I have Photoshop. I can't figure out how to use it to save my life.
My goodness, it's got one zillion little buttons to click on. I have no clue how it crops, cuts, pastes, adds things to pictures, etc.
I've tried a few programs that came with my various computers and I was horrible at all of them. Paste this, outline that, crop and refill, paint...
Can any of them just explain it in simple English?
I think photoshop is relatively high-end among photo editors, so it's got a lot of capabilities, and thus buttons.
Cutting and pasting peoples faces and heads isn't too tough. It's getting the coloring, light and shadows to match that's harder (at least for me). Now I'm seeing more photoshop pieces that use distortion and bends. Fun stuff.
First try a few things at free online image manipulation websites.
You need to convert any .jpgs to .gif format to crop, make backgrounds invisible, etc at GIFWorks.
You can do this at MyImager or ImageMagick
ImageMagick also has the most tricks on a free online website image toolbox but takes a little experience their to try out their toys.
Resizing and cropping is quickest, most simple, most accurate at GIFWorks
Next come MyImager for resizing and cropping
ImageMagick is the hardest for resizing and cropping
I always select "SMARTCROP" so my images will sit down flush on top of other graphics and not float above with a dumb space between them you cannot eliminate using HTML Tags when posting or building webpages or writing an email.
FlamingText.com has lotsa freevies
Try their "HEADINGS" tab at top of their Home Page and make some great banners, logos, scrolling text .gifs, "blinking" text .gifs
It take practice and experimentation
Play with colors, sizes, font styles, "pause", "speed", "loops", "glow", etc.
Examples:
(blinking text made at FlamingText.com)
http://0access.web1000.com/Wes.gif http://0access.web1000.com/goreTV.gif This can be Uploaded and posted as is or taken to Imagemagick and "composited" onto another large .gif
EXAMPLE:
(I made the heart at FlamingText, "zoomed" it at WebFX, resized it at GIFWorks, "composited" it at ImageMagick and also restricted the anomated "zoom-effect" to only 6 loops for 6 shots)
Practice
or borrow other's stuff as you learn
Good Luck!
http://0access.web1000.com/HV.gif
