Do Photoshop experts make money using Photoshop?

Wilynn · Feb 9, 2007

I mean the men and women who are highly skilled and trained in Photoshop CS2 are the ones that I'm referring to, the ones that are at the top of the Photoshop CS2 food chain. Do they earn a living with Photoshop CS2? Or supplement their income, maybe?

And notice how I'm specifying CS2, as CS2 is Photoshop with all of the bells and whistles. There's lots to know and learn about Photoshop CS2, and those who mastered the program have quite a bit more knowledge stored up away in their heads than the average person does.

So, I ask the community...Do Photoshop wizards use their skills to help them earn an income and if so, what and how do they use Photoshop for in order to earn that income? Is their a way for someone like that to supplement their income if they can't use it for full time employment?

(Sorry to mix art with money, but sometimes the two worlds overlap.

)

newrmdmike · Feb 9, 2007

yes, they make livings doing design work, photo retouching, teaching, advertising layouts, etc.

anything in printed medias final output can be done by them

newrmdmike · Feb 9, 2007

there are even professional photoshop organizations, and magazines

fmw · Feb 10, 2007

Lots of people earn a living by operating software systems in all kinds of disciplines. Draftsmen use computer aided design software, accountants use accounting software and designers use graphics software as a few examples. Nothing unusual about that at all. Software is just a tool to help these people do what they do.

dewey · Feb 10, 2007

Yes, you can make very good money teaching others to use Photoshop, either CS, or CS2, or soon to be CS3. Not to be picky, but your comparison of CS and CS2 I must say is incorrect - CS2 is simply a newer version of Photoshop, not Photoshop with any "bells and whistles".

Anyway...

My "day job" is as an Adobe trainer - I teach Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe InCopy to newspaper employees for use in pagination of newspapers. Part time (on the side) I teach photographers Photoshop use and workflow but most of my photographic income right now is from portraits and from weddings.

Someday when I take my photography business full time I imagine I will keep my Adobe certification current and continue training to fill in my days when I'm not shooting - it's good money and being an Adobe evangelist is something I really enjoy. Right now most of my classes are "serious" Photoshop users who need to learn to use Photoshop for newspaper or book production, rather than people who want to clone in their dog. In the end though I guess I would be happy teaching anyone Photoshop for any reason as long as their check clears. :lmao:

Dewey

Peacemaker636 · Feb 10, 2007

Photoshop wizzes can also make money from ordinary people who want photos retouched/fixed/enhanced/made into Christmas cards.

Majik Imaje · Feb 18, 2007

Using photoshop & Making money is a very very big huge buisiness. No matter where you are on the Photoshop ladder so to speak.

I am thinking along the lines of how YOU can make $$ using photoshop @ home.

How's that ? go to any good bookstore Get a copy of Artists Market Book

Now you have in your possession, A book filled with the greatest names in the business, and thousands more, every address, e-mail address of what big companies want and what they are willing to pay for it!

These are some of the names you WILL see in that book, these are companies that will PURCHASE your original ART or PHOTOGRAPH, now you need another book Photographes Market Book

lets look at who your "selling" to:

Adobe, Corel, Hallmark, etc.. and every single company you have ever heard of plus thousands more.

Now you have to learn "how to submit".. what do they want?

Everything is spelled out in great detail. If you can "draw, paint, photograph

then you can make OUTRAGEOUS money, @ home.. submitting "requests" that these companies need .

Reach for the "stars".. and do not limit yourself.

Wilynn · Feb 22, 2007

Hi! Thank you, guys, for responding to my thread, I really, really appreciate it!

Majik Imaje · Feb 23, 2007

I have noticed your post and I might offer some insight, You are one talented individual!

I quit doing weddings after realizing that the amount of time spent working on the processing and everything else was actualy costing ME money.

I had a large darkroom, (do you have a garage) I put an add in the newspaper. Color Printing Classes.. Learn how to print your own color photographs! Instanly I had 25 students @ 200 each! 8 week course. one night per week. I had all 5 nights filled! THAT IS A LOT OF MONEY!

you realize you could do the same thing in your garage teaching photoshop? whew.? !! THINK ABOUT THAT !