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Have an old font that's not working right? Maybe
it's PC-only and you're on a Mac. Here's a free
service to convert fonts –
FreeFontConverter.comallows you
to quickly convert between many font formats
without the hassle of installing any software
on your computer. Our service works on any
operating system including Windows, Mac and
Linux. Our font converting service works for
all of the common font formats including
TrueType (.ttf), OpenType (.oft) and
PostScript (.ps). We can also convert many of
the less well known font formats including
Suitcase (.suit) and Data Fork (.dfont) fonts.
Thanks toRod Harlanfor pointing
this one out.
You can choose from five
different layout options when creating a
panoramic photo with the Photomerge command.
Each method interprets the panoramic photos
differently.
Auto:With this method,
Photoshop first analyzes your source images. It
then applies either the Perspective,
Cylindrical, and Spherical layout option.
Photoshop attempts to choose which method to
use that will produce a better
photomerge.
Perspective:This method
creates a composition by designating one of the
source images as the center of the panoramic
image. Photoshop generally picks the middle
image, then transforms the other images around
it. Photoshop will stretch and skew images as
needed to overlap the layers and blend them
together.
Cylindrical:The cylindrical
layout option works best for creating very wide
panoramic images. The source images are
overlapped in a way that looks like an unfolded
cylinder.
Spherical:The spherical
option is best-suited for 360 degree panoramas.
The images are mapped to the inside of a sphere
and can create a seamless image for use in
specialty applications like multimedia or
animation.
Collage:This method only
changes rotation or scale in order to overlap
the content.
Reposition:This method only
changes the alignment of images, but does not
transform (stretch or skew) any of the source
layers.
A while back I made an action
that is designed to create a seamless loop for
properly shot 360˚ photos. People seem to be
unable to find it (as its the number one search
result for my site). So here it is again.
In the rush to design,
many motion graphic artists skip the
advanced controls inside the Material
Options category. These are essential as the
refine how a 3D light interacts with your 3D
layer. The properties that affect appearance
the most are Diffuse, Specular, Shininess,
and Metal.
The only changes made to the
scene above were modifications to the Material
Options. No other settings with lights were
modified. The Material Options are powerful
controls that are often overlooked. When you're
first exploring Material Options, try lowering or
raising their values one property at a time.
To start,
drop all of the values to 0% to remove the
effect of the lights.
Next slowly
increase the Specular value. This will add a
hotspot to your layer (it may get quite blown
out). This value controls how reflective the
layer is. The bigger the number the brighter
the reflection.
Raise the
Shininess property which will cause the light
to show specular highlights. The bigger the
number the smaller the highlight.
Use the
Diffuse property to soften the results
generated by the Specular and Shininess
properties. This will soften the transition
between lights and darks.
Raising metal
property will lower the color distinction
between the darker areas and the highlight, but
the highlight will still be brighter. It also
affects how much the layer's color influences
the color of the reflection.
The revolve command
can take a vector line and sweep its path into a
circular direction. This can be used to create a
3D object. For best results draw your line facing
with its curve pointing to the right (the lines
are anchored on the left edge). Once the object
is created, you can reposition it with the same
Position controls found in the Bevel and Extrude
effect.
1. Select an object or line
inside of Adobe Illustrator.
A line or a shape is all you
need to create a 3D object. By default, the
extrusion will rotate around the left edge so
position the vector object accordingly.
2. Choose Effect > 3D > Revolve.
Check the Preview box so you can see the effect
update as you make changes.
With the Preview box checked,
changes will update so you can experiment more
easily. For complex objects, the screen may take
a moment to redraw.
By default, Illustrator revolves objects around
the left edge. You can change this to the right
edge using the from pop-up.
3. If you object has a fill, you can use the cap
command to make it appear solid or hollow.
4. Use the Angle property to
set the number of degrees to revolve the path.
While you can use any number between 0 and 360, I
typically start with 360˚.
With the Preview box checked, changes will update
so you can experiment more easily. For complex
objects, the screen may take a moment to redraw.
You can use the Offset slider to expand the path
to create a ring-shaped object.
If you experiment with this
effect, some pretty cool options are possible.
Try using a dashed line and creating an irregular
path. In this case a basket shape is possible and
you can create abstract 3D objects for motion
graphics work. Technique adapted fromRC
Concepcion.
Things can get
tricky when you start to layer 2D and 3D layers
in the same timeline. As a designer, you need to
understand how After Effects interprets things so
you can build your compositions correctly.
When working
in 2D, the highest layer in the Timeline is in
front of all the other layers. The lowest layer
is behind them.
3D layers are
stacked based on their Z‑position value
(assuming the camera is pointing at their
fronts). This means that the object closest to
the Active camera is in front of the other
layers. This is true even if the layer is at
the bottom of Timeline stacking
order.
Track and
Alpha mattes must always be immediately on top
of the layer they are matting. This is true for
both 2D and 3D layers.
Layer blend
modes still follow the stacking order in the
Timeline.
2D layers
mixed with 3D layers are ordered by their spot
in the Timeline stack.
If two or
more 3D layers have overlapping
z‑position values, After Effects uses
their Timeline stacking order to determine top
position.
If you want to keep a logo bug or other element
always on top of your 3D layers it's easy. Just
place the element on the topmost layer in After
Effects and don't enable the 3D switch. You can
also do the same for a background layer that you
want behind all your 3D layers. Just put a
standard 2D layer at the very bottom of the
timeline.
From the new Adobe Press book –Motion Graphics with Adobe
Creative Suite 5 Studio
Techniques
One of Photoshop’s
greatest powers lies in its ability to
preserve complex transparency. By employing
masks, both in layers and embedded into the
saved files as alpha channels, this
transparency data can travel seamlessly into
the nonlinear editing (NLE) or
motion-graphics environment.
As a motion graphics designer, you'll use After
Effects, Photoshop, or Illustrator to some degree
in every project. But how do you decide which
tool is best for the job and how can you use them
together for the most efficient and effective
workflow?
This workshop cuts to the chase and teaches
advanced techniques for all three applications
(no matter what your experience level is with
each). You'll learn essential techniques
including typography, repairing and retiming
footage, stylizing footage, background design,
and 3D objects.
Learn how to integrate After Effects, Photoshop,
and Illustrator for an efficient and effective
workflow. Topics include:
Pixels and
Vectors: Mastering Resolution
Typography
for the Screen
Repairing,
Stylizing and Retiming Footage
Perfect
Loops: Designing Backgrounds
Creating and
Importing 3D Objects
Check Your
Sources: Organizing Files for
Animation
Mastering
Transparency: Perfect Masks and Alpha
Channels
Instructor Richard
Harrington discusses how the fade command works.
It is available on all versions of Photoshop, and
is considered a very flexible tool.
Many don't realize
that they have the ability to add multiple
cameras to a 3D composition. This makes
experimentation easier as you can try out
different camera moves without throwing the
previous away. As you design, you can look
through any camera you want with the 3D View
Popup.
You can trim the layer
handles for the camera to control when a
camera becomes active.
The gotcha is that only the Active Camera will
render. Which one's active? The answer is it
depends:
If you have
two overlapping cameras, the one on top of the
layer stack takes precedence.
• If you want to edit between cameras,
you can adjust the in and out points in the
timeline. Then sequence the camera layers so
you can cut between them.
While working
onmy 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
byPanos 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 30free actionsand 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.
"Learning how to spot problems in your images and
then choosing the right correction technique is
an essential part of mastering Photoshop. Richard
Harrington describes the most important tools and
shows you how to use them to make the best color
correction and enhancement choices.
The primary purpose of Photoshop is to act as a
digital darkroom where images can be corrected,
enhanced, and refined. How do you know an image
needs touch-up? You can pretty much assume every
image can look a little (or even a lot) better
than how the camera captured it. Whether
it’s adjusting the exposure, increasing
contrast, or boosting saturation, Photoshop is
the place to improve an image."
After Effects supports
scripts which can automate complex tasks.
One of those scripts can actually render a
file then email you upon completion. If
you’re a tech geek, the gears in your
head are already spinning. Just think, the
leash has been cut! You are free to leave
and relax while your machine churns away.
Open up your
General Preferences and be sure that the Allow
Scripts to Write Files and Access Network box
is checked.
Add your
files to the Render Queue like
normal.
Choose File
> Run Script > render_and_email.jsx, you
will now be prompted for your email
settings.
Enter server
smtp address: such as mail.mac.com, click
OK
Enter the
reply to address: such as the email you want to
use to send the message.
If your
server required log-in (most do), click YES and
enter your ID and password. Click
OK.
Enter the
recipients email address. Click OK
An email with
the subject AE Render complete will be sent
when the queue is finished.
How cool is that?
If you have an iPhone... you can also checkout
apps likeLogMeInandiTeleportto actually view
(and control) your screen from your mobile
device. I've actually set up rendered files
and sent them viaYouSendItto clients
remotely.
Here are two quick tips to
give you more control when you need to stop
or re-render an item in After Effects.
A Better Stop
Normally when you click Stop on an item in the
render queue, it adds it to the bottom of the
list and will pick up where it left off. That may
be what you want, but often you intended to bust
the render, tweak it, and re-render. To stop a
render and re-queue it to begin at the beginning,
hold down the Option (Alt) key when clicking Stop
Render. This will avoid the pickup and add the
item to be re-rendered from the start of the
original output settings.
Need to Re-render?
For one reason or another, it
always happens, the need to re-render. Perhaps a
small tweak to a keyframe or a timing issue.
Chances are while your animation may have needed
refining, the render queue was perfect. Save
yourself some time and Re-queue that animation.
Select a
previously rendered animation.
Press Command
+ Shift + D (Control + Shift + D) to duplicate
the render item with the same settings and
output name. This will rewrite over the
previous file to the exact same
destination.
Save your
work, then click Render when ready to
output.
If you’re a
Photoshop enthusiast or professional, you
should really be using Photoshop actions.
Photoshop is an extremely efficient program,
but you’re truly missing out if you
don’t learn how to use its automation
features.
Photoshop Actions record a series of commands for
playback on future images. They can be used to
generate extremely complex results. Actions
should seem pretty appealing, let’s learn
how to create your own.
You must first create a set to hold your personal
actions. Sets hold actions, and there’s no
limit to how many actions can be placed into a
set or how many sets you can load. Let’s
give it a try.
See the full article here for
free
Learn how to create Timelapse movies with your
DSLR camera and Adobe After Effects. Join Richard
Harrington as he shows you how to create pans and
zooms while controlling the speed of the shot as
well.
From the book and DVD "From Still to Motion: A
photographers guide to creating video with your
DSLR."
Explore options for creating and
working with video from your camera, from
practical shooting techniques and essential
lighting to easy editing strategies and online
sharing.
Instructor: Richard Harrington
Time: 01:00pm-06:00pm
Price: $199
One of the easiest
ways to create seamless backgrounds is to use
effects within After Effects. The Cell Pattern
effect generates a loopable pattern based on
cellular noise algorithms. With 12 patterns to
choose from and several controls over size,
contrast, and speed, you'll find the effect very
versatile
1. Choose a method from the Cell Pattern pop-up
menu. Some patterns are sharp and angular while
others are more organic. Experiment as you can
change methods at any time.
Here are three of the
twelve cell patterns. From left to right,
Plates, Pillow, and Tubular.
2. Adjust the contrast of the effect to create
the desire pattern. You can use the Invert
checkbox to swap values of luminance. The
Contrast/Sharpness slider modifies the overall
detail level of the cells.
3. Modify the randomness of the cells with the
Disperse slider. The lower the number, the more
uniform the pattern. If you increase Disperse
above 1.0, be sure to set the layer to Best
quality.
Different Disperse values
were used to modify the Cell Pattern. A
value of 0 creates a uniform shape.
Increasing the value to 0.50 adds more
randomness. A greater value of 1.50 starts
to create very irregular shapes.
4. Adjust the size and position with the Size and
Disperse sliders.
The key to making an animated background is the
Evolution option. As you animate evolution, the
pattern will change over time. By default,
revolutions are progressive, which means each
cycle is an entirely unique value. There is a way
though to create a seamless loop point.'
5. Under Evolution Options, check the box next to
Cycle Evolution. This will ensure that a
revolution for the Evolution slider makes the
pattern repeat.
6. Add a keyframe near the start of the
composition for Evolution for 0x and one at the
end for a full number (such as 2 x). By using
full rotations, you'll create a loopable pattern.
Using full rotations with
the Cycle Evolution option enabled will
create a loopable pattern.
Tip: Want a
Different Looking Background? Randomize it
You
can get a different pattern by changing the
Random Seed slider. Do not keyframe this value;
rather drag to choose a different starting
pattern. You can also adjust the Size or Offset
settings.
7. To create a richly layered background, blend
multiple layers with the Cell Pattern effect
applied. You can stylize the background with the
Colorama effect and a vignette as well.
Stacking multiple
instances of the Cell Pattern effect can
create depth and visual interest.
Download the file here –www.richardharringtonblog.com/downloads/Cell_Pattern_Noise_BG.zip
DATE: Friday, June 25TIME:
4:30 – 7:30 pmLOCATION:
Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom 311 West
34th Street New York, NY 10001PRICE:
FREE – Bring a Friend!* You must sign up in
advance here –www.photoshopuser.com/cs5nyc
A common problem
with old black-and-white or sepia-toned photos is
that they fade over time. You can use a Levels or
Curves adjustment, but both commands often
introduce color artifacts into the image. A few
extra steps are needed to get the best results.
1. With the Eyedropper tool, sample the color
tint if you want to retain it in the finished
piece.
2. Leave the photo in RGB mode but strip away the
color. Choose Image > Adjust > Desaturate
or press Shift+Command+U (Shift+Ctrl+U).
3. Perform a Levels
adjustment and restore the white-and-black
points. Drag the black Input Levels slider
and the white Input Levels slider toward the
center.
4. Add a Solid Color fill layer by choosing Layer
> New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Click OK.
The Foreground color you previously sampled will
load automatically.
5. Set the Color Fill
layer to use the Color blending mode. Adjust
the Opacity slider as desired.
By their very
nature, lenses add distortion to the images they
capture. I've posted anew tutorialover at
TipSquirrel.com that addressed how to fix lens
distortion for both stills and video.
“One of the commands in
Photoshop CS5 that received a major makeover is
the Lens Correction command. It’s no longer
buried, rather it sits proudly near the top of
the filter menu. Adobe now ties the filter to
specific lenses in the file’s metadata. You
can even create your own lens profiles with a
great utility. Visithttp://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lensprofile_creator/for full
details.”
I
am releasing the Understanding Adobe Photoshop
– Creating Panoramic Photos
iPhone/iPod/iPad application for free through
June 4. Please spread the news to all your photo
friends. Until June 5... we are giving
this application away for free. Learn how to
create breathtaking panoramic photographs using
Adobe Photoshop® and your digital camera. This
innovative application combines the latest in
knowledge and technology to accelerate your
learning.
Includes 15
training videos edited specifically for the
iPhone or iPod Touch. Offers easily
viewable screens, with zooms and close-ups of
the action.
Every lesson
includes hands-on files that you download to
your computer. There’s no need to
merely watch, you can try out every technique
on your own.
Test your
knowledge with interactive quizzes. Score
yourself as well as check your answers with
video responses.
Search
throughout the application by keyword and your
own bookmarks.
A quick
reference guide is also included to help build
your skills.
Interact with
the trainer with comments and a Twitter client.
Additionally a quick reference guide for
shooting panoramic photos is included for quick
reference in the field.
TO SWITCH
VIDEOS – SWIPE YOUR FINGER ACROSS
THUMBNAILS If
you like it, please consider a small donation to
the Pancreatic Cancer Action –http://www.pancan.org/
in memory of Marilyn Marlowe.
If
you missed the free e-seminar on using Adobe
Creative Suite for DSLR video, you can check it
outhere. We cover
Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, and
Bridge. Be sure to check out the part on using
Photoshop to color grade video files
nondestructively.
I'm also amazed at
Premiere Pro's ability to handle native DSLR
video with no transcoding or rendering (good
stuff!).
We focus a lot on
DSLR video, but all video pros and photographers
will learn something. You can watch the class
here online (give it a minute to load).
Get the free
Photoshop CS5 Knowledge Panel for a bunch of cool
free tutorials built right into Photoshop CS5.
Choose Window > Extensions > Knowledge to
open it.
Here's why you need it.
It's totally
free
It's
interactive with cool controls
A bunch of my
tutorials are in there on video and
animation.
"Sometime in
the last 48 hours, your copy of Photoshop CS5
quietly sprouted some new functionality. We hope
you like it, and we'd love to get your feedback.
Adobe is now delivering the Knowledge panel for
Photoshop. This tool delivers interactive
step-by-step guidance, walking you through some
70 tutorials written by expert authors. Unlike
other tutorials, these can drive Photoshop:
clicking links executes commands in PS (e.g.
clicking "File->New" brings up the New
Document dialog box)."
Learn more here –http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2010/05/the_knowledge_panel_arrives_in_photoshop.html
Thanks to Victor Gavenda at
Peachpit and John Nack at Adobe for doing this.
Sample motion graphic created for The Johnson
Group's documentary, Bedford: The Town They Left
Behind. The film went into limited release in
theatres across the country.
I am working up some new tutorials on the
techniques... leave comments about what you want
to see.
Check out the latest show on Peachpit TV:
Photoshop in 5 with RC Concepcion. NAPP
instructor & Adobe Certified Expert in
Photoshop Rafael "RC" Concepcion gives 5-minute
tutorials in Photoshop on topics including the
Type panel, Soft-proofing, Brush-based tools,
Channels, Adjustment and Mask layers.
Learn about all three content aware tools in
Photoshop CS5. Easily remove objects and
blemishes with just a few clicks. From the new
book Understanding Adobe Photoshop CS5 by Richard
Harrington.
How do you
take a great still photo with your
video-enabled DSLR camera? That's easy,
shoot in photo mode. You'll get the best
quality and even the option of using a raw
format. But what happens if you've got the
perfect shot, except you're in the middle of
recording a video clip? The good news is
that you can export stills directly from a
piece of video. There's just a few
limitations.
Resolution
limitations of video
You might be thinking to yourself “Isn't
video really low resolution?” Yes, when
compared to the native size of photos taken with
your DSLR, video pales in comparison. But for
many uses, such as web or newspaper, you can get
enough pixels out.
Currently the highest resolution you’ll get
exporting a still from a piece of video that
originated on a DSLR is 1920 x 1080 or approx 2.1
megapixels. While you aren’t going to make
any panoramic prints of those frames you can
still find a lot of great uses for them. If
printing at 300 ppi, you can extract a frame that
is about 6.5 X3.5 inches – in fact a lot of
the figures that you’ve see in this book
are from video clips.
Read
More...
Working
with DSLR Video with Adobe CS5 Production Premium
Wednesday,
May 26, 2010
—
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM US/Pacific Thanks
to their exceptional image quality, low-light
capabilities, and the fact that you can shoot
using standard 35mm DSLR lenses that give your
footage the look of expensive film-based cameras,
DSLRs are finding their way into video
productions at all levels.
Join
Richard Harrington, co-author of From Still to
Motion: A photographer's guide to creating video
with your DSLR. He'll explore the options
for creating and working with DSLR video in CS5
Production Premium which includes Adobe
Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Adobe After
Effects. You’ll learn everything from
practical shooting techniques and essential
lighting to easy editing strategies and online
sharing.
You’ll also be introduced to the latest
Dell Precision workstation and NVIDIA Quadro
graphic solutions to help you make the best
decision to outfit your editing needs –
including taking advantage of the latest
performance improving updates in CS5.
My new Photoshop CS5 book (okay I actually
have 2) is about to go to press. It's 100%
written and laid out. This is a great book if
you’re self-taught in Photoshop or for
classroom use. Instead of getting bogged down in
every feature, I strip the application to the
core skills you'll need to work professionally.
The book is ready to order and will
ship soon. As a bonus, it also includes 6.5
hours of training videos.
Photoshop is the foundation of every digital
career. Many users think they know it, but in
truth they have gaping holes in their training.
This book covers what a professional truly needs
to know about Photoshop. For students this book
offers a chance to explore the program
interactively. For professionals it provides a
chance to add to your skill base. The book cuts
though the clutter and is unique, focusing not
just on digital photography, but also the Web,
graphic design, multimedia, and video.
Readers will learn the basics in correcting,
editing, sharpening, retouching, and presenting
photos as well as work on specific
projects/exercises. Coverage of exciting new C5
features includes: Puppet Warp, Refining Edges,
Eyedropper tools, Merge to HDR, Content Aware
Fill/Scale/Heal, 3D Text, and Lens Profile.
The full-color book includes a DVD with hand-on
exercises and practice images as well as 72 new
video training tutorials that expand the on the
lessons in the book.
With the move to CS5,
many Adobe apps require a 64-bit operating
system. What this means is more speed and a
greater ceiling for memory. It also means
you'll need to update your plugins.
Here's a definitive list on the state of
After Effects plugins right from Adobe.
After Effects CS5 requires 64-bit plug-ins as
well as a 64-bit operating system. As plug-in
developers release 64-bit versions of their
plug-ins, we will list them here. Most plug-in
developers are working on 64-bit versions of
their tools, and many have announced that their
plug-ins will be available at or near the time
that After Effects CS5 is available. Check
this pageoften for
updates.
Richard
Harrington, a trainer for Future Media Concepts,
explains a new adjustment in Photoshop CS4 called
Vibrancy. He discusses how to use this tool to
boost color without making it look flat.
Is
Photoshop CS5 driving you nuts with missing
or broken system plug-ins. Here's straight
answers of what Adobe took away.
Plug-ins
available via web download
Some plug-ins that were available
for previous versions of Photoshop are no longer
available for CS5. Others are available as a web
download.
• For Mac OS: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4687
• For Windows: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4688 Plug-ins
supported in 32- and 64-bit Windows, and only
32-bit Mac OS:
Lighting Effects
Extract (Use Refine Mask under the Selection
menu)
Variations
Web Contact Sheet II (Web Photo
Gallery)
Layer Comps to WPG
PatternMaker
PhotoMergerUI
Picture Package
Embed / Read Digimarc Watermark
Firewire
Firewire DLL
Plug-ins
no longer supported in Photoshop CS5:
Filmstrip format. Previous versions will not
work in Photoshop CS5
Texture Fill
Plug-ins
supported only in 32-bit Windows and Mac OS:
Normally,
you'll want to run Photoshop CS5 as a 64-bit
application to get the best performance.
Unless you have a plug-in that doesn't work
in 64-bit. Then you can relaunch and "dumb
it down" a bit. To run
Photoshop CS5 on Mac OS as a 32-bit application:
Select the Adobe Photoshop CS5 application
file, installed by default in the
Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS5
folder.
Choose File > Get Info, and select Open in
32 Bit Mode.
Deselect this option to run Photoshop CS5 in
64-bit mode.
To run
Photoshop CS5 in Windows as a 32-bit application:
Close Photoshop CS5.
Navigate to the Program Files (x86) > Adobe
> Adobe Photoshop CS5 folder..
Double-click the Adobe Photoshop CS5.exe
file.
To run
Photoshop CS5 in Windows as a 64-bit application:
Close Photoshop CS5.
Navigate to the Program Files > Adobe >
Adobe Photoshop CS5 folder..
You can also use the Hue/Saturation command to
tint an image. If you are working with a
grayscale image, you need to convert it to an RGB
image first.
1.
Open an image you want to process.
2. Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.
3. Click the Colorize box to tint the image.
4. Adjust the Hue slider to try out different
color combinations. Adjust Saturation and
Lightness to refine the tint.
The adjustment layer automatically has a Layer
Mask attached, which allows you to mask the
effect.
5. Click the Layer Mask icon for the
Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.
6. Select your Brush tool and press D to load the
default colors of black and white.
7. With a small black brush, paint the areas
where you want the original colors to show
through. so the original red shows through. If
you make a mistake, you can press X to toggle
back to white for touch-up.
This tutorial comes from the book, Understanding
Adobe Photoshop.
I've released anew tutorialover at the
TipSquirrel.com website. Learn all bout how to
crop your photos. Before you think you know
all about cropping, consider these points.
The last chance to save $100 on Photoshop World
is tomorrow. The Early Bird offer is a great
deal. I'll be teaching several classes, including
a pre-conference session on DSLR Video as well
several motion graphics classes.Here’s the
link.
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.
Scan several
images at one time. For best results, you need
to keep 1/8 inch between the images in your
scan.
2 If you’re working in a multilayered
image, select the layer that contains the
images.
Choose File
> Automate > Crop And Straighten
Photos.
Each image
should be cropped, straightened, and moved into
its own document window.
In this documentary, the founders of Adobe
Photoshop - John Knoll, Thomas Knoll, Russell
Brown, and Steve Guttman - tell the story of how
an amazing coincidence of circumstances, that
came together at just the right time 20 years
ago, spawned a cultural paradigm shift
unparalleled in our lifetime.
The fine folks over at the
National Association of Photoshop
Professionals offer up two great things to
celebrate Photoshop's 20th anniversary.
First,
take their (tough) quiz on Photoshop history.
"The quiz is
just for fun, of course, but it’s harder
than you might think."
If you’ve got a couple of minutes,click
this linkto take the quiz
and see how you do.
Second,You
can virtually attend the Live Webcast of the big
party/presentation/Photoshop love-fest happening
this Thursday night (the 18th) in San Francisco
celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Photoshop.
(1) You sign up here (it’s free):http://www.photoshopuser.com/photoshop20th
(2) The Live Webcast starts at 7:30 pm Pacific
Time (10:30 EST).
(3) There are some VERY special guests making an
appearance that night.
Photoshop is about to turn
20 years old... yet it seems like yesterday
when I had to run it off a floppy disc. The
fine folks over at Webdesigner Depot
offer20 Years of Adobe
Photoshopwith some great tidbits and
history.
"The first version of the
Photoshop splash screen features just four
Photoshop programmers. In subsequent versions,
more and more names are added to the list. In
more recent versions, a limited number of Adobe
VIP’s appear in the splash
screen."
You should also check out this great interview
with John Knoll, one of the two inventors of the
application.
"OK, it’s two weeks
and one day, but you get the idea. The $100 early
bird registration deadline is coming up, and if
you want to join us in Orlando on March 24-26 for
the world’s largest Photoshop training
event, (and do it on the cheap) you can sign up
or just get more details right here (By the way:
if you’re a NAPP member, you can get a full
conference pass for only $499 using that early
bird discount)."
So... like many
I've been pretty frustrated with Flash video
lately. When you visit a site (like this blog)
with several Flash players, you can see a huge
performance hot. Turns out that Flash can' t hand
over that H.264 processing to the graphics card,
so it becomes a HUGE processor suck (and RAM..
and battery). You've probably heard about Steve
Jobs railing on it being a hog and not allowed on
the iPhone.
Well...here's a cool pluginthats free for
Mac users... it's called ClicktoFlash and its
a plugin that keeps Flash files from
auto-loading on Safari.
"Ever wanted to get rid of
the scourge of the web that is Adobe Flash, but
still retain the ability to view Flash whenever
you want? With ClickToFlash, you can! Using
ClickToFlash, all of those icky Flash bits that
have infected most webpages on the internets are
replaced with a nice, smooth gradient and the
word "Flash" set in a nice, pleasing font. When
you want to view the Flash, just click on it!
The advantages of ClickToFlash are numerous.
Since Flash isn't loaded until you specifically
ask for it, your CPU usage will stay at normal
levels when browsing the web. This has tons of
benefits: web browsing stays speedy, your Mac
laptop won't get as hot, and your Mac's fan won't
come on as often. In fact, we guarantee* that
ClickToFlash will quintuple your battery life and
that it will protect those precious parts of your
body on which you rest your laptop! (*note: not
actually guaranteed)"
You can even use the plugin to force YouTube
videos to use the QuickTIme player for H.264
playback. Just click the Gear icon and tweak the
preferences.
I recently wrote a review
for a new filter called Continuum Cartoon
Look for Layers Magazine.Here it
is.
Everywhere you turn, you’ll spot the
“look”: video footage transformed to
look like a cartoon. In a traditional workflow,
the process involves rotoscoping. An artist
literally traces animation frame by frame over
the original source. The technique was invented
by Max Fleischer around 1915, and has been used
by animators on classic films such as Snow White
and the Seven Dwarves and Cinderella, as well as
modern movies such as Titan A.E. and Waking Life.
The process is very tedious, however, so many
video pros and motion graphics artists have been
on a quest for an easier solution. These days
you’ll find several products on the market
to transform your video footage to look like
it’s a cartoon. Early options such as
Studio Artist ($379;www.synthetik.com)
and market leaders like ToonIt ($399;www.redgiantsoftware.com)
have all seen heavy use.
While they’re not new to the plug-in
market, Boris FX has released their own take on
cartoon filters. The Boris Continuum Unit:
Cartoon Look breaks out four filters from the
larger plug-in package Continuum Complete. The
set is only $199 (significantly less than
competitors) and runs in several host
applications including Adobe After Effects and
Premiere Pro, as well as Apple Final Cut Pro and
Motion. The four filters for stylizing your
footage include:
There are lots of reasons
to use Premiere Pro (even if you’re a
Final Cut Pro editor). One of the most
compelling is to organize After Effects
projects.
Create a new
Premiere Pro project and match its settings to
your primary footage format.
2 Import a folder of QuickTime movies into a
Premiere Pro project. You can even import a
Final Cut Pro XML file to bring a sequence in
without needed to do anymore media
management.
Edit the
clips as needed into sequences.
After your
clips are edited, just select them and press
Command+C to copy them to your clipboard.
5 Switch to an open After Effects project and
press Command+V to paste the clips using
Dynamic Link. The clips (with handles) will
move from Premiere Pro to After
Effects.
When digital
cameras became commercially available, the memory
cards used to store pictures were very expensive.
Photographers could not afford multiple or
high-capacity cards, so they wanted more images
to fit on a single, smaller card. Smaller file
sizes would also enable consumers who lacked an
understanding of digital imaging to attach photos
to email with minimum technical headaches.
With these two scenarios in place, manufacturers
turned to an Internet-friendly format, JPEG. It
was a proven technology, and one that was
familiar to many users. A JPEG file looks for
areas where pixel detail is repeated, such as the
color white on every key of your computer
keyboard. The file then discards repeated
information and tells the computer to repeat
certain color values or data to re-create the
image. The drawback is that a JPEG file is lossy,
so every time you modify it and re-save,
additional compression is applied to the image.
Newer digital cameras, generally the pro models,
offer newer formats, usually called raw. These
raw (or native) formats have several benefits
over shooting to JPEG. The images are usually
captured at a higher bit depth, which means that
the pixels contain more information about the
color values in the image. Most raw files have a
depth of 10, 12, or even 16-bits per channel
instead of the 8 used by JPEG. This raw format
also has a greater tonal range, resulting in
better exposure for shadows and highlights.
The image on the left is how the camera captured
a JPEG. Making adjustments to the image is
possible, but will lead to more degradation in
image quality. The image on the right is a
properly developed raw file. Working with raw
files gives you access to greater control over an
image.
The raw file captures the
unprocessed data from the camera’s image
sensor. While your camera may contain settings
for sharpness, exposure, or lighting conditions,
the raw file stores that info as modifiable
information and captures the original
(unmodified) data that came through your
camera’s sensors. Each manufacturer treats
the format differently, using a proprietary
format. Fortunately, Photoshop and Aperture
frequently update their raw technology to support
the newest cameras on the market.
Because the raw data is unprocessed, you must
essentially “develop” the image data
within Photoshop or Aperture. You can choose to
adjust several options related to the image, as
well as the lens and lighting conditions. You can
“tweak” the image after shooting it
(as opposed to JPEG, which is limited to the
settings you had when shooting).
Starting with Photoshop
CS2, Adobe introduced a new feature called
data sets. This allows you to create a set
of data that applies variable text, variable
visibility settings, or pixel replacement
for art layers. This is a great feature for
use with templates, especially those for
lower-third titles.
By harnessing the power of data sets, you can
dramatically speed up the production of
repetitive graphics. In fact, by feeding in a
text file, hundreds of lower-third graphics can
be generated in a few clicks. The advantage of
this method is that a producer or production
assistant can gather all of the needed names and
titles into a single text file (easily created
with any word processor). This file can then be
loaded to generate as many graphics as needed.
While the process is a little tricky at first,
it’s pretty easy to get the hang of.
Read the complete article over
at Layer Magazine for
free...
Brush strokes,
cloning, and most manual tools from the
toolbox do not record properly with
actions. Instead, use an alternative,
such as a Gradient Fill layer (Layer
> New Fill Layer > Gradient)
instead of the Gradient tool.
• To play a single step of an action,
double-click it.
• If you make a mistake in an action,
click Stop. Delete the incorrect steps by
dragging them into the Actions panel’s
trashcan. Choose Edit > Step Backward as
many times as needed. Then click Record and
start again from the last good point.
• Button mode lets you launch actions
quickly—just click an action and it
runs. You can access the command from the
Actions panel submenu. You’ll need to
disable Button mode to access recording and
editing features.
• Choose Playback Options from the
Actions panel submenu. Specify that you want
the actions to play back an action
accelerated. Photoshop can process faster
than it can redraw the screen.
• Be sure to back up your custom
actions to two locations: the default
location and a secondary backup location.
This way, a reinstall or upgrade won’t
blow away your custom actions.
• To create an action that will work
better on all files, set the rulers set to
measure using percentage.
• Use File > Automate > Fit Image
to resize an image for a specific height or
width.
One misperception we hear time and time again is
about resolution. For the record, video graphics
are not 72 dpi. First off, dpi stands for dots
per inch (as in printing). Photoshop measures
graphics using pixels per inch (ppi).
The resolution of this photo has been reassigned
from 300 ppi to 72 ppi. The Document Size (in
inches) has changed for printed output. The pixel
dimensions and file size remain unchanged at 1920
x 1080 pixels (for a 1080 HD video project).
When dealing with video graphics, resolution
doesn't matter. The same HD video file can play
back on a laptop, a television, or on a digital
projector, and the total number of pixels won't
change. To see this clearly, stand really close
to a big-screen HD TV; the picture looks soft.
Now find a smaller display with an HD signal; the
picture looks clearer. This is because HD is HD;
the bigger the screen the larger each pixel is
displayed, but again resolution doesn't change.
Figure 9.2 The enlarged area shows the individual
pixels that make up the butterfly image.
Setting Photoshop to Measure in
Pixels
Out of the box, Photoshop is set up for a print
workflow (biased isn't it?). This is easy to fix
with a simple preference change. You can set
rulers and other tools to measure using pixels by
default (which will make designing for the video
screen easy).
Launch Adobe Photoshop.
Press Command+K to call up your Photoshop
preferences.
Adobe Bridge has
lots of uses; this video looks at five of its
best: Contact Sheets, Web Galleries, Ranking,
Reviewing, and Browsing Animation Presets. You
can also visit the websitewww.peachpit.com/videomacin order to
download sample files.
I
have seen this first person.. and it is AWESOME.
Tons of real-time performance in Premiere Pro and
64-bit Operating Systems. It can also be tied to
a really fast graphics card for better
performance. The app runs INSANELY great and will
hopefully propagate through other Adobe apps like
Photoshop and After Effects.
"You've never seen a training camp like this!
Photoshop World is the ONLY Photoshop and digital
photography conference designed to put you at the
top of your game with fast and furious classes
from the world's leading experts. Photoshop World
is where Photoshop users go to learn hard and
play even harder!"
Our friends
atthe Peachpit User Group
Programare making a
special offer for all Mac User Groups who are
interested delivering both great information
on video production and a great price on a
Peachpit book to their members.
Richard Harrington and Robbie Carman are both
Apple Certified Trainers and have an extensive
background in video production. They talk with
publisher Nancy Aldrich-Ruenzel about their new
book Video Made on a Mac: Production and
Postproduction Using Apple Final Cut Studio and
Adobe Creative Suite, explain who it is written
for, and reveal why the Mac is their platform of
choice for professional endeavors.
You can capture video for an After Effects
project using Premiere Pro. Learn how to quickly
switch applications to pull in new footage from
tape. To download sample files, visitwww.peachpit.com/videomac.
Once you’ve acquired
your digital images, you’ll need to
size them for your project (as well as
ultimate output). For many Photoshop users,
such as photographers, this may be as
straightforward as cropping and sizing. This
chapter explores several techniques for
sizing your images. You’ll learn about
the concept of resampling, which addresses
how the computer adds or subtracts
information from a digital image while
trying to retain detail and clarity.
The second part of the image-sizing puzzle is a
clear understanding of these output requirements.
What resolution does your printer need? Are you
sending the image to a service provider such as a
developer or commercial printer? You’ll
need to make lots of choices, but they should be
based on where the image needs to end up. Do not
make assumptions when starting a project. Know
the destination of your image so you’ll
know which path to take.
KEEP READING AT PEACHPIT.com
Get the
Book
Photoshop offers a wide
range of features for rescuing washed-out
faces, teasing subjects out of the shadows,
and adding richness and depth to images.
Rich Harrington explores some of the most
useful Photoshop options for bringing
life-giving color to your photos.
Learning how to spot problems and then choosing
the right correction technique is an essential
part of mastering Photoshop. Several different
tools are available, some more useful than
others. By analyzing the most important tools and
determining in which situations they might help
you, a more thorough understanding of color
correction is possible.
The primary purpose of Photoshop is to act as a
digital darkroom, where images can be corrected,
enhanced, and refined. How do you know an image
needs touch-up? You can pretty much assume that
every image can look a little (or even a lot)
better than how the camera captured it. Whether
it's adjusting the exposure, increasing contrast,
or boosting saturation, Photoshop is the place to
improve an image.
KEEP READING AT PEACHPIT.com
Get the
Book
Transparency plays a key
role in the success of animation and
interactivity. By embedding transparency
into graphic elements, you can composite
together different elements created at
different times, allowing for true
flexibility.
The alpha channel is the technology behind
transparency in computer graphics. It first
evolved in the late 1970s at the New York
Institute of Technology and then continued to be
refined at Lucasfilm and at Pixar. When you
employ alpha channels embedded into footage
layers, transparency data can travel seamlessly
between After Effects and Flash.
You
can create alpha channels in several ways. One
common technique you can use for video footage is
chroma key technology. By shooting elements
against a blue or green screen, you can easily
remove the background. This technology is hardly
new, making its first appearance at RKO Radio
Pictures in the 1930s. The popularity of chroma
key technology has grown immensely, bringing the
technology and tools within reach of most content
creators.
KEEP READING AT PEACHPIT.com
Get the
Book
Looking for a quick overview on how to control
text animation in After Effects? This video will
get you up and running quickly. You can also
visit the websitewww.peachpit.com/videomacin order to
download sample files.
“How would you like a chance to win a
1.5-TB Guardian MAXimus quad interface hard drive
and $200 dollars in Fotolia credits, both
courtesy of Fotolia? We thought so. Just show us
your killer design skills, and before you know
it, it could be you downloading a ton of awesome
images from Fotolia to your brand-new hard drive.
And as an added perk, we'll publish the winning
entry in the January/February 2010 issue of
Layers magazine. So how do you win these great
prizes? All you have to do is enter the Layers
Back Page Design Contest.”
Learn about important changes to the Photoshop
CS4 user interface such as refined workspaces,
freely rotatable canvas, greater zoom levels,
enhanced controls with panels, and tabbed
documents.
The
extraordinary trainer, Terry White has
released an iPhone app called
"Learn
Adobe Creative with Terry White"which gives
you access to nearly 300 Video Tutorials.
Terry is a great podcaster and trainer with
a lot of passion for Adobe software.
You also get access to bonus content that won't
be posted anywhere else. The app also lets you
download the videos to your iTunes library so you
can watch when you are not online.
The "Learn the Creative Suite with Terry White"
app is available for both the iPhone and the iPod
touch. You canget it from the App Store for
$1.99.
Have you seen ournew book? Be sure to check out
theFacebook groupfor more
resources.
We've also got a new podcast series too with free
tips and practice files.Webor iTunes for free.
"On a Mac, the sky's the limit for creating
professional video. With all the tools available
though, it can be a daunting task to decide which
ones offer the best solutions for combined
efficiency and high-level results. How can you
effectively communicate your vision to clients
and crew? How should you calibrate your camera
for multi-camera and green screen shoots? Is it
better to do your keying in After Effects,
Motion, or Final Cut? How should you set up your
edit suite for efficiency and accuracy? How do
you manage large amounts of media and a multitude
of formats for multiple software applications?
In
Video Made on a Mac, you'll learn the answers and
much more. Chock-full of practical advice and
step-by-step instructions, each chapter provides
insight on the critical components of production
and postproduction that can make all the
difference when you're up against a tight budget
and schedule. The accompanying DVD supplies you
with project files and high-definition footage so
you can follow along with the examples, as well
as 50 training videos. Whether you're an advanced
Mac user or just beginning to incorporate Adobe
Creative Suite into your Final Cut Studio
workflow, you'll learn to apply best-practice
techniques to all your video projects."
Recharge Your Creativity and Craft •
January 13 - 16 • Miami Beach, Florida
Now in its fourth year,
theEditors Retreathas become an
annual gathering for the post-production
elite. Highly experienced editors from the
worlds of film, TV and video gather to
network, exchange ideas, share tips and of
course, have fun!
Past keynotes and attendees have included such
names as Alan Heim, Sally Menke, Stuart Bass,
Chris Franklin and David Helfand as well as
Apple, Adobe and Avid experts and industry power
users. Attendees have included representatives
from HBO, FRONTLINE, MTV, Lockheed Martin, Harpo
Productions and Telemundo.
Running for 4 days and 3 nights, the Retreat
offers advanced sessions on post visual and audio
techniques and features valuable insight into
emerging trends and technologies. An equal amount
of time will be devoted to discussing the
creativity, craft and business practices of
successful editors.
To ensure that only the best of the best attend,
participation is subject to an application and
screening process. Visitwww.EditorsRetreat.comfor the full
schedule and more details.
Attendees all
receive a huge goodie bag! Right now its valued
at over $4500 in gifts:
Adobe has announced that
the next version of the software will run on
64-bit Operating Systems only. It's not all
the apps in their suite, but the apps that
will most benefit.
"It’s common
knowledge among post-production pros that 64-bit
operating systems are the best choice for
top-of-the-line performance, especially when
producing HD or higher-resolution content. After
3 versions of simultaneous 64 bit and 32 bit
support for After Effects and Premiere Pro, we
wanted to let you know today that CS4 will be the
last version of Adobe’s leading video
applications to support 32 bit operating
systems."
Simon Hayhurst – The Senior Director of
Product Management for Dynamic Media
Our new
podcast,Video Made on a
Mac,
is in the New and Notable section of iTunes.
Richard Harrington and Robbie
Carman show you how to create professional video
on the Mac. In this series, they share videos and
project files using real world examples in Final
Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite. From
pre-production to post, and accomplishing it all
within a tight schedule, this podcast series
gives you a sample of what you can learn using
their book, Video Made on the a Mac.
Be sure to visit the site to get thefree downloadable
filesor order thebook. Be sure to use the code
VMMBOOK at checkout to receive a discount.
The
new podcast is brought to you by the fine folks
at Peachpit Press.
We've just released two very cool new
applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. These
applictons take full advantage of the iPhone and
iPod technology.
Includes
training videos edited specifically for the
iPhone or iPod Touch.
Offers easily
viewable screens, with zooms and close-ups of
the action.
Every lesson
includes hands-on files that you download to
your computer. There’s no need to merely
watch, you can try out every technique on your
own.
Test your
knowledge with interactive quizzes. Score
yourself as well as check your answers with
video responses.
Search
throughout the application by keyword and your
own bookmarks.
A quick
reference guide is also included to help you
build your Photoshop knowledge.
Interact with
the trainer with comments and a Twitter
client.
Understanding Photoshop: Quick
Fixes
Learn
how to quickly
solve common problems with color and tone
using Adobe Photoshop®. This innovative
learning application combines the latest in
knowledge and technology to accelerate your
learning. The application contains video
tutorials that cover a variety of tips and
tricks that will help you get the best out
of Photoshop. From learning how to
manipulate colors in your images to erasing
unwanted blemishes and even an entire person
from your photographs, these tutorials offer
it all. Whether you're new to Photoshop or
even an advanced user, you’ll find
useful techniques and powerful shortcuts to
get your work done faster.
Click here to visit the iTunes
store
how to create
breathtaking panoramic photographs using
Adobe Photoshop® and your digital camera.
This innovative application combines the
latest in knowledge and technology to
accelerate your learning. The application
contains video tutorials that illustrate
beginner to advanced techniques for creating
seamless panoramic images. You’ll
learn what gear you need for shooting
panoramic photos and how to use it.
You’ll also merge several complex
photos together, prepare panoramic photos
for printing, and create an interactive
360˚ panoramic movie. Whether your a
novice photographer or an advanced Photoshop
user, these easy to follow videos will help
you gain the skills you need to make amazing
panoramic photos.
Click here to visit the iTunes
store
The fine folks over at NAPP are running a
great contest to find
more Photoshop instructors.
"Anyone with a desire to teach others how to make
cool Photoshop effects can enter this contest. No
matter if you are a graphic designer,
photographer, teacher, student, or hobbyist. If
you’ve got the chops, the creativity and
the personality, this contest is for you. You may
enter up to 3 video tutorials for judging."
The deadline
for the contest is October 31, 2009.
The prizes
look great!
One Grand Prize: $2,500 (USD value)
National
Association of Photoshop Professionals –
one-year membership
GridIron Flow
software
Kelby
Training Online Classes – one-year
subscription
Layers
magazine – one-year
subscription
Kelby
Training Books & DVDs
Photoshop
World Conference & Expo Admission (plus
flight and hotel expenses)
And Tons of
Fame & Exposure
Plus, as the
grand prize winner you get the opportunity to
teach millions with a special guest spot on
PhotoshopUser TV and Layers TV podcasts, in the
pages of Photoshop User magazine, in an
instructor’s chair at an upcoming
Photoshop World Conference & Expo, on the
PlanetPhotoshop.com and of course, visibility
within NAPP to 71,000 members
worldwide.
5 Honorable Mention Prizes: $500 (USD
value)
National
Association of Photoshop Professionals –
one-year membership
GridIron Flow
software
Kelby
Training Online Classes – one-year
subscription
Check out ournew podcast
series. Join Richard Harrington
and Robbie Carman as we show you how to create
professional video on the Mac. We share videos
and project files using real world examples in
Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite.
From pre-production to post, these podcasts
gives you a sample of what you can learn using
their book,Video Made on the a
Mac.You can
use the code MACVIDEO for 35% off and free
shipping.
Watch
the latest FREE episodes:
•Organizing Images with
Bridge
•Prepping Storyboards for
Animation
Looking for another way to key? Be sure to check
out this video for a detailed demonstration of
keying with Keylight in After Effects.
You’ll also learn a few advanced tricks to
finalize the shot.
Group
and Ungroup– Similar to using a
track matte. Apply a layer to its downstairs
neighbor, but only in areas where there is
opacity. This is often used to constrain a
fill layer to a lower text layer for a Paste
Into effect. It is also used internally by
many layer styles to create proper clipping
for bevel effects.
Group:Cmd+G (Ctrl+G)
Ungroup:Cmd+Shift+G
(Ctrl+Shift+G)
Arrange
Layers– You can move layers
around from the keyboard.
Bring to
FrontCmd +
Shift + [ (Ctrl + Shift + [)
Bring
ForwardCmd
+ [ (Ctrl + [)
Send
BackwardCmd
+ ] (Ctrl + ])
Send to
BackCmd +
Shift + ] (Ctrl + Shift + ])
Align Linked
and Distribute Linked– Because your eyes
aren’t that good. Link the layers together
and access these controls from the menu (or use
the Move tool and Options bar for a graphical
interface). Want something centered on the
screen? Link to the background layer and
highlight it. The highlighted layer is the basis
for all centering and distribution.
Adjustments
> Black and White –A
poweful new command in the Adjustments
category that creates believable black and
white conversions. With CS3 Extended, you
can run it on footage too.
Adjustments
> Shadow/Highlight –This powerful command
makes fixing dark shadows and overblown
highlights a snap. Be sure to check the More
Options box for extra power.
Adjustments > Invert –Useful for
swapping transparent areas on a mask or channel.
Calculations –This is truly a
powerful way to create an alpha channel.
Variables
– These allow you to
define variables in a template, then quickly
input new data to create additional graphics.
Step
Forward and Step Backward –Multiple
undos.
Fade– Not happy with
the results of a filter or an adjustment? Choose
this immediately after running the filter. By the
way, did I mention this adds blending modes to
all filters? Your filter collection just grew
2100%. Try it now! Give your filters new life!
Remember: you must choose this immediately after
running a filter. This is quite possibly
Photoshop’s most underused feature.
(Shift+Cmd+F/Shift+Ctrl+F)
Copy Merged –Copy multiple layers
into one layer on your clipboard. Why flatten
unnecessarily? (Shift+Cmd+C/Shift+Ctrl+C)
Check Spelling & Find and Replace Text
–Because spelling
errors are generally nonbillable.
Free Transform –This tool does it all.
Access every layer transformation by
Ctrl+clicking (right-clicking) while in free
transform mode. Cut downs on image degradation by
applying all your sizing, warping, and
perspective changes at once. Cmd+T (Ctrl+T)
Purge –Free up space by
deleting undos, clipboards, history! This will
enable you to save and close when you get the
dreaded “Scratch Disks Are Full”
message.
Save As... –Choose from 20+
formats (more through special plugins). Photoshop
is the ultimate graphic converter. Shift+Cmd+S
(Shift+Ctrl+S)
Save for Web & Devices –It
doesn’t get any more intuitive. Choose the
two-up window, resize and compress your image for
the web or e-mail. Now you can safely send the
client an approval copy without having to worry
about messing up your original.
Shift+Option+Cmd+S (Shift+Alt+Ctrl+S)
Place –Can’t open it?
Try placing it. This is how you can bring in EPS,
AI, or PDF files. It allows you to position and
scale an image (via a bounding box). When you
click OK, Photoshop will add it at the proper
size, position, and resolution (plus newer
versions of Photoshop will insert it as a useful
Smart Object).
Automate Submenu –These are some of the
most useful tools for preparing client comps.
Whether for print, web, or e-mail, the Automate
options take boring tasks and make them quick and
easy. Think of this menu as Photoshop’s
batch rendering option. (Think of batch rendering
as the only chance you may get for caffeine,
nicotine, or vending machine—the vices for
a media pro.)
[never mind the music, cue the video
intro] "It's time once again to ask a well-known
photographer, instructor or otherwise interesting
person the same 10 questions and ask them to
Finish the Sentence! This week the sentences are
finished by.... ...
I
wanted to share a little work in progress
file. I find After Effects tremendously
useful for resizing video. In fact I use it
often to pre-process footage before applying
additional codecs.
What I’ve put together here is a Resizer
project. It allows you to quickly convert
an HD file (720 or 1080) to 50 different output
formats. The file is quite simple to use,
and covers output sizes ranging from SD, to
Presentation Software, to Web, to iPhone.
This is a work in progress… but I’d
love to get your feedback. To learn how to
use it (and get the file) keep reading....
First off… download the resizer template
from here (Resizer_Template.zip).
It is an After Effects CS4 project. There are two
files, both are identical. The .aep is a
project file, the .aet is a template file that
will create a copy automatically when you open
it.
Read
More...
“With the proliferation of video on
the Web, access to information is getting easier
to find and understand (for most). The
challenge is twofold: first is getting people to
find and search your video for the right
information and second is if the individual has
an auditory impairment, so much information is
only available in the audio track. This is
why there has been such a big push to make video
searchable online and more accessible. In this
article you’ll use Adobe’s tool set
to set up your video content for both
goals.”
In this Photoshop tutorial, Richard Harrington
takes a look at content aware scaling, a new
feature in Photoshop CS4, which gives the ability
to stretch a part of a picture based on the
subject matter.
In this episode of Photoshop for Video, Richard
Harrington takes a look at a depth of field
blurring technique that allows you to simulate
the depth of field look inside of Photoshop.
In this episode of the Photoshop for Video
podcast, Richard Harrington discusses his
favorite addition to Photoshop CS4, the masks
panel which gives you precise control over the
masks on a layer.
In this Photoshop podcast tutorial, Richard
Harrington gives some free tips to help balance
out exposure issues in a photo. When lighting
issues arise with a photo, with parts of a
graphic that are too light or too dark this
podcast can help.
Just thought I’d share that Adobe extended
theirdiscount 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, thisoffer
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.
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.
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.
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 theLayers Magazine
websiteto see the full tutorial for
free.
I have
literally just sent the last changes to the last
chapter in. The brand new bookAfter Effects for Flash | Flash
for After Effectsis 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
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
ConferenceExpo 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 booksPhotoshop for VideoandCreating Motion
Graphicsboth 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.
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 atAmazon for 37%
off, and adds some great new
stuff.
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
forMacandWindowsfrom 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
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 atAmazon for 30%
off,
and adds some great new stuff.
The book is on sale atPeachpit’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
Automationhere.
You can view an excerpt from a chapter on color
correctionhere.
The books are in my hands and shipping from
bothPeachpitandAmazon.
If you like the book... PLEASEwrite 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 thisgreat articleby 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
ouriTunes
version.
Richard Harrington shows you the
small but important updates and features new to
Photoshop CS4 .
Want the videos in HD? Then check out
ouriTunes
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
ouriTunes
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
ouriTunes
version.
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
ouriTunes
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.
Cool right? Its easy to win (and your chances are
very good). Simply watch the videos atCSFour.comor 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.
My new book,Understanding Adobe Photoshop
CS4is 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.
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.”
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
ouriTunes
version.
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 ouriTunes
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 ouriTunes
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 theiTunes store. By clicking subscribe,
you’ll pay nothing, but get overtwo 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).
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
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 theirWeb
broadcast on September 23rd. But you do need
to go to the sign-up page atwww.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.
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!
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 athttp://www.toolsfortelevision.com.
Action FX
–For
complex text and special effects, check out the
excellent sitehttp://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; seehttp://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.
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
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 atKelby
Training.com,
or see him live atPhotoshop
Worldthis
September in Las Vegas”
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.
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.
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 thingsPhotoshop
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
toplay 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
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.
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!”
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 reviewhere...
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 theAdobe TV
site.
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
filesclick
here.
To get a bonus video tutorial -click here.
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.”
Thanks to Planet Photoshop
for making Photoshop for Video theirpick 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 therest of the sitefor 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 theAdobe Media Playersoftware 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
fromhttp://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.
I finally gave in
and checked outPhotoshop Expressfrom Adobe...
and I must say I am impressed. No, it doesn't
replace Elements (and certainly not
Photoshop), but it is very,verycool.
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.
Think you
know Photoshop? Want to prove it? Then pass
the Adobe Certified Expert Exam. TheAdobe Certified
Expertexams 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 theAdobesite. Prices
are $50 for re-certification and $150 for the
ACE exams.
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. TheDean Collins Educational
Scholarshipis 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.
"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
verycool product at
Macworld Expo calledFlow. 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 cansee it in actionin 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
acceptingsign-ups for beta
testing.
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."
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 theKelbyTraining 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
ofPhotoshop
Usermagazine.
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, visitPhotoshopUserAwards.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
newWacom
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...
theAdobe Media Galleryplug-in for
Adobe Bridge CS3.
“Adobe® Media Gallery (AMG) for Adobe
Bridge adds quick,powerful Web gallerycreation 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 onopensource.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 hisAdobe 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.
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 productscompared on one single
pageto 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
onPhotoshop’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 isuniquefor
each book, so be sure to register your code.
If you have your code ready, please visithttp://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
aniDisk? They are a
useful part of a.mac accountthat 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 nameand 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... pleaseclick
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
pageand 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).
If
you came to either of my classes atPodcast 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.
If you are a
Windows user who likes to fix up their
photos and video... then you should check
out thenew 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 outhereand 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...
I've been meaning to post
on this for a while (I am knee-deep in 4
books right now). Came across some
incredible Photoshop actions from the
talentedPanosFX.com. The newAnalysisaction set contains 23
different looks that can make your photos into
books, filmstrips, and photo spreads. What's
nice is that these actions add realistic
lighting and edges for a very believable
effect. Another bonus is that things remain
layered which means you can perform some level
of animation in After Effects (or even the
Photoshop CS3 timeline). The set cost $10, but
is quite nice and a strong entry into my
toolbox. If you'd like to see the quality of
PanosFX, check out their generousFreebies. Quite a lot of cool things
in there.
Interested in Motion
Graphics? The check out the evolvingMographWikiwhich has a nice
collection of user contributed content and
articles. Its a great place to browse for
ideas and talent. There's a lot of useful
things up here including:
I've
gotten a few letters lately asking about new
books... there are three updates and a new one in
development (more later).
But I did write a new book and thoroughly revise
another.
For your reading enjoyment and personal
education.
Photoshop
for Video 3rd Edition (previously titled
Photoshop for Nonlinear Editors)
• Major updates with tons of new content
and more than 75 new pages of material
• Over 2.5 hours of training videos
• Expanded coverage of DVD and Motion
Graphics
• In-depth look at HD graphics and workflow
• Full coverage of Photoshop CS3
Download the free
chapterhere.
You can order the bookhere.
Here's
a freechapterfrom my new book
How to Wow with PowerPoint. This is the intro
to the book and focusses on best practices for
designing graphics for the screen (so even if
you aren't a PowerPoint fan, you'll find some
wholesome goodness on here). I hope you all
enjoy it, If you'd like to order the book
clickhere.
Looking for some
After Effects training? One of my favorite
resources isThe Anvelrun by Dean
Velez. Besides a bunch of coolfreebies and
templates, Dean has a greatsubscription packageof After Effects
tutorials. Dean is a very experiences designer
with a few Emmys under his belt.
He generously shares this knowledge with others.
Dean's discs are great for ideas and I float them
amongst the RHED Pixel staff so they can try out
some new techniques.
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 clickhere.
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...
The other day we needed to
convert a VERY BIG Quark file to work with
InDesign. We seemed stumped (and stuck) as
InDesign only supports importing Quark 4.0
files or older.
Fortunately, money could solve this problem (I
know... that's often the case). A useful
recommendation from an Adobe colleague pointed me
towardsMarkzwareandQ2IDfor the conversion.
The short review... it works! Spending $199 to
save having to rekey 250 pages is worth it in my
book. Currently it only works with CS1 or CS2....
but you can always convert, then promote the
document forward.
Gary Logsdon has posted101 Photoshop tipsthat
work with most versions of Photoshop. There
are a lot of useful ones here that save time
and effort. What's also nice is the ability to
download the tips as a PDF file to save to
your computer for the future.
Slew of new features--and cross-platform
functionality--added for post and rich media pros
It
was an exciting afternoon on March 27 when Adobe
announced updates to virtually its entire product
line-tying together seven applications into a new
version of its Creative Suite software for
streamlined, video-intensive workflow. Adobe's
Creative Suite 3 Production Premium bundle will
be cross-platform when it debuts in the third
quarter of 2007 (that is, between July 1 and
Sept. 30).
Targeting both postproduction and rich media (aka
multimedia) professionals, the bundle includes
After Effects CS3 Professional, Premiere Pro CS3,
Encore CS3, Photoshop CS3 Extended, Illustrator
CS3, Flash CS3 Professional, and Soundbooth CS3.
For Windows users, the bundle also includes
OnLocation CS3, formerly Serious Magic DV Rack,
and Ultra CS3 software for chroma keying, also a
former Serious Magic app. (Mac users can run
these two apps under Boot Camp.)
If you read mydetailed review on Photoshop
CS3running 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
versionhere. 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 adetailed review on Photoshop
CS3running 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 asLightroomfor organizing
digital photos,Soundboothfor audio
editing, and nowPhotoshop
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 theFAQ 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
towww.adobe.com/products/photoshop/index.
htmlfor 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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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 thesubscribe button(it is free)
2. Pleasetell your
friends
3. Pleaseleave
feedback.
4. Please post a comment here with requests for
specific tutorials.
I want this podcast to be truly useful to the
community. Yoursupportand feedback
really do help.
Looking
for greater options and compatibility when
browsing PDF files? Then its time todownload 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.
Like the podcast?
Subscribe forFREE.
Want more training? Check out ourBooks.
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
(MacorWin):
• 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
ManagerSteve Kiliskyfor 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 atPhotoshopNews.comand
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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Want more training? Check out ourBooks.
Just read over at the
wonderful blog ofJohn Nackthat 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.
I really enjoy that fact
that Adobe has an active blogging initiative
amongst their employees. These folks really
know their tools and their community. The
problem before has been that I don't have
time to browse ALL of them for those golden
nuggets of Adobe goodness... until
now.
While visiting Adobe Labs, I found them showing
off a new product calledSpry.
The whole Ajax and Web 2.0 stuff is a little
beyond me, but they do have a nice
galleryof practical uses. Check out
their
Photo Gallery,
Effects Demo, and the aforementioned
Super
RSS Reader(OK, I added the Super part).
Now in one window you can browse ALL the Adobe
blogs for all applications. This really is
a cool wayto keep up on the lesser known
parts of Adobe.
If you're looking for some
great new Photoshop actions, hop over
toPanos
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
visitPanos FXand 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 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 andnotbe 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 atIndustrial Light and
Magic). Photoshop serves all and
thisgreat articleby 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.
Like the podcast?
Subscribe forFREE.
Want more training? Check out ourBooks.
Looking for
a cool contest with prizes better than a
shiny statue? Then don't missthe Photoshop User
Awardssponsored 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 ruleshere. 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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"An
interview withPeachpit
Press Author Richard Harringtonon 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
ProfessionalsPhotoshop
World Conference, Las Vegas, in September
2006 by Harris Fogel."
While much
of my time is spent making photos look
better... sometimes I have to go the
opposite direction.Mister Retrohas 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
theirgallery.
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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Want more training? Check out ourBooks.
Join us
each week for a dose of professional
Photoshop training. We've turned our new
book,Understanding Adobe
Photoshopinto a weekly
podcast. It's a good idea tosubscribevia 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 thebook.
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.
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
Planning
on coming toPhotoshop Worldin
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 theMandalay Bay Hoteland
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 bysigning up in
advanceor
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?
ColorTheoryfromDigital Anarchyprovides
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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Subscribe forFREE.
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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 cansign 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.
Like the podcast?
Subscribe forFREE.
Want more training? Check out ourBooks.
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.
Like the podcast?
Subscribe forFREE.
Want more training? Check out ourBooks.
Are
you an intermediate to advanced After
Effects user? If so, the coolest book ever
is about to ship. I recently edited a book
calledAfter 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, govisit 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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Subscribe forFREE.
Want more training? Check out ourBooks.
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 atCreative
Cow.
Be sure to check out hisuseful sitefor 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 sitePhotoshop For Videohas 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).
While working
onmy 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
byPanos 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 30free actionsand 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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Subscribe forFREE.
Want more training? Check out ourBooks.
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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Subscribe forFREE.
Want more training? Check out ourBooks.
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,
clickhere.
To buy this episode, clickhere.
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.
• Info palette numbers are now displayed
and updated when moving a curve point in Curves
via the cursor keys.
• Problems opening certain TIFF and PSB
files greater than 2GB have been resolved.
The download is free and should be downloaded by
all users.
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