What You Need to Know About Photoshop

From studying Public Relations I've learned that Adobe photoshop is needed. It's not as important as some other aspects but if you can understand and use photoshop it gives you an edge which highlights your ability and later could lead to a promotion in PR. Photoshop is used to edit images by touching up flaws and you can design images which can be used as logos and avatars on social networking websites. This is great for Public Relations and Marketing Communication. From my studies of photoshop I've discovered all the things it's capable of doing. If you want to be the best Public Relations professional you can be it's important to understand it's features and also be able to use it. Photoshop is quite complicated so don't worry about learning every little thing. Just get the basics down and it'll give you an advantage in the industry and it could be useful for your clients.

Typography:
Photoshop's Typography feature is very useful. Type is very important in visual communication. The text will say what the image is about. It should be clear and legible. There are many options in photoshop to use different fonts and styles. It also gives you the option to change the size of the type. Type can be used for almost anything. In a previous assignment I created an image on photoshop using only type. I made a picture of Sponge Bob using only O's, C's, I's, full stops and brackets. This was the finished project:

Why don't you try using photoshops type feature? If you open an image into photoshop, create a mask and then add text to resemble the image behind it, you should get something like what I've created.

Brushes and Shapes
On photoshop you can customise brushes and shapes. These are both very usful tools. You can create your own personalised brushes and use unique shapes to create leaflets, posters, logos etc. This feature is useful to PR professionals because you can create your own image. This avoids copyright laws. Here is another previous assignment I did. It was Valentines day themed. I created a background and then added heart shapes and used brushes to created a jagged effect and then I added text and a picture.

Blending Options
There are many blending options that you can choose on photoshop. These bring your image to a whole new level. By adding emboss and bevel or gradient overlay can enhance your image can enhance your image greatly. In press releases you may want to add a picture and by using photoshop you can make your picture stand out. Try using a drop shadow and outer glow. These make your image more striking.

Retouching
When someone mentions photoshop you instantly think of it's retouching ability. Photoshop is famous for retouching images of celebrities to make them look "perfect". Photoshop can be used to erase imperfections, sliming faces and figures, enhancing colour etc. Here are some examples:

All of these features are what make photoshop so essential for Public Relations professionals. In my next blog I will discuss the many mistakes you should avoid making on photoshop.

Thanks for reading.
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