Photoshop compositing and the never ending road
Posted by Kirsten on November 6, 2011 in Adobe, Software, Tips for Trainers, Training
Mastery doesn’t mean you’re done learning
Are you a “Photoshop Expert” or “Guru” ? *shudder* When was the last time you edumacated yourself? (yes. the spelling is deliberate)
The image on the left is of a composite I’ve been working on for class. I will play with more features when making “random art”. I’m a big fan of the Photoshop Disasters site. It kills me that some of those images manage to get the the approvals process all the way to final print without anyone going… “Wait! What the hell is that!“. I don’t have the same time pressures that they do and am grateful for it (one of the many reasons why I’m a software trainer and not a production artist). However, some of the mistakes that you’ll see are just nuts. Basic anatomy people. Normal human elbows don’t attach at the chest – It’s not that hard!
So… back to the purple fantasy picture… I don’t have any specific class that is if going to use those images – I just need to keep my hand in and work on all the techniques that I want my students to know.
There are specific tutorials I will sometimes use, and I need to work through those regularly too. Nothing, however, beats the value of grabbing some images on whim (bless you fotolia) and trying to make something out of thin air. I urge you to dig thru the stock photography database at your favorite site (I cannot give the Fotolia people enough love) and look for an image that captures your imagination. In this case it was the dancer and the purple background that did it.
Ok, Kirsten, we get it. So why the rant?
Someone recently expressed surprise that I have a Lynda.com membership. They said something to the effect of “but I thought you taught this stuff?” Yes, I do and have for over a decade. I also go to the NAPP website, Deke.com, have an RSS feed of tips and tutorials a mile long, and have a bookcase of software manual that takes up most of one large wall.
It’s simple – you’re never done
I’m well known for having three-too-many resources for people at the end of class. I have books and videos I recommend along with the names of people who are always worth listening too. There’s a reason I have that information – I’m a student too. Any technical trainer (heck, any teacher at all) will tell you that the best way to master a subject is to teach it to someone else. It’s true. It’s also true that you don’t really know a subject if you can’t explain it to someone. My favorite quote is on my desktop so I see it every day, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough - Einstein”.
Please don’t get caught up in the “I know that already” trap. I was fortunate enough to go to Photoshop World when it was last in Boston. Most of the classes I took covered things that I teach in class regularly – and yet I got a TON out of going. I got to see other trainers work, which is extremely valuable, and picked up lots of new ways of getting a topics across to an audience.
It’s scary to know that there is no end to what you can learn. Sometimes it seems like there’s too much to take in. I won’t lie – I sometimes curse Adobe’s release schedule, but focus on the positive. Every new features gives you a new toy to play with. There are so many fun, amazing things you can learn – become a master of – that you can pick and choose what suits you best.Â
Strive!
Mastery is a fantastic goal. It’s just not the last goal. The farther you go the easier that is to forget – we’re never done learning.
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There are 10 Responses so far...
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Ryan Hanley
January 11, 2012
A master is a master because they never stop learning. Once you stop learning the next person will pass you by…
Great article!
Thank you!
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I’ve been wanting to learn Photoshop for the longest time, but it always gets put on the backburner for one reason or another. The closest I get to manipulating images is cropping and re-sizing using Picnik.
It doesn’t matter how much you think you know, there’s always more to learn. There are different levels of mastery. As long as you know more than your students, you have something to teach them.
Many professionals are required to take continuing education (accountants, lawyers, doctors, etc.) just to keep up with all the new stuff out there. And as a student, I wouldn’t want my teacher to teach me stale information.
Now, if I can only learn to explain things more simply like Einstein said. Those of us with legal training have a tendency to be verbose and use big words like “verbose”. ;-)
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Kirsten,
I totally agree with you. We’re all always learning! I have to admit I went to the photoshop disasters site and had a few belly laughs and had to come back to your post after a few minutes. Thanks for turning me onto my new favorite site!
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I used to teach high school science before I changed careers and became a web designer. One of the things I used to tell my students all the time was, “When you stop learning, you start dying.”
Even the experts have stuff to learn. Information and knowledge is ever growing and tips or tricks that someone else has picked up may be the little thing that moves your work from good to great.
Keep on learning. Good post!
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Kitty
January 12, 2012
I get it. I live to learn, I think. Although with Photoshop… It would be nice if development stopped.
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Kirsten, So true! I was a trainer for several years and you are spot on. Learning is never-ending, especially with software. There are always new features to explore with the current software version, and then you need to keep up to date with the new versions that come out on a regular basis.
I enjoy learning new ways to use software to make my job easier. So I totally agree with you that we’re never done learning – especially if you want to be successful at your craft.
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Had never heard the Einstein quote – “If can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Absolutely love it and will keep it top of mind – it makes so much sense!
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I really like the idea of learning from others in your field, not just to increase your own expertise but also to improve how you then go out and teach your own students.
I have fallen in the trap before of thinking “I know this already” and been guilty of not listening properly to the instructor but that statement of yours has made me realise how stupid I was – I should not only be sucking their brains dry for their expertise but also brushing up on my own teaching skills.
Thanks Kirsten! -
Hi Kristen,
So true. Losing your curiosity must be a terrible thing. How stale life could become without the desire to learn.
Personally, I find it much more fun to be around someone who, (like you,) admits to being an avid learner. Those who think they have mastered a subject and can stop learning are wrong. And boring.
And as you point out, the best way to learn something is to explain it to someone else.
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Kristen,
The concept of continuous learning has been interesting to me ever since I left under grad. It only took me about 1.5 years to decide to go back for my MBA. Then after finishing that I really started learning. But I was always interested to observe how some people don’t worry about continuous learning and others like me and many of the people who comment on blog posts are obsessed with it.
Since then I’ve realized it takes many different people to make the world go round but I’m interested in the ones who like to continuously learn simply because they are more like me.
Great post, thanks.
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