If you’ve been dappling in Photoshop to see what it can do for your digital images, you’ve already had a glimpse of how Photoshop can add to the quality of your jobs, whether you need to improve the graphics for a major presentation or you just want to touch up some digital photos before emailing them to family and friends. If you’ve never taken a Photoshop training course, you’ve probably been wondering if you should. The short answer is: Yes, you should.

You’ll never regret the investment of time and money when you see how Photoshop training can take you to the next level. When you sharpen your Photoshop skills, you improve everything you do in your work and in your play. You learn how to add huge value to your web site designs, and how to give your presentations the quality of a professionally designed portfolio. It’s easier than ever to learn advanced design techniques with Photoshop training. And the best part of it is: You’ll have so much fun learning, you’ll never want to stop. Here are some of the things you should look for in an introductory Photoshop training course:

How to use the painting tools: You need to learn the different tools and techniques for painting your graphic images, as well as how to create patterns and how to use the pattern stamp tool.

How to do basic color correction: Every introductory Photoshop training course should teach you basic color theory-how to use color creatively. You also need to learn about color gradients, how to correct colors, and how to hand-color graphics and images.

How to work with type: A good introductory-level Photoshop training course will introduce you to type-the character and paragraph palettes, the Photoshop type tool, how to transform type, how to warp type, and how to create different type styles and effects.

How to create photographic edges and buttons: You need to learn how to automate jobs through the use of actions, how to design creative buttons, how to create navigation bars, and how to finish your project.

Before you begin your Photoshop training, you’ll probably need to have a version of Adobe Photoshop CS2, CS, or 7.0. If you have a version lower than Photoshop 6.0, you may not receive a certificate when you complete the course. And you may not be able to complete your Photoshop training course if you have a demo version of Photoshop, Photoshop LE, or Photoshop Elements, because these programs have limits in their software features.

Before you purchase Adobe Photoshop, always make sure that your computer meets the system requirements for working with your version of Photoshop. Most importantly, before you enroll in a Photoshop training course, be sure you’re willing to make a serious commitment of time and energy. You’ll only get out of your Photoshop training as much as you put into it, so be sure you have enough time to practice techniques and experiment with new tools.