Here is a series of lessons that teach you how to use graphic editor Photoshop is an incredibly popular and indispensable tool in web design, with the help of which not only buttons, banners and logos, but even entire layouts are created for the site. The design of almost any website you visited was originally drawn in Photoshop, so knowledge of this program will definitely be useful for a webmaster, although the skills of image processing and creating your own drawings will also not harm a simple PC user. Digitizing photographs, retouching old photographs, creating postcards and collages - this is just the beginning of a long list useful actions, which the editor allows you to do, and a series of lessons will help you get used to it.
Add this page to your bookmarks so you don’t lose the table of contents and consistently study article after article, learning more and more new techniques for working in Photoshop.
But what will you learn in these lessons?
- 1 Getting started in Photoshop - quick selection and fill
Here you will get acquainted with the program interface, find out what the main interface elements are for, learn how to create documents and save them, and master selecting areas on the canvas. Also from the lesson you will understand how to fill areas with color, and you will understand the principles of working with the program. After mastering the information, you will learn how to perform simple actions and will be able to independently explore other editor tools.
- 2 Layers and text
All Photoshop images are built on layers. This is why editing in the program is so convenient. The lesson will tell you what layers are, why they are needed and how to work with them. In addition, it describes techniques for creating and processing inscriptions, as well as moving objects located on the canvas. After completing this lesson, processing multilayer documents will not be a problem for you.
- 3 Filters
You will get acquainted with a huge library of picture-changing scripts. The editor's filters can not only give the finished image a particular effect, but even create new objects and frame the photo.
- 4 Working with images
The article provides the basics of processing existing graphic files. Editing several images at once, moving objects from one picture to another, changing sizes and removing unnecessary parts - this is just an incomplete list of lesson topics.
- 5 Transformation
The lesson will teach you how to scale image elements, change proportions, tilt, distort and deform them
- 6 Drawing - brush and pencil
The first in a series of articles talking about tools for creating your own masterpieces. For a long time now, computer technology has developed to the point that it makes it possible to simulate drawing on paper. You will learn to create using a virtual pencil and brush - sketches and watercolor paintings can now be easily drawn and distributed on electronic media, making an unlimited number of copies and without worrying about the safety of your work.
- 7 Drawing - shapes
Creating objects by hand is one thing, but accuracy and speed are sometimes paramount. The lesson talks about tools with which you can create perfectly smooth images in just a few clicks. geometric figures specified sizes. From a simple square to an ellipse, a star, and even a musical note, the article covers everything.
- 8 Drawing - outlines and bitmaps
You will remember once and for all how a vector differs from a raster, what the pros and cons of both approaches are, and you will also learn why shape contours are needed in Photoshop and what the pixel mode does.
- 9 Drawing - Pen tool
Continuing to work with contours, we study the tools of the Pen group. Purpose, method of application, description of parameters, and as a result you will learn to draw atypical contours and create complex geometric objects.
- 10 Drawing - Magnetic pen tool
The Magnetic mode of the Freehand tool has become so popular that it is called the Magnetic Pen, although there is no such separate tool in Photoshop. What this function allows you to do, why users love it so much and how it will help you personally - read the article.
- 11 Image Retouching Tools
To use these editor functions for the Internet, you don’t need to be a layout designer, a designer, a webmaster, or anyone at all. It is enough to be an active user social networks. How to make your face more beautiful, remove moles and freckles? How to process an old scanned photo so that the colors become brighter, and scratches, stains and specks of dust are not so noticeable? How to carefully cut an object, move it or clone it? Where is the tool that will help you remove the red-eye effect from a photograph in just a couple of minutes? Find answers to these and other questions in the article.
- 12 Image correction tools
You already know so much that learning new tools is not a problem. All I had to do was make a review describing the possibilities to improve the quality of pictures - lighten where it is too dark, darken where it is overexposed, blur and add sharpness, mix and smear colors. All in all, Additional Information How else to make an image better is waiting for you in the lesson.
The pinnacle of creativity for the web is drawing website templates. When you have mastered most of the tools and have enough skills to draw dividers with shapes, buttons for menus, logos, and beautiful inscriptions, nothing prevents you from creating a good, complex layout. The article explains what a standard template consists of, describes the principle of creation, and also teaches how to cut the layout using tools previously unfamiliar to you.
Having paid attention to each of the lessons, analyzing practical examples and experimenting on your own, as you master the course you will go from beginner to advanced user of Photoshop and will be able to go deeper into it yourself by switching to new level mastery, and a strong and reliable foundation laid by a series of our articles will help you in this.
It is impossible to imagine modern high-quality advertising without computer processing of photos or videos. People just won't understand.
A little over a month ago there was a post with famous photographs modern studios and individual creative artists. Today is the second part, many of their photographs were made by the same authors. Some prints many have seen in advertising campaigns, some - you can guess where.
Let's learn from the best!
Platinum FMD, Brazil
Remix Studio Bangkok, Thailand
Carioca Studio, Romania
Cream Studios, Australia
Beefactory, Belgium
Saddington & Baynes, UK
Saddington & Baynes studio can be called the pioneers of digital retouching. The studio began its work in 1991, when this instrument was not so widespread, and therefore the studio took upon itself the mission of studying and distributing it.
The advertising images of Saddington & Baynes photographers and designers are complex, multi-layered and almost technically perfect. Their desire for the absolute is appreciated by the world's leading advertising agencies: They work with Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy, BBDO, Lowe and many others around the world.
Jekill"n"Hyde Studio, Belgium
The services of the Jekill"n"Hyde retouching studio are used by most European photographers. Which, in general, is not surprising. The studio not only does its job on the highest level, but also directly admits - “We love photography.”
Garrigosa Studio, Spain
Studio Garrigosa makes the wildest fantasies of creatives come true.
The studio got its name thanks to Joan Garrigosa, one of the legendary advertising photographers, whose passion grew into a strong studio with representative offices in several European countries.
Staudinger & Franke, Austria
Studio Staudinger+Franke is an Austrian photography/advertising agency that specializes in creative image development.
Founded by Robert Staudinger and Andreas Franke, the studio works with both European and American clients. Their portfolio includes creative for Lipton, Juicy Fruit, Coca Cola, Absolut.
Electric Art, Australia
Electric Art is an internationally recognized retouching studio located in the heart of Sydney's creative scene - Surry Hills.
Over the past 15 years, the studio has built a solid reputation in the print post-production industry, providing exceptional solutions to all of its clients and exceeding all technical and creative requirements.
Lightfarm Studios, New Zealand
Cream Studios, Australia
Photo retouching and 3D modeling studio Cream is one of the largest and most reputable studios in Australia.
The work of this studio is always distinguished by a special brilliance, and most often in literally this word. Their works shine, play with reflections and attract the eye.
Christophe Huet, France
As much as we would like, the surname of the retoucher Christophe Huet can only be read as “Hue”, Monsieur is French. But even without the Russian frontal transcription of his last name, he is a master of attracting attention and provocation.
The surrealist and retouching symbolist is fluent in professional retouching tools, collaborates with most major European agencies and photographers, is not shy about sharing his work with people, and has a strong social position. In addition, he is a composer and plays the piano beautifully.
Taylor James, UK
Taylor James aims to create creative images, but more importantly they must be compelling and compelling. They formulate the principles of their work as follows: perspective, light, angles, color and a three-dimensional way of thinking.
LSD, Italy
There are no big names in the portfolio of the Milanese studio LSD. Nevertheless, put together, the work of this team is literally mind-blowing.
Two Italian guys Marco Casale and Paolo Dall'ara, known under the common “brand” LSD, photograph people, children, animals, and cars. By combining their talents, the photographers created a huge portfolio that amazes with both the quality of the images and the ideas.
Vienna Paint, Austria
The studio was founded in 1988, when few people had heard of computer photo retouching, and, according to founders Andreas Fitzner and Albert Winkler, “a few insider dreamers” were involved in it.
From a small studio just beginning to master retouching using not the most diverse tools at that time, Vienna Paint eventually became one of the largest and most famous.
(examples of work taken from the training portal http://www.photoshop-master.ru/)
Exercise 1
Create an abstract gold ring in Photoshop Final image.
Step 1. Create a new document of any size with a black background. Create a new layer and take EllipticalMarqueeTool(Oval selection) (M) with the following parameters:
Hold down the SHIFT key and draw a circle as shown below:
Right-click on the selection and select Stroke(Stroke):
-
We circle the selection with the following parameters: ( White color, width 2 px)
Reduce Opacity(Opacity) of the layer to about 40% and we get this effect:
Step 2. Now let's use the Smoke brushes to add texture to the circle. Create a new layer and select one of the brushes from the set, then paint as shown below: (reduce the brush size before working)
We use Edit-Transform -Warp(Edit - Transform - Warp) to transform the smoke along the contour of the circle:
Soft eraser(E) carefully remove the end of the smoke so that it smoothly turns into a circle:
Duplicate (CTRL+J) the smoke layer several times and place each copy around the circle.
Tip: Use FreeTransform(Free Transform) (CTRL+T) to rotate each layer and adjust its shape.
Merge all the smoke layers together (CTRL+E) and duplicate (CTRL+J) the resulting layer several times. Then using FreeTransform(Free Transform) (CTRL+T) transform the duplicated layer to add more effect:
Create a new layer and draw smoke inside the circle, then make it smaller Opacity(Opacity) of the layer to about 20%:
Add a Levels adjustment layer above all previous layers:
Edit the Levels adjustment layer mask:
We get this result: (as you can see, by adding an adjustment layer, we increased the depth and contrast of the smoke)
Step 3. Now let's add a simple light effect to the circle. Create a new layer above all the previous ones and use a soft white brush to make one click, as shown below:
Deform this layer using Warp(Deformation) according to the shape of a circle:
As you can see, we now have a light spot:
Duplicate (CTRL+J) this layer several times to enhance the effect:
We repeat this process on the opposite side of the circle:
And we get this effect:
Step 4. Now we will add a cloud effect around the circle. To do this, create a new layer and draw a selection using EllipticalMarqueeTool(Oval selection) (M) (feather (feather) 40 px), inside the selection we generate clouds using a filter Filter -Render-Clouds(Filter - Rendering - Clouds):
Press CTRL+L and apply the following parameters for the layer with clouds:
Then we use Warp(Warp) to transform the clouds as shown below: (this will create a small effect of the sphere moving)
And we get the following result:
Step 5. We're almost done! Let's add the finishing touches in the form of additional effects. I added more smoke at the top and bottom of the sphere:
To add a golden hue, I created an adjustment layer ColorBalance(Color Balance) above all previous layers:
And finally, we flatten all layers Layer-FlattenImage(Layer - Flatten), then apply a filter Filter -Noise-ReduceNoise(Filter - Noise - Reduce Noise): (this will increase the sharpness of the effect and reduce the color noise of the circle)
Is Photoshop new to you? We will help you figure out what's what!
Learning Photoshop can take a long time, and there are a lot of things that I unfortunately didn't know about when I started. Therefore, today I present to your attention ten useful notes that will make working with Photoshop much easier! You will learn about the most important tools and tricks that even a beginner can master.
1. Get to know the Tools
This is the Photoshop toolbar.
Click on the double arrow to arrange the tools on the panel in one or two rows.
Did you know that you can customize it for yourself?
Although many useful tools will always be in your sight, you may miss additional tools, hidden behind the triangles in the lower right corner, using only what is located “on the surface”.
So customize your toolbar as a useful reminder to try new tools!
Click Edit > Toolbar(Edit > Toolbox…) to manually select tools. Group them according to priority levels - for example, one group could be tools that you have yet to master, and another group could be those that you use all the time.
Don't overload your panel with tools you don't use; Instead, put your favorite tools in it!
Decide on a Basic Tool Set
All tools won't be needed for every job, and so it's important to build a strong base, with a few flexible tools that are good at different types works
Here you see two different projects: drawing on a tablet and photo manipulation. Notice that the tools for both projects are identical?
While the first project is entirely a drawing, the second is very dependent on my illustration skills. So don't worry if you're not familiar with these tools yet! Your core set should reflect your interests, be it design, photography or illustration.
And don't forget that many of Photoshop's tools can be used for different purposes. For example, a tool Pen(Feather) can be used both to separate the model from the background and to create a vector illustration.
There are other tools you'll need, but consider them minor. For example, tools Pen(Feather) and Move(Move), at first glance, do not seem particularly creative, but they are needed (and sometimes needed very often) to improve the workflow.
What are your main tools?
In the beginning you will always have favorites. But as your skills improve, challenge yourself to try new tools and creative effects.
2. Introducing the Layers Panel
Simultaneous key press Control-Shift-N creates a new layer.
Layers panel very effective and useful. It will change the way you design, opening up countless possibilities in Photoshop.
But how?
Well, in general, the panel allows you to control several parameters. Opacity(Opacity), Fill(Fill) and Color(Color) are just a few of them. With these options, you can modify your layers to create many cool effects.
Text effects, for example, are often created using incredible Layer Styles(Layer styles).
In the beginning, you'll probably be using the Layers panel for its primary purpose - to contain your work. separate layers, but I highly recommend looking into it in more detail. Explore the panel as much as you can and you'll discover new ways to create detailed work.
Having problems with color? Try working with Layer Blend Modes(Layer Blending Modes). Want to get a brighter result? Perhaps your solution is this Adjustment Layer(Adjustment layer).
3. Save time with Layer Masks
It's time to have an important conversation - a conversation about layer masks.
For beginners, layer masks can be confusing, but they are vital to effective editing.
To use a layer mask:
Here I have drawn a circle in the middle of the mask to show White background under a layer filled with blue
Use layer masks in any work! Implement them into your regular work so that any adjustments can always be painlessly undone.
Most of the time, difficulties with this feature arise from a lack of understanding of when to use it. Beginners will often just use the tool eraser(Eraser) since this is the fastest solution.
You can also use masks to create isolated objects and then insert them into your work.
4. Control-S Correct?
Quality matters, so before you save your work and close the program, consider this:
- Why do I need this file?
- Where can I store it?
- In what format do I need it?
- How to keep it in the best quality?
Above you see a comparison of different quality levels, 1 - 83%, 2 - 1%. Image taken from Envato Elements.
What and Where
The answer to the first question is whether your work will be used online. In graphic materials for posts online quality not so important, while printed materials should be kept with high resolution. Research printing guidelines to understand important settings such as Color Modes(Color profile) and how to manage them.
Store your files in a place on your computer that you can easily access. Photoshop may throw an error if some elements (such as fonts) are missing from the file, so try to keep everything in order.
Format and quality
Now that you know what your work is intended for, you can move on to saving it in a suitable format. Many designers save their work in multiple formats - this provides additional flexibility.
Click File > Export > Save for Web(File > Export > Save for Web).
Check out what your work looks like with different compression settings. Avoid quality loss!
How good will your design look when printed?
It is also necessary to save work in different formats in order to understand the print quality. If, for example, your drawing, design or other work contains bright neon colors, you may be disappointed with the physical result.
Minimalist design is a huge trend, partly because it gives you more printing options. This design is often easier to print and is therefore used more often.
What looks good on screen won't always look as good on paper. There are many reasons for this, and one of them is how exactly the ink falls on the paper. This step also requires an understanding of the difference between color profiles. RGB And CMYK.
Work according to your situation. To open/edit Color Mode(Color Profile) of your file, click Edit > Color Settings(Edit > Adjust Colors...).
Test your work by printing it! For achievement best result Find out the intricacies of how a specific printing printer works.
6. Sets! Sets! Sets!
IN real world there are such things as tight deadlines and daunting tasks. So save valuable time by using built-in Photoshop presets!
There are sets of brushes, shapes, patterns and much more. You can quickly add a filter to a photo or create a brochure with abstract elements.
To view them all, click Edit > Presets > Preset Manager(Edit > Sets > Manage Sets).
Some of my favorite sets are brush sets. Brush sets from your favorite artists are cool too, but take advantage of the ones you already have!
These sets include different textures, beautiful gradients and much more.
In the screenshot you see an example of a set of Wet Media brushes.
Use kits to create amazing effects! They're already organized for your convenience, so all you have to do is download them and get started.
7. Easily change colors with adjustment layers
Create incredible lighting schemes with just a couple of clicks!
Adjustment Layers(Adjustment Layers) are just perfect for Photoshop beginners. They allow you to easily change many visual aspects of your work.
Need to save original photo? No problem. Tools that allow you to undo any changes, like adjustment layers, can help you create stunning effects without losing quality.
To use an adjustment layer Color Lookup(Color Search):
Click Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Lookup(Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Search). Select a set for the file 3DLUT File from the dropdown menu. Click OK and enjoy the result.
Photo from Envato Elements.
Adjustment Layers are one of my favorite tools and I'm thrilled that they work just as well for tablet illustration!
Artists who specialize in painting in Photoshop use these adjustments to try out different color palettes before making your final decision. Explore different schemes lighting and much more with incredible tools like Curves(Curves).
8. Learn to organize your workspace
Chefs love to keep their kitchens clean as it keeps them tidy and productive. So why not create yourself a clean workplace in Photoshop?
The organization promotes a good work environment. And even if it seems like being messy is very creative, an organized workspace can improve your work.
First, close all unnecessary tabs!
After this, there are still many ways to make everything even more accurate. For example, you can pin and unpin your favorite panels and toolboxes.
Then click Window > Arrange(Window > Arrange).
Choose from the following layout options to ensure all your documents display neatly. Keep sources of inspiration close at hand to make them easier to access.
The standard solution is Consolidate All to Tabs(Merge all in tabs) but you can also select e.g. 2-up Vertical(2 up, horizontal) to place the sample next to your work.
Need to return your workplace to its original appearance? Click Window > Workspace > Reset Essentials(Window > Workspace > Reset Primary Workspace).
Each artist's workspace will be different. Some people like to see more dashboards than others. For example, I am not one of them, since I prefer to minimize the mess. But no matter what you personally like, you can always customize your work environment the way you want.
9. Master the Pen Tool
Tool Pen(Pen) (P) can be intimidating at times, but with time you will be able to fully master it.
First, study the tool itself. Option Path(Outline) is needed to highlight an area, and Shape(Shape) allows you to create your own shapes.
Then get to know Path Operations(Operations with contour), Alignment(Outline Alignment) and Arrangement(Order the outline). Designers who are familiar with Adobe Illustrator may find it easier to get comfortable with this tool.
Most The best way to master anything is to experiment! Create a bunch of lines and curls and then play with the settings like Blending Options(Blending Options). The possibilities are truly endless! Don't forget to use the Pen tool when creating text effects, illustrations, and more!
10. Remember Hot Keys
Hotkeys are not new.
However, designers sometimes have problems remembering them. Want to learn a little trick to help you remember those keys?
Try this old trick to help you think about tools. When you think about hotkey, imagine an image that explains what it is, or how to use it.
By pressing the letter B, which brings up the tool Brush(Brush), I automatically imagine this:
Remember these keys by priority. As in the first part of the lesson, it is important to figure out which hotkeys you need most. You will also need to remember additional keys related to your favorite instruments.
To increase the brush size, for example, click the right or left square bracket: [ or ] .
You'll easily remember your favorite shortcuts as you use them often, but it's worth exploring new options.
You won't master Photoshop in a day, and that's absolutely okay! Just think of it as a creative adventure that gets better over time.
Before you close this lesson, remember:
- Decide on your core toolkit
- Get to know the Layers panel
- Save time with layer masks
- Save files correctly
- Know the difference between print and web guidelines
- Use the sets...
- ...and adjustment layers.
- Organize your workspace.
- Explore the Pen tool.
- Remember the hotkeys.
Try these tips and tell us what worked best for you in the comments!
