The Secret to Adobe Photoshop!!!

I finally found the secret to Adobe Photoshop!! I am so jazzed up!! After struggling with layers, trying to understand them, and use them and getting frustrated, it finally came together!! I have been rereading my quilt/photo books, to get help with my "issues" and found a hint of something in the 8th book I reread. I had to reread it 5 times, to finally find the secret, it is "Blending modes." When I had stacked two photos together in a layer, nothing happened, I could fade one with opacity, but that lost the clarity on one of them. Other wise I couldn't do anything, it was very frustrating. So now blending modes, it lets two overlapped photos both be seen at once, and it has different modes for the way they interact! It is so cool, and because I had already been playing with color, learning it's secrets, I was able to blend two photos with a gradient color overlay. I hope the ladies can come to class next week, it will be so much better. I am trying to stay ahead of them, as a teacher it is a challenge, but they are VERY beginners, so it is working out. I also don't think they are doing their homework! ha ha ha, whoever does? So now back to playing with my pictures, this opens up the whole world of photoshop, oh, the tragedy of being self taught. No one to ask, complicated books, that talk over your head, and even more complicated programs, that become obsolete before you know it, I would hate to have to keep up with the changes in version, 7, 8, and 9!