giveaway! photoshop for bloggers

I am now an accomplished photo editor.

Okay, I take that back.

I am now a decent photo editor. :) [see proof below]:

I bought a digital SLR camera earlier this year and even though I had the nice "big-girl" camera, I continued to edit my photos with freebies online like Picnik. (May it soon rest in peace.) And while there's nothing wrong with free editing services (I've also used Pixlr, Piknic and Fotoflexr,) I wanted to learn more about the entire photography process -- including full editing.

Which is what brought me to Photoshop Elements. I learned a little bit of Photoshop in college but I knew there was no WAY I was dropping a bajillion dollars on it. Photoshop Elements, on the other hand, was a reasonable option-- especially because you can purchase older versions on Amazon for only $50. (The newest version retails for around $80.)

But Photoshop -- even Photoshop Elements -- is crazy-intimidating at best, which is why when Gina of Acute Designs and Leonora of Yellow Heart Art published their e-book "Photoshop for Bloggers" I jumped at the chance to buy it.

Not only is it very user-friendly (read easy to understand for the non-techy people), it's also entertaining and fun to read -- which is to be expected if you've ever had the pleasure of reading Gina's blog or Leonora's blog.

I can not recommend this book enough--and I'm not just saying that. For someone who was looking to start understanding Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, this was a great starting point and from there I have felt comfortable enough to begin experimenting on my own. As a warning, Photoshop a really addictive and fun thing once you get going.  (I even redesigned my blog as a result of playing around on Photoshop late into the night. Benefit, perhaps?)

But enough from me -- how about a chance to win it? (yay!)

Gina is generously offering the e-book to a rouge & whimsy reader! And there are lots o' entries. You have until next Wednesday, April 25. Good luck!

p.s. don't want to wait to pick up your copy? Gina is also offering a 20 percent discount here! and if you're a fan of her gorgeous accessory shop, you can also get 20 percent off with the code rougeandwhimsy. I love this gold leaf headband and these velvet stretch headbands!
a Rafflecopter giveaway