I was just wondering what kind of PS experience everyone has. Have you taken in it school, or are you just a hobbyist?

Me, I have no training, just love to be creatively perfectionistic.

By looking at your portfolio, you sure have the skills. Keep up the good work.

For me personally, received my degree in Graphic Design, but actually learned most of my Photoshop skills by trial and error. And of course, learned much from this site.

Mostly self taught, but I did take classes at two schools; Cambridge adult education center, and Network Technology Academy. I have about 6 years experience with photoshop. and 2 years Illustrator. I love photoshop and Illustrator with a passion!

not to be in a school doesnt mean tobe a hobbyist...self-made chopper would fit better. and i am. and i am in PSC school too, the best school.
i use ps for 4 years but i would say i Use ps for 1 year only.Sort of rebirth thx to PSC.

Micose.

I am about 2 years in as a self starter and in just about the last year learned more than I ever did anywhere else here at PSC. The members are helpful and supportive when critiquing, but the practice and constant chopping is helping me learn photoshop on another level (not to mention my competitive streak can be ruthless at times). Plus, I am going to school for Graphic Design, but so far it's been all drawing, umph

I really new to Photoshop I always wanted to get into PS but not until I started school for graphic design have a really gotten a chance to work with it. I had one class that was all about PS but I love it. I use it in everything I do for school. Now with psc Im learning so much.

Had the program about 6 months. No training. Just read alot of books

No school, no books, no tutorials, started on Photoshop 6 years ago when I realized I had no more work as a traditional airbrush hyperrealistic illustrator. I didn't learn here but have a lot of fun!

They didn't have computer classes when I was in school! ha! All my art classes were manual driven!

I got into using photoshop 13 years ago - in '94 at a job and found it easy to figure out, much more so than someone trying to show or tell me how it works. That first project I worked on was a year book so there was a lot of repetitious work which helped with learning the basics... down time allowed me to play around with the other features, but I had used other graphics software before that - at home and work, back as far as, oh I don't know, maybe mid 80s. I use Photoshop everyday for work and play, use a lot of Illustrator, too.

I've had to train people who had had Photoshop in school, but book learning is much different than using it everyday. Think the comment I heard most was "they never showed us that in class." I remember one guy tried out for a job and I gave him a simple task to do and I watched from a few feet away. He set up every tabbed menu you could possibly have and set them all over the screen... another gal who knew nothing about graphics or the job was HIGHLY impressed... but what I noticed was that he was doing absolutely nothing for 5 minutes. Is that what teachers teach you in school?

Trial & Error learner.....been playing with PS7 for a couple of years.

well...

self taught through sheer fascination and frustration from not being able to do other bits of art, but now i've branched back into the more classical types of art such as pencil, charcoal and chalk etc. just took a bit of practice

Taking graphic design as a degree in about 1 years time

i have always been creative. started drawing when very young,you know wasting the notebook paper for school. started painting cars, trucks and bikes as a teen. was'nt until i got my first tattoo that friends started asking me to draw flash of thier own ideas for tattoos. then in came photoshop when a friend suggested i use his photoshop to modify a drawing instead of starting over. i now own my own cs2 and have been messing around for about 2 months. now if i can just fit the knowledge in between the bugs bunny cartoons and 3 stooges out takes that soooooooo clog my mind. hehehehehaw

... JEEZ! You guys didn't let me finish!

Self taught for many years, took a MultiMedia Design course that messed up a lot of what I learned, then I self-corrected. Now I'm keepin on teaching myself.

Got a lot from this site in the beginning. Now I try to give some back.

I'm just remembering ONE newbie that came into the threads and said he knew EVERYTHING about Photoshop. Who was that now? Anyway, none of us who've worked with the program for years and years believed him.

You're never really DONE with Photoshop. At some point, though, Photoshop might be done with YOU!

Isn't that true, you get cocky and then one day you see something and try to figure it out and get the old i didn't know you could do that!