Here are 10 of the coolest projects I have made with Adobe Photoshop and why I think every designer should learn this program first.
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Have you ever heard someone say “That is definitely photoshopped”? If you work in the creative industry as a designer, photographer, art director or any of the other industry roles, you know this is pretty normal to hear. However if you don’t currently work in the industry but are interested in pursuing a career in visual arts then you should probably know about Photoshop.
Photoshop is a photo editing and graphics creation software that was developed by the company, Adobe. Photoshop offers a wide variety of image editing features as well as the capability to create complex graphics. Photoshop has become the industry standard for many creatives as it is very versatile and is usually one of the first programs many learn to use.
In the rest of this article I’ll go into more detail about Adobe Photoshop, why you should consider using it and how you can get your hands on it.
What Is Photoshop?
Adobe Photoshop is a software used for editing photographs, compositing digital art, animating, and graphic design. Adobe photoshop comes with professional tools that makes it easier for artists to bring their ideas to life. One of the major advantages of using Adobe Photoshop is its ability to create multiple layers that can be altered independently of each other. New tools and features are always being added as Adobe gathers feedback from artists on ways to improve Photoshop.
Who Created Photoshop?
Photoshop was originally created by two brothers, John Knoll and Thomas Knoll. In 1987, Thomas Knoll was a student at the University of Michigan studying engineering but he was also interested in photography. Thomas’s interest in photography stemmed from his Father, Glen, and they even had a darkroom in their basement. Thomas’s father was a professor at a local college and had access to one an Apple II Plus computer. One day with his engineering knowledge, Thomas wrote a script on his father’s Apple computer that allowed him to turn monochromatic images to grayscale. After this initial script, Thomas continued to develop additional processes that applied effects to his images on screen. Thomas’s brother, John, at the time had worked at George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic. Once he saw what Thomas had created, he encouraged Thomas to turn his programs into a fully operational image editor. With Thomas and John working together on the project, they worked to further develop the application and released the first iteration of Photoshop in 1988 under the original name “Image Pro”.
Who Owns Photoshop?
Today Photoshop is owned by Adobe but that wasn’t always the case. After Thomas and John first released Image Pro, they were looking to partner with larger companies to expand distribution of the software. It didn’t take long for them to win over the Adobe team and in February 1990, Adobe released Adobe Photoshop 1.0.
How is Photoshop Used?
Today, Adobe Photoshop is used by a variety of artists and creative professionals within the industry. Photoshop is a software that can be used for photography, graphic design, digital art and more. Below I have listed out a few categories and artists in each category where Photoshop is used to create amazing work.
Photography
Graphic Design
Illustration
Product Design
Motion Design
The 10 Coolest Graphic Design Projects I Made With Photoshop
Create Content To Grow On Social Media
Photoshop is great for creating and editing social media content for your Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook page. I use it to create 100% of the content for Wellfed’s Instagram and Twitter pages.
Edit Photographs To Look Delicious
I used Adobe Photoshop to color correct, sharpen, and modify these images after I imported them into Adobe Lightroom. Adobe Photoshop allows for more granular control when it comes to editing photos. The ability to use layers for unique adjustments is key when producing imagery like this.
Create A Logo For A New Brand
Photoshop is a great tool for working and creating logos. It helps to get all of your ideas down on paper. Being able to organize your layers into groups is wonderful. Also, adding and modifying text is made easy in Photoshop with the character panel.
Present Website Designs
After I create designs for a new website in something like Adobe Xd, I will always bring my exported slides into photoshop to begin organizing my client presentations. This is where Photoshop is really useful as it allows you to work seamlessly with other Adobe programs.
Create Realistic Packaging Examples
Photoshop is a powerhouse when it comes to creating realistic packaging and mockups for your projects. This really helps when working with clients to help them understand the idea you have in mind.
Develop A Mobile App
As a designer I have been able to work on a number of mobile apps and have used Photoshop a lot during the process. This is another example of how Photoshop can work well with other Adobe programs to create work that really makes an impact.
Make Cool Posters
Combining imagery and text is exactly what Photoshop is all about. In this example I was able to edit the image to get the color right. Crop the image to focus in on the subject and then add text that would compliment the objective of the poster.
Interior Design Of A Football Stadium
You can use Adobe Photoshop for interior design! I helped create designs for a fantasy football lounge in a football stadium using Photoshop. Photoshop helped me concept and present my ideas for the various applications inside the lounge.
Present An Amazon Alexa Skill
Working on something like Amazon Alexa where there isn’t a lot of visual materials to create is fun. I used Adobe Photoshop to create slides and infographics to present a voice skill and statistics of how voice enabled devices are projected to grow in the future.
Create Artwork With My Favorite Cartoon
This was one of my favorite projects because I used Photoshop to concept the artwork around a mobile for my favorite childhood cartoon, Transformers!
Questions I Get Asked A Lot
Can You Open PDFs in Adobe Photoshop?
Yes you can! When you open a PDF in photoshop you will be asked to choose which page you would like to edit if there are multiple pages in your PDF. Another thing to note is that unless the PDF was created to preserve layer functionality, you will not have the capability to edit text or objects within the PDF. Editing anything in the PDF would be similar to how you edit within a compressed JPG.
Can You Create Animations in Adobe Photoshop?
Yes! You can create GIFs or short animated clips using the timeline panel. When using the timeline, you create and modify each individual frame for your animation or movement. The level of animation you can achieve in Photoshop is great for short clips and small adjustments. If you would like more robust animation tools, you should check out and learn Adobe After Effects.
Can You Open AI files in Adobe Photoshop?
Yes! You can open AI files or Adobe Illustrator files in Photoshop. However when you open an AI file in Photoshop, all of that files layers and components will be “rasterized” or flattened. This means you will not be able to individually alter any of the graphics within that AI file. If you do not have Adobe Illustrator downloaded to your computer then this will be the only way of opening the file in Adobe Photoshop. If you do have Adobe Illustrator on your computer, a best practice is to copy your design from illustrator and paste it into your Photoshop file as a smart object. This will create a dynamic link between the two programs and all you to alter your illustrator design while retaining its layers and components.
Can You Open SVG files in Adobe Photoshop?
Yes! However, similar to opening an AI file, if you try to open a SVG file using File > Open, the SVG file will be rasterized.
Why Is Learning Photoshop Important?
Learning how to use Adobe Photoshop can be very valuable to anyone that wants to have a professional career in the creative industry or as an independent artist. Adobe Photoshop is so versatile and allows creatives to complete a wide variety of tasks within it. Photoshop can sometimes be the only program that a creative individual will need. In addition to learning Adobe Photoshop for yourself, a lot of companies require a sufficient amount of knowledge within Adobe Photoshop to complete the responsibilities for any creative roles available. Once you have a solid foundation in Photoshop, this will also put you in a great position to learn and use other Adobe programs. Some tools and shortcuts are very similar throughout all of the Adobe programs. Teaching yourself to use other Adobe programs outside of Photoshop will allow you to sharpen your skills and open your artwork up to creating something unique.
How To Get Started With Photoshop
To get started with using Adobe Photoshop today you will have to register and sign up for an Adobe Creative Cloud account. Using that link to create an Adobe Creative Cloud will give you a free 7-day trial to test out Photoshop as well as a bunch of other really awesome Adobe programs. Once your 7-day trial is up you will have to choose a Creative Cloud plan to continue using the Adobe software.
Which Photoshop Plan Should I Pick?
This can be slightly overwhelming because there are a few different Creative Cloud plans to pick from according to what your area of interest is. To make things simple there are 3 different options that you will have to choose from that include Photoshop. First the ‘Photography’ plan which is $9.99/mo and grants you access to Adobe Photoshop and also Adobe Lightroom which is a program that allows for detailed photo editing. This is a great value considering the second option is $20.99/mo for use of only Photoshop. The third and final option which I think is the best option is the Student and Teacher plan that is $19.99/mo and includes access to every Adobe program available. This is an amazing value because you get access to everything Adobe has to offer which will allow you to learn and try new things when it comes to creating. If you would like to save 60% on an Adobe Creative Cloud plan then you can click the link here to sign up.
Conclusion
Adobe Photoshop is an amazing tool and a valuable one for creatives of all disciplines to know. It provides a great foundation to learning how to create amazing work as a creative professional and independent artist. If you have any other questions about Adobe Photoshop you can DM me on Instagram or Twitter and I will make sure to add them to this article. Also, if you enjoyed this article, consider signing up for our email newsletter. Every weekend we send you a roundup of our best website content just like this as well as podcast episodes when we release them. Thanks for reading!