Photoshop Elements

I decided at the beginning of the month that I wanted to learn Photoshop.  I downloaded a trial copy of Photoshop Elements from here and let myself loose.  I have tried to teach myself before but I got nowhere and got very frustrated in the process - what were these layers, why didn't my Microsoft office knowledge work here, why is this package so hard?  I gave up before really starting.

But not this time.  I approached it from a different angle and admitted I needed a bit of help with this one. I looked around the internet for useful tips and tutorials and here are a couple of my favourites:

• Adobe TV 

• The fantastic Elise Blaha Cripe has some great tutorials - this one I used to create the banner above and here is another

• Cathy Zielske - Elise's blog recommended checking out Cathy Zielske's blog for tutorials too.  Haven't had a chance to check them out myself yet but I will.

I watched, I listened and I practiced.  And then it happened - a lightbulb moment.  It was quite a small, dim lightbulb but there was light.  I suddenly started to see why people love Photoshop, I started to see the potential of this package, I started to finally GET what a layer was.

Now, I have a long way to go but I am going to put my money where my mouth is and actually purchase this package and continue my learning.

Do you have any other recommendations on how I can further my photoshop skills?  I would love to hear.