How to Get Started with Photoshop as a Complete Beginner

In today's digital age, Adobe Photoshop is an essential skill to acquire for creating diverse graphics and designs, and even for monetization purposes. This guide provides a step-by-step tutorial for absolute beginners to get started with Photoshop.

1. Initial Setup

• Opening Photoshop: Upon opening, you'll see the main interface.
• Start a New Project:
  1. Click on the top left corner and select "New File."
  2. Set your project resolution (e.g., 1920x1080 for a standard 16:9 format).
  3. Choose or create your template and click "Create" to start working.

2. Using Assets

• Thanks to platforms like Envato, you have access to unlimited downloads of assets such as stock photos, videos, graphic templates, animations, music, and sound effects with both personal and professional licenses.
• All assets used in this tutorial are from Envato.

3. Importing and Managing Images

• Importing an Image: Drag and drop your desired stock photo onto your project.
• Image Manipulation:
  • Scale images by dragging the sides or corners.
  • Move images as desired.
  • Use Command or Control + T to resize again.
  • Hold Shift to stretch without maintaining proportions.
  • Flip images vertically or horizontally.

4. Interface Layout

• Middle Area: Displays the current working project.
• Right Side Features:
  • History: Tracks edits for easy undo/redo.
  • Color Selector and Adjustments: Manage colors, swatches, gradients, exposure, saturation, etc.
  • Layers: Change order, hide layers, lock/unlock layers.

Layers Usage

• Managing Layers:
  • Lock/unlock background layers.
  • Group layers using Command + G.
  • Rename layers by double-clicking their name.
  • Create new layers with the 'new layer' button.
  • Delete layers by dragging them to the trash or pressing delete.

5. Generative Fill AI Feature

• This new AI feature in Photoshop can fill selected areas based on prompts you give, such as adding a flower pot to a window.

6. Essential Tools Overview

• Move Tool: Moves selected layers.
• Selection Tool: For drawing and selecting areas.
• Lasso Tool: Freehand selections.
• Quick Selection Tool: Select objects quickly.
• Brush Tool: Customizable painting tool with size, hardness, opacity adjustments.
• Eraser Tool: Removes parts of a layer.
• Gradient Tool: Creates gradients with custom colors.
• Crop Tool: Trims or expands edges.
• Clone Stamp Tool: Duplicates pixels to paint over another area.
• Text Tool: Adds text to your image.
• Dodge/Burn Tool: Lightens or darkens specific areas.
• Eyedropper Tool: Samples colors.

7. Blending and Adjustments

• Blending Options: Right-click on a layer to access options like drop shadows, strokes, and overlays.
• Adjustment Layers: Found in the adjustments menu, alter properties like hue, saturation, and curves. Use clipping masks to apply adjustments to specific layers only.

8. Saving and Exporting

• Save your work using "Save" for cloud saving or "Save a Copy" for local storage.
• Choose your format: PNG for transparency, JPEG for non-transparent images.

9. Utilizing Templates

• Open templates in Photoshop, edit text and images according to your needs by replacing placeholders or layers.

Conclusion

Photoshop is a powerful tool with many features to explore. By understanding and practicing these basics, you'll be on your way to creating professional and monetizable content. For further resources, consider signing up for platforms like Envato for additional assets and inspiration.

To dive deeper into specific tools or features, request further detailed tutorials as needed.