How can I learn to use Photoshop for editing my photography?

Question

I do photography, mostly photos of people. I currently use an old film camera but I am buying a Nikon D60 very soon. I've seen other photographers who edit their photos but I have no idea how to do that. How can I learn to edit my pictures to make them look better/more professional?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Well, there are many ways to get there.



Practice, practice, practice.



If you're impatient, you can purchase editing software such as Photoshop CS4 (which you'll probably end up getting at one point or another as you progress in photography) which includes a tutorial DVD.



Another route is to use websites such as Lynda.com which give their versions of tutorials for popular software.



Lastly, I assume you scan your negatives from the film camera? If you do, your scanner probably has some primitive software that you can use to edit your photos.

Answer 2

I am with "fhotoace" on one very important point. It is much better (and easier) to take a good photo in the first place, than it is to "fix" it, later, in Photoshop. The start of a "professional" looking photo is in knowing how to use the camera in the first place. Photoshop is not going to fix a badly focused shot. It is not going to fix a badly posed or composed photo. It is never going to make an image as good as one that was captured properly IN THE CAMERA. What do you think "professionals" did BEFORE digital cameras and Photoshop? But, moving on, Photoshop is an ideal tool for what used to be called "post shooting," or "darkroom" work. Before Photoshop, there was a LOT that could be done, after the shot was taken, to make changes and even "tweak" shots that weren't quite perfect. But it took a LOT of time and effort. Yes, even some sweat and tears to make happen what SHOULD have been done at the time the shutter was released. The good news is that, with digital cameras, and applications like Photoshop, the time to make these "post shoot" changes was vastly shortened. The five, ten, fifteen minutes spend in a darkroom, adjusting an exposure could now be done in one or two minutes. But still, that one or two minutes could be elimitated by the five seconds it takes to make sure one's exposure and angle were correct while still behind the camera. So, fine, Photoshop exists and people will STILL depend on it. It is a wonderful tool and I admit to using it. And I use it a LOT. Besides being a replacement for a film darktoom, it is also a great creative tool in it's own right. It is a POWERFUL tool in the hands of a knowledgable user. A Photoshop "Power User" can create things that were, nearly, impossible, in the times of film photography. It is an indespensible tool and is the center of my work as a freelance designer. By far, in my opinion, the BEST tutorial for Photoshop is the "Classroom in a Book" series, by Adobe. It is the one used by Adobe Certified Trainers. A website can show you a series of tricks and effects, but a good tutorial or class can show you how to use the entire tool. With this knowledge, you can learn how to do ALL the Photoshop is capable and how to create your OWN effects and tricks, not just copy someone else's technique. For $700, you might as well learn EVERYTHING Photoshop has to offer you. Why buy an entire 767 jetliner if all you are going to do is taxi your friends up and down the runway? Why buy a two hundred thousand dollar sports car if all you are going to use it for is to fetch groceries?

Answer 3

"messing around" is a long, hard road and will never result in properly learning the program.



Scott Kelby is a world renown Photoshop expert and has written many books on it. The best book for a beginner is his series entitled, "The Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers".



NOTE: He has books on all versions of Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. So, just substitute the CS4 in the above title with whatever version of Photoshop you have. So, in other words, if you end up with Photoshop Elements 7, (which I HIGHLY recommend for features at a good price), then the book you would want is, "The Photoshop Elements 7 Book for Digital Photographers".



The books are full color with step by step procedures on many techniques. Learning specific techniques also teaches you the groundwork you need to do many other tasks that are not covered in the book.



steve

Answer 4

Steve P. mentioned buying a book, and that it is best way to learn. I STRONGLY disagree, the best way is to tinker tinker tinker. Rules of thumb are that if you have found a method that works but is painstakingly long, your simply not doing it the best way and should search some more. If you simply memorize methods out of a book you will never truly understand what your doing. That being said there are so many free tutorials from websites like pixel2life.com (my favorite). Googling photoshop tutorial gets you 13,500,000 hits, within those hits are more valuable information than you or me will ever know. Also, I have bought a book and found that the majority of the information were things I figured out within first week of getting the program.

Answer 5

I learned by solely messing around with it and figuring it out for myself, but you can try google for tutorials. there's also books at the library on photoshop but aha, i'd say your best bet is just figuring it out for yourself

Answer 6

1

Answer 7

look here:

http://www.planetphotoshop.com/category/tutorials



please answer mine now



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