Any good PS walk thu's?? (CS3)

Bayer-Z28

I just got CS3 and I look forward to using it, but I am a COMPLETE NEWB to Photo Shop... I have absolutely NO idea what the heck I am doing!! Any good walk thru's on Youtube or any other site? Preferably video, I can't read much.. I can READ, but it bores me quickly..

Thanx y'all!!

aktse

I suggest Scott Kelby's new book -- seven point. It walks you through the post of 21 photos, step-by-step.

It's good for newbies, those who forget what to do, and those who improve since he provides the 21 "crappy" photos and shows you what he does to improve them.

Skippy

aktse wrote:

I suggest Scott Kelby's new book -- seven point. It walks you through the post of 21 photos, step-by-step.

It's good for newbies, those who forget what to do, and those who improve since he provides the 21 "crappy" photos and shows you what he does to improve them.

Yup and I'm backing you up on this April
I just picked up Scotts new 7 Point System book today, and so far I am very very impressed with its very simple layout.

Stage by stage images, he even shows you were to get the same images he uses in the book so you can follow along also using the same images to learn with.

This book is well worth a look at .... Skippy
.

pyrtek

Bayer-Z28 wrote:

I have absolutely NO idea what the heck I am doing!! Any good walk thru's on Youtube or any other site?

Well, you can simply search Youtube for "photoshop". Or, if you want, post
a picture you'd like PP'ed and I'm sure you'll get several people to work on
it and tell you the steps they took. I'd sure do it.

pathfinder

aktse wrote:

I suggest Scott Kelby's new book -- seven point. It walks you through the post of 21 photos, step-by-step.

It's good for newbies, those who forget what to do, and those who improve since he provides the 21 "crappy" photos and shows you what he does to improve them.

I agree it is a very helpful book, I am in the process of working through each lesson.

I suspect that a complete newb may find it a bit confusing at times, as it jumps right into layers, and selections, complete with blending modes.

A newbie can get through it if they have some help, but I'll bet there are parts that are somewhat confusing if they have not used image editing software previously. JMO

I think Kelby's book on Photoshop CS3 for photographers might be a better place for a complete beginner to start.

HarlanBear

Bayer-Z28 wrote:

Preferably video, I can't read much.. I can READ, but it bores me quickly..

Back to the video idea, I would highly recommend lynda.com. It does cost, but for $25.00 a month you can go through as many training videos as you want and can, of course, choose PSCS3 only and the subjects you want to learn about. They also have a free trial of limited videos. I used them recently and was very impressed. Instructors include PS trainers from National Association of Photoshop Professionals. Certainly worth a look.

Skippy

pathfinder wrote:

I agree it is a very helpful book, I am in the process of working through each lesson.

I suspect that a complete newb may find it a bit confusing at times, as it jumps right into layers, and selections, complete with blending modes.

A newbie can get through it if they have some help, but I'll bet there are parts that are somewhat confusing if they have not used image editing software previously. JMO

I think Kelby's book on Photoshop CS3 for photographers might be a better place for a complete beginner to start.

Ahhhhhh yes point well taken Jim.
I think we tend to assume that most people have used a version of PhotoShop, whether it be Elements or some other version of PS,
and therefore they are a little more familiar with it's functions.

....... Skippy
.

pathfinder

Skippy, maybe I am just a little bit slow, but I have used PS for over 5 years, and I remember that it was the most daunting software I had ever seen when I began with it. There are books dedicated to photographers using PS today - back then all the books were really written for digital artists, and did not really help photographers much at all back in PS 5 or 6.

Maybe the initial poster is much more knowledgeable than I was re: editing software back then.

Watching videos on YouTube can be very useful, but if the video is not careful to distinguish between layers, channels, and paths, the viewer may find them selves very confused. There can be very simple steps - just a button click, say - but if they are omitted, trying to duplicate what the video was showing can be next to impossible.

There are some excellent Tutorials here on dgrin that have stood the test of time - http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1100284

DavidTO

you could try lynda.com, as well.

pathfinder

HarlanBear already gave a link to lynda.com, Dave.

Please try to keep up!

DavidTO

pathfinder wrote:

HarlanBear already gave a link to lynda.com, Dave.

Please try to keep up!

You could also read HarlanBear's post!



:hide

SloYerRoll

pyrtek wrote:

Well, you can simply search Youtube for "photoshop". Or, if you want, post
a picture you'd like PP'ed and I'm sure you'll get several people to work on
it and tell you the steps they took. I'd sure do it.

While video training is great. It is generic and won't target what your trying to do. Sometimes it's nice to sit down and know how to do something right away vs. spending an hour watching video and only knowing the million different ways to save a file.

The ppl in this forum are great at post production and will answer all your questions, no matter how easy or hard they are.

Did anyone mention lynda.com?

Bayer-Z28

UUUgh!! My computer crashed AGAIN!!! I had to have my buddy take a look at it.. THe battery is dead, supposedly, so it had no boot sectors. Or something..

It's back up now.


ANYWAY... THanx for the help y'all!!

BradfordBenn

I also like the Adobe Creative Suite Podcast http://creativesuitepodcast.com/

The price is right

Ann McRae

I bought Kelby's Photoshop CS3 for digital photographers. Gotta say that it is really useful for those basic 'how to's' and will sit right beside my computer for the next months. (I am switching from PSPXI, so many things are familiar but still great to have all the nuances at your fingertips.)

ann

davev

Might want to try Russell Brown's vids.

http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html

Bayer-Z28

OMG THIS PS IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :ivarivar


Now I'm just noticing how BAD I need a better mouse, graphics card, monitor, ....... EVERYTHING!! THis mouse is a little slow to respond.. Even for a wireless optical and a flat screen monitor, this is not up to snuff! Multimedia computer w/ Duo core HERE I COME!! ... I'm planning a computer rebuild w/ a 21" wide screen come tax season!


EDIT: Ok... THis whole computer is going in the darn POOL! :pissed

pathfinder

Just keep telling yourself that digital photography is so much cheaper since there is no film or processing to purchase:D

HarlanBear

SloYerRoll wrote:

While video training is great. It is generic and won't target what your trying to do. Sometimes it's nice to sit down and know how to do something right away vs. spending an hour watching video and only knowing the million different ways to save a file.

The ppl in this forum are great at post production and will answer all your questions, no matter how easy or hard they are.

Did anyone mention lynda.com?

Jon, the lynda.com videos, which I and others have mentioned (but I was first, damnit:D ) are very specific and most are about 2-4 minutes. And while I do like having books around for reference, the training at lynda is really great. I've done pretty much all of them for PS and would stop the video, switch over to PS and do things on my own. I'm certainly not an expert, but no novice either, and the videos are a great place to learn the basics as well as advanced editing and workflow shortcuts.

Now I just have to keep an eye on the mail for that check from lynda. NOT.:nah

edgework

I'm still trying to figure out the program and I've been working with it since Version 2.

Aside from the other suggestions posted here, all valid and quite useful, here's the best advice I can come up with: be okay about the fact that you'll be confused for a while. Photoshop is a nonlinear program and whatever workflow you evolve will also be nonlinear. There are usually 5 ways to accomplish a given task and maybe two or three of those ways will be equally valid as a solution. Learning to use option A and making it work, then using B the next time, and also making that work, can't really be taught. You have to just work it out. People find this confusing when they first start out. Go figure.

Take some time deciding how you want to approach each area that Photoshop is meant to address—Color, retouching, and compositing—and also which is more important to you. They all require different skills, and use different tools, but the one connecting thread is that no matter what you do, you have to learn how to create masks at some point. So put that high on your list.

I might catch some flak from serious users here, but I'm going to suggest the Photoshop WOW book for CS/CS2. (They were a long time preparing this one and it came out not too long before CS3 was released). What the beginner needs is absolutely NOT a catalogue of tools: This does that, and this does this... The good thing about the WOW series is that it's broken down into small, concise projects, each of which actually produces a real-world result using real-world workflows. You get to see the various tools, filters and techniques in action, and working together. Yeah, they take shortcuts and they're pitched more towards designers looking for WOW effects, but you won't learn anything wrong, and you will get a foundation for tackling some of the more sophisticated manuals mentioned, like Eismann's books, or Dan Margulis' books on color. And there's always a lot of nifty stuff on the included disk. Truth is, it's a really fun way to get up to speed quickly.

And you can always ask questions.