Handy Dandy App to for Shortcuts

A visual and easy to use App that helps you find all the hidden shortcuts to make Photoshop Faster and easier to use. It currently supports Photoshop, Lightroom and Blender in Windows, OS X and Linux.

Click Here To Try It

How does it work
The keyboard layout is able to be changed to your operating system and usually opens to the current one, you then select the program and version you have. These are all above the keyboard. Below is the search bar if you are looking for a specific command. It then tells you what keys will help you out. But it gets better: press another key, like Shift or Space, and the display changes to tell you what each key will now do. It's all color-coded, too, so you know which key brings about what change.

 

Layers and Masks

This week is a hard one but once you get the hang of Layers it will be easier in the long run. Masks can be substituted with just erasing unwanted parts of pictures and placing items where they are needed like in the first Stickman exercise. The reason I focused on Masks most of the class is that they are used in color correction hopefully it will be clearer with that application.

The best way to think of layers is comparing them to cel animation with layers of cellophane over a background.

From internet

To Start we have some Reading and helpful information

Layers and Masks
  Basics Concept  Applications    Video

LAYERS EXERCISE

The most useful example of layers is getting that perfect group shot. Some people look great in one picture but not another by layering two pictures on top of one another and using masks you can edit in and out the best pose. Video example

One thing that was not mentioned in the exercise was layer opacity to create the Ghost effect

When you are all done with creating layers you can organize them  by Grouping layers  into folders to save space  you can also Merge layers to cut down on layers even more