Photoshop Basics

What is Photoshop?
All about Photoshop

Even if you've never worked with images on your computer, you may have heard of
Photoshop. Available for both Windows and Mac, Adobe Photoshop is an extremely
powerful application that's used by many professional photographers and designers. You can
use Photoshop for almost any kind of image editing, such as touching up photos, creating
high-quality graphics, and much, much more.

In fact, Photoshop has so many features that it may actually be too powerful for many users.
It's also very expensive, so unless you need to edit photos or graphics professionally,
Photoshop may not be the best option for you. You may want to review our lesson on
Photoshop Alternatives to learn about some other image editing programs you can choose
from.

About this tutorial

Because Photoshop is primarily designed for professionals, it can be somewhat challenging to

use, especially if you're learning it for the first time. That said, you don't need to understand
all of Photoshop's features to use it effectively. Throughout this tutorial, we'll help you
understand the most basic and essential Photoshop skills. We'll also provide links to other
tutorials if you want to learn more about advanced tools and techniques.

We'll be using Photoshop CC throughout this tutorial to show you Photoshop's features. If
you're using an older version of Photoshop—like Photoshop CS5 or earlier—some features
may work a bit differently, but you should still be able to follow along. However, if you're
using Photoshop Elements, it's important to note that some of the features we'll discuss may
be missing or work in a different way. We'll talk more about Photoshop Elements in the next
lesson.

Buying Photoshop
Introduction

If you're thinking about purchasing or upgrading to the latest version of Adobe Photoshop,
there are some important things you'll need to consider before you buy. For example, you'll
need to learn more about the different purchasing options and choose the version of
Photoshop that's right for you.

Photoshop purchasing options

If you're interested in buying Photoshop, you have several different options to choose from:

 Photoshop CC: If you want to buy the full version of Photoshop (Photoshop CC), you'll need
to pay a monthly subscription fee for Adobe Creative Cloud. Photoshop CC is available for
both Windows and Mac.
 Photoshop Elements: If you don't need all of the features of the full version of Photoshop,
you might consider buying Photoshop Elements instead. Photoshop Elements is available for
both Windows and Mac.
 Mobile apps: If you want to edit photos on the go, there are a few different Photoshop
mobile apps available for iOS and Android. However, these apps will be less powerful and
offer less control than the full desktop software.
 Alternative software: If you don't need all of Photoshop's features—or if you're trying to
save money—there are many other image editing applications you can use. You can check
our our lesson on Photoshop Alternatives to learn more about some free and low-cost
applications you might be able to use instead.

Adobe Creative Cloud and Photoshop CC

Unlike many other applications you may have used, you cannot buy a boxed copy of
Photoshop CC. Instead, you'll need a subscription plan through Adobe Creative Cloud,
Adobe's cloud-based software service. Then, you'll download Photoshop CC to your
computer. A Creative Cloud subscription includes other benefits, such as cloud-based
storage for your Photoshop projects. You'll also receive the newest version of Photoshop
whenever it's made available, so you'll never have to worry about upgrading to the most
recent version.

You can subscribe to Creative Cloud for about $10 per month (or about $120 per year).
Previously, you could purchase a boxed copy of Photoshop without a subscription, but it
would typically cost more than $700. While this means the cost of entry for using Photoshop
is much lower than it was in the past, keep in mind that this subscription fee will add up over
time, especially if you plan to keep the subscription for several years.

You can also buy other Adobe applications through Creative Cloud, such as Lightroom,
Illustrator, and InDesign. There are different plans and pricing options available, depending
on your needs. Go to this page on the Adobe website to learn more about purchasing a
Creative Cloud subscription. If you still have questions about how Creative Cloud works, you
can visit Adobe's Creative Cloud FAQ page.

Photoshop Basics

Buying Photoshop
Photoshop Elements

If you don't need all of Photoshop's features, you might consider purchasing Photoshop
Elements instead. You can think of Photoshop Elements as "Photoshop Light"—it gives you
access to some of the most popular features from the full version, but it usually costs less
than $100 and does not require a subscription. If you don't have a lot of previous
experience with image editing, Photoshop Elements may be a good option for you.
Missing features in Photoshop Elements

Below, you'll find a list of some of the main limitations of Photoshop Elements. These are
somewhat advanced features, which is why they're not included in Elements. If you've never
heard about some of the things we mention below, don't worry—we'll talk more about many
of these features later in this tutorial.

 Adjustment layers: Elements has a limited selection of adjustment layers. For

example, you won't be able to create a Curves adjustment layer, though it does have a
similar feature you can use.
 Layer masks: Elements does not allow you to create layer masks. However, you
will be able to edit layer masks for adjustment layers. You'll also be able to edit
existing layer masks when working with files created in the full version of Photoshop.
 Layer groups: Elements does not allow you to create new layer groups. However,
you will be able to view existing groups when working with files created in the full
version of Photoshop.
  Color options: Elements does not include as many advanced options for fine-tuning
color, such as the Channels panel. It also has limited support for working with
different color profiles and color spaces (such as CMYK).
 Drawing tools: Elements does not include several of the commonly used vector-
based drawing tools found in Photoshop, such as the Pen tool or the Paths panel.
 8-bit mode: Elements is mostly limited to photos that use 8-bit mode; it offers very
little support for 16- and 32-bit modes, which many photographers use to get even
higher-quality photos. However, 8-bit mode still offers a high level of quality—it's
actually the mode that most digital cameras use—so for many people this will not be a
major limitation.

Photoshop for mobile devices

If you want to edit photos on the go, Adobe offers a few different mobile apps. While these
apps don't include nearly as many features as the desktop software, they may be a good
option for making quick edits on a mobile device:

 Photoshop Express: Available for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, this free app
allows you to make quick changes to your photos, such as cropping and applying
simple filters. You can also purchase additional feature packs for a small price.
 Photoshop Touch: Available for iOS and Android, this paid app includes many of the
basic features from the desktop version of Photoshop, such as layers and selection
tools. While it certainly has more features than Photoshop Express, keep in mind that
it will still be very limited compared with the full desktop version.

Photoshop Basics

Photoshop Alternatives
Introduction

While Photoshop is an extremely powerful application, it's also very expensive. There are
many free and low-cost applications that include tools like those found in Photoshop. You
can learn more about some of the most popular Photoshop alternatives below.

Keep in mind that none of these applications will include all of the features found in
Photoshop. While you may be able to use one of these applications to follow along with the
rest of this tutorial, it's important to note that many of the features we'll discuss may be
missing or work in a different way.

If you only need to make simple adjustments to your photos, such as cropping and resizing,
you may want to try using a more basic image editor. To learn more, check out our lesson on
Image Editing Software from Image Editing 101.

Pixlr
The Pixlr Editor is a free application that runs in your web browser. It includes many
advanced features and in many ways is similar to Photoshop. For quick edits, Pixlr also has a
basic version called Pixlr Express, which is also available as a mobile app.

Pixelmator

While it's only available for Mac, Pixelmator includes many of the advanced features found
in Photoshop and usually costs less than $50.

Paint.NET

Originally designed as an open-source alternative to Microsoft Paint, Paint.NET now

includes several advanced editing tools. While it's only available for Windows, Paint.NET is
free to use.
GIMP

Designed as a open-source alternative to Photoshop, GIMP is free to use on both Windows

and Mac. Although it's a powerful application, you may find the interface confusing and
difficult to use if you aren't somewhat familiar with other image editing software.

Photo management software

Many professional photographers prefer to use a photo management application, such as

Adobe Lightroom, Aperture, Windows Photo Gallery, and iPhoto. With organizational tools
like tagging and folders, these applications make it easy to view and manage lots of photos.
Conveniently, they also include many editing tools, which means you can use a single
application for all of your image editing needs.
Some Adobe Creative Cloud subscription plans will include both Photoshop and Lightroom

Photoshop Basics

Getting to Know the Photoshop Interface

Introduction

Video: Getting Started with Photoshop

You can use Photoshop for almost any kind of image editing, such as touching up photos,
creating high-quality graphics, and much, much more. In this lesson, we'll introduce you to
the Photoshop interface, including how to open files, work with panels, customize the
workspace, and change the display size.

Photoshop is a complex application, and it can feel a bit intimidating to use at first. Because
of this, we recommend following along with the lesson by downloading our example file
(right-click the link to save it). The more hands-on experience you have with Photoshop, the
easier it will become to use.

About this tutorial

We'll be using Photoshop CC throughout this tutorial to show you Photoshop's features. If
you're using an older version of Photoshop—like Photoshop CS5 or earlier—some features
may work a bit differently, but you should still be able to follow along. However, if you're
using Photoshop Elements, it's important to note that some of the features we'll discuss may
be missing or work in a different way.
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Photoshop Basics

Getting to Know the Photoshop Interface

Opening files
Most of the time, you'll want to start by opening an existing photo rather than creating a
new, blank image. Photoshop allows you to open and edit existing image files, such as .jpg or
.png files, as well as .psd (Photoshop document) files.

To open a file:

1. Select File Open.

2. A dialog box will appear. Locate and select the file on your computer, then click
Open.
 3. The file will appear in Photoshop.

If you don't currently have Photoshop open, you can locate and right-click the file on your
computer and then choose Open With Adobe Photoshop to open the file.
Overview of the Photoshop interface

Because Photoshop is designed primarily for professional use, the interface may feel a bit
complex and intimidating for new users. Even if you have some experience with other image
editing software, it's a good idea to become familiar with the different parts of the Photoshop
interface.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to become more familiar with the Photoshop
interface.

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Photoshop Basics

Getting to Know the Photoshop Interface

Working with Tools and other panels

The Tools panel

The Tools panel is one of the most important features in Photoshop—it's where you'll select
different tools for editing images. Once you've chosen a tool, you'll be able to use it with the
current document. Your cursor will change to reflect the currently selected tool.

You can also click and hold to select a different tool. For example, you can click and hold
the Rectangle tool to select different Shape tools, such as the Ellipse, Line, or Custom
shape tools.
Showing and hiding panels

You'll also be able to view and modify a lot of information about the current document
through the other panels in the workspace For example, you can view the document's layers
in the Layers panel. To show or hide any panel, click the Window menu, then select the
desired panel—currently visible panels are indicated by a check mark. In the image below,
we're using the Window menu to turn on the History panel:
You can use the double-arrows to expand or collapse panels. This can be helpful if you
want to temporarily hide a panel without removing it from the workspace.

You can also press the Tab key on your keyboard to show or hide all active panels.

Moving panels
If you want to change a panel's location, you can move it by clicking and dragging the panel
to a new part of the workspace.

However, if you're planning to follow along with our tutorial, we recommend keeping most
panels in the default location for now. To reset the panels to their default positions, select
Window Workspace Reset Essentials. Note that this process may vary depending on
which version of Photoshop you're using. For example, in Photoshop Elements, you'll go to
Window Reset Panels.

For even more information about organizing panels, you can check out this tutorial from
Adobe.
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Photoshop Basics

Getting to Know the Photoshop Interface

Customizing the Photoshop environment

If you want to customize Photoshop, you can adjust the default application settings. Most of
these options are pretty technical, but we'd like to show you two basic adjustments you may
find helpful.

To adjust the default unit:

By default, a document's dimensions are measured in inches. If you're not primarily editing
images for prints, we recommend changing this setting to pixels.

1. Select Edit Preferences Units & Rulers. If you're using a Mac, select
Photoshop Preferences Units & Rulers.
 2. A dialog box will appear. Under Units, click the menu next to Rulers, select Pixels,
and click OK. You may need to quit and restart Photoshop for the changes to take
effect.

To adjust the text size:

If you'd like the text of the Photoshop interface to be larger or smaller, you can adjust the
application's text size.

1. Select Edit Preferences Interface (or Photoshop Preferences Interface on

a Mac).
2. Under Text, click the menu next to UI Font Size, then select the desired size. You
may need to quit and restart Photoshop for the changes to take effect.
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Photoshop Basics

Getting to Know the Photoshop Interface

Changing the zoom level

When you're editing an image in Photoshop, you'll often be viewing it at less than 100% of
its full size. That's because most modern digital cameras take large, high-resolution photos.
These images are so large, in fact, that most computer screens can't display all of the pixels in
the image at once. This is actually a good thing, because it means you'll have extra detail to
work with as you edit the image.
If you want to zoom in or out, simply press Ctrl+ or Ctrl- (hold the Ctrl key and then press
the + or - key). If you're using a Mac, you'll press Command+ or Command-.

In the example below, you can see a document at 44.4% of its full size. Notice that you can
see the current zoom level at the top of the document window, as well as in the bottom-left
corner of the screen.

By contrast, the example below shows the same image at 100% (full size). Notice that only
part of the image is visible at this zoom level. If desired, you can use the horizontal and
vertical scroll bars to view other parts of the image.
To zoom the image to fit the document window, press Ctrl+0 (hold the Ctrl key and then
press the zero key). If you're using a Mac, you'll press Command+0.

Depending on your computer's graphics card, some zoom levels (such 33.33% and 66.67%)
can cause the image to appear pixelated. If this happens, you may want to zoom to 25% or
50% instead.

Use the keyboard shortcuts above to adjust the zoom level of the example file.

Once you've become familiar with the Photoshop interface, you're ready to start editing
images. We'll talk more about some of the most basic adjustments you can make—such as
cropping, resizing, and rotating—in the next lesson.

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Photoshop Basics
Basic Tasks in Photoshop
Introduction

There's almost no limit to what you can do in Photoshop, but first you'll need to learn the
fundamentals. We're going to talk about some of the most basic image adjustments you can
make in Photoshop, including:

 Cropping: If you want to remove parts of an image, you can crop it. You can think of
cropping like using a pair of scissors to cut out the parts you no longer want.
 Resizing: If you want to make an image smaller or larger, you can resize it. However,
keep in mind that making an image larger than its original size generally does not
look good.
 Rotating: If you want to change the orientation of an image, you can rotate it to the
left or right.

If you're new to image editing, you may want to review our lesson on Making Basic
Adjustments from our Image Editing 101 tutorial to learn more about common problems that
can occur when making these changes.

If you'd like to follow along, you can download our example file (right-click the link to save
it). We're planning to place this image into an online newsletter, but it's much larger than we
actually need so we're going to crop the image and then resize to it be 800px by 600px.

Cropping

There are two main ways to crop an image in Photoshop. You can either use the Crop tool or
make a selection with the Rectangular Marquee tool. These methods work a bit differently,
and you may find that you prefer using one method over the other.

To crop an image (Method 1):

1. With the image open in Photoshop, select the Crop tool from the Tools panel.

2. Click and drag to select the part of the image you wish to keep, then release the
mouse.
3. Adjust the cropping handles if necessary.
4. Press Enter on your keyboard to crop the image. Alternatively, you can double-click
the image.
To crop an image (Method 2):

1. With the image open in Photoshop, choose the Rectangular Marquee tool from the
Tools panel.

2. In the Control panel, locate the Style drop-down menu (also called Mode in some
versions). If you want the image to be a specific aspect ratio, select Fixed Ratio and
type the desired width and height. Otherwise, make sure the Style is set to Normal. In
this example, we'll crop the image to a 4-by-3 aspect ratio.
3. Click and drag to select the part of the image you wish to keep, then release the
mouse.

4. If needed, you can click the edge of the selection box and move it to the desired
position.
5. Select Image Crop. The image will be cropped.
You can also move the entire selection box while making a selection. To do this, click and
drag to select the area you wish to select, but do not release the mouse. Next, press and hold
the Space bar on your keyboard and move the mouse to move the selection box to a new
location. When you're done, release the Space bar.

Use Method 2 to crop the example file as in the example above. Choose a Fixed Ratio from
the Control panel with a width of 4 and a height of 3 before making the selection.

Photoshop Basics

Basic Tasks in Photoshop

Resizing and rotating
To resize an image:

You should avoid making images larger than their original size. When you do this, the
image simply won't have enough detail to look good at the larger size. You can review Image
Editing 101 to learn more.

1. With the image open in Photoshop, select Image Image Size.

2. A dialog box will appear. Make sure Pixels are the currently selected unit size and
that the Resample box is checked. The Lock icon next to the Width and Height
should also be turned on, which will ensure that the aspect ratio stays the same to
avoid distorting the image.
3. Type the desired dimensions for the new image. When you enter the new image
width, the height should be adjusted automatically to maintain the original aspect
ratio.
 4. Click OK. The image will be resized.

If there is no Automatic option available from the Resample menu, we recommend choosing
one of the bicubic resizing modes; these modes will give the best results in most situations.

Resize the example file to be 800px wide. The height should adjust automatically to 600px.
Note that you must have already cropped the image using Method 2 as described on the
previous page for this to work correctly.

To rotate an image:

It's easy to rotate an image in Photoshop. You can rotate images clockwise (CW) or counter-
clockwise (CCW), flip the image horizontally or vertically, and even rotate by an arbitrary
amount to choose a specific rotation. However, most modern digital cameras will adjust the
rotation of images automatically, so you may not need to use this feature very often.

1. With the image open in Photoshop, select Image Image Rotation, then select the
desired rotation option.
 2. The image will be rotated.

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Photoshop Basics

Basic Tasks in Photoshop

Undoing changes

In Photoshop, undoing works a bit differently from most other applications. You can press
Ctrl+Z (or Command+Z on a Mac) to undo your most recent change. However, if you press
Ctrl+Z again, the change will be redone. If you want to undo several changes in a row, you'll
need to select Edit Step Backward or press Ctrl+Alt+Z (Command+Option+Z on a
Mac).
After you've made a few changes to the example file, try using the Step Backward and Step
Forward commands to see the effect.

After you've edited an image, you'll want to save a new version of the edited file in order to
preserve the changes. This will also prevent you from accidentally overwriting your original
image file. There are many different ways to save files in Photoshop, which we'll discuss in
detail in the next lesson.

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Photoshop Basics

Saving Images
Introduction

Video: Saving Images

In Photoshop, saving works a bit differently from most other applications. Instead of working
with one main file type—such as .docx in Microsoft Word—Photoshop offers a variety of
ways to save your images. In this lesson, we'll talk about the different saving options in
Photoshop, along with some common reasons to save files in different formats.

Saving options

When you save a file in Photoshop, you'll have many different saving options and file
formats to choose from:

 PSD: This is the default file type for Photoshop documents, although you won't
necessarily use it for every image. It will save your layers and all of the other
information in your image so you can easily re-edit it later. PSD files are designed to
be opened in Photoshop, so if you want to share the image with others you'll also need
to save a copy of the image in a common file format, such as JPEG.
 Common file formats: You can save images in a variety of common file types, such
as JPEG and PNG. These file formats can be viewed and edited on almost any
computer or mobile device, which makes them well-suited for sharing with others.
However, unlike PSD files these formats aren't as useful if you plan to continue
editing the file, and they also can't preserve layer information.
 Save for Web: If you're planning to upload an image to the Web—like on a blog or
website—you'll want to use the Save for Web feature. This tool allows you to save
images that are optimized for the Web, which will make them easier to download
and view online. Save for Web also includes several helpful features for preparing
images for the Web, such as the option to resize images.

In the image below, you can see three different versions of an image file: the original JPEG
file, an edited PSD version, and a final JPEG version that's been resized and saved for Web.
You can see that the Web version has a much smaller file size than the original or PSD
versions:
Ultimately, the saving option you choose will depend on what you need to do with the image.
Let's take a look at a couple of different scenarios to see why you might choose different
saving options.

Scenario 1

Let's suppose you're asked to create a new header image for a company website. You've been
given a photo to include, and you need to add some text with the company name. Because
you'll likely edit and revise this type of project, you'll want to save it as a PSD file. This way,
you can easily continue editing the file later on. And because it will eventually be posted
online, you'll also want to use Save for Web to create a new JPEG version of the finished
image.

Scenario 2

Let’s say you're planning to share some photos from a recent vacation with your friends.
You'd just like to make some quick adjustments in Photoshop—such as cropping and rotating
—before sharing them. In this case, you could open the original image files in Photoshop,
make the necessary adjustments, then save a new version of the edited photos as JPEGs.
Because none of these edits are too complicated, you probably don’t need to save a separate
PSD version of each image.

As you can see, the saving option you choose will vary from project to project. Before you
save an image, take a moment to consider what type of files you'll need. As you start to gain
more experience with Photoshop, this process will begin to feel quick and natural.

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Photoshop Basics
Saving Images
Using Save As

You'll use the Save As command to save files in the PSD format, as well as other common
formats like JPEG and PNG.

To save a file with Save As:

1. With the image open in Photoshop, select File Save As.

2. A dialog box will appear. Type the desired file name, then choose a location for the
file. You'll want to use a new file name to avoid accidentally overwriting the original
file.
3. Click the Format menu and choose the desired file format. In our example, we'll
save this image as a JPEG file. If you're saving as a PSD file, make sure the Layers
option is checked. However, most other formats won't allow you to select this option.
4. Click Save.
5. Some file formats, such as JPEG and TIFF, will give you additional options when
saving. Select the desired quality level, then click OK to save the image.
If you've already saved your project as a PSD file, you can select File Save or press Ctrl+S
(Command+S on a Mac) to save your progress at any time. However, if you're working with
another format such as JPEG, we recommend using Save As to avoid overwriting your
original file.

Open the example file in Photoshop and then try saving in different file formats, such as PSD
and JPEG. Notice how the PSD format preserves the individual layers, while the JPEG
format does not.

Using Save for Web

When you use the Save for Web feature, you'll need to make a few decisions about the image
you're saving:

 File format: Save for Web allows you to choose from a few Web-safe file formats.
Most of the time, you'll use the JPEG format for photographs. PNG-24 will keep the
full quality of the image, whereas PNG-8 is mainly used for graphics and illustrations
that use just a few colors. Generally, you won't need to use the GIF or WBMP
formats.
  Quality: If you're using the JPEG format, the image can be saved at different quality
levels. You may want to experiment with different settings to find the best balance
between quality and file size.

 Image size: If desired, you can resize the image directly from the Save for Web
dialog box. Resizing the image to be smaller will also reduce the file size. However, if
you're using a service like Facebook or Tumblr, you probably won't need to resize
your images because these services resize them automatically.

To save for the Web:

1. Select File Save for Web.

2. The Save for Web dialog box will appear. Select the desired file type and quality
level.

3. If needed, resize the image by typing the desired dimensions under Image Size.
When you enter the new image width, the height should be adjusted automatically to
maintain the original aspect ratio.
4. If desired, you can use the 2-Up view to compare the original image with a preview of
the new version. This is an easy way to make sure you haven't lost too much quality
from the original version. Note the file size in the bottom-left corner of each preview
window.
5. Click Save. A new dialog box will appear. Type the desired file name and choose a
location for the file, then click Save. You'll want to use a new file name to avoid
accidentally overwriting the original file.
Open the example file in Photoshop and use Save for Web to save a new version of the
image. Try out different file formats and quality settings to see how they affect the image's
quality and file size.

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Photoshop Basics

Understanding Layers
Introduction

Video: Understanding Layers

Have you ever wondered how people achieve such great results with Photoshop? While there
are many different image editing techniques, there's one tool Photoshop professionals use
with almost every project: layers. Learning how to use layers is probably the most important
thing you can do to become better at Photoshop. In this lesson, we'll talk about how layers
work, the different types of layers, and the basics of creating and using layers.

If you'd like to follow along with the lesson, you can download our example file. We're
planning to send this file as an email attachment and post it on the Web.

What are layers?

You can think of layers as transparent panes of glass stacked on top of one another, which
allow different parts of each layer to show through. There are many types of layers you'll use
in Photoshop, and they fall into two main categories:

 Content layers: These layers contain different types of content, such

as photographs, text, and shapes.
 Adjustment layers: These layers allow you to apply adjustments to the layers below
them, such as saturation or brightness. Adjustment layers are a type of
nondestructive editing because they don't actually change anything about the
original image.

When using layers, it may be helpful to turn individual layers on and off to see how they
affect the image. You can do this by clicking the eye icon next to each layer name.

Click the eye icons in the interactive below to practice turning different layers on and off.
Notice how hiding content layers like the Background layer has a more noticeable effect
than hiding adjustment layers like the Adjust Levels layer.

Why use layers?

At this point, you may be wondering why you even need to use layers. Wouldn't it just be
easier to work with everything in your image at once? The truth is, layers give you an
amazing amount of flexibility and control because you can edit each layer independently
from the rest of the image. Once you become comfortable with layers, you'll use them all the
time.

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Photoshop Basics

Understanding Layers
Layer basics

Now you're ready to start working with layers in Photoshop. You can view, create, and edit
layers with the Layers panel. This will usually be found in the lower-right corner of the
screen, although you can always go to Window Layers to make sure it's turned on.

To create an adjustment layer:

If you've never used layers before, we recommend trying adjustment layers first. Remember,
an adjustment layer does not contain content—it simply allows you to apply adjustments to
the layers below it.

1. In the Layers panel, select the layer below where you want the adjustment layer to
appear. In our example, we'll select the Cake layer.

2. Click the Adjustment button at the bottom of the Layers panel, then choose the
desired adjustment.
3. The adjustment layer will appear, and you can then customize the adjustment in the
Properties panel. Any changes you make will affect every layer below the adjustment
layer. We'll talk more about using the Properties panel for different adjustments
throughout this tutorial.
Alternatively, you can use the buttons in the Adjustments panel to create an adjustment
layer.
In the example file, select the Cake layer, then create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Try
using the sliders in the Properties pane to see the effect.

To create a blank layer:

There may be times when you'll want to create a new, blank layer. For example, if you want
to draw on an image with the Brush tool, you could create a new layer and then draw on that
layer.

To create a new layer, click the New Layer button near the lower-right corner of the
Layers panel. The new layer will appear in the Layers panel.
To duplicate a layer:

There will also be times when you'll want to duplicate an existing layer. This is an easy way
to try out different edits without altering the original layer.

1. Right-click the layer, then select Duplicate Layer.

2. A dialog box will appear. Click OK. The duplicate layer will appear.
To delete a layer:

If you find that you no longer need a layer, you can delete it. To do this, simply select the
layer and then press the Delete key on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can click and drag
the layer to the Trash Can in the lower-right corner of the Layers panel.
 12345

Photoshop Basics

Understanding Layers
Working with layers

There are many different ways to work with the layers in your document. For example, you
can show and hide different layers, change the stacking order, and more.

Showing and hiding layers

To hide a layer, simply click the eye icon next to the desired layer. Click it again to show
the layer. In the image below, you can see that we've turned off the Text layer, so the text is
no longer visible in the document window:
Reordering layers

The order in which layers are stacked will determine how the document looks. There may be
times when you need to change the stacking order. To reorder a layer, simply click and drag
the layer to the desired position in the Layers panel. In the image below, you can see that
we've moved the Cake layer to the very top, which completely covers up the layers below it:
If you want to reorder the Background layer of the image, you will need to right-click it and
then select Layer from Background. This will convert the background to a regular layer,
which can be reordered.
Try reordering the layers to see the effect. Notice how moving the Cake layer to the very
top will completely cover up the other layers, but moving the Text or Rings layer to the top
does not.

Letting layers show through

In the example above, moving the Cake layer to the top completely covers up the layers
below it. By contrast, moving the Text or Rings layer to the top would still allow parts of the
layers below to show through. This is because these layers contain transparent areas,
whereas the Cake layer does not.

What if we wanted the layers below the Cake layer to show through? There are many ways to
do this, such as changing the opacity of the layer or adding a layer mask. We'll talk more
about these options in our lesson on Doing More with Layers.

Photoshop Basics

Understanding Layers
Editing layers

The true advantage of layers is that you can edit or adjust each layer individually without
affecting the rest of the document. As we mentioned earlier, there are several types of layers
you can use, along with many editing tools. However, before you get started, note that not all
editing tools will work with all types of layers. This will become easier to understand as you
gain more experience with Photoshop.

Using editing tools

You can use tools from the Tools panel and the Filter menu to edit layers. For example, you
could use the Move tool to move different layers around in your document. In the image
below, we're using it to move the Rings layer toward the bottom of the image:

Selecting layers before editing

For many types of edits, the desired layer must be selected before editing; otherwise, you
may edit the wrong layer by mistake. For example, if you use the Eraser tool, it will only
affect the layer you have selected. You should get into the habit of checking the Layers panel
frequently to make sure you have the correct layer selected.

Editing text layers

If you want to edit a text layer, you'll need to double-click the layer icon in the Layers panel.
You can then change the text, choose a different font, or modify the text size and color.

 In the example file, select the Rings layer, then use the Move tool to move the layer
around the document.
 Double-click the layer icon for the Text layer, then try editing the text. For example,
you could change the date from June 21 to June 15.

While we've covered some fundamental information about layers, it's important to realize that
there are many different ways to use layers in Photoshop. We'll talk much more about using
layers throughout this tutorial, so you'll be able to build on the skills you've learned in this
lesson.

Photoshop Basics
Understanding Layers
Challenge!

If you'd like to follow along, you can download our example file.

1. Open the example file in Photoshop.

2. Try turning different layers off and on to see the effect.
3. Add a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer. Then use the sliders in the Properties
panel to adjust the brightness and contrast.
4. Try re-ordering layers to see the effect.
5. Save the image as a PSD file to save your changes. This will preserve all of the layers
so you can edit them again later, if desired.
6. Use the Save for Web feature to export the image as a JPEG. Make sure to adjust the
quality to find a good balance between file size and image quality.

Photoshop Basics

Levels, Curves, and Color

Introduction

Video: Levels, Curves, and Color

Images that come straight from a digital camera aren't always perfect. As you start to gain
more experience with Photoshop, you may notice some recurring problems with images
that you'll want to fix. For example, some images may be too bright, while others may be too
dull. There are many different corrections that can make your images look dramatically
better. Some of the corrections we'll cover in this lesson include:
  Levels and curves: If you want to modify the tonal range of your image—for
example, by making the shadows or highlights brighter or darker—you can adjust the
levels or curves.
 Saturation: If the colors in an image are muted or dull, you can increase
the saturation. You can also reduce the saturation to make the colors more subdued.
 Auto-adjustment tools: If you're not exactly sure what kind of corrections to make,
Photoshop comes with several automatic adjustment tools that can improve your
images.

If you're new to image editing, you may want to review our lesson on Fixing Common
Problems from our Image Editing 101 tutorial to learn more about the fundamentals of
making these changes.

If you'd like to follow along, you can download some or all of our example images. Just
click any of the images below to open a full-sized version. Then right-click the full-sized
version and select Save Image As to save it to your computer.
Using adjustment layers

We'll be using adjustment layers throughout this lesson to correct images. As we discussed in
the previous lesson, adjustment layers are a type of nondestructive editing because they
don't actually change anything about the original image. And because you can continue to
tweak adjustment layers as you work, it's easy to try out different effects and get the image to
look exactly the way you want.

Photoshop Basics

Levels, Curves, and Color

Levels

Every image has a mix of shadows, highlights, and midtones. Shadows are the darkest
parts of the image, highlights are the brightest parts, and midtones are everything in
between. When you adjust levels, you're adjusting these different tones. And while you could
use the brightness and contrast tools for a similar type of adjustment, they're much less
powerful than levels.
There are many different reasons to use a levels adjustment. For instance, if you have a
particularly dark—or underexposed—image, you might want to make the midtones and
highlights brighter while keeping the shadows relatively dark. You can see an example of this
in the images below:

If you've never adjusted levels before, this tool may feel a little unintuitive at first. At this
stage, the most important thing is to practice making different adjustments. As you start to
gain more experience, you'll be able to use it more effectively. And remember, if an
adjustment doesn't look right, you can always undo your changes and start over.

To adjust levels:

1. In the Layers panel, add a Levels adjustment layer.

2. Locate the graph in the middle of the Properties panel. This is called a histogram,
and it shows information about the shadows, highlights, and midtones of the image. In
this example, you can see that there's a big gap on the right side with no information,
which means the image is underexposed. We can use a levels adjustment to fix this.
3. Notice the Input Levels sliders just below the histogram—these are the controls
you'll use the adjust the levels. Do not use the Output Levels sliders near the bottom
of the panel.

4. Because our image is too dark (underexposed), we'll click and drag the white slider to
the left. Notice how we're dragging the slider to the right-most edge of the
histogram. Be careful not to drag the slider past this point, or you will begin to lose
detail in your image. This is commonly referred to as clipping.
5. If the shadows in the image are too bright, you can click and drag the black slider to
the right. In this example, we don't need to adjust this because the slider is already at
the left-most edge of the histogram.

6. Optional: If the image still looks too dark or too bright, you can click and drag the
middle (gray) slider to adjust the midtones. In this example, we'll move the slider to
the left to make the image brighter.
 7. Optional: Try turning the adjustment layer off and on to compare the new levels
adjustments with the original image. This will allow you to see exactly what the
adjustment layer is doing. If desired, you can then make further adjustments to the
levels.

Open the dove_fullsize.jpg example file and add a Levels adjustment layer. Click and drag
each of the Input Levels sliders in the Properties panel to see the effect. Try to find the
settings that look best for this image.

Check out our extra on Reading a Histogram to learn more about what the histogram can tell
you about an image.

Photoshop Basics
Levels, Curves, and Color
Levels adjustment tips

Here are a few tips for getting the best results with levels:

 If you're using multiple adjustment layers, you may need to readjust the levels after
making changes to other adjustment layers.
 If you want to compare the levels adjustment with the original image, you can turn
the adjustment layer off and on.
 Generally, you'll want to adjust the black and white sliders so they fit the data in the
histogram. For example, in the image below, we adjusted the white slider so it aligns
with the right edge of the data:

If you move the white slider too far to the left, you will begin to lose detail in your
image. This is known as clipping. In the image below, you can see that the clouds
have lost a lot of detail, and the color of the sky has also changed. Both of these
problems are caused by clipping:

If you move the black slider too far to the right, you will begin to see clipping in the
image's shadows. In this example, the bird and branches have lost almost all of their
detail. The color of the sky has also changed to a darker blue:
  

Remember, because you're using adjustment layers none of these changes are
permanent until you export your image. So if you see any clipping in your image,
don't panic! Simply look at your adjustment layers to find the source of the clipping,
then readjust the levels as needed.

Note that the histogram will be unique for every image. If an image has the proper exposure,
the histogram will be complete, with no data missing—moving the black and white sliders in
this situation would cause clipping. Instead, you can use the middle (gray) slider to increase
or decrease the overall brightness.
Photoshop Basics

Levels, Curves, and Color

Curves

The Curves tool is similar to levels, but it gives you more power to control shadows,
highlights, and midtones separately. Because it's a more advanced tool, you'll need to be
careful when using it to adjust your images.

In the example below, you can see an image before adjusting curves. To the right, you can
see the curve as it appears by default. Notice how the diagonal line is perfectly straight. When
you make adjustments with curves, you're creating different curves with this line.
Increasing contrast

One of the simplest adjustment you can make with curves is to increase the contrast. To do
this, you would drag the curve down in the shadows on the left to make them darker, and up
in the highlights on the right to make them brighter:
Decreasing contrast

In this particular image, it might be better to decrease the contrast. To do this, you would
drag the curve up in the shadows on the left to make them brighter, and down in the
highlights on the right to make them darker. In the image below, you can see that this makes
it easier to see details on the seagull's face:
Other adjustments

You could also increase the shadows without changing the highlights. To do this, you would
drag up the curve in the shadows on the left. Notice how we used multiple points to gently
bring the curve back to the default position; this helps to prevent the curve from affecting the
highlights or midtones. This allows us to make the seagull brighter without darkening or
lightening the clouds:
You'll want to avoid using big, steep curves—anytime the curve moves too far away from
the diagonal line, it will usually create problems in the image. In the example below, notice
how the curve dramatically changes direction near the middle. This causes a significant loss
of detail in the midtones, giving the seagull a flat, unnatural look:
To adjust curves:

1. Add a Curves adjustment layer.

2. Click anywhere on the line in the Properties panel to create a new point, then click
and drag the point to adjust the curve. Note: Be careful not to move the two points in
the lower-left and upper-right corners. It is possible to adjust these, but we
recommend keeping them in the corners until you gain more experience with curves.
 3. Continue to adjust the points until you're satisfied with the result. You can also press
the Delete key or click and drag a point off the line to remove it.

If you're new to curves, you may want to select one of the Preset options and then make
small adjustments to the curve as needed. If you need to start over, you can select Default
from the Presets menu.
Using Curves in Photoshop Elements

If you're using Photoshop Elements, you won't be able to create a Curves adjustment layer,
but there is a similar tool you can use. To access this tool, select Enhance Adjust Color
Adjust Color Curves. You can then click and drag the sliders to adjust the curve.
Open the seagull_fullsize.jpg example file and add a Curves adjustment layer. Try using
some of the different options from the Presets menu, then move points on the curve to see the
effect.

Photoshop Basics

Levels, Curves, and Color

Color corrections
There will be times when you may want to adjust the colors in an image. For example, you
may want to modify the color intensity or even change colors for artistic effect.

Saturation

If the colors in your image are dull or muted, you can increase the saturation to make them
look more vivid. You can see an example of this in the images below:

On the other hand, you can reduce the saturation to make the colors less vivid. If you remove
the saturation completely, it will produce a black-and-white, or grayscale, image. You can
see an example of this in the images below:

To adjust saturation, add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Then click and drag the
Saturation slider in the Properties panel to increase or decrease the saturation.
Saturation adjustment tips

Here are a few recommendations for getting the best results with saturation adjustments:

 Be careful not to increase the saturation too much. This can cause the colors to look
unnatural, as in the example below:
  Increasing the saturation may also create image noise. We'll talk more about
removing noise in the next lesson.
 For some types of pictures, especially portraits, increasing the saturation can look
unflattering. In these cases, you may want to decrease the saturation.
 The Hue slider changes all of the colors in the image at the same time. This will
often result in an unnatural color combination, so we don't recommend adjusting the
hue unless you want an unusual effect.
 Although you could use the Lightness slider to increase or decrease the image
brightness, you'll probably want to add a Levels or Curves adjustment layer instead—
these will give you more control over image brightness.

Vibrance

Increasing the saturation can sometimes look a bit unnatural. One solution is to use
a Vibrance adjustment layer instead of Hue/Saturation. Vibrance lets you boost the
saturation for the parts of the image that are less colorful without oversaturating the parts
that are already colorful.
Open pink_fullsize.jpg, then add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Take the saturation to
the highest and lowest settings to see the effect. Try to find the setting that looks best for the
image.

Converting to black and white

As we mentioned above, setting the saturation to -100 will create a black-and-white image.
However, this method doesn't give you much control over how the black-and-white version
will look. For better results, you can create a Black and White adjustment layer.

Because black-and-white photos don't have colors, the tones (the different shades of gray) are
especially important. A Black and White adjustment layer allows you to control how the
different colors are mixed to create specific tones, which can make a significant difference
in how the final image looks.

We recommend trying different options from the Preset menu until you find one that works
well for the image—you can then make small adjustments to the individual colors as needed.
 1234567

Photoshop Basics

Levels, Curves, and Color

Auto-adjustment tools

Some images may require more specialized corrections, which can be difficult to make if you
don't have a lot of experience with Photoshop. Fortunately, there are several automatic
adjustment tools you can use to improve your images. In the original image below, the snow
has a blueish tint; after using the Auto Color command, the snow looks white:
You'll find a few auto-correction tools, including Auto Color, in the Image menu.

Many adjustment layers also have their own automatic adjustment option. To use this tool,
create an adjustment layer, then click the Auto button in the Properties panel (if available).
Most of the time, these tools will improve the overall look of an image. However, you can
always manually adjust an image afterward to get the image to look exactly the way you
want. If the auto-correction goes too far, you could also try reducing the opacity of the
adjustment layer to 50% to make the effect more subtle.

Open the dog_fullsize.jpg example file, add a Levels adjustment layer, and use the Auto
Color command in the Image menu.

Photoshop Basics

Levels, Curves, and Color

Challenge!

If you want to practice making the adjustments we cover in this lesson, you can download
some or all of our example images. Just click any of the images below to open a full-sized
version. Then right-click the full-sized version and select Save Image As to save it to your
computer.
 1. Open an image in Photoshop.
2. Try adding some of the different adjustment layers covered in this lesson.
Experiment with multiple adjustment layers to see how they affect the image.
3. Save the image as a PSD file. This will preserve all of your adjustment layers so you
can come back and continue editing the adjustment layers later on.
4. When you're finished editing the image, use the Save for Web feature to export it as a
JPEG

Photoshop Basics

Sharpening and Noise Reduction

Introduction

Video: Sharpening and Noise Reduction

Photoshop includes several tools you can use to correct your images. In this lesson, we'll
show you how to make the following corrections:

 Sharpening: If an image is less clear than you'd like it to be, you can sharpen it.
 Noise reduction: If an image has a lot of noise, or graininess, you can reduce the
image noise.

We'll also talk about the importance of using these tools correctly. If they are misused,
sharpening and noise reduction can actually cause problems with your images. However, if
they are used with care, they are a great way to add polish to your images.

If you'd like to follow along, you can download some or all of our example images. Just
click any of the images below to open a full-sized version. Then right-click the full-sized
version and select Save Image As to save it to your computer.
 123

Photoshop Basics

Sharpening and Noise Reduction

Sharpening

Sometimes an image may not be as clear as you'd like it to be. Sharpening can help to make
your images look crisp and clear by enhancing the edges of objects in the image. However,
adding too much sharpness can actually make an image look worse, or it can lead to a loss in
image detail. Take a look at the example below:
As you can see, the right amount of sharpness makes the photo look crisp—for example, in
the center image, it's easy to see the edges of the bird's feathers. But adding too much
sharpness can cause the edges to look exaggerated and unnatural (these are known as halos),
as in the image on the right. You may have also noticed that the background in the
oversharpened image has a lot of added image noise, or graininess. We'll talk more about
reducing image noise on the next page.

Whenever you apply sharpening, you'll need to look critically at the image to see if you're
getting the results you want. You'll often need to make careful adjustments to get the right
amount of sharpening without introducing other problems like halos or noise.

Unsharp mask

The unsharp mask filter is a common way to sharpen images in Photoshop. When you use
this tool, you'll be able to control a few different settings, including:

 Amount: The amount determines how much sharpness will be applied. The amount
you'll need depends on several factors, including the overall image size, so it's good to
experiment with this setting.
 Radius: The radius controls the size of the details that will be sharpened, so it's
generally best to use a very low value for this setting. We recommend a radius
between 0.3 and 0.5 for most images, although you may find it useful to use a slightly
larger radius (between 1 and 1.5) for higher-resolution images.
 Threshold: Sharpening tends to make image noise more visible. Increasing the
threshold can help to reduce this by telling unsharp mask to ignore certain parts of
the image. However, this can also mean that different parts of the image are not
 sharpened consistently. This is why we recommend keeping this setting at 0 most of
the time, unless the sharpening is creating a lot extra noise.

To apply an unsharp mask:

1. Right-click the layer you wish to sharpen, then select Duplicate Layer. You'll apply
the sharpening to this duplicate layer, which will prevent you from accidentally
altering the original.

2. A dialog box will appear. Type a name for the new layer, then click OK. In this
example, we'll call it Sharpened.

3. With the new duplicate layer selected, go to Filter Sharpen Unsharp Mask. If
you're using Photoshop Elements, you'll need to go to Enhance Unsharp Mask.
4. A dialog box will appear. Set the desired radius size, then choose the amount of
sharpness to add. We recommend experimenting with different amounts of sharpening
to see what looks best. You can look at the preview window above the sliders to see
how sharpening is affecting the image.
5. Click the preview window to toggle the preview off and on. This is an easy way to
compare the sharpened version with the original. To view a different part of the
image, you can click and drag within the preview window. Note that you'll also see
the preview in the main document window.
 6. Continue to adjust the settings until you're satisfied with result, then click OK. The
unsharp mask will be applied.

Open the hawk_fullsize.jpg example file, duplicate the background layer, and apply an
unsharp mask. Adjust the settings to find a balance between sharpness and a loss of detail.

If you want to learn even more about sharpening, check out this tutorial from Cambridge in
Colour.

Photoshop Basics

Sharpening and Noise Reduction

Sharpening tips

Here are a few tips for getting the best results with sharpening:

 If you increase the amount of sharpening that is added, there will usually be a point
where the edges in the image will start to glow, causing them to look exaggerated.
 Whenever you see this happen, try decreasing the amount to make the sharpening
look more natural.
 If the sharpening still looks a bit unnatural, you could try reducing the opacity of the
sharpened layer to make the effect more subtle.
 Note that sharpening cannot fix an image that's very blurry or out of focus—it works
best with images that are clear but have a slightly soft look.
 While unsharp mask is a useful tool, Photoshop also includes other sharpening filters,
which can be found in the Filter Sharpen menu. Some filters, such as Sharpen and
Sharpen More, apply a preset amount of sharpening. Others, such as Smart
Sharpen, give you even more ways to tweak the adjustments (although this also
means it's even trickier to use than unsharp mask).

If you want to learn more about using Smart Sharpen, check out the Sharpen Your Photos
with Smart Sharpen video on the Adobe website.

Photoshop Basics

Sharpening and Noise Reduction

Noise reduction

Some images may have a lot of noise, which causes them to look grainy. You can
compensate for this by reducing the image noise, as in the example below:

Understanding noise reduction

When you apply noise reduction, you're actually removing information from the image. As
a result, you'll need to use this feature carefully—removing too much noise can result in
blurriness and a loss of detail. The goal of noise reduction is not to completely remove all
noise from the image; instead, you're just trying to make the image look cleaner and clearer.

As with sharpening, you should always look critically at the image to see if you're getting the
results you want. Losing a small amount of detail may be unavoidable when reducing noise,
so you'll need to make careful adjustments to find the right balance. It's often better to remove
less noise in order to preserve as much detail as possible.

When you use this tool, you'll be able to control many different settings, including:

 Strength: This setting controls the overall level of noise reduction that will be
applied. We recommend starting with this setting at the maximum value (10) because
it will make it easier to see the effect the other settings have. After you've adjusted the
 other settings, you can decrease the strength as needed to get the desired amount of
noise reduction.
 Preserve Details: This determines how many details from the original image will be
preserved. If you use a value that's too low, the image will lose a lot of detail.
However, anything too high will cancel out the effects of noise reduction. You'll want
to experiment with this setting until you're satisfied with the result.
 Reduce Color Noise: Sometimes noise will look like small patches of individual
colors, which is known as color noise. Increasing the Reduce Color Noise setting will
help to reduce this. However, taking this setting too high can cause the different
colors in your image to bleed together, so we recommend using a relatively low value
for most images.
 Sharpen Details: Reducing image noise also causes the image to lose some
sharpness. This setting allows you to add sharpness back to the details of the image.
However, just like with Preserve Details, this can cancel out the effects of noise
reduction, so be careful not to set it too high.

To apply noise reduction:

1. Right-click the desired layer, then select Duplicate Layer. You'll apply the noise
reduction to this duplicate layer, which will prevent you from accidentally altering the
original.
2. A dialog box will appear. Type a name for the duplicate layer, then click OK. In this
example, we'll call it Noise Reduction.
3. With the new duplicate layer selected, go to Filter Noise Reduce Noise.
4. A dialog box will appear. Take some time to adjust each setting, following the
guidelines above—you can look at the preview window to the left of the sliders to
see the effect.
 5. Click the preview window to toggle the preview off and on. This is an easy way to
compare the noise reduction with the original. To view a different part of the image,
you can click and drag within the preview window. Note that you'll also see the
preview in the main document window.
6. Continue to adjust the settings until you're satisfied with the results, then click OK.
The noise reduction will be applied.

Open the globe_building_fullsize.jpg example file, duplicate the background layer, and
apply noise reduction. Adjust the settings to find a balance between noise reduction and a loss
of detail.

Photoshop Basics
Sharpening and Noise Reduction
Challenge!

If you want to practice making the adjustments we cover in this lesson, you can download
some or all of our example images. Just click any of the images below to open a full-sized
version. Then right-click the full-sized version and select Save Image As to save it to your
computer.

1. Open the flower_fullsize.jpg example file in Photoshop.

2. Duplicate the background layer, then apply an unsharp mask. Take some time to
adjust the different settings, comparing the sharpened version with the original.
3. Open the ferris_wheel_fullsize.jpg example file.
4. Duplicate the background layer, then apply noise reduction. Take some time to
adjust the different settings, comparing the noise reduction with the original.
5. When you're finished editing, use the Save for Web feature to export the images as
JPEGs.
Photoshop Basics

Doing More with Layers

Introduction

As we discussed in our lesson on Understanding Layers, there are many different ways to use
layers in Photoshop. So far, we've covered a few fundamental skills, including how to use
adjustment layers. In this lesson, we'll talk about some of the more advanced options, such as
opacity, blending modes, layer masks, and layer groups. We'll also provide links to
additional resources if you want to learn more about using these tools.

If you'd like to follow along, you can download our example file.

Layer opacity

You can control the opacity for almost every layer in a Photoshop document. The opacity
determines how transparent or opaque the layer will be. In other words, it controls how
much the layers below can show through. Take a look at the example below:

This example uses two different text layers and a background layer. The mountains text
layer has an opacity of 100%. This layer is completely opaque, meaning nothing below the
letters can show through. By contrast, the appalachian text layer has an opacity of 15%.
This layer is mostly transparent, meaning you can see through the letters to the background
layer.

You can also change the opacity of an adjustment layer to make it more subtle. For
example, if you have a Curves layer that is too intense, you could reduce the opacity to 70-
80%. In many situations, this may be easier than modifying the adjustment layer itself.

To adjust layer opacity:

1. Select the desired layer, then click the Opacity drop-down arrow at the top of the
Layers panel.

2. Click and drag the slider to adjust the opacity. You'll see the layer opacity change in
the document window as you move the slider. If you set the opacity to 0%, the layer
will become completely transparent, or invisible.
Open the example file, then adjust the opacity of the Text layers to see the effect.

Background transparency

By default, most Photoshop documents use a Background layer. You cannot adjust the
opacity of a Background layer, and it cannot be hidden. This is because you won't want the
background to have transparency for most projects, especially if you're working with a
photograph.

However, there are some situations where you may want a transparent background. For
example, if you are creating a logo for a website a transparent background will allow the
website's background color to show through, giving the logo a more seamless, professional
look.

If you're following along with the example file, try hiding all layers except the Acorn layer.
See the checkerboard pattern behind the acorn? This means the background is completely
transparent. The checkerboard won't actually be exported when you save your image—it's
only there to indicate transparency.
Note that if you want your image to have a transparent background, you'll need to save it in a
format that can handle transparency. We recommend using the PNG-24 format, which is
available in the Save for Web dialog box. JPEG files are unable to have transparent
backgrounds, so they will save all transparent areas as white.
Photoshop Basics

Doing More with Layers

Blending modes

In addition to adjusting opacity, you can use different blending modes to control how the
layers in your document are mixed together. The blending mode menu is located at the top of
the Layers panel, next to Opacity.

If you're following along with the example file, select the Record layer. Notice that the
blending mode is set to Multiply. Even though the opacity of the Record layer is set to 100%,
this blending mode allows the turquoise color from the layer below to show through:
To change the blending mode, click the Blending Mode drop-down menu, then select the
desired mode. In the example below, changing the blending mode to Screen will still allow
the turquoise background to show through, but this time it appears on the record instead:
Each blending mode creates a different effect, and some are much more noticeable than
others. It's also important to note that blending modes will work differently depending on the
content of your layers. This means many blending modes may look unnatural, and it's
unlikely that all of the modes will look good in your project.

While blending modes give you a lot of flexibility, they can also be tricky to use. If you're
interested in learning more about blending modes, check out this tutorial from Photo Blog
Stop

Photoshop Basics

Doing More with Layers

Clipping masks

Earlier in this tutorial, we talked about using adjustment layers to correct your images. By
default, adjustment layers will affect all layers below them. However, there may be times
when you only want an adjustment layer to affect one layer. To do this, you can use a
clipping mask.

If you're following along with the example file, locate the small arrow next to the Gradient
Map layer. This indicates that a clipping mask has been applied, which limits the adjustment
layer to just the Acorn layer below. 

To apply a clipping mask, press and hold the Alt key on your keyboard (or Option on a
Mac), then click between the desired layers in the Layers panel. In this example, we're
clicking between the Gradient Map and Acorn layers.

You can also use this method to release a clipping mask. Releasing a clipping mask does not
delete the layer, but it causes it to behave like a normal layer. For example, if you release
the clipping mask for the Gradient Map layer in the example file, it will affect the color of all
of the layers below it instead of only affecting the Acorn layer.

It's also important to note that you can apply a clipping mask to multiple adjustment layers
above the same layer. For this reason, if you're already using clipping masks in your
document, new adjustment layers may use a clipping mask automatically.

Open the example file. Select the Acorn layer, then add a Curves adjustment layer. Make
sure a clipping mask is applied to the new layer, then modify the curves in the Properties
panel. Notice how the curves adjustments only affect the Acorn layer. Next, try reducing the
opacity of the adjustment layers to 70%.

If you want to learn more about using clipping masks, check out this video tutorial on the
Adobe website.

Photoshop Basics

Doing More with Layers

Layer masks

Sometimes you may want only certain parts of a layer to be visible. For example, you might
want to remove the background from a layer so the layers below it can show through. While
you could use the Eraser tool to remove the parts you don't want, this type of destructive
editing may be difficult to undo. Fortunately, layer masks allow you to show and hide parts
of any layer in a nondestructive way.

Creating a layer mask can be a bit complicated, so let's start by looking at one that's already
finished. If you're following along with the example file, select the Acorn layer. Here, we
used a layer mask to hide, or mask out, the background—the acorn is the only part of the
layer that's visible. The layer mask is represented by the black-and-white thumbnail to the
right of the layer icon in the Layers panel. Notice how the areas that are visible in the
document window correspond with the white area on the layer mask thumbnail:
The important thing to recognize here is that the background of the Acorn layer hasn't
actually been removed—it's just hidden. If we ever wanted to show more of the original
image, we could edit or even remove the layer mask.

To edit a layer mask:

To better understand how layer masks work, let's try editing the the Acorn layer mask. We'll
be using the Brush tool, so if you've never used it before you should first read our extra on
Working with Brushes.

1. Select the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel. In our example, we'll select the
thumbnail next to the Acorn layer.
2. Next, choose the Brush tool from the Tools panel, then set the Foreground Color to
white.
3. Click and drag your image to reveal areas in the layer. In this example, we're
revealing more of the background by adding white paint to the layer mask.
 4. Set the Foreground Color to black, then click and drag your image to hide areas in
the layer.
5. Continue using the Brush tool until you're satisfied with the result.

You'll need to take your time and work carefully to get the best possible result, especially
when refining the edges of the layer mask around an object. It may be helpful to adjust the
size, hardness, and opacity of the Brush tool.

To create a new layer mask:

Now that you know more about layer masks, you may want to try creating your own.

1. Select a layer, then click the Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers panel.
In our example, we'll create a new layer mask for the record layer.
 2. The layer mask will appear as a white thumbnail next to the layer icon in the Layers
panel. You can then select the thumbnail and use the Brush tool to edit the layer
mask.

Note that you can apply multiple layer masks to the same layer. However, this can become
complicated, so we recommend using only one layer mask per layer.

Using layer masks with adjustment layers

You can use a layer mask to control which areas of your image are affected by an
adjustment layer. For example, if you have a black and white adjustment layer, you could
use a layer mask to convert specific areas to black and white while leaving other areas
unaffected.

Every adjustment layer has a layer mask by default, so you won't need to create a new one.
You can simply click the layer mask and then use the Brush tool to edit it.

To remove a layer mask:

1. Click and drag the layer mask thumbnail to the Trash Can in the lower-right corner
of the Layers panel.
 2. A dialog box will appear. Choose Delete to remove the layer mask. Choosing Apply
will actually remove the parts of the layer that are currently hidden, so you'll want to
avoid this option unless you're absolutely sure that you no longer need those parts of
the image.

You can also press and hold the Shift key and then click the thumbnail to temporarily disable
the layer mask.

Creating and editing layer masks can be a challenging task, and there are many other methods
for achieving good results. If you want to learn more, check out these tutorials:

 Mask Out Part of an Image (Adobe)

 A Complete Beginner's Guide to Masking in Photoshop (Design Shack)

Photoshop Basics

Doing More with Layers

Layer groups

Once you start working with multiple layers in your document, it can be difficult to keep
them organized. Fortunately, Photoshop allows you to group your layers. You can use groups
to keep related layers together, move and edit multiple layers at once, and much more.

To create a group:

1. Locate and select the Group button at the bottom of the Layers panel.
2. A new, empty group will appear. If desired, you can click and drag the group to
reorder it within the Layers panel.
3. Click and drag any layer to the group icon in the Layers panel, then release the
mouse. Layers that are in a group will be slightly indented from the other layers in the
panel.

4. Click the arrow to collapse or expand the layer.

 5. You can now manipulate all of the layers in the group at once. In this example, we're
clicking the eye icon to hide all layers within the group.

If you're using Photoshop Elements, you won't be able to create new groups. However, you
will be able to view existing groups when working with files created in the full version of
Photoshop.
Open the example file and create a group. Click and drag all of the Text layers into this new
group. Next, select Group 1, then reduce the opacity to 70%. Notice how this changes the
opacity for all layers within the group.

If you want to learn more about groups, check out this video tutorial on the Adobe website.

Photoshop Basics

Doing More with Layers

Merging and flattening layers

If you no longer need to edit certain layers, you might consider merging them. There are
many reasons you might want to combine certain layers. For example, if you have multiple
adjustment layers you might want to merge them into a single layer before applying other
changes, such as sharpening or noise reduction.

To merge layers, select the first layer, press and hold the Shift key, and click the last layer
you wish to merge (all of the layers between the first and last will be selected). Next, right-
click the layers and select Merge Layers. Alternatively, you could select the layers and then
press Ctrl+E (Command+E on a Mac).
Merging will remove the flexibility and control that layers provide, so you should only
combine layers if you're sure you no longer need to edit them individually.

Note: Make sure to right-click the layer name, not the layer icon. Otherwise, the menu will
not appear.

You can also combine all of the layers in your document into a single Background layer.
This is known as flattening the image. To do this, right-click any layer, then select Flatten
Image.

Flattening an image is one way to simplify a complex Photoshop project. However, it's
important to note that you do not need to flatten images before exporting them. When you
save a project as a JPEG or PNG file, all of the layers will be flattened automatically because
these file formats cannot have multiple layers.

Open the example file. Select the Gradient Map and Acorn layers, then merge them.

If you want to learn more about merging and flattening layers, check out this video tutorial on
the Adobe website.

Photoshop Basics
Working with Brushes
Introduction

The Brush tool allows you to paint on any layer, much like a real paintbrush. You'll also
have different settings to choose from, which can help you customize it for different
situations. Once you know how to use the Brush tool, you'll notice that many other tools,
including the Eraser and the Spot Healing Brush, use a similar group of settings.

Using the Brush tool

It's easy to use the Brush tool to paint in your document. Simply locate and select the Brush
tool from the Tools panel, then click and drag in the document window to paint. You can also
press the B key on your keyboard to select the Brush tool at any time.
To choose a different brush color, click the top-most color in the Color Picker Tool (this is
known as the Foreground Color), then select the desired color from the dialog box.

You'll also be able to customize different settings for the Brush tool from the Control panel
near the top of the screen.
Some of the settings you can adjust here include:

 Brush Size: If you want to make the brush larger or smaller, click the Brush Picker
drop-down arrow in the Control panel, then adjust the Size slider. You can also press
the bracket keys [ ] to quickly increase or decrease the brush size at any time.

 Hardness: If you want to make the edges of the brush harder or softer, you can
adjust the hardness from the same drop-down menu. A harder brush will have clear,
defined edges, whereas a softer brush will have blurry, less-defined edges. For most
situations, we recommend setting the hardness to 50% or less because it will help to
make individual brush strokes less obvious.
  Brush Tip: If you want to create a unique effect, there are different brush tips to
choose from in the same drop-down menu. Some of these are designed to mimic real-
life drawing tools like pens and markers, while others are simpler.

 Opacity: By default, the opacity of your brush is set to 100%, meaning the brush will
use the highest intensity. However, you can reduce the opacity of your brush to make
it less intense.

Other tools that use Brush settings

As we mentioned above, many other tools work in a similar way. For example, if you select
the Eraser tool, you can click and drag in the document window to erase parts of the selected
layer. You can fine-tune the Eraser tool by adjusting the size, hardness, opacity, and more
from the Control panel.
More resources

There are many different ways to use brushes in Photoshop, and mastering them will take
both time and practice. If you're ready to learn more about brushes, check out the tutorials
below:

 Learn to Use Photoshop Brushes (Adobe)

 Brushing Up on Photoshop's Brush Tool (Smashing Magazine)

Photoshop Basics

Working with Text

Introduction

The Type tool allows you to add text to your document. You can use text on a variety of
projects—for example, you might add text to your images to create a poster, holiday card, or
invitation. You'll also be able to customize the text to suit your needs.

To use the Type tool:

1. Locate and select the Type tool in the Tools panel. You can also press the T key on
your keyboard to access the Type tool at any time.

2. In the Control panel near the top of the screen, choose the desired font and text size.

3. Click the Text Color picker, then choose the desired color from the dialog box.
4. Click and drag anywhere in the document window to create a text box.

5. A new text layer will be added to your document. You can start typing to add text to
the layer.
If you want to add a lot of text to your document, you may find it easier to work with
multiple text layers. This will give you more control over the apperance of your text. In the
example below, we've added a second text layer for the word mountains.
Type tool tips

 If you want to edit a text layer, you'll need to double-click the layer icon in the
Layers panel. You can then change the text, resize the text box, or use the options in
the Control panel to choose a different font or modify text size and color.
 For even more text formatting options, go to Window Character to view the
Character panel.

 If you want to move the text, you'll need to select the Move tool and then click and
drag it to the desired location in the document window.
Rasterizing text

If you try to use certain tools with a text layer, such as Filters, you will receive a warning
message asking if you want to rasterize the text, as shown below:

Rasterizing means the text will be converted into pixels, allowing you to make image
adjustments that normally don't work with text. The downside is that you'll no longer be able
to edit the text, change the formatting, or convert it back to a text layer. Therefore, you
should only rasterize your text if you absolutely need to. If you don't want to rasterize it,
simply click Cancel to keep the text layer in its current format.
More resources

Photoshop features many other ways to customize text. If you want to learn more about these
different options, check out the tutorials below:

 Add Text to Images (Adobe)

 A Comprehensive Introduction to the Type Tool (Tuts Plus)

Photoshop Basics

Reading a Histogram
Reading a histogram

If you've ever used a Levels or Curves adjustment layer, you may have noticed a graph in
the area where you're making the adjustment. This graph is known as a histogram. The
histogram basically shows you how many shadows, midtones, and highlights there are in
the image.

In the example below, we have the Levels adjustment layer selected, and you can see the
histogram in the Properties panel on the right:
So what does the histogram tell us about this image? First, remember that every image has a
mix of shadows, midtones, and highlights. The histogram simply counts the number of
pixels for each tone and displays them as a graph with shadows on the left, midtones in the
middle, and highlights on the right. Note that the histogram only tells you how much there
is of each tone; it doesn't tell you where the tones are located in the image.

In the example above, we have a mix of different tones—the rocks and ground near the
bottom of the image make up most of the shadows, the bridge and ocean make up the
midtones, and the sky and clouds make up the highlights. If you look at the histogram, you
can see that the image has a fairly even balance among shadows, midtones, and highlights.

The histogram will be unique for every image, and it won't always be so evenly distributed.
For example, take a look at the image below. You can see that most of the information in the
histogram is stacked on the left. This means a majority of the pixels for this image are
shadows—the dark areas in the background, the shadows on the leaves, and the dark patterns
on the butterfly's wings.
Below, we have a photo of a white flower on a light background. As you might expect, there
are more highlights than shadows in this image, so most of the information in the histogram
is stacked on the right.
The image below has large peaks of information on the left and right sides of the histogram
but flat areas in the middle. This means the image has a lot of shadows and highlights—in the
water and the stones—but very few midtones. You could also say this image has a lot of
contrast.

Recognizing common problems

Knowing how to read a histogram can tell you several different things about a photo. For
example, you can use the histogram to find common problems in your images. You can then
use different tools like Levels and Curves to correct and improve them. Take a look at the
example below:
In this example, you can see that there's a large gap on the right side of the histogram, which
means the image is underexposed, or too dark. You can correct these types of problems with
a Levels adjustment.

However, if you're not careful when making these adjustments, you'll begin to lose detail in
your image. This is known as clipping. In the image below, you can see that the clouds have
lost a lot of detail, and the color of the sky has also changed. Also notice the sharp peak on
the right-most side of the histogram. Whenever you see this in a histogram, it means clipping
has occurred:
The histogram is an important tool for finding problems in your images, so you should
always keep an eye on it whenever you make adjustments. You can review our lesson on
Levels, Curves, and Color to learn more about making adjustments.

The Histogram panel

There are a few different ways to view the histogram for an image. As we mentioned above,
you'll see the histogram in the Properties panel whenever you edit a Levels or Curves
adjustment layer.

However, this histogram will not be updated when making a change within an adjustment
layer. If you're using adjustment layers in your document, we recommend referring to the
Histogram panel to look for problems because it will take the adjustment layers into account.

You can go to Window Histogram to open the Histogram panel at any time.
This panel will display a gray histogram that works exactly like the histograms we showed
you above. It also includes a few colored histograms that allow you to see how the individual
colors in the image are distributed.

More resources

As you begin to gain more experience with histograms, you'll be able to read them more
easily and make adjustments with confidence. If you want to learn even more about working
with histograms, check out the tutorials below:

 Reading a Histogram (Adobe)

 How to Read an Image Histogram in Photoshop (Photoshop Essentials)
 Camera Histograms: Tones and Contrast (Cambridge in Colour)

More resources

Photoshop is a big subject, and it may start to feel overwhelming at times. Fortunately, there
are many good resources for learning Photoshop on the Web. Some are free, while others
require a paid subscription. You'll find some of our favorites below.

If you'd like to learn more about basic image editing skills, check out our Image Editing 101
tutorial.
Free resources from Adobe

Adobe provides several free resources for learning Photoshop. Whether you are just getting
started or are looking for advanced tips, you'll find a variety of tutorials and helpful
information on these pages:

 Photoshop Help and Support

 Photoshop Visual Dictionary
 How to Edit a Photo in Photoshop
 Learn Photoshop CC: Adobe TV
 Photoshop CC Keyboard Shortcuts

Other resources

 Photoshop Essentials: This site offers tutorials on almost every Photoshop tool for a
variety of skill levels.
 Cambridge in Colour: While it's not specifically a Photoshop tutorial, this site
provides a lot of information about the basics of working with digital images,
including file formats, resolution, and sharpness.
 Design Reviver: The Photoshop 101 series on this blog touches on several
fundamental Photoshop concepts and skills.
 Lynda: Unlike the other resources listed above, Lynda is not free—it requires a
monthly subscription to use. However, it offers many high-quality, comprehensive
video tutorials for all skill levels. It also offers a few free videos within each tutorial.