Months ago, I started following @AmandaPadgett on Twitter because I had seen something of hers retweeted and thought, “Hmmm — this chick looks interesting.”

Um — yeah. She is. . . because she is a Photoshopping GURU.

And, not only am I now an avid follower of her tweets, but I also am addicted to her blog. At her site, Everyday Elements, Amanda offers a ton of free video tutorials for Photoshop Elements (PSE), free PSE actions, AND offers group and private ONLINE, live workshops for both PSE and general Photography.

If you’re a visual learner, her workshops are the way to go. Not long ago, I won a giveaway that gave me the chance to attend several of her workshops for free. Not only did I receive MANY PSE actions (which are always fun), but in Amanda’s group, online workshops, I learned how to edit RAW photos, how to tweak white balance, how to create layer masks and how to use all the other tricks Photoshop Elements offers.

It. Was. FUN.

You all have seen how many pictures I throw up on this blog . . . over the past couple of months, I’ve been using SO many of her tutorials and actions to make the most of my kidlet pictures. Am I a pro like Amanda now? Not hardly. There is still so much to learn (which, incidentally, is why I decided to purchase her Photography Workshop . . . it’s time to learn how to work my camera).

But, I can now fix my photos . . . turning photos that are under-exposed or full of noise (thanks to my lack of really knowing how my camera works — but, that will soon change) into pics that I’m not embarrassed to put on Facebook or my blog. (the photos to the right of this post, in my “Flickr Stream,” were edited using techniques I learned from Amanda)

Here is a recent example of an edit I made to one of our Christmas Day photos.

SOOC (straight out of the camera) Shot

(wayyyy underexposed and full of noise thanks to my ISO settings)

After editing, using information learned in my Everyday Elements Intermediate Workshop

(still not fantastic but a lot more fun to look at than the SOOC shot)

Here’s another SOOC shot from my sister’s wedding two years ago (ignore my tired, puffy face. . . I was a summertime, pregnant mama):

Main issue here is Skin Tone thanks to SOME of my sisters playing with self-tanner.

After — edited the skin tones and cleaned things up a bit:

MUCH better thanks to what I learned in my Everyday Elements workshop, although I still need to work that blown sky.

Giveaway Time

Want YOUR chance to learn how to edit your photographs? Amanda has graciously offered to give THREE prizes to THREE different winners.

WOO HOO!

Prize #1: a seat in a live, online group workshop

Prize #2: the workshop standalone option (access to all the video tutorials/actions from a group workshop)

Prize #3: $20 gift card to be used toward any product offered by Everyday Elements

To Enter

Leave a comment answering ONE of the following question:

What is one thing about your pictures you would love to make better?

What type of Photoshop Elements tool/trick would you love to learn how to utilize?

Bonus Entries

If you want an extra entry, you can do any of the following . . . make sure to leave a separate comment for each bonus entry:

Like Everyday Elements on Facebook (which, you won’t regret this — Amanda offers tips, tutorials and one-to-one advice on her page)

Tweet this giveaway (up to 3 times per day) — you can use the “tweet/retweet” button at the top of this post, if you wish.

Good Luck!

Giveaway ends at 10:00 pm, Central Time, on Monday, January 3rd, 2011. Winners will be chosen using the “And The Winner Is” plugin and will be notified by email. Winners will have 48 hours (from the time the email is sent) to confirm their win.

Disclosure: I was not compensated in anyway for this post or giveaway. I agreed to host the giveaway because I LOVE what I’ve learned from Amanda and her Everyday Elements site. 🙂