Photoshop 7.0: Level 2

Course length: 1 Day

Course Description: In this course, students will build upon things learned in Photoshop 7.0: Level 1, learning skills that go well beyond the first level. You’ll further your understanding of isolating image areas by creating and saving masks with specialized tools, commands, modes, and layer elements. You’ll learn how to use vector paths for a variety of purposes, including masking, clipping paths, and illustration. You’ll also learn to create and apply creative elements such as gradients, patterns, and color overlays, and to save them along with effects in easy-to-apply layer styles. When you’ve completed the course, you’ll have a firm grasp on Photoshop concepts that are applicable to almost every facet of using the application, including Web design, preparing photographic images for printing, and illustration.

Target Student: This course is designed for students who have completed the Software Training course, Photoshop 7.0: Level 1, and who want to learn additional, more advanced Photoshop techniques.

Prerequisites: To ensure your success, you must have first completed the Software Training course Photoshop 7.0: Level 1 and have a strong working knowledge of the Windows environment. For example, you should know how to launch an application, create and save files, and copy files from CDs and other media. The Software Training courses Windows 98: Introduction, Windows ME: Introduction and Windows XP: Introduction teach these skills.

Delivery Method: Instructor-led, group-paced, classroom-delivery learning model with structured hands-on activities.

Benefits: After completing this course, students will be able to use advanced techniques to isolate image areas with precision and efficiency. Students will be able to use several techniques to create complex masks. Students will also use layer styles to apply effects, colors, patterns, and gradients efficiently.

What's Next: After completing this two course series, Photoshop 7.0: Level 1 and Photoshop 7.0: Level 2 students can move easily to any or all of the following courses:

Photoshop 7.0: Web Production

Photoshop 7.0: Artistic Effects

Photoshop 7.0: Color Correction and Printing

Performance-Based Objectives

Lesson objectives help students become comfortable with the course, and also provide a means to evaluate learning. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Use Quick Mask mode, alpha channels, and layer masks to isolate image areas. Create clipping groups to use one layer’s contents to mask another’s.
• Create vector paths as tools for selecting images, for creating transparent areas in images to be used with other applications, and for drawing shapes.
• Create color swatches, gradients, and patterns, all of which can be saved and loaded in sets for convenience.
• Create layer styles that can apply effects, colors, patterns, and gradients in one step.
• Use the Background Eraser and the Extract command to create complex masks quickly and accurately, even for images with indistinct edges and very fine details.

Course Content

Lesson 1: Masking and Layers

Topic 1A: Editing Quick Masks and Alpha Channels

Topic 1B: Layer Masks

Topic 1C: Grayscale Masking

Topic 1D: Clipping Groups

Lesson 2: Vector Paths

Topic 2A: Vector Path Concepts

Topic 2B: Creating Vector Paths

Topic 2C: Editing Paths

Topic 2D: Using Paths for Masking

Lesson 3: Swatches, Gradients, Patterns

Topic 3A: Swatches

Topic 3B: Gradients

Topic 3C: Patterns

Lesson 4: Layer Types and Styles

Topic 4A: Fill Layers

Topic 4B: Drawing and Painting Shapes

Topic 4C: Layer Styles

Lesson 5: Advanced Masking

Topic 5A: The Background Eraser

Topic 5B: The Extract Command