Basic Computer art tips

**Fe 26** · 20 Feb 2008, 10:16 PM

does anyone know a good resource for basic image handling concepts?

I'd like to be able to take scanned printed media and clean it up and do what I want with it. Like clean up paper grain, get rid of filth and abstracts, make my own backgrounds and stuff.

I want to be able to take manga, magazines and art books and stuff and make my own stuff with it. Like walpaper's and custom posters and stuff.

I figure that there must be sites for this by now as there are 14 year olds who spend all their free time doing this for various shows. Anyone know of a couple online guides?

**YellerDog** · 20 Feb 2008, 10:57 PM

Well, as much as I want to pick on the 14 year old thing, I do like it when people decide to learn new things, so I'm-a help you out.

Best starter I can offer you is: go to your local discount bookseller, like a Book Warehouse or some such? Any place that sells overprinted books for cheap. Go to one of these, and just fuckin' LOAD UP on $1-$3 "Learning Photoshop CS" or "Photoshop 8" books. You're not going to find the latest version's books, but that doesn't matter. The basic shit never, ever changes, even if you start using GIMP or some such. A lot of these books were originally $40+, so you're saving a bunch of time and money by getting them on the cheap.

Get about $30 worth of books for a couple bucks a pop.

Go home. Open up the book with the clearest pictures, read it, do every walkthrough exercise, even if they seem basic.

Bam.

You just saved a few hundred bucks off against taking the "Photoshop Basics" course at your local Community College.

You're welcome.

**Cowutopia** · 20 Feb 2008, 10:58 PM

This will only lead to Cheeks making his own Kim Possible porn.

**YellerDog** · 20 Feb 2008, 11:08 PM

I figure, best case he gets interested and turns it into an internship down the line, what the hell.

**Fe 26** · 21 Feb 2008, 12:50 AM

Originally Posted by Cowutopia

This will only lead to Cheeks making his own Kim Possible porn.

har har har Cow is so funny >: I

actually I was going to do it to make posters to sell to college kids for some extra scratch and if I get good with it I can use it to flesh out my ideas at work. You know, it is one thing to tell a suit about your idea, it is another thing to bring in a picture. People like pictures. Even more than powerpoint

Here are some of my basic guitar ideas.

**Finch** · 21 Feb 2008, 12:53 AM

Lynda.com will learn ya everything... FOR A PRICE. like $25 a month, but if you're cheap or poor you can cheat the system by repeatedly signing up for free week trials under different emails. I'm going to ask for a subscription for my birthday.

Other things, just figure out exactly what you want to do and look for how to do it. You can figure out everything yourself if you go through the help file on just about any program.

**FuryFox** · 21 Feb 2008, 12:28 PM

One thing to keep in mind, unless you have access to some special printer or something, posters are very cost prohibitive. It was like $60+ to print an image at your typical poster size at Kinko's. If you have an on-campus resource, you can probably do it for less, but I doubt they'd let you use it for free, as the big plotters and whatever else departments use are expensive to fill and maintain. College kids might drop $20 max for a sweet custom poster, I'm guessing.

As for your actual concern, also try torrenting some tutorials. I think I got one called Adobe Photoshop Killer Tips that has like 40 little quicktimes that demonstrate common tasks.

**Finch** · 21 Feb 2008, 01:50 PM

It depends if it's huge or not huge. You can go 11x17 for prints and that won't cost you a huge amount. Also, there's the option of using DeviantArt, where you don't have to worry about your printing costs at all. I'm sure there are other options on the internet.