The Workspace & Interface
- Menu Bar, Options Bar, Tools Panel, Panels (Docking/Undocking).
- Navigating the Canvas (Zoom, Pan, Hand Tool, Navigator Panel).
- Creating New Documents (Resolution: PPI/DPI, Color Modes: RGB vs. CMYK).
- Opening, Saving, and Exporting Files (PSD, JPEG, PNG, TIFF).
Core Concept: Layers
- Layers Panel (Visibility, Opacity, Locking).
- Creating, Deleting, Duplicating, and Renaming Layers.
- Layer Groups.
- The Background Layer vs. Regular Layers.
Essential Tools & Techniques
- Move Tool (V) & Transform Controls (Scale, Rotate).
- Zoom (Z) & Hand Tool (H).
- Crop Tool (C) & Straightening.
- Basic Selection Tools (Marquee, Lasso).
Image Size & Resolution
- Image Size vs. Canvas Size.
- Resampling (Upscaling/Downscaling).
- Aspect Ratio.
- Understanding how Photoshop adds or removes pixels.
Non-Destructive Editing
- Adjustment Layers (Levels, Curves, Hue/Saturation).
- Layer Masks (Black hides, White reveals).
- Smart Objects.
- Blending Modes (Multiply, Screen, Overlay, etc.).
Advanced Selection
- Quick Selection Tool, Magic Wand Tool.
- Object Selection Tool.
- Select and Mask Workspace (Refine Edge Brush, Global Adjustments).
- Pen Tool (P) for Paths and Selections.
Retouching & Healing Tools
- Spot Healing Brush Tool.
- Healing Brush Tool.
- Clone Stamp Tool (S).
- Content-Aware Fill.
- Removing small blemishes, dust spots.
- AI-driven removal of objects/filling of empty space.
Color & Tonal Correction
- Curves (Mastering the S-Curve, Channel-Specific Adjustments).
- Levels (Input/Output sliders, setting black/white points).
- Camera Raw Filter / Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).
- Color Balance & Selective Color.
Brushes & Painting
- Brush Tool (B) (Size, Hardness, Opacity, Flow).
- Creating and Importing Custom Brushes.
- Eraser Tool (E) (Types: Block, Background, Magic).
- Dodge Tool (O) (Lightening) & Burn Tool (O) (Darkening).
Text & Vector Shapes
- Type Tool (T) (Point Type vs. Paragraph Type).
- Character and Paragraph Panels.
- Shape Tools (Rectangle, Ellipse, Custom Shapes).
- Paths Panel & Converting Text/Shapes to Paths.