Basic exercises for Photoshop

Exercise 1

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Selection Tools, Copy, Cut, Paste, Move Tool

   

Copy the pictures in paintings.jpg 

and paste them into wall.jpg.
 

1. Save the pictures paintings.jpg och wall.jpg to your student folder.

2. Open the picture paintings.jpg in Photoshop. Use the rectangular selection tool to
select the square painting, and copy it.

3. Open the picture wall.jpg in Photoshop (without closing paintings.jpg). Paste the
square picture onto the wall. Once you've pasted it there, use the Move Tool to place
the painting near the right-hand edge of the wall.

4. Use the elliptical selection tool to select the round painting in the picture pictures.jpg.
Cut it out.

5. Paste the round painting into the picture wall.jpg. Use the Move Tool to place it near
the left-hand edge of the wall.

 
Exercise 2

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Selection Tools, Copy, Paste, Paste Into, Move Tool

   

Copy the pictures in framethis1, 2 and 3. Use the function Paste Into to
get them into the empty frames.
 

1. Save the pictures as framethis1.jpg, framethis2.jpg, framethis3.jpg and 

emptyframes.jpg to your folder.

2. Open the pictures you just saved in Photoshop.

3. Use a fitting Selection Tool to copy a picture from one of the framethis-pictures.
When you've copied it, Select the empty space inside one of the borders in the picture
emptyframes.jpg. Use the function Paste Into to paste the picture you just copied into
the frame.

4. Use the Move Tool to move the picture around inside the border until it fits.

5. Repeat until all the empty frames are filled.

 
Exercise 3

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Lasso- and Polygonal Lasso Selection Tools, Copy, Paste Into, Move Tool, Zoom
Tool, Transform

   

Use the Lasso- or Polygonal Lasso Tool to Select and copy the
dog. Paste the dog into the doghouse..
 

1. Save the pictures dog.jpg and doghouse.jpg to your folder.

2. Open the pictures in PhotoShop.

3. Use the Lasso- or Polygonal Lasso Selection Tools to select the dog. Be careful around
the edges. You will probably have to use the Zoom Tool.

4. When you've Selected the dog, copy it.

5. Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to create a selection in the opening of the doghouse.
Use Paste Into to put the dog in there. Move the dog around with the Move Tool. Use
Transform Scale to shrink the dog a bit.

Exercise 4

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Selection Tools, Copy, Paste, Paste Into, Move Tool, Transform, Opacity
   

Copy the ghost and paste at least ten copies of it into the castle
picture. Use the Transform function on each ghost, and give the
layer of each ghost a different Opacity.
 

1. Save the pictures ghost.jpg and ghostcastle.jpg to your folder.

2. Open the pictures in Photoshop.

3. Use a Selection Tool to Select the ghost. Copy it. Paste at least ten copies of the
ghost into the ghostcastle picture. Feel free to use Paste Into if you like. Use the Move
Tool to place each ghost where you want it.

4. Use the Transform functions to change the way each ghost looks.

5. Give each ghost's layer an Opacity that's less than 100%. 

Exercise 5

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Quick Select Tool (or Magic Wand Tool), Invert Selection, Copy, Paste

   

Use the Selection Tool Quick Select to select the black area around the
guitar. When you've selected all of it, Invert the selection. Now you can
copy the guitar! Paste it onto the flowery background.
 

1. Save the picures guitar.jpg and flowerback.jpg to your folder.

2. Open the pictures in Photoshop.

3. We're going to select the guitar. The fastest way to do that is here is to select the
black area around the guitar and then invert the selection -- to turn it inside out, so that
the guitar ends up being selected while the black area becomes deselected.
If you're using Photoshop CS3, try using the Quick Select tool to Select the black area
around the guitar.

If you're using Photoshop 7, use the Magic Wand Tool to Select the black area around
the guitar.

4. Regardless of how you Selected the black area, now it's time to Invert the selection.

5. Once you've inverted the selection everything that wasn't selected before (the guitar)
should be selected, and everything that was (the black) should be deselected. Now you
see how Invert works, it can be very handy! Now copy the guitar.

6. Paste the guitar into the flowerback picture.

Exercise 6

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Paint Bucket Tool, Color Picker, Brush Tool

   

Use the Paint Bucket Tool to color the picture. Make sure to pick
the right layer before you use the tool.
 

1. Save the picture colorize.psd to your folder.

2. Open the picture in Photoshop. It's in .psd-format because it consists of several

layers.

3. Use the Paint Buchet Tool to color each part of the picture. Make sure to pick the
right layer before you start coloring it!

4. The layer "ansikte" (meaning "face") is empty. Use the Brush Tool to paint a face in
it.

 Exercise 7

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Paint Bucket Tool, Brush Tool, Selection Tools, Copy, Paste, Eraser Tool,
Opacity, Move Tool
1. Save the pictures earth.jpg, mars.jpg and jupiter.jpg to your folder.

2. Create new picthre that is about 500 pixels wide, 400 pixels high, and has a
resolution of 72 pixels/inch. We're going to create a fancy space background here. Use
the Paint Bucket Tool to fill the Background layer with the color you want the space to
have. Use the Brush Tool to paint the stars and stuff.

3. Open the pictures you just saved. Use the Elliptical Selection Tool to select a planet
(be careful around the edges). Copy it, and paste it onto your space background. Do
this for each of the three planets.

4. Imagine that the sun (out of picture) shines on the three planets from the right.

The goal here is to create shadows on the planets. You do this by using the Eraser Tool,
preferably with a big, soft brush set on a low Opacity.

When you're done your picture should look something like this:

  

Exercise 8

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Text Tool, Selection Tools, Copy, Paste, Transform
   
Use the Text Tool to add text to the speech bubbles. Give the text
different looks depending on what they're saying. Feel free to add
more bubbles if you need it.
 

1. Save the picture dialogue.jpg to your folder.

2. Open the picture in Photoshop. What are the men talking about? You decide! Use the
Text Tool to type their dialogue into the speech bubbles. Use different fonts, sizes and
colors where needed.

Add more bubbles if you want to by Selecting a bubble, copy it, and paste it. Use the
Transform function and the Move Tool to make it look like you want it.

Exercise 9

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Transform, Move Tool, Opacity, Eraser Tool

   

Use the function Transform to change sizes, places and rotations

of all the things in this picture.
 

1. Save the picture transform.psd to your folder.

2. Open the picture in Photoshop.

3. The picture consists of eight layers: seven things and one background. Your task here
is to move the things around and use the Transform function to put them where you
think they should be, and make them look the way you want.

4. Put the diver out in the water. Use the Eraser Tool set on a medium Opacity to make
him look like part of him is below the water's surface.  
 

Exercise 10

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Selection Tools, Selection Types, Color Balance

   

Use the Selection Tools to Select different parts of the picture.

Colorize the parts using the Color Balance function.
 

1. Save the picture color.jpg to your folder and open it in Photoshop.

2. Use a Selection Tool to carefully select the iris and pupil of an eye on the girl to the
left (that's the "inside" of the eye, the ring of color and the black dot).

3. Now set the Selection Type to Add To Selection and select the other eye as well.

4. Use the Color Balance function to change the color of the girl's eyes. When you're
done, turn off the selection by Deselecting it.

5. Repeat this procedure with everything in the picture. Use different Selection Types on
your selection where it fits. When you use Color Balance, try switching between
Shadows, Midtones and Highlights. This will give you some very different results.

Exercise 11

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Crop 

   

Use the Crop Tool to cut your pictures down to size.

 
1. Save the pictures crop1.jpg, crop2.jpg and crop3.jpg to your folder. Open them in
Photoshop.

2. Use the Crop Tool on the three pictures to cut them the way you think they'll look the
best.  

Exercise 12

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Canvas Size, Brush Tool, Eraser Tool

   

Increase the picture's Canvas Size -- that's the area you can use
tools on -- and add some more things to it.
 

1. Save the picture house.jpg to your folder and open it in Photoshop.

2. As you can see the picture is of a remarkably pretty house, but I couldn't fit
everything I wanted in it! I wanted a flag pole, a cat, the sun and some clouds, but they
just didn't fit.

Use the function Canvas Size to increase the picture's work area and paint the things I
couldn't fit in. 

Exercise 13

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Clone Stamp Tool, Smudge Tool

   

Use the Clone Stamp Tool to fix up scratchy photos

 and pictures with similar blemishes.
 

1. Save the picture scratches.jpg to your folder and open it in Photoshop.

2. As you can see the picture has a lot of scratches on it. Try to remove them by using
the Clone Stamp Tool on them. Try to make the picture look as "undamaged" as
possible. A few tips here:

• Use small brushes, not much larger than the scratch you're trying to repair.

• Switch source often (the area you Alt-click on).

• Feel free to use the Smudge Tool to smoothen out whatever sharp edges and lines
that might pop up around your fixes. Remember to use small brushes here too, and
keep it fairly weak, or things may come out looking a bit strange.

Exercise 14

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

The Dodge, Burn, Sponge, Blur, Sharpen and Smudge Tools

   

Use the Dodge, Burn, Spinge, Blur, Sharpen and Smudge Tools
to make the picture look different.
 

1. Save the picture tone.jpg to your folder and open it in Photoshop.

2. Use some, or all, of the tools listed above on the picture. There's nothing that's in
need of fixing, but you can use the tools to make the picture look better -- or just
different. Try them all out to see how they work.

3. Make the background blurry by using the Blur Tool. You might have to create a
Selection around the girl to make sure that she won't be affected by this. And if you
create a selection around the girl you will have to Invert it so that everything but the
girl becomes selected.... Desaturate the background using the Sponge Tool.

Sharpen the details on the girl. Remember to take it easy here, the Sharpen tool works
quick and strong and might ruin it for you.

4. Brighten the lights and deepen the shadows on her.

Exercise 15

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

The Brush Tool, the Shape Tool

   
Create more things in this picture using only the Brush and
Shape Tools. Feel free to get more brushes and shapes that you
can use. Read more on how to get more brushes and shapes in
each tool's section in the Tools chapter. 
 

1. Save the picture talkischeap.psd to your folder and open it in Photoshop.

2. What's the snail saying? Is he cursing up a storm or solving a math problem? Use
nothing but brushes and shapes in this picture! Paint a background, but only use
brushes you find in different categories. Use shapes to fill the speech bubble with fitting
symbols and things.

Exercise 16

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

The Shape Tools, the Styles palette
 
   

Use only Styles and Gradients to color this picture.

 

1. Save the picture landscape.psd to your folder and open it in Photoshop.

2. Use only styles or gradients on each of the picture's layers. Feel free to get more
gradients and styles you want to use.

To reset the gradients you just bring up the menu again and choose Reset Gradients.

3. Add three shapes of your own into the picture. Give them the styles or gradients you
think will fit them. 

Exercise 17

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

The Brush Tool, Modes
 

   

Change the Modes of all the layers in this picture to make them look better.
1. Save the picture modes.psd to your folder and open it in Photoshop.

2. In this picture there are a number of layers. All of these layers's Modes are set to
Normal, but that just looks stupid. Change the Mode of each layer until its contents look
good! You can change the Mode of a layer by clicking on the layer in the Layer Palette.
Then click on the box called Mode , also in the Layer Palette. Pick a mode in the long list
that pops up.

3. Add three new layers of your own. Use the Brush Tool to paint things in them. Give
each of these new layers a Mode that you think fits.  

Exercise 18

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

The Brush Tool, everything else, Layer Styles
 

   

Give each layer in the picture at least one Layer Style.

 

1. Save the picture layerstyles.psd to your folder and open it in Photoshop.

2. In this picture there are a number of layers with various things in them. Give each
layer at least one Layer Style you think will fit. Feel free to add several Layer Styles to
each layer.

3. Create at least three new layers. Paint whatever you want in them. Give each of
these new layers some fitting Layer Styles.

Exercise 19

This exercise can be solved using the following functions:

Anything and everything you want. The Text Tool. Feel free to use the Warp
function on your text!
1. Save the picture poster.jpg to your folder.

2. Curt Morténz are coming to town! But they need a fancy looking poster to market
themselves. Open poster.jpg in Photoshop. Use the picture (or parts of it) to create a
poster that says Curt Morténz are coming.

I want the poster to say where they're playing, on what date, and of course the band's
name. Feel free to use the Warp function on the text.

Use the function Image Size to make sure the picture's fit to show on the web. This
means it should have a resolution of 72 pixels/inch. It should also be 500 pixels high, at
most.

When you're done, save the picture in the jpeg-format.

Exercise 20

This exercise can be solved using everything you think you need!

Now you are going to create a movie poster or a book cover. The idea is that your
creation shouldn't look out of place in a movie theater or a book store. Just steal the
name and the theme of a book or a movie that you like, and make a poster or a cover
for it.

1. Create a new, empty picture. It should be 800 pixels high and 550 pixels wide.

2. Steal a picture from the net you want to use. Paste them into your new picture, erase
what you don't need, and work with the rest until it looks the way you want it.

Your poster or cover doesn't have to look like this, of course, but they might give you some
inspiration or ideas.