Matt takes you through the layout of Photoshop and shows you where things are and some of the main areas that you will need to know. He shows you how to access tools,options and panels as well as how to adjust or reset your workspace when things start to get cluttered.

One of the most powerful advantages to working in Photoshop is being able to work with Layers. Since Layers are so important Matt gets you up and running by showing you how they work and what working “non-destructively” is all about.

Dig a little bit deeper into Layers. Learn what happens when you take two images and stack them together and start to make changes to them. Find out whether the new layers created are related to or linked back to the original image.

Blending modes and Opacity are super handy in achieving the look you want. Matt shows you how blending modes and opacity work hand-in-hand with layers. There are four main blend modes that you will work with all the time: Multiply will darken, Screen will Lighten while Overlay and Soft Light will add contrast.

Turbo charge your work by learning what Layer masks are and how to use them. Discovering how to use Layer masks will allow you to hide and correct parts of your image in a way that will let you go back and re-edit them at any time in the future. This is an advanced concept that Matt explain in simple easy to understand way.

Whenever you work in Photoshop and go to save your files, you have to choose what file format to save it in. Matt shares with you the two main formats that you will use for most of your work, and then gives a quick overview of a couple of other types that may come in handy.

How big is your image and what is its resolution? Learn how the two work together and find out some practical ideas of how to work with your file to get an image the size you need for either computer screens or prints.

Matt talks to you about why you should be using Camera Raw to adjust your photo and then walks you throough the Basics panel and the steps to take to get the most out of your image. He then shows you how to use Camera Raw as a filter even if your image is not a RAW file.

When you need to make specific local adjustments, you will need to go beyond the Basics panel in Camera Raw. Matt shows you how to ude the adjustment brush, Gradient Filter and Radial Filter to apply targeted adjustments to just one area of the image. If you just need to make small local adjustments in Photoshop, then you may just want to try out the Dodge and Burn tools.

Learn how to make selections on your image to either change a portion of the image or even cut out a part and put it on another photo. Making quick and easy selections can really make a different in your photos and Matt shows you how it all works.

Take care of those spots of your photo that are giving you problems. Learn about the Spot Healing Brush, the Healing Brush and the Clone stamp and find out how and when to use which one.

Find out some of the best ways to crop and straighten your images, including the new Upright feature that is in Camera Raw that helps take care of some problem angles quickly and easily.

Matt walks you through the sharpening panel in Camera Raw and shows you what each of the sharpening sliders do and how they affect the overall outcome of the image. Then he show you a quick little sharpening method while working directly in Photoshop.

As a photographer there are going to be times when you want to add text to your photos. Learn how to apply and edit text using the text tool. Having text on its own layer means that you are able to make all kinds of adjustments without affecting the background image.

Getting the right color and brightness when printing takes just a little bit of knowledge. Matt walks you through how to set up your screen, printer and Photoshop so that they all work well together. He shares a neat little trick if your images are coming out too dark, and the end result is prints that you can be proud of.

Now that you are becoming a Photoshop Master, you may want to set things up according to your style of work. Photoshop will let you customize your workspace, menus and even keyboard shortcuts. So jump in and set things up in a way that makes sense to you… and maybe even drive your co-workers crazy as a bonus.