Is it worth taking a course for Adobe Photoshop?

[brian_keller]

I'm just getting started in adobe photoshop and I was wondering

whether or not it is worth the cost of taking a course in learning

this software or whether one can learn as you go. What would people

recommend? The course prices seem to be quite expensive. Thanks

 

Brian.

[graphicjoe]

I think it depends what you want to do and how well and how fully you want to know Photoshop. I�ve never taken a course, but I realize that there are large areas of Photoshop the remain a mystery to me. I just use the features that are needed to work with photographs with occasional excursions into other areas. I have learned from the Adobe website (very good, free), word of mouth, books, the internet, and trial and error.

 

I suspect that if you took a comprehensive course in Photoshop you would be exposed to a lot of material that you would not use, and would soon forget. If you could fine a course that targets instruction to your needs you might have the best approach possible. For example, Anderson Ranch Art Center (a great place) offers a �Photoshop for Photographers�) class from time to time which would be a great resource and a lot of fun. Their teachers are top notch. But I�m sure you could find classes closer to your home�depending upon where you live, of course.

 

Photoshop is a huge program that is not to be mastered in a short period of time, and constant use is needed to keep skills once learned in form. So don�t expect to learn it all in a short period of time.

 

Cheers,

Joe Stephenson

[jackflesher]

The problem with PS is that it can do so many things. Of course, that is also its beauty. There are a couple of PS books designed specifically for photogrphers, and I would suggest you try one of them prior to taking a course. One I like is "Photoshop Artistry" by Barry Hanes, and another more rigorous tomb is the "Classroom in a Book" series for PS. Regardless, you should look through the selection available to see what suits your needs.

 

Cheers,

[carl smith]

This depends primarily on you and your style of learning. Some people use books, some attend the courses. I'm self taugh in all computer programs I use, and because that's how I do things, I have trouble seeing how books or classes can help. It's just because that's how I've done things. However as a part of being a TA, I will be teaching the students how to use Photoshop more in the next several months. So it really varies.

 

If you really feel the need for outside input, I suggest picking up a book to start. It's much cheaper than the class and for some people it's all they ever need.

[hearst]

I concur with the idea of using books IF you are comfortable with computers. Get the suggested books and work the examples. Another good one is "The Photoshop WOW! Book" by Dayton and Davis. With these three books and plenty of practice you should have no problems -- IF, as I said, you are comfortable with computers and can follow instructions.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Depending on the teacher(s) yes. Some teachers are obviously better than

others. <A HREF = http://www.difp> DIFP</A> and the <A HREF = http://

www.santafeworkshops.com> Santa Fe Workshops</A> are in my

experience, the cream of the crop. although there are others as well. You

might try contacting Adobe and see if they reccommend any instructors in

your area.<P>You can larn as you go, but the process will be slower and

there is the obvious potential for learning bad habits. while many tools do

similar things (the most common confusion being that levels & curves are

interchangable --- not so!) some ways are more efficient and some have

better end results than others.

[www.graemehird.com]

Hi Brian,

 

I learnt nearly all that I use in PS from tutorials freely available over the internet. Type "photoshop tutorial" into google and see if you can find what you need there. www.luminous-landscape.com is also a good source of the photographer's methods in PS.

 

These tutorials will give you a good start, but if you don't think you've found what you are looking, by all means, get professional tuition. At least it won't cost you anything to look.

 

Cheers,

Graeme

[www.whitemountainphoto.com]

Brian, Photoshop is a great program that takes some time to learn, but well worth it (I think I'm still scrathing the surface). The book and web reccomendations are a great place to start,but I definatly reccomend a class after you have a basic working knowledge. I learned alot from reading, but my first class showed me some great tips that have saved me hours of time learning and doing. Also, you have a real live pro beside you when you get stuck to show you how to accomplish what you want. Sometimes the "pro" advertised photoshop classes can be expensive. Check your local community college or high school. I received an 8 week class for $150 just this past summer, and the teacher was really knowledgable. Some people in class were already proficient, but with so many ways to do the same thing in Photoshop, agreed that a good teacher can always teach you something new worthwhile, that can help and save time. Dana

[david_senesac]

If all you need to do is adjust photos, then you can probably get by with just the help menu and online tutorials. At deeper levels, whether you take a course or open a book, you are going to have to pay your dues sitting a lot in front of a computer and playing with the windows, tools, and commands. Attending a few brief classes may get you oriented in the right way but using it is the key. One ought to start by becoming versed in the basics of digital imaging instead of expecting a Photoshop specific course to address those areas adequately also. In particular bother to understand in areas of your use, color management. There is a considerable amount of information in advanced imaging that is not easily available to users who end up having to deal with dumbed down application interfaces without having a clue to what those applications are actually doing. For instance the whys of color translations and color space. Thus having a little knowledge sometimes can save one from going off the deep end and wasting time and effort. Photoshop is such an enormous tool that a major problem is just being aware of what all is possible rather than how to do operations. Unless one's career is graphic arts or printing, most of the functionality will not need to be within one's skill set. Rather one ought to be aware of what all the tools and functions can do and then look them up in a user guide etc when needing to perform them.

[dougb]

I would suggest trying a good book first. I really like Photoshop 6.0 for Photographers, by Martin Evening. Great primer, although I read it once when I started, and am reading it again now - more than a year later. I am picking up the more advanced stuff now.

 

Doug

[b.j._segel]

If you opt for a course, make sure it is a mult-day, multi-session course that is geared to photography. Such a course may be hard to find. Many community colleges and adult education programs will offer a one day introduction to Photoshop. There is no way you can learn Photoshop in one day and half of what they cover will be aimed at the graphic arts field and probably useless to you (at least at first). If you don't know anything you will probably be confused and overhwelmed after a one day intro, and if you are already somewhat familiar with Photoshop you may not learn anything new.

[ethan hansen]

My advice is to hold off on a workshop until you have an understanding of the basics. Learning the essentials of Photoshop does not take too long, and with some experience, you will get more out of a course. Whether or not you take a class, having some reference books that are more detailed than Adobe's skimpy manual is a must. I started using Photoshop with version 2.0, and have shelves full of well-used books to show for it. Here is a list of the books I found gave the most useful advice coupled with clear explanations:

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0321115600/drycreekphoto-20">Real World Photoshop 7.0</a>, by David Blatner and Bruce Fraser. This is the single best Photoshop reference available. It provides comprehensive coverage of Photoshop, from the basics to advanced topics.

<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0321115627/drycreekphoto-20/">Photoshop 7.0 Classroom in a Book</a>, by Adobe's Creative Team. This book contains a series of lessons covering common Photoshop techniques. The web tutorials in the new edition are excellent, and many a photographer's web site could benefit from the advice in these pages.

<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0240516907/drycreekphoto-20">Photoshop 7 for Photographers</a>, by Martin Evening. The coverage in this book is geared towards improving and enhancing digital images. It is not as comprehensive a book as Real World PS, but provides a very helpful complement.

<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0321124014/drycreekphoto-20">Photoshop Color Correction</a>, by Michael Kieran. This new book is tops for advice and techniques on how to get the color you want. It is not a general purpose Photoshop book, but the examples and screenshots will help you bring even the most dodgy colors in line.

<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789723182/drycreekphoto-20/">Photoshop Restoration and Retouching</a>, by Katrin Eismann. If you are looking to restore scans of old film, this book is the place to turn. Many of the techniques can be applied to digital camera images as well. Similar techniques are discussed in the above books, but the level of organization and detail in PS Restoration sets it above the rest.

</ul>

Sample pages and chapters from most of the above books are available through the links.