Photoshop’s easy-to-use Gradient too is useful for a wide variety of purposes when editing an image. It enables you to create gradual changes in color and exposure, and there are different type of gradients from which to choose. The popular tool recently received an update, making it faster and more effective than ever.

From a practical perspective Adobe says “Gradients can help draw focus to a point in your image by creating a glint of light or color that gradually fades into shadow.” You’ll see how this works in the tutorial below from one of our favorite image-editing experts.

Instructor Julieanne Kost is a photographer, author, self-described “digital-imaging evangelist,” and an expert at all things Adobe. In this quick episode she walks you through the step-by step process of using the Gradient tool and taking advantage of everything it offers

As Kost Says, “You’ll discover a variety of tips and tricks to master the new non-destructive Gradient tool, including how to make the most of on-screen editing controls, and working with Gradient Fill layers. She also demonstrates new options in the Properties panel, how to use Layer Masks, and the method for changing Gradient types.

The episode also includes timesaving keyboard shortcuts, several Quick Actions, and other helpful tips and tricks. Kost dives right in, skipping the small talk, and covers all these topics in barely 10-minutes. So be sure to have pen and paper handy and jot down a few notes.

To create a Gradient you can either tap the “G” key or select Gradient from the toolbar. You’ll then see that Photoshop ships with a variety of Gradient presets. Rather than choosing one of these at the onset Kost uses the Photoshop’s Basic’s panel to select the Foreground-to-Background option to demonstrate how to make adjustments yourself.

This approach uses the foreground and background color swatches found in the toolbar. Then you can select a Gradient style by either choosing one of the icons in the Options bar, or by clicking the right bracket key to cycle through the Linear, Radial, Angle, Reflected, and Diamond gradients.

Now it’s time to get busy, and Kost provides the straightforward steps for getting the job done. It’s all pretty simple to understand and accomplish by following Kost’s advice. Once you experiment with her instructions you’ll quickly become proficient at using the versatile new-and-approved Gradient tool for a variety of image-editing tasks.

Kost’s YouTube channel offers an abundance of Photoshop and Lightroom lessons, so take a look and check back often whenever you find yourself in a bind.

We also suggest you watch the tutorial we posted recently from another expert, explaining how to quickly improve photos with five easy Photoshop tips and tricks.

This is the second day of the week, which means it time for another great episode of “Tutorial Tuesday” from the experts at Park Cameras—one of the leading photo retailers in the UK. Today’s topic is Photoshop’s powerful new Remove tool that you’ll learn how to use to clean up your work.

Instructor Gareth Evans is an adept instructor with an exuberant teaching style that makes his videos both informative and very fun to watch. In today’s lesson he explains everything you need to know for taking advantage of Photoshop’s new Remove tool, and he does so in seven minutes flat (jokes included).

As Evans explains, “Photoshop’s new Remove tool works a bit like the Spot Healing brush, but so much better.” That’s because it has a lot more power when it comes to eliminating distracting objects from a photo, whether they’re a fence post emanating from the subject’s head, unsightly trash on the ground, or anything else you find objectionable.

Evans explains how this versatile tool works, how easy it is to use, describes any minor limitations, and demonstrates how to employ it for just about any photos you shoot, He’s so enthralled with this new capability that he calls it a “game changer.” After giving it a try we think you’ll agree.

This tool is found in the upper left of the screen in the panel with the Spot Healing brush and a few other options. He begins with an image of a camera on the ground that he wants to remove from the shot. You’ll see what happens when he first uses the Spot Healing brush and then the new Remove tool to accomplish this straightforward task.

As you’ll see, he results speak for themselves. The Spot Healing brush seems to work pretty well, until you zoom in on the image and see that the photo is far from ideal. What he achieves with the Remove tool, on the other hand, is a really clean image with no visible artifacts.

As Evan’s put it, “You’d never know the camera was there.” He then pulls up a few other images to demonstrate the finer points of using the Remove tool, with equally good results. And if you run into a glitch, he has straightforward solutions for solving the problem.

There’s a lot more to learn on the Park Cameras YouTube channel, especially on Taco…I mean Tutorial Tuesday, so be sure to pay a visit.

You may also want to check out the tutorial we posted from another image-editing expert earlier this month, explaining why Photoshop’s HDR capabilities are the key to editing high-contrast photos.

The quick tutorial below from the Adorama TV YouTube channel is all about the basics of using ISO when selecting your camera settings, and when choosing the sensitivity setting should be the first thing you do. Then, depending upon light levels and the scene at hand, you can modify shutter speed and f/stop if need be.

David Bergman is a NY-based pro specializing in celebrity, concert, and sports photography—and a really good instructor. He also hosts the popular “Ask David Bergman” series where he responds to simple technical questions from his fans. He previously posted tutorials on the other two components of the Exposure Triangle, so you may want to visit his website and watch those too.

Today’s episode begins with a description of how ISO works (and even how to pronounce the term, which is a humorous subject of debate).  As Bergman explains, “after light is collected on the sensor your ISO setting is then applied, and the camera’s processor adds a little voltage boost to brighten up the image.”

Put another way, this is sort of like dragging the brightness slider during post processing. But Bergman says boosting ISO delivers better quality, “because it happens earlier in the analog-to-digital conversion process.” As you’ll see, however, there’s a catch when you boost ISO too far depending on what camera you use.

Bergman moves on to more practical matters, explaining what the ISO numbers mean and why the higher you go the more boost is applied, and the brighter the image will be. He then provides examples of when you should change ISO instead of other exposure settings.

As for the drawback alluded to above, you’ll learn that ugly “digital noise” begins to appear in an image as you push ISO to higher and higher levels. That’s why experienced shooters prefer keeping ISO as low as possible depending upon ambient light levels and the specific task at hand.

While newer cameras deliver clean results at ISO settings that were unheard of only a few years ago, it pays to experiment with whatever camera you use and determine a reasonable threshold that you don’t exceed.

There’s much more to learn on Bergman’s instructional website, including previous episodes in this series. And don’t miss the tutorial we posted earlier, explaining why another pro says, “forget manual mode,” and follow his advice instead.