Understanding Photoshop Tools

Pencil Tool: Shortcut is Letter (B), use to only make hard-edged brush strokes

Color Replacement Tool: Shortcut is Letter (B), an amazing tool use for changing the color of an image without the use of blend mode. To apply, select your desired foreground color and paint on the image.

Mixer Brush Tool: Shortcut is Letter (B), simulate real painting techniques by blending colors together. To apply, change the foreground color or hold the (ALT) key to sample any area on your image.

Clone Stamp Tool: Shortcut is Letter (S), use to duplicate objects, remove image imperfections, or paint over objects in your photo. You can also clone part of an image to another image. To use it, hold the (ALT) key to sample part of the image and paint on any away you wish to paint.

Pattern Stamp Tool: Shortcut is Letter (S), use for painting patterns on an image. To apply, select your desired pattern from the option bar, then paint.

History Brush Tool: Shortcut is Letter (Y), use to restore an image to it earlier state.

Art History Brush Tool: Shortcut is Letter (Y), an amazing tool use to turn an image into an art (painted image). To apply, drag in your desired image into Photoshop, then paint over it.

Eraser Tool: Shortcut is Letter (E), use to erase brush strokes or part of an image.

Background Eraser Tool: Shortcut is Letter (E), use to erase areas in an image with similar colors by taking sample with the (ALT) key. Best use for cutting out background around hair or hairy subject.

Magic Eraser Tool: Shortcut is Letter (E), use to erase areas in an image with similar color with a single click.

Gradient Tool: Shortcut is Letter (G), use to create smooth blend between colors.

Paint Bucket Tool: Shortcut is Letter (G), use to fill areas of similar color with the foreground color or pattern, by changing "Foreground" to "Pattern" on the option bar.

Blur Tool: Use to softens hard edges or areas in an image.

Sharpen Tool: Use to sharpen soft edge in an image.

Smudge Tool: Simulates the action of dragging a finger through wet paint. The tool picks up color where the stroke begins and pushes it.

Dodge Tool: Shortcut is Letter (O),  use to lighten areas of an image or rather add highlights to an image. 

Burn Tool: Shortcut is Letter (O), use to darkens areas in an image or rather, add shadows to an image.

Sponge Tool: Shortcut is Letter (O), use to decrease saturation in areas of an image by painting on it.

Pen Tool: Shortcut is Letter (P), use to make shapes with anchor point. in old times, it was used by artists to cut out subject from background and it still used by some artist to make a perfect selection of subject.

Freeform Pen Tool: Shortcut is Letter (P), use to make path or shapes freely (like using your pen to draw).

Curvature Pen Tool: Shortcut is Letter (P), use to make curve path or shape and for changing straight path into curve with a click. To apply, select the path or shape by holding (CTRL) key and click on it, hold the (ALT) key  and click on the anchor point.

Convert Point Tool: Use to edit shapes or path created with the pen tool.

Horizontal Type Tool: Shortcut is Letter (T), use to add horizontal text to your  image

Vertical Type Tool: Shortcut is Letter (T), use to add vertical text to your image.

Path Selection Tool: Shortcut is Letter (A), use to select and move shape or path.

Direct Selection Tool: Shortcut is Letter (A), use to select and edit shape or paths points and handles.

Rectangle Tool: Shortcut is Letter (U), use to create rectangle or square shape by holding the (SHIFT and ALT) key when drawing.

Ellipse Tool: Shortcut is Letter (U), use to create circle

Polygon Tool: Shortcut is Letter (U), use to create polygons with any number of sides you desire. it can also be use to create a star shape by clicking on the gear icon on the option bar, then reducing the star ratio  below 60%

Custom Shape Tool: Shortcut is Letter (U), an amazing tool that contains already draw vectors, such as trees, animals and lots more.

Hand Tool: Shortcut is Letter (H), use to pan over different parts of an image, without needing to zoom out and zoom in. 

Rotate Tool: Shortcut is Letter (R)), use to rotate the workspace(image) without the need to transform the image.

Zoom Tool: Shortcut is Letter (Z), use to zoom in and out of an image.

There are few tools i didn't explain, like the triangle tool, line tool, add anchor point tool, and some others, the reason is because they are self explanatory, looking at their names will tell you already what they are used for. 

check out part 1 of this course here

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