Photoshop® CS4 All-in-One For Dummies®

Chapter 4. Time Travel — Undoing in Photoshop

In This Chapter

• Undoing and redoing

• Reverting to the state you last saved

• Exploring the History panel

• Viewing an image's states

• Looking at the History options

• Taking snapshots

• Erasing with the Erase to History option

• Brushing back in time with the History Brush tool

When Thomas Wolfe said, "You can't go home again," he wasn't talking about Photoshop. If you change your mind about something you do and want to return to your starting place (or any point in between), Photoshop is very forgiving. My favorite image editor offers many different ways to reverse actions, undo what you did, reapply effects you've cancelled, and generally change your mind as often as a new apartment owner deciding where to put the couch.

This chapter helps you master Photoshop's powerful time-traveling features, including the Undo command, the History panel, and tools such as the Art History Brush and the Eraser.

Undoing What's Done with the Undo Command

Your first stop in your journey through time is the Undo/Redo command. This command simply reverses the last action you took or reapplies that action if you just undid it. For example, if you apply a brush stroke that you don't like, use Undo to remove that stroke. Then, if you immediately change your mind, you can redo it by using the command again.

To undo your last action, choose Edit

Tip

Press the Undo/Redo shortcut keys rapidly ...