After buying Photoshop software, you are probably very excited to start manipulating and improving the digital photographs that are stored in your personal computer. If you cannot find someone to teach you how to use Photoshop, you do not need to worry because the most basic knowledge you need to use the software is actually provided by the manufacturer of the program. After installation of the software, you can opt to have a simple tutorial of the basic parts and components of the photo editor tool you have just purchased.



If you want a more detailed instruction on how to use the Photoshop software, just surf the Net and you will be amazed to find that there are numerous websites that have downloadable files or step-by-step instructions on how to use the program. Since the said software has been updated several times already, there is a big chance that you would encounter tutorials or guides for either higher or lower version of the Photoshop program you bought. However, you do not need to worry about versions because most of the fundamentals things that you need to learn about the graphic editor is the same or similar to almost all versions.

Here are some of the topics that are commonly discussed in free basic Adobe Photoshop tutorials that are available on the World Wide Web:

Navigation Help

Before you even start working on a document or file, you need to acquire skills in navigating the software. Under this topic, you will surely learn about the icons and actions found in the palette, menu bar, status bar and the toolbox. In this particular section, you will learn the basic short cut commands, such as Ctrl – or Ctrl + to zoom out or zoom in the picture that you are working on.

Aside from the shortcut keys, you will also have an idea on how to use the palette, how to open documents and hide and unhide tool bars and menu bars. Moreover, you will also be familiar with function keys, after finishing a tutorial about this topic.

Working With Photos and Existing Documents

As the name implies, this section will teach you how to make use of the software in order to improve or enhance the pictures or the documents that are saved in your computer. You will now be able to resize, crop, open, save and view documents, after finishing this part of free Photoshop tutorials. Moreover, you will also learn how to use some editing commands too.

Color Selection, Masks, Image Modes, Layers and Blend Modes

The most interesting part of the free Photoshop tutorials usually tackle about the tools you need to further enhance, create and retouch beautiful photos. In this part of the tutorial, you will learn about how you could play with colors and what color selection is available to you. You will also know how to use the more complicated tools such as the wand and lasso selection tools, eyedropper and layering tools.

Retouching and Painting Tools

Most of the free basic Photoshop tutorial sessions or files available on the Net ends with the discussion of the retouching and painting tools. In this section you will now learn how to use the eraser, airbrush and paintbrush tools. You will be quite astounded with what you can do with photos after you finish this section, which will also teach you how to smudge, dodge, burn, sharpen, blur and sponge a picture.

After you have mastered the basics, you will be more equipped to go further and look for more advanced free Photoshop classes, tips or tutorials on the World Wide Web.