As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
As a creative, knowing how to use photoshop early on to achieve your desired effects is a must-have skill. Using Photoshop helps bring your creativity to life, and it also provides the basic features for you to make that process easier. How long does it take to learn Photoshop?
Contents
How Long Does It Take To Learn Photoshop?
Learning photoshop to the point of creating top-notch designs is not a day’s work. Depending on your design type, becoming skilled at Photoshop takes anywhere from two weeks to 2 – 3 months. However, you can learn the basics quickly and start seeing results.

Some crucial factors affect your learning pace, such as; the type of designs you frequently create, previous knowledge of a similar tool, or the available resources for learning. Let’s consider how long it takes to learn based on the category of designs that you use it for.
How Long Does It Take To Learn Photoshop Based on Your Profession?
When it comes to using Photoshop, tons of features cut across various professions, including; photography, User Interface design, creative design, and media design. Each of these professions has a learning curve in Photoshop.
Photoshop for Creators or Designers
Photoshop is a lifesaver for creators and designers and knowing how to use it well is a plus. From creating website layers to designing company logos to building 3D models, it offers the full package for most basic design works.
Most designers can learn photoshop in less than a month because the basic skills for designers can be learned easily within hours or days. Some of these basic skills include:
- Layering,
- Color variations,
- Spot channels,
Photoshop for Photographers
Photoshop is a must-have for editing photos because it provides you with extensive and advanced tools. It has various features for creating a variety of picture effects.
In two to three months, photographers can easily master the rudiments of Photoshop. Some of the basic skills for photo editing include:
- Reshaping
- Blurring
- Scaling
- Light and Color adjustment
Photoshop for Media Professionals
Even in print and electronic media, Photoshop offers endless possibilities for design. Many creators in the media space use Photoshop to create banners, flyers, brochures, business cards, and social media posts. You can master Photoshop for media designs in a month or two.
How to Learn Photoshop in Less Time
As an essential design tool, Photoshop plays a major role in your creative projects and ventures. It allows you to create quality designs without outsourcing to a professional. Here are some tips to reduce the “Photoshop learning curve”:
Focus on the Basic Features
Whether you use Photoshop for media design, User Interface design, or editing images, you need to perfect some basic features. Mastering these features can go a long way in improving the quality of your designs. So, it’s recommended that you focus on basic features at your early stage.
Ideally, mastering how to use a basic feature on Photoshop through tutorials and practice should take only a few hours. For example, effectively learning to use the selection tools can take 1-3 hours. You don’t need a course; you can learn easily by trying to play with basic tools.
Practice Everyday
As a beginner, you should regularly use as many features as you can. Doing this will make it easier for you to identify and utilize most tools appropriately. When you practice daily, you repeat what you’re learning in real-time and try different techniques as you learn.
Get Hands-on Experience
Although tutorials are a great way to start, there’s no better way to learn Photoshop fast than employing it to create actual designs. That is why getting relevant experience in your desired profession is a no-brainer.
Some essential features, such as removing an object from an image or layering, involve repeated practice before you can master it. Without experiencing how to use specific features, your designs might not end up with the quality you desire.

Learn From Experts
When you need help with a particular feature or effect, you can always ask more experienced users for clarification. This will enable you to reduce your learning curve drastically. Doing this can boost your confidence in your skills and prevent you from staying stuck on one type of design.
Related Questions
Here are some other questions you might have concerning how long it might take to learn Photoshop.
Is It Hard to Learn Photoshop?
Far from what it seems like, it is not hard to learn Photoshop, though learning it from scratch can be a bit exhausting because it offers a wide range of features. If you focus only on the basics, you might find it easier to understand.
Can You Learn Photoshop on Your Own?
You can learn Photoshop on your own and use it to create quality designs with the appropriate resources and help. Many self-taught designers found YouTube videos, books, and Adobe’s tutorial videos helpful when they were starting.
Conclusion
Photoshop is an essential tool for creatives and knowing how to use it effectively is vital. You can easily learn all that you need to create quality designs within a few weeks or months, depending on the level of skill that you want to develop.