Q. What is the best method of selecting color in Photoshop?  A. This is a great question, because colors play a very important part in Photoshop. The easiest and most common way of choosing a color is to use the Eyedropper tool. You can select the Eyedropper tool from the Toolbar or by pressing I on your keyboard. Next, specify the eyedropper’s sample area by choosing it from the Sample Size drop-down menu in the Options Bar. If you have more than one layer, you have the option of picking a color from multiple layers at the same time by selecting All Layers in the Sample drop-down menu i...

Q. With the Spot Healing Brush tool selected, what are the differences between the Proximity Match and Content-Aware modes in the Options Bar?  A. Great question! The difference is that Proximity Match analyzes the pixels around the area you’re trying to repair and then samples those pixels and tries to blend them into the damaged area. The Content-Aware mode uses AI to fill the damaged area with the best possible match.  Q. How can I customize artboard preferences?  A. There are a couple of artboard preferences that you can customize in the way that works best for you. Go to Pho...

Q. Is it possible to change the color of the interface in Adobe Camera Raw like you can in Photoshop? A. Absolutely. In Photoshop, you can access the Camera Raw settings by going to Photoshop (PC: Edit)>Preferences>Camera Raw. In the General section, under Appearance at the top, click on the Color Theme drop-down menu to expand it, and pick from one of the shades of gray in the list.  Q. I’m a photographer without any graphic design experience. I just started my business and can’t afford to pay for design services yet. It takes me a lot of time to create the simplest poster or...

Q. As a lifestyle photographer, I often need to blur out the background in my photographs. What’s the quickest way of doing this in Photoshop?  A. I’m with you on this. In Photoshop we have many ways of blurring an image’s background but, of course, we always like to do it the fastest way. My favorite way is using a Neural Filter. First, go to Filter>Convert for Smart Filters so you’ll be able to make changes to the Neural Filter after you apply it. Then, go to Filter>Neural Filters and turn on the switch for Depth Blur. If you haven’t used Depth Blur before, you’ll need to downloa...

Q. I’m trying to add an image to a mockup and blend it in to create a retro-style look, but the blend modes I used don’t give me a retro feeling. Is there a way to adjust the blend?  A. Blend modes are very powerful tools to blend two or more layers together to create a unified image. Sometimes to achieve the desired results, we need to use a combination of the blend modes and Blending Options in the Layer Style dialog.  Add the image to the mockup and use the blend mode you think is the best for your image. I used Multiply in this example. Click on the Add a Layer Style icon (fx) at ...

Q. With the latest Photoshop update, I can’t find the Camera Shake Reduction filter.  A. In April’s update of Photoshop 23.3, the Shake Reduction filter was removed. If you’re looking for a great sharpening solution, then have a look at Topaz Sharpen AI.  Q. How can I apply a custom color theme to Photoshop’s interface?  A. This is a great question. Depending on the color of the image on which I’m working, I often change the color of the canvas around my image because I prefer to have a lot of contrast between my document and Photoshop’s canvas color. You can change the color of ...

Q. Is there any way to delete the list of files in the Open Recent list under the File menu? A. Yes, and it’s very easy to do. You can delete your recent files listing by simply going to File>Open Recent>Clear Recent File List.  Q. I tried Perspective Warp but I’m having trouble understanding how to use it correctly.  A. When you take photos of objects that you want to combine with other photos, unless you planned ahead, the perspective will likely be off. Perspective Warp is one of the best tools in Photoshop when you want to match the perspective of a layer against the ba...

Learn how to get started as a digital painter in Photoshop with Victoria Pavlov! Whether you’ve painted before or are just getting started, this class will give you the foundation you need to add digital painting to your skillset. Victoria guides you through setting up your workspace for painting, organizing your brushes and brush presets, and introduces you to Creative Cloud libraries before diving into the art of painting itself. There are lessons on starting a digital painting from scratch, digital painting for photographers, and tips and techniques for making your paintings more visually interesting and engaging. By the end of the class you’ll be much more comfortable in your digital photography workflow.

As long as the world has existed, people have been expressing their emotions, feelings, events, and sights around their villages and homes through art. We all have our favorite color that represents our happiness, or colors that represent our sadness. I believe that all of us can paint. We all painted when we were children. Painting is an expression of ourselves, sharing our heart, soul, and vision with the rest of the world. We’re lucky enough to live in a modern world where we have everything we need to bring our creativity to the next, better level. We have cameras, mobile devices, an...