Understanding Adobe Photoshop: Digital Imaging Concepts and Techniques

6. Painting and Drawing Tools

Photoshop has a very rich set of painting and drawing tools. These tools have been in Photoshop since its first release, yet they have evolved greatly over time. The painting and drawing tools have many uses. To name a few:

• Fine artists can paint entire works into Photoshop with its realistic painting system. Using software can be an affordable alternative to traditional methods, which require more space and supplies.

• Comic book colorists can use Photoshop to paint the color into the inked drawings.

• FX designers can create background paintings for movie special effects work. In fact, the cocreator of Photoshop, John Knoll, is a lead visual effects supervisor at Industrial Light and Magic, the group behind the Star Wars franchise and many other well-known films.

• Commercial photographers can touch up and enhance photos using digital tools instead of a traditional airbrush. Nearly every photo you see in a fashion or entertainment magazine has undergone some digital touchup in Photoshop to paint out imperfections.

These tools appear simple at first, and in fact they are. After all, the technology behind a paintbrush is pretty straightforward. It's the skill of the user holding the tool that determines results. A thorough understanding of the painting and drawing tools can come in handy while working in many areas of Photoshop. Whether you use Photoshop for image touch-up or to create original images from scratch, be certain to master these tools.