Category Archives: Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Systems for Windows and OS X. Adobe Photoshop can edit and compose raster images in multiple layers and supports masks, alpha compositing and several color models including RGB, CMYK, Lab color space (with capital L), spot color and duotone.

Photoshop 2020 New Features

Learning objectives

  • The Object Selection tool’s Rectangular and Lasso mode
  • Quilt Warp, also known as Warp Enhancements
  • Erase when using the Brush tool
  • The new Gradients and Patterns panels
  • Drag and drop nearly 400 new custom shapes
  • Linked Smart Objects and layer comps
  • Zoom to the contents of one or more layers
  • Enhanced Content-Aware Fill
  • Cloud Documents and the PSDC format
  • Photoshop for the iPad
Photoshop 2020 New Features Certificate

Photoshop 2020 Creative Cloud, Tilde or ` “Fix” for Eraser Brush Preset

Photoshop tilde key while using the Eraser is a powerful and useful shortcut. The tilde key allows you to erase using the same brush preset you have set while painting.

I was on my 2nd tutorial that referenced this shortcut and I was frustrated I couldn’t get it to work correctly. This is supposed to be a simple and easy to use function. Why isn’t it working? Why am I having this problem?

In my browser I type the tilde key. Check, the keyboard is function correctly. So of course I immediately looked on Google for a quick answer. I found other users had the same issue. I found videos describing how awesome and easy to use. Not the information I was looking for. I found a Reddit page describing the issue I was having (Tilde key [~] is not working.), no solution. I found a Adobe Support Community page (Redefine Tilde Key Eraser?). This answer was close looking back in retrospect. Ok, no solution yet.

As an experienced user I hit Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K to finger mash directly into the Keyboard Shortcuts menu. Then I used the drop down to change Shortcut For: to Tools. I sort through all the possibilities listed. Top to bottom. No luck finding a tool that I may change to a different shortcut key and the ` or tilde wasn’t being currently used by any other tool.

My next thought is “I’m definitely using the eraser tool (E shortcut) and I am pressing the tilde key at the same time and this is not working.”

I then get the wild idea to go back to the brush tool and hold the tilde key down while painting! That’s it. Don’t use the Eraser tool thinking the tilde [`] key will work with it, use the Brush (B shortcut) and hold the tilde key and the Brush will Erase using the last Brush setting. Wow. That was simple.

Creative people think differently and this can be a blessing or a curse depending on your perspective. I just hope this helps someone else in the future avoid the frustration I experienced getting tilde or [`] erase function to work with the Brush (B) tool.

Photoshop 2020 One-on-One: Fundamentals

Learning objectives

  • Opening and closing images
  • Navigating an image by zooming and scrolling
  • Adding new layers and layer masks
  • Clipping and merging layers
  • Copying and pasting layers between files
  • Saving images to different file formats
  • Adjusting brightness and contrast
  • Correcting color cast and white balance
  • Developing images in Camera Raw
  • Adjusting Saturation and Vibrance
  • Selectively adjusting colors in Camera Raw
  • Making complex, organic selections
  • Cropping and straightening images
  • Painting with the Photoshop Brush tool
  • Retouching portraits with the healing brushes
  • Changing image size and resolution
  • Preparing images for local laser printing
  • Optimizing and saving images for the web