Photoshop Workshop 3 - Contrast/Brightness and Levels

Image --> Adjustments --> Levels

Image --> Adjustments --> Brightness/Contrast

Photoshop Workshop 3 - Contact Sheet

Photoshop Workshop 2 - Final Image

Photoshop Workshop 2 - Zooming In And Out

To zoom in and out of an image you need to use the 'Zoom' tool. This can be found at the bottom of the tool bar as shown below:

You then just need to click on your image repeatedly until you get your desired close view:

The quickest way to zoom out  is to click the 'Fit Screen' button towards the top of the screen as shown:

Once clicked the image should be returned to it's normal size:

Photoshop Workshop 2 - Aligning Pictures Accurately

To align up multiple images accurately you can use a grid to help you. To make this grid visable you need to select the 'View' option, 'Show' and then click 'Grid'. This will then bring up a grid over your image:

This now allows you to use the grids/squares to align each photo up evenly and accurately, which improves your overall presentation of your images.

After aligning each image up and your happy with it, to hide the grid again you just need to select   'View --> Show --> Grid' again and it will hide the grid for you.

Photoshop Workshop 2 - Adding A Border & Changing The Background Colour

To add a border to your images you will first need to select the 'Edit' option and then select 'Stroke':

After selecting stroke, you will be presented with a box where you can choose how thick or thin you want your border to be and even the colour as shown below:

It is advised that you use Black, White or a shade of Grey for your border. This will be determined by the background colour and your chosen image. If there is a lot of white in your image, to make it stand out you will want the border to be black on a white background. On the other hand, if your image is dark or has a lot of black in it you will want a white border with a black background.

To change your background colour you will need to select the 'Fill' tool and choose the colour you want your back ground to be:

After clicking 'OK' all you need to do is click on the background to change it as shown below:

Photoshop Workshop 2 - Resizing Images

As you may of noticed on the last blog, the image that i dragged across was bigger than my background. This now means we are going to need to re-size the image to fit the background. To do this we first need to select the layer we wish to re-size:

Now whilst holding down shift, we need to drag the corner of the image in to make the image smaller. We need to hold the shift key as this allows us to make the image smaller without accidentally squashing or making the image thinner:

Photoshop Workshop 2 - Move Tool

To Move photo's around on photoshop, you will use a tool known as the 'Move Tool' (this is the first tool from the top on your tool bar). You will need to select this tool before moving anything around:

After selecting the move tool you can now drag any images you want onto the blank background we created in the last blog. To do this just simply click and hold on the image you wish to be on the blank background and drag it across, letting go to place it on the background:

Photoshop Workshop 2 - Rotating Your Background

If you wish to rotate your background so that it is horizontal (Landscape) then you will need to first select the 'Image' option. Then select Image Rotation and 90CW as shown for you below:

After selecting '90CW', photoshop will rotate your background 90 degrees for you so :)

Photoshop Workshop 2 - Opening A New File

To open a new blank file you need to select the 'File' option and then select 'New' as shown below:

After selecting 'New' you will be presented with a box in which you will need to click on the 'Preset' drop down menu and select 'International Paper':

After choosing the paper you can now choose the size in which you want your paper (background) to be. To do this, click on the size drop down menu and select the size you would like. In this case i will select 'A4' as shown for you below:

All you have to do now is click 'OK' and photoshop will open you up a new file :)

Photoshop Workshop 1 - Resolution

Another thing to check before saving or printing your images is the resolution the image is set to. Resolution refers to the number of pixels in an image, this is sometimes identified by the width and height of the image as well as the total number of pixels in the image. You can edit the resolution by going into the 'Image' tab on the menu bar, and selecting 'Image Size'.

You will then be presented with another option box allowing you to adjust the resolution. Here the resolution is measured in pixels per inch, 72 or 150 pixels per inch is enough quality for printing test shots, any final images being printed should be done at at least 300 pixels per inch.

Photoshop Workshop 1 - Saving Your Images

To save an edited photo in PhotoShop, you first need to go to the 'File' tab on the menu bar, and select 'Save As' as pictured below:

After selecting save as, a box will appear which will allow you to rename the image, where on the computer you would like to save the image to, and which format you want to save the image in.

I will be using both JPEG, and TIFF formats whilst on my course. JPEG is most useful for saving test shots and experimental shots, as it keeps the physical size of the image but compresses it down so it is smaller file size saving you space in your memory, making it easier to store. The reason I will only be using this format for test shots only is that in compressing the files, it reduces the quality of the images which for printing isn't ideal.


For my final pieces and printing, I will instead be using the TIFF format. This format does not shrink or flatten the images, allowing them to retain detail and sharpness in the image itself. The more detailed the picture, the more space it takes up in your memory, so only my final pieces will be saved as TIFFs.

After selecting the format you want to save your work in, you are then given the option to chose the quality of the file, You should always save to the highest quality possible so you don't lose any detail after saving. On the slider tool this will usually be represented by 'large file' and the numeric value should be '12'.

Photoshop Workshop 1 - Renaming Images

To rename saved images, simply double click slowly on the text under the picture (which will be the current file name). The file name should now be highlighted blue, and this should allow you to cancel and re-type over the current text with the new file name as shown in the screen grab below:

Photoshop Workshop 1 - Contact Sheet