Deep Dive+: Breaking the Myth of the Steep Learning Curve!

While some readers here on OSP express interest in moving away from the well-known flow of LR, PS, and others, the general feeling tends to be one of ‘Hesitation‘—”Is it really that good?” or “I’ve looked into it, but the switch seems too difficult,” and “That program has a steep learning curve.” This sentiment is even more noticeable when browsing forums and channels like DPreview, where these discussions often pop up.

The Test :

To test whether these tools are really that complicated, I ran an experiment with my 10-year-old grandson, an absolute beginner in photography. On previous photo walks, he shot in full auto while I gave him simple composition tips—just the basics. Until now, all his photos were straight-out-of-camera JPGs with no editing.

But when I showed him, just like I do in my Deep Dives, how to transfer RAW and JPG files to a computer, edit in RawTherapee, and develop his first RAW files, he picked it up like it was second nature. He had a few questions, sure, but he worked in RawTherapee as if he’d been using it for years. The real challenge wasn’t the software—it was the fear of the unknown and the belief that it was too complicated. Both vanished almost instantly.

That steep learning curve everyone talks about? It’s all in your head. The reality is, every software has the SAME learning curve—nothing more, nothing less – Shure, more (complicated) tools take more time, but the basics are almost always the same.

I’m still waiting to meet the first photographer who says they never had to learn how to work with LR or PS, and that everything in LR or PS is so simple that it just happens on its own and they never had to learn anything.

Whether you’re 80 with some editing experience or 10 and a complete novice, within an hour, you’ll be on your way. After a few hours, you’ll work with new software as if you’ve been using it for years – I promise !

Next Monday – if all goes well : Part three of the deep dive into RawTherapee’s Editor—stay tuned!

Spring works:

My responses have been fewer and less frequent lately, and that will continue for a while. I’m busy with repair work at home and small tasks at our vacation home near the Kalmthoutse Heide, and on top of that, helping both my daughters move—just a bit too much going on 🙂 At some point, there’s simply no room for more.

One thing I won’t skip, though, is heading out whenever possible—even if it’s just for an hour. Writing for OSP also needs to happen, and then there are photos to edit and upload to the gallery (though I’m giving that a bit less priority). So, apologies if I don’t respond to questions right away or if I’m a bit more reserved with comments and likes.