Photoshop, where do I start?

[lewisdejoseph]

Well, I did it! I just bought photoshop cs5, It should be here in a couple of days. I think I will upgrade my lightroom to v3 as well. If you read my other posts you know I am just starting in digital photography. So where should I start? I am very excited. I need a book that maybe I could work through. And would still be open to a mentor type thing. I think it helps me if I have to be accountable to someone. Anyway, what reading would you recommend? I will also be watching the videos at the adobe website.
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Change Is Good! Learn the little lessons, it's so much easier that way.
Lewis DeJoseph

 

[suddie1215]

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1006&message=38950919

Well, I did it! I just bought photoshop cs5, It should be here in a couple of days. I think I will upgrade my lightroom to v3 as well. If you read my other posts you know I am just starting in digital photography. So where should I start? I am very excited. I need a book that maybe I could work through. And would still be open to a mentor type thing. I think it helps me if I have to be accountable to someone. Anyway, what reading would you recommend? I will also be watching the videos at the adobe website.
--
Change Is Good! Learn the little lessons, it's so much easier that way.
Lewis DeJoseph

 

[DavidH202]

Photoshop can be daunting to start ,using it constantly helps to remember all the tricks keyboard shortcuts,etc
Scott Kelby-for starters
http://www.kelbytraining.com/books/cs5/

and Adobe for more
http://tv.adobe.com/show/learn-photoshop-cs5?trackingid=GYHME
http://tv.adobe.com/show/the-russell-brown-show?trackingid=HRTBI
http://kelbytv.com/photoshopusertv/

as you progress to advanced techniques -suggestions from my library

Adobe CS5 For Photgraphers by Martin Evening

http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-CS5-Photographers-professional/dp/0240522001

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240814835/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0240522001&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0ZZ2289H6D1VD5FZSB0E

http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Demand-Steve-Johnson/dp/0789744473/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311815276&sr=1-15

You Tube has tons of vids also if you search

 

[lewisdejoseph]

Thanks so much I was just checking in and then going on to amazon to browse, I'll start with the ones you listed. Thanks again!
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Change Is Good! Learn the little lessons, it's so much easier that way.
Lewis DeJoseph

 

[Samuel Briggs]

Your new Photoshop CS5 comes with a free gift (you need to choose between 3). One of them is a 30-day subscription to Lynda.com. They have tons of Photoshop tutorials by Photoshop professionals.

• http://www.lynda.com/

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Sam

Previous profile: http://www.dpreview.com/members/?User=hjizididheid

 

[WineO]

Your steep learning curve is about to begin but it is a fun journey. A combination of books and Video help but the more images you work with the better and remember that there are always more than one way to do things in Photoshop. Lynda.com is excellent but if you are like me you learn better from books and the books recommended in the tread in Suddie's post are excellent. I will add when you want to go on to Layers get Matt Kloskowski's Book Layers.
Claude

 

[BG454]

Well, I did it! I just bought photoshop cs5, It should be here in a couple of days. I think I will upgrade my lightroom to v3 as well. If you read my other posts you know I am just starting in digital photography.

Congratulations! You're just starting in photography and you bought CS5!

When I started, the first thing I learned was how to use my camera and obtain consistent results with it (and I'm still learning). The last thing I considered was any kind of editing program, other than the software that came with the camera, let alone one requiring such a steep learning curve as Photoshop.

I honestly think you would be better off with PS Elements or PaintShop Pro, both of which can do most of the things you will need as a beginner, with a lot less learning required, and at a fraction of the cost of PS.
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Photographers feel guilty that all they do for a living is press a button. - Andy Warhol

 

[hotdog321]

Congratulations! A big investment, but there are amazing goodies tucked away in CS5: focus stacking, HDR, lens correction! , photo merge, perspective controls, the ruler with straighten ability, and some terrific automated functions.

I found the on-line tutorials accessed though the "help" menu in CS5 to be very useful. They are broken into bite-sized chunks so you pick them up at your own pace. I finally learned how to use RAW files!

I also like Scott Kelby's "The Adobe Photoshop CS5 book for digital photographers."

 

[joey_B]

What are you planning on using PS for? the basic image enhancements? Creative effects? retouching/restauration? painting?

Lots of ways to go here... If you ask around here for the result you are after, you will get better answers. Some things that you should know for every use of Ps are the workings of the layers pallete and the different blend-modes layers can be in. And for photography basic knowledge of the brush, eyedropper and crop tool can come in handy. Also you should be able to 'read' a histogram, know what it stands for.

from there on you can build your skills into any direction you want.

 

[Vernon D Rainwater]

Well, I did it! I just bought photoshop cs5, It should be here in a couple of days. I think I will upgrade my lightroom to v3 as well. If you read my other posts you know I am just starting in digital photography. So where should I start? I am very excited. I need a book that maybe I could work through. And would still be open to a mentor type thing. I think it helps me if I have to be accountable to someone. Anyway, what reading would you recommend? I will also be watching the videos at the adobe website.
--
Change Is Good! Learn the little lessons, it's so much easier that way.
Lewis DeJoseph

Does anyone ever recommend using the "Help Section" of the more Versatile Software such as Photoshop.
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Vernon...

 

[lewisdejoseph]

The last thing I considered was any kind of editing program, other than the software that came with the camera, let alone one requiring such a steep learning curve as Photoshop.

I'm not totally new. I'm new to digital photography. I worked with film for years, had my own darkroom, developed my own film, and prints, took classes at the school of visual arts in NYC when I lived there. So the capture end is proven a much smaller curve. So I feel I'm lacking the creativity of the processing end thus the purchase of photoshop.

 

[lewisdejoseph]

I also like Scott Kelby's "The Adobe Photoshop CS5 book for digital photographers."

That was the same book that I used for LR2. I found one for LR3 and photoshop cs5. So I might give that a try. I think I will also join one of the online education sites like lynda or napp. Thanks
--
Change Is Good! Learn the little lessons, it's so much easier that way.
Lewis DeJoseph

 

[lewisdejoseph]

What are you planning on using PS for? the basic image enhancements? Creative effects? retouching/restauration? painting?

I'm not really sure yet. I have done a lot of nature/landscape photography, I have also tried some studio still life and abstract also. So I guess I am trying to find my way through to a creative outlet. Bottom line I'll experiment and see what I can learn with photoshop. Thanks

--
Change Is Good! Learn the little lessons, it's so much easier that way.
Lewis DeJoseph

 

[lewisdejoseph]

Does anyone ever recommend using the "Help Section" of the more Versatile Software such as Photoshop.

No but I do ues it in all my software. I guess I am trying to find a starting point. Then as I learn what its capable of I would use the help to find a specific topic. I think that it's great that adobe has a whole site dedicated to teaching people how to use their software.
Thanks
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Change Is Good! Learn the little lessons, it's so much easier that way.
Lewis DeJoseph

 

[graybalanced]

Does anyone ever recommend using the "Help Section" of the more Versatile Software such as Photoshop.

It is usually a bad place to start for a beginner. Help files are set up as "reference" information like a dictionary: You learn the words, but it teaches you nothing about grammar etc. The use of features in a whole project context is not in most help files.

For beginners, tutorials are much better. That is what makes lynda.com and the free videos on youtube and tv.adobe.com so useful for beginners.

 

[cberry]

Well, I did it! I just bought photoshop cs5, It should be here in a couple of days. I think I will upgrade my lightroom to v3 as well. If you read my other posts you know I am just starting in digital photography. So where should I start? I am very excited. I need a book that maybe I could work through. And would still be open to a mentor type thing. I think it helps me if I have to be accountable to someone. Anyway, what reading would you recommend? I will also be watching the videos at the adobe website.
--
Change Is Good! Learn the little lessons, it's so much easier that way.
Lewis DeJoseph

CS5 huh... It's a great tool and needs you to want to achieve something before you start. Photoshop is now a verb as in "to photoshop"as well as an adjective...

Anyhow, I shan't tell you how complex and daunting it is. It's not really that bad. All you need is something to achieve.
try these:
1. Take a harsh portrait and make an effort at a glamour feel to it.

2. Take some landscapes and make them more like what you saw (because the light balance screwed up
3. take a good photo and successfully use a different effect on it every day

4. (Hard) take 3 photos in different light and make them seem part of the same portfolio.

Don't ask me how to do No 4. Still trying that one.

 

[Vernon D Rainwater]

Does anyone ever recommend using the "Help Section" of the more Versatile Software such as Photoshop.

It is usually a bad place to start for a beginner. Help files are set up as "reference" information like a dictionary: You learn the words, but it teaches you nothing about grammar etc. The use of features in a whole project context is not in most help files.

For beginners, tutorials are much better. That is what makes lynda.com and the free videos on youtube and tv.adobe.com so useful for beginners.

My reason for commenting on the Help files is that one of the first things I try to become familiar with (for any new and also complicated or versatile software) is to check the various selection tabs and all the "drop downs" so to know what I am working with -- even though I don't at that stage know the details for the various functions. Then, in tutorials and/or any type of training materials at least I will recognize the overall reviewed items when they appear to be used in such materials.

The search (or find) function in most (good) Help systems usually is very useful to further explain some of the terminology and or descriptions of those items shown in the Tabs as well as the drop downs in the tabs.

I fully agree that (in later years) many Help functions in software are somewhat "cryptic" but at least the descriptions and terminology becomes helpful when learning the details of how to use and/or apply the various functions.
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Vernon...

 

[brettchris]

+1 the help is no help at all unless you already know the basics

Does anyone ever recommend using the "Help Section" of the more Versatile Software such as Photoshop.

It is usually a bad place to start for a beginner. Help files are set up as "reference" information like a dictionary: You learn the words, but it teaches you nothing about grammar etc. The use of features in a whole project context is not in most help files.

For beginners, tutorials are much better. That is what makes lynda.com and the free videos on youtube and tv.adobe.com so useful for beginners.

 

[Peter McNeill]

You can buy a year online at Scott Kelby's site... that covers photograpy, photoshop and lightroom. Not sure of what all the content covers but you could take a look.
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[graybalanced]

My reason for commenting on the Help files is that one of the first things I try to become familiar with (for any new and also complicated or versatile software) is to check the various selection tabs and all the "drop downs" so to know what I am working with -- even though I don't at that stage know the details for the various functions. Then, in tutorials and/or any type of training materials at least I will recognize the overall reviewed items when they appear to be used in such materials.

I would agree with that. I didn't mean help files are useless. More like, complementary to tutorials. Tutorials don't give you deep info on all options, so you need the help files. Help files don't give you the bigger picture, so you need tutorials. They work together.