Photo editing is something that has been done for generations. Years before today, only the best experts could take photos to the next level. But thanks to the advancement in technology throughout the years, photo editing applications have become user-friendly and can be used by anyone.
The most prominent photo editing application is Photoshop. It has gained so much popularity that it has become a colloquial term that is synonymous to photo editing itself.
From editing your Instagram photos to making the best background images and/or logos for your website, having basic Photoshop skills can prove to be very useful. Remember that we’ve all been Photoshop beginners at some point in our lives. But it is never too late to get on the train and get moving. It may not look so simple, but believe us, with these easy Photoshop tips for beginners, you can take your photos to the next level.
First things first, we are gonna be giving you a list of things to remember as you start your journey on photo editing. As Photoshop beginners, the features of Photoshop can be overwhelming. But, hopefully, with this list of Photoshop tips for beginners we have for you, you can get started on the right track.
Basic Photoshop Tips for Beginners
1. Know Your Canvas
Photoshop allows you the option to either open an existing image or create a new one. Opening an existing image would directly put your selected image on your canvas. On the other hand, creating a new one from scratch would allow you to set the preset, from its background color to its height and width, of the image you want to create. If you are creating, for instance, a background image to add to your website, Strikingly suggests that the size be “1600 pixels wide by 900 pixels tall” for it to display beautifully on your website. Number one in our Photoshop tips for beginners is to know the field you are working with so you can easily navigate and move around it.
2. Know Your Tools
The Photoshop menu and interface can be a lot for Photoshop beginners. Remember that you do not have to know and use all of these features and tools right away. Another one in our Photoshop tips for beginners is to start with the features you can easily see and work with that. Explore the menu bar for the different commands to help you modify your document in general (save or open other files, change canvas size, etc.) and give you access to more advanced tools for editing images. Take a look at and try to memorize all the most frequently-used and basic photoshop tools displayed in the tools panel. Ranging from brushes to text tools, these are the easy photoshop tools to use for editing and creating images and other works. Some of these tools have a variety that you can choose from by clicking and holding that tool down. Also focus your attention on the panels that include colors, layers, properties, and other options. As you are working on your image, these panels will show you features and help you control and/or change them according to your vision.
3. Be Detailed or Look at the Bigger Picture
No matter what kind of image you are editing, it helps that you know how to zoom in and out of it. In the “Tools” panel, you can find the “Zoom” tool. This looks like a magnifying glass. You can choose from the options bar the setting to either zoom in or zoom out. One other of the Photoshop tips for beginners is to learn when it is most useful to zoom in or zoom out. Usually, if you want to focus on the details, zoom in is the way to go, but if you want to see the effect in the whole picture, zoom out a bit to see a bigger sense of the image. Another useful tool for Photoshop beginners is the “Hand” tool. This tool helps you to navigate and pan around a large image or a fully-zoomed image. Maximizing the use of these tools is yet another good one on our Photoshop tips for beginners.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
It can be daunting to make certain moves or do certain edits onto the image, especially when you have no prior knowledge or experience in basic Photoshop or in other photo editor programs. You have to remember that even the best started out by trying out each and every tool and maybe even using it the wrong way. Didn’t like what you did? Undo. Preferred the effect before you undid it? Redo. There’s no real permanence until you actually save your image. And in addition, Photoshop also has a history panel. This would allow you to see the different moves you did and even undo multiple steps by selecting the step you want to come back to.
5. Save Your Work
Once you are satisfied with the edits you made to your image, you can easily save them either as a Photoshop file (.psd), JPEG (.jpg), PNG (.png) and other image formats. Saving it as a Photoshop file would allow you to come back to it at a later time and edit some more features. But if you are truly done with your masterpiece, you can save it as either a JPEG (.jpg) or a PNG (.png) file, whichever you prefer. This would be the file format that you can use to share your image on your websites or other programs.
After those five basic photoshop tips for beginners, we also want to give you a list of keyboard shortcuts and the Photoshop tips and tricks to go along with it. A couple of reminders, we are going to be using “Alt” and “Control” in the list, so if you are a Mac user, we should probably tell you that “Alt” is “Option” for you and “Control” is “Command”. Remember that as you try to use these shortcuts.
25 Quick Photoshop Tips and Tricks With Your Keyboard
1. Hand Tool (H)
2. Zoom Tool (Z)
These first two shortcuts were already discussed above.
3. Rotate View Tool (R)
Use this to rotate your images according to what you think would look best.
4. Move (V)
This would allow you to move certain layers of images or certain elements of images anywhere you want in the image.
5. Lasso (L)
This allows you to freely select a certain portion of the image, and maybe cut, copy or remove them.
6. Quick Select (WW)
Similar to the Lasso tool, this would also allow you to select a part of your image, but with this tool, Photoshop assists you in selecting the edges of a particular element that you want to isolate, separate, or emphasize from the whole image.
7. Crop Tool (C)
This allows you to cut the image to only focus on an element or elements of the image.
8. Eyedropper (Press “I”)
This helps you identify the color/s that you want to use more in the image.
9. Ruler (Press “I” 4 times)
This shows a ruler positioned both horizontally and vertically to assist you as you edit your images.
10. Add layer (Ctrl + Shift + N)
11. New layer via copy (Ctrl + J)
12. New layer via cut (Shift + Ctrl + J)
These three tools involve adding new layers. You can see the different layers you already have on the right side - the panels. You might want to add an entirely new and blank layer, or maybe you just want to duplicate the layer you already have or add a layer from one you previously cut. Either way, Photoshop provides you the tool to do so. Additional Photoshop tips for beginners is to try to experiment with these and learn to do more with them.
13. Top Layer ( Alt + . )
14. Bottom Layer (Alt + , )
15. Next Layer up or down ( Alt [ or ] )
16. Move Target layer up or down ( Ctrl + [ or ] )
These four shortcuts are quick photoshop tricks that enable you to move throughout the different layers you have with ease. This can more quickly allow you to navigate through your layers.
17. Brush (B)
This helps you add another element using a brush. You have the option to modify its size, its flow, its color, and other settings for your brush.
18. Spot healing brush (J)
This tool is helpful for eliminating blemishes, pimples, stains, and other imperfections on certain surfaces of your image.
19. Clone Stamp (S)
This tool will help you duplicate a certain part (color, texture, etc.) of your image and apply it on another part.
20. Eraser (E)
This allows you to eliminate part/s of your image.
21. Gradient Tool (G)
This is a bit similar to the brush but with this tool, what you apply is a gradient of certain color/s.
22. Pen (P)
This allows you to write or draw something manually.
23. Text Tool (Shift + Click)
This tool enables you to add text/s to your image. You are also given the option to change the font style, format and size. You can also add certain effects to your text.
24. Rectangle Tools (U)
This would give you the option to add different types of rectangular shapes.
25. Blending mode (Shift + + or - )
This helps you add an image or other elements to your image without overpowering the image itself. Blending options allow you to mix different images and elements beautifully.
We hope that these Photoshop tips for beginners help you get started and gain confidence in editing your own images. And with much practice and experiment using these basic photoshop tips and tricks, you can eventually become a natural in taking your images to the next level. When that happens, do the world a favor and share your amazing and beautiful images.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
Showcasing Your Skills to the World
Create your own photography website or your own online portfolio to show off your photography and photo-editing skills to the world with the help of Strikingly!
1. Sign up with Strikingly.
Image taken from Strikingly Product
2. Choose the right template for you.
Image taken from Strikingly Product
3. Add a gallery to highlight your works
Strikingly allows you to highlight your images by allowing you to feature them in a section of their own.
Image taken from Strikingly Product
Don’t let the fear of starting from the basics scare you. Keep in mind that even the best photographers and photo editors probably started also by reading these Photoshop tips for beginners. Remember, baby steps are important. And as you go further and further on your journey, Strikingly is here to help you conquer the world!
