Adobe Photoshop Concepts, Tools, and Color Systems

Flashcards reviewing Photoshop interface components, selection tools, document navigation, file formats, and color theory principles.

Photoshop

A software application for image editing, photo retouching, and image manipulation used on Windows or MacOS computers.

Move Tool

A selection tool that allows moving a selection or entire layer by dragging with the mouse or using keyboard arrow keys (shortcut key V).

Quick Mask

A feature in Photoshop that allows creating and refining selections in an image using a semi-transparent color overlay, toggled using the 'Q' key.

Rectangular Marquee Tool

A selection tool that makes a selection in the shape of a rectangle (shortcut key M).

Elliptical Marquee Tool

A selection tool that selects ellipses and circles (shortcut key M).

Lasso Tool

A selection tool that allows creating freehand selections (shortcut key L).

Polygonal Lasso Tool

A selection tool that makes freehand selections with a contour composed of straight segments (shortcut key L).

Magnetic Lasso Tool

A selection tool that automatically finds an object's edge and adds points to freeze the outline in place (shortcut key L).

Magic Wand Tool

A selection tool that selects a consistently colored area, with a configurable Tolerance setting in its Options palette (shortcut key W).

Creative Design

The process of creating seamless integration of images, photos, and text and applying them in all aspects of design.

Menu Bar

An interface element at the top of Photoshop containing all available functions, commands, and options grouped in menus such as File, Edit, and Image.

Options Bar

A bar that automatically changes to display settings related to the tool currently selected and active.

Document Window

The large central area in the Photoshop interface where the image is displayed.

Canvas

The actual area inside the Document window where the image is visible.

Tools Panel

The interface located on the left side of the screen holding Photoshop tools used to control and modify images.

Panels

Interface windows that provide access to commands and options for specific tasks, such as Layers, Channels, and Paths.

Zoom Level

The setting that controls image view size on screen for precision work, adjusted using Ctrl+ to zoom in and Ctrl- to zoom out.

Undo

The command (Edit -> Undo or Ctrl+Z) that reverses the very last edit made in Photoshop.

Step Backward

The command (Edit -> Step Backward or Alt+Ctrl+Z) used to go back multiple steps in the editing history.

Step Forward

The command (Edit -> Step Forward or Shift+Ctrl+Z) used to advance forward through editing history.

Save As

A save option used for existing documents to create a copy with a different filename, location, or file type (shortcut key Ctrl+Shift+S).

Save

A save option that updates the document under its current file name and file type (shortcut key Ctrl+S).

Photoshop Document (.PSD)

Photoshop's native file format, used as the main working file for editing.

JPEG (.JPG / .JPEG)

Joint Photographic Expert Group file format; the most popular format for viewing and sharing digital photos.

PNG (.PNG)

Portable Network Graphics file format; capable of maintaining transparent backgrounds.

TIFF (.TIF / .TIFF)

Tagged Image File Format; features lossless compression for high-quality image archiving and standard commercial printing.

Color Mode

The image setting that determines how color components combine based on color channels, such as RGB mode, Index Color mode, Grayscale mode, or Bitmap mode.

Standard Screen Mode

The default display view mode in Adobe Photoshop.

Full Screen Mode with Menu Bar

A view mode that maximizes Photoshop and the active document while keeping the Menu Bar visible and hiding the title bar.

Full Screen Mode

A view mode that maximizes Photoshop and the active canvas, hiding document window controls so only palettes and the Options bar are visible.

Grid

A layout overlay consisting of lines and dotted lines enabled via View > Show > Grid to align visual elements.

Guides

Non-printing alignment lines created by dragging from rulers onto the canvas to position elements precisely.

Snapping

A feature (View > Snap To) that automatically aligns objects to guides, grid lines, layers, slices, or document bounds when moved.

Additive Primaries

Red, Green, and Blue (RGB); light-based primary colors used for digital displays (monitors, TVs) that produce all visible spectrum colors when added in combinations.

Subtractive Primaries

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CMYK); primary colors used mostly for printed outputs where colors start pure and subtract light as they are mixed.

Hue

The color aspect or identity itself.

Saturation

The intensity or purity level of a color.

Vibrance

A smart color adjustment that alters only muted colors while avoiding over-saturation of skin tones and already saturated colors.