BC have you ever heard of the Brilliant range of books, they are like the Dummies range but better I had one for CS4 at Xmas, and it is really easy to follow, very clear in the instructions. Anyway, they do several books on photoshop and editing, they are about £16 from W H Smith or try Amazon.

This one for CS3
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brilliant-Ph...314992&sr=8-21

This one for Elements
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brilliant-Ph...315112&sr=1-60

Yes, thanks Moonie. Actually have a couple of books here now plus some tuitorials. I guess many of them say do this, do that, press that button but don't really explain why. e.g. on my image edited by KS why would I think about blurring anything and adding a mono layer? Maybe a very basic point for some of you but for me it doesn't compute right now!

It is all part of the magic of photoshop

Well, inversing it would bring out the highlights I suppose, and the blur would soften ,turning it mono would make it more dramatic, so when the layers were sandwiched together, you have a more dynamic pic, keeping the original colours, but light and shade intensified

Maybe I am talking out of my backside too xxxx

...well I wouldn't know any different so you're welcome to carry on...

Actually your explanation makes some sense...just wopuldn't occur to me to do it that way though.

No, not any bottom babbling that is how it works

Well in all seriousness I learn't something there. Hence my requests quite often in threads to try and get people to publish 'how it was done'. In fact that's 2 or 3 things from your pictures alone this week SK so thanks for that really.

Moonie, your explanation appreciated too...thank you.

Well, I guess things are trickling into my brain cell, without realising it

Glad to help xxx (though if I had got it wrong, it wouldn't of been much help)