Adventures in Photoshop and Commerce

Not one to go into anything halfheartedly, I have started this semester not only as a teacher but as a student, so while I'm working on my own lesson plans and grading, I'm also trying to master all the new things I am learning in Computer Art class as well.  More than anything, I don't want to be "that student"--the only who's always holding up everyone else while she tries to figure out the simplest, most obvious tasks.

I overcome this best by practicing what I learn.  I do have a copy of Photoshop Elements on my home computer, but I know already it lacks a lot of the features of the program we use at school.  I want the real thing. Problem number two is that my home laptop is old and decrepit. It's so full it's constipated, and it's so slow I could scream.

This weekend, I took home the laptop assigned to me by the school last year and decided to see if it was more agreeable.  I first decided to explore the Creative Cloud option mentioned in class, access to Photoshop and other Adobe products for the low, low price of $19.99 a month.  While looking, I discovered an option of a trial subscription to Photoshop, so that's what I chose--for now.

I decided to tackle a couple of family pictures for which I have big plans this semester. I particularly wanted to use a photograph taken of my great grandparents at the Athens State Fair when they were just courting.  I wanted to use layers and add an overlay of a letter my Mama Cheatham--a young Vernice Yancey--had written to her beau James Hamilton, whom she addressed as Dear Jacobus. . . .

The letter was evidently written in pencil on lined paper, so the words have faded as the page has darkened.  I'm hoping to discover some miraculous process that let's me preserve it as long as possible. I discovered, though, that I haven't quite mastered the layers process.  I know that when I get to class my usual fifteen minutes late Tuesday, I'll have resources with which to work, but I'll have questions too. Lots of questions.