Computer Skills World: Graphics design

Photoshop is a raster graphics design and editor software. It is an handy tool for graphics designing and photography.

Getting Started With Photoshop

The best way to quickly build your Photoshop skills is to first study the software environment or interface. This will enable you to get yourself familiar with its tools and other components of the software.

Photoshop Tools

Photoshop has some great tools that you will enjoy using once you get to know their functions.

The various Photoshop tools are described below:

Marquee Tool

This Photoshop tool can be used to make selections that are single row, single column, rectangular or elliptical and the selected can then be edited without affecting the rest of the image.

Lasso Tool

This tool is the freehand version of the marquee tool. It is used to make a custom selection by drawing the selection by freehand.

Shape Tools

Photoshop have different tyoes of shape tools such as polygons, rectangles, rounded rectangles, and ellipses.

Measuring and Navigation Tools

Photoshop tools that fall in this category are: Eyedropper tool, Handtool, and Zoom tool.
The eyedropper tool is use to select a color from an area of an image and samples it for future use.
The zoom tool is use to enlarge the part of an image to have a closer view.
The hand tool is use to pan an image by moving it in any direction.

Pen Tool

This tool creates precise paths that
can be manipulated using anchor points.

Eraser Tool

This Photoshop tool is used to erase content on an active layer.

Moving Tool

This Photoshop tool can be used to highlight a part of an image and manually relocate the selected piece to anywhere on the canvas. It can also be used to drag the entirety of a layer.

Cropping Tool

This Photoshop tool can be used to select a particular area of an image to save that selected portion and discard the portions outside the selection.

Magic Wand Tool

This Photoshop tool selects areas of an image based on pixels of similar values. A single click will select all neighboring pixels of similar value within a pre-set tolerance level.

Clone Stamp Tool

Photoshop Clone Stamp tool is use for duplicating objects or removing a defect in an image. It is use to colour one part of an image over another part of the same image. This same is true for any document or layer.

Selection Tools

Photoshop selection tools are used to select all or part of an image to perform retouching operations on it or copy the image.

Slicing Tool

Photoshop slice tool is used to divide an image into different sections. It is very useful in website design and development where the separate parts of a sliced image can be used as pieces of a web page by applying HTML and CSS to them.

Photoshop File Format

The default file format of Photoshop is PSD (PhotoShop Document). Others are JPG and GIF.

What You can Do with Photoshop

You can use Photoshop in retouching or editing an image (Photography) or in create custom images (Graphics design).

If you want to quickly build your Photoshop skills, you can check out my Photoshop book which is available in Amazon.

Photoshop Fundamental: The
How of Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is good graphic software that you can easily learn and use most especially if you already have a basic knowledge of computer. With Photoshop, you can design graphics, edit pictures, create animation, and do paint work. You can then output your work as a .PSD, JPEG, PDF,or GIF and many other formats.

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CorelDRAW is a graphic design software and hence a desktop publishing application.

Getting Started With CorelDRAW

The first step in learning CorelDRAW like any other computer program is familiarizing yourself with its "User Interface and Tools". You will then need to most importantly, know, practice and use of its various tools. Since it is a graphic design program, the knowledge of colors is a prerequisite. You should also be ready to develop you visual ability.

What You can Do with CorelDRAW

With a good know-how of CorelDRAW program, you can do the following effectively on your own.

Create and design basic graphics or arts.
Create and design advance and complex graphic works.
Perform basic photo editing.
Create book and export it as PDF.
Design any of the following: logo, eBook cover, flyer, letterhead, header or cover image, banner, sticker, business card etc.

CORELDRAW ENVIRONMENT

The main components of CorelDRAW window are: Work space, Window, Dockers, and Pallets.

Work Space

This is the area where you you carry out your project. It is a rectangular space by default, but can be changed when required to letter, envelope etc.

The CorelDRAW Window

You can customize this or any other Toolbar or create additional Toolbars containing tools that you frequently make use of.

Property Bar

This tool bar is dynamic. Property options change depending on what you are working on.
It enables you to access commands that are specific to the current tool or feature you are using in your current project.

Main Tool Box

From the main tool box, you can accessed the main tools you use.

Rulers

The Rulers show the current mouse cursor location as you move in the work area.
With such guide, you can always know where to exactly add objects,apply color, or any other operations.

Color Palette

This Palette by default is located to the
right of the work window. Like the Toolbars, it can also be relocated. You can choose from a preset palette of colors, or use a specific color system such as, Model, Mixer, Pantone Spot Colors.

Status Bar

The is used to give you information about cursor movements or symbol properties such as the fill or size.

Page Navigator

The Page Selector is used to add and move between pages. When a file contains multiple pages, individual page tabs appear to the right of the Page Selector bar. With it, you get direction to go to next page or previous page.

Docker Tabs

These allow you access to effects, styles, colors, and many other features of CorelDRAW. They can be floated or “docked” at the side of the window. When closed, they are accessible through a vertical tab.

CorelDRAW DOCKERS

These are twenty-four functions of CorelDRAW 12 or higher versions of CorelDRAW which are displayed in a dialog window called a Docker. Dockers are placed into the interface or “docked” as ToolBars. They are accessed by clicking on the tabs at the right of the working window. Dockers can also float or be closed so only the tabs show. Dockers replaced Roll-Ups from earlier version of DRAW. To access the Dockers, go to the Windows menu Dockers.
These dockers and their functions are
presented below:

Properties

This displays the characteristics of the object selected including any Web assignments such as links or hot spots. Allows access to the function that changes that characteristic.

Object Manager

This shows the hierarchical structure of objects, layers, and pages within a document including the stacking order of the objects. Allows you to move objects from one layer to another.

Object Data Manager

This sets up a spreadsheet-like document recording information about an object.

View Manager

This allows you to change the view without using the menu or the drop down list on the Standard Toolbar.

Link Manager

This allows you to create HTML links within your documents.

Undo Docker

This lists all the moves you have made so you can reverse them. The default is 99 steps. You can change this to a smaller number if you wish.

Internet Bookmark Manager

This enable you to organizes bookmarks you have assigned within a Web project in CorelDRAW.

Symbol Manager

This allows you to set up libraries of objects you use frequently and convert them to symbols.

Artistic Media

This tool acts as an calligraphy pen, a paint brush or an image sprayer.

Blend

This gives all the controls for the Blend effect.

Contour

This gives all the controls for the Contour effect.

Envelope

This gives all the controls for the Envelope effect

Extrude

This gives all the controls for the Extrude effect

Lens

This gives all the settings for the Lens effect.

Bitmap Color Mask

This CorelPhotoPaint feature allows you to mask all pixels of a certain color in a bitmapped image.

Transformations

Allows access to all the Transform tools, Position, Rotation, Scale & Mirror, Size, and Skew.

Shaping

Allows access to the Weld, Intersect, Trim, Simplfy, Front minus Back, and Back minus Front operations.

Color

This allow you to create custom colors in each color palette.

Color Palette Browser

This lists all color palettes available on the system and allows quick loading and changing of the palettes.

With its know-how, you can do the following: Design Logo, eBook cover page, Flyers, Letterhead, Banner, Cards, create Calendar, create books etc. The samples below are my works done with CorelDRAW: