learn Photoshop

[Hog Wild graphics]

We do 95% of our design in Flexi and very few things in Photoshop. This has worked for 5 years but I'm ready to take the next step in designing and design in photoshop. Since the winter months are a little slower this is a great time to force myself and other designer in shop to do it.

Does anyone know of training videos and/or books? Online Classes? etc...

I know lindy is an option but I looked into it last year and almost everything on it photography and I'm wanting graphics for banners, signs, tshirts, and wraps.

Look forward to hearing from some of the experts.

 

[HDvinyl]

Learn Illustrator instead.

 

[MikePro]

start with Photoshop for dummies to learn about the tools at your disposal.
expand with the YouTube rabbit-hole (searching for "photoshop cs___" and watching video after video after video.

lynda rox, however. helped a TON when I first started-out.
videos in sequence of difficulty, and exercises included for "homework assignments". Wouldn't be a bad idea to drop production for the last 1-2hrs/day and start another lesson.

Flexi/Illustrator/Corel, however, is the way to go for layout/design. Photoshop is for making the pretty pictures that go in them.

 

[rjssigns]

We do 95% of our design in Flexi and very few things in Photoshop. This has worked for 5 years but I'm ready to take the next step in designing and design in photoshop. Since the winter months are a little slower this is a great time to force myself and other designer in shop to do it.

Does anyone know of training videos and/or books? Online Classes? etc...

I know lindy is an option but I looked into it last year and almost everything on it photography and I'm wanting graphics for banners, signs, tshirts, and wraps.

Look forward to hearing from some of the experts.

You first sentence explains your business. I went to school and learned Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Quark. Ya know what? I use Illustrator on a daily basis. Recently attended a QRP at the old alma mater and the other sign professionals in attendance agreed. Learn Illustrator unless you plan on changing your business model.

I use Ps mainly to extract and color correct an image or render shapes I built in Illy. It gets used sparingly.

As far as training get hooked up with your local college or tech school and take a couple night courses. Online courses only work if you are a driven individual, and I mean DRIVEN. Online classes also forgo the classroom dynamic, which is a shame.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

Learn Illustrator instead.

What HDvinyl said. I used Photoshop for over a decade and while it was handy for what I needed at the time, once I got into the sign business and learned Corel Draw, I never looked back. I very, very seldom ever use Photoshop for anything but color separations for screen printing now. I don't even design business cards with it anymore. Vector is where it's at. Raster is good for photography and really not much else, in my opinion.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

What they said it's called PHOTOshop because that's what it's for Photos. Only photos should be handled in PS and then taken to illustrator to finish all the final graphics. If you aren't doing a lot of photo editing( like kim kardshian) don't waste your time with photoshop. Illy will do everything you need to. Self-taught through youtube.

 

[D2S]

subscribe to www.lynda.com

Can learn both!

 

[Hatfield123]

photoshop is not a one subject. photoshop have many part. so you tell what type of part you can teach.

 

[Sidney]

You Tube Video are extensive

Hello,
All resources are great!! You tube has extensive videos...and vey detailed. I have been using Photoshop for over 20 years, like many on this site and have used all the resources others have shared.
Have a Great Day.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

We do 95% of our design in Flexi and very few things in Photoshop. This has worked for 5 years but I'm ready to take the next step in designing and design in photoshop. Since the winter months are a little slower this is a great time to force myself and other designer in shop to do it.

Does anyone know of training videos and/or books? Online Classes? etc...

I know lindy is an option but I looked into it last year and almost everything on it photography and I'm wanting graphics for banners, signs, tshirts, and wraps.

Look forward to hearing from some of the experts.

What signage I have done (and continue to do although nowhere near the extent that y'all on this site do) and various apparel decorating (embroidery, sequins, rhinestones, dye sub etc) have all had their designs started in either Ai or DRAW (mainly Ai). I would learn either one of those two (or both).

I think Photoshop is good for manipulating elements within those particular applications (if you do have those type of elements, for the most part, I do not), but otherwise, from my experience, vector is where to be. Just from my experience mind you.

 

[peavey123]

If you want to learn a bit of photoshop for sign related things. Everything you need to know is on youtube or easily google-able you just need some topics to search. I think that is the info we should be giving you, not telling you to learn illustrator.

Some things to look-up. (not in any particular order)
- Intro to photoshop
- setting up your preferences
- using layers
- Layer masks (for blending layers together)
- Clipping masks & cropping (if you need to cut a person out of a background for example)
- Adjustment layers
- color correction & white balance ( if you get a photo and the overall colour looks off. eg. orange hue to image)

Those are what I can think of off hand, and the things I use the most for sign related work.

I'd say stay away from filters & effects for now, like most have said already vector programs are where most of the magic happens these days as far as designing goes. Hope that helped some.

 

[qmr55]

If you want to learn a bit of photoshop for sign related things. Everything you need to know is on youtube or easily google-able you just need some topics to search. I think that is the info we should be giving you, not telling you to learn illustrator.

Finally, a quality answer.


Jeesh guys he just wants to learn photoshop, not illustrator. Hop off!

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Finally, a quality answer.


Jeesh guys he just wants to learn photoshop, not illustrator. Hop off!

Actually he wanted to take the next step in designing and wanted to do photoshop. But it's mostly for photo editing. And he said he didn't like lyndas classes because it is all photo and he wants to do graphics and designing. That is better done in Illy. I don't think pointing someone towards a software that better serves their needs is a wrong suggestion.

 

[peavey123]

Finally, a quality answer.


Jeesh guys he just wants to learn photoshop, not illustrator. Hop off!

It's okay I understand....they just don't know photoshop. :ROFLMAO:

 

[qmr55]

Actually he wanted to take the next step in designing and wanted to do photoshop. But it's mostly for photo editing. And he said he didn't like lyndas classes because it is all photo and he wants to do graphics and designing. That is better done in Illy. I don't think pointing someone towards a software that better serves their needs is a wrong suggestion.

You missed the lesson in school about questions and opinions didn't you, pal?

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

No but if a guy keeps asking me how to eat a pill and it's rat poison I'm not going to tell him swallow it with some water.
I'm going to tell him that's rat poison you don't want that.
Just like he wants to design graphics in photoshop.
That's Photoshop you don't want that.

 

[Marlene]

first question is do you have Photoshop or are you planning on buying it? if you just want to mess around and learn how to do a few things and don't own it, you can get a working old copy CS2 online for free to try it out to see if it something you want to invest in. I just did CS2 for Illy as I don't run it and wanted to see if it would be worth it to learn. I bought the user guide at Amazon for next to nothing and have been trying stuff I can't do in Omega. if you own a copy of Photoshop you could try a good how to book. I like a step by step in print better than an online how to as I can set it on the desk next to me and go for it.

 

[CES020]

No but if a guy keeps asking me how to eat a pill and it's rat poison I'm not going to tell him swallow it with some water.
I'm going to tell him that's rat poison you don't want that.
Just like he wants to design graphics in photoshop.
That's Photoshop you don't want that.

I'm not sure I'd agree with that. Some of the most amazing graphics I've ever seen were created in photoshop, from scratch.

I've had the same issues learning Photoshop. It's full of tools to create things, but the tutorials on Lynda are most focused around photo editing, not creating things from scratch. I'm sure it's there, but their Photoshop library is so large now, and they don't go into detail about what's covered on the first layer, so you have to spend a lot of time poking around all the different ones that have, trying to find one that has the list of tools you're trying to learn. I never did find them.