Photoshop CC is a complex and sophisticated program, but once you
understand what it can do and how it works, the pieces will fall into
place. In this guide to Photoshop for beginners we’ll take you through
the stages of setting up the ideal photo editing workflow.
You can use the Folders panel to look at any of the folders containing images that you have on your computer, and pictures are displayed as thumbnails in the main window.
Adobe Bridge can be used to check the shooting information saved by your camera in its image files, and you can add keywords, copyright information and other ‘metadata’ to your photos to make them easier to sort.
Adobe Bridge can also be used to open Adobe Camera Raw, a Photoshop add-on that opens raw files from digital cameras – see step 02 for more on Adobe Camera Raw.
Photoshop opens raw files using the Adobe Camera Raw add-on, and this offers an ever-increasing range of adjustments for enhancing your photos.
In many cases you won’t need to open images in Photoshop at all.
You can adjust exposure, white balance, contrast and other global settings, as well as apply ‘local’ adjustments with the Graduated Filter tool, Adjustment Brush and Radial Filter.
Changes you make in Adobe Camera Raw are non-destructive – you can go back and change them at any time.
You can turn any image into a Smart Object and then add filter effects ‘non-destructively’ – you can double-click the filter in the future if you need to re-edit it.
This photo has three filters applied: one to straighten the building, another to create the black-and-white effect, and a third to create the aged, ‘stained’ look.
PAGE 1: Photoshop for Beginners steps 1-3
PAGE 2: Photoshop for Beginners steps 4-7
Photoshop for Beginners: 01 Organise photos with Adobe Bridge
The Photoshop subscription package includes Adobe Bridge, a separate application you can use to organise and evaluate your pictures.You can use the Folders panel to look at any of the folders containing images that you have on your computer, and pictures are displayed as thumbnails in the main window.
Adobe Bridge can be used to check the shooting information saved by your camera in its image files, and you can add keywords, copyright information and other ‘metadata’ to your photos to make them easier to sort.
Adobe Bridge can also be used to open Adobe Camera Raw, a Photoshop add-on that opens raw files from digital cameras – see step 02 for more on Adobe Camera Raw.
Photoshop for Beginners: 02 Get started with Camera Raw
Photoshop opens raw files using the Adobe Camera Raw add-on, and this offers an ever-increasing range of adjustments for enhancing your photos.
In many cases you won’t need to open images in Photoshop at all.
You can adjust exposure, white balance, contrast and other global settings, as well as apply ‘local’ adjustments with the Graduated Filter tool, Adjustment Brush and Radial Filter.
Changes you make in Adobe Camera Raw are non-destructive – you can go back and change them at any time.
Photoshop for Beginners: 03 Smart Objects and filters
Sometimes, adjustments you make in Adobe Camera Raw are simply preparation for more serious work in Photoshop, such as adding effects with filters. Photoshop CC has a clever feature called ‘Smart Objects’.
You can turn any image into a Smart Object and then add filter effects ‘non-destructively’ – you can double-click the filter in the future if you need to re-edit it.
This photo has three filters applied: one to straighten the building, another to create the black-and-white effect, and a third to create the aged, ‘stained’ look.
PAGE 1: Photoshop for Beginners steps 1-3
PAGE 2: Photoshop for Beginners steps 4-7
SumoPaint
ReplyDeleteSumoPaint is another free online and desktop photo editor with basic and advanced features. You can upload a photo from your computer or from a URL.
Basic overall photo editing like brightness/contrast, hue/saturation, color balance, and levels can be achieved from the menu bar on top of the editor.
The left pane has the drawing tools which include several shapes. One, in particular, is called the Symmetry tool, which “mirrors” a shape’s stroke, creating a symmetric pattern.
Besides tweaking images, I find Sumopaint to be useful in creating simple logos using the text and brush tools.
Other than the ads that appear on both sides of the web editor and intermittently crash Chrome (the tool uses Flash to run the web version), this photo editor gets the job done easily and is more than suitable for users who are not photo editing experts.
AVIARY
ReplyDeleteAviary is another product by Adobe.com and they offer a free online photo editor that you can use to edit and upload your photos right on their site. It is built as a mobile app so you can download the app and use it with your photos that you take on mobile devices, as well.
It boasts plenty of filters and embellishments that you can add to your toolbox to create the best photos possible for your blogs or websites.
Adobe offers Aviary to seamless integrate with their other photo editing programs such as PhotoShop and others so you can sign in with your Adobe ID to do more with your photos.
VSCO (Android & iOS)
ReplyDeleteA hugely popular photo editing app amongst Instagram users, VSCO is more than just photo editing, it offers a community for photographers to connect and create. Simply searching the Hashtag #VSCO on Instagram will reveal the huge community of photographers and casual users that use VSCO every day, a testament to the app’s popularity.
VSCO houses all the tools you’d expect from a favourable photo editing app; saturation, highlights, temperature and vignette can all be adjusted alongside many other settings. VSCO also offers a built in camera with advanced controls, allowing you to capture the perfect shot, edit and save, all without leaving the app, an A for convenience. Filters are also a huge feature for VSCO, with the option to buy filter packs each with their own distinctive styles and tones, very popular amongst users of the app.
VSCO (Android &iOS)
ReplyDeleteA hugely popular photo editing app amongst Instagram users, VSCO is more than just photo editing, it offers a community for photographers to connect and create. Simply searching the Hashtag #VSCO on Instagram will reveal the huge community of photographers and casual users that use VSCO every day, a testament to the app’s popularity.
VSCO houses all the tools you’d expect from a favourable photo editing app; saturation, highlights, temperature and vignette can all be adjusted alongside many other settings. VSCO also offers a built in camera with advanced controls, allowing you to capture the perfect shot, edit and save, all without leaving the app, an A for convenience. Filters are also a huge feature for VSCO, with the option to buy filter packs each with their own distinctive styles and tones, very popular amongst users of the app.