So, Photoshop is Hard…
So I’ve finally made the switch to Photoshop – I figure get that subscription to creative cloud while I still can afford to finance it, and I’ll have it for a year at least. I’ve spent most of the weekend so far trying to re-orient myself, and I can honestly say it’s not going so well. There’s most definitely a learning curve coming at this having used GIMP for the last 7 years… but I’m getting there slowly but surely.
Any of you Photoshop users? If so, any tips for a Photoshop newbie like me?
You May Also Like
6 Comments
justme3362
I once got a crash course on Photoshop and remember two main things: 1) make sure the correct ‘layer’ found on the right hand side of the screen is highlighted for editing, and 2) make use of the selection tools on the left to edit the portions of the image you want. I love the lasso tool (3rd button from the top on the left-side navigator), and zoom in super close when I use it. Oh, and I guess 3) is to always use ‘step backward’ rather than CTRL-Z to ‘undo’ stuff.
Sorry, that’s all I’ve got. I’ve never used GIMP, so I may just be repeating stuff you already know. Truth be told, I only use Photoshop to do things like adding unicorns to my brother’s official cadet photos and smoothing my husband’s forehead wrinkles (which makes him stop complaining about having a wrinkly forehead). Hope this helps just a teensy bit!
Magpiemakingdo
Thanks for the tips! They layer functions seem to mostly be the same, but the selection tools seems so much more powerful and intimidating! It’s def. going to be an adventure figuring things out. (PS Adding unicorns to your bro’s cadet photos = fantastic!)
bluchickenninja
I’ve been using Photoshop for 5+ years now and still have to google how to do stuff sometimes. One thing my lecturer was really picky about though was dragging images into Photoshop. Apparently its better to open them through Photoshop. I think it had something to do with Photoshop not being able to handle smart objects very well. I think… I can’t remember.
Have fun!!!
Magpiemakingdo
Haha, if a 5+ year photoshop veteran still has to look things up occasionally, I don’t feel nearly so bad about how clueless I am! Honestly, the complexity of this program… it’s overwhelming. But at the same time it’s pretty neat to see how many awesome things it’s capable of. GIMP wasn’t all that intuitive (not that photoshop is either) so I pretty much had a single set routine for image editing… I didn’t even begin to scratch the surface of capability. But with so many resources out there for photoshop, I think it’s going to be a ton of fun to play with as I (very slowly) get the hang of it.
jenndice
I can do really simple things on photoshop. I was actually kind of annoyed because I took the graphics class here in undergrad and we literally went onto a bunch of different adobe programs and relearned the 4 things I already know…. Unfortunately I haven’t learned much since. I think you just get used to the little tips and tricks that work best for you and don’t make you completely hate editing.
Magpiemakingdo
I’m slowly improving, and so it’s starting to get less frustrating. I can do most of the basic stuff I did in GIMP now, so I guess auditing that class wouldn’t be a great idea for me either!