10 Photoshop tips and tricks for beginners

Did you know that 2016 is 26 years since the miracle of Photoshop came into our lives. Even if you have never used the program, you can not deny the impact this image editing software has had on our lives. After all, the term Photoshop has become so integrated into our digital lives that we have even turned it into a verb to describe all changed images ... although the result can be a little ridiculous at times.

Once seen as a complicated secret weapon only for graphic designers, now almost anyone with computer access can master this tool with almost the same ease as creating a code-free website.

From a blemish removal to adding some impressive design elements, anyone can learn the basics of Photoshop. Here are some simple tips and tricks for Photoshop beginners:

Transformer: Resize an image, rotate, flip or distort it!

• Change the unit of measure

• Magnetic lasso tool

• Magic Wand tool

• Custom mold tool

• Adjustment stroke

• Team styles

• Spot Healing Brush

• Dodge Tool

• Blurring tools

Note: All shortcuts in this article are for PC users. Mac people - you know what to do.

Transformer: Resize an image, rotate, flip or distort it!

Click Edit> then click Transform> and select the action you want.

Or try these shortcuts to make life even easier:

Press Ctrl + T on the keyboard and a border will then appear around the image, indicating transformation. This means that you can now resize your image. The best way to do this is to place the cursor on one of the rectangular corners of the box and then drag the corner while holding down the Shift key. When you are done, just press Enter and you are done.

To rotate the image vertically or horizontally, press Ctrl + T and then right-click with the mouse. A pop-up window will appear with a few options for rotating and flipping the image. Select the action you want and press Enter when done.

To distort or skew an image, press Ctrl + T and then place the cursor on the corner you want to distort. Press Ctrl while holding down the mouse on which corner of the image you want to transform and drag it down to the desired point, and finally press Enter to activate.

Change the unit of measure

A quick and easy way to switch between units of measure you are working on is to place the cursor on one of the rulers on the grid (press Ctrl + R to show or hide the rulers), and right-click, and then select a new unit from the context menu. There you will find a wide range of devices, from centimeters to pixels, millimeters, points and even percentages.

Magnetic lasso tool

The Lasso tool, which is visible in your Photoshop toolbar, is basically the man's gift for image editing.

This simple selection tool helps you to trace and sketch the exact part of an image that you want to edit, and then separate it from the rest of the image to perform certain actions. For example, you can select and separate a product from the background. Almost foolproof, the magnetic lasso tool detects the edges of an object, so it works best when you have a bold contrast between an object and its background with well-defined edges.

To access the magnetic lasso, click and hold the mouse button on the lasso tool until a pull-out menu appears. Magnetic Lasso is the latest with a small magnet on the icon. Select it and go to your image and place the mouse on the edge of the part you want to change. Click with the mouse once, release and just go over the edges of the object you want to select (just like you do with scissors when cutting something).

Magic Wand tool

Magic Wand is another selection tool, ideal for working with a background that is more monotonous and consistent (like a solid color or clear blue sky).

The Magic Wand tool is most often used to swap backgrounds or large color blocks. To use it, select the Magic Wand tool from the toolbar and click on the part of the image you want to select. Make sure you toggled the "add to selection" option on the top line (the two-diamond icon) so you can move on to changing the colors and tones in your selection.

Custom mold tool

Did you know that in addition to image editing, you can also easily add shapes and design elements to your Photoshop creations. The toolbar has all the basic shapes you need such as square, line, circle, ellipse, etc. in addition to a whole range of extended options. The custom shape tool is easy to find in the options bar, represented by an icon that in a way looks like a puzzle piece.

Access even more shapes by clicking again on the small arrow on the right side of the panel. If you are looking for banners, speech bubbles or arrows of all kinds, this is just the tool for you.

Adjustment stroke

A really fantastic picture generally has more to it than you can see. This is what makes the Adjustment Layers tool so important. With the Adjustment Layers tool, you can adjust the color and hue of the image by adding a top layer. The best thing about this feature is by adding the extra layer, you can reverse your changes completely while keeping the rest of the image intact. You will find adjustment layers at the bottom of the layers panel (a black and white circle icon).

Team styles

This is a simple and easy way to add a little piss to your image. Layer styles are special effects that can be quickly applied to individual layers of your image. All you have to do is double-click on a layer and then select the effect you like.

You can choose from a variety of features, add a punch or a glow, drop a shadow and much more with just a mouse click. Be careful not to overdo it. These effects tend to look cheap when used in excess.