Photoshop Fundamentals: An Introduction to Photoshop May 9, 2011

This 3-day course provides a thorough overview of the interface, the tools, the features, tricks, and tips for using Photoshop CS5. The course is an ideal combination of instructor-led demonstration and hands-on practice.
Who Should Attend?
Adobe Photoshop has become an industry standard for so many different disciplines including desktop publishing, multimedia design, web design, digital video editing, and much more. Photoshop is often a prerequisite for many other software programs, and is the one program that everyone in every area of digital media should know.
Course Outline:
Note: The curricula below comprise activities typically covered in a class at this skill level. The instructor may, at his/her discretion, adjust the lesson plan to meet the needs of the class.
Lesson 1: Understanding How Digital images work
* Understanding RGB and CMYK color models
* Image size
* Resolution (PPI and DPI)
* Pixel Spect Ratio
Lesson 2: Getting to Know the Work Area
* Starting to work in Adobe Photoshop
* Using the tools
* Using the options bar and other panels
* Undoing actions in Photoshop
* Customizing the workspace
Lesson 3:Cropping an Image
* Straightening and cropping an image
* Introduction to Camera Raw
* Making automatic adjustments
* Removing a color cast
* Manually adjusting the tonal range
* Strategies for retouching
Lesson 4: Working with Selections
* About selecting and selection tools
* Using selection tools
* Transforming a selection
* Refining the edge of a selection
Lesson 5: Layer Basics
* About layers
* Using the Layers panel
* Understanding layer stacking order
* Difference between Opacity and Fill
* Locking a layer (transparency, image pixels, position and the entire layer)
* Adding a layer mask - White for opacity, black for transparency
* Applying a gradient to a layer
* Applying a layer style (drop shadow, stroke, other styles)
* Understanding Global Light
* Loading and saving a style (using the styles panel)
* Flattening and saving files
Lesson 6: Photo Corrections
* Correcting digital photographs
* Using the Spot Healing Brush Tool
* Adjusting lightness with the Dodge tool
* Adjusting saturation with the Sponge tool
* Comparing automatic and manual results
* Repairing areas with the Clone Stamp tool
* Applying the Unsharp Mask filter
Lesson 7: Masks and Channels
* Creating a mask
* Refining a mask
* Quick masks
* Loading a mask as a selection
* Applying a filter to a mask
* Applying effects using a gradient mask
* Puppet warp
Lesson 8: Using Channels Panel for selection
* The Channels Panel
* Viewing channels
* Choosing the right channel
* Adjusting individual channels
* Increasing contrast
* Painting with Black and white
* Removing the background from an image
* Moving layers between documents
* Inverting a mask
Lesson 9: Adjustment layers & clipping masks
* Using adjustment layers
* Grouping layers
* Clipping masks
* Using type as a mask
Lesson 10: Correcting and Enhancing Digital Photographs
* Photo Merge
* Auto-align layers
* Content-aware scaling
* Content-aware fill
Lesson 11: Vanishing Point & Distortion
* Understanding the vanishing point
* The Vanishing Point filter
* Editing images with a vanishing-point perspective
* Correcting image distortion
Lesson 12: Typographic Design
* Understanding type in Photoshop
* Creating a clipping mask from type
* Creating a design element from type
* Warping point type
* Designing a paragraph of type
* Difference between point and paragraph text
* Warping a layer
* Text on a path