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Photoshop Newbie -- Where to Begin?

D

DCAbrams

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 16, 2007
29
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I have zero background in Photoshop; never used it, never took a class, anything. But it's something I think would serve me well to, at the very least, have a base knowledge of how it works and be able to do its basic functions.

Can anyone direct me to some online or other kind of resource for someone just starting out in Photoshop? Most of the online tutorials I have found assume you already know the program fairly well.

I know there are manuals and other resources you can buy, but I'd like to keep it as cheap as possible, seeing as it's just a hobby at this point.

Thanks!
 
The best thing to do at first is to just open an image and mess around with everything, trying to get a feel for how it works and what the different tools do.

You don't have to save it, so you can do anything you want to the image.

Once you discover the basics, you should be able to figure out what specific tutorials you need.
 
have you tried tutorialparadise.com ??? there may be some useful info over there. maybe try a search on 'photoshop layers' which should bring up some good basics as well
 
Mac In School said:
Lynda.com
Click to expand...

I have to agree for quality training. I've been doing design for 8 years now and I still keep a subscription to brush up on skills and updates to software.

Also sites like: computerarts.co.uk, layersmagazine.com, psdtuts.com or just google 'photoshop tutorials' for more free sites but again if you want certified instructor led classes lynda.com is a great start.
 
Lynda.com seems to have well-organized, step-by-step approach to learning the basics (even though it is subscription based...)

To anyone who has used Lynda.com: do you think it would be worth the price of a one month subscription?

Again, I have zero previous experience with Photoshop, but would be willing so shell out a little dough to at least get a grasp on the fundamentals. Would what is available on Lynda.com serve my purposes?
 
DCAbrams said:
Again, I have zero previous experience with Photoshop, but would be willing so shell out a little dough to at least get a grasp on the fundamentals. Would what is available on Lynda.com serve my purposes?
Click to expand...

I would say that lynda.com would be the best tutorial site for beginners. A lot of the other tutorial sites posted so far put up very specific titles.

Lynda.com starts with the absolute beginning steps of using photoshop. From setting up your workspace to setting your preferences. Then they jump into every single aspect of editing/manipulating photos that you could think of.

It would be nice if Lynda offered a free trial, but unfortunately, they don't. They do offer a monthly subscription for $25. I would think that would be enough time to learn the basics. And it's certainly worth it. The instructors on Lynda go at a pace that even someone with no computer experience could follow. And you can skip ahead if you already know everything in a certain title.

Hope that was helpful.
 
Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions! Really appreciate it!
 
r.j.s said:
The best thing to do at first is to just open an image and mess around with everything
Click to expand...

I second that. I teach Photoshop, and that's exactly what I have my students do. The Magic Wand and Clone tools will soon be your best friends, as will the Blur tool. But just start playing around with everything. Go into your Preferences and set your History States to 100 (under General). That's important because Photoshop allows you just 1 undo. The History panel allows you to step back in time.

Then close out all of the panels except for History, Info and Layers (and the Toolbar). That will give you enough to focus on as you begin. Gradually add other panels as you need them.

The power of Photoshop is in its layers, so use a lot of them to build up your images. Good luck!
 
Just play around! seriously, i got photoshop about 3 years ago now, and i've been using it every day ever since! hardly ever did any tutorials (although i read up on some things).

i got practice from taking part in 'photoshop me/this' threads on websites like newgrounds.
 
I first got the basics of PhotoShop down by just loading photos in and working out what all the different functions. It doesn't help you become a pro or anything but you can get a good feel for the program that will come in handy when you are ready to start following some of the tutorials.
 
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