Photoshop beginner's tutorial: 3 easy tools to get you started!
Do you know how to use Photoshop? The question is often asked, among colleagues, at job interviews, ... It's seen as an asset. With its vast range of operations, Photoshop can be a scary tool to get to grips with. However, by following an accessible graphic design tutorial, you can easily acquire a few basic notions. We invite you to follow this photoshop tutorial: you'll see how much can be achieved with just a few notions.
Learn how to use photoshop for your business
What is Photoshop?
Photoshop is part of the Adobe suite, which includes Illustrator, After Effects, InDesign, Camera Raw and Dreamweaver. It is used for image retouching, photo editing and illustration. It's known as a DTP tool: Desktop Publishing. It has its own file format (psd extension). It's payware, and many people take the risk of cracking it for personal use. Any downloads of free Photoshop software are inevitably pirated (i.e. illegal) versions, so don't believe the free offer. For companies, a license is recommended.
How do I use Photoshop professionally?
Photoshop can be used by many different departments within a company, and for many different purposes. Starting with marketing and communications departments: they need retouched visuals and images with inlays, especially for presentations. The same goes for web design companies: Photoshop is indispensable for web designers. Any company working with a graphic designer adopts Photoshop to create and retouch all necessary documents, such as a logo.
What are Photoshop's limitations?
Photoshop remains a 2D tool: in two dimensions. And it works in pixels, so what's appropriate for image retouching is not, however, appropriate for 3D construction or ex-nihilo graphic creation - even if a feature allows you to obtain 3D text. Other tools, such as Solidworks for volumes, or Illustrator for vector graphics, are more appropriate. Photoshop also has a little brother, Photoshop Elements, which is much more accessible, but less rich: it's better suited to those who don't need exhaustive software.
What you need to know before the Photoshop tutorial
Photoshop CS3, CS5, CC, etc.
Adobe Photoshop releases a new version every year. The first was 1.0 in February 1990, then 2.0, followed by 2.0.1 and 2.5. And many versions followed under this name until the 2003 Photoshop CS version, which corresponds to version 8.0 - which doesn't mean it was the eighth, it was actually the sixteenth. They were then christened CS: CS1, CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5 and so on. Finally, in 2014, they were renamed CC. Today, we're under the CC 2017 version.
Installing Photoshop
The different versions of the software are compatible with both OS and Windows environments. In terms of functionality, each benefits from technological advances in both tools and fluidity of use.
How do I use Photoshop keyboard shortcuts?
The Adobe suite, like the Office suite, has a number of basic commands that are frequently used. To cancel an action, use the keyboard shortcut ctrl + Z (cmd + Z on Mac). To select everything, use ctrl + A (or cmd + A). To copy/paste an element, here again, the shortcuts are the same. Ctrl + C (cmd + C) to copy, and ctrl + V (cmd + V) to paste.
Photoshop tutorial: three tools you need to know
The pen to reproduce a stroke
How do you create a stroke in Photoshop? There are brush and pencil tools. However, they produce a freehand stroke. Sometimes, however, you'll want more precision, or more possibilities for retouching afterwards. In such cases, the pen is the ideal tool. Select it, then click on your visual: a first point appears. This is called an anchor point. Click again and a second point is created, connected to the first by a line. This creates shapes with straight edges. To create shapes with rounded edges, select the point converter - to bring it up, hold down the drop-down arrow on the pen tool. Then click on one of your anchor points, and drag along the side while holding down the click. A guideline appears, with handles at both ends. This is the tangent of your curve. Use the handles to modify the curve of your segment. Independent of each other, each handle is associated with the next or previous segment.
Preview Feather screen
To add or remove points from your layout, select the add or subtract pen in the tool. To transform your trace into a selection, remember to close it: the last point must coincide with your first point. Then right-click inside and choose "define selection".
The magic selection wand
A selection can start from a line, as with the pen, or from an area. Shapes are available in the toolbar, for oval or rectangular selection. A lasso is also available: simple, polygonal or magnetic, for greater flexibility. Selection can also be based on color or texture. This is what the magic wand offers. Click on a hue in the image. Depending on the tolerance defined in the toolbar, areas of this hue will be selected. If the "contiguous" box is ticked, only adjoining pixels will be included. Selection is possible on any type of image: illustration, realistic photo, color or black & white. This tool lets you perform impressive transformations without going too far in terms of functionality. Combined with the clipping tool, you can crop outlines and select them for individual deformations, and even merge them with other clipped elements. You can also detach an element from its background and apply it to a new one.
Preview Baguette screen
To add an element to your selection, click and hold shift. To remove, click and hold alt. A plus or minus will appear. To deselect, ctrl + D (or cmd + D) is useful.
Adjustment layers to modify appearance
Once you have your selection, you can modify its colorization: in Edit, fill. White, black, 50% gray, or a color of your choice. You can enter the RGB (Red Green Blue) or CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow Black) code of your color if you know it, or use the eyedropper if the color is present on the visual. You can also act differently on your selection using adjustment layers. Display the layer window, unlock the background with the padlock. Then create an adjustment layer. Various filters are available: saturation, color, vibrance, luminosity, etc. Choose one. Choose one. A window appears, allowing you to act on the layer's properties. The effect is instantaneous on the visual, helping you to fine-tune your action.
Layer screen preview
Other very interesting tools exist in Photoshop, such as Photomerge for panoramic images, or the drop or stamp for blurring. However, with the pen, wand and adjustment layers, you already have a wide range of possibilities. Make the most of it!
Article translated from French