Photoshop Training Course | Adobe Photoshop Complete Guide

Photoshop is a massively useful piece of software for us architects. But, before we dive in we introduce the interface and its main applications so you know what it's capable of. You'll explore the workspace layout, understand panel organization, and learn to customize your environment for architectural workflow efficiency. We cover the essential tools palette and establish the foundation for professional image editing that supports architectural visualization projects.

Organising your Photoshop files is crucial for making your workflow efficient and can improve the quality of your output if used correctly. Utilising layers correctly is your first step in mastering Photoshop. You'll master layer organization strategies, understand layer types and their specific uses, and learn advanced techniques for managing complex architectural compositions. We cover layer groups, naming conventions, and workflow strategies that maintain project organization throughout complex post-production processes.

This lesson gives you the ultimate understanding of using the move and selection tools in Photoshop, so that you can edit your renders, branding and anything else effectively. You'll master precision selection techniques including marquee tools, lasso variations, and the powerful Magic Wand. We cover advanced selection refinement methods, understand feathering and anti-aliasing, and learn professional techniques for isolating architectural elements with pixel-perfect accuracy.

You can use brushes to paint over your images or create bespoke images right in Photoshop. But, brushes can also be set to stamp a graphic, such as a tree, on your drawings. This method makes for VERY quick enhancements to your plans, sections and elevations. You'll learn to create custom brush sets for architectural elements, understand brush dynamics for natural-looking textures, and master techniques for rapidly populating drawings with vegetation, people, and contextual elements that enhance presentation quality.

To build on the previous lesson we explore other methods of drawing and content creation within Photoshop to give you an understanding of how you can produce pretty much anything you can imagine! You'll master vector shape tools for precise architectural graphics, understand gradient creation for atmospheric effects, and learn flood fill techniques for rapid area modification. We cover pattern creation, texture development, and advanced shape manipulation that supports comprehensive architectural graphic production.

Most of the time you'll be importing images to edit in Photoshop, the first part of this lesson explains a range of techniques of working with images brought into the software. The lesson finishes by explaining how you can change imports into smart objects for the ultimate editing experience. You'll understand file format considerations, learn resolution and color space management, and master smart object workflows that maintain editability while preserving original image quality throughout complex architectural post-production processes.

We start this chapter by explaining all of the options available to you for editing images in a non-destructive way. You'll master adjustment layers for flexible color and tonal corrections, understand masking techniques for precise control over image modifications, and learn filter applications that enhance architectural imagery. We cover advanced masking strategies, luminosity selections, and professional techniques for maintaining editability throughout complex enhancement workflows.

Photoshop has a very powerful text formatting system, which can be utilised to label your drawings, diagrams and/or renders. This lesson explains everything you need to know on text. You'll learn typography principles specific to architectural communication, understand text effects and styling options, and master techniques for integrating text elements that enhance rather than distract from architectural imagery. We cover professional labeling strategies and graphic text treatments.

Layer blending allows you to create beautiful pieces of artwork by merging two images or overlaying one on the other. This technique also works well with your renders by adding detailed elements into your scene and blending them in. You'll master blend mode applications for realistic compositing, understand layer effect creation for professional finishing touches, and learn advanced blending techniques that seamlessly integrate architectural elements while maintaining spatial consistency and photorealistic quality.

Photoshop pretty much has the largest collection of file types that it can work with, inherently. It can be used to edit massive raw photographic files, editing PDF documents and can even be used to create proper HDR files that can be used to light your rendering scenes. You'll understand export specifications for different presentation contexts, learn print preparation techniques, and master file optimization strategies that balance quality with file size requirements for various architectural communication needs.

To round off this course we show you how to edit and add to your architectural renderings in a range of ways. Firstly, we explain how to use render elements to boost the quality of your imagery. You'll master render pass compositing techniques, understand how to combine multiple render layers for enhanced control, and learn professional workflows for integrating ambient occlusion, reflection passes, and lighting elements that dramatically improve the realism and depth of architectural visualizations.

Placing people is a tricky thing to get right. Here we show you how to scale, apply to the perspective of your shot, shade and apply shadows to people that are inserted into your scene to boost the realism of a render. You'll learn perspective matching techniques, understand lighting consistency for human figures, and master shadow creation methods that seamlessly integrate people into architectural scenes while maintaining scale accuracy and photorealistic integration that enhances spatial understanding.

Similar to the previous lesson we go into placing trees on your shot in a convincing way. The lesson is finished by explaining a very powerful technique for inserting grass by using masks and brushes. You'll master vegetation integration techniques, learn seasonal and species-appropriate placement strategies, and understand advanced masking methods for natural-looking landscape elements. We cover texture brush techniques for ground cover and sophisticated blending methods that create convincing environmental contexts.

If you've waited hours/days for your render to finish, but you want to change a texture out last minute, you can do this directly in Photoshop. This lesson starts with applying textures and then finishes by demonstrating how to swap out your backgrounds if you've changed your mind on that too! You'll learn material replacement techniques that maintain lighting consistency, understand background integration methods, and master texture mapping strategies that preserve architectural accuracy while allowing for last-minute design modifications without re-rendering.

The course draws to a close by showing you some powerful techniques to change the overall mood of your render, tweaking the lighting and goes deep into colour grading techniques so you have full control of your end result! You'll master atmospheric enhancement techniques, learn professional color grading workflows for architectural imagery, and understand mood manipulation methods that communicate design intent effectively. We cover final polishing techniques that transform good renders into exceptional presentation imagery.