Photoshop Terms

Front 1

Contains a record of each action performed during a Photoshop session. Up to 1000 levels of Undo are available (20 levels by default).

Back 1

History Panel

Front 2

A section within an image on which objects can be stored and individual effects can be isolated and manipulated without affecting the rest of the image.

Back 2

Layer

Front 3

Displays all the individual layers within an active image. You can use it to create,delete, merge, copy, or re-position layers.

Back 3

Layers panel

Front 4

Direction an image appears on the page, either portrait or landscape.

Back 4

Orientation

Front 5

Affects the layer’s underlying pixels or base color. Used to darken or lighten colors,depending on the colors in use.

Back 5

Blending mode

Front 6

To exclude part of an image. It hides areas of an image without losing resolution quality.

Back 6

Crop

Front 7

Merges all visible layers into a single Background layer and discards all hidden layers.

Back 7

Flattening

Front 8

An organizing tool you use to associate layers on the Layers panel.

Back 8

Layer group

Front 9

Contains a miniature picture of the layer’s content, and appears to the left of the layer name on the Layers panel.

Back 9

Layer thumbnail

Front 10

A series of dotted lines indicating a selected area that can be edited or dragged into another image. (dancing ants)

Back 10

Marquee

Front 11

Combining multiple image layers into a single layer.

Back 11

Merging

Front 12

Determines the percentage of transparency.

Back 12

Opacity

Front 13

Turned into a bitmapped image layer.

Back 13

Rasterized

Front 14

An area in an image that is surrounded by a selection marquee and can then be manipulated.

Back 14

Selection

Front 15

Horizontal and vertical lines that you create to help you align objects

Back 15

Guides

Front 16

Small boxes that appear along the perimeter of a selected object and are used to change the size of an image.

Back 16

Handles

Front 17

A feature that lets you protect or modify a particular area

Back 17

Mask

Front 18

A geometric arrangement of different color dots on a rectangular grid.

Back 18

Bitmap

Front 19

A feature that lets you choose a color from a color spectrum or numerically define a custom color.

Back 19

Color Picker

Front 20

Effects which can be applied to a type or image layer.

Back 20

Layer styles

Front 21

Small square handles, similar to fastening points, that connect straight or curved line segments.

Back 21

Anchor points

Front 22

A rectangle with handles that appears around an object or type and can be used to change dimensions, also called a transform controls box.

Back 22

Bounding box

Front 23

Used to select and manipulate individual anchor points and segments to reshape a path.

Back 23

Direct Selection tool

Front 24

Used to select an entire path.

Back 24

Path Selection tool

Front 25

Lets you draw a path by placing anchor points along the edge of another image, or wherever you need them, to draw a specific shape.

Back 25

Pen tool

Front 26

A vector object that keeps its crisp appearance when it is resized and, like a path, can be edited.

Back 26

Shape

Front 27

A special layer that acts as a color filter for a single layer or for all the layers beneath it.

Back 27

Adjustment layer

Front 28

A group of two or more contiguous layers that are linked for the purpose of masking.

Back 28

Clipping mask

Front 29

Can cover an entire layer or specific areas within a layer. When a layer contains a mask, an additional thumbnail appears on the Layers panel.

Back 29

Layer mask

Front 30

Allows you to come back and either restore the pixels to their former state, or continue editing.

Back 30

Non-destructive editing

Front 31

Change the shape, size, perspective, or rotation of an object or objects on a layer.

Back 31

Transform

Front 32

A situation in which one color dominates an image to an unrealistic or undesirable degree, such as the yellowing of a photograph.

Back 32

Color cast

Front 33

Located at the top of the workspace and displays the settings for the active tool.

Back 33

Options bar

Front 34

Floating windows that can be moved and are used to modify objects.

Back 34

Panels

Front 35

Very small squares that make up an image; each dot in a bitmapped image that represents a color or shade.

Back 35

Pixels

Front 36

The entire window, from the Application bar at the top of the window, to the status bar at the bottom border of the program window.

Back 36

Workspace

Front 37

The area located at the bottom of the program window (Win) or the work area (Mac)that displays information such as the file size of the active window and a description of the active tool.

Back 37

Status bar

Front 38

Used to control the Photoshop environment using your specifications.

Back 38

Preferences

Front 39

A collection of panels or buttons below a dark gray bar.

Back 39

Dock