Magzter Gold (Sitewide AU)

Magzter Gold (Sitewide AU)

Digital Delivery

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom October 1st, 2016 Digital Back Issue Cover

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital)

(1)

Single Digital Issue

Photoshop For Beginners 11th Edition

$11.99

Powered By Zinio

Zinio

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Instant Start

100 Articles

Welcome to Photoshop® for Beginners

Photoshop has grown to be a part of our everyday lives, particularly as we can capture images so easily on our smartphones these days. So it’s no wonder why more and more people are familiarising themselves with Photoshop’s image-transforming capabilities. While it might seem to first-timers that there are a baffling array of buttons and icons on the Photoshop interface, we encourage you to imagine it as an artist’s toolbox, and that space in the middle is your blank canvas. From basic photo-editing skills to colour corrections, filters and selections, this newly revised Photoshop for Beginners will guide you through all the techniques you need. Not to mention some fun creative projects to try. We even provide online resources such as tutorial files, brushes, textures and video guides to start…

Welcome to Photoshop® for Beginners

The ultimate guide to Photoshop

Get ready to fall in love with Photoshop! You have taken the plunge and bought your first copy and it’s just waiting to be explored. Don’t be put off by the endless tools, functions and features that you see before you at the moment, as it won’t be long before you’ve mastered them all. Photoshop is the gateway to endless creativity. Speak to any Photoshop professional and they will tell you they are still discovering exciting new ways to produce beautiful work. The great thing about this program is that there really is something for everyone. Whether you’re a complete novice starting from scratch or a seasoned pro looking for a fresh take on a familiar technique, Photoshop provides everyone with the tools to create something wonderful. As you start…

The ultimate guide to Photoshop

Welcome to Photoshop® for Beginners

Photoshop has grown to be a part of our everyday lives, particularly as we can capture images so easily on our smartphones these days. So it’s no wonder why more and more people are familiarising themselves with Photoshop’s image-transforming capabilities. While it might seem to first-timers that there are a baffling array of buttons and icons on the Photoshop interface, we encourage you to imagine it as an artist’s toolbox, and that space in the middle is your blank canvas. From basic photo-editing skills to colour corrections, filters and selections, this newly revised Photoshop for Beginners will guide you through all the techniques you need. Not to mention some fun creative projects to try. We even provide online resources such as tutorial files, brushes, textures and video guides to start…

Welcome to Photoshop® for Beginners

The ultimate guide to Photoshop

Get ready to fall in love with Photoshop! You have taken the plunge and bought your first copy and it’s just waiting to be explored. Don’t be put off by the endless tools, functions and features that you see before you at the moment, as it won’t be long before you’ve mastered them all. Photoshop is the gateway to endless creativity. Speak to any Photoshop professional and they will tell you they are still discovering exciting new ways to produce beautiful work. The great thing about this program is that there really is something for everyone. Whether you’re a complete novice starting from scratch or a seasoned pro looking for a fresh take on a familiar technique, Photoshop provides everyone with the tools to create something wonderful. As you start to investigate…

The ultimate guide to Photoshop

As the name suggests, one of the main uses of Photoshop is photo editing. In a world where we are always snapping our friends, families, pets and surroundings, we all have plenty of images to get creative with in Photoshop. Whether you rely on your iPhone or other smartphone to capture a moment, or prefer to have a compact camera or digital SLR with you at all times, Photoshop can tweak your images to perfection. It makes no difference what the subject matter is or what device you used to capture the shot, there is always a way to make improvements with a little help from Photoshop. For landscape lovers, your first task will be to learn how to straighten your pictures in order to achieve the perfect horizon. A…

Manipulating photos

Photo manipulation is quite different from image editing, as it involves taking a photo and transforming it into something new rather than simply tweaking the original composition. You will have undoubtedly heard a lot about layers in Photoshop, but may not be aware of what they actually do. In their most basic sense, they enable you to build up a sandwich of images and effects. Each layer of the sandwich interacts with the other fillings until you have a whole new sandwich, or image. For example, you may start with a portrait photo and then add a new background onto a new layer. You can add some text on a different layer and then an illustration on another. Before you know it, all these layers have added up to create…

Manipulating photos

As the name suggests, one of the main uses of Photoshop is photo editing. In a world where we are always snapping our friends, families, pets and surroundings, we all have plenty of images to get creative with in Photoshop. Whether you rely on your iPhone or other smartphone to capture a moment, or prefer to have a compact camera or digital SLR with you at all times, Photoshop can tweak your images to perfection. It makes no difference what the subject matter is or what device you used to capture the shot, there is always a way to make improvements with a little help from Photoshop. For landscape lovers, your first task will be to learn how to straighten your pictures in order to achieve the perfect horizon. A wonky…

Consider Photoshop an artist’s treasure trove of tools, paints and media. Even if your artistic skills are limited to stick men, Photoshop can provide all the features to help you realise your inner Van Gogh. Unlike traditional drawing and painting, Photoshop makes it as easy as tracing over an image. You can literally sketch or paint over any photograph to create a stunning masterpiece. By using layer masks, you can create a host of drawing and painting styles. On the drawing side of things, you will discover there are far more options than a simple pencil sketch. Open your eyes to the world of chalk and charcoal drawing, sketching in watercolour, and pen and ink effects. By carefully selecting the right type of brush and combining it with the right…

Manipulating photos

Photo manipulation is quite different from image editing, as it involves taking a photo and transforming it into something new rather than simply tweaking the original composition. You will have undoubtedly heard a lot about layers in Photoshop, but may not be aware of what they actually do. In their most basic sense, they enable you to build up a sandwich of images and effects. Each layer of the sandwich interacts with the other fillings until you have a whole new sandwich, or image. For example, you may start with a portrait photo and then add a new background onto a new layer. You can add some text on a different layer and then an illustration on another. Before you know it, all these layers have added up to create a…

Manipulating photos

A guide to the Photoshop family

PHOTOSHOP Photoshop CS6 no longer exists as a standalone product, but you might still have the Standard or Extended version. ELEMENTS Perfect for the complete beginner, Photoshop Elements 14 has a more approachable interface that’s full of quick effects and one-click answers. PHOTOSHOP CC Upgrading requires a monthly subscription that caters for different users. CC offers Cloud storage and the ability to get new features when released. Photoshop CS No longer available to purchase as a standalone product Photoshop has become a staple for many, if not all, digital artists. We pick out the best bits from the expert program Photoshop gives you the room to create artwork and edit photos with complete control over layers, adjustments, filters and much more. Daunting at first, Photoshop is surprisingly easy to get…

A guide to the Photoshop family

Consider Photoshop an artist’s treasure trove of tools, paints and media. Even if your artistic skills are limited to stick men, Photoshop can provide all the features to help you realise your inner Van Gogh. Unlike traditional drawing and painting, Photoshop makes it as easy as tracing over an image. You can literally sketch or paint over any photograph to create a stunning masterpiece. By using layer masks, you can create a host of drawing and painting styles. On the drawing side of things, you will discover there are far more options than a simple pencil sketch. Open your eyes to the world of chalk and charcoal drawing, sketching in watercolour, and pen and ink effects. By carefully selecting the right type of brush and combining it with the right kind of…

First steps in Photoshop

The first time you open Photoshop it can seem a bewildering mess of icons, menus and palettes. We have already introduced you to the flavours of Photoshop: Photoshop CS, Photoshop CC and Photoshop Elements. It is generally thought that Photoshop is for professionals and that Elements is purely for beginners. The interface of Elements is a bit more intuitive than Photoshop, and features such as the Quick Edit mode mean that it’s incredibly easy to make your first edit. But Elements still has a lot of the same tools as Photoshop so don’t dismiss it as ‘Photoshop Lite’. Between the two versions it might be that the tools are named or located slightly differently, but there’s generally a work-around to give Elements users the same wealth of editing options as…

First steps in Photoshop

A guide to the Photoshop family

PHOTOSHOP Photoshop CS6 no longer exists as a standalone product, but you might still have the Standard or Extended version. ELEMENTS Perfect for the complete beginner, Photoshop Elements 14 has a more approachable interface that’s full of quick effects and one-click answers. PHOTOSHOP CC Upgrading requires a monthly subscription that caters for different users. CC offers Cloud storage and the ability to get new features when released. Photoshop CS No longer available to purchase as a standalone product Photoshop has become a staple for many, if not all, digital artists. We pick out the best bits from the expert program Photoshop gives you the room to create artwork and edit photos with complete control over layers, adjustments, filters and much more. Daunting at first, Photoshop is surprisingly easy to get to grips with. Photographers will find an array of…

A guide to the Photoshop family

Resize your images

When it comes to resizing images, the most important task is understanding how images are constructed. Open up an image, zoom all the way in and you’ll see that all the detail is constructed from small squares called pixels. Photoshop handles these pixels on a pixelper-inch basis (ppi). This is as it sounds – the number of pixels contained in an inch. The rule is simple: the more pixels there are, the more detailed the image will be. When we talk about the pixels in an image, we are referring to its resolution. A resolution of 300ppi is a general goal, as it’s high enough for most uses and is certainly fine for printing. When resizing images you have to be aware of resolution, because this will dictate your end…

Resize your images

First steps in Photoshop

The first time you open Photoshop it can seem a bewildering mess of icons, menus and palettes. We have already introduced you to the flavours of Photoshop: Photoshop CS, Photoshop CC and Photoshop Elements. It is generally thought that Photoshop is for professionals and that Elements is purely for beginners. The interface of Elements is a bit more intuitive than Photoshop, and features such as the Quick Edit mode mean that it’s incredibly easy to make your first edit. But Elements still has a lot of the same tools as Photoshop so don’t dismiss it as ‘Photoshop Lite’. Between the two versions it might be that the tools are named or located slightly differently, but there’s generally a work-around to give Elements users the same wealth of editing options as CS…

First steps in Photoshop

Save, export and share your photos

The process used to save an image changes depending on what that image is going to be used for. Size really does matter when you’re printing out a photograph or a piece of artwork, as you want to include as much image information as possible. This helps the image come out bright and clear when on a large canvas, but also means saving work as large, highresolution files. On the other hand, when saving an image for the internet you will want to do away with any information that isn’t necessary so that it will load up quickly on a page. Emailing images to friends and family also becomes easier when you work with smaller file sizes. Photoshop gives you the option to save in 23 different file formats, but…

Save, export and share your photos

Resize your images

When it comes to resizing images, the most important task is understanding how images are constructed. Open up an image, zoom all the way in and you’ll see that all the detail is constructed from small squares called pixels. Photoshop handles these pixels on a pixelper-inch basis (ppi). This is as it sounds – the number of pixels contained in an inch. The rule is simple: the more pixels there are, the more detailed the image will be. When we talk about the pixels in an image, we are referring to its resolution. A resolution of 300ppi is a general goal, as it’s high enough for most uses and is certainly fine for printing. When resizing images you have to be aware of resolution, because this will dictate your end result.…

Resize your images

Save, export and share your photos

The process used to save an image changes depending on what that image is going to be used for. Size really does matter when you’re printing out a photograph or a piece of artwork, as you want to include as much image information as possible. This helps the image come out bright and clear when on a large canvas, but also means saving work as large, highresolution files. On the other hand, when saving an image for the internet you will want to do away with any information that isn’t necessary so that it will load up quickly on a page. Emailing images to friends and family also becomes easier when you work with smaller file sizes. Photoshop gives you the option to save in 23 different file formats, but luckily…

Save, export and share your photos

Learn to copy and paste

The words cut and paste describe two very simple actions. You cut out (or copy) an object in one photo into an internal memory buffer called the clipboard and then paste it again into a different position or photo. However, it’s the processes that leads up to the cut and what you do after the paste where all the work and complexity comes in, and with Photoshop it can be very complex indeed. But before you cut something out of a photo, you have to select it first, either by using one of the selection tools: the Marquee tool, Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magnetic Lasso, Quick Selection, Pen tool, Magic Wand or the Quick Mask mode. After you paste an object it can need cleaning up or adjusting, so at this…

Learn to copy and paste

Learn to copy and paste

The words cut and paste describe two very simple actions. You cut out (or copy) an object in one photo into an internal memory buffer called the clipboard and then paste it again into a different position or photo. However, it’s the processes that leads up to the cut and what you do after the paste where all the work and complexity comes in, and with Photoshop it can be very complex indeed. But before you cut something out of a photo, you have to select it first, either by using one of the selection tools: the Marquee tool, Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magnetic Lasso, Quick Selection, Pen tool, Magic Wand or the Quick Mask mode. After you paste an object it can need cleaning up or adjusting, so at this stage…

Learn to copy and paste

Elements 14 Organizer

Photoshop Elements is the perfect option for anyone just getting to grips with photo editing, and Elements 14 is the biggest and most complete version of the software yet, with brand new tools scattered across the program, and all the old favourites revamped. Though the sleek, grey design of the program has remained, this new edition of Elements seems a lot more visual than it ever has been. It’s much easier to find pictures in the Organizer section of the software with added People, Places and Events capabilities, and this new aesthetic continues into the Quick and Guided sections of Elements. There are new tools, but Elements 14 is more of a gentle revolution than anything radical, with the program simply moving more in line with Photoshop and Adobe’s other…

Elements 14 Organizer

Photoshop shortcuts

Once you’ve got to grips with the basic Photoshop tools and features, it’s a great idea to start practising some of the shortcuts. Whether you are editing, retouching, creating or more, you can save loads of time by learning shortcuts. Over these two pages we’ve compiled an essential shortcut guide, which we’ve split into sections based on the type of tasks you perform. Make sure you have this cut-out-and-keep guide close to your computer and use it whenever you have a Photoshop project on the go. We’re certain you will know these shortcuts off -by-heart in no time! We have given both Mac and PC commands, so Cmd/Ctrl means the Apple or Command key on a Mac, and Control on a PC.…

Photoshop shortcuts

Elements 14 Organizer

Photoshop Elements is the perfect option for anyone just getting to grips with photo editing, and Elements 14 is the biggest and most complete version of the software yet, with brand new tools scattered across the program, and all the old favourites revamped. Though the sleek, grey design of the program has remained, this new edition of Elements seems a lot more visual than it ever has been. It’s much easier to find pictures in the Organizer section of the software with added People, Places and Events capabilities, and this new aesthetic continues into the Quick and Guided sections of Elements. There are new tools, but Elements 14 is more of a gentle revolution than anything radical, with the program simply moving more in line with Photoshop and Adobe’s other apps.…

Elements 14 Organizer

Photoshop shortcuts

Once you’ve got to grips with the basic Photoshop tools and features, it’s a great idea to start practising some of the shortcuts. Whether you are editing, retouching, creating or more, you can save loads of time by learning shortcuts. Over these two pages we’ve compiled an essential shortcut guide, which we’ve split into sections based on the type of tasks you perform. Make sure you have this cut-out-and-keep guide close to your computer and use it whenever you have a Photoshop project on the go. We’re certain you will know these shortcuts off -by-heart in no time! We have given both Mac and PC commands, so Cmd/Ctrl means the Apple or Command key on a Mac, and Control on a PC.…

Photoshop shortcuts

Get the best from Auto commands

When Photoshop Elements version 12 was released, users wanting swift editing solutions rejoiced in the fact that the number of Auto commands increased, including the new Auto Smart Tone. This not only fixes lighting, colour and tone, but also has an intelligent memory for recalling the last used settings. This enables them to be adapted and applied to new images. These handy little fixes don’t stop there, though. Do a bit of exploring and you will find many more quick one-click edits located inside the Adjustment (Photoshop) and Enhancement (Photoshop Elements) menus. They’ve been designed to control contrast, tone and colour using clever algorithms to find the right settings that Photoshop deems best for the job. Although Photoshop does have auto options, Elements has more to choose from, such…

Get the best from Auto commands

Get the best from Auto commands

When Photoshop Elements version 12 was released, users wanting swift editing solutions rejoiced in the fact that the number of Auto commands increased, including the new Auto Smart Tone. This not only fixes lighting, colour and tone, but also has an intelligent memory for recalling the last used settings. This enables them to be adapted and applied to new images. These handy little fixes don’t stop there, though. Do a bit of exploring and you will find many more quick one-click edits located inside the Adjustment (Photoshop) and Enhancement (Photoshop Elements) menus. They’ve been designed to control contrast, tone and colour using clever algorithms to find the right settings that Photoshop deems best for the job. Although Photoshop does have auto options, Elements has more to choose from, such as Auto Levels…

Get the best from Auto commands

Quick Edit mode

Expert tip EDITING FURTHER – Quick Edits are designed to make adjustments with minimal eff ort, however, they are by no means the end of the editing process. You are able to flick between the diff erent modes in order to touch up a picture before you begin more thorough edits, or to apply quick filters to finished compositions. Modern society can be an incredibly busy place, especially for any budding photographer. These days, you are far more likely to take photographs on the go with your smartphone than you are to make time for a day out with the digital camera, and more and more people upload pictures straight to social-media accounts, rather than importing them onto their computer. But it isn’t just the process of taking images which…

Quick Edit mode

Improve composition in photos

What does it mean? RULE OF THIRDS – The rule of thirds is a common term and states that an image is most pleasing when its subjects or regions are composed along imaginary lines that divide the image into both horizontal and vertical thirds. Use Photoshop’s guides to align the subject with an intersecting point. The rules of composition in photography are often overlooked. Many photographers simply shoot on instinct rather than angles, and it’s not particularly vital to give your picture the perfect crop or vignette if it looks great as it is. There are certain rules, though, that can improve any picture, and they’re some of the subtlest tweaks that you could possibly make to a project. Cropping and straightening your pictures is a given, but Elements and…

Improve composition in photos

Quick Edit mode

Expert tip EDITING FURTHER – Quick Edits are designed to make adjustments with minimal eff ort, however, they are by no means the end of the editing process. You are able to flick between the diff erent modes in order to touch up a picture before you begin more thorough edits, or to apply quick filters to finished compositions. Modern society can be an incredibly busy place, especially for any budding photographer. These days, you are far more likely to take photographs on the go with your smartphone than you are to make time for a day out with the digital camera, and more and more people upload pictures straight to social-media accounts, rather than importing them onto their computer. But it isn’t just the process of taking images which has shifted over…

Quick Edit mode

Improve composition in photos

What does it mean? RULE OF THIRDS – The rule of thirds is a common term and states that an image is most pleasing when its subjects or regions are composed along imaginary lines that divide the image into both horizontal and vertical thirds. Use Photoshop’s guides to align the subject with an intersecting point. The rules of composition in photography are often overlooked. Many photographers simply shoot on instinct rather than angles, and it’s not particularly vital to give your picture the perfect crop or vignette if it looks great as it is. There are certain rules, though, that can improve any picture, and they’re some of the subtlest tweaks that you could possibly make to a project. Cropping and straightening your pictures is a given, but Elements and Photoshop make it…

Improve composition in photos

Master the Transform tool

Hiding under Edit>Transform you will find a menu with a whole host of useful tools that will literally transform the way you use Photoshop. The Transform tools allow you to alter the entire shape of an object, group, vector, smart object, path or selection. – but they can do a lot more than this too. Showing you how to use these tools is our objective, so the first thing to learn when using any of them is that a bounding box will appear around the object. On each of the corners sits a square, and hovering your mouse over one brings up the rotate icon but to shift the item’s shape you will need to click onto and move these squares. In this two-page guide we will cover which tools…

Master the Transform tool

Utilise the Recompose tool

This is a tool that really doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Its purpose is to bring subjects closer together without changing their actual size or shape in any way. This is done by recognising areas in an image of similar pixels, such as a blue sky or the rough surface of tarmac, for example, and shrinking them down. The main subjects, which are often composed of more variation and irregular shapes, are unaffected so they will remain exactly as they are as the composition is altered. The Recompose tool has been around in Elements for a few versions now, however, it has gone somewhat under the radar. The tool can be found at the very bottom of the Tools panel, so if you are using Elements 14, look within…

Utilise the Recompose tool

Master the Transform tool

Hiding under Edit>Transform you will find a menu with a whole host of useful tools that will literally transform the way you use Photoshop. The Transform tools allow you to alter the entire shape of an object, group, vector, smart object, path or selection. – but they can do a lot more than this too. Showing you how to use these tools is our objective, so the first thing to learn when using any of them is that a bounding box will appear around the object. On each of the corners sits a square, and hovering your mouse over one brings up the rotate icon but to shift the item’s shape you will need to click onto and move these squares. In this two-page guide we will cover which tools suit your…

Master the Transform tool

Utilise the Recompose tool

This is a tool that really doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Its purpose is to bring subjects closer together without changing their actual size or shape in any way. This is done by recognising areas in an image of similar pixels, such as a blue sky or the rough surface of tarmac, for example, and shrinking them down. The main subjects, which are often composed of more variation and irregular shapes, are unaffected so they will remain exactly as they are as the composition is altered. The Recompose tool has been around in Elements for a few versions now, however, it has gone somewhat under the radar. The tool can be found at the very bottom of the Tools panel, so if you are using Elements 14, look within the…

Utilise the Recompose tool

The Gradient tool

The Gradient tool is found in both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. In Elements it has its own slot on the Toolbar, but in Photoshop, you will find it hiding alongside the Paint Bucket tool. A gradient is essentially a blend of different colours that seamlessly transition from one to the other. They come in various shapes, but the most common is a linear gradient, where the colours are in consecutive lines next to one another. Photoshop has a load of preset gradients built in consisting of popular colour combinations. There are also gradients that use the Foreground and Background colours, so you can change the colours of these to create new and interesting gradients. Some may also use transparency, so the colours will gradually fade away into nothing at…

The Gradient tool

The Gradient tool

The Gradient tool is found in both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. In Elements it has its own slot on the Toolbar, but in Photoshop, you will find it hiding alongside the Paint Bucket tool. A gradient is essentially a blend of different colours that seamlessly transition from one to the other. They come in various shapes, but the most common is a linear gradient, where the colours are in consecutive lines next to one another. Photoshop has a load of preset gradients built in consisting of popular colour combinations. There are also gradients that use the Foreground and Background colours, so you can change the colours of these to create new and interesting gradients. Some may also use transparency, so the colours will gradually fade away into nothing at the…

The Gradient tool

Use Camera Raw in Photoshop Elements

Photoshop’s Camera Raw editor has been around for quite some time now, but was only introduced into the Elements interface in version 11. This means it’s now available to users straight from the File menu, and gives you an incredible array of adjustment sliders to take control over the lighting, colour, sharpness and noise in an image. What’s most useful about Camera Raw is that you can apply instant fixes from a range of sliders. This removes the need to skip back and forth from one filter to the next or load multiple adjustment layers. The Camera Raw function was originally designed for photographers looking to edit images taken by a DSLR in RAW format. Camera Raw meant that image detail and its ‘raw’ settings were available to edit,…

Use Camera Raw in Photoshop Elements

Use Camera Raw in Photoshop Elements

Photoshop’s Camera Raw editor has been around for quite some time now, but was only introduced into the Elements interface in version 11. This means it’s now available to users straight from the File menu, and gives you an incredible array of adjustment sliders to take control over the lighting, colour, sharpness and noise in an image. What’s most useful about Camera Raw is that you can apply instant fixes from a range of sliders. This removes the need to skip back and forth from one filter to the next or load multiple adjustment layers. The Camera Raw function was originally designed for photographers looking to edit images taken by a DSLR in RAW format. Camera Raw meant that image detail and its ‘raw’ settings were available to edit, as opposed…

Use Camera Raw in Photoshop Elements

Understand the Layers palette

Here’s a palette that no Photoshop user should be without. Learning how layers are arranged inside this palette, and how to move them around, will open up many possible effects and ultimately improve your artwork. Layers come in many guises and can attach themselves to a composition in different ways. From blending together your photographs with seamless precision to using layer styles and adjustment in your work, they are the most adaptable aspect of Photoshop, and something we all should use. There are different levels of using layers, from the basics to the impressive. Read on through our guide to the Layers palette and find out how to do the bare essentials like adding new layers, organising them, blending them together and deleting them too. Whether you want to…

Understand the Layers palette

Understand the Layers palette

Here’s a palette that no Photoshop user should be without. Learning how layers are arranged inside this palette, and how to move them around, will open up many possible effects and ultimately improve your artwork. Layers come in many guises and can attach themselves to a composition in different ways. From blending together your photographs with seamless precision to using layer styles and adjustment in your work, they are the most adaptable aspect of Photoshop, and something we all should use. There are different levels of using layers, from the basics to the impressive. Read on through our guide to the Layers palette and find out how to do the bare essentials like adding new layers, organising them, blending them together and deleting them too. Whether you want to use…

Understand the Layers palette

Organise layers

Layers form the basis for all editing, either from scratch or with a photo to start you off. Every layer contains new information that changes the way your image looks. Adding a new layer is easy enough, but keeping them organised is usually more difficult. We take you through the various ways in which you can arrange a busy Layers palette. It could be a matter of merging or grouping a bunch of layers, so that you have a better sense of where everything is located inside the palette. These techniques should help you become a more efficient Photoshop artist. Understanding the basics of using layers, and ordering them in the palette, is essential before jumping straight in the deep end. Try creating your own photo collage by following the…

Organise layers

Organise layers

Layers form the basis for all editing, either from scratch or with a photo to start you off. Every layer contains new information that changes the way your image looks. Adding a new layer is easy enough, but keeping them organised is usually more difficult. We take you through the various ways in which you can arrange a busy Layers palette. It could be a matter of merging or grouping a bunch of layers, so that you have a better sense of where everything is located inside the palette. These techniques should help you become a more efficient Photoshop artist. Understanding the basics of using layers, and ordering them in the palette, is essential before jumping straight in the deep end. Try creating your own photo collage by following the steps opposite. “Layers…

Organise layers

Navigate the Layer menu

This is the control centre for all things layered. From a layer mask to Smart Objects and adjustment layers to groups, there is a long and extensive list of handy options available to you. Getting to know this menu will make your general Photoshop experience much easier. There are helpful options for applying photo edits, controlling the placement of layers, adding masks and merging layers together all in the same place. In this feature we look at the most important options in the Layer menu, comparing it with what Elements has to offer in this department. The two versions have a similar array of options – but Elements is minus a few of the more advanced offerings that Photoshop CS users can revel in. The best place to start…

Navigate the Layer menu

Navigate the Layer menu

This is the control centre for all things layered. From a layer mask to Smart Objects and adjustment layers to groups, there is a long and extensive list of handy options available to you. Getting to know this menu will make your general Photoshop experience much easier. There are helpful options for applying photo edits, controlling the placement of layers, adding masks and merging layers together all in the same place. In this feature we look at the most important options in the Layer menu, comparing it with what Elements has to offer in this department. The two versions have a similar array of options – but Elements is minus a few of the more advanced offerings that Photoshop CS users can revel in. The best place to start is at…

Navigate the Layer menu

Learn to control layer opacity

Positioned at the top of the Layers palette, next to the blending mode dropdown menu, the Opacity box that contains a percentage figure. You can alter this value by clicking the triangle to the right and using the slider or, alternatively, you can click inside the figure box and enter a new number manually. But just what does Opacity do? A layer’s overall opacity determines to what degree it obscures or reveals the layer beneath it. A layer with 1% Opacity appears nearly transparent, whereas one with 100% Opacity appears completely opaque. If you think of these layers as sheets of acetate, you’re essentially fading any work that you’ve applied onto that acetate as you drop the opacity. There are a number of great uses for this. It can be…

Learn to control layer opacity

Learn to control layer opacity

Positioned at the top of the Layers palette, next to the blending mode dropdown menu, the Opacity box that contains a percentage figure. You can alter this value by clicking the triangle to the right and using the slider or, alternatively, you can click inside the figure box and enter a new number manually. But just what does Opacity do? A layer’s overall opacity determines to what degree it obscures or reveals the layer beneath it. A layer with 1% Opacity appears nearly transparent, whereas one with 100% Opacity appears completely opaque. If you think of these layers as sheets of acetate, you’re essentially fading any work that you’ve applied onto that acetate as you drop the opacity. There are a number of great uses for this. It can be helpful for…

Learn to control layer opacity

Perfect your blend

When people are new to Photoshop, they often tend to head to the Toolbar first. The Healing Brush, Dodge, Burn and Lasso tools can certainly help you make powerful adjustments to your images, but to unlock the full potential of Photoshop you need to take a closer look at the Layers palette and the options it holds. It is in this palette that you will find the power to stack several elements and adjustments on top of each other, which can later be combined into one final image. In order to tell Photoshop how we want these individual layers to interact with the others, we can use blend modes and create exciting effects in no time. BOOST CONTRAST WITH SOFT LIGHT A quick and easy way to improve overall image…

Perfect your blend

Colour in Photoshop

Colour is an inevitable part of photo editing and, as a result, seeps into all parts of Photoshop in some form or another. Controlling it is usually done with the Color Balance adjustment, which is best for offsetting colour casts, but it can also be used for changing colour to more abstract hues for artistic effects. The Color Balance adjustment is only a small part of Photoshop. The best thing about using Color Balance is it’s nondestructive. Here we show you how to intensify the yellow and green hues in this image of an insect in flowers. You’ll also find two swatches, Foreground and Background, at the base of the Toolbar for picking out colour and using with tools and adjustments. “The best thing about using Color Balance is it’s…

Colour in Photoshop

Perfect your blend

When people are new to Photoshop, they often tend to head to the Toolbar first. The Healing Brush, Dodge, Burn and Lasso tools can certainly help you make powerful adjustments to your images, but to unlock the full potential of Photoshop you need to take a closer look at the Layers palette and the options it holds. It is in this palette that you will find the power to stack several elements and adjustments on top of each other, which can later be combined into one final image. In order to tell Photoshop how we want these individual layers to interact with the others, we can use blend modes and create exciting effects in no time. BOOST CONTRAST WITH SOFT LIGHT A quick and easy way to improve overall image contrast Soft Light…

Perfect your blend

Colour in Photoshop

Colour is an inevitable part of photo editing and, as a result, seeps into all parts of Photoshop in some form or another. Controlling it is usually done with the Color Balance adjustment, which is best for offsetting colour casts, but it can also be used for changing colour to more abstract hues for artistic effects. The Color Balance adjustment is only a small part of Photoshop. The best thing about using Color Balance is it’s nondestructive. Here we show you how to intensify the yellow and green hues in this image of an insect in flowers. You’ll also find two swatches, Foreground and Background, at the base of the Toolbar for picking out colour and using with tools and adjustments. “The best thing about using Color Balance is it’s non-destructive” Adjust colour Color Balance as…

Colour in Photoshop

Use Levels to improve photos

The Levels adjustment layer is a staple of Photoshop and should be one of the first places you go to tweak lighting and colour. In fact, it is so versatile that it can be used to perform multiple fixes in one go, which makes it purely indispensable for any budding Photoshop artist. Here we’ll guide you through the different uses of the Levels adjustment and demonstrate how even dull images can be completely turned on their heads with new life, colour and better overall lighting. The Levels adjustment is commonly used to correct undesirable lighting, but due to its relationship with colour channels it’s also helpful for correcting tinted images. When applied as an adjustment layer, a mask enables you to selectively brush away areas on certain parts of the…

Use Levels to improve photos

Use Levels to improve photos

The Levels adjustment layer is a staple of Photoshop and should be one of the first places you go to tweak lighting and colour. In fact, it is so versatile that it can be used to perform multiple fixes in one go, which makes it purely indispensable for any budding Photoshop artist. Here we’ll guide you through the different uses of the Levels adjustment and demonstrate how even dull images can be completely turned on their heads with new life, colour and better overall lighting. The Levels adjustment is commonly used to correct undesirable lighting, but due to its relationship with colour channels it’s also helpful for correcting tinted images. When applied as an adjustment layer, a mask enables you to selectively brush away areas on certain parts of the image. This is…

Use Levels to improve photos

Harness the Sponge tool

You can edit photos to make them more attractive by simply boosting the strength, or saturation, of colours. Photoshop’s Sponge tool is one way in which you can achieve this effect, and it has to be one of the easiest methods. In just a few steps we show you the ropes in using this simple yet powerful tool. The techniques used here are particularly useful if you need to make a model or an object stand out from distracting or cluttered backgrounds, such as the busy wallpaper in this example. You can find the Sponge tool in the drop-down options when clicking and holding on the Dodge or Burn tools. After selecting the tool, head to the Options bar to change a number of key settings. You can alter…

Harness the Sponge tool

Colour is a much more powerful tool than a lot of people give it credit for, and creating colours that really pop in an image can be rather difficult. But when you have a vibrant image and you’re looking for one subject or a particular shade to shine brighter than most, why not reduce the saturation completely of everything else in the picture? In the Oscar-winning film Schindler’s List, a girl’s red coat was the only bright, colourful object in a monochrome world. It was an extremely powerful, evocative image, and it’s one that’s easy to create in Elements. It doesn’t have to be used for such dramatic effect though; you might want to just draw attention to one thing in particular in your picture. You might even want to…

Harness the Sponge tool

You can edit photos to make them more attractive by simply boosting the strength, or saturation, of colours. Photoshop’s Sponge tool is one way in which you can achieve this effect, and it has to be one of the easiest methods. In just a few steps we show you the ropes in using this simple yet powerful tool. The techniques used here are particularly useful if you need to make a model or an object stand out from distracting or cluttered backgrounds, such as the busy wallpaper in this example. You can find the Sponge tool in the drop-down options when clicking and holding on the Dodge or Burn tools. After selecting the tool, head to the Options bar to change a number of key settings. You can alter the tool’s size…

Harness the Sponge tool

Colour is a much more powerful tool than a lot of people give it credit for, and creating colours that really pop in an image can be rather difficult. But when you have a vibrant image and you’re looking for one subject or a particular shade to shine brighter than most, why not reduce the saturation completely of everything else in the picture? In the Oscar-winning film Schindler’s List, a girl’s red coat was the only bright, colourful object in a monochrome world. It was an extremely powerful, evocative image, and it’s one that’s easy to create in Elements. It doesn’t have to be used for such dramatic effect though; you might want to just draw attention to one thing in particular in your picture. You might even want to keep…

Conquer the Clone Stamp tool

Cloning is one of the most time-consuming, patience-testing tricks that you can master in Photoshop, but like most things that require skill and effort, the results can be absolutely stunning. Cloning is often used as a very useful touch-up tool for photographs, as it brushes over an image, using the original as a basis. It relies on the Opt/Alt key; press on whatever area of the image you want to be your guide, and then brush away over the image, replacing an area with another part of the photo. It can be used to heal blemishes or even just face-swap. It’s simple enough to learn, but there can be hours spent touching up your photos once you’ve mastered how to use the stamp. Sure, it might take so much precision…

Conquer the Clone Stamp tool

Sharpen your photos

Camera blur is an extremely common problem, and if you are like us, you will have your fair share of images that aren’t as sharp as you’d like. Luckily, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements have a whole host of tools to help you to correct this flaw. You can use the Sharpen filters (see the Filters section of this book) or you could use the Sharpen tool to selectively sharpen certain areas of an image for effect, however there is a quick and easy method, which is what we are going to be looking at in this mini tutorial. Whether you have Photoshop or Photoshop Elements you have at hand a nifty way of dealing with blurring problems in the shape of the Unsharp Mask filter. It seems strange that something…

Sharpen your photos

Conquer the Clone Stamp tool

Cloning is one of the most time-consuming, patience-testing tricks that you can master in Photoshop, but like most things that require skill and effort, the results can be absolutely stunning. Cloning is often used as a very useful touch-up tool for photographs, as it brushes over an image, using the original as a basis. It relies on the Opt/Alt key; press on whatever area of the image you want to be your guide, and then brush away over the image, replacing an area with another part of the photo. It can be used to heal blemishes or even just face-swap. It’s simple enough to learn, but there can be hours spent touching up your photos once you’ve mastered how to use the stamp. Sure, it might take so much precision that you wonder…

Conquer the Clone Stamp tool

Sharpen your photos

Camera blur is an extremely common problem, and if you are like us, you will have your fair share of images that aren’t as sharp as you’d like. Luckily, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements have a whole host of tools to help you to correct this flaw. You can use the Sharpen filters (see the Filters section of this book) or you could use the Sharpen tool to selectively sharpen certain areas of an image for effect, however there is a quick and easy method, which is what we are going to be looking at in this mini tutorial. Whether you have Photoshop or Photoshop Elements you have at hand a nifty way of dealing with blurring problems in the shape of the Unsharp Mask filter. It seems strange that something called…

Sharpen your photos

Improve shadows and highlights

The Dodge, Burn and Sponge tools are designed to edit exposure and colour in an image. Being tools, rather than adjustment layers or filters, they give you a great deal of control and accuracy. They enable you to choose the exact position and strength of the effects by painting them onto the image. Adopting a brush as the main way in which you apply the treatments to your imagery, you use your mouse to add the effect wherever you need to. Let’s start with the Dodge and Burn tools, which are highly important when it comes to creating digital art and making subtle but effective photo edits. The two tools reflect the traditional photographic techniques used to enhance lighting, with Dodge brightening areas and Burn darkening them. You may have…

Improve shadows and highlights

Improve shadows and highlights

The Dodge, Burn and Sponge tools are designed to edit exposure and colour in an image. Being tools, rather than adjustment layers or filters, they give you a great deal of control and accuracy. They enable you to choose the exact position and strength of the effects by painting them onto the image. Adopting a brush as the main way in which you apply the treatments to your imagery, you use your mouse to add the effect wherever you need to. Let’s start with the Dodge and Burn tools, which are highly important when it comes to creating digital art and making subtle but effective photo edits. The two tools reflect the traditional photographic techniques used to enhance lighting, with Dodge brightening areas and Burn darkening them. You may have one…

Improve shadows and highlights

Enhance eyes and teeth

Practically every photo can be improved with a quick amendment here and there, no matter how meticulous you are when you shoot the snap. It’s perhaps no surprise that usually the most edited photos are the ones of themselves. However, while most people assume that teeth-whitening and eye-correction improves what a subject naturally lacks, that is not always the case. Warming filters and lomo edits can turn teeth a yellowy colour and bad lighting can dramatically affect eyes. Quite often, the key to photo fixes is in the name – most of the time you have to fix the photo, not the subject. Enhancing facial features in photos can also be wildly creative. You may choose to brush spectrums of colour into a subject’s face or straighten every individual tooth…

Enhance eyes and teeth

Enhance eyes and teeth

Practically every photo can be improved with a quick amendment here and there, no matter how meticulous you are when you shoot the snap. It’s perhaps no surprise that usually the most edited photos are the ones of themselves. However, while most people assume that teeth-whitening and eye-correction improves what a subject naturally lacks, that is not always the case. Warming filters and lomo edits can turn teeth a yellowy colour and bad lighting can dramatically affect eyes. Quite often, the key to photo fixes is in the name – most of the time you have to fix the photo, not the subject. Enhancing facial features in photos can also be wildly creative. You may choose to brush spectrums of colour into a subject’s face or straighten every individual tooth inside…

Enhance eyes and teeth

Erase and merge with Content-Aware

Content-Aware is, quite simply, the most exciting retouching tool that you can use in your work. Like the Clone Stamp tool, it enables you to fill areas of your work with other areas of your photos, only it’s much, much faster, and often astounding in its results. The Content-Aware tool can be used for so much, but primarily it’s a photo-editing feature that’s used by retouching artists as much as it is by photomanipulators. It was first introduced by Adobe in Photoshop CS5, but so many Elements users can’t live without it now, thanks to its quick, straightforward nature. It revolves around selecting and filling, which is as simple as it sounds, yet it can be one of the most powerful tools that Elements offers. But Content-Aware isn’t perfect. Often…

Erase and merge with Content-Aware

Erase and merge with Content-Aware

Content-Aware is, quite simply, the most exciting retouching tool that you can use in your work. Like the Clone Stamp tool, it enables you to fill areas of your work with other areas of your photos, only it’s much, much faster, and often astounding in its results. The Content-Aware tool can be used for so much, but primarily it’s a photo-editing feature that’s used by retouching artists as much as it is by photomanipulators. It was first introduced by Adobe in Photoshop CS5, but so many Elements users can’t live without it now, thanks to its quick, straightforward nature. It revolves around selecting and filling, which is as simple as it sounds, yet it can be one of the most powerful tools that Elements offers. But Content-Aware isn’t perfect. Often it leaves…

Erase and merge with Content-Aware

Master the Content-Aware Fill Move tool

What does it mean? TRANSFORM ON DROP – This command lets you transform an object before it’s placed. It’s good to get in the habit of keeping this box checked, as there are often tweaks that you can make to a subject, even if you don’t use the resize handles every time you use the Content-Aware Fill Move tool. When you’re turning a sketch into a digital masterpiece, or building a composition from existing photos, Photoshop is fantastic for creating something out of nothing. But it also has a set of tools that can do the opposite; taking a complete photograph and magically removing an object or subject from the picture. The Content-Aware Fill command is similar to the Clone Stamp; it covers a patch of your picture with a…

Master the Content-Aware Fill Move tool

Discover what adjustment layers can do

Adjustment layers are some of the most powerful tools in the entire range of Photoshop’s editing options. They consist of different edits that you can make to your images – but rather than applying them directly to the photo, they are applied on a separate layer. What’s more, you can also click on these layers again at any point to make edits to them. Here, we will be showing you how you can turn a drab landscape into a vivid scene by using just three adjustment layers in combination. It doesn’t take long, but the effect is superb. We will also be delving into making a simple selection, so we can work on the foreground and background layers separately. By following this tutorial, you’ll become acquainted with the Magic Wand…

Discover what adjustment layers can do

Master the Content-Aware Fill Move tool

What does it mean? TRANSFORM ON DROP – This command lets you transform an object before it’s placed. It’s good to get in the habit of keeping this box checked, as there are often tweaks that you can make to a subject, even if you don’t use the resize handles every time you use the Content-Aware Fill Move tool. When you’re turning a sketch into a digital masterpiece, or building a composition from existing photos, Photoshop is fantastic for creating something out of nothing. But it also has a set of tools that can do the opposite; taking a complete photograph and magically removing an object or subject from the picture. The Content-Aware Fill command is similar to the Clone Stamp; it covers a patch of your picture with a patch from somewhere…

Master the Content-Aware Fill Move tool

Discover what adjustment layers can do

Adjustment layers are some of the most powerful tools in the entire range of Photoshop’s editing options. They consist of different edits that you can make to your images – but rather than applying them directly to the photo, they are applied on a separate layer. What’s more, you can also click on these layers again at any point to make edits to them. Here, we will be showing you how you can turn a drab landscape into a vivid scene by using just three adjustment layers in combination. It doesn’t take long, but the effect is superb. We will also be delving into making a simple selection, so we can work on the foreground and background layers separately. By following this tutorial, you’ll become acquainted with the Magic Wand tool,…

Discover what adjustment layers can do

Improve exposure and contrast

Both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements offer a range of tools for improving the exposure, contrast, colour and tone of your photographs. A good place to start fixing these things is usually the Levels command, which works in the same way in both programs, editing three points in your image. However, in Photoshop there is also the Curves command. This is an incredibly precise tonal control, giving you 14 points to adjust, making it far more powerful than Levels. It does have a steeper learning curve (if you excuse the pun) though, and it can be intimidating for beginners to get to grips with how it works. Photoshop Elements doesn’t have Curves. There is a similar option under Enhance>Adjust Colors>Adjust Color Curves, which enables you to improve the colours in your…

Improve exposure and contrast

Meet the Curves adjustment tool

QUICK PHOTOSHOP TIPS Curves window This is where the action happens. This window graphically represents the pixel information in your image. The curve runs from the bottom left, which is where the dark pixels occur in the image, through the midtones up to the top right, which represents the highlights, the light pixels. Moving the curve upwards makes the image lighter, moving it downwards makes it darker. The Curves tool in Photoshop is deceptive. To the Photoshop beginner its graph-like appearance can be intimidating, bringing back memories of early maths lessons. However, it’s a powerful tool that can be used to adjust tonal ranges, change colour levels, alter exposure, boost contrast and even create some less conventional photo effects. Although the Curves tool is not as intuitive as some of…

Meet the Curves adjustment tool

Improve exposure and contrast

Both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements offer a range of tools for improving the exposure, contrast, colour and tone of your photographs. A good place to start fixing these things is usually the Levels command, which works in the same way in both programs, editing three points in your image. However, in Photoshop there is also the Curves command. This is an incredibly precise tonal control, giving you 14 points to adjust, making it far more powerful than Levels. It does have a steeper learning curve (if you excuse the pun) though, and it can be intimidating for beginners to get to grips with how it works. Photoshop Elements doesn’t have Curves. There is a similar option under Enhance>Adjust Colors>Adjust Color Curves, which enables you to improve the colours in your images by…

Improve exposure and contrast

Use Black & White

QUICK MONOTONE TIPS Black-and-white photography has always been popular. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it works with almost any kind of image. Portraits, landscapes and abstracts in particular, take on a whole new feeling when they are turned into a monochrome representation. Of course, there are always exceptions. Images need to have a good contrast between the light and dark tones, as you would otherwise have a great expanse of grey that’s just not overly appealing. Using the Black & White adjustment as an adjustment layer gives you endless control over the conversion of your photos. As well as a whole host of Presets that give you instant results, you can target each channel that makes up the image independently. It takes a bit of getting used…

Use Black & White

Meet the Curves adjustment tool

QUICK PHOTOSHOP TIPS Curves window This is where the action happens. This window graphically represents the pixel information in your image. The curve runs from the bottom left, which is where the dark pixels occur in the image, through the midtones up to the top right, which represents the highlights, the light pixels. Moving the curve upwards makes the image lighter, moving it downwards makes it darker. The Curves tool in Photoshop is deceptive. To the Photoshop beginner its graph-like appearance can be intimidating, bringing back memories of early maths lessons. However, it’s a powerful tool that can be used to adjust tonal ranges, change colour levels, alter exposure, boost contrast and even create some less conventional photo effects. Although the Curves tool is not as intuitive as some of the other features in…

Meet the Curves adjustment tool

Use the Channel Mixer

A shot taken at night is often problematic when printed. However, as long as there’s some sort of light source in the original scene, you can dramatically improve the photo by using a few creative editing techniques. By re-creating the look of infrared photography, we’ll use filters and colour channels to turn an everyday image into something eye-catching. We’ll be using adjustment layers for non-destructive edits, specifically the Channel Mixer, to adjust how much impact each individual tone has on the image. We’ll also be including a few different layer blend modes to experiment with interesting effects. However, the results you’ll get with this effect depend a lot on which type of photo you’re using. 01 Duplicate and invert colours We provide the above image for you to download and…

Use the Channel Mixer

Use Black & White

QUICK MONOTONE TIPS Black-and-white photography has always been popular. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it works with almost any kind of image. Portraits, landscapes and abstracts in particular, take on a whole new feeling when they are turned into a monochrome representation. Of course, there are always exceptions. Images need to have a good contrast between the light and dark tones, as you would otherwise have a great expanse of grey that’s just not overly appealing. Using the Black & White adjustment as an adjustment layer gives you endless control over the conversion of your photos. As well as a whole host of Presets that give you instant results, you can target each channel that makes up the image independently. It takes a bit of getting used to when you’re…

Use Black & White

Use the Channel Mixer

A shot taken at night is often problematic when printed. However, as long as there’s some sort of light source in the original scene, you can dramatically improve the photo by using a few creative editing techniques. By re-creating the look of infrared photography, we’ll use filters and colour channels to turn an everyday image into something eye-catching. We’ll be using adjustment layers for non-destructive edits, specifically the Channel Mixer, to adjust how much impact each individual tone has on the image. We’ll also be including a few different layer blend modes to experiment with interesting effects. However, the results you’ll get with this effect depend a lot on which type of photo you’re using. 01 Duplicate and invert colours We provide the above image for you to download and practise on, or…

Use the Channel Mixer

Edit photos with Hue/Saturation

Photoshop offers many different ways to control colour and tone in your images, but one of the absolute best is the Hue/Saturation command. Found under the Image>Adjustments menu or applied as an adjustment layer, the Hue/Saturation command allows you to alter the hue, saturation and brightness. You can apply the changes over an entire image or target specific colours. It is this level of control that makes the command so powerful – if you have an image that’s basically okay but one shade is letting it down, you can target the colour and improve it. You control the edits by either moving sliders or entering numbers. There are three bars that control the hue, saturation or lightness, and these are in place whether you alter an entire image or just…

Edit photos with Hue/Saturation

Select with the Lasso tool

Selections are one of the most worthwhile things to master in Elements. If you can select an object neatly, you can convince someone looking at your composition that anything belongs anywhere: get it wrong however, and you’ll create subjects with blurry and unconvincing edges. There’s a fine line between the two, but there are Selection tools in Elements that can help you get it right. Perfect selections are absolutely key to creating realistic imagery and compositions, and selection skills are often the tell as to whether the creator is experienced or a complete beginner. The Lasso tool is a perfect starting point if you’re just learning how to select an object. It’s rather like the Pencil tool, and it can be used to drag an outline roughly around an…

Select with the Lasso tool

Edit photos with Hue/Saturation

Photoshop offers many different ways to control colour and tone in your images, but one of the absolute best is the Hue/Saturation command. Found under the Image>Adjustments menu or applied as an adjustment layer, the Hue/Saturation command allows you to alter the hue, saturation and brightness. You can apply the changes over an entire image or target specific colours. It is this level of control that makes the command so powerful – if you have an image that’s basically okay but one shade is letting it down, you can target the colour and improve it. You control the edits by either moving sliders or entering numbers. There are three bars that control the hue, saturation or lightness, and these are in place whether you alter an entire image or just specific colours.…

Edit photos with Hue/Saturation

Select with the Lasso tool

Selections are one of the most worthwhile things to master in Elements. If you can select an object neatly, you can convince someone looking at your composition that anything belongs anywhere: get it wrong however, and you’ll create subjects with blurry and unconvincing edges. There’s a fine line between the two, but there are Selection tools in Elements that can help you get it right. Perfect selections are absolutely key to creating realistic imagery and compositions, and selection skills are often the tell as to whether the creator is experienced or a complete beginner. The Lasso tool is a perfect starting point if you’re just learning how to select an object. It’s rather like the Pencil tool, and it can be used to drag an outline roughly around an object of…

Select with the Lasso tool

Understand Quick Mask

QUICK PHOTOSHOP TIPS The Quick Mask mode is one of the most versatile tools you are likely to find within Photoshop’s expansive toolbox. Its primary use is for isolating areas that you want left untouched by any adjustments or tweaks, and it is easy to get to grips with. Quick Mask mode has been around since Photoshop 6.0 and offers a fantastic alternative to the traditional Selection tools. If you find yourself more partial to using the Paintbrush rather than the fiddly Pen tool, then this could well become your ideal selection method. The Quick Mask mode is activated by clicking on the square icon that contains a white circle. This is situated at the bottom of the Toolbar alongside the Standard mode (a white box with a white circle).…

Understand Quick Mask

Understand Quick Mask

QUICK PHOTOSHOP TIPS The Quick Mask mode is one of the most versatile tools you are likely to find within Photoshop’s expansive toolbox. Its primary use is for isolating areas that you want left untouched by any adjustments or tweaks, and it is easy to get to grips with. Quick Mask mode has been around since Photoshop 6.0 and offers a fantastic alternative to the traditional Selection tools. If you find yourself more partial to using the Paintbrush rather than the fiddly Pen tool, then this could well become your ideal selection method. The Quick Mask mode is activated by clicking on the square icon that contains a white circle. This is situated at the bottom of the Toolbar alongside the Standard mode (a white box with a white circle). For instant access,…

Understand Quick Mask

Wield the Magic Wand tool

On the surface, the Magic Wand is one of the most intuitive tools that Photoshop or Elements can offer; the clue is in the name. We expect it to just know exactly what we want selected. The reality is that many find the Magic Wand doesn’t offer much flexibility. Most people prefer the Quick Selection or a Lasso, and the Wand gets ignored. Is it too simple for complex selecting jobs? The trick is to match the tool to the right situation. What the Magic Wand does perfectly is select a block of colour. It’s even quicker than a Quick Selection if you want to locate a certain shade in a picture, and by understanding how to set the Tolerance, you can learn to select even more or less…

Wield the Magic Wand tool

Master the Refine Edge tool

When people think of Photoshop, they often think of bad compositing edits where the subjects don’t look as if they’re in the place they’re shown to be. This is often because it’s hard to get perfect hair and blurring between your subject and the background. The Refine Edge tool is perfect for making a realistic selection; situated in the Selection tools of Elements towards the bottom of your screen. It’s a vital tool in so many tutorials, as it makes it easy to soften and smooth an outline. But with different sliders, icons and viewing modes, it’s sometimes hard working out where to begin with what’s supposed to be a simple feature. Refine Edge can actually be a simple step in your compositing process. It’s one that doesn’t have a…

Master the Refine Edge tool

Wield the Magic Wand tool

On the surface, the Magic Wand is one of the most intuitive tools that Photoshop or Elements can offer; the clue is in the name. We expect it to just know exactly what we want selected. The reality is that many find the Magic Wand doesn’t offer much flexibility. Most people prefer the Quick Selection or a Lasso, and the Wand gets ignored. Is it too simple for complex selecting jobs? The trick is to match the tool to the right situation. What the Magic Wand does perfectly is select a block of colour. It’s even quicker than a Quick Selection if you want to locate a certain shade in a picture, and by understanding how to set the Tolerance, you can learn to select even more or less than ever before.…

Wield the Magic Wand tool

Get more from Smart Brushes

Selections and adjustments form a core workflow of Photoshop editing. You select what’s going to be edited, and after doing so, you specify what adjustments will be made to the selected areas. Sounds straightforward, but with so many ways to make selections and a large assortment of adjustments to choose from, it can be hard for newcomers to know where to begin. Enter the Smart Brushes, an ingenious set of tools in Photoshop Elements that combines several crucial concepts into one beginner-friendly feature. Selections and adjustments are made at the same time, shortening the learning curve and also boosting productivity. It’s very easy to start using Smart Brushes. Select one of the two brushes, then select from the ample library of effects. Elements 13 includes many presets, including a satin…

Get more from Smart Brushes

Master the Refine Edge tool

When people think of Photoshop, they often think of bad compositing edits where the subjects don’t look as if they’re in the place they’re shown to be. This is often because it’s hard to get perfect hair and blurring between your subject and the background. The Refine Edge tool is perfect for making a realistic selection; situated in the Selection tools of Elements towards the bottom of your screen. It’s a vital tool in so many tutorials, as it makes it easy to soften and smooth an outline. But with different sliders, icons and viewing modes, it’s sometimes hard working out where to begin with what’s supposed to be a simple feature. Refine Edge can actually be a simple step in your compositing process. It’s one that doesn’t have a specific set…

Master the Refine Edge tool

Get more from Smart Brushes

Selections and adjustments form a core workflow of Photoshop editing. You select what’s going to be edited, and after doing so, you specify what adjustments will be made to the selected areas. Sounds straightforward, but with so many ways to make selections and a large assortment of adjustments to choose from, it can be hard for newcomers to know where to begin. Enter the Smart Brushes, an ingenious set of tools in Photoshop Elements that combines several crucial concepts into one beginner-friendly feature. Selections and adjustments are made at the same time, shortening the learning curve and also boosting productivity. It’s very easy to start using Smart Brushes. Select one of the two brushes, then select from the ample library of effects. Elements 13 includes many presets, including a satin effect and…

Get more from Smart Brushes

Grasp the Brush tool

Photoshop and Photoshop Elements boast the Brush tool, which lets you apply digital paint strokes, just as if you were using the real thing. You can do just about everything with your Brush tool that you can with a real paint brush. Choose from a range of different brush types, change the size of the brush tip and decide how thick you want your paint to be (think of the Opacity as being how watered down your paint is so that you can see more or less through the paint to the canvas underneath). While there are lots of different settings and you can get quite technical, it is easy to pick the Brush tool, set a colour and simply start painting. We’ll be running through the key options…

Grasp the Brush tool

Use tools with brushes

Understanding how Photoshop’s brushes work isn’t just important to people that want to paint digitally, the knowledge will help you in photo editing and pretty much any Photoshop-related task. All of the tools we look at here can be used with any Brush Tip Shape you have in your Brush Library because they all work with Photoshop’s Brush Engine. No matter which of the Brush Engine-based tools you use, whether it’s the Clone Stamp, History Brush or Smudge Tool, you’ll be able to alter the options in two specific areas in your Workspace: the Toolbar and the Brushes Palette. The Brushes Palette can be opened by pressing F5 and contains the same brush-editing options regardless of which tool you are currently using. The Toolbar is positioned directly below the Main…

Use tools with brushes

Grasp the Brush tool

Photoshop and Photoshop Elements boast the Brush tool, which lets you apply digital paint strokes, just as if you were using the real thing. You can do just about everything with your Brush tool that you can with a real paint brush. Choose from a range of different brush types, change the size of the brush tip and decide how thick you want your paint to be (think of the Opacity as being how watered down your paint is so that you can see more or less through the paint to the canvas underneath). While there are lots of different settings and you can get quite technical, it is easy to pick the Brush tool, set a colour and simply start painting. We’ll be running through the key options that you…

Grasp the Brush tool

Use tools with brushes

Understanding how Photoshop’s brushes work isn’t just important to people that want to paint digitally, the knowledge will help you in photo editing and pretty much any Photoshop-related task. All of the tools we look at here can be used with any Brush Tip Shape you have in your Brush Library because they all work with Photoshop’s Brush Engine. No matter which of the Brush Engine-based tools you use, whether it’s the Clone Stamp, History Brush or Smudge Tool, you’ll be able to alter the options in two specific areas in your Workspace: the Toolbar and the Brushes Palette. The Brushes Palette can be opened by pressing F5 and contains the same brush-editing options regardless of which tool you are currently using. The Toolbar is positioned directly below the Main Navigation Bar…

Use tools with brushes

Use the History tools in Photoshop

Want to change history? Meet Photoshop’s answer to Doc Brown’s DeLorean: the History Brush tool! While not quite as flashy as a timetravelling car, it’s a lot more reliable and doesn’t require you to have a working flux capacitor! The History Brush tool is one of the most useful and overlooked imageediting features in Photoshop. It reverts any part of an image back to a previous state without affecting the rest of the image. You can edit your photo as a whole and then use the History Brush to restore your chosen areas back to their original appearance. It has many applications, not only the aforementioned selective image editing. If you’ve ever had one of those annoying “Uh-oh, I hadn’t noticed I’d changed that!” moments, the History Brush tool can…

Use the History tools in Photoshop

Learn to paint from photos

There are a lot of ways to cheat in Photoshop, and one of our favourites is using the Brush tool options. These are found by clicking the icon that looks like a pot of brushes, or going to Window>Brush. This palette will allow you to manipulate the Brush in all sorts of fun ways, but this tutorial will concentrate on Spacing, Shape Dynamics, Scattering and Color Dynamics. Using these together allows for a random appearance of brush strokes, without the need to draw each circle individually. Using this technique will help capture the Pointillist style of a portrait drawn using dots of varying size and colour. Throughout the tutorial, you’ll be adjusting the strength of each adjustment depending on which area you’re working on, so it’s recommended to keep the…

Learn to paint from photos

Use the History tools in Photoshop

Want to change history? Meet Photoshop’s answer to Doc Brown’s DeLorean: the History Brush tool! While not quite as flashy as a timetravelling car, it’s a lot more reliable and doesn’t require you to have a working flux capacitor! The History Brush tool is one of the most useful and overlooked imageediting features in Photoshop. It reverts any part of an image back to a previous state without affecting the rest of the image. You can edit your photo as a whole and then use the History Brush to restore your chosen areas back to their original appearance. It has many applications, not only the aforementioned selective image editing. If you’ve ever had one of those annoying “Uh-oh, I hadn’t noticed I’d changed that!” moments, the History Brush tool can be…

Use the History tools in Photoshop

Learn to paint from photos

There are a lot of ways to cheat in Photoshop, and one of our favourites is using the Brush tool options. These are found by clicking the icon that looks like a pot of brushes, or going to Window>Brush. This palette will allow you to manipulate the Brush in all sorts of fun ways, but this tutorial will concentrate on Spacing, Shape Dynamics, Scattering and Color Dynamics. Using these together allows for a random appearance of brush strokes, without the need to draw each circle individually. Using this technique will help capture the Pointillist style of a portrait drawn using dots of varying size and colour. Throughout the tutorial, you’ll be adjusting the strength of each adjustment depending on which area you’re working on, so it’s recommended to keep the Brush…

Learn to paint from photos

What are filters?

Filters are built-in actions that you can apply to an image to create different effects. You can use filters to apply special effects, clean up or retouch your photos in next to no time. There are a huge number of instances where you can use the Filters, ranging from basic image sharpening or fixing a blurry background to complex filter combinations to create the most intricate effects. You can find the Filters under the Filter menu in Photoshop. Click on Filter Gallery and a new window will pop up revealing all the filters that are available in your Photoshop version. The Filters are grouped into categories such as Artistic, Distort, Sketch and so forth. Each effect has a specific function, for example under the Distort category you will find the…

What are filters?

Discover the Blur filters

When people think of the Blur filters in Photoshop and Elements, they think of smoothing, adding haziness and distorting your picture. However, the Blur filters should be used as a tool to add focus, rather than remove it, because if you can converge your blur to a specific area of your picture, you can bring out the detail in another area. The key to the Blur filters is to add them around subjects that need focus. By duplicating layers and masking out the excess, you can pinpoint your blur to a specific area. Most of the time in Photoshop, you might only use one or two of the Blur options in the Filter menu, but there are others that transform your images in imaginative or subtle ways. Blurs can…

Discover the Blur filters

In This Issue

Description

Details

Reviews

Recent Digital Issues Browse all

Recent Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Digital Issues Browse all back issues

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2014 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 5th Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2013 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 4th Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2013 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 3rd Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2012 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 2nd Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription April 1st, 2016 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 10th Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription September 9th, 2015 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 8th Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription March 11th, 2015 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 7th Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2014 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 6th Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2014 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 5th Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2013 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 4th Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2013 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 3rd Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2012 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 2nd Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription April 1st, 2016 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 10th Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription September 9th, 2015 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 8th Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription March 11th, 2015 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 7th Revised Edition: $11.99

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2014 Issue

Photoshop for beginners United Kingdom Magazine (Digital) Photoshop For Beginners 6th Revised Edition: $11.99

Customers Also Viewed

Raspberry Pi For Kids Magazine (Digital) Subscription September 30th, 2016 Issue

Raspberry Pi For Kids Magazine (Digital)

Raspberry Pi For Kids 2016: $7.28

Reminisce Extra (Digital) Subscription January 1st, 2023 Issue

Reminisce Extra (Digital)

January 2023: $2.99

Reader's Digest Magazine (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2025 Issue

Reader's Digest Magazine (Digital)

(968)

9 Issues: $15.00 ~~$62.91~~

Overland Journal (Digital) Subscription July 10th, 2024 Issue

Overland Journal (Digital)

(1)

Fall 2024: $7.99

Pioneer Woman Magazine (Digital) Subscription February 27th, 2025 Issue

Pioneer Woman Magazine (Digital)

(5)

4 Issues: $18.00 ~~$23.96~~

PC Magazin/PCgo Magazine (Digital) Subscription February 2nd, 2025 Issue

PC Magazin/PCgo Magazine (Digital)

12 Issues: $32.00 ~~$40.56~~

Practical Photography: Lite (Digital) Subscription July 1st, 2020 Issue

Practical Photography: Lite (Digital)

(1)

August 2020: $2.12

PCWorld Magazine (Digital) Subscription February 1st, 2025 Issue

PCWorld Magazine (Digital)

(1)

12 Issues: $19.97 ~~$83.88~~

PC Gamer (US Edition) Magazine (Digital) Subscription April 1st, 2025 Issue

PC Gamer (US Edition) Magazine (Digital)

(21)

13 Issues: $19.99 ~~$116.87~~

Prevention Special Edition - Walking for Weight Loss Magazine (Digital) Subscription February 12th, 2014 Issue

Prevention Special Edition - Walking for Weight Loss Magazine (Digital)

(1)

Prevention Special Edition - Walking for Weight Loss: $2.66

Raspberry Pi For Kids Magazine (Digital) Subscription September 30th, 2016 Issue

Raspberry Pi For Kids Magazine (Digital)

Raspberry Pi For Kids 2016: $7.28

Reminisce Extra (Digital) Subscription January 1st, 2023 Issue

Reminisce Extra (Digital)

January 2023: $2.99

Reader's Digest Magazine (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2025 Issue

Reader's Digest Magazine (Digital)

(968)

9 Issues: $15.00 ~~$62.91~~

Overland Journal (Digital) Subscription July 10th, 2024 Issue

Overland Journal (Digital)

(1)

Fall 2024: $7.99

Pioneer Woman Magazine (Digital) Subscription February 27th, 2025 Issue

Pioneer Woman Magazine (Digital)

(5)

4 Issues: $18.00 ~~$23.96~~

PC Magazin/PCgo Magazine (Digital) Subscription February 2nd, 2025 Issue

PC Magazin/PCgo Magazine (Digital)

12 Issues: $32.00 ~~$40.56~~

Practical Photography: Lite (Digital) Subscription July 1st, 2020 Issue

Practical Photography: Lite (Digital)

(1)

August 2020: $2.12

PCWorld Magazine (Digital) Subscription February 1st, 2025 Issue

PCWorld Magazine (Digital)

(1)

12 Issues: $19.97 ~~$83.88~~

Reviews