Night 3 · Tue Sept 29 · 6:30 to 8:30

THE CALLING CARD

Tonight's build runs in Photopea, a free browser version of Photoshop, until the Photoshop installs land. Same panels, same layers, same PSD files.

Everything you learn tonight carries over.

Open Photopea ↗

What a complete project looks like

Hold your screen up to this before you call it done

YOUR NAME

Designer in training

Own photo.

COLOR PHOTO · BG REMOVED NAME + LINE CREDIT

You're making one square image, 1080 by 1080 pixels. When it's done, it should look like something a person would actually post.

A solid color fills the background, edge to edge, with no white gaps anywhere.
A photo with its background completely gone sits on top of that color, so the subject looks like they're standing in your color, not in whatever room they were photographed in. Clean edges: no halo of leftover gray, no chunk missing from a shoulder.
Your name, big enough to read on a phone. Under it, one short line about what you do or want to do.
A credit line, small, in the bottom corner. It names where the photo came from and its license: "Photo by A. Rivera, Unsplash License." Or "Own photo."
Every layer has a real name: Photo, Color, Name, Line, Credit. No "Layer 1." Ever.
Two files: LASTNAME_callingcard.psd with the layers intact, and LASTNAME_callingcard.jpg.

One card. Two files.

Step by step

Click through at your own pace · arrow keys work too · the pulsing box is where you click

Step 1

The screens are drawn from Photopea's layout but simplified, so they won't match yours pixel for pixel. Look for the same spot.

Shortcuts

Photopea vs. Photoshop · pink rows are the ones that trip people up

Action	Photopea (tonight)	Photoshop (exam)
Free Transform	Alt+Ctrl+T	Ctrl+T
Remove the background	Quick Selection (W), then the mask button	Right-click layer › Remove Background
Close document	The × on the document tab	Ctrl+W
Move / Type / Brush	V T B	V T B
Lasso / Magic Wand	L W	L W
Swap black and white	X	X
Undo	Ctrl+Z	Ctrl+Z

Never press Ctrl + W in Photopea. It closes the browser tab, and your card goes with it.

Checkpoint

Each box is done or it isn't · checks don't save

Document is exactly 1080 by 1080.
Background color fills the canvas, no white showing.
The photo's background is removed.
Your name is on it, readable at phone size.
A one-line description is on it.
A credit line names the source and the license.
Every layer has a real name.
LASTNAME_callingcard.psd exists with layers intact.
LASTNAME_callingcard.jpg exists.

0 / 9

The Social Square preset from the Photoshop checklist waits for the Photoshop night.