Photo Retouching with Adobe Photoshop

Section 1: Digital Photos and a Non-destructive Workflow

• The Photoshop interface, Layers panel and Contextual Task Bar for photo work
• RAW versus JPEG, image resolution, bit depth and the sRGB colour profile
• The editing order: global corrections, local fixes, retouching, then export
• Smart objects, separate layers and keeping PSD files so you can revise later

Section 2: Lab: Editing in Camera Raw

• Open RAW files and apply the Camera Raw Filter to JPEG images
• White balance, exposure, contrast, highlights and shadows
• Profiles, Color Mixer and matching colours to the real subject
• Crop, straighten and correct converging lines with Geometry
• Lab: fix dark, backlit and off-colour images from cameras and phones

Section 3: Lab: Local Edits with AI Masking

• Subject, Sky and Background masks in one click
• People masks that select each person's skin, hair, eyes and teeth
• Linear gradient, radial gradient and brush masks for local fixes
• Lab: brighten faces, add depth to the sky and save the result as a preset

Section 4: Lab: Colour Correction with Curves and Adjustment Layers

• Read the histogram and use Levels and Curves
• Hue/Saturation, Color Balance and Selective Color
• Adjust only part of an image with an adjustment layer mask
• Lab: give a set of photos one consistent look

Section 5: Lab: Removing Distractions

• Spot Healing Brush, the Remove tool and Content-Aware Fill
• Distraction Removal in Camera Raw for passers-by and reflections in glass
• Clone Stamp for straight lines, edges and textures you need to control yourself
• Lab: remove cables, people and stains from photos of a venue

Section 6: Lab: Editing Product Photos

• Cut out products with Select Subject and Select and Mask
• Clean white backgrounds, cast shadows and realistic reflections
• Remove dust, fingerprints and scratches from product surfaces
• Lab: make a multi-angle product set match in colour and light

Section 7: Lab: Skin Retouching for Portraits

• Clean up blemishes and spots with the Healing Brush on a separate layer
• Skin Smoothing in Neural Filters and its limitations
• Keep natural skin texture instead of a plastic look
• Lab: retouch a portrait for a profile photo and PR use

Section 8: Lab: Frequency Separation and Dodge and Burn

• Separate skin texture from colour and tone on two layers
• Even out blotchy skin tone without losing pores and detail
• Dodge and burn on a grey layer to add shape to the face
• Lab: retouch a beauty shot to print quality

Section 9: Lab: Refining Facial Details with Restraint

• Face-Aware Liquify for small adjustments to eyes, mouth and face shape
• Brighten eyes, whiten teeth and tidy stray hairs around the face
• Retouching ethics: do not reshape people beyond reality, and get the subject's consent
• Lab: retouch a group photo with several faces

Section 10: Lab: Landscapes and Restoring Old Photos

• Sky Replacement, Dehaze and Clarity for landscapes and architecture
• Reduce noise in photos taken in low light
• Repair folds, scratches and stains on scanned prints
• Add colour to black-and-white photos with Colorize and check that it looks realistic
• Lab: restore an old family or company photograph

Section 11: Lab: Generative AI for Photo Work

• Generative Fill to remove objects or fill in missing areas
• Generative Expand to extend the scene when you change the aspect ratio
• Generative Upscale for low-resolution images, and Generative Credits
• Transparency: Content Credentials and telling viewers when an image was edited with AI

Section 12: Workshop: Exporting and Editing Your Own Photo Set

• Sharpen for the output medium and use Export As for the web, social media and print
• Resize and convert many files at once with Image Processor
• Workshop: edit your own photo set from RAW file to delivered file
• Present before-and-after results with feedback from the instructor