[Hobby] Photoshop

[david]

When I'm bored, I launch Photoshop and just play around. I learn a lot of things either my messing around, or going through tutorials.

http://lifeofdj.com

[Growled Member]

PS was my hobby for many years. At one time I considered myself a pro user. Now I hardly even open it.

[Emily_June]

When I'm bored, I launch Photoshop and just play around. I learn a lot of things either my messing around, or going through tutorials.

http://lifeofdj.com

I see you have a lot of projects involving mostly text. Try using InDesign, if you can get your hands on it: far more flexibility and customization when it comes to text.

And Illustrator is an extremely fun program to learn, if you're interested in vectoring.

Photoshop is a great program, but the more you use it, the more you'll find it has it's limitations if you're using it for anything other than bitmap images. As a hobby, though, those are probably limitations you won't have to worry about. If you really like the program, take a course in it! You'll learn all kinds of new tricks and better ways to do things!

[david]

I see you have a lot of projects involving mostly text. Try using InDesign, if you can get your hands on it: far more flexibility and customization when it comes to text.

And Illustrator is an extremely fun program to learn, if you're interested in vectoring.

Photoshop is a great program, but the more you use it, the more you'll find it has it's limitations if you're using it for anything other than bitmap images. As a hobby, though, those are probably limitations you won't have to worry about. If you really like the program, take a course in it! You'll learn all kinds of new tricks and better ways to do things!

I tried googling some sample work done in InDesign, and the ones I have found, look like they could be done in Photoshop. Can you show me some unique InDesign work?

[Emily_June]

I tried googling some sample work done in InDesign, and the ones I have found, look like they could be done in Photoshop. Can you show me some unique InDesign work?

A lot of things can be done in Photoshop--I never said they couldn't. If you place a text-based Photoshop piece next to an InDesign piece of equal quality, you probably won't notice a difference, especially with an untrained eye. What I'm referring to, though, is the process--not necessarily the final product. InDesign is a page layout program, so it's made to work with text and layout.

For example, consider the process you'd use to make a 4-spread 8-page booklet in Photoshop. It's doable with tweaking and separate documents, but in InDesign, it literally takes the checking of one box.

InDesign also utilizes margins, bleeds, gutters, everything a person working in page layout should find very important. You also have greater control over leading, tracking, kerning, and other text tricks like drop caps. You can use a nice little feature called Optical Kerning which will handle certain typographical issues that untrained designers wouldn't pay attention to.

Should you ever want to alter a certain typeface--for example, you want the bottom of a "t" to extend below the baseline with a point to resemble a sword--you can easily do so in InDesign. Again, not impossible in Photoshop, but you're jumping through quite a few more hoops to do so, and should you want to change this later on, you're going to have a hard time of it.

Basically, you might have text-based projects that you want to create in Photoshop instead of InDesign, but 9/10 times you'll at least double the time it'd take to do it in InDesign (or QuarkXpress). You'll meet more dead-ends, more frustration, and you'll spend more time looking for tutorials on work-arounds for things you could easily handle in InDesign.

[-KJ]

I've never used InDesign, but I know it is better for booklets and such.

However, I'm pretty sure you can do optical kerning and baseline shift, but then you are probably talking about a more advanced method that only shifts the bottom of a "t"?

[david]

I'm trying to make myself some business cards. Should I do this in Photoshop, InDesign or Illustrator?

[Emily_June]

I've never used InDesign, but I know it is better for booklets and such.

However, I'm pretty sure you can do optical kerning and baseline shift, but then you are probably talking about a more advanced method that only shifts the bottom of a "t"?

InDesign is better than Photoshop involving anything having to do with page layout, not just booklets. Because it is made for page layout, while Photoshop is made, essentially, for photos.

The Optical Kerning in Photoshop isn't quite the same as it is in InDesign. They do the same things, but the InDesign version is a little more accurate. For example:

T's in big or header text is a common issue. The top version is the InDesign version, and the bottom is the Photoshop version. Both are the same typeface, same size, and with Optical turned on. It won't seem like a big difference to someone who doesn't work in page layout, but you'll notice that the r in the InDesign version is pushed under the hook of the T's serif a bit more. This kind of kerning in large text is actually very important. The difference isn't huge in this example, but it's apparent in others.

In that screenshot, you'll also notice the jaggedness around the Photoshop text, while the InDesign doesn't have this. That's because Photoshop is a bitmap program; your text in Photoshop is bitmap as well, which makes it a pain when it comes to scaling or resizing larger, just like with your photos and other bitmap images.

Just to illustrate, I wasn't referring to a baseline shift, no. I was talking about actually altering the text, like in the example above. It's a very simple example, but you can imagine the possibilities. Here are a few you may not have noticed this in:

http://www.dsquaredinteractive.com/lightbo...load_Poster.jpg

http://media.outlawdesignblog.com/madyson-.../finalflyer.jpg

http://indesignstudio.deviantart.com/art/I...o-logo-47164674

In all of these, the artist was able to alter the typeface itself in order to achieve these results. I'm sure you could find much more creative examples on your own.

Yes, all of these things can be done in Photoshop, but again, you're basically fudging it and it's usually going to take more time and frustration. And then it will produce further time and frustration if you ever have to go back and make any changes.

I'm trying to make myself some business cards. Should I do this in Photoshop, InDesign or Illustrator?

Honestly, you could do them in Photoshop, that's not a big deal. I was only mentioning the other programs as programs you might look at if your interest in Photoshop blossoms into an interest in Graphic Arts, in general. Don't go out of your way to obtain something as expensive as InDesign and/or Illustrator just because of what I've said about them working better for different things. If you're interested in Photoshop as a hobby, that's great, and you'll probably have no serious use for the other programs. If you're interested in pursuing Graphic Design more seriously, that's when I'd actually consider getting them. For what it sounds like you do, Photoshop works just fine.

To answer your question, though: if I were to create a business card, as a professional Graphic Designer, I would do the page layout in InDesign, and the illustrations in Illustrator. If there's a photo involved, which I wouldn't use on a business card (but that's my style), I'd bring it into Photoshop. That's the way we work, program to program to program. However, if I had to choose one program to do a business card in, it'd definitely be InDesign. Like I mentioned before, InDesign utilizes margins, which is extremely important, even on a business card.

Edited January 4, 2010 by Emily_June

[Growled Member]

What's this topic about again? :p

[RoomKid]

Jeez, I suck at Photoshop! lucky you!

Edit: Love the site! Cool and amazing design!

[Emily_June]

What's this topic about again? :p

It hasn't drifted from Photoshop.

Successful conversations evolve. That's all that's happened here. ;)

[Zain Adeel]

i used illustrator for some time.. came back to photoshop :)

im my opinion its more flexible :p

using for more than 6 7 years now :)

but now i dont open it just to spend some time.. i only open it when i have to fix some pictures or make a new piece.

[Growled Member]

To me these days it's more fun to take a Photoshop project and try to achieve the same effects in something like the Gimp or Paint.Net. It's more of a challenge.

[myNando]

I did this in Photoshop:

[-KJ]

Awesome job!