Hey everyone,
I'm sure most of you don't know me, but I've posted a few entries so far and really enjoy this website. I'm just wondering how everyone finds time to create such amazing works. While I was still on winter break I could easily find time...especially because I had absolutely no obligations. Now that I'm back to school, finding chopping time is few and far between.

How does everyone manage their time so they can balance life and commitments with here?

I'd like to dedicate the time necessary to PS for my work to be respectably good.

Thanks everyone, and nice to meet you all (in that internet forum kinda way)

I was talking to a guy here just recently, one of the top users by the way and he was giving me some tips on how to use photoshop and I asked him the same question. He said is not about finding time but about finding ideas and letting creativity take over.

Chop in your head.

I often chop on the drive into work and on the way back home. Don't just sit down and start changing or adding things (though I do that, too). Look at the source image. Decide what you'd like to do with it. Think about it. Chop it in your head. Plan it away from the computer. When you sit down to actually do the work, it will go faster--or you may realize what you'd like to do is beyond your skill set or time constraints. When that happens, you move on to the next source image.

When I started chopping a couple of years ago, it sometimes took me days to do a chop. Part of that was not knowing how to use my software, but most of it was farting around with images without having any idea what I wanted to do with them. I've since applied the approach I use with my professional work, important phone calls, crises, and the like: I think before I act. I Visualize. I do what I can do, not what I wish I could do. Things go much faster now. My wife yells at me much less than before.

Once you know what it is you want to do--and are pretty sure you can do it--you can work on your chop for a few minutes here or an hour there. You won't feel like you've got to sit down in some sort of artistic fugue state and whip out a masterpiece in one twenty-hour sitting. The idea will be in your head like a blueprint. It's just like building a backyard shed or writing a computer program. Have a plan.

The biggest time sucker for me lately is finding external images. I'm learning to get around this by painting or fabricating elements I can't find quickly. I've also decided to do only two or three chops a week. If I don't have the time, I'll do one a month. I just try to do them well. It doesn't always work out that way. I do what I can do. I'm still learning.

Fwiw.

--twk

I hire midgets to do the work while I drink beer.
You can get them to work for 1/2 price, so that way I can afford more beer. shhh. don't tell them that.
Although my work keeps coming up short

I don't have time. Ever since having my third child, I haven't chopped in any contests. It takes me an average of 8 hours to do one of my chops. Knowing that it takes that long to do a chop discourages me from sitting down anymore to attempt one. I set the bar too high for myself, but I'm very happy with my work. My wife used to hate it when I was on the computer all day chopping. I don't have many shortcuts, so I end up doing things the hard way, the long way. Some of these people here post every single day, and some of their work is fantastic, and I know they don't spend 8 hours doing this daily.

To a point I already visualize beforehand what I want to chop. The chop that I did that garnered the most votes and positive responses here was actually one that I had totally thought of and planned before I did it. It was actually the reason that I registered here.

I think the problem I've run into most thus far is that I feel like I never quite have the means to do what I want, so figuring it out always takes me a long time. Of course, not having CS2/3 certainly doesn't help that (if anyone knows a good place to get those for free, I'm very open to suggestions).

On another note, this makes me rather glad that I don't have a wife. I'm not a fan of being yelled at

Then basically what your saying Paul, is we each have a choice to make. That is, it all comes down to whether we want to do high quality, think ahead chopping, versus midget outsourcing? Basically, Tawiskaro's way or the midget way? Or,

6..............................vs..............................40?

----

BEER.........................vs.......CREATIVE THINKING?

--------

.... decisions, decisions ....

Oi Ido tne midget thing around here
bloody Von Stetina steeling my midgets...

only takes me 15 minutes.

Did you download the latest PS. "CS excelerated."
It's much faster than the other versions.

Become an Advantage member. You'll be able to pick a source image and work on it for weeks. Also, you don't need CS2/3. I use Paint Shop Pro X. Others have used Gimp. Yet others use inexpensive or free software. Not as good as PhotoShop, I'm sure, but adequate.

I'm not a fan of being yelled at either, so I chop fast now.

I'd very much so love to go Advantage. I've been coming here for weeks and trying to decide if my poor college budget can actually afford me doing that. If there's a superbly nice benefactor out there who'd love to help a brotha out...

In all seriousness though, I've read through a ton of threads and someone mentioned one of their favorite parts about the site was that you got your source and had to quick. It sharpens your skills and makes you think creatively in a whole different way with that time constraint. I'll see for now how that helps me.

Thanks for all of your excellent input (thus far).

I don't have time... I'm a slow shopper like glennhanna. While searching the internet for photo's or an exemple take too long... in my head comes an idea too make it myself.
PS 3 on the comp, but I like to work with PS 7.0.
The chopping goes on, day and night... in my head that is. Things I see, hear, whatever...
About the time... I just don't sleep.


Yeah yeah... blurry English... I know!

Photoshoppin' Mister Candron!
Just shoppin'...


A dirty mind is a joy/toy forever...