Adobe Photoshop course

Course details

Photoshop Basics

• Overview of the Photoshop CS4 interface 
  
• Bitmaps and vectors explained 
  
• Image modes 
  
• Image size and resolution 
  
• Image colour concepts 
  

Photoshop Selection Techniques

• Essential image navigation shortcuts 
  
• The marquee tools 
  
• Adding and subtracting selections 
  
• Automatic selection using the wand tool 
  
• Automatic selection using the quick selection brush 
  
• Manual cut-out techniquesl 
  
• Transforming a selection 
  
• Understanding selection edges 
  
• Refining selection edges 
  
• Saving and reloading a selection 
  

Photoshop Basic Tools and Colour

• Overview of the Photoshop toolset 
  
• Brushes and brush types 
  
• Adjusting brushes 
  
• Choosing colours by eye 
  
• Numerical colour 
  
• Pantone colour 
  
• Do's and don'ts of choosing colours 
  
• The background image 
  
• Erasing and canvas colour 
  

Layer Masks in Photoshop

• Introduction to the power of layer masks 
  
• Creating a layer mask from a selection 
  
• Modifying a layer mask using the paintbrush tool 
  
• Tricks for modifying mask edges for cut-out 
  
• The gradient tool and masks 
  

Photoshop Layers - Combining Images

• Layer blending modes 
  
• Layer opacity 
  
• Transforming and distorting layers 
  
• Working with multiple layers 
  
• Creating montages 
  

Image Adjustments in Photoshop

• Destructive verses non-destructive techniques 
  
• Using adjustment layers 
  
• Levels explained 
  
• Colour balance and colour balance considerations 
  
• Hue and saturation 
  
• Selective adjustments using masks 
  

Photoshop Filters

• An overview of Photoshop filters and their uses 
  
• Pixel (100%) view and what it means 
  
• Advantages of using smart filters 
  
• Image sharpening in detail 
  
• Image blurring 
  
• Selective filtering 
  

Layer Effects in Photoshop

• Overview of layer effects 
  
• Applying drop shadow 
  
• Applying other layer effects 
  

Steps to Prepare and Image for End Use in Photoshop

• Opening an image using Adobe Bridge 
  
• Scan resolution and dpi explained in depth 
  
• Reference to colour bit depth 
  
• Cropping and sizing (the quick way) 
  
• Image adjustments using levels, colour balance and hue/saturation 
  
• Further correction to images using Shadow/highlight 
  
• Re-touching using the clone tool 
  
• Re-touching using the healing tool 
  
• The new Clone Source Palette 
  

Photoshop File Formats

• Considerations when choosing a file format 
  
• Common file formats explained