USE LAYERS
Let’s get this out of the way right from the top: If you’re
not using layers, you’re probably working too hard, and
you’re definitely not taking full advantage of all the
control, flexibility, and creativity that layers offer. So if
you’re brand-new to the concept of layers, go check
out Terry White’s KelbyOne course Photoshop Layers
for Beginners.THE CHECKLIST
Pretty much every tool and function in Photoshop
has default settings, and the settings you choose will
(a) depend on what you’re doing next and (b) stay that
way until you change them. This means that even if you
haven’t used a tool in a while, the tool settings will still
be the ones you chose the last time you used that tool,
and those settings are most likely not ideal for what
you’re doing now. Photoshop has many factors that
influence the results of whatever you’re doing, so the
more things you can check the better.
Think about this example: In a multilayered document,
you’re about to start painting with the Brush tool (B). Here
are some of the things that should be on your checklist:
How big is the brush? What’s the Opacity
setting? What’s the blend mode of the brush?
What are the brush settings (Spacing,
Scatter, etc.)?
What’s your Foreground color?
Am I on the correct layer? Should I add a
new layer? What’s the Opacity of the layer?
What’s the blend mode of the layer?
Do I have something selected? Should
I have something selected?
Need a bunch of guides in a document?
Rather than dragging them onto your
document one at a time, use View>New
Guide Layout to add columns, rows, or
a grid of guides.Very often, as soon as you start to do something
different, the checklist will change. Needless to say, the
more you use Photoshop, the more experience you’ll
gain, and the easier it’ll become to go through your
checklists more quickly. But the bottom line is this:
If you get in the habit of checking tool settings, layer
functions, selections, and other key “influencers,” you’ll
spend more time doing rather than undoing.DEFAULT SETTINGS
AREN’T ALWAYS IDEAL
As mentioned, most tools and other commands have
default settings, but it’s important to note that just
because a setting is the default doesn’t mean it’s a good
setting. Default settings definitely aren’t always ideal for
your current situation, and you should check the current
settings of each tool to determine whether those settings
are appropriate for whatever you’re going to do next.Design Elements ©Adobe Stock
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