Right, first off, just thought I'd say Hi!!....just not that enthusiasticly. Exclamations are so tempting sometimes, sorry.

About 15 mins ago, I ran across this site and to be honest, it was just the thing I was looking for. I'm a budding graphical designer with a few flaws. Here's a list of my problems.

1)I run out of material to go with very quickly.
2)It's hard to find new material when I run out.
and

3)I have absolutely NO clue as to what I'm doing.
I'm crap. I need pointers. Assistance. A rough guide on how to START. This being my first post, i'm not going into too much detail. I'll get to more improtant stuff later.

So if there's anyone there willing to lend a hand or some helpful words, i'm sitting in front of this puter with nothing better to do.

P.S. Which is the best to use? PSP7 or Photoshop 6?

Well Mouth,

First, it's nice to see people eager to jump into computer grfx. But, before we give you any advice, there are a few things to concider. First of all, do you have any natural artistic talent? That may seem very harsh, but bear with me. You could have every grfx prog. to your name and tons of stock photos, with all the knowlege of how to use them, and sitll come up with CRAP. Not to discourage you, but I do believe a good understanding of the basic artistic principles of design is needed.
With that said, ignore it. Yup. Because, anyone with a good eye that has never stepped foot into an art class can still shine! Put it this way, if you mess with a piece (of art) you are working with until it just starts to 'looks right', you will develop your artistic skills without even knowing 'the rules.'
The Rules; there are many!!! Too many to list in any forum. You can find a basic outline of the "Rules of Design" by searching google. And, with that said, ignore it. Yup, because once you have learned the rules, a good artist learns how to break them. BUT, not until you understand WHY there ARE rules. Make any sense?
Enough of that, as far as computer grfx goes, yes Adobe Photoshop would be a great place to start. Any version. The newer the version, the more features (kinda). But, keep in mind that as a beginner, you will NEVER fully utilize the features of Photoshop. So, don't think you need the latest and greatest. I have been using Photoshop since my freshmen year of high school (1994) and still see a new use for a tool every time I visit sites like this one.
Another great tool to start with would be a digital camera. Even if you have never done photography, this is a great way to get your eye 'worked out' and get your mind used to looking at the artistic side of everything. That's right, EVERYTHING! Carry that sucka with you everywhere and take pictures of anything that looks interesting in any way. Then import those photos into Photoshop and get playing.
The Pixel Wrath forum on this site would be excelent for you. We give you a stock photo every few weeks (called a chapter) then you make digital modifications as you see fit, then post. Theres even a 'work in progress' thread for you to get suggestions for you work. Try it out.
I hope this helps. As you can see, I am bored too and have nothing to do at work. Hope to see your stuff soon! Oh, one more thing, DONT BE ASHAMED OF YOUR WORK! Post your stuff here and ask questions. We will be honest and nice. :o)

Thanks man, it's good to see there's someone out there, i thought I'd be lingering around all night. Heh.

Yes, I DO have artistic talent, a good part of it is still uncharted territory, but being explored every time I get to work. I don't know if I should be ashamed or not to say that it's only the asthetic stuff at the moment though. I'm well versed in the DO's and DON'T or the DEAR GOD YOU SHOULD HAVE!!'s so I'm not messing things up too bad. *L*
Now that I have yer opinion on which prog to use, I'm going off to buy it then, all I needed was someone to tell me. Thanks for that.
Even better, you've just convinced me to fork out some moolah for that digital camera. I'm a student though, so I ain't buyin' no high-end chunka technology. ;) I need all the funds I can get.

As for showing some of my work, I'll think about it. :D

Welcome to the board :)

This is a good place to be and to put forth your works for critiques (and critiquing others). Its a fantastic way to learn.

Like john says, and I just want to restate this: there are alot of rules...its good to learn these, and know them VERY well be fore you can begin breaking them to your advantage. :)

I hope you can get the 'Student Rate' for PS because you may be shocked when you see the retail price tag of the full version. ;)

Cheers.

LOL, true! Being a student should help though. Check you library at school (i'm guessing your in college). If no luck there, try e-bay. They have great deals. And by the way, a student version is in NO WAY limited. At least Macromedia products aren't.

If you are a student you should be able to get "student" software at a discounted price. Photoshop is the best but you will need more than that for "correct" design. You best bet would be to get one of the Adobe design collections depending on what areas you want to go into.
Photoshop is wonderful for images but that's about it.
Anything with text should usually be done in a vector program and page layout should be done in a page layout program. Illustrator and InDesign are good choices. There are lots of people who can create really wicked stuff in Photoshop but at the end of the day if it don't work for the application it's needed for then it's useless.

Books and magazines are really useful. Check out Computer Arts (from UK) and if you go to a large bookstore they should carry lots of design magazines.

If you got specific question just post them.

Oh and welcome aboard

freakyclean

Applied Arts is also good (you may not get it over there though)

Again freaky brings up a good point with the other programs. A designer is forced to use a suite of applications and be well versed in all of them. The industry standard is Adobe, so its a good place to start.

Sorry, there's no such thing when it comes to the extortionate prices the computer stores are selling PS for. *L*
I'm sure I could scam someone out of buying it for me, if not, it's plently of hard labour for me I guess.:(

I'm prepared to learn anything I've missed and will gladly listen to what people have got to say. Bring it on!

Hey, y'know what? I think I'm ready to show you one or two of those pics. Just bear in mind, I've been working mainly with the backgrounds and the images I HAVE been using are from comics or other similar resources.

Alright. Here goes.

Wow looks good to me but Steeldolphins the expert in this area I think.
:)

freakyclean

The treatment is not too bad. I do like the slight blur to it.

If you post it in the finished work forum you will get more critiques. :)

Also, if the 'line art' in the image isnt yours you should at least mention the name and link to the artist (if possible) for credit. Ideally you will want to get their permission to use the art as well. :) If its yours then please disregard. :)

Cheers.

I'll do just that SteelDolphin. *salutes*

I've been told to get myself a digital camera. I reckon that's the first thing I'm gonna have to get.
Not onlt that, but I reckon, I have the perfect place to take a few pictures. England has it's sights....kinda but at the end of this year, I'm heading off to Canada for a snowboarding holiday and some time off college. A year to be exact.
God knows what I'll find there up on the slopes, but I intend to take hella lots of photos!

You might catch a glimpse of the elusive Steeldolphin

You'll have to drop by the igloo and say hi!:)
(sorry your english not american)

freakyclean

I have yet to decide where I'm going exactly, I'll probably stay with my wierd aunt or something. She lives near the cool ski slopes. Once I find out where I'm going though, I'll keep y'all informed.

Beers anyone?

Well it's time I headed off for the night. It's been fun and I'm grateful for the advice given.
Much respect to tha lot o' ya!
I'll be back tomorrow.

Oh, and I'm taking this chapters 'potty' pic' from Pixel Wrath to work on.

Whoohoo! Toliet humour here I come!