My dad found an extra copy at his work. Since I help code their websites, he said he'd bring it home for me to experiment with. ^^. Now the problem is...how do you learn photoshop easily? I am not going to cough up money trying to learn it. o.O
Google it. There's TONS of tutorials online. Youtube ones are especially nice because you can watch. I know CS3 very well and am sooo jealous you got CS4! no fairs! -pouts-
It's pretty easy to pick up, especially if you've worked with another program. I used GIMP for a while before I managed to get ahold of CS4, and it really wasn't that hard to get used to. Tutorials will definitely help. A lot of forums like here and places like RC&R and Caution will have tutorials that, while not centered around getting used to the program, can really help out with figuring out how to do stuff.
I cropped a photo of myself from my background. o_o. Wow that was hard. o.O. And put it ontop of another background for my chi.mp profile. I am actually very surprised at how it came out. I worked hard trying to get the pixelish borders to disappear. I just think I messed my head up a bit, but I am loving how I got my legs done. xP. http://s3.amazonaws.com/chimp_production_s...01/original.jpg xP. ><. So anyways... ...I should go tutorial hunting to learn this software...
Almost everything in my gallery was created with CS4. I used PSP9 prior to getting that. I don't think it's tough to pick up at all. I've only had the program for a few months, and I feel like I've got a pretty solid understanding of how it works at this point. It was a bit intimidating at first, but it's not too tough to figure things out, and there are tons of tutorials online that can fill in the blanks. Fun fact: I used that picture that you put in the background of that piece there as a reference for a traditional piece that I completed recently. It was a self-portrait in charcoal. XD Of course, the city came out a bit differently, and half of the buildings ended up with fire and smoke coming out of them.
I don't have CS4 (waste of my money/time to get it) but I do have CS3 and I did have CS2. I can tell you that Adobe Photoshop platforms (all of them) are very good for learning how to manipulate photos, add effects, etc. not only because they're so widely used you can find a tutorial for anything you want, but because the software itself was built in such a way that you can use it on a very basic level and then easily work your way up to the complicated stuff. It's very friendly with learn-as-you-go people, or at least that's what I've found from my own experience with it. I've tried using GIMP and it got me so annoyed I never touched it again. And it can't even DO as much as PS can in the first place. My advice? Go for it.
The best (and only, really) way to learn Photoshop is just to DO it. I started with PS7, and went up through the versions... I'd call myself pretty competent these days, and starting to learn GIMP, which is very similar, just a few minor changes to adjust. Do some online tutorials, experiment, have some fun... I went from knowing nothing, to designing the stuff I do - so yeah, just have fun with it. Best way to learn, evar! Certainly don't spend money on it.. I never did..
I definitely agree. Honestly, I barely looked at tutorials to start learning, I just clicked some stuff and flopped around and gradually learned the software. I'd pick up little bits and pieces from other artists I watched over on DA or places like that and glanced at their tuts for little tips and tricks, but I'd honestly just dive in head firsts and play around with items to see what they do. It's the best way to get a feel for the program and though it may be daunting, it'll slowly come to you and you'll figure some stuff out. Try following some Psdtuts for beginners to get an idea about some basic tools and once you do, branch out and do a little experimenting!
