Photoshop How To

Today's post-processing tutorial is unusual because it doesn't involve improving the look of an image in any way; no color or exposure modifications, sharpening tricks, or any other enhancements. The quick video is important nonetheless because it demonstrates how to significantly streamline your workflow.

The eye-opening episode from the Sandra D. Imagery YouTube channel is all about Photoshop's timesaving Guide tools which are often ignored by beginners and pros alike. We guarantee that you'll update your Photoshop workflow according after watching the seven-minute lesson.

Sandra is an accomplished photographer and Adobe expert who prides herself on helping other creatives with easy-to-follow explainers that reveal image-editing tricks and techniques. As she says, "Photoshop Guides are imaginary lines that help guide your eye" when evaluating composition. This is an easy way to confirm that nothing in the frame is crooked or askew.

Using a horizontal guide, for example, helps you make sure that the horizon is perfectly straight when shooting landscapes. Likewise, a vertical guide enables street shooters to quickly check the alignment of streets signs, lamp posts, or side of buildings. Other common examples abound.

Before getting started it's important that Photoshop's Ruler is enabled and appears atop the workspace. If you don't see the Ruler simply click on the View tab and then select View from the dropdown list of options.

Once you're all set up, click and hold on the ruler and drag the line down to evaluate a horizonal line like a horizon. Similarly, you can quickly ascertain whether or not a vertical line is straight by clicking and dragging the vertical Ruler to the right (this one is found at the left side of the screen).

Now that you've identified any problems it's super simple to align everything properly by following Sandra's straightforward instructions. Then head over to her popular YouTube channel for more post-processing wisdom.

We also recommend watching the basic tutorial we featured recently with another image-editing expert who lays out a complete beginners guide to your camera's powerful EV-Compensation feature that enables you to shoot photographs with perfect exposures every time.