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TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY BAFFLED


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Bought myself a MacBook, camera etc yesterday so thought I would try infinity photo.  Despite following the instructions in the first tutorial nothing I do seems to work.  I am completely baffled by the jargon and there seems nowhere where an explanation can be obtained that is written or spoken in plain English.   Looks like the time is nigh to consider the purchase to be an error and delete it from the system.  By the way this is the first time I have ever used a computer or digital camera

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Hello Blind Lens,

 

Maybe we can help you get started :)

Other programs aren't really easier, maybe they have books or more written guides.

But the community and staff here is fantastic at helping if you ask something.

And more tutorials are added both from Affinity and users.

 

Give it some time and ask away here and i'm sure you'll get up n running quickly.

We were all beginner at some point :unsure:

 

You say "nothing seems to work" what do you mean by that?

 

Cheers :)

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By the way this is the first time I have ever used a computer or digital camera

Then this is a whole new technology to you and requires a disciplined way of thinking that can be daunting at first.  However, if you persist it will open creative and learning opportunities that can seem almost limitless.

 

There are many people here, and elsewhere on the net, who will be happy to help you along the way so don't be afraid of asking questions, no matter how simple.  My dear, late father once said to me that I should never be afraid to ask a question just because I feared it would make me seem ignorant.  At worst, asking the question would make me appear ignorant for a few seconds but not asking risks my remaining ignorant or the rest on my life.

 

Also, always remember that if something a computer does confuses you it is usually because you are thinking at too high a level.  Becoming proficient with computer software has a lot to do with learning to think at the low (simplistic, literal) level to which computers are constrained.

 

There are a lot of people here who enjoy sharing the things they have learned so don't be afraid to ask any question.

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Easiest way to start learning is by reading manuals or using help files. Do things step by step, practice what you read and if you have questions post them. Having never used a digital camera, computer or the software involved, it is going to seem very intimidating. Just be patient and keep working at it and remember that we have all been where you are at one time.

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  • 2 weeks later...

ouch.......! the answers are really so kind that I am feeling moved by it, Leaning the "ways" of a computer is not oike learning the ways of a camera, both being born as digital tools. I started with th camera first and was even angry when I had lto learn to use the mouse!! really angry, so I can see now that you are angry too. Love coranda's workds for that is exactly what is happening. One has to be hunble and learn from scratch and repeat and repeat as if one would be learning to play an instrument.

for not talking about programs and all that stuff....it is a really hard thing!!!! Your pruchasing has been baffled by a sort of navietê but I am sure that one you chang your inner disposition everything will be all rightl

there are courses in many places, where you can sign in and oearn with a direct totoring from some expert teacher. And not on-line..if you are that afraid, or mad.

the basics....nothing more than the basic things,,,and then you will fly away!!!

Have patience and enjoy your new fantastic workd of digital creation,

Rosa

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Welcome Blind Lens!

 

When I was born I received a body with hands and eyes and ears and mouth and such - none of which I knew how to use.

All that my ears and eyes took in was meaningless confusion.

Hell, I couldn’t even speak my native language decently for quite a number of years.

 

Ok, I am being a bit facetious here but my point is that I learned to speak by imitating the sounds I heard and associating them with objects, actions, feelings, or ideas.  I began to make sense of what I heard and saw through experiences that helped me to associate what was ‘in my head’ with what was in the ‘world’.

 

Through many years of practice I can now pick up a pin with my thumb and forefinger, separate white from yolk, and myriad other things which once were far beyond my abilities.

 

This computer, camera, and Affinity Photo are exceedingly more simple than these other things I mentioned. Unfortunately, ‘simple’ does not equate with ‘easy’.

 

So, hang in there. Ask a specific question and, when it is answered, put into practice what you learned. Repeat as often as necessary. There are a lot of willing and helpful people here and if one were to tire of you then others would be there to take their place (and the one who tired will have missed out on one of the greater joys in life).  Undoubtably, books and courses will be available soon from the far reaches of the internet with companies and individuals vying to accept payment to speed you along in the learning process. Those, too, can be helpful.

 

But I didn’t learn to speak from classes and books; I could do that long before school. Neither did I need much assistance in learning to eat or use my eyes to see the marvels of the world.

 

Rather it was through trial and error, imitation, following the actions of others step by step, or simply asking someone who knew. Books and classes can help us improve but the basics we can get without them.

 

And, for creative purposes, those things we learned in those ways (rather than books or classes) become part of us and help shape our creative minds. IMHO

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Bought myself a MacBook, camera etc yesterday so thought I would try infinity photo.  Despite following the instructions in the first tutorial nothing I do seems to work.  I am completely baffled by the jargon and there seems nowhere where an explanation can be obtained that is written or spoken in plain English.   Looks like the time is nigh to consider the purchase to be an error and delete it from the system.  By the way this is the first time I have ever used a computer or digital camera

OK, so a car driver buys a caravan and car and has a panic attack cause he can't drive. Surprised? No! This is you, all the kit, none of the training and all of the regret.

 

Stop, take a breath and tell us a few things:

What do you want to do with your photos? Remove red dots from peoples' eyes? Cut the photo to a certain part of the image. Maybe you want to create new montages (Think Sgt Pepper by the Beatles). 

 

What camera do you own? Canon, Nikon, fuji etc. Is it a phone camera, bridge camera, 

What Mac do you own? MacBook Pro/Air, or a desktop model.

 

These new found skills won't happen overnight. It takes about 2 years to be so familiar with a brand new computer/operating system (Windows to Mac OS/Linux/Android etc), that you can teach a newbie from scratch. Cameras not so long. Play with your camera daily, make mistakes, just use the automatic setting first. Train your eye!

 

Read the instruction books; print them out, if they aren't on paper already...read on the bus, bath, lunch break at work. Study one facet, say the rule of thirds. This will become instinctive, your camera should show you this noughts and crosses/tic-tac-toe grid in the view finder/display screen.

 

See pics below. This simple tip, will give instant confidence, as your photos will look a lot better, with zero effort.

 

ruleofthirds.jpg33c9e8b1c0b519835a47b2948b263752.jpg

 

Now go out and photograph the beach/coast or horizon. Then post them on the forum, the good bad and the ugly!

Learn just one new task per week, practice every day and watch your confidence and ability grow. Then once you've mastered that, then you can move on to the next lesson.

 

This is the bit where we can help. Give us questions like, how do I add a sepia effect to a picture? How do I turn a colour picture into black and white? What is exporting? What is RAW? Keep it simple, keep it basic and we'll get you up to speed, before you know it. Some of us are dying to fill the gaps in your knowledge. If your unsure ask me, I might not know the answer, but I'll find out who does. 

 

Try it

 

HTH

 

peter

 

PS there is only one stupid question in this forum: Isn't Adobe's Cloud subscription scheme a wonderful idea! 

 

Remember: save and backup, backup, backup. Lost memory cards/cameras/phones (on the beach, bus or bar), are a curse, deleted files can be rescued!

MacBook pro, 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB, OS X 10.11.6

 

http://www.pinterest.com/peter2111

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Thanks rosa, seems like I've said something right for once: three likes in one go and a positive comment.

 

Basically he's suffering from Why can't humans download drivers/get upgraded, just like gadgets? syndrome. 

 

Hands up anyone who can't read/write music? We can hum a tune, say what sounds nice and even give it a review...but to start from scratch, well that's a talent in itself. Software helps loads, as does your own personal muse standing over your shoulder, support from peers goes without saying. Together this holy trinity will provide a solid platform. :)

MacBook pro, 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB, OS X 10.11.6

 

http://www.pinterest.com/peter2111

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Bought myself a MacBook, camera etc yesterday so thought I would try infinity photo.  Despite following the instructions in the first tutorial nothing I do seems to work.  I am completely baffled by the jargon and there seems nowhere where an explanation can be obtained that is written or spoken in plain English.   Looks like the time is nigh to consider the purchase to be an error and delete it from the system.  By the way this is the first time I have ever used a computer or digital camera

i feel the same way!!! We need a ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS manual.

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  • Staff

Hi cindydelps,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

Most of the terminology and concepts used in Affinity Photo are not specific to our program. They come from photography and digital imaging in general and are used in most photography/imaging/video editing software. All the information you may read about them will also be applicable here. Even learning to work with your camera/settings will introduce you to some of those topics.

 

We already started covering some of of the basics in our videos. Have you checked them? You can find a list of the tutorials available here and more will be added soon. If there's a specific term you don't understand you can also ask here in the forums. There are several experienced users willing to help.

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