Create your first design
This series of videos introduces basic Photoshop design techniques. You'll learn how to work with layers, combine images, use layer masks, and add creative graphics, text, and effects. You'll use these skills to combine design assets into a simple, unique composite for print or online use. Have fun following along with your own images or the sample files provided on this page.
Published
Typekit is now Adobe Fonts.
Get to know layers
Layers are the building blocks of any Photoshop design. Start building this layered design by creating a new layer for original artwork and by adding one image to another. Along the way, you'll become familiar with the Layers panel, and you'll learn the essentials of working with layers.
This video series is a first look at creating a design in Photoshop using layers, combining images, and adding text and graphics.
By the end of this series you'll know how to basic composite for use in your own print and online projects.
In this video we'll focus on working with layers.
When Photoshop first launches you'll see the start screen.
This is where you can open existing images or create a new document.
We'll start this design with an existing image.
Click the open button on the start screen, or you can choose file, open.
Then navigate to an image on your computer.
I'll choose landscape.jpg and click to open it.
I'd like to add another element to my design, a sun, so that we can create a composition.
We'll put the sun artwork on its own layer so we can move and edit it separately from the photo.
The layers panel in Photoshop will be an integral part of your workflow.
It's the place we go to manage the layers in a composition.
In the layers panel there's now just one layer called background.
To make a new layer for the sun, click the create a new layer button at the bottom of the panel.
A new layer is added above the background layer.
It's best practice to name your layers so you can keep track of them.
Double click the new layer name and name it sun.
Press enter or return to accept it.
Now that we have a new layer and it's selected—you can tell because it's highlighted— we'll create a sun in this layer by filling a selected area with color.
Come over to the tools panel on the left, click and hold down on the rectangular marquee tool.
To make a circular selection for the sun, select the elliptical marquee tool.
Out in the design, press the shift key and click and drag to create a circle.
Once you get the circle to be roughly about this big, release the mouse button and then the shift key.
The shift key constrains the proportions so the selection stays a circle.
Now we'll fill this area of the sun layer.
Choose edit, fill.
Choose color from the contents menu, and we'll pick a color using the color picker that opens.
Drag this slider up a bit so we get into the orangish area.
That looks pretty good.
Come right about here and click to sample a color.
Click OK and then click OK again.
You're done using the selection, so choose select, deselect.
Select the move tool in the tools panel, and drag the image to reposition the sun.
You may see magenta smart guides that you can use to center the sun.
Because it's on a separate layer, you can move and edit it separately from the rest of the image content, and you can apply special layer properties.
For example, with the sun layer selected in the layers panel, choose multiply from the blend mode menu to blend the color of the sun into the colors on the layer beneath it.
Change the opacity to 80% so that the sun layer is more transparent.
Let's add another image to our design.
Choose file, open, and navigate to a photo that has an interesting sky.
Click open.
So we can see both images next to each other, choose window, arrange, tile all vertically.
We're going to drag the sky image into the other image.
With the move tool still selected, press and hold down the shift key as you drag the sky image onto the landscape image.
Release your mouse button and then the shift key, which aligns the images together.
You no longer need the sky photograph open, so close it by clicking the X on the tab.
Look in the layers panel, and you can see that the sky layer named layer 1 is on a new layer above the last layer selected, the sun layer.
Double click the new layer name and name it sky, then press enter or return.
Right now the sky is hiding the sun and the background image.
In the layers panel drag the selected sky layer below the sun layer.
When you see a line appear, release the mouse button.
The sun now appears above the sky image.
I also want the sky image to be behind the background image.
The background layer is a special lock layer that we need to first unlock.
To do this, double click the layer named background and rename it landscape.
Click OK.
Drag the sky layer under the landscape layer, and when you see a line appear release the mouse button.
The landscape image is now on top of the sky image in our design following the layer stacking order.
Let's save the design to this point by choosing file, save as.
Enter design as the file name.
Choose Photoshop as the format or type.
Leave layers checked and click save.
Click OK in the next dialogue.
We'll explore saving in more detail in the last video in this series.
In the meantime it's a good idea to save your work often as we continue to work on this design.
Combine images using layer masks
Layer masks are the most flexible way to combine images. A layer mask hides part of a layer to display what's on the layers below. Use layer masks in this design to replace a dull sky in one image with dramatic clouds from another and to gradually blend artwork into the rest of the design.
In this video we'll explore layer masking, an essential part of designing in Photoshop when you want to combine images.
I'll start out by clicking the eye icon on the sun layer just so we have a better view of the image below.
I think this sky in the landscape layer is actually pretty dull so I'd like to replace it with another sky.
We have the sky layer right here that we can use, which is completely hidden by the landscape layer above it.
I'll hide the landscape layer just for a second so you can see the dramatic sky and the clouds on this sky layer.
I'll turn it back on.
We'll use a layer mask to hide just the top part of the landscape layer so we can see through that to the sky in the layer below.
We'll start by selecting the part of the landscape layer we don't want to hide, the foreground.
Make sure the landscape layer is selected in the layers panel.
Select the quick selection tool in the tools panel.
Come to the ground part of the image.
Click and drag across to select everything down here.
If you don't get the whole foreground selected with one stroke, you can click and drag another area to add to the selection.
If you select too much, hold down the option or alt key as you click and drag to remove that area from the selection.
Know that whatever isn't selected will be hidden by the mask we're about to create.
With the landscape layer selected, come to the layers panel, click the add layer mask button to create a mask in the landscape layer.
On the mask, the area we've selected is white, and the area we didn't select is black.
The black part of the mask is hiding the top of the landscape image so we can see through that area to the clouds on the sky layer below.
And the white part of the mask is showing the bottom of the landscape image.
There's a little rhyme that might help you remember how this works.
On a layer mask, black conceals and white reveals.
Now let's reposition the sky layer.
Select the sky layer in the layers panel.
Select the move tool.
Click in the sky and drag up until you're happy with the part of the sky you see through the black part of the landscape layer mask.
Another way to make a layer mask is to create a mask first and then paint directly on it.
Let's try that on the sun layer.
In the layers panel click the visibility column for the sun layer to show it again.
Then select the sun layer.
Click the create layer mask button at the bottom of the layers panel to add a layer mask to the sun layer.
Notice that the layer mask thumbnail is completely white so it's not hiding anything in the image.
That's because when I created this layer mask there was no selection active.
Now we'll paint on this layer mask with the brush tool, which you can select here in the tools panel.
The brush is pretty small by default, so I'll make it bigger by opening the brush picker up here in the options bar and dragging the size slider to the right.
Press enter or return to close the brush picker.
Take a look at the foreground color box at the bottom of the tools panel and make sure it's set to black.
If your foreground color isn't black, click the default foreground and background color button here and then click the double arrow here to switch the color boxes.
By the way when you're working on a layer mask, the only colors available in those boxes will be black, white, or shades of gray.
Out in the image, paint over part of the sun.
You're actually painting with black in the layer mask, which hides this part of the sun.
The brush you're painting with is pretty soft, which means the black paint fades to gray at the edges.
Where there's gray paint on the mask, the sun is only partially hidden.
Now say you change your mind and want to show the entire sun again.
To do that, switch to white paint by clicking the double arrow above the color boxes again.
Then paint with white in the same area of the mask to reveal the sun.
Another way to hide part of a layer with the layer mask is to add a black/white gradient to the mask.
This is a good way to blend one image into the other.
Let's add a gradient to the sun layer mask so the sun appears to fade away at the bottom.
Make sure the mask thumbnail on the sun layer is selected.
To fade the sun away, you paint the mask with a gradient, basically a blend from white to black.
Select the gradient tool in the tools panel.
In the options bar make sure a white-to-black gradient is showing.
Shift drag from roughly here in the sun to about the middle of it.
Release the mouse button and then the shift key.
If you don't like the fade you get, you can try dragging from a different starting point or in a different direction to redraw the gradient until you're satisfied with the look.
Take a look at the mask in the layers panel, and you'll see a white-to-black gradient.
I'll click this layer mask thumbnail while holding down the option or alt key.
Now you can really see how the mask fades from white which reveals through shades of gray which partially reveal to black which conceals.
I'll option or alt click the layer mask icon again to return to normal view.
When you're making a composite design like this, use layer masks as a way to hide part of an image without actually deleting any of the image.
This is a great way to work so you can go back in and change your mind about your edits.
Add text and effects
Add text to your design. Then embellish the text with creative layer effects for a unique look. Learn how to work with Type layers, and use Typekit to access a treasure trove of exciting fonts.
In this video, we'll explore adding text to our design and changing the formatting using typekit fonts and other type properties.
You'll also see how to add layer style effects to your design content.
Let's get started by adding some text.
Make sure the sun layer is selected in the Layers panel and then select the horizontal type tool in the Tools panel.
In the Options bar, click the Font Size menu and choose 72 point.
Click in the design and type "THE" in capital letters.
Click the check mark in the Options bar to commit the text.
Notice that a new layer was created in the Layers panel automatically named THE.
Type Layers are similar to other layers although they are vector based which means they can be scaled and edited without losing quality.
Now we'll change the appearance of the text.
With both the type layer and the horizontal type tool still selected go up to the Options bar where you can make some changes.
Click the color field to open the Color Picker.
I'll click on white and click OK.
Click the arrow to the right of the font family field.
Hover over any of the fonts in the menu that appears to preview how those fonts will look on your text.
You could choose a font from your computer or, as a Creative Cloud subscriber, you have access to the Typekit Library of fonts.
You can select fonts from the Typekit Library by clicking the Add Fonts from Typekit button here.
After clicking the button, the Typekit.com website should open in your default browser, and you should be signed in with your Adobe ID.
Make sure that the Sync option is selected.
That way the font will be synced to your machine.
Come to the search field and type f-a-c-t.
We'll use the font Factoria in the project.
Click on the name Factoria.
Click Use Fonts over here.
Click Show All Fonts to see the entire listing.
Select light to add it to the font styles chosen by default.
Scroll down if you need and click Sync Selected Fonts.
And then click Launch the Creative Cloud application where you can check to make sure that the font has synced with your computer.
Go back over to Photoshop and make sure the type layer and the horizontal type tool are still selected.
You can pick the Factoria font by starting to type the name here.
When you see Factoria light in the list, click to apply it.
If you don't have access to Typekit, you can select another font.
Change the font size to 32 by typing it in here and pressing Enter or Return.
To move the text where we want it in our design, select the Move tool, come out to the text, drag it, and then magenta smart guides will help you align it to center.
Now we'll add some more text.
Select the horizontal type tool in the Tools panel.
Click in your design away from the word "THE" to add some more text.
Type "GREAT AMERICAN WEST."
Click the check mark in the Options bar to commit the text.
Change the font to Factoria Bold.
You can start typing the name up here and then choose it or whatever font you have.
Change the font size to 62 by typing it in and pressing Enter or Return.
Make sure that the color is still white.
Select the Move tool and drag the text into the center of the design using smart guides.
To add some pop to our text, we're going to add some layer styles to it.
Layer styles are a great way to add effects like drop shadows, strokes, bevels, and much more to layer content that's surrounded by transparency.
With the Great American West type layer selected, click the Add a Layer Style button at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Drop Shadow.
In the Layer Style dialog box that opens, you can adjust the shadow as much as you need, editing properties like transparency, distance, and much more.
Change the settings to match what you see here.
Look on the left side of the Layer Styles dialog box and you'll see more effects we could apply.
Select the Stroke option to apply it to the text.
Then click the word "Stroke" to edit the settings.
Once again, change a few of the options to match what you see here, and then click OK.
You should now see the effects on the text as well as listed in the Layers panel.
You can always edit them later on by double clicking an effect to reopen the Layer Style dialog box.
There are so many different types of effects we could use to get our design just the way we want it.
Filter effects like creative blurs, 3D elements, image warps, and more.
All of these allow you to take your design further the more proficient you become in Photoshop.
Include vector graphics
Photoshop isn't just for photographs. Take your design further by making custom shapes in Photoshop and placing a logo made in Adobe Illustrator. Vector graphics like these can be scaled and edited as much as you like.
In this video, you'll learn what vector artwork is, create a custom shape in Photoshop, and add a vector logo made in Illustrator to your Photoshop design.
Vector graphics are made up of lines and curves.
You can freely move or scale vector graphics without loosing detail or clarity.
That's why vector is a great choice for a logo or a graphic.
Let's start by creating a vector shape in Photoshop.
Click and hold down in the rectangle tool in the Tools panel.
Select the custom shape tool from the menu.
In the Options bar, click the arrow in the Shape option to view the shape picker so we can see default shapes.
There's nothing I want to use here, so I'll click the gear icon on the right of the shape picker and choose the Shapes category.
Then I'll click OK.
Select the five point star shape and click in the Options bar to close the shape picker.
To add the shape to your design, click in the image and shift drag to constrain proportions as you create the shape.
Release the mouse button and then the shift key.
In the Layers panel, there's now a shape layer.
To change the color of your star shape, double click the thumbnail on the shape layer and choose a color in the color picker.
As you click on different colors, the start shape changes color on the fly.
I'll pick white and click OK to close the color picker.
Because this is a vector shape, you can edit it without degrading its quality.
Click and hold down on the Path Selection Tool in the Tools panel.
Select the Direct Selection tool.
Click inside the star, then drag any of the points that appear to change its shape.
Click off the star when you're done.
To change the size of the shape, choose Edit, Free Transform.
Shift drag a corner inward to make the star smaller, then click the check mark in the Options bar to commit that change.
Select the Move tool and drag the star shape into position on the left side of the text.
Magenta smart guides may appear to help you align the star with the text.
Duplicate the star shape by right clicking the shape layer in the Layers panel and choosing Duplicate Layer.
Click OK.
Then drag the copy of the star into position on the right side of the text.
Next, we'll add a vector graphic, a logo that was made in another application, Adobe Illustrator.
Choose File, Place Linked.
Select the logo with the dot AI suffix that was created in Illustrator and click Place.
In the next dialog box, leave the settings at Default and click OK.
With the logo in the image, you can transform it to fit the design.
Shift drag the corner of the bounding box around the logo to make it smaller.
When the logo is the size you want it to be, release the mouse button and then the shift key.
To commit to placing the logo, click the check mark in the Options bar, or you can press Enter or Return on the keyboard and drag the logo into position in the center of the design.
Notice that the new logo also has its own layer and it's right above the last selected layer.
This is a smart object layer which means that I can scale, rotate, and otherwise transform the logo on this layer without degrading its quality.
If I were to double click the thumbnail on this layer, the logo would open in Illustrator for editing.
Edits made in Illustrator would affect this linked copy of the logo here in my Photoshop design.
In order to make it easier to organize our layer content in the Layers panel and work with multiple layers, you can group content.
We'll group all of the text, the stars, and the sun together.
Click the Great American West type layer to select it.
Press the Command or Control key and click the THE type layer, the two star shape layers, and the sun layer to select them all.
Click the Create a New Group button at the bottom of the panel to make a group and automatically add those layers to the new group.
Click the arrow to the left of the group name to see the five layers again.
With the layer group selected in the Layers panel and the move tool selected in the Tools panel, drag all grouped artwork into final position in the design.
As I said earlier, vector graphics are great because you can freely move or scale them without losing detail or clarity, and there are so many ways to create vector content within Photoshop, even bringing in vector artwork from other programs like Adobe Illustrator.
Export and save the design
Save your design in PSD format to retain its layers and effects for future editing. Then save or export copies for different uses. Save a copy as a PDF for sharing, and use Photoshop's Export features to export all or part of the design in web-friendly formats.
>> There are a variety of ways to share a design you build in Photoshop in print, on screen, and online.
In this video, we'll talk about saving and exporting a design in common formats for different uses.
First, you'll save the master copy of your design in native Photoshop format or .
PSD.
When creating a layered composition like you did, it's really important to preserve the master, full size version of the design so that you can always access and re-edit any of the layers, adjustments, and effects you added in Photoshop.
Choose File, Save As.
In the Save As dialog box, change the name to "Design-complete."
Choose Photoshop from the Format or Type, make sure Layers is checked to preserve them, and click Save to save it to your hard drive.
Click OK to maximize compatibility so that even an application that can't read layers like Lightroom will be able to open this file.
Now you have a full size master version of the file for future editing.
With this master file, you can output copies of your design in other formats and other sizes for use in particular projects.
If you want to hand your file off for review or printing by someone who doesn't have Photoshop, you can save a copy in PDF format.
To do that, choose File, Save As.
Leave Layers checked, choose Photoshop PDF, and click Save.
Click OK at the warning.
In the Save Adobe PDF dialog box, leave the settings at their default unless you're sending the file to a print provider who specifies otherwise.
And click Save PDF.
Then click Yes.
This PDF copy of the file can be opened using a PDF reader like the free Adobe Reader.
If the file is opened in Photoshop, its layers will still be available.
Now let's talk about outputting a design for use online.
You can use Photoshop's Export features to output an entire or individual layers in formats that are best for online use.
To save the entire design, you can choose File, Export, Export As.
You can see the design preview in the middle, and you can choose an image Format here.
We can choose JPG for photo-based designs, GIF or PNG for graphic-intensive designs, or even SVG for scalable vector graphics.
Exporting in these formats will flatten the design, meaning we can no longer access the layers in the image file.
This design has lots of photography content, so I'll export it in JPG format.
I'll choose from the options on the right, reducing the Quality and dimensions to reduce file size if I need to.
There are also options for including Copyright and Contact Information and for converting the exported image to the sRGB Color Space for online use.
Then I'll click Export All to save a copy of the entire design as a flattened JPG.
You can also export assets on individual layers like the logo.
Just select the layer in the Layers panel, right click, and choose Export As.
The Export As dialog box opens again.
I'll choose SVG as the Format this time.
Click Export All and save just this logo to your hard drive.
When you're ready to close this file, you can choose File, Close.
As you dive further into Photoshop, you'll learn that there are other more advanced design-related features and techniques that can make your design vision a reality, such as Artboards for designing for mobile and web, Creative Cloud Libraries, integration of Adobe Stock, Layer Comps, a special design preview work space, and much more.
You'll find lots of information about these and other Photoshop design features like these in the many Adobe Learn tutorials for Photoshop at Adobe.com.
