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What is Photoshop?

As digital photography has gone from a specialized skill to a tool available to all, professionals and hobbyists alike are increasingly looking for ways to help their photos stand out from the crowd. Photo editing programs are a key way for many people to do so, and for decades, there has been no better program for the job than Adobe Photoshop.

Included as part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud software bundle, Photoshop is arguably the most powerful photo and image editing program used by professionals and amateurs today. With tools that allow users to do things like correct contrast and color, fix perspective, and adjust other image attributes through layer-based editing, Photoshop offers remarkable versatility and depth for photographers and designers to make a wide variety of enhancements to their images.

These tools are further enhanced by Photoshop’s cross-compatibility with other programs within Adobe Creative Cloud, which allows skilled users to quickly and easily move their files between Photoshop and programs like Illustrator, InDesign, and Lightroom. This makes learning Photoshop an unparalleled investment in one’s career.

What Can I Do With Adobe Photoshop?

Using Photoshop will give you a wide range of tools for creating and editing photos and other images. The things you can do with this application include enhancing and modifying photos, correcting photography mistakes, designing branding elements, creating original graphics, and restoring old photos. Photoshop can also excel as a digital painting software, with users creating full illustrations within the application. In addition, the program boasts importable brushes, stamps, textures, and texture maps, allowing users to create a piece seemingly made through traditional means but with all the ease of digital media.

Photoshop allows you to work with photographs, line art, and import vector graphics for use in your designs, and it is easier to get started with it than you might think. New users can enjoy some simpler features, such as the Healing Brush and Content-Aware Fill, to get started on simple image retouching. More experienced users can go on to appreciate the vast capabilities of the software, doing things like compositing, digital illustration, recoloring, color correction, product mockups, and photo manipulation.

Photoshop designs can also be taken into After Effects and animated, or you can create animated GIFs directly in Photoshop! Since most GIFS are viewed on mobile devices, Photoshop has rapidly outstripped Flash (which doesn’t run on mobile phones) as the world's most commonly used GIF creation tool. You can create a design and then use the built-in timeline to create short animations for websites, emails, and social media, which you export as an animated GIF.

Photoshop can even create some 3D graphics. While it is not a full 3D program, it does have the capability to work with basic, functional 3D models, which can be further edited with the rest of the program’s tools.

Photoshop is available for both desktops and tablets, although the tablet version does not have as many features as the desktop version (at least not yet). As a part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, Photoshop is heavily integrated with other programs in that suite, particularly Illustrator and InDesign. Since Adobe moved the Creative Cloud to a subscription model in 2012, Photoshop users need to pay a monthly subscription fee to access Photoshop and the rest of the Creative Cloud applications. While pricing is subject to change and payment models vary, users can expect to pay about $20 a month to license Photoshop, or about $55 or $80 a month (depending on how you get billed) to license all programs in the Adobe Creative Cloud pool.

How Does Photoshop Differ from Comparable Applications?

Illustrator is one application that is comparable to Photoshop. Each of these applications is used to create and edit images, and they also have similar interfaces since they are both Adobe products. In addition, Photoshop and Illustrator have a variety of correction tools, and let users work on images in layers. However, these two applications also differ significantly. Photoshop is used for raster images, which are made of pixels, while Illustrator is for vector-based images. This means that Photoshop is generally used to work with photos or other pixel-based images, while Illustrator is used for vector-based images like logos or graphics.

There are also many other image editing applications that have been designed to work similarly to Photoshop, including GIMP, Canva, Affinity Photo, and Krita. One thing that many people like about some of these other options is that they can be simpler to learn and use, however, with that ease comes fewer features. As one LinkedIn writer explains, “Adobe Photoshop’s interface can be described as a double-edged sword. On one hand, its rich and powerful toolset provides unparalleled possibilities for designers, artists, and photographers. However, this depth of functionality may seem overwhelming for beginners, requiring some time to acclimate to the software.” In a PCMag review, the author comments that if you just plan to do some basic editing like correcting color and brightness, then many of these options work well. However, he says, “Nothing can completely replace Adobe's flagship Photoshop image editing software if you need it's whizbang, technological-marvel features. Things like its content-aware cropping, automatic subject selection, collaboration, and AI-based neural filters are just not to be found in any other software.”

Photoshop Careers: Digital Designers, Graphic Designers, Photographers, and Other Creative Professionals

Adobe Photoshop skills are sought after in the current job market. Review job ads for creatives, and you will quickly see why Adobe Photoshop is a must-have for anyone within the design field. It is an industry-leading software with broad capabilities and seamless integrations with Adobe’s full suite of creative apps. This program has the capability to handle everything from photo editing to graphics creation. Like all of Adobe’s programs, it is also designed to integrate seamlessly with the rest of the Adobe Creative Cloud apps. Almost any design project needs photos and images, so Photoshop is often the first step to any sort of creative position.

On its own, Photoshop is not typically enough to base an entire career on. However, when combined with skills in photography, photo editing, and even graphic design, Photoshop can be a powerful tool for any creative professional to add to their skill set. Experts in Photoshop are in demand both as members of a creative team and as freelancers.

Nationally, there are many different Photoshop-related careers that aspiring designers can aim for. Of course, Photoshop is a critical skill for Photographers to learn; while salaried Photographer positions are relatively rare, freelance Photographers typically make thousands of dollars covering events and weddings.

Photoshop skills are also fundamental to graphic design careers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (the BLS), which collects and analyzes information about the U.S. job market, Graphic Designers earn an average of almost $60,000 per year, and employment in this field is expected to grow at about 3 percent, which is the average rate, over the next ten years. the BLS reports that the District of Columbia, New York, and California generally pay Graphic Designers the highest wages, with average salaries over $80,000. California, New York, Texas, and Florida employ the most people.

Many other types of content creators also use Photoshop when creating images and graphics for social media, marketing, or other web purposes. These jobs include Social Media Manager, Web Designer, Digital Designer, and User Interface Designer. the BLS reports that Web Developers and Digital Designers earn about $80,000 per year, and are likely to see a job growth rate of 16 percent over the next ten years, which is much faster than the average job growth rate of only 3 percent. Web and Digital Interface Designers are generally highest paid in California, New York, and Washington. In California, they earn an average of $145,000. These three states also have the highest levels of employment in this field, in addition to Texas.

Even if you don’t end up regularly using Photoshop, it is such a cornerstone of the design industry that the ability to communicate with those who do use it is a necessity. Understanding the power and limitations of the program, its purpose in design, and the methodology and terms used is an absolute must for anyone seeking to work in design. Knowing this will allow you to communicate clearly and efficiently with others in the field, creating a smoother workflow and eliminating any communication difficulties that can come up.

Can I Learn Photoshop for Free?

It’s easy to find free educational Photoshop resources online. For instance, YouTube has many tutorials, and so does the Adobe website. However, most of these free resources are not designed to give you a comprehensive Photoshop education. Instead, they generally offer small pieces of information, like tips, tricks, and solutions to common problems. If you’re serious about learning Photoshop, you’ll probably want to invest in a paid class. With a paid class, you get access to an expert instructor who can guide you through the learning process, answer your questions, and give you feedback on your progress.

Fortunately, you don’t necessarily have to invest a fortune in learning Photoshop. For years, a college education has been the traditional way to get an education, however, an increasing amount of research suggests that less expensive classes like bootcamps and certificate courses are a good alternative for learning many skills. Many people struggle with the cost of college. The Education Data Initiative reports that in the United States, college costs an average of $36,436 per student per year. In recent years, more and more companies have started to focus on the skills that job applicants have rather than simply requiring a degree, and many applicants have begun to realize that they can learn many of the skills they need from bootcamps, certificate programs, and other less expensive alternatives to a four-year degree. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, the author notes, “Companies like Apple, Tesla, IBM, Delta Airlines, and Hilton . . . no longer require a college degree for an interview. They realize that the mindsets, abilities, and skills gained from life experience can be as valuable as university diplomas in today’s fast-changing world.” Cengage Group’s 2022 Graduate Employability Report shows that many college graduates actually regret their choice to attend college. A press release on the report states, “With the average [college] graduate taking on $37,000 in debt, many are experiencing ‘buyer’s remorse’ and just 25 percent say they would follow the same education path.” Instead, according to the Cenage Group study, many people say that if they could make the decision over again, they would pursue a credential in an in-demand field instead.

Is It Worth It to Attend a Photoshop Course?

Photoshop has become the industry-standard for working with photos and other images, and Photoshop skills are in demand in the current job market. This means that taking a Photoshop class can definitely be worth it, because it can help you develop in-demand job skills, which can make you more competitive in your job search, and lead to a higher-paying job.

Adobe maintains that visual communication skills–such as the ability to use Photoshop–are highly sought after in today’s job market. It explains, “The modern digital landscape is fast-paced. Ads on social media platforms, mobile apps, and websites are all clamouring for the user’s attention. Bold, eye-catching visual communication that can quickly convey important information is necessary in every industry.” It analyzed LinkedIn job postings and found more than 200,000 required Adobe skills, while only about 4,000 asked for knowledge of other digital platforms. In addition, Adobe says, “When users search job boards for terms such as ‘Creative Cloud,’ ‘Photoshop,’ ‘Illustrator,’ ‘XD,’ ‘InDesign,’ ‘Premiere Pro,’ and ‘Acrobat’ versus ‘Canva,’ results show 5,693% more jobs requiring Adobe skills than competing platforms.”

What Will You Learn in a Photoshop Course?

Photo Manipulation

Photo manipulation is the method by which images can be altered and retouched in Photoshop. A common example is taking a picture of someone and editing out blemishes and adjusting the color and contrast. In beginner classes, this will generally revolve around blemish editing, brightness/contrast alterations, with some overall color changes, and cropping the photo so it’s smaller or has a different shape.

For more intermediate photo manipulation classes, common uses are replacing backgrounds, removing unwanted elements, adding figures, or altering the size and color of more specific areas. For family photos where a member was missing, retouching can be used to add them in later. Details like clothing color and some general lighting can also be adjusted, like making a cloudy picture brighter or altering a blue hat to green. A corner store in another image can be enlarged to take up more space, or a dog blocking someone’s legs can be shrunk.

Advanced photo manipulation classes teach how to combine image contents, also called “photo compositing.” For the dog photo mentioned previously, an image with someone else’s legs can be combined into the first image to fill in the space left by shrinking the dog. Another advanced method of manipulation can be integrating figures into new backgrounds by carefully adjusting the shadows, colors, and lights to make it look seamless. More detailed alterations can be done, like changing the sky color, someone’s hair, their expression, or any other subtle features. Colors can be edited more precisely, adjusting shadows, lights, and hues with a more singular focus rather than changing the entire image’s color. Advanced photo manipulation really comes down to selling the illusion of the photo, making any edits practically invisible and the image look natural.

Digital Painting

Photoshop is known for its photo manipulation prowess, but what many may not realize is that it is also the premier software for digital art. Armed with a drawing tablet, artists can utilize Photoshop’s toolkit to create breathtaking illustrative pieces, some of which can even pass for traditional media work.

In beginner courses, it’s common to start off with understanding the analogies between Photoshop’s tools and real-life art supplies. Simple drawings can usually be achieved, starting with the basic brush, eraser, and fill bucket. Students can generally get a good, simple art piece done, write their names, or paint over already supplied images. Image resolution will also be explored, helping students understand the relationship between image size and use. For instance, an image with a low resolution won’t look that great when printed, but an image with a high resolution will come out looking crisp.

In intermediate classes, features like using layers and masks will be brought in. What this means for artwork produced is that efficiency will be increased, and cool digital effects can be applied. Where earlier there could have been a picture of a smiley face, Photoshop’s artistic toolkit can add sparkles to the image, or run it through a filter to look like a mosaic which can then be painted over. Artists/designers can use Photoshop to create clean, comic book-style art because the program has the capability to separate the lines and colors, giving users the ability to work on each separately. Different brushes can be used as well. Consider this level more akin to using animation cells laid over each other, or using an entire set of watercolor and oil brushes rather than just a pencil, with some multimedia effects thrown in for good measure.

Advanced courses enable digital painters to scan in traditional artwork and paint over it or use it in conjunction with their pre-established piece. If they’re savvy with other programs like Illustrator and After Effects, they can incorporate vector graphics from Illustrator and animate their art in After Effects. They can also utilize the more nuanced adjustments in Photoshop, which translates into being able to fine-tune their artwork’s color balance, how bright or dark it is, and how much contrast there is. They can also use Photoshop’s blending modes for interesting effects, and a variety of other ways of creating art.

Product Mockups

Photoshop is the industry-standard when it comes to making product mockups. Those who want to figure out what their particular product might look like without committing to actually creating it can turn to Photoshop to create a simulation to get an idea of what it would look like.

In beginner courses, example projects include placing a logo into a template. Product templates can be downloaded online for free (or low cost), and consist of a file set up in such a way that the user can quickly place their logo, website, app, etc. directly into a highlighted area. Typical usages include putting product imagery or branding into a phone or laptop’s screen, or on a poster, mug, pen, or billboard. Product displays can also be mocked up. By taking individual items and a background, users can arrange and rearrange potential items in a space to see how they look before setting them up in real life.

Topics covered in an intermediate course include creating schematics for a product or drawing different views of it. Techniques involving “selling the illusion” are important. In some cases, simply dragging and dropping the image will get it done, but for a good product mockup, things like shadows, lighting, and color effects are needed to really make it look natural. Things like website layout mockups are also a go-to. Before committing to code, figuring out what the website should even look like in design is important. This can also be used in conjunction with Adobe Illustrator for some vector, resizable assets to use in the layout.

In advanced classes, students may learn how to touch up 3D models. Oftentimes 3D modelers will export their project and then adjust it in Photoshop to make it look lifelike. Something like a lipstick case or even mechanical parts can benefit from some Photoshop work, having color added, or filters, shadows, and lighting adjusted, and sometimes even inserting the model into a scene.

Animated GIFs & Motion Graphics

Photoshop is very adept at creating both short looping GIFs and animation. With its capacity to handle drawn art, photos, type, and more with its Timeline tool, creating animations is fun.

In a beginner’s class, things like how to make a simple two-frame animation will be introduced. Little alternating GIFs, a hand waving or a character jumping can be achieved using this method. Learning how to loop it indefinitely, so it plays forever is important, as is exporting it for web use.

Stepping up to an intermediate course, techniques like making more complex video animations will be introduced. Now several elements of animation can be used, sometimes overlapping with backgrounds set behind them. Students will learn about settings, like how many frames per second can be adjusted, how large the video size will be, and how long it will play. Groups are also used here, which means that different animation sequences can be sectioned off together, allowing users to add effects, move them around in a bunch, or shift them along the sequence to play later or earlier together.

Advanced techniques learned in a course include frame-by-frame animation, where each picture of the sequence is drawn on a layer and then played in order quickly. Things like Onion Skinning would be employed, allowing users to simultaneously view their previous, current, and upcoming frames all at once. Photoshop’s frame-by-frame animation can also work when it’s exported to After Effects, and the Keyframe Assistant feature is applied. This will automatically order all images in sequence, cutting down on time and allowing the timing to be adjusted per picture. Effects can also be applied.

By using both Photoshop and After Effects, users can create their assets within Photoshop and then make them move easily into After Effects. This method can create incredibly detailed and smooth animation with full backgrounds and looping options.

What Specific Classes Can You Take?

If you’re looking for a Photoshop class, you’ll find a lot of different options. One good way to compare your choices is to use a tool created by Noble Desktop, that allows users to search and compare Photoshop classes both in their area and live online. This way, you can be sure that you have considered all of your options in your Photoshop journey.

As an industry-leading provider of tech education for over three decades, Noble Desktop offers a number of both shorter and longer Photoshop classes, suitable for all different levels. There is a comprehensive Photoshop Bootcamp course that covers the ins and outs of the software. In this class, students will learn how to retouch photographs, adjust color, brightness, and contrast, remove background objects, sharpen photographs, and prepare them for digital publication. This course offers students hands-on instruction in all of the most commonly used features of Photoshop. Tuition is $975, and there are a total of 18 hours of instruction, spread over several days.

More career-minded students may want to consider enrolling in a course like Noble Desktop’s Graphic Design Certificate program. In this class, students will learn all of the lessons they would receive in the Photoshop Bootcamp alongside training in Adobe InDesign and Illustrator. Students learn how to build and manipulate vector graphics illustrations and how to build and populate page layouts using their Illustrator and Photoshop skills. This is a career-focused course, so students enrolled in this class will be getting trained in preparation to find work as a Graphic Designer. Noble aims to assist in this job search by providing students with one-on-one career mentorship and guided portfolio-building workshops. This certificate program takes 1 month of full-time study or 3 months of part-time study to complete. Tuition is $2,995.

Noble also offers a Photoshop Certification Program that was created to help students pass the Adobe Certified Professional exam for Photoshop. This course is made up of two Photoshop classes–the Photoshop Bootcamp and the Advanced Photoshop class–and two three-hour private tutoring sessions. Students also get a custom workbook and access to bonus videos. This course also includes proctoring for the Adobe Certified Professional exam for Photoshop, plus a free retake. If you’re interested in this intensive training course, but don’t want to take the exam, you can opt for an extra hour of private tutoring instead. There are a total of 42 hours of instruction in this course, and it costs $2,299.

There are also many other schools offering Photoshop classes. A number of providers offer both introductory and intermediate classes, typically in two-part class formats. Select providers also provide comprehensive courses that cover all of the Adobe Creative Cloud apps, which can be a great solution for learners looking to master Photoshop along with its cross-integration features.

Ledet Training is an Adobe Authorized Training Center that offers a variety of Adobe classes. It runs a class called Adobe Photoshop 101, which covers the program fundamentals. Students learn about the interface and how to set up a professional image editing system. They also learn repair and publishing, photo retouching, and working with masks, layers, channels, and typography. This is a two-day course, and tuition is $899. Adobe also offers an advanced Photoshop class.

Ledet offers a more specialized Photoshop class called Photoshop Training for Photographers. This is a two-day class, and tuition is $899. The curriculum is focused on Photoshop skills that will be used by photographers, such as managing and correcting color, making selections and adjustments, sharpening, retouching, and printing. Instructors also cover tips and tricks for achieving professional-quality photos.

Lumenbrite Digital Design Training offers beginner and advanced Photoshop classes, in addition to a longer Photoshop Training: Bootcamp. The four-day bootcamp costs $1,595, and is a combination of Lumenbrite’s two essential Photoshop skills classes. It takes students to an intermediate level of Photoshop mastery. Some of the skills covered are retouching, repairing, working with layers, masks, typography, color management, and advanced image manipulation. Students also learn to work with Camera Raw and Photoshop’s animation and video features. Lumenbrite is based in Austin, and offers a variety of digital design classes.

headTrix is a Los Angeles-based school that runs live online classes as well, and it has a course called Photoshop in a Day. This seven-hour class covers a wide range of skills including creating a new file, using layers, cropping and resizing photos, manipulating images, and adding text. Students also learn to create effects with layer styles, use filters, and optimize images for the web. The class is taught by an Adobe Certified Instructor, and tuition is $325.

Another Photoshop training option is at CTS Computer Training Source, Inc., which is located in Chicago, but also offers live online classes. Photoshop Part 1 is a beginner-level course. Students start by learning how to organize and customize the Photoshop workspace. They also learn some basic design principles. After that, the instructor covers a variety of Photoshop skills including adjusting images, working with selections and layers, and refining images. Students also learn how to manage files, which includes formatting, saving, and exporting. This class runs for 7 hours and costs $649.

How Long Will It Take to Learn Photoshop?

How long it takes to learn Photoshop varies from person to person, and is influenced by a number of factors including whether you know anything about design, whether you take a professional class, and how much time you spend practicing with the program. Most people say that it is relatively easy to learn the basics, and this can be achieved in a matter of days or weeks, but that really mastering the program and learning all its features can take months or even years. Overall though, Photoshop is something that can be learned by almost everyone.

How Hard Is It to Learn Photoshop?

It depends on what you want to do with it, of course. While Photoshop is a very deep program, you do not have to learn all its features to start. The fantastic thing about Photoshop is how quickly you can start simple projects that look great and then use those to leapfrog into the more advanced techniques within the program. While the interface might look imposing to a first-time user, learning basic terms and ideas is enough to get started on retouching photos (that you take, or from other photographers) or creating your own custom graphics for social media, a website, or more. As one Photoshop user explains, “Photoshop is a huge program, with features that serve many purposes, from photo-editing to graphics design. While that’s a very good thing in itself, that doesn’t mean you need to learn the features related to all those. Learning only the part you want to learn is more than enough.”

Photoshop has become so popular because it is very easy to master the basic features to begin experimenting with before deciding on further training. Students with only a little training can start to pick up the basics quickly and decide whether or not they want to continue with more professional study or whether they are comfortable knowing the foundational skills involved with the program and learning more slowly.

What Should You Consider Learning Alongside Photoshop?

Design

If you’re working with photos and images in Photoshop, you’re likely to benefit from some knowledge of design. Experienced designers don’t just randomly create images, instead, they create with a purpose. All the elements in a design influence viewers in a specific way, and when students learn about design, they learn why and how that happens, and they can use that knowledge to create mindful designs that achieve their intended purpose.

Illustrator

Illustrator is another Adobe application that is commonly used in design. While Photoshop is used to edit raster images, which are made of pixels, Illustrator is used for designing and editing vector graphics. It allows designers to create vector graphics designs, and resize them without losing quality, and is a popular tool for many types of designers. Since both applications are Adobe products, they integrate easily with one another, and many designers use them in combination.

Video Editing

It is becoming more and more common for digital content to include animation or other types of video or moving content, so video editing skills can be useful for anyone who wants to work in design. One of the reasons for video content’s increasing popularity is that it’s a great way to get the attention of viewers. For instance, according to a recent Forbes Advisor article, when a website includes video content, the time that users spend on the page can increase by 88 percent. The author explains, &ld

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Learn More About Photoshop Courses

What is Photoshop?

What Can I Do With Adobe Photoshop?

How Does Photoshop Differ from Comparable Applications?

Photoshop Careers: Digital Designers, Graphic Designers, Photographers, and Other Creative Professionals

Can I Learn Photoshop for Free?

Is It Worth It to Attend a Photoshop Course?

What Will You Learn in a Photoshop Course?

Photo Manipulation

Digital Painting

Product Mockups

Animated GIFs & Motion Graphics

What Specific Classes Can You Take?

How Long Will It Take to Learn Photoshop?

How Hard Is It to Learn Photoshop?

What Should You Consider Learning Alongside Photoshop?

Design

Illustrator

Video Editing

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Photoshop Advanced

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Adobe Photoshop 101 - Photoshop Intro

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Adobe Photoshop 210 - Photoshop for Photographers

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Photoshop Part 1

Photoshop Part 2

Photoshop Part 3

Adobe Photoshop Level 1: Introduction

Adobe Photoshop Level 2: Intermediate

Photoshop I

Photoshop CC Essentials

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