Hey RichyR,
I'm in a similar position to you as a new jumper with a brand new canopy! Good news is that I've been wrestling with the ba*%ard thing for about 25 jumps now, it's finally looking tidy in the bag and I've stopped swearing at it.
I found this series of videos really helped me....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhEHdKemr1M
....that and some tips from my friendly rigger on getting the air out and keeping it out.
Good luck!