Intermediate

Adobe
Photoshop
Skills

Intermediate Photoshop Skills

Intermediate Photoshop Skills

Contents
Smart Objects...................................................4
To convert a layer to a smart object.............................4
To edit a smart object........................................................5

Layers Blend Modes.........................................6

To apply layer blend modes............................................6

Layer Comps.....................................................8
To create a layer comp......................................................8
To update a layer comp....................................................9

Slices................................................................10
To create slices.....................................................................10
To name slices......................................................................11
To move slices......................................................................11
To resize slices......................................................................11
To save slices in JPEG format..........................................12
To save slices in GIF format.............................................12
To save slices for transparency.......................................13

Summary.........................................................14

Intermediate Photoshop Skills

Smart Objects
Smart Objects preserve the contents of an image so that you
can nondestructively edit it. This is especially useful when dealing with files that contain a lot of data, such as Photoshop or
InDesign Files. When you edit and save a Smart Object, the file
containing the smart object is automatically updated.

Intermediate Photoshop Skills

To edit a smart object

1. Under the Layer menu, point to Smart Object, and
then click Edit Contents. A new document will open
containing a layer with the Smart Object.
2. Modify the image to your preference.
3. Under the File menu, click Save. Your original document containing the Smart Object should update.

To convert a layer to a smart object

Under the Layer menu, point to Smart Objects, and then
click Convert to Smart Object.

Intermediate Photoshop Skills

Intermediate Photoshop Skills

Layer Blend Modes

Applying layer blend modes is one way to nondestructively edit images and projects. Layer blend modes affect how
a layer blends with the layers below it, while preserving the
images original data. You can use the 28 layer blend modes
to create endless possibilities of special effects.

Tip The most commonly used layer blend modes are

Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Color, and Luminosity.

Below is an example of the same image with the Normal

(top) and Multiply (bottom) layer blend modes.

To apply layer blend modes

1. Open a document that contains at least two layers of
data.
2. Click the top layer to activate it.
3. At the Layers panel, click on the word Normal. A dropdown list of layer blend modes should appear.

4. Click any option to apply that layer blend mode.

Intermediate Photoshop Skills

Layer Comps

Layer Comps make it easy to view multiple designs within

one project. Each layer comp contains separate information.
This is especially helpful for web design because many pages
have similar designs but different content. Although they can
be tricky at first, Layer Comps are extremely helpful once you
master them.

To create a layer comp

1. Under the Window menu, click Layer Comps. The Layer

Comps panel should appear at the top-right side of the
page.

2. Click the Create New Layer Comp button

. The New
Layer Comp dialogue box will appear.
3. Name the new Layer Comp and click OK. A new Layer
Comp will appear in the toolbox.

Intermediate Photoshop Skills

To update a layer comp

1. With the Layer Comps panel open, modify your document
however you wish.
2. Select the Layer Comp check box that corresponds to the
Layer Comp you want this state of the document to represent.
3. Click the Update Layer Comp button. The Layer Comp
should be updated.
4. Modify your document to create a second design by adding
or changing content, colors, images, or more.
5. Select the Layer Comp check box that corresponds to the
Layer Comp you want this state of the document to represent.

Note This should be a different Layer Comp than the one

you picked before.

6. Click the Update Layer Comp button. The Layer Comp

should be updated. You can now switch between the two
Layer Comps to view the different designs by selecting the
Layer Comp check boxes.

Caution Layer Comp updates CANNOT be undone. Always dou-

ble check that you have selected the right Layer Comp before you
click Update.

Intermediate Photoshop Skills

Intermediate Photoshop Skills

Slices

To name slices

Slices divide an image or layer into smaller images, and they

are often used for creating web pages. The separate images
are ideal for website navigation because you can assign a different URL to each slice. Photoshop saves slices as separate
files, optimizing images quality and clarity. This section will
cover slice basics such as creating, naming, and saving slices.

To create slices

1. Click and hold the Crop tool

1. Click and hold the Crop tool, and click Slice Select Tool.

2. Double-click the slice you want to name. The Slice Options

dialogue box will appear.
3. Delete the current name, and type in the name you want.

, and then click Slice Tool.

2. Use the Slice Tool to create a square around the desired

slice. The new slice should be outlined in gold.
4. Click OK to close the dialogue box. Repeat this process to
name any other slices.

To move slices

With the pointer inside a slice selection, move the

slice to a new position.

To resize slices

Grab and adjust a corner or side of a slice.

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Intermediate Photoshop Skills

To save slices in JPEG format

Saving slices as JPEGs is the most common way to save them.

This option makes it possible to adjust the quality of the slices.
1. Under the File menu, click Save for Web. The Save for Web
dialogue box will appear.

Intermediate Photoshop Skills

3. Click Save. The Save Optimized As dialogue box will appear.

4. Name the slice and click Save.

To save slices for transparency

Sometimes you will want to save slices with a transparent background. For example, if you worked hard to remove a background from an image, you will want to save the slice so that the
background stays that way.
1. Under the File menu, click Save for Web. The Save for
Web dialogue box will appear.
2. Use the drop-down arrow next GIF to click GIF or PNG-8.
3. Select the Transparency check box.

2. Click the GIF drop-down arrow to click JPEG.

3. Adjust the saved slices quality by decreasing or increasing
the Quality bar.
4. Click Save. The Save Optimized As dialogue box will appear.
5. Name the slices, and then click Save.

To save slices in PNG format

4. Click Save. The Save Optimized As dialogue box will appear.

5. Name the slice, and then click Save.

PNG files compress images and maintain high-quality data.

1. Under the File menu, click Save for Web. The Save for
Web dialogue box will appear.
2. Click the drop-down arrow next to GIF, and click PNG-8 or
PNG-24.

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Intermediate Photoshop Skills

Summary

In this tutorial, you have learned essential, intermediate Photoshop skills related to Smart Objects, Layer Blend Modes, Layer
Comps, and Slices. To recap, you have learned to:

Convert layers into smart objects

Edit smart objects
Apply layer blend modes
Create layer comps
Update layer comps
Create slices
Name slices
Resize slices
Save slices

You are well on your way to mastering Photoshop! Keep practicing

these skills until they become second nature. For additional tips
and tutorials, check out the following resources:

Adobe.com- Great instructions for learning difficult features

Photoshop.com- Excellent video tutorials for intermediate tasks
Photoshopessentials.com- An endless amount of tutorials
Professor Carrington- A wise soul with abundant knowledge

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