How To Use Adobe Photoshop CS2

The horizontal bar at the top of the Photoshop and ImageReady interface windows that contains all available options for the currently selected tool.

One of many control elements you can use to fine-tune your use of Photoshop and ImageReady tools. A palette is associated with a single element of the image (for example, the Brushes palette controls the size and shape of the cursor when you are using a painting tool). Each palette has a drop-down menu of options associated with the element it controls.

When any palette is open, a menu of options specific to that palette is available. Click the right-facing arrow at the top of the palette to display the palette menu of options.

The darker gray box at the end of the Options bar that collapses and stores palettes for easy access. To add a palette to the well, drag a palette over the dark gray box; the palette collapses so that only the palette's title tab is visible.

A vector outline of an image area or shape.

A Photoshop filter module that generates complex, random patterns from user-defined image selections.

Stands for Portable Document File. A superset of the EPS file format that has largely replaced the EPS format for printing industry use. Also used for portable delivery of multipage documents.

The smallest individual building blocks of an image, pixels are usually square in shape.

User-installable programs, including third-party filters and utilities, that extend the basic functionality of Photoshop.

To reduce similar tonal areas of an image to flat color, eliminating shading and fine detail.

Preliminary tasks that typically clean up an image and get it ready for layout placement or more in-depth editing. These tasks include cropping, rotating, and sharpening.

In Photoshop, a single, multitabbed palette that enables you to preset the settings for features such as brushes, swatches, and patterns.