dragged at the same time - moving one will cause the other to move. It will be possible to select all related layers with the context command Select linked layers.
• Prohibit various changes for the layer (blocking changes in transparency, color, prohibition of moving). (12)

Groups

Layers can be grouped by selecting them and clicking the grouping layers icon (6) or by clicking Ctrl + G.

The group behaves almost the same as a layer, it has transparency and filling, blending mode, effects. They may not coincide with the effects and blending modes of individual layers within a group, they affect the entire group as a whole.

It is convenient to use groups, for example, to hang the same effect on several separate images lying in different layers.

A group can be assigned a mask that will affect all layers within the group, but not the group's effects (effects are applied after the mask).

A Clipping Mask can be applied to a group (just like a layer). To do this, just hold down Alt and click between the group and the layer.

Four types of transparency

There are four types of transparency in Photoshop:

• layer pixel transparency
• layer opacity set by mask
• transparency of the whole layer, set by the layer parameter
• excretion

Opacity ranges from 0% (fully transparent) to 100% (fully opaque). The first three types can be combined. Basically, they all do the same thing, but they are configured in different places.

Example: creating a transparent layer. Draw a spot on it with a semi-transparent (50%) hard brush. Most of the pixels on the layer will have 0% opacity (fully transparent), and the filled ones will have 50% opacity.

In the layer settings, we can set the transparency of the entire layer to 50% and then the transparency of each pixel will become 2 times less (25%): we simply multiply the transparency of a particular pixel by the transparency of the layer.

We can also apply a "mask" to this layer - a black and white image containing information only about the transparency of the pixels. Similar to the transparency of a layer, the transparency values \u200b\u200bof the mask pixels will be multiplied by the transparency value of the layer and the transparency value of each pixel in the layer. Accordingly, if we fill the entire mask with 50% gray, we will lower the opacity of the layer by 2 times. More details about masks will be described below.

The last, fourth type of transparency is Selection. When we select part of the image, a selection mask is automatically created. In the simplest case (selected - not selected) each pixel of the selection will be either transparent (not selected) or not transparent (selected). But you can make the selection border fuzzy (semi-transparent), then the transparency on the border will be between 0% and 100%. All this is no different from a regular mask. Moreover, any mask can be loaded as a selection, and a mask can be created from any selection.

Channels

Each pixel in the image contains information about color and transparency. We dealt with transparency above.

Color can be represented in various ways.

• As luminance (black and white)
• As the sum of the intensities of red, green and blue (RGB-model)
• As three values \u200b\u200b“brightness + blue-yellow + purple-green” (Lab-model)
• As 4 values \u200b\u200bof “amount of ink applied to paper” (CMYK model)

When the document is displayed on the monitor, the channels are blended, which gives a full color image. Photoshop allows you to watch and modify individual channels, as well as create masks and selections based on them.

Image channels are on channel panels... They are showing individual components of the image and depend on the mode (view). By default, they are displayed as black and white images (the lighter, the higher the value in the channel). In the settings, you can enable the mode of displaying channels in color, but this is not recommended, since it is easier to perceive a BW image, and the eye's sensitivity to small color changes is much lower than to brightness.

For RGB mode, these will be the Red, Green, Blue channels. For LAB and CMYK modes, respectively, the channels will have their own (Lightness, a, b and Cyan, Magneta, Yellow, blacK).

At the bottom of the channel panel there are buttons “Load channel as selection” ( Load channel content as selection) (Ctrl + click on the desired channel), "Save channel as selection" and buttons for creating / deleting additional channels. Thus, we can transfer the brightness of the channel to the mask and vice versa. For example, you can use the L (Lightness) channel as a mask to apply adjustments to only light or only dark parts of an image. Detailed work with masks is beyond the scope of this article and will be described separately.

You can also transfer channel content to layers using the command Image\u003e Apply Image.

Masks

Masks are analogous (one of the types) of transparency. They can cling to an individual layer, group, adjustment layer, etc. The layer mask is a regular Grayscale image. The darker, the more transparent, the lighter, the more opaque.

A mask applied to a layer or group works like the transparency of the layer / group, but not on the entire layer, but on a part of it.

A mask applied to an adjustment layer (see below) weakens its effect similar to the effect of Opacity / Fill. It is preferable to do the correction first, and then, using a mask, remove the effects from those areas where it turns out to be harmful.

You can paint on a layer mask, by selecting a mask layer (simply by clicking on the mask).

Can show on the screen a layer mask instead of a masked image, for this you need click on the mask while holding Alt.

At the bottom of the layer window there is a button creating a mask (4) (looks like a white dot on a black background). When you click on it, a white mask is created if nothing is selected or mask corresponding to the current selection (if something is highlighted).

With Alt pressed, when you press the button (4), a inverted mask (empty or with inverted selection).

All corrections are applied to it directly and do not allow subsequent changes to the settings.

Mask can drag from layer to layer.

Mask can temporarily disable.

There are also vector masks, more on them later.

Transferring a channel to a mask:

Select a channel, Ctrl-click to copy the contents of the channel as a selection, select the desired layer, press the button to create a mask.

Creating a mask that copies the transparency of the current layer:

In the command menu Layer\u003e Layer Mask\u003e From Transparency

Adjustment layers

Adjustment layers are similar to normal changes such as Brightness / contrast, etc. They are applied to all underlying layers.

The difference is that:

• You can to apply adjustment layer to a group, a single layer or the whole image.
• You can temporarily disable correction and see how it will be without her.
• You can after applying the layer open its parameters and correct them, and immediately see the changes.

Adjustment layers are added by the button at the bottom in the layers panel or from the menu Layer\u003e New Adjustment Layer... To apply it to a specific layer / group, you need to click between the adjustment layer and the underlying layer holding Alt (create a Clipping Mask).

The degree of influence of an adjustment layer can be controlled by the transparency of the entire adjustment layer or by a mask affecting the adjustment layer.

It is preferable to do the correction first, and then, using a mask, remove the effects from those areas where it turns out to be harmful.

Smart Objects

Any groups, layers and adjustment layers with masks and blending modes can be converted to smart object... In fact, a smart object is file layercontaining everything inside a PSD / PSB file (even other smart objects).

Create a such an object can be from the context menu ( Convert to smart object).

When copying a smart object with Duplicate layer a copy of the object is created, not the content. Those. changes inside any smart object are reflected in all its copies.

To create a copy that is not subject to such changes, use “ New smart object via copy”From the context menu.

When you double-click on the smart object icon, it opens as a separate file... You can make changes and press Ctrl + S, after which the changes will be applied to the object.

Smart object scaling and rotation is applied once. Respectively image quality does not deteriorate due to multiple transformations.

The content of the smart object can be replaced with the content of another file using the context command Replace contents.

Smart Filters

Applying any filter to a regular layer causes irreversible changes. When you apply most (not all, but there are more of them in the CC-2014 version) filters to a Smart Object, they are applied similarly to layer effects. Moreover, the effect of the filter can be corrected, temporarily disabled, etc.

Non-destructive processing principle

The main thing in image processing is non-destructive processing principle.

It assumes that the original image remains unchanged, and all changes are made using separate layers, adjustment layers, etc.

This allows, firstly, to change the processing, making it reversible (undoing in the History panel is not saved to the file). And, secondly, transfer the processing to another image.

Links

• http://zhur74.livejournal.com/ - I highly recommend Andrey Zhuravlev's blog and his course at Profile school. there they will tell you all the same, but in detail and with a cool feedback.
• http://shadrin.rudtp.ru/ - blog by Alexey Shadrin. I was with him on a one-month offline course in St. Petersburg, I learned a lot. Profile, again, has his courses online.
• http://pavel-kosenko.livejournal.com/ - the blog of Pavel Kosenko, author of the book "Living Digit". There are also a lot of useful things, it is better to start with a book.