Photoshop for Architectural Presentation

About this course

A good render is not yet a finished image: skies, people, greenery and mood are largely decided in post-production. Photoshop is the step that turns raw renders into persuasive architectural imagery. This course teaches exactly the Photoshop techniques architects use, rather than a generic graphics curriculum.

Run by the RDSIC training centre of the Institute of Information Technology in Civil Engineering — Hanoi University of Civil Engineering (HUCE), the course is built around two deliverables: fully post-produced renderings, and coloured plans and sections for project presentation. You work on your own renders and drawings, so the results are immediately usable.

What you will learn

• Work fluently with layers, masks, selections and blend modes.
• Cut out and composite skies, people and trees with correct scale and shadows.
• Grade colour, light and contrast for depth and atmosphere.
• Post-produce exterior and interior renderings from raw output.
• Produce clear coloured plans and sections in architectural graphic language.
• Export at the right size and resolution for print and screen.

Who should enrol

• Architecture, planning and interior students raising the quality of their presentations.
• Drafters and visualisers adding professional post-production skills.
• Architects who need to polish scheme imagery quickly for clients.
• Photoshop beginners who prefer an architecture-focused approach.

Detailed syllabus

1. Photoshop foundations for architects

• Interface, file handling and workspace setup
• Layers, groups and how to organise a post-production file
• Selection tools and basic cutout techniques

2. Editing and blending tools

• Masks and non-destructive editing
• Blend modes in compositing
• Transformations: scale, rotate, perspective, Warp
• Quick retouching tools

3. Exterior post-production

• Reading a render and planning the edit
• Replacing skies and adding trees, people and foreground at correct scale
• Shadows and reflections that seat objects in the scene
• Morning, dusk and night moods

4. Interior post-production and grading

• Balancing light, removing colour casts, adding depth
• Camera Raw and adjustment layers for tonal control
• Accenting materials, lighting and focal details

5. Coloured plans and sections

• Preparing linework from AutoCAD
• Colouring materials, floors and landscape on plans
• Shadows and textures that give 2D drawings depth
• Composing and exporting presentation boards

6. Final project

• One finished rendering and one coloured plan set
• Feedback and a standardised personal workflow

Learning format

Eight in-person evening sessions in Hanoi, with periodic intakes in Ho Chi Minh City. The whole class is hands-on, using renders and drawings from real projects, with direct feedback on each student's work.

Certificate of completion

Graduates receive a certificate from the Institute of Information Technology in Civil Engineering — Hanoi University of Civil Engineering (HUCE). Call 0989 427 809 for advice on enrolment.

Promotions and discounts

Group tuition discount — applied to every group member and the group leader:

Note: this discount cannot be combined with any other promotion.

Discounts for taking multiple courses at RDSIC

• Take two courses in parallel and get 10% off the tuition of each course.
• Your second course at RDSIC is 10% off.

Deferral policy

• In-person courses: deferral of up to one year from the date the centre confirms it.
• Online courses: no deferral; as an exception, students who have attended less than 50% of the course may be granted a deferral of up to one year.

Related courses

• AutoCAD for Coursework Drawings
• 3ds Max for Architectural Visualisation
• SketchUp Essentials
• AutoCAD Programming (Basic + Advanced)

Browse the full list at Construction Courses.