Introduction to Adobe Photoshop CS6 with ACA Certification

The AGI Creative Team develops and delivers training programs for creative, marketing, and communications professionals through the American Graphics Institute.

Starting up


About Photoshop Digital Classroom


Prerequisites


Adobe Photoshop CS6 versions


System requirements


Starting Adobe Photoshop CS6


Resetting Adobe Photoshop CS6 preferences


Loading lesson files


Working with the video tutorials


Setting up for viewing the video tutorials


Viewing the video tutorials

with the Adobe Flash Player


Additional resources


Lesson 1: Exploring Photoshop CS6


Starting up


Experimenting with new Vector capabilities


Filling a vector shape with a pattern


Adding a mask to a Vector layer


Using the new brush tips


Saving the new Brush


Adding strokes to vector images


Cloning your new snowflake


Adding Text layers from another document


Updating text styles


Cropping an image


Self study


Review


Lesson 2: Getting to Know the Workspace


Starting up


Opening an existing document in

Mini Bridge


Discovering the Tools panel


Selection, Cropping, and Measuring Tools


Retouching and Painting Tools


Drawing and Type Tools


Navigation Tools


Accessing tools and their options


Using panels


Putting the panel system to use


Choosing other panels


Expanding and collapsing your panels


Customizing your panels


Hidden tools


Navigating the image area


Using the Zoom tool


Using the Hand tool


Tabbed windows


Maximizing productivity with screen modes


Self study


Review


Lesson 3: Taking Advantage of Adobe Bridge


Starting up


What is Adobe Bridge?


Navigating through Bridge


Using folders in Adobe Bridge


Making a Favorite


Creating and locating metadata


Using keywords


Creating a Metadata Template


Opening a file from Adobe Bridge


Searching for files using Adobe Bridge


Searching by name or keyword


Using the Filter panel


Saving a Collection


Automation tools in Adobe Bridge


Batch renaming your files


Additional Photoshop Tools


Automated tools for Photoshop: Web Photo Gallery


Saving or uploading your Web Gallery


Automated tools for Photoshop: PDF contact sheet


Changing the view


Self study


Review


Lesson 4: Photoshop Basics


Starting up


Opening an existing document


Understanding document settings


Viewing an image?s size and resolution


Combining the images


Using Copy and Paste


Dragging and dropping to copy an image


Transforming and editing combined images


Changing the size of a placed image


Removing a background


Understanding the stacking order of layers


Refining the edges of copied images


Adding text


Saving files


Understanding file formats


Choosing a file format


Saving a JPEG file


Saving for print


Changing the color settings


Adjusting image size


Saving a Photoshop PDF file


Self study


Review


Lesson 5: Making the Best Selections


Starting up


The importance of a good selection


Using the Marquee tools


Creating a square selection


Creating a selection from a center point


Changing a selection into a layer


Working with the Magic Wand tool


The Lasso tool


Adding to and subtracting from selections


Deleting from the selection


Saving a selection


Feathering the selection


Using the Quick Selection tool


Making difficult selections with

the Refine Edge feature


Using Quick Mask


Saving selections


Copying and pasting a selection


Using the Pen tool for selections


Using the Pen tool to select an area of an image


More Pen tool selection techniques


Converting a path to a selection


Self study


Review


Lesson 6: Painting and Retouching


Starting up


Setting up your color settings


Color primer


Understanding color gamut


The RGB color model


The CMYK color model


Working in the RGB mode


Editing color settings


Selecting colors


Starting to paint


Using the Color panel


Using the Brush tool


Changing opacity


Save time?learn the shortcuts


Using the Brush Presets


Using the Airbrush feature


Creating a Border using the Bristle brushes


Applying color to an image


Changing blending modes


The Eyedropper tool


Retouching images


Using the Clone Stamp tool


Repairing fold lines


The History panel


The Spot Healing Brush


The Healing Brush


Using the Patch tool


Using the Clone Source panel


Cloning from another source


Self study


Review


Lesson 7: Creating a Good Image


Starting up


Choosing your color settings


Opening the file


Why you should work in RGB


Reading a histogram


Making the Curve adjustment


Defining the highlight and shadow


Locating the White and Black Point


Inputting the white and black point values


Adjusting the midtones


Setting the neutral


Sharpening your image


Comparing your image with the original


Taking care of red eye


Using the Camera Raw plug-in


Using Camera Raw controls


Saving a DNG file


Reopening a DNG file


Self study


Review


Lesson 8: Getting to Know Layers


Starting up


Discovering layers


Getting a handle on layers


Creating a new blank file


Naming your layer


Selecting layers


Tips for selecting layers


Moving layers


Changing the visibility of a layer


Using masks in a layer


Preserve transparency


Creating a composition


Moving images in from other documents


Creating a layer mask


Editing the layer mask


Cloning layers


Aligning and distributing layers


Applying filters to layers


Creating a type layer


Applying a layer style


Creating a clipping mask


Testing out the new Filter for the Layers panel


Self study


Review


Lesson 9: Taking Layers to the Max


Starting up


Making color changes using adjustment layers


Refining the adjustment layer mask


Adjusting the Hue/Saturation layer


Adding a pattern fill layer


Defining the pattern


Applying the pattern


Using the Black & White adjustment layer


Adding a tint


Applying a gradient to the adjustment layer


Layer styles


Creating the text layer


Applying the Outer Glow layer style


Applying the Bevel and Emboss layer style


Changing the shading


Changing the fill opacity


Saving the style


Accessing the style


Self study


Review


Lesson 10: Getting Smart in Photoshop


Starting up


Creating a composition using Smart Objects


Opening an image as a Smart Object


Converting a layer to a Smart Object


Placing a Smart Object


Editing a Smart Object


Editing the contents of a Smart Object


Modifying multiple Smart Object layers


Replacing the contents of a Smart Object layer


Working with Smart Filters


Modifying a Smart Filter


Self study


Review


Lesson 11: Using Adobe Photoshop Filters


Starting up


Filter basics


Starting to use filters


Using the Clouds filter


Fading your filter


Using the Filter Gallery


Applying filters in the Gallery


Taking advantage of Smart Filters


Applying a Smart Filter


Smart Filter options


Enabling and disabling effects


Using a filter effects mask


Using the Vanishing Point filter


Building your own perspective planes


Building an attached plane


Self study


Review


Lesson 12: Creating Images for Web and Video


Starting up


Changing your units of measurement


Creating the web page


Adding the TextAdding Style to the text


Creating the text for the links


Positioning and distribution of text


Creating slices


Slicing it up


Selecting and combining slices


Applying attributes to your slices


Using Save For Web


Optimizing the image slices


Saving files for video


Creating animation


Working in Frame mode


Saving an animated GIF


Creating animation for HD video


Working in Timeline mode


Self study


Review


Lesson 13: Introducing 3D


Creating a 3D object


Confirming that you can use Photoshop 3D features


Locating the GPU/OpenGL preferences

in Photoshop CS6


Getting an image ready for 3D


Wrapping the image around a soda can


Positioning the soda can in 3D space


Adjusting materials and lightingWorking with light sources


Animating the soda can


Exporting your animation


Creating 3D Text


Applying materials to the 3D mesh


Rendering and Rasterizing your 3D images


Exporting your 3D imageSelf study


Review


Lesson 14: Photoshop CS6 New Features


Starting up


New Look and Feel


Sketch and paint with new brush tips


New content-aware tools


Investigating the Content-Aware Move tool


Stroke and fills


Layer panel improvements


More options for creating patterns


New and improved 3D features


OpenGL is now required


Better tool unification


3D Widgets


3D Merge improved