At the heart of any Photoshop file lie channels—storage containers for all your image's color information, saved selections (Saving a Selection), and instructions regarding special printing inks. Channels sound intimidating at first, and folks have been known to shudder at their mention and avoid them completely. But to really understand Photoshop, you need to understand channels. Luckily, you don't need a PhD to do that—just a little patience.

This chapter gets a little technical at times, but if you soldier through, you'll be rewarded with wisdom that'll help you perform some amazing pixel wizardry. You'll get that warm, fuzzy, enlightened feeling as you learn to: