Adobe Photoshop CS4 Essentials Training

Photoshop CS4 - Essentials is a course that covers 2 days of classroom based Photoshop training covering a range of Photoshop topics suitable for beginners.

The course can be delivered either in our training facilities or on your own facility. All exercises files and real world samples will be provided to the Trainees after the course in order to continue to recap the exercises and ensure a practical learning. We encourage trainees to provide images to work on throughout the course.

Summary of Topics Covered

General Interface

• How the panels work
  • docking
  • panel groups
  • document tabbing
  • Creating/Saving workspaces
  • The Application bar
    • N-up display
    • Canvas rotation
  • Basic shortcuts

Exploring Photoshop

• Explore the Photoshop Environment
• Using Photoshop Workspaces
• Customise Menus
• Explore Adobe Bridge
• Photoshop preferences

Painting and Retouching Images

• Learning about Colour
  • Basic colour theory
  • Kuler
• Learning the Brush tool
• Retouching Images
• Create a Gradient
• Using the History Brush tool
• Using the clone and healing tools
• Blurring/Sharpening
• Dodge and Burn

Enhancing an Image

• Adjust the Tonal Range of an Image
• Using Adjustments
• Working with the Adustments panel
• Work with Filters
• Smart filters

Working with Layers and Selections

• Create and Use Layers
• Create and Use Smart Objects
• Create Layer Styles
• Work with Multiple Layers
• Create and Modify Selections

Working with Selections

• Magic Wand Tool
• Working with Oval and Circular Selections
• Selecting with the Lasso Tools
• Cropping an Image and Erasing with a Selection
• Quick selections
• Content Aware Scaling

Masks and Channels

• Creating a Quick Mask
• Editing a Quick Mask
• Saving a Selection as a Mask
• Editing a Mask
• Extracting a portion of an image
• Applying effects
• Creating a Gradient Mask
• Applying Effects Using a Gradient Mask
• Using the Masks panel

Correcting and Enhancing Digital Photos

• Correcting Digital Photographs
• Editing with Vanishing Point Perspective
• Correcting Image Distortion
• Creating a photo gallery and contact sheet

Typographic Design

• Using type
• Creating a Clipping Mask From Type
• Formatting Controls
• Designing a Paragraph of Type
• Warping a Layer

Importing/Exporting

• Placing and importing different file types
• Saving images for the web
• Using Save for Web and Devices
• Saving images for print

Photoshop and Animation - Basics

• Creating animations
  • keyframes
  • animating properties
  • animating styles
• Exporting Animations

Photoshop and Video Basics

• Importing Video
• Applying Effects to Video
• Basic Video Edits
• Exporting Video
• Keyframes

Photoshop and 3D - Basics

• Importing 3D files
• Compositing 3D and 2D
• 3D File Formats
• Using Styles with 3D
• Using Masks with 3D

Using Photoshop files with the rest of the CS4 suite

• Placing photoshop files into Dreamweaver
• Placing photoshop files into InDesign
• Placing photoshop files into Illustrator
• Placing photoshop files into Flash
• Using photoshop files with Bridge

Photoshop and Bridge

• Organising files in Bridge
• Photoshop scripts within bridge
• Meta-data and your images
• Export to pdf
• Bridge views (inc. the Carousel view)
• Search and find
• Preview 3D images and panoramas (created by photoshop)
• Camera Raw

Photoshop and Analysis

• Counting
• Measuring