For true beginners, Photoshop is often seen as an intimidating piece of software. This isn’t because it’s particularly complicated but rather because it has so many tools and it can be overwhelming to try and master them all. But this is also one of the things that makes it such an amazing asset for photo editors.
Beloved by photographers the world over, Photoshop is filled with features to bring out the best in the photos you take. You just need to learn how to use them. That’s why today we’re going to be looking at the best Photoshop tools and exactly how and when you should be using them.
The Toolbar
First thing’s first—if you want to be able to use Photoshop tools then you need to know where to find them. Most of the important tools you’ll find in the trusty toolbar which, in the latest edition of Photoshop, can be found running top to bottom along the left-hand side of your application window. You can expand this toolbar to see more options and you can also move it around to wherever you like.
Some of the tools contained in the toolbar include photo editing staples such as the magic wand tool, the move tool, the lasso tool, the crop tool, and of course the object selection tool. You can also customize your toolbar by adding or removing the tools you use most and least.
Photoshop for Beginners
It would take a much longer blog post than this to list all of the most important Photoshop skills you need to know. Instead, this article will cover the most useful and important to learn at first. Below are a few that you’ll almost always use.
The Cropping Tool
The cropping tool is a godsend for when you’ve got an unwanted area of an image. If there’s a person in the background of your photo or an area you want to replace then the cropping tool is your best friend. To crop, hold down the mouse and drag a rectangle across the area you want to delete.
Remove Background
This is a tool that allows you to make magic with your images. Love a photograph of yourself but not sure about the background? No problem!
It couldn’t be easier to remove background from an image. Simply click “Quick Actions” and select the remove background button.
Healing Brush
The healing brush is the tool that’s closest to what the general public thinks Photoshop is predominantly used for. It erases or “heals” blemishes in a photo. This could be on a person’s face or body but it’s used on pretty much any image you could imagine.
The Most Useful Photoshop Tools
We regret that we’re unable to show you all the Photoshop tools in existence but unfortunately, we’d be here all day. But we hope that the ones shared here will be useful to you in your photography journey.
If you’re looking for more tips on photos, software, or anything else we’ve got plenty of how-to guides on our site. Check them out now.
