All 60+ Photoshop Tools Explained in Under 30 Minutes

Introduction

This tutorial provides a comprehensive overview of over 60 tools available in Adobe Photoshop, perfect for beginners looking to unlock their design potential. Each tool is explained in a concise manner, ensuring you can quickly understand and utilize them in your projects.

Step 1: Move Tool

• Used to move selections, layers, and guides.
• Shortcut: V
• Practical Tip: Hold Shift while moving to constrain movement to horizontal or vertical directions.

Step 2: Artboard Tool

• Allows you to create multiple artboards for different designs.
• Useful for UI/UX design.
• Shortcut: V (hold down to access)

Step 3: Marquee Tools

Rectangular Marquee Tool

• Selects rectangular areas of your image.
• Shortcut: M

Elliptical Marquee Tool

• Selects elliptical areas.
• Shortcut: M (hold down to access)

Single Row/Single Column Marquee Tools

• Selects a single row or column of pixels.
• Useful for precise selections.

Step 4: Lasso Tools

Lasso Tool

• Freehand selection tool.
• Shortcut: L

Polygonal Lasso Tool

• Selects straight-edged segments.
• Shortcut: L (hold down to access)

Magnetic Lasso Tool

• Automatically clings to edges.
• Useful for selecting complex shapes.

Step 5: Selection Tools

Object Selection Tool

• Automatically selects an object within a defined area.
• Effective for quick selections.

Quick Selection Tool

• Paints over an area to select it.
• Shortcut: W

Magic Wand Tool

• Selects pixels based on color similarity.
• Adjust tolerance for more precise selections.

Step 6: Crop Tools

Crop Tool

• Trims images to a selected area.
• Shortcut: C

Perspective Crop Tool

• Adjusts perspective while cropping.
• Ideal for architectural photos.

Slice Tool and Slice Select Tool

• Used to create web images by dividing them into slices for export.
• Useful for web design.

Step 7: Frame Tool

• Creates placeholders for images and text.
• Can be useful for layout design.

Step 8: Color Tools

Eyedropper Tool

• Samples colors from your image.
• Shortcut: I

Color Sampler Tool

• Samples multiple colors at once.
• Useful for maintaining color consistency.

Ruler Tool

• Measures distances and angles.
• Practical for layout accuracy.

Step 9: Healing Tools

Spot Healing Brush Tool

• Quickly removes blemishes and imperfections.
• Great for photo retouching.

Healing Brush Tool

• Samples pixels from one area to heal another.
• Offers more control than Spot Healing.

Patch Tool

• Repairs selected areas with a sampled texture.
• Ideal for larger areas.

Content-Aware Move Tool

• Moves objects while filling the background intelligently.

Red Eye Tool

• Removes red-eye from photos.

Step 10: Brush Tools

Brush Tool

• Paints with customizable brushes.
• Shortcut: B

Pencil Tool

• Creates hard-edged lines.
• Great for pixel art.

Color Replacement Tool

• Replaces one color with another.
• Useful for color adjustments.

Mixer Tool

• Simulates blending colors like traditional painting.

Clone Stamp Tool

• Clones parts of an image using a sampled area.
• Effective for photo manipulation.

Step 11: Eraser Tools

Eraser Tool

• Erases pixels in your image.
• Shortcut: E

Background Eraser Tool

• Erases background while preserving edges.

Magic Eraser Tool

• Erases areas based on color similarity.

Step 12: Gradient and Paint Bucket Tools

Gradient Tool

• Creates a gradual blend between colors.
• Shortcut: G

Paint Bucket Tool

• Fills areas with solid colors based on selection.
• Practical for quick fills.

Step 13: Blur, Sharpen, and Smudge Tools

Blur Tool

• Softens edges and reduces detail.
• Shortcut: R

Sharpen Tool

• Increases detail and contrast.

Smudge Tool

• Smudges pixels, creating a dragging effect.

Step 14: Dodge, Burn, and Sponge Tools

Dodge Tool

• Lightens areas of your image.

Burn Tool

• Darkens areas of your image.

Sponge Tool

• Changes saturation of colors.

Step 15: Pen Tools

Pen Tool

• Creates precise paths and shapes.
• Shortcut: P

Freeform Pen Tool

• Draws freehand paths.

Curvature Pen Tool

• Creates smooth curves and paths.

Add/Remove Anchor Point Tools

• Adjusts paths by adding or removing anchor points.

Convert Point Tool

• Converts between smooth and corner points.

Step 16: Type Tools

Horizontal Type Tool

• Adds horizontal text.

Vertical Type Tool

• Adds vertical text.

Type Mask Tools

• Creates a mask using text.

Step 17: Shape Tools

Rectangle, Ellipse, Triangle, Polygon, and Line Tools

• Creates various shapes.
• Useful for graphic design and layout.

Custom Shape Tool

• Lets you draw custom shapes from predefined ones.

Step 18: Navigation Tools

Hand Tool

• Moves your view around the canvas.
• Shortcut: H

Rotate View Tool

• Rotates the canvas for easier editing.

Zoom Tool

• Zooms in and out of your image.
• Shortcut: Z

Conclusion

This guide has summarized the essential tools in Photoshop, from basic selection tools to advanced editing options. Familiarizing yourself with these tools will enhance your design skills and efficiency. For further practice, consider exploring each tool in a project to see how they can be applied in real-world scenarios. Happy designing!