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An Idiot’s Guide To Photoshop [Free PDF]

By Simon Slangen on Apr. 14th, 2009

Have you decided to venture in the world of image editing? Decided, but don’t know how?

Photoshop can be quite difficult, if you throw yourself at it without preparation. You’ve probably got no clue how everyone gets that wizardry done, because you don’t know head from tail in that maze of buttons and filters!

Don’t despair, because MakeUseOf will be your guide in this intricate, yet magical world.

We’re proud to present An Idiot’s Guide To Photoshop, the starter’s manual for every Photoshop initiate to carry! This guide starts right at the very bottom, assuming no knowledge at all, and walks you through all basic aspects of the application. The guide even comes with three full pages of shortcuts, cheat sheets covering all the application’s possibilities!

Let MakeUseOf’s own Karl Gechlik from AskTheAdmin guide you throughout the different editing possibilities in 30 illustrated pages, and get you to know your paint bucket from your eraser.

Are you watermouthed yet? Got itchy fingers and want to get busy?

Get shopping now! Download the Idiot’s Guide To Photoshop here in PDF, no strings attached.

stumble it!

(By) Simon is a student and tech enthusiast from Belgium. On MakeUseOf, he's the primary gaming writer and eBook editor. Check Simon out @ http://meme.yahoo.com/slangen/

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More about: image editors . image effects . pdf manual . photography . photoshop

30 Comments

2009-04-14 22:16:29
Sergio

First! And great post as usual.

Reply to this comment
2009-04-15 04:10:57
Titanium Pen

Oh man, I don’t have Photoshop; I only have GIMP!

Reply to this comment
2009-04-15 04:40:47
david2

Anyone know of the same for Gimp??

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2009-04-15 08:56:46
Simon Slangen

Patience is a virtue, who knows what might sprout from MakeUseOf next ;-)

Reply to this comment
2009-04-15 23:49:43
Vinícius Novais

I’m brazilian, but I will try to learn something in this guide.
Very good.

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2009-04-21 00:26:44
batipi
Subscribed to comments via email

This is a great resource, thanks!

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2009-04-24 13:46:00
Mike

I tried downloading the pdf but it appears to be damaged and I couldn’t open the file.

Reply to this comment
2009-05-01 04:07:17
bhai

Hey, unable to download “Photoshop Guide”. When I click on “here” on the website, it opens other page but nothing to download.

Reply to this comment
2009-05-22 20:17:21
Judy

Thanks for the guide to Photoshop. Where have you been?

Reply to this comment
2009-06-02 07:47:44
Terri

Thanks for writing the Idiot Guide to Photoshop This is absolutely helpful!

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2009-06-10 01:27:45
Jason
Subscribed to comments via email

great guide…used some of the skills to create the following

(chk photos)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkn1LR7zKUU

Reply to this comment
2009-06-10 01:29:03
Jason
Subscribed to comments via email

great guide…used some tips for a vid on utube.

search for ‘Rhythm Mandir Show Stoppa’

Reply to this comment
2009-06-21 11:22:20
photo retouching

Nice handy guide. I will be downloading it and giving it to some of my students. Not that they are idiots mind you.

Reply to this comment
2009-06-24 16:25:45
Pillowthrowdecor
Subscribed to comments via email

I am looking forward to reading this because so far I have struggled with creating drop shadows on my pillow photography. My picture taking sucks… and I haven’t discovered any of my graphic editing talents yet.:)

Reply to this comment
2009-06-29 10:59:06
Kagoye Geofrey

Thanx for the photoshop guidance. It has helped me much.. and hey this is just a great and marvelous resource.

Reply to this comment
2009-07-06 17:49:16
third_child

thanks for the guide..

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2009-07-07 05:24:38
ZK@Web Marketing Blog

Great information about photoshop….
Thanks

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2009-07-21 23:57:13
Claudia
Subscribed to comments via email

Very useful! Thank you so much for it.

Reply to this comment
2009-08-03 14:45:57
magnoliasouth

I’ll chime in on the Gimp request. Gimp is the way of the future. I never was a photoshop fan. I bought a version of Paint Shop Pro 8 and have never upgraded. I love that one! Gimp is similar, but not nearly as user friendly as PSP. The only reason I’m trying to migrate to Gimp is because it’s free and looks to be permanent.

Buying photoshop is like paying for TV that you can view online.

Reply to this comment
2009-08-28 06:29:48
Ragter

…I think you need ‘An Idiot’s Guide to PDF’ next, because…I don’t even know what the heck a .pdf file is.

Reply to this comment
2009-09-24 14:13:08
4insure

Thanks for the guide. It has helped me much.. and hey this is just a great and marvelous resource.

Reply to this comment
2009-10-18 05:43:02
gouthami

This post is really helpful

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2009-10-28 01:27:46
Sami
Subscribed to comments via email

In the PDF you mentioned that you would show us how to “replicate the background to make a new piece of it”. Have you perhaps released this guide as yet?

Reply to this comment
2009-11-14 21:42:17
matt

thank you for the guide

Reply to this comment
2009-12-06 06:25:21
IterJohn

great one..very helpful for beginners…………

Reply to this comment
2009-12-10 01:26:27
Mobile tracker

Thanks man I downloaded it to my mobile phone and it’s only 1.33M!

I have been looking for some great ebooks these days, although I have many books, I want to include the pdf version in my mobile phone.

Reply to this comment
2009-12-15 06:04:32
Mike

This is a very helpful guide. Photoshop is difficult to learn but worth the trouble.

Reply to this comment
2010-01-09 20:54:45
Mark

Can i just say how impressed i am with the guide. I used it to help me design my pictures on my blog for flight simulator download.

Reply to this comment
2010-01-17 10:51:37
patty
Subscribed to comments via email

i never knew any thing about this stuff i think it is very impressed for this kind of help. thank you.

Reply to this comment
2010-02-09 04:40:14
maia

thanks for your generosity. been trying to learn photoshop, but like the rest i had been intimidated by it. i hope this one helps.

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