Photoshop has a number of tools that give users great control over any creative designing problems that may pop up. The Photoshop toolbox contains selection tools, painting, shape tools, type tools, and tools dedicated to restoring and retouching images. Add to that collection, slicing, sampling, and viewing tools, and you have a total of over 80 different tools.
Unsure what an icon indicates, a panel or dialogue feature or tool does get the information you need from the tooltip? Let the pointer hover on the element in question without clicking the mouse button, and a tip pops up on-screen. (For this to work, Show Tool Tips must be on Photoshop > Preferences > Tools > Show ToolTips)
Some dialogues (such as Edit > Color Settings) have a Description area that contains information about the option your pointer is currently hovering over. Keep an eye on the panel for colour breakdown readouts, document data (e.g. File size, colour profile, dimensions, resolution), and tool hints (ways to use the currently selected tool).
Use the tooltip to learn a tool name or shortcut.