Welcome to Day 2 of your Photoshop learning journey! Today, we’re going to focus on the basic tools and how to use them. These tools are essential for editing images, making selections, and moving objects around. By the end of today’s lesson, you’ll understand how to use the Move Tool, Marquee Tool, and Lasso Tools. We’ll also introduce rulers, grids, and guides, which help keep everything lined up neatly.
Once you’re comfortable with these tools, you’ll get an easy assignment that allows you to practice what you’ve learned. Let’s dive in!
1. Basic Tools and Functions in Photoshop
Photoshop has many tools, but some are used more often than others. These tools will help you select parts of an image, move objects, and make edits.
a. Move Tool
The Move Tool is one of the simplest but most useful tools. It allows you to move things around on your canvas, like images, text, or shapes.
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How to Use:
- Click the Move Tool (it looks like an arrow) in the Toolbar on the left.
- Click on anything in your canvas (like a picture or a layer) and drag it to move it around.
The Move Tool is often used with layers, so make sure you’ve selected the right layer before moving things.
b. Marquee Tool
The Marquee Tool is used to select rectangular or circular areas of an image. Think of it as a way to grab a part of your image that you want to work on separately.
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How to Use:
- Click the Marquee Tool (it looks like a rectangle or oval) in the Toolbar.
- Click and drag your mouse to draw a rectangle or oval around the part of the image you want to select.
- Once selected, you can move, copy, or edit just that part of the image.
There are different types of Marquee Tools:
- Rectangular Marquee: Selects a square or rectangle.
- Elliptical Marquee: Selects a circle or oval.
c. Lasso Tools
The Lasso Tool allows you to draw freehand selections around any part of an image. It’s useful for selecting odd shapes or precise areas.
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How to Use:
- Click the Lasso Tool (it looks like a lasso) in the Toolbar.
- Click and drag your mouse around the part of the image you want to select.
- Release the mouse to complete the selection.
There are three types of Lasso Tools:
- Lasso Tool: Freehand selections, great for rough outlines.
- Polygonal Lasso Tool: Makes straight-edged selections. Click to create points, and Photoshop will connect them with straight lines.
- Magnetic Lasso Tool: Automatically snaps to the edges of objects as you move the mouse.
2. Understanding Rulers, Grids, and Guides
When you’re designing or editing in Photoshop, it’s important to line things up neatly. That’s where rulers, grids, and guides come in. They help you measure and position objects precisely.
a. Rulers
Rulers are horizontal and vertical lines that help you measure and align objects in your canvas.
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How to Show Rulers:
- Go to View > Rulers or press Ctrl + R (Cmd + R on Mac).
- Rulers will appear along the top and left sides of the canvas.
b. Grids
Grids are a series of horizontal and vertical lines that cover your entire canvas. They don’t appear when you save your image, but they help you align objects during editing.
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How to Show Grids:
- Go to View > Show > Grid or press **Ctrl + ‘ ** (Cmd + ‘ on Mac).
- The grid will now appear on your canvas, helping you align objects.
c. Guides
Guides are custom lines you can drag from the rulers to any point on your canvas. They’re great for aligning images, text, or shapes precisely.
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How to Create a Guide:
- Click on the Ruler (either from the top or left side) and drag a line onto your canvas.
- Let go of the mouse when the guide is where you want it.
You can place multiple guides and snap your objects to them, ensuring everything is perfectly aligned.
3. Assignment: Use Basic Tools to Make Simple Selections
Now that you’ve learned about the basic tools, let’s put them into practice! Follow the steps below to complete your assignment for Day 2.
Step 1: Open an Image
- Open Photoshop and click File > Open.
- Choose an image from your computer to practice on (any image will work for this assignment).
Step 2: Use the Marquee Tool
- Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the Toolbar.
- Click and drag to create a rectangle around part of the image (for example, select a person’s face or an object in the picture).
- Once the area is selected, try moving it with the Move Tool by clicking and dragging inside the selected area.
- Press Ctrl + D (Cmd + D on Mac) to deselect the area when you’re done.
Step 3: Use the Lasso Tool
- Select the Lasso Tool from the Toolbar.
- Click and drag around a specific part of the image that you want to select.
- Once selected, move or edit the selection using the Move Tool or other tools like the Brush Tool.
- If you make a mistake, press Ctrl + Z (Cmd + Z on Mac) to undo it.
Step 4: Use Rulers and Guides
- Turn on the Rulers by pressing Ctrl + R (Cmd + R on Mac).
- Drag guides from the rulers onto your canvas. Try placing one horizontally and one vertically.
- Move an object or selection and snap it to the guides.
Step 5: Save Your Work
- When you’re finished, save your file.
- Go to File > Save As.
- Choose PSD format to keep the layers and selections for later editing.
- You can also save as JPEG or PNG if you want to share or upload your image online.
Great job! On Day 2, you’ve learned how to use some of the most important tools in Photoshop, including the Move Tool, Marquee Tool, and Lasso Tools. You also learned how to use rulers, grids, and guides to keep your work neat and organized.
The assignment gave you hands-on experience, and now you’re starting to feel more confident using these tools. Continue practicing, and soon enough, you’ll be selecting, moving, and aligning objects with ease!
Next, we’ll dive deeper into more advanced tools and techniques to help you take your Photoshop skills to the next level. Keep practicing, and we’ll see you on Day 3 Where we learn about the layers in photoshop! Also, if you didn’t see or learn the first chapter of photoshop then you should read first our previous article Basics of photoshop for Beginners Day 1.
