Photoshop tutorials are something that every user can benefit from, whatever your level of experience. When you're first starting out, the best beginner-level Photoshop tutorials can help you grasp the basics and set you on the right path. As you progress, you'll find that intermediate Photoshop tutorials can boost your skills and introduce you to new techniques. And even when you're a veteran of the software, there are always advanced Photoshop tutorials that can introduce you to new features and ambitious projects that can pull you out of your creative comfort zone and stretch your abilities yet further.
In many ways, it's a case of running to stand still, because Photoshop is expanding and adding features all the time, not to mention brand new ways of using it, such as Photoshop on the iPad. So there are always going to be more tricks you can learn.
With all that in mind, here's our round-up of the best Photoshop tutorials you can access for free on the web today. And don't forget to improve your Photoshop experience even further, with our roundups of the best free Photoshop brushes and the latest Photoshop plugins.
Tutorials for beginners
01. Photoshop for beginners
If you’re a complete novice, then Photoshop tutorials are a great way to get your head around the software. In this three-hour video, Dan Scott, an Adobe certified instructor for Envato Tuts+, walks you through everything you need to get started. There’s no need for any previous Photoshop knowledge, or photography or design skills for that matter. If you want to jump ahead, the different sections and timings are all listed on the YouTube page.
02. Learn Photoshop in 5 minutes: beginner tutorial
Pushed for time? There are many short and sweet Photoshop tutorials for beginners out there, and here's one of our favourites. In just five minutes, Julian Ball of Flow Graphics walks you through the basic tools and interface, and gives you a good idea of what the software is all about.
03. Get to know Photoshop
Part of a series of Photoshop tutorials produced by Adobe itself, Get to know Photoshop teaches you the basic tools and techniques of the software. You'll be introduced to the work area and will learn how to open and save your images, zoom in and out, and undo mistakes.
04. How to resize an image
Image resizing is probably one of the first things you'll want to do as a beginner, and here's one of the best Photoshop tutorials to explain it. How to resize an image on Photoshop teaches you how to change canvas size, use trim and more, all without compromising too much on image quality.
05. How to work with layers
Layers are one of those fundamental concepts you'll need to get your head around, and here's another of Adobe's own Photoshop tutorials to walk you through the basics. How to work with layers teaches you what layers are and how to use the Layers panel, how to resize the contents of a layer, and how to add images to a layered file.
06. How to adjust image quality
Discover how to adjust image quality with this most succinct of Photoshop tutorials. This series of four videos will teach you to enhance brightness and colour, and improve the quality of your images in Photoshop.
07. How to make selections
Some Photoshop tutorials help you master vital skills quickly and easily, and here's a great example. How to make selections reveals how to create a selection, work with selection tools, and fine-tune the edges of a selection.
08. How to retouch images
How to retouch images is a trio of Photoshop tutorials in video form. They walk you through how to remove unwanted objects, add objects by cloning, and fix other imperfections in your images with retouching tools in Photoshop.
09. How to add text and shapes
This collection of four Photoshop tutorials demonstrates how to add text and shapes. When you do so, they remain editable, and you can customise them down to the smallest detail.
10. How to use the Photoshop Pen tool
In one of Creative Bloq's own Photoshop tutorials, Mark White explains how to use the Photoshop Pen tool, a simple selection feature that enables you to fill, stroke or make selections from whatever you draw.
11. How to use the Brush tool
In another of our Photoshop tutorials from Mark White, you'll discover how to use the Brush tool in Photoshop. This step-by-step guide includes helpful guides to what each of the icons in the Brush palette mean.
12. How to make a photo collage
Learn how to combine images to make a simple photo collage in Photoshop with this tutorial from Matt Smith. You can use this technique to create your own collages from photographs, and perhaps eventually build on your compositions to create more intricate design collages from your own creations.
13. How to apply filters
Learn how to apply filters, allowing you add quick effects to an image. Filters can also be combined to create unique results, as these two related Photoshop tutorials demonstrate nicely.
14. Edit your first photo
Photoshop tutorials for beginners can be found on a range of subjects, and this one teaches you how to edit your first photo. Bring out the best in your images with the useful techniques outlined here.
15. How to use Photoshop layer masks
One of Creative Bloq's own Photoshop tutorials, How to use Photoshop layer masks will help you streamline your digital art workflow. As any beginner will quickly learn, layer masks are one of the most fundamental parts of the software: without them your work will look flat. Follow these tips and shortcuts to work more quickly and easily.
16. How to remove a background in Photoshop
Another of our own Photoshops tutorials takes you through several different ways to remove a background in Photoshop. Jo Gulliver starts off by taking you through how to use the Magic Wand tool and Quick Selection tools to remove a background, before moving on to more advanced techniques.
17. Create your first design
Create your first design is a series of Photoshop tutorials that introduces how to work with layers, combine images, use layer masks, and add creative graphics, text, and effects. You can then use these skills to combine design assets into a simple, unique composite for print or online use.
18. How to make a meme in Photoshop
Social media’s all about memes these days, and making them is a useful skill to have. In one of our most recent Photoshop tutorials, How to make a meme in Photoshop, Matt Smith explains how to make multiple memes in moments.
19. How to use Photoshop layers: 6 top tips
This tutorial, How to use Photoshop layers: 6 top tips, will teach you to use Photoshop's layer system; the key to unlocking the software's versatility. Here, you’ll find out how to create layers, lock them, group them and adjust opacity.
20. Digital painting with Photoshop CC for beginners
Digital painting with Photoshop for beginners breaks down the process of creating a simple digital painting, from start to finish. If you can work on a canvas with paints, then many of the same painting techniques you use will transfer directly over to digitally painting in Photoshop.
Next page: Intermediate Photoshop tutorials