New File, Saving & File Formats

When you need a fresh, completely blank canvas to work on, you can create a new file.

- - To create a new file, choose File > New.
  - Here you will be able to name your file, set up the correct page size and orientation for your document.

Page Size

- - In the Preset dropdown menu you can find such common sizes as letter, legal, tabloid, etc.
  - Typing in exact values for Height and Width gives you more control over the size and orientation of your page.
  - We will be working with PIXELS.

Resolution

- - Resolution is the number of pixels on a printed area of an image.
  - The higher the resolution, the more pixels there are on the page, the better the quality of the image.
  - The standard recommended resolution for printed images is 150-300, for Web images it is 72.

Background Contents

- - Choose the background: white, color or the background color. When you have entered all of your document settings, click Create.

Saving

Use File > Save or File > Save As regularly as you modify an image, so that you do not lose any changes you make should a system crash occur.

Saving for your Portfolio

Use File > Save a Copy to save your image as a .jpg or .png so that you can upload it to your website.

Selecting a File Format Type:

Photoshop Format - .psd

- - - Use this format as you work on your image.
    - This format will save all your Layers and effects.
    - This should be your day to day format.
    - NEGATIVE
      - Large file size.
        Not viewable without Photoshop

JPEG Format - .jpg

- - - Widely used for images on the internet and the standard file format of most digital cameras and phones.
    - Use this format when you are ready to hand in your work or upload it to your website.
    - This format will compress your file to a smaller file size.
    - NEGATIVE
      - Does not save Layer and effect information.
        Will not save transparency information.

PNG Format - .png

- - - Used for images where transparency is important.
    - Use this format when you want to remove the background from a picture.
    - Transparency information is shown as a checkered pattern in Photoshop.

GIF Format - .gif

- - - Graphic Interchange Format
    - GIFs are most common in their animated form.
    - In their more basic form, GIFs are formed from up to 256 colors in the RGB color space. Due to the limited number of colors, the file size is drastically reduced.
    - BEST USES: Web graphics, small icons, animations and simple images.

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