Learning Photoshop - The Toolbox

[Heather Quick]

Learning to use Photoshop does not have to be difficult. In fact, the
more you learn about Photoshop and the wide range of applications
available the more excited you will be able the possibilities for
creating professional quality images and graphics for web sites,
marketing materials and more.
The Photoshop toolbox is where it all happens. Almost every single
thing you do in Photoshop will involve using tools from the toolbox.
Learning to use the Photoshop toolbox will require a good Photoshop
tutorial but the following should give you an idea of the functions
available.
The following are a list of the tools included in the Photoshop
toolbox and their applications. This is not a comprehensive list but
includes the most commonly used tools.
Marquee tool
This tool is part of the selection tool and allows the user to
selections.
Move tool
The move tool is used to move layers and selected objects within the
canvas.
Brush tool
The brush tool paints brush strokes.
History brush
You will want to learn to use the history brush tool as it can take
you back to the original state of the selection. You have a lot off
fun with this tool. Once you learn to use it properly you will be
amazed by the professional photo effects you can produce.
Eraser tool
This tool erases solid colored areas.
Dodge tool
This tool lightens areas of your picture selectively.
Burn tool
This took make areas on your image darker. Burning and dodging are
techniques that were original practiced by photographers in
traditional darkrooms for the purpose of lightening or darkening
images.
Type tool
The type tool is used to put text on your image.
Type Mask tool
The type mask tool is a tool located on the toolbar that allows you to
create a selection in the form of text or type.
The real benefit of Photoshop over some of the lesser photo editing
software applications is the toolbox. Many of the cheaper photo
editing programs do not provide such a wide selection of tools
allowing the user to have total control over the creative process.
Photoshop puts total control over your final image in your hands. That
is why so many professions use Photoshop.