Ultimate Photoshop: Creative Professional Masterclass

Explore the Photoshop user interface, learn how panels form workspaces, and customize keyboard shortcuts and screen modes to speed up your workflow.

Discover Photoshop's main interface, create a new document, and explore the document window, menu bar, tools, and essential panels like layers, brushes, and character and paragraph panels.

Organize Photoshop panels by adding from the Window menu, dragging to rearrange, and closing tab groups to customize your interface.

Reset Photoshop to its default workspace, then create, save, update, and delete custom workspaces to streamline your workspace setup.

Explore artboards in Photoshop as canvas spaces that crop content; create documents with artboards, switch between iPhone and Android presets, duplicate artboards, and export as a multi-page PDF for clients.

Find and customize Photoshop keyboard shortcuts to speed your workflow. Navigate the keyboard shortcuts editor, resolve conflicts, save a custom set, and import it to another computer.

Learn how to load saved keyboard shortcuts into Photoshop by copying the custom shortcuts file to the presets keyboard shortcuts folder and restarting Photoshop to apply the new set.

Learn how to use screen modes in Photoshop to hide the interface and focus on your work, cycle between modes with F, and toggle panels with Tab and Shift+Tab.

Explore Photoshop documents (psds) as the native file type, learn how to create new documents, save versus save as, manage multiple files, and navigate workflows efficiently.

Learn to create new documents in Photoshop using file new, explore presets, custom presets, and manage width, height, orientation, resolution, color modes, and background contents.

Learn how to save Photoshop documents (PSD) with layers and an ICC profile, and compare saving as JPEG or PNG while understanding quality, compression, and file type options.

Master multiple ways to open and import documents in Photoshop, including using file open, the home screen, placing, and smart objects, while understanding layers, transparency, and embedded versus linked files.

Master working with multiple Photoshop files by opening, arranging as tabs or split view, and loading files into stack to merge into a single image.

Pan with the hand tool and spacebar to toggle tools, and zoom with the zoom tool or ctrl/cmd plus minus. Use the navigator panel for context.

Explore common digital image file formats, their features and limitations, when to use each in Photoshop, and the difference between two native formats, plus color modes and bit depth.

Explore common file formats used in Photoshop, including jpeg/jpg, gif, png, tiff, raw, and the native psd/psb, with notes on transparency, layers, and appropriate use.

Compare PSD and PSB formats to learn Photoshop’s native options, their two-gigabyte and four-exabyte size limits, and when to save for edits versus sharing.

Compare raster (pixel-based) graphics with vector graphics built from points and curves. Use Photoshop to manage pixel detail for photos and scalable logos with AI, EPS, and SVG.

Explore color modes in Photoshop, from CMYK for print to RGB for screens, and learn how each mode uses channels and values or percentages to shape final images.

Understand how bit depth stores color information, from 1-bit to 32-bit, and how RGB channels, gradient smoothness, and banding affect image quality in Photoshop.

Master rulers and guides, grids, snapping, and alignment tools to position elements quickly in Photoshop. Explore undo/redo, history, and actions to streamline workflows through a project slicing and exporting images.

Learn to use rulers and guides in Photoshop, switch units between inches and pixels, create and move guides, and use smart guides with the ruler tool for precise measurements.

Create a seamless multi-image panorama for instagram by merging photos, aligning with overlap, and slicing with guides into four pixel-perfect images, using photoshop's photo merge, guides, and slice tools.

Learn to use grids and snapping in Photoshop, customize grid color and size, adjust subdivisions, and snap objects to grid, guides, or layers for precise alignment, including the pixel grid.

Master Photoshop's alignment tools to center and position objects precisely, switching between canvas and selection reference, and snapping to guides or the grid for accurate alignment.

Load images into a single document using the load files into stack option. Apply auto align and auto blend to create a seamless panorama, then crop to remove transparent pixels.

Master multiple copy and paste workflows in Photoshop, from basic selection-based copying to paste in place, cross-document pasting, and creating new layers from a selection.

Master undo and redo with the Photoshop history panel, which logs actions, lets you jump to time points, create new documents from history, and use snapshots.

Learn to paint with history in Photoshop using the history brush, create and manage layers, set history sources, and understand how history states differ across documents.

Explore the paintbrush tool in Photoshop, learn to switch colors, adjust opacity and flow, and leverage brush shapes, pen pressure, and quick shortcuts to craft expressive strokes.

Learn how actions work in Photoshop, from the actions panel and play button to recording and applying sequences across images. Save, load, and organize custom actions with naming and shortcuts.

Understand the difference between canvas size and image size. Canvas size changes the document canvas, while image size resizes the image, with options for relative adjustments and transparency considerations.

Explore layers in Photoshop to unlock powerful photo editing capabilities. Learn the basics of using layers, layer masks, and clipping paths to control different parts of your image.

Explore Photoshop layers, including pixel, vector, background, adjustment, smart objects, 3d, and video layers, and learn to organize with groups and renaming.

Learn to create, duplicate, and delete layers in Photoshop, convert the background to an editable pixel layer, and organize with groups while managing opacity.

Explore how layer masks use a grayscale map to control visibility, with white showing and black hiding. Apply grayscale values to reveal layers beneath, swap backgrounds, and create partial transparency.

Master layer masks in Photoshop by creating, duplicating, and deleting masks; learn non-destructive techniques, how background layers convert to masking-ready, and use white and black to control transparency.

Master clipping masks in Photoshop by framing a photo with a container layer and clipping the top layer to reveal pixels inside it. Keep the layer order in mind.

Learn to use layer masks in a mini project to isolate a turtle, paint non-destructively, and refine with clipping masks and adjustment layers for targeted color and detail.

Learn how the background layer in Photoshop behaves, its locked state, and how to convert it to a normal layer to move and save as PSD or JPEG.

Lock and unlock layers in Photoshop to control transparency, pixels, movement, and artboard interactions. Learn how each lock type prevents edits and automates nesting when moving elements between artboards.

Understand the difference between opacity and fill in Photoshop, use keyboard shortcuts to adjust opacity, and see how fill affects only the layer's pixels while opacity affects the whole layer.

Reorder layers to influence color blending and final image using a blue line marker. Create and manage groups to organize multiple layers, duplicate groups, and maintain a backup copy.

Explore how blend modes affect layered images in Photoshop, including overlay, multiply, and screen, and learn top-bottom layering, opacity, and compounding effects.

Organize layers into groups, back up originals, and merge selected or visible layers, noting how merging changes blend modes and opacity and how flattening reduces file size.

Explore applying and managing layer styles in Photoshop, including color overlay and stroke, using both the layer effects panel and double-clicking the layer.

Master Photoshop selections by exploring marquee, lasso, magic wand tools, and painting techniques, and learn to save and load selections for reusable workflows.

Master Photoshop's selection tools and the three-step workflow of select, edit, and repeat. Start with marquee selections and apply the right tools for different subjects or projects.

Master marquee selections in Photoshop by drawing rectangles or ellipses (M), constraining to squares or circles with shift, and adding or subtracting from selections with shift or alt.

Learn to use the lasso family in Photoshop, including the plain lasso, polygonal lasso, and magnetic lasso, adjust feathering, refine edges, and create precise selections.

Master selecting with the magic wand tool in Photoshop by adjusting sample size, tolerance, anti-aliasing, and contiguous settings to create precise, layer-aware selections across all layers.

Master the quick selection tool in Photoshop to paint selections by color, add or remove areas with alt keys, and leverage sample all layers and quick mask mode.

Paint with the brush tool in quick mask mode to create a mask that Photoshop converts into a selection when you exit quick mask mode.

Master how to combine Photoshop selection tools—magic wand, lasso, polygonal lasso—with quick mask, and keyboard shortcuts to create precise selections, convert them into layer masks, and apply hue-saturation adjustments.

Learn to quickly isolate a subject in Photoshop with select subject and select and mask, refine edges with quick mask and hair adjustments, and create a layer mask for edits.

Learn to save and load selections in Photoshop using layer masks, channels, and the Save Selection command; manage saved selections in the channels panel and reuse them for precise edits.

Explore smart objects in Photoshop, learn what they are, why they're beneficial, and how to create, edit, and open entire images as smart objects.

Explore smart objects in Photoshop, where embedded source files enable non-destructive editing and scalable images with less pixelation than normal layers. See how instances update together when edited.

learn how to create and edit smart objects in Photoshop, convert layers to smart objects, edit by double-clicking the thumbnail, and manage linked versus copied smart objects to control updates.

Open images as smart objects in Photoshop and import them. Learn why JPEGs cannot have layers and relink or replace contents to keep edits non-destructive while embedding PSDs.

Explore powerful transformation tools in Photoshop, including Free Transform, distortion, cropping with data kept, and image straightening. Master Puppet Warp and Perspective Warp to perform major edits on photographs.

Master free transform in Photoshop to move, scale, and rotate layers; leverage smart objects to preserve edits, and use shortcuts like Ctrl/Cmd T with snap to 15-degree increments.

Explore distorting transformations in Photoshop, including perspective, distort, and warp, to reshape smart object layers and match window shapes, with tips on snapping and blending.

Master the Photoshop crop tool to frame images with ratios (including 1:1 for Instagram), use the rule of thirds grid, and learn to preserve pixels by toggling delete cropped pixels.

Learn to straighten images in Photoshop with the crop tool and straighten tool, align horizons, crop edge pixels, and correct perspective using the Camera Raw filter's transform tool.

Apply content-aware scale in Photoshop to preserve image content while resizing, compare it with free transform, and protect areas with alpha channels and masking.

Explore how to use the puppet warp tool in Photoshop to warp and distort layers with pins, adjust density and mode, and control edge expansion for creative image manipulation.

Learn how to use the perspective warp tool in Photoshop, enabling the graphics processor, laying out a perspective grid, and warping to straighten or distort images in a two-step workflow.

Explore Photoshop tools for retouching, compositing, and photo editing, including the Clone Stamp tool, Healing Brush, Patch tool, and Content-Aware Fill and Move.

Learn to customize brushes using the brush settings panel, adjusting tip shape, spacing, scattering, and dynamics, then save presets and create brushes from photos for reuse.

Master the clone stamp tool in Photoshop by sampling a source point with alt. Paint on a new layer for non-destructive edits, and adjust flow and opacity for realism.

Master the healing brush to blend pixels by sampling from multiple sources on a new non-destructive layer, compare with the clone stamp, and adjust size, alignment, and diffusion for edits.

Remove the person from a beach photo using non-destructive edits on a new layer with the clone stamp and healing brush, sampling sources and blending to natural edges.

Master the spot healing brush in Photoshop: paint to remove spots using the sampled area, with content aware, create texture, proximity match, and sample all layers options.

Master the patch tool in Photoshop to remove a subject, compare it with the healing brush, and work non-destructively using a new layer and content aware mode.

Master content-aware fill in Photoshop to remove objects by making a selection and using the workspace. Adjust sampling, color adaptation, rotation, and output to a new layer for non-destructive retouching.

Learn to use the content aware move tool to relocate image elements, blending with structure and color values, and compare it with patch and content aware fill for seamless edits.

Learn to use Photoshop’s sky replacement to swap a blown-out sky, adjust edges, brightness, temperature, and scale, and fine-tune with masks and adjustment layers for seamless foreground integration.