How To Use Photoshop CS5

I've noticed that a lot of people don't really know how to use Adobe Photoshop CS5. People will by this amazingly awesome product, but then they can't even figure out how to use it. I know I had this problem in the beginning, but there are very many solutions to this predicament. With how vast the internet is, it's practically impossible NOT to find photoshop help online. Below, I'll go into a few of your main options.


Note: Any of these methods can be used to learn other how to use other software as well.

Books

• One option is driving down to your local bookstore to browse though a bunch of books, hoping to find what you're looking for. It's what people have been doing for years, but it also takes more time and money for gas. How about skipping the trip and bringing the book store to you? It's easier than ever to order books online. Popular places to order books online are Barnes&Noble.com, BooksAMillion.com, and Amazon.com. Sites like those generally like to offer free shipping if you spend a certain amount of money on your order. So that should be something you would want to check out. Of course, there are more sites out there, but those are pretty common.

Other than ordering a book to be delivered to you (or available for store pick-up) There's also a more instant approach.

eBooks

• EBooks have become quite popular over the last few year, but what is it? In short, an eBooks is an electronic book that can be downloaded to your desktop, laptop, iPad (or other electronic tablets), eBook Reader, or even your cell phone- if you have the right App. This is a great way to get quick reference sources to utilize in an flash. The sites that I mentioned in the 'books' category all have eBook available as well.

You can find free eBooks online if you look in the right places. Sometimes it can be a little more difficult to find what you are looking for. Even so, if you want to take the free route, don't be discouraged. Here's a link to a site that compares free eBook sites. Just make sure whatever site you choose to download from, you look at reviews to make sure it's reputable. The last thing you want to do is download a bootlegged book that might give you a virus.


Tutorials
There are two types of tutorials you'll usually find online; text or video.

• Text Tutorials are written with step by step instructions. Usually, they will have some images to accompany the text to further guide you. Sometimes they might cost a small fee to download them to your computer, but other times they are free.

• Video Tutorials are great for the visual learner. It's easy to learn how to use photoshop if you can watch someone walk you through the program. YouTube.com is a great free resource to find such videos. There are other video sites. To find them, you can go to Google.com and click on the "Videos" tab to do your video search there. There are some sites that might ask you to pay a fee to get access to a series of videos for a class-like-experience.

College Courses

• Some community colleges offer classes to teach you how to use Photoshop, or simply the essence of graphic design. If you want to be a professional graphic designer, it is suggested that you take some college courses on it. Whether it's on campus or online doesn't matter. Either way, it will it look great on your resume as well as play an important role in helping you refine and expand your skills. It isn't [i]always[/i] required to go to college, but a lot of jobs prefer it if you have some sort of degree. Once again, you can do a search online for college programs in the graphic field.

I'm guessing that if you are reading this, you probably have already tried at least one of the methods above to learn how to effectively use Adobe Photoshop CS5. In fact, you can learn how to use any of of the photoshops by using these methods. In combination, these can be instrumental in helping you achieve a higher level of comprehension of one of the most used software series in graphic design.

Obviously, some people are more serious about creating graphics than others, and that's okay. Even if it's a hobby, you can make use of these strategies to learning more about photoshop. The key is using more than one method at a time. If you are more serious about this, then I stress increasing your technique and knowledge even more so. Just remember, there are tons of jobs out there just waiting for you to apply yourself! 

You can easily buy Photoshop online at Amazon.com. Get one new or used. Either way, photoshop is an investment that I couldn't image living without.

Designer's Challenge

From time to time, I'll type in keywords, like "graphic design", or "abstract background" in Google's Image search. I look at the coolest picture I can find, then give myself the challenge of trying to recreate it from scratch. It's really fun trying to dissect the photo, and seeing where it takes me. It's pretty rare to perfectly duplicate the image (unless you have a step-by-step tutorial) but that's not the goal anyways. What we're looking for is inspiration. So make sure you do change up those colors and brush strokes. By the end, you wind up designing something you may never have imaged you could have.

I find this a lot better than simply taking an image and passing it off as your own. Not only could that get you in serious trouble, but it's much more fulfilling to have your own creations representing you. Anyone can copy and paste, but you'll have a unique design that's all your own. Not to forget that by racking your brain on how to get the perfect stroke, or the right color balance, you've improved your skills without even realizing it.

I encourage anyone reading to take this challenge. Just follow these simple steps.

Step 1

• Go to Google Image search

Step 2

• Type in "graphic design", "graphic art", "abstract background" "graphic background" or something of the like so you can find pictures that inspire you.

Step 3

• Pick one of these pictures to "recreate". One you know which one you want, right-click it to "Save Image As..." save it to somewhere you'll be able to find it later on.

Step 4

• With your reference picture in view, get to work at making your interpretation of it. Use any medium you're familiar with. Whether that means making a grayscale version with pencils, painting, using color pencils or markers, Photoshop CS5, GIMP, Paint tool Sai, Corel Painter or Paintshop Pro Photo- it's all good!

Step 5

• Remember, you CAN'T go wrong. As a designer, don't EVER let someone make you think you "didn't do it right". No matter what the product, you should be proud because it is something that you made with your own hands. To the person who says it might be 'funny looking', ask them what people may have originally thought of Picasso's work.

Step 6

• Send me a link to the finished product, along with your name and the inspirational picture (if you want), and I'll post it on the blog with credit to you. If you need a list of free places to host your pictures, let me know. Or if you prefer emailing it to me, then just comment and I'll send you an email address.

Ps. I'll be doing this as well so keep your eyes peeled for mine to show up!

Graphic Design- What Is Graphic Design?

Graphic design is a visual art that combines images, words, and ideas to convey information to an audience in a creative way. Most graphics are made with graphic software programs like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop or InDesign, however there are many more platforms available. Continue checking back to this blog for inspiring tutorials, tips, and information on the latest tools and techniques used in the graphic design industry.