May 2nd Meeting

Hello all! The May Photoshop Users Group meeting was a huge success! I sometimes can’t believe the talent and experience of our group members, and we are growing. Big Time. The first meeting we had 10 hard-core Photoshop users. The meeting in May had 15 members more diverse experience in Photoshop. I could have stayed there for hours just to see what topic would come up next. But with the more diverse group, some members were not able to participate in the conversation. The topic was on layers and we jumped around a bit. Rich in content but Jim and I noticed some members frustration. Sorry about that.

Jim and I thought about having a meeting for people less experienced in Photoshop. That way, they can come online and jump-start their knowledge of Photoshop. So, comma, the next meeting will be on June 6th and geared for beginner level in Photoshop and the topic will be layers. Jim has asked that we limit the attendance to 6 members to keep focused on the topic. Be sure to contact me through this Blog with a R.S.V.P to get a seat. This will be an excellent time for the beginner to get one-on-one training from a pro!

What I’d like to see is members introduce themselves and tell something about their project (keeping it short to no more than a minute each). Jim takes the stage and explains the fundamentals and the ins and outs of layers. Have time of question and answer. We share our projects with other members (networking/socializing). Trade business cards and phone numbers and go home happy.

So, the people who know about layers and how to use them what do you do? Let me say this about that. We are just starting a long journey of monthly users group meetings in Photoshop. We are growing slowly mostly from Meetup and word of mouth. Slow growth is good. Can you imagine the chaos if we advertise? At this time we have packed into studio’s that have hosted the meetings. As we grow other members will want to host their own meetings. That is good because it gives the members another place to go to enhance their Photoshop experience. Michael Davis has created a web page in Google and posted his thoughts in this Blog under “What do you Think”? Just click on the time (10:35 AM) and read his comments. Tatiana Sullivan is taking on the role as organizer in Meetup and in the process of creating a web page for Photoshop users. Within a year I can see that we might have 3 or 4 different meetings with different organizers, hosts, web sites and blogs. You will have the choice of which group fits your needs or go to all of them. But you know, going to a users group meeting and listening to the presentation is only half of the learning experience. The other half is bringing your work and sharing it with others. If you are frustrated with the way things are going, have patience, we are just getting started.

Back to the question for the people who know all about layers. Out of courtesy to the beginner and the host, can you sit this one out? Ok, if you show up you are welcome. Just know that this is a topic on layers for the beginner and Jim is the host.

Your comments are welcome.