Aggrivated with my photoshop skills

[bonzaisushi]

People say pratice makes perfect.... I envy all the people that take these bearthtaking landscaping/ portraits with vivid colors... and i want to do that... yet i try and i try, and photoshop messes up or i do something to mess it up.... i try and follow online tutorials, try doing it my self.... and i just seem lost.... Help? you guys know of any good books? that really simplifies things? to the point where a complete idiot could understand? cuz i feel thats where im at right about now with my photography skills:confused: :o

[Roach711]

We've all been there. Photoshop is a massively useful piece of software but also massively hard to use if you don't know how. Nothing's obvious and nothing you've ever done before prepares you to use the program. I learned my (admittedly limited) skills by hanging out here at POTN and trying out the examples given.

Scott Kelby's Photoshop books are popular here and there are lots of tutorials both here on POTN and on the net. Hang in there and you will overcome.

[TooManyHobbies]

People say pratice makes perfect.... I envy all the people that take these bearthtaking landscaping/ portraits with vivid colors... and i want to do that... yet i try and i try, and photoshop messes up or i do something to mess it up.... i try and follow online tutorials, try doing it my self.... and i just seem lost.... Help? you guys know of any good books? that really simplifies things? to the point where a complete idiot could understand? cuz i feel thats where im at right about now with my photography skills:confused: :o

Don't feel bad, it took me 9 months of late night fooling around and the purchase of 6 books, many magazines, and lots of web surfing to feel like I attained adequate. Then you start improving on speed and new methods.

I have one book that is a reference and explains technically how every feature works. I have another that gives the no nonsence stuff you need to know. The others just had neat techniques in them.

Try this thread for examples: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=153850

You'll want to turn your image editing on in your profile so people can show you what they'd do.

[SWPhotoImaging]

Photoshop is as painful as it is rewarding. I am on my sixth version of it, and would guess that I am "good" at less than 10% of what it can do, and not "expert" at any of it. Whatever method of training works best for you, get yourself some training and use it. If you learn well from books, there is a great sticky here in the forum with a list of recommended reading. If you learn well from video training, the "Total Training for Photoshop CS2" set is invaluable. If you do better in classroom training, scour the course listings for all of the nearby colleges and learning centers to see what they might have available.

[bonzaisushi]

Thankyou so much guys...... nice to know im not the only one who thinks its a massively confusing program.

[TooManyHobbies]

Thankyou so much guys...... nice to know im not the only one who thinks its a massively confusing program.

BUT A MASSIVELY POWERFUL ONE TOO! YOU'LL BE AMAZED AT WHAT YOU CAN DO.

[primoz]

Ok maybe I missunderstood, but I would say you want to solve this problem from wrong side. Great photos don't came out of Photoshop but out of camera. I have many great looking slides straight out of camera, just as many great looking digital files came out of camera without need for much of further work in Photoshop (with digital files there's always at least little work needed in PS). PS is great thing, but not necessarily needed to get great looking photos... not to mention it still can't save crapy photos ;)

[bonzaisushi]

Ok maybe I missunderstood, but I would say you want to solve this problem from wrong side. Great photos don't came out of Photoshop but out of camera. I have many great looking slides straight out of camera, just as many great looking digital files came out of camera without need for much of further work in Photoshop (with digital files there's always at least little work needed in PS). PS is great thing, but not necessarily needed to get great looking photos... not to mention it still can't save crapy photos ;)


Oh i agree, i have always been a id rather pull a image out of the camera perfect the way i want it.... BUT.... after viewing some of this guys work http://bosniak.deviantart.com/ Compared to Mine www.bonzaisushi.deviantart.com (http://www.bonzaisushi.deviantart.com) I know we have 2 different styles, but his creations seem to pull so much more emotion, whent hey are vivid and wild like that.... and id love to be able to do that.

[TooManyHobbies]

Ok maybe I missunderstood, but I would say you want to solve this problem from wrong side. Great photos don't came out of Photoshop but out of camera. I have many great looking slides straight out of camera, just as many great looking digital files came out of camera without need for much of further work in Photoshop (with digital files there's always at least little work needed in PS). PS is great thing, but not necessarily needed to get great looking photos... not to mention it still can't save crapy photos ;)

I think your right if shooting in JPG, but working in RAW almost requires you to be good at editing.