Any Photoshop Experts, I Need Some Advice

[theantiquetiger]

antiquetiger...taking a Photoshop class will do wonders for you...I myself took two semesters of Photoshop at a local community college...and boy...glad I did.

I know mego73 is making it sound easy...but to someone who has never toyed with Photoshop (especially the full CS5 version)...it can be a complicated program to learn...especially on the fly.

It's best you take classes...and you really should...since you are a photographer...you won't regret it.

I took B/W photography in college. It was my favorite class of all times. Learning to manipulate the photo the way you want it, was the greatest thing, and now that is a dying artform.

[Hector]

I took B/W photography in college. It was my favorite class of all times. Learning to manipulate the photo the way you want it, was the greatest thing, and now that is a dying artform.

I know what you mean.

I also took two years of photography courses back in the 80s...I used to develop negatives...and printed in both black & white and color.

I remember the days of physically burning and dodging photographs...those were the days.

Loved the smell of all those chemicals...lol.

I started with a Pentax K1000 for Christ's sake...nothing more old school and manual than that camera.

But yes...it's sadly a dying form...the digital camera dominates now...and knowing Photoshop is a must as well.

[Hector]

BTW...cute kids, antiquetiger...

[artskull]

Any time I run into situations like this, I do google search for tutorials. Doing quick search for "photoshop tutorial blur background", I found this video that might help. Even searching "photoshop tutorials" might come up with something you like AND save you the cost of taking course.

[megoapesnut]

I started with a Pentax K1000 for Christ's sake...nothing more old school and manual than that camera.

Right on Hec. My first beloved camera was a Pentax K1000 also. You couldn't have parted me from that camera for the first year or so. I took it to school and everywhere. I was in 8th grade when I got it and was lucky in that our school had a photography and graphic arts shop. The teacher recognized a kindred spirit and made me his lab assistant in 9th grade, so I could spend all of my free time in his classes. I remember one time, I stuck my camera in the girls bathroom and fired off the flash, just to get a reaction. I didn't even push the shutter button on the camera and didn't even have any film in it. I was very pleased with the plethora of screams that erupted, that is until one of my other teachers came around the corner and caught me doing it just as they started screaming. He glared down at me for a few seconds and then patted me on the shoulder and said "Scottie Miller.....make sure I get a copy of that photo!!".

[megoapesnut]

I remember the days of physically burning and dodging photographs...those were the days.

Loved the smell of all those chemicals...lol.

I was a darkroom junkie too. I converted a large bathroom in my basement to a darkroom (which has since been converted back to a bathroom). Those were fun times spent in the darkroom watching photographic creations come to life. I still have all of my B&W negatives, every one of them.

[theantiquetiger]

Any time I run into situations like this, I do google search for tutorials. Doing quick search for "photoshop tutorial blur background", I found this video that might help. Even searching "photoshop tutorials" might come up with something you like AND save you the cost of taking course.

Thanks for the link, that helped a lot!!!!

Here is the original and final image, what do you think?

[artskull]

Thanks for the link, that helped a lot!!!

Glad that tutorial helped you. With 20 years in as a graphic designer, I've had to turn around a lot of jobs very quickly for customers. Tutorials posted by helpful individuals have been job/life savers.

[Hector]

Right on Hec. My first beloved camera was a Pentax K1000 also. You couldn't have parted me from that camera for the first year or so. I took it to school and everywhere. I was in 8th grade when I got it and was lucky in that our school had a photography and graphic arts shop. The teacher recognized a kindred spirit and made me his lab assistant in 9th grade, so I could spend all of my free time in his classes. I remember one time, I stuck my camera in the girls bathroom and fired off the flash, just to get a reaction. I didn't even push the shutter button on the camera and didn't even have any film in it. I was very pleased with the plethora of screams that erupted, that is until one of my other teachers came around the corner and caught me doing it just as they started screaming. He glared down at me for a few seconds and then patted me on the shoulder and said "Scottie Miller.....make sure I get a copy of that photo!!".

[theantiquetiger]

I made one more, change it up a little. Which do you think is better?

Old variant



New variant