Computer art topic

I had a trial version of Photoshop - and I know that our Lew uses it for specific functions; but he and Olivia must be cleverer than I am, because confronted with terms like "raster layer", my mind just went blank.   I liked Picasa, but of course - they took it away. Much of this for me is like learning a new language, which I don't much want to speak - I can still learn languages, because they're of interest in themselves: computer-speak - to me - just isn't. 

Odd that you should bring this up, I've just posted a pic where I used photoshop a little more than I usually do.  Mostly I just use it to add a border, which I think improves the look, and also to add text.  I love book illustration, so words and pictures together appeal.  I use other features in photoshop to ensure the colours look as close to my image as possible...easy in my case...I like vivid colour and contrast...some don't. Lately I struggle to draw small...aged shaky hands.  I'm not complaining, I can still do it if I draw larger.  The wobbly bits are less noticeable.  For the same reason my hands prevent me using photoshop fully.  All I can do is move things, scale them up  and down, and try different colours.  Computer graphics let you 'undo' things, so they are great for a compulsive fiddler like me. I'll post the pic here to make sense of what I'm saying... The drawings were done with dip-pen in my sketchbooks, I didn't have to worry about scale, that's easily adjusted in photoshop.  Each of the drawings is on a seperate layer, and so can be moved and scaled up or down separately.  When I'm happy that they are all in the right place, I start fiddling with colour on more layers.  Layers can be blended together in many ways, you can keep fiddling until you like what you see.   All this is very basic schoolboy level for this program, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do it. In the past I'd have been able to draw all this on an A4 size sheet or paper.  But the past is past.  Now I can't.  The drawings in this pic were done in A3 sketchbooks, effectively filling the page.  So if  I want to make images like this, compiling them in photoshop is my only way forward (or maybe collage). I'm not sure I'd like to start learning photoshop now...it's like the old joke...'if you want to travel to London, I wouldn't start from here.'   Give it a go Robert, you're a little younger than me.  My photoshop app is years old, but it can still do wonderful things..some things may be easier in your new trial version.  I think my problem was questioning everything.  I don't know what a raster layer is.  Once I threw out all the tech gobble-de-gook. and just used  the help section to find out how to do 'specific things' it got easier.  If you want to put a border around a birthday card, and use the text, there'll be a short vid on Youtube telling you how.  So you pick bits up as you go along. This takes time, so I guess it depends if you're prepared to spend that time.  Maybe you'd be happier painting with oils.  But  new things are worth trying, even if it just gives you something new to curse about.  Using your language analogy...my French is very like my computer skills...I can't give full blown lecture...but I can ask where the cake shop is.