Which versions and books would be good for beginner???

[wumf]

I was wondering in which way should I brush up my skill with photoshop. I currently own Photoshop 5.5 as well as 7. I do have basic knowledge of how to use photoshop in certain ways but I would really consider myself as beginner.

I just want to know if I should just upgrade myself to 7 or should I at least try to master version 5.5 and then gradually go up to latest version.

Would it be alright for a beginner to just start off with 7 straight away?

I would also like to know if someone is totally new toward photoshop world, should he or she starts with the older version first or would recommend starting from scratch straightaway from the latest version.

Lastly could anyone recommend some books that are ideal for those like me who are pretty new to certain version of PS as well as books for those who are totally new toward Photoshop all together.

Are the WOW BOOK! series any good???

Thank you very much in advance, and I'm really sorry if this kind of question has already been asked somewhere.

 

[ljiljana]

Abot the books for PS go to this forum:
http://www.photoshopgurus.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=261

 

[namvet]

wumf I suppose that the first question is what are you using photoshop for (hobby, student, etc) that aside though .. I started to use PS 5 about February last year and I got PS7 about October ... I would consider myself to be still very much a learner (slow, old brain ) ... some stuff in PS I find easy, other stuff well, it will take me time to learn ... but I would suggest you go straight to PS7 (it comes with ImageReady - the animated gif programme - but you can ignore IR for a while - I did) ... the reason I suggest you go to PS7 is 'cos most of the help and advice at this forum is for PS7 (and the help here is exceptionally good) .. further PS8 will be out later this year(?) and it will be easier for you to jump up to PS8 or even PS9 a year later (if you want to) ... my experience with the help at this forum is that it encourages improvement and doesn't expect everyone to be a Maestor ... so in short, fire up PS7, do some of Marks (theKeeper) tutorials (click on PSG logo at top of the page to get to his site and his tutorials) post your results, ask questions .. as for books, I can't help you there because I am more of an 'interactive' learner .... hope this helps you ... and btw, welcome

 

[Guest]

Welcome to the board wumf!

I only got really serious with Photoshop after version 6 was released.

I don't consider everything lower than 6 all that user-friendly.
All new options bars and right click menus are a great help for beginners.
I used Photoshop 4 and to be honest..I hated it!

Please do yourself a favor and go for PS7

 

[sfm]

Welcome aboard wumf
PS7 would be a good choice as you have already heard - tis good sound advice in my book
ljiljana has already provided you with a link so it looks like your covered there so I'll just cheer you on :} 8}
sfm

 

[kim123]

Hi wumf,
I'm just a beginner. I bought several books, but the one I like best is "How to do Everything with Photoshop 7" by Laurie McCanna. It was "my speed" and easy to understand. Of course, something like this is a very personal choice. And, of course, the tutorials on this site are awesome!! I'm going through them one-by-one. With every one I learn something new.

Good Luck,
Kim

 

[freedomtribenw]

Hey There Wumf !!
There are so many tutorials out there it makes me crazy at times! The tutorials here, I've found to be very good with explaining things, I'm glad I found the site!
As far as books go I have the Photoshop 7.0 for Dummies, I like to be able to have the book in my hands while trying out new stuff, it's a good beginner book.......

 

[wbiss]

Welcome aboard wumf!

In my opinion, you're better off to start with 7. It's no more difficult to learn and it's where I started! You'll have the added benefit of using new features such as "file browser", "healing brush & patch tool", "new brush engine", "new brushes", and so on... even a "spell checker"!

As for books, I also recommend the "Classroom in a Book" series.

Enjoy!

 

[Rantin Al]

Hiya wumf and welcome.

Go straight to Photoshop 7 if you already have it. The majority of tutorials and books refer to the latest versions. I started in Photoshop 3 and worked my way through each version as it came out. At first it seems daunting to jump up the ladder but you soon forget the 'old ways' and adapt to the new features.
I can recommend the Real World Photoshop series by Blattner & Fraser. Technical enough for the inner Geek :B, but humourously written .
You will actually learn more quickly by experimenting and making mistakes. The books are just guides, not rigid rules.

Have fun, Al

 

[ranger72]

Hi There Wumf!


Listen to the sage advice of those who posted before me...I have Photoshop Elements Ver. 2.0 and while it is an extremely powerful bit of software it is not quite the same as Photoshop 7 and while I have learned tremendously here in Psg it will be a faster learning curve when I break down and buy Photoshop 8....

I run into problems with the sub-menu's because the commands/instructions are sometimes different between Elements and Photoshop...It is still great fun and I've learned a lot!!!

If you can afford Photoshop 8 when it comes out then by all means start at the top!!!It will be easier for you from the start!!

My Humble Opinion!!! :B


ranger72

 

[pdog182]

Hi Wumf,

These are my two favorite photoshop books, and I have a bunch:

"Inside Photoshop 7" by Gary David Bouton (He moderates a forum here).

Within the 1000 pages of this book you'll be introduced to all the essential aspects of Photoshop 7. Don't be intimidated by the size of the book. You won't have to read much before you'll have a good basic understanding of the software.

"Photoshop 7 Down and Dirty Tricks" by Scott Kelby

Once you got the basics down, this book is quite fun. It's really just a bunch of tutorials that teach you how to do a lot of cool things.