Steve Weinrebe's Mode Studio

I was just reading a truly dreadful Photoshop tutorial and I am compelled to write a warning to all Photoshop users that – Not All Tutorials Are Created Equal. There is so much non-professional information out there for Photoshop, that it is inevitable that some of the vast knowledge base would be trash. The tutorial I read is so misguided that it simply ruins a picture when there are so many ways in Photoshop to improve a photo.

• One thing you might consider before even reading a tutorial is whether the person writing it is in fact a Photoshop instructor. Many tutorials are written, or recorded, by people that are simply familiar with the program and think they have stumbled across something neat.
• Watch for too many steps. Any tutorial that includes over a dozen or so steps probably demonstrates something that can also be done in fewer, or better, ways.
• Just because a tutorial demos a technique that uses multiple layers and blending modes, that doesn’t make it a worthwhile technique.
• Don’t expect that just because you are the member of a club, or are paying for a subscription to tutorials, that they are going to be useful, or even the best way to approach that particular problem that the tutorial is covering.
• Votes and star counts can help, but sometimes a tutorial with a low vote number may simply be newer and better.

In the end, don’t believe everything you read! Take a class and ask your instructor questions about tutorials that you have had difficulty with. You may find out there is a better way.

Posted by Steve Weinrebe, ImagingRandR.com