The document provides instructions for learning the basics of a digital workstation using Mac OS and Adobe Photoshop. It describes key areas of the desktop including the menu bar, dock, and trash. It outlines how to open applications via the Finder, Launchpad, and dock. It also provides steps for organizing photos into folders, previewing photos in Bridge, and opening them in Photoshop. Basic Photoshop tools and panels like layers and crop are explained.

1. Learning Your Digital Workstation
Mac OS and Adobe Photoshop

2. Knowing Your Desktop
Menu bar
Applications dock
Trash

3. Trash
To select multiple files hold
down your mouse and drag a
box over them. Drag selected
files to the trash can icon.

4. Empty Trash

5. How to Open Applications
Finder (the face)
In Dock
Launchpad

6. Launchpad

7. The Finder – All Files and Applications

8. The Finder – Open Applications

9. The Finder – Pictures
Make a new folder for
every project. Give them
names that will make
sense to you.

10. Making a New Folder
Can’t right click? Hold
down the CONTROL KEY
and click in your pictures
folder. This dropdown will
appear:

11. Preview and Open Photos
Bridge looks like this. If it isn’t already in your
dock, open it in Launchpad or Finder
Bridge is linked to Photoshop. It lets us easily preview
photos and open them directly into Photoshop

12. Bridge
This is what you see when you
open bridge. Since your
photos are in your pictures
folder, you will want to click
that.
(Unless they’re somewhere
else like desktop or
downloads, but they should
live in Pictures)

13. Bridge
When you find the folder you
want to preview, double click
to open it and this is what you
will see.

14. Bridge
Click filmstrip for a
bigger preview.
Ready to open
in Photoshop?
Double click the
thumbnail.

15. Photoshop
This looks busy. Feel free
to minimize the bridge
window….

16. Photoshop
That’s better. Now what?

17. Photoshop Tools
Menu bar
Delete
layer
New layer
Layer panel

18. Menu Bar
Select File in the menu bar.
Here you can:
Save (always choose Save As)
Open files
And Print

19. Menu Bar
Select Image in the menu
bar.
Here you can:
Resize
Rotate your image

20. Menu Bar
I don’t recommend editing
this way, but there are some
auto edit options.
Note: if you try levels after
this it’ll be weird.

21. Menu Bar
Window shows you what’s
visible in your workstation.
I recommend checking
History. It will let you go back
step by step if you make a
mistake.

22. Menu Bar
View will let you zoom in or
out, but there’s a shortcut:
Hold command and hit + to
zoom in
Hold command and hit – to
zoom out

23. The Toolbar
There are a lot of
tools and
features.
Get familiar with
some basics.

24. The Toolbar
Crop
Color Picker/ eye dropper
cursor
The cursor is your mouse. Keep this checked when
not using other tools to avoid accidentally using
something you don’t want.
The crop tool looks like a pair of brackets. It crops
your picture, and can also help straighten an
image.
We used the color picker to set points for color
adjustments. It has a fly out window to change
between the eyedropper and the color picker (the
one with the crosshairs)

25. Crop
To crop, select the crop tool
and drag a box over the area
you want to keep.
Hit Return on your keyboard
or hit the checkmark above.
To cancel hit the no symbol.
A shortcut to undo anything is
command z on your keyboard

26. Crop Straighten
Hover your mouse over a
corner until a curved, double
pointed arrow appears.
Rotate your image as needed.
Use the Grids to help you.
Hit return or the checkmark
to finish.

27. More Tools
Clone stamp – paints with pixels
from a different part of your
image to cover unwanted things/
make things disappear. It’s pretty
helpful and we will learn this as a
class.

28. Layers Panel
Do all your editing in Layers!
Do all your editing in Layers!
It is non-destructive, which means your original
image stays the same in case you ever need it,
or need to undo your changes.
When you open a brand new image this is what
you see. This is a background layer. It’s a good
idea to copy your background layer before you
start editing. Here’s how:
See this icon to the left of the trash? Click and
drag your background layer to that icon.

29. Layers Panel
Now you have a copy.
Because it is on top of
your first background,
you won’t see the
background below it, but
it’s still there just in case.
To make a new layer for
editing, click the black
and white circle in the
middle.
This window pops up.
Select which edit you
will make from this list.

30. Layers and Masks
I chose levels from the list.
The levels layer is selected so it is blue.
See that white box? That’s a layer mask. If
it’s white it means ALL Visible. So, every
change you make in levels appears on the
image. If it’s black that means NOTHING
visible. None of the adjustments will show
up. We will learn more about editing layer
masks in class.
Clicking the box to the left of it, with the
slider and graph will let you edit the layer,
in this case levels.
To turn a layer off, click the eyeball next to
it. Click again to turn it back on.

31. Resizing and Saving Images
Photoshop Basics

32. #1Choose Image > Image Size.

33. Constrain Proportions
To keep the original ratio of width to height measurement, make sure that the Constrain Proportions option is checked.

34. Check ResolutionFor printing you want your resolution to be around 240 to 300 pixels/inch. (If you need to change it, uncheck Resample Image, change
the resolution, then recheck it)

35. Change width and heightMake sure Resample Image is checked, then you can change the height and width if you need to.

36. File > Save As….

37. Will you come back to it? Save it as a
.psdSaving it as a
photoshop
document will save
all your layers so
you can change
them later.
Save files this way
unless you need to
upload it to the
internet or put it in

38. Need to upload it? Save it as a .jpg
JPEG or jpg files are
smaller files, and
what most images
on the internet are.
If you need to save
it this way, a good
idea is to save it as a
copy.
That way you’ll have a
jpg to put online,

39. Quality: 7 or higher