Photoshop syllabus

Things that you can do in Photoshop include fixing red eyes, rotating images, cropping images, opening and closing files, changing the file size, changing the brightness and contrast, and much more are basic photo editing tasks that you can do in Photoshop. This article contains video tutorials and links to appropriate articles on the different topics in Photoshop. Watch the videos in order if you are just learning Photoshop, because they comprise a class on Photoshop.

Don't want to use Photoshop? Here are some free editing tools.

File formats

First, learn a bit about file formats so you know how to save your files-and so you know why to keep the original file too! Also,the article Shrink the size of a photo shows how to get a picture small enough to email.

Opening and closing files in Photoshop

Opening and closing files in Photoshop can be down via two different methods. Firstly, you can simply drag and drop an image into the Photoshop window and it will open the file. Secondly, you can select Open from the File menu. Multiple files can be opened at once. Simply draw a box around the files you want to open to select them. If you're dragging and dropping, drop the multiple images into Photoshop. If you're using File Open, then drag the box around multiple file names and hit Ok. Learn more by watching the video below or by reading the article How to open and close files in Photoshop.

Zooming in and out on an image in Photoshop can be done either by putting in the expansion or contraction size in the little box on the bottom, left-hand side of the Photoshop window or by setting up your mouse's scroll wheel to control zomming. Set up the scroll wheel in Edit/Preferences/General. Learn more about zooming in Photoshop CS3 by watching the video tutorial below.

 

Pasting graphics into Photoshop is fairly simple. Copy the image into the copy buffer. Select New from the File Menu, hit ok to accept the dimensions, and then hit Control V to paste. Photoshop pulls the dimensions of whatever is in the copy buffer and sets those for you. If you copy text, it will be turned into a graphic when copied into Photoshop. Learn more about pasting into Photoshop by watching the video tutorial below or reading the article, Pasting images into Photoshop.

Rotating pictures

You can rotate either the entire canvas in Photoshop, or just one layer.

Cropping pictures

Use the cropping tool to crop pictures in Photoshop. Learn more by watching the video tutorial below or by reading the article, Cropping pictures in Photoshop CS3.

Remove red eye

Fix red eyes in your pictures with the red eye tool. Learn more by watching the video tutorial below on fixing red eyes, or by reading the article How to fix red eyes in Photoshop.

Change the brightness/contrast of a picture

Change the brightness and/or contrast of a picture by selecting Brightness/Contrast from the Image->Adjustments menu.

The basics of layers

Think of layers as sheets of paper. Paper comes in different weights. The 36-lb sheet of paper can be considered an opaque layer. A 10-lb sheet of paper (does that exist?) can be thought of a a semi-transparent layer. A sheet of tracing paper can be thought of as a transparent layer. Learn more about the basics of layers by watching the video below or reading the article, The basics of layers.

Draw and arrange a house in Photoshop CS3 using layers and shapes

Practice using layers and basic shapes in Photoshop by drawing a simple house with this tutorial. Either watch the video below or review the writeup, Draw a house - practice with layers in Photoshop CS3.

Layers can be transparent, opaque, or in-between

Photoshop allows the opacity of a layer to be controlled, so a layer can be 100% opaque, 100% transparent, or in between. Learn more by reading the Opacity of layers in Photoshop.

Apply a gradient to a shape

Apply a gradient to a shape in Photoshop by selecting the gradient option from the Layer->Change layer content menu option. Watch the video tutorial below for an example.

Apply a gradient to the whole layer

Use the gradient tool to apply a gradient to an entire layer in Photoshop CS3. Watch the video tutorial below for an example.

Masking Layers

Here's an excellent video on masking layers - Blue Hour Photo Layer Masking Lesson 1 Video

Photoshop tools

The tools in Photoshop are shown in this picture. The videos below, in the order of the photo, demonstrate how to use the tools.

Custom Shapes

Photoshop comes with a few custom shapes, like triangles and butterflies, but it does not come with an exhaustive supply of custom shapes. Here are the default custom shapes in Photoshop.

Would you like states or other map pieces? Eagles? Flowers? Luckily, you can download shape sets and add them to Photoshop.

Search the web for something like "Photoshop custom shapes animals" or "Photoshop custom shapes fruit" and see what you can find. There are some nice custom shapes available at about.com.

The ShinyNewts Photoshop downloads are available at Pattern and custom shape downloads.

Once you have downloaded your csh file to your computer, copy that csh file into the custom shapes directory. Exit out of Photoshop and restart Photoshop. The new custom shape set will then be available.

Where's the custom shape directry? My Computer -> C Drive -> Program Files -> Adobe -> Photoshop CS3 -> Presets -> Custom Shapes

You can also download new gradient, patterns, brushes, and layers.

Ladyoak.com has some excellent, free custom shapes you can download.
 

Type of tool	File extension	Directory
Gradients	.GRD	C:\Program Files\ Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Gradients
Pattern	.PAT	C:\Program Files\ Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Patterns
Custom Shapes	.CSH	C:\Program Files\ Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Custom Shapes
Layouts	.TXT	C:\Program Files\ Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Layouts
Brushes	.ABR	C:\Program Files\ Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Brushes
Actions	.ATN	C:\Program Files\ Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Actions

Patterns

Watch the below video tutorial for a fun way to use patterns and shapes. The video is on defining a pattern of oranges and applying the pattern to the shape of the State of Florida. You can also read the article, Example of defining a pattern and using it in a shape. Additionally, here's another article on defining patterns, Define your own pattern and use it in a shape.