Measuring Tools in Photoshop

Working in Photoshop, we often need to measure distances and angles within a picture as well as to change the color of part of a picture.

In the information palette you'll find transformed red, green, and blue characteristics of the pixels on which the cursor is currently located. In order to choose your color foreground color, you need only select the eyedropper (I) and click on the desired section. If during this process you press Alt, then this color will be set as the background.



For measuring the distance and angles, you can use the coordinate ruler (Ctrl+R) and guides (Ctrl+'); however, this is uncomfortable, imprecise, and time-consuming.

For exact measurements, you can use the Measuring tool (I) and info window (Window>Info). In order to measure the distance between two points, you need to draw a straight line segment using this instrument. Click on the beginning point and drag the cursor to the end point. Once you've accomplished this, release the mouse button. If you aren't satisfied with one of the points of the measured segment, simply drag it to a new place. You can also drag the measured segment to any other place (clicking on any place other than the border points).



In order to measure an angle, you need to press and hold the alt button and then click the first measured line segment and drag it to the second line.



Tip: If you need to rotate the canvas by an angle you have just set, then go to Image > Rotate Canvas > Arbitrary and click OK. Photoshop will take your angle and apply it to rotation, so there's no need to remember different values and then apply them.



All information about the results of your measurements can be viewed in the information palette.

X and Y - coordinates of the beginning points of measurements.
W and H - represent the width and height of project segments between select points.
D - is the distance between points. If you make 2 segments for the measurement of an angle, then you will have 2 distances - D1 and D2.
A - stands for the angle between the created segments. If you draw only one segment, then you will be shown the distance between it and the X axis.
R G B - means red, green, and blue characteristics of pixels above which the eyedropper is currently located.