News: Get ya Camera Raw update

As expected, Adobe has posted a new, free update to the Camera Raw plug-in (version 3.2), which adds support for even more digital cameras. Snag it from Adobe's site, under Support, under Downloads.

Tip: A better way to center your guides

I ran across this tip at the GraphicGuy's Blog, and I thought it was pretty cool, but when I showed Dave Cross, he took it up a notch. The tip is how to mark the center of any document with guides. I've always done it this way: Select all, bring up Free Transform, then drag out guides until they line up with the center point. This is better: go under the View menu, choose New Guide, and type in 50% (you do it twice: once for horizontal; once for vertical). Dave noted that this won't work as an action unless you first change the Ruler units to percent (rather than inches or pixels). Then it works. Cool tip!

Worth a look: Photo Shelter

They've got a pretty neat idea. You store your photos on their site. All your photos, and they become your offsite secure backup, but that's not what makes this so cool. They offer built-in software that not only displays the photos you want displayed, you can sell your photos right there on their site and they take 0 percent commission. You can store 10 Gig of photos there for only $5.95 a month. Not bad. http://www.photoshelter.com

Scoop: Little known Photoshop Filters

I just ran across these little-known Photoshop filters, and I have to say--they're awesome! They're called "Machine Wash" filters (the collection contains 60 different filters) and they make your Photoshop image look like it was on a t-shirt, and washed many times. It gives that cool distressed look that so popular now, and it gives you all sorts of varients. Really slick stuff. The image here shows just one of the filters being applied. It may be the best $32 bucks you'll spend this week. Check them out at http://www.misterretro.com/machine_wash_filters_two.html

TIP: sorting in Camera Raw

If you've got multiple images open in Camera Raw (in CS2) you probably already know you can rank your images there just like you do in the bridge, just press Command-. [period] on Mac, or Control-. on PC. Each time you do, it adds a star (up to five stars). If you're already doing this (rating in Camera Raw), I've got a cool hidden shortcut for ya. Obviously, clicking the Select All button, selects all the open photos in Camera Raw, but if you hold the Option key (PC: Alt-key) before you click the Select All button, it changes to 'Select Rated" and now it only selects photos you've already rated. If you use Camera Raw for sorting, this is a huge timesaver.

Monotone print from Bar Harbor

Here's a monotone photo from my shoot in Bar Harbor, Maine. On a related note, my brother Jeff and Matt Kloskowski are heading up to the same area in a week or so for a photo workshop as well, to catch the fall colors. I'm totally jealous!

News: Camera Raw update on the way?

The word on the street is that a Camera Raw update is just around the corner (apparently, the blurb is on Adobe.com but the link isn't live quite yet). Apparently this update adds support many of the latest digital cameras.

Alien Skin Patches for Mac OS X Tiger users

If you're using Alien Skin's Photoshop plug-ins, and you're running Mac OS X Tiger, better go snag these free updates that address some compatiblity issues. http://www.alienskin.com/support/patches/index.html

Epson announces new P-4000

You know how you can tell if a new product update is on the way? It usually happens shortly after I get the old version. Yup, I got the Epson P-2000 for my birthday (which by the way, is the ultimate photo storage/viewer thingy) which set the stage for Epson to announce the new P-4000, which has twice as much storage as my P-2000, and better battery life. Anyway, the P-2000 (and it's new sibling the 4000) is one of those things that once you hold one in your hand, you want one. Bad. It's Epson's iPod. :)

TIP: for Nikon shooters

If you've got a D70 or a D2X, here's a tip that will make your life easier if you do a lot of exposure compensation. The problem is it's a two step process: hold the little button, then spin the wheel. Well, you can make it so don't have to press the button. Just go to the Menu, to the Custom (CSM) menu, and turn on Exposure Comp. Now, when you're shooting in Aperture Priority, you can just spin the wheel, and you'll never have to press that tiny irritating button again.

Last morning shot

Got this one before we headed to the airport for the trip home (click on the image to see a larger version). It was shot at Jordan Pond about 15 minutes before the thick fog rolled in. Shot with a 12mm super wide angle lens, followed by a yummy breakfast at Jordan's restaurant in Bar Harbor.

NEWS: inkjet paper with a Velco backing

This is pretty cool---want to stick a photo to your cubicle or a tradeshow booth? Then check out this color inkjet paper that has a Velcro™ backing on it. You just print out your photo and stick it to the wall. Slick! Thanks to Design Tools Monthly who passed the news along. You can order your paper at http://www.velcro.com/consumer/products_pp.htm

Behind the lens at DLWS

Here's (from L to R), Vincent Versace, Moose Peterson, and me shooting at Sandy Beach, Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. Photo by Laurie Excell.

From tonight's dusk shoot

I climbed down on the rocks, risking life, limb, and the threat of seawater crashing from the rocks onto my gear. The things we do for art. ;-)

First shot from the workshop

I caught this one last night (at the Digital Landscape Workshop Series with Moose Peterson and Vincent Versace) at dusk with my D2X using a 400mm Nikon telephoto. The one thing you don't see is the mosquitos eating me alive. ;-)

Another pre-workshop shot

This one is from the day before the Maine workshop started. Roddy and I took a morning cruise on a 151' 4-masted schooner with maroon red sails and I caught this by hanging over the bow with one hand on the camera, and the other on a sail line (a slight exaggeration strickly for cinematic effect).

TIP: Advanced tip for Layers freaks

This is one of the those tips that will really strike a chord with some advanced users, and at the same time be completely and utterly useless to others. It's actually a hidden CS2 shortcut for inverting a Layer Mask as you duplicate it. First hold the Shift key, then click and drag the Layer Mask thumbnail to the layer you want it to appear on. If you want to invert and duplicate the mask (rather than move it), hold the Option key (PC: Alt-key) as well. See, a perfect tip for the Layer freak deep inside us all.

Wacom's new tablet

Wacom introduced some new tablets today, and the $249 6"x8" bluetooth wireless model looks perfect for anyone who's been thinking of getting a tablet, but wasn't ready to pony up enough for the full Intous pro-model. Take a look---it looks pretty cool (especially in white, as shown here).

A Boston shot

OK, this is out of order, because I took this the day before Photoshop World Boston, but I couldn't upload it because the image button was missing from the blog software (it's a long story). Anyway, this shot is of a steel pipe people were tying up to at a dock near Sarrow Drive in Boston.

First shot from Maine

I'm up here in Maine for a digital landscape workshop with Moose and Vincent. It starts tomorrow evening, but I couldn't help but sneak out and grab a few shots before things got rolling. Here's one I took tonight. More to come once the workshop gets rolling. :)

Your photo on stamps!

This is pretty cool—you upload your own photo, choose your layout, and they send you a sheet of real USPS-approved totally legal postage stamps. It's worth stopping by their site, at http://www.photostamps.com

Another LensBaby, baby!

I saw a BMW parked in the lot near where I was shooting, so I LenBabied the hood ornament. Lensbaby rules! :)

TIP: Finding dust and specs in your photos

This is a great trick for instantly locating dust and specs in your digital camera photos. It points them out in a way that makes them easier to find and then repair with the Healing Brush.

Once the photo is open, go to the Adjustment Layer menu (at the bottom of the Layers palette) and choose Invert. Then change the blend mode of this layer to Difference. That's it—now zoom in to a 100% view of your image, move around and although your image will be made up of funky colors, the spots will stand out like a sore thumb, in a different color.

Now, add a blank layer, get the brush tool and paint a circle around the spots, then remove the Adjustment layer and get to work. Try this one yourself—you'll be surprised at how well it works.