Photoshop & Graphic Design Tutorials | TutorialsFX

Once you're comfortable with selections and masks, retouching is the next skill that actually gets used constantly — removing a blemish, cleaning up a dust spot, erasing something distracting in the background. Photoshop gives you three main tools for this, and each one is suited to a different kind of fix. Spot Healing Brush: For Small, Quick Fixes The Spot Healing Brush (J) is the simplest of the three — click or drag over a small imperfection, and Photoshop automatically samples the surrounding area to blend it away. No setup required, which makes it the right first choice for small, isolated issues like a blemish, a dust spot, or a stray hair. It works best on small areas surrounded by fairly consistent texture. On a busy or highly detailed background, it can sometimes blend in oddly — that's your cue to switch tools rather than fight with it. A small blemish removed using the Spot Healing Brush. Healing Brush: For More Control The regular Healing Brush (Shift + J...

Removing a background is one of the most requested Photoshop skills, and also one of the best exercises for tying together everything covered so far — selections, layers, and masks. Here's a straightforward walkthrough using tools already covered in earlier guides. Step 1: Duplicate Your Layer First Before touching anything, press Ctrl/Cmd + J to duplicate your background layer. Work on the duplicate, and keep the original untouched underneath as a safety net. This single habit prevents the most common beginner mistake — realizing halfway through that you want to start over, with no clean original left. Step 2: Make a Rough Selection Select the Quick Selection tool (W) and paint roughly over your subject. Photoshop will follow the edges automatically based on contrast. Don't aim for perfection yet — a rough selection is fine at this stage. If the background is plain and high-contrast instead, the Magic Wand can be faster — click the background itself, then invert t...