Sometimes, the simplest photo editing can make your Instagram feed look like a million bucks. But Photoshop can seem pretty intimidating to those who don’t know much about the program. This is especially true for those who only want to do basic edits.
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We’ve put together an ultimate guide that will go over all of the basics, including how to save your work, open files, and even resize your images. Make sure you bookmark this page for future help!
Basic Photoshop Terms You Need to Know
In order to be a Photoshop pro, you need to know the basics. Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a list of some basic terms that will help you get started.
Layer – In Photoshop, layers are used to organize and edit your work. They allow you to have greater control over what you see on the image, as well as how different parts of an image interact with each other.
Filter – Filters are used to distort or change a photo’s appearance. Generally, they are applied at the end of a project to give it a unique look.
Image Size – Image size is the size of your file in pixels or inches. You can adjust this from within your “Image” menu or by right-clicking on the photo and select “Image Size” from the drop-down menu.
JPEG – JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group and is a compressed format for images that reduces file sizes without sacrificing quality too much.
PNG – PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics and is also a compressed format for images that provides higher image quality than JPEG but has a larger file size.
Saving Your Work
Saving your work is one of the most important steps. Even if you don’t use Photoshop as often as other programs, it’s always a good idea to save your work. This will prevent you from losing any progress and having to redo everything.
The easiest way to do this is to click on “File” and then “Save.” You’ll be prompted with a window that allows you to name your file and choose where it should be saved.
Opening Files
When you open a file in Photoshop, you’ll see a blank canvas. This is the space where you can create your masterpiece. To start with a new document, click on File and then New. The pop-up window will give you a few different options depending on what type of photo editing you want to do. You can choose a preset later if you want, but for now, just choose Blank Canvas (default).
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Once your new document appears on screen, you can get started with your edits! Want to save it for later? Just go to File again and Save As. It’s important that if you are about to finish up your project that you save it before closing the program so that all of your hard work doesn’t get lost!
Cropping Images
Cropping is one of the most basic photo editing techniques. By cropping out unwanted parts of your image, you can draw attention to what matters to you. It’s also a good way to remove any distracting backgrounds. For instance, if there is something in the background that you want to take out, like a tree or an airplane, cropping will do the trick.
There are 2 ways to crop your image:
1) The first way is by selecting the “crop” tool from Photoshop’s toolbar and then dragging across your image until you have selected all the part of it that you want to keep.
2) The second way is by pressing C on your keyboard followed by right-clicking on your canvas and selecting “crop.” Another method is holding down Shift+Alt+Right click on a Mac or Ctrl+Alt+Right click for PC users.
To crop using this method, press C on your keyboard followed by right-clicking on your canvas and selecting “crop.” You can also use this with images that are already opened in Photoshop.
When you press C on your keyboard followed by right-clicking on your canvas and selecting “crop,” a new window will open with guidelines along the borders of the image with handles at each corner. Grab one of these handles and drag in any direction until you have cropped out all of the unwanted parts of the photo
Resizing Images
This is a great place to start because this will allow you to upload the perfect size onto sites like Instagram. If you have a lot of pictures that are different sizes, keep reading for more detailed instructions on resizing images.
Resize Images to fit Instagram requirements
If you’re using Instagram, it’s important to keep in mind that the app has limitations on image size. You may have noticed that your photo is cropped or there are black bars surrounding the image when you upload it. This happens because Instagram has a square shape requirement for images. If you want to properly use the app, make sure your images are square or rectangular in shape.
To get your photos to correctly fit Instagram’s requirements, resize them ahead of time. It’s easy with Photoshop! When you open Photoshop, click File and then choose “Open As.” Choose “Square Pixels” from the Image Size drop-down box and hit OK. Your image will now be the correct size for uploading to Instagram accounts.
Working with Layers
Layers are essential to Photoshop. While they might not be very obvious at first, layers make it possible to edit and modify various parts of your image without ruining the rest of it.
For example, say you want to change the color of a person’s shirt in a photo. You can create a layer for that part of the image and then change the color on that layer. Keep in mind that layers do not show up when you open an image on Photoshop, so you’ll need to press “F7” or “Window” to see them.
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You can access layers by clicking the “Layers” tab on your toolbar or by going to “Window” > “Layers.” The window will show all the different layers and where they’re located on your image. To add a new layer, click “Layer,” then select “New,” and then “Layer.” To delete a layer, click its name and then press “Delete.” You can also duplicate a layer by clicking it and then pressing “Ctrl + J.”
Create a New Layer
Creating a new layer is an essential skill that you’ll use for tons of different projects. Photoshop has two types of layers: background and foreground. The background will be seen through anything you put on top of it, so think of it as the “underlying” layer. You can create a foreground layer by clicking on the “Create New Layer” button at the bottom left-hand corner of your toolbar.
Change the Opacity of a Layer
Is your layer too dark? Do you want to lighten it up a little bit? You can adjust the opacity of a layer! To do this, go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and change the Opacity. Then, click OK and watch as your layer becomes lighter.
Hide a Layer from View
One of the most basic edits you can do with Photoshop is to hide a layer from view. This could be for personal privacy reasons because you’re removing an element that doesn’t need to be there, or just because it doesn’t fit in with your design.
To hide a layer from view, open up your file and navigate to the layers tab on the left side of the screen. Click on the eye icon right above the layer you want to hide so it becomes highlighted in red.
Now the only thing visible should be your current layer. To unhide this layer, use Ctrl + Shift + H (Windows) or Command + Shift + H (Mac).
Delete a Layer from View
If you want to delete a layer from view, go to the layers panel and check the box below the layer you want to delete.