Photoshop is the most famous image editing application in the world; its name has become a verb. It’s the industry standard, the most powerful, and generally just the program to use if you’re serious about image editing. But the problem is, because it can do so much, getting to grasp with all the features can take years. There are, however, plenty of easy ways you can improve your Photoshop skills. Let’s have a look at some of them.

Learn the Keyboard Shortcuts

Photoshop is a huge program with hundreds of features. Each tool can be accessed from a menu or toolbar, however, remembering where each one is or what icon represents it can be a challenge. Frankly, going on the hunt with your mouse every time you want to do something is an incredibly slow and laborious way to use Photoshop.

If you want to get good with Photoshop, one of the most important things to master are keyboard shortcuts. They make the app infinitely more intuitive to use. Want to use the brush tool? That’s B; add a new layer? Command-Shift-N if you’re on a Mac, Control-Shift-N if you’re on a PC.

All the most common tools and features in Photoshop have a keyboard shortcut that’s worth learning. If a tool you use a lot doesn’t have one, you can even create your own. The best way to learn Photoshop’s shortcuts is to print off  a cheat sheet with all the keyboard shortcuts and put it on your wall where you can see it. Whenever you go to do something and you don’t know the shortcut, check the chart and use it.

Try Different Ways of Doing Things

There’s almost never just one way of doing something in Photoshop. Instead, different tools can be used to create the same results in different ways. One of the big mistakes Photoshop novices make is they learn a technique that works (most) of the time without understanding what it really does and why it works.

You can use a High Pass filter to sharpen but why would you use that over a Smart Sharpen layer? Do you get different results? The answer in both instances is that it depends.

Next time you’re using Photoshop, try a different tool instead of the one you normally use. If you mainly use Levels, try and use Curves instead, and vice versa. In the photo above, both layers are increasing contrast. Occasionally you won’t be able to get the results you want but most of the time it’ll work out fine. Whatever happens, you’ll get a deeper understanding of both tools.

When you switch from thinking about how you’re going to do something to what you’re going to do regardless of the tool you’re well on your way to being a Photoshop master.

Watch Experts Work

I learnt to use Photoshop by watching experts work and it’s the best technique for improving your Photoshop skills I know. The hardest leap you have to make when you’re learning Photoshop is from how to use each tool to when to use each tool. The former is a lot easier than the latter.

Many people watch online courses to learn the basics of Photoshop and then stop, thinking they’ve covered enough. Instead, I’d recommend that you keep watching more advanced courses; once you’ve got the grasp of the basics of the program you should watch courses that are well beyond your current skill level. Don’t try and imitate the instructor, just watch how they use each tool. You’ll absorb that knowledge and be able to use it in your own work.

Don’t Do Everything All at Once

One of the worst things you can do when you’re using Photoshop is to sit down, work all the way through a project, save it, and then share it with the world (or your client). When you’re working away you get caught up in what you’re doing and it’s very easy to push things too far. Simply adding too much saturation and contrast can take what would be an awesome image and turn it into something completely over the top.

There are two strategies you can use to overcome this. Implementing them will instantly take your Photoshop skills up another level. First, dial every effect back to 70%. The way to do it is work as normal until you’re satisfied with everything, then group all your layers and lower the opacity down to 70%.

Second, after you finish an edit, stand up, and walk away for 20 minutes. Don’t look at it again until that time has passed. When you sit back down you’ll be looking at the project with fresh eyes and you’ll often catch mistakes and areas where you’ve gone too far (or not far enough).

Work Non-Destructively

Basically, there are two ways to edit an image: you can modify the original pixels or you can use non-destructive techniques to record what modifications you are making in a reversible way. The actual pixel pushing only occurs when you save the final product out.

Non-destructive editing is one of the biggest game changers in Photoshop. Instead of having to go back and start from scratch if you don’t like something you’ve done, you can modify it and tweak it as much as you like. Rather than using Adjustments, you should use Adjustment layers. Instead of the Sharpen or Dodge and Burn tools, you should use filters and Curves layers.

While this isn’t the place to dive deep into non-destructive editing, most experts you watch (see tip two!) will be using the techniques. Watch how they go back and tweak things and add that into your own workflow.

These tips may be simple, some of them are things that will take time. You won’t master all the keyboard shortcuts over night and learning from experts requires continuing education. Other tips though, can be put into place today. Next time you do something in Photoshop, try a different technique and walk away for a few minutes once you’re finished. I guarantee the finished product will be better for it.

Children, in this  generation, are growing up with the Internet as part of their lives. As parents, of course, have the obligation to teach them use the Internet correctly, safely and healthily.

When should you let your kids use the Internet for the first time? At what age is it appropriate for them to use it? And what should you tell them before they do.

Now let’s see the pictures below. All parents  should  teach their kids about the Internet before their first time online.

Hope all the children can grow up healthily and happily!

Do you have some practical ways to easily avoid computer viruses? How could we avoid them , or at least spot them early? And if the worst comes to pass, how can we get rid of computer viruses once we have them? OK! Now, let’s look at some basic tips.

Always have a backup of core files and programs

Should the worst happen, nothing can get you back up and running faster than having a backup of all your critical files & programs. Before anything else, ensure you have a regular backup system in place.

There are plenty of options out there to backup files locally to hardware or in the cloud – even ways to easily manage backups for multiple devices. When wiping your machine is the only option left to remove a stubborn virus, getting back up and running is quick and painless when you have a backup to hand.

Never download programs from untrusted sites

Viruses often get on your computer via an infected program. Always download software from the original supplier or a trusted third-party website.

Previously, when programs were only ever installed via CDs and DVDs, virus creators were blocked from attaching their viruses to the install files. Now that we download many of our programs online, virus creators can upload their infected program files in locations designed to look and feel like they are the genuine deal. If the app you’re looking to download is only available from a third-party website, be very careful.

Use an anti-malware solution

This software will look out for threats, remove any it finds, and provide you with the ability to run ad-hoc full system scans.

This might sound like a no-brainer, but running an antivirus/anti-malware solution on your machine at all times is absolutely essential. Catching viruses as early as possible is vital, as viruses, like their biological namesake, spread and mutate, increasing their damage and difficulty in removal.

An anti-malware solution will isolate a compromised file by putting it into quarantine, effectively containing the virus and keeping it from spreading. The tool you choose to use must receive regular updates (definitions), at best multiple times a day, to be up-to-date and to protect you from new threats. Also, it must be active at all times. Most good and reliable anti-malware solutions feature a real-time-scanner that acts like a guard and scans each file that is being accessed for potential threats.

Use a firewall

A firewall is your computers front line of defense against third party threats. It stands in the way between an external person or program which attempts to interact with your computer in some way.

Whereas an antivirus program isolates and removes threats from files once they’re in contact with your computer, a firewall can prevent that file from reaching your computer in the first place.

Regularly update your softwares

New viruses are being created all the time. Updating all your software regularly helps prevent viruses from causing you trouble because updates fix vulnerabilities to new threats.

Updating Operating System software such as Windows, as well as antivirus software, will give you a great chance of evading a virus’s grasp.

Be cautious when opening email attachments

Viruses can enter your system via a malicious email attachment. Often this is achieved by an email from a compromised contact that has fallen victim to a virus himself/herself.

Avoiding email viruses can most simply be achieved by never opening the email, or attachment if you are not 100% certain of its validity. Received a randomly friendly email from a coworker with the subject line: “thought of you”? Be suspicious. Or how about an email from an unknown but authoritative sounding company with an “invoice” attached to it? Don’t open it.

Monitor all devices proactively

The firewall is up, anti-malware solution is in place, and your OS receives regular updates. Now make sure it stays like this. Monitor your devices proactively, and be notified as soon as a firewall is disabled, or anti-malware solution is deactivated, or automatic OS updates are disabled.

When you’re dealing with multiple devices, it can pay to ensure each one iscompletely protected. Protecting multiple computers from viruses can be easily achieved with a  device monitoring tool.  It will check all your PCs to identify any vulnerabilities, and provide an alert so you can react quickly.

Utilize Administrator rights

It can sometimes feel like a complete pain to have to enter an Administrator password any time you want to install or change settings on your computer. But there is method to this madness.

Many computer viruses can be stopped in their tracks because they do not have Administrator rights. Just as you need to enter a password to make changes, so does the virus. And without it, it’s unable to do anything. It’s worth having to go through that extra step yourself for the protection it provides.

Pay attention to virus warnings and notifications

Your antivirus solution should provide you with notifications or warnings in one form or another. As soon as one appears, take it seriously, and take action.

Even the most scrupulous computer virus avoidance techniques can occasionally allow a virus to slip through the net. When that happens, there should be a number of things which cause an alarm bell to ring in your head. Pay attention to it! The most obvious one being warnings and notifications popping up from your antivirus or Anti-Malware solution.

Inform your IT department

Unfortunately viruses sometimes manage to squirm through the tightest of nets, and we’re left to chase after and remove them from our systems. When this happens, even if you’re not sure, always get in touch with your IT department. There are no stupid questions. IT Admins hugely prefer the chance to catch early and nullify a threat rather than you tackling it yourself.

Even if you think you can handle it yourself, it’s preferable to inform IT so they can make any changes to prevent it spreading, or to help your coworkers avoid a similar threat. Some viruses can even duplicate themselves within the network, leading towidespread infection, damage, and a lengthy cleanup process.

Take care in removing the virus

If there’s no IT department, or your personal devices are infected for instance, there are a few steps you can take

Step 1 – Safe Mode. Disconnect your PC from the network/internet to prevent the virus from spreading to other computers. Then restart your computer into Safe Mode:

• For Windows press F8 as soon as you turn your PC back on – then select Safe Mode from the Advanced Boot Options.
• For Macs press Shift while turning on your computer. Release the key when you see the Apple logo and progress bar.

Step 2 – Full Scan. Once booted up, locate and run your antivirus program’s full system scan. This might take a while, but you don’t have to sit watching the progress bar crawl towards 100%. Go off, do something else, and then come back. Step 3 – Restart & Check. To completely remove any viruses the full scan has detected, it will often require a restart. Do this, and then reboot again into normal mode.

Before reactivating network and internet connectivity, check that the problem has been resolved. Then check your Internet Security settings to make sure the virus hasn’t done any funny business with your default settings. Lastly, check your important files and documents to make sure there hasn’t been any corruption.

Step 4 – Backup or Carry On. If problems persist, you might want to consider wiping your computer, installing a fresh version of the operating system and using one of those handy backups of all your important files and data. (It was essential!)

Hope these tips are useful to you!