Adobe Photoshop Masterclass 2026 — From Beginner to Pro

Open the new document window and explore Photoshop presets for print, web, mobile, and film, beginning with sizing options like A4, iMac 27, and MacBook Pro sizes.

Choose a clear project title for your file, knowing you can change it later as the work evolves, with an example like 'my first document'.

Master setting width and height with units like pixels, inches, centimeters, millimeters, points, and picas, and switch orientations to see how values interact.

Learn how to use artboards in Photoshop to create multiple pages within one project, set sizes, and turn on artboards to freely work on different screens.

Learn to choose the right resolution for print and digital work, using 300 pixels per inch for printed projects and 72 pixels per inch for screens.

Use rgb for screens and cmyk for print, mixing red, green, blue versus cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, while bitmap, grayscale, and lab color are less essential for beginners.

Set and customize the background content in your Photoshop project, with white, black, transparent, or a custom color. Choose from the options and click create to start your Photoshop project.

In Photoshop, open the window workspace and choose essentials default to make your windows and tools look exactly like the instructor's.

Discover your first project in Adobe Photoshop and learn that the interface is easier than it looks, with a clear introduction to the Photoshop workspace and window.

Explore Photoshop’s interface by mastering the toolbar, dynamic tool settings, and the window system, including swatches and pinning panels, to efficiently manage tools and the project workspace.

Learn how to import images into Photoshop by selecting File > Open, choosing a picture from your computer, and loading it to begin editing.

Master Photoshop's selection tools to target any part of your image, learn that selection is the operation these tools perform, and apply edits only where you intend.

Master rectangular and elliptical marquee tools for quick selections, and use single row and single column marquee tools, add to selections with shift, and deselect with Ctrl+D.

Master lasso tools for precise freehand selections in Photoshop, using polygon, magnetic, and standard lasso; learn to add with shift, remove with alt, and create seamless unions.

Master the magic wand tool in Photoshop to detect and select all similar colors with a single click, using shift and alt modifiers to expand or refine selections, including leaves.

Master the quick selection tool for object selections to make fast, accurate edits by dragging, refining selections with alt and right-click to resize, and remove mistakes as needed.

Use the object selection tool to detect multiple objects with a single click, waiting briefly for automatic, accurate selections; recognize its value among Photoshop's selection tools for real-world projects.

Use the move tool to click and drag to reposition selections and layers, moving objects across your project while managing backgrounds and transparency.

Master navigating your Photoshop project with the zoom tool and shortcuts to zoom in and out efficiently. Use dragging and clicking to control zoom and set default options.

Navigate a Photoshop project using zoom handles, scroll bars, and the hand tool to pan across images. Click and drag with the hand tool for smooth, effortless navigation.

Master essential zoom shortcuts for faster navigation in Photoshop, using control plus, control minus, and control zero to zoom in, zoom out, and reset the view for real-world projects.

Master quick navigation in Photoshop by using the spacebar as a temporary hand tool, holding to switch tools and returning to your previous tool, with zoom shortcuts for efficiency.

Master the layering concept in Photoshop and similar software by using the layers panel to control visibility and stacking order, add and rearrange objects, and manage edits.

Learn to reorder layers in Photoshop by dragging to position layers, send a layer to the back, or bring it to the front to create clean workflows.

Master merging and grouping layers in Photoshop, learning when to merge shapes, text, or images, using merge visible and Ctrl+E for efficient, organized projects.

Group related layers in Photoshop to preserve individual layer control while moving them together, avoiding merges; use group from layers, create new group, or Ctrl G.

Organize your Photoshop layers with color coding by right-clicking a layer or group to assign colors such as red, orange, yellow, or green.

Learn to rename layers and groups with double click or right-click, use layer colors for accessibility, create blank layers for isolated work, and delete layers to manage transparency.

Learn to clone layers in Photoshop by alt-dragging to create a copy or by pressing Ctrl J to duplicate, then reveal the clone and undo with Ctrl Z.

Explore layer styles in Photoshop with blending options to apply textures, strokes, color overlays, inner shadow, inner glow, and drop shadows. Access the layer style panel to manage multiple strokes.

Discover how to adjust opacity to control layer transparency and explore blending modes such as normal, multiply, darken, color burn, and linear burn to mix layers effectively.

Learn how to lock layers in Photoshop for protection by selecting a layer and clicking the lock button to prevent movement and edits, with blending options locked.

Explore adjustment layers in the layers panel, which do not contain objects but modify effects on layers beneath them, enabling non-destructive edits.

Access adjustment layers from the layers panel to modify color, brightness, contrast, levels, curves, and exposure. Use solid color, gradient, and pattern adjustments to apply these effects to targeted objects.

Explore advanced adjustment techniques in Photoshop using adjustment layers to control brightness, contrast, levels, curves, exposure, and black and white conversions across all layers via the properties panel.

Explore how masks control visibility and adjustments on each layer, using the mask on a brightness/contrast adjustment layer to reveal or hide parts of the image.

Explore visibility and adjustment masks in Photoshop, painting with black and white to hide or reveal image areas. Learn to apply, delete, and manage masks on layers.

Learn clipping masks in Adobe Photoshop by linking a layer to its base, using right-click create clipping mask or alt-drag, and resizing both layers independently.

Explore how Photoshop treats raster images and vector-like layers, showing how pixel-based quality can suffer while certain layers retain clarity when resized.

Explore how smart objects in Photoshop preserve logo quality when resizing and prevent damage to the original layer. Convert to smart object to apply filters and update changes by saving.

Master the shape tool by right-clicking the rectangle tool to access rectangles, ellipses, triangles, polygons, the line tool, and custom shapes, then drag to create them in your project.

Explore how to customize shapes in Photoshop by choosing solid fill or gradient colors, applying strokes, and adjusting corner radii to create rounded rectangles.

Master all shape tools in photoshop by using ellipses, triangles, polygons with adjustable corners, lines with height, and custom shapes, all as vector layers.