Adobe Photoshop Basics for Complete Beginners

If you are brand new to Adobe Photoshop, welcome. This is the first lesson in our easy Photoshop guide. We will go slow so you can follow along and learn.

Getting Started with Photoshop

Open Photoshop. You will see the home screen. This is where you open a photo or make a new file. For now, click Create New and use the default settings.

Learn About the Photoshop Screen

When you first open Photoshop, the screen may look busy. There are panels, tools, menus, and buttons all over. That is normal. Every new user feels this way at first.

The good news is that once you know what each part does, it gets easy and fun. In this lesson, we will walk through the main parts of the Photoshop screen. You will feel at home and start editing with ease.

Understanding the Toolbar

The toolbar sits on the left side of the screen. It holds all the key tools you need for editing, fixing, drawing, picking, and moving around. Each tool has its own job. As you practice, you will learn when to use each one.

Below is a simple guide to every key tool in Photoshop.

Move Tool

The Move Tool moves things in your file, like images, text, or shapes. Pick the layer you want to move in the Layers panel. Then click and drag it on the screen. If the wrong layer is picked, you will move the wrong thing. Always check that the right layer is active first.

Marquee Tools (Rectangle, Ellipse)

Marquee Tools pick a part of your image. The Rectangular Marquee makes box shapes. The Elliptical Marquee makes round or oval shapes. Click and drag to pick an area. Then you can edit, copy, or move just that part.

Lasso Tools (Lasso, Polygonal, Magnetic)

Lasso Tools let you draw a free-form pick. The regular Lasso lets you draw by hand. The Polygonal Lasso makes straight lines with clicks. The Magnetic Lasso sticks to edges as you trace. Use these when you need a more exact pick than the Marquee Tools.

Object Selection, Quick Selection, Magic Wand Tool

These tools help you pick parts of your image fast.

The Quick Selection Tool paints a pick over your object and finds edges on its own.

The Magic Wand picks areas by color. It works great on plain backgrounds.

The Object Selection Tool lets you draw a rough box around an object. Photoshop picks it for you. These tools save time when you need exact edits.

Crop Tool

The Crop Tool trims or resizes your screen to focus on the part you want.

The Perspective Crop Tool fixes angles, like a photo taken at a tilt.

The Slice Tool cuts your image into parts. This is useful for web design. The Slice Select Tool lets you pick and adjust these parts. Together, these tools help you organize and edit your images well.

Frame Tool

The Frame Tool makes placeholders for images in your design. You can draw a box or round frame. Then put an image inside it. This is great for layouts, collages, or mockups. It keeps your images neat and in place.

Eyedropper, Color Sampler, Ruler, Note and Count Tools

These tools help you check and work with your image:

Eyedropper Tool: Pick any color from your image to use as your main or back color.

Color Sampler Tool: Place up to four points to watch colors while you edit.

Ruler Tool: Measure distances, angles, or straighten things for exact edits.

Note Tool: Add text notes to your file for tips or reminders.

Count Tool: Count objects or parts in your image with ease.

Healing Tools

These tools fix flaws in your photos:

Spot Healing Brush: Removes small spots or marks with one click.

Healing Brush: Pick a clean spot and paint over flaws for more control.

Patch Tool: Pick a problem area and swap it with pixels from another part.

Content-Aware Move Tool: Move an object to a new spot. Photoshop fills the old area on its own.

Red Eye Tool: Fixes red eyes in photos right away.

Brush, Pencil, Color Replacement and Mixer Brush Tools

These tools are for painting and drawing:

Brush Tool: Paints smooth lines with your chosen color and brush style.

Pencil Tool: Draws hard lines. Great for sketches or pixel art.

Color Replacement Tool: Swaps one color in your image while keeping the texture.

Mixer Brush Tool: Mixes colors like real paint. You can blend and smudge for a painted look.

These tools are key for creative painting, drawing, and color changes.

Clone Stamp and Pattern Stamp Tools

These tools copy pixels from one part of your image to another:

Clone Stamp Tool: Pick a source spot and paint over another area to copy it. Great for removing things or fixing flaws.

Pattern Stamp Tool: Paints a repeating pattern instead of pixels. Useful for creative designs or filling areas with textures.

Both tools give you control over how you copy or add parts to your image.

History Brush and Art History Brush Tools

These tools let you go back or add a creative touch:

History Brush Tool: Paints back an older version of your image from the History panel. Good for fixing mistakes without undoing everything.

Art History Brush Tool: Like the History Brush but adds art effects while going back. It gives your image a painted or stylized look.

These tools help you fix errors or add creative flair while keeping control.

Eraser, Background Eraser and Magic Eraser Tools

These tools remove parts of your image:

Eraser Tool: Erases pixels as you drag, like a real eraser.

Background Eraser Tool: Removes background areas but keeps the edges of the main subject. Great for cutting out objects.

Magic Eraser Tool: Deletes areas of the same color with one click. Perfect for removing plain backgrounds fast.

These tools are key for cleaning up images and making clear edits.

Gradient, Paint Bucket and 3D Material Drop Tools

These tools fill areas with color or textures:

Gradient Tool: Makes a smooth blend between two or more colors. Great for backgrounds or shading.

Paint Bucket Tool: Fills an area with a solid color or pattern fast.

3D Material Drop Tool: Adds textures to 3D objects in your scene.

These tools are useful for adding color, texture, and depth to your designs.

Blur, Sharpen and Smudge Tools

These tools change the focus and smoothness of your image:

Blur Tool: Softens edges or areas to cut detail and make things smooth.

Sharpen Tool: Makes edges stand out more so areas look clear and sharp.

Smudge Tool: Smears pixels like you are dragging them with your finger. Good for blending colors or making a painted look.

These tools are great for fine-tuning images and adding small creative touches.

Dodge, Burn and Sponge Tools

These tools change light, dark, and color in your image:

Dodge Tool: Lightens areas to bring out bright spots.

Burn Tool: Darkens areas to add depth and show shadows.

Sponge Tool: Changes how strong or weak colors are in certain spots.

These tools are key for fine-tuning photos and boosting details.

Pen Tools

These tools make exact paths and shapes:

Pen Tool: Draws straight or curved lines with high accuracy. Great for picks or custom shapes.

Freeform Pen Tool: Lets you draw paths by hand, like using a pencil.

Curvature Pen Tool: Makes smooth curves easy by adjusting points on its own.

Add Anchor Point Tool: Adds more points to a path for better control.

Delete Anchor Point Tool: Removes points from a path to simplify it.

Convert Point Tool: Changes points between sharp corners and smooth curves.

These tools are key for exact work, making vector shapes, and complex picks.

Type Tools

These tools add text to your projects:

Horizontal Type Tool: Makes normal left-to-right text on your screen.

Vertical Type Tool: Writes text from top to bottom.

Horizontal Type Mask Tool: Makes a pick shaped like horizontal text. You can fill it with images or effects.

Vertical Type Mask Tool: Like the horizontal one but makes vertical text picks for creative designs.

These tools are great for adding text, titles, or text-based effects.

Path Selection and Direct Selection Tools

These tools help you work with paths and shapes:

Path Selection Tool: Picks and moves whole paths or shapes.

Direct Selection Tool: Picks single points or parts of a path. This lets you fine-tune shapes and curves.

These tools are key for exact changes when working with vector shapes or custom paths.

Shape Tools

These tools make vector shapes:

Rectangle Tool: Draws boxes and squares.

Ellipse Tool: Draws circles and ovals.

Triangle Tool: Makes triangles fast and easy.

Polygon Tool: Draws shapes with any number of sides.

Line Tool: Draws straight lines with changeable thickness.

Custom Shape Tool: Lets you draw set or custom shapes for creative designs.

These tools are great for making graphics, icons, and design parts with clean, editable shapes.

Hand Tool and Rotate View Tool

These tools help you move around your screen:

Hand Tool: Lets you move your image by clicking and dragging. Useful when you are zoomed in.

Rotate View Tool: Turns the screen for a bit. This makes it easier to draw or edit from different angles. It does not change the real image.

These tools make working on big or detailed projects much easier.

Zoom Tool

The Zoom Tool lets you zoom in and out of your screen. Click to zoom in. Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and click to zoom out. It is key for working on small details or checking the full image.

Other Options in the Toolbar

This area gives you quick access to useful controls. You can change your toolbar, swap front and back colors, use Quick Mask mode for exact picks, and change screen views. These options help you stay organized and work with ease in Photoshop.

Edit Toolbar Panel

The Edit Toolbar option lets you change which tools show in your toolbar. You can add, remove, or move tools to fit how you work. This helps you work faster and keeps your screen neat.

Foreground and Background Color

You can swap your front and back colors here. The front color is what your tools use. The back color is used for some fills and erases.

Edit in Quick Mask Mode and Change Screen Mode

Edit in Quick Mask Mode: This lets you make and fix picks by painting them as a temp mask. It is a great way to make exact picks that are hard to do with normal tools.

Change Screen Mode: This lets you switch between different views, like Standard, Full Screen with Menu Bar, or Full Screen. Changing views helps you focus on your image and manage your screen better.