BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Digital Photo Business Ideas

Dede Carver

Photoshop...How To Start?

Hi,

I am a 35mm film user, not a digital gal. I have recently purchased a film scanner and Photoshop 6.0. I do have Photoshop Elements as well. I know very little about either. I can not afford a course on line at this point and I purchased a book called Photoshop Flash Point. It all seems like Spanish and a tad overwhelming. I am not even sure where to start. Can anyone give me suggestions as the easiest way to begin with all of this?

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November 01, 2003

Tony Sweet

Dede, you need a begining photoshop course. Don't waste your time/money on a book at this point. It will be overwhelming. Jim Miotke's "Photoshop for Photographers" could fit the bill for you. If it seems too advanced, then check into your local community colleges for a beginning photoshop class. There are not short cuts or secret passage ways to learning photoshop. You'll need several classes and you'll have to put in a lot of time.

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November 01, 2003

Sarah R. Gipson

I didnt learn how to use Adobe from a book or a class. You just have to take the time to experiment and if you have any questions, visit the adobe website and you can find answers to all your questions. Trust me, EXPERIMENT!!

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November 01, 2003

Dede Carver

Thanks Tony for taking the time to respond. I feel like I am stuck in this situation, however. Justifying the cost of Jim's class to my husband will be impossible. (I've already taken two other courses from BetterPhoto and his class is significant $$.) I LOVE the classes I have taken, but it's a big commitment time wise when you're in the classes and to get the most out it I feel like I need to stay on track weekly - not just throwing assignments together in hurry so I can hand something in on time and be ready for next week. This is difficult with 4 kids involved in sports and other activities. There is something nearly every night with someone, leaving little time to REALLY concentrate on assignments. For that kind of $, I need the time to do it right. (Ironically, my kids are the subjects I shoot the most and their pix are the ones I am dying to tinker with in photoshop.)

The nearest community college isn't very near and what they do have to offer is not accomadating to the working 9-5 world. I am sounding very negative I know, but this is why I wrote to the QA. I was hoping that someone would have an answer other than the obvious. I don't expect to learn it over night as I've already owned the program for months and it scares me/overwhelms me to death everytime I open it. What about tutorial CD's or anything comparable? Is there such a thing? UGHHH. How frustrating! I can't possibly be the only one out there with these same frustrations.....can I?

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November 01, 2003

Tony Sweet

Of course you're not the only one in your situation. And it is absolutely frustrating.

But, consider that if you buy a set of cd's and a book, it's almost the cost of a Betterphoto class or a comm. college class, if not MORE.

Another option could be to search online for photoshop bulletin boards or chat rooms. They are free (mostly) and you could find some specific answers to your questions and/problems there, but it is STILL time consuming.

As a aside, I know very little about photoshop. I know how to do my routine specific to my image adjustments and scanning and that's it. No one knows the whole program. It's vast. Why don't you give some thought to exactly what you want to do with photoshop, first. If you just want to put cool borders around your kid's pictures, that's easy.

You have to have an idea of what you want to accomplish before you even know what questions to ask, right?

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November 02, 2003

doug Nelson

Check out the For Sale books at your library. Old versions of Photoshop books are still useful for the basics. Such books as Photoshop for the Complete Idiot, etc, are actually useful.

Learn to do basic photo adjustments such as Levels first, learn to select a part of the image to work on. It's a bit daunting, but take it a step at a time.

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November 03, 2003

RoxAnne E. Franklin

DeDe,

For me, digital enhancement is out of the question because i'm too busy doing location shoots and i'd rather be shooting than fixing. So, there's a service that I started to use as of this week that is the best company under the sun of professional photographers that want to spend their time taking photos and making money instead of sitting at the computer doing digital enhancements. The prices are GREAT, and allow considerable markup on the photographers' end. I was introduced to this wonderful company in the December issue of Petersen's PhotoGraphic magazine. There's a wonderful write up about them. The name of the company is DigitalCustom Group, Inc. The service reps are very patient, very helpful, and will offer any 1st time professional that calls, certificates that can be applied towards first time orders. It's fantastic. I don't have the time or patience to sit at the computer and do my own digital work, (God bless whoever does) therefore, this company is the best thing i've found. Their work is unbelievable and everything is done via the internet, which makes life even easier. If you want to check out the company, go to the website and look at samples of things they've done and stop banging your head against your monitor and trying to meet tight deadlines by having to spend more time in the office and less time doing what we all love to do.... shooting photos! I love this company.