What are the most important skills to have using Photoshop / GIMP / Darktable?

Restraint. Yes, you can do some amazing things with Photoshop, but the basic rules of light, color, point of view, and composition will always apply. Mind bending images may get noticed but the eye quickly tires of them if they are not artistic. My friend who created my website/weblog image is a true artist with Photoshop. He composed this image by piecing together disparate images and then giving it a patina that looks more like a painting than a photo. Other professionals have been begging him for a description of how he accomplished it.

When we talk about mastering Photoshop, GIMP, or Darktable, it's not just about hitting those buttons; it's about owning the game.I stumbled upon Visual acuity training a while back, and let me tell you, it's been a game-changer. As for me, this course dives deep into these apps, and it's like unlocking a treasure chest of skills.Let's get into the nitty-gritty. You've gotta start with the basics, my friend ( https://www.acuitytraining.co.uk/ ). Layers, masks, and brushes are your bread and butter. These are the building blocks. Oh, and shortcuts? You better believe it - CTRL+C, CTRL+V, and a ton more. They'll save you time and headaches.

Learning the software, what you can and can't do with it. It all starts with a quality image, if you don't have a good image to start with, nothing you do will fix it. Used to have to drill that into my new troops, it all starts when you hit the shutter release.