Learning Photoshop...

Unreal Tuner · Jul 12, 2007

I am in the process of learning photoshop. I use it sometimes at my job,
but I want to learn it at a faster pace. I have seen some websites that offer exam aids (tutorials, notes, demos, etc.), you pay for it and they send you a link to download everything. I have the CS2 Classroom in a Book, but I wanted to learn it quicker so I can take the Certified Exam for Photoshop. Does anybody have any recommendations?

Hopefully I posted this in the right forum, if not please let me know where it should go. Thanks!

doenoe · Jul 12, 2007

i think Google is your best friend here. Just do a search for Photoshop Tutorial and a gazillion pages will be found. Then you can just look further for the stuff you want to learn.

glaston · Jul 12, 2007

IMO, the best way to learn any graphics app is to do a very ambitious project.
You'll frequently come to a point where you have to troubleshoot, and that's where the learning takes place.

Books are good, but they walk you through the lessons and there's no real troubleshooting because the steps are laid out for you.

Another good resource is lynda.com. It's an online training resource site that covers many applications.

I don't know what to suggest as far as merely completing the Adobe certification. I don't know if you're looking for something that will tell you exactly what you need to become certified.
I learned Photoshop quickly because I really like using it, and set my projects out for myself.
I never bothered with the certification.

Unreal Tuner · Jul 12, 2007

I do some troubleshooting when I use it at work and it has taught me some things, and as I explore the forums, I try to emulate some of the things that I find.
I wanted to get the certification for job purposes. I thought maybe it would help out. I'm in a Graphic Print and Design field.

glaston · Jul 12, 2007

Getting the certification is a good idea.
I'm gonna have to do that sooner or later.

I'm checking out your flickr galleries right now.
You got some nice images here.

I especially like the photos of the ocean.
And the flower vase. That one is interesting, because you'd expect to see a bunch of books in the case behind it. But instead they're all DVD's, many of the same ones I own.
And instead of a window, it's a flat screen TV.

I like images that use that timeless look like with the flower vase where in many occasions you see objects in the frame like old books, or hardwood architecture. But instead the components are replaced by contemporary items.
I'll check back into your galleries frequently for updates.

Did you ckeck out lynda.com?
It's a good resource.

I took a Photoshop class in the late 90's at my local community college.
They taught lessons right out of the Adobe Photoshop 5.0 classroom in a Book.
I felt like I really wasted my money because the instructor didn't know anything more than anyone else, and I could've bought the book myself and finished the lessons in a week or 2.

Have you done the tutorials from the Adobe website?
Some of them are good, but many of them are pretty noob oriented.

Many of the things that are done with Photoshop from a photography standpoint especially are things that require you to get a feel for them.
Like color corrections, you can learn the process technically, but if you haven't developed an eye for color correcting it doesn't do a whole lot for your images.
IMO, the most important parts are learning to work with channels, blending modes, layer styles, and masking is a big part of it all.
It's based on preference, but many people (myself included) prefer to edit non-destructively. Adobe keeps expanding photoshops arsenal of non-destructive tools.
If you were to want to take an element out of the frame, you have many choices. Many people will go for the extraction tool or the erase background tool. These are destructive methods because you essentially delete all the pixels you don't want.
IMO, the better method is to paint a mask to hide the elements you don't want. Many times after taking a subject out, you realize there are elements that you should've left in. If you used a mask you can just erase the mask or paint the detail back in using the standard brush tool.
There's a whole other side of Photoshop that those who use it for photography never really delve into.
Photoshop is more of a standard image editing app, not just a photo editing app.
I use it often to simply paint with, use brushwork to achieve a certain result.

You'd be amazed at photoshops abilities as a 2D paint app.
Check this site out->CG_Society
I've learned ALOT from this site. It's geared mainly for 3D content creation. But they have forums dedicated to specific applications, and alot of knowledgeable people.
People who work on Films and TV. There's guys from Pixar, Dreamworks, Square Enix, ILM, they interview artists alot, like the technical director for Spiderman 3.
Rick Baker the famous makeup artist for horror movies is there all the time.
The studio that did the FX for the Matrix franchise frequent these forums.

As a graphic designer, you NEED to check it out!

One thing I would suggest is to get a tablet!
There are cheapo tablets, but if you're serious about it Wacom is the only choice.
A tablet makes masking way more useful and intuitive.
Brushwork in Photoshop is almost useless without a tablet IMO.

mschroeder · Jul 12, 2007

Some great youtube.com tutorials out there!

zendianah · Jul 12, 2007

I love Scott Kelbys books... The Photoshop CS2

glaston · Jul 12, 2007

Photoshop TV!!
Same people that are behind Photoshop User magazine.

Love that magazine!

jstuedle · Jul 13, 2007

I have learned a lot from several DVD's. If you have a dual monitor system w/DVD drive, watch on one screen, pause and duplicate the tutorial on the other. Working back and forth. Backup for a little reinforcement when needed. It worked for me.

Unreal Tuner · Jul 13, 2007

Thanks for all the suggestions everybody, and Glaston thanks for the comments on the pictures. :thumbup:

I'm trying to get a better idea of whats on the certification test and maybe what to expect and how to go about studying for it.

I found these:

http://www.examaids.com/progs_ai.html

http://www.ucertify.com/exams/ADOBE/9A0-044.html

ANDS! · Jul 17, 2007

Learning Photoshop is a daunting task, especially if you're only using it for ONE type of work (photography).

Photoshop is such a HUGE program, that one could easily become a master for using Photoshop to correct photos, and be CLUELESS on how to create masterful all digital artwork.

May I recommend Lynda.com's CS series, especially the color correction series which is VERY nice.

MarkCSmith · Jul 21, 2007

glaston said:
IMO, the best way to learn any graphics app is to do a very ambitious project.
You'll frequently come to a point where you have to troubleshoot, and that's where the learning takes place.

I think that's the best way to learn a program like Photoshop where you can always go off the set "gameplan" set out by somebody else and develop your own way to get something done.

D-50 · Aug 7, 2007

I have taught myself Photoshop through using online tutorials for free. I use it solely for Photo manipulation so I can speak to how dificult it would be to learn to use it to create an image from scratch. If you follow enought tutorials (all free online) you will quickly learn how to use them together taking pieces from one tutorial and using them in conjusntion with another.

Unreal Tuner · Sep 6, 2007

I was still wondering if anybody knew what I could learn or use to just pass the cert. test for it.

wildmaven · Sep 6, 2007

Unreal Tuner said:
I was still wondering if anybody knew what I could learn or use to just pass the cert. test for it.

UnrealTuner has the correct idea for you. Visit:
http://www.ucertify.com/certifications/Adobe/ace-photoshop.html
There is a practice test and study notes.