When you are ready to save your work, click on file > save as...

When choosing a name, if the file is for your own records, give it a name that means something to you. If the file is destined for an exhibition, the filename absolutely must be according to the instructions you will have been given. To the letter. It seems that there are as many variations on this as there are exhibitions. Be careful!!

The format is largely a matter of personal preference, although there are good reasons why you might choose some over others.If you are using Photoshop, the PSD format is a good choice. However, if the fie is destined for an exhibition, select the format option which you will have been instructed to do. This is almost always .jpg, occasionally .tiff. Again, be careful!
(If, when you go to select .jpg as a file format, you cannot see the option to do so in the drop down list of options, click on cancel. Now click on 'image' at the top of the screen, and hover the mouse pointer over 'Mode". A box will open to the side and you will notice towards the bottom of this box, 8, 16, and 32 bits/Channel. Click on 8 bits/Channel. Now proceed through saving again, and this time .jpg will be visible as an option.)

Selecting a location for your file, be it a lone file somewhere, or included in a folder, it's your choice. Make sure you can find the file again any time you want to.

Now click on save.
If you chose PSD as your file format, it will either just get on and save, or (depending on how you have set Photoshop up,) you may get a new box asking if you want to "Maximise PSD and PSB compatibilty". Click OK, and your file will be saved to the location you previously chose.
If you chose jpg as your file format, you will see a box very similar to this one:



In the section called 'image options', start with the slider at the right hand side of it's range. Quality should read '12', with the word 'maximum' to it's right. Now note the file size. In the image above it is 556.9K. If this is within limits imposed by the exhbition in question then fine. If however it exceeds that limit, move the slider slowly left until 'quality' reads 11 and let go. Re-check the file size. Keep moving the slider one number at a time until the filesize is below the limit imposed. (It rarely gets to be exactly right)
Example: I need a file size of maximum 500K. The box above shows it to be 556.9K which is too big. I slide the slider until quality reads 11, and in the box below it now reads 402.3K.



This is much smaller than the imposed limit, but is as near as I can get without going over that limit. It will have to do.

The section at the bottom of the box called 'Format Options' should have 'Baseline("Standard") selected, and is best left that way. Now you can click OK, and your file is saved to the location you chose previously.

Graeme Webb
Dec 2009