Photoshop CC 2017 Tutorials – Comprehensive Guide To Adobe Photoshop CC 2017

Photoshop CC 2017 is officially here, and it rolls out exciting new features for designers and digital photographers.

The Photoshop CC 2017 tutorials below, showcase the many improvements and features added to this new release.

Adobe’s new features and enhancements to Photoshop follow two themes. Create a more modern, and more connected Photoshop, lowering the learning barrier for beginners.

Photoshop is now more connected to the Creative Cloud and the other apps in the Adobe ecosystem.

• A more modern, more connected Photoshop – connection to CC and other apps in the Adobe ecosystem.
• Lowering the learning barrier for beginners – New things to help users get started and achieve success quickly.
• Enhancements to recent features –  Select and Mask, Face-Aware Liquify and more.

All the new features from the last release, Photoshop CC 2015.5, all get upgrades and feature enhancements. They provide better results and better performance as well as incorporate feature requests for more control and precision.

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Start Workspace – CC Files

The Start workspace was introduced in Photoshop CC during the November 2015 update. This screen is displayed when you first launch Photoshop or whenever no documents are open. Photoshop CC 2017 makes small but significant changes to this Start Workspace.

As with previous versions of the Start workspace, Photoshop CC 2017 gives you quick access to your recent files. But CC 2017 removes two of the main tabs, the Libraries, and Presets tabs, and replaces them with the CC Files tab.

This new CC Files tab gives you access to the last 50 PSD files that have been synced to your Creative Cloud account. These files also include PSD assets that you have uploaded from the Creative Cloud Market.

PSD files are currently the only file type supported in the CC Files tab, but additional formats and filtering controls are expected to be released in future versions of Photoshop CC.

Customize The Number of Recent Files

To customize the number of recent files that are displayed in the Recent Files list, go into the Preferences dialog by pressing Ctrl K (Mac: Command K). In the File Handling tab, under Recent File List Contains enter the number of recent files you wish to display (between 0 and 100).

Exit or Disable The Start Workspace

To quickly exit the Start Workspace you can just press the Esc key. To disable the Start Workspace permanently, then go into the Preferences dialog by pressing Ctrl K (Mac: Command K). Under General, uncheck “Show ‘Start’ Workspace When No Documents Are Open.”

Photoshop CC 2017 Tutorial on the Start Workspace:
https://www.youtube.com/

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New Document Window

One of the biggest changes in Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 is the completely redesigned New Document dialog box. This redesign still has all the functionality of the legacy dialog box but in a more modern and visual layout.  

But this update is much more than a cosmetic change. The New Document dialog now comes loaded with free templates from Adobe Stock that allow you to jump-start your creative process right away.

You can launch the New Document window by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl N (Mac: Command N), or by going to File > New.

This redesigned New Document window allows you to:

• Create documents using templates from Adobe Stock, Allowing you to quickly jumpstart the creative process.
• Save custom presets.
• Create documents using Blank Document Presets from multiple categories.

If you’re a person who does not like changes, then you can go back to the old New Document dialog box. Simply go into the Preferences dialog by pressing Ctrl K (Mac: Command K).  and under the General tab check the “Use Legacy ‘File New’ Interface” checkbox.

I don’t recommend doing this since this new dialog box contains a lot of useful presents and templates. But this option is available in case you need it.

The New Document dialog contains two kinds of presets that will help you get started with your creative process. Blank Document presets, and Photoshop templates.

Blank Document Presets

Blank document templates are similar to what we had in previous versions of Photoshop. They create a blank document based on a pre-defined document size, resolution, and color profile.

In Photoshop CC 2017 these blank document templates work the same, but they are organized in a more modern and visual layout.

As with the older versions of Photoshop CC, you can create your own blank document preset or use one of the many presets found in eight categories:

• Photo
• Print
• Art & Illustration
• Web
• Mobile
• Film & Video

Photoshop Templates

One of the biggest and most notable additions to Photoshop CC 2017 is the starter Photoshop Templates provided within the New Document dialog.

These Photoshop Templates are files that you can use to be inspired by or jump-start your creative projects.

The hundreds of free Photoshop Templates are provided by Adobe Stock. They include files that contain brochures, flyers, motion graphics, video overlays, and much more.

You can search for a template by selecting a category, Photo, Print, Art & Illustration, Web, Mobile, and Film & Video.

When you choose a category, you can see the list of templates available. Clicking on a template will reveal the template details to the right of the dialog box.

The first time that you use any of these free templates, you will need to download them and license them from Adobe Stock before you can start.

Once you have them inside your Creative Cloud library, you will see a blue circle with a checkmark.

Downloaded Templates are added to a Creative Cloud Library called Stock Templates.  You can access this library through the Libraries panel from within Photoshop. You can also see your Creative Cloud files through a web browser by going to the assets page of your creative cloud account. https://assets.adobe.com/assets/libraries

By default, the template files use the file extensions .psdt. But they open as a regular .psd file when they are brought into Photoshop. The changes that you make to the .psd while working in Photoshop will not affect the original .psdt template in the Libraries panel.

Watch this Photoshop CC 2017 tutorial to see how these templates work:
https://youtu.be/-U3-y604e4k

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Photoshop Search Feature

One of the best and most noteworthy additions to Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 is the powerful multi-scope Search. You can think about it as Google inside of Photoshop. It is a great tool for both beginner and experienced users alike.

You can use the Photoshop Search feature to quickly find tools, menus, tutorials, tips, assets, documents, layers, and more; all from a unified dialog box. Search integrates with Adobe Stock to help you find assets and Photoshop Templates. Search also integrates with helpx.adobe.com to retrieve relevant help documentation and instructional material.

To bring up the Photoshop Search box press Ctrl F (Mac: Command F).

Note: In previous versions of Photoshop, Ctrl F (Mac: Command F) was the keyboard shortcut for reapplying the last-used filter.  To reapply the last used filter in Photoshop CC 2017 press Ctrl Alt F (Mac: Command Option F).

To start a search simply start typing in the search box. Photoshop will immediately start generating content based on the characters that you enter.

The search query will yield results in three categories: Photoshop, Learn, and Stock. By default, you’ll see results from all the categories, but you can filter by category by clicking on the tab labels below the Search box.

Results under the Photoshop category are items that you could find through the Photoshop interface; such as tools, layers, and panels. Results in the Learn category are documentation or instructional material from helpx.adobe.com. Results in the Stock category are assets from the Adobe Stock library.

This is a detailed list of the type of content that you can expect from each category:

• Photoshop
  • Filters
  • Layers (Active Document)
  • Menu Items
  • New Document Presets
  • Open Documents
  • Panels
  • Recent Files
  • Smart Objects
  • Tools
• Learn (helpx.adobe.com)
  • Documentation
  • Instructional Material
• Stock (Adobe Stock)
  • Photos
  • Illustrations
  • Videos
  • Templates

One of the best things about the Photoshop Search feature is that you can perform tasks and operations associated with the search results simply by clicking on them. This is a time-saver and it can also help you discover functionality that you may not have known existed.

Clicking on the following types of search results will perform the operation described:

• Layer: Select the layer and makes it visible in the Layers panel.
• Tool: Activates the tool and highlights it.
• Panel: Makes the panel visible and active.
• Filter Applies the filter or opens the dialog for that filter.
• Menu Command: Runs the command. (Unless the command is unavailable.)
• Recent File: Opens the file.
• Open Documents: Activates the document.
• Help or Learn Topics: Opens the article in your default browser.
• Stock Asset: Downloads the image asset into your active Creative Cloud library, and places a Cloud-Linked asset on the canvas.

Photoshop Search has an advanced algorithm that allows the use of synonyms. For example, searching for “Retouch” will return search results that are relevant to retouching. This includes tools such as the Clone Stamp Tool, Healing Brush Tool, and Patch Tool.

The Search feature supports all languages that Photoshop CC 2017 supports; though the search results may vary by language, because of the differences in each language.

Some of the items that the Photoshop Search does not include are library elements or individual styles.

Watch Photoshop CC 2017 tutorial to see how the search feature works:
https://youtu.be/Kk5PpGt5MEE

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SVG Color Fonts

The biggest enhancement to Type in Photoshop CC 2017 is the addition of SVG Color Fonts to the list of supported font types.  SVG fonts support multiple colors and gradients in a single glyph.

Photoshop CC 2017 also ships with the Trajan Color Concept and EmojiOne font. So you can now use Emojis in Photoshop! 🙂 🙂 🙂

When working with SVG fonts, it’s important to note that you will need to open your Glyph Panel (Window > Glyphs) to have access to the full range of characters available.

This is because many of these fonts do not have corresponding keys to the characters found in the font. In some cases, keyboard entries may work, but will only display characters using one color scheme. Even though many others are included in the font.

For example, the Trajan Color Concept font includes 20 different stylistic sets which are available only through the Glyphs panel.

The following icons are used to indicate the type of font:

• Multiple Master
•  OpenType SVG (New in Photoshop CC 2017)
•  OpenType
•  Type 1
•  Typekit Fonts
•  TrueType

Composite Glyphs

Another example of combining glyphs can be seen when you combine one of the single-person, yellow-faced characters with any of the five, round, skin-colored characters.

In this example, the original person character will remain, but it will be recolored to match the skin color selected. Note that this does NOT work with composites made by more than one person.

You can select a combination of glyphs to create a composite. For example, you can create country flags or change the skin color of emojis.

Country Flags

Another feature of SVG fonts, specifically, EmojiOne is that you can composite new glyphs using a combination of glyphs.

The “letters” in EmojiOne do NOT correspond to these same keys on the keyboard. If you use the Glyph Panel to add two letters that make up a given country’s ISO code, then the two letters will combine and result in the flag of that country.

For example, selecting “U” and “S” in the Glyphs panel would result in the American flag. MX would give you the Mexican flag, and DE would give you the German flag.

These “composites” can be broken back into their constituent pieces. For instance, if you insert the character for a given national flag, then pressing the Backspace key will break this composite into individual, single-letter glyphs. The American flag will turn to the letter U for example.

Character Variants

You can match the skin-colored characters to five available skin tones. To do so select the tone that you like from the Glyphs panel

Note:
Character Variants do not work with glyphs that contain more than one person.

Watch This Photoshop CC 2017 Tutorial to see how the SVG fonts work:
https://youtu.be/Kk5PpGt5MEE

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Improvements To The Properties Panel & Libraries Panel

Photoshop CC 2017 has also made improvements to the Properties panel. These enhancements were designed to reduce mouse travel and make edits more efficiently.

Centralize functionality in the Properties Panel

Document attributes

Pixel Layer Properties

If a pixel layer is selected, you can now change the width and height directly from the properties panel.

Type Layer Properties

Photoshop CC 2017 added many new options to the properties panel when a type tool is selected. You can now change the font, search for fonts, or find similar fonts.

You can also adjust the style, point size, alignment, and color, directly from the properties panel.

Creative Cloud Library Improvements

• Find similar images on Adobe Stock
• Restore deleted assets
• UI improvements

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Improvements to the Libraries Panel

• Find similar images on Adobe Stock. Doesn’t have to be a photo from stock.
• Undo delete
• New design for adding elements to the library
• Templates are now supported as a library type (see File>New Dialog above)
• Libraries now badge premium Stock content distinctly
• Visual search functionality allows you to search for visually similar images on Adobe stock.
• CC Libraries improvements (similarity search, archive and restore, drag and drop Stock search results, “follow” a public Library, UX refinements)

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Enhancements To Tools and Features Released In Photoshop CC 2015.5

Select & Mask Space

• The Polygonal Lasso has been added to the select & Mask Space to help create precise selections and masks.
• High-Quality Preview off may improve performances on some machines.
• Multiple Bug Fixes

Face-Aware Liquify

• Independent Eye control.
• Ability to Hide/Show UI displays
• Before and After Preview (Check Box and “P”)
• Added ability to independently edit eyes in Face-aware Liquify

Match Font

Match Font Enhancements

• Improved Algorithm
• Local Font Support

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(JDI) Digital Imaging

• Added ability to open PSD files from CC Files directly from the Start Screen
• Improved layer count feature
• Added the Polygonal Lasso tool to Selection and Mask space
• Option to see higher resolution preview on mouse down when using Quick Select and Refine brushes in Select and Mask
• Improved marquee selection to only select things on the active artboard
• Added ability to access the legacy Refine Edge workflow
• Added a preference for the highlight color in the UI (blue or gray)
• Improved contrast of UI elements in the lightest 3 stops
• Darkened the separator lines in the Layers panel
• Addition of Preview checkbox to Liquify
• Added ability to hide on-screen widgets in Face-aware Liquify
• UI improvements to Smart Radius
• GPano metadata is preserved when Exporting via Export As
• Surface Blur is now up to 10X faster for 16-bit images

Other Changes:

• Dropped support for macOS 10.9
• Removed Design Space
• Beter onboarding experience for Match Font

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Photoshop CC 2017 System Requirements

Windows

• Intel® Core 2 or AMD Athlon® 64 processor; 2 GHz or faster processor
• Microsoft Windows 7 with Service Pack 1, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10
• 2 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended)
• 2.6 GB of available hard-disk space for 32-bit installation; 3.1 GB of available hard-disk space for 64-bit installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system)
• 1024 x 768 display (1280×800 recommended) with 16-bit color and 512 MB of dedicated VRAM; 2 GB is recommended*
• OpenGL 2.0–capable system
• Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.**

Mac OS

• Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support
• MacOS 10.12 (Sierra), 10.11 (El Capitan), 10.10 (Yosemite); 64-bit versions
• 2 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended)
• 4 GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system)
• 1024 x 768 display (1280×800 recommended) with 16-bit color and 512 MB of dedicated VRAM; 2 GB is recommended*
• OpenGL 2.0–capable system
• Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, membership validation, and access to online services.**

* Photoshop 3D features are disabled on 32-bit platforms and computers having less than 512MB of VRAM. Video features are not supported on 32-bit Windows systems.

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Photoshop CC 2017 Language Versions

Photoshop CC 2017 is available in the following languages:

Source: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html

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Photoshop CC 2017 Tutorials on YouTube

This is a list of all of PTC’s video tutorials on the release of Photoshop CC 2017 on YouTube:

• My Photoshop CC 2017 Tutorials video includes the new features and some of the best minor improvements:
  https://youtu.be/JoKpXk-RmVk (includes videos below)
• New Document Window & Templates:
  https://youtu.be/-U3-y604e4k
• Photoshop Search:
  https://youtu.be/Kk5PpGt5MEE
• SVG Color Fonts:
  https://youtu.be/eXA6Vj5KGmg

Other Tutorial Updates

Check out our Photoshop tutorials that cover other updates:

• Photoshop 2021
• Photoshop 2019
• Photoshop CC 2018
• Photoshop CC 2017
• Photoshop CC 2015.5
• Photoshop CC 2014
• Photoshop CC
• Photoshop CS6