Photoshop Introduction Lecture Notes

Overview

• Goal: By the end of the video, Photoshop will seem less intimidating.
• Promise: Money-back guarantee if it still feels intimidating.
• Practice Files: Download available in the description.

What is Photoshop?

• A program to edit and create images made up of pixels.
• Pixels: Small boxes of color that together form an image.

Getting Started with Photoshop

• Home Screen: Shows recent projects and assets.
  • Similar to home screens on phones or infotainment systems.
• Opening Projects: Example of color grading project shown.
• Creative Cloud Storage: Access files uploaded to Creative Cloud.

Navigating the Workspace

• Switching Views: Click the home button or Photoshop icon to toggle between home screen and workspace.
• Workspace Layout: Three main components to remember:
  1. Tools: Tools for editing (e.g., brush tool, selection tools).
  2. Panels: Control different functions (e.g., layers panel, colors panel).
  3. Canvas: Where the work is done.

Customizing Your Workspace

• Reset Essentials: If workspace looks different, go to Window > Workspace > Reset Essentials.
• Personal Workspace: Customize tools and panels to fit personal workflow.
• Saving Workspace: Save a customized workspace via Window > Workspace > New Workspace.

Key Elements in the Workspace

• Status Bar: Displays image status (zoom level, dimensions, layer count).
• Menu Bar: Access all functions (e.g., File, Edit, Filter).
• Options Bar: Shows tool-specific options based on selected tool.

Basic Functions - OCS (Open, Create, Save)

• Opening Files: File > Open or drag and drop files into Photoshop.
• Creating New Files: File > New or shortcut Ctrl+N (Mac: Command+N).
• Saving Files: File > Save or shortcut Ctrl+S (Mac: Command+S).
  • Save As: Use File > Save As to create a copy.
  • Save a Copy: Use File > Save a Copy to save in different formats (e.g., JPEG, PNG).

Essential Tools

1. Move Tool (Shortcut: V): Move selected layers.
   • Auto Select: Turn on/off for selecting layers quickly.
2. Brush Tool (Shortcut: B): Paint on the canvas.
   • Can change brush size using the bracket keys.
3. Text Tool (Shortcut: T): Create text layers.
4. Zoom Tool: Zoom in/out using shortcuts.
   • Use Ctrl + Space (Mac: Command + Space) to zoom quickly.

Working with Layers

• Layers Panel: Displays all layers and enables stacking.
  • Opacity: Adjusting the layer's transparency.
  • History Panel: Tracks actions and allows undo/redo.
  • Shortcuts for undo: Ctrl + Z (Mac: Command + Z), redo: Ctrl + Shift + Z (Mac: Command + Shift + Z).

Transforming Objects

• Transform Shortcut: Ctrl + T (Mac: Command + T) to scale, rotate, or flip objects.
  • Anchor Points: Control resizing behavior.

Fun Project Example: Changing Backgrounds

1. Remove Background: Using properties panel to remove background.
2. Add New Background: Drag and drop new background layer.
3. Blur Background: Apply Gaussian blur to match focus.
4. Smudge Tool: Use to refine edges of the subject.

Conclusion

• Mastering Photoshop involves understanding concepts and curiosity.
• Homework: Experiment with the object selection tool to remove objects from photos.
• Support: Thank you to all supporters on Patreon.

What’s Next?

• Stay tuned for the next lesson and keep creating!