Founder of PHLEARN
Aaron Nace

Aaron Nace is a photographer, digital artist and the founder of PHLEARN. He has taught Photoshop, Lightroom and photography online since 2011, and PHLEARN’s YouTube channel has more than 2 million subscribers and 160 million views. He has taught at Adobe MAX for more than eight years, and he still believes creative education should be affordable and accessible for anyone who wants to learn.

Tutorials by Aaron Nace


Woman jogging down a road silhouetted against a warm orange sunset, demonstrating how to create a sunset in Photoshop
 

Shooting later in the day gives you the opportunity to add a warm “sunset Style” to your image in Photoshop. In today’s episode we show you how to Color your image to give it that warm “sunset” feel.

Woman sitting and playing an acoustic guitar against a plain white background, demonstrating how to clean backgrounds in Photoshop
 

The white Background has become a standard in the photography world and for good reasons. You can pick up a white seamless background for less than $100, turning any space into a photo studio.

Close-up portrait of a man with light stubble against a white background, demonstrating how to create professional Photoshop actions
 

Photoshop Actions are created by manually performing a series of steps and recording them in an ATN file. You can replay those steps on any image by hitting the play button in the action dialog.

Close-up portrait of a woman with long brown hair tilting her head, illustrating Liquify brush settings for size, pressure, and density in Photoshop
 

The Liquify Tool is one of the most powerful image editing Tools in Photoshop. It will allow you to “push and pull” pixels any way you’d like.

Upside-down close-up of a woman's face with red lipstick submerged in water, demonstrating how to composite photos in Photoshop
 

In today’s episode we show you how to add fish to an image of a girl in a bathtub. The Compositing process is simple as long as you keep in mind how Color, Light and Depth work.

Close-up of a red-haired woman's face surrounded by green foliage with vivid blue eyes, demonstrating how to make colors pop in Photoshop
 

Here’s a quick tip for making colors pop in Photoshop. This technique is perfect for a photo that is dominated by one or two Colors, especially if those Colors are complimentary.

Sepia-toned beach scene with a child running along the sand, demonstrating how to create a vintage photo in Photoshop
 

There are many things that go into making an image appear vintage in Photoshop and this episode Highlights all the techniques you may need to make your photos look aged. In this episode, we’ll show you how to create a Vintage photo in Photoshop.

Woman in a lavender field with birds flying overhead in a bright blue sky, demonstrating how to replace a sky in Photoshop
 

If you’re wondering how to replace a sky in Photoshop, choosing the correct sky to Composite into your photo is the most important step in Compositing a sky. There are a few different factors you will want to keep in mind when looking for a new sky.

Woman with vibrant pink and blue cat-eye sunglasses and neon light streaks, from the Quick Start Guide to Photoshop series
 

Learn how to properly save and export your images so they display perfectly on the Web and allow for easy changes later.

Woman with vibrant pink and blue cat-eye sunglasses and neon light streaks, from the Quick Start Guide to Photoshop series
 

We have found that learning a few Tools will allow you to do 90% of your Photo Editing. Here’s what they are!

Woman with vibrant pink and blue cat-eye sunglasses and neon light streaks, from the Quick Start Guide to Photoshop series
 

These are the proper settings and preferences to get Photoshop working well.

Blue and teal gradient icon of a hand gesture rotating a canvas with an arrow, demonstrating how to use the Rotate View tool in Photoshop
 

Just as a painter may turn his canvas for an easier brush stroke, turn your image for easier editing! This is especially useful when using a pen and tablet.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Medium

1 Sample Image

Blue gradient icon of a magnifying glass over a background photo, demonstrating how to use the Zoom tool in Photoshop
 

Need to get precise? Zoom in! Images are getting more and more detailed as new cameras are released, so zoom in and get to the details.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Blue gradient icon of a dashed selection frame with dotted circular outline, demonstrating how to use Quick Masks in Photoshop
 

The Quick Mask Tool is great whenever you are working with selection tools. It helps clearly define what you do and do not have selected.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Medium

1 Sample Image

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Teal gradient icon of three horizontal slider controls, demonstrating how to use the Filter Gallery in Photoshop
 

Add creative and artistic effects to your images using the Filter Gallery.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of two rectangles aligned with a plus-shaped alignment guide, demonstrating how to use the alignment tools in Photoshop
 

Save yourself the hassle of trying to eyeball it and use The Alignment Tool. You can even align objects within the confines of a selection.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of a rounded rectangle shape over a background photo, demonstrating how to use the Rounded Rectangle tool in Photoshop
 

Rounding the corners of a rectangle can give you a much softer look that’s easier on the eye. Great for creating buttons or icons, we’ll teach you all the ways to use this versatile shape.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of stacked squares with a curved undo arrow, demonstrating how to use the History panel in Photoshop
 

Not happy with the changes you made? Go back in time using History. Photoshop records all of your actions and allows you to go back to previous versions of your image.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

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Magazine cover mockup with a woman in bold makeup and the headline Pink is the New Pink over black-and-white stripes, demonstrating how to create a stunning magazine cover in Photoshop
 

In this episode we show you how to turn a photo into a magazine cover by integrating the “V” Logo with the subject.

Woman's face blended with red flowers in a double exposure composite, demonstrating how to create a double exposure in Photoshop
 

A double Exposure is traditionally done using a film camera by taking two different photos on the same Exposure of film. The images will combine in unique ways, giving you the “double exposure” effect.

Teal gradient icon of a polygonal lasso shape with anchor points, demonstrating how to use the Polygonal Lasso tool in Photoshop
 

Learn to make perfect selections of shapes with straight edges like architecture, products, and landscapes. Master the tool that has the precision of the Marquee Tool and the flexibility of the Lasso Tool!

Photoshop  |  Selections & Masking  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of an eraser tool, demonstrating how to use the Eraser tool in Photoshop
 

The Polygon Tool allows you to create a shape with as many sides as you want. Best of all, they are vector based objects, so they can be scaled up and down without losing quality.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of a computer chip-like patch shape, demonstrating how to use the Patch tool in Photoshop
 

Learn to use the Patch Tool to replace minor blemishes and distractions or use it to duplicate any object or area in your photos.

Photoshop  |  Object Removal & Cleanup  |  Medium

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of an eyedropper tool, demonstrating how to use the Eyedropper tool in Photoshop
 

Learn all of the tricks that the Eyedropper Tool has to offer. Select the colors you need with precision, safe your favorite colors for later use, and even grab colors from external programs!

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Blue gradient icon of crop tool corner brackets, demonstrating how to use the Crop tool in Photoshop
 

One of the most essential tools in Photoshop, the Crop Tool can help you remove empty space from a photo, adjust composition, or change aspect ratio.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

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Teal gradient icon of a plus sign and an eye over a close-up face photo, demonstrating how to use the Red Eye tool in Photoshop
 

Red eye is not as much of a problem as it once was, but if you do find yourself editing an image with red eye, this is the perfect tool to use.

Photoshop  |  Retouching  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of a lasso loop shape, demonstrating how to use the Lasso tool in Photoshop
 

For irregular shapes and objects, you can freely draw with the Lasso Tool to get the selection you need. Learn to adjust your selections, add borders, and add feathering!

Photoshop  |  Selections & Masking  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Blue gradient icon of crossing arrows, demonstrating how to use the Content Aware Move tool in Photoshop
 

Get anything out of the way with the Content-Aware Move Tool! Move an object in an image, while Photoshop fills the gap by automatically sampling surrounding areas.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Blue gradient icon of a ruler shape over beach huts, demonstrating how to use the Ruler tool in Photoshop
 

There are several tools in Photoshop that will help you get accurate measurements, but the easiest one to use is the Ruler tool.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of a perspective grid shape over a building photo, demonstrating how to use the Perspective Crop tool in Photoshop
 

When cropping isn’t enough, try the Perspective Crop Tool! Not only can you adjust composition and aspect ratio but you can also straighten objects in an image that might be slightly distorted.

Photoshop  |  Tools & Techniques  |  Medium

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of a magic wand with sparkles over a coins background, demonstrating how to use the Magic Wand tool in Photoshop
 

Based off of color and tone, the Magic Wand Tool can make quick work out of the most complex selections. Learn what situations are best for this powerful tool and how to add and subtract from your selections to make them perfect.

Photoshop  |  Selections & Masking  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of a dashed selection rectangle, demonstrating how to use the Marquee tool in Photoshop
 

The Marquee Tool is one of many selection tools that can select objects for color change, cut objects out, and replace part of an image. Best of all, it’s the easiest to use and a great entry into understanding how to master selections.

Photoshop  |  Selections & Masking  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of a rubber stamp, demonstrating how to use the Clone Stamp tool in Photoshop
 

Perfect for retouching areas that contain a hard edge or line, the Clone Stamp Tool is one of the go-to tools for any retoucher, composite artist, or photo editor.

Photoshop  |  Object Removal & Cleanup  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

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Teal gradient icon of a bandage shape, demonstrating how to use the Healing Brush tool in Photoshop
 

Blemishes be gone! The Healing Brush Tool is great for small and precise work such as removing scars, tattoos or a stray strand of hair.

Photoshop  |  Object Removal & Cleanup  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of a paintbrush selecting a highlighted area, demonstrating how to use the Quick Selection tool in Photoshop
 

Select large areas easily with the Quick Selection Tool. Learn when and how to make the most of this smart feature and learn how to further refine your selections.

Photoshop  |  Selections & Masking  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Teal gradient icon of a spotted bandage shape over a portrait photo, demonstrating how to use the Spot Healing Brush tool in Photoshop
 

The Spot Healing Brush Tool is great for removing blemishes and distractions from your image. Unlike the Healing Brush Tool, you don’t need to pick a sample area to work from, Photoshop does it for you.

Photoshop  |  Object Removal & Cleanup  |  Easy

1 Sample Image

Featured Tutorials