Photoshop class?

[Natedogg]

Im looking at taking a class through my towns adult ed... they have two:

Photochop CS for beginners
"...youll learn about working with layers, creating masks, applying filters, saving images for the web, photo retouching, and more. ...classes taught on Macs, transfer to PCs..." $129, four Wednesdays

Photoshop Elements
"...learn about the tools, palettes, and capabilities of this easy-to-use program. Youll learn how to... transforming or retouching family photos to painting and adding text. ...cover how to prepare images for web pages, email, or ebay... taught on PCs" $146, three Wednesdays

I have an older version of PS (5, I think?), and have only messed around very briefly with it. The first class sounds better to me--what do you guys think? I know nothing about CS vs Elements...

Any other suggestions?

[advres]

Buy "Photoshop Classroom in a Book" and save your money. Do it at your own pace and have a reference to own for the future.

[smalls]

To be honest, everything you could want to know about photoshop (at least at this stage) you can learn via online tutorials. Both of those classes seem very basic. Seems like you'd get fairly bored fairly quickly and it would be somewhat of a waste of money.

However, if you are more of a classroom learner, I would check out some online classes. That way you can move at your own pace, while still having the security of a "teacher".

this has pretty much everything that your first class mentioned.

photoshopcafe is another one with some very easy to understand tutorials.

CS and Elements are two completely different things. Elements is pretty much just for simple photo editing. There's not much in the way of graphic design.
If you have CS, then simply search google for "photoshop CS tutorials". you'll get a bevy of 'em.

[Benny Profane]

Ditto on the above advice. Adobe training books are superb, and you work at your own pace.

edit. 5 is getting way too old. You will be trained on CS3 or 2, so, buck up and buy it. And the books.

[summit]

5 was good stuff... i started with 3.5

5 is closer to CS than to elements.

You probably want the full class... or more likely the books that others here have suggested

[cj001f]

Save your money.

Buy a copy of Photoshop CS3 (edu versions are cheap, full strength, and the same price for upgrades)

Buy a copy of Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers

[summit]

The book cj001f just recommended:

http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photosho.../dp/0240520289

It and its predecessors get extremely good reviews.

[Benny Profane]

That's a good second book, but for a beginner, this: http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photosho...2826014&sr=1-2 is better.

And you bible after that should be Real World Adobe Photoshop CS2 http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-Ado...2826259&sr=1-1

Right now I am enduring this book :Photoshop LAB Color: The Canyon Conundrum and Other Adventures in the Most Powerful Colorspace http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-LAB-...2826388&sr=1-1
Very geeky, but interesting.


You don't need no stinking class.

[cj001f]

That's a good second book, but for a beginner, this: http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photosho...2826014&sr=1-2 is better.

I found the beginning of that, and the others in the Adobe Classroom - Book series, just a bit too basic unless you had no conception of the language being used.

Other ones which might be useful:
Colour Management for Photographers (not Photoshop specific)
Adobe Photoshop CS2 Workflow (it's ok, not great)

[Natedogg]

You don't need no stinking class.

Since this is the concensus, Ill do the online tutorials. That About.com one looked pretty good... Then Ill probably move on and check out some of these books. Thanks a lot for all the replies.

My housemate thinks he can get CS3, so I might just get that when I get my -computer back from repair. Either that or try to get an edu hookup...

[ggflatland]

You can teach yourself everything you need to know about photoshop. Between online tutorials and amazon.com, you should have no problems. General editing is all about levels, color balance and cropping.

[Baconzoo]

Adobe Skillpath seminars are good too just do not sign up for anything or else you'll get junk mail for the rest of your life.