Photoshop CS Timesaving Techniques For Dummies [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Stepping Back with the History Palette

The History palette is Photoshop’s amazingly powerful undo tool. With the History palette you can undo up to 99 previous states. Each state is something that you do that modifies the image, such as using a command or stroking in the image window with a brush.

The History palette records all your modifications and keeps a running list of states. As you perform each edit, Photoshop names the state and labels it with a corresponding icon depending upon the tool or command used.

You can use the History palette to move back any number of edits if you decide that you made a mistake. In addition, the History palette works with the History Brush and Art History Brush, which you can use to selectively restore areas to a prior state. (To find out more about using the History Brush and Art History Brush, turn to Technique 25.)

By default, the History palette is grouped with the Actions palette at the right side of the Photoshop program window. If you don’t see it, choose Window> History to display the palette, shown in Figure 7-4.

Figure 7-4: The History palette records each action you make, allowing you to return to any given point in time.

Reverting to a previous state

When you discover that you’ve done something to an image that you don’t like or didn’t intend, use the History palette to step back in time as far as you need to go.

You can use the History palette in several different ways to revert to a previous state:

Click a previous state on the History palette.

Drag the slider on the left side of the palette up to the desired state.

Choose Step Backward from the History palette menu to move back one history state. Keep selecting this command to move back as many states as you want.

Press Ctrl+Alt+Z/z +Option+Z to move back one history state. Keep pressing this key combination to move back as many states as you need.

Taking snapshots

A snapshot is a special copy of a history state with an important difference. Unlike a history state, which can be deleted (because you reached the maximum number of history states or the palette is cleared), a snapshot remains in the History palette until the image file is closed. When a file is closed, the snapshots are automatically deleted.

You can take a snapshot at any time you need. Creating a snapshot before performing a long series of edits or running an action is always a good idea.

You can select two automatic snapshot settings in the History Options dialog box (see Figure 7-5). To open the dialog box, choose History Options from the History palette menu.

Figure 7-5: Use the History Options dialog box to select snapshot settings.

Here are the two settings:

If Automatically Create First Snapshot is selected, Photoshop automatically takes a snapshot each time an image file is opened. This setting is handy. In case you come to some point of no return (for instance, suppose you clear the History palette by mistake so there’s no way to undo anything), at least you have a snapshot of the image when it’s first opened.

If Automatically Create New Snapshot When Saving is selected, Photoshop automatically makes a snapshot every time you save an image. For me, this setting just doesn’t work out. I hit Ctrl+S/z +S almost unconsciously, so I’d probably end up with 500 snapshots in the course of a morning’s work. Snapshots take up memory, so I leave this option unselected.

It’s time to get down to brass tacks, now. Taking a snapshot is quite easy; just click the Create Snapshot button at the bottom of the History palette. The new snapshot appears at the top of the History palette with a default name (something imaginative such as “Snapshot 1”). You can rename the snapshot by clicking the snapshot’s name, typing a new name, and then pressing Enter/Return.

If you find that you need to revert to the state that you captured when you took the snapshot, click the snapshot in the History palette. The image instantly returns to that history state.