Photoshop:

The CompleteBeginners Guide To

MasteringPhotoshop And

Creating Amazing,Professional

Looking Photos In24 Hours Or Less!

Table Of Contents IntroductionChapter 1 – Why UsePhotoshop?Chapter 2 – Commonly UsedTools in PhotoshopChapter 3 – Tips for Gettingthe Most out of PhotoshopConclusion

Introduction Photography has come a long way sincethe 1800’s when the first photographywas taken. Digital photography hasenabled anyone to view a photoinstantly, assess it, retake it and evenprint it. Perhaps even more importantly, it is nowpossible to upload your photo to yourcomputer and edit it; you may not havetaken the picture you wanted to but youcan adjust it to be the same as the oneyou have in your head!There are now many different photoediting software options but Photoshopis probably the name you will think of

first; it has been providing editingsoftware since 1990. It is, undoubtedly,one of the best editing tools available atpresent; there are a huge range offeatures which can be utilized. One of the most amazing things aboutthis product is that there is always morethan one way of doing something. It isnot just possible, but highly likely thatyou have sat next to someone editingtheir picture in Photoshop and they haveachieved the same result as you via acompletely different method.However, the sheer number of functionsand possibilities may be a little bafflingat first; this guide will help you to seepast this confusion and enable you to getthe most out of the software and create

some amazing photos. It will provide you with an insight intoPhotoshop and why it is the best productfor you to use. It will also provide aninsight into the commonly used tools anda variety of tips to ensure you are gettingthe most out of the product.One of the greatest features of Photoshopis the fact that it is easy to install and useon any computer. Once you havemastered the basic controls it is possibleto upload any photo from your cameraand edit it within minutes. Absolutely any photo can be modifiedand improved within twenty four hours;if you have a printer you can even printit and show off your handiwork. Alternatively there are now many

machines around which will allow youto print photos directly from a memorystick or SD card for a small fee.It doesn’t matter whether you are acomplete novice; using Photoshop forthe first time or whether you have used itmany times before; this book will guideyou through the process of editing aphoto and creating a perfect memory.Even those who have been using thisproduct for many years will be able tolearn something new! You will find thesoftware is very easy to navigate aroundalthough there are many excellentfeatures which may not be discovered ifyou do not follow a guide.

Chapter 1 – Why UsePhotoshop? Photoshop has been around for twentyfive years and this has helped them todevelop and refine their product into oneof the best on the market. Although thereare many other products available on themarket; there are none which offer thecomplete range of services and toolswhich Photoshop does. It has also established a reputation forexcellent customer support andproviding the best all round package. The following ten reasons highlightsome of the features which make this thebest product to use when editing your

photos:

1. Creative ExpressionNo matter how good you are as aphotographer there will be times whenyou wish to improve or adjust thepicture you have taken. Being able toedit your photo ensures that you retain acreative control and the ability toexpress the picture you envisioned asopposed to the picture you have taken.In fact, having the ability to create thepicture that was in your mind will ensureyou are able to see which elements ofyour photography need to be improved. It may even provide you with an insightinto what else you could include in the

future.

2. Start a Graphic DesignProject from Scratch

It is also possible to use Photoshop tocreate a project, such as a greeting cardor business card from scratch. The sametools that can be used to turn a goodphoto into an amazing photo can be usedto create any design you can envision. Photoshop will provide you with theopportunity to let your imagination runwild; you can produce something thatwill capture anyone’s eye. You can evenuse it to create something that willimpress the trickiest clients.

3. Restore Old PhotosMany people have old photos, probablyprinted from a 35mm film. They mayeven be older than this! These photoscan be exceptionally important to somepeople and the ability to scan them andrestore or even improve them can;literally, make someone’s day.Old photos can be restored by using thehealing brush, patching tools and eventhe clone stamps. They can be made tolook better than the original and allowpeople to have the reminder they need ofthe best times in their lives.

4. Combining Graphics and TextEditing your photo will give you the

opportunity to blend in some text to yourpicture. This may be as simple asadding a caption to a picture or asintricate as placing the right wordsinside a shape in the right place on thephoto.Photoshop allows you to create anyeffect you like, whether shadowing,beveled, embossed or evenstraightforward strokes! There is a hugerange of options in terms of fonts, sizingand styles for the text which needs to beadded. You can also adjust thebrightness, contrast or exposure of thepicture to maximize the desired effect.

5. Brushes

There is a huge variety of different brushstyles, sizes and strokes available to usewhen adjusting your photo. It may takesome time to choose the right one foryour particular project but it can make ahuge difference to the finished product.Choose the right brush and your picturewill be transformed. The same is truewhen creating a project from scratch; athin brush to create an outline or shadowcan completely change the effect of anypicture. In fact, a well chosen brush canadd the sparkle to your photo!

6. Picture ColorPhotoshop allows you to change a colorpicture into a black and white one at the

click of a button! This can be anessential feature if you are specificallyafter black and white photos but do notwant to adjust your camera settings; orforget to!Photoshop can actually provide a betterquality black and white photo than yourcamera while retaining the essential datawhich will allow you to create a colorcopy in the future. Black and whitephotos also add a certain amount ofnostalgia and elegance to any occasion.

7. Correcting your MistakesEven the best photographer in the worldwill not take a perfect picture everytime! There are times when it is

impossible to get the lighting right or theexact angle you are after. These issuescan easily be corrected after the event byusing Photoshop.The most common corrections arelighting issues, red eye and marks on thelens. It is even possible to crop a phototo remove unwanted extras or ensure theattention is focused on the right personor item. The color of the photo can also be editedor touched up to remove marks and otherfeatures; this will make sure no photo iswasted!

8. T-ShirtsPhotoshop will even allow you to create

your own, unique T-Shirt design. Thesoftware will provide you withinspiration and ideas to ensure youcreate something which is trulyfantastic. The range of effects availableis huge; this will ensure you can find justthe right artwork to add to your design.Of course, any T-shirt design can bebased around or simply include one ofyour own photos! You can also tweak itand adjust it as much as you like beforeyou need to print a single shirt.

9. Artistic TransformationA photograph can look truly fantastic ifis changed into a charcoal drawing or awatercolor. These are just two of the

options available when usingPhotoshop. It is possible to choose froma huge range of styles; a photo can evenlook like a stained glass artwork or aphotocopy of a picture.There are even some functions whichhave been specifically added bydesigners. These may be invaluable toensuring you create a picture which isunique and impressive. There is a hugerange of tools and effects to try!

10. Feel Good!Taking a great picture and adjusting it tobecome a fantastic picture is a skill thatneeds to be learned. You will be able totake pride in your work and feel good

about what you have created. It doesn’t matter if you are creatingphotos and pictures for yourself, familyand friends or if you are doing itprofessionally. The knowledge you gainand the new skills you acquire willensure you are able to do either and todo it well.You should also enjoy taking pictures toensure you are interested in getting thebest results possible and the toolsavailable in this software will improvethe results you achieve.

Chapter 2 – CommonlyUsed Tools in Photoshop Every new release of Photoshop offers anew tool, shortcut or simply animprovement to the existing functions. Over the years this has meant there is ahuge range of features available whenusing Photoshop. You may not need to use every toolavailable; but the following ones are themost popular and are likely to be ofassistance to you:

1. Marquee SelectionThis function allows you to select parts

of your picture and edit just those parts. You are able to move the selected partor copy it; this can be very useful whenfilling in dead space or removingunwanted objects. The tool is definedby a dotted line and there are severaloptions:

Rectangular areas of thepicture; this is the defaultsetting.Elliptical; you can click anddrag to cover a circularspace that you wish to edit.The single row tool willallow you to edit a one pixelwide strip of your image; thesingle column will enableyou to do the entire height of

your image.

2. MoveEvery picture is made up of layers; it ispossible to add or remove layers to alterthe look or feel of a picture. If youselect the move tool you will be able tomove the entire top layer of the picture. This can be useful to create shadows orsimple change the view of the pictureslightly.It should be noted that any image can bemoved outside of the current picture andthe data will still be retained; even ifpart of the picture is not visible.

3. LassoThis tool bears a striking resemblance to

the marquee tools. However, it isinfinitely more flexible regarding thearea of the picture being selected andadjusted:

The default tool will allowyou to select an area of thepicture by drawing around itfreehand.The polygon tool, as its namesuggests will enable you toselect an area and enclose itin straight lines. The sizecan be increased ordecreased by as little as onepixel at a time!The magnetic tool mixes thebest of both the other lassotools; it will select a natural

finish area in the picture,according to the area you arehighlighting and the picture’snatural boundaries; asdefined by the light.

4. The Magic Wand

This is actually a variant on the magneticlasso tool. The wand will allow you toselect any area of the picture and it willautomatically choose a selection basedupon color. The selection will surroundthose with similar color pixels.It is possible to adjust the pixelsselected by adjusting the tolerance valueon the tool menu.

5. ModeThis is found inside the image menu andcan be a very useful tool when a picturehas been shot in awkward light and hasnot come out as well as expected. Thistool will allow you to change the colorand the appearance of the entire picture;this is where you can convert yourpicture to a black and white image.There are several color options,including RGB, web mode and CMYK;it is best to try each one to establish thedifferent effects they have.

6. AdjustingAlso inside the image menu is an optionto adjust the picture. Clicking on the

icon will bring up the basic screenwhich allows you to adjust the color andthe brightness. These options are presented as twoslider bars which can be easilychanged. The program will also allowyou to preview the picture to ensure youare happy with and know the effect ofyour adjustment.The best way to learn about this and theother adjustments possible is to trythem! Always preview beforecommitting to a change!

7. Size of your ImageIt is common to wish your image wasbigger or smaller; depending upon your

needs or the needs of those you havetaken the picture (s) for. Re-sizing animage is straightforward; simply selectthe image size option and input the sizeyou would like the picture to be.The program will automatically retainthe proportion of the image in relation toits size. However, if you prefer todecide the proportions yourself it ispossible to un-tick the ‘constrainproportions’ box.Ideally you should ensure you have asaved copy of the image prior toadjusting so that you can refer to it ifnecessary. It is also important to notethat there are two settings in respect ofsizes; pixel settings, which refers to thesize of the image on the screen, whereas

document settings will refer to the sizewhen printed.

8. Size of the CanvasThis is similar in context to the imagesize option which has been discussedabove. The main difference is that thisoption can make the overall size of thepicture bigger without adjusting theimage captured. This will allow you togain space around the image for addingeffects or images to the picture.

9. CropYou are probably aware of thiscommand and its ability to reduce thesize of the picture. Simply select the

command and move the bars that willappear on the screen. Anything outsideof these bars will be removed from thepicture and your picture will be resizedaccordingly.This can be a very useful function whenneeding to remove extra scenery orshrink an image to send to a friend.

10. LayersEvery image is made up of a variety oflayers and it is the ability to adjust thesethat makes the difference between havingblocks of color and gradually fadingimages. Selecting the layers tool willtransform your image into an imagewhich is broken down by the different

layers available. Each layer can be manipulated or evenswapped with another layer to changethe effect of the photo. It is evenpossible to merge layers to create ascintillating effect.It is advisable to keep a copy of theoriginal file and experiment with thelayers to understand what they arecapable of.

11. TextText is automatically added as anadditional layer and can be manipulatedindependently to the image. Simplyselect the text icon and drag your mouseover the area you wish to write in. Once

you have written your desired messageyou can adjust the size and font of thetext used.It is possible to merge the text with animage layer but to do this you will needto save the text as an image and theninsert it into the picture.

12. Foreground andBackground Colors

Many photo editing software productswill not allow you to create your owngraphics; Photoshop does! The firststage in doing this is to learn how toadjust the foreground and backgroundcolors.Foreground color can be adjusted by

clicking on the color square on the maintoolbar, a screen will pop up which willenable you to either pick a specific coloror adjust the settings to create particularshade of the current color.There are a number of tools which willhelp you add your chosen color to thepicture:

Apply the color where youwant it by using thepaintbrush; the size of thepaintbrush can be adjustedaccording to your needs.The pencil tool is verysimilar to the paintbrush butyou will only see a distinct,skinny line when using it.

Erasure; this is for when youneed to remove a line. Itwill remove the top layerand leave the lower layervisible; this can beexceedingly useful!

13. Saving Your Picture

Having adjusted your picture as much asyou need to you will need to ensure yousave it! The first rule is always to saveit as something different to the originalfile; keeping the original gives you a fileto go back to and start again, ifnecessary. It is also useful to note that there is anoption in the menu that will allow you to

save your picture for the web. Selectingthis option will allow you to choose thebest way to optimize your image for theweb without having to flatten your file.

14. FiltersThere is a huge range of optionsavailable to adjust your picture. Thebest idea for this is to go into the filtermenu and apply different ones to see theresults. It is possible to undo severalfilter changes in one go which makes itvery easy to try out the different tools.

15. Custom ShapePhotoshop allows you to create anyshape you want. This can beexceptionally useful for someone who

wants to add a copyright or watermarkon to their photo. It can also be used tocreate a unique shape to add some fun toa picture; perhaps for a child’s birthday.The shape is best to be drawn free handusing a pen although it is possible to usethe marquee tools. Once created theshape can be colored and saved in theprogram for use anytime you need it!

Chapter 3 – Tips for Gettingthe Most out of Photoshop No matter how good you become atusing a product there is always a new tipor trick to learn which will make yourlife easier in the future. The followingare some of the best tips for ensuring youget the best results possible form yourPhotoshop product:

1. TransformingIt is possible to adjust any picture byusing the transform command. You willneed to select the area of the picture youwish to transform and then choose the

type of transformation you want toapply. It is possible to scale yourpicture, rotate it, skew it or even distortit. This tip can be used to simply place partof your image at a different angle or todistort it and make it unrecognizablefrom the original.

2. Rotating PatternsAdd in a variety of rotating circles toyour picture, for additional effect or tohelp create a scene. By clicking on thecontrol key at the same time as Alt and‘T’ you will be able to duplicate a layerof your picture and add in thekaleidoscope effect in one move.

This tool can be very effective when youhave a light flare or similar; the flash ofthe lens can be turned into bright, startlike structures in the photo.You can even rotate your new imagebefore copying the entire layer to useagain.

3. The Unit of MeasurementIt is often necessary when evaluating andediting a picture to switch betweenmeasuring it in inches, centimeters oreven pixels. There is a shortcut toswitching between the different units ofmeasurement: use the control plus ‘R’keys to bring the rulers into view. Thensimply right click on the ruler and select

the measurement you need.

4. The Spot Healing ToolThis may sound like a medical treatmentand in many ways it is; but it works onpictures not people. The tool is usuallyfound on the left hand toolbar, hoveringover it will bring up its name. It canthen be applied to any area of yourpicture to remove blemishes andimprove the overall look of the picture.Select the tool and then highlight the areawhich needs fixing, make sure the areayou highlight is slightly larger than thepiece which needs fixing. The programwill automatically sample the colors inthe surrounding area and use these

colors to retouch the selected area. Youwill not need to do anything else!

5. The Dodge ToolThis tool is designed to lighten a pictureand improve the overall look. It isparticularly effective at either removingor reducing the appearance of red eye. Again, this tool is included in the list onthe left hand side of the screen. Simplyselect it and then choose the brush typeyou desire. Red eye can be removed byselecting a soft brush and adjusting thehighlights to twenty percent. Highlight is set within the range menu. Brush over the eyes in your photo justtwo or three tiles to reduce the red eye

effect; it is essential not to overdo this asyou will end up giving people alieneyes!

6. The Blur ToolMany people like to have their fine linesand wrinkles removed or reduced in apicture. This may be simply for reasonsof vanity or because the photo is for aprofessional application.The blur tool can be found on the righthand side of the screen and is excellentat blurring small sections of a photo;making it the ideal tool to smooth outwrinkles, particularly round the mouth oreyes.As with the dodge tool it is essential to

use this tool sparingly, overdo it and thepicture will be ruined!

7. The Bird’s EyeThis is a useful tip for when you arezoomed in working on an intricate partof your picture. You may want to see theeffect of your alterations and this can bequickly achieved by clicking ‘H’ and thedrag icon. You will instantly go to full screen andcan see how the picture looks. It ispossible to click anywhere on the imageand zoom back in; to the spot you wereworking on, or to another one.

8. The Background

The default background on Photoshop isa standard, somewhat dull grey. Fortunately it is very easy to brightenthis up by! Simply shift and click overthe background and you will be able tofill it with the same color as you have inthe foreground; go as bright as you like. Clicking with the right mouse button willreturn it to grey.

9. CloseWhen you have been working on avariety of pictures for some time you cansuddenly find you have a confusing arrayof pictures open. To close all the imagesyou have open and start again, simplyclick the ‘X’ button in the top right of thescreen whilst pressing shift. You will be

asked what to do about any which areunsaved.

10. Spring-LoadedThere are a variety of tools withinPhotoshop which are described as‘Spring-loaded’. These tools are oneswhich can be accessed with a simpleclick from any screen.For example, to use the move tool youcan hold the ctrl button in any screen andthe move menu will appear. As soon asyou release the ctrl button the movemenu will disappear and you will be inthe same place as you were.

11. Diffuse

This effect will scatter the light in anyspecified area or areas of your picture. This tool works exceptionally well withdesaturation to create a dreamy,romantic image that will evoke aresponse from any viewer.

12. ShortcutsOne of the most important things tolearn, no matter what program you areusing is a selection of shortcuts whichare useful to you and the tools you useon a daily basis. Some of the mostpopular shortcuts in Photoshop are:

Merging layers by pressingcontrol, shift, Alt and E atthe same time.

Move through thebackgrounds available bypressing F repeatedly.Changing the color of theforeground and even thebackground by simplypressing XChanging the size of yourbrush; use the [ or the ]To duplicate a layer you cansimply press control plus JTo transform a layer, asdiscussed earlier, presscontrol plus T

13. Mask Sharpening

This is simply a tool to sharpen any area

of the image where you think it isnecessary to have stronger or finerlines. This tool is very useful in that youdrag your cursor across the picture toreveal a grayscale image with clearblack lines and black areas mark theparts which cannot be sharpened. Thisleaves you free to work on the other bits.

14. Copying a LayerIf you have created the perfect layer thenyou may wish to copy it rather thanrecreate it every time you need it. Thiscan be done very quickly and easily onPhotoshop. Hold down the control keyand alt and select a layer to drag, it willinstantly make a copy which can be usedwherever you want it.

15. Undo

It is inevitable that you will wish toundo one change or another whilstcreating the perfect pictures. A short cutto undoing is holding down the controlbutton and Z. To undo multiple issues,you can click the control button, the altbutton and Z; this will allow you to undomultiple changes.

16. Viewing a layerThe more comfortable you become withPhotoshop the more you will use thelayer feature to adapt and improve yourpictures. However, multiple layers canbe confusing.

A shortcut to hiding all the layers, otherthan the one you are working on is toclick the eye icon in the layer you wishto see. At the same time you will needto hit the alt key on the keyboard. Allother layers will become invisibleallowing you to work on one layer at atime.To bring the other layers back simplyclick the eye icon and hold down Altagain.

17. Pen Tool RubberBand

The pen tool is useful for a variety offunctions within the Photoshopapplication. It can be essential when

attempting to draw the right curve. In theoptions menu find and click the optionfor Geometry and find the one that saysrubber band and select it. This will thenenable you to create points on yourpicture and the program will create thecurved line for you. This will also giveyou the opportunity to cancel or adjustthe line before it is created.

18. Photoshop 3DPresentation is not just about tweaking apicture to create a perfect look; in factthat is usually impossible to achieve. Amazing effects can also be acquired bycarefully choosing the method ofdisplay.

Photoshop now has a 3D option. Saveyour completed images and then hitcontrol and B at the same time. Allstored images will be displayed in arandom order as a 3D Carousel. You can use the left and right arrows toscroll through the image and any you donot like can be removed from the showby using the down arrow.

19. LayersTo make it easier to work on thedifferent layers of a picture it is possibleto go into the menu and select Tools,followed by Photoshop and then click onthe load files option. The picture willappear on your screen split into several

pictures; each one represents one of itslayers.

20. Create your ownbrush tip

This tool can be exceptionally usefulwhen attempting to adjust a specific areaand the brushes in paint are not up to thetask. To create your own you mustconvert the picture to black and white. Then, select the area you would like tobe a brush tip and go to edit, followedby define brush preset.The brush tip will be created out of theblack pieces in your picture; it cannotsee the white.

21. Text editingBeing able to add and edit text is anessential part of Photoshop but it can befrustrating when you finish and need toclose the text editing box and move backto photo controls. The shortcuts don’t work until the textbox is closed. However, there is a littleknown shortcut; pressing control plusreturn will instantly tell the system youhave finished editing the text and moveyour cursor back to the main screen. Shortcuts will work and you will beable to move on quicker.

Conclusion Photoshop has been established for manyyears and is one of the leading photoediting software products on the market. It offers a huge range of tools to assistanyone, whether amateur orprofessional; ensuring that everyone canproduce the best quality photos.The main issue with the sheer level oftools available is that it can takecountless number of training sessionsand tutorials to ensure you fullyunderstand the product, how it worksand how to get the most from yourpictures. This is why it is essential to study this

guide and to practice the tools andtechniques it describes. It is also vitalto experiment with the product andachieve a feel for what each of the toolsdoes and how they can be used in yourphotos to ensure better pictures. Whenever practicing using the product,make sure you save the original of apicture first, although the undo option isvery good!Perhaps one of the best things aboutPhotoshop is the ability to quickly editany photo and then print it. Your photoscan be downloaded from your cameraand uploaded to Photoshop for editing. Once edited they can be saved andprinted at the click of a button; making itpossible to hold the picture in your hand

in less than twenty four hours!Photoshop does have a huge range oftools available to use on your pictures,but it is not essential to use all of thefeatures available. If you are generallyhappy with your pictures then you cansimply play with filters or color andsaturation. It is the perfect tool for boththe amateur and the professional.