Photoshop Competency

Level 1

Demonstrate skill with:

  • Image navigation (zoom and pan shortcuts)
  • Layer system
    • Duplicating layers
    • Destructive vs. Non-destructive editing
  • Crop tool
  • Straighten
  • Spot Healing Brush
  • Clone Stamp tool
  • Red Eye tool
  • History panel
  • Burn/Dodge tools
  • Adjustment Layers
    • Brightness/Contrast
    • Hue/Saturation
    • Color Balance
    • Black & White
    • Vibrance
  • Masks
  • Brush tool

Level 2

Learn the rest of the tools we teach in our Photoshop classes. Finishing this level shows that you have mastered the core of Photoshop and could reasonably teach the classes yourself. You may find it helpful to attend an Photoshop class while you work on these skills.

Demonstrate skill with:

  • Selection tools
    • Rectangular Marquee
    • Elliptical Marquee
    • Lasso tool
    • Polygonal Lasso tool
    • Magnetic Lasso tool
    • Quick Selection tool
    • Magic Wand tool
  • Layers panel
  • Combining 2 images using masks
  • Filters
    • Smart Objects
      • Explain what they are, why they are important
      • How to use them with filters
    • Unsharp Mask
    • Blur
  • Creating a new document
  • CMYK vs. RGB
  • the Brush panel
  • Eyedropper tool
  • Gradient tool
  • Shape tools
  • Type tool
  • Colors
    • how to change them
    • Adobe Color
    • Foreground vs. Background, (switch with x)
  • Transforming objects
  • Layer Styles
  • Photomerge
  • Patch tool
  • Content-aware fill
  • Exporting

Level 3

Expand your Photoshop skills beyond the essentials. Choose which tools and panels you would like to learn beyond the scope of what we ordinarily teach, and become a true Photoshop expert. To pass off this level, you should learn at least 15 new tools or panels and adequately demonstrate your skill with them all. The list below is not comprehensive.

You may choose to learn

  • Actions
  • Quick Masks
  • Liquify
  • Blending modes
  • Blur tool
  • Sharpen tool
  • Sponge tool
  • Saving or uploading custom brushes
  • Saving or uploading custom shapes
  • Camera raw filter
  • High Dynamic Range (HDR)
  • Type Mask tools
  • History Brush
  • Droplets
  • Scripts
  • Channels
  • Advanced selection options (Select & Mask)
  • Saving/loading selections
  • Smart Objects
  • Color spaces (sRGB, Adobe RGB, etc)
  • High Pass filter
  • Other filters
  • Anything in the 3D menu

Suggested Projects

This competency project is intended to be flexible. Unfortunately, that may leave some feeling directionless or even lost at the start. If that’s you, here are some ideas for projects which will use several of the required tools and hopefully be fun and presentable as well! The files we use in class are another great resource, as they are specifically designed for practicing these tools. Youtube and Lynda tutorials for these tools also have great project ideas, often with practice files included.

Combine multiple images

Use selections, mass, the brush tool, and adjustment layers to create a conglomerate image composed of several different images.  Try to match the lighting and make it look GOOD.  It doesn’t have to be realistic (sure, you can be riding on Godzilla’s back holding a lasso) but it should be done WELL.

Create a poster

Using any tools necessary, create a poster for some event, real or otherwise. Great project for using shapes, type tools, layers, and potentially several other tools depending on what your poster is for. Advertise a divine-comedy style parody, an alien invasion, or an upcoming ward activity. It’s up to you!  But you must incorporate at least one edited image in the poster.

Note that posters typically have strict dimensions. Make yours a standard size such as 11″x17″, 27″x39″, or 24″x36″.

Fake bake

Using a portrait of someone’s face, apply makeup to it using Brush tool, blending modes, multiple layers, eyedropper tool, etc. You can even do contouring in Photoshop–it’s crazy, and lots of fun.  There are lots of YouTube videos about this.

Design a graphic t-shirt

T-shirts have a unique set of constraints in their design which make them a great practice in Photoshop.