If I want to learn Photoshop, what books, sites, etc. do you guys recommend?
I was looking at Scott Kelby, another member recommended Martin Evening.
Any tips from you guys are greatly appreciated.
Learning Photoshop
(20 posts) (18 voices)-
Posted 4 years ago #
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to start with just Google it.... there is tonnes of free material
to be honest I think you only need help on really advanced levels
the best advanced Photoshop course (by far)
http://www.photoshoptopsecret.com/Posted 4 years ago # -
practice, practice and when You are bored with it and even looking at it makes You sick practice little more - to speed it up a little bit google for e-learning classes (check planetphotoshop.com, ultimate-photoshop.comand go and get some magazines about photoshop, forget books, as most of the times they concentrate on interface not on the core - although I found Michael Freeman's book "The digital SLR handbook" quite usable as it has a lot different real life tips&tricks for editing photos in PS ... did I mention practice...
Posted 4 years ago # -
kelbytraining.com - costs a litle fee to sign up, but they have full video classes on pretty much everything with photo retouching and editing - + a tonne of other videos about photography.
As you mentioned Scott Kelby the site immediately came to mind hehe, hes also featured there with alot of photo editing/retouching classes.Posted 4 years ago # -
A tip for Photoshop, is always keep a pencil and a pad of paper by the computer.
I've found that one of the easiest ways of getting the idea right without too much 'on computer' time is to make a rough sketch of what you are attempting to do beforehand. If you cannot pre-visualize what you are doing, then just hitting the Photoshop and expecting the inspiration to come is not one of the easiest ways to pass a few hours!
Also, another tip, graphics tablet and pen, much easier at 'drawing' things on screen than a mouse.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Latest Photoshop something Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby will give you good start.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Is Scott Kelby still the king of photoshop books?
Which book does photoshop guru's recommend for a beginner interested in learning ps cs5/camera raw? I am not into classroom and videos.
Thanks.
Posted 1 year ago # -
another vote for kelby training worth every penny
Posted 1 year ago # -
If you haven't used Photoshop at all or only lightly, before digging into a brick-sized book, find yourself a simple thin book that just covers some basics and go through it. Reading a giant tome can be overwhelming and counter-productive. Once you get your feet wet, you can start digging deeper. I will assume you have an adequate background in digital and photo-optical imaging technologies. If not, start there first. Photoshop isn't going to do much for you if you don't understand the imaging processes involved.
You will never master the program either, no matter how much you use it, so never feel inept about what you may know or not know about Photoshop. I'm a professional photographic retoucher and I've been using Photoshop since version 2.51, and I still learn new things, not necessarily relevant to new features, but about how Photoshop processes image data and how to do something else creative or productive with it.
So start with a simple book, and enjoy the ride.
Posted 1 year ago # -
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I have to put up some experiences on this one....
Take a group of photos, over exposed, under exposed, badly framed, horrible lighting, dark shadows, etc. and make about five dups of each.
Start with one, work on it. Do not back up at present but keep going forward initially. If you get all screwed up, then save it with a rating, color or some way to tell it as a "first time edit".
Same shot, start over, use different technique, save.
And so on until you have down five different edits (burn/dodge, etc.), to create the different final products.
Next shot, same thing...
Like adamz said two years ago... practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, and after getting sick looking at the images practice, practice, practice....
This is how I got from Aperture to Lightroom 3.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hi,
There are several tutorials available that are very good, to include Kelby's, Total Training, Class on Demand, and many others.
Where ever one is, some classes are likely available at a local college which I would suggest would be time well spent. I've taught some of those courses and have worked for companies that provide training DVDs, too.
I noticed that there are some videos posted on some of the new features of Photoshop CS6, that those who are working on it are not even allow to acknowledge exists, but the product manager is previewing - odd that. ;-)
I would _guess_ that it will have some really knock out features. If you are earning income from your work, it would make sense to buff up those skills. If it is a past time, then the value is purely yours to set it's worth in both time spent and cash outlay.
My best,
Mike
Posted 1 year ago # -
Anything I need to know about PS I can find in a tutorial on YouTube.
Posted 1 year ago # -
>>Any such book you can recommend?<<
Go to Amazon and look up Teach Yourself VISUALLY Photoshop CS5. Another book that won't weigh you down too much is Photoshop CS5 For Dummies. These relatively simplified books won't get you lost in a sea of ins and outs of Photoshop.
If video training sounds attractive, on Amazon look up Learn Adobe Photoshop CS5 by Video: Core Training in Visual Communication and/or Understanding Adobe Photoshop CS5: The Essential Techniques for Imaging Professionals.
Any of these will get you going in Photoshop. After spending a little time with the program you can decide on checking out something that digs deeper.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Spy Black said:
>>Any such book you can recommend?<<Go to Amazon and look up Teach Yourself VISUALLY Photoshop CS5. Another book that won't weigh you down too much is Photoshop CS5 For Dummies. These relatively simplified books won't get you lost in a sea of ins and outs of Photoshop.
Thanks for the recommendation. That first book looks more like what I was looking for.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I can also recommend training materials from lynda.com (not only for PhotoShop but for just about all other creative programs out there.)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Good topic NSX! With digital photography nothing has become more important. All you need is a D40 to make great images even compared to the new D800 release if you are skilled in Photoshop. I always wished I took a professional class at a local college for a semester or two rather than pound through trial and error over the years. I have reached a point where I am quite confident now, but I definately did it the hard way the past seven or eight years. I have relied on books from Scott Kelby, online tutorials from an excellent source from lynda (just do a google search for how to photoshop and Lynda reference comes up), and a nice thin book called Photoshop CS4 After The Shoot by Mark Fitzgerald.
I also have thicker books that are over 500 pages, but I find them to be tedious and overwhelming so I won't list them. I subscribed to Outphotograhy magazine over the years and have kept some excellent articles on Photoshop layers, unsharp masks, HDR and Panoramas over the years too. My favourite has been an August 2010 B&W Photoshop special that has changed my work considerably.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Scott Kelbys "CS5 Book for Digital Photographers" is hands down the best thing you can buy as a photographer. It shows all the necessary post-processing techniques used to get the most out of your pictures (like, how to correct colors/tones, how to fix flash, how to get natural skintone, etc):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321703561
ps : the "photoshop top secret" course mentioned in earlier posts is targeting more creative people who want to paint on photographs and add effects (like painting wings on an elephant or adding fog to a picture), it's missing all the basic and important things and even teaches some really bad practices (using a brush/maskinglayer to mask an object !?).
Posted 1 year ago #
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