Chapter 3: The Nature of the Beast

Overview

In order for Photoshop to maintain its position as the grand kahuna of all image-editing software, it needs frequent upgrades. Adobe s new release of Photoshop, currently in its eighth iteration, coincides with cutting-edge advances in digital photography and Web authoring. I think you ll find that there are several new whistles and bells that make the upgrade worthwhile (refer to Chapter 2, What s new in Photoshop CS for the full list).

Photoshop CS runs seamlessly on Mac OS X and Windows XP. It no longer runs on Mac OS 9 or Windows 98 or earlier. However, all the components of Photoshop 7 remain intact; the upgrade has either added to or improved those features. Users who were comfortable in 7 will feel even more at home in CS.

But Photoshop is not a soft and fuzzy program. It s big, it s powerful, and it will do almost anything for you if you ask it nicely . Before you jump into the world of Photoshop headfirst, you should understand its temperament. In this chapter, you ll learn about:

• The anatomy of a digital image: vector and raster images

• Color channels

• Working wisely in Photoshop

• Opening, saving, and duplicating documents

• File formats and compatibility