Photoshop Syllabus & Subjects 2024: Year-wise Syllabus, Semesters, Specializations & Books
Aquib RahmanAssistant Manager
Photoshop is a photo editing and graphic design software that allows students to create, edit, and modify a wide range of graphics and digital artwork. Adobe Systems is the maker of Photoshop, accessible for both Windows and Mac OS X. Photoshop and its companion programmes are referred to as the Photoshop Family. This software family includes Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom, Photoshop Express, Photoshop Fix, and others. From basic picture enhancement to the creation of professional-looking artwork, Photoshop can be used for practically any form of image change.
Photoshop is a technique for digitally improving the quality of your original photographs. It is essentially the best image editing application for picture editing, creation, and graphic design. It is a creative and effective tool utilised by many artists, web designers, creators, VFX artists, and others to thrive in their area.
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Important Facts About Photoshop
Photoshop courses primarily cover the fundamentals of graphic design, editing, and all digital techniques for improving image quality. Photoshop training has become one of the most popular courses in India. The course is available at three levels: graduation, diploma, and doctorate levels. Students can read the below points to know important points relating to Photoshop.
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Diploma and PG Diploma: Photoshop diploma programs generally are 2-month short courses, whereas PG Diploma programs are around 52 weeks. Practical experience is emphasised in all of the diploma programmes.
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Bachelor’s in Design with Photoshop: A Bachelor's Degree in Design (BDes) with Photoshop is a full-time 4-year degree. Because most students aspire to study full-time, a bachelor's degree in design and fashion is one of the most popular degrees where students can learn about Photoshop.
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Scope in India: Corporate companies have a scope of designers for UI, posts, flex, and other designing work. The IT, film, and advertising industries generate the most jobs for professional graphic designers.
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Learnings: The students will learn the ideas and methods required to produce excellent graphics for the web, various industries, and business publications. The students will learn the core Adobe Photoshop tools so they can take and edit photos.
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General examination pattern: Certification courses are mostly based on practical exams. The bachelor's degree in Design is an 8-semester course, and the exams are conducted semester-wise. In the case of a diploma, a 2-month course examines the end of the course, after which the diploma certificate is issued.
BDes in Graphic Design Syllabus
Given below in the table are a list of subjects of Bachelor of Design in detail:
Typical Core subjects
| Subject |
Details |
|---|---|
| Introduction: Variations in Photoshop Applications |
The history of Photoshop is explained in this subject. The following PS variations are discussed in this subject.
|
| About Photoshop and its Features |
How to design jewellery, animations, 3D effects, etc., are explained here. The other aspects of design that are included in it are:
|
| Opening and Importing Photos, Creating Documents with Various Sizes |
It teaches the students how to open and import photos in PS applications. The emphasis of this subject is on:
|
| Creating Web Galleries and PDF Converts |
It teaches the students how to create a web gallery and convert images into PDF format. The focus of this subject is on
|
| Editing Raw Photos in Camera |
The students learn how to adjust contrast, colour, tone, brightness, and other aspects of the raw photos to make them look better. The following topics are included in it:
|
| 3D Object Creation |
The students understand how to create 3D objects by using different PS tools. The following 3D objects are to be made during the course:
|
Detailed syllabus
The syllabus for the Photoshop courses vary as per the duration and design of the programme. The below table provides an overview of the Photoshop course:
| Module |
Subject Title |
Subject Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Getting Acquainted with Photoshop |
The students learn about the PS environment, colour palette, image magnification, and other aspects of the application in this module. |
| 2 |
Basic Image Manipulation |
Scanning images, editing their resolution and size, learning about bitmap and vector images, creating new images, and placing files are the basic concepts that are covered here. |
| 3 |
Colour Basics |
The students learn about the colour modes, colour management, colour mode conversion, colour picker functions, etc., in this module. |
| 4 |
Painting Tools
|
An exposure to painting tools, brush tools, pencils, erasers, magic erasers, blending modes, etc., is provided to the students through this module. |
| 5 |
Brush Settings |
The students learn how to use the brush palette and use the brushes of various sizes, shapes, and tips, along with other features of brushes. |
| 6 |
Layers |
Locking layers, linking and stacking layers, creating layer sets, and other important functions in layers are covered. |
| 7 |
Making Selections |
The selection basics, along with details on the lasso, marquee, magic wand, and other tools, are included. |
| 8 |
Filling and Stroking |
The methods of using the paint bucket tool, gradient editor, pattern maker, and other filling and stroking tools are covered here. |
| 9 |
Advanced Layers |
The students learn about layer styles, masking layers, creating knockouts, etc., through this module. |
| 10 |
Text |
The ways to enter, edit, select, and apply effects to text in an image are included in it. |
| 11 |
Drawing |
The students understand how to use various drawing tools and techniques in this module. |
| 12 |
Using Channels and Masking |
The students learn to use channels, masks, spot colours, alpha channels, and channels palette through this mobile. |
| 13 |
Manipulating Images |
Cropping photos, changing sizes of the canvas, using a sponge tool, and other techniques that are necessary for image manipulation are included in it. |
| 14 |
Getting to Know the Work Area |
In this module, the students learn how to customise the workspace after understanding the actions, functions, and purpose of using various tools and techniques. |
| 15 |
Using Adobe Bridge |
The students understand how to view and edit images by using Adobe Bridge. |
| 16 |
Basic Photo Corrections |
Retouching, straightening, cropping, and other basic correction techniques are taught in it. |
| 17 |
Retouching and Repairing |
The usage of the clone stamp tool to retouch and repair the damaged images is explained in it. |
| 18 |
Working with Selections |
The students learn about the selecting function and how to use selection tools in this module. |
| 19 |
Layer Basics |
The basics of layers palette, rearrangement, flatting and saving styles are covered in this module. |
| 20 |
Masks and Channels |
The students understand how to create and use masks and edit them through this module. |
| 21 |
Correcting and Enhancing Digital Photographs |
The students learn how to process raw camera files and edit and correct them according to the requirements. |
| 22 |
Typographic Design |
The insights related to creating design elements, clipping masks, warping, etc., are included in it. |
| 23 |
Vector Drawing Techniques |
The students learn about paths, the pen tool, importing an object, and other functions in this module. |
| 24 |
Advanced Layered Techniques |
The students learn to create layer sets and apply layer styles, borders, etc., in this module. |
| 25 |
Vector Compositing |
It helps the students in automating a multi-step activity and teaches them how to apply filters and modify the colour balance. |
| 26 |
Creating Links within an Image |
The students learn how to use slicing, jumping, and other actions to insert links within an image. |
| 27 |
Creating Rollover Web Visuals |
It provides insights regarding rollover, rollover states, and how to create them. |
| 28 |
Animating GIF Images for the Web |
It helps the students in learning how to create and manipulate GIFs and use vector masks and other tools to edit them. |
| 29 |
Producing and Printing Consistent Colour |
It gives insights regarding reproducing colours, proofing images, printing images, adjusting an image, specifying colour management settings, etc., to the students. |
Photoshop Specialisations
Photoshop is a comprehensive subject that allows students to specialise in several areas. The following are the most popular specialisations that are offered by the Photoshop courses:
| Specialisation |
Specialisation Subjects |
Details |
|---|---|---|
| Photoshop Elements |
|
It helps the students grasp the basic features of PS Elements and helps them to understand the newer functions that are integrated into this software. |
| Photoshop Lightroom |
|
The students will learn how to import, edit, organise, and publish photoshops by using the PS Lightroom application. |
| Photoshop Express |
|
This specialisation gives various insights into PS Express and its tools. It helps them to develop better images through photo manipulation and editing tools. |
| Photoshop Fix |
|
The students learn how to enhance photos by using the mobile application PS Fix. They also learn how to edit and manipulate photos professionally. |
| Photoshop Mix |
|
The students will grasp various photo editing skills using the PS Mix application. |
| Photoshop Sketch |
|
The students learn how to uncover their drawing skills using PS Sketch. It enhances their creativity and image editing skills as well. |
Books and Authors related to Photoshop
These books can help students to understand the basic, fundamental concepts related to the software, which can enhance their designing abilities.
| Book Title |
Author |
Description |
|---|---|---|
| Design Elements, Colour Fundamentals: A Graphic Style Manual for Understanding How Colour Impacts Design |
Aaris Sherin |
Design elements book is a guide for understanding and learning about colours and their impact. |
| Design: A Concise History, Laurence |
T. Hauffe |
The book talks about how visual design holds its importance and how it came into design consideration. |
| Design Media – Techniques for watercolour, pen and ink, pastel and coloured markers |
R. Kasprin |
The books guide about different types of colours and their importance. |
| Principles of Two Dimensional Design
|
Wong W. |
This book discusses the importance of dimensional consideration in the design and the principles of 2D Designs. |
| Engineering Drawing, 2nd Ed., |
M B Shah and B C Rana |
Drawing holds an essential value in design while learning Photoshop. This book is a guide to graphical drawing. |
Entrance Exams for Photoshop
Admission to the many BDes degrees to learn Photoshop is determined by the entrance examinations conducted by several organisations. Candidates must register on the websites of the entrance examination boards. Given below is the list of best entrance examinations for the design undergraduate BDes to learn photoshop:
All India Entrance examination for Design (AIEED): As the AIEED exam is a national-level exam. It has a difficulty level like other national exams. AIEED entrance examination Significant topics include Knowledge of Design, Understanding comprehension in general, Reasoning Psychiatric Assessment
Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED): Analysing the CEED exam results from prior years shows that the paper's difficulty level frequently ranges from moderate to high. A few of the primary topics addressed in the curriculum include visualisation and spatial reasoning, environmental and social awareness, analytical and logical reasoning, language and creativity, design thinking, and problem-solving.
Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design (UCEED): For those who are naturally brilliant and would learn better in uncharted territory, UCEED is easier than IITJEE. The UCEED and CEED exam syllabus is almost the same and include the same significant topics.
NIFT Entrance Exam: It is easy to join NIFT. The exam was somewhat challenging, according to reports from the prior year. Topics like numeric ability, communication ability, English comprehension, analytic ability, general knowledge, and current events are included in the NIFT programme.
Photoshop Distance Programme Syllabus
Distance learning allows students who cannot afford full-time school to get their degrees. A student may select from a variety of part-time or distance learning Bachelors of design to learn photoshop if he or she is unable to satisfy the requirements for full-time education. The same course materials used in traditional learning are also used in online learning. Various universities provide distance learning courses for bachelors in design for Photoshop.
Colleges and universities determine admission to this program; nevertheless, students must have completed 10+2 with a minimum of 45 per cent or equivalent from a recognised board of higher education. This four-year programme seeks to provide extensive design experience to create a pool of design-skilled research experts. The distance course fees in India are between 1 - 2 Lakh INR. Some of the best universities offering distance learning programs in BDes are the University of Madras, Institute of Distance Education, Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU), Annamalai University, and Netaji Subhas Open University.
Top Colleges for Photoshop
The following are the top colleges for a Bachelor’s of design for photoshop. These colleges/institutes have been selected on the basis of their recruitment facilities, teaching facilities, and extensiveness of curriculum:
| College/Institute/University Name |
Syllabus Links |
|---|---|
| National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) |
To be uploaded soon |
| WOXEN University |
To be uploaded soon |
| Andhra University |
To be uploaded soon |
| Yogi Vemana University |
To be uploaded soon |
| Footwear design and development institute |
To be uploaded soon |
| United World Institute of Design |
To be uploaded soon |
| Punjab Technical University |
To be uploaded soon |
| Amity University |
To be uploaded soon |
| Symbiosis Institute of Design |
To be uploaded soon |
| Infinite Courses |
To be uploaded soon |
FAQs on Photoshop
Q. What is a Photoshop course?
A. Students can pursue an undergraduate degree program in Photoshop and design after completing Class 12 in any subject. If a student wants to learn software like Photoshop, a course like BDes will take his designing skills to the next level. Advertising, branding, corporate design, editorial design, web design, and digital content are some of the industries where a BDes Graphic Design student might find work. The average pay for a B. Des (Graphic Design) graduate ranges from 2 LPA to 8 LPA depending on the work description.
Q. What are India's top admission exams to get a Photoshop degree?
A. Some of India's most prestigious BDes admission tests include
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Entrance Exam for NIFT
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Entrance Exam for NID
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CEED
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UCEED
Q. What are the most prevalent specialisations in Photoshop?
A. Some of the most well-known Photoshop specialisations include
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Photoshop Lightroom
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Photoshop Elements
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Photoshop Mix
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Photoshop FIx
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Photoshop Express
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Photoshop Sketch
Q. Is it feasible for me to enrol in a degree programme in Photoshop?
A. Yes, candidates can enrol in a Photoshop degree program. In India, there are a variety of bachelor's level Photoshop classes. These courses offer various specialisations prominent at the industrial level and give students a wide perspective on their careers. A Bachelor of Design (BDes) with Photoshop is a four-year full-time degree. A bachelor's degree in design and fashion is one of the most popular degrees where students can learn about Photoshop because most students want to study full-time.
Q. Is Photoshop a viable skill to acquire?
A. Photoshop is in demand in every sector. Every sector, be it industries or corporates, requires designers. Millions of creators, artists, designers, web designers, photographers, VFX artists, advertisers, and others use Adobe Photoshop to deliver strong tools and techniques that help them excel in their professional employment.
Q. What are the most popular online Photoshop Certificate courses?
A. Some of the most popular online Photoshop Certificate courses include Adobe Photoshop CC, Adobe Photoshop CC 2020 course from A-Z Beginners to Master, The Ultimate 2D/3D Photoshop & Graphic Design Course, Graphic Design Specialisation, Learn Adobe Photoshop CS6 & CC from Scratch, Adobe Photoshop CC Essentials Photoshop Masterclass, and Adobe Photoshop Elements 14 Made Easy.
Q. Do students require any prior experience to learn Photoshop?
A. Photoshop is software that is entirely dependent on practice. However, there are no such pre-requisite skills the students need to possess. The core qualities required for Photoshop include a creative mindset, the capacity to visualise, solid computer skills, an awareness of the art of sketching/drawing and producing, and knowledge of aesthetic ideals in sketching, drawing, or painting.
Q. What do students learn about photoshop from BDes?
A. The Bachelor of Design, or BDes, is a four-year professional undergraduate degree that provides several specialisations, including fashion design, industrial design, textile design, product design, fashion communication, and many more. Photoshop is a major software that is used and taught in the course of this degree. Students learn about using the tool and other tools in a more holistic way, making them great designers.
Q. What skills can I learn in Photoshop?
A. The syllabus of Photoshop enables the students to grasp these skills:
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Cropping the image and adjusting its contrast and brightness
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Correcting, saturating and sharpening the images if required
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Learning layers, typography, and how to use the pen tool
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Using healing brush, histogram, and curves
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Exporting files, customising the panels, colour coding and including names
Q. How difficult is it to learn Photoshop?
A. Grasping the basics of Photoshop is easy, but the advanced and intermediate concepts can be quite complex. As numerous functions are to be learnt, the students can find it hard to remember everything. Therefore, it is recommended that the students learn the essentials of Photoshop first and then gradually move towards the advanced functions and tools.
Q. What are the six parts of the Photoshop workspace?
A. The six parts of the Photoshop workspace are listed below:
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Menu Bar that organises menus by relevant topics
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Mode Selector that provides access to the editing modes of PS
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Toolbox that comprises tools for editing pictures
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Panel bin that contains controls, actions, and features that are categorised logically
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Taskbar that shows the features that are frequently used
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Photo bin/tools options that allows the user to toggle between photo bin and tools options
Q. How long does it take to learn Photoshop?
A. Ideally, it must take 2 to 3 months to complete the entire syllabus of the Photoshop course. However, the students must keep practising the tools to master all the application tools. Photoshop comprises a wide selection of image editing tools, so some students might need a longer time to understand how to use them.
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Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 months ago
Below are some of the top companies for Photoshop graduates:
Photoshop Companies | |
|---|---|
Amazon Global Vision | Pent media graphics |
Accenture | Maya Entertainment |
Adobe Systems Pvt. Ltd | Reliance media works Ltd. |
Google vision | UTV Toonz |
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Here are some of the photoshop scope in India:
| Job Profile | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Photo Editor | INR 3-6 LPA |
| Graphic Designer | INR 4-8 LPA |
| Web Designer | INR 4-8 LPA |
| Product Photographer | INR 4-7 LPA |
| Social Media Manager | INR 3-5 LPA |
Note: This information is sourced from multiple sources on the web. Hence, is subject to vary.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
There are multiple ways for you to learn Photoshop classes. You can try to enroll on any of the following:
Online courses: Flexible and accessible through video tutorials, downloadable resources, and self-paced learning.
Face-to-face classes: This type of classes provides a formal learning environment
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The name of different institutes offering Photoshop courses are:
| Institutes | City |
|---|---|
| Arena Animation | Mumbai |
| ZICA | Indore |
| DaVinci Media College | Chennai |
| National Institute of Design | Gandhinagar |
| Picasso Animation College | Delhi |
| Samskara Academy | Pune |
| NIELIT Delhi - National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology | Delhi |
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Students interested in studying Photoshop courses can study at certification levels:
| Photoshop Courses | |
|---|---|
| Popular Online Certificate Courses |
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| Popular Offline Certificate Courses |
|
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
As it is a creative field; it requires candidates to have a creative approach and the ability to visualise. Given below are some more skillset required for the field:
| Skillset for Photoshop | |
|---|---|
| Strong Computer Skills | Able to communicate ideas |
| Know the art of sketching/drawing and designing | Strong observing power |
| Knowledge of aesthetic principles in sketching, drawing or painting | Team player |
| Communication skills | Attention for details |
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Photoshop courses duration can vary depending on format and complexity. Online courses can be 2-3 hours of a week up to several weeks; offline classes can range from a few days to a few months boot camps, intensive programs, usually 1-2 weeks.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Photoshop courses cater to a wide range of learners, from complete beginners with no prior experience to photographers, graphic designers, and web designers looking to enhance their existing skills. There are courses designed for specific goals, such as photo editing, creating graphics, or masterin
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
No, learning the basics of Photoshop is not difficult. It is an easy photo-editing software for starters. Though Photoshop has so many features and capabilities, it is not hard to understand all of them at once; just with proper dedication, practice, and self or professional instruction via tutoria
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Yes, Photoshop is appropriate for beginners, especially now that there are online lessons, courses, and guidelines available. Photoshop has sophisticated functionality for experts, but it also has tools that are easy to use and interfaces that are beginner-friendly. Beginners can pick up important s
P
Contributor-Level 10
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Can you name some top companies that hire Photoshop graduates?