mvg95101 Loc: Riverside, California

I am looking into learning how to use Photoshop. I am currently using the iphoto program on my Mac, but feel Photoshop will give me much more control. I have researched PS classes on line and have discovered the cost is immense - over $1000 for the basic class. Can anyone make any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Search the web and you tube for free instruction. This is what I did.

Then once you have a specific question, go to Borders or the like, grab a book, a coffee or tea and read...

Susan yamakawa

Wow my son is taking a class in Photoshop at Duke!!!

anotherview Loc: California

Start with Photoshop Elements, to get your feet wet. You can move up to the full Photoshop later.

Many tutorials and helpful articles exist out here on the Internet. You can teach yourself, at your own pace.

This way you will avoid having to bear the time-wasting blather of another about the history and philosophy of photography. You can pick up that information later.

Now you need practical instruction in doing photography. You may find this Web-site helpful:

http://photo.net/

That said, you might take a one-day workshop to learn the fundamentals of photo-editing.

If you feel the need, you might also do a one-day workshop in the operation of a DSLR camera.

These two workshops will speed your learning, and give you a foundation.

Good luck.

CEAA

Rongnongno is dead right! There is so much you can learn from books and the web. I am also thinking that perhaps Topaz Labs might offer the same excellence in editing with more ease of learning it. The whole package is 50 per cent off right now. No matter what you decide, it is possible to teach yourself and there is something to learn everyday in PS.

nancyab Loc: Enfield, CT, USA

I've taken a number of Photoshop courses at my local community colleges for free, except for materials such as paper, etc. If you are 62 in Connecticut, for example (and each state may differ), you can register during late registration (after all the paying students have signed up), and the courses are free. You do pay for books and, as I mentioned, supplies as needed. Being a college student, you can get a student discount on software or hardware at Amazon, Journey-Ed, and a number of other Internet providers which can save a few bucks, and we all want to do that! Best wishes, Nancy B.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

I am not a fan of products like Topaz. Sure, they are very good at what they do and other good editors such as GIMP and Corel's version of PS are out there. However, PS and PSE have it all together and as leaders of the pack, you find so much more training and support available for them. I would stick with Adobe not so much that I like them but they are the standards and I have a lot of respect for what they do.

PS I have the Nik collection. I liked Viveza a lot but when LR 5 came out with its radial filter, I stopped using Viveza. The only Nik program I use today is dFine which does a great job of taming noise. Although I do not like creating the tiff (takes a little time and space), dFine works much better than LR. I have tried learning noise control in LR but dFine is so much easier to use and may adjust the noise differently depending how much fixing is needed in each area. Does anyone out there know for sure?

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

This is a complicated post that raises more questions. Exactly what does iPhoto not do that you think you need? Why PS versus PSE or LR? How involved to you really want to get in post-processing? What does PS have that you think you need? What is your skill level now with photography in general? What do you want to do with your photos? And these are just starters.

Since I do not your full story, I will just share my own experiences for what they are worth. As others have said, you can find a lot of free and very helpful tutorials on the web. Especially tv.adobe.com and Adobe's Julianne Kost. If you would like more personal help as do most people, then consider an adult education course or something at a community college.

After many years of trying to use PS and Corel's entry, I gravitated to LR. Since I am not interested in composites, professional level post-processing and highly creative work and take a more straight-forward approach to photography, I do about 90% of my post-processing in LR. This product has two main purposes: organizing and developing photos. Digital photographs accumulate at an astonishing pace. LR helps you keep track of them. It would still be worth the money even if it did nothing else.

At $9.99 a month, you should seriously consider the LR/PS package. Learn LR first and then venture into PS. The better your exposures and white balances are, the less post-processing you will need. Therefore, concentrate on your camera technique too.

I hope this helps and good luck. Keep asking questions.

J. R. WEEMS Loc: Winchester, Virginia

I quit LR when it wouldn't load my D700 RAW images now use Aperture and PS 6. :)

Jusoljoe Loc: Texas

Two suggestions from a DIY type. Starting the program is daunting (maybe WAS when I started) although the updated versions and CC now on a monthly fee basis might make things a little easier. If you choose to give it a try, just dive in. Then, after playing with it a while, go to You Tube and type photoshop in the search bar. More "How to's" than you can get to in a year or two. In the search bar you can even enter specific areas in PS and get video answers faster.
Next, try www.serge.com, I think, or Google Serge Remele, a french photographer who puts out (two tutorials per week). Subscribe to his free tutorials/newsletter and get a list of all his video tutorials (not all of particular interest to you of course) but a lot of free information in video. There are other "teachers" like Lynda.com who offer specific courses for a monthly membership charge....Others here have lauded her. Hope this helps.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

You may be able to find Adult Education (through a school district) classes for much less than $1,000. The school I attend is currently $200 per term for as many classes and hours as you like. Note my tag line. Not sure what would be in your area.

Another choice with out the personal touch would be to buy a book or two. "Adobe Photoshop CS6 (or CC) Classroom In A Book" by Adobe Editors or "The Adobe Photoshop CS6 (or CC) Book for Digital Photographers" by Scott Kelby are a couple good choices. There are many others as well. And as other have pointed out you can find a lot of great tutorials on the Web for Ps & Lr & PSE.

davefales Loc: Virginia

You have not said what your primary goals are, so I'm going to guess image tuning. If so, I would recommend learning the usefulness of Adobe Camera Raw which is technically a plug-in for Photoshop.

There are lots of good tutorial videos on the web. Many are free but you have to understand the basic capabilities of PS to decide whether you want to watch any particular video.

I paid a $100 for a year of Kelby's products to begin with. Well-spent. Then I had a better idea of what free videos to look for. Good luck.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

Lynda.com and Kelbyone.com, both inexpensive subscritption services, off full courses by excellent trainers. I use both and have for over a year. There are also free tutorials on YouTube but I like the full courses. Good luck.

doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

Couple of thoughts regarding what others have said. First, I subscribe to Lynda.com but don't use it often enough to justify the relatively low cost. Not that courses are trivial or less than good, but I can find the same or better stuff--for me and my style of learning--free other places. I tried kelbyone.com and Phil Steele generally found the same thing. The content is good and, based on the reviews from others, right for some folks, just not me. Second, you can learn an bunch from just the free stuff on line at YouTube. I like Anthony Morganti, Serge Remelli and Tim Grey as specific sources. Understand that nearly every one of the free online tutorial providers are a loss leader for the paid products they also offer. Not a bad thing but it's a reality. on YouTube. Also PictureCorrect.com. photzy.com and Lightstalking.com are daily feeds that have good stuff, but more in the ezine article format with a "lets toss out something for everybody" approach. They are a bit less valuable for building a foundation, but great for specific "mini-topics." Third, go to B&H and Adorama--they have really top flight libraries of learning tools. Finally, the biggest advantage to PS is layers--it's the capability I need for some things I do. I really struggled trying to get my poor, old brain wrapped around it until I bought a book titled "Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop's Most Powerful Feature" by Matt Kloskowski, a member of the Kelby team. Great resource for about $25 through Amazon. If you're going to use it--or most of the other tutorials, for that matter--I strongly recommend you download the free image files so you can learn along with the instruction. Trying to use my own photos the first time through the tutorials was a complete non-starter.

The learning curve is steep in the beginning abut levels off a bit fairly quickly if you consistently dedicate the time. Best of luck.

doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

Moron that I am, I forgot to mention that Adobe has great resources online. Julieanne Kost is simply top drawer and her beginners stuff is a great place to start. She goes at a pretty good pace, so I had to go through parts of her tutorials a couple of times to really "get it."