Re: getting started. need suggestions.

Chris--

No one application does it all, and if your serious about creating 
Web graphics, you'll end up learning several applications. My advice 
is to start with one application, learn it well, and go on from there.

Photoshop is certainly one of the most important applications, 
although it may not be the best/easiest to start with. Although it is 
used for creating graphics, it may be used even more for modifying 
graphics from other sources: other graphics programs, scans, and 
digital photographs.

A lot of people do not just go out and buy Photoshop, but instead get 
it bundled with something else. Scanners often have Photoshop LE 
(Limted Edition) bundled with the scanner, and you can then upgrade 
to the full version. The higher-priced scanners may even include the 
full version of Photoshop. Some vendors may package Photoshop with a 
Wacom tablet.

A lot of books are available for Photoshop. Some are general guides, 
others are specialized. Among the genral guides, I found Photoshop 5 
Bible, by Deke McClelland, to be most helpful. Other general guides 
are Inside Adobe Photoshop, by Gary David Bouton and Barbara Bouton; 
and Photoshop 5 In Depth, by David Xenakis and Sherry London. The 
first two books are available in a regular edition and in a 
special/limited edition. The Adobe Classroom in a Book, Adobe 
Photoshop Web Edition, is very well written, but not as comprehensive 
as the other books mentioned. After you've gotten grounded in 
Photoshop, the O'reilly book, Photoshop in a Nutshell, by Dennis 
O'Quinn, may be helpful. It provides info on each menu item, dialog 
box, and option in Photoshop, something which is not thoroughly 
covered in the other (larger) books. Several books focus on using 
Photoshop for the Web, but I think these books are better used after 
you have a general knowledge of Photoshop.

The technical aspect of using these applications--Photoshop, 
Illustrator, ImageReady, ImageStyler, Fireworks, etc.--is only part 
of the equation. You also  will want to know something about design, 
use of color, etc.. Maybe you already have that, and just need to get 
computerized?

Good luck.

Jeff

HWG: hwg-graphics mailing list archives, maintained by Webmasters @ IWA