chemdoc Loc: West Coast

I found some suggestions in earlier posts regarding the best resources to learn Photoshop, but they seem to to be very broad. Having shot a lot of Kodachrome 64 in the 70's and 80's, I got used to trying to get just the right exposure, lighting and composition the first time. Having gotten back into photography seriously over the past year I realized that post processing of images is pretty standard now and average images can become outstanding with the right adjustments.

As a college professor, I recently found out that I can subscribe to the suite of Adobe products, including Lightroom and Photoshop CC fairly inexpensively, so it seems to be a good time to learn how to use these tools. A friend who publishes photographs in magazines regularly recently gave me a brief lesson on how he processes his images and it was very impressive. I would like to learn how to use photoshop to do such things as adjust exposures, lighting, sharpness, color, etc. to make my photos pop like those I see posted on UHH by many of you.

Any suggestions of the best way a newcomer like me can learn the basics and beyond? Thanks.

Singing Swan

Google, YouTube videos, the SEARCH function at the top of the page, the section called Post Processing Digital Images etc......
As a professor you should understand how important 'study' can be.....

wolfiebear Loc: 10,200 elev. in the Rockies

I just jump in and burn the midnight oil with graphics programs, but if you even just Google: "photoshop tutorials for photographers" you will come up with a lot of entries.

Also, unless one is doing just basic stuff, the other thing I find absolutely imperative for PHOTOSHOP (and other graphically oriented programs) is to get a WACOM digitizing tablet. You needn't get a large one ($$$$). . .a small/medium will do just fine.

Wallbanger Loc: Madison, WI

KelbyOne Training is probably one of, if not the best resource out there.

http://kelbyone.com

Plenty of free resources on YouTube, here, and other places around the Internet as well.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

As a teacher you understand the value of an organize course. Take a look at http://www.lynda.com/Photoshop-tutorials/Photoshop-CC-Essential-Training/122999-2.html

chemdoc Loc: West Coast

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. By the way Wolfiebear, are you in Leadville by chance? I recognized the elevation from a visit many years ago.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

I got the small one for Christmas and glad I did, the med and large would have been uncomfortable for me to use. :)

johnst1001a Loc: West Chester, Ohio

As some have said, just use it. The tutorials are good, particularly for things like layers, but like a lot of things, if you don't use the programs often you will quickly forget where things are in the program or what they are used for. I play with photos quite a bit, and still am amazed at the power of these programs, and how much there is to know. i have read quite a few books, did on line tutorials, but nothing beats using the programs often.

Gibar

Creative live has a 3 day course, Photoshop 101 by Ben Willmore, starting at 9 am (pacific time) tomorrow, Mon the 19. The course is free to watch during the live broadcast, and can be purchased at a discount if you find value in it.
Ben is a very good instructor, IMHO and has a number of other Photoshop courses for sale on Creative lives site. I recommend you have a look at www.creativelive.com I think you will be glad you did.

ggttc Loc: TN

try Rick Peterson...good and simple

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Russell Brown, Senior Creative Director at Adobe, has a TON of material on the web, all of it free.

http://tv.adobe.com/show/the-russell-brown-show/

tusketwedge Loc: Nova Scotia Canada

If you purchase CC you can start by going to their tutorials, Scott Kelby books,Utube has a lot ,Google photshopessentials.com ,Lydia.com and tons more.Looks like the teacher is going to be going back to school. Good luck

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Kind of depends on how you learn best, we are all different.

Like in-person learning? Check local colleges for courses, community colleges or adult enrichment programs at other colleges are good resources for this. Our public school offers a free intro for teachers.

Like online classes? Creative Live, Kelby and others have good options.

Like structured learning projects? Adobe Photoshop CC Classroom in a Book is thorough and will keep you busy for a while!

Like to watch videos? Adobe has a bunch of free ones, and more can be found with a quick google search

Like books? There's a lot, from the Kelby and Martin Evening encyclopedic type books to more targeted offerings. My own preference is books specifically about landscape, and my favorites are two little ebooks: Michael Frye's Landscapes in Lightroom 5 and Guy Tal's Creative Processing Techniques.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

There are many free online tutorials - YouTube and the like.

However, my favorite is Lynda.com. This is a paid site but the fare is not too bad. There are hundreds of hours on Lightroom and PhotoShop.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

This is a great course.

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