Photoshop Basics Tutorial

Overview

• Goal: Make Photoshop less intimidating.
• Chapters available for skipping sections.
• Practice files downloadable from the description.

What is Photoshop?

• Software for editing and creating images made of pixels.
• Pixels: Small boxes of color that combine to create images.

Getting Started with Photoshop

• Home Screen: Displays recent projects and assets.
• Opening Projects: Can open recent projects or drag and drop images into the workspace.
• Creative Cloud: Access files uploaded to Creative Cloud storage.

Navigating Photoshop

• Home Button: Returns to the home screen.
• Photoshop Icon: Opens the workspace where you edit.
• **Workspace Elements:
  • Tools: e.g., Brush Tool, Selection Tools, Move Tool.
  • Panels: e.g., Layers Panel, Colors Panel.
  • Canvas: Where your work is displayed.

Customizing Workspace

• Reset Workspace: Go to Window > Workspace > Reset Essentials.
• Customize layout according to personal needs (e.g., arrange tools in two rows).
• Saving Workspace: Create a new workspace layout to return to later.

Important Workspace Features

Status Bar

• Displays zoom level and document dimensions.

Menu Bar

• Access controls for creating or modifying files (e.g., File > New, File > Open).

Options Bar

• Displays options related to the selected tool (e.g., brush size for the Brush Tool).

OCS: Open, Create, Save

• Open a File: File > Open or drag and drop.
• Create a New File: File > New or Ctrl/Command + N.
• Save a File: File > Save or Ctrl/Command + S.

File Formats

• Save as PSD for layers or JPEG/PNG for flattened images.
• Save a Copy: Use File > Save a Copy to save in alternative formats.

Tools Overview

Move Tool (Shortcut: V)

• Used for moving layers.
• Options for aligning elements in the canvas.

Brush Tool (Shortcut: B)

• Used for painting and drawing.
• Options available in the options bar to customize brush size and hardness.

Text Tool (Shortcut: T)

• Similar to text editors; allows typing and formatting text.

Zoom Tool

• Navigate zoom levels using Ctrl/Command + Spacebar for zooming in/out.

Panels

• Layers Panel: Shows layers, allows visibility toggling.
• History Panel: Tracks actions and allows undo/redo.

Canvases and Documents

• Open multiple images as tabs or separate windows.
• Adjust canvas background color for better visibility.

Transformations (Shortcut: Ctrl/Command + T)

• Scale, rotate, and flip layers.
• Use of anchor points for resizing elements.

Fun Project Example

• Change backgrounds by dragging and dropping images.
• Remove backgrounds using properties panel features (one-click removal).

Conclusion

• Mastery of Photoshop involves understanding core concepts rather than memorizing steps.
• Curiosity and practice are key to becoming proficient.
• Homework: Experiment with object removal tools.

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to supporters on Patreon for making the content available for free.