Creating and Using Brushes

Learn how to improve selections and cut-outs with custom brushes, as well as create stunning effects to bring your art to life!

Making Challenging Selections 

Photoshop now uses Artificial Intelligence for selecting subjects and cutting them out of their background - but what do you do when these automatic tools fail? Learn how to make advanced selections and layer masks to cut out your subject perfectly every time!

Luminosity Masking 3.0

Masks that are based on the brightness of an image are often referred to as Luminosity Masks and are commonly used to enhance landscape images. This traditionally involves an archaic process of techniques that involve the creation of a multitude of alpha channels. In this session, you'll learn to graduate to next-level thinking that uses a single channel and a Curves adjustment that is much more versatile and powerful than previous methods.

You will learn:

How to replace the standard process of creating multiple alpha channels by replacing them with a single Curves adjustment.

Learn to reproduce the same results as traditional actions and then go well beyond to gain true control over the process of isolating a brightness range in your image.

Increase the control and precision of your adjustment over what was possible in the past.

Transform Shadow into Light

If you've ever had your subject in the shade while also attempting to retain detail in sunlit areas, then you've experienced dull-looking subjects. This session will show you how to make those shady areas pop and transform them so they are just as bright and exciting as the sunny areas in your scene. In the process, you'll learn a boat-load of tips related to creating selections and applying adjustments.

Learn to isolate the shady areas of a scene so you can target them for adjustment.

Discover the most effective adjustments for brightening and adding contrast to dull areas.

See how to make natural-looking transitions when applying radical adjustments.

Developing a SMART Workflow!

Workflow efficiency, that's photo nerd speak for "doing things in the correct order at the correct time". I am all about workflow and more importantly, I'm all about ensuring I am not wasting time while I edit my photos. With all the programs and plugins out there, your workflow can get convoluted VERY quickly. Let's declutter your workflow and dissect what a GOOD workflow looks like. We will dive into the Ecosystem of Photoshop: Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw, and Photoshop. We will look at how all of them are connected and even discuss the difference between ACR as a filter and ACR the program. By the end of the class, you will be well versed in a solid workflow that you can adopt for your postproduction efforts.

RAW Masking Explained!

The Masking features added to Adobe Camera Raw that came with Photoshop 2022 are incredible! They have unlocked a streamlined way to work with our brushes and adjustment tools. However, the new masks can be both intimidating and difficult to work with. In this session we will discuss several ways to use the new masks in your workflow and even tackle the “Math Masks”. By the time this session has concluded you will know everything you need to know about masking in ACR.

Power tips to Save Time in Photoshop

There are so many tasks that people do the long hard way, when Photoshop can automate and speed up these tasks. Discover how you can get more work done, much faster.

How to automate many tasks you have been doing manually.

How to use shortcuts to get things done faster

How to batch process actions

How to use Photoshop's built-in scripts

Sky Replacement Masterclass

You are probably aware by now that Photoshop can automatically replace a sky. But what to do when it doesn't work the way you want: maybe the edge looks weird, the color doesn't match or you want to add reflections in water. This session will strip down the sky replacement and teach you every part of it, so you can get the perfect sky replacement every time.

Break down all the setting and layer that sky replacement creates

How to refine the mask after you have applied sky replacement

How to use your own skies

How to add reflections to water

Wonderful World of Masking: A Crash Course

Masking comes in various forms in Photoshop, but once you have the basics of how they work you can do so much more with them. This session is essentially a crash course in masking. Starting with the basics of how masks work in Photoshop, we will explore how we can utilize them in our creative process and learn other creative ways to generate and implement custom masking effects.

• How masking works in Photoshop

• Layer Masks: Reveal or Hide

• When to use Vector or Pixel Masking

• Channels and Alpha Masks

• Some useful tricks

Working with Filters

I still think all these years later that filters are a truly underrated feature in Photoshop. Other than the occasional blur filter or sharpen, do you use filters a lot in Photoshop? What if you could use them a little differently? In this session we will explore how by combining filters in various ways, you can create effects you never even thought you could.

• How to look at filters

• Combing effects to create new ones

• Smart filters and blending effects

• Neural Filter and the future...

The Art of Sharpening

Bad sharpening is often one of the classic signs of digital processing. The strange halos, crunch textures and lost details all impact how we appreciate images. In this class we will focus on the nature of sharpening (and blurring) techniques to edit images so that they showcase the best of the image and avoid the distractions. We will start off at the beginning looking at the basics of what sharpening is and how to apply it your images. We will examine a number of techniques for sharpening and discuss why you might want to use one over another. Finally we will include some techniques for blurring parts of an image as part of the sharpening process. By the time we are done, you should be able to successfully tackle the sharpening of your images for the best impact possible.

You will learn what sharpening is

You will learn how to judge appropriate levels of sharpening

You will learn a variety of techniques to sharpen an image and how to blend and apply them together for maximum effect

You will learn how blurring parts of an image will help the perception of sharpening in the image.

Riding the Rainbow: Introduction to color correction

One of the great challenges in editing an image is getting the color correct. As advanced as cameras and scanners identifying color, the colors they produce aren't always correct or what we want. When editing, getting control of the color and making an image color correct  is a foundational part of the editing process. Color-correction can be one of the most challenging parts of the editing process. In this class, we will focus on what it means to color correct an image, the basics of color theory, and finally, the techniques and tools in Photoshop and Camera RAW to color correct your images so that you can have complete control of the color in your workflow.

You will learn what it means to make a color correct image

You will learn the basics of color editing theory in PS and LR

You will learn a variety of approaches to editing and color correcting images in both Camera RAW and Photoshop

You will learn when to approach color correction in your workflow to maximize the impact

Think Like Photoshop

One of the keys to success with Photoshop is to stop trying to get Photoshop to think like us, and instead think like Photoshop. For example, people often say "how do I remove something from a photo?" when in reality Photoshop can't "remove" something, but instead can help you cover up something so it looks like it was never there. There are lots of other examples of how understanding the best approach in Photoshop is in large part tied to thinking like Photoshop.

Shortcut City (Stop Working So Hard)

When it comes to working efficiently in Photoshop, it's hard to beat the time savings that are built in to your keyboard. Yes, keyboard shortcuts! There are something like 160 keyboard shortcuts built in to Photoshop, but we're not going to cover them all. Instead, I will share some strategies for implementing shortcuts into your workflow (slowly but surely), highlight some of the most important shortcuts and discuss the advantages of making your own shortcuts.

You will learn:

How to start with single letter shortcuts

Hidden shortcuts that are hard to live without

How to re-allocate shortcuts to your most-used functions

Other keyboard modifiers that are gamne-changers

Fast Fixes in Photoshop

Join Glyn Dewis for this Photoshop for Landscape Photographers session as he goes through tips and techniques covering the most commonly encountered retouching tasks including Quick Fixes, to seamlessly blending multiple images for perfect exposure, sharpness and composition, to enhancing light to help guide the viewer through the scene. You will learn:

How to seamlessly blend images together for the perfect exposure throughout the image

How to Focus Stack for tack sharp images throughout

How to Fix Perspective

Quick Fixes that couldn't be done during the shoot

One Light?...No Problem! Layers Masks and Blend Modes to the Rescue 

In this session, Glyn will show how a simple use of Filters, Layer Masks and Blend Modes can take the stress out of photo shoots. Whether it's because of the lack of kit, lack of space OR maybe the conditions making a photo shoot more challenging, Glyn will show how by using just one light and then seamlessly blending images together we can then use Photoshop to create images that ordinarily would have required much more kit on location. Who would have thought Photoshop could also save you money as well as make it! You'll learn:

How (and why) to seamlessly merge Multiple Images

How to Turbo Charge your workflow with Blend Mode

How to achieve Perfect Light and Exposure using Layer Masks

Essential Techniques for Realistic Composites

Composites are more than just merging images together. To make a great composite, you need to consider light sources, shadows, color, and perspective. In this information-packed session, Jesus Ramirez, the expert instructor from the popular Photoshop Training Channel (PTC) on YouTube, will show you how to make your composites look more realistic by taking advantage of little-known, yet powerful Photoshop masking and compositing techniques. We'll focus on:

• Use familiar Photoshop tools in unconventional ways

• Add life to composites by adjusting color

• Efficiently make selections and masks

• Place an image's subject onto a new background

Photoshop Techniques That Advanced Users Never Learned

Join Jesus Ramirez, the expert instructor from the very popular Photoshop Training Channel (PTC) on YouTube, as he teaches you advanced Photoshop techniques you probably never knew existed. In this information-packed session, you’ll discover everything from essential shortcuts to hidden features that will help you create your best work. Even if you’re an advanced Photoshop user, this session is guaranteed to give you at least one “Wow, I didn’t know Photoshop could do that!” moment.

• Create advanced masks with Blend If

• Use filters in creative ways to create stunning effects

• Create Photoshop scripts to set up documents or combine images

Advanced Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts to Automate Your Workflow and Increase Your Productivity in Photoshop
In this fast-paced, information-packed session, Adobe Digital Imaging Evangelist Julieanne Kost will provide you with the tools you need to maximize your productivity and avoid timely repetitive tasks. During this session, every aspect of Photoshop’s Actions palette will be unveiled, little-known secrets revealed, and the automate features including batch processing, droplets and variables brought to light. Julieanne’s class is certain to increase, strengthen, and reinforce your Photoshop skills to help you become more efficient and reach your creative vision faster than ever before.
 A partial list of topics Julieanne will cover include:  
• Creating, editing, and eliminating repetitive tasks using Actions
• Streamlining your workflow using batch processing and Droplets
• Automating data driven graphics using Variables

25 Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Working with Layers in Photoshop
In this fast-paced, information-packed session, Adobe Digital Imaging Evangelist Julieanne Kost will showcase her favorite tips, tricks and techniques to enhance the way you work with layers. Julieanne will reveal little- known shortcuts and hidden gems covering everything from fundamental features of the Layers panel to advanced techniques for blending and controlling the interactions between layers. From novice to advanced, if you’re looking for serious insights and solid skills you can put to use immediately, then this is a class you can’t afford to miss! 
 A partial list of topics Julieanne will cover include: 
• Essential tips for customizing and working with the Layers panel
• Masking, grouping, linking and clipping mask techniques 
• Find, filter, select, and isolate layer shortcuts
• Layer Comps, Effects, Fill and Adjustment layer tips

Photoshop Kitchen: Cooking Up a Masterpiece
A skilled chef doesn’t rely on a recipe to whip up something special. Instead, it’s a solid understanding of a few basics that can empower a motivated saucier to cook up their wildest dreams, often through trial and error. The same can be true of Photoshop. Basic skills are honed over time and sometimes the best way to master them is just by messing around. By experimenting (even if you have to break a few eggs along the way). But where do you start? What do you use for source material? How do you know where you’re going? Join Khara and follow along as she walks you through the process of creating a stylized image collage from concept to final composition. You’ll see first hand how Photoshop basics like working with layers, blending modes, and masks come together to create a pretty sweet treat. 

- how to work with layers, blend modes, and masks

- where to find inspiring (and free) source materials you can legally use

- how to deal when things “don’t work”

- the ability to “see” possibility

Texture Tell All

Texture is the magical pixie dust of Photoshop, adding realism, richness or depth to your creations. Whether you sprinkle in just a pinch or lay it on thick, knowing how to add, blend, and manipulate texture in Photoshop is a must-have skill. Join Khara to learn the basics of incorporating texture into your creations and follow along as she takes you behind the scenes with ideas for creating your own.

- add, blend, and manipulate texture

- take advantage of existing and free texture sources

- customize textures as needed

- create your own textures

Crafting Cartoon Caricatures with the new Neural Filters
Photoshop's new Neural Filters have untapped potential for crafting digital art in a variety of ways. In this class we abuse some of that functionality to create a caricature that looks like something from a graphic novel. Starting with the photography, to the exaggerating of the facial features with the Smart Portrait and Liquify Features. Then crafting an illustrated effect with the Style Transfer features paired with other filters. All to give portraits a new, unique, fun spin. You'll see:

How to plan for a successful caricature, choose the right photos to use, and prepare the image for the process.

How to use the Liquify and Smart Portrait features to exaggerate facial features.

How to use the Style Transfer Neural Filters to craft an illustrated look for the caricature

Energy Light Stream Effects

Shooting practical effects to use in digital projects is some of the most fun you can have with digital effects. Another entry in my series of Practical Effects for Digital Art. This one involves light painting with glow sticks to create fun swirling, glowing energy patterns. You will learn: 

How to Create the Effect

How to Photograph the Effect

How to Composite the Effect

Concept to Completion - Tips for Creating Unique Kids Composites
The word 'composite' shouldn't scare you. Join photographer and retoucher Kristina Sherk as she shares her top tips and techniques to improve your portraits using compositing. From initial concept all the way through execution, Kristina leaves no stone un-turned. Take your photos out of reality and into a whole new universe. The skills in this class will easily elevate your photography out of this world! You will learn:

Key rules for creating realistic composites.

Proper planning for the image.

Key Photoshop techniques useful for blending images and elements.

Correcting Common Photography Mistakes Using Photoshop

Every time Photoshop comes out with an update, it gets smarter and smarter. Are YOU taking advantage of all the time saving tricks that have been added into Photoshop thanks to AI? In this course, Kristina will show you all features and tools in Photoshop that have been 'smartened' using AI technology. This course is guaranteed to speed up your retouching time and cannot be missed! We'll cover:

- how to utilize AI technology to speed up your retouching

- all the hidden settings that allow your favorite tools to perform infinitely faster and with better results.

- how neural filters can improve your workflow and retouching.

Retouching Under Pressure

Although we'd love the luxury of taking as much time as we need when retouching an image, often we can't because of strict deadlines. In this session Lisa will share strategies and techniques for retouching when the pressure is on.

Deconstructing Retouching Projects
In this session Lisa will analyze some past retouching projects, sharing her strategies, techniques and the challenges she had to overcome.

Photoshop for Lightroom Users

If you’re a Lightroom user you may be wondering why you’d need Photoshop. In this class we’ll cover the top reasons why Lightroom users need to jump over to Photoshop. Things like compositing, sky replacement, selections, and even some tools that Lightroom has but Photoshop is better at. You’ll learn about the settings and workflow to make the process seamless, and you’ll know exactly when it’s time to make that jump.

10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started with Photoshop

We all have things we would change if we could go back in time. Well, this class is perfect if you’re learning Photoshop because you can benefit from my missteps over the years. We’ll cut through all of the features in Photoshop, and I’ll help you focus your energy on the things that will really make a difference for your photo editing. Plus, you’ll learn some features to consider overlooking, so you don’t get caught up spending time on them.

Photoshop for Beginners

Are you new to Photoshop, or need a crash course in some of the basics? This session will help you get reacquainted with the workspace, layers, masking, adjustments, and common tools.

– Learn how to open files into Photoshop

– Understand the Photoshop workspace

– Learn how to work with layers and basic masking

– Learn how to add adjustment layers

– Get to know some of the most common tools

– How to save files (PSD and JPEG)

The Power of Smart Objects 

Smart Objects are a powerful tool in Photoshop. Whether you wish to edit nondestructively with plugins, quickly swap out a photo in an existing template, or transform a photograph without affecting the pixels, this session will give you the skills you need to get started using Smart Objects in your own workflow.

– Learn what Smart Objects are and how you can use them in your workflow

– Learn how to create and replace Smart Objects in the Layers panel

– Discover how they can be used with print templates, plugins, scaling objects, and more

– Understand some of the limitations of Smart Objects

AI Selections and Masking

How to leverage Photoshop's new Artificial Intelligence selection engine to make masking easier. This project-based class will take you through the process of making simple projects with built-in mask elements.

How to use AI selections in Photoshop 2022 Effectively

How to combine selections to get precise details on an image.

How to use masks to create photographic composites.

Fixing Common Photographic Problems

From running out of background on a studio shoot, to needing to fix red eye.  Skin retouching to simple compositing - this class is designed to give you quick and easy tips for fixing those common photography problems that get in the way of your creative work.  Leveraging Photoshop's smart tools and some solid techniques, the goal here is to give you as many tips as possible to get you off the computer and back to shooting.

Technically Perfect: Take control of lens distortion and perspective issues

This session will change your photography forever. Once you learn to spot lens and geometry issues, you’ll see flaws in photos that are often missed. But don’t worry, we won’t just give you the red pill and leave you powerless. You’ll gain complete control over lens distortion and geometry. You’ll learn how to use multiple built-in tools in Camera Raw to process lens issues like optical distortion and vignetting. You’ll also learn about the mysterious Adaptive Wide Angle filter to transform your wide-angle shots precisely. You’ll gain new control over the Upright command to compensate for unwanted angles or rotation in a photo. You will learn:

How to see distortion problems caused by lenses and how to repair them

How to build custom lens profiles for your own gear and even vintage lenses

How to remove color casts and impurities caused by optical distortion like chromatic aberration

How to transform a photo for clean lines and precision

Where to access secret tools in Photoshop for advanced precision working with landscape and architectural photos.

Get the most from an iPhone with Apple ProRAW and Photoshop

Recent iPhones have really upped their photography game. Improved lenses and sensors have made these very capable cameras that just happen to fit into your pocket. But with the addition of Photoshop, these images can really shine. This session will teach you how to change your iPhone’s settings to capture the highest quality images and use raw files natively. You’ll also learn how to transfer those images to Photoshop, remove lens distortion, and preserve the expanded dynamic range color mapping. We’ll even explore hidden data that’s embedded into your files.You'll learn:

How to set up your iPhone to capture the best image possible by changing key settings

When to use third-party raw apps on your phone for more control

How to seamlessly transfer and open raw files in Photoshop and preserve color and depth information

How to control lens distortion and even access the depth mapping for control over focus in Photoshop.

Found Object Artistry

One of the hallmarks of a true artist is the ability to create art anywhere, out of pretty much anything. Training yourself to do this can be immensely rewarding. Imagine being able to grab your camera and take a stroll through your neighborhood, or around a city block, or across a park, or even simply through a few rooms in your house . . . collecting a particular array of photos along the way . . . as well as one “found object” (something visually or conceptually interesting) to serve as your primary subject . . . and then being able to sit down at Photoshop and in 20 or 30 minutes turn it all into an exciting original work of art. We'll look at:

How to capture just the sort of creative photos you’ll want at hand when you sit down to craft a great canvas.

How to plan out a clever conceptual approach to the piece based on your found object.

How to bring everything together like an artist and finish it all up like a pro.

Dramatic Lighting and Realistic Shadows in Photoshop Composites

Nothing can make a piece pop like introducing some dramatic lighting effects, and nothing can lend an immediate sense of realism like properly shading the various elements composited within the scene. Get these right and you’re golden. Get them wrong … and, well, not so much. Armed with this arsenal of techniques, you will be able to bring a pro-level polish to your creative work. You'll learn:

How to work out the most advantageous lighting and shading in a scene.

How to both paint in dramatic lighting and layer in creative photography to produce variable lighting effects.

How to employ a range of techniques in making your shading look realistic.

Leveraging Layer Groups in Photoshop

Learn to fully leverage layer groups in Photoshop to keep your layers organized and increase the degree of control you can exercise when optimizing your photos. You'll see how layer groups function as folders for the Layers panel, but then we'll go way beyond the basics to see how layer groups can dramatically improve targeted adjustments affecting specific areas of an image. You'll learn:

- Organizing layers into groups

- Apply targeted adjustments with layer groups

- Exercise extreme control with stacked layer groups

Perfect Color in Photoshop​
Get tips and tricks for exercising maximum control over the color in your photos using Photoshop. You'll learn techniques for evaluating color, see how to master the process of fine-tuning the overall balance of colors, learn how to apply color adjustments to different areas based on tonal values, discover techniques for focusing adjustments on individual colors, and much more. 

- Use adjustments to learn more about the state of colors in an image

- Alter the color separately for shadows, midtones, and highlights

- Target specific colors for refinement or removal