Hi

[uni_vision]

I'm a n00b where it comes to Photoshop and I wanted to learn and use the power of ps, so I came here to read the tuts.

[Jeff]

You've come to the right place. However, if you're truly interested in Photoshop, I suggest taking some classes. If by chance you're in high school (or college), you should definitely take a look at some graphic design classes. I've gone through Graphic Design I (art theories etc., no photoshop but it helps you become a better judge of your own work) and Computer Graphics I (this is where photoshop techniques are actually taught; I'm taking CGII soon) and both have been a tremendous help for me; sites like GFXVoid have only been additional help, as opposed to my primary way of learning photoshop.

It's important to realize that becoming skilled in photoshop takes time, and even the best at this site continue to learn. You'll become better with determination and dedication as I was (some people who took the classes indeed sucked horribly, but they were always screwing around). Be sure to post your work in the Digital Art section and find out what other people think about your work. Don't forget to critique other people's work as well, it really does help you judge your own work better. Good luck, have fun here.

[uni_vision]

Thanks for the advise, I'll be taking some classes in high school on Graphics design but they don't have Photoshop. The learning does take time, I know that because I've been practicing with Photoshop for about a month now and I still don't know how to use the tools to their full potential. Thank you jsoosiah.

[MartinBabies]

Well, skill in Photoshop and sense for art/design is totally different things. You can be king at Photoshop, but suck at art. So take lessons in graphic design and learn Photoshop at home. Takes quite a while before you know the program so well that you can figure out how to do something in several ways, using different tools. When you're able to do that, your brain just automaticly figures out the smartest way to get the result you want. Pretty kool.

Welcome to the forum, hope you learn alot here!

[Jeff]

Well, skill in Photoshop and sense for art/design is totally different things. You can be king at Photoshop, but suck at art.

You raise a good point. However, no matter how good you are at photoshop (as in, you know more techniques than most people), lacking the sense of art/design essentially means compromising professionalism. Now, I'm not sure if uni_vision is persuing graphic design as his career, but that's the single most important thing in deciding how he wants to learn photoshop and if he needs formal training in art. Your suggestion seems to be the best solution if there are no photoshop classes available (which I'd say is less important than the other graphic design classes, because it's likely easier to learn the theories through classes; learning photoshop at home online isn't as hard as the theories, I would imagine). I'll let the following quote speak for itself:

The graphic design industry as a whole is suffering...basically because of people like us. Young guns that know photoshop, but lack the formal training to make a technically solid design. Don't get me wrong, i'm not trying to insult anyone's work, some of it's pretty amazing. But you need to understand not just how to use the program but using color theory, eye movement, implied ideas in designs, basic human psychology, and etc. The young blood is basically undercutting the trained pro's by hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars because this is just a hobby for them. And people that don't understand design don't see any problem with buying a site for $50 instead of paying $2,000 for a professionally done design. Even though the professional site will be easier to navigate, provide more word of mouth traffic, and just feel more solid all around. Of course you can't expect to charge as much as the pro's do.