Adobe Photoshop Basics
Ecclesiastes 3:11
“He has made everything appropriate in its time.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us that YAH makes everything beautiful and appropriate in its time.
As designers, we can appreciate the beauty of His creation while using our creativity to improve how photographs are presented. Editing is not always about changing everything. Sometimes, small adjustments help bring out the beauty that is already there.
What Is Adobe Photoshop?
Adobe Photoshop is a photo editing and graphic design program used by photographers, designers, and magazine editors. It allows you to improve images, remove distractions, adjust colors, and create professional-looking photographs.
This week, you will learn basic Photoshop tools and use them to edit photographs for your magazine.
Five Basic Photoshop Editing Skills
1. Brightness and Contrast
Adjust the lighting to make your photo brighter, darker, or more balanced. Contrast helps details stand out.
2. Color Adjustments
Use Hue/Saturation or Vibrance to make colors look natural and appealing.
3. Crop Tool
Remove unnecessary areas of a photo and improve the composition. Think about the rule of thirds.
4. Remove Distractions
Use the Spot Healing Brush or Remove Tool to clean up unwanted objects, spots, or distractions. For journalism photographs, do not remove anything that changes the truth of the scene.
5. Sharpening and Details
Improve the clarity of your image so important details are easier to see. Avoid oversharpening.
In-Class Magazine Activity: Edit Your Magazine Photos
Your magazine needs photographs that look professional and match your magazine's overall design.
Your assignment:
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Choose at least three photographs you plan to use in your magazine.
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Open each photograph in Photoshop.
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Make a copy of the original image before editing.
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Adjust brightness, contrast, and colors as needed.
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Crop the photo to improve composition.
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Remove minor distractions when appropriate.
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Save your edited photographs in a folder named Magazine Edited Photos.
Remember that all photographs in your magazine should have a consistent style. Think about your magazine's colors, theme, and audience.
Magazine Piece Added: Edited Photo Collection
By the end of class, you should have a collection of edited photographs ready to place into your magazine layout.
Homework: Edit Three Additional Photos
Choose three photographs that you have not edited during class.
For each photograph:
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Make at least three different adjustments using Photoshop.
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Save both the original and edited versions.
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Write one or two sentences explaining what you changed and why.
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Submit your three before-and-after comparisons in Google Classroom.
Remember: A great designer knows when to make changes and when to leave things alone. Your goal is to improve the photograph without making it look unnatural.
Reflection Question: How can small changes make a big difference in a photograph, and how might that lesson apply to other areas of your life?