There's an image I really want to do with that Trump orb thing. If I took one day, I'm sure I could learn it, and yet I feel if I can't do it right now, it just doesn't matter anymore. But why not learn it today, so I'd be ready the next time some idea hits me? But that's the nature of my form of laziness kicks in: I'm completely industrious about everything I can do right now, but unwilling to prepare to do something in the future.
You might think this attitude seems immature and childish, but it's actually pretty appropriate in the old.
May 22, 2017
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So it's safe to say you're not finalizing plans for your doomsday seed vault?
Keen observation!
I run almost every image through Photoshop, a slight crop here, a small level adjustment there, a small tweak to the shadows ... its good for a lot more than major manipulation.
Once you know it, everything else is substandard (see also: manual mode on camera).
It does have a learning curve, but so does any camera. IMO, it is like learning how to shoout outside of AUTO- a necessary step.
When did you decide you were old?
True, but is it a good thing to give into? You could live another 30 years, enough time to put to use your new found skills. I also think that if you really want to do it badly enough, that gives you incentive to overcome laziness.
"But that's the nature of my form of laziness kicks in: I'm completely industrious about everything I can do right now, but unwilling to prepare to do something in the future."
It's called "inertia" and has been my biggest obstacle since I retired. Once recognized, inertia became the source of a daily battle for me.
You. Are. Not. Yet. Old.
Says the septuagenarian.
"I run almost every image through Photoshop, a slight crop here, a small level adjustment there, a small tweak to the shadows ... its good for a lot more than major manipulation."
I don't mean tweaking photographs. I do that (in my Mac software). I mean changing an image into something else, combining this and that. Substituting something else for the orb in the Trump photo.
Let YouTube lead the way. You'd be surprised how easy it is.
Talent and skill in visual arts are wonderful things. If you can do it, you should.
"When did you decide you were old?"
I've always been old. It's just a question of how old.
The better question is: When did I stop the self-indulgence of thinking of myself as young? I'm not quite sure that I have!
Actually, Tommy Duncan is right. Once you retire a week rapidly changes from five weekdays and a weekend into six Saturdays and a Sunday. And the Sunday is only different because the stores close early and the neighbors go to church (also I make the breakfast). So if you don't get something done today there's always tomorrow. Except tomorrow can turn into months, even years, if you let it.
Don't let it do that.
Substituting something else for the orb in the Trump photo.
Something else that Trump is grabbing? ( Because when you're a celebrity, they let you ).
Better stick that image in a NSFW link...
I like saying that I'm old, perhaps because I think it sounds youthful. Nothing sounds more negatively old than claiming to be young when you're over 30.
"I like saying that I'm old, perhaps because I think it sounds youthful. Nothing sounds more negatively old than claiming to be young when you're over 30."
Depending on the circumstances. If you're dying, you can cry out that you are dying young all the way up to 70 or maybe more.
You're a Mac user, right? You might take a look at shareware app GraphicConverter, which (I think) is easier to use than Photoshop, and does almost exactly the same stuff.
https://www.lemkesoft.de/en/products/graphicconverter/
Yeah, I noticed the same thing after I retired. I do some investment stuff using Excel spreadsheets, awkwardly. I downloaded a book showing all the advanced ways to use new Excel, but haven't looked at it in 2 yrs. Part of it is, most tech skills are use it or lose it: if its something you don't use every day, why bother?
When did I stop the self-indulgence of thinking of myself as young? I'm not quite sure that I have!
I just turned 50. I'm definitely still young. I will finish up a Master's Degree this year. I'm planning an attempt at a Boston Marathon in the future. ( Once my youngest is off to college and I have more free time to train. )
What happened to the fish eye lens?
I try to play the piano every day. Well, that's what I tell myself. I'm kinda OK at keys. The rule is: put your hands on the keys once a day, if even only for half a minute.
The rule should work for art, too. Draw something, or mess with a graphic. Probably best to stick with a specific technique, a piece of software or a pile of pens. You, Althouse, are posting all of these great photographs. That's good! Keep it up! You don't have to become a Photoshop goddess.
Hi Ann,
From what you are describing, you should be able to learn how to do that in an hour or so.
Here is a series of videos that I think you will find educational -- and very, VERY entertaining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_X5uR7VC4M&list=PLD19BCF9D57320E03
In fact, you may enjoy the videos so much that you don't get around to the photoshopping today
"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."
From the trucking thread:
"Because at 54 years old, nobody wants me. I can’t retrain for anything else. For older people, you kind of get trapped. For every one that does well, there’s 30 that it destroys."
Me:
I just turned 50. I'm definitely still young.
The Professor, commenting at the same time I was typing mine up:
Nothing sounds more negatively old than claiming to be young when you're over 30.
Thanks.
YouTube is the best for online tutorials! I've learned Zentangling, Calligraphy, pressure cookery, crocheting, so many technical things I thought I could never do, etc etc. that's the first place I go to know for quick and easy lessons on almost anything.
Try GIMP. Plenty of tutorials on the web for specific effects. For anything beyond color adjustments you should first take the time to get familiar with Layers.
Meade, two words: Kama Sutra.
Before it's too late!
"Because at 54 years old, nobody wants me. I can’t retrain for anything else. For older people, you kind of get trapped. For every one that does well, there’s 30 that it destroys."
You could say the same for software development.
Chip Ahoy could do a great job. You ran him out of here.
At this point in your life, generally speaking, you should do what is easy and fun, and not hard and a chore. So, I suggest you not learn Photoshop unless you like a challenge. You sound ambivalent, so forget about it.
"You're a Mac user, right? You might take a look at shareware app GraphicConverter, which (I think) is easier to use than Photoshop, and does almost exactly the same stuff."
Thanks. I will.
"You could live another 30 years, enough time to put to use your new found skills. I also think that if you really want to do it badly enough, that gives you incentive to overcome laziness."
Just imagine the images I'll be wanting to combine for comic effect when I'm pushing 100.
But you're forgetting the function of what we call laziness. It does serve a purpose. If I have 30 years, I might do one thing or I might do another. Who's to say that the thing I could do if a got past the laziness block on one path is better than what I'd do if I continue to move forward on the path that's wide and clear.
I know Jesus said "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
But I'm 100% positive he wasn't talking about learning Photoshop.
"From what you are describing, you should be able to learn how to do that in an hour or so. Here is a series of videos that I think you will find educational -- and very, VERY entertaining..."
Thanks. I do agree that what I want to learn how to do should be learnable in one hour.
"What happened to the fish eye lens?"
Whenever I used it, some people would complain. Too much fisheye, they said. I'm waiting for the clamorous "More fisheye!" Even you are not giving me that. You're just saying "What happened to the fish eye lens?"
It's just not the lens on my SLR camera right now, and the SLR is not the camera I normally choose to carry.
"Once you retire a week rapidly changes from five weekdays and a weekend into six Saturdays and a Sunday. And the Sunday is only different because the stores close early and the neighbors go to church (also I make the breakfast). So if you don't get something done today there's always tomorrow. Except tomorrow can turn into months, even years, if you let it. Don't let it do that."
I am doing what I want and what I retired to do more of.
There are things I thought I'd add to my day once I got my law school obligations behind me, but I find I like to write on the blog, read, go for walks and take some photographs, and talk to Meade. To relax, I do the crossword and watch "Great Courses" on TV.
Althouse
Curious if you even use a camera any longer or rely only on iPhone? I have five or six cameras lying around that don't get used
I too find photoshop a bore.
Old dogs? :)
I'm worse, though. I'll buy a book on learning a new skill like Photoshop, crack it open maybe once or twice, and there it will languish on the shelf, collecting dust. It's as if some part of me believes that if I own the educational material and the software itself, somehow I'll learn by osmosis.
So, I'm more proactive than you are about learning a new skill in that I'll complete the preliminary task, but that's where it ends. So we're both lazy, but I'm out $30 bucks :)
"So, I suggest you not learn Photoshop unless you like a challenge."
It's not necessarily the thing I'd choose if I wanted "a challenge." There are other challenges, such as studying a language or reading a book of philosophy or painting all the woodwork in the house. Does anyone begin with the abstraction of wanting a challenge?
When did I stop the self-indulgence of thinking of myself as young?
We like to think of ourselves as young because we want to resist dying.
I was at a men's conference at my church one time, and the speaker asked the audience how old we felt. All the men in the room were in their 40s, 50's, 60s, and 70's. Middle age and older.
"Does anybody here feel 20?"
No hands went up.
"Does anybody here feel 30?"
My hand went up. The only one. I'm 49.
"Does anybody here feel 40?" A lot of hands went up.
A lot of men feel younger than their actual age. And maybe some people feel older than they are. It probably depends on how hard your life is, and how much stress you put on yourself.
I know women in their 60's and 70's who still refer to themselves as "girls." And I don't think it's because the patriarchy has brainwashed them. They just like feeling young, active, happy, and free of worry.
See also men wearing shorts!
EDH, thanks but it's widely-known that I wrote that book (under a pseudonym of course). In fact, back in the little Indiana village where I was born they're debating over the perfect location to erect the 18-foot-tall statue of me. Made in China of course.
"Does anyone begin with the abstraction of wanting a challenge?"
I think the answer to that question is: Yes, somebody who's currently stuck in something that is unchallenging, such as someone with a routine job or a student forced to attend what are very boring classes.
But if you're currently interested in what you're doing, I don't think you stop and say I need a challenge.
I don't mean tweaking photographs. I do that (in my Mac software). I mean changing an image into something else, combining this and that. Substituting something else for the orb in the Trump photo.
Honestly, I've found that most meme-type internet work, of the sort you're talking about, can be handled quite well in Power Point. I never would have guessed that, but back when I started making humorous memes for a couple of groups I belong to, I asked someone how to do it and that's where they sent me. Works pretty well for things like that.
"YouTube is the best for online tutorials! I've learned Zentangling, Calligraphy, pressure cookery, crocheting, so many technical things I thought I could never do, etc etc. that's the first place I go to know for quick and easy lessons on almost anything."
Wait. Do you actually do these things or do you just watch YouTube how-to's for fun?
I watched a YouTube of somebody Photoshopping a dog's head (or a whale's head or something, I forget) onto a penguin. It made me think: That's too much trouble. Even as he was trying to make it look quick.
"Honestly, I've found that most meme-type internet work, of the sort you're talking about, can be handled quite well in Power Point. I never would have guessed that, but back when I started making humorous memes for a couple of groups I belong to, I asked someone how to do it and that's where they sent me. Works pretty well for things like that."
Interesting!
I've never used PowerPoint. That's something else I avoided.
"Curious if you even use a camera any longer or rely only on iPhone? I have five or six cameras lying around that don't get used."
Yes, I have 3 cameras other than the iPhone and I use them all a lot. I hate to use the iPhone for photography (except as part of texting). It's much harder to hold and there's always a risk of theft.
"Chip Ahoy could do a great job. You ran him out of here."
He did a great job, but he chose to leave. I didn't "run him out," you big liar. I should run you out.
DRIVE. THEM. OUT.
Blogger Scott M said..."Honestly, I've found that most meme-type internet work, of the sort you're talking about, can be handled quite well in Power Point."
Yep, that's what I'd use.
I have never spent the time to learn Photoshop either. Or CorelPaint which I have and is much the same. I do use Adobe Premiere Elements to make a a lot of greenscreen videos for a client and it is not hard to do.
When I want to edit photos, I usually use Paint.Net Available free at https://www.getpaint.net/index.html
Much easier to use than PhotoShop and does many of the same things PhotoShop does.
Cropping, captioning and adding clouds, arrows and such, which I do a lot of, I usually do in CorelDraw. Draw has a fairly steep learning curve. I've been using it pretty much daily for 15 years and still find new things it can do regularly.
John Henry
I have version 6 of Photoshop. You don't need to register to get it to work, and you don't have to pay to join the cloud.
The problem is, there's a free version of Gimp on my linux box, but after learning all the PS tricks, I don't want to start over.
To tell the truth, I very rarely PS anything. I've become a snapshot photographer.
In my youth I was on the leading edge. I was one of the first PC users. There was dearth of software, but I spent inordinate amounts of time grinding through software manuals. I became a MS Chart expert and a Lotus 1-2-3 expert. Time well spent. At some point, I decided I wasn't going to spend countless learning a new program, especially if I was going to use it on a regular basis. The only software I would learn would have to cost less than $100, deciding that was cheap and it would have limited complexity.
At some point I received a bootleg copy of Photoshop 3. I mean the version 3 before they switched to CS. I had no manual. File/Open and then stare at the screen. Photoshop has been the most consuming software in terms a time spent learning it. I don't recommend spending time learning it thoroughly. As a poster has duly noted, you can find the technique for your task on YouTube without spending ungodly amounts of time learning Photoshop. Even googling, "How do I ___________ in Photoshop" will get what you need.
My life would be simpler if I used Lightroom rather than Photoshop, but I learned Photoshop first, so I refuse to spend any time learning Lightroom now. Life's short. I'm not wasting it learning software.
Why learn it, when you have willing, devoted, readers of this little ol' blog? I am mostly a lurker, but am a graphic designer by trade. I'd be willing to whip something up on your behalf...if you think it's worth the pursuit.
Which is the question I keep in mind as I get older...it's not laziness, it's economy of time.
I'm waiting for the clamorous "More fish eye!" Even you are not giving me that. You're just saying "What happened to the fish eye lens?"
More fish eye! I am not saying "Let's have WALL-TO-WALL fish eye!" But you could do a fish eye cafe now and again. I would even settle for fake, Photoshopped fish eye.
I am happy you say why learn something because of age. I am aged, I am 80, and I know exactly what you mean. I have enough learning in the past, I have plenty for tools of use for the moment. I have enough going on in my head, why confuse it with more. Somethings I do learn, but not if its hard work. Why bother? Unless it is something I really want why should I do it? Unless it pleases me, why should I do it? I see no real answers to that. It's my choice. It is also your choice, and I'm sure there is plenty you will be learning, just do it at your leisure, your choice.
"...the 18-foot-tall statue of me..."
But it's really only 16-foot-tall, amirite?
"Why learn it, when you have willing, devoted, readers of this little ol' blog? I am mostly a lurker, but am a graphic designer by trade. I'd be willing to whip something up on your behalf...if you think it's worth the pursuit."
Well, the idea I wanted was the head ftom the Karl Marx statue at the link in my pst about Trier, Germany replacing the orb in one of the Trump pictures.
"But it's really only 16-foot-tall, amirite?"
Technically, you are right. But with my afro, 18'.
Well, the immaturity, or at any rate the character defect, may lie in your talking about it but not doing anything about it part. If you're not going to do anything about it, you could just stop talking about it.
Beat me to the punch! Well played, Rick Lee....
I don't it's a question of laziness but innate wisdom. Learning Photoshop is not something which can be done in an hour. I used to think that learning about computers would be straightforward because they are machines and machines are based in objection facts and logic and I can follow instructions.
Then I started learning Photoshop and found it wasn't that easy because: 1. lots of the instructions were written by people who were not fluent in English or good writers 2. lots of necessary information was left out because the writer assumed an unrealistic level of knowledge for a beginner. 3. lots of the program was built around an expect level of expertise and vocabulary and the instructions gave zero help 4. at that time there were aspects of the program and tools which simply didn't work well and were frustrating for everyone, AKA glitches. I also remember at the time large sections in the bookstores where there were huge books written on Photoshop and lots of classes you could take in junior college, all in addition to the text provided by Adobe. Apparently Adobe didn't feel the need to actually provide adequate instructions. I did learn a lot but found I only use it in a very limited way so never upgraded the new versions. Even if you were to learn a very limited aspect of Photoshop there's a learning curve in actually using the tools Photoshop provides, masks and selection tools -- a few weeks at a minimum.
There have been a lot of versions of Photoshop since then so maybe Photoshop is all much easier now, but I doubt it. Again, there's nothing lazy about avoiding unnecessary stress. If you wanted your car tuned you probably wouldn't bother learning how to do that just because you are retired now, unless you always wanted to know how to tune a car.
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