More about my class…

Do I need to purchase Photoshop or Elements before I take this class?

• No. But, you can download a free 30 day trial version of either Photoshop or Elements right from the Adobe website.  This would be a great way to do the out of class assignments without purchasing a program before hand.

Do you recommend buying Photoshop or Photoshop Elements?

• You will want to buy either:  Photoshop Elements version 9  or Photoshop CS5. Photoshop Elements is around $80.  If you are/have a student/teacher you can get the newest version of Photoshop for $200 right from Adobe.  If not, Photoshop is about $699.  Adobe will also let you download the program free for a month to try it out.
• Photoshop Elements can do everything that we cover in class.  It is really a very powerful program and it costs less.
• A few things that we will do in class are a couple of steps easier in the full version of Photoshop.
• If I were a student or had a student in my home (so I could purchase the student version) I would probably get Photoshop, if not, I would probably get Elements.  Some personal research on how much you really spend on scrapbook stuff might reveal that over a year or two this isn’t so expensive after all-but that’s a totally individual matter.

What if I have an older version of Photoshop or Elements?

• I personally am using Photoshop CS3.  I have only used CS versions of Photoshop and any of them would be fine.
• If you have Elements I would recommend having at least version 6.

What exactly does this class cover?

• This class is designed to help you learn the Photoshop/Elements program so you can use it to create your own scrapbooking pages.  No previous experience with Photoshop is necessary to take this class.  Although you need to know basic computer skills such as navigating folders on the computer so you can find your files, opening new documents, etc.
• Each week of class we will make a page using Photoshop.
• We will cover most of the tools in the tools palette.  Some of the tools we will cover are: the marquee tool, magic wand, lasso tool, color bucket, type tool, etc.
• Some sample skills we learn are resizing and rotating, layering, recoloring, type, drop shadows, saving files in different formats, etc.
• We will also cover a small amount to photo editing.
• It is strongly recommended that each student find time out of class to practice the skills we have learned that week and create at least one page to share with the class. 
• Photoshop is a very hands-on program and each class builds on the class before.  You will find enormous benefit to practicing out of class.