[RainCatcher]

Don't know if this belongs here or in Comps..etc.

I have read up on it.. I have tried to understand. I'm VERY creative.. and I just CAN'T get it...
Here's some questions.. and detailed answers would really help clear up my misconceptions.

1. What EXACTLY can you do with photoshop? What could I do with a photo of my choice or a scan?

2. How does it work? Is it as hard as it looks?

3. I don't understand the tools, I've fiddled and fiddled and cannot get it.

I have no more questions and it may seem like these answers won't help, but they will!.. I have been wanting to use photoshop for photography as well as other things and I cannot for the life of me understand it! Please! Help!

Also, if you have before/after pictures of what you've done with photo's IN photoshop.. that would also help, as I am very much a VISUAL learner, which is why this is making it so hard. I have no one to SHOW me..

Even if you just have after pictures... anything to do with photoshop, any information you can let me know.. etc.. it would be muchly appreciated.

Thanks, and sorry if I sound dramatic.. lol, I'm really tired.

[Nate]

The problem with Photoshop, and the rest of the Adobe design suite, is that they overload you with options.

What you can do with Photoshop is edit your digital photos or images, almost everything about them.

Things you can do:

-Resize, stretch, skew, shear, or crop (and any other shaping tool)

-Change filetype and file quality (email quality, or work portfolio?)

-Adjust color balance ("tint" knob on your TV, but very advanced)

-Apply photographic effects (graininess, lens flares, flash placement)

-Modify the image (repaint, remove, add, or move things, people, etc)

-Do stupid stuff (want flames? neon lights? fake cubism? ok, shoot)

-Melt inches off your waist, drop those baggy eyes, lift that saggy smile

-Almost anything else you can imagine ever doing with a picture

Most of the things that people really do with Photoshop are subtle, but you can do some crazy stuff. For an example of the types of crazy, creative, cool things that you could learn to do, go to www.worth1000.com and take a look around.

[Gustin]

Originally Posted by Nate

The problem with Photoshop, and the rest of the Adobe design suite, is that they overload you with options.

Not really if you look at it in context. The design suite is a professional product(s). A professional wouldn't really be overwhelmed with the options and I have a hard time believing a professional would agree that the numerous options was a bad thing.

The problem is that newbies try to use the product not knowing what they're doing and feel overwhelmed. Usually for what they need to do, a lightweight program will work much, much better.


With that said, doing basic stuff in Photoshop isn't really all that difficult once you get used to it. And Nate was dead on, just about anything you can imagine doing to a picture can be done inside Photoshop.

One way a I learned how to work with a lot of Photoshop tools is by following tutorials. There are a number of free tutorials on the web, and even if they don't sound like what you're trying to do necessarily, they'll help you understand some of how photoshop works and how to use certain tools.