Newbie :)

[Betsy]

Hello! I very happily discovered this site early this morning and have been stuck in my computer chair ever since.

I am a photo hobbyist, mostly taking photos of my 2 boys (ages 6 and 13). I play around in Photoshop CS3 and find that I'm constantly in a rut and get so frustrated when I see gorgeous photos plastered all over FB by photographers (there are a million of them it seems) and wish I knew how to edit better. I have no set style, I would like to find my groove for both taking pictures and post processing. So here I am

[0lBaldy]

Re: Newbie

Hi Betsy, Welcome to RetouchPRO Hope you enjoy your stay here and make lots of friends. Poke around, ask questions, have fun!

RetouchPRO is a place for help, with abundant offerings of knowledge, opinions, or just interesting thoughts, We are a remarkably troll-free and welcoming group.

When you post your work, post how you did it, or, post stages of your work. there's nothing like a picture sequence to show how a thing progressed to the final stage.

Each post helps thousands of future users, not just you.

If you use Photoshop you can post fairly large pictures which are under 100k using the 'save for web' function in Photoshop as described here:
Size, Quality and/or Format your Attached Images.. (Click here)

How to attach Files/Images to your Posts or Threads:
(Click here)

If you want to post a larger resolution that is over 100K then you can host your image elsewhere and attach a link in the thread ( link to the highest resolution.. or the largest size you can upload), but also please attach an under 100K version so the thread remains useful in the future, regardless of external links.

Other Hosts if you do not have your own site:
ImageVenue.com (3Meg max, free) pixentral.com (2Meg max, free) photobucket.com (1 Meg max free, 5 Meg PRO) mediafire.com (100 Meg per file, free) dropbox.com/tour (2GIG, free) post a link to the highest resolution.. or the largest size you can upload into your thread to the site that is hosting the larger image.

seattle-light said it very well in a previous post, "Get to know your camera really well. Shoot a lot and get to know how the ISO affects image quality. Then start with working lighting and framing composition. Then focus on capturing the moment and the emotional performance. Then you can work on adjustments and retouching to further accentuate the color and drama in the shot." The object should be to get the final image you want in camera with minimal retouching needed. This is not intended to downplay the importance of Post Processing, which is an integral component of the final outcome of your vision. If you are familiar with your camera and know what you can get out of it... and know the tools in Photoshop and what can be accomplished with them, then there are very few boundaries holding you back.
With these tools (Camera & Photoshop) in your hands you are in complete control of the final look of the photo. Whether you just tweak things to reflect your impressions, or you create something completely new, it’s completely within your grasp.

As you progress, your confidence will build and you can take your photos to the next level.

Our Photography Forum might be a good place to start with the Photography aspect and please check out the many other Forums here at RetouchPRO for any other questions or help. And feel free to start your own thread in any of these forums with questions you may have.

Looking forward to seeing some of your works.

[Mike Needham]

Re: Newbie

Hi Betsy welcome to the forum. Have a poke around and settle in