Graphic Design Adobe Photoshop (Raster Graphics) Syllabus

Adobe Photoshop (Raster Graphics) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Adobe Photoshop (Raster Graphics) in Graphic Design, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Photoshop Interface and Workspace

   3 topics

   • Tools Panel and Options Bar
   • Panels and Workspaces
   • Document Setup and Resolution
2. 2

   Selections and Masking

   4 topics

   • Marquee and Lasso Tools
   • Magic Wand and Quick Selection
   • Select and Mask Workspace
   • Layer Masks and Clipping Masks
3. 3

   Layers and Compositing

   4 topics

   • Layer Types and Organization
   • Blending Modes
   • Layer Styles and Effects
   • Smart Objects
4. 4

   Photo Retouching and Correction

   4 topics

   • Healing and Clone Stamp Tools
   • Dodge, Burn, and Sponge
   • Levels, Curves, and Color Balance
   • Adjustment Layers
5. 5

   Image Manipulation and Effects

   3 topics

   • Transform and Warp
   • Filters and Filter Gallery
   • Content-Aware Fill
6. 6

   Painting and Digital Illustration

   3 topics

   • Brush Settings and Presets
   • Gradients and Patterns
   • Custom Shapes
7. 7

   Exporting and File Formats

   3 topics

   • Save for Web and Export As
   • Raster Formats
   • Image Resolution for Print vs Screen

Adobe Photoshop (Raster Graphics) flashcards for Graphic Design

23 of 50 cards from the Adobe Photoshop (Raster Graphics) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In Photoshop, what is the Tools panel and where is it located by default?

   The Tools panel is the vertical toolbar docked on the left side of the workspace that contains all of Photoshop's tools (selection, painting, retouching, type, navigation, etc.), grouped by function.

2. What is the Options Bar in Photoshop and what does it display?

   The Options Bar is the horizontal bar at the top of the workspace (below the menu bar) that shows context-sensitive settings for the currently active tool, such as brush size, opacity, tolerance, or selection mode. Its contents change whenever you switch tools.

3. How do you access the hidden tools nested under a tool in the Tools panel?

   Click and hold (or right-click) a tool that shows a small triangle in its corner to reveal the flyout menu of nested tools; you can also press Shift + the tool's keyboard shortcut to cycle through the tools in that group.

4. What is a workspace in Photoshop?

   A workspace is a saved arrangement of panels, menus, and toolbars tailored to a task (e.g., Essentials, Photography, Painting, 3D). Custom workspaces can be saved and reset via Window > Workspace.

5. How do you open a panel that is not currently visible in Photoshop?

   Choose it from the Window menu; a check mark indicates the panel is open. Panels can then be docked, grouped into tabs, collapsed to icons, or floated freely.

6. What does 'resolution' mean in a raster image, and in what unit is it measured?

   Resolution is the pixel density of an image — how many pixels fit in a given physical distance — measured in pixels per inch (PPI). Higher PPI means more detail at a given print size.

7. What formula relates pixel dimensions, print size, and resolution?

   $\text{pixel dimension} = \text{print size (inches)} \times \text{resolution (PPI)}$. For example, a 4 in wide print at 300 PPI requires $4 \times 300 = 1200$ pixels of width.

8. What are the standard recommended resolutions for print output versus screen display?

   Print: 300 PPI (high-quality printing). Screen/web: 72 PPI (traditional standard), since monitors display images by pixel dimensions rather than physical resolution.

9. In the Image Size dialog, what is the difference between resizing with Resample on versus off?

   With Resample ON, Photoshop adds or discards pixels, changing the pixel dimensions (and potentially quality). With Resample OFF, pixel data is unchanged; only the print size and PPI trade off against each other.

10. How many tonal levels per channel does an 8-bit image contain, and why?

    An 8-bit image has $2^{8} = 256$ levels per channel (values 0–255). A 16-bit image has $2^{16} = 65{,}536$ levels, allowing smoother gradations and more editing headroom.

11. When setting up a new document, which color mode should you choose for web work versus commercial print work?

    RGB for web/screen (screens emit red, green, and blue light) and CMYK for commercial print (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks).

12. What do the Rectangular and Elliptical Marquee tools do, and which modifier keys constrain and center them?

    They draw rectangular or elliptical selections. Holding Shift constrains the selection to a perfect square or circle; holding Alt (Option on Mac) draws the selection from its center.

13. Compare the three Lasso tools in Photoshop.

    Lasso: draws freehand selections. Polygonal Lasso: creates straight-edged selections by clicking corner points. Magnetic Lasso: snaps the selection border to high-contrast edges automatically as you trace.

14. What does feathering a selection do?

    Feathering softens the selection edge by creating a gradual transition between selected and unselected pixels over a specified pixel radius, avoiding hard cut-out edges.

15. Which modifier keys add to and subtract from an existing selection?

    Hold Shift while dragging to add to a selection; hold Alt (Option on Mac) to subtract from it; hold Shift+Alt to intersect with it. Equivalent buttons appear in the Options Bar.

16. What does the Tolerance setting of the Magic Wand tool control, and what is its range?

    Tolerance (0–255) controls how similar in color/tone pixels must be to the clicked pixel to be selected. Low values select a narrow color range; high values select a broader range.

17. What does the 'Contiguous' option do for the Magic Wand tool?

    When Contiguous is checked, only adjacent (connected) pixels within the tolerance are selected; when unchecked, all matching pixels anywhere in the image are selected.

18. How does the Quick Selection tool differ from the Magic Wand tool?

    Quick Selection is brush-based: you paint over an area and it expands the selection outward by detecting edges automatically. Magic Wand is click-based, selecting pixels by color similarity within a tolerance. Quick Selection is generally better for defined objects; Magic Wand for uniform color areas.

19. What is the Select and Mask workspace used for?

    It is a dedicated workspace for refining selection edges — especially difficult edges like hair, fur, and fuzzy boundaries — with tools such as the Refine Edge Brush and global sliders, before outputting the refined selection or mask.

20. In Select and Mask, what does the Refine Edge Brush do?

    It tells Photoshop to reanalyze the edge zone where you paint (e.g., strands of hair), separating fine foreground detail from the background more precisely than the original selection.

21. Name the four Global Refinements sliders in Select and Mask and what each does.

    Smooth (reduces jagged edges), Feather (softens the edge transition), Contrast (hardens/sharpens the edge), and Shift Edge (moves the selection border inward with negative values or outward with positive values).

22. What Output options does Select and Mask offer?

    Output To: Selection, Layer Mask, New Layer, New Layer with Layer Mask, New Document, or New Document with Layer Mask — the 'Layer Mask' options preserve non-destructive editing.

23. On a layer mask, what do black, white, and gray represent?

    White reveals the layer's pixels, black conceals (hides) them, and gray partially hides them proportionally to its darkness — remembered as 'black conceals, white reveals.'

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