What's new
By:
Photoshop Gurus Forum

Welcome to Photoshop Gurus forum. Register a free account today to become a member! It's completely free. Once signed in, you'll enjoy an ad-free experience and be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

I just dont feel like I'm "getting" it....


D

danielhv

Active Member
Messages
38
Likes
8
I have lots of ideas... but I can't ever actually get them into an image correctly. Sometimes not even at all. I spend a LOT of time watching tutorials, lynda videos, etc. and they seem to show HOW to do certain things, but I don't feel like I'm understanding WHY.

WHY does this need to be a smart object?
HOW did you know to use a displacement filter?
WHY did you choose that blend mode?

I get the idea of layers... but I'm still struggling with masks. I know that white reveals and black conceals. But I don't understand when and where to use them efficently. I seem to create copies of the background layer and make adjustments. Then I create another copy and make more adjustments. I go on and on until I'm done, but never use a mask.

What can I do to help push me over the edge to where I'm picking up on the WHY side of things. I can copy other people all day long... but I don't UNDERSTAND WHY I'm doing the things they do in their tutorials...
 
You seem a little lost pal, but don't worry actually you're trying to accomplish something which is not possible in this way, don't just go with random tutorials and videos just because you like them and want to show off... Learn in a sequence .. You remind me of me , yes I was something like this too few years back but then I started from beginning and from bottom to top and I managed to learn many things new via those videos.

Now about quick masks and blend modes :

You know when to use quick mas when something needed to be selected so later we could hide / show / select and make adjustment to it. The quick mask helps us to let's say save the selection for forever so we can come back to the specific mask and fine tune the selection it holds in other words quick mask also helps us in impossible selections like selections with opacity and hardness and awkward shapes and objects etc. You already know that by painting with black / white brush you can show or hide a mask , so think if we were using a eraser to remove we couldn't get those pixels back later on !

I hope someone will explain blend modes and displacement masks better than me..

ps : you always need to keep trying on just a single tutorial few times to get your grip on that.
 
As Nem has said, you're trying to take too much in at once. Sometimes if I am not sure about something I will deliberately concentrate on designs and ideas that make me have to learn or repeat things I am not too sure about. Can be frustrating but try and learn specific things you don't fully understand instead of the entire Ps package. Tutorials are good but I am sure I speak for most here when I say most of the stuff I know I learned through trial and error. Keep at it and when you feel your head is going to explode, take a break and go back to it later.

Don't burn yourself out on too much at once.
 
Hey Daniel,

I have the personality type where I want to be able to do everything right now! I tend to loose focus. I just slow down and do exactly as Nem and Remote-Medic stated and I intentionally concentrate on projects or tutorials that require I learn the technique that's giving me problems or I don't understand. And, as has been stated, walk away for awhile when you hit the wall. I will also seek help from knowledgeable people before I get too frustrated.

Let's deal with just one at a time. Pick one of the techniques from those you mentioned above and let's see if someone here can adequately explain it to you. Ask questions, even if you think they're silly.
 
I started out learning from bottom to top, but if something seemed perplexing to me, I just didn't use it. Of course, that slowed down my workflow ridiculously. It took me years to appreciate that I had been spending 3 times longer on something because I ignored layer masks. When all a layer mask really means is use an eraser, but in this case black paint on the mask, to get rid of stuff you don't want, but throw an invisibility cloak over everything else. That way if you want some visibility back, no problem, paint with white and you reveal the pixels. That's why it's called a mask; it covers stuff up with that invisibility cloak AKA mask.

Use filter>distort>displacement to have an image fit the contours of the layer below so it looks more real. That link I gave you yesterday to Deke's "Branding Text" tutorial really demonstrates what the displacement filter accomplishes. Did you see the one I posted? It took on the grain and scuffs in the wood when it started out as smooth, regular type.

And yeah, one thing at a time. Don't worry if you don't get these things right away. Who does? A mathematics buff maybe. The more you work and play in Photoshop; the more you try stuff; the more you read other people's questions and the answers they get; the more you will progress.

Most importantly practice. But do it in fun projects. Join our challenges. Give it a shot.

I started here just over a year ago. I would have been embarrassed to tell you how much I didn't understand (uh, still am) because I had stopped learning new techniques. I'm no expert, especially if it gets really technical, but it amazes me how much I can advise and do now, that would have totally stumped me 12 months ago. It all depends on your enthusiasm and passion.

Keep up the good work and keep asking your questions! :thumbsup:
 
"I started here just over a year ago. I would have been embarrassed to tell you how much I didn't understand (uh, still am) because I had stopped learning new techniques. I'm no expert, especially if it gets really technical, but it amazes me how much I can advise and do now, that would have totally stumped me 12 months ago. It all depends on your enthusiasm and passion."


A great example.....I thought Clare had been PSing for years, with all she shares here. The passion is the trick...it will consume and fuel your learning. I read a lot of Scott Kelby when starting...I still read a lot of Scott today. I am fair at best, I am now learning masking and refine masking in CS5 as I started out with PS7 and CS5 rocks!! Grab problem pictures here and practice, learn keyboard commands, the rest is the FUN stuff! :rocker::rocker::naughty:
 
MikeMc said:
A great example.....I thought Clare had been PSing for years, with all she shares here.
... Grab problem pictures here and practice, learn keyboard commands, the rest is the FUN stuff! :rocker::rocker::naughty:
Click to expand...


Ah Mike. I joined the forum and learned a lot as my skills were pretty stale, but yeah, I've been using Photoshop since PS5 Windows and PS6 Mac.

And of course I agree with you, practice and have fun. :cool2: Rock on!
 
I started in PS CS 1 , saw many ppl working in PS7 but didn't really like it back then so I never had a chance with PS7 but here in our country 70% commercial ppl still use PS7, hehehehe
 
Back
Top