Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular imaging software packages around, but it's expensive! Here are five ways you can earn money using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements -- either as a business enterprise, for some extra money, or just to recoup your investment.
1. Offer a Photo Restoration Service. I'm sure just about everyone has a photo or two that hasn't stood the test of time all that well, especially really old ones. Using the Healing Brush, Spot Healing Brush, and Patch tools, you can make old or damaged photos look like new again.
2. Become a Photograph Doctor. Whether it's "red eye", "pet eye", poor exposure, or "finger over the lens syndrome" Photoshop can transform a ruined image into a pristine one. You can also use Photoshop to make a colour photograph look like a black and white one, or colour tint a black and white one to make it colour. Not everyone is a good photographer, so you need never be short of "patients".
3) Design Greetings Cards - Designing greeting cards is a breeze with the photo enhancement and graphic design features in Photoshop. Enhance photos, combine photos with cut and paste for a fun and amusing card, transform photos into drawings or paintings for a masterpiece the choices never end. No matter the need from holidays to special events you can create the card for the occasion. Card blanks and envelopes are available from specialist suppliers.
4. Design T-shirts. Ever seen something and thought "that would look great on a T-shirt"? Well, you're not the only one! With Photoshop you can make it a reality. You can get transfers from stationery shops, and plain, cotton T-shirts can be purchased from low cost suppliers and even some supermarkets.
5) Web Design - This is a skill always in high demand. From designing full websites, to a few buttons or banners, you can capitalize on this need. Charge for web site personalization, or design generic templates that can be bought and downloaded for customers to customize themselves.
Of course, you may need to get some extra equipment -- like a colour printer, scanner, and digital camera -- but you can usually pick this type of equipment up inexpensively on eBay or other websites. A DVD of royalty free images is also a must -- although check the terms and conditions to make sure you're allowed to sell products derived from them.
The best advertisement comes from people. Ask friends and relatives, work associates and other connections if they or anyone they might know are in need of your services. Another option is to approach retailers with a portfolio of your work, and offer them commissions on any work they send your way.