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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!

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!

How To Draw Vector Shapes In Photoshop CS6

Learn the essentials of creating vector art in Photoshop CS6 with its easy to use shape tools, including the Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon, and Line Tools!

New Guide Layout In Photoshop CC

Tired of dragging guides out from the rulers? Learn how the New Guide Layout feature in Photoshop CC lets you quickly add rows and columns, gutters, and margins to your documents, and save your guide layouts as presets!

Photoshop’s Levels Image Adjustment Essentials

Take your first step into the world of professional-level image correction by learning how to easily improve the tonal range of an image, boosting contrast and restoring detail, using a Levels image adjustment in Photoshop!

Understanding Histograms – Low-Key And High-Key Images

In this second tutorial on understanding histograms in Photoshop, we look at different types of images with their naturally darker (low-key) and lighter (high-key) tonal characteristics and learn why there’s no such thing as a standard, typical or ideal histogram.

Adding A Brightness/Contrast Adjustment Layer In Photoshop

In this tutorial, the fourth in our tone and color correction series, we take everything we’ve learned so far about how Photoshop’s Brightness/Contrast command works and learn how to apply it as a fully editable adjustment layer!

How To Merge Layer Blend Modes In Photoshop

Trying to merge multiple layers set to different blend modes and getting strange results? In this tutorial, we look at the problem, explain why it happens, and learn a secret, hidden trick to get around it!

Easy Selective Color Effect With Photoshop

Learn how to easily add a selective color, or splash of color, effect to an image in Photoshop with no selection tools needed! Convert your photo to black and white, and then bring back the color in your main subject!

Snowflakes Photo Border With Photoshop

Learn how to surround an image with an easy to create snowflakes border, a fun finishing touch for photos of family and friends during the holidays or for any wintry scene! Now for Photoshop CS6 and CC!