Ok choppers and chopperettes, Blue_lurker here. Many years ago this use to be a great learning sites, and in many ways it still is, but I have a dream.
Ok it did have midgets in it for the first halve but then it got serious.
How cool would it be to be able to PM one member and get the help from over 15 of PSC best choppers, ask questions and seek advice from a pool of the best. Cool idea huh, well now you can and all you have to do is follow some real simple rules.

Now you have the choice to…


The concept is simple and the rules are easy to follow. I have set up an account called “grab-a-guru”, all you have to do is send a PM to that account and wait till one of our Gurus answers your PM. Once a Guru answers your PM you will be notified by a reply PM and your answer will be added to the Guru thread. (Once we have some questions the thread will appear in the forum) this way everyone gets to read and if they wish comment, but most of all learn from some of the best. Who are the gurus you ask, that’s up to them if they wish to reveal them selves but trust me I have been twisting arms and calling in lots of favours to get a good range of top choppers from PSC. You wont be disappointed.

Ok there are a few simple rules and it would be nice to see them followed, that way every one gets a fair chance to learn at there skills level.


1. Grab a Guru will only answer questions that are sent via PMs, so please don’t ask within the thread, and remember it’s about PhotoShop not how to get a date. K.
2. Questions about Images in on going contests are not allowed, that includes questions on prize contests as well.
3. Make your questions clear and with as much detail as you can. Don’t just ask, “What’s wrong with this image?” or “How do I make this better”. Try before you ask you never know you may just get it right.
4. If you use the Gurus help in an upcoming contest image then give the Guru credit for the help he gave. They don’t get paid for there time and a thank you goes a long way.
5. It may take a few days for a Guru to answer your question and then a few more for it to be posted in the thread, so please be patient and don’t keep asking where is my answer. If your question is picked up by a Guru they will let you know via a reply PM. We will try to answer all questions.

So there ya have it, I and others thing this could be a great learning tool for PSC new and old members alike, and over time I hope to have special guest Gurus that have that special one of talent giving tips and tricks.

Lets try and keep this thread positive and on the right track for a learning experience.

Is this a different thing to people just PMing you for advice? I don't mind that anyway, so I can't see what's new here!

The big difference is that every one can read the questions and answers, so every one gets the chance to learn some thing new or in some cases learn a different way to achieve an effect or method.

With the questions being saved I hope to one day have a good data base of FAQ in PS effects and skills, so every one can use it.

I know its not for everyone but a lot of folks out there don't like to pm people in case they cause problems, this way you have over 15 good choppers from PSC willing to help you and others out. That has to be a good thing?

I like any idea what will make PS users learn more and the idea of a huge database with FAQ sounds like a real good idea.
The Guru-system.. it might work. 15 Guru's or a bit more or less is good I think. If just everyone can answer, you get a too big mix of ideas and not always accurate ideas. If only the guru's can give the answer, then the questioner can be more sure about the answer, coming from a selected Guru.

Just brainstorming along here, I might see it wrong though
But the idea behind it I really like.

Now will this help those who need Flash 3 help?

Very cool, Blue Guru! I like this concept a lot! I see it becoming a truly invaluable feature of PSC!
(Even if "Got any ideas for chopping an upcoming image" isn't a Guru-level question... )

Yep! PSC used to be MUCH more about the learning and sharing tips and how-to resources, and a bit less about the "art for art's sake," votes, or prizes. I think it's wonderful to bring back some of the shared quest-for-chopping-knowledge so PSC can have more of a balance of ALL those aspects and really have something for EVERYONE. Kudos for a terrific idea and getting a team of "gurus" together to support it!

yep cause we do have access to a flash guru as well, he just don't like being called a Guru. We also have some great animation, photo realistic, cartoon and many others. I have tried to get a good section of the skill basis at PSC and the quality of your Gurus is in the top percentage.

So you dial up a guru and maybe down the road we have a catalog of how to fix problems we can draw from.
I think and I know you people don't care what I think but here it is.
I think it's wonderful because you will eventually have your own little Wiki of Photoshop and who knows this thing might be the Wiki everyone in the world who has issues or problems with photoshop comes to get help.

Like how to do a good fur or strands of hair without it looking like my dog cut it out.

Manic the idea is to make it for every one and If you want to know how to make good hair then my friend

I think I love you!

This sounds fantastic Blue. I have a brain twister for the grab-a-guru group. It involves transparent cloud repair. I'll type up the problem I encountered and pm it in. Hopefully you guys will have a better solution to the problem than I had. Thanks again for setting this up.

Hey! Stop touching me!

Oh..great blue "carnac" lurker...

Bestow your infinite knowledge upon the PSC flock. Please give us the question to the almighty
answer to..."a midget, a bottle of wine and rondo"



*rips open the envelope*

answer...leif's accomplishment in acting

Me likes this idea *!*

Good idea!