Making selections in a vector drawing is really easy. This is because they consist of discrete objects each of which can be selected and manipulated independently of the rest of the drawing. By contrast, bitmapped image is one continuous whole consisting of a matrix of pixels. Making selections in a bitmapped image is therefore much more complex and difficult than simply clicking on an object as you would do in a vector drawing. In fact, selections are such a big deal in Photoshop that there is a whole menu dedicated to selection options and techniques: the Select menu.

Having made a selection, you have the option of saving it so that you can reload it at a later date. If the selection has sharp edges, you will probably save it as a vector path. In the Paths panel (Window – Paths), choose Make WorkPath from the panel menu. If you may want the selection to contain feathering and other soft edge effects, you are best to save it as an alpha channel. To do this, simply choose Save Selection from the Select menu.

There can be many reasons why one may need to make selections in an image. Perhaps we want to cut out a product or person and place them on a different background. Perhaps we want to blur part of an image to add emphasis to the remainder.

Photoshop recognises the selection itself as a separate element which can be manipulated independently of the pixels it includes. Selections almost make you forget the absence of objects within bitmapped images. Once part of an image is selected, it can be targeted and manipulated in such a way that the pixels inside the selection can almost be treated as an object.

Making selections is often a painstaking operation; and so Photoshop allows you to build selections gradually and contains a number of sophisticated tools for modifying them. One of the simplest techniques is to add to or subtract from an existing selection. This can be done either by using modifier keys (hold down Shift to add or Alt to subtract) or by clicking on icons to enter Add or Subtract mode. Any selection made using one of these methods will take into account the pixels that are already selected.

Having mastered these basic techniques, you will find that selections become less like hard work. Photoshop is extremely consistent in the use of modifiers, so it doesn’t matter which selection tool you are using, the same techniques are always used for adding to and subtracting from a selection.

Adobe Photoshop’s native file format is “.psd”. This is the only format which supports all of Photoshop’s features: layers, layer masks, layer comps, etc. If you have used these features in creating your final artwork, it is always a good idea to retain the “.psd” version and use File – Save As to export your work in any other format.

When exporting images from Photoshop, you will normally either be targeting print or web graphics. Print graphics are saved in the CMYK colour space while web graphics remain in Photoshop’s native colour space: RGB. With print graphics the focus is on quality, while the main talent of web graphics formats is file compression.

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) and the CMYK colour space are the standard when exporting work for print. Although the TIFF format is capable of preserving layers, best practice is to make sure that you flatten the image by choosing Layers – Flatten Image before exporting. EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) is another option for exporting files for print. However, this option is now normally reserved for files that contain one or more spot colours.

GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) and JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) are the two main formats used for exporting web graphics. The GIF format compresses files by reducing the number of colours in an image. This makes the format ideal for exporting images that contain flat colour such as logos, charts and symbols. If photographs or images containing smooth transitions of colour are saved in GIF format, posterization and banding will normally occur. This is where, instead of seeing all the colours that were in the image, we see simplified clumps or bands of colour.

The JPEG format reduces file size by dividing the image into blocks of 8 x 8 pixels and locating redundant information within these blocks and rewriting the information in a simplified manner which requires less data storage. The fact that the human eye does not detect slight changes in colour means that pixels which have very similar colour values can be treated as being identical. When saving an image in the JPEG format, Photoshop allows you to specify the degree of compression. Naturally, there is always some loss of quality, so it is never a good idea to open a JPEG, make changes to it and then resave it. It is always better to fall back on the original PSD file if changes need to be made.

An InDesign master page resembles a slide master in Microsoft PowerPoint, acting as a blueprint for the creation of document pages. Any content placed on a master page will also appear on all document pages based on that master. Master pages will typically feature headers, footers, page numbers and corporate graphics. Additionally, any guides placed on a master will be inherited by associated document pages. The two key benefits of using master pages are, firstly, that this saves you the trouble of recreating the same elements on several pages and, secondly, that they offer a mechanism for modifying and updating several document pages. Each time you make changes to a master, all document pages based on that master will also be updated.

You can create multiple master pages within the same document and you can also nest master pages by basing a new master page on an existing master. Even if you do not make use of master pages, every InDesign already contains a default master named “A-Master”. For documents with only a few pages or a single page, you will probably simply ignore the default master. However, for documents with more than a few pages, it is probably worth considering the use of master pages.

If the layout of your document is the same througout, then any master items you may need can probably be placed on the default master. To edit the default master, double-click its icon in the Pages panel (Window – Pages). Create the items you wish to appear on all pages, for example, a title at the top of the page and a page number at the bottom.

Editing the master page is no different from editing a normal page; so, to enter text, you must create a text frame. To insert a page number, position the cursor where you want the page number to be displayed and choose Type – Insert Special Character – Markers – Current Page Number. While editing the master, the letter of the master (“A” in the case of the default master) will be displayed in place of a page number. However, when you return to the document pages, the correct page number will appear on each page.

Each time you create an InDesign document, you have the option of activating “Facing Pages”. If you choose to leave this option inactive, you will find that the default master consists of a single page. This means that you cannot format left pages differently to right pages and, typically, you use this option when you plan to print only on one side of the paper. If you activate the “Facing Pages” option, your default master page will consist of two pages: one for formatting left-hand pages and one for formatting right-hand pages.

Author is a developer and trainer with a UK IT training company offering Adobe InDesign Classes as well as Illustrator training in London and throughout the UK.