Just thought I’d share that Adobe extended their discount offer on Creative Suite 4.

UPGRADE TO ADOBE CREATIVE SUITE AND SAVE UP TO US$200.
For a limited time, your version of Adobe® Creative Suite® 2, Creative Suite 1, Macromedia® Studio 8, Studio MX 2004, or Production Studio software qualifies you for up to US$200 off on eligible upgrades to Adobe Creative Suite 4 software. Don't hesitate, this offer ends April 30, 2009.

When scanning images, it’s often possible to fit more than one image on the scanner bed. Scanning multiple images at once can save input time when loading images into Photoshop. Fortunately, the Crop And Straighten Photos command picks up and keeps the efficiency going.

1. Place multiple photos on your scanner. For best results, you need to keep 1/8 inch between the images in your scan. If the Crop And Straighten Photos command does not succeed (which is rare), you should process the individual images using the Crop tool.
2. If you’re working in a multilayered image, select the layer that contains the images. If you only want some of the images, draw a selection border around one or more images.
3. Choose File > Automate > Crop And Straighten Photos.

Each image should be cropped, straightened, and moved into its own document window.

“Across the Production Premium toolset, Adobe has provided increased support for metadata… [pause for audience applause]. What? You didn’t clap? Well metadata is pretty dang important—it can speed up your editing, improve collaboration, or even make your videos more accessible on the Web. Sure, it’s not as enticing as yet another tutorial on making things glow, but give it a shot.”

Continue to the Layers Magazine website to see the full tutorial for free.

I have literally just sent the last changes to the last chapter in. The brand new book After Effects for Flash | Flash for After Effects is going to print. I am quite proud of the book and it explores some amazing things. The book is designed for Flash and After Effects users, and is meant to teach them how to use both programs together (along with Creative Suite 4). The book explores some pretty revolutionary things, but also has great primers to get new users up to speed fast (you can’t put a race car on your cover if the book doesn’t cover serious ground).

The official blurb
Adobe Creative Suite 4 brings together two powerful animation tools, each of which has its own specialized features and workflow. Learning to integrate Adobe After Effects and Adobe Flash Professional gives you more options for your animations and effects and the power to integrate video and motion graphics into a richer user experience. In this book, authors Richard Harrington and Marcus Geduld lead both types of users, those who are more familiar with either Flash or with After Effects, on using the programs together for maximum efficiency and creativity.

After walking you through the core features of both programs, the authors then explore advanced uses for each application. Each chapter focuses on a particular function of the program, teaching you how to create content for Flash with After Effects, enhance your projects using 3D environments, create professional-looking video with Adobe Media Encoder, and add interactivity, accessibility, and searchability to your video. You’ll also get hands-on experience using the project files on the accompanying DVD.

Within these easy-to-follow, step-by-step lessons, you’ll learn to:

• Seamlessly exchange projects and assets between After Effects and Flash
• Shoot green screen material correctly, work with Keylight, and utilize embedded alpha channels
• Create dynamic text, vector-based animations, and “animated” video using the tools in Adobe Creative Suite 4
• Work with 3D cameras and lights and create 3D environments
• Convert Flash to broadcast and DVD standards with After Effects
• Use Adobe Media Encoder for professional results
• Create interactive controls and use cue points in your video
• Optimize video for accessibility and use Adobe® Soundbooth® for video transcription
• Use ActionScript in your projects for more innovative animations

Get your copy now.... it really has some fun projects and cool things in it.

Join us at the
Photoshop World Expo
March 26 - 27

If you are going to be in the Boston area in March but can't attend Photoshop World, you can still come join us at the Photoshop World Expo absolutely FREE!
The Expo portion of Photoshop World is a showcase of the latest cutting-edge digital imaging, computer- and design-related technologies, products, and services. You can also take advantage of free classes and product demos, as well as special discounts on the latest books and DVDs at the Official Photoshop World/Peachpit Bookstore!
Get your FREE, downloadable EXPO PASS ($40 value)
Photoshop World: The Eastern Conference Expo Hours: Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 1:00pm to 5:00pm Friday, March 27, 2009 - 9:00am to 1:00pm Hynes Convention Center 900 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02115 Hall C

The fine folks at Focal Press have decided to release two free updates. The popular books Photoshop for Video and Creating Motion Graphics both have free updates for the Creative Suite 4 release.

Even if you don’t have these two books (which I’d really suggest you check them out)... the CS4 updates are absolutely free.

• The Free Photoshop Update
• The Free After Effects Update

I often see people struggling with brushes in Photoshop. Brush control is essential for many tasks besides painting, you’ll need precise control for masking, retouching, and creating selections. With this in mind, here are my favorite shortcuts for getting things done.


For more on Photoshop, check out the latest book: Understanding Adobe Photoshop CS4

• The book is on sale at Amazon for 37% off, and adds some great new stuff.
• The book is on sale at Peachpit’s website for 35% off. If ordering from Peachpit, use the discount code UAPTWO at checkout.

I’m a big fan of what’s possible with Adobe Bridge. The latest edition has added great web galleries and contact sheets. Adobe has tweaked Bridge CS4 and added headers and footers to PDF contact sheets and slideshows. The web galleries are also tweaked to offer smaller file sizes. You can download the update for Mac and Windows from Adobe.com.

Additionally, Camera Raw for Photoshop CS4 (Mac|Win) adds some much-requested improvements

• Targeted Adjustment Tool (TAT) for on-image adjustments
• Output sharpening for print or screen output
• "Snapshots" for saving multiple sets of settings per file
• You can find out more here. Thanks to John Nack for pointing these out.

I am proud to announce that my new book, Understanding Adobe Photoshop CS4 is now shipping. This is the second edition of the book and it is fully updated for CS4 (even if you’re using CS3, you’ll find it a big help.) The book covers all sorts of great new features in Photoshop and I significantly revised it with nearly 100 new photos.

The book is on sale at Amazon for 30% off, and adds some great new stuff.
The book is on sale at Peachpit’s website for 35% off. If ordering from Peachpit, use the discount code UAPTWO at checkout.


We’ve made our podcast series totally interactive for our book readers (more in a few days).

You can access a free chapter on Automation here.
You can view an excerpt from a chapter on color correction here.

The books are in my hands and shipping from both Peachpit and Amazon.

If you like the book... PLEASE write a review (I’d really appreciate it).

Noted author Scott Kelby has released his annual gift guide. What’s great about the list is that there are some really cool tools on there for photogs and even hobbyists. It’s nothing but the coolest photography and Photoshop gear.

“Since many of you are new to the gear guide, I wanted to let you know how I make my picks each year, and why I think it’s different than most other guides you’ll find out there these days. Put simply, every item in here is stuff I actually use, it’s stuff I’m crazy about, and now it’s become stuff I can’t live without (which is sad, in a way), and it’s the same stuff I recommend to my friends (well, my friends with room on their Visa cards).”

I agree with several of his picks, already using things like the Hoodman Loupe and Boda Bag myself. Be sure to check it out.

Looking for a great article on mixing exposures? Then be sure to check out this great article by Sean Duggan.

“One classic technique that digital cameras make very easy is blending more than one exposure together for contrast control, increased dynamic range, or creative purposes. A variation on this technique is to apply different RAW-conversion settings to a single RAW file and then combine the files into a single image. Let’s explore both approaches and look at the proper camera technique behind the scenes.”

Richard Harrington shows you how to use the color range command and how CS4 makes it even easier to make a localized selection.

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Richard Harrington shows you the small but important updates and features new to Photoshop CS4 .

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Richard Harrington shows you how to size pictures for video and work with video files in Photoshop CS4 .

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Richard Harrington shows you new printing features in Photoshop CS4 , including the ability to do 16-bit printing.

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Richard Harrington shares tips on the new, subtly refined tools in Photoshop CS4 to help get the results you want with your images.

Richard Harrington shows you the improvements that Photoshop CS4 brings to the dodge, burn and sponge tools.

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Richard Harrington shows you how to use 3D layers and 3D models in Photoshop CS4 .

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Adobe has unveiled the help menu for Photoshop CS4 online... so if you want to check out some of the new features in-depth just head on over to their site – http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Photoshop/11.0/

You’ll find that the help system is still coming online fully... but there’s some great stuff to check out. Think of it as an appetizer until the real thing ships later this month.

So... we’ve been running a contest to win free stuff (we’ll be drawing in late November).

So far we’ve got three copies of Adobe Photoshop, an assortment of Joby Gorillapods, and copies of Nik Software and Digital Anarchy plug-ins.

Cool right? Its easy to win (and your chances are very good). Simply watch the videos at CSFour.com or any of our embedded players.

With each video you’ll see a pencil shaped button. Click it to take a short (and I mean :45 seconds or less) survey.

You can take a survey one time only, that’s one time per video. Each survey counts as one entry. This means you have up to 15 chances to win prizes.

What are you waiting for? Free stuff is pretty cool.

Richard Harrington shows you how to use smart objects and how they have been improved in Photoshop CS4 .

Here is the action mentioned in the video.

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

My new book, Understanding Adobe Photoshop CS4 is off to the presses. I’ve gotten permission to release a chapter to you early (and for free). Here is our comprehensive guide to every filter in Photoshop as well as tips on how to get more out of your filter collection.

To download the free guide – Click Here.

To order from Peachpit.com
CLICK TO ORDER – DISCOUNT CODE – UAP TWO - 35% OFF (Enter Code at Step 3 of checkout)
To order from Amazon.com
CLICK TO ORDER – 17% OFF

Richard Harrington shows you how to use smart objects and how they have been improved in Photoshop CS4 .

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Layers Magazine has a great artivle on their blog about what you’ll need to make sure your computer is ready for CS4. One important note for mac users.... many of the applications require that you have an Intel processor... so keep that in mind.

“Working in tech, you almost take for granted being a gear junkie and having the most newfangled computer out there, but I’m sure there are a lot of you who want to make the jump that are unsure of what is technically needed, as well as other people out there that are ‘taking the plunge’ and getting the CS4 Suite in addition to a new computer to be able to hold it.”

Read more

Richard Harrington shows you how to use the new vibrance adjustments in Photoshop CS4 to boost the saturation of a scene without affecting skin tones.

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Richard Harrington shows you how to develop your camera raw files with Camera Raw 5.0 and CS4.

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Looking for some more, free Photoshop training? Here are a few more tutorials I’ve done... these are from Peachpit.com. Enjoy!


Refining Edges in Photoshop CS4
Cropping in Photoshop CS4
Dodge, Blur, Burn, and Sharpen in Photoshop CS4

Aligning Images in Photoshop CS

Richard Harrington shows you how to use auto-blend to combine multiple exposures or layers in Photoshop CS4.

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Richard Harrington shows you what’s new with masks in Photoshop CS4 and how to use them to non-destructivly add transparency to an image.

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Here’s an overview list of new features in Photoshop CS4. We’ll be offering tutorials on these topics in the coming weeks.


Increased Productivity

• Fluid canvas rotation
• Enhanced Pan, Zoom, and large image navigation
• More refined, natural results with Dodge, Burn, and Sponge
• Next generation Adobe Bridge
• Tighter integration with Photoshop Lightroom
• Kuler for color harmony creation and sharing
• N-up and multiple document view
• More powerful printing options
• Superior performance on very large images*
• Extensibility with SWF panels
• Unified tabbed interface with self-adjusting panels

Unrivaled Editing

• Live, nondestructive corrections with the Adjustments panel
• Re-editable, feathered, density-controlled masks
• Enhanced Auto-Blend with seamless tones and colors
• 360° panoramas
• Extended depth of field
• Camera Raw with localized adjustments
• Enhanced Smart Objects
• On-image controls for Curves, Hue/Saturation adjustments
• Clone Stamp and Healing Brush preview cursor

Breakthrough 3D, Motion Graphics, and Image Analysis (Extended only)

• Direct painting on 3D objects
• Easy conversion from 2D to 3D
• Editable 3D properties (scene, materials, meshes, lights)
• New high quality interactive ray tracer
• Create 3D composites with 2D images or other 3D objects
• New, high-performance, non-modal 3D engine
• Volume Rendering
• Keyboard shortcuts enabled for the Animation panel
• Enhanced preview of non-square-pixel images
• Preview and export audio content and frame comments
• Animate 3D objects and their textures
• Enhanced Count tool

Richard Harrington shows you how to use the new adjustments panel in Photoshop CS4 to speed up your workflow.

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Richard Harrington shows you how to use the Adobe output module in Bridge CS4 to make websites, PDF slideshows and web galleries of your images. This technology is slick and easy to use.

Want the videos in HD?  Then check out our iTunes version.

Would you like to watch our new Photoshop CS4 Sneak Peek videos in HD? You’ve got two options to choose from.

#1 iTunes Store
You can subscribe to or download all our videos absolutely free by visiting the iTunes store. By clicking subscribe, you’ll pay nothing, but get over two hours of free Photoshop CS4 Training. New episodes are released daily.



#2 Apple TV
Our show is also available on Apple TV in HD. A quick search for CS4 and you’ll find us.

I hope you enjoy... comments are very welcome (and encouraging).

The fine folks over at the National Association of Photoshop Professionals have an online learning center with some great resources.

Here are my favorites to check out.

• If you’re a keyboard shortcut junkie...
• Interview with Adobe's John Nack
• Flash Panels
• Content Aware Scaling

Sometimes, a color (or range of colors) will be very present in your image. These colors can be used to quickly create an accurate Layer Mask. Even if the color cannot be used to select the object entirely, you can always harness the Brush tool to clean up stray areas.
1. Open an image with an area of continuous color you’d like to select.

2. Turn the Background layer into a floating layer by double-clicking its name in the Layers panel.
3. Choose Select > Color Range to make a selection based on a range of colors. Check the Localized Color Clusters option to reduce the selection area to just the chosen colors.
4. With the Eyedropper, click within the yellow area of the flower to make an initial selection. Hold down the Shift key and drag through other areas of the flower to add to the selection.
5. Leave the Fuzziness set to a low value (30-40). When most of the flower is selected, click OK to create an active selection.

6. Click the Add layer mask button for the layer. The petals will show well, but parts of the flower will be missing.
7. Add a solid color layer to make it easier to see your edges. Choose Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. A purple layer will help things stand out nicely. Click OK and drag the solid layer below the masked flower.
8. Examine the masked layer closely. You will need to paint in part of the center of the flower. Additionally, some of the petals contain unwanted transparency. You may also have some leaves or stems that bled through. We can fix all of these problems quickly using the Brush tool.
9. Press D to load the default colors of black and white.
10. Select the Layer Mask attached to the layer.
11. Press B to activate the Brush tool. Adjust the size of the brush and its hardness settings so you have a smaller brush with a gentle edge (an 80-pixel brush with a hardness of 75% is a good place to start).
12. Paint in spotted or missing areas with white. You can remove any unwanted areas by painting with black.
13. When finished, you can save the image as a layered file such as a TIFF or PSD formatted file.

Learn about important changes to the Photoshop CS4 user interface.
- Refined workspaces
– Freely rotatable canvas
– Greater zoom levels
- Enhanced controls with panels
- Tabbed documents

Check out our free training series – Photoshop CS4 Sneak Peek that starts Tuesday 9/23.

Want to find out everything new in Adobe Creative Suite 4? Trust me... there’s some really cool things coming. Adobe has an invitation out to view their Web broadcast on September 23rd. But you do need to go to the sign-up page at www.adobe.com/go/somethingbrilliant.

By the way... we are going to be releasing something very special on the 23rd as well as a “thank you” to all our viewers. Be sure to stick around and keep an eye out.

• Julieanne Kost from Adobe has posted a great resource for converting color images to grayscale using Photoshop.

PSCS3 Black and White Options via Smart Objects (20MB PSD file)

• To use this template, first open and crop your desired image to 540 x 366 pixels at 72 ppi. Note: you can crop the entire image, or focus in on a smaller, more important part of it.
• Flatten your cropped file and select "Save As" to save the cropped file as "FileNameFlatLowRes.psd"
• Then open the template, click on any one of the smart object layers in the layers palette. Select Layer > Smart Object > Replace Contents, and navigate to select your cropped, low resolution, flattened file.
• After the images are replaced, choose the best looking conversion, open your original high resolution file, and drag and drop the adjustment layer from the template to the high res file. Voila!

Be sure to check out her great site for more resources.

It’s very common to use Photoshop and Illustrator to prepare content for import into Adobe After Effects. Here are some practical tips to avoid problems when merging the software.

Import Tips

• Double-Click in the AE Project Window
• Shift-Click Multiple Items
• Organize in Folder and Option+Drag (Alt+Drag) from Desktop
• Keep file names less than 27 characters long

Photoshop

• Assign unique names to each layer
• Avoid using layer sets unless you want the layers to come in as a nested composition
• If layers are not needed, reduce your render burden by importing as a flattened file such as a PICT, TIFF or TARGA
• If you have applied an adjustment layer in Photoshop such as Levels, consider applying the effect directly to the individual layers in Photoshop instead

Illustrator

• Be sure to use layers in Adobe Illustrator to split up elements
• Change AI preferences to use AICB format (not PDF) for proper Copy/Paste

Here are a few of my favorite resources for Photoshop Actions. These save time and make you look good.

Tools for Television – Want to automate standard video graphics production tasks? Then check out Tools for Television’s Photoshop Toolbox for video-friendly actions at http://www.toolsfortelevision.com.

Action FX – For complex text and special effects, check out the excellent site http://www.actionfx.com. There are several free actions as well as some to purchase.

Photoshop Video Actions – Upgraded to CS2 or CS3? Then be sure to check out the built in Video Actions that I authored with
Dan Brown for some timesaving automation tools.

PanosFX – A newer site that is really becoming one to watch isPanosFX (http://www.panosfx.com). This site has some incredible free actions as well as some very affordable and powerful tools for sale.

Adobe Exchange – If you’re not in a position to purchase add-ons to your system, there’s one incredible free resource worth mentioning. With the release of Photoshop 5.5, Adobe launched a Web site originally called Action Xchange where users could share their actions; see http://www.adobe.com/exchange.

The Image Processor command is an extremely useful production tool that will allow you to quickly reformat and size images to meet your workflow. The Image Processor script made its official debut in Photoshop CS2, but you can find also find it online under the name Dr. Brown’s Image Processor.

The Image Processor script can be used to convert and process multiple images. It differs from the Batch command in that you don’t need to first create an action. The image processor can be used for any of the following tasks:

• To convert a images to JPEG, PSD, or TIFF format. You can also convert files simultaneously to all three formats.
• To process a set of camera raw files using the same camera raw options.
• To resize images to fit within a specified pixel dimension.
• To embed a color profile into images or convert files to sRGB and save them as JPEG images for the web.
• To include copyright metadata into the processed images.
• The Image Processor can be used with PSD, TIFF, JPEG, or camera raw files.

Step 1: Choose>File>Scripts>Image Processor.

Step 2: Select the images that you want to process. You can use the open images or navigate to a folder to select images.

Step 3: Select a location to save the processed images. You can choose the Exports folder you created previously on your Desktop.

Step 4: Select the file types and options you wish to convert to.

• Save As JPEG – This sets the JPEG quality between 0 and 12. You can also choose to resize the image and convert it to sRGB color profile.
• Save As PSD – This sets the PSD options. You can also resize the image and choose to Maximize Compatibility.
• Save As TIFF – This saves images in the TIFF format with LZW compression. You can also resize the image.

Step 5: You can choose from other processing options.

• Run Action – If an action is loaded into your Actions palette, you can run it on the image during the process.
• Copyright Info – You can add copyright metadata to the image.

Step 6: Click Run to process the multiple images.

I recently got a chance to cohost Layers TV with Corey Barker. The show is a great podcast that comes out each week on all things Adobe. They do a really great job with it and they had me on as a guest host to cover Adobe Production Premium.

“Corey is joined by guest co-host Richard Harrington to discuss working with video in Photoshop Extended, Premiere, and After Effects.

• When working in Premiere, don't forget about the search menu that you can use to locate the effects you want
• Change Color is a useful effect that you can use to target and adjust one color region of your video clip
• There are also Shadow/Highlight adjustment options in Premiere
• You can bring your video clips into Photoshop Extended and apply Photoshop effects to them
• Make video clips into smart objects so that Photoshop will treat them as a single layer
• After you have finished editing the video clip in Photoshop, go under the Export command and render the finished video
• Get more information from Richard at Photoshop For Video.com
• Use After Effects to make speed changes to your video clips. Remember, time is just another keyframe
• If you want further video training from Richard, you can watch his classes at Kelby Training.com, or see him live at Photoshop World this September in Las Vegas”

DOWNLOAD THE EPISODE


WATCH ONLINE

Layers Magazine just released my tutorial on DVD Menus with Photoshop CS3 Extended. Love the intro they give (hah!).
“Now up is the incomparable Richard Harrington. Richard has a tutorial for making a DVD menu in Photoshop CS3 Extended that will have you creating great DVD design with little fuss. Richard will also be doing stuff in Layers TV very soon, so be sure that you check that out as well. Click on the link below to get to the tutorial.”
Richard Harrington - DVD design using Photoshop CS3 Extended

Watch each week as “The Photoshop Guys” (Dave Cross, Matt Kloskowski, and Scott Kelby) from the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) share the hottest Adobe Photoshop tutorials, the latest insider tricks, and the coolest timesaving, job-saving shortcuts to make your time in Photoshop more productive, more efficient, and more fun.

Be sure to check out this week’s epsiode of Photoshop User TV. Scott Kelby had me on the show for an interview and a couple of quick tips.

Watch Episode Online
Download Episode 138

Instructor Richard Harrington shares some techniques on how to age a photograph in Photoshop.

Seems like a lot of folks have forgotten (or never learned) how to scan photos. With this is mind, I offer some practical scanning advice. Several problems can be introduced by those using antiquated scanners with a distinct lack of skill. To get the best results, try the following:

• Before scanning an image, ensure you have the latest software needed by your scanner. You can always check their websites or use Version Tracker. Having problems with a lack of support on the OSX side for older scanners. I recommend checking out VueScan from Hamrick Software.

Read More...

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to use a patterned image to degrade the edges of your text for a unique text effect in Photoshop.

One of my favorite sites that I like to check out on a regular basis is Photoshop Disasters. The site is a freakshow gallery of Photoshop gone wrong. The site is driven by user submission and acts as both entertainment and education. There mission:

“Have you seen a truly awful piece of Photoshop work? Clumsy manipulation, senseless comping, lazy cloning and thoughtless retouching are our bread and butter. And yes, deep down, we love Photoshop.”

Be sure to check the site out, it’ll make you look at things a little differently.

In case you’ve neverr had a chance to go, here’s a quick look at all things Photoshop World. The event is a ton of fun and a chcne to get some of the best instruction available.

Adobe Soundbooth is a great tool to fix everyday audio problems and production workflows. It works well for video or Flash workflows and is built around a fairly intuitive set of task-based tools. Adobe is giving its customers a chance to play with Soundbooth CS4. If you are already a CS3 owner, the beta works until after CS4 is released. If you don't own CS3.... then it only works for 48 hours.

Here are some of the core features worth checking out:

• Arranging audio files on multiple tracks
• Making quick edits and applying fades
• Matching volume levels with a single command
• Removing unwanted noises and background sounds
• Adjusting tempo and pitch
• Recording and polishing voice-overs
• Adding effects and filters
• Previewing MP3 compression quality
• Easily creating customized music — without musical expertise
• With the new Adobe Sound Document file format you can take “snapshots” of your work-in-progress and undo changes made to your audio assets.

I've launched a new course over at Kelby Training called Photoshop and After Effects for Event Photographers. It's designed to help teach you new ways to show your images to clients? Learn how to quickly prepare images for use in video and on-screen. In this interactive lesson you'll learn how to prepare photos for PowerPoint, Keynote, and DVD slideshows as well as how to create attractive pans and zooms of your image.

You can watch the first three parts of the lesson for free and find out more on their site. The tutorial touches upon most of the Production Premium suite. You'll learn a bit about Photoshop, After Effects, Encore, Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, and the Adobe Media Encoder

I hope you enjoy it.

The schedule for the new Photoshop World has been announced and I am very excited.. I'll be teaching four brand new classes that I hop you all will enjoy.

Building an Electronic Portfolio (Using DVD, Presentation Software, and Web Galleries)
Looking to expand your photography or design portfolio? This in-depth class will teach you how to create dynamic electronic portfolios to showcase your work. Learn how to prepare your images for the screen, then take them to new places such as the Internet, DVD, and Presentation software.  This session will help you show your portfolio to more people with less expense.  If your looking for easy and innovative ways to showcase your work, don't miss this important pre-conference session.

Creative Animation with the Puppet Tool
Looking to create animation from photos?  Learn how to combine layered Photoshop files with After Effects Puppet Tool to  quickly add natural motion.  You can bend, warp, and animate both raster images and vector graphics, including still images, shapes, and text characters.  In this session, you'll learn creative possibilities for creating animated elements for use in video and multimedia projects.  

Advanced Motion Control 3D
Clients, Producers, and After Effects Artists alike have fallen in love with bringing pictures to life. Want to learn how to create movement "within" a photo?  This popular class has been fully updated to show you even more techniques for using Photoshop files for creative story telling.  Learn how to use 3D cameras, lights, particles, and the Vanishing Point feature to create exciting animations that capture the imagine and engage your audience.

Creative Chromakeying
The use of green-screen and blue-screen is a popular technique for both video and film special effects.  In this informative session you'll learn how to create virtual environments from photos, then key your video using Photoshop or After Effects.  A special emphasis will be placed upon using After Effects' powerful keying technology like Keylight as well as strategies to help with the production of the chromakey shoot.

The conference is September 3-6 in Las Vegas... be sure to check it out!

Steve Holmes has a great tutorial over at Layers Magazine on using the Vanishing Point features in Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. The tutorial is totally free and Steve does a great job.

“Without a doubt, the best new feature in After Effects CS3 is the Vanishing Point Exchange with Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended. Creating very believable 3D movements from quite simple 2D digital photographs has to be seen to be believed, and the best thing is it’s a pretty easy process. However, there are a few caveats to keep an eye out for, so let’s take a trip into the world of two-dee three-dee!”

Check the whole thing out here.

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to make great selections using channels in Photoshop.

AMAZINGLY CAPABLE VIDEO SOFTWARE FOR WINDOWS
“You might be thinking, “What’s consumer software doing in a pro magazine?” The short answer is that if you aren’t using the Adobe Master Collection or the Production Premium suite, you probably need Adobe Premiere Elements 4. Whether you work as an advertiser, designer, developer, or photographer, you most likely have an interest in making videos or DVDs.
Sure, Adobe offers the very capable video applications found in the Creative Suite product line but for many users, it’s hard to spring for the “whole enchilada.” When I sat down with Premiere Elements, I was immediately impressed. The product offers an easy-to-use toolset that addresses the needs of many users.

Here’s the lowdown: Premiere Elements only runs on Windows machines. If you’re a Mac user, you should be looking to iMovie and iDVD ’08 to fill the same needs. On the PC side, the market has been woefully underserved by offerings from Adaptec and Microsoft. With version 4 of Premiere Elements, Adobe clearly steps up to offer a dramatic redesign, combining power with ease of use (an Adobe trademark).”

You can read the rest of the review here...

Want 30 minutes of free training on Adobe Photoshop CS3? Adobe had me in their theater at NAB giving lessons. Here's a recording from one of the days so you can see what was taught.



If you want more free classes... visit the Adobe TV site.

Following up on my "Really Cool Adobe Announcements" post...

Adobe has actually posted their "secret" presentation from NAB. Hart Shafer talks about four cool things Adobe has up their sleeve.



You SO need to watch this... trust me. BTW (for those of you waiting... they did show OnLocation for Mac in this demo).

Adobe released the Adobe Media Player software on April 9, which allows a customizable, cross-platform media player experience. Built using the Adobe AIR runtime, the media player harnessed the power of Flash to create a rich media experience. To complete the experience, Adobe adds support for both RSS feeds and H.264 video, two of the open standards used by the podcasting movement.

What does this all mean? I had a chance to sit down with Deeje Cooley, who serves as an evangelist for Adobe’s Dynamic Media Organization (and formerly as the product manager for the Adobe Media Player). Cooley was tasked with bringing the product to market and he shared insight into Adobe’s motivation for the product and goals for its role in the market. Unlike competing products, the Adobe Media Player has chosen to focus on being a video-only player.

“The growth of video online, the dramatic growth of flash as the video delivery mechanism of choice… there was a ripe opportunity to take advantage of all these events around the industry,” said Cooley. “We started to build an RSS aggregator and quickly recognized that video was going to be a significant media online and so it became a video RSS aggregator. And so that’s really the birth of the Adobe Media Player.”

MUCH MORE AFTER THE JUMP

Read More...

I promised these hands-on practice files about the Puppet Tool a while back. To make it up to you (my loyal viewers) I've included an extra sample.

To get the hands on files click here.

To get a bonus video tutorial - click here.

(Thanks to the fine folks at the New York Post Conference for letting me post this).

Want to create a cartoon effect for your video? Be sure to check out this step-by-step tutorial I wrote for Layers Magazine.

“Sure, clients want it…that “cartoon look.” But let’s face it; good animation is hard to come by. Unless you have a gaggle of animators locked in your closet, you’ll need to get creative. Sure, you could break out the pencil and paper (or maybe even try shadow puppets), but we’re here to offer you a different solution. By harnessing the power of Adobe CS3 Production Premium, you can convert video frames into vector art into film-resolution movie files. Curious? It’s all possible with the power of the Production Premium. Read on.”

I recently wrote a detailed review on using Strata's new plug-ins for Photoshop CS3 Extended.

“With Photoshop CS3 Extended, Adobe significantly expanded the power to work with 3D models. Many users were excited by the ability to add 3D objects and modify their textures, but modeling and advanced rendering functions were missing.

Strata offers a suite of plug-ins called 3D[in] Photoshop CS3 Plug-ins. It’s important to note that these plug-ins only work with Photoshop CS3 Extended, but that shouldn’t be viewed as a limitation. With these plug-ins, you can essentially run the core set of Strata tools as linked applications that launch from within Photoshop, then return the results to Photoshop. Now you can match a 3D object to the perspective and lighting of a photo, create new 3D layers, and generate Live 3D Web and PDF pages from Photoshop designs.”

For the rest of the review, click here.

Thanks to Planet Photoshop for making Photoshop for Video their pick of the week.

“This week I recommend Photoshop for Video by Richard Harrington. This book covers the information you need to implement Photoshop into your video workflow. It covers using channels effectively, setting up automation, creating interesting effects, and much more. If you want to get a better handle on working with Photoshop in your video workflow then this is the book for you. Richard is an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop and After Effects and is an instructor at major events like Photoshop World and NAB. His visual communications consultancy, RHED Pixel, creates motion graphics and produces video and multimedia projects. Richard also has a blog at RasterVector.com and another at PhotoshopForVideo.com.”

Be sure to check out the rest of the site for a ton of great tutorials and video tips.

This is an excerpt from an article to be released in full later this week:

Adobe released the Adobe Media Player software on April 9, which allows a customizable, cross-platform media player experience. Built using as an Adobe Air application, the media player harnessed the power of Flash to create a rich media experience. To complete the experience, Adobe adds support for both RSS feeds and H.264 video, two of the open standards used by the podcasting movement.

What does this all mean? I had a chance to sit down with Deeje Cooley, who serves as the evangelist for Adobe’s Dynamic Media Organization (and formerly as the product manager for the Adobe Media Player). Cooley was tasked with bringing the product to market and he shared insight into Adobe’s motivation for the product and goals for its role in the market. Unlike competing products, the Adobe Media Player has chosen to focus on being a video-only player.

“The growth of video online, the dramatic growth of flash as the video delivery mechanism of choice… there was a ripe opportunity to take advantage of all these events around the industry,” said Cooley. “We started to build an RSS aggregator and quickly recognized that video was going to be a significant media online and so it became a video RSS aggregator. And so that’s really the birth of the Adobe Media Player.”



The Adobe Media Player is immediately available as a free download for Windows and Macintosh platforms from http://www.adobe.com/go/mp.

If you are using After Effects CS3... you have the Puppet Tool. This awesome technology lets you create animation from photos... be sure to check this out.

PART ONE


PART TWO


To get the hands on files click here.

I finally gave in and checked out Photoshop Express from Adobe... and I must say I am impressed. No, it doesn't replace Elements (and certainly not Photoshop), but it is very, very cool.



Here are the core features

• Upload up to 2GB of photos (for free!)
• Sort images to keep them organized
• Easy to use editing tools let you do all sorts of tasks like Crop, Rotate, TOuch-up, remove red-eye, change focus, sharpen, white balance, and add fill light (plus more).
• Share your photos with a Gallery (customized photo displays are supported)
• Upload them to your Facebook page, blog, or anywhere else online.

My thoughts? It's awesome! Here's why this matters to pros and even hobbyists.

• First, it brings Photoshop to more people, ensuring a healthier life for Adobe.
• Second, it's free! 2GB of storage is useful.... I am loading up images that I often use to teach with as well as a few portfolios I'd like to share.
• Third, New Media.... it's catching on and apps like this are truly exciting to all ages.

Be sure to check it out... good stuff!

Looking for an easy way to white-balance on a shoot? I just discovered the useful Whibal White Balance Reference Cards.

Here's what I like:

• Lightweight and single-card format.
• Light Gray, certified to recommended Luminance
• Includes Black and White Spots
• Focus and Sharpness targets
• Sturdy and Easy to Pack (it even floats)
• Affordable

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how you can get the most out of blend modes by using them with filters.



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We've upgraded to HD podcasts. Watch this short tutorial to learn more.




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Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how you can get the most out of blend modes by using them with filters.




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Think you know Photoshop? Want to prove it? Then pass the Adobe Certified Expert Exam. The Adobe Certified Expert exams are now available for much of the Creative Suite 3 product line including the Photoshop CS3 re-certification and ACE exams. You'll find additional information including Preparation Guides on the Adobe site. Prices are $50 for re-certification and $150 for the ACE exams.

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you many of the actions available at panosfx.com.



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Photoshop World Conference & Expo – April 2-4, 2008 – Orlando, Fl
The National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), today announced a call for nominations for its third annual Dean Collins Educational Scholarship for 2008. The Dean Collins Educational Scholarship is awarded annually to one high school or college educator nominated by his/her student(s) to provide the recipient an opportunity to attend NAPP’s annual convention – Photoshop World Conference & Expo. The scholarship also includes round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, a one-year NAPP membership, and subscription to Photoshop User magazine.

The deadline to submit nominations for the Dean Collins Educational Scholarship is Friday, February 29, 2008.

This one is almost too good to be true...

You can upgrade from Photoshop Elements to Photoshop CS3 for only $299. For those of you math geniuses... yes its cheaper to buy Elements, then upgrade, then buying Photoshop outright.

Click here for the offer.

"An offer this good doesn’t last forever. Move up online at the Adobe Store by 2/29/08.
To order by phone, call 1-800-585-0774 and mention offer code 27105. Have your Adobe Photoshop Elements serial code ready for verification."

I saw this very cool product at Macworld Expo called Flow. It is a revolutionary workflow management technology designed to work with Adobe and Apple software. The product took Best of Show (and for good reason). You can see it in action in a video demo on their site. 

"Flow is a revolutionary approach to digital content management that dramatically simplifies the design process for creative professionals working on graphic design, web and video projects. Flow automatically tracks your work from idea to end result and manages your assets and applications for your most complex projects- all without changing the way you work."

Flow isn't shipping for a while, but GridIron is accepting sign-ups for beta testing.

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you the fastest way to fix common problems that occur with historical images. This is part 2 of 2.



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Instructor Richard Harrington shows you the fastest way to fix common problems that occur with historical images. This is part 2 of 2.



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Instructor Richard Harrington shares tips on how best to convert your color images to black and white in Photoshop.



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Looking for a better way to show your images on the web? Adobe has boosted Bridge with new web galleries.

"Adobe® Media Gallery (AMG) for Adobe Bridge adds quick, powerful Web gallery creation to Adobe Photoshop® CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended and the Adobe Creative Suite®. AMG makes it possible to create HTML or Flash-based galleries from any of the file formats supported by Bridge; adjust the galleries using the built-in preview; and export the results or upload them via FTP."

The add-on is free... and works great with easy preview and FTP options. You can download the free plug-in at http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Adobe_Media_Gallery.

Congrats to Scott Kelby and Kelby Training for launching a new online training site. The subscription site is a great value and offers a lot of great training on software. Coverage is mostly Adobe tools... but I have a few titles in the works with them that will also cover Apple software.

Q. Before we get started; do I have to read all this stuff, or do you have a quick video clip that explains it all?
A. Yup, we sure do. Here’s the link.

Q. So what is subscription-based online training?
A. In the past, we’ve offered online training courses, and it was always “Pay as you go” (basically, you’d pay individually for each class you took). But now you can pay one annual subscription fee and then you have unlimited access to all our online classes.
Q. You said this is amazingly affordable. OK, how affordable is it?
A. Our annual subscription is only $199, or you can pay $19.95 a month. By contrast our online classes used to be around $70.00 each. If you took just three classes, you were already paying more than our new subscription tuition. Now, you get unlimited access, all year long, for only $199. That’s just 55¢ a day, for unlimited access to the best Photoshop and photography teachers on the planet.
Q. What makes you guys different?
A. We knew we had to do something really special to stand out from the other online training options, so we asked ourselves what is the single most important aspect of any online course. Is it the topics? The price? The technology? The quantity? The look? What is it? We think the single most important thing is “The teacher.” It’s who you’re learning from, and their connection with the students. It’s their passion, their knowledge, their ability to communicate and share in a way that makes sense, that’s engaging, and even fun. That’s why we built our entire program around one thing; bringing you nothing but the very best teachers on the planet. Period.
Q. If the teacher provides files for us to practice along with, can we download them, or do we have to pay extra?
A. You get ‘em without any extra fees whatsoever. It’s part of your subscription.
Q. Can I get a sneak peek at how it all works? How about letting me try a couple of lessons?
A. Sure, why not. Head over to the KelbyTraining site, and click the “Try it Now (Free)” link at the top. You can watch the first three lessons from any of the classes to get a sense of what we’re doing, how the player works, and stuff like that.

The December 31, 2007 entry deadline for the 2nd Annual Worldwide “Photoshop User Awards” competition is right around the corner.
If you’re chosen as this year’s “Best of Show” winner, they'll send you and a friend on a trip to beautiful Maui, Hawaii (including round-trip airfare, hotel, and daily expenses) to get you totally inspired to have your work featured as the cover art for an upcoming issue of Photoshop User magazine.
Besides the grand prize, there are also thousands of dollars in other prizes and winners in a variety of different categories. The contest is open to any Photoshop user, anywhere in the world, but you can’t win if you don’t enter, so for all the details, visit PhotoshopUserAwards.com.
Don’t forget to enter by midnight on December 31, 2007.

I recently picked up a new tablet for home use... it's actually for my three-year old who seems a bit too fascinated with the tablets in my office. Becuase budget was an issue, I picked up the new Wacom Bamboo. What I thought was merely a replacement for the old Graphire tablets is so much more. It's easy to set up, very responsive, and fun to use.

The Bamboo comes in a standard version, simply called Bamboo, which is targeted towards Windows users who need signature abilities for their documents as well as a few other perks. The "Fun" version costs $20 more (unless you go for the larger one, then its $120 more).

The tablet has four programmable buttons as well as a touch wheel. It also comes with a full version of Adobe® Photoshop® Elements and Corel® Painter™ Essentials. What surprises me is that the tablet costs the same as buying Photoshop Elements as a stand-alone application. The tablet is a nice addition to a home workstation and would be a great entry point for a new tablet user.

I drew a blank earlier today when showing off the useful Web Photo Gallery option in Photoshop. I knew there was a way to do more advanced galleries... I just forgot how. A quick web search and I found it... the Adobe Media Gallery plug-in for Adobe Bridge CS3.

“Adobe® Media Gallery (AMG) for Adobe Bridge adds quick, powerful Web gallery creation to Adobe Photoshop® CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended and the Adobe Creative Suite®. AMG makes it possible to create HTML or Flash-based galleries from any of the file formats supported by Bridge; adjust the galleries using the built-in preview; and export the results or upload them via FTP.

Download and Installation

AMG is available on both Mac and Windows. The download package includes both the plug-in as well as AMG templates, all of the Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom™ default templates, as well as the Lightroom HTML Gallery.

Adobe Media Gallery for Macintosh
1. Close all applications, including Photoshop.
2. Click on the link above to download & open the DMG file
3. Open the AdobeMediaGalleryAll folder
4. Double click on SetUp and follow the on-screen instructions to install

Adobe Media Gallery for Windows
1. Close all applications, including Photoshop.
2. Click on the link above to download & open the zip file
3. Open the AdobeMediaGalleryAll folder
4. Double click on SetUp and follow the on-screen instructions to install

You can make your own templates for Adobe Media Gallery -- the source code for the template files is available on opensource.adobe.com.”

Thanks to Rod Harlan for pointing out this cool podcast episode. Terry White has a great new podcast on using P2 media with Adobe products. Adobe is about to roll-out great support for Panasonic's cameras with the next software release. Get a sneak peak by watching this podcast.

Check out Terry White’s special 200th episode of his Adobe Creative Suite podcast. He has as his guest Kevan O’Brien who walks through the entire process he used for creating a video podcast with Adobe Senior VP Johnny L.

Click here to see the “Making of” video with the full P2 workflow.
Click here to see the original video starring Johnny L in the DVA lab at Adobe San Jose.

Seems many folks are confused by the wealth of Photoshop choices on the market... (Do I need Elements or Extended?) With five different products baring the Photoshop name, a little bit of sorting is in order.
Fortunately Adobe has all five products compared on one single page to make your shopping process a little easier. What's nice is that they clearly break down the features as well as the target industries and activities for each program.
While you're there, you can read a quick blurb on Photoshop’s 20 year history.

The downloadable bonus chapter on Photoshop CS3 Extended is available to those who’ve purchased “Photoshop for Video.” You will need the password found in the back cover. This code is unique for each book, so be sure to register your code.

If you have your code ready, please visit http://booksite.focalpress.com/Harrington/ and start to download. You'll find a full-length chapter plus all of the source media needed for the exercises. It’s a big download, so be sure to have a fast Internet connection handy.

For problems or suggestions concerning the site, please contact: Technical Support.

Have an iDisk? They are a useful part of a .mac account that allow you to store and backup files to an Internet hard drive. If you use an iDisk with clients, it can get a little tricky for clients to figure out how to access your iDisk using Apple's iDisk utility. An easier way is through a web browser. Just have your client type http://idisk.mac.com/your iDisk name and they'll be connected.

I suspect that many of you may be viewers of the Understanding Adobe Photoshop podcast... I really need your help.

The show is starting to get some major attention (all of it good that will let me do MORE episodes and give away more stuff on the site). But I really need to get its iTunes review score and its ranking up.

So... please click here, to go to iTunes and post a review (the negative reviews are pretty much from when we first launched and had episodes go down for a few days).

Some recent facts:

1. ALL the back episodes are now live on the page thanks to the folks at Podango. So even if you are a subscriber, visit the iTunes page and download any missing shows.

2. The show was named to iTunes Photoshop Masters page (really... I had no idea there was such a page). Congrats to Scott Kelby, Terry White, Russell Brown, Matt Klowskowski and Jan Kabili (all peers).

3. We re-branded the show with cool graphics (heck, replace your old shows with new ones).

4. ALL shows are now 640 X 480 (so again replace those old episodes with higher res versions).

Go.... PLEASE.... Really!

Thanks!

If you came to either of my classes at Podcast and New Media Expo. I just wanted to offer you the handouts and resources. Heck.. even if you missed the show you might like these.

CLASS ONE – Field Production Strategies for Video Podcasting
The rules of the studio don't apply the same in the field. In this session you will learn how to properly capture your video content outside of a controlled environment and unpredictable lighting and background noise. You also learn how to achieve the best results when encoding files for various output devices. See how the experts retain overall quality with an overview of the latest methods and technologies. This session will also share best practices for multi-camera productions.

• Slides
• Multicamera Advice for FInal Cut Pro
• Production Resources

CLASS Two – Creating a Graphic Identity for Your Podcast
Designing a look and feel for your show is essential. Here are some slides with work samples included. We took a look at the following Shows – Final Cut Help, Understanding Adobe Photoshop, Secrets of Style with Kim Foley, On Software, and Photoshop for Video.

• Slides
• Reference Books

If you are a Windows user who likes to fix up their photos and video... then you should check out the new releases from Adobe. There are very solid releases with a lot of cool features. I created a few free tutorials on Premiere Elements (I love the YouTube publishing feature). You can check them out here and also learn more about Photoshop Elements.

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

When a Macintosh application is installed, it tends to install several language localization files on your drive. If you have a robust Applications folder, these files can quickly add up to gigabytes of space. On a laptop, this can be particularly bad. Instead of manually performing a 'seek-and-dstroy' mission, you can harness the power of DeLocalizer. This useful piece of freeware will remove all non-American English localization resource files that you specify. This useful program lets you customize which languages to remove and can save you a lot of space on your drive.

For more information click here.

If you'll be at the Podcast and New Media Expo show this weekend, consider checking out these free classes on the show floor. Podango is offering an “Unconference,” a featured program of the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME) taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

Podango, the online video and audio network that enables publishers and advertisers to “get heard” by today’s hard-to-reach, niche audiences, is heralding a wide range of topics and speakers. They include: new media pioneer Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show; Paige Heninger and Gretchen Vogelzang, hosts of MommyCast; as well as Jason Van Orden, David Lawrence and others. Speakers will share ideas for building and monetizing audiences in today’s niche-oriented, interest-driven new media marketplace. Read More...

If you read my detailed review on Photoshop CS3 running over at DV.com, you would have heard my only complaint about the public beta is that cursors don't work well on Intel-based Macs. Apparently enough other people were bothered too.

John Nack, Photoshop Product Manager, has opened up access to a new build (version) through his blog. You can find out how to access the new version here. For you early adopters.... I hope you enjoy. By the way, the new version has more to it than that... so you may want to check it out.

I finally put my thoughts to the page (well at least these thoughts). I have a detailed review on Photoshop CS3 running over at DV.com. I explore the features of the public beta that impact video professionals and motion graphic artists.

In case you missed it, things are running a little differently these days at Adobe. The company has bought into the whole "testing lab" thing-offering up notable programs for public beta, such as Lightroom for organizing digital photos, Soundbooth for audio editing, and now Photoshop CS3.
Head over to DV.com for lots of links and of course my opinions. I hope you enjoy.

Most historical photos show some damage with age. Instructor Richard Harrington explains how to fix a variety of problems with older images. Part 1 of 3.



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Instructor Richard Harrington takes a closer look at the clone tool and shows you how to use it to remove background elements from an image. Part 1 of 2.



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I've always praised Adobe for their liberal upgrade policies (if the last release didn't impress you, you can skip a version and still upgrade). In fact, Adobe had one of the least strict policies of any manufacturer and didn't hold you hostage to constant upgrades.

Well, the policy is changing (a bit). Adobe is tightening up its policy on upgrades and applying limits to just how old a copy can be in order to be upgraded. According to the FAQ posted for Photoshop CS3:

Q. If I buy Photoshop CS2 today in order to get access to the Photoshop CS3 beta, will I get a free upgrade to Photoshop CS3?

A. No. The rich feature set and productivity enhancements of Photoshop CS2 already provide a strong upgrade value, and the opportunity to preview the upcoming CS3 release is an additional bonus. In addition, customers who are still using Photoshop version 6.0 or earlier will benefit from taking advantage of a more liberal upgrade policy for Photoshop CS2. Adobe will not offer upgrade pricing more than three versions back on Photoshop CS3. Go to www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/index. html for more information on Adobe Photoshop CS2.

This means a minimum of Photoshop 7 must be owned to buy the upgrade to Photoshop CS3. I agree that this is a reasonable change... but I raise it to you know for you people forced to sit on the fence. I know plenty of people (especially in corporate and education fields) who are constrained when it comes to upgrades....

The bottom line... if you are still using Photoshop 6 or earlier... upgrade now to Photoshop CS2.

Instructor Richard Harrington takes a closer look at the clone tool and shows you how to use it to remove background elements from an image. Part 1 of 2.



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Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to use the shadow / highlight adjustment in Photoshop to rescue dark images.



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Instructor Richard Harrington explains how to use Photoshop levels adjustments to fix problems with color balance, brightness or contrast.



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Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to use blending modes in Photoshop to blend layers together in various ways for a wide range of results.



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Layer comps allow you to create alternate images and store them in one Photoshop document. Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to get the most out of this important tool. Part 2 of 2.



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Well, it appears timing is everything. Our new podcast on Adobe Photoshop CS3 is rocking the charts. Literally overnight it took number 1 in the software training category. That's very motivational to a guy with zero advertising budget and very little public presence. I genuinely hope you are enjoying the show (I am trying to produce one a day for the next two weeks). Up next (its literally compressing right now) a 15 minute tutorial on creating panoramic photos.

Thanks to those who are watching (a few comments)
1. Please click the subscribe button (it is free)
2. Please tell your friends
3. Please leave feedback.
4. Please post a comment here with requests for specific tutorials.

I want this podcast to be truly useful to the community. Your support and feedback really do help.

Photoshop CS3 Sneak Peek – On the Web – On iTunes

Looking for greater options and compatibility when browsing PDF files? Then its time to download Adobe Reader 8 (formerly Acrobat Reader). The new version features a streamlined interface that can be customized by the end user. An important change is that Acrobat Professional users can enable the ability for Reader users to fill and submit forms as well as add comments. The program is also GPU aware so a powerful graphics card will speed things up.

Layer comps allow you to create alternate images and store them in one Photoshop document. Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to get the most out of this important tool. Part 1 of 2.



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While its 'just' a minor update, its still nice when our power tools get tweaked. Adobe just released a minor bug update to After Effects. Here are some details from the release notes about the most significant fixes in the 7.0.1 release (Mac or Win):

• An issue has been fixed where After Effects' application window could not be revealed after being hidden.

• After Effects can now read IFF image files rendered out of mental ray for Maya.

• Shift-clicking to draw vertices with the Pen tool now constrains to 45 degree angles.

• Copy and paste of semitransparent text from Illustrator into After Effects has been fixed.

• Choosing Composition > Preview > Audio Preview (Work Area) will now play the whole work area.

• Users can now import Blackmagic Design 8-bit YUV AVI compressed files.

• An issue that caused incorrect pixel aspect ratio and dimensions when importing DVCProHD files captured in FCP5 has been fixed. (I begged for this one)

• Audio waveform no longer disappears when the window is resized.

A big thanks to After Effects Product Manager Steve Kilisky for letting me know.

While teaching this week, we got on the topic of how to make Photoshop run faster. Most in the audience thought the answer was to add more RAM (yes that will help), but its not the only way. Adobe Photoshop can recognize up to 3GB of physical RAM, but you can also use virtual memory in the form of a scratch disk.

By targeting hard drive, Photoshop can temporarily use disk space to help in opening large files, ruing complex filters, or performing a resize command. But how do you set this up?

1. Launch your preferences by pressing Cmd + K (Ctrl + K).
2. Find the Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks Category in the drop down menu at the top of the window.
3. Set your first Scratch Disk to a hard drive and click OK.

Internal hard drives are best (as opposed to networked drives). You should also avoid using the Startup (system) drive as this will bog performance down. If you are a video editor, you can target your fast video editing drives. Don't worry, Photoshop will trash any temp files when you quit or on relaunch after a crash.

Be sure to set your Scratch Disk preferences right for a great bump in performance when working with larger files or with several files open.

If you are in need of some new ideas or inspiration, be sure to check out the new articles from Adobe experts. There's a full list posted over at PhotoshopNews.com and there's some truly great stuff in there. While the articles skew towards digital photographers (like most of Adobe these days), I found these two very useful.

Digital Image Integrityby George ReisPhotographs have been altered or “faked” ever since the very beginning of chemical photography. Learn how Photoshop CS is providing forensics experts and law enforcement specialists better tools for evaluating the authenticity of a photograph.

Black and White Conversion Tutorialby John Paul CaponigroAre you looking for more detail in your digital B&W conversions? Or perhaps better contrast and tonal separation? Here’s an opportunity to learn how to get maximum flexibility out of your B&W conversions. Follow along step-by-step, as John Paul Caponigro shows you how the pros do it in this dynamic PDF tutorial.

Maximize your Photoshop workflow with these essential tips on layer organization. Instructor Rich Harrington explains how to align, distribute and group layers and how to lock different aspects of a layer.



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Instructor Richard Harrington explains how to use alpha channels in Photoshop to save selections to preserve transparency when taking an image into multimedia applications.



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Just read over at the wonderful blog of John Nack that I am not crazy. You see, my MacBook and MacBook Pro have both gotten much faster lately, and I thought maybe it was my overactive imagination. But it turns out that Apple and Adobe collaborated (BLESS THEM) on the latest OSX update. John reports that Photoshop is running 35% faster on Intel machines, After Effects is up 15% and Flash is a 10% improvement. Seems Adobe and Apple shared code and got the Rosetta emulators running Adobe software significantly better. This is great news as we anxiously await the next versions of Mactel-native software.

If you're looking for some great new Photoshop actions, hop over to Panos FX. This site is chock full of great actions (both free and for sale). Recent freebies include Rubik’s Cube and Plasma TV. One of my new favorites is Embossed Label which makes a great effect for title treatments. The actions are absolutely amazing and worth checking out. Be sure to visit Panos FX and browse their library.

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to use layer masks in Photoshop to hide part of an image. Superior to the eraser tools, if you are doing professional compositing, layer masking is essential.



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Instructor Rich Harrington shows you how to create and tweak your own brushes in Photoshop to create unique looks. Part 2 of 2.



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Instructor Rich Harrington explains how to create spot color channels and use them to accurately reproduce your client's corporate colors.



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Instructor Rich Harrington shows you how to mathematically separate image information and manipulate individual color channels to create the perfect alpha channel using Photoshop's Calculations tool. Part 2 of 2.



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I was recently asked how I could teach Photoshop and not be a professional photographer. It seems that most people forget that Photoshop has a diverse history and origin. In fact, I often point out its strong roots in the world of film and special effects (one half of the development team worked at Industrial Light and Magic). Photoshop serves all and this great article by Jeff Schewe gives you insight into its rich history.

Instructor Rich Harrington shows you how to mathematically separate image information and manipulate individual color channels to create the perfect alpha channel using Photoshop's Calculations tool. Part 1 of 2.



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Looking for a cool contest with prizes better than a shiny statue? Then don't miss the Photoshop User Awards sponsored by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. They've got great prizes including passes to Photoshop World and a prize package of design tools. The Best of Show winner gets to go ‘on assignment’ in Rome, Italy.
The deadline for entry is December 31, 2006 and you can find the full rules here. There are eleven categories to enter:

1. General Photography (digital or traditional scanned images manipulated or collaged in Photoshop)
2. Illustration (original creations drawn or created in Photoshop)
3. Artistic (artistic creations)
4. Photo Restoration (Restoring or repairing damaged images - die: rips, scratches, tears, faded photos, etc.)
5. Wedding and Portrait Photography (Wedding or Portrait images enhanced using Photoshop.)
6. Landscape & Travel Photography (Outdoor photography enhanced or corrected, or processed in Photoshop)
7. Photo Retouching (Retouching people, landscapes, architectural images, commercial retouching, etc.)
8. Advertising Design (Images used in brochures, annual report collages, advertising, logos, etc.)
9. Composites and Collaging (Collage of images).
10. Student Work (Images created or manipulated by students. NOTE: A valid student ID is required to enter work in this category).
11. General Photoshop Design (Images that don't fit into one of the categories listed above: cartoons, Photoshop graffiti art, tattoo art, medical imagery, astronomy, etc.).

It's a great contest and open to all Photoshop users.

Connect the dots and create scalable vector graphics with Photoshop's pen tool. Instructor Rich Harrington explores how paths can be used to make accurate selections and create customized effects.



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Richard Harrington was recently interviewed by Mac Edition Radio about Photoshop and education.

"An interview with Peachpit Press Author Richard Harrington on writing a book to help teach Photoshop. Rich brings years of teaching experience, expertise with motion graphics, and a longing for the perfect book to teach Photoshop with, and wrote “Understanding Adobe Photoshop: Digital Image Concepts and Techniques.” Recorded at the National Association of Photoshop Professionals Photoshop World Conference, Las Vegas, in September 2006 by Harris Fogel."

Have a listen if you'd like.

Instructor Richard Harrington explains how you can use the quick mask command to make a complex selection in Photoshop. Part 2 of 2.



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Instructor Richard Harrington explains how you can use the quick mask command to make a complex selection in Photoshop. Part 1 of 2.



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Instructor Richard Harrington explains serveral options you can use to modify your selections in Photoshop.



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While much of my time is spent making photos look better... sometimes I have to go the opposite direction. Mister Retro has three filter packs available called machine wash that can mangle and age images or text. Think of those "new-old" tee-shirts that are so popular in stores like American Eagle and Abercrombie and Fitch.

I first started using Machine Wash when they were actions for Photoshop, now they've evolved into actual filters. I checked them out at Photoshop World in Las Vegas, and the plug-ins are fast and responsive. These filters are of course well suited for clothing, but I find myself using them on photos and type treatments for the screen as well. To see a real-time preview, check out their gallery.

The filters are priced at $49 a set, and upgrades for previous users are available if you contact tech support.

Instructor Richard Harrington explains Smart Objects and how this feature can help you retain the quality of Photoshop layers and imported images while allowing you maximum flexibility.



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Join us each week for a dose of professional Photoshop training. We've turned our new book, Understanding Adobe Photoshop into a weekly podcast. It's a good idea to subscribe via iTunes, as back episodes won't hang around long. If you are impatient (or want to get the whole set on a DVD) you can purchase the book.

Subscribe now and receive a dose technical training delivered every Monday. Understanding Adobe Photoshop with Richard Harrington .

The new podcast is brought to you by the fine folks at Peachpit Press.

Hope you all enjoy...

NOTE: If you haven't subscribed... don't miss our free Photoshop podcast exclusively for video pros – Photoshop CS: Essentials for Digital Video.

Instructor Richard Harrington covers the free transofrm command, a very flexible way to move, rotate and scale images within your Photoshop document.



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The polls are now closed for our August survey.
We asked: Which NLE do you prefer to use the most?



We set an all time record for responses. All said, 510 users weighed in... and the results were surprising.

1. Apple Final Cut Pro/Final Cut Express (36.27%)
2. Avid Nonlinear Editing Systems (31.96%)
3. Sony Vegas (14.12%)
4. Adobe Premiere Pro (13.73%)
5. Media 100 (3.92%)

Given the number of respondents, we have determined that the survey is accurate within +/- 4%... That means Final Cut Pros lead was slim, but it still took the top spot.

Hope to see some of you at Photoshop World in Las Vegas. If you plan to attend, I hope to see some of you there. Here's my teaching schedule for those who'd like to catch up.

Thursday – September 7
Do No Harm - Non-Destructive Color Correction
NAPP Expo Theatre – 03:30-04:30 pm

Help Desk Live
Various Times

Friday – September 8
Your Photoshop is in My After Effects
Motion Graphics Track – 09:30 -10:30 am

Podcasting for Educators
Peachpit Expo Theater – 12:00-12:40 pm

Photoshop in the Classroom
Peachpit Expo Theater – 2:00 - 2:40 pm

Typography in Motion
Motion Graphics Track – 4:00 - 5:00 pm

Motion Control 3D
Motion Graphics Track – 5:15 - 6:15 pm

Instructor Richard Harrington explains how to use perspective cropping in Photoshop to correct distortion that can occur in an image.



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Planning on coming to Photoshop World in Vegas? Even if you can't attend the whole conference, you should check out the trade show floor. The Photoshop World Expo floor will be open to the public on on September 7th. The event is held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and is a great chance to catch up on the latest in digital photography and digital imaging.

You can come check out many different vendors as well as attend free educational sessions. You can get your free pass by signing up in advance or you'll have to pay $20.00 at the door.

The act of cropping is a destructive edit. Instructor Richard Harrington shows how to crop nondestructively in Photoshop, to preserve the cropped pixels so you can easily make changes later.



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It's very common to need to size and crop an image to a specific image size. Instructor Richard Harrington explains how you can do both with one step by"power cropping"in Photoshop.



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Although you may be able to match your own clothes in the morning, finding just the precise complementary colors is sometimes a pretty daunting task, or at least a time-consuming one. How do you pick out four colors that work with your client's logo?

ColorTheory from Digital Anarchy provides a pretty quick answer. The interface is clean and simple, but generates powerful results in a variety of color schemes. The Pro version adds the ability to load a source graphic in to compare with your colors. It also adds the ability to run ColorTheory as a plug-in from Photoshop or After Effects-compliant hosts.

The product is priced at $49 for the Standard version and $99 for the Pro.

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to put the tedious work of cropping and straightening multiple scanned images behind by using Photoshop's automated"Crop and Straighten Photos"feature. Part 2 of 2.



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It’s time for an experiment. We are going to take some of our tutorials that are ‘in the can’ and launch them as a Podcast. We’ll release a new one each week, and it will stay live for just the week. When the new episode goes up, the old one will go down.

If the podcast proves popular (and we get enough viewer mail) we’ll start to produce an original tip each week. The podcast launched today, and you can sign up here.

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to put the tedious work of cropping and straightening multiple scanned images behind by using Photoshop's automated"Crop and Straighten Photos"feature. Part 1 of 2.



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Camera raw has several advantages over other file formats. Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to open and develop a camera raw image in Photoshop. Part 2 of 2.



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Camera raw has several advantages over other file formats. Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to open and develop a camera raw image in Photoshop. Part 1 of 2.



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Are you an intermediate to advanced After Effects user? If so, the coolest book ever is about to ship. I recently edited a book called After Effects @ Work. It features top designers like Trish & Chris Meyer, Mark Coleran, Ken Locsmandi, Rachel Max and Dave Phillips. Join eleven well -known AE designers and teachers as they teach you real-world secrets. You'll get an inside glimpse at 11 projects and see what an expert can do using just the tools that come on the After Effects CD-Rom and a budget of $10,000 or less. This book is a hybrid of case studies, tutorials, and inspiration. It's like eleven internships in a box. I'm really proud of this one and excited that it is to ship the week of July 16. To order, go visit Amazon for the lowest price.

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to use the navigator palette to keep perspective of the entire image while zooming in to work on a small section of it.



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From Germany comes a very useful site on After Effects and several 3D animation tools. The site is named for its creator Mylenium, who is an animator as well as a forum host over at Creative Cow. Be sure to check out his useful site for a ton of free resources (as well as a few affordably priced ones as well). I've personally around downloaded some of his easy to use 'Looks' to stylize footage in Adobe After Effects.

The resource site Photoshop For Video has ben redesigned and restocked with fresh content. This site serves as a one-stop shop for training on Photoshop for Video. You'll find all of my conference handouts as well as extra articles and free training movies. There's a little bit of overlap with Raster|Vector content, but each site is for a distinct audience. It appears that I've been renewed with excitement for the Web (I actually hand-coded HTML last night). If you work in the video industry, be sure to check out this informative site (there are over 150 free downloads).

Your image's individual color data is represented in the channels. Instructor Richard Harrington explains how to read and use the channels palette.




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While working on my latest Photoshop book, I did some research on Actions. I was looking for some new examples of actions that push the boundaries of what Photoshop can do. I came across several beautiful actions created by Panos FX.
From postcards and filmstrips to paper and sketch effects. These actions are great, they produce powerful results and are flexible enough to create several looks. The website has more than 30 free actions and the powerful ones for sale are very affordable. Be sure to check out their many products to build up your Photoshop toolbox. If you did pick up the new book, be sure to look on the DVD for some additional free actions.

Action are a useful way to harness the power of automation in Photoshop. Instructor Richard Harrington explains how to use actions to increase your workflow.




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Instructor Richard Harrington explains how and why you would change your picture's image mode in Photoshop.




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Before going too far into Photoshop, you should check your preferences. Instructor Richard Harrington explains how setting your preferences can customize Photoshop to your needs.




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Looking for the latest on Adobe Photoshop? Then don't miss Photoshop TV with the “Photoshop Guys” Scott Kelby, Dave Cross, and Matt Kloskowski. While down visiting the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, I stopped in on a show taping. They had me on to show two tips.
• How to correct a series faded photographs with adjustment layers
• How to use video actions for creating DVD slide shows from your images
If you'd like to subscribe to the free podcast, click here.
To buy this episode, click here.

We've launched our poll for June. Be sure to vote for your favorite web tool.

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The fine folks at Logitech sent one of these over for me to play with. It's an alternative input device for Mac users (primarily for Adobe apps - for now). It allows for a customizable interface and is really comfortable to use. Essentially, you can program frequently used tools to be literally 'at hand' or via a custom floating palette on-screen. So far, it's a winner, and I'll update you as I go deeper.
To find out more.

Adobe has released an important maintenance update to Photoshop CS. No, it does not make it a Universal application for Mac users, but it does fix several little things, including: • Photoshop no longer hangs for several seconds when using painting tools with quick strokes. • Documents containing a large number of text layers now open more quickly. • Problems related to palettes (slow redraw, palettes go white, possible crash) have been addressed. • Slow performance when toggling layer visibility has been fixed.