Getting Started
Adobe® Photoshop®, the benchmark for digital imaging excellence, provides strong performance, powerful image editing features, and an intuitive interface. Adobe Camera Raw, included with Photoshop, offers flexibility and control as you work with raw images as well as TIFF and JPEG images. Photoshop gives you the digital editing tools you need to transform images more easily than ever before.
About Classroom in a Book
Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book® (2020 release) is part of the official training series for Adobe graphics and publishing software, developed with the support of Adobe product experts. The lessons are designed to let you learn at your own pace. If you’re new to Adobe Photoshop, you’ll learn the fundamental concepts and features you’ll need to master the program. And if you’ve been using Adobe Photoshop for a while, you’ll find that Classroom in a Book teaches many advanced features, including tips and techniques for using the latest version of the application and preparing images for the web.
Although each lesson provides step-by-step instructions for creating a specific project, there’s room for exploration and experimentation. You can follow the book from start to finish, or do only the lessons that match your interests and needs. Each lesson concludes with a review section summarizing what you’ve covered.
What’s new in this edition
This edition covers new features in Adobe Photoshop, such as Cloud Documents for seamless document sharing with Photoshop on other devices, more convenient access to presets such as gradients and shapes, easier selection with the Object Selection tool, and using the redesigned Home screen.
This edition is also chock-full of extra information on Photoshop features and how to work effectively with this robust and professional application. You’ll learn best practices for organizing, managing, and showcasing your photos, as well as how to optimize images for the web. And throughout this edition, look for tips and techniques from one of Adobe’s own experts, Photoshop evangelist Julieanne Kost.
Prerequisites
Before you begin to use Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book (2020 release), you should have a working knowledge of your computer and its operating system. Make sure that you know how to use the mouse and standard menus and commands, and also how to open, save, and close files. If you need to review these techniques, see the documentation for your Microsoft® Windows® PC or Apple® Mac® computer.
To complete the lessons in this book, you’ll need to have both Adobe Photoshop (2020 release) and Adobe Bridge 2020 installed.
Installing Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Bridge
Before you begin using Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book (2020 release), make sure that your system is set up correctly and that you’ve installed the required software and hardware. You must license the Adobe Photoshop software separately. For system requirements and complete instructions on installing the software, visit helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html. Note that some Photoshop features, including all 3D features, require at least 512MB of VRAM (graphics memory), and in Windows a 64-bit operating system is required.
Many of the lessons in this book use Adobe Bridge. You must install Photoshop and Bridge on your computer using the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application, available at adobe.com/creativecloud/desktop-app.html. Follow the onscreen instructions.
Starting Adobe Photoshop
You start Photoshop just as you do most software applications.
To start Adobe Photoshop in Windows: Click the Start button in the taskbar, and in the alphabetical list under A, click Adobe Photoshop 2020.
To start Adobe Photoshop on a Mac: Click the Adobe Photoshop 2020 icon in the Launchpad or Dock.
If you don’t see Adobe Photoshop, type Photoshop into the search box in the taskbar (Windows) or in Spotlight (Mac), and when the Adobe Photoshop 2020 application icon appears, select it, and press Enter or Return.
Online Content
Your purchase of this Classroom in a Book includes online materials provided by way of your Account page on adobepress.com. These include:
Lesson files
To work through the projects in this book, you will need to download the lesson files by following the instructions below.
Web Edition
The Web Edition is an online interactive version of the book providing an enhanced learning experience. Your Web Edition can be accessed from any device with a connection to the Internet and it contains:
The complete text of the book
Hours of instructional video keyed to the text
Interactive quizzes
Accessing the lesson files and Web Edition
You must register your purchase on adobepress.com in order to access the online content:
Sign in or create a new account.
Click Submit.
Answer the question as proof of purchase.
The lesson files can be accessed from the Registered Products tab on your Account page. Click the Access Bonus Content link below the title of your product to proceed to the download page. Click the lesson file link(s) to download them to your computer.
The Web Edition can be accessed from the Digital Purchases tab on your Account page. Click the Launch link to access the product.
Note
If you purchased a digital product directly from www.adobepress.com or www.peachpit.com, your product will already be registered. However, you still need to follow the registration steps and answer the proof of purchase question before the Access Bonus Content link will appear under the product on your Registered Products tab
Restoring default preferences
The preferences file stores information about panel and command settings. Each time you quit Adobe Photoshop, the positions of the panels and certain command settings are recorded in the preferences file. Any selections you make in the Preferences dialog box are also saved in the preferences file.
To ensure that what you see onscreen matches the images and instructions in this book, you should restore the default preferences as you begin each lesson. If you prefer to preserve your preferences, be aware that the tools, panels, and other settings in Photoshop may not match those described in this book.
If you have customized your color settings, use the following procedure to save them as a preset before you start work in this book. When you want to restore your color settings, you can simply select the preset you created.
To save your current color settings:
Start Adobe Photoshop.
Choose Edit > Color Settings.
Note what is selected in the Settings menu:
If it is anything other than Custom, write down the name of the settings file, and click OK to close the dialog box. You do not need to perform steps 4–6 of this procedure.
If Custom is selected in the Settings menu, click Save (not OK).
The Save dialog box opens. The default location is the Settings folder, which is where you want to save your file. The default filename extension is .csf (color settings file).
In the File Name field (Windows) or Save As field (Mac), type a descriptive name for your color settings, preserving the .csf file extension. Then click Save.
In the Color Settings Comment dialog box, type any descriptive text that will help you identify the color settings later, such as the date, specific settings,
or your workgroup.Click OK to close the Color Settings Comment dialog box, and again to close the Color Settings dialog box.
To restore your color settings:
Start Adobe Photoshop.
Choose Edit > Color Settings.
From the Settings menu in the Color Settings dialog box, choose the settings file you noted or saved in the previous procedure, and click OK.
Additional resources
Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book (2020 release) is not meant to replace documentation that comes with the program or to be a comprehensive reference for every feature. Only the commands and options used in the lessons are explained in this book. For comprehensive information about program features and tutorials, refer to these resources:
Adobe Photoshop Help and Support: helpx.adobe.com/support/photoshop.html is where you can find and browse Help and Support content on Adobe.com. You can go there directly from Photoshop by choosing Help > Photoshop Help.
Home screen: In Photoshop, the top of the Home screen may suggest tutorials.
Learn panel: Choose Window > Learn to open interactive tutorials that load sample files into Photoshop and lead you step by step through fundamental skills and features.
Photoshop tutorials: helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/tutorials.html lists online tutorials for beginner and experienced users. You can go there directly from Photoshop by choosing Help > Photoshop Tutorials.
Photoshop blog: theblog.adobe.com/creative-cloud/photoshop/ brings you tutorials, product news, and inspirational articles about using Photoshop.
Julieanne Kost’s blog: blogs.adobe.com/jkost/ is where Adobe product evangelist Julieanne Kost posts useful tips and videos that introduce and provide valuable insights on the latest Photoshop features.
Adobe Support Community: community.adobe.com lets you tap into user forums where you can post questions about Photoshop and other Adobe applications.
Adobe Photoshop product home page: adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
Adobe Extensions: exchange.adobe.com/creativecloud.html is a central resource for finding tools, services, extensions, code samples, plug-ins, and more to supplement and extend your Adobe Creative Cloud tools.
Resources for educators: adobe.com/education and edex.adobe.com offer a treasure trove of information for instructors who teach classes on Adobe software. Find solutions for education at all levels, including free curricula that use an integrated approach to teaching Adobe software and can be used to prepare for the Adobe Certified Associate exams.
Adobe Authorized Training Centers
Adobe Authorized Training Centers offer instructor-led courses and training
on Adobe products.
A directory of AATCs is available at learning.adobe.com/partner-finder.html.