Extremely frustrated

[Clancysrider]

I bought Adobe just for photoshop and I bought it before I had the time to learn and just played around for the last year.  Now there's time and desire to learn but each and every course I've tried shows a different screen than I have when photoshop opens or creates a new file. It's the options bar where things get different.  I can't seem to do a content aware without including texture, can't figure out how to turn it off.  Any suggestions?

[Norman Sanders]

Let's gets you started. After you open Photoshop, choose Windows. Then follow the steps shown below:

Choose Workspace and make sure each of the 3 items at the bottom of the list are checked.

Choose Essentials or Photography.

Then, open an image (File > Open) and you're good to go.

You seem to have chosen the Direct Selection Tool which is related Paths. Start with something a tad simpler.

Choose a YouTube video covering one of the Content Aware tools (since that seems to interest you) and follow along.

Don't lose heart. We were all beginners once. Good luck.

[Clancysrider]

Thank you, it's kind of like when I switched to a mac after using a PC for 35 years, everyone said how intuitive it was and for me, it totally wasn't.  I'm not a computer person, if you hadn't guessed!

[D Fosse]

Clancysrider  wrote

when I switched to a mac after using a PC for 35 years, everyone said how intuitive it was and for me, it totally wasn't.

<sigh>

I see you've met the Apple fanboys. Of course it's not more intuitive, it's just a computer...don't feel stupid, you aren't.

[Theresa J]

Here’s a beginner tutorial I created about the Photoshop User Interface. It helps to know your way around Photoshop’s workspace before starting to actually create something. Maybe this will help.

Photoshop CC User Interface Tour - YouTube

[Clancysrider]

Thank you , I haven't had time to watch the video until right now so I'm off to watch.

[Clancysrider]

This helped alot but I still can't get the right side of the screen to look the way it does in any of the trainings, the color swatches aren't there and I'm wondering if I did something to make that happen and now don't know how to undo.  Wondering about uninstalling and reinstalling

[Nancy OShea]

Check the dates & versions used in those tutorials.  If you're following an older tutorial, CC 2018 might look very strange.   Whenever possible, try to find tutorials that closely match your product version.  If you can't find a tutorial for 2018, then download another version of Photoshop from your Creative Cloud Desktop App.  See screenshot.