10 min read

Glossary

Look up any term from this course. Each entry links back to the lesson that taught it.

Glossary of course terms
Term	Definition	Lesson
Adjustment layer	$A special layer that applies a colour or tone change (such as Brightness/Contrast or Hue/Saturation) to the layers below it, without permanently changing their pixels.$	Adjustment Layers
Clipping mask	$A layer that shows only where the layer directly below it has content — e.g. a photo showing only inside text.$	Text Effects with Layer Styles
Copyright	$The legal right of a creator to control the use of their work; images need permission or a licence to be reused.$	Using Images Legally
Export As	$File \to Export \to Export As: saves a flattened copy (JPG, PNG, GIF, SVG) without changing the PSD.$	Saving, Exporting and Submitting
Free Transform	$Edit \to Free Transform (Ctrl + T): scale, rotate and reshape a layer.$	Move and Free Transform
Guides	$Non-printing lines used to align elements, e.g. for trim and safe-area margins.$	New Document Settings
Layer	$A separate transparent sheet in a Photoshop document that holds one part of the design — an image, text, shape or adjustment — and can be edited independently.$	Layers and Layer Groups
Layer mask	$A greyscale image attached to a layer that controls which parts of the layer are visible: white areas show, black areas are hidden, and grey areas are partly transparent.$	Layer Masks
Layer style	$A set of editable effects — such as Drop Shadow, Stroke or Gradient Overlay — applied to a whole layer, which can be changed or removed at any time.$	Text Effects with Layer Styles
Options bar	$The strip below the menus showing settings for the currently selected tool.$	The Workspace
Select Subject	$A Photoshop command that automatically selects the main person or object in a photo.$	Selection Tools
Selection	$An area marked with 'marching ants' that limits where edits apply.$	Selection Tools
Shape layer	$A vector layer drawn with the shape tools that stays sharp at any size.$	Shapes and Decorative Graphics
Smart Object	$A layer that contains image data (a photo, a vector logo or even another PSD) in its original form, so it can be scaled, rotated and transformed without permanently losing quality.$	Opening, Placing and Importing Images
Type layer	$An editable text layer created with the Type tool.$	The Type Tool