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It is hard to focus on the basics when a few clicks
can add lifelike texture and dimension to a simple, striped rectangle.
With raster programs, it can be said that the basics are usually intermediate
topics.
How did I do this selection with one click? Find
out later (it is a bit of a trick question).
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I am just waiting for the e-mail to finally arrive. This will be
a special note proclaiming that I can take the world's most exciting
software, and reduce it to the most mundane topics. This may be the
week for it to arrive, since I am rolling right to the backbone, the
barest essential of raster programs to ... creating a selection.
Why do I do this? Why risk the e-mail? Because I firmly believe that
most people learn software backwards. This is especially true for
raster programs, like Photoshop, since they come equipped with so
many one-click effects and automatic functions. We tend to skip over
the basic functions of the program and head straight for the good
stuff. It always was more fun to have dessert, right?
However, the novelty of a new program wears off. When we actually
start to produce work, especially for clients, we are handicapped
without a solid understanding of basic operations, like selections.
If I was to plot a learning curve for raster programs, I would place
learning the fine points of selection at an intermediate level. That
is not where I necessarily think it should be, but the reality
of where selection skill naturally develops for many designers.
I'll confess something, lest I sound like I am trying to take the
fun from graphics. I actually teach software a tad backwards in the
classroom when I can. It is important that a new user becomes excited
about what a program can do quickly, or they lose interest. I provide
some well-guided methods for amazing success, and then drag them back
to the deeper basics. By then, they are well motivated to learn, since
they now know enough about the program to understand the importance
of the basics.
I hope that is where you are now. This article focuses only on Photoshop
selections. Paint Shop Pro will follow in the next article. Vector
programs do not compare at all, except for paths, and I am planning
to feature paths in the very near future.
So, if you have ever abandoned an idea because you could not get
the selection right, get ready to put that behind you. Selection knowledge
can be compared to money. It's virtually impossible to have too much.
Having an abundance of selection knowledge will not make you a great
graphic designer any more than having lots of money will make you
happy. However, like money, when you do not have enough to meet your
needs, it is a lot easier to be unhappy.
Money and selection actually do go hand in hand for a professional
designer. Mastering selection will go further towards efficient work
in a raster program than any other skill. Efficient work means profit.
Fire up those magic wands and let's improve your bottom line.
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