First post- lots of silly questions

[pamela76]

Hi there,

I have been lurking here on and off since moving to TX about a year ago and love the site. I know I should post in the intro section first but I am frustrated, so here I am. I have photoshop 5.0 and why am I finding it so confusing?! I am a reasonably intelligent person and I can follow instructions but I have no luck.

So...two questions...is there a place or a person in or near north Dallas offering hands on instruction to help me learn both my camera (Canon 350D) and photoshop 5.0? I'm not trying to be a professional, just a Mom trying to take decent pictures but it would be worth my time and money to not have to struggle with the manuals any longer.

Also, wanted to put the following pictures together for a mother's day present. One seems too bright and the others too dark. Is there a quick fix for this on photoshop? Would they look better b+w or color? They're nothing great but with a 3 and 1 year old I take what I can get!

Thanks for any opinions, help, and advice!

Pam

[KeithAlanK]

First, welcome to TPF Pam.
Your photos are charming, not like those from parents who only think their kids are cute, and you seem to have an eye for composition and good poses/situations.
So you have the content part going well.

As for Photoshop (PS is the usual shorthand, although CS is used for the Creative Suite versions) if you tire of the manuals and the Help files, some hands-on help is a great idea. I'm sure someone in your area will show up here and offer something constructive.

I must say that I started with PS 5.0 and hated it.
I use PS 7.0 and it's a much more useful version, but also more complicated.
You might consider PS Elements, as it's a stripped-down version just for photographers with modest needs, and a more user-friendly interface, plus a few nice features that PS 5.0 doesn't have.
At $79 retail most places, it's well worth a look for any self-described non-pro.

[xseption]

Originally Posted by KeithAlanK

You might consider PS Elements, as it's a stripped-down version just for photographers with modest needs, and a more user-friendly interface, plus a few nice features that PS 5.0 doesn't have. At $79 retail most places, it's well worth a look for any self-described non-pro.

Welcome Pam!

I agree with Keith. PS 5.0 is old such that most of us would not even know or remember what features it has or does not have. PS Elements would be the way to go.

[cwford]

When you bought your 350d you should have gotten a CD with Canon's Digital Photo Professional software. It is as good as, if not better than PS5 for photography. Its also free.

If for some reason you no longer have the CD you can download the software here http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/co...&modelid=11154

There is some good intro material on the software here http://www.usa.canon.com/content/dpp2/index.html

[ChuckW]

Welcome Pam!
As far as a basic camera class is concerned you might consider one of Brad's basic classes; if you have been lurking you have probably seen the postings for these classes. Another alternative is to take a beginning photography course at one of the community colleges. These courses can often be taken on a non-credit basis w/o actually having to enroll in the college.
As far as Photoshop is concerned I can only echo what has already been said. PS 5 is so old you will not find instruction on it; and, if you receive instruction on one of the newer versions many of the procedures learned will not apply to your version. I would suggest either PS Elements or biting the bullet and purchasing the newly released PS CS3.
A good book for getting quickly into Photoshop is Scott Kelby's book "The Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers." The great thing about this book is that it covers the common problems that a digital photographer might want to correct and none of the procedures build on previous procedures. That is, a person could turn to any page in the book and be able to preform that procedure w/o having to study all of the previous material.

[Cerbera LM]

Pam, if you have Photoshop Elements 5.0 still follow Chuck's advise but buy Scott Kelby's PSE 5.0 book instead of the CS one. It would be a 5-star book if it had an index worth a darn. Any Barnes & Noble should have it in stock.

Canon has some tutorials on the basics of the XT.

Rebel Tutorials
http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/control...8&fromTip

Rebel XT Tutorials
http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/control...9&fromTip

Working with raw tutorial
http://www.usa.canon.com/content/dpp2/index.html

[CaptainTom]

All the previous suggestions are great.

If you just want a basic editor and photo enhancing program for web based pictures, or for non-billboard size prints, I recommend downloading the free
Picassa2 program.

It is very fast, intuitive, and has a lot of advanced features that are 'one click" instead of a whole series of steps.

It has limitations compared to the other programs, but the price is right (free)

[Muziks]

another fre site is www.picnik.com is like picasa but it has more creative tools

[pamela76]

Wow- thank you so much for all the great advice! I will definately be checking these things out and really do appreciate it.

As far as a photography class- I must admit I was looking for a "quick fix" because my time seems so limited lately. Kind of like a day or two of private instruction to learn the basics rather than an ongoing class. I'm guilty of always being in a rush- maybe that is part of my problem with the camera and photoshop manuals- I want it to work the first time (which of course doesn't happen)!

Another thing, I have PS elements 5.0 not just PS 5.0. I wasn't aware there were two different versions so I wasn't specific enough in my original post (sorry). I'm getting the impression though that some versions are easier to learn for the basics than others and maybe even some free downloads might be easier for someone like me?!

Thanks again- there are so many awesome photographers on this site. I have been up way too late far too many nights looking at the photography here and love it.

Pam