Brand new to Adobe Creative Cloud? Confused about when to use Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign? This beginner-friendly walkthrough breaks down the essentials of all three programs side by side so you can start designing with confidence!
This lesson covers workspace setups, key differences between raster and vector graphics, layer controls, and file-saving best practices.
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What You’ll Learn in this Adobe Software Beginner Overview:
Photoshop: Pixel manipulation, photo editing, raster layers, and .psd files.
Illustrator: Scalable vector shapes, artboards, sub-layer target selections, and .ai files.
InDesign: Page layout, text reflow, multi-page publication setups, and .indd files.
Universal Tools: Workspaces, toolbar navigation, hidden flyout tools, color modes (RGB vs. CMYK), and file-naming best practices.
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Timestamps
00:00 – Intro to Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
00:30 – Start Screen Similarities
01:10 – Photoshop: Creating a New Document & File Naming Best Practices
01:54 – Units of Measurement & Color Modes (RGB vs. CMYK)
04:10 – Understanding Form and Space in Graphic Design
04:43 – Photoshop: Working with Raster Images & Pixel Editing
05:53 – Illustrator: Creating a New Document & Resolution Options
07:01 – Illustrator: Workspace & Tools Overview
07:30 – InDesign: Creating a New Document & Layout Defaults
08:23 – InDesign: What InDesign is Used For (Multi-Page Publications)
08:53 – Workspace Settings & Customizing Toolbars
10:44 – Expanding Hidden Sub-Tools in Toolbars
11:08 – How to Disable Rich Tooltips / Hover Pop-ups
12:10 – Understanding the Layers Panel Across Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
13:06 – Photoshop: Working with Layers (Raster, Text, Vector)
14:52 – Illustrator: Creating Vector Shapes & Placing Images
16:18 – Illustrator Layers vs. Photoshop Layers (Target Selection)
17:46 – InDesign: Text Frames, Placeholder Text, and Page Layouts
18:25 – Scaling Text & Frames in InDesign
19:18 – InDesign Layers Panel Behavior
20:14 – Summary of Key Similarities Between Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
21:02 – Photoshop Move Tool Settings (Auto-Select & Transform Controls)
21:33 – Native File Types: Saving PSD, AI, and INDD Files
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Hello, world. I’m *Kelly Barkhurst* —an experienced Mac-based full-stack designer, educator, and entrepreneur passionately blending artistic vision and creativity with deep technical expertise.
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