Adobe Photoshop is the doorway to many careers. Graphic design and photography are the most common. Front-end developers and production assistants can also go far with their Photoshop skills. But how do you learn and master Photoshop skills?

The simplest answer is in that old piece of wisdom, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

Since everyone has to begin somewhere, let's look at a few ideas to help you learn Photoshop without getting overwhelmed.

1. Learn the Basics of Graphic Design First

An easy to follow design course on HackDesign

It is easy to take graphic design for granted. After all, you hardly notice concepts like alignment, contrast, negative space, and rhythm unless they go wrong. Art school isn't necessary for a graphic designer's job if you roll up your sleeves and go through the grind of mastering the fundamentals of good design.

There are countless free and paid resources to learn the nuances of design. You won't have to buy Photoshop just yet. Instead, begin with the Canva Design School. Also, HackDesign has an excellent newsletter course that will send you one design lesson every week.

Are you in a rush? Then focus on improving your sense of color in under an hour.

2. Get to Know the Photoshop Workspace

Photoshop

Adobe will help you understand the workspace in Photoshop. The Get Started with Photoshop tutorials show you how to utilize the workspace. Open the sample image provided and follow the instructions in the video. Also, learn how to use custom Photoshop workspaces for a faster workflow.

Keep the Workspace basics support page bookmarked if you need to refer to a tool. Also, Photoshop features Rich Tooltips that give you a text description and a video lesson to help you understand each tool's functions. Just hover the mouse pointer over a tool. Alternatively, head to Help > Hands-on Tutorials within the software for interactive learning.

3. Pick One Tool a Day

Photoshop-Tools

The palette of Photoshop tools on the left may be narrow and long. Also, click the little arrow under some of them to access the hidden tools. There are nearly 65 tools organized for selection, cropping and slicing, retouching, painting, drawing, and type. So, here's an experiment you can try to familiarize yourself with each of them:

Pick one tool every day. Then, search for a basic tutorial that shows you how it's used in an actual project. For instance, use this clone stamp guide to fix a few practice images.

For instance, a simple query like "tutorial magic wand tool photoshop" will net you many step-by-step lessons on YouTube. The Rich Tooltips in Photoshop are a good starting point too. Use the Search feature within Photoshop to find relevant links.

You won't feel overwhelmed by learning Photoshop one tool at a time. Also, it is an excellent way to memorize the Photoshop keyboard shortcuts right from the onset.

4. Focus on a Photoshop Microskill

Adobe Photoshop is the software photographers must learn to process their images. According to the Adobe Blog:

"Over the past 21 years, Photoshop has meant many different things to many different people. Whether it is used to tell a story, put ideas into motion, imagine something new, visualize science or any of its other many uses."

But did you know that you can even edit videos here? Or create fantastic typography posters? You can even design an email, HTML newsletter, or T-shirt too. Maybe, your boss wants you to design 3D mockups. You have many opportunities to pick up a skill or area you are interested in and get acquainted with Photoshop.

Tip: Photoshop has three core workspaces (Essentials, Photography, Graphic, and Web). But you can create your custom workspace and use that to focus on a microskill.

5. Follow a Photoshop Expert

Julieanne Kost's Photoshop blog

The easiest way to learn Photoshop is from an expert. A real-world mentor can be difficult to find, but virtual mentors are far easier to get hold of. So first, decide on the area you want to master and search for online experts specializing in that niche.

For instance, find a digital artist who offers digital painting tutorials when you want to learn digital painting.

Adobe's Photoshop experts, such as Julieanne Kost and Terry White can help you get started. You can find them on the Adobe YouTube channel as well. Also, sites like Lynda.com and KelbyOne offer instructor-led courses from the top names in the field.

6. Challenge Yourself With Microjobs

Photoshop Jobs

You can start with a rough idea of how to monetize your Photoshop skills for the future. Microjob sites like Fiverr and DesignCrowd can help you earn some money in your spare time. But you may not be ready for a competitive project yet. So, why not use the simpler ones as a testing ground and see if you can meet the challenge head-on.

Assignments are usually simple. For instance, someone may ask you to remove the background from a batch of photos. Or restore a damaged image. Or combine multiple photos into one. This is the "sink or swim" approach to learning Photoshop, but it comes with a degree of responsibility.

Of course, as a beginner, your portfolio may not attract attention. But you have to start somewhere. Alternatively, you can use the skills advertised by others as a template for your education.

Bonus Tip: Seek out virtual volunteering opportunities. Platforms like OnlineVolunteering.org and Creatives Without Borders can not only help you learn Photoshop skills but also give you valuable alternative work experience.

7. Do a 30-Day Challenge

Behance Creative Challenge

The duration of the challenge matters less than the habit of learning you put yourself through. A 30-day span is ideal because it is not too long and not too short. Plus, a month is easier to track than a whole year.

If you like structure, then Behance often holds Photoshop creative challenges. Udemy has several free courses and its most popular course on Photoshop will set you back just a few dollars. Ensure your Photoshop version matches the one used in the course.

And if you love YouTube you can try the excellent Photoshop Training Channel. There's no shortage of Photoshop tutorials you can get online with a web search. Just type something like "Photoshop 30-day training challenge" or something similar in the search field.

8. Test Your Limits With Design Prompts

The Inspiration Generator

Design prompt generators can test your limits but also make you figure out solutions on your own. Try these graphic design generators for testing your creative muscles:

A Shortcut to Learning Photoshop

Learning the keyboard shortcuts will amp your productivity. But that's the only shortcut Photoshop offers you. There are many different ways to learn the software, but none of them are easy. However, it can be a whole lot of fun if you approach the grind with a goal.

Don't forget the value of deliberate practice. Pick a few tutorials, duplicate them, and then try to modify them with your own creativity. See what the process teaches you.