As we always mention, housekeeping is essential. After organizing our files, we will set our artboards and tour the Photoshop workspace.
File Management and File Creation
Synopsis: After downloading and organizing our assets, we will create our project file, name it, and save this .psd document in our project folder.
Duration: 2 minutes
Downloads
These are the files we will use in our workshop:
File specifications
- Print file
- Size: 11 x 17 inches
Best practices
- Settings for screen use: 72 PPI.
- Settings for print use: 300 PPI.
The Photoshop interface
Synopsis: We will break down key features and areas in the Photoshop interface we will use in our workflow.
Duration: 2 minutes
Best practices
- The move tool (four-directional arrow) allows you to move content.
- Similar tools are grouped within the Tool Panel. To access related tools, long-click a particular tool (example: text) and the hidden tools will appear (example: type on a path tool, vertical type tool).
- If you scroll over the tools in the toolbar, you will see a short video that showcases what each tool does.
Working with the layers panel
Synopsis: The Layers panel is an essential panel and a central component of the Photoshop workflow. In this video, we will show how to work with layers.
Duration: 5 minutes
Best practices
- To protect a layer, lock it with the lock icon.
- You can temporarily hide a layer with the eye icon.