Beginner 2 days · 12 hours Creative Cloud 2026

Photoshop Level 1

A hands-on start in Photoshop for people who need to edit and export images properly

About this course

Most people meet Photoshop by clicking around until something looks right, then rebuilding the same file three times because the first version was flattened. This course replaces that with a method. Over two days you learn the small set of habits professionals actually use: layers that stay editable, masks instead of the eraser, adjustment layers instead of baked-in changes, and an export step that produces the right file for the right destination the first time.

You work on real material throughout. You will cut a product out of a cluttered background and place it on a new backdrop, correct an under-exposed photograph with Levels and Curves, remove a distracting object from a street scene, set headline and body type for a simple poster, and export that poster twice: once as a print-ready file and once sized for social media. Every exercise file is yours to keep, so you can repeat the work after the class on your own images.

The course is taught by demonstration and practice in short cycles. The instructor builds a step, you build the same step, and the class moves on only when the room has it. Sessions run live online in your own timezone, or in the classroom in Colombo. Every booking includes the class recording for twelve months, so a step you half-followed on the day is there to watch again.

Content is mapped to the domains of the Adobe Certified Professional in Adobe Photoshop exam, which is delivered by Certiport at authorised test centres. The course prepares you for that exam and finishes with a timed practice task in the same shape as the real thing. MyLearnPlus does not award the Adobe credential and no course can guarantee a pass, but you will leave knowing which objectives you are solid on and which need another evening of practice.

Pricing is shown in LKR for learners in Sri Lanka and in USD for everyone else. Teams can be invoiced, and the same syllabus can be run privately for a single organisation.

What you'll be able to do

  • Set up a Photoshop document with the correct resolution, colour mode and canvas size for either print or screen.
  • Build a layered file using groups, smart objects and adjustment layers so the original pixels are never overwritten.
  • Cut a product out of a cluttered background with Object Selection and the Select and Mask workspace, then place it on a new backdrop.
  • Paint and refine layer masks to blend two photographs together without deleting a single pixel.
  • Correct exposure, contrast and colour cast on an under-exposed photograph using Levels, Curves and Hue/Saturation.
  • Remove blemishes, cables and unwanted objects using the Healing Brush, Clone Stamp, Content-Aware Fill and the Remove tool.
  • Recover highlight and shadow detail in a raw file by applying Camera Raw as an editable smart filter.
  • Set headline and body type with proper character and paragraph settings for a single-page poster.
  • Export the same artwork twice: a print-ready file at full resolution and a web-sized JPEG or PNG at set pixel dimensions.
  • Complete a timed practice task written against the domains of the Adobe Certified Professional in Adobe Photoshop exam.

Who it is for

  • Marketing and communications staff who are asked to prepare images for campaigns, social posts and presentations
  • Graphic design students and career changers building their first portfolio pieces
  • Small business owners and online sellers who photograph and edit their own products
  • Photographers moving from phone apps to a full desktop editor
  • Print and production staff who receive supplied artwork and need to check, correct and re-export it

What you need first

  • No prior experience with Photoshop is needed.
  • You should be comfortable with your own computer: saving files, finding folders and switching between applications.

Upcoming dates

Upcoming dates, with prices and places remaining
When How Where Places Price Book
29–30 Sep 2026 09:00–16:00 +0530 Live online Online Places available $695.00
13–14 Oct 2026 09:00–16:00 +0530 In person Places available $834.00
20–21 Oct 2026 09:00–16:00 +0530 Live online Online Places available $695.00
10–11 Nov 2026 09:00–16:00 +0530 Live online Online Places available $695.00
24–25 Nov 2026 09:00–16:00 +0530 In person Places available $834.00
1–2 Dec 2026 09:00–16:00 +0530 Live online Online Places available $695.00
Start any time Self-paced Online Always available $49.00

What we cover

About 12 hours of taught content

Day 1, Morning — Getting around Photoshop

The interface, document setup and the layer habits that keep a file editable to the end of the job.

  • Workspaces, panels, tool presets and saving your own layout 30 min
  • Opening files, new document setup, resolution and colour mode 40 min
  • Navigating, zooming and stepping back through the History panel 25 min
  • Layers: creating, reordering, grouping, naming and locking 45 min
  • Non-destructive habits: smart objects and adjustment layers 40 min
Day 1, Afternoon — Selections and masks

Making accurate selections, turning them into masks, and cutting a product onto a new background.

  • Marquee, Lasso, Quick Selection, Object Selection and Select Subject 40 min
  • Refining difficult edges in the Select and Mask workspace 40 min
  • Layer masks: painting in, painting out and checking your work 40 min
  • Pen tool basics and vector paths for hard-edged cut-outs 35 min
  • Exercise: cut a product from its background and place it on a new backdrop 25 min
Day 2, Morning — Tone, colour and retouching

Fixing exposure and colour, then removing the things that should not be in the frame.

  • Levels and Curves for exposure, contrast and black point 45 min
  • Hue/Saturation, Vibrance and correcting a colour cast 35 min
  • Spot Healing Brush, Healing Brush, Patch and Clone Stamp 40 min
  • Content-Aware Fill and the Remove tool on a street scene 30 min
  • Camera Raw as a smart filter: highlights, shadows and lens corrections 30 min
Day 2, Afternoon — Type, layout and output

Setting type, finishing a poster and exporting the correct file for print and for screen.

  • Type layers, character and paragraph settings, and readable headlines 35 min
  • Shapes, layer styles and assembling a simple poster layout 35 min
  • Cropping, straightening and canvas size for a set deliverable 25 min
  • Export As, Save for Web, and choosing between JPEG, PNG, TIFF and PDF 40 min
  • Colour settings, soft proofing and packaging files for a printer 25 min
  • Exam objectives review and a timed practice task 20 min

Who teaches it

MyLearnPlus Adobe Faculty

Adobe Certified Professionals teaching the Creative Cloud track

The Creative Cloud track is taught by a small pool of practising designers, retouchers, editors and production artists rather than by one trainer with a broad brochure. Everyone who teaches on this track has to meet the same standard before they take a class: a current Adobe Certified Professional credential in the application they teach, obtained through Certiport in the same way we tell learners to obtain theirs, and recent production experience in a studio, agency or in-house team. Teaching Photoshop here means you still retouch files for clients. Teaching InDesign means you still send documents to print and deal with what comes back. Instructors work on the current Creative Cloud release, and they are expected to know the published exam objectives for the courses that prepare learners for an Adobe exam.

Classes are staffed one instructor per cohort, and the instructor for your date is named in your joining instructions before the course starts. A new instructor teaches the MyLearnPlus syllabus under observation before running it alone, so the exercise files, the workbook and the sequence of a day are the same whoever is in front of you. Large private cohorts are staffed with a second assisting instructor so that nobody waits with a hand up, and hybrid sessions with remote joiners are run with someone watching the online room. If an instructor has to be replaced at short notice the substitute teaches the same syllabus from the same materials, and we tell you before the day rather than on it.

Read more about the faculty

What's included

  • Class recording, available for 12 months
  • Exercise files and finished sample projects, yours to keep
  • Course workbook covering every step demonstrated in class
  • Practice questions written against the Adobe Certified Professional exam domains
  • MyLearnPlus certificate of completion
  • Instructor email support after the class for questions on the exercises
  • One free repeat of the same live class, terms shown on the booking page

Certification

Prepares for the Adobe Certified Professional in Adobe Photoshop exam

Adobe Certified Professional exams are set and awarded by Adobe through Certiport. This course prepares you for one; it does not award it, and no course can guarantee a pass.

How Adobe certification works

What learners say

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Questions people ask

Do I need my own laptop?
For live online classes, yes: you work on your own machine so that your presets, fonts and files stay with you after the course. For classroom sessions in Colombo we also recommend bringing your own laptop for the same reason. If you cannot bring one, tell us when you book and we will confirm what is available for your date.
Is the Photoshop software included in the price?
No. The course fee covers the training, not an Adobe licence. You need Photoshop running on your machine before day one, either through your own or your employer's Creative Cloud subscription or through Adobe's free trial. We send setup instructions when you book, and you can join the pre-class check if you would like help getting it installed.
What happens if I miss a day?
The recording of every session is available to you for twelve months, so you can catch up on the material you missed. If you would rather sit the day again live, every live booking includes one free repeat of the same class; the terms and the booking window are shown on the booking page for each date.
Do you issue a certificate?
Yes. You receive a MyLearnPlus certificate of completion, which records the course title, the hours and the date. This is a record of training, not an Adobe credential. The Adobe Certified Professional certification is a separate exam sat with Certiport.
Does this course include the Adobe Certified Professional exam?
No. Adobe Certified Professional exams for Photoshop are delivered through Certiport at authorised testing centres, and the exam voucher is bought separately. This course is built against the published exam domains and finishes with a timed practice task, so you go in knowing the interface and the vocabulary the exam uses. We cannot guarantee a pass.
Can my employer be invoiced?
Yes. We invoice organisations against a purchase order, in LKR for Sri Lankan companies and in USD internationally. Send us the billing details and the names of the people attending and we will hold the seats while the invoice is processed. Groups of five or more are usually better served by a private class on the same syllabus.
Is the course taught on Mac or Windows?
Both. Photoshop is effectively identical on the two platforms, the instructor calls out shortcuts for each, and the workbook lists Mac and Windows keys side by side. Work on the machine you use every day rather than switching for the class.

Intermediate 2 days

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Two days on advanced masking, smart objects, colour grading, composite work and actions, for people who already use Photoshop most weeks.

Intermediate 1 day

Photoshop AI and Generative Fill

One day on Photoshop's generative tools: prompting, expanding, removing, background work, fixing artefacts, and the rights and disclosure questions.

Advanced 1 day

Photoshop Retouching and Compositing

A one-day retouching and compositing intensive: frequency separation, dodge and burn, colour grading and placing a subject into a new scene.

Need this for a team?

We run this course privately, on your dates, at your office or online, tailored to the work your team actually does. Tell us what you need and we will send a quote.

Get a quote