How to Use Photoshop

Fundamental Tips to Get You Started...

When it comes to learning how to use Photoshop, it can feel like there's a huge mountain to climb.

This can be true if you try and learn about all the tools and try and incorporate too much into your workflow too soon.

In this growing collection of tutorials, I keep it simple by discussing the features that I feel are fundamental in learning how to use Photoshop.

So, let's separate the wheat from the chaff...

I would like to encourage you to remember that, generally speaking, it doesn't matter if you are working in Adobe Photoshop 5 or
Adobe Photoshop CS5, the theory under the hood is essentially the same.

Sure, there are bells and whistles that appear such as the Heal Tool, Rotatable Canvasses and Content Awareness but, behind the scenes, so much of Photoshop remains very similar between versions.

Photoshop 5 and CS5 Splash Screens

With this in mind, please note that the illustrations within these pages are from Adobe Photoshop CS3 and CS5.

Although there may be aesthetic differences, the images should be just as helpful to you whichever version of this great software you are running...

You see, essentially, Photoshop is a grayscale engine at every level from red, green and blue channels through to brushes and masking.

Yes, you read that correctly; red, green and blue channels aren't in color at all.

They are, in fact, grayscale.

The color image we see on screen is actually a simulation for our benefit and isn't how the data truly appears!

My Photoshop Channels Tutorial explains this in much more detail for you.

Anyway, on with the lesson!

You're getting to know me a little by now—that's right, we're going to start at the beginning:

It's time to get a handle on Understanding Histograms.

Once you've digested and cogitated Histograms and understand fully how they display your carefully-captured pixels, you will be more than qualified to move onto my next tutorial.

It explores an all-important tool, one that I believe is the bedrock on which to build your Photoshop editing pathway:

Welcome to The Photoshop Levels Tutorial.

Learn the Right Way to Resize Images...

Resizing images is simple, right?

In some ways it is...

...however, you can learn a whole lot more by taking a look at my
brand new article on how to resize images the right way!

In the Meantime...

Whilst I am busy writing new material for you on how to use Photoshop, I hope you have paid a visit to the Color section (at the top of the navigation bar on the left)?

...also, my Introduction to Color Management.

Just making sure—first things first, remember!

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