Adobe Photoshop: A Complete Guide from Beginner to Pro

Part 1: Getting Started with Photoshop

 1.0 Introduction to Photoshop

o What is Photoshop and what can it do?
o Photoshop's uses in photography, graphic design, web design, and more.
o Brief history of Photoshop.
 1.1 Installing and Setting Up Photoshop
o Downloading and installing from Adobe Creative Cloud.
o System requirements.
o Choosing a workspace.
 1.2 The Photoshop Interface: A Guided Tour
o Understanding the Menu Bar, Options Bar, Tools Panel, and Panels Dock.
o Customizing your workspace.
o Saving and resetting workspaces.
 1.3 Understanding Image Basics: Resolution, Size, and Color Modes
o Pixels, resolution (DPI/PPI), and image size.
o Understanding RGB, CMYK, Grayscale, and other color modes.
o Choosing the right settings for print and web.
 1.4 Opening and Saving Files: Supported Formats
o Opening images from various sources (camera, scanner, etc.).
o Saving in different file formats (PSD, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, etc.).
o Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of each format.

Part 2: Essential Tools and Techniques

 2.0 The Selection Tools: Making Precise Selections

o Marquee Tools (Rectangular, Elliptical).
o Lasso Tools (Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magnetic Lasso).
o Quick Selection Tool and Magic Wand Tool.
o Select and Mask workspace.
 2.1 Layer Basics: The Foundation of Non-Destructive Editing
o Understanding layers and the Layers panel.
o Creating, deleting, renaming, and organizing layers.
o Layer blending modes (Multiply, Screen, Overlay, etc.).
o Layer opacity and fill.
o Layer visibility and locking.
 2.2 The Painting Tools: Brushes, Pencils, and More
o The Brush Tool: Size, hardness, shape, and blending modes.
o The Pencil Tool.
o The Eraser Tool (various modes).
o The Gradient Tool.
 o The Paint Bucket Tool.
 2.3 Retouching Tools: Healing Imperfections
o Spot Healing Brush Tool.
o Healing Brush Tool.
o Patch Tool.
o Content-Aware Move Tool.
o Clone Stamp Tool.
 2.4 The Type Tool: Adding Text and Typography
o Horizontal Type Tool and Vertical Type Tool.
o Formatting text: font, size, color, alignment, etc.
o Working with Character and Paragraph panels.
o Creating text masks.
 2.5 Transforming Images: Scaling, Rotating, and Skewing
o Using the Free Transform command (Ctrl/Cmd + T).
o Scaling, rotating, skewing, distorting, and perspective.
o Warping images.

Part 3: Adjustments and Enhancements

 3.0 Adjustment Layers: Non-Destructive Adjustments

o Understanding adjustment layers and their benefits.
o Creating adjustment layers from the Adjustments panel.
 3.1 Levels and Curves: Mastering Tonal Range
o Understanding histograms.
o Adjusting levels to improve contrast and brightness.
o Using curves for more precise tonal control.
 3.2 Brightness/Contrast and Exposure Adjustments
o Using the Brightness/Contrast adjustment.
o Adjusting Exposure, Offset, and Gamma Correction.
 3.3 Color Adjustments: Hue/Saturation, Color Balance, and Vibrance
o Adjusting Hue, Saturation, and Lightness.
o Using Color Balance to correct color casts or create specific moods.
o Enhancing colors with Vibrance and Saturation.
 3.4 Black & White Conversion: Creating Stunning Monochrome Images
o Using the Black & White adjustment layer.
o Adjusting individual color channels for nuanced control.
o Adding tints and split toning.
 3.5 Filters: Adding Creative Effects
o Understanding the Filter Gallery.
o Exploring different filter categories: Blur, Sharpen, Distort, Noise, etc.
o Using Smart Filters for non-destructive filtering.

Part 4: Advanced Techniques and Workflows

  4.0 Masking: Precise Control over Layer Visibility
o Creating layer masks.
o Using brushes and gradients to refine masks.
o Clipping masks: Using one layer to define the visibility of another.
o Vector Masks.
 4.1 Working with Smart Objects: Non-Destructive Editing and Linking
o Understanding Smart Objects.
o Converting layers to Smart Objects.
o Editing Smart Objects.
o Linking Smart Objects to external files.
 4.2 Compositing: Combining Multiple Images
o Layering and masking techniques for compositing.
o Matching colors and tones between images.
o Creating realistic shadows and highlights.
 4.3 Camera Raw Filter: Powerful Image Processing
o Opening images in Camera Raw.
o Adjusting exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks.
o Correcting lens distortion and chromatic aberration.
o Applying graduated filters and radial filters.
 4.4 Content-Aware Fill and Remove Tool: Seamlessly Removing Objects
o Using Content-Aware Fill to remove unwanted objects.
o Using Remove Tool to paint over and remove objects in image.
 4.5 Automation: Actions and Batch Processing
o Recording and playing back Actions.
o Batch processing images using Actions.

Part 5: Specialized Topics (Optional)

 5.0 Photo Retouching: Advanced Techniques

o Skin retouching: Frequency separation, dodge and burn.
o Eye and teeth whitening.
o Removing blemishes and wrinkles.
 5.1 Graphic Design: Creating Logos and Layouts
o Working with shapes and vector graphics.
o Creating logos and branding elements.
o Designing layouts for posters, flyers, and brochures.
 5.2 Web Design: Slicing and Optimizing Images
o Slicing images for web layouts.
o Optimizing images for fast loading times.
o Creating web graphics and banners.
 5.3 3D Features in Photoshop (if applicable):
o Creating and editing 3D objects.
o Adding textures and materials.
 o Rendering 3D scenes.

Part 6: Exporting and Saving Your Work

 6.0 Exporting for Print

o Choosing the correct color mode (CMYK).
o Setting the resolution (DPI).
o Using bleed and crop marks.
o Saving as TIFF or PDF.
 6.1 Exporting for Web
o Saving for Web (Legacy).
o Optimizing images for different browsers and devices.
o Using JPEG, PNG, and GIF formats.
 6.2 Saving Your PSD Files for Future Editing
o Organizing your layers and groups.
o Using descriptive layer names.
o Archiving your files.

Important Considerations:

 Target Audience: Adjust the complexity and pace of each section to your audience's skill
level.
 Practical Examples: Use real-world examples and projects to make the learning process
more engaging.
 Keyboard Shortcuts: Emphasize keyboard shortcuts throughout to improve efficiency.
 Visual Aids: Use screen recordings, annotations, and other visual aids to clearly
demonstrate the concepts.
 Project Files: Consider providing project files for viewers to follow along with.
 Regular Updates: Photoshop is constantly updated. Plan to refresh your material as
needed.
 Q&A/Troubleshooting: Include sections that address common problems and questions.

Good luck creating your Photoshop course