Create a new document in Photoshop

Start a project with a new document that is just the right size.

Published December 17, 2025

00:01

Introduction

When starting with Photoshop, one of the basic skills you need to know is how to create a new document.

This is useful when you want to create a document with specific dimensions, like a social media post.

My name is Rob de Winter, an Adobe Certified Instructor, author, and designer based in the Netherlands.

And in this video, I'll show you how to create a new document in Photoshop, customize its settings and add some elements to get started.

00:25

Creating a new document from the Home screen

When you open Photoshop, you'll see the Home screen.

Here you can create a new file or open an existing one.

For this social media project, we want to start with a new blank document, so let's go to File, New... to create it.

This workflow is great for social media because it's a simple way to make your project exactly the right size for your social media platform right from the beginning.

In the New Document dialog,

00:50

Choosing document presets and dimensions

you can choose dimensions and other settings for a new blank document.

Or to make things easier, Photoshop also provides some new document presets.

Let's go to the Art & Illustration tab.

Here you'll find some preset document sizes and there are even more hidden under this View All Presets button.

Select the 1920 x 1080 px preset.

This size is perfect for creating content for social media, such as a Facebook post or a YouTube thumbnail.

We don't need to adjust any other values, so let's click Create.

You have now created a 1920 x 1080 px blank canvas on which you can start building your project.

Let's now add an image.

01:33

Adding and positioning an image

Open the Finder on macOS or the File Explorer on Windows, and drag a photo into your new document.

Adjust its size using the corner handles and click on the image and drag to reposition it if necessary.

The image I'm adding has a different aspect ratio than the blank canvas, and this means that part of the image will end up outside the canvas and won't be visible.

But I'm okay with that because it helps to focus on a smaller section of the beach houses.

Click Done in the Contextual Task Bar to apply the changes.

Let's quickly add some text to complete our design.

02:11

Adding text and understanding layers

Select the Type Tool from the Toolbar, click anywhere on the canvas and type, Visit the beach.

Then select the text and choose a font you like in the Font browser in the Contextual Task Bar.

Now click the Move Tool in the Toolbar and reposition your text on the canvas until you're happy with its placement.

Notice how each element you add appears as a separate layer in the Layers panel.

Layers help you keep different parts of your design separate, making it easier to edit each part individually.

Now you've learned how to create a new document in Photoshop, you can start bringing some of your own ideas to life.

Again, my name is Rob de Winter, and thanks for watching.

Note: Stock assets provided are for practice purposes only. See terms.

What you’ll learn

Make a new document in Photoshop

Create a blank canvas in the New document window that is optimized for your project. For example, research the ideal dimensions for a particular social media post, and create a new document in Photoshop with those dimensions.

Add a photo and some text to your perfectly-sized canvas, and you’ve got a social post that's just the right size from the beginning, with no cropping or resizing necessary.

Instruction by: Rob de Winter
Adobe Stock Contributors: Mike Van Schoonderwalt/Wirestock

Try these tutorials with Photoshop

Edit photos to create new images and graphics.

View all plans

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