So, i want to be able to become a pro at using photoshop. One of the things that im working on is creating a layout for my myspace page and enhancing various pictures of mine. I've looked around for a tutorial that fits my interest and isnt to complicate but haven't found one yet. I also want to have my own layout style and contribute to the community, so i dont need a tutorial on how other people do it but rather the properties in what they are doing. Thanks in advance for whatever help anyone offers!^_^ This topic has been blessed!

Hmm, well- the only real way to learn Photoshop (any versions of the program) is by getting down and dirty with it. And honestly, you probably should try checking out how other people made their layouts- that way you can know what elements you want to change up via your own design so that any layouts you produce don't end up looking like someone else's. There are a lot of well written tutorials out there, the best thing to do is not rush through them and actually read them and try the things suggested. That's how I learned Photoshop myself, and even though I'm no professional- I at least understand it enough now to make my own layouts.


Just a thought, but you gotta start somewhere.

I'm always told in music lessons that it's important to learn the standards, the basics, before you can truly develop a style of your own. I really feel like this is true in web design, too. I would recommend that you suffer through a few basic tutorials first to really familiarize yourself with the program, because, as the person above me said, it takes actually using it to get really good at it. There's no end to the tutorials that are out there (google can turn up just about anything you want to learn), so just experiment!

^ yes learn the basics and things will get easy. then more and more you will want to do more complicated graphics and such. Mess around with the tools try new stuff but you can still use tutorials as a base of sorts.

i wish somebody would have told my choir director that.

anyways, if you see a cool pattern or design or something, make a mental note, sketch it out, or write a brief description. then, especially if you have a visual reference, search around for some tutorials for your favorite part of the graphic, picture, etc...

i would suggest checking out good-tutorials.com they have some good tutorials on how to make stuff on photoshop. that's how i learned how to use photoshop.

Go through each tool and button and learn what each one does. After you've figured out what every symbol, button, filter, option, etc. does, then move on to more specific tutorials.

That's basically exactly what I was going to say. When I first started, I had no idea what anything did, and was lost completely. The best thing to do is to just start messnig aruond with it. I didn't have any tutorials when I first started designing.

Good luck!

i first found photoshop last summer, at school in an IT lesson - ha, doing what i wasn't supposed to.
played about with it for a while, creating basic things and layering them up. to be honest they all look atrocious but you've got to start somewhere.
start with creating layers and changing them to different settings, such as soft light and darker colour - this is great for changing the brightness of your own pictures.
having done this, go to image -> adjustments -> curves, and play about with that as well. it changes the brightness some more.
that's great for basic photo editing. some of the createblog tutorials are great for editing your pictures, and you can add your own ideas into them to enhance the image even more.

for layouts, when using text or image areas, try right clicking on the layer and looking for blending options. have a play about with those as well.

this is pretty basic stuff but it's how i started out.
hope that helps somehow