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Berkeley Global
Get an introduction to three essential Adobe applications for graphics professionals—Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign. You learn the technical aspects of these essential digital tools, focusing on the features that have the widest usage in the industry for graphic and visual designers.
The Photoshop section of the course focuses on the creation of image composites, a design technique unique to Photoshop. You learn the fundamental concepts of the latest version of Photoshop—use of layers, selection and painting tools, masking, tonal and color management and correction, blending modes and photo retouching and editing. The course curriculum also covers basic management of master files and conversion to a variety of output formats. Former student Iva Larson chose the film Gravity to do her own ad campaign to promote the film. Matt Linzer did great work by combining many different skills and tools within Photoshop.
The Illustrator portion of the course teaches you how to create vector graphics and use Illustrator’s powerful drawing tools to create artwork such as drawings, icons, logos, and original print and digital artwork. You also learn to use many essential tools such as the pen and shape tools, which allow you to combine objects and create anything you can think of. Other drawing tools allow you to create using a variety of styles of art using gradients, type, patterns, brushes and other effects. Such art can be used by both print and web designers. Take a peek at the astonishing digital illustrations by former students Sophia Roudané and Jeff Faes.
The InDesign part of the course opens you up to InDesign’s powerful desktop publishing and typesetting tools. Use it to create any kind of print document—a postcard, a multipage flyer, brochure, poster or long report. You learn to use InDesign’s extensive tool set to create pages using master pages, guides, layers and to create styles for text and objects that will speed your production. You also learn shortcuts and tips to more efficiently use the program. InDesign is the tool to create the finest typography, and it also allows you to incorporate images and vector graphics in imaginative ways for any kind of project. You also learn how to prepare your print documents for presentation or prepress. Get a glimpse of what our former student Yuya Sano designed for the Adobe InDesign class.
Course Outline
Expand or collapse section
What You Learn
Photoshop
- Color modes, resolution, file format and Master File
- Color and tone management, masking, select and mask mode
- CMYK, resolution and file formats for print
- Photo retouching with the Healing Brush tool and the Cloning Stamp tool
- Photoshop Filters and Blending Modes
- Advanced compositing techniques
Illustrator
- Illustrator interface, tools and panels
- Creating shapes and combining them
- More combining shapes and paths
- Managing colors, Live Effects and Graphic styles
- Using Width and Brush tools
- Tracing with Pen and Blob Brush tools
- Creating and editing patterns
- Image Trace panel and Live Paint
- Appearance panel and editing appearances
InDesign
- Building a postcard with graphics and text
- Beginning a multipage flyer
- Master pages, guides, page numbers
- Margins, columns and tabs
- Underlines and indents
- Beginning a report (long document)
- Headers, footers, pagination and multiple masters
- Glyphs, fractions and other font issues
- Creating PDF files for presentation and press
How You Learn
We are online! All of our design classes are conducted remotely, including video classes, mentor-led learning and peer-to-peer support through our student online platform, Canvas.
- Lectures, exercises and demos
- Reading assignments
- Small-group activities
- Homework assignments
- Capstone project
Is This Course Right for You?
This course is for students registered for the Professional Program in Graphic Design, or students interested in learning these tools for personal goals.
Other classes to be considered: Visual Design Principles and Typography Fundamentals.
Learner Outcomes
We design the best possible online learning experience for you with a well thought out Adobe Digital Tools syllabus to provide you with the skills and a quality portfolio to become a confident design professional.
Photoshop
- Learn the fundamentals about image resolution and appropriate file formats for printing and web use.
- Master the use of layers, selection tools, type tools, tonal and color correction and retouching images.
- Learn advanced Photoshop techniques such as compositing, layer masking, blending modes and filters.
Illustrator
- Learn vector-based drawing skills and master the Pen tool
- Master the essential tools and panels in Illustrator
- Be able to transition from thumbnail sketches to high-quality vector artwork
InDesign
- Construct a page layout incorporating type and graphics—ranging from a postcard to a long document
- Master the essential tools and panels in InDesign
- Build an InDesign file for print following industry best practices
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Sections
Spring 2025 enrollment opens on October 21!