Having been in your position about 6 years ago, reading a ton of books and websites, I'd def. say don't waste your money on books about programs like photoshop/illustrator, etc, as they become outdated very quickly.
Take fgblanch's advice, he (she) knows what they are talking about. The number one place to become a psd ninja would def. be psdtuts (psd.tutsplus.com). The great thing about it is besides the fact that they have video and step by step tutorial, if you are in a hurry, most times you can just download the already created 'standard web element' being featured in the tutorial, and tweak it to your liking.
Also smashing mag is pretty awesome too, they feature great step by step tutorials, and also frequently post beautiful icon sets, images, fonts, textures and examples for your graphic inspiration needs.
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Having been in your position about 6 years ago, reading a ton of books and websites, I'd def. say don't waste your money on books about programs like photoshop/illustrator, etc, as they become outdated very quickly.
Take fgblanch's advice, he (she) knows what they are talking about. The number one place to become a psd ninja would def. be psdtuts (psd.tutsplus.com). The great thing about it is besides the fact that they have video and step by step tutorial, if you are in a hurry, most times you can just download the already created 'standard web element' being featured in the tutorial, and tweak it to your liking.
Also smashing mag is pretty awesome too, they feature great step by step tutorials, and also frequently post beautiful icon sets, images, fonts, textures and examples for your graphic inspiration needs.