HIST 697: Color & More
I’ll admit to struggling a bit with this week’s videos. I’ve been using Photoshop for many, many years, and if there is one thing I know for certain it’s that there is pretty much nothing about that program that is intuitive. Everything I do using that program is self-taught and probably not at all the way one is “supposed” to do it. I learned more about the Save to Web box in 6 minutes and 46 seconds than in the 2 years I’ve been futzing with CS5 on my own. So many things I didn’t know how to do! I feel so uneducated! So far these videos (and I’ll admit I’m only about halfway through) are a mix of overview and surprising new information tucked away in functions I’ve already used with what I wrongly thought was thoroughness. I find these videos to be a lot less hands on, at least at the point I’ve reached, and as I usually use Photoshop to edit photography meant to be displayed at full optimization, all the time spent on making images lighter and smaller seems baffling. But I’m glad to finally be getting some guided learning about this very sophisticated program that goes beyond editing in RAW and manipulating light and color. And to my classmates that have never encountered Photoshop before: it can be just as frustrating of a time suck as coding, but once you get trapped it’s actually very fun. And there are ways to simplify the process too once you’ve bumbled through the first round of editing to find something that works.
As for The Non-Designer’s Photoshop Book, I’m similarly thrilled and baffled. Shadows and Highlights, where have you been all my life? Only a few months ago I was bemoaning the fact that my skills with the self-healing brush failed at removing phone lines from a photograph and low and behold, I only had to read 28 pages to find the solution to that vexing problem. But again, a word of caution. The solutions presented are really great, but just because you follow the steps to the letter doesn’t mean things will turn out the way you want them too the first time. Sometime execution is easier said than done, and sometimes you just have to futz with it for a while. Tools don’t always work right, settings need to be changed, and each image is its own beast. They have individual personalities and will require individual attention. One reason our videos this week are so tedious is because our teacher is demonstrating the amount of tinkering necessary to get what you want. In fact, she’s probably cut down on the amount of tinkering and sheer frustration that can sometimes go into making images look and behave as you want them to. That said, layers are your friend! And yes, Photoshop can be just as fun as it can be challenging. Try to keep that in mind too. Look at it as a toy box that just happens to be full of sophisticated equipment.
As for our color sites, the short articles were very helpful, and I’m glad to have the list of tools designed to help us select colors. I am always wary of colors because I know how hard selecting the right ones can be. I’d like to share a link to a color choosing tool that I really, really like: The Color Scheme Designer. This page offers an amazing variety of functions that helps you design whole color schemes. It’s also just fun to play with. I highly suggest you give it a look.
Oh! I’ve also made some changes to my type page. Still not perfectly happy with it, but I think there is some improvement, and I have addressed some, if not all, criticisms, hopefully with a certain degree of success.
Edit: This week I have comment on Geoff and Richard’s blogs.
Claire–great post! Like you, I’ve been self-taught in Photoshop (besides 1-2 lessons in an exhibit design class in 2006), and not using it nearly to its full capability, and in a clunky and inefficient manner, to boot. I always found InDesign so much easier, and sometimes would even just make images in InDesign–knowing that it doesn’t have nearly the power–and call it a day. In fact, I did that for my header graphic on my Clio 1 project! Having this more comprehensive survey has really helped–glad finally to be learning that program, since it can do SO much more than InDesign. I also found the playing with Photoshop to be a great learning experience but also a time-suck!
Great improvements on your type page, too!
This week’s videos really aren’t hands on at all, which frustrates me a little because photoshop seems to be the kind of program which is best learned by doing. I had a copy through my college on my old iBook, but I haven’t used it in years and many of the features she talks about I’ve never seen before. Hearing you, who are much more experienced, say that the videos and book were full of new information, makes me feel a bit better about how much new territory there was for me.
ColorScheme Designer is the best thing Ever. Even if it was the source of the green in my type assignment.
I similarly found this week’s videos to be disappointingly hands off. You’re right that the only way to really learn Photoshop is to get your hands dirty, and, despite the presence of the exercise files, I found myself passively watching all the videos. I felt I had less of a rich learning experience this week, though I still did pick up a lot of useful information. The challenge will be in making it stick and, as always, in the execution.
I really enjoyed reading your post— As just a Photoshop dabbler, I definitely had that “I wish I had known a few months ago!” reaction. I agree that while the instructions are extremely useful and easy to follow, the plan of execution does not always go as planned— especially when the mouse doesn’t exactly work like this pen: http://www.wacom.com/en/Products/Bamboo/BambooTablets.aspx. Sometimes I feel like I should invest in some Vitamin B tablets before I attempt certain editing techniques.