So you’ve gotten your brand new digital camera, and you’re ready to get out and take some pictures. But what’s the next step? Well, getting some form of Adobe® Photoshop (preferably Elements 3, or CS2) is a great step in the right direction. Once you have the program installed, it wouldn’t hurt to pick up a Photoshop Tutorial for it.
The Photoshop Tutorial will help you to understand what the program is capable of, and how you can utilize its tools to their full capacity. What may not be answered, though, is which format it uses and saves in, and what advantages and disadvantages there are to the different file formats.
Photoshop has the ability to open and save several different types of files, but more importantly, you should be aware of why these types of files exist and how to use them to your best advantage. It is vital to know about the different types of files while you learn Photoshop. There are three basic things that concern file format, which will determine how you should save your file: quality of image, layering, and web use.
Quality of the Image:
When you’re taking your photos, you’ll want to use the highest pixel setting possible that your camera provides. For instance, if you have a 5.1 megapixel camera, then you should use that setting to capture your images—the higher the pixilation, the greater the quality. The thing to remember, though, is that the higher the quality, the larger the file. You do have the ability to change the size of the file straight from the camera, and should consult your manual if this is something you’d like to do.
It’s best to take your photos in as a raw image, and then convert to something smaller later, because you’ll have the best ability to manipulate the image when it’s the largest it can be. Once you’ve taken the photo, and imported it onto your computer, it can import as a .jpeg or .jpg, or as a raw image. It’s best to save the raw image, because you’ll lose some of the quality with the .jpg.
Layering:
Once you have the photo in your computer, Read the rest of this entry »