Mastering Photoshop CS6 and CS5 Made Easy Training Tutorial

Explore the Adobe Bridge environment, a central hub in the Adobe Creative Suite for organizing, searching, and managing files; use collections and smart collections, and switch workspaces to streamline workflow.

Master compact mode in Adobe Bridge to float above other apps, switch to full mode with the view menu or via the switch button, and use dropdown for common commands.

Navigate and manage files and folders, open them with a double-click or by selecting open from the menu bar, and place images directly into Photoshop using the file place workflow.

Organize files in Adobe Bridge with star ratings and color labels, then filter and search by these criteria. Learn to assign and adjust ratings across multiple files.

Sort and filter files in the content window via the menu bar and upper-right dropdown, choosing by name, type, dates, or rating. Lock filters with the pushpin for ongoing browsing.

Master copying, moving, and deleting files in Photoshop cs6 cs5 using Bridge, including copy via menu bar, right-click, or ctrl+drag, and batch rename for efficient file management.

Master stacking and unstacking in Photoshop CS6 and CS5: display only the top file, expand or collapse stacks, and manage the stack thumbnail.

Display images in the preview panel, then open the loop tool to magnify areas, move with the hand tool, and zoom using the scroll wheel or plus/minus keys.

Rotate images in Bridge by selecting the photo, choosing edit, and applying rotate 180 degrees, rotate 90 degrees clockwise, or rotate 90 degrees counterclockwise to adjust display in content window.

View a full-screen slideshow in Bridge by selecting images and choosing View > Slide Show. Use keyboard shortcuts like H, L, space, arrows, and Escape to control playback.

Learn to view and edit image metadata using the metadata panel and file info dialog, including file properties, camera data, and descriptive fields like author and keywords.

Assign keywords to files in Bridge to organize, sort, and find them later; create new keywords and subkeywords, then apply or remove them in the keywords panel.

Use mini bridge, a Photoshop panel that acts as a portal between Photoshop and Bridge for viewing and opening images with navigation pods and thumbnails, without leaving Photoshop.

Explore bitmap (raster) and vector images, learn how Photoshop can handle files with both, edit individual pixels, and navigate resolution dependency that causes jagged edges.

Learn how vector graphics use mathematical vectors to describe images by geometric characteristics. Resize without quality loss, because they are resolution independent and ideal for clean lines in geometric shapes.

Learn how pixels, pixel dimensions, and monitor display determine image size and quality in Photoshop. Resize with constrained proportions, scale styles, and choose interpolation methods to balance detail and performance.

Learn to save scanned images to a computer file and import them into Photoshop via TWAIN or Windows image acquisition, with step-by-step import options for scanners and cameras.

Create a blank canvas in Photoshop by choosing file, selecting new, naming the image, setting width and height, resolution, color mode, background, and optional color profile before clicking OK.

Place images into a Photoshop document as new layers, rasterize vector artwork to bitmap, and resize, rotate, or move the placed file before committing.

Explore color models and color modes in photoshop, including rgb, cmyk, and lab, and how channels, gamut, and printing affect on-screen display and file size.

Preview how color displays differ between Windows and Mac OS. Use the Photoshop proof set up to simulate these differences by selecting Macintosh options or Windows options.

Configure Photoshop color management to keep image colors consistent from screen to print by using presets, working spaces, and embedded color profiles.

Set foreground color to paint strokes and fill selections, use background color for gradient fills and erased areas, and switch colors with toolbox arrows or reset to black and white.

Explore how to use the color picker in Photoshop to select colors visually with color field and slider, input numeric values, and change to web safe or CMYK equivalents.

Learn to pick colors with the eyedropper tool in Photoshop, sample from the screen, adjust sample size, and switch foreground and background colors with the Alt key.

Learn to select colors with the swatches panel, load and save custom swatch sets, and set foreground and background colors with the color picker and eyedropper.

Learn to use Photoshop's painting tools, including the brush and pencil, to paint lines and color areas, adjust tool options, apply airbrush effects, and fill selections.

Select the brush tool, choose a foreground color, and paint on the correct layer with the brush circle for width. Use presets and history to refine.

Apply blending modes with the brush tool to control how colors overlay, using base color, blend color, and result color; compare normal, darken, overlay, and subtract modes.

Master the pencil tool in Photoshop to draw hard edged lines. Access it from the tool box, and apply color with drag and auto erase.

Use the color replacement tool to swap the image's original color with the foreground color, preserving tones, and adjust sampling, limits, tolerance, anti-alias, and the color blending mode.

Master the Photoshop eraser tool to erase pixels to the background color or transparency, adjust size, mode, and opacity, and use the flow slider for airbrush effects and saved states.

Master the magic eraser tool to remove similar pixels by adjusting tolerance, anti-aliasing, the contiguous setting, and layer sampling, erase to transparency or background color, with opacity control and undo.

master the background eraser tool in photoshop to remove background pixels while preserving foreground edges, with sampling, tolerance, and edge options to prevent halos.

Master the history brush to paint a previous history state or snapshot over your current image. Adjust brush size and blending options, then click and drag to restore the state.

Explore how the mixer brush in Photoshop version 5 simulates realistic painting techniques, with options for wet load, mix settings, reservoir paint, and canvas sampling to create lifelike brush strokes.

Open the brush panel from window > brush to view preset brushes. Load additional brush libraries, choose replace or append, and reset to default brushes if needed.

Create custom brush tips in Photoshop by sampling pixels or setting options, use the quick selection tool to capture a flower, then define brush preset and start painting.

Use the brush panel to create custom brush tips by selecting a shape, adjusting size, angle, roundness, hardness, and spacing, and flipping or resetting to original size as needed.

Explore how to access and configure Photoshop's shape dynamics, adjusting size, angle, roundness, and jitter with precise controls, locks, and tablet-dependent options to vary brush strokes.

Master the brush scattering settings in Photoshop to control the placement and count of brush marks per stroke, including horizontal and vertical scattering, count jitter, and the chosen control method.

Explore brush texture settings in photoshop cs6 cs5: select and load patterns, adjust scale and invert, render tips individually, and mix textures with depth and blending modes.

Remove scattering and texture, then set up dual brush with a primary and secondary tip, pick a blending mode, and adjust diameter, spacing, and scatter.

Explore color dynamics in Photoshop to vary brush stroke color by adjusting background/foreground jitter, hue, saturation, brightness, and purity using the color dynamics panel.

Explore how Photoshop CS6 and CS5 manage brush dynamics in the transfer section, adjusting opacity, flow, and wetness jitter to control how much paint is laid down with each stroke.

Explore miscellaneous brush settings in Photoshop cs6 and cs5, applying noise for randomness, wet edges for watercolor-like buildup, airbrush tones, smoothing for quick strokes, and protect texture for consistency.

Clear brush options by opening the brush panel, clicking the options button, and selecting clear brush options to clear the selected brush settings.

Save customized brushes as a new preset brush from the brush panel options, give it a name, and save as a library to preserve it beyond the current preferences file.

Learn how to save a customized brush library in photoshop by using the brush presets panel options, naming the library, and saving as an abr file for easy loading later.

Master pixel-based selections in Photoshop using marquee, lasso, and wand tools. Learn to add, subtract, intersect, or unite selections, move them, invert, or select all as needed.

Navigate the marquee tools in Photoshop to make rectangular, elliptical, or line selections. Control options like new, add, subtract, intersect, feathering, anti-aliasing, fixed ratio or size for precise edits.

Learn to refine selections in Photoshop using the refine edge dialog, edge detection, radius and smart radius, feathering, and decontaminate colors for precise edges like hair, with view mode options.

Master the lasso tools in Photoshop CS6 and CS5 to create free-form, straight-edge, and polygonal selections, with magnetic lasso for high-contrast edges and feathering and anti-aliasing options.

Learn to use the magic wand tool to select consistently colored areas in Photoshop, adjusting tolerance from 0 to 255 and choosing contiguous, anti-aliased selections across all layers.

Use the quick selection tool to paint a brush-based selection, expanding to defined edges. Adjust options to create new, add, or subtract selections, sample all layers, and enable auto enhance.

Use the color range command to select a color or color subset in an image, preview with the dialog, adjust fuzziness, and add or subtract samples before clicking okay.

Adjust selections using menu bar commands and the transform command, and expand selections to include adjacent or globally similar colors with the select and similar commands.

Use the extract command to isolate a foreground object and erase the background, then refine edges with the edge highlighter, fill, cleanup, and edge touch up tools.

save a selection as a channel, name it, view it in the channels panel, and delete if needed; reload saved selections into a document with the load selection dialog.

Fill selections and layers with colors, gradients, patterns, or borders; choose background or foreground colors in the fill dialog, and apply content aware fills introduced in CS5.

learn how the paint bucket tool fills adjacent pixels with similar color using the foreground color or a pattern, while you tune blending mode, opacity, and tolerance.

Learn to use the gradient tool to create gradient fills, apply presets or custom gradients by clicking and dragging, and choose styles (linear, radial, angle, reflected, diamond) with blending options.

Mastering the gradient editor teaches you to create, modify, and delete gradients using presets, color and opacity stops, and save new presets for reuse.

Apply a pattern fill to a selection or layer in Photoshop CS6 CS5 via Edit and Fill, choose a pattern, adjust opacity and near light blending mode, with preserved transparency.

Create, preview, and save custom tile patterns with the pattern maker plug-in by selecting a layer, setting tile size and offset, then generate and save a preset.

Learn to apply a colored border using the stroke command in Photoshop, whether around a selection, path, or entire layer, by choosing width, color, placement, mode, and opacity.

Master layers and layer groups in Photoshop, manage layers panel, control opacity and blending modes, handle the background layer, reveal or lock layers, and apply masks, fills, adjustments, and deletions.

Select the desired layer in the layers panel to apply changes to that layer only, then toggle visibility, duplicate, reorder, and link layers to move content together.

Move the content on a layer using the move tool, ensure the correct layer is selected, click into the image and drag to reposition, including multiple layers.

Master layers in Photoshop by applying full or partial locks to protect contents, using lock icons for layers or groups, options like lock transparency, lock image pixels, or lock position.

Rename layers by double-clicking the name in the layers panel, and change color coding through layer options; rasterize vector layers for pixel editing, and delete via trash can or history.

Merge and flatten layers to reduce file size in Photoshop CS6 and CS5, organizing with layer groups or selected layers, then flatten to discard hidden layers.

Master layer styles in Photoshop CS6 and CS5 by applying presets or customizing effects, and adjust blending options, opacity, fill, and options like drop shadow and outer glow.

Explore the adjustments panel in Photoshop, consolidating adjustments into one accessible interface. Apply presets, attach adjustments to layers, clip to layer to affect layers below, and toggle visibility.

Explore masking layers in photoshop cs6 and cs5, using selections or vector masks to reveal or hide content, paint grayscale masks with white, black, and gray, and manage mask deletion.

Arrange layers so the bottom layer acts as a mask for adjacent layers, then create a clipping mask from the layers menu to reveal the image inside the shape.

Create knockouts in Photoshop by building a clipping group, linking layers, and using the layer style knockout options (shallow or deep) with fill opacity adjustments.

Learn how smart objects enable nondestructive editing in Photoshop by creating, duplicating, editing contents, converting for smart filters, and updating or exporting contents from layers and filters.

Apply smart filters to smart objects; some filters are unavailable. Select smart object in the layers panel, use a selection to limit effects, then convert for smart filters and apply.