Photoshop CS5 Intro

Course Description:

Photoshop CS5 delivers the utmost power and creative control with the next generation of advanced tools for outstanding image manipulation and superior compositing. It redefines image editing with a strong focus on photography, including breakthrough selection capabilities, content-aware fill options, state-of-the-art processing of raw images, advanced creative control of High Dynamic Range (HDR) imagery, automated lens corrections, powerful free-form transformations, new painting technology, and a sweeping range of workflow and performance enhancements that boost productivity at every step.

Our three day course introduces you to the core features of this industry standard application.

Course Outline:

Lesson 1: Fundamental concepts

• The Photoshop Workspace - navigation, the tools, palettes, arranging document windows
• All about pixels, resolution and color depth
• Understanding and using color modes - RGB, CMYK and Greyscale
• Using Adobe Bridge.

Lesson 2: Basic techniques

• Using brushes
• Choosing colors
• Sampling colors from an image
• Multiple undo and taking snapshots using the History palette
• Cropping and rotating images
• Changing image size and resolution

Lesson 3: Retouching techniques

• Fixing images using the Clone Stamp tool, Patch and Healing brushes
• Content-aware erase
• The History brush
• The Red-Eye and Color Replacement tools

Lesson 4: Selection techniques

• The Marquee and the Lasso tools
• The Magic wand and Quick Selection tools
• The Color Range command
• Refining selections
• Working in Quick Mask mode
• Saving a selection

Lesson 5: Composition and design techniques

• Working with layers - moving content to new layers, Opacity, Transforming layers
• Scaling, rotating and other transformations
• Gradients and Patterns
• Masking techniques

Lesson 6: Color correction

• The Levels command - understanding Histograms
• Using Curves and Exposure
• Using the Color Balance command
• Adjusting Vibrance, Hue and Saturation: general and specific colour adjustments, applying tints

Lesson 7: Working with type

• Working with type layers
• Point and area type
• Formatting type
• Type effects
• Converting type to pixels

Lesson 8: Effects and Filters

• Working with Layer Styles - drop shadows, glows, bevels etc.
• Using filters - corrective and creative filtering techniques, using the Filter Gallery

Lesson 9: Production

• Importing and exporting images - the mainstream file types and their uses
• Web graphics - using the Save For Web command - optimization and file formats
• Converting images to CMYK, saving for print