Part 1. Getting Started with Photoshop

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1. Welcome to Photoshop and ImageReady

2. How to Use the Toolbox

3. How to Use the Menu Bars

4. How to Use Photoshop and ImageReady Palettes

5. How to Use the Photoshop Color Picker

6. How to Select a Color

7. How to Use Rulers, Grids, and Guides

8. How to Specify Photoshop Color Models

9. How to Set Photoshop Preferences

10. How to Set ImageReady Preferences

Most people look at Photoshop as a program that has many levels of complexity. They say things such as "I probably don't use 10 percent of the program," or "I just use it to open my digital camera images." Although it's true that Photoshop has a deep level of complexity, it's also true that the program is easy for the beginner to use. This is one of the features that has made Photoshop so popular: It's easy to jump in and get started and, as your needs grow, the program grows right along with you.

The first step in getting started is to set up Photoshop to work the way you want it to work. How do you set the preferences? What about customizing the desktop or setting ruler increments? You should consider a few customizable features, as well as specific tools built into the program that can come in handy with just about any file on which you might be working.

Because Adobe is shipping ImageReady along with Photoshop 7, you also should consider how to optimize ImageReady for the way you work and familiarize yourself with how ImageReady integrates with Photoshop.