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Lesson 3:   03-A   03-B   03-C   03-D

Lesson 3
The Photoshop Interface  • Using Photoshop Brushes

Experience:
You learned in Lesson 2 how powerful Camera Raw is at adjusting photos.  In this lesson we'll begin learning how to use the Photoshop CC application.  I will acquaint you with the Photoshop interface, and how to customize it to your personal workflow preferences.  We will revisit image formats, image resolution, and about resizing or resampling images.  Since many of the tools in Photoshop use brushes to apply adjustments, you will learn in detail how to use Photoshop's brushes in this lesson.  You'll be introduced to the Quickmask, Quick Selection (Captioned Version), and Magic Wand (Captioned Version) tools.  You'll learn how to create a new layer, and change its blending mode to Color.  You'll be introduced to a layer mask.  By the end, you'll use the selection and brush tools to add color to a black and white photo.  You'll also learn how to use an adjustment layer and mask to add a spot of color to a black and white photo.

On the design side of the fence, we'll discuss the principles of proximity, alignment, repetition, and contrast, which were the reading assignments given you in lessons 1 and 2.
Picture
Daisies, by Nathan Smith. An example of using Photoshop brushes.

USU Canvas Resources and Assignment for this week...

USU students, all the assignments, discussions, exercise files, reading assignments for lesson 3 will be found in Canvas - Lesson 3 Module. See the image at right.

​If you're not a registered USU student, and you are working through this lesson on your own, links to the exercise files are provided within the lesson.

Objectives (Suggested division of work time through the week)

Section 03-A (Monday)
  • Open files from Bridge into Photoshop and Create New Files in Photoshop
  • ​​Learn the Photoshop user interface and how to customize it
Section 03-B (Tuesday)
  • Panning, zooming, and rotating the image view in Photoshop
  • Understand file formats and screen resolution
  • Image Resolution - Resizing or Resampling
Section 03-C (Wednesday)
  • Use Photoshop brushes, including the brush shortcuts
  • Use Photoshop brushes along with the color blending mode on layers
    • (Exercise B03-07a)
    • (Exercise B03-07b)
Section 03-D (Thursday)
  • Principles of Design: Contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity.​
Friday-Weekend (Practice!)
​Finish up the two exercise files and submit them.
Photoshop's brushes are so powerful!

In this lesson you'll see examples of artists using Photoshop brushes to create their own masterpieces. Your first portfolio exhibit assignment will happen next week in lesson 4. However, here's an idea and a challenge, if you'd like to get started early.

​Click the image at right to see my attempt at using Photoshop brushes to paint with. 
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Lesson 3:   03-A   03-B   03-C   03-D

​This page last updated December 27, 2020.  This lesson combines my own work (images, text, videos) which are ©2021 by Nathan Smith.  All other images, videos, and cited text sources are curated from the internet, and are publicly available.