hassighedgehog Loc: Corona, CA

Layers is very useful. If for nothing else to see the results of an edit and the original. (You make the edited layer invisible.). I use Photoshop Elements 15 and layers all the time.

Gpaw47 Loc: Denver, Colorado

I have been able to get some Photoshop books through my local library and some have sites you can go online and follow along with their tutorial. I can also log into Lynda.com through the library and get tutorials there.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I haven't read all five pages of replies, but Adobe has excellent videos covering many topics in PS.

rtdm60

Take a class at a Community College.
They also will let you buy Photoshop at a lover price the last time I attended.
It will be fun and you will learn a lot.
Layers, this is the same bird and the bush is also about 6 layers.

jamesl Loc: Pennsylvania

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I would suggest Tony Northrup's book "Photoshop Essentials For Photographers" which is available in printed and eBook form. When you get it you have access to the videos that explain each topic. The book is using Photoshop CC.

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

Khara Plicanic on Creative Live. Inexpensive to own. Very very basic in the beginning through harder and fun stuff. Once you own it, you can watch it again and again and practice until you get it!! Better than books!!

n46130

Check out your library or used book source. There are many excellent books available. Even a book covering an older version may have useful information. I am self-taught and I have a library of books to tide me over unusual situations.

Ron 717 Loc: Pennsylvania

I also have difficulty watching YT videos and trying to keep up as they are too fast for me. My solution was to connect a second monitor to my computer, “I have an IMac” then I play the video on my second monitor and I can pause that video as often as I need to be able to keep up. I’m not sure but Windows computers can probably be configured to utilize a second monitor also.

rtdm60

Windows, is that some kind of virus?

jak86094

Take a look at Lynda.com and it's Photoshop training materials. You may be able to access these commercial training courses for free through your local library.

lschiz Loc: Elgin, IL

Check out
phlearn.com
Free stuff and paid And
reasonable and,
Excellent material for all types and levels of photo work.

Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

In case it has not been mentioned, join Scott Kelby's programme. I was a PPA Photoshop Professionals of America member for years and learned a ton of things from Kelby's organization when it was the PPA. It has now changed to a different name since the clouds came to be CC, but look him up and join his group, it will be worth every penny and you will have years of archives you can look back through to cover everything you will ever want to know about Photoshop, in a clear, easy to understand and follow system. From someone who has started where you are, I can whole heartedly recommend Scott Kelby's teaching.

Ruthlessrider

I have used Lynda.com for years. It has a ton of useful tutorials, and one of the nice things about it is that you can do a month by month fee schedule. Many of the tutorials on PS and LR are right from Adobe. Another good source that you can hardly beat for the price are the Adobe tutorials that come with your subscription to Adobe.

Ruthlessrider

Good one!

Carusoswi

If LR/PS CC is your thing, then, go for it. Personally, I am not much of a manual-reader, so prefer online, free tutorials. I have and use the LR/PS CC subscription, but would also recommend that you consider other offerings. I am a Windows 10/Ubuntu OS user, so Affinity is not in my universe. IMHO, your first emphasis should be on learning one of the raw file editors (I also think that most of us would achieve the maximum flexibility in editing our photos by shooting in RAW) and making as many adjustments as possible by operating upon the RAW file as opposed to converting the raw file to a .tiff or .jpeg and making adjustments in PS (or GIMP or other pixel editor).

Other RAW file editors that I use include darktable, Lightzone, and Capture One. All are better for me than LR in that they offer strong masking provisions that allow for quick and accurate local selections that allow for pinpoint adjustments on distinct portions of an image. I do not use any of these applications to manage my digital assets, but, from what I have read, LR has the edge in this area.

In reality, although I feel that darktable or Capture One (or other RAW processors) represent the best processing options available to us today, this is not necessarily better for someone well acquainted with the LR/PS workflow. I think that, ultimately, whether you use LR/PS or one of the RAW processing options I mention above, or other applications with which I am not familiar, if you learn the application(s) thoroughly, your efforts with respect to editing will generally be indistinguishable from mine or anyone else using software with which I am (he or she is) thoroughly competent.

In this age, we are blessed with multiple means by which to accomplish the processing of our digital (and also scanned film-based) files. There is no one right/wrong choice. Poke around and settle upon your preferred workflow, learn it well, and enjoy producing satisfying images.

I feel that darktable in combination with GIMP (both free, opensource applications) represent a powerful editing suite that is unmatched by other solutions (I regard darktable as the most feature-packed RAW editor available, far exceeding LR in its capabilities). GIMP now can work with files at 32-bit floating precision (used to be limited to 8 bit), and, for most of us, its feature set is more than adequate (had "content-aware" before Adobe). There exists a wealth of free tutorials on both applications online.

But, if you prefer paid solutions from Adobe or others, then, go for it.

Good luck, and happy processing.
Just my two cents.

Caruso