Working with the Document Window

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When you open a new file (File®New), you are opening a document window. Inside the document window is the canvas. The canvas is the area in which you work.

To open a new document:

1. Click File®New

2. In the New Document dialog box, type in the desired height and width of your canvas.

3. The default resolution is 72 dots per inch (dpi), which is appropriate for using on the Web. You can adjust this number if you need to if you are designing for something other than the Web.

4. Choose whether you want a white canvas, a transparent one (depicted by a grid of gray and white squares) or choose a custom color.

5. Click OK when you've filled out all the options.

To modify the canvas after the document window is open:

1. Click Modify®Canvas and choose one of the available options.

   • Image Size adjusts the selected image.

   • Canvas size adjusts the canvas size without changing the size of any of the document's elements.

   • Canvas color allows you to change the canvas color, from white to transparent to a custom value.

   • Trim Canvas is used like a crop, to remove extra space around the content of the document.

   • Fit Canvas adjusts the canvas to fit around all content in the document window, including images that overlap or which are outside the canvas area. The canvas expands or contracts to fit the content.

   • Rotate 180%.

   • Rotate 90% CW (clockwise).

   • Rotate 90% CCW (counterclockwise).

To open and arrange multiple document windows, follow these steps:

1. Open the documents you want to work with.

2. Click Window®Cascade. This option makes it easy to select each image.

3. Click Window®Tile Horizontally if you prefer a horizontal positioning.

4. Click Window®Tile Vertical to line the documents up vertically.

To open a copy of an opened document window, follow these steps:

1. Select the document you want another duplicate window opened for.

2. Use the keyboard shortcut Control+Alt+N (Command+Option+N). A new document opens at the same magnification as the first one. You can zoom in and do detail work and view the results in the overall image in the original document.

3. Close the second document. You'll notice that you aren't asked whether you want to save changes.

4. Click the Preview tab to see how your document will look in a browser. You can also click on 2-Up or 4-Up to compare optimization settings.

Cross-Reference 

You will learn more about comparing optimization settings in Chapter 23.

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