Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:49 am Post subject: 'Why' versus 'How'?
I've been doing a lot of tutorials lately trying to get familiarized with Photoshop. I'm really impressed with the power of the tool. It's amazing. I'd say 75% of the tutorials have been in the 'web design layout' category and the other 25% have been in 'photo manipulation' category. There are so many resources on the web.
While I'm having fun I can't help but wonder if I'd actually know what to do if I was doing *original* work. I feel like I'm learning the 'how' without learning the 'why'. As a simple example why 'use a drop shadow with a distance of 6px and a spread of 32px' in a give situation or use some gradient or whatever. The tutorials are great, but they are essentially recipes. They don't really say why a given action should be taken.
This is obviously an abstract topic and a lot more subjective than a formulaic tutorial. I'm just wondering if there are any resources out there.
Does it just come down to experience? i.e. try something, fail, try something, fail, try something succeed, repeat. Any tips on how to get that experience? Are the any resources that tackle theory?
Joined: 15 Nov 2007
Posts: 213
Location: Wichita, KS PS Version: 7.0 OS: Windows XP
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:59 am Post subject:
Photoshop is only a tool, and it's not going to go far without the benefit of your imagination. Think about something you might want to create.....Try to find a tutorial on it and go from there.
I don't think you're going to find many resources on "ideas", but there are several sites that list a wide range of tutorials, and from these lists, something might spark inspiration.
I remember when I first started using photoshop about 6-7 years ago, and how daunting a blank canvas can be. The more "just for fun tutorials" I did, the more inspired and creative I became. I started with text...moved onto photo manipulation...and now I do a lot of creative work. Starting with nothing but a blank canvas and using only paint, default brushes and default tools. Here's an example of what I mean...
I created this woman, just because I wanted to see if I could do it. I know there's not really any purpose for it...but it's something I had never done and I wanted to see how realistic I could make it look.
In short, just let your mind run and your brushes go wild! Use lots of filters to get yourself familiar as to what they can do...and keep on with the tutorials. You're on the right track!!!
PS I know that I didn't answer your question...but as you may have guessed, there really isn't one...lol _________________ Melanie Ward
designwards@yahoo.com
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