10 Things You Could Be Doing With Photoshop 

Photoshop Is a very versatile program, you may have browsed the Photoshop part of this website to see some of its capabilities. By versatile I don't mean that it can do lots of different jobs as this goes with out saying. What I mean is that Photoshop can do two things exceptionally well and that is to create graphics from scratch or to improve existing images such as a photograph.

I am going to list the ten most useful things that I believe Photoshop could be used for. Your views maybe slightly different to mine but this is good we cant all be the same. We all need different outcomes and effects to suit our own individual creativity. 

1. Camera RAW This facility has developed over the years and along with its constant improvements has grown its popularity among digital photographers. The  RAW facility on Photoshop is not exclusive but it is very well equipped to do most adjustments. If you are unsure about RAW why not check out out RAW page that explains all about it

2. Converting to Mono I don't think there is a photographer out there that doesn't appreciate a good black and white photograph. The capabilities of Photoshop do not disappoint as it allows you to easily convert colour images in to mono. Having done this you still have colour control, this means that you can darken or lighten the reds, blues, greens, magentas and others too. This will give your mono images depth as you can make your shadows really dark and your highlights erm lighter. For more information and inspiration about black and white photography you may want to check out this page.

3. Duo Tone This is similar to mono and is equally as effective, the duo tone can be used to add that special edge to your images. There is a lot of room for experimentation but its all worth it in the end. If you want to check out some videos where duo tone is being used then click here.

4. Levels & Curves Not all images can be perfect straight off the memory card, some images may have been rushed or the sun was not on your side. To help cure your pics Photoshop has these great tools to help bring back detail and help boost contrast where necessary. To learn more about Levels and Curves check out our Photoshop video tutorial Page.

5. Selections I think anybody using Photoshop will benefit from the ability to make selections whether your a photographer or graphic designer. Making selections allows you to edit certain areas within your image without effecting the whole picture. There are many different types of selection tool and I would recommend that you learn them all as each one will have its specific use. To learn more about making selections check the videos on this page.

6. Creating Text Effects The ability to adapt text is quite mind blowing to say the least. Photoshop allows to create text to suit all your design needs. To learn more about Text and the capabilities of word art then check out some examples here. 

7. Fee Transform Your probably thinking what's so special about this and maybe right but I use this set of options quite a lot. its great for changing the dimensions of graphics. It also allows you to create shadows and reflections, the more you use these tools and understand there capabilities it will open up a whole new world. See the Free Transform tools in action here.

8. PhotoMerge this option is tucked away deep within the menus of Photoshop and to say how effective it is I think it should be more accessible. This facility allows you to stitch together your photographs in the aim of creating a panoramic. To see a tutorial on how to use the Photomerge facility click here.

9. Resizing We tend to take this option for granted but its just as useful as any other. We don't fork out for high mega pixel cameras for nothing. We want to make our pictures huge so they clog up our hard drives and increase our back up capacity but who cares? We love our images the bigger the better a lot more can be done with a large image like putting them on canvas or framing them for example.  For ideas on how to present your work you might find this page useful.

10. Filters Last but no means least  we have the Filters. These are great to explore and experiment with as they add a whole new edge to your work. They can all be adjusted and altered to suit the strength and detail of each option I seriously recommend exploring these. To see some examples of the effects of using Filters you might want to check this page out.    

 6. Creating Text Effects The ability to adapt text is quite mind blowing to say the least. Photoshop allows to create text to suit all your design needs. To learn more about Text and the capabilities of word art then check out some examples here. 

7. Fee Transform Your probably thinking what's so special about this and maybe right but I use this set of options quite a lot. its great for changing the dimensions of graphics. It also allows you to create shadows and reflections, the more you use these tools and understand there capabilities it will open up a whole new world. See the Free Transform tools in action here.

8. PhotoMerge this option is tucked away deep within the menus of Photoshop and to say how effective it is I think it should be more accessible. This facility allows you to stitch together your photographs in the aim of creating a panoramic. To see a tutorial on how to use the Photomerge facility click here.

9. Resizing We tend to take this option for granted but its just as useful as any other. We don't fork out for high mega pixel cameras for nothing. We want to make our pictures huge so they clog up our hard drives and increase our back up capacity but who cares? We love our images the bigger the better a lot more can be done with a large image like putting them on canvas or framing them for example.  For ideas on how to present your work you might find this page useful.

10. Filters Last but no means least  we have the Filters. These are great to explore and experiment with as they add a whole new edge to your work. They can all be adjusted and altered to suit the strength and detail of each option I seriously recommend exploring these. To see some examples of the effects of using Filters you might want to check this page out.