How to Learn Photoshop Online

If you’re just starting to learn a new skill. Learning Photoshop is no different. This versatile program allows creative professionals across industries to enhance and create professional and beautiful images with a few strategic keystrokes and mouse clicks. If you’ve always wanted to learn, there are plenty of options at your fingertips. From free tutorials to live classes, your options are outlined here so you can decide how to learn in a way that works best for you.

What is Photoshop?

Photoshop is a software program available as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud. Its primary functions include editing, enhancing, and creating digital images from scratch. The program has a wide range of impressive capabilities. Creative professionals across nearly every industry can use Photoshop to design anything from graphics for social media, logos, and the interface of an entire website!

You can use Photoshop to adjust lighting and colors and to create a single image from your favorite components of existing photos. The program comes loaded with plenty of retouching tools, enabling you to remove anything you feel makes your image less than perfect. If you’re scanning a physical photo into the program, you can edit it to remove stains, tears, and wrinkles. Photoshop also contains rudimentary animation capabilities, meaning users can create GIFs with the program as well.

Read more about what Photoshop is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Photoshop?

Photoshop is the industry standard software for photo editing. The program can make virtually any adjustment you can think of, and you can add or remove almost anything you want to create your perfect final image. For example, photographers who work with large groups will often use Photoshop to make a composite of several images; this way, they can combine the best photo of each individual into one picture.

But Photoshop is used for so much more than enhancing images! Graphic Designers frequently use the program to design logos and advertisements for their clients. Because the program allows users to combine multiple images, designers in any industry can use Photoshop to quickly demonstrate how a proposed design would appear on a product. This helps their clients get a clear picture of the final product and quickly make changes, saving both time and money.

It’s also commonly used in web design. Although you can’t code a website in Photoshop, you can use it to create mockups of interfaces, backgrounds, and graphics that designers will add to a website later. Photoshop also contains powerful image compression tools, ensuring the images on a website are clear rather than pixelated. Web Designers can also use the program to build the layout of a website, though other tools are more capable of creating a responsive design.

Live Online Photoshop Training

Virtual learning is an understandably popular alternative to in-person courses. It provides flexibility to students who live in remote areas or lack the time in their schedule to commute to a class after finishing their regular workday. Many students also enjoy having the option to learn in an environment that feels comfortable, like their home or favorite coffee shop. On the other hand, some people find learning at home distracting and prefer a clearer separation between work and home. More extroverted students might also struggle to engage with online learning since they thrive on in-person connections with others.

For students who find online learning appealing, Noble Desktop offers plenty of live online Photoshop classes to choose from. Unlike self-paced lectures that many people imagine when they hear “online learning,” all of these classes are taught live through a teleconferencing platform like Zoom. Students can interact with their classmates and instructors in real-time, receive instant feedback on assignments, and get quick answers to any questions they may have.

You can also check out other live online Photoshop courses using Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool. Some training options are available through providers like General Assembly, Future Media Concepts, and Ledet Training. These schools offer a variety of Photoshop courses that cover beginner through advanced topics.

On-Demand Photoshop Classes

If you’re currently juggling multiple personal and professional responsibilities, you may not be able to devote a predictable amount of time to learning a new skill. A self-paced Photoshop course is a great way to learn a new skill without adding too much to an already packed schedule. These classes can be accessed on-demand, allowing participants to view as much (or as little) of the course content as they want in a given session.

Many of these courses cater to beginner learners, but some are suitable for folks who are already familiar with Photoshop but want to learn more advanced skills. Some self-paced classes are free through these providers, but many of them are available through a subscription service. Although this option isn’t completely free, it’s certainly more budget-friendly than other methods. Some of these services also offer a free trial, making self-paced classes even more appealing to students who feel that finances are a barrier to learning a new skill.

For some people, on-demand learning might require more discipline than a live class. Because you learn the material at your own pace without an instructor to guide and motivate you, you might not be as likely to keep up with your learning. However, this learning method is an excellent alternative to real-time classes if you need time to get your schedule and finances in order before committing to a paid course.

Free Intro Courses & Tutorials

If you’re not quite ready to dive into a full course, but you still want an overview of Photoshop, you can still start learning Photoshop for free online! Check out Noble Desktop’s free Intro to Photoshop course. This two-hour training teaches viewers about Photoshop’s essential functions and discusses fundamental principles of design. You’ll also learn about which Adobe Creative Cloud plan you should invest in, tips to save your files, and how to select the appropriate resolutions for print files and digital files.

There are other online providers that offer free Photoshop classes as well. Udemy has a handful of courses that cover the basics of Photoshop for different career paths, like web design and graphic design. You can also find some classes for free on Coursera, including one about the fundamental principles of graphic design. There are also hundreds of tutorials available on YouTube, but you’ll want to focus on recent uploads. This ensures you’re learning the most recent version of Photoshop with the most current trends.

Read about more free Photoshop videos and online tutorials.

Comparing Online Learning with In-Person Learning

When deciding whether online learning is a good option for you, it’s essential to consider how it compares to in-person learning. Both options have their share of advantages and drawbacks, and which one you choose may come down to personal preference. Below are some points to consider to better understand what to expect on your Photoshop learning journey.

Many people opt for online learning simply because of its convenience; they can learn a new skill and boost their resumes without leaving home. Online education is also more flexible for students with other commitments. After all, people who work full-time or are single parents deserve access to quality education as much as anyone else. Some online learning options are self-paced, which allows students to design a learning experience that best suits their needs.

However, some people feel that online learning is tedious and repetitive. No matter how engaging the material is, staring at a screen for hours can bore even the most eager students. It’s also more challenging to form and maintain long-lasting relationships in a virtual classroom since students only talk to each other on video calls or through a chat feature.

Conversely, in-person classrooms typically make for more lively discussions; conversations can flow more naturally in this environment since you don’t have to worry about tech issues like spotty sounds or a frozen screen. Most people find traditional classrooms to be less distracting as well. It’s hard for students to focus when learning in their house since they lack a clear boundary between work and home.

On the other hand, in-person learning can be more time-consuming since students need to commute to class. These options are also harder to access for students who live in more remote areas and cannot afford the additional expense of traveling to a nearby city. There are also plenty of people who find in-person learning more socially intimidating. Someone who tends to be more timid may not feel comfortable asking questions in a crowded classroom, but they would be more likely to do so if they could type their questions in a chat room.

Tips to Succeed when Learning Photoshop Online

Suppose virtual learning isn’t your first choice, but you don’t have any other options and you’re still excited to get started with Photoshop. In that case, there are several things you can do to set yourself up for success with learning online. These tips can help you hold yourself accountable and stay on track throughout the learning process.

• Make a schedule and practice every day. Regardless of what you’re trying to learn, self-teaching requires a lot of discipline. The best way to get into the habit of learning is to do it every day, at least for the first month or two. If it helps, you can create a daily schedule ahead of time so you don’t have to decide what task you’ll complete each day. Your daily tasks in the beginning might be as simple as “Watch a tutorial about how to use the Crop tool.”
• Follow experts on social media. Seeing the work that professionals complete can be inspirational to those just starting out; it’s a way to almost peek into your future and see what you’ll be capable of as long as you keep practicing. Following professional artists on social media also helps you stay on top of trends and get inspiration for your own work. You can look on sites like Instagram, DeviantArt, and Twitter to find designers you want to emulate.
• Set achievable goals and reward yourself. Getting rewarded for making progress is an integral part of the learning process; it’s a tangible reminder that you’re working hard and accomplishing your goals, even when you feel you still have a long way to go. Maybe you set one specific goal each week based on the tools you’re learning. For example, if you’re learning about color balancing tools for one week, you can work towards changing someone’s hair color in an image. As a reward, you might decide to order your favorite takeout meal or see a movie with a friend.

Of course, these are merely suggestions based on what has worked for other people who learned Photoshop online. You can create a system that works for you and experiment as you continue to learn.

Learn Photoshop with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers a range of Photoshop classes that are sure to meet a variety of scheduling needs and learning styles. Whether students attend in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus or virtually from anywhere in the world, they’ll learn from expert instructors in small groups. All Noble courses also include a free retake option within one year, giving students additional opportunities to hone their skills at no additional charge.

For students who only have a few days to spare, the Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp is an excellent way to move from beginner to intermediate in just three days. This course guides students through various projects that each target a specific skill within Photoshop. By the end of the bootcamp, students will be able to complete tasks like adjusting colors, creating a composite image, and removing components of an image to make the end result more appealing.

Photoshop is also covered in a few of Noble Desktop’s more intensive certificate programs. There is a Graphic Design Certificate that teaches Photoshop and two other Adobe programs– Illustrator and InDesign. If you are curious about using Photoshop to design web and mobile interfaces, the UI Design Certificate might be a great fit. You’ll incorporate several design principles to create stunning and accessible interfaces using Figma and multiple Adobe programs. Participants in these programs will add their coursework into a portfolio they can show off to potential employers.

Key Insights

• Photoshop is a digital editing software program that contains a wide range of functions and applications. It is used by creative professionals across several unique industries.
• Beginners who want to learn Photoshop online have several online resources available to them, including:
• Video tutorials
• Free seminars
• Online design forums
• Free self-paced classes
• Students who prefer additional guidance can also sign up for a live online Photoshop class with Noble Desktop.
• Like any learning method, online learning has its share of perks and drawbacks. It’s important to reflect on your preferred learning style before you decide whether virtual learning is right for you.