Where do i start with photo shop,i am completely clueless?

Question

5.0 element adobe is what i have..

Answer 1

I know what you mean. I always prided myself on being able to use any software tool in about an hour, but Photoshop was so rich in possibilities that it kept me humble for a looooooonggg time. Still does, after ten years.

If you're starting with photos, first just just learn to resize and crop them. Those tools are under the "Image" menu item. The next thing is to be able to save your photos at the lowest possible file size if you are going to use them for the web or for email. I don't use Elements, but if it's like Photoshop, you'll find something like "save for web" which will let you save as a jpeg. Start with saving your photos at "6" or "60%", which will work for most photos, keeping them at a high enough quality and a low enough file size for web work.

Oh, and figure out how to get out of the program as well. "File>Exit" works. Or Ctrl-Q. Or Alt-F4.

Once you can do one or two useful things, you'll have more fun just poking around.

M
E

Answer 2

You should check online for some tutorials. This depends on the person and what type of learner they are, but I always found that opening up an existing photograph and playing around with all the different options helped me learn. You can also ask someone else if you have specific questions.

Answer 3

Start out learning what the basic tools are and how to use them.
Open up a new document and just start messing around with the tools. Then do a google search for tutorials.

Answer 4

Wow, you're confused with just Elements? Just think about the day when you'll open up the full Photoshop. Go to http://www.good-tutorials.com and learn how to use it for free.

Anyways, the first step to do every time is to go to File > New or Open.

Answer 5

Buy a Dummies book. Take a class. Follow a tutorial. Photoshop is complicated and you won't really learn it on your own.