The best way to learn Photoshop online, in a word, is "slowly." That may not be the answer you're looking for, but Photoshop is one of those programs that is extremely useful, but comes with a learning curve that's more of a vertical leap than a curve.

At least that's how it used to be when I first learned Photoshop. To learn Photoshop online was not even an option. With the Internet and not only YouTube, but similar online video networks, it is actually pretty easy to become proficient in Photoshop relatively quickly.

First things first, though, you need to get a hold of Photoshop itself, which is actually pretty expensive. There are other options, though, such as Photoshop Elements, which does not have all the bells and whistles of the full version, but might be just fine for what you need.

Once you have Photoshop, it's time to learn how to use it. There are a multitude of sites on the Internet that provide free tutorials. YouTube also has a lot of video tutorials you can search through. Video tutorials are nice because you can copy what the video does in a sort of "over the shoulder" environment.

It can be a little difficult to wade through all the videos and tutorials, especially if you are Googling for them, so be patient to find the right ones for you. I also recommend avoiding the cooler looking tutorials at first because they often assume that you know how to use Photoshop, so they may just end up confusing you until you've learned Photoshop online.

If you get frustrated trying to find the right videos to learn, it's probably best to just go through an online course that gives you step-by-step video tutorials on how to learn the basics of Photoshop. A lot of these courses are pretty cheap and can be really useful in jumpstarting your Photoshop education.

In my opinion, one of the best courses out there for the price is Photoshop By Example. This course has over 50 videos that are easy to follow, and they will quickly bring you up to speed on tips, tricks and techniques for Photoshop.

I've actually compared Photoshop By Example with a couple other products at http://www.squidoo.com/learn-photoshop-online Hopefully this will help you pick the best course for you and help you master Photoshop in no time!

By Dean L.

About the author

Craig Rodriquez writes regularly about web design related topics. I hope you enjoy this article.