Photoshop Essentials.com - Tutorials and training for Adobe Photoshop.
Where everyone can learn Photoshop!

Latest Photoshop tutorials

Welcome to Photoshop Essentials, where everyone can learn Photoshop! We offer fun, exclusive, step-by-step tutorials for all skill levels, and all written with beginners in mind. From Photoshop Basics to Photo Editing and Retouching, Photo Effects, Text Effects and more!

Check out our latest Photoshop tutorials below. Or download our tutorials as PDFs and get exclusive bonus content!

How to install Adobe Bridge

Learn how to install Adobe Bridge, a powerful file browser that makes it easy to find your images and open them into Photoshop!

How to Close Images in Photoshop

Knowing how to get your images into Photoshop is important, but so is knowing how to close them. Learn how to close a single image or multiple images at once, how to close images with unsaved changes, and how to close an image and return to Adobe Bridge.

How To Open Images Into Camera Raw

If you’re a photographer, you’ll want to do your initial image editing work not in Photoshop but in Camera Raw. Learn how to easily open raw files, as well as JPEG and TIFF images, directly into Camera Raw.

Photo To Color Pencil Sketch With Photoshop CC

**Now with video!** Learn how to easily turn any photo into a black and white pencil sketch, then learn how to colorize it, first using the photo’s original colors, then with a single color, and then with a gradient!

Photoshop Sparkle Brush And Motion Trail Effect

Learn how to easily create a custom sparkle brush from scratch in Photoshop, then how to use the brush to add a magical sparkle trail to your photo! Now updated and expanded for Photoshop CC and CS6.

The Legacy New Document Dialog Box In Photoshop CC

Adobe has completely redesigned the New Document dialog box in Photoshop CC 2017, but the original, legacy version is still around. Learn how to easily switch between the two versions, and how the legacy version works!

How To Disable The Start Workspace In Photoshop CC

The Start workspace is a great feature in Photoshop, but not everyone will want to use it. Learn how to disable the Start workspace while still being able to create new documents and open your images!

The Updated Start Workspace In Photoshop CC

Learn all about the updated Start workspace in Photoshop CC and how it lets us create new documents, open images and re-open our recent files, all from one convenient screen!

Photoshop Layers Essential Power Shortcuts

From creating, copying and selecting layers to blend modes, clipping masks and more, learn how to speed up your Photoshop workflow with these essential layers shortcuts!

Creating A New Background Layer Action In Photoshop

Need to quickly free yourself from Photoshop’s Background layer limitations? Learn how to replace your default Background layer with a new one from scratch and how to save the steps as a time-saving action!

The Background Layer In Photoshop

In this tutorial in our Photoshop Layers series, learn all about the Background layer in Photoshop CC, why it’s different from normal layers, and how to get around its limitations.

Understanding Layers In Photoshop

New to Photoshop layers? In this easy-to-follow, step-by-step lesson, learn the basics of what layers are, how they work, and why knowing how to use layers is such an essential Photoshop skill.

The Background Eraser Tool In Photoshop

Learn all about the Background Eraser Tool in Photoshop, including how it works and how it can easily remove unwanted background areas in your photos! Now fully updated for Photoshop CS6 and CC!

Photo To Detailed Sketch With Photoshop

Learn how to turn any photo into a sketch with lots of fine detail, great for landscapes, architecture photos, still lifes, and more! And, learn how to complete the entire effect from start to finish in 60 seconds!

Editable Soft Glow With Smart Filters In Photoshop

In this second of two tutorials, learn how Smart Objects and Smart Filters in Photoshop can help us create the same soft glow effect as in the previous tutorial, but this time, keeping the effect fully editable from start to finish!

Easy Soft Glow Effect With Photoshop

In this first of two tutorials, learn how to easily enhance your photos with a soft glow effect that softens skin, boosts contrast and makes colors more vibrant!

How to Customize the Toolbar in Photoshop

Learn how to customize the Toolbar in Photoshop CC using the Customize Toolbar dialog box, and how to save your custom Toolbar layout as a preset. You’ll learn how to remove and restore tools, group and ungroup tools, how to reorder the tools in the Toolbar, and more!

New Darker Dialog Boxes In Photoshop CC 2015

Learn all about the new darker dialog boxes in Photoshop CC, one of several changes to Photoshop’s interface that Adobe made as part of the November 2015 Creative Cloud updates.

Photoshop Free Transform Essential Skills

Our complete guide to learning the many ways of transforming objects and selections with Free Transform in Photoshop, from Scale and Rotate to Skew, Distort, Perspective, Warp, and more!