Photoshop is an amazing tool that I highly recommend to everyone, if you could learn a single piece of software, besides your main CAD or 3D program, then Photoshop would be the one I would highly recommend. Here’s why:
#1. You break out of the norm, by creating spectacular pagination’s
It’s quite often for architects to create mostly black & white page layouts for their project presentations. However some of the big players out there have already noticed that the way your project looks can make the difference between a successful presentation or a ok one, since as most of you know first impressions count and clients sometimes have hard time reading a building plan, so why not make it easy for them.
Don’t get me wrong, i consider 40% of the success goes to the way you present your content, 30% goes to the projects complexity the 30% goes to the project look.
#2. You fix errors easily
Sometimes after everything is setup and ready to be sent to print, you notice a small error that requires you to either re-render or fix and export as pdf again, which sometimes can take quite a lot of time. Using photoshop a simple error can be fixed in under 3 minutes, by simply erasing that error or using the clone tool and clicking save.
#3. You enhance and fine tune your renders
This will be a post on it’s own, but generally you can make your renders look a lot more interesting, in just 5 minutes. This helps you sell your vision, thus having a small advantage over the competition, since clients mostly care about price & how it looks. Having a glamorous
#4. You get into different niches
Photoshop lets you explore different niches that you might have not known too much about like graphic & print design, architecture visualization, photo retouching,digital & matte painting…thus helping you create additional revenue sources as well as making it future proof when it comes to careers careers.
#5. You get your own superpower
Probably my most favorite one, once some time has passed and you’ve gained enough experience you can simply look at an image and see how it was done, letting you reproduce the effect to your own renders or projects as well as see what the original image was.
#6. You work faster & smarter
Let’s face it, nowadays time is quite a problem, using software efficiently can make the difference between an all-nighter or that perfect sleep. Photoshop let’s you create something that in a 3D software would take hours, in just a few minutes, thus meeting deadlines. For example 10 renders could be done in Photoshop in roughly 10 hours, if your skilled, however in 3Ds max 10 renders could take 20 hours, with an estimate render time of 2 hours/render, not taking into consideration the time needed for post production and scene or material setup.
#7. You present your final project in stunning professional ways
Be it for your online or offline portfolio, Photoshop let’s you create professional presentations of your project using existing product mockups.Mockups is a growing trend in the web industry, where you place your project in a easy to edit image, to make it look real. For example you could use your renders or projects plans be display them as if were showcased in a gallery or like a person is holding your project, thus making your project presentation, look more professional.
#8. You express yourself in a multitude of ways
It allows you to create you own render or presentation style, that will set you apart and attract clients. The true beauty of photoshop is that anything can be achieved in multiple ways, and sometimes some of these unique visual styles start trending and become a new visual styles.
#9. All the big boys are doing it, making it a industry standard
Most companies use Photoshop to achieve different things, like creating layouts, renders, site plans, brochures,etc. In 10 years of using this software, I’ve seen 3D Software, CAD and render engines pop up, making certain companies choose them over other options. However this Adobe product is the only one that’s been an industry standard and leader in the 2D industry, being the only software that’s used constantly by studios, making it a timeless option.
#10. It’s universal
The last thing why I think it’s worth once you learn it you can apply you skills to a wide variety of things such as creating your personal logo & business cards, portfolio, covers,brochures.
Ready to get started?
Here are some great websites to get you started:
advanced architecture visualization tutorials & information
udemy offers online courses for different types of software & levels, offering a certificate once you’ve completed a course.
online training on a wide variety of software & niches and probably my favorite
similar to digital-tutors but aimed for high-end professionals
youtube has a wide variety of tutorials available free to anyone for each level
