RAK Survey: What do you wish you knew how to do?

Here’s a super-quick one-question survey for Tuesday! And a giveaway!  

Is there a specific Photoshop technique that continues to elude you? Do you wish you were better at photo editing? At type and journaling well on your layouts? At creating your own digital/hybrid embellishments? At mixing paper and digital? At printing on specific items, such as canvas, vellum, transparency, or ribbon? At using your printer in general? At hybrid mini-albums? At using some of the cool hybrid products out there like water-slide decals and printable rub-ons?

What do you wish you knew how to do in Photoshop?

and

What do you wish you knew how to do on your computer that relates to scrapbooking?

This could include using Word, or digital organization, or page layout, font download/install/management, brush management, etc.

Let me hear it! :D Be as specific as you can, ok? Don’t worry about long-windedness or being too list-y. I love lists!

Also, if you’d like to let me know whether you consider yourself:

• Beginner digi (meaning ALL digi, except maybe mini-albums)
  
• Intermediate digi
• Advanced digi
• Beginner hybrid (meaning you make some blend of computer tricks on your paper pages, or paper and digi pages)
  
• Intermediate hybrid
• Advanced hybrid

That would be great! :D (I know, that makes the survey two questions long… sorry) 

RAK! 

And just to make this little survey worth answering, I’ve got two copies of my BRAND NEW BOOK, Computer Tricks 2 to give away to two random lucky winners!

Post to this thread before 6 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb 21 for a chance to win. :) Tell your friends as well! I am interested in hearing from newbies and oldsters alike on your Photoshop challenges. :)

Update on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at 01:59PM by Jessica

Lots of comments pouring in! Post away! Don’t be shy! This is your chance to be heard, and I can help. :)

And for those of you wondering - yes! I will read EVERY ONE. I’ll even print them out. Maybe I’ll even snuggle them. So post! Get your questions out there. :D 

Update on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at 11:19PM by Jessica

I love you guys. You’re laying it out there bigtime, asking tough questions. Asking real questions. Jared and I are wondering how we capture and parse this data. Yes, that is how geeks spend a romantical evening at home. Figuring out how to capture and parse YOUR data, friends! Bring it on! We’ve got candles lit and everything. You have until Thursday, 6 pm EST.

Comments

[Mandy R]

I would love to be able to do really good extractions. I've tried just about everything and I've not been very satisfied with any of them. I consider myself intermediate digi & intermediate hybrid.

[kecia deveney]

hi, i am fairly new here! i would like to be able to take an image and learn how to remove it from it's back ground. then i will like to be able to put it on different backgrounds (and where am i getting these - are these images i've also scanned into my computer, etc.) and then i'd like to add things to my image (for ex. maybe a crown). basically some basics for digital collage?
thanks,
kecia

[carrie g]

I would like to learn how those experts retouch up photos so that my photo can look like their models- look skinnier, have the perfect skin and how to get rid of the double chin. Exercising just isn't working so figured photoshop is the next best thing :) ha ha

[photocat]

What would be great for me is noise... How to tackle noise without loosing all the sharpness... And some eye popping would be nice too...
I am a NAPP member, but you still teach me tricks...
GO!!!

[Joy B.]

I'm a complete beginner. I have PSE4 and I'd like to know where to start.

[Kristina]

I wish I knew more about digital brushes and to make my digital scrapbook pages look more like paper and less digital.

[LeslieinTN]

I'm beginner digi and maybe getting a little close to intermediate. I can usually figure out how to do what I want. I mostly scrap traditionally but have been trying the hybrid world some. ;)

I would like to learn more about how to make my text free form or to a specific form (circle, swirl, etc). There may be instructions out there. I've just never tried but would like to!

[Cheryl]

Intermediate Scrapper

I just purchased Photoshop 6 and would love any hints on what cool features it has that i could use all of the time. Also tips on photo fixing
beach shots.

[Alicia]

It is my new years **intentions** to learn Photoshop... I am still struggling with my photo editing. I love how everyone gets the eyes to **pop**

[Christina]

I would like to learn how to better use actions with Photoshop Elements. I don't really know how all of that works. I would also like to learn more about creating my own embellishments.

As far as other computer things go, I desperately would like to know how to manage my fonts. I'd like to know if there was a way to print a sampling of all my fonts.

I have been scrapbooking for seven years, and have been digi scrapping for two.

Love your blog! Thanks for the contest!

[Denise]

I would REALLY love to know more about photo editing. Getting my photos to look as clear and colorful as yours!! Not sure if it's just me, my camera or my photoshop skills but they never turn out as clear, colorful and perfect as yours. Please help :-)!

Denise

[Andrea]

I am just a beginner so there is still a lot I'd like to know about Photoshop. I'm sort of teaching myself as I need to do things. My biggest obstable right now is using the pen tool and selecting or making objects that are anything but round or square.

[Yvette]

I have PS7 and I really wish I knew how to do cool photo effects with brushes. I love how people get some really awesome looks using brush designs on heir photos.

[Jennifer R]

I wish I could make a rounded corner in Photoshop... I can mask, transform stuff, and do all kinds of other stuff, but I don't know how to round a corner... I know there must be a simple answer, but alas I haven't gotten there yet. Oh, and if I could make a corner flip up ever so slightly... that would rock!
Thanks! ;)
Jennifer

[cindy]

OMG! i want to know everything! i love digi scrappin can do basic things on fixin up photos mostly for family and friends and what i get mostly is " can u make me look thinner? " so other then the copy toolflaw fixes i would like to know how to make someone look thinner-ther was a utube photoshop video that did that is that real?

[Lynda]

I consider myself between beginner and intermediate digital scrapper! I can do some technical things but need lots of help on design.

I usually crop my pictures before moving to the layout. If I crop in an "off" (really horizontal or really vertical or square) size, the frame I may want to use doesn't fit.I've tried reducing in proportion and because of the weird size I might have cropped, the frame obviously won't fit. If I bring in or enlarge each side, then the width of the different frame end/sides/top-bottom (hard to explain) are not as originally designed. Someone suggested cropping edges of frame and placing the four sides around picture....NOT!

Can you help? Am I the only one that has this problem?

[Jaime-Lynn]

I need to learn more about photo editing. I am often stunned by photographers final products but have no idea how to produce them. I would consider myself a beginner hybrid scrapper with CS3

[Jas]

I consider myself intermediate/advanced digiscrapper. I have a hard time with masks in PS. Even after online PS classes ... I just don't get it. Another thing I don't seem to get is levels/curves. To color correct a photo through levels/curves.

Jas

[Amber]

I wish I knew more about photo editing. I can't seem to get the hang of levels and curves and I suspect it might be that I don't have a good enough camera? My pictures are always just ok, even after editing.
I'm at the intermediate level right now.

[Kathy]

I would like to know how to restore damaged photos where the look even better than original!

[Christine]

What do you wish you knew how to do in Photoshop?
I wish I new more about how to create a separate color palates for a layout and save them for later use. I end up re-sampling something for color more than once, because I lose a color by choosing a new one.
What do you wish you knew how to do on your computer that relates to scrapbooking?
I would like to learn more about font management and photo enhancement.
Also, if you’d like to let me know whether you consider yourself:
Advanced digi (Graduate of Up and Running and Now We’re Rocking)

Christine

[betty j]

I am a photoshop want to be. I have just purchased elements but not yet begun! I need a beginners course later this year.

[Lisa]

I consider myself an intermediate to advanced user.
I want to learn more about design elements...realistic shadowing (how to warp and make it look good)
I want to learn more about how to make it a work of art, vs. just a scrapbook page.
I want to learn more about the outside filters and how to combine them, and if you do what kind of effects you get. I am really tired of having everyone say Experiment until you get it where you like it. There has to be a list (like Scott Kelby's book...but it's not in there)
How to pull something into Photoshop through scanning it, and making it look like a realistic element on the page. (I am not talking pictures...I am talking more about clothespins, twine, string...how do you pull those in, do an extraction and keep all of the little fibers there so it looks REAL)

Okay, is that enough for a list? Is it even what you wanted? LOL Too many question.

[Rachel Dallaire]

I would love to get better at photo-editing. I have Elements 6, but sometimes am so unsure as to what I need to do to get the result I want.As far as scrapbooking, I wish I could know how to get my journaling to line up perfectly on my layout when I print it onto the paper.

Such good questions. And I've been eyeing your book for awhile! :-)

[Courtney]

I am a beginner hybrid. I would love to know how to make my pictures pop, including post processing to make the colors pop, how to use brushes to add cool borders and effects, how to get really good black and white photos. I have Elements 4.0, hopefully upgrading to 6.0 in the near future. I would love to learn more about actions and brushes, including how to store them and manage them without the computer getting really bogged down. Thanks! I also wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your Photoshop Phriday. I have just started getting them and have learned a lot so far!

[Christy]

I'm a beginner digi & beginner photoshop user. My biggest need right now is to learn how to use photoshop - all of the cool effects are great but I'm struggling to figure out how to crop a photo & get a certain size (like 4x6). I print some of my own photos from home but just have an all-in-one printer that isn't so great quality-wise so I'd like to upgrade but am not sure what I need. I also see so many beautiful brushes & would like to learn how to use them in photoshop.

[- Eileen Swaney -]

I would love to learn how to use the liquify tool to instantly loose 30 lbs!. I've seen a time lapse video (fun to watch!) but I need step by step instructions.

[Carol]

I think I'm between a beginner and intermediate. I can move around in PSE 5.0 pretty well but need to know more about photo fixing and enhancing.

Thanks for all the great information!

[Kristi]

I wish I knew how to 'tag' my photos without over tagging them. (hope that makes sense!!!) LOL

[Laurie]

I love a good contest. I would say I am an intermediate digi scrapper. I wish I were more skilled with retouching and color boosting photos. I want to create my own textures and backgrounds (that actually look good). I also would like to create simple illustrations from my own digital photos.