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Getting Graphics

by techservice
11 replies
I thought I would ask the question here as I'm sure lots of newbs are having the same thought.

The impact of great graphics for your sites makes all the difference. I've had enough of paying a designer and want to do it myself.

Can anyone offer any suggestions? Or do you just have to learn from the ground up to be a wiz in photoshop?

Thanks
#graphics
  • Profile picture of the author SuZ00
    There are some pretty great step by step Photoshop tutorials out there but learning something entirely new can be pretty time consuming. Another option is to download some free vector graphics and use Illustrator or similar to edit them to be what you need. This involves a learning curve as well though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rob Bright
    Hi Tom,

    I can understand your frustration but I would be careful, graphics are one of those areas that will suck you dry in terms of your time, I mean you will end up fussing over this point that point etc, and not doing the important money making tasks like marketing your site and business.

    Did you try places like guru.com, elance.com odesk.com etc? You may already have but worth a look or just get a local graphic designer in your town to do it for you. Either way i would really outsource this task, especially if I was a newbie
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    • Profile picture of the author techservice
      Thanks Rob - I see your doing SFM - Is it working for you?
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      • Profile picture of the author CoverGraphix
        I suppose it also depends on how much you like doing it?

        I have been doing internet marketing for many years, but I always did my own graphics. Like Rob said, it took up a lot of my time. Sometimes designing the graphics took longer than getting the sales copy written.

        If you love doing it, then it doesn't feel like work.

        As for how long does it take to really get Photoshop down... I would guess 6 months to a year to feel comfortable.

        There are all sorts of tutorials out there, and many many lessons on Youtube which are free, but be ready to have your time sucked away.
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  • Profile picture of the author webapex
    The successful gurus are always advising that you focus on what you do best and outsource the rest, occasionally pasting together together stock elements is as far as a non artist should venture.

    A clumsy free counterpart of Photoshop that is passable for occasional jobs is Gimp.
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  • Profile picture of the author JV Warrior
    Hey Tom

    If you really LOVE the idea of doing graphics and you want to actually do it to make money (not to save money) then go ahead and jump on Youtube to begin learning the basics, then move to Lynda or sites like that to learn more indepth stuff.

    Otherwise, keep using the designers (find yourself a good and reliable one that you like to work with) and then focus on what you do better already. It will make you a ton more in time and you will not feel as frustrated.

    You cannot do everything yourself. Even if you do to begin with, it will soon end up killing your profit potential.

    Lizel
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Fernandez
    Originally Posted by Tom Bartlett View Post

    I thought I would ask the question here as I'm sure lots of newbs are having the same thought.

    The impact of great graphics for your sites makes all the difference. I've had enough of paying a designer and want to do it myself.

    Can anyone offer any suggestions? Or do you just have to learn from the ground up to be a wiz in photoshop?

    Thanks
    Tom,

    When I'm in a hurry and MUST do something myself I use - Photo editor online / free image editing direct in your browser - Pixlr.com. It's free and super easy to use/learn.

    If you want some cut and past graphics check the WSO's offered by Brad Gosse.
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    • Profile picture of the author RichPargeter
      Hi Tom,

      If you've got a passion for design, I'd say go for it.

      It does take time and a lot of hard work to learn the ropes so to speak, but one thing you can't learn is natural artistic talent.

      You've either got it or you haven't.

      This is what separates the wannabe designers from the pros.

      Give it a go, at least you'd then have first hand experience of the process a designer goes through, even if it wasn't for you in the end.

      Rich
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  • Profile picture of the author nthmarketing
    I'm with Rich on this one... having an eye for graphics is something you either have or don't it seems.

    I think having a basic understanding of how photoshop works is invaluable though. If your dealing with cropping, resizing, etc... there are things that you could pickup that will save you money down the road.
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  • Profile picture of the author sscot
    Photoshop, it's not difficult to learn. But, takes little long time to achieve professional quality. If you're serious with finishing, outsourcing is best option as I think.
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    • Profile picture of the author SeoVancouverWa
      Just find a good designer and have them do the work! Geez, there are much better things to do in this business than spend your time learning to do mediocre graphics.
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