On learning PhotoShop

Hello everyone. I wanted to know how the heck do you learn photoshop. I know there is a 7 DVD series selling for about $300, plus the actual software itself which is another $600. Once you have photoshop, how do you learn about it? I think there are books on it, but they seem boring and complicated (i haven't actually seen them). Let me know how YOU learned photoshop, or how you recommend learning PS.

Thanks,

Mando-

I learned it very slowly by simply solving the problems I had to "correct" or "change" one at a time.

For example, I didn't worry about knowing how to fix red-eye until I actually had to do it. Same goes for things like color--correction.

Photoshop isn't something that you can take a 10, 20, 100 hour class and come out being proficient. It's something that requires lot's of real use.

I'd skip the $300 training software unless you're rich and have money to throw around. There is a TON of free information on the web and you can always come back to this forum and ask specific questions about problems you're having.

The help that comes with photoshop unfortunately focuses mostly on the mechanics of using photoshop. They don't tell you what tools to use in what scenario and why some are better than others. These are the things that experience teaches you.

One good book I recommend (which is in fact overly boring and technical) is "Real World Adobe Photoshop 7". Hopefully they made one for CS in which case buy that one instead because there were some significant changes.

Take it slow, don't jump in to the deep end of the pool yet. Just put on your little arm floaties and wade around for a bit :)

I agree wholeheartedly. Learning photoshop is done best by doing, especially when the need arises. I still don't know how to use 100% of ps, and I've had all the versions from 5 through CS. I'll count myself lucky if I know how to use even a tenth of what PS can do. I learn mostly as the need arises-I know that's really lame when you spend a ton on software, but I don't want to spend what little free time I have learning something I don't need to use, especially since this is just a hobby for me, not my life's work. My work-well, that's different. I'll learn everything I can even if I don't need it now, just because you never know when you'll need that knowledge, and then it's too late.

I agree with the previous posters but would add that if PS is anything like Elements, it has an excellent built in tutorial.

Read the blazes out of all photography forums. Watch for peeps that 1) know what they are talking about and 2) don't mind sharing. I've found lots of helpful stuff here, photo.net, popphoto and others. Read, read, read, do, do, do.

Danny