That's hot

So I found a whole bunch of tutorials online for Photoshop CS2.

Wait, let's start over.

So, I downloaded Adobe Photoshop CS2 after all the time I spent complaining how much I didn't like it, how different it was, yada-yada-yada.

I like it.

It's SO cool. I like it. I'm sorry I didn't give it a chance before. I don't like change. All I've ever known is Photoshop Elements and I was scared to change.

I'm still trying to figure out some things with CS2, but overall I'm enjoying it.

Anyway, back to my blog:

So I found a whole bunch of tutorials online for Photoshop CS2. I've been trying to learn where things are and what new features they added. I wanted to try to find as many tutorials that I could that only used the tools and filters in Photoshop, cause I'm really not a photographer, and I'd like some digital artwork to put in my portfolio.

Check out what I made:

There are four layers there I believe. I made it using a black background, white text, and filters (I think I used wind, Gaussian blur, and liquify) and I learned how to colorize. Properly. I never really understood it before -- most of what I knew about Photoshop is what I found out on my own, and I guess I haven't played around with enough to find this. Unless this is new to CS2, but somehow I doubt this.

Anyway, I know I probably could have made this in Elements, but that's not the point. The point is, I'd say that I only know how to use the filters independently of one another -- I never really mix them, I just use them to enhance photos. But! I'm learning to make stuff. How awesome is that? I'm learning.

I've never ever really focused on making digital art before. It's always been posters and layouts. And when there was "art" involved, I usually only used the bevels and shadows (see my "He loves me" artwork). So I'm super excited, guys. Super excited.

I've found like a bijillion tutorials too -- they are just like, Quicktime videos so they're easy to follow cause I can pause and see the other person's screen and what they're doing -- so I'm going to try to learn as much as I can from these.

Oh, I hope you see more!

P.S. I also made this little guy using a cloud brush that I made:
I also discovered blending options and masks through this tutorial. I was slightly less impressed with the cloud. It didn't turn out quite right. It wasn't supposed to be this cartoon-y. The fire was much cooler. But it's good to know I can make clouds now, huh?