Mastering Adobe Photoshop CC Made Easy: A Training Tutorial

Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular photo editing and raster graphic creation software applications available. Photoshop lets you create and edit digital art in ways you might never have imagined. You can remove flaws from existing photos, add text and shapes, apply image filters, and make many other digital changes to your image documents to produce high-quality, professional graphics. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

When you first launch Photoshop, the Home screen appears. The Photoshop Home screen contains options for creating new files, opening existing files, and viewing help and tutorials. The Photoshop Home screen contains a menu at the left side of the screen from which you can select choices that then appear to the right. It also shows the standard Photoshop Menu Bar at the top of the screen, followed by a toolbar that shows cloud storage, search, and other options based on your Creative Cloud subscription. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To create a new document in Photoshop from the Home screen, click the “New file” button in the Home screen. Alternatively, to create a new document in Photoshop at any time, select “File| New…” from the Menu Bar. Doing either action then opens the “New Document” window in Photoshop. To create a new document from a preset in Photoshop, click the desired tab at the top of the “New Document” window to show its presets in the window. Then click to select the desired preset to use. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

After you create a new document or open an existing file in Photoshop, it appears as a tabbed document file within the Photoshop workspace. At the top of the Photoshop workspace is the Menu Bar. The Menu Bar in Photoshop lets you select commands to execute. To execute a command in the Menu Bar, click a command in the Menu Bar to show its drop-down menu of subcommands. Then click the subcommand to execute in the drop-down menu. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

There are many ways to open a file in Photoshop, based on where the file to open is saved. To open a file in Photoshop, either click the “Open” button in the Photoshop Home screen or select “File| Open…” from the Menu Bar. Doing either action then launches either the “Open” dialog box or the “Open from Creative Cloud” window, depending on which one you last used to open a file in Photoshop. You use the “Open” system dialog box to open locally-saved files. Alternatively, you use the “Open from Creative Cloud” window to open files saved to Creative Cloud. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To close a file in Photoshop, click the small “x” button at the right end of the file’s name in the tab at the top of the document window. Alternatively, select “File| Close” from the Menu Bar. To close all opened files in Photoshop, instead, select “File| Close All” from the Menu Bar. Alternatively, to close all files in Photoshop except for the current file, select “File| Close Others” from the Menu Bar. Alternatively, to close the current file and then open Adobe Bridge, if desired, select “File| Close and Go to Bridge…” from the Menu Bar. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Panels in Photoshop contains the tools and settings you use to edit your document content. There are many panels in Photoshop. The panels in Photoshop are saved into an interface layout called a workspace, along with other interface tools. To turn the display of a panel on or off in Photoshop, click the “Window” command in the Menu Bar. Then click to select the name of the panel to show or hide in the third and fourth sections of the drop-down menu that appears. Panel names in these sections of the drop-down menu that show a checkmark to the left of their names are currently shown onscreen. Panel names without a checkmark do not appear onscreen. Clicking a name in the drop-down menu turns its display on or off. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can also arrange the document windows in Photoshop workspaces to suit your workflow needs. By default, document windows in Photoshop appear as named tabs that appear docked in the center of the application window. To switch between the opened tabbed document windows, click the name of the document window tab to view. To rearrange the order of the tabs from left to right, click and drag the tabbed document’s tab to a new location in the tabbed document windows and then release it. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Photoshop provides you with a default workspace called the “Essentials” workspace. As mentioned earlier in this course, a workspace is a saved layout and arrangement of panels and other tools in the Photoshop interface. It can also optionally include saved layouts of keyboard shortcuts, menus, and the Tools panel, if you customize any of those. You can modify the workspaces in Photoshop, as desired. Photoshop provides you with several default workspace layouts you can apply and customize, as needed. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Tools panel in Photoshop appears at the left side of the application window, by default. However, you can dock the Tools panel to either the right or left sides of the application window or let it float over the document window area. Unlike most panels in Photoshop, however, you cannot dock the Tools panel at the bottom of the Photoshop application window or group it with other panels in panel tab groups. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To show or hide the Contextual Task Bar in Photoshop 24.5 or later, select “Window| Contextual Task Bar” from the Menu Bar to toggle its display on or off. By default, the Contextual Task Bar appears floating at the bottom center of the document window. The Contextual Task Bar shows buttons for commands that you may want to perform in Photoshop, depending on the currently-selected content, like the currently-selected layer, for example. If no content is selected in the document window for which it can offer suggested workflow activities, then the Contextual Task Bar hides itself until an appropriate object is selected. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

When taking photos with a camera, you often have the choice to take the photos in either the “JPEG” or “Camera Raw” file format. In general, many less-expensive cameras only let you take JPEG photos. However, many more expensive models offer the option of taking photos in either JPEG or Camera Raw formats. JPEG is a photo file format associated with file types that end with either a “.jpg” or “.jpeg” file extension. However, there are many different types of “Camera Raw” file formats available. Commonly used camera raw file formats include “.nef,” “.cr2,” and “.crw,” among others. You should choose the default file type you want to use to take photos before you take pictures with your camera. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

This chapter shows you how to process camera raw images in Photoshop. A camera raw image is the unprocessed image data from your camera’s image sensor. You can use the camera raw feature of Photoshop to open the camera raw file and process it, instead of relying on the camera to process it. This lets you apply custom image settings, like setting the white balance and tonal range, for example. You can then import a copy of the processed file into Photoshop, like any other image, to further edit it. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To open a locally-saved camera raw image in Photoshop for processing, select “File| Open…” from the Menu Bar to launch an “Open” dialog box. Then use this dialog box to navigate to, and select, the camera raw file to open for processing. Then click the “Open” button in the “Open” dialog box to open the camera raw image within the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

After opening a camera raw file for processing in Photoshop, it opens within the “Camera Raw” dialog box. This dialog box contains the tools and settings used to import and process the camera raw data and save those camera raw adjustments, if desired. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box contains buttons for tools and buttons that change the panel to its left, where you can then access more tools and settings to edit the current camera raw image. You can click the “Edit” button in the toolbar, which is selected by default, to view its panel tabs to the left in the Edit panel. This is where you make most image adjustments to camera raw images in the “Camera Raw” dialog box. We’ll discuss the settings within each tab in this panel in detail in later lessons of this chapter. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The “Toggle sampler overlay” and “Toggle grid overlay” buttons in the “Camera Raw” dialog box of Photoshop let you show or hide helpful overlay information when making camera raw adjustments. The sampler overlay lets you see the RGB values of up to 9 points you can sample by clicking into the preview image. The grid overlay shows a grid you can use for alignment and orientation of the photo. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Before you process camera raw photos using the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop, ensure you select the desired process version. A process version in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop determines how Photoshop translates your camera raw file format. To select a camera raw process version in Photoshop, click the “Edit” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box. Then click the “Calibration” tab in the Edit panel to the left of the toolbar to expand it, if needed. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The first correction you usually want to make after opening a camera raw file in Photoshop is to set the correct white balance for the photo, if needed. The white balance of a camera raw image is recorded by the camera as metadata when the image is taken. This metadata is read by Photoshop when you open the camera raw image and often results in the correct color temperature for the image. However, you can adjust the white balance for images that display a color cast due to an imbalance in the white balance. There are three ways to adjust the white balance in an image. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

After setting the correct white balance for a camera raw image, you should then make additional tonal adjustments to it, as needed. To make basic tonal adjustments to camera raw photos in Photoshop, click the “Edit” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box, if needed. Then click the “Basic” tab in the Edit panel that appears to the left of the toolbar to expand it, if needed. Then use the sliders below the “White Balance” section to change the basic adjustment settings. The specific sliders shown in this section depend on the process you chose from the “Process” drop-down on the “Calibration” tab. This lesson covers the settings for process “Version 5” in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

After making basic tonal adjustments to a camera raw image in Photoshop, you can then fine-tune the exposure, contrast, and color by adjusting the tone curve in the “Curve” tab of the Edit panel in the “Camera Raw” dialog box of Photoshop. To show the Curve panel, click the “Edit” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box. Then click the “Curve” tab in the Edit panel to show its settings in the Curve panel to the left of the toolbar. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

After making basic tonal adjustments to an image, if needed, you can then make detail adjustments to the camera raw image, if needed. To make detail adjustments to camera raw images in Photoshop, click the “Edit” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box, if needed. Then click the “Detail” tab in the Edit panel that appears to the left of the toolbar to expand it, if needed. As noted at the bottom of the expanded “Manual Noise Reduction” section of this panel, you should change the magnification level of the preview image to 100% or greater to accurately preview the changes you make to these settings. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Color Mixer panel in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop lets you adjust the hue, saturation, and luminance of specific color ranges in a camera raw image. Note that if you select the “B&W” button at the top of the Edit panel, then this tab is instead the “B&W Mixer,” but its basic function of adjusting specific colors in the image remains the same. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Color Grading panel in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop lets you apply color either globally or to only selected tonal ranges in a camera raw image. You can apply color using the Color Grading panel to either color or black and white images, depending on the desired effect you want to achieve in the camera raw photo. You can control the hue, saturation, and luminance of the color you apply. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Optics tab in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop lets you correct image defects caused by lens distortions in a camera raw image. These tools let you easily correct image perspective flaws and chromatic aberrations from camera lenses that may appear in a camera raw image. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Geometry tab in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop lets you automatically or manually correct perspective flaws in a camera raw image. To show the Geometry tab in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop, click the “Edit” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box, if needed, to show the Edit panel. Then click the “Geometry” tab in the Edit panel that appears to the left of the toolbar to expand it, if needed. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Effects tab in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop lets you apply artistic effects to a camera raw image. To show the Effects tab in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop, click the “Edit” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box, if needed. Then click the “Effects” tab in the Edit panel that appears to the left of the toolbar to expand it, if needed. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

A profile in camera raw determines the rendering of color and tonality in your camera raw image. To view the current camera raw profile, click the “Edit” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop. In the Edit panel that appears to the left of the toolbar, the name of the currently applied profile appears in the “Profile” drop-down. The camera raw profile you select does not change the editing values set by the sliders in the other tabs of the Edit panel, like the “Basic” and “Detail” tabs. So, you can apply a profile either before or after making editing adjustments to see its impact without worrying about losing the adjustment values. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To reset any adjustment setting in the Edit panel of the “Camera Raw” dialog box to its default value, hold down the “Alt” key on your keyboard (“Option” for Macs), then roll your pointer over the name of the setting to reset, and then click the “Reset” link that appears where the name of the setting was. If the “Reset” link doesn’t appear, it is because the setting was not changed. To reset all settings in the “Basic,” “Curve,” “Detail,” “Color Mixer,” “Color Grading,” “Optics,” “Geometry,” “Effects,” or “Calibration” tabs, hold down the “Alt” key on your keyboard (“Option” for Macs) and then click the “Reset Basic,” “Reset Curve,” “Reset Detail,” “Reset Color Mixer,” “Reset Color Grading,” “Reset Optics,” “Reset Geometry,” “Reset Effects,” or “Reset Calibration” links that then appear at the top of the related tab in the Edit panel. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To access the cropping and rotating tools in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop, click the “Crop” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box. When this button is selected, the Crop Tool is automatically activated, by default. Additionally, the “Crop” tab and “Rotate & Flip” tab appear in the panel to the left of the toolbar, which provide additional settings. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To access the Healing tool in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop, click the “Healing” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box to activate the Healing tool and show the “Healing” tab in the panel to the left of the toolbar, which provides the tool’s settings. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Masking tool in the “Camera Raw” dialog box lets you apply masks and associated adjustments to local selections in camera raw photos. Masking in photos is a more advanced Photoshop concept, and while we discuss this topic at this point in the course because we are covering the opening and adjusting of camera raw images as part of a simple photo editing workflow, the terms, concepts, and techniques shown in this lesson are better suited for new Photoshop students to revisit after completing the course. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To correct red eye or pet eye in a camera raw image in Photoshop, click the “Red Eye” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box. Then use the “Type” drop-down in the Red Eye panel that appears to the left of the toolbar to select either “Red Eye” or “Pet Eye” to select the type of correction to make. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Snapshots in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop let you save a camera raw photo’s image state and all its camera raw adjustments and edits as a snapshot. Snapshots let you easily see the effects of editing and adjustments you apply to camera raw images. To access the snapshots in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop, click the “Snapshots” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box. The Snapshots panel then appears to the left of the toolbar, which you use to create and manage the snapshots of the current camera raw file. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Presets in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop are a saved set of camera raw edits and adjustments you can apply to images. You can edit a camera raw image and then save some or all its edits and adjustments as a new preset, if desired. To apply a preset to an image, click the “Presets” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box to show the Presets panel to its left. Then click the preset group that contains the preset to apply to expand it and see its presets in this pane, if needed. Then click the name of the preset to apply. Then adjust the amount of the preset to apply using the preset amount slider that appears above the list of presets and which shows the name of the applied preset. To remove an applied preset, click its name in the list of presets again. You can apply multiple presets, if desired, but if the presets have conflicting adjustment settings, then the adjustment settings of the preset last applied overwrite the previously applied preset adjustment settings. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

If you open multiple camera raw images in Photoshop at the same time using the “Open” dialog box, Adobe Bridge, or imported Lightroom photos, the images appear in a Filmstrip in the “Camera Raw” dialog box. By default, the Filmstrip appears at the bottom of the image preview area in the dialog box, but you can change its placement. The “Filmstrip” button that controls the visibility of the Filmstrip and its other settings appears in the lower-left corner of the “Camera Raw” dialog box, by the “Select zoom level” drop-down. To show or hide the Filmstrip, click the “Filmstrip” button. To show a pop-up menu of Filmstrip commands from which you can select, either click and hold down on the “Filmstrip” button or right-click the “Filmstrip” button. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

After making your desired adjustments to a camera raw image in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop, you can save the camera raw adjustments by updating the metadata of the camera raw file. Alternatively, you can update the camera raw file’s metadata and then open the image within Photoshop. Alternatively, you can update the metadata of the camera raw file and then open the image in Photoshop as a Smart Object. Alternatively, you can skip updating the metadata of the camera raw file and just open a copy of the camera raw image with the applied camera raw adjustments in Photoshop, instead. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

After making your desired camera raw adjustments in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop, you can convert and save a copy of the camera raw file to many different formats, if desired. Popular choices include DNG and JPEG, but you can also save the image as a TIFF, Photoshop Document, or PNG, too. However, only the DNG file type lets you save the original camera raw data and its adjustments as a file which you can open in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in the future to view and edit those saved camera raw adjustments, if desired. The other formats are just standard image file formats or the Photoshop document file type. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To access the “Camera Raw Preferences” dialog box in Photoshop, click the “Open preferences dialog” button towards the upper-right corner of the “Camera Raw” dialog box to open it. The camera raw preference categories appear as buttons at the left side of the dialog box which you can click to specify their individual settings at the right side of the window. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Images can contain raster data, which is also called bitmap or pixel data. Separately, they can also contain vector data. These two types of image data, however, are not mutually exclusive. For example, a single Photoshop document may contain both raster and vector image data within it. To use Photoshop effectively, you must understand the basic difference between these two types of image data. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

All images must appear as pixels onscreen when using a computer display. So, before you can manipulate the images, you must learn how pixels are displayed and measured within computer displays. When an image appears on a monitor, it is rendered according to the pixel dimensions of the graphic and the display settings and size of the monitor. The image’s pixel dimensions are the width and height of the image in pixels. The number of pixels displayed in an image is measured in pixels (dots) per inch or pixels (dots) per centimeter. This is also called the ppi or dpi. Generally, the higher the ppi or dpi, the higher the image quality. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

After you create a new blank Photoshop document, you can place additional images into their own separate layers on top of the “Background” layer that appears by default within the Photoshop document, if desired. A document file in Photoshop can contain many layers. A layer is like a transparent sheet placed on top of the background layer. You place additional images and other items into their own separate layers within a Photoshop document so you can select a certain layer and then make changes to only the content in the selected layer, without putting image content within the other layers at risk of accidental edits. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The rulers and grid in Photoshop help you place content within the Photoshop document. To toggle the rulers at the top and left sides of a Photoshop document on or off, select “View| Rulers” from the Menu Bar. The rulers in Photoshop help you make measurements. To change the units of measurement shown within the rulers in Photoshop, right-click either ruler and then select the name of the desired units of measurement from the pop-up contextual menu that appears. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

When placing content in a Photoshop document, it is often helpful to use guides that help you align and arrange the content. Guides are non-printing horizontal or vertical lines you can add to a Photoshop document to help you accurately place content into desired locations and align it properly. Unlike the grid, guides are unique to each Photoshop document. If desired, you can also use guides in conjunction with the “Snap” feature to easily snap content you move to the guides in the Photoshop document. Guides also work best in conjunction with the ruler in Photoshop, so it is best to use guides when the ruler is enabled. Remember that you can select “View| Rulers” from the Menu Bar in Photoshop to toggle the rulers on or off. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can also apply guide layouts, which you can modify and save as new guide layout presets, to apply a set of default guides to help with design and layout. To apply a guide layout in Photoshop, select “View| Guides| New Guide Layout…” from the Menu Bar to open the “New Guide Layout” dialog box. To select where to place the guide layout if adding it to a Photoshop document that contains artboards, choose the desired artboard name or the “Canvas” choice, as needed, from the “Target” drop-down. To apply a saved guide layout preset or one of the default presets, select it from the “Preset” drop-down. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Undo command and the History panel are two tools you can use to reverse actions you have made in Photoshop to fix mistakes or undo changes you make that you don’t like. The Undo command lets you reverse your previous actions, in order. To undo your last action in Photoshop, either press the “Ctrl” (“Command” for Macs) + “Z” keys on your keyboard or select “Edit| Undo” from the Menu Bar. You can continue to execute this command to continue reversing your previous actions, in order. To redo an action you have undone, select “Edit| Redo” from the Menu Bar or press “Shift” + “Ctrl” (“Command” for Macs) + “Z” on your keyboard. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

When you open a Photoshop document, Photoshop shows some type of document information towards the lower-left corner of the document window in the Status Bar. You can change which set of document information appears in this area. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You must learn how to use the Zoom tool in Photoshop to work effectively in Photoshop documents. When you open a file in Photoshop, its current magnification level appears in the lower-left corner of the Status Bar. One way to change the magnification level of the current document in Photoshop is to click into the magnification level shown at the left end of the Status Bar, type a new percentage, and then press the “Enter” key on your keyboard. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To pan and scroll a Photoshop document within its document window if you can’t see the content you want to edit at its current magnification level, click the Hand tool in the Tools panel. Note that this button shares its location in the Tools panel with the Rotate View tool. After selecting the Hand tool in Photoshop, your mouse pointer will appear as a hand icon when you place it over the Photoshop document. At that point, click and drag to pan the content of the Photoshop document within the document window frame. This is a very “handy” tool to use when you must select something off to the side of the document window frame when you are zoomed in closely. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Before discussing color in Photoshop, you must first learn there are many ways of describing, or measuring, colors. Each one of these is described in a color model. The most used color models are HSB, RGB, and CMYK, although there are several others that can also be used. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can convert a file in Photoshop from one color mode to another, if necessary. For example, you can convert an image edited using the RGB Color mode to the CMYK Color mode before sending it to a commercial printer. When you select a different color mode for an image, you permanently alter the color values in the image. So, if you convert an RGB Color mode image to a CMYK Color mode image, any RGB color values outside of the CMYK color gamut are adjusted to fall within the CMYK color gamut. Even if you then convert it back to the RGB Color mode, the previous color data it contained before the CMYK Color mode conversion would not reappear. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

It’s important that color is consistent in your images as they are processed. Color management refers to the system of attempting to keep the colors in your images as consistent as possible from the onscreen display to the final printed product. This can be a complex task because each machine, meaning printer, computer, scanner, etc., takes the raw color values and interprets them differently. Color management systems translate colors using color profiles, which provide mathematical descriptions of a device’s color space. Color management systems also provide multiple rendering intents, which are color translation methods. This helps you select a method for different types of images, as needed. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The foreground and background colors in Photoshop appear as two larger overlapping color squares at the bottom of the Tools panel. Photoshop uses the foreground color to paint, stroke, and fill selections. It uses the background color to make gradient fills and fill-in erased areas of images. You can set the desired foreground and background color choices in Photoshop using any of several tools available. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The “Color Picker” dialog box is one of several tools you can use to select colors in Photoshop. To use the “Color Picker” dialog box to set the foreground or background color in Photoshop, click either the foreground or background color selection box in the Tools panel, depending on which color you want to set. Then either visually select a color in the “Color Picker” dialog box that appears by using the color field and color slider shown or type numeric values for each color component into the fields provided, if you know the desired color’s values. Depending on if you clicked the foreground or background color, its name appears in parentheses to the right of the dialog box name in the title bar of the “Color Picker” dialog box. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Eyedropper tool in Photoshop lets you select a color from an image displayed in Photoshop or, if needed, anyplace else on your computer screen. To use the Eyedropper tool in Photoshop, select it from the Tools panel. The Eyedropper tool shares a button in the Tools panel with the 3D Material Eyedropper Tool, the Color Sampler Tool, the Ruler tool, the Note tool, and the Count tool. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can also select a color in Photoshop by using the Swatches panel. Using the Swatches panel is like using a traditional color palette when painting. A swatch is a color cube you can click to select the color. You can load a set of colors to use in an image file into the Swatches panel. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can select a color in Photoshop by using the Color panel. To toggle the Color panel on or off in Photoshop, select “Window| Color” from the Menu Bar. The Color panel in Photoshop shows icons for the foreground and background colors at its left side. To select either the foreground color or background color to set its color in the Color panel, click it to select it. To the right of the foreground and background colors in the Colors panel are the color sliders, color values, and color fields that you use to select or enter color values for the selected foreground or background color, much like when using the “Color Picker” dialog box. In fact, you can double-click either the foreground or background color in the Color panel to also open the “Color Picker” dialog box, if desired. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Photoshop has several useful tools that let you paint lines and color areas of the images and layers in a Photoshop document. You can use the Brush Tools and the Pencil Tool to paint and draw pixels in an image. Generally, you tend to use the Brush Tools to create softer color strokes in an image. The Pencil Tool creates hard-edged lines. You can alter each tool’s settings by changing its options in the Options bar Control panel after selecting it from the Tools panel. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

After selecting the Brush Tool in Photoshop from the Tools panel, you can specify its blending mode in the Options bar Control panel. A blending mode in Photoshop is a setting that determines how colors will blend when they overlap. You can set color blending modes in several places in Photoshop. This is the first time it appears in this course, although it will also appear in later lessons. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The History Brush Tool lets you restore parts of an image over which you paint to an earlier history state or snapshot. This lets you selectively undo an edit without reverting the entire image file to the previous history state or snapshot. To select the History Brush Tool in Photoshop, click to select it from the Tools panel. It shares a button within the Tools panel with the Art History Brush Tool. Also, ensure you show the History panel onscreen so you can use it to select the image data from the previous history state to restore. To show the History panel in Photoshop, if needed, select “Window| History” from the Menu Bar. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Art History Brush Tool in Photoshop works much like the History brush, in that it paints pixels from a history state or snapshot in the History panel onto the current image file in Photoshop, but it also does this while simulating the brush strokes of a fine art painting. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Pencil Tool in Photoshop draws hard-edged lines in images. To use the Pencil Tool in Photoshop, select it from the Tools panel and make sure the color to apply to the image is selected as the foreground color. The Pencil Tool shares a button in the Tools panel with the “Brush Tool,” the “Color Replacement Tool,” and the “Mixer Brush Tool.” The Tools panel displays the last of these tools you selected. So, make sure you select the “Pencil Tool” by clicking and holding down on this button and then selecting the “Pencil Tool” choice from the side menu that appears, if needed. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Color Replacement Tool in Photoshop replaces an original color in an image with the foreground color. It also provides an artistic advantage in that it preserves all the tones in the image. You can change the sampling methods, limits, and tolerance settings to control the range of colors that Photoshop changes in your image. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Mixer Brush Tool in Photoshop simulates the intermixing of wet paint on canvas within an image. To use the Mixer Brush Tool in Photoshop, select it from the Tools panel, where it shares a button in the Tools panel with the “Brush Tool,” the “Pencil Tool,” and the “Color Replacement Tool.” The Tools panel displays the last of these tools you selected. So, make sure you select the “Mixer Brush Tool” by clicking and holding down on this button and then selecting the “Mixer Brush Tool” choice from the side menu that appears, if needed. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Eraser Tool in Photoshop either erases pixels to transparency in layers without transparent pixel locking applied or it applies the current background color when used in layers with transparent pixel locking applied. For example, if used within the default background layer of a standard Photoshop document that uses a “White” background and has partial pixel locking, the Eraser tool paints the current background color, which is “White,” by default. Therefore, unless you changed the default background color, it looks as if it is erasing pixels. Alternatively, if you use this tool in a standard transparent image layer that doesn’t have the “Lock transparent pixels” setting applied, then it will erase any pixels over which you drag the tool to transparency. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Magic Eraser Tool in Photoshop changes similar-colored pixels in a selected layer by erasing them to transparency, if possible. However, if you use the Magic Eraser Tool in a layer in which you manually applied a transparent pixel lock, so you cannot edit the transparent pixels, then the pixels instead change to the currently selected background color. Note, however, that this doesn’t apply to the default Background layer in Photoshop, which the Magic Eraser Tool will convert into a layer with editable transparent pixels to erase the pixels to transparency within it, if needed. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Background Eraser Tool in Photoshop lets you erase pixels on a layer to transparency as you click and drag. This lets you erase the background, while maintaining the edges of an object in the foreground. The Background Eraser Tool samples the color in the center of the brush at the “hot spot,” shown by a crosshair icon, and then erases that sampled color wherever else it may appear within the outer circle of the eraser’s brush. It also performs color extraction at the edges of any foreground objects, so color halos aren’t visible if the foreground object is later pasted into another image. It is important to note that the Background Eraser Tool always overrides the “Lock transparent pixels” setting of a selected layer. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Brush Preset Picker panel in Photoshop lets you select from preset brushes and create your own custom brushes. To show the Brush Preset Picker in Photoshop, click the “Click to open the Brush Preset picker” button in the Options bar Control panel after selecting the Brush Tool in the Tools panel. The Brush Preset Picker panel then appears as a drop-down panel in Photoshop. You can click the same button again to close it after making any change to the settings within it. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

If you have additional brush sets you purchased from a third-party source or exported from another instance of Photoshop, you can import them into the Brush Preset Picker panel. To import brushes in Photoshop, click the “Options” button in the upper-right corner of the Brush Preset Picker panel. Then select the “Import Brushes…” command from the drop-down menu that appears to open a “Load” dialog box. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Brush Settings panel in Photoshop lets you change all the settings of the currently-selected painting tool in Photoshop, like the Brush Tool, for example. To show or hide the Brush Settings panel in Photoshop, click the “Toggle the Brush Settings panel” button in the Options bar Control panel. If this button doesn’t appear in the Options bar Control panel for the currently-selected tool, then the tool has no brush settings you can change. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Brush Settings panel in Photoshop lets you change all the settings of the currently-selected painting tool in Photoshop, like the Brush Tool, for example. To show or hide the Brush Settings panel in Photoshop, click the “Toggle the Brush Settings panel” button in the Options bar Control panel. If this button doesn’t appear in the Options bar Control panel for the currently selected tool, then the tool has no brush settings you can change. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Brush Settings panel in Photoshop lets you change all the settings of the currently-selected painting tool in Photoshop, like the Brush Tool, for example. To show or hide the Brush Settings panel in Photoshop, click the “Toggle the Brush Settings panel” button in the Options bar Control panel. If this button doesn’t appear in the Options bar Control panel for the currently-selected tool, then the tool has no brush settings you can change. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Brush Settings panel in Photoshop lets you change all the settings of the currently-selected painting tool in Photoshop, like the Brush Tool, for example. To show or hide the Brush Settings panel in Photoshop, click the “Toggle the Brush Settings panel” button in the Options bar Control panel. If this button doesn’t appear in the Options bar Control panel for the currently-selected tool, then the tool has no brush settings you can change. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Brush Settings panel in Photoshop lets you change all the settings of the currently-selected painting tool in Photoshop, like the Brush Tool, for example. To show or hide the Brush Settings panel in Photoshop, click the “Toggle the Brush Settings panel” button in the Options bar Control panel. If this button doesn’t appear in the Options bar Control panel for the currently-selected tool, then the tool has no brush settings you can change. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Brush Settings panel in Photoshop lets you change all the settings of the currently-selected painting tool in Photoshop, like the Brush Tool, for example. To show or hide the Brush Settings panel in Photoshop, click the “Toggle the Brush Settings panel” button in the Options bar Control panel. If this button doesn’t appear in the Options bar Control panel for the currently-selected tool, then the tool has no brush settings you can change. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Brush Settings panel in Photoshop lets you change all the settings of the currently-selected painting tool in Photoshop, like the Brush Tool, for example. To show or hide the Brush Settings panel in Photoshop, click the “Toggle the Brush Settings panel” button in the Options bar Control panel. If this button doesn’t appear in the Options bar Control panel for the currently-selected tool, then the tool has no brush settings you can change. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Brush Settings panel in Photoshop lets you change all the settings of the currently-selected painting tool in Photoshop, like the Brush Tool, for example. To show or hide the Brush Settings panel in Photoshop, click the “Toggle the Brush Settings panel” button in the Options bar Control panel. If this button doesn’t appear in the Options bar Control panel for the currently-selected tool, then the tool has no brush settings you can change. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Brush Settings panel in Photoshop lets you change all the settings of the currently-selected painting tool in Photoshop, like the Brush Tool, for example. To show or hide the Brush Settings panel in Photoshop, click the “Toggle the Brush Settings panel” button in the Options bar Control panel. If this button doesn’t appear in the Options bar Control panel for the currently-selected tool, then the tool has no brush settings you can change. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can create a custom brush preset to save the current brush tip, brush settings, tool settings, and color together as a brush preset you can then select from the Brush Preset Picker or Brushes panel. However, you do not have to save all these elements, if desired. For example, you can also choose to just save the brush settings, but not the brush tip size or color as a brush preset, too. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can create your own brush tips in Photoshop from any pixel-based selection you can make. Your selected brush tip shape in Photoshop determines the appearance of the brush strokes you apply. You can create a custom brush tip by sampling pixels in an image you have painted, drawn, or even photographed. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can reset the settings of a brush preset to its defaults, clear brush settings for a currently-selected painting tool, and also reset tool settings for a selected tool in Photoshop. Each of these actions is slightly different, while also being interrelated. First, let’s examine how to reset the settings of a brush preset to its default values, as the settings saved by a brush preset in Photoshop are the most all-encompassing. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can create Tool Presets in Photoshop to save a combination of a tool’s Options bar Control panel settings as an easily selectable preset you can choose to quickly apply those settings to the selected tool. Note that for the painting tools in Photoshop which use brushes, like the Brush Tool, for example, the newer Brush Presets supersede the older Tool Presets, as Brush Presets have all the same advantages as Tool Presets, but also let you save brush and color settings, if desired. While you can create Tool Presets for painting tools, it is not recommended. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To edit only part of an image file in Photoshop, you must first select the pixels in the desired layer of the Photoshop document to change. When you select pixels within an image in a layer in Photoshop, the selected pixel area appears within a dashed selection border called a “selection marquee.” The changes you then make only affect the pixels inside the selection area, protecting the rest of the content from changes. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Marquee Tools in Photoshop let you make selections in the shapes of rectangles, ovals, or single-pixel lines. The available Marquee Tools in Photoshop are the Rectangular Marquee Tool, the Ellipical Marquee Tool, the Single Row Marquee Tool, and the Single Column Marquee Tool. These tools share the same button in the Tools panel in Photoshop and the button shows the icon for the last tool selected. To select the last Marquee Tool used, click the button. Alternatively, to select a different Marquee Tool, click and hold down on the button and then select the name of the Marquee Tool to use from the side menu of choices that then appears. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Lasso Tool in Photoshop lets you draw free-form selections containing curves. To use the Lasso Tool in Photoshop, click the “Lasso Tool” button in the Tools panel. The Lasso Tool shares the same button in the Tools panel with the Polygonal Lasso Tool and the Magnetic Lasso Tool and the button shows the icon for the last tool selected. So, if needed, make sure you select the “Lasso Tool” by clicking and holding down on this button and then selecting the “Lasso Tool” choice from the side menu that appears. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Polygonal Lasso Tool in Photoshop lets you draw straight-edged selection segments to make a larger, irregular polygonal selection shape. To use the Polygonal Lasso Tool in Photoshop, click the “Polygonal Lasso Tool” button in the Tools panel. The Polygonal Lasso Tool shares the same button in the Tools panel with the Lasso Tool and Magnetic Lasso Tool and the button shows the icon for the last tool selected. So, if needed, make sure you select the “Polygonal Lasso Tool” by clicking and holding down on this button and then selecting the “Polygonal Lasso Tool” choice from the side menu that appears. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Magnetic Lasso Tool in Photoshop is a selection tool that makes the selection’s border snap to the pixilated edges of an element you trace in an image. It helps you select objects in Photoshop with complex, irregular edges set against a high-contrast background. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Object Selection tool in Photoshop helps you automatically select an object in an image. The Object Selection Tool lets you either automatically select an object Photoshop detects in an image with a single click by using its Object Finder mode or draw a selection area within which to make Photoshop find an object. This tool helps you select an object in an image when there are multiple objects in the image. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Quick Selection Tool in Photoshop uses a round brush tool to let you either click or click and drag in an image to select pixels and also automatically select adjacent pixels, based on color and texture similarity, up to any edges found by the tool. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Magic Wand Tool in Photoshop lets you select a consistently-colored area or region in the image without manually tracing its border. To use the Magic Wand Tool in Photoshop, click the “Magic Wand Tool” button in the Tools panel. The Magic Wand Tool shares the same button in the Tools panel with the Object Selection Tool and Quick Selection Tool and the button shows the icon for the last tool selected. So, if needed, make sure you select the “Magic Wand Tool” by clicking and holding down on this button and then selecting the “Magic Wand Tool” choice from the side menu that appears. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Select Subject in Photoshop is a command or command button that lets you select the subject of a photo with a single click. When activated, it uses AI to analyze and select the subject of your photo. The Select Subject command or command button appears in several places in Photoshop. To use the Select Subject command in Photoshop, open the photo within which to select a subject. Then choose “Select| Subject” from the Menu Bar. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Select and Mask workspace in Photoshop lets you refine selections you make using the other selection tools in Photoshop. You can also use this workspace to make selections and then refine them at the same time. The Select and Mask workspace in Photoshop uses its own set of selection tools to make and refine selections, separate from the standard Photoshop tools in the Tools panel. However, many of these selection tools work in the same way as the standard counterparts, with some changes to their settings in the Options bar Control panel. Note that the Select and Mask workspace in Photoshop replaces the old Refine Edge dialog box in previous versions of Photoshop. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

There are some commands under the “Select” command’s drop-down menu in the Menu Bar of Photoshop that help you modify existing pixel selections in a layer. To expand a selection in Photoshop to also select all pixels of a similar color adjacent to the selection, choose “Select| Grow” from the Menu Bar. To expand a selection in Photoshop to also select all pixels of a similar color anywhere in the image, choose “Select| Similar” from the Menu Bar. These commands both work well to expand the selection of a single color in a layer with a simple background. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The “Transform Selection” command in Photoshop lets you transform an existing selection to move, resize, rotate, skew, or freely distort it within a Photoshop document. To transform a selection in Photoshop, choose “Select| Transform Selection” from the Menu Bar. A transform bounding box then appears around the entire selection in the document. You then apply your desired types of transformations to the selection in Photoshop and decide to commit the changes or cancel them, if needed. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The “Color Range” command in Photoshop lets you select a color range in your photo. Unlike other selection techniques that fully select pixels, selecting a color range often results in partially-selected pixels within an image. Therefore, the default marching ants display of the selection in the image may not fully show all the partial pixels selected in the photo layer. Often, the “Black and White” view of the selection most accurately shows the pixels selected by the Color Range command if you view the selection using the Select and Mask workspace, instead. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The “Focus Area” command in Photoshop lets you select only in-focus pixels in an image. To select a focus area in Photoshop, open the image within which to select a focus area. Then choose “Select| Focus Area…” from the Menu Bar to open the “Focus Area” dialog box. Photoshop then attempts to automatically select an area in focus within the image, based on the current settings in the “Focus Area” dialog box. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can copy selected pixels in Photoshop to another place in the image or into another image. To copy and paste pixels in Photoshop from a selected layer, first select the layer that contains the pixels to copy and then make the desired pixel selection. To copy the pixel selection in the selected layer, then select “Edit| Copy” from the Menu Bar. Alternatively, to copy pixels in a selection through all layers in Photoshop, instead, select “Edit| Copy Merged” from the Menu Bar. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To save a pixel selection in Photoshop as a channel so you can easily reuse it later, first make the selection to save. Then choose “Select| Save Selection…” from the Menu Bar to open the “Save Selection” dialog box. To select the opened document into which to save the selection, select the desired document name choice from the “Document” drop-down or select the “New” choice from the drop-down to save it into a new document. Photoshop defaults to saving the selection within the current document. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can fill-in both selections and layers you create in Photoshop with colors, patterns, or a selected history state. For example, a common fill in Photoshop is applying either the current background or foreground color to a selection or layer. The “Fill” dialog box in Photoshop lets you fill-in a selection or layer with a color, pattern, or selected history state in the History panel. If needed, the “Fill” dialog box also lets you fill a selection in a layer with content surrounding the selection. However, you can often produce better results filling a selection with surrounding content by using the “Content-Aware Fill…” command in Photoshop instead of the “Content-Aware” choice in the “Fill” dialog box. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The “Stroke” dialog box in Photoshop lets you apply a border of color to a selection in a raster layer or to all contents of a raster layer in Photoshop. Note that you cannot use the “Stroke” dialog box to stroke the contents of a non-rasterized layer, layers that contain fully-locked pixels, or the “Background” layer. If you want to stroke content in vector layers using the “Stroke” dialog box, then you must first rasterize the layer. However, if you intend to edit the vector content later, as may be the case if applying a stroke to a “Type” vector layer, you may want to instead apply a stroke using the “Stroke” layer style effect, which lets you edit the content of the vector layer after applying the stroke layer style effect. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Gradient Tool in Photoshop lets you apply a gradient fill, which is a gradual blend between multiple colors to a pixel selection or to a raster layer. There are many preset gradients included in Photoshop, and you can also create your own gradients. You apply a gradient in Photoshop using the Gradient Tool by clicking and dragging within a selection or a layer. The starting and ending points of the area over which you drag is the location over which the gradient transition appears for all gradient styles except angle. This changes the gradient’s appearance, depending on which gradient style you select. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To edit a gradient adjustment in Photoshop created by the new Gradient Tool in Photoshop 24.5 or later, first select the gradient adjustment layer. Gradient adjustments appear as adjustment layers in the Layers panel with an accompanying layer mask. Click the adjustment icon within the layer, if needed, to show the gradient line in the document window and its gradient properties in the Properties panel. You can edit the gradient adjustment in either location in Photoshop. However, you have more settings available in the Properties panel. When a gradient adjustment is selected in Photoshop, the Properties panel shows many of the same settings as the Options bar Control panel when the Gradient Tool is selected combined with settings from the “Gradient Editor” dialog box. Note that you can still use the “Gradient Editor” dialog box to edit and save gradient preset patterns, as usual. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The “Gradient Editor” dialog box in Photoshop lets you create a new gradient, edit a preset gradient, or delete a gradient. You use the “Gradient Editor” dialog box to create and edit gradient presets in Photoshop, which you select from the Gradient Picker panel when using the Gradient Tool in Photoshop. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

The Paint Bucket Tool in Photoshop fills adjacent pixels in a selection or layer that are similar in color to the pixels you click to sample in the layer with either the selected foreground color or with a pattern. To use the Paint Bucket Tool in Photoshop, click the “Paint Bucket Tool” in the Tools panel. The Paint Bucket Tool shares the same button in the Tools panel with the Gradient Tool and deprecated 3D Material Drop Tool and the button shows the icon for the last tool selected. So, if needed, make sure you select the Paint Bucket Tool by clicking and holding down on this button and then selecting the “Paint Bucket Tool” choice from the side menu that appears. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

All the content you add and manipulate within a Photoshop document is stored in layers. A layer is like a transparent sheet on which you add content and edit it. Where there is no content in a layer, it is transparent, which lets you see through it to the content below. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

There are many layer types in Photoshop you can create. An image layer, often simply called a layer, is a basic type of raster layer. To create a new blank layer in Photoshop, select the layer above which to add a layer in the Layers panel. Then click the “Create a new layer” button at the bottom of the Layers panel. The new layer is then added above the current layer in the Layers panel. If you open a photographic file, like a JPEG, in Photoshop, the image content appears within a layer of this type, called the “Background” layer, which has its own unique layer properties. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

There are many ways to create a new layer in Photoshop. Some tools and commands in Photoshop automatically create layers when you use them. However, you can also create blank layers and then add content to them. Layers appear in the Layers panel in Photoshop. Before you create any new layer in Photoshop, select the layer above which to add the new layer in the Layers panel. If no layer is selected in the Layers panel, then the new layer is added to the top of the stack of layers in the Photoshop document. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To convert a background layer in Photoshop into a normal layer, click the “Background” layer in the Layers panel to select it and then select “Layer| New| Layer from Background…” from the Menu Bar. Alternatively, right-click the “Background” layer name in the Layers panel and then select the “Layer from Background…” command in the pop-up contextual menu. After doing either action, the “New Layer” dialog box then opens. Use the “New Layer” dialog box to name the layer and set its layer options, just as when creating a new blank layer. Then click the “OK” button to finish and convert the background layer. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To perform almost any task on a layer in Photoshop, you must first select it. To select a layer in Photoshop, click its name in the Layers panel. Clicking a layer in the Layers panel in Photoshop then makes it the active layer in the Layers panel. After selecting a layer, changes you then make only affect the content in the selected layer, protecting the content of the other layers. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Photoshop lets you hide or show the content of layers or layer groups in a layered Photoshop document. To change the visibility of the content of a layer or layer group within the document window, click the “Indicates layer visibility” button at the left end of a layer or layer group to toggle its visibility on or off. When toggled on, an “eye” icon appears here. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can duplicate a layer in Photoshop to create a copy of its content in the same Photoshop document or in a different Photoshop document. However, if you duplicate a layer in a Photoshop document that has a different pixel resolution, the layer’s content may appear a different size than you intended. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can change the order of the layers in a Photoshop file. When creating multiple layers in a Photoshop document when no layer is selected, the newest layers are stacked on top of the older layers by default. When a layer is stacked on top of another layer in Photoshop, the content of the layer on top supersedes the content of the layer below. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can link layers in Photoshop to move their content together when using the Move Tool in Photoshop. This ensures the content within the linked layers maintains their relative locations to each other if you move either within the Photoshop document using the Move Tool. Additionally, if you apply a transform to a linked layer, the transform is also applied to its linked layers to maintain their relative content locations. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Grouping layers in Photoshop lets you organize related layers into layer groups. You can expand and collapse the layers in the layer group, as needed. This helps you organize multiple layers that contain related content within the Layers panel. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

As mentioned in an earlier lesson, to assign a color tag to a layer in Photoshop when creating a new layer using the “New Layer” dialog box, select the desired color choice from the “Color” drop-down. The color you select then appears to the left of that layer in the Layers panel This lets you organize layers using a color-coding system you create. For example, you could color all the adjustment layers using the “Red” color so you can easily see adjustment layers in the Layers panel. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To use the Move Tool in Photoshop to move, transform, align, and distribute layer content, click the Move Tool button in the Tools panel. The Move Tool shares the same button in the Tools panel with the Artboard Tool, and the button shows the icon for the last tool selected. So, if needed, to select the Move Tool, click and hold down on this button and select “Move Tool” from the side menu that appears. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

You can also fully or partially lock a layer or lock pixels in a layer in Photoshop to protect its contents. When you lock layers in Photoshop, a “lock” icon appears to the right of the layer name in the Layers panel. The lock icon appears as the outline of a lock if one or more of the partial layer locks are applied, or it appears as a filled-in lock icon when the layer is fully locked by using the “Lock all” button. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

To rename a layer in Photoshop, either double-click the name of the layer in the Layers panel or select the layer to rename in the Layers panel and then choose “Layer| Rename Layer…” from the Menu Bar. Doing either action then highlights the name of the layer in the Layers panel. Then type a new name for the layer into the layer name field in the Layers panel and press the “Enter” key on your keyboard to set the new layer name. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Adding layers to a Photoshop document increases its file size. You can merge layers or flatten an image in Photoshop to reduce the number of layers and the overall file size. You can merge several selected layers together in the Layers panel of Photoshop to create a single layer that combines their content if you no longer need to edit their contents individually. After you merge layers or flatten an image and then save it in Photoshop, you can no longer revert the change. So, if needed, save a copy of the Photoshop document with the unmerged content if you are unsure whether you will need to edit the unmerged content in the future. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

A layer style in Photoshop lets you apply various layer effects to a layer’s content. For example, you can apply the “Stroke” layer effect as a layer style to a vector type layer in Photoshop that you want to continue to edit as vector text. You can only apply a layer style to an entire layer, not to individual selections in a layer. However, you can change where the layer style appears or is hidden by using a layer mask. In addition, a layer style is dynamically linked to the layer’s contents. If you change the contents of a layer with a layer style applied, the appearance of the layer style is also updated to reflect the new content. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

Superficially, adjustment layers and fill layers have many of the same options normal layers have. They have many of the same layer opacity and blending mode settings. However, adjustment layers let you apply a layer over an image element to experiment with color and tonal adjustments in the underlying layers within a Photoshop document. Keeping the adjustment in a separate layer lets you apply adjustments non-destructively, without permanently altering the pixels in the underlying layers. By default, an adjustment layer affects all layers below it. This lets you correct multiple layers with a single adjustment layer, rather than individually adjusting each layer. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

A clipping mask is a grouped set of two or more layers in which the content of the bottom layer acts as a mask for the content in the layers above it. For example, you may have a shape layer as the bottom layer in a clipping mask and a layer above that which contains an image. If you define the two layers as a clipping mask, you can then have the image appear only within the area defined by the underlying shape layer. In essence, the bottom layer clips the content of any layers above it in the clipping mask. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

When you add an adjustment layer or a fill layer to a Photoshop document, the content of the layers appear along with a linked layer mask. A layer mask thumbnail appears to the right of the layer content thumbnail in the Layers panel. A chain link icon appears between the layer and its layer mask to let you know that they are linked together, by default. You can add layer masks to any layer in Photoshop to restrict the display of the linked layer’s content, as set by the layer mask’s content, without changing the content of the linked layer. Learn about this and more during this lecture.

After creating layers in Photoshop, Photoshop lets you filter the layers in the Layers panel to quickly show only layers that match a selected layer type, name, layer effect, layer attribute, color, smart object, selection status, or show artboard layers. To apply a filter to the Layers panel in Photoshop, first ensure the “Turn layer filtering on/off” toggle switch at the right end of the filter toolbar at the top of the Layers panel is set to the “On,” or up, position. To disable layer filtering, click the “Turn layer filtering on/off” toggle switch to set it to the “Off,” or down, position. Learn about this and more during this lecture.