My first attempt with PP using GIMP

[Shambhala]

Thanks Ken.. any information is very helpful, Thanks for your input. I am going to check out your link.. Thanks for posting it .. that is one of the problems I find with trying to figure out PS is that there are so many tutorials it's hard to sift through and find the good ones. Putting the link in my trusty notebook. Thanks. !! I am a definite newbie.. but I have to start somewhere. I wonder if being bad at math is going to make it harder for me.. I know it does in photography. I have to read things many many times just to understand it.

[ucci]

Thanks!!! I have improved already had you wrote that yesterday I would have no clue what you were talking about LOL.. I will try that.. as you can tell.. I am not that patient.. I like to know everything instantly.. When I read a book I have to read the last chapter first.. then go to the beginning. Photography is good for me.. it's teaching me to be patient. I wrote down those numbers and will try it from there.

As a non expert, and at the risk of appearing foolish to those who know far more than me on these matters, can I make a suggestion please?
Would it help for you to do a search for information which explains the process as to how PS apparently 'sharpens' images by doing a bit of a fiddle at edges. It is a clever piece of optical deception actually. The other thing might be to have the preview thumbnail in the sharpening drop down window at a high magnification and located over a suitable 'edge' and to look for the 'halo' effect when adjusting the sliders to sharpen the image, so you know when to stop and maybe back off the settings a bit until the halo effect is acceptable. Hopefully this little bit of input from me may prompt further expert comment from others which will help you.
old ucci

[Shambhala]

HEHE.. Thanks Ucci. All of your help is appreciated and I have written down the suggestions you wrote in this one too. I have to figure all of this someday or else I will just have to be happy with the pictures that come out of my camera.. lol. I will figure it all out eventually .. I am too determined not too. Might take me a few years though.

[ucci]

Thanks Ken.. any information is very helpful, Thanks for your input. I am going to check out your link.. Thanks for posting it .. that is one of the problems I find with trying to figure out PS is that there are so many tutorials it's hard to sift through and find the good ones. Putting the link in my trusty notebook. Thanks. !! I am a definite newbie.. but I have to start somewhere. I wonder if being bad at math is going to make it harder for me.. I know it does in photography. I have to read things many many times just to understand it.

Alrightee Shannon... Time for a very sad fact of Life, something the buggers never tell you when you first start out Involvement with PS is, like marriage. It becomes a life time committment and within a short space of time you will be irretivably hooked on it. And just when you feel you have come to terms with it and are comfortable co-existing with it, those evil little devils at Adobe come out with a 'must have' upgrade! Involvement with PS is a way of Life.
Given your enthusiasm, and thirst for knowledge, you will be just fine. No problems.

Big fleas have little fleas
upon their backs to bite them,
and little fleas have smaller fleas
and so ad infinitum....
K

[Shambhala]

LOL, it's nice of you to take the time and help me out Ken! I can just imagine, there are always going to be new things to learn. Luckily I have a thirst for knowledge. I think I will be ok... Once I get past the frustration level of not getting it immediately..

[Geoff F]

My suggestion, Shannon, is to take a poor photo and over edit it. Go beyond the point of 'niceness' so you really can see exactly what affect you have had.

Then you can gradually reduce the adjustments until you get everything perfect.

And with regard to learning photo editing. First read all the tutorials on this site, then everything here http://www.ronbigelow.com/articles/articles.htm after that you will be an expert.

Or you will go mad!

[GlasgowJim]

Geoff that is a fantastic link, Thank you from another newbie

[Dave Humphries]

AHHHHHHH I am going to pull my hair out.. LOL!!! I think I better stop for tonight.. on my computer they look different but then when I post them they look exactly the same

I'm not surprised, the post has the exact same picture twice
Dunno what happened to the other one you presummably uploaded.

If you find it, or upload again (via Edit and then Go Advanced), you can fix the post (#19), or I will for you, if you put it in a subsequent post.

Nice picture, I like it

[Shambhala]

Oh that would explain why they look exactly the same then.. I think I will just wait and read the link that Geoff was so kind to post before I try editing again.. I don't understand things quickly, it's just sheer determination that lets me finally get it. Thanks for your help everyone!!