Mastering Adobe Photoshop: A Complete Beginner’s Tutorial for Photoshop Basics

Working with text and graphics

This section will guide you through the process of working with text and graphics. By mastering these techniques, you’ll be able to create visually appealing designs that effectively communicate your message.

Typographic Tricks: Adding and Manipulating Text in Designs

Adding text to a photo in Photoshop is a straightforward process. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

• Open Your Photo: Start by opening the photo you want to add text to in Photoshop.
• Select the Text Tool: Click on the “T” icon in the toolbar, or press the “T” key to select the Text Tool.
• Create a Text Layer: Click anywhere on your photo where you want to add text. This will create a new text layer in the Layers panel.
• Type Your Text: Start typing the text you want to add. You can adjust the font, size, and colour of your text using the options in the toolbar at the top of the screen.
• Resize and Position: Use the Move Tool (V) to resize and reposition your text layer as needed. Click and drag the text to move it to the desired location on your photo.
• Edit Text Properties: To further customize your text, you can double-click on the text layer in the Layers panel to open the Text Layer options. Here, you can adjust properties such as font, size, colour, alignment, and more.
• Apply Layer Styles (Optional): You can add layer styles such as drop shadows, strokes, or gradients to your text to make it stand out more. To do this, right-click on the text layer in the Layers panel and choose “Blending Options.”.
• Rasterize the Text (Optional): If you want to apply further edits or effects to the text, you may need to rasterize the text layer. Right-click on the text layer in the Layers panel and select “Rasterize Type”.
• Save Your Work: Once you’re satisfied with the text placement and style, save your edited photo in the desired file format.

Graphic Mastery: Combining Photos and Graphics Creatively

Here are the steps for combining photos and graphics in Photoshop:

• Select Your Photos and Graphics: Start by selecting the photos and graphics you want to combine into your composition.
• Use Selection Tools: Utilize selection tools such as the Marquee or Lasso tool to isolate specific areas or objects within your photos and graphics.
• Copy and Paste: Once you’ve made your selections, use the Copy and Paste commands to bring them into your main composition in Photoshop.
• Arrange Elements: Arrange and position your elements within your composition to achieve the desired layout.
• Experiment with Blending Modes: Experiment with blending modes available in the Layers panel to seamlessly merge your elements together. Adjust the layer opacity as needed to achieve the desired effect.
• Apply Layer Masks: Apply layer masks to refine the visibility of different elements and create smooth transitions between them. Use brushes to paint on layer masks to hide or reveal parts of your elements.
• Explore Blending Techniques: Think creatively and explore various blending techniques. Try overlaying graphics on top of photos, creating text overlays with transparent backgrounds, or adding special effects to enhance your design.
• Refine and Adjust: Fine-tune your composition by making adjustments to layer properties, blending modes, and layer masks until you’re satisfied with the result.
• Save Your Work: Once you’ve finished combining photos and graphics and are happy with the final result, save your Photoshop document in the desired file format.

Image adjustments and photo enhancements

This section focuses on image adjustments and photo enhancements in Adobe Photoshop, allowing you to take your photos to the next level. By mastering these techniques, you can fix and enhance the colours of your images through colour correction and remove blemishes and imperfections using retouching basics.

Colour Correction: Fixing and Enhancing Image Colours

Colour correction is a crucial step in achieving the desired look for your photos. With Adobe Photoshop, you have the power to fix and enhance the colours to make your images truly stand out. The colour correction tools and techniques available in Photoshop provide precise control over hue, saturation, and brightness, allowing you to adjust individual colours or the overall colour balance of your photo.

Using Photoshop in a non-destructive manner allows you to make edits to your images without permanently altering the original image data. Here are the instructions for a non-destructive workflow in Photoshop:

• Open Your Image: Start by opening the image you want to work on in Photoshop.
• Create Adjustment Layers: Instead of directly applying adjustments to the image layer, use Adjustment Layers for non-destructive editing. To create an adjustment layer, go to the “Layer” menu, select “New Adjustment Layer,” and choose the type of adjustment you want to apply, such as levels, curves, hue/saturation, etc.
• Adjustment Layer Properties: After creating an adjustment layer, you can adjust its properties by double-clicking on the adjustment layer icon in the Layers panel. This opens up the Properties dialogue box, where you can fine-tune the adjustment settings.
• Layer Masks: Use layer masks to selectively apply adjustments to specific parts of the image. To add a layer mask, click on the Adjustment Layer, and then click the “Add Layer Mask” icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Use the Brush Tool (B) with black or white colour to paint on the Layer Mask to hide or reveal adjustments as needed.
• Smart Objects: Convert image layers or adjustment layers into smart objects to preserve the original image data and allow for non-destructive transformations and filtering. Right-click on the layer and select “Convert to Smart Object.”
• Smart Filters: Apply filters as smart filters to maintain the flexibility of editing. Convert the layer to a Smart Object, then go to the “Filter” menu and choose the filter you want to apply. Smart Filters appear below the Smart Object layer in the Layers panel, and you can double-click on them to adjust their settings.
• Layer Styles: Apply Layer Styles such as Drop Shadow, Inner Glow, and Gradient Overlay in a non-destructive manner. Right-click on the layer and select “Blending Options” to access Layer Styles. Any adjustments made here are non-destructive and can be edited at any time.
• Save Your Work: Save your Photoshop document (.PSD) to preserve all the layers, adjustment layers, smart objects, and other non-destructive elements. This allows you to go back and make changes later, if needed.

By following these instructions, you can work non-destructively in Photoshop, allowing for greater flexibility and control over your editing process while preserving the original image data.

Enhancing image colour goes beyond fixing issues. It involves boosting the visual impact of your photos by making the colours more vibrant and eye-catching. With tools like Vibrance and Saturation, you can selectively enhance colours while preserving skin tones and avoiding colour clipping. By making careful adjustments to these tools, you can make your photos come alive and evoke the desired mood and atmosphere.

Retouching Basics: Removing Blemishes and Imperfections

Retouching allows you to remove blemishes and imperfections from your photos, giving them a polished and professional look. Photoshop provides a range of retouching tools and techniques to help you achieve flawless results.

Here are the steps for using retouching tools in Photoshop:

Healing Brush Tool:

• Select the Healing Brush Tool from the toolbar (shortcut: J).
• Adjust the brush size and hardness according to the area you want to retouch.
• Alt-click (Option-click on Mac) on a nearby area that matches the texture and tone of the imperfection you want to remove.
• Click and drag over the unwanted object, blemish, or imperfection to seamlessly remove it by blending with the surrounding pixels.
• Repeat the process as needed for additional retouching.

Spot Healing Brush Tool:

• Select the Spot Healing Brush Tool from the toolbar (shortcut: J).
• Adjust the brush size as necessary.
• Simply click on the small imperfections you want to remove, and Photoshop will automatically sample nearby areas and blend the corrections for quick and effortless retouching.
• Use this tool for removing minor blemishes, spots, and imperfections.

Clone Stamp Tool:

• Select the Clone Stamp Tool from the toolbar (shortcut: S).
• Alt-click (Option-click on Mac) on the area you want to duplicate and clone from.
• Release the Alt key and click on the area where you want to apply the cloned pixels.
• Use the Clone Stamp Tool for more complex retouching tasks, such as duplicating specific areas of an image and covering up imperfections.
• Pay close attention to detail and use a soft brush with low opacity for blending to ensure a natural and seamless result.
• Adjust the brush size and hardness as needed for different areas of the image.

By following these steps, you can effectively use retouching tools like the Healing Brush Tool, Spot Healing Brush Tool, and Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop to remove unwanted objects, blemishes, and imperfections from your images.

Remember, mastering retouching is all about practice and attention to detail. It’s important to work with zoomed-in views and use a light touch to maintain a natural appearance. Regularly evaluate and compare the retouched areas with the original image to ensure a consistent and realistic outcome.