How Really Useful are the Photoshop Tutorials Online?

If you’re interested in graphic designing or Photoshop, you have probably seen some of the many Photoshop tutorials that float around the web. Some are posted on private blogs, others on forum and still others on websites devoted specifically to Photoshop tutorials. Wherever they are posted, there are some important common features. All tutorials will, as the name implies, teach you how to do something in Photoshop that you might not have known before, or how to do something old in a new way.

How useful are Photoshop tutorials?

It isn’t just the newbies who benefit from Photoshop tutorials — people of all skill levels can read and learn. Because of the immense complexity of the program, it is difficult to learn how to do absolutely everything the program is capable of, so most designers tend to specialize. They develop their own routines for doing common tasks and become set in their ways. This can sometimes mean missing an opportunity to do something new and creative, or save time doing something a new way.

The very nature of graphic design changes constantly. There are always new shortcuts invented or discovered, and if you want to keep your job or hobby skills tuned up, you have to stay in touch with the new trends. Learning new things is also just plain fun!

Which is better: a video or a written tutorial?

Depending on what type of learner you are, either a video tutorial or a written tutorial might help you more. Some people like to follow along graphically and have the reassurance of knowing they’re doing exactly what they should be doing at this step; for them, video tutorials work best. Others enjoy the process of discovery that comes with following a written tutorial, or simply don’t like to watch videos, so they prefer written tutorials. Do you get what you paid for, or are free tutorials fine? Some tutorials can be found for free, while you have to pay to access others. People’s opinions vary on this subject, and you might prefer one or the other for your own reasons.

Those who support free tutorials argue that information and knowledge should be kept free, and there is probably a free version of any paid tutorial anyway. Others believe that paid tutorials are a better way to go. They say that when you pay for a tutorial, you pay for the expertise behind it, and it’s true that paid tutorials tend to be, on average, better-quality than free tutorials. If you are a professional designer, you might want to carefully consider where you get new knowledge from. If you get a better-quality education from paid tutorials, it might end up paying off.

Photoshop tutorials are a great way to learn about different Photoshop techniques. Even if you consider yourself a pro, few people can possibly master absolutely everything in Photoshop, so great is the program’s potential. By following Photoshop tutorials, you could learn how to do something you had never thought of before!