Newbie to PS — is there a way to do the BASICS?

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Posted By
BULCmale
Jun 25, 2004
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258
Replies
12
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Closed
I’m new to PhotoShop CS, after years of Paint Shop Pro, and I’d have to say that so far, trying to use PhotoShop has been one of the most supremely frustrating software experiences I’ve ever encountered.

All I want to do is draw a cream-coloured trapezoid with a red border. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to do it. I got as far as a cream-coloured trapezoid, but there doesn’t seem to be anything that enables me to simply select the shape and increase the width of the line (path? stroke? [I’m about to have one, so I guess it must be "stroke".])

I don’t want to "stroke a path", "create a clipping mask" or "fizzblitt the gultifacted mabubu ontiflurk". I just want to draw a trapezoid. Most people don’t want to select the optimal titanium-alloy 3/4" secure-lock masonry-but-not-metal helical bit — they just want to drill a hole.

Does it really HAVE TO be so $&*($%^#@!! complex and obtuse?

I’m really sorry if this comes off as bitchy, but yes I am extremely frustrated and I truly feel that if this is the state of the art in graphic-arts software, then the art is in a pretty sorry state. Usefulness is a great thing, but don’t forsake USABILITY in the process!

So how does one simply draw a cream-coloured trapezoid with a red border?
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Hexebah
Jun 25, 2004
Select Cream as your foreground colour

Select the Pen tool and click the Shape Layer button (1st of 3 button set) on the left of your Option Bar.

Click to place points and make trapezoid and close the path by clicking the starting point. This creates a shape layer with editable bezier paths. If your shape isn’t Cream choose Edit>Fill and select your foreground colour from the Pop-up.

First button icon at the base of the layers palette will give you a drop-down menu and there you will find the Stroke Layer Style.

Usability!? Trust me… it doesn’t get any better than this.

Chip
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Ram
Jun 25, 2004
Bulc,

Calm down. Photoshop is an extremely powerful and versatile application, but it does have a very steep learning curve.

You’re going to need to learn a lot, so here are two tips to get you on your way.

1.– Since you might need help from users on this forum again, click on the following link: How to ask effective questions < http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webs?230@@.2cd06dab.2cd06 cd9>.

2.– Get Photoshop Classroom in a Book. It comes with a CD.

Do not be abusive or aggressive in your tone

An aggressive or abusive sounding post will often evoke an aggressive or abusive and unhelpful reply.

Remember, you are requesting Help from other users, just like you, who are giving their time free of charge. No one is under any obligation to answer your question.
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Ram
Jun 25, 2004
By the way, Bulc, if you are using Photoshop for Windows (since you reference Jasc Paint Shop Pro, a Windows application), you just happen to have posted in the wrong forum. This is the Macintosh forum.

For the Photoshop Windows forum, please click the link below:

<http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx?14@@.ee6b366>
GP
Graham_Phillips
Jun 25, 2004
It does not surprise me that Bulc has trouble migrating from Paint Shop Pro to Photoshop: each program’s layout is very different from the other. Once, when I tried out Paint Shop Pro, having been used to Photoshop on the Mac, I couldn’t find anything – I just found PSP to be utterly confusing. I can readily believe that the reverse is also true. The two programs seem to have different approaches to doing the same thing.

Bulc, please try to persevere with Photoshop. In time, I think it is highly likely that you will come to wonder what the fuss was all about and you may be able to put your "bitchiness", as you put it, in context.
AW
Allen_Wicks
Jun 25, 2004
Learn via "Photoshop Classroom in a Book" and also "Real World Photoshop CS." PS is the mother of all image editing apps, incredibly powerful, and with power comes complexity and a learning curve. There are dozens of lower end easier-to-use image editing apps, including two by Adobe, if easy usability – at the expense of versatility and power – is what is most important to you.
J
jonf
Jun 25, 2004
If you really want to move up to the "most supremely frustrating software experiences ever encountered" try to learn how to do anything in Flash.

Photoshop is a great tool, but to expand on your analogy, you wouldn’t necessarily use a titanium cutting lathe to drill a hole. PS is as complex as it is because it needs to be in order to do what we need it to. I think there’s room for improvement in the interface, but I’ve always found PS to be one of the most easy-to-grasp of all Adobe’s apps. I think you’ll get past the learning curve quickly and come to enjoy its complexity, if you need to do more than create trapezoids.

Incidentally, I don’t think your original post was abusive or aggressive. Sarcasm can be funny, when appropriate.
SW
Scott_Weichert
Jun 25, 2004
So you paid $700 for an application that’s far and above the usability you need?
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BULCmale
Jun 25, 2004
Thanks to all, I appreciate the info about how to do the basics.

But…. I’d still have to say that it’s a dangerous road to travel to sacrifice ease of use for power. The two are emphatically **NOT** mutually exclusive — usability is part of what I do for a living, so this really is something I believe with all my heart. Straining analogies, maybe, but even in your 16-cylinder finely tuned Maserati, you’re still going to need to change the oil; it’s basic, and it should be easy to do, as it will happen often. Even in your state-of-the-art, latest-thing home theatre system, you’re still going to need to change the channel; it’s basic, and it should be easy to do, as it will happen often. Even in your so-powerful-it-can-persuade-you-you’re-seeing-reality-even-w hen-you-know-you’re-not graphics and photo editing software, you’re still going to need to draw and edit simple shapes like rectangles, circles, and trapezoids; it’s basic, and it should be easy to do, as it will happen often.

I appreciate that PhotoShop is powerful, and will in fact enable me to fizzblitt the gultifacted mabubu ontiflurk (in other words, do things that involve highly technical jargon that will mean nothing to me most of the time) — but isn’t it likely that I will also fairly frequently need basic simple tasks that should be (but aren’t) quick, easy, and painless to perform?

Okay, flame-proof flak jacket on — discuss! 😉
L
LRK
Jun 25, 2004
I too recommend Classroom in a Book for learning… then other books to follow. Do all the lessons in CIAB and you will be off to a good start. I still love adding more and more books to my library but have less time to use them because Photoshop is making me money… which means work. 🙂

Another suggestion I’d make is to visit your local book store and browse through the various books. Find something that appeals to your particular learning style.

Still, I would start with CIAB.

Linda
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Phosphor
Jun 25, 2004
At the risk of sounding buzzword compliant, BULC, what you’re experiencing is a wee bit of distress during your paradigm shift.

You’d become so used to processes in PainShopProle that coming round to Photoshop’s way of doing things is giving you some psychic dysentery.

Those of us who are used to the Adobe Photoshop Way™ can zip through little tasks like you describe practically blindfolded, while wearing boxing gloves.

You certainly seem reasonably intelligent and clever; devote some time and energy and you’ll have Photoshop sussed enough for your needs in no time.
M
merge
Jun 25, 2004
Photoshop isn’t really a draw program, but a pixel editor. Anything I really want drawn right I do in Illustrator and copy (as one example) into Ps.

A quick way to get your trapezoid though is to use the marquee tool (M), draw a rectangle the basic size you want (on its own layer) and do your fill and stroke as described earlier. Go to edit > transform > perspective and viola! a trapezoid (command T with command, option, shift keys held down also does the trick).
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Phosphor
Jun 25, 2004
Merge handles the tutorials, while I do philosophy.

I think we have the bases covered!

🙂

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