Question about photoshop training

[Odilia]

I was thinking of taking a class to figure out how to use photoshop better, but even that seems to be complicated. I have Adobe Photoshop Elements for PC. It seemed like one class I saw was for photoshop CS???, and another was for Photoshop elements but for mac. How different would those be from what I have ? Do you have a better idea? Would it be good enough just to get the book ''photoshop for dummies'' or something? What do you advise?

 

[strmrdr]

everyone learns best differently....
some reading, some watching, some doing... which is best for you?

You need to have the same thing as whats covered in the class.....
often as a student you can get photoshop for far less than its $600 price........

 

[Mara]

i learned photoshop mostly from just ''doing'' and playing around...i don''t have great advanced skills, but i know the basics and i can get around it okay. i think that a book would be a great way to learn if you are not super visual, aka if you can follow the book''s instructions to find tools or pull downs etc it would be great. but some people just are more visual and need to see what is going on on the screen or similar. depending on how you best learn, i''d take a class or get the book accordingly.

 

[tanuki]

If you find a good class for photoshop please post a link. I have been trapped in "Photoshop Hell" since I bought it.

 

[pricescope]

There are some great forums where you can get help from pros, just make a search because i dont remember the URLs.

Also please ask your questions here and i will be glad to help if i can. It''s an amazing product but i have learned it as Mara did "monkey see monkey do" method.
It may be difficult to explaining some advance moves for me but if it''s mostly about working with you photos i think it would be easy.

 

[whatmeworry]

Date: 8/19/2006 11:00:34 PM
Author: Pricescope
There are some great forums where you can get help from pros, just make a search because i dont remember the URLs.

Also please ask your questions here and i will be glad to help if i can. It''s an amazing product but i have learned it as Mara did ''monkey see monkey do'' method.
It may be difficult to explaining some advance moves for me but if it''s mostly about working with you photos i think it would be easy.

Well since you ask...

I was wondering if it was possible to scientifically "standardize" the lighting from different Idealscope images using Photoshop. For example in this thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/idealscope-picture-is-in-for-both-diamonds-gimme-a-final-decision-who-is-the-champ.49643/ there are 2 different IS with different lighting conditions and it''s comparing apples and oranges. So if you could standardize the lighting, it would be a better comparison.

 

[pricescope]

Date: 8/20/2006 4:01:17 AM
Author: whatmeworry

Date: 8/19/2006 11:00:34 PM
Author: Pricescope
There are some great forums where you can get help from pros, just make a search because i dont remember the URLs.

Also please ask your questions here and i will be glad to help if i can. It''s an amazing product but i have learned it as Mara did ''monkey see monkey do'' method.
It may be difficult to explaining some advance moves for me but if it''s mostly about working with you photos i think it would be easy.

Well since you ask...

I was wondering if it was possible to scientifically ''standardize'' the lighting from different Idealscope images using Photoshop. For example in this thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/idealscope-picture-is-in-for-both-diamonds-gimme-a-final-decision-who-is-the-champ.49643/ there are 2 different IS with different lighting conditions and it''s comparing apples and oranges. So if you could standardize the lighting, it would be a better comparison.

Standardize the "lighting" by Photoshop is not a problem, how justified are those manipulations is another questions. As i never took any IS photos myself i can only speculate that a digital result may be a function of too many variable conditions. Not only light, both under a stone and in a room, but also tilting, sensitivity of a camera, it''s adaptation mode...

It''s only possible to solve a problem if there one variable per equation. Seems by now in IS image taking process number of variables exceeds number of equations.

Back to Photoshop: image in the left is JA''s big one, adjusted by using 1. Color Balance (to eliminate Magenta) 2. Brightness/contrast 3. Hue/Saturation
4. Filter/Sharpen (commonly used when re-sizing bigger image into smaller one). All adjustments were made to balance colors of backgrounds of the image on the left to the one on the right(which remains untouched) and the most saturated pink areas.

 

[monarch64]

Your local library might offer a course...that''s where my mom gained a lot of her computer skills. I had to learn a form of it when I was in college, but that was 6 years ago and I haven''t had the need professionally to use photoshop since then. Most of the computer programs I''ve learned have been through my current job...my company offers online (free) courses, and I learn from co-workers.

 

[njc]

Adobe has a line of books called “Classroom in a Book”. It’s what we used in college to learn Photoshop and all the other Adobe programs. Here is one for Photoshop Elements. They have tutorials that show you step-by-step how to do things and the CD included has everything you need. You can also check out the Adobe website (www.adobe.com)... they have some tutorials and a nice forum area in the Support area.

You can use the books to learn the basic functions, but to really get to know it, you just have to play around… I''ve been using Photoshop for 10 years and I still learn new things all the time. Remember you can always undo if you don’t like it!

HTH!

 

[jcrow]

i really love the visual quickstart books. they are a big help.

 

[Odilia]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the suggestions, and yesterday I went to the library to see if I could find books or CD''s with instructions. That should help, at least for starters!