Photoshop is a tool that can enhance a student’s education and become a valuable asset across many future career paths. The ability to handle Photoshop with ease will take time as the software offers virtually endless potential for creating and editing images.
Let’s examine a few techniques with which you can enhance students’ learning of Photoshop basics.
1. A Tool per Day
Photoshop has dozens of tools you can find in the panel that appears on the left. Rather than trying to tackle a task that will require several tools, try focusing on a tool per day. Doing so will allow students to master individual tools and eventually put their skills together to complete complex tasks.
Furthermore, you can cement the skill in students’ minds by taking a second day in which you apply the new knowledge. For example, if you teach your students everything there is about the magic wand tool, they can apply it to sample files the next day.
You can then teach the next tool on the following day and take the fourth day to combine the tool with what was learned previously. This way, you can build students’ skill sets by gradually stacking their knowledge. Being able to watch their Photoshop capabilities grow day by day will keep them motivated and excited to learn more.
2. Build a Practical Super Skill
Learning Photoshop basics doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll settle for drawing straight lines or cropping images. Delving into specific skills will only enhance students’ ability to perform basic functions.
For example, Photoshop allows users to edit videos. While you don’t have to get into fancy video editing, helping students perform a very specific task will supercharge their learning. Furthermore, you can have students design a t-shirt, create a poster or logo using a specific skill they’ve learned.
3. Run Challenges and Contests
Challenges and contests are a great way of promoting practical learning. Students don’t have to achieve an advanced level to partake in these activities.
One way of learning Photoshop basics through challenges is to have students represent a simple math or logic problem graphically. Alternatively, you can run contests or challenges centered around sports or other local events.
These exercises can come in the form of a 30-day challenge. You can divide the days up into skill learning, practical application, and working on the final product. At the end of the 30 days, students should have a creation that utilizes the skills they’ve acquired.
4. Spotting Bad Work
Training your students’ eyes is just as important as teaching them the tools Photoshop offers. Take the time to show your students images that are products of bad editing. This will teach them to spot poor work but also understand what they should avoid in their own creations.
Examining images that have errors in their editing is an activity that moves your students beyond the basics without requiring them to have advanced knowledge. It’s like watching videos of race cars skidding off track and describing what went wrong. The knowledge is theoretical but will translate over to their practical skills as they learn each tool.
Get Started With a Free Trial
Students can build their skill set by breaking their learning down into bite-sized pieces and then combining them into practical knowledge. In fact, Adobe CC offers free photoshop for students for 7 days on a trial basis, with additional access to a 60% discount.
