5 Photoshop Tips For Frustrated Users
1. Stop wadding through manuals and start watching videos
Say goodbye to long articles and hours of reading. The key to learning in this day and age is to visually SEE what is going on. Video tutorials are available all over the internet, and video programs are even better. Imagine sitting side by side with a Photoshop expert as they go through the how-sot and why certain buttons do certain functions. By watching video tutorials, you are virtually leaning over an experts shoulder as they visually SHOW you how to use Photoshop. If you're not using video tutorials, its about time to do so!
2. Learn how AND why
Too often, instead of learning how to reach a desired outcome, many people end up learning how to copy and never truly understand the fundamentals and WHY certain buttons and settings will create something. Instead of learning how and why, newbie photo-shoppers mindlessly imitate, and when it comes time to make something they want to make from scratch, they won't even know where to start. Learn how to do things but at the same time set apart some time to learn why certain buttons do certain things. By learning both how and why, you can make anything in Photoshop from scratch.
3. Learn/Review the BASICS
Too many newbies immediately plunge in to the depths of Photoshop expecting to be experts in record time. They skip over the basics and immediately dive in to what they feel like doing in Photoshop and end up lost and confused. The problem with this approach is that you completely skip over the fundamentals and end up overwhelmed and frustrated. You need to take an approach that teaches you the basics so you can have a COMPLETE understanding of Photoshop. By having this understanding, you are free to create what you need with any and all the tools.
4. Tutorials = not the answer
Tutorials aren't bad. They serve they purpose, but they can never substitute real, genuine, understanding of the basics. The tutorials I'm speaking about are the tutorials that teach you exactly how to reach a desired effect through steps and strict instructions. This leaves no room for creativity, and at the end of the day, you are simply learning how to imitate. What if you want to make something original? By using tutorials, you skim over the basics and immediately dive in to the deep end. Tutorials are fine once you understand the basics, but without these fundamentals tutorials do more harm than good.
5. You need a comprehensive guide
The key to Photoshop lies in comprehensive guides, not random tidbits and tutorials on the internet that teach you one thing and not the other. These tutorials are incomplete and often outdated. What the modern Photoshop user needs is a guide, preferably a video guide (see #1) that teaches you the basics of photoshop effectively. This guide may cost money, but there's a reason for that. These guides offer something these random tutorials do not: the BASICS, and clear, concise explanations to help you understand the fundamentals.
1. Stop wadding through manuals and start watching videos
Say goodbye to long articles and hours of reading. The key to learning in this day and age is to visually SEE what is going on. Video tutorials are available all over the internet, and video programs are even better. Imagine sitting side by side with a Photoshop expert as they go through the how-sot and why certain buttons do certain functions. By watching video tutorials, you are virtually leaning over an experts shoulder as they visually SHOW you how to use Photoshop. If you're not using video tutorials, its about time to do so!
2. Learn how AND why
Too often, instead of learning how to reach a desired outcome, many people end up learning how to copy and never truly understand the fundamentals and WHY certain buttons and settings will create something. Instead of learning how and why, newbie photo-shoppers mindlessly imitate, and when it comes time to make something they want to make from scratch, they won't even know where to start. Learn how to do things but at the same time set apart some time to learn why certain buttons do certain things. By learning both how and why, you can make anything in Photoshop from scratch.
3. Learn/Review the BASICS
Too many newbies immediately plunge in to the depths of Photoshop expecting to be experts in record time. They skip over the basics and immediately dive in to what they feel like doing in Photoshop and end up lost and confused. The problem with this approach is that you completely skip over the fundamentals and end up overwhelmed and frustrated. You need to take an approach that teaches you the basics so you can have a COMPLETE understanding of Photoshop. By having this understanding, you are free to create what you need with any and all the tools.
4. Tutorials = not the answer
Tutorials aren't bad. They serve they purpose, but they can never substitute real, genuine, understanding of the basics. The tutorials I'm speaking about are the tutorials that teach you exactly how to reach a desired effect through steps and strict instructions. This leaves no room for creativity, and at the end of the day, you are simply learning how to imitate. What if you want to make something original? By using tutorials, you skim over the basics and immediately dive in to the deep end. Tutorials are fine once you understand the basics, but without these fundamentals tutorials do more harm than good.
5. You need a comprehensive guide
The key to Photoshop lies in comprehensive guides, not random tidbits and tutorials on the internet that teach you one thing and not the other. These tutorials are incomplete and often outdated. What the modern Photoshop user needs is a guide, preferably a video guide (see #1) that teaches you the basics of photoshop effectively. This guide may cost money, but there's a reason for that. These guides offer something these random tutorials do not: the BASICS, and clear, concise explanations to help you understand the fundamentals.
