Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore. Or San Diego.
I’m in San Francisco for a little workshop called BlogShop.
It’s a two-day workshop to try to help me learn Photoshop.
Unfortunately for me, Photoshop is like algebra: it’s really hard, it’s not clicking without extreme mental effort, I wish I could cheat off someone else’s paper, and it will require me to just keep practice, practice, practicing it to get even a rudimentary grasp on it.
For everyone who uses Photoshop, God Bless You. Can I hire you?
For everyone who doesn’t, and wants to start editing your images, I recommend Lightroom. It’s much more point and click and user-friendly, at least for my brain. I self-taught myself, with practice, but Photoshop is another beast.
I hit up the coffee shop on our lunch break to see if a little java would help my post-lunch concentration. My latte was great even though my brain was fried.
I would have loved a piece of Crack Pie to go with my coffee.
Or some homemade chocolate brownie action in the form of a Oreo Cookie-Stuffed Brownie with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
No chocolate, but I tried my best to stay focused anyway.
As soon as I hit publish, I am going for a run and I can’t wait. It’s going to feel so good to move around and stretch my legs after a flight and sitting in all-day workshop. After that a really hot shower, dinner, and an early bedtime are in store because it all starts again tomorrow morning. My day started with a 3:30am wakeup call today in San Diego in an effort to make this a one-night rather than two-night trip in San Fran.
Have you attended any classes or events lately that were covering new-to-you subject matter? Did it come easily to you?
The workshop is excellent and it’s one of those things that there is so much information being presented and I’m likely only grasping a quarter of it, at best.
I don’t even know how much I don’t know.
The workshop today was geared more toward the basic commands and principles in Photoshop, and how to create image collages and do fun things with images rather than editing an actual picture.
If I want to create something like this, I could (sort of) begin to embark on it. And it would take me 3 hours.
If I want to edit pictures of Samoas Bars that I shot on my camera and plan to post on my blog, I’ll stick with Lightroom 3 (I will probably upgrade to version 4 sometime soon)
This is the type of workshop I could take ten times and get something new from each and every time as my basic fundamental knowledge increased, so would my comprehension of it all.
Have a great night and thanks for the KitchenAid 7-Quart Stand Mixer Giveaway entries
Love San Francisco … I believe Photoshop Elements gives enough for photography requirements … or maybe its me trying to spend less money .. :)
Ive heard good things about PSE and people being able to catch onto that MUCH more easily. Glad it works for you!
What a fun workshop! I tried to teach myself Lightroom a few months ago, but I just didn’t like it as much as Picnik, which is what I’d been using. At some point I’ll have to make the transition but not ready yet :) Good luck with PS!
Picnik is almost closing..good luck finding something else!
Good luck and keep it up! From what I hear (I use Photoshop Elements, which I find easier, but I used to use Photoshop many years ago and now of course all my knowledge is out of date) and from my own experience, there is a steep learning curve but then it gets better. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!
Well don’t let yourself lapse too much with the knowledge because it will be a lifelong skill for you to keep even semi current on it..wish I wasn’t starting from ground zero!
Awesome! How do you find these opportunities?!
Good luck. :)
Reading tons of blogs and websites from photography to food to design sites and this was one I always had my eye on. It usually sells out within a day, sometimes hours, after they announce a new city.
I hope you learn a lot from the workshop! I have figured out the basis of Lightroom on my own, but I agree. Photoshop is just over my head. I have opened it and tried a few times, but it never works!! Have fun!
Open and close, quickly, was always what happened for me, too :)
Photography and editing pictures is definitely my weakness. I think it’s fun to blog and fun to take the pictures. But I don’t really care enough to actually take the time to work on it. Eh, maybe I’ll play around with it sometime. Have fun at the class!
You are one brave girl…Best of luck!
I got my first version of photoshop in high school and loved it… eventually took a multimedia class and saw how complicated the program really was. Haven’t ever tried the Lightroom program.
Also, that little cafe looks delicious but $7.95 for a grilled cheese and tomato soup?! Better be the best grilled cheese and tomato soup ever… hahaha.
I have used Photoshop and several of the other Adobe Desktop Publishing software programs, and while they can be exasperating, they can also work wonders. I did find that learning to use Photoshop took me a lot longer than the other publishing programs. But it is worth it!
BTW, have you tried Picmonkey? I know several people that have started using it for their blogs and have been impressed. Just wondered.
Have fun!
Ive never even heard of Picmonkey! Off to check it out next. Picnik was one that some people used and loved but it “closed” as of last month or is getting set to end any day now. I do love Lightroom and now being exposed to PS will help me in the future but will require tons of practice for me and my brain :)
How fun! Aw man, wish I could be there!
Great to hear about your trip!! PS is a lot to learn + takes loads of practice. Editing the photos I took of your meals for the ELB cookbook right now :) XO
You already cooked them AND photographed them and are already on the editing phase?! This is the fastest turnaround…ever. And I know for you, it’s night and day b/c sometimes you will cook something and let it sit for 6-8 weeks before it goes live (as will I based on other projects)..I think somewhere in between our two skill levels would be the perfect person for this class.
Photoshop is awesome! But it is ridiculously complicated. I’m a graphic arts major and I’ve taken two semester long classes in Photoshop and even though I feel like a have decent handle on it, there are some functions that still baffle me. My professor was actually a certified Photoshop Expert, I don’t even want to know how long it took him to learn all of that.
The good thing about Adobe software though is that once you learn one program, the others come a lot easier (like InDesign and Illustrator) if you ever want to venture into those.
Your experience, two semester long classes, yes, that is more like it….and even so, not even fully versed on it all because it’s just such a massive program. Thanks for the info about InDesign and Illustrator possibly being more ‘intuitive’ now.
Wow, it’s so cool that you get to attend all these neat things! I wish we had classes like this where I live. Can’t wait to see what you learn.
“Get to”…well it was a carefully planned and orchestrated trip with childcare and budgeting and even getting into the class which I had my eye on for months because they sell out so faast. I didn’t just fall off the wagon and land here, but I know what you mean :) Within the state of California there are always sooooo many awesome things going on! Your trip to India trumps ALL though!!!
Oh yes, I bet your trips require a TON of planning. Having a child sure complicates things… in a good way of course ;) India… ah yes, too fun! I’m going back next January… perhaps things will line up for you and we can meet in India for a couple days?! hehe thought I’d throw it out there at least :)
Welcome to SF! I had no idea that Blogshop existed – what a great idea. But gosh, Photoshop is such a beast, you said it best. I barely use it, but would love to learn more. One day…
You barely use it either? Ok I don’t feel so bad :)
I feel ya, Averie! I downloaded a Photoshop trial once to “mess around”… haha….That was a joke. I couldn’t even figure out how to mess around!
Needless to say, I am now the proud owner of Lightroom 4 :)
“I couldn’t even figure out how to mess around!” = my experience exactly!! I honestly had no idea what to even do and that’s why I thought this class would help me but I know that LR3 will still be my BFF. Glad to hear you love LR4. If you tried LR3 before version 4, Lmk if you feel there are significant differences.