Learn Adobe Photoshop from scratch

The Move Tool

The move tool allows you to move a selection or entire layer by dragging it with your mouse or using your keyboard arrows keys. The move tool is located at the top right of the Photoshop Toolbox. When the move tool is selected, click and drag anywhere in the image.

How to use the zoom tool (Z) in Photoshop

Use the Zoom tool

1. Select the Zoom tool either by clicking it in the Tools Palette on the left side of the screen its icon looks like a magnifying glass or by pressing Z on your keyboard.

2. To zoom in, click on the part of the image you want to see in more detail. Each time you click, you'll zoom in one level closer, until you reach Photoshop's max zoom.

3. To zoom out, click the Zoom Out option in the Tool Options bar at the top of the screen (or bottom if you're using Photoshop Elements), which looks like a magnifying glass with a minus in it, and then click the image again. Remember to switch back to the Zoom In option when you're done.

4. As an alternative way of zooming out, you can press and hold the Alt key (or Option key if you're on a Mac ) on the keyboard when you use the Zoom tool on the image.

Use the mouse scroll wheel

You don't have to select the Zoom tool to change the image's magnification if your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can zoom in and out while using any tool.

1. Place the mouse pointer at the spot in the image where you want to zoom in or out.

2. Press and hold the Alt key on a PC (or Option key if you're on a Mac ) on the keyboard, and then spin the scroll wheel to zoom in or out.

Use the zoom percentage box

This method of zooming is a bit slower, but allows you to get more precise.

1. At the bottom of the Photoshop screen is a small box with a percentage in it. This percentage represents your current zoom level.

2. You can click on the box to edit the percentage by typing in a new zumber. The higher the number, the more zoomed in you are.

THE TRANFORM TOOL

Transform submenu commands

Scale

Enlarges or reduces an item relative to its reference point, the fixed point around which transformations are performed. You can scale horizontally, vertically, or both horizontally and vertically.

Rotate

Turns an item around a reference point. By default, this point is at the center of the object; however, you can move it to another location.

Skew

Slants an item vertically and horizontally.

Distort

Stretches an item in all directions.

Perspective

Applies one‑point perspective to an item.

Warp

Manipulates the shape of an item.

Rotate 180, Rotate 90 CW, Rotate 90 CCW

Rotates the item by the specified number of degrees, either clockwise or counterclockwise.

Flip

Flips the item vertically or horizontally

THE TEXT TOOL IN ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

1. Open a photo or Photoshop document (PSD).

2. From the toolbar, select the Type tool or simply press ‘T’ to quickly select it. The Horizontal Type Tool with which you can add text horizontally is selected by default. If you want to add text vertically, click the Type tool again and select Vertical Type Tool from the context menu.

3. Do you want to add a few words like a heading or title? Click anywhere on the canvas to type it. In Photoshop, this is called point text.

4. The other type of text in Photoshop is called paragraph text. As the name suggests, this is used when you want to type a paragraph. Click and drag the cursor on the canvas to create a bounding box in which you can type your paragraph. This helps you efficiently edit and align the paragraph later.

5. Type your text.