Adobe® Photoshop® CS5: A Comprehensive Approach

Course Specifications

Course number: 084660
Course length: 3.0 day(s)

Course Description

Course Objective: You will understand and use the various elements in the Photoshop CS5 interface so as to efficiently work with the software. You will use the different tools in Photoshop to select parts of images and identify the need for having layers in a document. You will also organize the different components of the design as layers You will apply layer effects and other special effects to enhance the design's appearance. You will enhance your ability to create accurate masks and image, effects, retouch images, work with video files, automate repetitive tasks, and integrate with other Adobe applications. You will also use color management techniques and color correct images to ensure optimal print output. You will set Photoshop’s unit preferences and save files in different formats to see how well each format balances image quality with file size reduction. You will then calibrate your system’s color display. You will also use Photoshop as part of creating finished web pages, export individual slices, and create an HTML web page that displays a table containing the sliced sections. Finally, you will create and optimize animations for the web and mobile devices.

Target Student: This course is intended for a diverse audience, including, but not limited to, computer-savvy professionals who want to create and enhance graphics for marketing materials, newsletters, blogs, and websites; photographers who want to work with and prepare photos for print and web; students with an interest in graphic design or those with novice design skills; and professionals who want to learn and use Photoshop CS5 as a complement to other CS5 programs, such as Illustrator. The course covers the Adobe Visual Communications using Photoshop CS5 and Adobe Photoshop CS5 ACE objectives, and is intended to help prepare students to take the Adobe Certified Associate and Adobe Certified Expert exams. Please refer to the CD-ROM that came with this course for a document that maps the Adobe Visual Communication using Photoshop CS5 objectives and the Adobe Photoshop CS5 ACE exam objectives to the content in the Adobe Photoshop CS5 series.

Prerequisites: Before taking this course, students should be familiar with the basic functions of their computer's operating system such as creating folders, launching program, and working with windows. Students should also have basic Windows® application skills, such as copying and pasting objects, formatting text, saving files, and so on.

Hardware Requirements

Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® 64 processor
1 GB of RAM
1 GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation, and an additional 500 MB to run the course
1024 x 768 display (1280 x 800 recommended) with qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics card, 16-bit color, and 256 MB of VRAM
Some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0
Mouse or any other compatible tracking device
DVD-ROM drive
Internet connection with Internet Explorer version 7.0 or later
A color printer or color print driver
Display system to project the instructor's computer screen

Software Requirements

Each computer requires the following software:

Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 3; Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (Service Pack 2 recommended); or Windows 7
Adobe® Photoshop® CS5 Extended
QuickTime 7.6.2, or later, software required for multimedia features
Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7.0, or later
Adobe® Reader® 9.0, or later.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

initiate a project.
explore the Adobe Photoshop CS5 environment.
determine the resolution and graphic type.
work with selections.
work with multiple layers.
enhance images with paint and filters.
identify the characteristics of various image modes and color adjustment options.
save images for web and print.
use image-editing tools in Photoshop to manipulate and enhance the appearance of an image.
create and edit vector paths.
work with shape layers and masks.
automate tasks in Adobe Photoshop.
use the tools available in Adobe Photoshop to edit and export video files.
work with other Adobe applications.
understand the various color modes and workflow.
calibrate a monitor and use color management profiles to control image display.
use the advanced image support features available in Photoshop CS5.
combine images.
enhance the quality of images.
adjust RGB colors to perform color correction for images.
create high quality CMYK separations for commercial printing.
convert color images to grayscale and add spot colors to them.
prepare images for the web.
optimize images by saving them in different formats and applying transparency to them.
apply color management techniques, alter image brightness, and ensure color consistency to create images that are attractive to the widest possible audience who use different platforms such as Macintosh and Windows.
create web page layouts.
export a web page.
create animations for web and mobile devices.

Course Content

Lesson 1: Initiating a Project: Topic 1A: Plan a Project; Topic 1B: Identify Copyright and Citation Requirements

Lesson 2: Exploring the Adobe® Photoshop® CS5 Environment: Topic 2A: Explore the Photoshop Interface; Topic 2B: Customize the Workspace; Topic 2C: Explore Adobe Bridge

Lesson 3: Determining Graphic Type and Resolution: Topic 3A: Differentiate Between Raster and Vector Graphics; Topic 3B: Understand Image Resolution

Lesson 4: Working with Selections: Topic 4A: Create a Selection; Topic 4B: Save a Selection; Topic 4C: Modify a Selection; Topic 4D: Apply Color to a Selection

Lesson 5: Working with Layers: Topic 5A: Create Layers; Topic 5B: Work with Type Layers; Topic 5C: Transform Layers; Topic 5D: Apply Styles; Topic 5E: Undo Previous Steps; Topic 5F: Manage Layers

Lesson 6: Enhancing Images with Paint and Filters: Topic 6A: Paint on an Image; Topic 6B: Apply Filter Effects

Lesson 7: Exploring Image Modes and Color Adjustments: Topic 7A: Explore Grayscale and Bitmap Modes; Topic 7B: Apply Color Adjustments

Lesson 8: Saving Images for Web and Print: Topic 8A: Save Images for Print; Topic 8B: Save Images for the Web; Topic 8C: Save Images as PDF

Lesson 9: Enhancing Images: Topic 9A: Create Gradients; Topic 9B: Retouch Images; Topic 9C: Adjust Tonal Range Using Adjustment Layers

Lesson 10: Working with Vector Paths: Topic 10A: Create Vector Paths; Topic 10B: Edit Paths

Lesson 11: Working with Shape Layers and Masks: Topic 11A: Work with Shape Layers; Topic 11B: Work with Masks; Topic 11C: Apply Special Effects to a Layer

Lesson 12: Automating Tasks: Topic 12A: Work with Actions; Topic 12B: Automate Tasks Using Adobe Bridge

Lesson 13: Working with Video Files: Topic 13A: Edit Video Files; Topic 13B: Export Video Files

Lesson 14: Integrating with Other Adobe Applications: Topic 14A: Integrate with Adobe® Illustrator®; Topic 14B: Edit a Photoshop File in Adobe® Acrobat®

Lesson 15: Understanding Color Modes and Workflow: Topic 15A: Compare Color Modes; Topic 15B: Examine Color Workflow

Lesson 16: Setting Color Space: Topic 16A: Calibrate and Profile the Monitor; Topic 16B: Set a Working Color Space in Photoshop; Topic 16C: Convert Images from One Color Space to Another; Topic 16D: Manage Printing and Color

Lesson 17: Using Advanced Image Support: Topic 17A: Work with the Camera Raw Format; Topic 17B: Create High Dynamic Range Images; Topic 17C: Enhance Images Using Lens Correction Filter; Topic 17D: Preview an Image on a Video Monitor

Lesson 18: Combining Images: Topic 18A: Merge and Rescale Images; Topic 18B: Blend Images

Lesson 19: Enhancing Image Quality: Topic 19A: Reduce Noise in Images; Topic 19B: Sharpen Images; Topic 19C: Minimize Moiré Patterns; Topic 19D: Eliminate Red Eye Defects

Lesson 20: Adjusting RGB Colors: Topic 20A: Identify Color Regions for Color Correction; Topic 20B: Make Color and Contrast Adjustments; Topic 20C: Make Basic Curve Adjustments; Topic 20D: Correct Memory Colors; Topic 20E: Adjust Shadows and Highlights Independently

Lesson 21: Creating CMYK Separations: Topic 21A: Adjust Color Settings for Prepress; Topic 21B: Examine Calibration Techniques; Topic 21C: Adjust Out-of-Gamut Colors; Topic 21D: Color Separate Images; Topic 21E: Adjust CMYK Curves

Lesson 22: Working with Grayscale Images and Spot Colors: Topic 22A: Convert Color Images to Grayscale Images; Topic 22B: Create Duotones; Topic 22C: Add Spot Colors to Selected Areas of an Image

Lesson 23: Preparing Web Images: Topic 23A: Understand Images for the Web; Topic 23B: Reduce File Size

Lesson 24: Optimizing Images: Topic 24A: Optimize Photographic Images; Topic 24B: Optimize Flat Color Graphics and Illustrations; Topic 24C: Apply Transparency Settings

Lesson 25: Preparing Images for Cross-Platform Viewing: Topic 25A: Set Up Color Management for the Web; Topic 25B: Alter Images for Displaying Across Platforms; Topic 25C: Snap to Web-Safe Colors

Lesson 26: Creating Web Page Layouts: Topic 26A: Create a Web Page; Topic 26B: Create Web Page Backgrounds; Topic 26C: Draw Editable Vector Shapes; Topic 26D: Create Effects

Lesson 27: Exporting a Web Page: Topic 27A: Prepare a Web Page for Export; Topic 27B: Export a Web Page

Lesson 28: Creating Animations for Web and Mobile Devices: Topic 28A: Create Frame Animations; Topic 28B: Create Timeline Animations; Topic 28C: Save Animations; Topic 28D: Preview Animations on Mobile Devices

Appendix A: Organizing Assets Using Adobe® Bridge

Appendix B: Examining Scanning Preferences

Appendix C: Identifying Scanner Settings and Adjustments

Appendix D: Printing Conditions for Commercial Purposes

Appendix E: Choosing Image Resolution

Appendix F: New Features in Adobe® Photoshop® CS5